The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-16 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE

On: the love of a high-born lady fee her serf, Mr,
Sheridan Knowles founded one of the most beautiful
( of his dramas, Love, and the part of the high-horn
lady was created by Mrs. Charles Kean. Who
I that has ever seen the play can forget her Countess
of Eppenstein ? On the love of a high-horn lady
for her serving-man Mr. Buckstone has founded one
of the most lively and bustling of comedies, Leap
Year, and again is the heroine created by Mrs, Charles
Kean, with equal taste, equal grace, equal feeling,
equal propriety, and equal effect ; her Mrs. Flora
Flowerdew is as perfect a specimen of the highest
order of comedy as is her Countess of Eepenstein of
tragedy. Having written Married Life, in which
no lovers are introduced, Single Ltfe, in which
none but lovers are introduced, and in which every
male who figures in the piece, be he gentle-
man or serving-man, pops the question to
some fair damsel, with whom he eventually
pairs off, Mr. Buekstone in Leap Year reverses the
plot of Single Life, for in his new conkdy the la.dits
pop the question to the gentlemen, and all are at the
end paired off, save an old bachelor, who is in every
sense of the word the odd man of the piece. Mr.
Buckstont's own account of his comedy is as fol-
lows :—" This comedy was suggested by an extract
from an old volume dated 1601, and entitled ' An
Act to amend the Laws of Courtship and Matri-
monie.' Albeit it is now become part of the com-
mon law in regard to the social relations of life, that
as often as every Bissextile year doth return, the
ladyes have the sole privilege of making love unto the
men, which they doe either by wordes or lookes as
unto them seenieth proper; and no man will be en-
titled to the benefit of clergy, who doth refuse to
accept the offer of a lady, or who doth in any wise
treat her proposal with neglect or contumely.' " We
know no particulars relating to the " cld vo-
lume" alluded to by Mr. Buckstone, but we trust that
if from its pages he can gather hints for the construc-
tion of another comedy as amusing as that which was
produced here last evening, under the title of Leap Year,
or the Ladies' Privilege, he will by no means suffer
that said old volume to quit his possession.
At the opening of the comedy we find a certain rich
young widow, Mrs. Flora Flowerdew (Mrs. Charles
Kern) who is obliged, ere three days expire, to take
unto herself a husband on pain of forfeiting the
whole of the wealth which she has inherited from her
husband, for such are the terms of his will. A warm-
hearted Irish girl, Miss Sally O'Leary (Mrs. Fitz-
william), is residing with her, and is indefatigable in
her endeavours to provide suitors to please her, but
Mrs. Flowerdew frankly acknowledges that she has
never been in love, that she will not marry unless
she can love, and that she is determined to sacrifice
her fortune rather than give her hand where she
cannot give her heart. A variety of suitors are
introduced, among others Captain Mouser (admirably
acted by Selby) a foolish foppish officer in the army,
whose father had been an attorney, and who on being
rejected brings in a regular bill of costs and charges
against the widow, the taxing of which by Miss
O'Leary creates much farcical fun; Mr. Dimple (Mr.
Buckstone) a vulgar " gent, " cousin to the widow,
who being taken into the house on trial threatens to
dismiss all the servants and ends by corning home at
night very, very drunk, ;_indeed, and is in conse-
quence summarily ejected ; and a very ner-
vous old gentleman, Sir Soloman Solus (Mr.
Keeley), who offers his services to save the
property by marrying the widow, being perfectly
willing to part from her at the church door, and
never see her again, his only object being to contract
some matrimonial alliance by which he may free him-
self from the advances of Miss Desperate (Mrs. W.
Clifford), who having been told by an astrologer that
unless she shall be married before she shall have com-
pleted her 49th year, she will not live to see her 50th
birthday, has fixed upon poor Sir Solomon to save
her from her doom, and persecuted him accordingly.
These are in turn rejected. The widow, however, loves,
loves without at first being aware of it, loves
ardently, devotedly loves her own footman,
William Walker (Mr. Charles Kean). Walker hes
been taken into her service without a character, and
it is evident that his mind and his education are both
above the common order ; it would also appear, from
divers poetical quotations in which he indulges,
which were always aptly introduced and exquisitely
recited by Mr. Charles Kcan, that he cherishes a
hopeless passion for his mistress, but he never abates one
jot or tittle of that deep respect which is her due as his
mistress, and only manifests his regard by a thousand
little attentions to her comfort and pleasure ; neatly-
mended pens are always laid on her writing-
desk, choice flowers are carefully placed
within her reach, and her favourite books
are always placed ready for her perusal. It is therefore,
natural that she should take an interest in this servant,
natural, too, that when others find fault with him
she should defend him ; and it is not until in a mere
spirit of banter her Irish friend alludes to her pre-
ference for the shoulder knot that she becomes aware
of the real state of her heart. She at first rejects
the idea of the possibility of her being in love with
Walker as an absurdity which she attempts to laugh
off, but her passion is too strong to permit her to
continue long in this state of self-deception, and she
at length becomes fully aware of the true state cf her
position. The acting of Mrs. Charles Kean in this -
scene was perfection ; never has the conflict be-
tween pride and love been more exquisitely
delineated. She determines to make Miss

O'Leary her confidante, has commenced her
confession, whicb, however, her pride will
not permit her to finish, and, bursting into a fit

of hysterical laughter, she declares she has been
quizzing all the while, and abruptly quits the room.
She then sends for Walker, and orders him to quit
the house instantly ; not to reply, but to go. lle
suspects the cause, but restrains his feelings ; yet
throws such tenderness into his manner of bidding
her adieu, that it is evident even to her, not-
withstanding his outward show of respect, that
her passion is returned. In the meanwhile the
next heir becomes clamorous for the pro-
perty, but one day is left for her in
which to decide, and he refuses all compromise,
declaring he will have all or none. She now avows
to her friend her love for Walker, and Miss O'Leary

asks why does she not marry him? At first she re-
volts at the idea of such a mesalliance, but her argu-
ments being overruled by the warm-hearted Irish
girl, she says that the thing is impossible, because
she cannot propose to Walker, and she is very sure
Walker would never propose to her. Miss O'Leary
provides a remedy ; she reminds her that it is leap
year, and in order to show how matters ought to be
managed, she herself proposes to Mr. Dimple, and
is accepted. Walker, who has come for his box,
is forthwith ordered up into the drawing-room by

Miss O'Leary, who, taking Dimple with her, quits
the room, and leaves the lovers (we may now call
them so) alone. Here was a position full of danger
and difficulty, the lady is to propose marriage to her
own footman ; and in any other hands than those
of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean, these dangers and
these difficulties would not have been overcome; but

so admirably was the scene acted by both,
so full of natural grace and modesty was the acting of
Mrs. Charles Kean in making the avowal, and so true
to nature was the manner in which, the avowal made,
she at once rushes away, leaving her lover as though
she were afraid both of him and of herself, that this the
most dangerous was also the most triumphant scene of
the piece. This serving man proves, however, to he
no serving man at all; he is the heir, the person who re-
fused all compromise, and who has adopted this disguise
in order to study the character of the young widow.
All the others are paired off except Sir Solomon, who is
surprised to find that by a stratagem concocted by
Mrs. Crisp (Mrs. Keeley), the widow's lady's maid,
Miss Desperate has been palmed off upon the fortune-
hunting Captain Mouser. The piece was very strongly
cast, Mrs. Keeley taking a small soubrette part, and
Clark making the most buttony, lisping, and laugh-
able of pages. At the conclusion there was a loud
call for the principal performers, and the curtain again
drew up on the final tableau, after which the comedy
was announced by Buckstone for repetition every
evening, amidst the enthusiastic applause of a house
crowded to excess in every part.

MANSION-HOUSE.—Last evening a splendid dinner
was given by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress to his
civic brethren and their ladies. Covers were wore laid
for 70. Amongst the guests we noticed—Lord John
Russell, M.P. ; Mr. J. Masterman, M.P., and Miss
Stone; Lord Mayor cf York and Miss Wilkinsor,
Mayor of Stafford, Sir John and Lady Key, Sir W. and
Miss Magnay, Sir George and Lady Carroll, Sir James
Duke, M.P., and Mrs. Hill; Mr. Alderman Farebrother
andfthe Misses Farebrother, Mr. Alderman Humphery,
M.P., and Mrs. Humphery, Mr. Alderman Gibbs, Mr.
Alderman Hooper and Mv. Hooper, Mr. Alderman
Musgrove and Mrs. Musgrove, Mr. Alderman Moon end
Miss Moon, Mr. Alderman Carden and Mrs. Carden,
Mr. Sheriff La;wrence and Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Sheriff
Nicoll and (his sister) Mrs. Aller, the Commissioner of
Police, Mr. C. Pearson, M.P.• Mr. Under-Sheriff Mil-
lard and Mrs. Millard, Mr. Under-Sheriff Wire and Mrs.
Wire, the Rev. Charles Marshall (chaplain to the Lord
Mayor) and Mrs. Marshall, Mr. %V. A StarLng, and
Mr. D. IL Stone. After the dinner a magnificent ball
was given in the Egyptian-hall to about 300 guests, who
had been previously invited. Supper was served in the
old ball-room at twelve o'clock, and the company sepa-
rated at a late hour of the morning.
THE REPEALED NAVIGATION• LAWS.—IMPORTA-
TION OF EAST ,INDIA PRODUCE.— A vessel arrived at St.
Katherine Docks, from Rotterdam, bas brought an entire
cargo of rattan, comprising 18,237 bundles of the article.
These rattails are doubtless of East India produce, and
would, under the laws of navigatien recently in force,
have been inadmissible to entry, but are now under the
Repeal Act, which has just come into force, fully en-
titled to the privilege, although imported from Europe.
Another vessel ha., we find, also Arrived in the same
docks from Rotterdam, laden entirely with the same
description of merchandise, comprising 15,794 bundles
of the article.
The Havre letters speak of business being active
in the markets, but cotton and coffee were the two ar :i-
-cleo chiefly attracting attention,