M. Scribe's comedy of La Camaraderie was originally produced at
the Commencement of 1837, when the literary and artistic world of Paris was-
hi a state of more formidable clique-government than had been previously known. At the present day, and in a foreign country, the particular ob- ject of the satire vanishes. Nevertheless, the general object will always remain perceptible ; for wherever literature and art are professions, there will always be a body to eirelaim, ' Nul n'aura de l'esmit Hors nous at nos amis ; " and a still larger, but less organized body, to retaliate with bursts of wrath. Then there is all the charm of a polished dialogue written in the very perfection of a prose comedy style, and delighting at every step by
its pungency and shrewdness • while the types of the various departments are admirably chosen and portrayed, and an intrigue is conducted with air
ingenuity that almost produces complication. Four of the leading come- dians of the day, Messieurs Samson and Regular, and Mademoiselles Denain and Nathalie, have been employed to give the work its full effect; and Mr. Mitchell may be especially congratulated on the arrival of M. ilegnier, whose performance of an intriguing physician is a perfect speci- men of comic acting. To the smoothness and finish of the French school he adds a. force which the English often miss in the best Parisian artists, with a vivacity and a mobility peculiarly his own. The character which. he plays is, in fact, the best in the piece, as the physician is the most zealous agent of the clique whose machinations form its substance.
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