The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-27 00:00:00

Vie erprefs.

OUTGOING MAILS.
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will be make. ae the morass a the 7th orJutY•
The sea* as Mareeldas, to
the Illeditertesasa, Ceylon,
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manes at the Mb of My.

111011 MAYAS AT LONDON IBRIDBIL
Tan Dwr-414m1Y. I Ws. owl 7 Albeirsa. II via We 7.
Wilasw—thlmMol. 99 We- MB 7 ; alketwa.l9 W. p 9

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27.

Tint amateur parformance yesterday at Drury-lane
was, we are compelled to say, a failure. We cannot
attribute the result to the play, for it was the old and
familiar one of "The Rent-day." Neither can we
ascribe the thinness of the house to any want of due
publicity, for, in common with oar cotem-
poraries, we did our best to call atten-
tion to the time and place appointed for the
intended representation. We even showed our readi-
ness to laugh beforehand, and to enjoy by anticipa-
tion the essence of the joke. But justice compels us
to say that his Grace of RICHMOND'S corps dreier-
Opts shr.w en egad deficiency of talent and of train-
ing. They don't look the characters they attempt to
play : there is no life or spirit in their recitations :
they wholly misconceive their parte, and misrepresent
the story they affect to tell.
Lord RLDESDALE and Major BERESFORD may do
very well as managers at the minor houses of West-
minster. But as actors of chief personages in a great
spectacle, where all sections of an aroused nation are
expected to attend, ready to burst forth into shouts
of real sympathy and downright indignation, the
honourable and noble whippers-in are sadly be-
low the mark. Still worse and duller were
the efforts of Lord MALMESBURT and our
unhappy friend Mr. GEORGE FREDERICK YOUNG.
We could not but admire the forbearance of the audi-
tory, who, at the end of three mortal hours of the
flattest fanfarronale from such very inferior person-
ages, quietly suffered the curtain to fall witkont ask-
ing for any explanation or apology for so shabby a
take-in.
Neither of the promised attractions were forth-
coming. Instead of Lord BROUGHAM, who, what-
ever may be his defect', is undoubtedly very amusing,
there was literally nobody but poor LordTALßOT—who
was more diverting, though in general very absurd.
And instead of Col. SIBTIIORr there was only pro-
ducible a certain Capt. "Lynam, who, as far as we
can learn, never appeared on any stage before, and
who, of course, after the unhappy events of yester-
day, never will be induced to try the adventurous
experiment spin.
In truth we thick the majority of the 'gentlemen
who perpetrated this aid mistake at Drury-lane have
reason to complain that they were taken from their
natural and legitimate department and thrust into a
position for which they are obviously altogether un-
fitted. As stindard-bearers or " enraged citizens" in
• pantomime they would probably do very well.
They might look angry, and throw their arms
about in the approved frantic manner, when
injured industry—the lady of their chivalrous regard
—was supposed to be in danger. Such dumb allow
does not require intelligence above the lowest order;
and our prejudice against the protectionists as a de-
caying sect does not carry us so completely away as
to render us unwilling to believe that in speechless
eloquence, or au:h of the mimic arts as re-
quire no exercise of reason, taste, or skill,
the Richmor d C impary might do passably
well. But it is hardly fair to men who
were never bred to the profession to call upon them
suddenly to taks difficult parts. Had we never seen
Ganes DI we might bs diiiposed to tolerate clumsy
and heavy buff lone. But in political tumbling we
have been spoiled. Our testes have grown fastidious.
Great men have in our day worn the cap and belle.
Provincial and unpractised merrymen won't pass
muster now. Still less will a discerning public
be induced to listen to incurable incapable like
those who yesterday essayed to fill tko difficult part
of popular agitators.
Agitation is inde.d a strange resource for a des-
*mg oligarchy to turn to. To snatch a weapon
from an opponent's hand is doubtless good policy ;
but t 3 unde.take its use is a far different matter.
Were it poss:ble for the monopolists to create a popu-
lar movement in th..ir favour now, what security have
they—what security could they have—that be-
fore biz months its objects would not have changed,
and that from among the agricultural masa whom
they had taught to confederate and confer, leaders
would not arise having living and genuine sympathies
with the many, and capable of diverting their atten-
tion from landlord wrongs to tenant rights? 0:' a
verity agitation is a p-riloas game for high-renters
and anti-lease makers to play. We movelh dat their
courage; we cannot say that we are glad of their
failure.
A. for Pie resolutions passed at the Drury-kne
meeu' g, they contain nothing whatever that is new,
and quite as little that is trite. Sir ALAN *NAB
was put forward to make a show of Canadian griev-
ance ; and a gentleman named BOsANQUET was in-
duced to perform a like office as regards the
West India colonies. But whom will these
outworn devices delude ? The true feelings and
wants of the colonies begin to be pretty well
understood amongst us, and the fast-growing incline-
tion of the public mind is rather to consider the cols.
nies as a burthen than • benefit, for whose
prassty-
tion the bard-toiling people of this country sisald be
asked to make pecuniary or political aserifiree. If
anybody could prove that Canada desired • return te
protection, the effect would be to make us think ISM
of the value of the dependency, not more of the value i
of the principle. But we know the contrary fall
well. The baffled and spiteful Orange clique of
Canada, like their brethren in Ireland., are ready to
enter into any plot or scheme which has for its object
the elevation of men like Lord Stare LET to power.
But the mass of the people of Canada, like the mum
of the people of Ireland, have no interest other than
that of the man of the people of England.

AT no more fitting time could the attention of the
legislature have been invited to a comprehensive and
dispassionate review of our colonial system, than has
been selected by Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH.
We are entering upon an era of entirely new (role-
aid relations. As was but night shown by Sir Wfl.-
LIAM, our present colonial system is materially
different from that which existed before the American
revolution. Previous to that event our colonies con-
sisted almost exclusively of industrial settlements of
British race, and the home government left them
pretty much to their own management. Sinop that
time a majority of our colonies have been military
ont-posts, convict gaol', conquered provinces, and the
home government has, with few exceptions, ruled
them arbitrarily. Bat the increase of population,
and the development of industry in these settlements
has been yearly assimilating their character more and
more to that of our older colonies, and the colonists
will no longer submit to the =controlled domination
of Downing-street.
The change in the relations between the mother
wacky and the colonies which the silent progress
Omuta has been imperceptibly &ringing about, ha
been accelerated by the recent chansin our national
esamercial policy. Notwithstanding the marked
change in the character of our colon' dependencies,
and in the mode of administering their government,
our commercial relations with them continued (in
theory at leut) unchanged till within these few
ycan. Oar protectionist poliey while it cramped the
hdastrial enterprise, and the develepomit et
the nabtral resources both of the esetta sneaky
and the colonies, called into *skims fa both a close
at traders which had an intimate perpetnatiatt
existing esaamerelal relatlam. It was the
athis ins athoree that eantlemed the Osissid-edise
tit ileafrakaPeodst• tit was the Mama ef His
ekes k Ile Weeks that impelled the ChismiskSes
with heel bob and dettess ef its despotism. Urdu.
Seam, smaselsg relation between great Britain sad
Um emrem depenimies, them met have been drives
urea new esumee, and a hstisne, seellms. sad hide.
Illfrbody el fillet= they punks to became.
impesible Sal sir sli system ef mink' ge-
mmed em bo essemsfilly persevered in. Far •
11/111111111611 elks d sootily, cad to wen the de-