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crowned his fame; it was deemed even richer
and more highly wrought than his Benedick,
excellent as that performance was. It was
called by all the ne plus ultra of high comedy.
It was the topic of conversation throughout the
city the next morning. "Did you see Kemble's
Mercutio last night?" "You lost a treat."
"We had no conception of the character before,"
and so went the gossip. He played it as if he
were relating a tale, sitting in easy conversa-
tion on a chair. This was something to console
him, for his Sir Thomas Clifford was considered
a very namby-pamby affair, whilst his Hamlet
was awfully abused. His tragedy certainly did
not please the critics nor the "groundlings;" it
did not please the "million," or "'twas caviare
to the general." It was very genteel, and
agreeable to the intellectual readers of Shak-
spere.

Mr. Horn and Miss Hughes (who warbled
very sweetly at the beginning of the season to
meagre houses), now appeared in the opera of
"Cinderella" -- Horn as Felix.

Tuesdau, November 6th, was announced for
the benefit of the widow of the late William
Warren. Pieces, per bill, were to be "Simp-
son & Co.," and "The Peasant Boy." The fol-
lowing notice emanated from the family:
CARD TO THE PUBLIC
In consequence of the arrangements made for the benefit
of my mother's family, at the Chesnut Street Theatre, an-
nounced for this evening by the managers, and the pieces
selected for the occasion, however sensible I may be of the
liberality which has offered the benefit, I must, in behalf of
the members of my family, decline the night thus appro-
priated, conscious, from circumstances mentioned, that it
would prove a total failure; and hope that the generosity
of the public may be invoked on some future occasion.
WILLIAM WARREN.

There was a controversy about this matter.
About this time Mr. Dwyer and his pupils
gave recitations at the Musical Fund Hall.
Cato's soliloquy by Master Bowers. Scenes from
"Romeo and Juliet" -- Mercutio, Mr. Dwyer, &c.

Will our readers pardon us in further indul-
gence upon this somewhat lengthened Kemble
subject. A few remarks on the personale of Mrs.
Frances A. Kembleand we will close.

In the presence of this lady you felt subdued
even to the very quality of her mind. As Desde-
mona very beautifully says, "I saw Othello's vi-
sage in his mind;" so to reverse the figure, you
beheld in Miss Fanny Kemble's visage the power
of mental energies. This lady's whole life has
been truly dramatic. Mrs. Jameson, the beautiful
and the graphic painter in pen and ink sketches
of the celebrated women of her times -- a writer
whose taste and judgment in the fine arts are
duly acknowledged by every one -- has paid
homage to the genius of the Kembles, and to
Miss Fanny Kemble especially. She speaks
glowingly of her morals, her mind, and her re-
ligious devotion. Fanny's work on the United
States was but a plain narrative of her tour, writ-
ten before her marriage and retirement from
the stage. It did not enhance her reputation,
and gave offence to American prejudices in tri-
fling points. Fanny Kemble was no hypocrite,
whatever faults may have been her heritance.

Many years after she left the stage, Mrs.
Fanny Kemble Butler gave public readings from
Shakspere, and of them we would speak a few
words: Mrs. Kemble was always exact to the
time of beginning her readings -- an inviolable
rule with the English in all matters of business
and pleasure. She was ushered to her reading
table by a gentleman in attendance. Her en-
trance was marked by easy politeness and good
breeding; but we cannot think that her expres-
sion was pleasing, or of a fascinating nature.
The audience seemed as if impressed with awe,

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as she would survey them with the glance of an
eagle eye, apparently exhibiting rather a moody
hauteur. When we saw her last she had grown
stout of figure, possessing a massive chest, and
a fine, well rounded white arm, which her style
of dress obviously developed. Her hair, still
black, was adjusted in the Victoria mode, and
seemed to shadow forth in strong relief her
flashing dark eyes, imparting to the spectator a
vivid, wonderful expression. Her face, in parts,
is defective; it is short, with a very low fore-
head, that is still rendered more so by the folly
of plastering the hair closely over that intellec-
tual feature. Her head, however, is large, and
the lines of the face seemed rigid, till the spirit
of Shakspere animated their repose, as her read-
ings progress. Mrs. Kemble seats herself with
graceful ease, adjusts the columes before her,
and thus, without any preface, as "I beg leave,"
announces the play to be read. For instance,
we will name one which we thought she gave
with infinite power and truth, the first part of
"Henry IV." She commenced with the King's
speech:
"So shaken as we are, so wan with care,
Find we a time for frighted peace to pant,
And breathe short-winded accents of new broils
To be commenced in strands afar remote."

The different persons speaking in the dia-
logue were never mentioned at the opening of
their respective speeches, but were unmistak-
ably indicated by the tone and expression which
was given to each character. Herein laid her
unique versatility. The rich variety of her
voice given to the indiviudal speaker was ex-
planatory of his condition. As, for example,
the King was known by his lofty tone and solomn
inflections -- his command. The courtly West-
moreland by his conciliatory, deferential man-
ner; and the gallant Hotspur through his im-
patient, chivalrous tone, his proud bearing, his
curled nostril, his high-toned vindication of the
charge of denying his prisoners to the royal order.
"To be so pestered by a popinjay," rendered
him impatient of the impertinent fop at such a
momentous crisis. How quick was felt the
meaning of the first line of Hotspur's speech --
"My Lege, I did deny no prisoners.
But I remember when the fight was done,
When I was dry with rage and extreme toil,
Came there a certain lord, neat, trimly dressed,
Fresh as a bridegroom!"

So through every scene, the transition from
kingly language to the sensuous voice of Fal-
staff, the auditor not only heard in sound, but
saw and felt the very presence of the witty knight.
Such was the truthful power of this lady's read-
ings that every character appeared before you as
palpable as ever they did upon the stage. A gen-
tleman of the Philadelphia bar, known for his
literary ability, once told me, that from listen-
ing to the reading of Othello, he received a more
lively impression of Cassio's inebriation, and
certainly with more delicacy of instruction in
that degraded loss of senses, than he ever did
from any stage illustration, however clever.
Mrs. F. Kemble's readings were not only rarely
elucidatory of the author's text, but they as
rarely painted the true character -- an intellec-
tual banquet, and only surpassed by her own
representations on the stage. A controversy
has long existed whether Shakspere's plays
were adapted for the stage: some contending
that they were only intended for the theatre;
others, that they are not suited to theatrical
purposes.

Charles Lamb, in his essay on his tragedies,
thus holds forth: "It may seem a paradox, but
I cannot help being of opinion that the plays
of Shakespere are less calculated for performance

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on a stage than those of almost any other drama-
tist whatever. Their distinguishing excellence
is a reason that they should be so," &c.
In our opinion they are fitted well for effective
stage exhibition, and also to be read with plea-
sure and improvement in the library. They
possess all the accessory attributes of spectacle
and melo drama, as Macready magnificently
developed in his endeavors to sustain the na-
tionality of the Shakspere dramas during the
remarkable career of his Drury Lane and Co-
vent Garden management, by which laudable
attempt he impoverished himself. The acting
plays of Shakspere, as adapted for the stage,
especially those by John P. Kemble, held pos-
session of the stage, and are eminently attrac-
tive at the present day.

Miss Hughes, who was now singing at this
house, was deemed by connoiseurs & contralto,
having a sweet and rich voice. Her tones were
not so brilliant as those of Mrs. Austin's, nor
was her execution so splendid as Madam
Feron's yet her beauties seemed to please the
general taste of the audience. There was a
simplicity about her style and absence of ap-
parent effort and straining after musical effects,
which faults characterized her predecessors.
These good qualities rendered her singing and
acting of Cinderella very acceptable. Miss H.
was young, of very pleasing appearance, and one
of the most charming opera performers of the
English caste we had yet seen. But she did not
prove attractive. She had sustained herself
with credit at the principal theatres at London,
and came hither not without due reputation.

Mr. Horn, who was a London tenor of celebrity
and a pleasing composer of music, made his
debut in 1827, at the Park Theatre, New York,
as Henry Bertram, in "Guy Mannering," as a
star. His vocial powers were considered good,
and our critics compared him favorably with
Jones and Sinclair. Horn, during this engage-
ment, was affected with the influenza, which
was now flying about our communities. He
afterward retired from the profession and opened
a music store in Broadway, New York, where
he died about some fifteen years ago.

Horn and Miss Hughes sang about six or
seven night in the operas of "Massaniello,"
"John of Paris," and all those which had been
recently introduced to us. The houses were
not good. The Kemble mania had absorbed all
the patronage.

November 12th, Miss Hughes' benefit, when
was given the first and third acts of "Cinde-
rella," and for the first time here a musical
drama called, "Love in Wrinkles." Mr. Horn
sang "Kelvin Grove."

November 14th, Mr. James Wallack's first
appearance, being engaged for a limited period.
"Pizarro" -- Rolla Wallack. With the farce of
"My Aunt" -- Dick Dashall, Wallack.

On the 15th, Mr. Horn's benefit. "Der Frei-
schutz; or, The Magic Balls" - Caspar, Mr.
Horn; Linda, MIss Hughes.

Nov. 16th, Wallack's second night. "Ham-
let" -- a charming performance -- a happy me-
dium between a quiet, intellectual reading, and
a subduing, chaste acting of the part. He
looked the melancholy Prince as Shakspere
painted him, physically and mentally; exhi-
bited that chasteness, force, propriety of action
and delivery, which, although not deemed so
elevated, or endowed with a Kean or Macrea-
dy's lofty genius, was as beautifully impres-
sive. His acting was never prosy, but all given
with feeling, taste, variety and harmonious