MONDAY the 10th of this month, the prime harriers of J. S. Pode, Esq. found a large dog otter on the Aun or Avon river above Brent, which afforded most astonishing sport for upwards of three hours, during which time the otter was more on land than in the water, and was at last killed in a meadow. John Roberts the huntsman, and the oldest otter hunters present, declared they bad never seen any thing to equal the day's sport.

N. B. The hounds had killed a brace of otters the same day on the same river..

The hounds and terriers did honour to their master, and to their buntsman, who deserves the thanks of all fly-fishers and anglers of every degree, for having slain so many of their rivals. John Roberts, as a kennel huntsman, is equal to any one in the kingdom, and as an otter or hare hunter he is surpassed by none in the field; he possesses every requisite necessary for a bare hunter, patience, courage, and perseverance; added to these, he has all the dash of a fox hunter, but alas, he cannot shew his abilities for that best of all possible sports, as Reynard is treated

St. Evremont, the ward of Go vernor Hurricane (a very weak copy of Cumberland's Governor Tempest) had, early in life, become enamoured of Constantia, the Governor's daughter, who, with the approbation of her father, received and returned the vows of her lover. A designing lady, however, who had conceived a great fondness for St. Evremont's estate, defamed the character of Constantia and the gentleman, in a passion, gave his hand to the slanderer, merely for the purpose of mortifying the woman whom he supposed deceitful. [There is something ridiculous in this-since, only, if Constantia were innocent, could the marriage of St. Evremont afflict her. she were as guilty as she was described to be, the desertion of her lover could give her no permanent uneasiness. And yet the author has made St. Evremont assign, as a reason for his abandoning the

If

woman whom he accuses of falsehood and treachery, that his marriage with another would fill ber with grief and despair.] St. Evremont finds the lady he has espoused to be a very devil-" her brain is a knot of ribbons-her heart a nest of serpents." He very naturally goes abroad, having sacrificed his peace, as well as a great part of his fortune, which becomes forfeit, as he has married contrary to his guardian's consent. Tired with wandering, he returns to London, accompanied by Padheen O'Callaghan, an honest Irish servant-and is very soon pursued by a party of those two-legged ferrets, generally known by the appellation of bailiffs. He seeks refuge from the harpies in the house of Governor Hurricane, ignorant that it is the residence of his old guardian. Here he meets Constantia, and a mutual accusation takes place. To put an end to the altercation, Adonis Sap, the cousin of the lady, calls in her father, an old gentleman "full of sound and fury," who abuses his quondam ward, and orders him out of the house. The lady requests Adonis to watch till the bailiffs are gone, and to give due notice of their retreat-but, determined to revenge himself on his rival (for St. Evremont, it seems, had crossed him in his course of wooing,) he introduces the bailiffs, and St. Evremont is captured. In his captivity, he weets Colonel Gayton, an old friend, who, like himself, is arrested, in consequence of his wife's extravagance; Gayton, though a prisoner, and, we may infer, not overloaded with the gifts of fortune, pays the debt of St. Evremont; and, as the latter has received a sort of challenge from Mr. Adonis Sap, he leaves the spunging

house, disguised as St. Evremont's servant, that he may act as second to his friend. They proceed to Sap's house-but be declines fighting.

Here they find Constantia, who has been obliged to leave her father's mansion, in consequence of the conduct of O'Callaghan, who, during the absence of Col. Gayton from the lock-up-house, personates him-and, while sustaining his new character, informs Governor. Hurricane, for the purpose of vexing him, that his daughter bas eloped with St. Evremont. The lady very naturally upbraids her former lover and the Colonel, as the fabricators of this infamous tale-but, Padheen O'. Callaghan being closely interro. gated, declares the truth. And now, Mrs. Gayton, who, in consequence of another of Padheen's lies, has pursued the Colonel to Sap's house, makes her appearance, where she is immediately recog nised as the wife both of Colonel Gayton and St. Evremont. Five years before she had espoused the Colonel, who had soon forsaken ber and four years had elapsed since she had given St. Evremont her hand. The latter, of course, is unmarried; but he is not in love with freedom. He immediately plights his faith to Constantia, and she, sweet saint, o'erlooks all his errors, and takes him to her arms.

We are at a loss in what rank of the drama to place this produc tion. It is neither farce nor comedy-but it approaches much nearer to the former than to the latter. In farce, we expect, however broad the humour, something to excite a continuity of mirth. But here, every effort to produce laughter is followed by maudlin sentiment. In comedy, we hope to see some prevailing folly, some

minor vice, held up to ridicule. Here, there is an attempt, and a very poor one, to exhibit to derision many of those English travel lers, who, during the short period of peace, being utterly ignorant of any but their mother tongue, have resorted to the continent and returned, much enriched by the accession of a few common-place expressions, which they utter in bad French. This is a fair subject for ridicule-and the idea, though not new, derives, from recent circumstances, a considerable degree of force and importance. But the character of Adonis Sap, in which this travelling propensity is attempted to be exposed, is so mean, contemptible, and insignificant,that comedy quite disavows it-it has no living prototype. We now inquire, what moral lesson is inculcated by this production? There is none whatever. The lady who marries two husbands, and beggars them both, escapes unpunished, except the loss of one of her husbands be a punishment and St. Evremont, whose abandonment of his mistress, making every allowance for the blandishments of an artful woman, was ungenerous and unmanly, receives, almost sans ceremonie, as the reward of that abandonment, the hand of the injured girl, whose pride should have spurned his addresses. The cha racters are drawn with a feeble hand. That of the Irish servant, O'Callaghan, is by far the best. Though not necessary to the denouement, he is one of the most prominent, and he certainly is the most entertaining, personage in the piece. The diction, where sentiment is introduced, is, for the most part, sufficiently polished; there are, however, some strong exceptions. Thus, when St. Evremont

is offended at the assumed coquetry. of Constantia, he bursts out with "Perdition be my portion, if I ever speak to woman more!" an exclamation which had nearly occa sioned the perdition of the piece. The lighter scenes were by no means remarkable for wit-unless punning be entitled to that appel. lation. Here, too, some gross vulgarisms attracted the censure of the audience, and endangered the success of the comedy. Amongst these was an observation of Mr. Adonis Sap, who, in challenging St. Evremont to fight, informs him, that "he has a pet pistol, called, die and be d-d,' which is much at his service." Mr. Barrett ought to read Jeremy Collier, where he would find several very useful hints relative to the lan guage which should be introduced on the stage. On the whole, we consider the comedy, looking to its best scenes, as a middling pro duction. The performers played with spirit. Mr. Jones, as Col. Gayton, was light, airy, and vivacious. Mr. Tokely, who, for the first time, appeared in an Irish part, succeeded admirably as O'Callaghan. Mr. Mathews and Mr. Russell, as the Governor and Adonis Sap, made the most of two very indifferent characters. Mrs. Haywood was extremely interesting as Constantia. A good deal of disapprobation was manifested in the course of the performance, and, at its conclusion, the ayes and noes were very boisterous. The comedy, however, was announced for repe. tition the next evening.

ment has been received with some disapprobation, and it is much feared will produce another O. P. contest, when the Theatres reopen in September.

The interesting Miss Foote passes some part of her recess from Covent Garden Theatre with her friends and relatives in Dorset and Devonshire: she is engaged to perform a few nights at Cheltenham, Swansea, Southampton, Brighton, &c. where, from her superior talents, personal accomplishments, and peculiarly fascinating manners, we have no doubt but she will be very attractive to the managers, and secure to herself those great and substantial pecuniary advantages, which the public of the metropolis have so universally awarded her, and which cannot fail to attend her during her summer tour.

WINTER DIVERSIONS IN HOL

LAND.

THE deadest season of the year

is the most lively in Holland. In winter the principal diversions here are on the ice. The better sort of the people, and even the mechanics and the lower orders, can withstand the charms of the finest day in summer, and keep at home close to their work and other

avocations; but the attractions of a cold winter's day are irresistible! All work is then thrown aside, and out they go to some of the canals and meadows, which for two or three months in the year, are covered with water. So many attend these parties that the towns and villages appear to be abandoned. It is a kind of universal fair or jubilee; booths are erected on the ice with good fires, where wine,

beer, tea and coffee are sold. Strangers, it is said, especially those who come from warm countries and never saw any thing of the kind before, are astonished at the scene. Others, it is said, who come from different parts of Europe, seldom go home again without learning to skait, in order to practise it on their return. Men, women, and children in Holland, are equally expert upon the ice. A boorine or country girl skaits to town with her milk-pails; many traders and dealers do the same; and it is not an uncommon thing to see a string of twenty or fiveand-twenty young people of both sexes, holding each other by the handkerchiefs, dart by you with almost the rapidity of lightning. As for cutting figures whilst skaiting, as the custom is in England, this makes no part of the amusement of the natives of Holland.

OUTLINES OF A NEW BATHING

BILL.

To the Editor.

YOU, Sir, as a tried friend to the

best interests of morality, must have felt deep regret, in common with that very modest body, the Watermen of the River Thames, at the success of a Bill introduced to the House of Commons, in the present Session of Parliament, by which the repeal of a very salutary clause, in the Thames Police Act, prohibiting bathing in certain parts of that River, was effected. The clause to which I allude was inserted for the purpose of preventing wanton young men and women from bathing in the Thames-and, by the exposure of their persons, in a state of nudity (I blush when I think of such indecency) shocking the delicate feelings of those, to whom natural prospects are offensive. If any thing were wanting, Sir, to prove the utter lewdness and profligacy of the present generation, the success of Mr. Wynne's Bill, although assailed, on one side, by the eloquence of Mr. Wilberforce-eloquence that would have done ho nour to the late Dr. Huntington, in his most persuasive momentsand, on the other, by the petition of the Watermen's Company-a petition which the muse of Taylor, the water-poet, would have been proud to acknowledge places the fact beyond the power of contradiction! But short will be the triumph of the immoral! I have tidings to communicate, that will delight the hearts of all those who would rejoice if a widespreading hydrophobia protected from pollution the waters of the Thames. Know then, Sir, that those who opened the sluice-gates VOL. XLVI.-No. 274.

the

an abstract of which, principally borrowed from the marginal notes, I subjoin.

The preamble of the Bill sets forth the necessity of forming a body of regulations for the direction and control of all his Majesty's subjects, who shall, in future, either from choice or necessity, pursue the custom of bathing.

The Bill may properly be divi ded into two parts-the first laying down the general rules under which bathing is to be permitted, and which are chiefly intended to fix a proper barrier between the two sexes, when employed in their ablutions-the second appointing particular bathing places for different classes of the community. The regulations proceed on the principle adopted by the Magistrates at Leith, by whom it is ordered, that the bathing machines appropriated to the use of gentlemen and ladies shall not be brought within fifty yards of each other.

U

The