p. 213

369.
December 7th a piece was produced called
"A Cure For Coquettes"--Sir Thomas Sar-
casm Mr. Gilbert ; Count Pave Mr. A. H.
Davenport ; Lilly Venture Miss Lizzie Wes-
ton ; with "The Curate's Daughter." These
pieces were repeated every night during the
week. They pleased but were played to mo-
derate houses.

The various concerts of Madam Sontag
Miss Hayes and other Italian vocalists occu-
pied now much of the public attention.

Monday December 12th Sanford's operatic
troupe of sables now appeared at the Chesnut
in conjunction with the stock corps when the
African ballet of "La-Buy-it-Dear"--a play
upon the words "La Bayadere"--was pre-
sented with Sanford in his character of Stop-
Dar. These performances were thus con-
tinued several nights.
December 14th "The Lady of Lyons"---
Claude Melnotte Mr. A. H. Davenport ; Du-
mas Mr. Gilbert ; Pauline Miss Lizzie Wes-
ton : with the negro "La-Buy-it-Dear."

Mr. A. H. Davenport did not seem to have
weight enough for a leading tragedian nor
elegance of mien for first comedy. He played
this important business during the season.
Probably he has much imporoved since we
saw him at this period.

December 15th the comedy of "The Poor
Gentleman" cast tolerably fair. Sanford
cotinued nightly with his black corps.

December 19th first night of Miss J. M.
Davenport when she appeared in "Adrienne
the Actress." In this part of Adrienne Miss
D. displayed dramatic expression of the most
varied and impressive character. She har-
monized the passions and contrasted their
colors with all the skill of the finished artiste.
What we ever admired in this lady was the
beautiful transparency of her womanly prin-
ciples ; her virtuous qualities were ever obvi-
ously to be seen through every phase of the
emotional. Ah! dear madam in your wi-
dowed retirement may you still look as fresh
and charmingly bland as when we first saw
you in Adrienne Lecouvrier ! This was one
of Mad'lle Rachel's great parts.

We well remember the celebrated French
tragedienne's first entrance through the stone
arch scene at the Walnut Street Theatre in
the character of Phedre some seven years ago.
Her first entrance through the archway was
viewed by all with a kind of awful silence.
She advanced a little from the centre sud-
denly halted and throwing up her right arm
with an exclamation she appeared at once
like the statue of a goddess chiseled in the
purest marble by the skill of a Tenerani. In
a thin Grecian costume the display of her
classic drapery her remarkable repose her
attitude and the supernatural expression of
her long face seemed all a study. In all she
did she was excessively statuesque. She ap-
peared but once here and then it was like a
myth a passing vapor to all. The weather
was raw and cold ; Mr. Wilson the machi-
nist had laid down green baize behind the
scenes on all the spots that she had to occupy ;
the stage was carpeted with the same. Ere
she made her entrance on that night she
seemed restless ; she fitfully stood and sat.
She was troubled with a hacking cough---
perhaps she was then death-stricken. She
talked not but with a pale meagre elongated
face and restless eyes glancing with the
bright vividness of the basilisk as she stood

ready to make her entrance before the audi-
ence she obviously suppressed her perturbed
emotions panting like the spirited race steed
ere the word "Go!" is given.

We saw her in New York in her great part
of Hermione and our impressions of her
thrilling expressions of unearthly sympathies
accompanied by what may be deemed grace-
ful writhings of action strongly reminded us
of Mrs. Jamieson's acute criticisms of that cele-
brated actress : "That her acting was im-
pressively unpleasant and evinced more of
remarkable talent of great imitative powers
than genius developing the beauties of art."
If not tedious we would quote a few lines
from that accomplished lady's remarks upon
Rachel :

"I remember that when first I saw her in
Hermione she reminded me of a serpent and
the same impression continues. The long
meagre form with its graceful undulating
movements ; the long narrow face and fea-
tures the contracted jaw the high brow the
brilliant supernatural eyes which seem to
glance every way at once ; the sinister smile ;
the painted red lips which look as though
they had lapped or could lap blood ;---all
these brought before me the idea of a Lamia
---the serpent nature in the woman form."

On the night she was announced at the
Walnut for Adrienne Lecouvrier she could
not appear ; she lay quite prostrate at Jones'
Hotel. The curtain in Philadelphia never
rose again on her form ; she went immediately
to Havana by the way of Charleston, S. C.
The French comedy of "Les Droits De
L'Homme ("Man's Rights") by the French
corps and the drama of "The Debutante"
by Mr. Marshall's company were substituted
for the play in which Rachel was to have ap-
peared.

December 20th Miss Davenport's second
night. "The Maid of Mariendorpt"---Meeta
Miss Davenport. In this part she blended
simplicity with art and gave it a moral and
an intellectual elevation which its author
properly designed. The sweetness of her in-
tonations the comeliness of her person her
dignity of demeanor with her grace of action
were a most lovely impersonation of serious
and tragic poetry ; while her transitions from
sternness to placidity and cheerfulness were
in her some of the most lovely offerings of
human nature.

December 24th Miss Davenport appeared
with great approbation in her original play of
"Camille ; or The Fate of a Coquette." This
drama so much objected to in its French and
English versions on the score of its immoral
plot was in Miss Davenport's copy unexcep-
tionable. A farce of much humor was
now played called "To Paris and Back for
5 lbs"--Mr. Samuel Snozzle Mr. J. Jefferson.

Monday December 26th "The Lady of
Lyons"--Pauline Miss J. M. Davenport.

December 30th Miss Davenport's benefit
when was presented the comedy of "Masks
and Faces ; or Both Sides of the Curtain"---
Peg Woffington Miss Davenport. Sheridan's
"School for Scandal"---Lady Teazle Miss Da-
venport ; Sir Peter Mr. Gilbert ; Charles
Surface Mr. A. H. Davenport. Sir Peter
and Lady Teazle were well acted. With the
exception of two more the cast was very in-
different to what had been seen on those
boards. We may be allowed some little space
to say that Mrs. Margaret Woffington the
leading notion in "Masks and Faces" nota-
ble in Garrick's day as an actress of merit and

easy habits was celebrated for beauty of coun-
tenance and elegance of form. She was born
in Dublin in 1718. For her early education
she was indebted to Mad. Violante a French-
woman of good reputation. She made her
debut on the stage when only ten years of age
among a company of children in "The Beg-
gar's Opera." The people of Dublin flocked
to see it. She appeared first in London in
1738 at Covent Garden in the character of
Sir Harry Wildair. This drew full houses as
being acted by a beautiful woman of rare
talent. Her ease and elegance in this wild
comedy surpassed those o the best male per-
former of the part in that day. Her forte in
acting was ladies in high rank of dignified
elegance whose graces of deportment as well
as foibles she understood. Colley Cibber at
the age of seventy professed himself Mrs.
Woffington's humble admirer and thought
himself happy to be her cicisbeo and instruc-
tor and also to play Fondlewife in "The Old
Bachelor" to her Letitia in the same play.
It was said that she was chosen President of
the celebrated "Beef-Steak Club" and was
the only woman that ever was admitted to
this select circle of beaux esprits. Miss Da-
venport remained performing for the first
week of the new year 1854 repeating her
"Camille."

January 3d Miss Davenport appeared as
the Countess in "Love" repeating her "Ca-
mille" and "Masks and Faces" to the end
of her engagement Saturday January 7th.

Monday January 9th a new moral and re-
ligious drama called "Hot Corn ; or Little
Katy"---Eugene Sedley Mr. A. H. Davenport ;
Missionary at home and abroad Mr. Mason ;
Little Kate Miss Louisa Parker ; Reliance
Sedley Miss Lizzie Weston. This drama was
founded on one of the sensation stories writ-
ten in New York and wrought up to intense
interest through fact and fiction. It succes-
fully ran for ten or twelve nights.

CHAPTER CXVII.
Season of 1854 Chesnut Street Theatre con-
tinued---Charles Burke---Professor Runnels
Capolani and the Bears--Anecdote of Saul-
iisbury--Mrs. Harvey Tuckett--Mrs. Mow-
att--George W. Giles--Miss J. M. Daven-
port--Agnes Robertson (Mrs. D. L. Bour-
cicault)--De Soto--Close of the season.

January 9th, 1854. After the retirement of
Miss Jean M. Davenport from the Chesnut
Street Theatre a curious drama of a religious
and moral character (so called) was pro-
duced under the strange title of "Hot Corn
or Little Katy" which we mentioned in our
last chapter. This was taken from a tale of
low life said to be founded on facts embel-
lished with the latitudinous elements of dra-
matic license. It was what actors term a gag
piece. The principal character of interest in
this "Hot Corn" piece was Little Katy which
received a very truthful interpretation from
that clever juvenile actress Miss Louisa Par-
ker who had made Little Eva in "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" so impressively interesting.
Miss Lizzie Weston as Reliance Sedley was
also not without excellence. The Home Mis-
sionary by Mason was truthfullly drawn.
Eugene Sedley and Sister were of the non-
sensical mawkish school.

Mr. Jefferson in the farce of "Sudden
Thoughts" as Jack Cabbage was cleverly
comic. The "Hot Corn" drama was acted
about seven nights and occasionally inter-
spersed with other pieces.

January 16th "The Lady of Lyons" was