The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-24 00:00:00

DRAMA.

Mr. \Voider iv the author of a clever litqc piece,
called °max B.'oesosai, which hs• been produced at ibis
theatre with much success. The plot is alight soil impro-
bable. and the principal character is highly caotemptible,
but Ow ',mitt dialogue, good acting, and telling scenery,
make the audience oblivious of this point. Mr. Sepumus
Saiiiinett) 1 Mr. ('lark) ia a rich bache'.or awl a misogynist,
but hi. priracs IA invaded by two w.urud 0011),IrS, who
1.1616 t upon vuitiug him, and who loin forces with the view
of driving him to marriage. Fortune .t tint hymns the
bachelor, who. finding that aate.nuptial flirtatious had
taken pl.ace hetwatu bias visitors, cal that the lanalswibi had
in each c es, paid great attentios to the ladies who were not
now their wares, sets all parties lay the ear+. and resorts to
calumnies owl subterfuges with the view of provoking •
graved In tkis he I successful, but he is himself
inselved au the toning of tan dispute. and only escapes by
renseating to marry. He sesordingly proposes to a young
lady. called "Little Loa,* from whose well-known mis-
antlireo I e exeet. a refusal, but the lady suddenly veers
trawl and accepts him.

The .«•din; throughout is very good. Mr. J. Clark
quaintly dressed and humorously suggestive, gives (bor.-nigh
character to the bachelor. Miss 0111100 sad Miss Bolton
sir .lashing rrpmesatittivas of the young 'awned ladies. Mr.
Ray is mom military sad morn food of hi unif time as,
other in the fumy liat, sail Miss raspy Josephs gives
groat isdividsality to " Little Leo."

NATAL AND MILITARY.

PORTBXOI7II, !cm. 23.

The vulnerability or lin Ws screw--- •tripkr---befesee wan
coburteil te • usgalwrlssi yenistday (Satniang)
I: mt..... ILA the gusbent klunter proceedulaletipoile the
Iteluire. awl ran feed d b beer. Is backing swig .he
tamest the bower sasluk awl strew it f.ir ODOM thatance,
*hen it *bird sung tenon the guntoat swum into the
hoe. the du • penelluilAg tbeikatre *mile few inches
above the water Nue. Tb• aftailratalla came into
betrayer. earl is new Imcbsd ablegale the show Jetty is the
&client This Aileen wenbnew in du wiewl leas given toe
eirrakinibleilbeumwsnaminpa areal awe is the port.

ANNIFESSARY OF WASHINGTON'S
BIRTHDAY.

The Anniversary of Washington's birthday was;
(view...tett by a public breakfast at the Freemasous
Tavern on Seturday, when about IR) ladies mid gentlemen,
principally Americans resident in Loudon, rat down to a
sumptuoue feast. The Right Rev. C. P. ISVI trete;
D.D., Bishop of Ohio, presided. Among them pre-
sent were:—The Hon. Charles Francis Adams, the
American minister; Mr. C. L. Wilson and Mr. B. Montt,
secretaries f the United States legatioe ; Hon. Freeman
H. Morse, United States consul; Mr. Wlrliun Munn,
United States consul at Ityaonne ; Mr. W. Wilkins, vice-
consul at Cronstalt ; Mr. Cyrus W Field, dm.
Letters of apology, regretting inability to be present, were
read from Eel spencer. Mr. Layton, the American minister
at Paris: Mr. M. Gilson, M.P., Mr. Bright, MT., Mr.
Scholetiehl, M.P., M. Louis Koesuth, Dr. Winslow, and
several other persona.
The CHAIRMAN proposed the fiat toast, "The Memory of
Washington," one animist whom all their heeds were coo-
-1 centratsd ; end celled on Mr. Adams, the Americas Minister
at the court of St. James's, to respond to it.
Mr. Anew. arose, and was received with greet applause.
He said—lt is with great pleasure that I, an American
citizen in a far.off bind, meet no many of my countrymen
CO an occasion like this. To do honour to the memory of
Washiugtou is uo more than our duty. (Hear.) There
have been more brilliant geniuses, sages more profound,
more extowelmary warriors, more aspiring politicians, more
enthusiastic patriots ; but in the happy mixture of all them
qualitie. to conduce to the formation of a true hero, therein
no
mortal man no rest u Washington. Called at the time
when be was without elpenewas, mid suildeuly, to military
command, he found himself charged with the burden, not of
commanding, but of creating emirate without funds, with mt.
serable arms, and unprovided with any of the mealtime of '
war, and in the face of an enemy fully supplied with all
those uecemaries. His someone" were not like those of Nor
redeem, who wielded his legions to throw them over to for-
tune. His conduct was rather like that of Fabius ; he was
, always maintaining and husbanding his resource', and pee-
-1 jeering himself for every trial by which. he might be attacked
y raetteuce and perseverance. His history gives but few
lirilliaut victories, but it gives better results, for he returned
his army to the bosun of his people, and yet left his people
free. (Cheers.) After seven long plan of trial his country
remained exhausted. ilUpirited, ad's some confusion, ad
thee with a grace peculiar to him be turned to the ismer-
peey, mid developed himself is a new elearecter. Under his
sisepices tie people ultimately established agoveremmit, and
by oxlansarkni called upon him to undertake-the duty of set-
tle. it in motion. Accepting the task with that noble spirit
whack always guided his scums, he met difficulties, not of
the same kind as he had is the Said, but quite equal in
degree. (Howl Ucernalsioss. both demestic and foreign,
occurred of a character to alarm the menteet heart, yet by
patience awl perseveres°. he carried his rotary on nobly,
mid formed hierverement on a basis that lasted, without
esoeption, for 1•1 years. It may be well for um to reflect
upon this occasion with respect to the condition in which
the mutiny is involved. For the first time tha22er,
which hail been foreseen, and against which he ic vs
must urgently, has fallen upon tie, and a sprit has betel
developed among ns that is determined to role or to rule.
(Cheers.) In this contingency I think lon speak from
knowledge when I say that there was no possibility
avoidiug this struggle—(hoar)—that the spirit which carried
on this attack was one of an sggree 'vs nature, and left far
the goverteineut no alternative bat to yield or to overcome.
It curried with it the propneitioe that some men are been
to rule over their fellow-men with a prescriptive right
That involved a question for which we have always eee-
ten,l,ed, awl which we could not give up without giving up
the freedom of the people. (Cheers.) We, therefore,
could not give up the mutest to which we were bound by
every tie to our country. I know the sacrifices which it will
cost -nien, mosey, and perhaps confusion and chaos for a
tune--dart that is the very reason why upon this day we are
called upon to look back and renumber bow those
who went before us won and overcame. (Cheers.) Let las,
thee, remember on this day that perhaps we are going
through • perilkeden d gm by which, looking to the guide
al the ormiatien when easesory we celebrate to-day, we
may come eel better smabled to continue in greater pm-
fatties the syMein that ire been handed down to ism
I Minima Let us thee trait that, by cultivating the mate
vinous of patience sod perseverance in the path of right, we
mey emulate iii some degree the great acts of his hate**
Fife. (Great cheering.)

The Her. J. SIMPILINSON. rector of Ilrington, in Northamp-
tbe birthplace and home of the 'Washington
family. gave a umber of intereeting historical details re-
spectiug the ancestors of George Washington.
The toast was drunk in silence. . .

Thu i.,11.1111TAIZT;;;;;;I;;;; the next toast, rid—lt in
the 'wooden duty of Americana in foreign lends to honour
the powers that be. It is especially the duty of Americans
is this land so to do, when the powers are In the pow
sloe of ore who to official pre-emiseami adds • pre-
endemat claim to loyal affection and veneration, not only
upon the part of her subjects, but upon the part of all
who know her name in the whole world. When the
eldest soil of Queen Victoria visited America he was
received everywhere with manifestations of the greatest
honour and respeet for himself, but especially for the sake
of his honoured mother. It was my honour to have bins as
my guest in my house, arid to see much of him in different
phicos during his tour, and being brought into Dearer model
relations to me sod to my family, I had opportunities of
observing him more dowdy than perhaps any one in our
lend—imornuch that remedy, when about to depart on his
tear to the East, the Prince requested me to come to the
pillars, that I might take leave of him. (Cheers.) I was
always exceediugly impremed with the great judgmant and
discretion with which be received the attentions paid to him
by such a variety of classes, and under circumstances so
sew to himself in raerica. I sin persuaded that the earnest
and affectionate veneration which wee then, through hien
paid to Las honoured mother, coutinues in the same ardour
in the liressts of all Americans. (Loud cheers.) I am
satisfied that nothing has unpaired it, and I do not believe
anything will occur to impair it. (Cheers.) Americans at
the present time claim to take a place just nett to Eoglish-
Ines in svmpathbdug with the grief of the Queen for the
lose she Las sustainel ielieersd In conclurlon+ the right
re.. prolate proposed "The Health of the Queen," and
called upon the Rev. Dr. Fergus eon to speak to the toast.
Rev. D. FERIICS.IO, in reply soke Of the great claims
which the Queen had to the loyal affections of her people.
The health of the Queen was then drunk with great de-
monstrations of applause.
Dr. MAC.:11114:4 wall called upon to speak to the next
toast—that of the President of the United States. None
who had carefully considered the course pursued by Mr.
Lincoln would, he said, In surprised to learn that Anteri•
pas abs °ail feel grateful for what he has already dose,
as it is a guarantee that their nationality would be pre.
served. The unanimous support accented to Mr. Lincoln
is his datenbibatiosi to restore the authority of the consti-
tution and the laws throughout the recalcitrant States—
the AMMO@ and moderation, the humanity and con-
earratim which Le exhibited in this most tryiug period of
oar country's Lister) • afford ample evidence that he was
in every way competent for the crisis.
Mr. Ono, 110111.30:4 also spoke to the toast, pointing out
the claims which the President bad upon the consideration
of the friends of liberty iu England.
"Our Country," spoken to by Mr. SUMMED, was salt
PrZt, and duly honoured.
orier., the Unites Suttee Consul at London, spoke
to the nest toast, which was " The Union."

The toast woo drunk was gn•t enthusiasm.
Mr. ('Tars FIELD wad called upon to reply to the next
tenet, which was " England and America." If any snideness
were wanting, he said, to satisfy the British people of the
kindly feelings of Anweric•as towards them, they may be
found in the higory of the part twenty year. Lock at
their conduct during the formica In Ireland. The Ova-
time they endured in searching fur the gallant Freakhi•,
email the ices of the Polar Sea ; the graceful retnrs c 4 the
Revolute by our goverunient to Great Britain ; the manner
in which our nary acted during the war ice China ; and, to
come down to • more recent period, the e•theeiasm
with which the heir apparent to the British throne
was received in Amer. (Cheers.) It cannot be
decried, however, that the cordial feeling which
existed between the pe 'pie of the two countries • year
ago had leen somewhat impaired. Designing and corrupt
persons on both sides of the Atlantic had alone all io their
power to du sway with the go•d will existing between the
two COUllitiell, sad torree te hostile feeling in Um:ingest The
mistaken seal of Commodore Wilkes, in taking fleems.
Manua and Slidell from the Trent, was represent/des ma Inten-
tional insult to the Ilrinah it The America', people had
beau made to believe that Great Britain intended to ac-
knowledge the independence of the so-called "Confederate
States of America." He (Mr. Field) had the pleanure of a
personal acquaintance with the President mid every mem-
ber of his cabinet, except one, and Items assure them that
sext to crushing out this wicked rebellion their most
earnest ilewre is to maintain friendly relations with the
Beitedi government. (Cheers.) The object of bin visit to
England was to do what lie could to carry out an enterprise
whirl, he hrnily believed would hied the twn countries in
rho c1..n.•,t howls of fneodship —be alluded to a telegraph
act.. the Atlantic. (I 'been.)