p. 36

240.

[a drawing as unequalled as any portrait by
Kean - is as true as any fact can be made evi-
dent; and that his fame is based upon that one
exhibition of art, may probably be also admitted.
But to rest John Sefton's claims upon so isolated
a base, is not true nor just. Mr. Sefton's acting, in
most things, is quiet, chaste. He has but little
grimace, and still less indulges in the sin and
vularity of exaggeration. If he had so minded
to have carried these legitimate qualities into
comedy as they should be, he might have fairly
extablished his claims to be a perfect comedian.
But he seems to have eschewed theatrical fame
after the Jemmy Twitcher achievement, and to have
devoted his time and attention to the office of
entrepreneur to managers of theatres. He offici-
ated thus for Niblo for many years, with success,
as we learn. he traveled over continental Eu-
rope as a sagacious conductor, and is now en-
gaged by E. A. Marshall, Esq., as the stage mana-
ger of the Walnut Street Theatre. Beside this, he
has had the foresight and prudence to save those
means of life that may fully support himself and
family when the decay of animal functions places
us out of the sphere of labor for maintenance.
This is the result of a long professional life, that
at least bespeaks for Mr. John Sefton honor and
commendation.

Mr. Wells was a dancer of merit and a clever
ballet-master. He danced this season in the rus-
tic ballet of "Jamie of Aberdeen," in conjunction
with his sister Miss Wells, who was a very pretty
woman, of excellent petite figure and of brunette
beauty; they were from England. Wells early
retired from the profession and taught dancing
in Pittsburg and other localities in the West. We
heard that he died in Mexico. Miss Wells re-
turned as a married woman to England in about
1846, and there died. What strange mutations
attend our fleeting lives! The errors of our life
afflict us here, and, in the memory of our friends,
live after us. Our good apportionment of hu-
manity (and all have some) is often forgotten
and buried with our clay. It is as good some-
times to remmeber as to forget, to allow virutes
to balance usual faults.

But, William Henry Smith, commonly called
"Harry Smith," was the attractive flower of this
corps. He became an immense favorite, and
very deservedly so. His variety of thespian
powers was unquestionable, and at once seized
the sympathies. His tragedy, or serious parts,
did not so impress. The depth of that quality
was not felt, but, as a most impressible light
comedian, in all its collateral branches, he per-
formed with all the truth of nautre in eccentric
character parts. His fops and Frenchmen were
excellent. Indeed, as a general artiste, few ex-
celled him in his variety of illustrations of either
the modern or the older drama. He possessed a
very handsome figure, was above the medium
size, had a handsome and vividly expressive
face, in short, possessed all the fascinating quali-
ties of physical appearance that are so apt to
please the eye and cultivated taste. Smith is
thoroughly bred to all the professional details,
and combined with qualities so genial to the dra
matic muses, we may safely aver, without the
risk of exaggeration, that he has no superior (or
had not) in his peculiar walks. Perhaps it would
be safer to speak in the past tense now. His
foibles and weaknesses have been many and de-
plorable, says busy rumor: with them we shall
not deal in this category, as we cannot speak by
the card, and are ignorant of their causes. Ham-
let says in his cogitations, "Frailty, thy name is
Woman!" May not the same line apply to Man?
Yes, we believe, just a truly. Mr. Harry Smith,
on his debut, gained at once the most enthusias-
tic applause, and secured hosts of friends. His
voice is smooth, powerful, and his features are
expressive of marked keenness and variety of
light humor. In his manner he has much of the
suaviter in modo. These results were of a flatter-
ing nature to the management, as this actor, as
well as all the others, came unheralded, and with-
out a name.

At Boston he is a great favorite, and was in-
strumental in introducing the drama in a regular
form into the Boston Museum, where it is sup-
posed that sancitity and pious thoughts may not
be offended through the recitations of the muses.
When will the world get rid of hypocrisy? Smith
has been for many years the acting and stage
director for Mr. Kimball, the proprietor.

Mr. Smith made his first appearance on any
stage, in England, in 1822. It was said that his
real name is Sedley, but on embracing the pro-
fession he adopted the name of Smith. He was
not very romantic in his choice.

He married Miss Sarah Riddle, of Philadel-
phia, one of our best native actresses, and a great
favorite for years of the Boston public.

Mr. Michell played the comic old men; he
was also an artist, but he was in ill health, and
died soon after his arrival at Baltimore.

Mr. Cowell produced, on the 4th of July, 1827,
the new nautical melo-drama of the "Flying
Dutchman." The business had been very good,
and continued to increase in patronage. This
production introduced Mr. Jervis to our audience
in the double capacity of actor and machinist.
He made his first appearance at the Park Thea-
tre, in New York, as Vanderdecken. He pro-
duced "The Flying Duchman" in new York,
for the first time in America, in 1825. This was
the piece which Gilfert, during the first season of
the Bowery Theatre, procured clandestinely out
of the library of the Park Theatre, copied it in
twenty-four hours, and then had it reconstructed
by William Dunlap, and thus altered, brought it
out at the Bowery in a very novel and beautiful
manner. The scenery, by Coyle, brother of the
Chesnut street manager, was very fine, and the
machinery equally great. It was near failing
the first night from the mistakes made in the
changes of the illusions in the several appear-
ances of the phantom ship.

Cowell had a circus performance on the day of
the 4th of July. "The Flying Dutchman" was
performed at night.

The prices of admission were - orchestra boxes,
75 cents; boxes, 50 cents; children, 25 cents;
pit, 37 1/2 cents; gallery, 25 cents.

Mr. Placide, of the Park, came into this piece
on the 11th of July, displacing Cowell in the
character of Peter von Bummell.

As the ring performances had dereased in
public attractiveness, Cowell deemed it best to
detach the equestrian troupe from his dramatic
corps, and sent them on a traveling tour.

The house closed to make alterations July 25th.
Converting the ring into a spacious pit, and other-
wise altered, he opened the Walnut street house
under the name of the "Philadelphia Theatre,"
on the 29th of August, 1827, and offered a fair
working company and many stars. The first
night was played "John Bull" and "White Lies."
An address was spoken by Smith. The company
consisted of Grierson, Michell, Porter, Meer,
Smith, Hallam, Hernizen, Greene, Cowell, Kelly,
Lindsley, Wells, Blakely, Kinloch, and others;
Mrs. Green, Mrs. Michell, Mrs. Roper, Mrs. Cow-
ell, Miss Greer, Mrs. Kinloch, (formerly Mrs.
Lane,) Miss Wells, Miss Stannard, Mrs. Blakely.

On the 3d of September, Hamblin commenced
an engagement, appearing as Macbeth, Rolla, Tell,
Virginius, Othello and Jaffier. Mrs. Hamblin
played Belvidera, and Harriet in "Is He Jealous?"
for her husband's benefit.

Booth played on the 6th and 8th of September,
and renewed his engagement on the 19th for six
nights, during which appeared Mr. Ansell from
the London theatres, first time in America.

Hamblin was re-engaged for six nights after
this, and Mrs. Hamblin went through a round of
characters.

On the 6th of October Mrs. Hamblin played
Young Norval, Mr. Hamblin Glenalvon, and Booth
Douglas.

Mr. Sefton, at the joint benefit of himself and
Mr. Greirson, gave imitations of Kean as Richard,
Macready as William Tell, Du Camp as Ben Back-
stay, Matthews in "The Trip To Paris," and as
Othello, Yates as Iago, and Liston as Paul Pry.

Cooper acted a farewell engagement prior to
his departure for England, commencing on the
22d of October.

The house closed November 3d, Cooper acting
Pierre, Hamblin Jaffier, and Mrs. wood Belvidera.

The following new English pieces were brought
out during the summer and fall: "The Secret
Mine," "Meg Murnoch," "The Mysterious
Stranger, or, The Revenge," "The Flying Dutch-
man," "Luke the Laborer," "White Lies," "The
£100 Note," "Comfortable Lodgings," "Love in a
Mist," "Giovanni in London," "The Dumb Girl
of Genoa," "King Robert the Bruce," "The Young
Widow," "The First Settlers in America, or,
Omala, the Red Indian."

The only american piece was "The Pilot,"
dramatized by a gentleman of Philadelphia.

Chapter Thirty-Sixth.
Season of 1827-'8 at the Chesnut Street Theatre -
Importation of a new dramatic company from
England, by Wemyss - First appearance of
Southwell - Mercer - Hutchings - J. T. Norton,
(trumpeter) - Sketches of Southwell - Miss Eliza
Emery - J. Brown - Henry Lewis, machinist.

At the beginning of the season of 1827-'8, al-
though Cowell & Simpson were in active opera-
tion at the Walnut street house, and vast anti-
cipations of brilliant success were most sanguinely
entertained by the managers of the Chesnut
treet [Street] Theatre - an idea fostered, and justly so,
from the promised results of Wemyss' new Eu-
ropean engagements - an entire corps dramatique
had been procured, with a full and new foreign
orchestra of solo-players; a first-class band, so
complete, had not been heard in America. These
were sounding flourishes to awaken attention.
But, unfortunately for poor Mr. Warren, the at-
tempt proved to be "a mountain in labor," which
brought forth, not a harmless mouse, but a genus
mus, a species of rat, that ate the management
up, flesh, bones and all. Mr. Wemyss, with the
advance corps of the army, did not arrive at
Philadelphia until the 16th of October, from Liv-
erpool, in the "good ship" Montezuma, Captain
West, with the following numerous reinforce-
ments to the stock performers. The stars came
a few weeks after, in the Algonquin. Others,
again, made up a tertian arrival. Before the
coming of Wemyss, Mr. Warren, thinking it best
to employ the theatre in some lucrative manner,
(as it was lying fallow,) leased it, for a time, to
Mr. Davis's French compnay fo operatic come-
dians, who occupied it during October, just pre-
vious to the opening of the season. This was]