Some Account of Madame Mara, with Remarks on her Performance of Mandane in the Opera of Artaxerxes. (Embellifbed with an elegant Engraving of her in that Character.) THIS HIS lady's performance in the character under which we have introduced her, has very juftly enhanced her talents to the mufical world--and, without any invidious comparison, marked her decided fuperiority over that favourite Syren, whofe vocal abilities have been heretofore confidered by her enchanted votaries on this fide the water, as the ae plus ultra of harmonic excellence. but few, if any, important occafions where fhe has, not contributed to the thrilling luxuries of the English orchestra. The celebrated commemorations of Handel in Weftminster-Abbey; the concerts of ancient mufic in Tottenhamcourt-road; the Hanover-fquare concerts; all the celebrated oratorios and provincial mufical meetings, as well as the opera-houfe, have alternately partiMadame Mara is, we understand, a cipated the excellence of her perfor native of England, which the left in her mances: for, notwithftanding the weakearly infancy, and went with her parents nefs of a delicate conftitution, her proto the continent. Poffeffing from nature feffional application has been fuch as to a voice rich in fweetnefs and delicacy, evince not only the moft indefatigable the attention of thofe invefted with the attention to the amufement and delight duty of her education, as well as the na- of her patrons, but a commendable attural bent of her own tafte, contributed tachment to the old and prudent adage to render her a zealous votary at the al- "Make hay while the fun fhines." tar of Apollo; and the Italian fchool prefented a foil fo admirably adapted to the improvement of her genius, as to form that paragon of vocal excellence, whom all Europe now admire as unexcelled, if at all paralleled. "Tis about nine years fince this lady mounted the car of Fame in the British hemifphere; and though the has fince made feveral excurfions to the capitals on the continent, in her profeffional pur-, fuits, yet her powers have been fo highly valued, and her fortunes fo materially interefted, in the liberal admiration of British amateurs, that there have been Hib. Mag. Aug. 1792. We would not by this be understood to infinuate, even in the moft diftant degree, that MADAME MARA holds her title to public fame or general favour on a tenure fo uncertain as the wavering caprice of temporary fashion, or the momentary funshine of whim: her claims are founded on the ftronger bafis of fterling excellence, which can only ceafe to be admired when true tafte is no more.-Human nature, indeed, univerfally involved in the common fentence of decay, may one day feel a fevere pang in the decline of Madame Mara's powers; but whenever the retires from a public life, fhe will have the happiness of carrying with her from the scene honour and wealth, and to reflect that thofe powers which in her zenith fhone with unexcelled luftre, will even in their wane be remembered with extacy and delight. The character of Mandane is that which has ferved to introduce her to the admiration of a Dublin audience; and in that the peculiar excellencies which arrefted our obfervation were her correct articulation, melody and fweetnefs of fong, her profound fcience, skill and exIn all her recitatives grandeur and effect are confpicuous. To Mrs. Billington fhe is inferior in ftrength of voice, but in every other characteristic much fuperior. The only fong, in our opinion, where Mrs. Billington held any advantage of Madame Mara, was that of The Soldier tired of War's Alarms;" in which the former must be allowed to have thone in a file rarely, if ever, excelled but in the fong of " Fly Soft Ideas," in the duetto of "Fair Aurora," and in the duetto of "For thee I live my Deareft," Madame Mara's fuperiority is eminently confpicuous. In the fong "If o'er the cruel Tyrant Love," her melody and fimplicity are really enchanting; and in the fong for the harp accompaniment, from the opera of Idalide, introduced inftead of " Monster Away," her powers are not lefs diftinguished. Upon the whole, whatever was our degree of admiration to the vocal talents of the Billington, juftice obliges us to confefs it cedes, in a confiderable degree, to the fuperiority of Madame Mara. fuperior, in penury, to that of the Tragic Queen, who, a few years fince, melted even our butchers into tears, and drew gold from the mifer's pouch. We have, however, the fatisfaction of bearing teftimony to the better conduct of Madame Mara: the file of her expences has always kept the happy medium of genteel ceconomy, equally diftant from that luxurious extravagance which has too frequently diftinguifhed the children of Thefpis in their favoured days; and from that degrading penury, which has, in a few inftances, difgraced others of the Thefpian family, who, while receiving the full tide of public bounty, and mocking in their externals the proud majefty of heroes and demi-deities, feemed to nurfe within their own bofoms the hearts of beggars. There are not wanting fome, who have afcribed to Madame Mara a degree of hauteur which fhe in reality does not poffefs.-That she should feel a becoming fenfe of her own great talents and genius, is neither extraordinary nor reprehenfible, but that which has been often in her mistaken for hauteur, is in reality the effect of a delicacy of conftitution. Her great exertions of voice have at times fo much weakened, her as almoft always to place her under a neceffity of fitting down immediately after her fongs, and during the chorufes. This circumftance has often fubjected her to fymptoms of difpleafure from the London auditories, and once, at a grand mufical fete at Oxford, to fome very harfh treatment. The caufe, however, being now generally known, Madame Mara enjoys this privilege with every audience to whom the is not a total ftranger, under fentiments extremely different from thofe which the affumption of it formerly excited. We have mentioned Madame Mara's attentions to fortune as well as fame; and we add, by way of illuftration, that fhe has acquired by her profeffional exertions a very confiderable property, which fhe keeps in her own hands: not, however, without a liberal attention to the finances of Mr. Mara, to whom the James laft Christmas made a transfer of ten thousand pounds flock in the bank of England. A property which, from this Jymptom, may be naturally confidered enormous; for the accumulation of a mufical performer, might as naturally fubject Madame Mara to the fufpicion fa parfimony, perhaps equal, if not LAW. Napper Tandy, Efq. verfus August 17th, 1792. ' Mollel court, the trial of an NAME on before Mr. Recorder, at indictment, the King againft Knight, at the profecution of James Napper Tandy, Efq. for an affault and falle imprisonment imprisonment upon the perfon of the faid James Napper Tandy, Efq. The traverser being arraigned on faid indictment, Armstrong Fitzgerald, Efq. one of the attornies, agent for the traverfer, ftated to the court, that the offence committed by his client against the peace and the profecutor, was under the authority of a proclamation iffued by government, charging Mr. Tandy with certain mifdemeanors, and offering a reward of fifty pounds for his apprehenfion-and calling upon all magiftrates, peace officers, and other his Majefty's loyal fubjects, to be aiding and affifting in apprehending the faid Tandy. That Mr. Knight, the traverfer, feeing the faid reward offered under a proclamation of his excellency the lord lieutenant in council, under the authority of the great feal of Ireland, and feeling it his duty, as a loyal fupject, to apprehend the faid J. N. Tandy, and conceive himfelf entitled to the reward offered by government, in confideration of fuch arreft, did accordingly take Mr. Tandy into cuftody and furrender him, as required, at the bar of the house of commons. That in confequence thereof, Mr. Tandy had commenced this profecution against him, and that in confequence of the arreft and profecution, he had applied to government for the means of defence, but without effect. Therefore as government had utterly deferted him in a profecution commenced for an act by him committed under the exprefs authority of a publick proclamation of government, and as he had no perfonal enmity whatsoever to Mr. Tandy in the act which he was accufed for, but in that inftance acted under no other authority or warrant than that of a publick proclamation iffued by the lord lieutenant and council of the country, he felt himfelf now bound rather to fubmit than traverfe in a cafe where he had no doubt that he might have been acting illegally, in the imaginary performance of his duty, and on which point he withed not to excite the difpleafure of the court, by attempting a vindication, but hoped to conciliate favour by fubmitting in the firft in flance. The traverfer having thus fubmitted, the hon. Simon Butler, one of his majefty's council, and for the profecution, intreated permiffion to offer to the court a few words on the subject of the profecution. He faid, that he did moft fincerely regret the event of this trial ;--an event by which the public were deprived of the decifion of a virtuous jury, in a court of the higheft honour and moft conftitutional jurifdiction, and upon a subject the most important to the rights and liberties of the people of Ireland. But from the manner in which the profecution feemed to be conducted on the part of the traverfer, it was evident that the government, who had betrayed the unfortunate man into the mistake, had now deferted him-by not only refufing him the reward they had held out for the illegal act he had been induced by their proclamation to commit, but had refufed him the means of preparing for his defence. Hence it was inconteftibly evident that his majesty's minifters in this country did not dare to meet the question in a court of Juftice, and were equally afraid to abide the decifion of an hon. court and an honeft jury-that they were not only convinced the authority exerted by the house of commons over the perfonal liberty of one of his majesty's fubjects was illegal, oppreffive and tyrannical-but that they had in a base and cowardly manner deferted the unfortunate man, who had ventured to act, under their proclamation and its avowed protection;-for instead of affording him the means of defence under the charges to which they had fubjected him in this cafe, they had bafely left him to his fate. By fuch a condu&t they had evidently deferted their own doctrine; for by declining to defend the authority of their proclamation, they now acknowledged its illegality, and after ftuffing the gazette and other newspapers of Ireland, retained for minifterial fervices, with proclamations offering rewards for the apprehenfion of Mr. Tandy, They now not only refuted thofe rewards to the perfon who upon the faith of thofe proclamations dared to apprehend Mr. Tandy, but they refufed mit. perfon the means of defending himself ture of the offence could poffibly adagainst the very charge on the profecution into which they themselves had betrayed him. Here it was evident the minifters of the country had tacitly but obviously and degradingly confeffed a defign to pervert the laws defigned for the government of the people, a defign which it was the duty of every citizen to oppofe and counteract. With refpect to the unfortunate traverfer Mr. Knight.-On the part of his client he difclaimed every degree of afperity, the unfortunate man feeling himfelf deferted by thofe under whofe authority he had been induced to act, had publicly declared himself bereft of the means of juftification and acknowledged the illegality of his fault, and committed himself to the clemency of the court. He would not, he faid, prefume to dictate, much lefs fuggeft to an honourable, wife, and humane judge, any degree of punishment for an offence of fuch a nature, but he trufted the fentence of the court would be as lenient as the nature of the cafe would poffibly admit. Counsellor Browne, on the fame fide, fpoke to the fame effect. He obferved that government, confcious of the illegality of the proclamation-and the irrectitude of their conduct towards Mr. Tandy, had prudently declined a defence of their conduct, yet had moft fhamefully deferted the unfortunate traverfer. But that the unhappy man, though he was refufed by his majefty's minifters the means of obtaining the aid of council, yet he feemed to be well advifed, in fubmitting to the clemency of a court where wifdom and humanenefs were the leading characteriftics. Mr. Tandy, the profecutor, rofe to fay a few words. He expreffed much With refpect, however, to the caufe of proficution, he begged to affure his fellow citizens, that he fhould bring forward this matter in another place, and that fo far as the business stood pledged in his perfon, he hoped to evince by the verdict of an honeft jury, that the conftitutional rights or perfonal liberties of Irish fubjects were not to be trampled down with impunity by any man or body of men, however exalted by ftation or title. Mr. Recorder then faid, that the traverfer by fubmitting, had acknowledged himself guilty of the charge laid againft him in the indictment—which, upon reading the examinations, in concert with the two magiftrates on the bench, he found to be an affault and confining the profecutor in cuftody for above half an hour without any legal authority. This the traverser by his fubmiffion admitted. Therefore the court had nothing more to do than apply the punishment appointed by the law in fuch cafes. The traverfer by his fubmiffion, not only confeffed himself guilty of the affault, but of an aggravation of that affault by falfe imprifonment. -The illegal violation of the liberty of the fubject was certainly a deep offence and fhould meet a punishment as to its feverity ejufdem generis; however, on account of the declaration of the profecutor he fentenced the traverfer, as the mildeft punishment annexable to his crime, to a fine of fixpence and imprisonment for three days. The Bafs-Singer of St. Hilary, A Tale. reluctance in rifing to add any thing to (From the French of Bonaventure des what had been faid by the learned council on his behalf, he declared the traverser had behaved towards him in the arreft with the utmoft perfonal refpect; that of course he had no fort of perfonal afperity towards him; but coincided in the withes already expreffed by h's 'council, that the fentence on the unhapby man might be as lenient as the na Perriers.) N the church of St. Hilary de Poitiers, there was not long fince one of the the was not long fince one of the choir, who being a lively companion, a merry fongfter, and a jolly toper withal, (a circumftance not unfrequent among thefe gentry) was always a welcome guest among the canons, prebendaries, &c. |