At Covent Garden, on Thursday, a lively operatta, called The
Outpost—a version of a French piece, La Scntinelle Perdue —was produced with complete success. The perplexities of two lovers, a French sentinel left to guard an " outpost," and the daughter of a farmer in the hostile territory, whose wedding is interrrupted by the alarms of war, form the plot. The music, by If ULLAH, is dramatic and effective, and more elaborately worked up than is usual in slight pieces of this kind ; the accompaniments are rich in harmonies ; and the free use of drum, cymbal, and trumpet, is allowable in a martial subject. The songs and concerted pieces are remarkable for variety of character and ingenuity of construction ; and the dances and choruses are strik- ing and animated. The gem of the music, however, is the quartet in the finale—a beautiful glee, with a sweet flowing melody, and simple and graceful harmony. This exquisite composition reminds us 1" the quintet in the finale of The Village Coquettes. It raises the reputation of the young composer. The singing and acting were excellent, and the piece is well got up. The Veiled Portrait is not so much a farce as a petite comedy, farci- cally acted. HAltt.EY, as a "Mayor, is excessively ridiculous ; and VIKING, as a gallant, makes love with more animation than is custom- ary in comedy; but there is nothing very ludicrous either in the situa- tions or the characters. The mystery of the " veiled portrait " is not worth unravelling.
A new five act play by SIIERIDAN KNowt.Es, called 1Voman's Wit, or Love's Disguises, is announced for Wednesday : the carat of charac- ters is very strong. Welcome another ploy by KNOWLES to Covent Garden!
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