The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-05 00:00:00

THE EXPRYSS, FRIDAY EVENING►, FEBRUARY 5, 1847.

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HATmeaKET.—" The School for Scheming," a five-
set comedy, by Mr. Bourciesult, was performed fur the first
time last evening. The reputation which this gentleman
has gained by his previous productions drew an overflowing
audience; and the impression made on us by the perform-
ance is, that if the play will not detract from this reputation,
it will not odd to it. It certainly cannot he regarded as a
regular and well constructed comedy. It does not exhibit
• eerier of probab e and coherent incidents, bearing
upon each other, and leading to • clear and
satisfactory denouement. Though full of plots, it cannot be
said to have a plot ; and the adventures of the different seta
of personages are so independent of each other, that one
of them might be abstracted without any effect upon the
rest. In chemical language, there is a mechanical mixture
of elements, but not • combination. The author's design is
to exhibit the manseuvree of various sorts of schemers ; end
his moral, to show how intriguers are caught in their own
toils. But the schemers, as well as the schemes, are of
a rather common and threadbire kind. The chief schemer
Le the Honourable Claude I'lanfagenet, a scion of the
aristocracy, an elderly roue, who has spent three estates, and
depends, for the repair of his shattered fortunes, on making
an advantageous match for his daughter, • faithio.iable young
led 7, whose natural good feeling. are nearly stifled by the
selfish end ambitious notions contracted by her education
and society. The damsel is nothing loth to second her
papa's views, and has little scruple about jilting ,
a poorer levrr, when a more brilliant offer present, itself.
Overwhelmed by debt., and beset by diffieuf ies, the 'mince '
cratic spendthrift has another scheme, which is to obtain the
hand of Mrs. Fat French, the mistress of a boardingoiehool
of the highest fashion, in which his daughter has been edu.
cated, the lady being reputed rich. She, on her side,
being really as needy end embarrassed as Mr. Plan-
tagenet, meets his scheme half-way with • coun-
ter-scheme of her own; and the two schemers find
out, when they am married, that they. have deceived
themselves; au occurrence n.e uncommon in real life, and
thoroughly worn out in plays end novel.. The next
schemer is The Macdunnum of Dunnwn, a penniless
adventurer, named Perkins, who, assuming what he calls •
commercial name, sets up for • capitalist, and manufactures
bubble companies. One of the prime agents in the piece is
Sykes, appan ntly a money-lender of great wealth, but who
is, incognito, a gentleman of great worth and high
feeling. Having raised hinsklf from a menial con-
dition to respectability and opulency, he had married
a lady of rank, to whom he was passionately attscheil, but
who was induced by her family to separate herself from him.
Their son, born after the separation, was estranged from him,
and brought up under the Mime of his m Cher. This younc
man, e'rocen Acton, is the lover of helm Plantagenet, sod
beloved by her, though she neglects him for the sake of •
silly coxcomb, Lord Fipley, whom she accepts as her suitor.
His father, unknown to himself, watches over him with ten-
der anxiety, but is believed by him to be merely his friend.
All the schemes of the different schemers, of course,
end in disappointment. The scheme for the marriage of
Helen Plantagenet with Lord Fipley comes to nothing, the
young lord choosing to run away with 'one of the young
lady's schoolfellows. The schemes of Plantagenet and the
boarding-school mistress end as we have mentioned already ;
and the schemes of The Macdunnum end in the blowing-up
of his bubbles. The consequence is, that, in the last act, all
the sehemers are denizens of Boulogne (England's commer-
cial Botany Bay, as one of the characters smartly calls it);
and the termination of their adventures is better than they
deserve. Mr. and Mrs. Plantagenet. both reformed in the
schoolof adversity, are living contentedly on their small means,
only unhappy about Helen, who is pining away from disap-
pointed love. Her lover's father, however, who has kept
his rye on her and her father, and finds that her character
has been purified in the same fire, removes the old gentle-
man's embarrassments, and reunites the lovers. Even the
Meedunnton, who has not exhibited a single good quality
during the piece, is made happy at the close by a very senti-
mental reunion with • forgiving lair one, whom he had very
basely used. All this confusion of incidents is worked out
in Me, 13oureicault's usual manner. There is in his
scenes a good deal of vivacity and a great deal of wit. There
is, iu fact, too much wit. Everybody is witty, and the dia-
logue, for the meet part, isnot cementation, but a auccesaioo
of smart things uttered by the company alternately—a
running fire of point, antithesis, and epigram. Numbers of
these were exceedingly happy, and told upon the audience ;
while an equal number were forced, laboured, and fist. In
s one scenes they were continued so long that they
exhausted the p,tienco of the audience, and pro-
duced very unequivocal disapprobation. The characters,
which have no novelty of feature, were exceedingly well
acted The part of Plantagenet, • worn-out rake, with the
dress and manners of a youthful exquisite, is a very disagree-
able one ; but Ferrets made the most of it. Mrs. Glover, as
usual, was admirable as the boarding-school mistress. The
scene in which she gives her aristocratic pupils their lesson
in polite aecomplishments and fashionable knowledge (one
of the best in the ploy) was consummately performed. Miss
Fortescue was very happy in the really pleasing and in-
teresting character of Helen Plantagenet, a character all the
more interesting from its very faults, stage heroines
in general being inei pid from being too faultless
Buckstone was exceedingly entertaining in the pert of the
Meedrinnuns; his humour gave great and necessary relief
to s-me heavy scenes. Selby enacted the puppy lordling—a
common-place caricature, the humour of which consist, in
the entre cut of his habiliments, and in his talking of " vevy
vidiculma." Mira Julia Bennett, in • young hoyden of
quality, acted with her usual agreeable vivacity. The play,
on the whole, was successful. Many parts moved heavily,
especially the fourth se, during which there was a good deal
of disapprobation. But there was also much warm and genuine
applause. When tke curtain fell, and Mr. Webster came
forward to announce the piece for repetition, the dissentient
voices were very audible, hut drowned in the loud nod
general plaudits; and Mr. Webster said he felt justified in
announcing the piece for repetition every evening till further
notice.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL NEWS.
Oxman, Fax 4.—lna congregation holden Oda morning, the fol.
leaving degrees were conferred :—DoWor of Viva Loco:Rrt.C.J.
Ch am pnee, W.Altrin H., il en d Mestere( the CalimMts SchoW, Clamow.
--Cease Correeri:”.--Mosier Arts R. Utley, PembroLe; RAM.
J. Godley, Peholar Exeter.—Bechrior of Arta: W. H. Three's.
Eerier ; T. Whitehead, Keyser; E. D. Wood, Exeter; 0. P. %wean,
Oriel; C. J. Scones, St. Jo:m.o.—ln • cameo:2oMo, holden at two
o'clock, Rev. J. Garbett, M.A., of lirsesncee, was re-elected Professor
of Poetry; and at the mew time Rev. P.. It. Duke., H.A., Student of
lthrist Cll.; Rev. D. P. Chow, M.A., Fellow of Oriel ; and Rev. G. F.
De Trinier, MA., Scholar of Corpus Chried, veers appointed examiners
for the ifolvendty Win Seholorrito.

Varwrr.—Abtottb-Herswell V. Devoe; fib. Exeter; value 2784.
patron. Lord Chancellor ; by death of 1t,.. W. Kiteca whose deftest,
also mates Northlaw 8., Dean. value NIL with resident., ; patron
the Crown.

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