a dramatic form was published about this time, nell was a man below the ordinary height, with and perhaps ought to take chronological prece-a slight stoop of the shoulders; he was athletic, dence. It bears no date, but as it was printed with handsomely formed lower extremities, the by James Rivington, in New-York evidently knees a little curved outwards, and feet remarkprevious to the occupation of that city by the ably small. His large blue eyes were rich in British, and purports to have been originally expression, and his comedy was luxuriant in printed in New-England,' it must have been humor, but always faithful to his author. He published as soon, if not before The Blockade was a comic actor, not a buffoon. He was a of Boston' was played by the British officers. clown who did not speak more than was set That it was written before hostilities com-down in his part. The vice of impudently menced, its politics and whole scope and ten-altering and adding to an author, has always dency evince. Though its form is dramatic, it existed, and is increasing in proportion to was not intended for representation, but by its the increase of our theatres and the decline humor and satire to attract readers and gain of the drama. In proportion as plays are proselytes to the cause of royalty or toryism. worthless, players will foist in their own nonIt is entitled 'The Americans Roused, or a sense to amuse the auditors of worthless plays; Cure for the Spleen,' and the dramatis per- but if the drama is to be supported or revived, sonæ are Sharp, a country Parson, Bumper, a the practice must meet the reprehension of country Justice, Fillpot, an Innkeeper, Grave-managers and audience. Mr. Wignell's taste airs, a Deacon, Trim, a Barber, Brim, a Qua- was too good to permit his falling into such an ker, and Puff, a late Representative.' error. Ryan was passable, and Lake merely bearable."

To resume, the house in John-street was now called the Theatre Royal, and the From the following it will be seen that company of officers performed with great Washington was a frequent spectator of success during their stay in this city. On the performances of this company, and on the 12th of December, 1796, Hallam and one occasion an interesting scene took place. Henry opened the John-street theatre, with a regular company, and now the drama may be said to have taken a permanent foothold in the city of New-York. Mr. Dunlap thus characterizes some of the principal performers.

"When Wignell took his benefit this year, Father of an Only Child,' and the character The requested something from the author of the of Darby in the Poor Soldier,' in which he was as popular in America, as Edwin was in England, suggested an Interlude, in which Mr. John Henry was full six feet in height, Darby, after various adventures in Europe and and had been uncommonly handsome. He in the United States, returns to Ireland and played Othello better, we believe, than any man recounts the sights he had seen. This trifle had done before him in America; it is recorded was called 'Darby's Return,' and was for that he wore the uniform of a British general years extremely popular, and several times officer, his face black, and hair woolly. This published. The remembrance of this perform must not appear strange, however improper, for ance is rendered pleasing from the recollecthe writer saw John Kemble, in 1786-7, play tion of the pleasure evinced by the first presi the Moor (Mrs. Siddons the Desdemona) in a dent of the United States, the immortal suit of modern military of scarlet and gold lace, Washington, who attended its representation. coat, waistcoat, and breeches; he wore white The eyes of the audience were frequently bent silk stockings, his face was black, and his hair on his countenance, and to watch the emotions (not woolly, but long and black) was cued in produced by any particular passage upon him the military fashion of the day. Bensley played was the simultaneous employment of all. Iago, and very well, in a modern suit of blue and When Wignell, as Darby, recounts what had red. Thus Mr. Henry dressed in the manner befallen him in America, in New-York, at the of his cotemporaries. He was at this time a adoption of the Federal Constitution, and the victim to the gout. His Irishmen were very inauguration of the president, the interest exfine, and he had great merit in serious and pa-pressed by the audience in the looks and thetic fathers. Of the merits of Mr. Hallam changes of countenance of this great man, bewe have repeatedly spoken. In person he was came intense. He smiled at these lines alludof middle stature or above, thin, straight, and ing to the change in the governmentwell taught as a dancer and fencer. In learning the latter accomplishment, he had received a hurt in the corner of one of his eyes, which gave a slight cast, a scarcely perceptible but odd expression to it in some points of view; geneially, his face was well adapted to his profession, particularly in comedy. Biddle was an actor merely decent. Harper, who was then considered handsome, was marked with the small-pox, had expressive eyes and fine teeth. Wools, formerly the singer of the company, was now old, and of little value as a player; he was 2 gentlemanly, modest, and honest man. Wig

There too I saw some mighty pretty shows;
A revolution, without blood or blows,
For, as I understood, the cunning elves,
The people, all revolted from themselves.'
"But at the lines,

A man who fought to free the land from wo,
Like me, had left his farm, a soldiering to go.
But having gain'd his point, he had, like me,
Return'd his own potatoe ground to see.
But there he could not rest. With one accord
He's call'd to be a kind of-not a lord-

I don't know what, he's not a great man sure,
For poor men love him just as he were poor.
They love like a father, or a brother,

DERMOT.

As we poor Irishmen love one another.'

The president looked serious; and when Kath-touching in a powerful degree, as her singing leen asked,

'How looked he, Darby? Was he short or tall?'

gave her advantages in this character which Tragic actresses do not usually possess. Her his countenance showed embarrassment, from derived instructions; and her husband's pracforte was opera. From her father she had the expectation of one of those eulogiums fice on the violin continued to improve her in which he had been obliged to hear on many knowledge in this branch of her profession.. public occasions, and which must doubtless Her voice, both in speaking and singing, was have been a severe trial to his feelings; but

Darby's answer that he had not seen him, be-powerful and sweet.

cause he had mistaken a man all lace and glitter, botherum and shine' for him until all the show had passed, relieved the hero from apprehension of further personality, and he indulged that which was with him extremely rare, a hearty laugh."

"Mrs. Hodgkinson was very fair, with blue eyes, and yellow hair approaching to the flaxen. Her nose was prominent or Roman; her visage oval, and rather long for her stature, which was below the middling. Her general carriage on the stage was suited to the character she performed; and in romps, full of archWe would much like to follow Mr. Dun-ness, playfulness, and girlish simplicity. As a lap through the whole of this interesting general actress, she was as valuable in female work, but our limits forbid. We give as her husband was in male characters." some extracts at random which we had From this work also we learn that the marked for quotation. His account of Tammany Society once condescended to Hodgkinson and his wife, both of whom bestow their patronage on a tragedy bearwere great favourites with the play-goers of ing the name of their tutelary saint; the the day. play, though a regularly nominated candi"This physiognomy was capable of varied date for the favor of the public, failed to expression, and with the unbounded animal obtain that success which this circumstance spirits of the possessor, and skill in the stage now-a-days ensures. We extract the foltoilette, Hodgkinson passed for handsome, and lowing spirited description of a scene enacted undoubtedly had the power of expressing every before the curtain on the 25th of November, thing but the delicate or the sublime. He had great physical strength, and a memory capable of receiving and retaining the words of an

1793.

"One of the side boxes was filled by French author to an extent that was truly astonishing, officers from the ships of war in the harbour. What is called, in the technical language of The opposite box was filled with American the theatre, a length,' is forty lines. A part officers. All were in their uniform3 as dressed in a play is calculated by the number of for the rejoicing day. French officers and sollengths, and twenty is a long part. Hodgkin-dier-sailors (we find the expression in a note son would read over a new part of twenty made at the time), and many of the New-York lengths, and lay it aside until the night before militia, artillery, infantry, and dragoons, he was to play it, attending the rehearsals mingled with the crowd in the pit. The house meantime, then sit up pretty late to study it, was early filled. As soon as the musicians as it is called, and the next morning, at rehear- appeared in the orchestra, there was a general sal, repeat every word and prompt others. His call for 'ça ira.' The band struck up. The ambition for play-house applause was inordi- French in the pit joined first, and then the nate, and he was as rapacious for characters whole audience. Next followed the Marseillois as Bonaparte has since been for kingdoms. Hymn. The audience stood up. The French As an actor he deserved great praise, and took off their hats and sung in a full and solemn was at that time the delight of the New-York chorus. The Americans applauded by gesaudiences. From Jaffier to Dionysius, from tures and clapping of hands. We can yet Vapid to Shelty, he was the favourite, and was recall the figure and voice of one Frenchman, received with unbounded applause. His ear who, standing on a bench in the pit, sung this for music was good. He had cultivated the solemn patriotic song with a clear loud voice, art. He sung both serious and comic songs, while his fine manly frame seemed to swell From the Haunted Tower to the Highland with the enthusiasm of the moment. The Reel, no one pleased so much as Hodgkinson." hymn ended, shouts of Vivent les François,' From this it will be seen that Hodgkin-Vivent les Americains," were reiterated until son was an actor of singularly varied the curtain drew up, and all was silent." powers. Like Garrick and Henderson, In 1796, Mrs. Merry, then late Miss the tragic and the comic muse seem to have Brunton, and Mr. Cooper, then a youth of contended for the possession of his person. twenty, arrived in this country; the forOf Mrs. Hodgkinson our author thus mer had been a prodigious favorite at home, speaks. and had played successfully in opposition

"As an actress in girls and romps she was to Mrs. Siddons. Mrs. Merry was, pertruly excellent. In high comedy she was far haps, the greatest actress America has ever above mediocrity, and even in tragedy she seen. Mr. Dunlap has an exceedingly inpossessed much merit. In Ophelia she was teresting memoir of Mr. Cooper, which its

4

length only prevents our giving. Of Mrs. manager of the New-York Theatre for Johnson, the mother of our Mrs. Hilson, many years, and the author of some of the the author thus speaks. most popular dramas ever represented on "Mrs. Johnson was a tall, elegant, beauti- our stage. And when we take into consiful young woman, whose taste in dress made deration, that Mr. Dunlap's success has by her a model for the belles of the city, and no means been commensurate with his whose manners were as fascinating off as on merits; Fortune having played her tricks the stage. Her irreproachable character and with him, we cannot but feel that a regard demeanor rendered her playfulness harmless for our native literature requires us promptto herself or others, for the most licentiously again to come forward, and evince that would see at a glance that he must not ap-New-York rightly estimates the merits of proach, in that character, within the circle of her influence. She was almost too tall, yet the her literary sons, and that she affords them spectator did not wish her shorter, and if any something more than unsubstantial complimovement appeared like an approach to awk-ment for real desert.

wardness, it was only to be attributed to mo- THE ARCHITECTURE OF BIRDS. With endesty. She had not the self-possession of Miss gravings. 1 vol. 12mo. pp. 330. Boston. Farren or Mrs. Merry, though more like the He who is conversant with birds only as he first than the last. She was more beautiful, hears them in a cage, or sees them over a doubut not so good an actress as either, and at the ble-barrel percussion, has no idea of the rich time we now speak of, America had not seen so stores of entertainment that lie in the study of perfect a fine lady in comedy. "This lady made her first appearance in ners of the people of the woods," that even ornithology; and yet, so winning are the manMr. Brunton's company, and Mrs. Merry has the careless sportsman will often pause when told the writer that she could not recognise, in striding eagerly toward the swamp, which a the elegant Mrs. Johnson, the tall, awkward month's drought has filled with woodcock, to girl of that period. She had prudently accepted mark how gracefully a ground-sparrow will top the hand of Mr. Johnson, much her senior, but the stubble, or a blue-bird poise upon a mulone who could protect and instruct her. She len stork; and who, however keen with his lived respected and esteemed, and after several angling-rod, has not often neglected his dobber visits to her native land, she died in America, when trouting, to watch a coxcombical kingin the arms of a beloved and most worthy fisher, with his haughty crest and splendid daughter." plumage, as darting along the brook at one By the extracts we have given above, it moment, and perched on a dry branch the next, will be seen that this book is a rich mine of he would plunge upon his prey, and parade his research for those curious in theatrical his- foppish figure with equal spirit and self-complatory; valuable also as affording a picture of the olden time in New-York. But there is another light in which Mr. Dunlap stands before the public, it is, as the author of fifty-one dramatic productions, nearly all of which have been successfully acted; in one there are the following beautiful verses, which we give as a specimen of the author's powers.

"The snow, which as a fleecy mantle falls,

Covering the tender plant, its seeds preserving,
Is spread alike on hill and lowly vale;
So falls the soul-preserving grace of God,
In equal portions on the rich and poor.

But as the wind drifteth the wholesome snow,
Uncovering the lofty hill's proud summit,
And doubly blanketing the lowly vale;
So do the furious blasts of lawless passion

cency.

The delightful pages of Wilson and Audubon, even where they have imparted but little of their own enthusiasm to the reader, have done much toward diffusing a taste for the study of this branch of natural history, and, we doubt not, that the little work before us will contribute its full share toward rendering it more general. The architecture of birds is equally curious and interesting as a matter of investigation, and the author of the present work appears to have brought to it the skill of a naturalist and the patience of a student. His classifications are clear and happy, and he has, with considerable research, availed himself of the best authorities, in bringing forward many singular facts about the habits and peculiarities of birds, as well as the Sweep from the haughty head Heaven's balmy grace, forms, materials, and mode of constructing And doubly gift the bumble." their nests. Among other curious particulars In taking leave of this delightful work there is an estimation of the value of the over the pages of which we would willingly trade in edible birds'-nests, carried on between linger, were it not that our limits prevent, Java and China, by which it would appear we cannot let the opportunity pass without that 5,000,300 tons of shipping, and more than giving our hearty approbation to the mea- a million of dollars, are annually employed in sures which are in progress to give to the traffic, by which the Chinese epicures are Mr. Dunlap a benefit equally compli- supplied with this singular delicacy of the table. mentary and satisfactory to the one so interesting narrative of the discovery of that liberally bestowed on a favorite country-magnificent bird, "THE WASHINGTON EAman and brother dramatist. Sure we are GLE," by Audubon, which is copied entire that there is no one who has greater into the volume, but our limits are already claim to such a tribute than he who was exceeded.

We had marked for extract an animated and