The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-07 00:00:00

Mr. Hums, M.P., moved that the correspondence to
now prided and distributed for the use of the proprietors,
and the further consideration of the question adjourned
until Monday, the 20th inst.

Sir PIRTZiLAVRIJI seconded the revolution.
A long discussion then took place, several of the oroprie-
tors attempting to introduce tapirs which had reference is
the general details of the measure, rather than to the point
immediately before the court, viz., the question of adjourn-
ment, and, the chairman having called them to order, the
resolution was put and carried by a large majority. The
chairman promised that prior to the next meeting the evi-
, deuce taken before the parliamentary committee and otter
documents should be prepared for distribution amongst the
proprietors.
The proceedings then terminated.

DRAMA.
HAYMARKET.

A new play, in five acts, called The Cruel KUulr.eas,
from the lien of Mrs. Crowe, the authoress of " Susan Hop-
ley," and several other popular work, of fiction, was pro-
duced at this theatre last night, with great and deserved
success. It is a drama of the romantic class, exceedingly
interesting in its story, and written, not only with elegance,
but with no small degree of poetical beauty.
A play of this kind—not a comedy of character, but a
drama of action—demands a rapid succession of stirring in-
cidents to keep the attention and interest alive. This re-
quisite Mrs. Crowe's play possesses ; and the plot, though
it involves some probabilities, is on the whole clear and well
eoastrueted.

A certain Manfred, Duke of Ilrbino, a brutal tyrant in
the extremity of age and bodily weakness, but with all his
evil passions in their full vigour, has two sons, Giulio and
Carlos. For reason of state Giulio is contracted to his
cousin Viola ; but Viola and her younger cousin Carlos are
lovers, while Giulio, showing indifference towards her, is
almost constantly absent, passing his time at a hunting
lodge in the forest. He has made a romantic marriage
with a young lady of humble birth, who, with her child, is
living in this little abode, in a state of seclusion, and igno-
rant of her husband's real name and rank. We have a
sweet picture of their mutual affection and domestic happi-
ness, which is disturbed by a prying waiting-woman,
Viola's attendant, who, observing Giulio's neglect of her
mistress, plays the spy, and, unseen, sees hint in the
company of his wife and child. She reports
her discovery to her mistress, who forthwith discloses it to
the Duke—an unaccountable proceeding, without any intel-
ligible motive, and quite inconsistent with her character.
The old tyrant orders Floreotia (Giulio's wife) to be
seized, with her child, and brought before him. She is'
dragged into his presence, and confronted with Giulio,
who, terrified for her life, dares cot avow his marriage, and
allows her to be reviled as his garenuar. Hun-struck
with this cruel kindness," of which she does not perceive
the real reason, she is consigned to a dungeon, while her
child is torn from her. This scene, which is powerfully
wrought up, closes the third act. The scene of the
fourth is within the prison, where we find the
little boy taken care of by Gretchen, a faithful servant
of his mother, who has got access to the prison by hiring
herself as a servant to the gaoler. Gretchen has a lover—
Hain, a bluff, good-natured German, whom she has in-
troduced to the gaoler as her brother. The gaoler is •
drunken fellow, and finds Hans an excellent boon com-
panion. Viola, meanwhile, full of remorse for the mischief
she has done, wishes to effect Florentia's escape. By the
help of Gretchen and Hans, who make the gaoler dead-
drunk and get possums of his keys, Viola penetrates
faiths dungeon, and endeavours to persuade Florentia
be sumps ; Florentia refuses, till the sight of her child over-
OMNI her resolution to remain, and she departs, wrapped
is Viola's cloak, leaving her in the dungeon. The Duke, in
the meantime, having obtained from Rome an annul-
ment of Giulio's marriage with Florentia, resolves that his
marriage with his cousin shall now be solemnised in pre-
sence of his court. Giulio, called upon to sign the contract,
positively refuses. The Duke commands Florentia to be
brought from her dungeon. Instead of her, Viola appears,
and exultingly tells him that his victim end her boy have
escaped, and are beyond his power. The Duke, in • trans-
port of tory, orders the fugitives to be pursued, and expires
m a paroxysm of rage, his feeble frame destroyed by the
violence of his passions. This, the great scene of the piece,
eines the fourth act. In the fifth, Florentia, with her
child, is wandering in the woods near the city, heartbroken
and exhausted. Leaving the boy to bring him a
little water, she finds on her return that he has
been carried off by one of her pursuers. The
young Duke Giulio has succeeded his father. His boy is
restored to him, but no traces have been discovered of his
wife. While he is lamtoting her loss she suddenly appear
before him. Hiroshi' to her with transport ; but she, in
• state of frenzy appapproaching to insanity, exclaims that she
is come to demand justice from the Duke—disavowed, dis-
owned by her husband, she had but one tie to life—her
child, and he, too, has been taken from her. The boy is
brought in ; she rushes to hint with transport ; and her
mind thus restored, joyfully listens to her husband's jus-
tification.

The play is written in blank rem, and contains a great
deal of sweet and graceful poetry. Mrs. Crowe excels in
tenderness and in the expression of soft and gentle feelings,
while she is by ne means deficient in force and energy.
The only personage that has marked individuality of cha-
racter is the Old duke, whose fierce passions, ragtag in an
enfeebled frame, are strongly painted. In his closing
scene, dying in • fit of impotent fury, he remiaded us of
Sir Giles Overreach. The action of the piece is sayried on
with much animation, and the interest of the plot is kept
up till the very end.
The actieg was excellent. Mr. Barry Sullies°, in
Giglio, was at once tender and manly; and Mim Reynolds,
as Florentia, gave a tragic intensity to the passion of some
of the seines. Carlos and Viola were gracefully acted by
Mr. W. Farrell and Mrs. Buckingham. The pair of (So-
mas loves, Gretchen and Hans, were made very amusing
by Mrs. Fitswilliam and Mr. H. Corsi. These two chars-
ten, by the way, ere not mere sumac acre stuck in to
raise a laugh ; they eater into the business of the piss.
Becketones comic part, Paulo, is not so happily contrived,
bat he succeeded in making it laughable. los, not Nast,
was Howes performance of the old Hake. It was, en the
whole, admirable, though the death scene was too much
protracted.
There is some beautiful new sonny, and the whole miss
as sense was in excellent taste. The enacts of the play
was triumphant. The applause during the performance
was incessant, and, when the curtain fell and the principal
performers had been called for, a loud call was raised for
the authoress, who bowed her acknowledgments from a
private box.