The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-17 00:00:00

SUN, LON DON,

oftener, as the necessary record of occurrences. It is
not too much to say that they would have broken the
heart of any other man in the kingdom. Here ho had to
propitiate the jealousy of a grandee, there, to counteract
the perverseness of a junta—leagued with allies, brave
but impracticable—unteught by defeat and intolerant of
council—at the mercy of Governm, nts dogged in their
decrepitude—now neutralised by the imbecility of Spain,
now thwarted by the ingratitude of Porfugal, now ha-
rassed by their rationalauimosites, sometimes slandered,
ofterP neglected, always envied—still faithful to the
mighty trust reposed in him—still mindful of the crisis
ho saw gathering round his country—unaided, self-sus-
tained, self-relying, he never sheathed the sword, till,
amid Europe's homage, he gave Europe peace.
" Almost every man imagines that he knows the Duke
Wellington, because of those exploits which have be-
come as household words amongst us. But no man can
be said to know him truly who has not pored and pon-
dered over these dispatches. They must evor remain,
at once, the army's manual, and, of their gifted author,
the most enduring monument. The records of his
glory, they are also the revelation of the qualities which
insured it. Here are unfolded to us the several and as-
sociated talents, rare in themselves, but still rarer in
their combination, which constitute the hero. Bald, yet
prudent—gifted, yet laborious—ardent, but circumspect
—leaving nothing to chance which calculation could sup-
ply—be was prepared for adverse or prosperous vicissi-
tude, and made of his reverses, as of his victories, so
many avenues to renown. Such are the disclosures of
these invaluable volumes."
Another contemporary figure has thus been intro-
duced by Mr. Phillips in the group with which he
has ingeniously surrounded the principal figure on his
canvas. Among these personages it will be remem-
bered by those acquainted with the volume that
several men of particular celebrity are recognisable
—their personal aspect being sketched with a pencil
at once taitbful and luminous. Witness- his outline
of Grattan—with his short stature and unprepossess-
ing appearance ; his arms disproportionately long ; his
walk like a stride ; his person swaying like a
pendulum ; his air abstracted ; apparently always in
thought, and each thought provoking an attendant
gesticulation. Witness his 80)u/tette of Plunket—
his square built form, his look solitary and ascetical,
his habit of walking to and fro with his hands behind
his back, to all appearance perfectly self-absorbed—
" the observed of all, and yet the companion of none !"
Above all, witness his keenly marked and genially
coloured likeness of the greatest of all Irishmen,
Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator. " I knew him
well," says he, " long and intimately. He was the
beau ideal of an Irish agitator. His every movement
was racy of the soil.' Face, figure, accent, gait,
and above all, the rollicking, self-assured independence
of his manner, were all so many proclamations of his
country. As the leader of a multitude, especially of
an Irish multitude, he never had a rival. For
there was is him a union of qualities rarely
found in any individual There
he stood—bland and burly, sincerity itself—
a real son of the sod—speaking their own tongue—
kindred in tastes, in habits, and by birth—and,
dearer than all, a ROMAN like themselves !" How
characteristic is that ludicrous anecdote told of the
Liberator (p. 318), when, at the Clare election, Dan
came forward on the hustings, immediately after the
flight of the other candidate, a lord in embryo, Vesey
Fitzgerald, and exclaimed to his auditors, " Boys,
where's Vasy Vigarald ? Och hone, Vasy, hut it's
me that's dull without ye. I?ighi, mavourneen! righi
(Hun, darling ! run), assd send the bell about for him
Here's the cry for you—
' Stolen or strayed,
Lost or mislaid,
The President of the Board of Trade.' "
_

Equally characteristic are the other anecdotes plenti-
fully squandered through the volume under considera-
tion, anecdotes now of Judge Norbury, now of Sir
Boyle Roche, now of a Dublin applewoman, and now
of a London statesman, not to mention a multiplicity
of inimitable bon mots and incidents, relating espe-
cially to Curran himself. Under every point of view
the book will be found singularly interesting, and in
several chapters even supremely enthralling. Agree-
able, however, as these peculiarities of the production
incontestably are, they constitute to our thinking its
least noticeable excellence. What invests the
biography with its prominent and paramount claim
upon our attention is the fact of its unimpeachable
authenticity—the author simply and touchingly re-
cording the fact, " He was my friend," upon a fly-
leaf at the commencement. Hence it is that we are
induced to regard as the masterpiece of Charles
Phillips his work upon Curran and his Contempo-
raries.

,DELPHI THEATRE.

MISS WOOLGAR'S BENEFIT.
____

In the Times of this morning we find the following
tribute, as graceful as it is just, to the merits of the most
accomplished and most versatile (or, as Bulwer would
phrase it, comprehensive) of English artistes, Miss
Woolgar:—

" Of all the actresses who belong, properly speaking,
to the present day, there is none who has more fairly
and honourably worked her way to a high position in
public favour than Miss Woolgar, who took her benefit
last night. First becoming celebrated as a performer in
those rhymed burlesques which now-a-days constitute so
large a portion of the English drama, she has since ap-
propriated to herself a sphere so wide that it is hard to
define its limits at all. We might say that her general
tendency was comic, embracing in that category every
sort of character, from a duchess in a French piece of
intrigue to a chambermaid in the broadest farce—to say
nothing of the host of male exquisites, whom she dresses
up so neatly, and whom she colours with such pleasing
foppery. But this limit is far too narrow to define her
range. She will quit farce and comedy without the
sliehtest compunction, take a leading serious part in a
drarne, and astonish by her force and intensity. Her
acting of the Gipsy boy in Flowers of the Forest will
long be remembered as one of the most striking per-
formances of the sort to be seen on the modern stage.
Then, though not a professed vocalist, she can sing well
enough to make a musical drama effective, and the bur-
lesques in which she first acquired her fame are still il-
lustrated by her talent.
" And it should be added, that the various characters
which belong to this boundless range are all performed
well. In badly-managed theatres, when the company
is weak, it is common enough to see the same persons
fill every conceivable part. But the Adelphi is no
theatre of this kind. It has, for its purpose, the best
company in London, and one great talent in the ma-
nager consists in the power of discerning and applying
the peculiar capabilities of eseb individual artist. It is
the last theatre in the world where an actor would be
made to stailile through what [mother could do in-
finit ly better, just for the sake of sevitag an engage-
ment. Strong casting is the very principle of Adelphi
manegeraent, and if Miss Woeigat'a department is most
varied, it is on ecconnt of the variety of her talent.
" Looking through the several forms which this ac-
complished actress assumes on the stage, we shall find
certain important characteristics which enable her to
shine in them all. In the first place, she has a quick
intelligence. She sees in a new part, not a mere com-
bination of words to be uttered, but something capable
of individual expression, and she at once sets about to
detect what can be made oft. No part, for instance,
could be made more utterly insignificant than that of
Lela) in Good !Night, Signor Pantulon, which she selected
as one of the pieces for her benefit yesterday evening.
Thereis nothing in the dialogue, nor has she the best
situations, and yet the youthful vivacity with which she en-
dows the young,lover gives him quite a distinct existence.
Carefulness is another characteristic. What she per-
fectly understands she endeavours thoroughly to express,
and the elaboration of her by-play, and the well-consi-
dered adjustment of her emphasis, show that her atten-
tion is never slackened for an instant. Let us add a third
and most valuable quality—that of perpetual good hu-
mour. Miss IVoolgar always conveys the impression
that she is pleased with her occupation, she acts every
part as if she liked it thoroughly; and when it is in it-
self none of the best, she shows a hearty resolution
make the best of it. With these qualifications, with
great personal attractions, and with admirable., taste in
dressing, it is no wonder that she is one of the most
popular actresses in the most popular theatre of the
metropolis,.

Last night she appeared in ',:tiree pieces—the Road
to Ruin, the School for Tigers,
and Good Night, Signor
Pantalon. We will not ;ay that this was on account of
her benefit, for there are few nights in which she has
not undergone similar exertions. Her versatility was
displayed to the utmost by her selection, and her popu-
larity was demonstrated once more by a house crowded
to suffocation. bhe was enthusiastically received; and a
hearty welcome was likewise given to Mr. Webster, who,
in the character of Goldfinch, made his first appearance,
in London since a, severe indisposition."

FRENCH PLAYS.
ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.
iamtmetdhiisatefasphaitornoanbalgee theatre were
were
lasTt
Ma-
jesty, and were for the benefit of Mr. Mitchell, to whose
hneigphetrf uorirmdearntchees
taste and enterprise we are indebted for the natural;za-
don of the French .drama iu this country. The new
one act classical comedy of Horace et Lydie, from the
pen of M. Ponsard, was produced for the first time in
this country, Madlle. Rachel sustaining the part of
Lydie, and proving that she is as true to nature, and as
artistic in the delineation of the fascinating, graceful,
coquettish, jealous, refined Roman lady of the Court of
Augustus as she is in the intensely impassioned Ca-
mille of the early days of Route—her performance of
which last night followed that of Lydie, and as usual
created a furore. The house was crowded to suffixation.
Mr. Muchell's benefit was last night attended by the
Belgian Minister and Madame Van do Weyer, Prince
TroubeLkey, Baron Roller, Marquis and Marchioness
Munster
of Dro?;h
Eareda,l and Earl or Kilmurey, Earl Granville, Earl
, Countess of Bruce,. the Countess do
Saha, Lady Blanche Dupplin, Count Louis de Noailles,
Trimleston, Lady Do Dunstanville, Lord
Lady Williamson, Lady Russell,
Lady Giy, E,m. Sir Edward and Lady Butler, Hon.
d
Johan Forte, fine. Wt Hon. Miss Stuart, Lady
aLnodrdLaa'd' Ll'iledid haven,
Quentin, Lady and .Miss Palmer, Lion. George Smythe,
Miss Burdett Gouts, Mr. Mott tagu Gore, Mr. TrelawneYs
Mr. Spencer Drummond, Aiajor Martyr], Mr. and Mrs.
Goldsmidt, Captain Lovell, Mr. Wald; Mr. Alston, Mr.
Akoom, Mrs. Trelawny Breretou, Mr. and the Misses
pi atep, ir. Not-n,an, A!r. Edward Btlgh.
Miss Watks n Wynn, Colonel Tictrwy, Cobl/10
Gordon and Miss Gordon, Mr. and Mrs. John ,auford,
Mrs. Brunel, Br.e.