The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-17 00:00:00

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

CUSTOMS' RZTVRN.
GRAVESEND, THURSDAY, 10 14 ♦.H.
Wind N.W., thick fog ; tide two hours' flood.
Arrived.—West Kent, from Memel.
Sailed.—City of London, steamer, for Dunkirk;
Nelson, for New Zealand.
DEAL, THURSDAY, 9.27 •.H.
Wind N.W., light, and thick fog.
Anchored.—Hazard, from London, for Port Philip.

A CHINESE PLAY.—I did not hear or see the be-
glanina or end of the play. The middle, I must own,
puzzled me exceedingly. The affair was complicated.
There were some spectators who had paid for a few special
privileges, one of which was a right, if they could secure
it, to establish a seat on the stage ; but the stage was very
small, and the number of actors was very great, and the
spectators on the stage had a good deal of by-play with each
other, so that it was really hard to tell what belonged to
the piece, and what did not. Then, though the story re-
quired us to suppose many changes of place, the scene,
whether it represented palace, forest, camp, or dungeon,
was always one and the same saloon, with a door at each
side and a throne in the middle, flanked by musical instru-
ments. The play was, nevertheless, gorgeously got up ac-
cording fo Chinese fashion, that is to say, no expense had
been spared in the dressing of the actors. Chinese managers
pay lavishly when they desire to set up a piece so as to pro-
duce a great !sensation ; they pay their money, however, not
to the scene-painters, but to the tailors. The story of the
play about which I am speaking seemed to concern a Chi-
nese boy, magnificently costumed as a princes; boys, aslfor-
merly in Europe, representing always female characters.
This princess pined in prison, but was about to be delivered
by a knight who sang a song—heart-rending, I dare say,
ear-rending I know—and was on the point of success when
the vigilant keeper of the tower moved the princess down
into a dungeon, deeper and darker than ever, with two side
doors and a throne in the middle, upon which throne tea-
cups were placed; and the princess, the gaoler, the knight,
a brave army of twelve, and eighteen people who were
sitting on the stage, crank tea together in a most confusing
manner. The great body of spectators looked at the whole
performance very reverently. The Chinese respect the
dignity of the stage much more than that of the altar, I
should think ; there were no loud plaudits or hand clap.
pings—only subdued means and sighs ezpiessed the admire-
' tion and the interest of the whole animated multitude.
The Chinese drama is sustained by actors who are very per-
feet masters of pantomime, and by pieces written with con-
siderable care. The comedies differ from the tragedies
chiefly in being more interspersed with music, and in treat-
ing et everyday life ; the tragedies trent commonly of
sweats that took place under the dynasties before the
Tartars. Ds. kens's " Household If
LONDON AND NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—
Return of traffic for the week ending Nov. 13, 18.53 :
passengers, parcels, carriages, hones, and mails,
24,2091. Os. 6.i. ; merchandise, 21,9901. 19s. 6d.; cattle,
1,8041. 19s. 10d. Total, 48,0041.195. 9d. Corresponding week,
1832, 44,978/. 9s. 3d.
GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.—Betuns of traffio
for week ending Nov. 6, 1863 :—Pusen,gers, parcels, car-
rages, horses,dogs, and mails, 7,326.. 3s. 411.; merchandise
and minerals, 11,1021. 16s. 4d. ; cattle, 3911. 18s 7d.—
Total, 18,6201. ISs. 3d. Corresponding week, 1862,
14,6281. 17s. 3d.
LONDON AND SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—
Amount of traffic for the week ending Nov. 12, 1863 :—Pas-
angers, 8,0961. 10s. OW. ; goods, 3,1231. 14s. 31. Total,
11,2201. 41. 318.
SHREWSBURY AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY.
Traffic receipts for week ended Nov. 6, 1863, 7851. as. lld.
Corresponding period last year, 6991. 17s. 4d.