to the subsistence of my helpless babes. It was very near destroying me." Mrs. Siddons, without animosity or resentment, proceeds in a very affecting manner to describe all the consequences of this cruel treachery; and we are surprised that a man so delicately honourable, so exquisitely sensitive to the feelings of others, and of such unbounded. kindness in his consideration of them, as our author, should apply the words heureuse légèreté to such absolutely flagitious turpitude; it is that sort of légèreté which, in a higher station, or a darker age, would induce a tyrant to consign the innocent to a dungeon or to the scaffold, in order to indulge a caprice, or to gratify a favourite, or offend a minion. For one year, Mrs. Siddons met with little but neglect, censure, or vituperation-the early fate of Mrs. Barry and Mrs. Oldfield; and the next year she was that idol of the public, which she continued to the end of her theatrical sovereignty. Timidity, excessive sensibility, were the foils to her success; and yet, two years afterwards, she is found exciting applause by her performance of Hamlet. Tate Wilkinson says, "All lifted up their eyes with astonishment, that such a voice, such a judgment, such acting, should have been neglected by a London audience, and by the first actor in the world." But, notwithstanding this, we still find her playing subordinate parts, and undergoing excessive drudgery for 31. a week. "Hard labour indeed it was; for, after rehearsal at Bath, and on a Monday morning, I had to go and act at Bristol on the evening of the same day, and reaching Bath again, after a drive of twelve miles, I was obliged to represent some fatiguing part there on Tuesday evening "—and all this was for 8s. 6d. a day! The work shows the excessive timidity and sensibility of this astonishing woman; the ceaseless toils which she bestowed in the cultivation of her almost miraculous powers; and lastly, the goodness of her heart and the confiding generosity of her nature in all her private relations of life. Much has been said about Mrs. Siddons's differences with her husband, and of her love of money. The very reverse of the fact, and of the propensity, are shown throughout her whole life. The following letter from her to her husband is conclusive on both points. It reflects honour upon her memory. My dear Sid, I am really sorry that my little flash of merriment should have been taken so seriously; for I am sure that, however we may differ in trifles, we can never cease to love each other. You wish me to say what I wish to have done. I can expect nothing more than you yourself have designed me in your will. Be, as you ought to be, the master of all, while God permits; but in case of your death, only let me be put out of the power of any person living. This is all that I desire; and I think that you cannot but be convinced that it is reasonable and proper. Your ever affectionate and faithful, S. SIDDONS. Her letters, upon the loss of her husband and children, evince very acute feelings. Mr. Campbell sums up her character at great length, and with consummate ability. We cannot but consider as valuable, that part of the work which has only an indirect allusion to, or connexion with, Mrs. Siddons. Mr, Aug.-VOL. XLI. NO. CLXIV, 2 K Campbell's sketches of contemporaneous persons, events and circumstances, are in his usual felicitous style. His disquisitions upon dramatic poetry will revive or increase a passion for that species of literature. He does for dramatic poetry in one way, what he so forcibly shows Mrs. Siddons to have done in another. He elicits new beauties, elucidates by illustration, impresses by kindred feeling, and illuminates by that clear, brilliant and captivating character of genius, which is so conspicuous in all his writings, and in which the individual shines irresistibly through the author. The work is a material addition to our standard literature. It is calculated to raise our moral character by the freshness and cheerful vigour, with the healthy analysis of our passions and actions, which, to the author's honour, shine in every chapter. There are many beautiful sentiments and fine discriminations, which may cleanse present society of the cant and morbid confusion with which it is so disordered. respect to the letter-press, the work abounds in typical errors; and it is defaced by an engraving which conveys the same idea of Mrs. Siddons, that a public-house sign might convey of the Duke of Wellington, or an omnibus panel of Earl Grey or Lord Brougham. With A COUNTRY BALL ON THE ALMACK'S PLAN! BY HAYNES BAYLY. OH! joy to her who first began A Country Ball on the Almack's plan! The Squire's own lady, Mistress Pearl, And then the wife of Mr. Flaw, To Mr. Biggs (who was, you know, Lord Mayor of London long ago!) By these, all upstart claims are check'd, They've quite excluded Mr. Squills, But Mr. Squills declares his wife And then But Slush of course is quite correct, Of course all those they won't admit, Here envious feelings we detect, Says Mrs. Squills, "There's Mrs. Pearl, So much, my dear, for the élite !" "Dear me ! don't say she's incorrect, Woe, woe to her who first began A country ball on the Almack's plan! Indeed we hear, from one and all, As much of bullets as the ball! Why was Hogsnorton's comfort wreck'd? HYDER SAIBE. AN INDIAN TALE. [THE incident which forms the catastrophe of this tale, horrible as it is, was a fact narrated in an old account of Sir Eyre Coote's campaign. It was revived in a recent publication as an original and novel fact.] "Dear, gentle Myrza, you know not a soldier's sufferings in such a campaign. Your beautiful and tender form, just maturing into womanhood, would sink beneath the excesses of fatigue and anxiety, of hunger, cold and heat, of deluges of rain, the burning desert, and bleak mountain storm- "" "Hyder, this is the first request you have refused me. How often have you praised my patient endurance, and told me I was susceptible of enthusiasm, which exalted nature to achievements almost incredible ?" "Myrza, your anxiety for me alone will be a suffering increasing all others. My dear girl, that sensitive and delicate mind will sicken at the selfish coarseness and rude incidents of a camp. I cannot bear the thought of innocence being sullied by such scenes; nor, by Allah, shall that lovely face be exposed to the rude licentious glance of lawless men, where Hyder's arm cannot protect you." "The spotless mind, dearest Hyder, retains its purity amidst such scenes. Vice is repulsive, and to be offended with grossness implies a mind contaminated to understand it." "But danger! Myrza, danger! You might fall into the hands of the enemy, be separated from my followers. No, no, my poor, forlorn bride; rest in Madras during this perilous service. In the confused incidents and lawless sway of power in the camp, these Christians might dare to violate our native rights; but at the seat of civil government, you will be protected, esteemed, and kindly treated, as you ever have been.” Oh! Hyder, why did you join the Christian standard,—these enemies of our race, the despoilers of our fields ?" "Torture me not, beloved Myrza. How horrible was the option! Did not every patriot spirit quail beneath the Mahomedan tyrant? Oh, Myrza, Myrza! does not your heart wither to reflect how the reckless Hyder Ally sought me out? Can you forget that night, his bursting through my fields, my slaughtered people, my burning roof,-my bleeding father,—and, Allah! Allah! the last imploring gaze of my struggling mother mangled by these hell-hounds;—and you, too, gentle Myrza, borne senseless in my arms through their accursed ranks, till the last miscreant fell beneath my sabre, and left us fugitives,-wounded, maddened, destitute,-aye, destitute even to our very hopes? Nay, shudder not, beloved Myrza; sink not your head, nor weep. I have not joined these Christians from revenge to Hyder Ally. They are not less oppressors of our country than the Mahomedan; but I read futurity. The Christians will introduce arts and knowledge, civilization and good government amongst us; the ignorance and tyranny of our Mahomedan conquerors would be perpetual. My dear Myrza, weep no more. Here, rest your fevered cheek upon my bosom. Our woes are past, our happiness is present;-yes, beloved, gentle girl, present, great, and enduring." This conversation took place in 1778, between Hyder Saibe and his young and beautiful bride, in an Indian cottage, situated many leagues from Madras, amidst the most rich and luxuriant woodland scenery, on a bend of the clear and spacious Pal-Aur. The death-like stillness of the night, the bland air, the thick, profuse foliage of the gigantic trees, and the cold, clear moon, reflected upon the river, formed a scene of Nature's solemn loveliness, little in unison with the distracted feelings of the gentle Myrza. After a succession of ferocious wars with the Mahrattas, Hyder Ally, at the head of 100,000 men, partly disciplined by French officers, burst into the Carnatic, resolved to sweep the English from the country. Fire and the sword inflicted indiscriminate slaughter and devastation wherever this able, but most ferocious, leader advanced; nor could the English oppose him. Sir Eyre Coote was straining every nerve to prevent Hyder Ally cutting in pieces the division of the army under General Baillie, whose fate was sealed, unless by bold and rapid movements a junction of the two forces could be effected. Sir Eyre had summoned Hyder Saibe, as a most useful assistant in his desperate affairs; and the conversation we have narrated took place upon the eve of Saibe's departure for the camp from the romantic and lonely spot, where, from his marriage, he had dwelt, for abour four months, in perfect happiness. Hyder Saibe was one of those extraordinary men who, at that period, had so often signalized themselves in the mountainous regions of Northern India. Of almost gigantic height, and of Herculean proportions, he had the majestic carriage peculiar to the East, whilst the climate, by condensing and rounding his figure, had imparted grace and elegance, and removed every expression of severity. The mind, in these torrid regions, generally alternates between patient apathy and the fierce animal passions; but instances are numerous in which the brain seems to exhale its obstructions and impurities, and the intellect is calm, lucid, comprehensive and powerful. In constant communication with the French and English, Hyder Saibe, with astonishing acuteness and perseverance, had acquired much of the literature of the two countries, with a portion of that of the ancients, and he was deeply versed in European philosophy and science. Of Mahomedan descent, he was the chief of a very small territory, a petty dependence of his relation. Hyder Saibe attempting to introduce some liberal or European institutions among his people, Hyder Ally dreaded " innovations upon the wisdom of his ancestors," and he pursued his usual summary mode of extirpation. Surrounding his territory at night, he murdered his family, destroyed every dwelling, and massacred almost the whole population. Saibe defended himself with desperate valour, and escaped, almost by miracle, bearing in his arms Myrza, then a girl of fourteen. Myrza was the daughter of a native princess by a French officer of some rank, who had resided at Seringapatam as the secret agent of the French court in its designs to foment a jealousy of England. The mother had disappeared by means too well known to the sanguinary Hyder Ally, and the father had fallen, by treachery, into the hands of the Mahrattas, who instantly put him to death. The first military achievement of the young Hyder Saibe was his pursuit of this predatory band. He killed their chief, and recaptured the whole of his prisoners. Among the latter was the infant Myrza; and Saibe, knowing by the fate of her parents that death awaited her at the capital, bore her to his own territory, where she was nurtured as the foster-child of his parents. |