the display made in his youth, and which his most pressing and vital interest could not induce him to repeat; he had even the powers of a man of business, but he exerted them too seldom to have much efficacy in his concerns. Where Garrick amassed a splendid fortune, Sheridan accumulated nothing but debt; and he sealed his fate by the encumbrances which the building of a National Theatre, upon a vast scale, necessarily fastened upon the

concern.

After shewing the succession to the property, there are yet a few particulars to notice as to the Old Drury. After standing near 120 years, it was at last taken down. The complaint of Cibber regarded the position of the stage. He does not charge the alterations with any thing beyond trying to contain a greater number of spectators. It is rare, I think, for a house to change its whole character in its alterations. Garrick received it a plain theatre, and the Adamses, by their improvements, certainly did not greatly decorate it. To the last, for I can bring it very accurately to my mind's eye, it was a plain theatre as to its interior. It had the common defect of all our theatres, except

the Opera House, namely, that the pit doors of entrance were close to the orchestra, and, as they did not choose to leave the most valuable part of the house without its complement, and there was no mode of forcing the people who sat at a distance to inconvenience themselves, the door-keepers, by the box-screw, kept winding in their late arrivals; and the pressure into the mass close to it, already ill at ease, and dreading a new attack every moment from a rushing current of cold air, which ushered in the stranger, occasioned fits among the women, and fights among the men, while the stage and the boxes alike suspended every other amusement, but looking on, till silence was restored.

Over this "perturbed spirit," I have seen the solemn countenance of Kemble bent with calm attention; and the assumed sympathy of Palmer bow with graceful ambiguity. Mrs. Siddons had somewhat more difficulty, for she could not be sure always whether the disturbance arose from the desire to see her, or the hysteric results of that painful pleasure. Miss Farren, on these occasions, relaxed the lovely smile which usually sat upon her

features, and looked among her fashionable friends for pity that she should be so annoyed. Mrs. Jordan saw it with the eyes of the character she most commonly performed, and at the first symptom of composure below, started off into the sprightly action, and the unfailing laugh which she had only to will, and they obeyed.

It was into this theatre that Garrick introduced the French improvement of the trap or floatinglight in front of the stage; screened from the spectators, and reflected upon the actor. Undoubtedly it alters the course of nature, and casts shadow upward-it displays the hollows which expression would wish to soften, and so far is decidedly unpicturesque. But no artist has yet been able to throw sufficient light downwards, and not lengthen the shadows beyond the proper measure; and the glittering chandelier, when lowered, is always wished away by those seated above; so that we are likely to remain as we are in the illumination of our theatres.

The parting with Old Drury was a subject of real grievance to many of its steady frequenters

they looked upon its limits as hallowed, and its form as prescriptive; they shrunk from the approaches of opera and spectacle. They said it was the naturalization of foreign habits, which would debase, if they did not destroy, the plain substance of our Native Tragedy and Comedy.

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CHAPTER XI.

The Grand National Theatre-Description of it-Opening with sacred music-First play acted on the 21st of April-Innovations of Mr. Kemble in Macbeth-The bell-The dagger* -The Ghost of Banquo-Musical Witches-Charles Kemble-Securities from fire-Reservoir—Iron curtain-Mere tricks-The vanity of speculative science-Mrs. Jordan not employed-Kemble-Miss Farren do the honours-Fitzpatrick-G. Colman-Mr. Cumberland's comedy of the Jew -The gratitude of Israel-Kemble's Lodoiska-Three farces three days together-Mrs. Jordan acts for the widows and orphans made on the 1st of June-Three farces again, and for four days-Harris versus Kemble-In the summer, John Bannister at Liverpool—Winter of 1794-5-Mrs. Davenport-A shilling gallery put up-Emilia Galotti at DruryNobody-Mrs. Jordan's fright-The Rage-The Wedding Day of Mrs. Inchbald-Mrs. Jordan's portrait seen again by the author, forty years after it was painted-Her Helena —Measure for Measure-Miss Mellon-Mrs. Coutts-The Duchess-Miss Arne-Alexander the Great, a ballet.

THE architect of the Grand National Theatre, language suited to the revolutionary ideas then prevailing, had entirely, here, given up the plan on which he had constructed the Theatre Royal, Covent