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and Simpson, he sold out, and returned to En-gland, with his wife, to spend his last days.
The attraction of West's troupe had not subsided, but the Park theatre had begun to feel its force in the public patronage extended to it. It made deep havoc in the Park's pit auditory, and among those who usually patro-nized the upper tiers. The city, about this time, was rapidly extending itself above Canal street, and the circus was located in Broadway, just above that street. Price and Simpson very wisely purchased West's establishment, and, placing Mr. Joseph Cowell (who was a leading comedian in the Park theatre) at the head of the company, they for many years made a great deal of money in the various cities of the United States, which helped the Park treasury, and gave Mr. Stephen Price a sufficiency of ready funds for his English theatrical specu-lations.
Price may be sketched thus: He was im-mensely large and stalwart in figure. He was always fashionably attired. There was a good deal of the animal propensity in his aspect, which was mellowed, in a measure, through a reflective face of intellectual points. When required, he was polished in manners. He wore the full curled wig, with lappets, of Queen Anne's reign--such as we have seen the Duke of Marlborough and Dean Swift enveloped in. This style was indicative of high dignity, aris-tocratic pride, voluptuous idiosyncracies, good feedling and good living--the animal points en-deavoring to triumph over the mental. In such a blending of nature and culitvation, you may imagine the subject of our description. Charley Irish, a noted, exquisite restaurateur, in Park Row, who used to provide his dinners, often landed Stephen's exalted taste in all sym-posium matters. Price was laconic and abrupt in converse, yet free and communicative with his convives, and unbounded in his hospitalities. Of a chivalric nature, he sought no medium to give offence, yet never feared to resent the least assault upon his fame or person. On his last return to his home from England, he proved his couage in the field, when he felt that his honor had been assailed in the most tender point. Thus, after a variety of For-tune's freaks, of "ups and downs," we believe that he died poor, but left a memory to be honored by all who knew him.
Price adventured to the great British me-tropolis, and there lived like a prince. Fur-nished with ample means from his American treasuries, he became fashionaly domicilied, and was lionized. Events favored his views. Abiding his time, Drury Lane Theatre was thrown into the market, begging a tenant, and the Yankee manager of the New York theatre and traveling circus became the les-see of the time-honored great national! A few years before this event, a suggestion of this fact, in one of our green-rooms, would have been received with a laugh. Things dramatic in London (for when we speak of the arts in European capital, as to their appreciation, we speak, of course, the senti-ment of the nation) have progressively modi-fied, with all things else. It is no less true than strange that, recently, at Drury Lane, after the play of "The Lady of Lyons," a bedizen's fat lady exhibited herself in the cages of the lions and tigers, feeding them with raw beef.--Churchill, in his Rosciad, thus writes of Tom King, the comedian of Drury Lane--
"Mongst Drury's sons he came and shines in brass," Alluding to his performance of Brass in "The Confederarcy." We might say of this lady, 'Mongst Drury's sylphs she comes and shines in beef. Here is a sample of dramatic literature and legitimate drama, in the grande national thea-tre of enlightened England. Yankee curiousity [could?] go no further!
Thus single-handed, Stephen Price sustained himself in London, with great credit, for a season at least, against all opposing attrac-tions. He failed, but he went down with his [colors?] nailed to the mast, having fully satisfied all his creditors. Such qualifications of rare and eminent character as were exhibited in Price's managerial and private life, deserved a richer and more honorable record than his countrymen have yet accorred to his memory.
It was during Stephen Price's reign at Drury Lane, in 1828, that he invited Thomas Cooper, the tragedian, to once again try his fortunes on the boards of his early glory. Cooper went, and we all must regret the untoward events which brought about his most wanton and cruel reception. Cooper should not have gone; he was on the professional wane, and 52 years of age. Price was sincere to his old partner, and used his best influences to sustain the old American actor. But the secret was obvious. Kean was playing at Covent Garden; he had left his old friend Stephen. Kean's American difficulties arose in all their rancorous fresh-ness, and poor Cooper was the first victim of repute from Yankee land that fell in the way, and he was sacrificed sans grace.
There were excellent managers before Price, and he has been followed by very clever and bold tacticians; but we venture to aver that none felt a greater devotedness to the legiti-mate views of the drama than he. Although his feelings were of an anti-American tenden-cy--a prejudice almost inmate in those days--yet we have a right to draw a conclusion from his antecedents that, had American talent more clearly and forcibly developed itself earlier here, he would have manfully fostered it. He, however, always sustained himself, and in doing that he sustained himself, and in doing that he sustained others. We will pre-mise that we were no friends to the Price and Simpson dynasty, but think that Stephen Price was an extraordinary man--that his name and career are inseperably connected with a por-tion of our most interesting theatrical records--that he attempted to elevate the drama in this country, and, although a monopolizer and an exclusive, he only failed through sheer misfor-tune. We have thus been rather prolix, or te-dious, if you please, in our sketch of this once celebrated manager. It is useless to specualte on the nature of things in the future; we gene-rally have to trust to the chapter of accidents for coming events. Philadelphia had been deemed, from the earliest theatric period, the metropolis of the American stage; and her excellent stock of comedians, wardrobe, the-atre, and all the discipline and wise regula-tions which made it a Drury Lane of minor grade par excellence, gave it that appellation and authority nearly up to the year 1822.
But a change came over theatres with the very radical revolutions that transpired in all our commercial and social relations. Eu-rope and New York were brought together, so that one might go from one to the other in twenty-five or thirty days, through the im-proved sailing qualities of splendid packet ships. Then came the ocean steamboat, that which lessened the communication to twelve days; ad interim, intercommunication through river steamers and railroads, like magic, con-verted nearly the whole American population into travelers, either for pleasure or business. Our whole tenor of former habits and isolate life became changed, and the world, through these agencies and rapid means of locomotion, has positively been turned topsy-turvy. The antipodes are shaking hands!
The very convenient location of the harbor of New York to the sea, easy of access at all times, brought all foreigners, etc., at once to that city. The ships which bring all theatrical novelties to this country first arrive there. It is, of course, natural to suppose, that, with splendid theatres, which have hitherto sur-passed ours both in number and size, with a floating population far beyond ours in good times, indeed at all times, and a resident one equal to ours, with many other advan-tages which might be named, the theatri-cal patronage would be greater there than in any city of the Union. The fact is undeniable that New York may truly be called the thea-trical metropolis of our country, although equal judgment and critical knowledge in the drama and the lyrical drama may be found here, and perhaps to a greater extent. Each city insists upon and entertains its own taste and judg-ment in these things. It is simply a matter of opinion, after all. But, it is also certain that the patronage and name belong to New York. All stars, of whatever nature, coming from Europe, with or without reputation, make their debut at New York. The New York papers enter every recess of our land; they are co-extensive with its length and breadth. Go north, south, east or west, even to the great Pacific, there will you find the several leading New York papers. Hence all the stars are re-gularly heralded, puffed and advertised in them, for ulterior purposes, and hence they always make their first appearance in Gotham.
This was emeplified in the cases of Mrs. Sloman and Mrs. Ternan, which we shall en-large upon when we come to speak of those talented ladied in their appropriate place.
Mrs. Ternan, in a conversation with us at the

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