The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-24 00:00:00

DEATH OF MR, ALBERT SMITH.

We regret to state that the above gentleman,
who was so suddenly seized with apoplexy, yes-
terday, died this afternoon, about three o'clock.
Mr. Albert Smith was only three or four months
back married to Miss Mary Keeley, daughter of the
Keeleys, the celebrated comedians.
Mr. Albert Smith, whose name the world of
London for so many years has associated with the
ascent of Mont Blanc as daily repeated at the Egyp-
tian Hall, Piccadilly, was the son of a surgeon now
deceased, but formerly in good practice at Chert-
scy, where he himself was born May 24, 1816.
With the view of bringing him up to his father's
profession, Albert Smith's parents at an early age
procured for him a nomination to Merchant Tay-
lors' School, then under the headmastership of the
late Rev. Dr. Bellamy. He remained there five
years, taking all his moves regularly, and gaining
several prizes, and is honouraly mentioned in the
annals of the school published about two years
ago.

-It is said that in the twelfth year of his age he
showed so much comic humour and versatility in a
song which her sang at a Surrey election dinner,
that his friends augured for him no small share
of success in the event of his choosing the stage as
his profession.
Another destiny, however, prevailed, and it was
still resolved that he should follow in his father's
steps and become a surgeon. With this object in
view he was sent to study medicine at the Middle-
sex Hospital, where he gained several prizes, and
from which he was removed to the Hotel Dieu and
Clamart at Paris, to complete his professional edu-
cation.

Returning to England in 1857 he commenced
practising as a surgeon with his father at
Chertsey, but appars to have found that the
routine of a country practitioner's life was at
best but a superior kind of drudgery. The
fact is that he had, and felt within him,
even from an early date, some aspirations after a
literary career, and a desire to obtain celebrity by
his pen, which was always " the pen of a ready
writer."

In the intervals snatched from his professional
business, Albert Smith contributed to the " Mirror"
a series of lively and amusing .papers entitled
" Sketches in Paris," and also to the " Medical
Times" some clever and characteristic sketches
drawn from real life under the title of " Jasper
Buddle ; or, Confessions of a Dissecting-room
Porter."

Coming up to London early in 1841 he resolved
to settle there and to commence in earnest a literary
career by writing for the magazines and other
serials. His first instalment appeared in " Bent-
ley's Magazine" for March in that year ; it was
styled " Rencontre with the Brigands," and was
remarkable for its smartness, or, what is still better,
for its truthfulness.

At this time appeared the first number of the
periodical which under the name of " Punch" has
since gained so wide and firm a hold on the public
mind. It is almost needless to add, that from the
very first Albert Smith was a frequent and valued
contributor to its pages, in which ho gave to the
world his amusing " Physiology of a London Me-
dical Student," and his " History of Evening
Parties," since republished in a cheap and port-
able form.

He was now fairly on the high road to fame, and
he added to his other engagements by writing for
the theatres. His first production in that line
was " Blanche Harriet," a melodrama, which was
brought upon the stage originally at the Surrey
Theatre ; and it was duly followed at various in-
tervals by several extravaganzas composed for the
Lyceum, including " Valentine and Orson,"
" Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp," " Cinderella,"
" Whittington and his Cat." The intrinsic merit
of these pieces, as treated by the pen of Mr. Smith
and acted by Frank Matthews, Mr. and Mrs. Keeley,
Mr. Wigan, Madame Celeste, Mr. Wright, Mr.
Paul Bedford, Mr. Harley, and other theatrical
celebrities of the same stamp, secured for them a
warm reception at the hands of the censors of the
press, and the name of Albert Smith grew rapidly
in public estimation and favour.

His pen now found constant employment. He
brought out in quick succession a collection of tales
and sketches, entitled " The 'Wassail Bowl," " The
Adventures of Mr. Ledury" (perhaps the most popu-
lar and successful of all his efforts), which appeared
in successive numbers of " Bentley's Miscellany." '
These were followed by other serials, " The Scatter-
good Family" and " The Marchioness of Brinvil-
Hers," besides two novels, " The Pottleton Legacy"
and " Christopher Tadpole." During this time lie
was also engaged in adapting several of the Christ-
mas books of Mr. Charles Dickens for the Lyceum
Theatre, and in contributing original articles regu-
larly to more than one magazine and annual, and
in acting as dramatic critic to one of the weekly
newspapers.
During the next few years he added to his popu •
larity with general readers by his " Physiologics"
of the various classes of London society, such as
" The Flirt," " The Ballet Girl," " The Idler on
Town," " The Gent," and "Evening Parties," one
and all of which found a wide circulation, and
have been since republished in a cheap form by,
Messrs. Kent and Co. Our space, however, for-
bids us to attempt to give here anything like a
regular and complete list of his light works in the
way of farces, drama, sketches, and stories, and
casual papers in the various metropolitan magazines.
In 1849 a change came over the spirit of his
literary career. hitherto lie had figured in Lon-
don society alone; had studied its phases only;
and had catered as a writer for the London public
by holding up his readers to themselves, tanquam
in speculo, and taking off in good-humoured plea-
santry their foibles and weakness, always in a
humorous and harmless manner. In that year,
however, he resolved on paying a visit to the East,
and on returning to England embodied the results
of his tour in an interesting volume, entiled " A
Month at Constantinople," in which the exagge-
rated notions entertained in England respecting
the beauty, romance, and grandeur of that city are
very cleverly ridiculed.
In 1850 he resolved on combining with his
character of an author that of a public lecturer.
Accordingly he produced, at the West-end of Lon-
don, an amusing entertainment, which he styled
"The Overland Mail," and in which he was the
only performer. By the aid of sccnery, he described
the route and its usual accompaniments in a graphic
manner, which was at once successful. His enter-
tainment was relieved by sketches of character and
by songs after the manner of Matthews, and illus-
trated by Mr. Beverley. This entertainment proved
very successfnl both in London and in the provinces.
In the same year he produced two or three operatic
burlesques, which found equal favour with the
public.
In August, 1851, Mr. Albert Smith accomplished
what few Englishmen had done before him—we mean
the ascent of Mont Blanc, with which his name is
so intimately associated, and the summit of which
he attained after severe exertion ; a feat which has
since become of tolerably frequent occurrence;
The ascent of Mont Blanc was first produced by
him as a public entertainment on March, 15, 1842.
The interest excited in the achievement itself, apart
from all adventitious ornament and attra3tion, was
sufficient to ensure him a large and attentive audi-
ence ; but when to this was added his unquestioned
ability as a lecturer, his rapid but distinct utter-
ance, his genuine humour, his keen sense of the
ridiculous as exhibited in hat fish out of water—
John Bull abroad—and his well-selected and well-
painted sconery, conspired with his careful atten-
tion to the comfort of his audience, to enable him to
achieve an unprecedeneed success, so that every
English man or woman, boy or girl, who has visited
the metropolis during the past six years, has been
been able to " do" the ascent of Mont Blanc by de-
puty, and to realise to him (or her) self pretty nearly
as completely as if he (or she, as the case may be)
had climbed upon the snowy side of that king of
European mountains, had crossed his awful ravines,
had heard the thunder of his avalanches, and had
sat upon his summit to enjoy the view of the rosy
peaks of his brother mountains at dawn of day,
and to drink a glass of champagne, then and there,
to the health of her most Gracious Majesty, Queen
Victoria. _ _

The ascent of Mont Blanc,•as all our readers are
aware, continued for some time to be one of the most
popular favourites. Mr. Smith's readine-s in adapt-
ing and embodying into its perfo"mance the most
witty allusions to the events of the day, thus giving
to it the additional charm of variety—a charm
which formed a considerable portion of its attrac-
tiveness to the multitude. Ever fresh and new in
its details, though year after year the same in its
rer eral outlines, the ascent of Mont Blanc suceeded
I, •
in drawing up daily throughout the season, at the
doors of the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, a string of
carriages of the titled and untitled aristceracy,
such as would not disgrace the doors of the Opera
House on the night when Alboni or Piecolomini
were announced. It was visited by Prince Albert
in 1853 ; by her Majesty and the Royal children
in I 854; and represented privately at Osborne in
1855 ; and at Windsor Castle in 1856 before the
Royal Family anti the King of the Belgians.
To this entertainment Mr. Albert Smith deToted,
as it well deserved, his undivided attention and
energies, which was never known to flag. Except
for a month's vc cation in every year, this inde-
fatigable gentleman never relaxed hie labours since