that when Providence restored this august Family to us, she rejoiced in their prosperity, and expressed it in a manner which proved how much her attachment to them was noble and sincere! It was she who sent to a Princess, dear to all France, whose virtues and rare qualities she acknowledged, whose great soul she admired, and whom, in beneficence and nobleness of character, she particularly resembled, a bunch of lilies, as a presage of the restoration of the Bourbons to the throne; as a token of the wish which she formed with all Frenchmen for that event; and to which Heaven has at length, happily for our prosperity, and for the repose of the world, deigned to lend a favourable ear." The performance at Drury-lane Theatre, on the evening of the 21st, being the first night of opening since the demise of the Princess Charlotte, is entitled to the warmest approbation. It was sanctioned by the Committee of Management, for the benefit of certain individuals connected with the establishment, who had suffered from the shutting up of the theatre on the late melancholy occasion, and whose circumstances were such as to make the loss sustained a serious object to them. Every care was taken to render the whole business of the evening an appropriate tribute to the memory of her, whose untimely loss the nation is doomed to deplore. All the cushions in front of the boxes were covered with black; the pillars which sustained the several tiers were also put in mourning, and adorned at the top with bows of white ribands. A funeral escutcheon was suspended on the left side of the audience part of the theatre; and if any thing were wanting to make the sable picture complete, it was supplied by the dresses of the numerous audience, among whom it was hardly possible to point out a single man or woman who was out of mourning, Mozart's Requiem opened the solemn harmony of the evening, in a manner well suited to the occasion. The chorusses were admirably performed. Miss Byrne, when the first part was about to close, sung Angels ever bright and fair," with infinite sweetness and taste, and was loudly encored. 66 At the opening of the second part, the following Monody was spoken by Mrs. Bartley: Britons! although our task is but to show Cheer'd by the voice ye would have rais'd on high Who long as memory holds her seat' shall view And loftiest principles of England's breast. Still in the Muse's breath thy memory bloom; They shall describe thy life, thy form portray; To paint-ye feel it, Britons, in your hearts! Handel's Funeral Anthem was listened to with sincere admiration. The words were perfectly in unison with the feelings of the audience. When the ear heard her, then it blessed her; and when the eye saw her, it gave witness of her. • She delivered the poor that cried; kindness, meekness, and comfort were in her tongue, &c.' Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,' was done perfect justice to, by the exquisite melody of Mrs. Salmon, and was most rapturously encored. 'Gentle Airs,' finely sung by Mr. T. Cooke, was also demanded again. The Anthem composed by the late Rev. Dr. Blake, called for peculiar attention. But eight and forty hours before, the same sounds were heard in St. George's Chapel-the same solemn strains were echoed from the open grave of the beloved and lamented Charlotte. The touching effect of the renewal of a scene, so recent and so sad, may be easier conceived than described. No shouts of boisterous applause marked the feeling which it excited; it was listened to with silent, universal attention-with profound and unaffected sorrow. The decease of the Princess Charlotte called into action all the poetical talent of the country. Poets and poetasters daily sent their lucubrations to the diurnal prints. And some now wrote who never wrote before, And those who often wrote, now wrote the more. To particularize any individual poem would be invidious, considering that several of them display some of the finest specimens of versification; and the merits of which have been already duly appreciated by a discerning public. We cannot, however, refrain from communicating to our readers the following Funeral Wreath,' which was handsomely handed to us by the author, Thompson, Esq., assistant secretary for charities to his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent: THE Sun had set,-the Stars were shining, And fair as Heaven's own holiest light, Were the visions of bliss that illumined the night; Were the wishes and prayers on that eve ascending; And soft as a Summer sun's parting beams, The Rainbow of promise its tints was blending: All lovely and still,-as if earth and air Were waiting the birth of an Empire's heir. For the Rose-bud of England bloom'd bright in its bower, And Happiness smiled on the Princely flower, Yet a Nation's pride, and a Nation's power, Were fix'd on the fate of that midnight hour. |