Drury-Lane Theatre.
Poor Ailm Bland, whose distressed condition has excited somuch sympathy in the minds of her fellovrperformers and of t te public, took a benefit, or rather had her name put up for one, at this theatre last night. It is a curious fact, that the benefit of a reduced actor or actress is almost the only charity which the London people Wvmll go to a playhouse to support. Alost of the "nights" attempted for general benevolcnt purposes fail; while the appeals of direct theatri- cal origin, nine times in ten, are decidedly successfuL Mrs.BDan0's bill last night vwas a very attractive one ; and her receint, indepcndent of preserts, must have been considerable. ;1. liston acted in the Liar ; and his Young Wihfirg is agreed to be beyonid all price. Milathews played Aorboeu in thefarce of Monsieur Yonson with very great applause, and good effect Gattie's performance of the Monsieutris excellent, so far as regawds | his being like a Frenchman ; but Mathews (as an actor) has powers of a higher class. With great eccentricity and humour, and above all, liveliness of limb, throughout the part, he makes a half pathetic touch of the "reduced Gcnerale de Division" effective now and then; and, as a favourite (absolute), he can venture to throw in his own jokes occasionally, some of which are not unhappy. Mir. G. Smith played the Watchtmen; but he does not come up to his tall name- sake in the part. There was a perfect exceilence in the pure inattention with which Mr. (Circus) Smith-whose Chris- tian cognowneri does not occur to us-used to hear the defence of the " disorderly gentlemen" after he had taken them up ; old. ing one in each hand by the collar-2s though, all his life, he never had been used to hold any body in any other way ! and obviouslv having come to the conclusion that, say what the parties mnight, ft would be as well not to disturb his own view of the case by bdiev- ing a single word of it. The perfonnances of the night coacluded with the farce of The 3layor of Garratt, supported by Air. Russell and Sir. Dowton; but there was an immense nass of singing and dancing and recitation betvreen the acts, which detained the audience to a very late hour. Almost all the leading London actors who could be spared from other theatres, and severl of the leading per- formers of the Italian Opera, contributed their aid towards the en- tertainment. The whole-though it lated very long-went offin a way to give generl satisfaction; and the house, we were pleased to see, was crowded in all parts. DRURY-LANE TREATRE.