No. XXVII.-LONDON.

An American party...,Feelings of country....Haymarket theatre ....Manners and morals of the stage....Athletic exercises.... Beauty and activity of the young men of England....Sadler's Wells theatre...Its origin.... Taste of the audience.... A curious water scene... Royal institution....Its origin and object.... Culinary experiments.... Philosophical theatre.... A fashionable resort.

AN AMERICAN PARTY.

July 6.-I dined to-day with Mr. Williams, late American consul for the port of London. From this gentleman I had received a series of kind and useful attentions, which made his house a home, and in this I was not alone, for few men ever rendered themselves more useful to their countrymen abroad, or more respected by the people of the country. At his house today, as had often happened before, I met a party exclusively American. Although a traveller should rather avoid than seek the society of his countrymen, still, there is a feeling of country, which may sometimes be advantageously indulged by an exclusive association with people whose habits and feelings, whose very prejudices and follies, correspond with our own. I dined with an American circle to-day, and found a correspondence of views and opinions, which has rarely failed to shed over such parties a peculiar interest, and to produce a peculiar gratification.

There was present a brother of the celebrated Madame Jerome Bonaparte, now attending his unfortunate sister, whose recent repulse from the shores of the continent, excites in this country no small sympathy for

the lady, and equal indignation against the authors of her misfortunes.

We e were so happy as to have at our table an American well known at home as a man of talents and distinction, who has recently returned to England from a residence on the continent, principally in France and Italy. The politeness and suavity of his manners, his easy command of the best language, and the animated manner in which he speaks, enable him to display most advantageously the rare acquisitions he has made, and to instruct and delight the circles which he frequents. I have seen him in English parties, where I felt proud of him as my countryman, because I was certain that he did us honour. Indeed the idea advanced by Buffon, Raynal, and other European writers, that the human mind has dwindled on the other side of the Atlantic, is too insulting to be treated with the decency of a sober refutation, and too ridiculous to need it. While I feel the utmost respect for the enlightened intelligence of the English mind, I have seen no reason to think that my own countrymen would suffer by a comparison.

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

July 8. In the evening I went to the Haymarket theatre. It is opened only during the summer months, and its performances begin when those of Drury-Lane and Covent-Garden close. The house is small but neat, and even to a certain degree elegant.

The play performed to-night was Speed the Plough, with the after-piece of The Hunter over the Alps. Both the plays, and the manner of acting them, would have admitted of criticism, but, on the whole, I was

entertained and even considerably interested. As usual, love was a prominent feature in the story, but nothing can be farther from the language and manners of this passion than the ranting professions and frantic gestures which usually attend it on the stage.

The dancing was very indecent ; modesty seems not to be a necessary qualification in an actress. It would be unjust to say that it is never found on the stage, for the character of Mrs. Siddous is known to be estimable in private life, and I believe was never reproached. But Mrs. Jedn, one of the most eminent ac. tresses at present on the London stage, is openly the mistress of the Duke of Ce, and has been so for many years. This duke is a son of the present king; Mrs. J→←d❤n is the mother of several of his children, and whenever she is to play a distinguished part, he usually attends.

In the plays this evening there was a considerable degree of profaneness, some coarse and indecent deportment, and frequent inuendos too palpable to be misunderstood. I could not mark either displeasure or embarrassment in the countenances of the audience; fashion sanctions every thing, and even modesty may be brought by degress to smile where it should frown. Enthusiastic applauses were bestowed by the galleries this evening, on this sentiment-that if a poor man had but an honest heart, there lived not one in England who had either the presumption or the power to oppress him. In this incident may be seen the active jealousy of liberty which exists even in the lower orders in England.

ATHLETIC EXERCISES.

July 9. Having never seen the Aquatic Theatre, at Sadler's Wells, a little out of London on the west, I went thither this evening with an acquaintance.

In our way we passed over an extensive field of green grass, where a company of young men were playing at ball. This climate is so temperate, that even such violent exercise may be indulged in with safety and pleasure, at a season of the year when, in America, the heat is almost intolerable. I have worn broad cloth and cassimere thus far this summer, and have found no occasion for those light stuffs which, in the United States, are so welcome during the sultry heats of July.

The mode of playing ball differs a little from that practised in New-England. Instead of tossing up the ball out of one's own hand, and then striking it, as it descends, they lay it into the heel of a kind of wood shoe; the shoe is hollowed out from the instep back to the heel, and upon the instep a spring is fixed, which extends within the hollow to the hinder part of the shoe; the ball is placed where the heel of the foot would commonly be, and a blow applied on the other end of the spring, raises the ball into the air, and, as it descends, it receives the blow from the bat.

They were playing also at another game resembling our cricket, but differing from it in this particular, that the perpendicular pieces which support the horizontal one, are about eighteen inches high, and are three in number, whereas with us they are only two in number, and about three or four inches high.

The young men of England are very active, and play with much adroitness and vigour. Their habits

of activity contribute much to that appearance of florid health which is so remarkable in the youth of this country. Probably the genteel young men of England are the handsomest men on earth. It is true this is in part attributable to their dress, which is remarkably correct; their clothes are of the best materials-genteely made and genteely worn, and always clean and whole. They are never put on after they have become much defaced; still they are plain, and appear to be made for comfort and decency more than for exhibition. There is much less finery than with us, and there are very few fops. The footmen are almost the only coxcombs seen in London.

SADLER'S WELLS THEATRE.

This theatre is situated a little out of London, near the village of Islington. There is a chalybeate spring here, which was famous before the Reformation for the cure of certain diseases; but the priests of the Romish Church, who lived in the vicinity, had the address to persuade the patients that the efficacy of the waters was owing to their prayers. For this reason the spring was stopped up at the Reformation, and its virtues and even its situation were forgotten. In the year 1683 it was accidentally discovered again by a labourer, employed by a Mr. Sadler, from whom it derives its present name. Since that, the place has become famous for the exhibition of pantomimes, ropedancing, and feats of activity for which a theatre has been erected, and the mineral spring now forms its smallest attraction.

In the entertainment which I saw, the early parts consisted principally of low buffoonery-coarse wit,