16 FEBRUARY 1839, Page 13

The new burletta at the Olympic, called Our cousin German,

is a new version of a piece with the title of " Best Intentions," in which MATHEWS the elder personated 4 similar character to this of the German cousin, Herr Wittihind, played by CHARLES MATHEWS the younger. Cousin Wittikind is one of those flighty, fussy, and foolishly awkward persons, one often meets with in real life ; whose good-nature and kind intentions save them from the penalty of their blunders, though the ill consequences are not the less disagreeable to the victims of them. The weak, fond, amiable simpleton, alternately in a flurry of delight and a fever of vexation, as his gaucherie or his good luck prevails, is repre- sented to the life by CHARLES MATHEWS : his long flaxen hair, and monstachios en suite, look as if "a flax-wife could take his head between her knees and spin it off." It was almost painfully ludicrous to see poor Wittikind, overwhelmed at some fresh annoyance iiehas unintentionally caused, clasping his hands, and whining out, with a face full of per- plexity, " I did it for the best :" the German accent and costume heighten the simplicity of the character.