The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-22 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.-FRENCH PLAYS.

M. Emile Augier's famous comedy, Lc Pas de
GiLayer, was performed at this theatre on Friday :,ight by
the company of French actors of whom M. Ravel and aldlle.
Deschamps are the chief stars. Though originally produced
at the Theatre Francais nearly five years ago no English
playwright has yet laid his hands upon this work, which
proved so great a success on the French stage ; and the
reason is sufficiently obvious. Le Fits de Gd.yer is a satire
upon certain political parties in France, and is based upon
Ideas which are but little known here, and for which it
would certainly be difficult for an adapter to find resem-
blances in our social system. It is, in fact, an attack upon
the Legitimist party, the Faubourg fit. Germain and what
remains in that exclusive quarter of the aristocratic pre.
judioes of the old regime. Although it has in it something
like a story, and sufficient of sentiment and pathos in many
of its situations, these are so generally subordinated to the
writer's chief purpose of producing a political satire, that
the comedy hardly bears transplanting to this country,
even for the entertainment of an audience presumptively
familiar with French institutions. We may therefore
safely prophecy that the 1714 de Giborr will not prove so
great a "nose= here as the Pastille Bemiton, which has
been repeated again and again, and to which the manage-
ment are chiefly indebted for a popularity which 'ambles
them to extend their programme from four to six weeks.

INDIGENT BLIND VISITING SOCIETY. —This so-
ciety, which has been established about 36 years, and has
during that time rescued many of the helpless blind from
poverty, held its annual meeting on Saturday, at 27, Red
Lion-square. Mr. W. A. Ford presided. The Rev. J.
Strickland, incumbent of St. Jude's, Whitecbap, i, baying
opened the proceedings with prayer, the aecretary read
the report, which stated that the committee regretted
that during the past year there had been a considerable
falling off in the receipts of the society. which bad been
partly due to the unsettled state of connueicial affairs,
and partly to the loss through death of many liberal ,üb-
' scribers, the total receipts being only bs9?. Sa. ed..
as against last year's of 7081. 12. 4d. At the
same time the expenditure had increased by the taking
on of twenty new cases. Owing to the high price of food an
extra sum over ordinary outlay had been expended. The
work of the society bad, however, been progressing satis-
factorily. The number of blind persons on the society's
books was 240, an increase of •JU over the last year. These
had been regularly visited at their borne/. by the four
readers employed by the society for the purptee of religious
instruction and pecuniary assistance. The leading classes,
which meet at 5, lied Lion.square on each Monday and
Friday from 1 to 4 o'clock, continued to be well attended,
and consisted of 70 membeis, the average attendance each
day being 45. The singing class had been found to greatly
conduce to the happiness of those who attended it. The
committee was carrying on the printing of the Bible on
Mr. Frere's system. Dr. Armitage (one of the commitke)
had established a home in Whitechapel for H blind peewee.
The inmates worked at a workshop for the blind in Com-
mercial-street, Whitochapel. In machines, the committee
acknowledged the services of Mr. Colma (the society's
blind visitor for the eastern district), of Mrs. Chappell, and
the guardians of the Holborn Union, for assistance they
had rendered the society. The report was adopted.