Now, fir, permit me to afk, whether, fuppofing it to be true, this was a fufficient excufe to an infulted public? When Mrs. Siddons has been indisposed, we have had-not hand bills, but pofting bills announcing the fame, with Mrs. Powell's intention of coming forward in her character. This was a respectful compenfation. Surely the company cannot be fo contemptible, as not to produce for one night, a tolerable fubftitute for Madame Banti! Are there no ftock-pieces in which this lady is not concerned? or does the poffefs fomething fo fupernaturally fafcinating, that nobody will enter the houfe, unless the deigns to difplay her talents? If, however, the previous ftatement be true, what atonement can the proprietors make for fo fhameful a neglect? They will not, furely, plead poverty, and tell us, that the receipts of the theatre have been deficient. The contrary is known to be the fact. In concluding, I cannot omit the following juft remarks of a contemporary writer. "The whole concerns of this magnificent theatre, for want of system and regularity, are rapidly going to deftruction. The fubordinate performers expoftulate with the treasurer, than whom there is not a more able or worthy man, but he is debarred the means;-the cafh is laid hold of by higher powers, and that which fhould fatisfy the cravings of nature, and the wants of the neceffitous, is, perhaps, appropriated to bribery and corruption, for the purpofe of obtaining a feat in parliament, and that end being at length accomplished, bills, bonds, and ejectments become wafte paper!" July 15th, 1797. Yours, &c. T. H. **We are happy to announce the accommodation of thefe differences. LITERARY LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL REGISTER. 1.-Council of Elders. Dupont, in PARIS, June 11.5 the name of Dr. Schoult, prefented a Chinese manufcript, written on the bark of the palm-tree. This work, containing the political rights of the Chinese, was compofed only of one hundred and forty-five lines; "a proof," faid Dupont, "that they are much more concife in China than in France." Dr. Warren, who died a few days ago, was worth one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, and upwards, and he made eight thousand pounds a year, every year fince the regency. The following, we understand, are the principal among the bequests of his will.-To his widow, during her life, his houfes in Dover Street and Hertfordshire, with all their fixtures and furniture, with his landed-eftate of three thousand pounds a year: to his two daughters, ten thousand pounds each; to his eldeft fon, ten thousand pounds, payable immediately, with the reverfion of the houses and eftate after his mother's death, and to each of his other feven fons, fix thousand pounds; affigning as a reafon for leaving them no more, that he had given each of them a profeffion, and advanced them, in his life-time, as far in their refpective profeffions as he could. His widow is his refiduary legatee. Seven old Scottish ballads, of the date of 1570, ufually fold at a halfpenny each, were lately difpofed of by Mr. King to the Duke of R- for fix guineas. The Highland Society of Edinburgh, at a meeting held July the 3d, came to the refolution of recommending it to the committee of directors, to take fuch meafures as to them fhall feem moft proper and effectual for elucidating and ascertaining the history and authenticity of the poems of Offian, and to report their progrefs to the next general meeting. The Life of Macklin in our next. Literary Review. ART. I. The Count De Santerre: A Romance. 2 vols. 7s. fewed. Crutwell, Bath; Dilly, London. 1797. THESE volumes, as the title informs us, are written by a Lady. We feel every refpect for the fair fex; but this respect must not flide into weakness, at leaft in our prefent fituation. 1 The Count de Lufignan, for reasons which we have not yet difcovered, is the flave of Santerre ; and adopts, at his command, the orphan Elinor. Santerre, who alone was acquainted with the origin of Elinor, conceives a paffion for that beautiful girl, at a time when Henry, a fuppofed adoption of Santerre's, had gained her infeparable affections. The miferies which now crowd on Elinor, often renew in her mind the tendereft recollections of Olivia-the friend of her monaftic days -now rendered doubly dear by the difcovery of fome writings, in an unfrequented part of the caftle of Loncilles. Elinor is forced away from Loncilles, by the orders of Santerre, who propofes, as he would not confent to be his wife, to perpetrate her death. His reflections prevent the deed, till the is freed from her confinement by Emma, the daughter of Santerre, through the generofity of St. Laure; who, at the moment when Santerre, the better to complete his design, was removing Elinor to a diftant habitation, ftabs that infernal wretch, and escapes with his unhappy captive. He returns her to Loncilles: and, to cover his real intentions, which centred in the happinefs of his friend Henry, makes, to Lufignan, an offer of marrying EliVOL. II. G nor. nor. Her misinterpretation of this project is the source of much after mifery. She flies to the convent of her Olivia; and that Olivia is no more !-But she meets with Emma, who had eloped thither, to avoid the indignation of Santerre, who regarded her as privy to the schemes of his enemy. Santerre difcovers their abode, and regains them: but in vain. His late wound was far from healed; and his indignation at the fight of his daughter caufed it to open anew. Finding himfelf near death, he confeffes his crimes-the murder of Clara, his own wife, the mother of Henry: the intended affaffination of Riviera, the father of Elinor, prefent on this occafion, and confequent fequeftration of their effects he makes the atonement of retribution-and dies. There are other intervening incidents, which it would be tedious and useless to defcribe. Since the appearance of Mrs. RADCLIFFE, ghofts and defcriptions, defcriptions and ghofts, have alarmed and aftonished the fimple of mankind. Thefe, mixed up with the pathos of the fentimental, which prevailed about the fame time in our theatres and our novels, are the ingredients of fathi nable romance. One would think, to read the continual defcriptions before us, that they were written by inchanting Chriftie, for the lovers of Pall-Mall. As to the fublime, we are so abfolutely fpectrified, that we even dread to take a walk with the hero or heroines of a modern novel, left their eminences fhould be attacked by a ghoft. In the prefent work, there are horrors enough of all conscience : nor is the defcriptive lefs amazing, as the reader will fee. After the feizure of Elinor, and her arrival at the caftle of Santerre; after all the horror which such a ruffian-fcene ought naturally to infpire, we are told, that, as the ruffians departed, "The blaft that rushed through the opened door fhook the fhattered armour that hung on the walls," (all this is very likely; but the the armour has fomething elfe to do) "founding, in Fancy's ear, like the fall of a warrior in the field of blood." A moft comfortable climax! just cool enough to destroy the most affecting incident, and convince us, that all is unnatural. "Blaft," and "blafting," are very unlady-like phrafes. We have flept twice in "the moon-beam," or, "the moon-beam flept twice upon us: it might have flept on the cheek of this lady, for aught that we can fee to the contrary." The glow of injured delicacy mantled on her late pale cheek in heçtic" (i. e. habitual, or cuftomary)" fcarlet." We would fain fave the reader the trouble of turning to his Dictionary. Let not the author imagine that we are wantonly fevere, or blinded to excellence. We have fought for a favourable quotation; we have not found one connected with the ftory; but, in justice to her talents, we transfcribe the NARRATIVE OF KATE. "Lack-a-day, Ma'mfelle !" faid Jeannette, "fure you have a ftrange fancy looking at the moon! So mournful! I never fee any body do fo, but it puts me in mind of my poor cou fin Catherine: and then I could cry, Maʼmfelle !” “And why so, Jeannette?" interrogated Elinor; not forry that the girl feemed inclined to prolong her stay. "Is your coufin, whom you speak of, dead ? "Alas! aye, Ma'mfelle: the was croffed in love, and died, as one may fay, quite our of her mind." "How long fince?" enquired Elinor. "Ah, Ma'mfelle! not a very many years agone. It is not quite five fince the took on bad: but long before that the was far from well. Not right in her head, I think. She uted to love mightily to ftray about the woods and fields by herself, when the moon fhone bright; and the would look up at it, and cry; and figh fo, Ma'mfelle, it would melt you.. "At last, she took a fancy that she would never leave the cottage, even for a minute, but fat in her own little room, and feemed quite ftupid. Then, at night, inftead of going tobed, fhe would open the cafement, and, if the moon was not |