7 JANUARY 1854, Page 13

A 'melodrama at Drury Lane, called The Begging Letter, has

all the distidvantages of a play:founded upon -a book, without any of the Com- pontating LadvantageS,1 which have been felt on many occasions. 'Every play that has a novel for its 'basis will 'probably have i disjointed appear- ance; from the fact that'theliatits of dramatic representation.require a greAtt deal of connecting matt,er to be Omitted; but in-the case of a book that -Millie, world has read, thediamatist has to deal With an audience Who, With the store of knowledigf they. possess, can easily supply the deficiencies they find an the stage.. Arow,, Roweroft's novel of Amoy Os LiWs. Milij-- ne?"-, though* has what may be called a railway-station pirpularity,is not so universally reed that tha :mixed spectators- of a theatre- come armed' with a knowledge elite contents. Hence the sort of vagueness, which communicates an .insipidity to Theltegging :Letter, in spite-dam:no-really streng.,61113ctsi and a manifest determination an the part Of the writer to be-as halliblt"cas 'possible. Frilly -to appreciate the force Of this MeV:1.1 drainit,s'itleikeensZary to read "'Fanny the Little Milliner," from which theaubjectis taken: . The principle aelopthd itu the treatment has been; that of increasing the physicalhorrors, and softening the political tenden- cies of the original.