The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-16 00:00:00

[TWOPENCE

THIS DAY at 3 and 8 o'clock tam., and EVERY
DAY and EVENING darken this week at AT. JAMIE'S
HALL, Piccadilly, COMMODORE N LITT and MI N NIE WARREN,
best man and bridesmaid to CienaralTomThumb and wife,will give
TWO LEVERS day, and appear In • liflange of song', damns,
deeta, £c., &e. of programme at each levee
Mon, Is. and 2a reserved stalls, Va. eaelt Children under ten
years of age Iseltprlce In Si. and Ila places.

TEE WESTMINSTER PLAY.

The second performance of Phormio took place
last night before a numerous company, which imitated Sir
R. PhiUlmer*, Mr. Wynne, M.P., Roe. R. Bisooe, Colonel
Neale, C. 8., Rev. E. Hill, Rev. H. Harrison, Mr. Mare,
Mr. C. B. Phillimore, Mr. E. IL Barnes, Mr. W. Barnes, &c.
Mr. Bistros, the captain of the Queen's scholars, spoke
the prologue, which on the present occasion was extremely
brief, and referred principally to the happy and peaceful
state of the country. A corrected copy of the prologue and
epilogue will be furnished on the third representation,
which will take place on Tuesday next.
Having already noticed the Pho,r,nio tea drama. it only
remains to add a few remarks on the mode of performance.
In judging of the merits of the 'ctn. a great deal of allow-
ance must be made. It would not be easy for even expe-
rienced artists to give a vivid and unctuous representation of
characters who speak in a dead language, and whose i rh•.x
and etiquette were very remote from those of our day ; and
of course far less ought to be expected from young men
whose occupations have prevented them from acquiring
those histrionic artifices which are so indispensable to a just
and complete delineation of character. But with a *ease cf
these difficulties and drawbacks before the mind, the repre-
sentation of the Phorni,o was very satisfactory. The
main actors in the play are Gets and Phermio, repre-
sented by Harrison and Nichols. The former, as the
isemrne consuliatif--the *us cc inachod—the schemer
who can get himself and his young muter out of Ur
amount of the twisted and knotted ropes of circumstances,
should be the most prominent character in the representa-
tion—not inferior to Phormio himself. Mr. Harrison', im-
personation of so prominent a figure is scarcely emphatic
enough. He does not make his character express all that
is implied in its cooception, and subordinates his part too
moth is the ni!, which Phormio plays. Mr. Nichols's
Phormio is an excellent representation in every respect.
There is a tradition that when the actor Amhivius played
this character on the first representation in Rome, he came
drank upon the stage, which mode Terence very indignant,
but that as the piece proceeded he was so pleased
that he admitted ha had just such a cha-
racter in his mind as Ambieins represented. Mr.
Nichols required no such stimulant to enable him
to act the part with the requisite confidence. He struts
he talks, and he gesticulates with the bell airs of an accow.-
plished parasite, and leaves the audience little to add to his
delineation of the honto cc,„r of the play. Mr. Biscoe's
Detuipho was also an excellcot plec s of eating. His de'i
very was clear and measured, but when the situation rs-
gaited the exhibitioc of passion, w'o:ch was frcqueatly the
case, he reminded us Ureter!), of the lino in Horace where
the angry old man of comedy " tumid° dehtigat ore."
The Chremes of Williams was a carefully studied
part, and was rendeted with grace and ease. The scene
in which the three lawyers are hi:re:limed would be em.
played by a modern dramst'rt as au occasion for the display
of much wit and humour, but in the bands of Terrace it
passes away with merely a faffit allusion to the uncer-
tainty of the law. Tau characters in this scene had but a
few sentences to utter, bat their mariner was laughable.
while that of Circuities Sophroua woo eminently pathetic.
As to the two young men, Antiph•. and 11“...-dria, they are
such whining, whimpering lovers, th►t it was impossible for
their representatives, Daunt and Walker, to modal more
perfect figures than they did from such pasty originals•
Surely the young sparks of the ancient drama do not re-
preens the men who fought at Thermepylar or Thrasymene.
They seen: utterly incapable of anything like indepeodent or
vigorous action, and they are as ready to abandon their
lovers as to involve their slaves in order to screen
themselves. The last scene, in which the intrigue
of Chromes with the mother of Phanium is revealed to his
wife Nansistrata, is the most striking in the whole play, and
is full of comic incident, brought out in the most natural
way. The recut of Nausistrata upon Chremes in being angry
with his sou for having one ruistreas when he had himself
two wives, was brought oat by Shapter (Neu/strata) with
crushing effect. The stinging emphasis which he laid on the
words "=ores dims' seemed 'Merry to annihilate Chremes,
who stood route abashed, hardly able to articulate and
having nothing to reply. The audience were delighted, and
gave their hearty applause during the whole scene, especially
In those portions of it which brought out the mingled tesliag
of anger and pathos which agitated Naumstrata's breast. 6.
The epilogue, in which the characters in the Phocinio are
made to represent and ridicule some of the paring events
of the time, was hardly up to the ordinary standard. The
topics touched up were Mr. Bass's anti-organ-crandiag bill,
the rage for aquariums, fossils. and all dead and antiqua-
rian matter in rreneraL The piece was extremely short, sod
was of course treated in the Latin that is characteristic of
such t.xodia.

LOOK OUT.—The best TREAT for the
BOLIDAY&—Pay a visit to the Palace of Inehantment.
ST. JAMES'S HALL. WIZARD of the NORTH'S WORLD of
MAGIC. Second Sight by Miss Anderson. and the great Rope-
tying Tittles, Cabinet Seances, Anti-gpirttualistk IfanUestations,
u performed by the Davenport Brothers, ilhotrated by Miss
flute Anderson, and Mr Sefton. List week hot three. EVERY
NIGHT sleight; Saturday afternoon at three.
A. ISIMMO, Acting Manager.

INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION FOR E.tsT LONDON.—
Last night a crowded public meeting was held at the Beau-
' moot Institution. Mile-end, for ti, purpose of adopting
means for the establishment of an industrial exhibition for
East London. Mr. A. S. Ayrton, M.P., presided. The
report s read and unanimously teloptul pointed out the
great success which had attended sorts an exhibition in the
south and north of London, and called upon the working
classes of the east to join and establish such an institution.
The Chairman mid although there bad been a great exhibi-
tion in 1851 and 1862. the working classes had not been pro-
perly represented. It was found t.at they had no building
suitable m the east, and it was now pruposed to erect a hill
by shares to be Mild by themselves, and the site chosen was
at Bethnal-green. Ile bad oo doubt the movement wordil
prove not only a smxites but a greet boon to the working
classes. The Revs. J. I:oweell, T. Sulley, Mr. C. M. Mur-
phy. and other gentlemen having erred the me. ties,
rasolutioes were unauituously passed in favour of the move-
ment.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—Great exortione are being
made foe the anneement of the public during the Christmas
holidays. General Tom Thumb, has wi:, (Mrs. Strattorah
with bar sister, Miss Miums Warren, and Commodore Nutt,
are to hold a grand reception on the Ire it wheats., at the
Crystal Palette. on Mouthy next, He.n December. Com-
mencing on Boxing-day, unusual Attractions have also been
provided. Beaides the anitisements withiu the Pasco, which
combine nearly everything available iu Lrelon, Wombwell's
extraordinsry menagerie of wild beasts will be stationed ad-
joining the palace, so that eisitoramay ii,petit. the collection
under cover, the same as though they teens in the building
itself. The preparations for the coming Handel Festival next
sninnier are being prosecuted with great vigour. The Saved
Harmonic Society have idrewly uteri, completed the musi-
cal arrangements, and the orchestra ail', it is coalidenely
anticipated, be far more corny:ate than even on any previous
OCCasitAL All the leading railway compel:Ls—those at a
distance as well as those in inimediete pr.otimity to London
—have concurred in tirraegemeute for e'.3arsion trains to
Landon at the time of the festival. mil facilities will thus
be afforded for vis.:ors witnesesug these _rest musical per-
formances, unrivalled in any cauatre, at a moderate tsi.s.
diture of time and money. .tdditioe d lighting hen been
placed iu various parts of the peace, that visitors may avail
themselves of the opoortuLitv of aft ernsou vivito during tho
winter months, for which period of the year the palace was
specially iuteuded as the eriur garden of the world. •
THE CIiktIsTALAS HOLIDAY AND TUE Powl.atTelcr..
—The following notice Las bisect e-..red from the General
ismg,fge. :—As Monday the Lhlth of December will be kept
se a holiday, in consequence of Chriatutas-day hilltop on
Sunday, there will i.e uo delivery of letters by the Lan-
don district patio the al:ernes° of t!.,' day. Letters for
the night mails will be cellectect hum the town pillar hole*
at a p.m., from the town rezer.ing Leuees at 5.10 p.m., and
from the suburban boxes eel oite.e at the usual tithe ; but
there will be no later collect:go eitber fee et the pillar 'oozes
or the receiving houses. The remnviug houw-e ho
opened for half-an-hoes* Wore the elterLeon collection, for
the receipt of registered le•tere tied for the sale of stamp* ;
bat no money order or SavitZ4 1111 b:: }...tsinege will be trans.
acted. Letters to lea forw..tded by the morning mails on
Tuesdays the 27th December. must h., pemel either at the
bead diettict oflicee, the hrsocks offices at Lomberil etreet
and Charing-crass, or in the wave letter boxes, as
there will he no collection for soh mails from any town
receiving house ; but in the stibu) • :rtters for then, will be
collected as usual. The morning mails said he ilespetched
from London as usual, but the provincial mid-day mails;
will not ho forwarded.—W. I:..geettait, I ;un troller.
A DEFAULT i Nit TEE %sr EI:E.—A. I tieetiu g wan
held at the Clarence Bete, Mancber!er, yesterday, et which
it was stated that Mr. Thomas Payne, treasurer to
the Heime relief committee, sill: a defaulter. It appealed
that be had rendered Rec.:tuts she airg tale balsne, from
the hest, in Mil. One of his statement* aboard a Wanes
of 1,011 f., when it should have been 2,41 if. On his &s-
-ic/Melee were made at the bent, where he
agruftladrlLei hod 2,Mkg. but not conlv wes there no bulanoe
at all, but it was found that. he had Overdrawn his Account.
His defalcations appear to have c mmeneed with the that
cash transaction.

Perfect digestion, Strong nerves, sound lungs
and 11•er, retrealting Matta fauttional :mularity and eller.* are
restored without medlethe to the suet dttordered by Du Itarr)*a
delicious ilevalanta Arshioa. which awes brapapala ,111ters-
tIon', Constipatna, 4206.4,1, Aqhma. Firma, Cot-
nmptlen, all Neiman.. MCI s. aft cr and ,tomach moni•lalr.ta.
tm,99)ammal euretwluch awl taramenl nomhone. In tin», Ilk.
2.. 9d.: 12th., 23.: :us.—Mu harry and 0, 77,
street. Loudon: Fortnum and Mason's. and all growers mid
cbunlatm In mar, town.—,Ad.ertlaruxut I

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