The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-02 00:00:00

ON THE DECLINE OF THE

DRAMA IN ENGLAND.

Having taken up the ben of Conversation, the
Frenchman ran on with it at a tooter, curvetting and kick-
ing up his heels with huge self-satisfaction, and highly
pleased at having an opportunity of showing himself at
once patriotic, eloquent, and gallant. He proceeded to ex-
plain the cameo( the decline of the British drama.
the first place," he said, " the performance of a
play would desecrate the Sunday evening. The Sabbath
must be ended as wearisomely as it is begun. If one speaks
of this to an Englishman, he pulls • long face, and talks
about the morality of the lower orders. How moral the
I English lower orders are. One sees that every londsy,
when the drunken cases are brought up at the police offices.
Ons man has bitten off a constable's nose by way of a joke;
another has knocked down his wife and danced upon her
body ; a third has eat open his better-halts head with the
poker. All morality and liquor; but, thank heaves, they
have not been to the theatre—any more than to church.
Don't tell me, because yes have more churches than there
are days in the calendar, nisei your poor people go to them ;
there is no roan for them. Your churches are for respeet-
able citizens, with cash jingling in their pockets. Then
again, there are thousands of quakers, methodists, and '
other fanatics, who consider it a deadly sin to visit a theatre
even upon working days. And finally, you are all such
smoky fireside people—se gives to stick in your shells like
snails—that It la a punishment to you to have to creep out of
your houses ; or else you have such sally pasties for Men
grass, that you go and live at the end of the world, where
you need a carriage to bring you home from the theatre by
daybreak. Them terrible distances ruin the pocket, and
cramp civilisation. Your meolvbe-praised Englishmen,
doctor, have not got a asesepoly of wisdom. But I pity
them not. It is foe the poor daughters of Albion that I feel
sorry. Upon my honour, ladies, I should not grieve if
Napoleon's glorious drown were to be realised. Ha, ha.
That would be a life. Fancy our grand' armee leaping one
day upon the British shores. Before the sun is up the braves
are in the city, say bon four, conquer, and are forthwith
conquered—by the charms of the lair-haired Anglo-Sexons.
Our soldiers ask nothing in the way of acknowledgment.
Keep year_ ,baak your religion, and your lord mayor. The
sole glory dealeed by Prance is, to annihilate the dragon of
English meld. land in hand with the fair sex, the in-
vincible army addeves that that. Oaths first evening there
is a great fielesalephall al Ifeuzhall ; the next morning
appears a seenthele is the aim et the liberating army, by
which the steaks el at lent ass French vaudeville
theatre in every psi* le deemed, es the role reward of the
victors ; end in a few yeese, Asa these sew institutor
have taken firm toot Is the Mara et Ike pasyle,
the heroic army rewrap leeway Ions" UMW
back should you relepeskaeyear pith
The denghters of Albiss *mid upon their cliffs,
sad mast their white bawls be grief et their de veers'
What say yea be this picture? Is it not chi-
? Lit not rep; wfth the most sleeting
? And deyw desist that it dwells in the hearts
dicaseade of ?"—Blackwood's Magazine.

NEW ACT ox MERCHANT SIIIPPIIIO.—The new
act pared at the cline of the session to amend various laws
relating to merchant shipping will come into operation on
the first day of next month (October). It contains 88 sec-
tions, with an interpretation clause of the terms used.
Under this act the lighthouse tolls payable and the holiest
rates, Ac., are in future to form "The Mercantile Marine
Fund," which account is to be kept by her Majesty's Pay-
master-Oeneral. The accounts are to be approved of tithe
Board of Trade. For the purpose of erecting and repair-
ring lighthouses, &c. The Treasury may make advances,
and Board of Trade is empowered to borrow money. Her
Majesty may, by an Order in Council, fix the tolls to be
taken for new lighthouses. Unclaimed wages, and effects
of deceased seamen, may be paid into the -Exchequer. A
roes sum is to be paid to the Seaman's Hospital in lieu of
an anoxia payment. In order to prevent the undue
assumption of the British Bag and national character, it is
provided by the 33rd section that when it is assumed the
ship may be seised and adjudicated upon, and if the simile-
tion is proved the vessel is to be condemaed. There are
clauses as to volunteers into the navy, and relating to the
payment of their wages. Facilities are given to obtain
seamen in the Australian colonies. The subject of salvage
is defined in several provisions, and other matters are set
forth to amend the law relation to the merchant service.

•.-------- -------
OPENING OF TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION BE-
TWICE BILTAIT AND DIALA.—It affords us extreme
pleasure to be able to state that the operations of the Eng-
lish and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company have success-
fully drawn to a conclusion, so far as establishing complete
telegraphic communication between this town and Dublin.
To the mercantile communities, so deeply interested in the
success of the project, this announcement must be a source
of much gratification, as it will especially prove a matter
of paramount importance to their interest. The wires
having been laid down throughout the entire line, it was
arranged that the opportunity of the Queen's arrival in
Dublin would be a fitting occasion for receiving the first
message from the metropolis. In conformity with that
arrangement the Belfast staff of the company assembled at
the o in Bridgerstreet yesterday morning, and, without
any of that display which has characterited events in the
history of the country less beneficial, proceeded to test their
works. We should here remark that the circumstances
under which the experiments were audio were not of the
most favourable kind, owing to the state of the weather
during** peat few days, but we are happy to say that they
were oondseted with the most perfect success. That the
spirit and energy with whisk the tompany have carried:out
their indertakurg, from the da on which they lint broke
ground until the present, will meet with that support
which they so eminently deserve, we have no doubt--
Nara.% WAip.
LIMA NORTHERN RAILWAY.—A movement is
beingpreference shareholders with a view to
'ppm the mtphsetias to parliament for a bill to
Waft the es llama Olyn end thephemos, pur-
eeing ~t theeempenitt emeindeme la Mania leet, end ea
the iseelenilig Ilen dm remit et seek applieslion, who-
sonerlder mit amid be

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 2, 1853