The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-27 00:00:00

MIL MACREADYI FAREWELL TO
TILE STAGE.

This event, which will be long memorable in the
annals of the English drama, took place yesterday
evening. Mr. Maerrady took his parting iienetit at
Drury-lane, and appeared, for the lust time, in the
character of Mar4eth. The termination of his career
was worthy of its length and splendour; we have
vitae:wed no such seem., indeed, since the final leave-
taking of his illuetrinus predecessor, John Kemble.
For some time past, the public excitement had been
immense, the demand for places was almost un-
prteedented, and long before the doors were
opened they were besieged by crowds eager
fur admission. The arrangements, however, both
outside and inside the theatre, appear to have been
excellent ; for though the house was filled in every
part. from the floor to the ceiling, with unesampled
rapidity, yet there was not the slightest confusion or
disturbance. The boxes and stalls were tilled with
persons distinguished in the circles of fashion, litera-
ture, and art ; and many, we learned, came from dis-
tant parts of the eciuntry to be present on an occa-
sion so striking and interesting.
Mr. Nlacreudy's reception may be imagined. The
whole audience, by one impulse, sprang to their feet
the moment he apprand; and the house rang with
peal upon peal of applause, while hats and hundker-
ehiefs waved in every quarter for morethan 10 minutes.
Mr. Nlacready ceich7titly strove to restrain his feelings,
and to keep himself calm and collected, to meet the
exertions rat the evening. When the house had given
vent to its enthusiasm, he addressed himself to his
part, and certuinly he never in his life displayed
greater physical power. or greater mental energy,
than he did on this teeing (evasion. Ile was admi-
rably supported by Sfrs. Warner, who really outdid
herself, and shared largely in the applause bestowed
on the performance. Mr. Phelps, too, who liberally
gave his assistance, contributed greatly to the effect
of the play by his excellent perfiwrnance of Maeduir.
When the play was ended and the applause which
attended the fall of the curtain had subsided, an
interval of great expectation succeeded, while Mr.
Macreadv was changing his dress and preparing him-
self fur the teeing scene he had still to encounter.
At length th; curtain ruse again, and he came for-
ward in his onlinary attire. Again the whole
audience rose, and shout after shout burst from every
part of the house, as if the enthusiasm of the
audience timid not lie exhausted. At length they
re ppared themselves to listen; and no sooner did
Nlr. Nlacready'a first words become audible than a
pin might be heard to fall in the house. Ills ad-
dress was listened to in the deepest silence, inter-
rupted only by the vehement bursts of applause with
which the meat striking leis:ages were received. Ile
spoke as follows :
My last theatr;cal part is played; and, in accordance
with long-entaldished usage, I appear once more before you.
Even if Iw, without precedent for the disehargc of this
art of duty, it is one which my own feelings would irresisti-
bly urge upon Me; fur, an I look back on my long proles-
aimed career, I 's c in it but one continuous record of in-
dulgence mist support extended to me, ellet•ring me in my
Daman' progress, and upledding me in most trying emer-
gencies. I have then fore been desirous of offering you my
parting acknowlidationts for the partial kindness with
whieli my humble 'forts base uniformly been received,
awl for a life made by ,pier by your favour. The dietenee
of more than live awl thirty years has not dimmed my
neolleetion of the etwouragement, which gave fresh int-
puke to the imsperi. sued essays of my youth, and ntimu-
lat-ol Me to perwverano—, when %insulting hardly Mr
equality of position ae• t the genius and talent of thus.:
artists whom roperior eseellenee I ungrudgingly admitted,
mlniin..l, and howninsl. That encouragement helped to
plates mu', in restive.. to privileges and emolument, on a
Andante with my distinguished competitor. With the
gmwth of time your favour seemed to grow ;
undinturboall in me hold on your opinion, from year to
year I found oils more dearly and thickly clustering
round me. All I can advance to testify howustly I have
:won...Lin-el the patron we thus liberally awarded is the
d. sotion, througoout Cum yearn, of my hest enerygim to.
y our service. My anahition to establish a theatre, in regard
to disionim and last,, worthy of our country, and to have
in it the play. of our divine Shalmpriare fitly illustrated,
I.e. frustrated by those whom. duty it was, in virtue of the
truant rointnitted to them, themselves to have undertaken
the task. But once wood sisel has yet been moon; and in
the seal and cn ditalile oroductions of certain of our priment
marroger. wr have as 0r.,,,, that the corrupt editions and
unseemly presentations of mast days will never re-
mond, but that the purity of our great poet's
test will fnm benerforwanl be held on our Eng-
lish stage in the reverence it should ever catowatul.
I have little mare tonne. tly snow the relation of an :wt.r
to his audotwe w consilewil as *light and transient. I do
not het it so. Thr repeated manifestation, under cirram-
miaow, personally sanding me, of your faiourable iamb-
nts towards its, will live with life among my most
grateful memories; and, breams. I would wit willingly
abate mig jot in your esteem, I retire, a ith the belief ref yet
unfailing posers. ruttier than linger on the ncene to set in
eimtrast th.• Wilde style of am• with the more vigorous
exertions of my totter yearn. Wurdn—at least such an lean
common! --are ineffectual to convey my thanks. In offer-
ing them, you will believe that 1 het far more than I give
utterance to With sentiment,. or the 1. epeet gratitude I
tale my you, ladles and gentlemen. in my
profremnal rapacity, with regret, sad must respectfully, a
last farewell.

This address was delivered with calmness of man-
ner. but in a tom of great earnestness and feeling.
It was only towards the close that the increasing
tremulousness or Isis voice. and a pereeptible effort to
articulate distinctly. showed the strength of the in-
ward emotion with which he was struggling. In
the sound of his parting words there was something
inexpressibly and it was easy to see that they
went to the .heart of every one present. The curtain
fell mice imwe. and Macreadv disappeared fur ever,
leaving a void upon the tnglioh stage which is
likely to remain many. many year. unfilled.
Viough Mr. Nhicriutly has not, like many mem-
lwrs 44f his proll..sion. waited to he driven from the
stage by the infirmities of years, but has left it in the
a igour of nenshoml. with every faculty, mental and
I4lsy sical. nniutpsrined. yet he is really a vetenni iu
his art. Ile began his career. as he told the audience,
five and thirty years ago; and, as he attained distinc-
tion almost itummliately, he has Iteen an object of
pulrlie attention fonts a very early period of hes life.
Ile attracted native. too, while some of the great lu-
minaries of the stage were still above the horizon.
John liemhle had nut wt. and Edmund Kean was
in his meridian. Even in that day those qualities
a, re remarked in Nlaeready—that iiidependent mind
hhh worms! the conventional trammels of the stage,
that acute intelleet which penetrated the must pro-
1-,ital and subtle conceptions of the poet, and that
-•rength and clearness in conveying them to the au-
dio lice. which. de4cloped and matured by experience,
hare raised huts to the summit of his art.

St.,(tivi TnAtitmi.—fart night a numerous meet-
b.lB .A. 1.111 at th, Freemasons Tavern, to (vaunter the
ln-*t Oil-AW. o.f **curing the entire prohibition of Sunday
trading, an far ~...went, the trade of butchers. Mr.
Taylor, of Le.uleuhall-market. and Mr. Alien, of Stepney,
intoolue.*l a remiution deprecating Sunday trading, when
W. Williams, fluf.. M.l'. for Lambeth. Wilson...l the meet-
ing. and void he would never have taken charge of the bill
if he hail thought it would have been detrimental to the
inten.t. of the working dame.; hot, on the couleur, he
Wall satinfk4 it would be greatly for their henelitt /king
thu* vati*tie.l in hi* own mind, he would not neglect a single
hour to forwanl the paming of the hill in the lloune of
Common*. Alter m**olutions were pumed in favour of the
bill now heron parliament, and a vote of thank* hasiout
heeu ponied to W. William.. 1..**4.. M.V., for taking charge
of the hill, and t i the chairman, the meeting mpsraled.
I(',,`tat F 1111.%1E1f ...C.trr. OF ifl'ittil..flV4 FROM THE
ruL,, r si el tos.--flo 51.indav night Lint information was
Risen to the .lief countable that *cereal of the prisoner*
who hod Non ionituittall by the counts magi*trates on
Warr,. of hurglarv.die..and thaws in eunti•ly on the charge
of breaking into the homes in Clannee-plate, had entered
into an aut... fount to escape pant the cell. during the night.
The pieltl prop...A, it appears, SAO to TWMOTO One of the
benelu*. awl he it to force out the metal frame of the evil
1 1611.1"W...101 tlirn-by get into the yunl, with the intention,
ii. '4lns...fut. .4 I.l4x.e.ling direct into Wales. 'llli*
°Arm .• 1"'"..-r. ~.... fruntrated by the timely informa-
tion Avon, ..red tlw whole of the prisoners alluded to were,
wioliir the din thou of the chief couotable, handcuffed to a
la .e cloiin. tine of them, more resolute than the others,
rai•r .-•41 hi. iliti.rinination to mwoh his handcuff* to
p.. .. The pvi.on. r. were sited he the officers ou duty
sso ry t n ulioutes duriag We night.-11"ofeerhamptoo
f '/.* ~,,,, 'e.

NiANTYACTrita.—So brisk at present arc
thit rla. of our capitalist. who are engaged in Ct. MAIM.
f.. tart of nuchint r for flax ...pinning. that the steam-co-
gaii in most of their workshops on running night and
.y. wtmet, are not to be had, for laic or money, either it
t...illand or I.:nal:aid. B.xeral new mill. are unable to start,
I.irtly hem want of their machinery, and partly for lark of
'terath.s. About 70,000 sistabcs 1110 TV than last year
Ia• at work in a couple of month.. every 100 of which will
siaploy Ilviirb hands. This alone will circulate about 2,0001.
weekly in IL-Ift.t. The manufacturer* of linen., dama.k.,
and sewed muslin, are buoy in their preparation. for the
great exhibition; and an nunicrou.are the females employed
in the latter class of establiiihments that, when they turn
Out at maul hour., • stranger might really suppose' that
half a dozen gr, at factories had been let loos• to &Airy
Olivet. Other branches of manufacture are equally active.
—View (imette.