The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-08 00:00:00

MUNIFICENT BEQuEbi

The will of Mile Mary Anna Billington, of No. 1,
Davidge-terrace, Lambeth, has jut been proved at Doctors,
• Ousarous by her extranton, Mr. Wilkinson (of 69, Strand).
hie son, sad Mr. Horatio Dais, of Korean,. This lady
was eminently distiagaished for her private charities sad
public wornificence, and partieularly as a large antiseriber
towards the rehandle' of old Lambeth church. After
snaking provision by her will for her nlativesand domestics,
the testatrix bequeaths aU the .it of her property to the
IbUewing public institutions:—To the Female Orpliaa
Asylum, Westminster-road, 1,5001. consols ; to the Lam-
beth Pension Society, 1,6001. consols: to the Rector Of
Lambeth, 1,0001. consols, the intense to be applied for aged
persons not receiving parochial relief or recipients of the
Lambeth Pension Society ; to the Incumbent of St. Mary's
District Chards, Lambeth, 1,0001. consols, the income to
be applied for fuel and clothing is the winter months for
the poor of his district, sad the residue of her property,
enessatisg to about 7,9001., equally as follows :—The Blind
&kcal, St. George'clields, the Aged Dee! and Dumb Is-
stitatioe, the Asylum for Des! and Dumb Children, the
Chariag-noes Hospital, the Society for Dinneen. Widows,
the National B lent Institution, King's College Heapi-
tat, the Samaritan Institution, the Philanthropic Society's
Fern School, the Brampton Hospital for Cosiamption and
Diseases of the Chest, the Free Cancer Hospital, the Infant
Orphan Asylum, Wanstead, the Lambeth Boys Pareebial
School, the Lambeth Thank Offering Church, snide
School of the Daunt ; the Incumbent of St. Judo's Chusebe
Southwark, in aid of the caimans of divine wonhip,
ass
of the schools attached to the church ; sad the Incumbent'
of St. Michael's Church, Bireleigh-strest, Strand, in aid of
the endowment fend. The property of the deceased was
sworn tinder 24,0001.

DRAMA.

IfARYLEBONE.
A new play in five acts, called Leos of the Iron
Mesh, was performed oa Tuesday night at the above theatre.
It is from the pea of Mr. Bernard, andversion, or
adaptation to the English stage, of a well known French
meledrame, called Le Masque di Per, which was popular
in Paris some twenty years ago. The Parisian dramatist
has achieved the solution of a problem which has baffled
the septic, and research of historians—he has discovered
the identity of the mysterious personage known as the
Man with the Iron Mask," who was immured
many years in the Castle of St. Marguerite,
and it is generally supposed died there. The play-writer
has adopted one of the many hypotheses broached upon the
subject—that the unknown was the twin brother of Louis
the Fourteenth, and consigned to a dungeon for life, in
order that he might not interfere with that sovereign's
title to the throne. The piece is very long, and the plot
and incidents are complicated, and not always clear; but the
following is an outline : —The hero, Leon, is fist represented
as living in obscurity in a village of Burgundy, where he
has been brought up from childhood in 'gnomes
of his illustrious birtb, the secret being known to
his tutor, Father Maturin, a Jesuit. There is a mutual
attachment between Leon and Hortense, the daughter of
the Baron de Piermont. The girl's father likes the rum
man ; and when Leon asks his daughter's hand, he hi dis-
posed to grant it, but of course thinks it necessary Moshe
Inquiries after his family. Hereupon the Jesuit, torwermec
his pupil from getting out of his hands, declares that be is
illegitimate, Bed the Baron instantly discards him. Rothe-
fort, a Huguenot, who has had his eye upon the young meet
as a proselyte, works upon his despair and indignation, awl
carries him off to Paris. Two years elapse, and we lad
Leon in Paris, associated with the Huguenots, bat ins-
mersed is the gaiety and dissipation of the city.
His friend Rochefort is at the head of a Hugue-
not conipiracy against the King, into which Leon
is to be initiated, and the conspirators are assembled in
a private room in a coffee-house. A lady enters the cafe;
it is Hortense, who has traced her lover; she has discovered
his imminent danger, end has come to warn him of it. H.
is informed that a stranger desires to see him, and entering,
finds, to his astonishment, Hortense. She entreats him to
fly instantly, as the plot in which his companions are en-
gaged is discovered ; but he nobly spurns the idea of forsak-
ing them in their danger. They, however, all escape, but
in a very theatrical way. Leon's likeness to his twin-brother
is so striking that, when the soldiers enter, they take Leon
for the King. He avails himself of their error, and, assum-
ing a regal deportment, walks out, followed by his com-
panions. A number of scenes ensile, consisting of the in-
Wigan of a M. St. Mars, Leon's rival, to shake his belief
in his mistress's fidelity ; they are confused, and tend to
nothing. At length Leon, whoin the meantime has learned
from his faithful follower Rochetort the secret of his birth,
is discovered, seised, and carried off by the King's guards.
Another period elapses ; and ten years afterwards we find
Leon in his prison, concealed under the terrible iron
mask. The father of Hortense is immured in the
same prison. She herself is living in a neigh-
bouring cottage ; and the faithful Rochefort, dis-
guised as a fishermen, is watching, is endeavouring to
communicate with Luc, and to effect his escape. Attempts,
repeatedly baffled, give rime to some stirring souse. At
length, Leon's health having given way, it is diesemined to
remove him to another prison, and Rochefort reeldem upon
a last desperate effort. A ship is on the coast, waiting to
convey the remnant of Huguenots to the New World.
Leon arrives, escorted by his guards. Habituated by sickness,
his mask be. been removed, and he is allowed wrest. A
priest is sought, to receive his confession. Rochefort pee.
senates the priest; and the confessor being left alone with
his penitent, Rochefort tells Leon that he has planned his
escape—that he, Rochefort, will assume the iron mask and
depart, so disguised, in the custody of the guards, while
Leon will join the band of Huguenot *silo. Lees will
not listen to this self-sacrifice, but Rochefort says that his
fate is sealed already, for, regarding himself as the same of
all Leon's calamities, he has swallowed poises. This ter-
ribly melodramatic catastrophe is consummated: Raabe-
fort, is the iron mask, and already dying, is canted awe
by the guards, while Leon and Hortense joyfully embark
with the elan.
This play, taken as a whole, is very long and very heavy,
but contains striking and effective scenes. It has the pre-'
veiling fault of English pieces of a serious kind. In-
stead of the conversational dialogue of real life,
there is a profusion of wordy declamation such
as is n heard but on the stage ; and this
fault was aggravated by a corresponding fault on the pert
of the actors, of spouting instead of talking. From this
fault Mr and Mrs. Wallach, who, du reale, are performers
of great merit, are by no means free. It is the fault which
renders them melodramatic actors, rather than tragedians.
In the principal scenes, however, where deep feeling and
strong pantos were required, both of them were eminently
successful. They made a great impression, and were loudly
applauded. The character of Rochefort was well acted by
Mr. Edgar. The other parts were respectably filled, and
the scenery, costumes, and decorations were highly credit-
able to the theatre.

MILLINERS' AND DRESSMAKERS' PROVIDENT
AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.

Yesterday evening the fifth annual entertainment
of this institution took place at the Hanover-equare ROOM.
A musical evening is aid of a benevolent society is an agree-
able variation on the solidity of public dinners with that
view ; and as it allows ladies to participate in the enter-
tainment, it is peculiarly appropriate to the objects of this
institution. When there are gathered together Mesdames
Anna Thillon and Weiss, the Misses Birch and Messent,
Messy. Augustus Brabam, Weiss, and Frank Bodda, with
Con:on at the piano, and the Distins with their Sax
horns, all is that good humour, acid with that freshness, which
may reasonably be expected at this period of the musical
season, and when there is presented a variety of pieces,
•ocal and instrumental, selected not because of their novelty,
but for their safe popularity, accompanied by a liberal
supply of refreshments fitting for the occasion, a large and
complacent audience is a certainty. Accordingly, the room
was last night full, almost crowded, while the arrangements
beiog very complete, and the programme adhered to with
prsiseworthy fidelity, the result wan an undoubted success.
There was every appearance of additional sympathy with,
and interest is, a very laudable association.