delphia, February 28th, 1823, and imbued with the idea that he was an actor, performed in all parts of the world, from Albany to Australia. He was a bad imitation of Forrest. He was very methodical, and went through rehearsal precisely as he did a public performance, and insisted on having every thing marked out on the stage for him, with boxes in the places of the senators he was to address in the evening. He died April 16th, 1872, in Denver, Colorado, of apoplexy. His daughter Virginia is a very pleasing

แ

actress.

For the Kossuth fund, Mr. Meech offered the gross receipts of the Museum any night between December 28th and January 1st.

January 4th, 1852, was the first night of Mrs. Mary Amelia Warner. She had been the leading actress in heavy tragedy on the British stage, but was now in ill health, and on her return to England, died in October, 1854, of cancer, of which she had long been suffering. She became reduced in circumstances, but was honored by the public patronage and private friendship of Queen Victoria. Henry Morley, writing in 1853, says: Among other indications of the great respect in which the sick lady is held, it appeared that Her Majesty had not been content with simply subscribing towards the support required by Mrs. Warner's family, now that its prop fails, but that, having learnt the importance of carriage exercise to the patient, with a woman's delicacy, at once found the kindest way to render service, by herself hiring a carriage which she caused, and causes still, to be placed daily at Mrs. Warner's disposal. Her Majesty makes few state visits to the theatres; chance has disclosed, however, how the actor's art may be more surely honored by a courtesy more womanly, and quite as royal." Mrs. Warner appeared here as Hermione in "A Winter's Tale." She was accompanied by her husband, older than herself, and dependent upon her. He was not an actor.

February 5th, Charlotte Cushman came again, playing Rosalind, Meg Merrilies, Pauline, Lady Macbeth, etc.,

and for her benefit Queen Katharine, her greatest character. She was followed by Herr Driesbach and his royal tiger.

Among the many minor actors engaged at the Museum, was Theodore H. Vandenburgh, better known as Jack Bunsby," a name given to him by Edward Eddy. Jack began as call boy in 1848, and was more useful than conspicuous for many years, at the Museum, the Green street theatre and the Gayety. He played Toodles pretty well, and starred in that character in the oil regions, under Ball & Fitzpatrick. He died in Albany, August 9th, 1869, aged thirtythree years.

ON

CHAPTER XXI.

1852-1855.

Last Years of the Albany Museum.

N the 27th of April, 1852, Celeste appeared at the Museum, and in May, Lola Montez came, accompanied by a troupe of twelve dancing girls. This once notorious woman was born, some say, in 1818, and others in 1824. Her birth-place has also been located at Montrose, Scotland, at Seville, Spain, and at Limerick, Ireland. Her parentage is also "mixed," some saying her father was a Scottish officer, named Gilbert, and that she was christened Marie Dolores Rosanna Gilbert; others that she was born of an Irish father. The truth is, her mother was a Creole, who successively lived with, or was married to natives of Spain and Great Britain, whence the conflicting accounts of Lola's origin. She was well educated, and at the age of fifteen, married an English officer named James, whom she accompanied to India. a few years, she left him and led a life of adventure in Paris and the other capitals. In 1846, she appeared in Munich, as a Spanish ballet dancer, and made a captive of Louis I., King of Bavaria. Her influence became so great that the ultramontane administration of Abel was dismissed, because that minister objected to her being made Countess of Landsfelt. The students were divided in their sympathies, and conflicts arose shortly before the outbreak of the revolution of 1848 which led the king, at Lola's instigation, to close the University. But a more violent outbreak obliged the king to re-open it, and discard Lola, who fled. Although

After

her first husband was still alive, she contracted, in 1849, a second marriage with another English officer, named Heald. For this, she was prosecuted for bigamy, and went with him to Madrid, where she deserted him, and soon after, both husbands died. She came to this country in the same vessel with Kossuth, and gave performances from New York to New Orleans and San Francisco, succeeding best in dramas setting forth her own adventures. As a danseuse she disappointed public expectation in New York, although she attracted crowded houses for a time. She was graceful, but not brilliant; beautiful, but reckless. In California, she married a Mr. Hull, but he did not live with her long. In 1855, she went to Australia and subsequently returned to the United States. At this time, says Blake, "her face, Spanish in outline, was pale and thin, and her only trace of beauty, her lustrous eyes; her expression was modest and intellectual, and her performance chaste and graceful, though indicating talent of no high order—a disappointment of the prurient expectations of those who, during her engagement, crowded into unwonted seats. She lived, during the day, in retirement, reading religious works, and steadily, calmly, hopefully preparing for death, having full persuasion that con sumption had sapped the pillars of her life, and that she was soon to make her final exit." She afterwards lectured in this country and in England. For a while she was a believer in spiritism, and said that she left the stage to mount the platform, in obedience to the spirits, who selected her topics for her, on which to lecture, and prompted her thoughts. She was, afterwards, much attracted by the simplicity and fervor of the Methodists, but she died in the communion of the Episcopal church. Her last hours were passed in a sanitary asylum, at Astoria, New York, where she died in poverty, June 30th, 1861, and was buried in Trinity churchyard. It is said that in her earlier years she gave away fortunes to the needy, and that her last dollar and last days were spent in ministering

to the necessities of the inmates of the Magdalene ȧsylum. Her life, "The Story of a Penitent," was published as a tract. She appeared at this time in Albany as a dancer only, but subsequently, at the Green street theatre, played speaking parts.

On the 31st of August, H. V. Lovell assumed the acting management, Mr. Smith going to Buffalo. There was now opposition, the Green street theatre being open under various managers.

On the same night, the Paterson City Blues, who were the guests of the Burgesses corps, attended the theatre. Miss Mary Wells was a member of the stock company at this time. This lady, so long a New York favorite, made her first appearance on any stage at the Museum, December 23d, 1850, as Fanny Tubbs, in "The Ocean of Life." She was born in England, December 11th, 1827. Her career at Laura Keene's, Niblo's Garden and Selwyn's, is well remembered. She was the wife of Richard Stoepels, and died in 1878, one of the first "old women" in the country.

September 20th, G. V. Brooke began an engagement, in which he played Othello, Shylock, Sir Giles, Sir Walter, etc. Gustavus Vaughn Brooke was born in Dublin, April 25th, 1819, and made his first appearance in this country at the Broadway theatre, New York, December 15th, 1851, as Othello. He was

among the finest actors the old country ever sent us. He made a decided hit as Othello, in which great character many considered him unsurpassed; and also in the dual role in "The Corsican Brothers," now produced for the first time in Albany, He returned to England, and in 1860, visited Australia. On a second passage to that far-off land, in January, 1866, on the steamer London, he perished at sea, leaving Avonia Jones, daughter of the "Count Joannes," a widow. Mr. Fred. A. DuBois, of the Leland, then quite a young man, travelled extensively with Brooke in this country, as his private secretary, but did not come to Albany with him at this time. His agent here took a curious course. He did not represent himself as con