(MOST PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.) Carlton Club, 12th May 1836.
MY DeAn * * • *—Come home ; make ha,.e ; sulk no longer ; Fortune has favoured us; unless you make great haste, we shall be in before you reach London. What has happened, you ask ? has our Commons minority grown into a majority ? have the Whigs fallen out with O'CONNELL, and joined Sir Roma ? have the Radi- cals united with us to turn out the Whigs ? is there at last a plain Con- servative reaction ? have the old man at Windsor and the young girl at Kensington been carried off by the east wind? No, no, no; you give it up. Well, then, we have got hold of another RAPHAEL affair, which, being properly worked, as this one will be, must break up the Government.
What is the charge, who is the RAPHAEL, who the O'CONNELL, who the HAMILTON of this scandalous story ? See the Times of Monday and Wednesday. and the Standard of Wednesday last. Our friends of the press, you observe, very properly take for granted the truth of what is about to be tried in a court of justice. This was ne- cessary; for the truth or falsehood of the allegation is really of no consequence to our political object, which may be accomplished pen- dente lids. The accusation is enough for us, provided we can spread a belief that it is true. Hence the tone of the Times and the Standard. Remark, too, the skill with which they give a political complexion to the affair. If Ministers reject LYNDHURST'S Irish Municipal Bill, this affair is the reason. Whatever Ministers may do during the next two months,—whether they move on, or stand still, or go backwards,— this affair will be the reason. Let him turn which way he may, the Premier will be stabbed with this affair. Poor WILLIAM LAMB !—and for such a peccadillo, if all were known, as it probably will be after our purpose has been served !—But why does lie stand in our way? Let him resign ; and then a fig for the story, which is commonplace, and really good for nothing except as a political instrument. Talking of instruments, the RAPHAEL of this affair—but you know him : is he not glade for our purpose? The HAMILTON of this affair—your humble servant yields to no man in the art of using a cat's-paw. The wretched woman—God forgive us !—But why don't they let us in ? As the Times says, " If Lord MELBOURNE goes, who comes? that is the question." Yes, that is the question. The first point is to get rid of MELBOURNE. Coute qu'il cock, we must ruin him. By what means ?—By turning up the whites of our eyes; by preaching in our own circle low-lived middle-class morality ; by assuming the truth of all that gossip tells; by attributing every act of Ministers to this affair; by appealing, as the Times has done, to those " who are classed under the genetic term Saints; '" by vowing that we are solely moved by a regard for the national morals; and (this will be my business) by urging on him, who when all comes out, will be the real victim, socially speaking, of this our political plot. Will you not come, and help to play so promising a game? If the Premier, being cowed by our treatment of this affair, should induce the Commons to accept LYNDHURST'S bill, we may then come in, certain of being able to manage the Irish elections. Think of the power and the patronage which will belong to a Home Minister under the centralized government of all the towns of Ireland ! " If Lord MELBOURNE goes, who comes? that is the question." Yes, let us but stab the Whig-Radical leader in the heart; and then huzza for Lord Chancellor LYNDHURST, the Duke, and ourselves. Come. come quickly; for " the cold shade of Opposition " has made us all very
hungry, and there will be a terrible scramble. I am promised—that is if the plot succeeds—but come, and bring your talents for intrigue to
the aid of your's as ever, • • • • • • • • • • • •
THE THEATRES.
MACREADY, having left Drury Lane, appeared at Covent Garden on Wednesday, as Macbeth. He was welcomed with the utmost enthu- siasm ; the audience rising en masse, and cheering repeatedly. He never acted more finely. At the end of the tragedy, being loudly called for, he came forward, evidently labouring under strung emotion, and addressed the audience as follows.
" Ladies and Gentlemen—l'utler ordinary circumstances. I should receive this maidl festatiou of your kinduess with silent acknowledgments; but I cannot disguise from myself the fact, that the circumstances which have led to my engagement at Ibis theatre, after an absence of many years. are uppermost in your minds. Into these circumstances 1 will out enter further than two general observations. First, I was subjected, in cold blood, from midi% es which I will not characterize, to a series of studied and annoying, and mortifying prmocations, personal and professknal. The second, that, suffering under those accumulated provocations, I vas betrayed, in a moment of unguarded passion, into an intemperate and imprudent act ; for which I feel, and shall never cease to feel, the deepest and most poignant self reptoacli and re- gret. I wish it to be distinctly understood, ladies and gentlemen. that it is to you and to myself I owe this declaration ; and I make it with unaffected sincerity. To liberal and generous minds, I think I need say no more. I cannot, however, at such a moment, resist thanking you, and I do so most sincerely, most respectfully, and indeed most gratefully, for these kind expressions or your sympathy and favour."
The " circumstances " are these. BONN having no further occasion for MACREADY'S services—opera having superseded tragedy for the rest of the season—felt the payment of his high salary a very iiksome duty ; and he tried by every species of indignity to induce the actor to throw up his engagement in disgust. Among other annoyances, he put up William Tell as an afterpiece, and played only the first three acts of Richard the Third,—thus degrading the " legitimate drama," of which by his patent he is supposed to be the protector, to for- ward his mean views. It was this last outrage that gave rise to the assault. MACREADY leaving the stage at the end of the third act, expended all the energy that he had to spare for the last two upon the miserable manager. The door of BUNN'S room unluckily lay in his way, and, kicking it open, the enraged Richard, after venting his wrath in art opprobrious epithet or two, dashed his fist into the stage mo- narch's face. BONN retorted literally " tooth and nail ;" a scidlie en- sued; arid the actor left the manager sprawling on the sofa, bawling " Murder !"
An act of violence commonly excites a feeling against the party guilty of it, and in favour of the assaulted. The reverse seems to be the case in the present instance ; for the CoventGarden audience re- ceived MACREADY'S very proper address with tremendous cheering; and his popularity is increased rather than diminished. The situation of the individual whom the public thus significantly pronounce to have deserved a beating, is any thing but an enviable one. The Rose of the Alhambra, or the Enchanted Lute, an opera, written, says the Herald, by Captain PoLttILL, and composed by Mr. Da
PINNA, was produced at Covent Garden on Thursday; and met with
considerable applause, though it is not likely to prove a permanent attraction. The story is as absurd and devoid of interest as usual ;
the music is feeble and commonplace, having neither dramatic character nor originality. There are some pretty snatches of melody here and there ; but the airs, though trying to the singers, do nut make any im- pression ; the choruses are loud without being effective; and the in-
strumentation is thin and meagre even when it is noisy : in a word, the composer appears to have undertakers a task beyond his powers. Miss Rost ER is the blooming" Rose of the Alhambra; " Mr. BARKER, from the St. James's Theatre, who made his first appearance hew on this occasion, is a "pretty page," and a proper youthful lover ; and Mr. MoRLEY enacts the villain of the piece, villatiously enough. BARKER has a sweet voice, and sings evenly and correctly ; but his redundant cadences only serve to show the weakness of his voice, and his want of judgment in introducing them.
There is a ballet introduced, with some lively Spanish dancing; which, though it wants the proper Spanish fire and energy, is a wel- come relief to the monotonous insipidity of third-rate French dancing. The dresses are poor and shabby ; but the scenery is beautiful, espe- cially some views of the Alhambra, taken from LEWIS'S sketches. . At the conclusion, some friends of Mr. De PINNA persisted la calling for him ; and he was led before the curtain by the stage-manager; but laughter mingled with the applause.
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