THE ENGLISH THEATRES.
WE have lost the last of the Adelphi—those three buffo brothers MATHEWS, REEVE, and YATES—a triad of comic talent that kept the house in a roar : FREDERICK YATES is dead. The black iron curtain that closes the portals of that temple of fun hangs grim and gloomy, like the pall of the Adelphi from which the spirit is departed that animated its stage. YATES'S managerial career, extending over seventeen years, first in conjunction with TERRY, then with MATHEWS, and lastly with Mr. GLADSTANE, the present co-proprietor, was remarkable for the bril- liant talent that made the theatre not only popular but famous. During this period, TERRY, T. P. CooKE, POWER, MATHEWS, REEVE, WILKIN- SON, WRENCH, 0. SMITH, BUCKSTONE, BEDFORD, WRIGHT, and WIE- LAND, have formed part of the company under YATES'S direction ; and Mrs. YATES has been successively supported by the talent of Mrs Fizz- witasam, MIS. KEELEY, MIS. HONEY, MIS. STIRLING, Miss FORTESCUE, Miss AGNES TAYLOR, and other actresses who have subsequently at- tained celebrity : in short, the Adelphi always boasted several per- formers of sterling excellence, independently of the wonder of the day, whether Horse or Elephant, Dwarf or Giant, Jugglers or Bayaderes, Jim Crow or Billy Waters. YATES relied too much on the attraction of these baits to popular curiosity, as he found to his cost sometimes ; and the pieces that he produced were too often of a meretricious and ad cap- tandem character ; but some of the Adelphi dramas, such as The Pilot, The Wreck Ashore, and Victorine, will always be associated with the fame of the actors who played in them. YATES'S indefatigable energy and incessant activity, in his twofold capacity of manager and actor, doubtless shortened his life : two or three years back he broke a blood-vessel, and was advised to refrain from playing parts requiring much exertion ; but his excitable tem- perament and the demands upon his cooperation led him too often to disregard the caution. While fulfilling his engagement at Dublin, he ruptured another vessel near the heart, which prevented him from ap- pearing on the stage afterwards, and eventually caused his death. As an actor, YATES was most remarkable for the versatility of his powers: he was a clever mimic, and had a strong bias towards bur- lesque; but his humour being of a caustic kind, he succeeded best in caricaturing personal peculiarities. His mimicry had not the depth or refinement of his partner MATHEWS; nor had his humour the rich and genial flow of his schoolfellow Jona REEVE, the glory of the Adelphi : but for making the most of an out-of-the-way part, for giving effect to slight sketches of character, and for the personation of mauve is sujets of all grades, YATES was the best actor in his company ; and the force and freedom of his style, though too often degenerating into coarseness and exaggeration, made him always acceptable to the many, and often applauded by the few. His tact and skill as a manager were no less remarkable than his untiring industry : he not only succeeded in hitting the taste of that numerous portion of the public which he laid himself out to please, but when he failed, his address often retrieved the dis- aster: for turning the tide in his favour, and coaxing or browbeating an audience, YATES was unrivalled.
The death of its clever manager will probably have a material in- fluence on the future fortunes of the Adelphi Theatre : what the effect of this change will be, the approaching season will soon show.
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