The Express.
London, England, 1856-08-11 00:00:00

DEATH OF MADAME VEBTRIS.

Per • ,as we do, in this off season, to give
criti and biographical notion se the men
etoinent members of the theatrical profession, we
have scarcely commenced our teak ere death has
erased from the list which we had jotted down
the nameof one of the most celebrated women of
the day. Mrs. Charles Mathews, well known all
over Europe as Madame Vestris, expired on Friday
eight, at 12 o'clock, at her residence, Grove Lodge.
Fulham, after suffering, for many months, under an
excruciating and incurable disease. Renowned
during her youth for her beauty and esprit, and
during the latter years of her life for her admirable
taste and knowledge of everything appertaining to
dramatic effect, few women have had their
names brought so prominently before the
world ; indeed, ea it is the practice of would-
be wit, to father their dull jokes and point-
loss inanities upon Sheridan or Curran in order
that they may pass muster, so was it the habit of the
&nears and diners-out of twenty years ago to
attribute the most romastic anecdotes of boundless
extravegeoce or bizarre behaviour to Madame Vestris
In creating for her this unenviable notoriety jealousy
had no small share. It is well known that in the eyes
of the mean-spirited then is nothing so criminal as
success, and we regret to my that in the theatrical
profession the truth of this axiom is too frequently
elucidated. Madame Vestris had not only a talent
for dramatic representation—that is to say, for acting
a character—but she possessed that much rarer quoit-
&stk.°, the power of harmonising dramatic effeo'
with the realities of every-day life. Daring her
management, end under her artistic eye, were
for the first time produced comedies of mo-
dern life in which the dress and beha-
viour of the charasters and the adjuncts
and accessories of the 110,1511 were such as the 'Mimics
were rarely accustomed to see. Had a " super * to
come on and deliver a mange, he was drilled to do
it simply and naturally, and not to announce it in the
blood-and thunder voice which these persons usually
conceive to be inseparable from acting ; while the
, speechless noblemen and pests at an evening party
were, by her, reamed from the wild state of apparel
in which they had hitherto indulged, and clothed ia
ordinary evening costume.
Among ill informed people, who, by the way, are
always the most garrulous, it km been for a length
of time the mates to speak of Madams Vowels es of
an almost (shalom age; and to marvel that she had so
loog retained strength and spirit enough to appear
upon the step. It is almost needless to say that
this assertion, like most others of the same kind, was
unfounded. The daughter of a well-known en-
graver' named Bertelezzi, she was born in the
year 1797, and from the first gave evidence of
extraordinary abilities as • insioisu and a linguist.
• At the age of sixteen she wee married to M. Armand
Vestris, the principal dancer at and ballet-master of
the them King's Theatre, in the Haymarket, at whose
solicitation she entered upon the dramatic profession
appearing first es Proserpina in the opera of 11 Batt;
di Preesrpissa, at the theatre to which her husband
was attached. Having, however, scarcely made the
sensation which was expected, she did not remain in
Landes, but accompanied km husband to Paris,
where she played for some time in drama and tragedy
in the French limper, of which she was a perfect
mistreats. On her return to England in 1819, she
accepted an engagement with Mr. Elliston, at Drury-
lane, and Mozart's opera of Don Giovanni being at
that time at the height of its popelerity, she shortly
afterwards established her fame in a burlesque or
that manter-pleite called Giossousi is. London,
in which she as the hero, and Harley as
Leporello, created an extraordinary caseation.
, From this time her emcees was complete, and she
reigned the spoilt favourite of the -London pablie
both at Drury Liao sad Covent Garden, playing what
is technically termed "first light comedy,* each as
Lydia Lengaish in The Rivals, Letitia Hardy in The
Belles Stretagems, Miss Hardireatle in She Stoops to
Cowper, &a. Characters of more serials interest she
never attempted. In the year 1829 she became lessee
of the Olympic Theatre, which she transformed into
the most elegant " temple of the drama* in Lan-
dau. Assisted by an admirable company, sad
having at her command the freshest and smartest des.
nratW authors then on tows, her theatre sacs booms
the most poplar in the metropolis. There were first
modused those brilliant extramposse and revues or
Messrs. Flambe and Charlie Dance upon which they
have scarcely since improved, and upon which their
fame is built. Oa the 7thDectember, 1836, Mr. Charles
Mathews, who had twe brought up as an architect,
, made his first appearanos ca the stage at the Olympic,
in a fares called the " Old and Young Steger,* in
which he was admirably sitted by Liston, at that
time the proper the establishment. In the year 1838
Madame Vestrie, whose husband had died in 1826,
married Mr. Charles Mathews, and leaving the
Olympic under the management of Mr. Plasche they
immediately started foe America. With oar Trans-
atlantic neighbours, however, the favourites of the
Olympic were a failure, and they returned
to England in 1839, is the September of which
year they entered upon the leeseeship of
Covent Garden. Under their management
were produced some of the chefi transom of
modern dramatic authorship, ?mos, which may be
arentimed London Ass ranee, Time Works
Wenders, Old Heads end Young Hawk and
some excellent pantomimes, The Castle of Otranto,
the Great Bed of Were, Re., and some of Mr.
Planchb's beat burlesques. Among the company were
Messes. Ferree Strickland, C. Mathews, Harley,
Healey, Anderson, Bartley, Bw., and Mesdames Vestris,
Orger, Hamby, &e. The speoulatios, how-
ever, did not answer, and the lessees gave up manage-
meet at the end of their third season, in April,lB42.
After this they accepted a short temporary engage-
ment at Drury-lane with Mr. Maesrady, and a more
lengthened one with Mr. Webster, at the Haymarket.
In 1848 Mr. and Mrs. Mathews joined Mr. Maddox's
company at the refuels% and in the autumn of 1847
they opined the English Opire House, in Wellig-
ton-street, under the name of the Lyceum. Here
the old Olympic Revels were renewed, several of the
farmer actors and authors attached to the =up-
meet flocking to the newly-raised standard. Madame
Vestris played two or three important pets, mob se
the Wonderful Woman and the Pride of the Market,
and made a great hit in more pathetic characters, es,
for instance, in Mr. Sliogsby Lawrence's Chein of
Events, end in the translation of Madame de Direr-
din's play, La Joie fail Peer, tinder the name
of themAine through Use Mods. But her strength
new began to fail her, and she prindpally trootleed
hesself to the direction of the stage, in which she
sheered that taste and talent Ice whieb we have be-
fen emeibed her as being so remarkable. For the
eseesien of her husband's benefit, on Wednesday,
Jai" 28, 1864, she made her kit 'pinnace' in
Stesshisse through the Ponds, and does that she has
beat confined always to the hoses, sad principally to
her room. She is sow no more ; bat her name will
long be recollected in English theatrical society es
that of me of the cleverest and most far-awing
women of her time. Of her faults there will be too
many to speak; be it oar task to chronicle her talent,
bet bberality, and her perseveres.' in her profession.

SUNDAY MUSIC IN THZ Puce AT MaNCIIMITEIL—
Ia eseimamme of the resolatiew peeped by the Nleaebester
terra otiasoil. es Wedasedoy, the committee fa previa,'
Beadley masts fee the people have gives modes that they
will forth' pretest withdraw the fleaday basis from the
people's parks.

•• •
MR BILL FOR TR* Draw PALicit AT WARMAN-
ema.—The elotloo of the prat b ll for the Cleek Towr of
the New Palace atWohatestor was soutorplielted oh thoUth
alt.. at Norms, soar Stockton-ea-Toot, by Nom Warmer
hal Om% of the Cremes% Foandry, Jotria•otnet. The
wooli had bon la ohm* of preparaboo for air soaks, awl
M tombrotoly larasech unable of netting too tom of
metal etteh, had boos both osprowly for the pupae of root.
log this Stealer hell. The whole el the prudes* night the
workmen were bawl, employed, and early is the wornias,
the foresees having attained the requisite Iteet, the doers
were spa/IL and to. nperattus of Outing or nettled la to.
not.lehosonteed. Too latter operation occupied about an
haw, sad La lees dm two boon and a hilt the whole of the
Ewalt required, 111 toes, wse in a state et whet foam At
a gives *tad the forsoose wen lapprel, sod the wend
Sewed bent them iste:ilipsel prepared to held It, Wore
adaNMet loss the mold ; the What it gate woo
lift gad Ile metal Allowed to Its. I. In slimes
do min star holl hod bus atteol.
ABOUT= OF Tilt OFFICE OP COUNTON BARON.
—The ogles etConited Boos of the Etahanoor la abolished
raerset fo( the the Newton, sad in futon the Chief
say ism et the C4f, "sr hey Gam et Um
*cart," IQ Lye le prima the dicks ct the ism.