The Express.
London, England, 1857-11-09 00:00:00

THE DRAMA.

HAYMARKET.
Gradually and 'Up by step progressing, Mr. Tom
Taylor has made his way up the steep ladder of dramatic
literature, each effort showing evidence of i-icroseed power
and self-reliance, until the production at the Haymarket, on
eatarday evening, of bla new comedy, Ati Unequal Match,
be stamped Dim se the author most capable of giving to the
siege a play which shall be the reflex of the every-day His
peg an smog tropend with such alight essiggeesdons
ear ammilleatioss as Hes salgencies of the drama require.
Mr. Taylor's canattles (more especially Seal Wafts Bea
Atryi JA• Victims, and thin new production) are la the
dame what Mr. Dictum' and Mr. Thackemy's pestle are
in thirster', and Mr. Leech's and Mr. Doyle's sketches la
met ; they sec reproductions of modem society, illustrating
these poker at love, hats, jealousy, ambition, envy,
sad strde, which In ell times have held dominion over the
human heart, but which necessarily receive a certain tarns
and colouring Dom the morels and mumers of the age.
What was thought brilliant wit Congreve would
be cosiblard worse than ribaldry in a modern
dramatist, sad en wailects of the nineteenth century
tea owe bet Mk for the featu and stilted mew
pilmenk eldreend by the clouded-me-Leering Bk
Timm le Ur hooped and powdered lirdiadas of
the eighteenth. What le required lea representation of than
Maw which wet isse ban &met within Ma, agreirUa
Moms kagergo, tsbi Os inks i higlidened by ee
prenner of frualliar objects end the rinses to bailie

The lint act of the new eentstly opens at • little Altos be
Glandsle, Yorkshire, Mather Harry Annelids (Mr. W.
Ferran), a younger troths. of aped family, has windmill's
the course of • long tour, onnetreaken to dispel the Ann it
his rejection by • London belle, who has since menial
another gentleman. This rejection has diagueted Aimed*
with the world, and be is consequently more ready to acknow-
ledge the charms of runic beauty and tuneophisticated bum-
once. which two attributes he find. combined in
the daughter of the village blacksmith, one Hester
Ormetwook (Min Amy Sedgwick), with whom he
is really deeply in lon. An accident to her carriage brings
to the smithy Mrs. Mcmtreaor (Mrs. Buckingham White),
Arneliffa's first love, who fa sow • widow, and who, having
based, what he ia a. yet unaware of, that by his uncle's
death be is now • wealthy baronet, would be very willing
•to meow Isar Irebution over him. Confident in her own
pongee of attraction, the I. not much disturbed by witness-
ing the attentions paid by Arncliffe to the village girl, merely
going of into a state of syncope, which might be attribated
to her meat accident, and in which she is attended by Dr.
Hosensve Botcherby (Mr. Duckpins). the village surgeon,
who hipper to be present ; but when, at the conclusion or
the ad, lib livery Arneliffe, now awake of the change in his
fottenuo, openly avows his honourable love for Hester, and
obtains In idea's inaction to their wedding, we see that
Mrs. Mennen is a ninemin woman of the world, bent
upon doing bar utmost to 'mil their oonnubial felicity.
The end net introthens se, alter • lapse of eighteen
maths, to Amelia Mare. Bestir is Mining hard to per-
form the dation of her elation and to appear conversant with
etiquette. Mis rine in ine in the morning to recline music,
and by ber baeweat rumba af the males, provokes the wrath
and mans • Mine mows( mold hypo:hand/Mc, Sir Sowerby
lioneyweed (Mr. ClOppendele), who Is amongst the conspeny
slaying be ashram Meneeree,the cannot emcees many of
bar sid nen babies and inelinedem ; unbonneted and with
isepoinp inn she rashes out and takes part with the har-
mans, keeping beeeirdiat waiting, and eliciting many covert
niers from her fashionable Mends. Sir Harry, naturally a
seen in man, is moth won it d by Wes escapades. His Mita-
the is increased by the artful insinuations of Dirs. Montreaor,
who in Minting at Annelids Manor, and his annoyance roaches
He height when his wife's father, the old blacksmith, arrives
and exhibits his rough dos and rough manners before the
flits of society. He bay moreover, a mom serious came tae
anxion—his health I. breaking, an old hereditary dines.e has
narked lam, and he has just received • letter from the fondly
physician ordering him at once to the baths of Ems, whither,
from the dramatic nonentity, but certainly for no natural
neon, he cannot take his wife. In as interview which he hoe
with Mn. Montrayor, ho tykes her advice, and determines
not to tell Herter of the. Mel reason of his absence, but
to impute it to • mattnr of bminess. Hester herself is
unhappy ; she is cono tom of her os a shortcoming.;
she is peak= of Mrs. Montresor, though this she •31 not
allow until it is elicited from her by Ler old friend Dr.
Botcherby, who is now Mrs. Montt:nor. confidential medi-
cal attmdant, end who promisee to aid Hester by immedi-
ately ordering his patient to one of the German baths. The
result can at once le pen-eived. Mn. Montrenr gladly
lows the advice of her doctor, when she Bab that it will lead
to • renewal of her intimacy with Sir timer', unencumbered
with the prow ace of hie wile, and Hester, when she heave all,
tens cot, awed that it M • settled plot between her husband
mad Yra. Motatrosor, which she is determined to counteract.
Twelve months have pawed by, and we fed Mn. Mon-
teem, Sir liany Amnia°, Sir Sowerby and Lady Honey-
wood, and Dr. Dotcherby established at the watering place of
Stinkingen, • little town which has been built round
• well of mineral water discovered by Dr. Botchcrby, which
has earned for itself an enormous reputation, and for its die-
coverer an uniform, numerous orders, and the title of court
physician. Sir Harry, conforming to the Minnie living and
hardy habits of the place, has become perfectly restored
to health, while hie heart has apparently remained
untouched by the wiles of Mrs. Montresor, whole
faminanina have been principally exercised over the Grand
Duke of the little state. This potentate is, however, now
said to be at the feet of • new enslaver, who is making a per-
fectiy triumphal tore through Germany, and winning all
Wan by be beady and aenmplishmente. The ancelyinotui
shear Or she is hot known am the " ethane Eng-
landerit ") Is shoat to pay • visit to Seidlitx &inkiness,
and the greatest preparations are making to receive her:
landlord, waiters, and all the population are on the alert,
the dual amend two soldiers is mancourred to look like a
bike, the rooms in the hotel next to the Duke's own apart-
ments, and communicating with them by • door, have been
tains for her by the ducal command, and the English viritoes
an anxiously &veining her arrival. She appears, and tans
eat to he Lady A enclitic, no longer the simple ingenuous
Hester of two yearn ago, Lut a perfectly dressed, finished,
etyliali, heartlym woman of the world, who receives her
Innizeners anti= fa the calmest manner, stimulates his
jeans, to the Winn pitch by recounting the attentions
paid to be, by the Due, and in answer to his pleadings for

Oa iv dime, retorts upon him with sentence; for .4;ton*
mad weed tat word of the lemma which, under imiLr thrum-
erances, le had imposed upon her at Anicliffe Manor.
Fiestly, of awe, having completely sablead gad
resdered him profoundly imiserable, she throws Mr bar as-
Domed guarw, sad is his ewe loving wife coal ma, nttirly
✓outing Mrs. Mentresor, sad looking forward to •Rh of
happening.
Such is the wet outline of the story ; ehs dithrest cher
rscMs is which are sketched in a reeetetiy wassoar. Two
penewale we hang ast particularised, Weave% think by
se wow aselegity laitangaisted, they de not east the pre-
gram el the plea. These ere Blealdawp (Mr. Cowers), air
Hwy Anicillbre valet, sad Deny Habbialiwelle (Hrs. B.

Fitstkilime), dist arrest et 01ii1 1 mil tire lady Arr
mit Pedigo Iv dreester entliskhrop—stapid,
pampas, isaffeed, casseiled, sml assesessMicel—is the
truest :sed mad Aston! esamyllea m the piece ;
sated nit hby bir. Coospbm it bed ths greatest slid with
the medium Too much credit osmot be given to this gem-
thirst bar the spirit with which he entered into the suthoes
ms aim, sad the thoroughly legitiamte manner fa which he
wen the laughter end applause which greeted him through-
oat. Platwvi Went end herd study hare made him baser
seisidy superior la lie peeked= to the buitoons by taboo
tie edam of • coma= is sow lowered in the public mei-
sedoe.

Indeed, the play throughout was admirably meted. Mini
Sedgericii appeared for the first time in London is ea original
part, and room thaw mataimed the &Towable iropeemice ale
bad alremly created. Is the gra act • few Meow of ornona-
newel training seed provincial practice betrayed thenmeivee
her over-dose rusticity, sad in the perpetual repetition of
that little bounding jump by which female villagers ea the
siege invariably give rat to their delight ; bat in the seeted
act she played with much seneeet frsthfolaaty whish,..eselieg
to a climax in the ease whistle repeatable Ms. Plesesesse
with her pertidy,!resehed t wry bleb petal is set. The ewe-
ehaletoce of NM enettememese et the tidal we, eat the lent
el ideate= et be enthod es. woe equity well ihea ; ra