methods of financiering were celebrated in more cities than one, and his tricks upon creditors, fully described, would fill a volume. William Forrest, brother of Edwin, and for many years the associate in business with William Duffy, made his Albany debut, May 12th, as Captain Faulkner, in "The Way to Get Married." He was a printer by trade, and born in Philadelphia. His first appearance on the stage, was at the Walnut street theatre, February 2d, as Zaphna, in "Mahomet." He was never eminent in the profession, his voice being one material drawback to success. His best character was Robin Roughhead, and when Duffy was absent and business devolved upon Forrest, "Fortune's Frolic" was pretty sure to be on the bill. He died suddenly in Philadelphia in 1833, after playing the Ghost in a burlesque, at the Arch street theatre; his last words, as he descended through the trap-door, being, "D. L. O." (damn me, I'm off). He died that night. For Mrs. Flynn's benefit, May 26th, "Rip Van Winkle" was played for the first time in Albany, Flynn playing Rip. The play was written by an Albanian, whose name has not been handed down. June 3d, Harris and Murphy, the bar-tenders (!) had a benefit, at which the old favorites, Mr. and Mrs. George Barrett, were engaged to appear. The next night Mr. Duffy took his first benefit. The Advertiser says: "Mr. Duffy is the only actor of note, Albany has ever raised. If enterprise in his profession, merit as an actor, and gentlemanly deportment in private life, are virtues to be encouraged, he may confidently rely upon the reward which is extended by an enlightened audience." For Mr. William Forrest's benefit, his brother Edwin appeared as Brutus. On the 11th of June, Albany first had an opportu. nity of beholding the modern ballet, Madame Hutin, Madame Rosalie, and Monsieur Barbiere, appearing for one night, as exponents of the French school of dancing. How it "took" in the staid city, we can judge pretty well by what occurred on the night of Madame Hutin's New York debut at the Bowery, a little over at year previous. The house was crowded and the excitement intense; an anxious look of curiosity and expectation dwelt upon every face, but when the graceful danseuse came bounding like a startled fawn upon the stage, her light and scanty drapery floating in the air, all were startled. The next instant her fine figure was discovered involved but not concealed in her dress of gauze, and a bewildering pirouette displaying still more liberally her symmetrical proportions, a subdued expression of fear and terror escaped from the ladies present, and the cheeks of the greater portion of the audience crimsoned with shame. The next instant, as if inspired by one impulse, every lady in the lower tier of boxes rushed from the house. The next time. Madame Hutin appeared, it was in Turkish trousers, but they were soon discarded, and in June following, Celeste made acceptable what Madame Hutin was condemned for, and the ballet became a feature, though never a very popular one, of the American stage. On the 7th of July, "Guy Mannering" was given with the Vernons, Chapman, Mrs. Austin and Mr. Horn in the cast, a very strong musical attraction which was repeated several nights. Several stars previously spoken of played engagements which do not call for particular mention. On the 11th of August, and for two or three nights succeeding, Madame Celeste, the great melo-dramatic actress, appeared. She was at this time but a child in years, having been born, it is said, in 1814, in Paris. At a very early age, she had been placed in the Conservatoire, and while there had appeared with Talma and with Madame Pasta. During the same year in which she appeared in Albany, a young man by the name of Elliot, who had nearly squandered a handsome fortune left him by his father, a retired livery stable keeper, in Baltimore, became enamored of her, and after a short courtship, if it might so be called-for, as she could not understand English, and he could not speak French, recourse was had to an interpreter to say the soft things which wooed and won her-they became husband and wife, and for years. she supported him in affluence. Says Cowell, in his "Thirty Years": "Perhaps prejudiced by placing her inestimable private deportment in the scale with her acknowledged talent, may cause me to think she has never been excelled, for to my untutored taste (to quote Shelly), 'An antelope, In the suspended impulse of its lightness, Soon after her marriage, she returned to Europe and played with remarkable success both in England and on the continent, attaining her greatest fame as Mathilde in "The French Spy." In 1834, she returned here and began a series of the most brilliant and successful engagements on record. In three years, it is said, she netted $200,000, with which she returned to Europe. From 1835 to 1840, she was in this country again; and again in 1851-2, and still again in 1865. In her prime, to the greatest elegance and symmetry of person, she added a handsome face, eloquent dark eyes and expression of feature beyond any actress of the age. The power, pathos, and effect of her pantomimic action have never been approached, while her assumptions of male attire and heroic characters, were marvellous exhibitions of daring ambition and successful achievement. Her success in America has been equalled among women only by Fanny Kemble and Jenny Lind. Celeste is still alive, and played in London no longer ago than October, 1874. During her first Albany engagement, she played Julia in "Deaf and Dumb" and a character in "The Mountain Robbers," besides dancing in conjunction with Constantine and Heloise. August 19th, "The Comedy of Errors" was played, with Barnes and Phillips as the Dromios, and during the month Phillips retired from the management. Mr. Duffy was now ambitious of being manager. After Parsons had given up the circus, Mr. Duffy opened it as a summer theatre, for melo-dramas, etc., but was not successful. In the fall he announced that he would reopen the theatre November 2d, with a new drop curtain and many improvements, but the plan appears to have fallen through, as the theatre remained closed several weeks longer. At the circus, "The Flying Dutchman was pro duced November 25th, with a real brig, thirty feet in length, full-rigged and manned. The piece, which, it was said, cost $1,000 to produce, ran for eight successive nights and was repeated once afterwards. CHAPTER XI. 1829. The South Pearl Street Theatre - Trowbridge's Museum. ON Christmas night, the theatre again opened under Mr. Vernon's management. Mr. Chapman was stage manager, and the Vernons, of course, held prominent places. Page and Nelson, from the Arch street theatre; Jackson, from the Tremont theatre; Greenwood, from the Theatre Royal, Dublin; Mrs. Talbot, from Charleston; the two Misses Chapman, Mr. and Mrs. Judah, H. Eberle and others, were in the company. The plays were light, but the patronage was lighter still. Mr. Vernon was already suffering from the illness of which he died. Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. Hackett and Dwyer, played star engagements; as did also Henry Wallack, and the favorite Mary Rock, who played together mostly in comedy, but April 23d, 1829, as Hamlet and Ophelia, and April 28th, as Romeo and Juliet. For Mr. Wallack's benefit, May 1st, his brother, James W. Wallack, father of the present Lester Wallack, appeared for one night only, as Rolla. This closed the winter season. May 7th, a summer season began, with Mrs. Vernon's sister, the fascinating Clara Fisher, as a star. Her appearance was the signal for a general outburst of acrostics, poems and other tributes of admiration to the universal favorite. At Charleston, where she gave the Friends of Ireland $100, the proceeds of a benefit, they reciprocated by passing complimentary resolutions and voting her a medal in the shape of an Irish harp, richly set with emeralds, the head of the harp a |