LXVIII. Murphy's Criticisms in the London Chronicle

Extract

In the London Chronicle of January 18–20, 1757, the ninth number of the triweekly newspaper, is a paragraph sent by the reader Tragicomicus, who suggested that the journal needed a department about the theater and offered himself as a critic. Accordingly, in the issue of January 20–22 a feature under the title, The Theatre, was inaugurated, and this series of articles about acting and plays on the contemporary stage continued regularly until it ended with No. 37 in the issue of April 16–19. The issue of November 26–29 contained a letter from a reader, Th. C., who expressed disappointment because The Theatre had not been resumed and desired to take the place of its former author. This new writer started another series in the issue of November 29–December 1, but was soon replaced by the original critic, who began the second series of The Theatre in the Chronicle of December 3–6. No. 3 of this group is found in the issue of December 8–10, and then illness of the essayist prevented continuation. He resumed with the first number of a third series of The Theatre in the Chronicle of October 3–5, 1758: No. 6 of it appeared October 19–21. In the paper of November 7–9 another critic, N. S., wrote No. 7 of The Theatre and furnished the criticisms through No. 11 (November 18–21). Still another critic, Atticus, composed the unnumbered part of the feature in the issue of December 2–5, and finally, the original critic made three unnumbered contributions to The Theatre in the Chronicle of December 7–9, 9–12, and 19–21, 1758.