"Bride of Lammermoor," dramatized from Scott's novel of that name, is an other of Mrs. Mowatt's beautiful and pathetic personations. None of her performances equal this in the depth of the pathetic impression it leaves on the heart. She acts the character fully up to Scott's delineation of it. At first she appears merely as the guiltless and confiding girl, her affections clinging innocently to others for support; and the terrible ordeal of fear, horror, anguish and agony, ending in 66 helpless, hopeless brokenness of heart" which succeeds, pierces into the inmost core of our sympathies. Mrs. Mowatt's power of imagination is grandly displayed in this drama. In the second and last acts she has touches of genius of the highest order. Her trances of imagination, in these acts, in which her eyes are open but their "sense is shut," and the objects before her mind destroy all perception of external things, are very great. In the last scene, her tottering walk across the stage to sign the marriage contract-her scream when Ravenswood bursts into the room, with her statue-like insensibility afterwards, in which her whole frame seems freezing with horror-her "Touch me not, mother" as Lady Ashton approaches to sever her from her lover, in those few words loosening from her heart its whole burden of agony and supernatural fearand the death which ends her long and terrible suffering-are in the noblest vein of tragic pathos. The closeness with which she embodies character is finely displayed in this part. It is like nothing else that she performs. An instinctive restraint keeps down everything which would clash with the vital elements of the character. Its boundaries, both of thought and emotion, she never passes, and yet there is not the slightest appearance of that constraint, indicating a sense of the necessity of keeping to the truth of character. She is not thinking of Lucy Ashton, and adapting her acting to the thought, but, for the time, she is Lucy Ashton. She reproduces in her own heart and imagination the overpowering pathos of the part, and loses all sense of self in its intense realization. But her greatest character, and the one which best indicates what she will eventually do in her profession, is her impersonation of Shakspeare's complex and passionate creation, Juliet. Here, her acting is not only great in itself, but triumphs over difficulties which we should have deemed insuperable. It will not only bear the usual test of stage criticism, but if tried by the most rigid requisitions of the poetical critics and interpreters of Shakspeare, it will stand even that test, It is Shakspeare's own Juliet, in her ideal beauty, purity, simplicity, pathos, affection and passionateness-Juliet the girl, and Juliet the wife-Juliet as she appears when surveyed through the hallowing light of the imagination. Mrs. Mowatt's personation is absolutely wonderful for its combination of naturalness with ideality, sweetness with power. An elaborate criticism of her performance, noticing her embodiment, not merely of the character, in its individuality, but of all its exquisite parts and minor refinements, is not now our intention, though the subject is a tempting one. The balcony scene, as played by her, has the remoteness of imagination; it is a poem, assuming shape before the very eye. In the last scene of the fourth act, where she takes the sleeping draught, her action and expression are thrilling. She gives sensation to imagination, loses the perception of everything but the horrible images which come thronging and crowding into her brain, and at last staggers deliriously to her couch, and sinks down exhausted and faint from the mad whirl of her fancies. We have no space to do justice to the exquisite grace, beauty and purity of the earlier scenes with her parents, with the nurse, and, above all, with Romeo. In these, her wealth of affection overflows in the richest poetry of the heart. The variety of thought and emotion she throws into the representation, and the subordination of all to the unity of the character, are quite remarkable, when we consider the process of modification and development which is going on in Juliet's mind during the play. There is nothing pretty, or silly, or lovesick, in her impersonation; but all is bathed in a rich ideal light, penetrated by the most artless affection, or intense passion; and reaching into the heart like the sweetest or most piercing music. one can appreciate the beauty or power of Mrs. Mowatt's voice, without hearing it in connection with Shakspeare's poetry. No Her success in Juliet indicates the range of characters she is best calculated to embody, and to succeed in which is worthy the noblest ambition-we mean Shakspeare's women. The higher female characters of Shakspeare, Desde mona, Ophelia, Viola, Imogen, Miranda, Perdita, Cordelia and the like, have never yet been adequately represented on the stage, as ideal creations. Indeed, their marvelous loveliness has rarely been appreciated until the present day, when a large and loving criticism has developed their latent beauties and meaning. To act Cordelia, so as to affect an audience as the character affects the reader, would be a greater triumph even, than fitly to embody Lady Macbeth. For this class of ideal characters, Mrs. Mowatt's genius and person are admirably calculated. She is more likely to succeed in them, from the fact that her mind and heart have had full opportunities for genial development in private life, and from the refinement of thought and feeling which she brings to the stage from that station. We think she has sufficient power, flexibility and fineness of imagination, to achieve this difficult work; and we may not say what measure of fame would wait upon her success. P. Charleston, S. C. FINANCE AND COMMERCE. Ar the commencement of a series, to be henceforth continued monthly, of brief papers on finance and commerce, with special reference to our own country, it seems natural to lay a general foundation-by a statement of the existing condition of the United States, and of each State-of their respective indebtedness, and their raw productions. Entire accuracy in this particular is not attainable-but such approximation thereto may be made, as to serve for a basis upon which to found any future reasoning and investigation. The menacing aspect of our public affairs gives additional interest just now to inquiries such as these, for if war shall come, its first effect will be to cut off the revenue derived from Commerce-now constituting eight-ninths of the whole-and to throw the government upon the resource of temporary loans and direct taxation. The rate at which money can be borrowed by the Federal Government will, in some large degree, depend, of course, upon the ability of the people of the several States to sustain taxation, and upon the amount of uninvested capital in the country; for, however it may have been in other days, it is now to be assumed as certain, that the United States would not, in the event of war, be able to negotiate any loans abroad -so deep is the distrust thrown upon American credit by the repudiation of some of the States. We stop not now to argue this fact, to which we shall on some future occasion revert, and consider it at large; but, assuming it as undeniable, it becomes obvious that no efficient system of taxation, nor reasonable prospect of negotiating loans, can be suggested, until after a thorough examination of the resources of the whole country, and a thorough knowledge of the extent to which these resources, or any of them, are already pledged to other objects. In this last particular, the position of the Federal Government is by no means as favorable as at the commencement of the war of 1812. Then, no such thing as a State debt existed, and the whole resources of the country-whatever they were-were at the command of the United States Treasury. Now, by the exercise, on the part of the States-questionable, perhaps, upon the true theory of the Constitution-of a concurrent power of taxation and contracting debt, there exist, in round numbers, some two hundred millions of dollars of State debts, which, of course, abstracts an equal amount of taxable values from the sum of property in the United States, upon which the Federal Government must rely for its means. The whole expense of the revolutionary war, which continued seven years, and raised thirteen dependent colonies to the station of one of the greatest powers of earth, was about $135,000,000, only about two-thirds of the debts contracted by separate States within the last twenty years. The war of 1812, which lasted about two and a half years, cost between eighty and ninety millions of dollars. But if the means upon which Federal taxation and credit are to rest, have been pledged in advance by the several States to so large an amount, it is to be borne in mind that the resources and wealth of the country have advanced in some proportionate degree, so that, in point of fact, the ability to pay is not probably less than before; but then comes that experimentum crucis for all popular governments-the necessity of superadding taxes to those already existing. The debtor States are already levying taxes-the Federal Govern ment would, therefore, be obliged to present With these preliminary observations, we itself in the unwelcome attitude of adding will now enter upon our general stateto the previous burdens. ments. The debt of the United States consisted, on the 1st of January, 1846, of these items, omitting cents. Old funded debt, being unclaimed principal and interest, Treasury notes of the late war, Certificates of Mississippi stock outstanding, Debts of the corporate Cities of the District of Columbia, assumed by Congress, viz: $208,009 24,214 4,317 4,320 City of Washington, 66 Alexandria, 66 Georgetown, Loans.-Under act of 15th April, 1842, redeemable 1st January, 1863, Our next statement presents the debts of the several States. $900,000 Debts of the several States, according to returns made to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, and by him transmitted to Congress, June 25th, 1842. a. $5,105,000 for loans to railroads, all of which are completed and in operation. b. 33,364,355 for Pennsylvania canal and railway; 1,280,000 for other roads and canals. c. 17,561,567 91 for State canals and general funds; 4,235,700 loans to companies. d. 3,697,000 for Baltimore and Ohio railroad; 7,197,000 for Chesapeake and Ohio canal; 5,223,731 65 for Baltimore and Susquehanna railroad. e. 1,365,398 14 held by the State itself; 3,991,500 63 for internal improvements. f. 6,200,000 subscription, loan, and guaranty to Charleston and Louisville railroad; 1,035,555 55 for rebuilding Charleston. g. For the State railroad. h. For the banks. Uncertain how much is negotiated of the five millions in short bonds. i. 22,200,000 for the banks, of which 4,811,111 10 is not negotiated, and remains in the banks. j. For the banks. The State denies its responsibility for five millions of this debt. k. For banking purposes. 7. Three millions nine hundred thousand dollars for banking purposes. m. One million five hundred thousand dollars for the banks; the remainder for internal improvements; seven hundred and twenty-two thousand dollars for works now incomplete and abandoned. n. For internal improvements. o. 5,320,000 for internal improvements; 160,000 for a penitentiary and a university. p. For internal improvements; 4,500,000 for the Ohio and Miami canals. q. 2,390,000 for the State bank; 1,069,000 to pay interest; the remainder for internal im provements. r. 3,034,998 for the banks; 854,000 to pay interest; remainder for internal improvements. s. 362,000 for the bank of Missouri; 232,000 for building the Capitol. t. 287,500 for the Alexandria canal. u. For internal improvements. v. 421,950 for Washington canal and subscription to Chesapeake and Ohio canal. The States are also indebted to the United States for surplus money deposited with them, but which will probably never be demanded, $28,101,644. The States of Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina, and the Territory of Iowa, have no public debt. The Governor of Wisconsin states, that "it is impossible to give from the records any specific information of the amount of the public debt of this Territory." Bonds to the amount of $56,000 were disposed of in March, 1841. "The legislature, at its late session, repudiated all but one of these bonds sold by the agent, amounting to one thousand dollars.""" About the 26th of March, 1841, bonds bearing 10 per cent. interest, amounting to $7,200" were issued by the Territorial Treasurer. "They do not appear to have been issued by any proper authority, but I believe they have been sold-the Territory having derived very little benefit from the sale." The legislative debt is estimated by the Secretary at about $39,000. To this may be added the excess of the expenses of the late session of the legislature, supposed to be about $16,000. The debt created during the administration of Gov. Dodge, "for legislative, canal, and county purposes, is estimated to have amounted to about three hundred thousand dollars. Since the date of the above returns, New York has materially diminished her debt, having paid off in the year 1844, $272,348in the year 1845, 1,718,668-and on the 1st of January of this year, $2,349,764, making her actual debt about seventeen millions of dollars. On the other hand, the debt of Pennsylvania has increased, by the accumulation of unpaid interest, and otherwise-so that now it exceeds forty million dollars. For the last year, however, Pennsylvania has resumed the payment of interest on her debt, and will, it is hoped, be able to keep it up. In preparing our next statement we have relied on the returns of the United States Census for 1840. We have abridged and consolidated, as much as possible, the great mass of details, in order to arrive at a general result, which may illustrate the object we have in view, that of ascertaining the means of the respective States to supply the wants of the Government. In the column of Metals, all but about 16,000 tons-of lead, from Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, and New York-is iron. There is, besides, an annual produce of about half a million in gold, in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia; and from other metals, a like produce of about $370,000, chiefly in Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont. There is, moreover, an annual product exceeding three and a half millions of dollars in value, from granite, marble, &c, properly coming under the head of mines, of which New York furnishes nearly one-half, Massachusetts about one-fifth, Connecticut one-eleventh, and the residue divided between Pennsylvania, Maine, Kentucky, and Virginia. In the second column, Coal embraces the two qualities of bituminous and anthracite, in nearly equal proportions, the bituminous overrunning the anthracite in quantity by about three million bushels, out of a total of 52,000,000 bushels, equal to 1,850,000 tons of 28 bushels each. Of this whole quantity, Pennsylvania alone furnishes 860,000 tons of anthracite, and 415,000 tons of bituminous. In the third column, Salt, New York produces nearly half of the whole-which is about six million bushels. Virginia about two-sevenths. In the fourth column of Cereal grains, Indian corn figures for three hundred and seventyeight million bushels-of which Tennessee furnishes the largest quantity, amounting to forty-four million bushels, exceeding Kentucky by five million bushels, and Ohio and Virginia by twelve millions each. Oats go up to one hundred and twenty-three million bushels, of which New York and Pennsylvania produce about twenty millions each. Wheat reaches only eighty-five million bushels, of which Ohio produces sixteen and a half millions, Pennsylvania thirteen and a half millions, New York twelve and a half millions, and Virginia ten millions. In the eighth column, Tobacco and Rice, it is all tobacco, excepting from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida, whose produce is rice. In the tenth column, of the 64 million head of Stock, there enumerated as owned in the different States-twenty-six and one-third millions are swine, nineteen and one-third millions sheep, fifteen millions neat cattle, and four and one-third millions horses and mules. In the eleventh column, of the fifty-three millions there enumerated, thirty-three and threefourth millions were produced by the dairy, seven and a half millions from the orchard, and nine and a half millions of poultry. For fire-wood, silk, wool, hops, hemp, and flax, which it would carry us too much into detail to enumerate, several more millions may be estimated. The products of the forest, including lumber, pot and pearl ashes, peltries, &c., would add about twenty millions of dollars more. |