The Express.
London, England, 1849-10-31 00:00:00

HAYMAMET THEATRE.

A comedy, in three WO under the title of "The
Serious Family," was prcduced here last night, and
with most deserved success. The subject has been
suggested by a French piece, called "Un Maria la
Campagne," in which Regnier performed the prin-
cipal character daring his engagement at the St.
James's Theatre a few sessocs ago. The author or
adapter has, however, made various improvements on
the original, and has taken pains to point a moral of
a much more salutary character than has often been
derived front the French stage. This morel is in-
tended to mark the dangers which are apt to arise
front a want of a proper understanding between hus-
band and wife reepecttng their household comforts.
" The Serious Family " consists of a certain Lady
Sowerby Creamly, a sort of Dr. Cantwell in petti-
coats, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Turrens (her daughter
and son-in•law) arid Mr. Aminadab Sleek, a puri-
tanical personage who has wound himself into the
good graces of Lady Creamly by playing the hypo-
crite, and agreeing with her ladyship in her wholesale
condemnation of the joys and luxuries of social life.
Poor Torrens is presented to the audience as a victim
to the dictatorial spirit of his wite's mother, and he
has not the courage to assert a husband's prerogative,
although he is the muter of the house, and is a man of
good property. He has entirely lost the cheerful
spirits which had characterized his bachelorhood, and
appears to have abandoned himself to those habits of
seriousness which his amiable mother-in-law so fondly
cherishes. In the midst of his lamentations upon his
unhappy lot he is visited by Captain Murphy Ma-
guire, an old friend of his bachelor days—a joyous,
rollocking Irishman, who arrives just in the nick of
time to witness the wretched plight into which his
quondam associate had fallen. Maguire determines
to exert all his powers to produce a revolu-
tion in the domestic arrangements of the
" Serious Family," and with this view he
points out to Torrens the folly of his submitting to
the dominion of his wife and m .ther-in-law ; and also
takes an opportunity of explaining to Mrs. Torrens
that she much endangers her own happiness and that
of her husband by affordinc high inducements to seek
those comforts abroad which he ought to enjoy at
home. The captain is waisted in this laudable under-
tsking by Mrs. Ormsby Delnurne, a fascinating
widow, at whose residence in the country Torrens
finds a comfortable home, when he has escaped, from
his own in order to enjoy a few days' shoot-
ing. Mts. Delmaine proves to be a lady
who was formerly loved by the captaia, and
who, having played the coquette, had driven that
eccentric gentleman to a foreign country to seek
for consolation. The widow and Captain soon be-
come reconcled to each other, and by their joint ex-
ertions they succeed in rendering Torrene's home
more adapted to produce happiness in a married life.
Torrens resolves to have a will of his own, and his
wife comes to the equally amiable determination of
having no will save in such things as may please her
husband. To the honour and dismay of Lady
Sowerby Creamly, and her disciple Mr. Aminadab
Sleek, preparations have been made fora grand ball at
Turrenes hones, and the quiet and demure Met. Torrens
is decked out for the occasion, whilst Maguire and
Torrents are congrataUtiog each other upon the happy
change which has been effected. Such is a brief
sketch of the plot, and it will be seen that the time
of the author has been very profitably employed.
The piece is extremely amusing, and there are occa-
sional touches of pathos,which make the story complete,
in point of interest and effect The audience seemed
fully to appreciate the moral, and the character of
Captain Maguire was soon an established favourite.
Wallack played this part as no other actor could have
played it—imparting an invigorating freshness to
every scene, and exhibiting a buoyancy of spirit
which rendered the performance as agreeable as it was
entertaining. It was a novelty to see this gentleman
disporting himself as an Irishman, but he soon proved
that the part was perfectly natural to him. Buck-
stone was the representative of Mr. Aminadab Sleek,
and every line he uttered produced a hearty laugh.
Webster played Mr. Charles Torrens with much ease
' and gentlemanly bearing, and the manner in which
be marked the contrast between the husband
who rules and the husband who allows
himself to be ruled proved him the
finished artist that he ie. The other characters
, were done full justice to by Mrs. W. Clifford, Bliss
Reynolds, ant' Mrs. Fitzwilliam, and the play was,
, on the whole, a most atimated and effective enter-
, tainment. The dialogue is throughout humorous,
and occtsionally witty, and there are many "pointed
allusions "to the follies of the day, which told well
with the audience.

The piece was given oat for repetition amid una-
nimous applatroe, and the author, Mr. Morris Bar-
nett, was compelled to put his head forward from a
private box to receive the usual congratulations.

law *nttUtgence.

COURT OF BANIERUPTCT.—Ywans.Dit.
Boon Xi. 03.011•3011 II
NOTTCI OP OPPOSITION TO CIATIZIOATS.

W. Holliday, Galvanise, of Chatham, applied for hie anti_
goat,. The question was raised whether, notice of opposition
being given by the meignew., the notice ought to he
by the amigneee thenteelva, or whether the idiptatoratrro
e-lieitor was auflolfu!..

—ifialc;;;ttrheld that the signets?* of the attorney alder
the fiat *lnstituted it $ good nodes.
The bankrupt, whose debts were 9001., sad his sleets net
ISOM than 901., was op powWI principally on the ground of
Laving eonticaed to Wade after he was Walesa:
The tartilkate was suspended for 8i: maths, when gnaw
to be of the third class, owtifyizegthiset
a alb. failure did not
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