The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-29 00:00:00

"None but himself could be his parallel."

He was alone—equally alone in force, energy, and power,
originality and conception. Every impersonation was
instinct with truth, and bore evidence of the
highest genius. What perhaps was his most
remarkable distinctiveness was his perfect transfusion, as
it were, of himself into, and life-like embodiment of, the
character he represented. For the time being he was wholly
and absolutely the person he enacted. It was this complete
identification of his own nature with, and his absorption
into himself of, the woes and wrongs, the feelings and
actions of the part he was playing, which was the secret of
the riveted attention and quite unparalleled sway he exer-
cised over the emotions, hearts, and sympathies of his
audience. In " Othello," kr instance—amongst many of his
most marvellous delineations—where each throb of passion,
each pang of torture, was indicated with unerring and sur-
passing fidelity and minuteness, you had the same tears,
compassionateness, and pity—the same intense and burning
indignation for what you witnessed—your susceptibilities
as strongly and vividly responded to the appeal made to
them—as if, instead of simulated suffering, you were spec-
tators of, and participators in, some mournful tragedy in
domestic life.

His height and figure were not unfavourable to the as-
sumption perhaps of stateliness—yet I never can admit
that there were not passages in his acting of native and
superlative dignity.
His rebuke to Cassio in " Othello" was pre-eminently so.
He crossed the stage with calm, majestic tread to where the
culprit stood convicted of inebriety, and in a voice of stern,
inexorable authority, which had an awful grandeur in it,
repeated—

" Cassio, I love thee,
But never more be officer of mine."

None surely that ever heard him say those words could
accuse him of want of dignity. His parses were long, and
perhaps too frequent. One of his peculiarities was—that
however intimately and familiarly acquainted with his act-
ing you were, you never could tell before hand how he
would treat and interpret any new part. In most actors
there is such a conventional style, such a general and sus-
tained mannerism, that when announced for any novel cha-
racter, you can form a pretty shrewd and accurate idea Of
how it will be rendered by them. This was never the ease
with him. In conception he was so perfectly and appa-
rently impulsive, that every fresh embodiment exhibited
some startling unconceived surprise never realized before.
He might literally be said to " paint the violet and gild re-
fined gold." The most devoted Shakespearian, who had
pored and pondered over the words of his idol for years, re-
ceived the impress of a new light thrown on their meaning
by Kean's reading of the parts assigned to him.
The oft-repeated quotation, " One touch of nature makes
the whole world akin," might not inappropriately be ap-
plied tl his acting. The startling originality, the intense
energy, the subtle power, the novel conceptions, were ad-
juncts and accessories undoubtedly to the colossal fame
which, as an actor, he enjoyed ; but the great secret of his
success was that he was simply, wholly, truthfully, and
really natural.
He exhibited humanity as it is—in all its aspects, varieties,
and conflicts of passion. Hence his supreme ascendency
over the feelings of his audience—the hearts of thousands
beating as one man beneath his faithful and marvellous
portraitures of emotions, affections, and infirmities of a na-
ture common to all.

We commend these agreeable volumes to the
general reader, assuring him that, whatever their
shortcomings or defects, he will find ample enter-
tainment for a leisure hour in contemplating these
varied and life-like photogfaphs.

Captain Brand of the Centipede. By Lieutenant
H. A. Wise, U.S.N. Trubner and Co.
Although this work purports to be the history of
a pirate of eminence in the West Indies, and a
record of his loves and exploits, and the singular
manner by which he departed this life, he takes by
no means a leading part in the story. He may be
the hero, but the reader is introduced to none of
his lady loves or victims until long after their
decease. This is, however, just as well, for certainly
the author has a talent for describing the e
and revolting. Captain Brand is a cloy?' snn n
and
who,
drel, of good address, undaunted daorrtogr,
fiendish cruelty. His evil genius is andd
sailed one
having been snared into his gang,
voyage in the schooner, longer.
pirate any
infant, refuses to accompany
thedetirmi of the
Captain Brand, fearing, the
de
up of debauchery,
doctor, whose character is r 9
thae one hand, and piety,
and saving the life of an
murder, and profligacy.on
manner which he
ureucd'el and lingering death,
ninthae other, causes hint
supposes will lead ursued, however, by a
siand—P
humanity,tob be surprisedtn and generosity
u dtse e
and departs tie Here follows a spirited
I described. The schooner is
chase, and it I
United States,s
destroyed but Brand escapes. and is lost si htof .1
g until
elapsed. He is at length discovered
the conclusion off rwtligeelattea_.le, when.. more than twenty
doctor, who, having escaped from his
devoted his life t
Prison,
and followed
by
his crimes to revenge the out-
rage he had suffered at the
hands of the
bvyeartshehave
place
pirate—being
e,
an .to their former
expiates crimes by the hor-
rible death he proposed for the doctor. Such is
the outline of the story ; but a vast number of in-
dividuals are introduced, and there is little or no
plot. The best part of the work is that which re-
lates to the sea and the American navy, although
Lieutenant Wise makes the mistake common to
most nautical writers, of setting sail, reefing, going
about, and bringing up, &c., &c., at least twenty
times too often ; and although the gallant lieute-
nant may be justly proud of the navy of his coun-
try, he has no need to expatiate quite so often upon
it, as the reader will find to his cost. Taken as
a whole, " Captain Brand of the Centipede" is
amusing, but it contains too much of the revolting
and too little romance for the present age.

DEATII OF LORD FFRENCII—The Galway papers
announce the death of Charles Lord Ffrench, who expired
on the 25th inst., at Tarver-hall, in the county of Mayo.
The deceased nobleman, who was in his 75th yoar, was a
zealous Roman Catholic, and follower of Mr. O'Connell
throughout that gentleman's long career of Irish agitation.
Lord Ffrench was the first magistrate in Ireland to whom
_
Chancellor Sugden directed his celebrated missive notifve
hag the intention of her Majesty's Government tornrok
from the commission of the peace any person who
part in furthering the visionary scheme of a repeal
o
Legislative Union.
.—L vow) Vic-
COUNTERFEIT COIN AND TIIE
ll:Lndon of the
TUILLERSast night information reaTchhooonias, at Shine-
capture of a London smasher, n
Elphick, of
ham, who had passed counterfeits
houses, but was at last app
rehlint officer left town last
the Sailors' Return Hotel•
d ctins are florins.
night on the affair. The riovEmENTs
.—The George.
amocbs; a:iorsu.t ten public -
METROPOLITAN Mehrsihatasd washhouses arc now finally
put his mark on the fittings
the whole being. marked in al-
the whople eto
closed,t e e I'
as well as on the banding'_
newly 300 lots, for sale. It appears
al-
lotments nunlberulG.
ith all the apparatus, are to be disposed
Ea
nuds ttohno- rooosedtbnaiot
that the building,
'order to give place to another class of
pant'rbo e by the
i!s'
gthal°:ti fen:' m y dead i wall which extends Tall their present position,
,n,
Whether the baths have not been a
buildings. profit-
able nave
. stnaent does not appear, but the. New River Com
dto require the l de
xftoeria
a buildingsa long bpyu r
the srees
...
servoir in the Hampstead-road, and which stands in gloomy
acnondtbraussttlteo,
btheu;inoplapponsiateseslildineg,Ofistthoemraokaed,w-savyhefroer aal lr ioawl i
of ef
houses—no doubt shops, and the land is now offered to let
on building leases. Likewise an entire new street is stated
to be in conterepltapp f
) " "QCli)34 from iiaLastcAtl-road to
Gc9rgQ-§tred,