The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-19 00:00:00

OUR ACTRESSES. 2 Vols.

Smith and Elder, London, 1844,
These volumes consist of a series of biographical no-
tices, accompanied with brief cursory criticisms on their
talents, of the most eminent actresses and vocalists
that have appeared on the London boards within the
memory of the present generation. The authoress is
Mrs. Cornwall Wilson, who is already favourably
known to the play-going portion of the community,
by her Memoir of the Duchess of St. Albans. Her
present work is slight and gossipping in its character,
and has the recommendation, by no means common
with biography, of being penned throught in a kindly
and tolerant spirit. The critical portion of it is the
weakest, for Mrs. Wilson appears to be no very dis-
criminating judge of theatrical excellence; but as her
remarks are uniformly put forth without assumption
or pedantry, We feel no disposition to bear hardly upon
them. The volumes are embellished with half-length
Portraits of some of the most distinguished of our
female performers, among whom the authoress justly
allots a prominent station to Mrs. Nisbett, undoubtedly
the most finished comic actress of the day. We
quote the following passages from the memoir of
this lady :
" Mr. Nisbett was a most amiable and affectionate
husband ; and the widow's anguish may be conceived,
but cannot be described. It is said that a friend was
one day condoling with Mrs. Nisbett on the loss of her
husband. Husband !' cried the lovely widow, wiping
a tear from her brilliant eye—
" He never was a husband.'

" How ?' cried her friend, in astonishment.
" No ;—from the day of our marriage—he always
remained MY LOVER I' _

" The unexpected death of Captain Nisbett—who
was not, as may be supposed, much of a man of business,
caused perplexity.on pecuniary points ; there were dis-
puted claims to property, and some interested parties
threw the affair into Chancery ! Chancery ! there is
ruin—perspective beggary in the very name !
" During the Chancery proceedingi Mrs. Nisbett
thought it prudent, for the sake of her own near, and
we may add, dear relatives, to re-enter the theatrical
profession ; a profession which she had quitted under
such happy auspices : and, accordingly, in October, 1832,
she re-appeared at Drury-lane. I-ler reception by the
audience proved that they bad not forgotten their old
favourite, and that they could commisserate her in her
recent bereavement, and encourage her exertions to
counteract the frowns of fortune. She went through a
long list of the leading characters in genteel comedy, on
each night increasing her fame. Amongst her chef-
d'auvres were Rosalind, Beatrice, Violante, &c., &c.
Bankruptcies, non-payment of salaries, insolence,
attempts at imposition, and all the petty vexations which
crept in with the degradation and downfal of our na-
tional theatres, at length induced Mrs. Nisbett to accept
the cash-paid salary from an engagement at a minor
theatre, in preference to promise to pay' at a major
house. She passed through several engagements for
limited periods (so as not to interfere with her provin-
cial engagements), at the Queen's, and also at the Strand
Theatres. _ .

" At the Queen's Theatre we were present in Febru-
ary, 1835, to see Jerrold's new drama of the School-
fellows, in which Mrs. Nisbett sustained the leading
character with great and deserved applause. On this
evening there was a terrific outcry raised by the pittites
against the bonnets, which, at that time, were prepos-
terously large if at all fashionable. The performance
was for some time suspended with the cry of off bon-
nets' not being attended to. One little gentlemen, whose
patience could no longer endure the tower of Babel
before his view, very coolly stretching out his arm, sud-
denly and somewhat uncourteously thrust the point of an
umbrella into the crown of the brobdignagian head de-
fender that interrupted his view of the stage, and car-
ried off its straw-built roof on the ferrule of his con-
quering weapon, to the no small amusement of beholders,
but to the great dismay and enragement of the fair but
obstinate wearer. We are sorry to speak in terms of
censure of our own sex, but really on this point they are
very unaccommodating, and deserve to suffer for their
tenacity.
" On the evening in question, entreaty had failed to
remove the brobdignagian nuisance as it was called ;
skirmish after skirmish took place between female heads
and umbrella points, rendering the performance inau-
dible. At last a jolly tar, with lungs like a speaking-
trumpet in a gale of wind, got upon the seat, and roared
out—' Them as is gentlewomen is expected to take off
them helephant bonnets ; them as don't pretend to be
sitch, may keep them on.' The effect of this odd ad-
dress was like magic, the pride of every female took
alarm, and in a minute all the blue bonnets were over
the border,' to the great amusement as well as accommo-
dation of many of the audience."

GREAT WESTERN STEAM-SHIP.—A curious dis-
pute has arisen between the Peninsular Company and the
Great Western Company. The former, it appears, pur-
chased the ship, the Great Western, for 32,0001., the
owners undertaking to do whatever the Admiralty sur-
veyors might deem necessary to qualify the vessel for the
mail service. A considerable delay taking place in com-
pleting a set of new boilers on the tubular principle, some
time was requested and granted. All being ready, a trial
was had down the Severn, under the inspection of the
Admiralty surveyor, who found all right with the excep-
tion of the supply of steam, on which he declined to pass the
survey. Some alterations having been made in the boilers,
the vessel was announced as ready for a second trial, at the
request of the owners. A delay of a few days occurring in
sending the Admiralty surveyor down, the owners, with
Captain Claxton, the manager, took on themselves to
withhold the vessel, thus virtually cancelling the con-
tract, and, without notice to the Peninsular Company, ad-
vertised her departure for New York. The Peninsular
Company feeling that, whatever the delay might have
been, it was not to be laid to their account, but to that of
the Admiralty, and not disposed to yield to this summary
extinguishment of what was considered a desirable pur-
chase, an application was made to the Court of Chancery
to prohibit the vessel being sent to sea, and immediately
granted. Thus both this Company's vessels may be said
to be in Chancery, the one, the Great Britain, in the Bristol
dock, the other in Westminster-hall. Odds are now laid as
to which of these ships will be first discharged of the ne exeat
regno. The Peninsular Company have been obliged to dis-
patch another vessel, the Lady Mary Wood, in place of
the Great Western, with the Alexandria mails.—Liverpool
Albion.
FRENCH MEN or WAR.—The arrival of the
Danae, French frigate, of 56 guns, at Brest, puts an end to
an idle story which is reported in a Barbadoes paper, re-
ceived this week, that the Dublin, of 50 , guns, Captain
Tucker, had been sunk, with her colours flying, by three
French frigates, for having given protection to the Queen
Pomare, who had taken refuge on board of her. The Danae
was one of the frigates at Tahiti, and she mentions nothing
of such an event. The French garrison at the Marquesas
was in distress for clothes and money, having had no pay foi
fifteen months, and nothing but salt provisions. The French
navy is certainly moving about much more actively than
formerly. We observe that on the sth April the 60-gun
frigate Sirene, together with the Victorieuse and the Re-
eherche, left the Cape of Good Hope, for China; and on the
27th March the Erigone, 50-gun frigate, left the same station
for. Brest ; at the same time the man-of-war Colibri left the
Isle of France for the Isle of Bourbon.—Hampshire Telegraph.
Fnuocious ATTACK BY A BULL.—A few days ago,
William Binnington, a servant in the employ of Mr.
Jackson, of Old. Sunderlandwick Hall, near Driffield,
went to look after his master's stock, amongst which
was a bull, which made a ferocious attack upon him,
and being unable to escape from the reach of the infu-
riated animal, he was dreadfully gored. His cries for
help, and the bellowings of the savage beast, were heard
by some children at play near the farm, who imme-
diately gave the alarm ; Mr. Jackson immediately called
together all his men, and, having armed themselves,
proceeded to rescue the poor man from his perilous
situation. When released, he presented the appearance
of a mass of gore and wounds ; and his clothes were
torn into tatters. His collar bone was found to be
broken, and his ribs much damaged. On different parts
of the body were large gaping wounds, besides being
much bruised all over. On the arrival of Mr. Simpson,
surgeon, of Hutton Cranswick, he found the man in a
very exhausted state, and fast sinking, but by careful
administrationanma te od, f
and pr proper
per
he
was then able to have his wounds dressed and sewed up,
restoratives,and pers
evelnhge
peffoworetrssanodf
lifethe wree
re
and his bones properly adjusted. Up toTuesday last
he was going on with the hopes of an ultimate recovery.
Hull Advertiser.
CAUTION.-ALmtm or FIRE.—On Tuesday night
last the troops at Devonpoyt were turned out by an alarm of
fire which had broken out in the Mount Wise Barracks. It ap-
peared that one of the young officers of the 44th Regiment
had gone to bed with a cigar in his mouth, reading, and
falling asleep, set fire to his bed, which together with his
clothes, &c., as destroyed ; the fire, however, was got under
without don any father damage.—Devanport Telegraph.