10 MARCH 1855, Page 12

The West-end can, however, boast of one great theatrical exhibition

this week,—namely, the acting of Mrs. Keeley in a farce produced at the Adelphi, with the title .Belty Martin. The character may be briefly de- fined as that of a destructive housemaid, who has even outshone herself by the accidental demolition of the family clock, and then disturbs the domestic peace of the house by smuggling in a clockmaker, who is mis- taken by her master for a clandestine lover of her mistress. It is the manner in which Mrs. Keeley fills up this outline that gives the piece its value. So forcibly are the emotions of grief and terror depicted, that farce almost attains the effectiveness of tragedy, and yet the work never ceases to be ludicrous.