The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-12 00:00:00

DRAMA.

HAYMARKET.

On Saturday evening a oomedietta was produced
for the first time at this theatre, under the title of TM
Secret Apia. For once, a drama of this kind we. not
" from the French," bat has been very neatly adapted
"from the German," by Mr. Stirliag Coy... The plot,
though involving a number of oomplications and perplexi-
ties to the dramstie person', was briefly this. The Grand
I Duke of a mythical German state is entirely coder the so-
lemnest et his mother, who is elkettively sided
in

-
supposing attain fitful good. intentions _
ow the
part of the Sovereign towards his subject', by
Mr. Bookstons, as Prime Minister, with a red ribbon,
and Mr. Compton, as Lord Chamberlain, with a blue one.
The Died* of the Grand Duchene, who is devotedly attached
to the youthful Duke, aid is anxious that hie good qualities
ehould have fair play, seeks to rouse him out of his
thraldom, with that success which • pretty and clever
woman with whom he is in love may be suppose to so ;
and the climes of his determination is attained by the lady's
acquaintiog him with the fact that arrangements are in pro-
gress to many him, whether he will or no, to a Princess of
Brunswick. Deli is to be gained by the scheme
of creedal; a decidedly invisible " Secret Agree" whom
advice the Doke implicitly follows ; and, by the aid of a
valet and waiting-maid, the Grand Duke and kis
Mmeress eentrive to meat* the weal* Court in • mom
amusing . The efforts of the Primo Minister and
the Chamberlain to discover the Secret Agent are incessant,
but invariably foiled, measures being taken to induce the
one to believe that the agent is • man,. and the other that
it is a woman. The Duchess is duly included in the decep-
tion, when her niece, to avoid a marriage with a foppish
nephew of the Prime Minister, Informs her with equivocal
truth that she is in love with toe Secret Agent. The first
act ends with its being supposed that the Prime Miaister is
mad, because he is seen running without a hat across the
Perk, hie object being to endeavour to see the Secret
Agent, whom he has been mystified iuto believing is to be
head at • certain hour, feeding the ducks in • certain
fist
In the second act a masked ball is made available for the
purpose of finding_ out the Secret Agent. Mutually de-
ceived, the Prime Minister assumes the dress of • Spanish
lady, and the Chamberlain that of Mephistophiles, and by
one of the ordinary stage processes they were made to meet,
and each to believe that the ether is the Secret Agent,
and they plot and counter-plot to have each other arrested.
The affair, which by this time was getting rather wire-
drawn, is brought to a close by the Duchess resigning bee
power end the Grand Duke declaring that he has dismissed
his Secret Agent, only following his last advice by rekr
gating the peeeant ministers to the enjoyment of digniSei
sinecures, when they can do no mischief.
There was not much positive novelty in the situations;
and the dialogue, except here and therein the first act, had
no pretensions to wit or humour; while the idea of the
plot, in Welt good, was at last reduced to something very
like tenuity. The piece was too long ; the superstructure
was rather to) much for the basis. Nor was there very
much room for anything remarkable in the acting; no great
scope being afforded for the specialities of the chief come-
dians. Of course But:ketone, dressed in imitation, pure Ltd
simple, of Senora Peres Nene, was ludicrous its the extreme,
though hardly more comical looking than in the court suit
of tie minister •, and Compton's Mephistophiles was admi-
rable fooling. The scenery and getting up were very good;
and as it was evident that the players like their parts, the
piece mat with the approval of • very full house.

ADELPHI.

A new piece, under the somewhat stimulant title of
" tell your Wife," was prodseed here on Saturday. It was IT
avowedly written at the acting specialties of Mr. Keeley 50
and Mr. Leigh Murray, who, indeed, may be said to divide la
the whole conduct of the piece between themselves. Paul
(Mr. L. Marray), a sprightly spark, is going to be married ;Li
in a few days to the daughter of Dr. Bile (Mr. Keeley) ; u
but prior to his assumption of a conjugal conscience, he
makes a filial excursion into the beau pays des plaisirs with et.
a pretty milliner and orders " dinner for two," at the Rail- $0
way Hotel. Whilst engaged in giving his order at one ti
end of the table, his prospective father-in-law, who 80
has arrived by the same train, and has oa hand
his own petit trouble as caws, is similarly occu- 61.
pied at the other end. After recognition and the et.
mutual expression of surprise at the canoe that could have lo
thus brought them together in so unusual a plate, Paul IL
awe the doctor into an omnibus, end congratulates himself r.
hexescape from *discovery. The doctor, however, quits a
the "'bus "is the next street, and returns to the hotel, 10
where a second scene of ordering dinner, recognition, and hi
renewed surprise is re enacted. They now agree to dine le
together in " the passage " which divides rooms No. 8 01
and 9, where the respective fair ones of the lovers
are stowed away. The ladies, like the gods of Homer, se
now stimulated by the savour of viands, become le
clamorous for an ezeat, but are forcibly kept in 10
by the stronger males. Of course the suspicions excited 10
on both sides by so violent a scene, must end in a discovery,
and consequently the doctor, during the temporary absence
of Paul, writes on the panel of door No. 8, ' You shall not
have my daughter ;" to which Paul replies by the counter- et. 1
notice, ' I'll tell your wife." At length the ladies come IL
forth, sad being no others than the real wife and iftilllo.
rota in disguise, the two gentlemen have to make the best 6
excuse they can to their indignant fair ones. Stich is the ei
scaffolding of the piece, which is put up in the most midis- 10
liaised massif before the audience and the persona dra. et.
mates themselves. Now, although the public do not look et*
(or strict probability in a farce, and are satisfied if they are
well amused, still some respect for it is one of the means of le
amusement, and the open violati..n of the most obvious rule SO
of dramatic art cannot take place with impunity. We St.
doubt whether say expenditure of sprightliness in dialogue 5
. could have veneered such clumsy materials, but in the ab-
sena*, is additioo, of anything like a brodarie of wit, the 16.
piece naturally sunk into its grave in the midst of unmis-
takeable alga of disapproval. et.
124

ittueratna TarxratcaLa.-0a Saturday, the Slat et.
instant, an amateur performance, the actors in which will :lc
be all memben of two literary clubs, will take place at the s
Olympic Theatre, and the proceeds of the entertainment to
will be devoted to the benefit of the family of one of the II
most talented and prolific writers of the day, who is, we IL
trust temporarily only, incapacitated by illness from mental ,
exertion. The performance will consist of Mr. Shirley
Brooks' comedian., "Anything for a Change," Mr. Bunn's is
farce of "My Neighbour's Wife," and an attempt hitherto at
nonsked by amateurs—a pantomime. Several of the parts IL
will be filled by literary men. The rehearsals are most 12.
active, and from all we can glean, the performance promises r
to be the most successful yet attempted by amateurs. Every 124
east in the house, though advanced prices are charged, his to
long since been engaged, and from a list of the placeholders
which we have seen, the audience would appear to be as 124
aristocratic as it will be numerous.— Weekly Chronicle. at.,

IRELAND.

e—
DUBLIN, Masan 10.
The
The lenity shown by Lord St. Germans' govern- t;
ment to Mr. John Carden, of abduction and chloro- so
form notoriety, is thus referred to in a local journal, 12.5 l
the Tipperary Vindicator:
Hear this all ye'poor wretches wbo pine in misery within et
the gloomy walls of Clonmel cull Mr. Carden is wealthy. 9
He committed an atrocious educe, not suddenly, but with r 7,
deliberate premeditation. He was sentenced to a partial 6,
punishment ; but Sir Philip Crampton bar given his
yc
opinion that further confinement would be injurious to his se
Insustitution, and forhwith Lord St Germane, by whom M
advised we know nott, admits Mr. John Carden to bail
and on the understanding that he loaves Ireland for a few
months, opens the gates of the gaol and lets him free ! We
can have no personal feeling in the matter ; but we say this
is a trifling with justice—a toying with crime—a " heavy
blow and a great discouragement" to the administration of 30
the law, and an example which will tell fearfully throughout Bt.
Tipperary on every mind which has not ceased to think
aright ; because it tends to show there is one law for the
rich and another for the poor in Ireland.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—FIVE SHILLING DAY.
Saturday, March 10. Admissions on payment, 64 ; ditto
by mason tickets,269; total, 323.
THE ALMA, a new screw steamer, 2,200 tons
burden and 460,h0ne power, nearly completed, has been
chartered for two years by the government. She is to take
out troops to the Crimea, and after that *be is to run as a
hospital end store ship between Balsklava and Constantino-
ple aed Scutari. The crew and officers of tbe Alma have
received orders to join her at Liverpool to-morrow.
LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY.—The United States mail
'township, Atlantic, Captain James West, sailed from the
Money this afternoonfor Now York, with the mails for the
United States and British possessions in North America. 65
passengers, and a full cargo on freight. The Black Ball
clipper, Blanche Moore, Captain Evans, also sailed this
afternoon be Melbourne, with 82 cabin and 346 interme-
diate parmgmei sad 1,600 tons of general merchandise on
freight Hemp% her passengers is J seph Bonney, Eq.,
sepresitnative of the Van Diemen's Lend government
Is ?sr , and who nava' to the colony after seeking
Me meagetness for Me transmission of passengers
Ornibie Misty system. The senw transport, Indian,
espisla Milester, sails torneorrow for Bakal/tea, with
wafted stores.
Tad UNITED STATES MAIL STUN= WASHINGTON
WelvelMilewes, Oil bar way
_Se Brows, os &swig slot
Melia &iv Yak ea tin NO sit