New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-11-16
DAILY CRESCENT,

AuruMS-A DIRaE. !: By saE;;,
Tht yssy see e fAng the bleak saowers are dying,
Is@ers hosshs sre signing, thar
o. sss'.rsA her d..s;Ss m 'Ar0ud o. leaves ''''
= Cone scnths come away, -
From November to May,
la your saddest array; Is
nSsbs desd. cold year
And Nike dim shadows watch py her sepuichre'
The ,nm r.,p rs falling. the nipt worm is crawling,
The rivers are swelling, the thunder is knellng
For the year
The bvths swallows are Town and the lizards each gone
To his dwelling;
Come months. come away
Put on white, black and grey,
Let your light sisters play
We follow the bier
= OF the dead cold year,
And make her grave green with tear on tear.
"REMINISCENCES OF SADLER's WELLS THEATRE,
LONDON Wells, at the end Of the last
century and beginning of the present, was truly
o suburban theatre, being surrounded ey helds;
The New River Head, its engine house ana
Office, the tavern called the Sir Hugh Middleton
and Islington Spa, formed group In conJunc-
ton with this theatre. There were not any
public lamps, and men and boys, with fam
beaux. we're in attendance ON the dark nights,
to light persons across the fields to the nearest
streets of 1slington, Clerkenwell, and Gray's Inn
Lane. Though not to be compared in number
with the cavalcades crossing the Arabian des-
erts the parties, these occasions, collected IN
groups, both for company and protection. l
have seen ten or twelve, with two or three link
men. thus traverse the fields from the Wells to
Queen Square, ETC. At that time the theatre
was place of much repute, and was conse-
ouentlya profitable concern to its proprietors.
These were Mr.. Siddons, husband of the justly
famed actress, who was then at the height of her
fame. and Mr. Hughes, who occupied the house
attached to the Wells, and possessed two or more
theatres in the West of England: One of his
daughters married Joseph Grimaldi, the most
celebrated of English clowns, and his eldest son,
Richard, joined the firm Of Lackington, Allen
& Co., of the Temple of the MUSES., Finsbury
Square, and bought share in Vauxhall Gar
dens. This connection was the original of q
novelty at the Wells Theatre of presenting to
each of the box visitors pint of wine. Another
novelty and means Of attraction was the intro
duction of large body of water from the New
River to a tank beneath the floor of the stage,
This floor being taken ur, a broad sheet of water
was displayed to the audience, and rendered
very effective in naval spectaeles. pantomines,
and burlettas which were written and adapted
to exhibit &C uatic scenes. Among the appar-
emily perilous and appalling incidents thus ex-
hibited, was that of heroine falling from rocks
into the water, and rescued by her hero lover;
a naval battle, with sailors escaping by plung-
ing into the sea from vessel on fire; child
thrown into the water by nurse, who was
bribed to drown it, but rescued by a Newfound
land dog. This water spectacle, with the vinous
gift, continued to attract full audiences for
three or four successive seasons. At that time
Lonsdale's continued and unwearied exertions in
producing novelties combined with iberality in
the proprietors, and by players of varied and
attractive powers, gave popularity to the thea
tire. Changes, however, came over the scene :
Mr. Siddons died, new proprietors embarked in
the Wells, Mr.. Lonsdale was engaged at Covent
Garden. and Thomas and Charles Dibdn sue
cessively purchased shares in the theatre.
Grimaldi, from boyhood to mature age, contin-
ued as I" star" in this theatrical armament;
whilst Richer, a rope dancer of distinguished
excellence and graceful figure. was much ad-
mired Dubois, Dighton, Belzoni, Mrs. Wybrow,
and many other performers of varied merit
combined to give eciat to the house. 1t may
be observed that this and the other summer
theatres of London, excepting the Haymarket,
were strictly prohibited from performing plays
with regular dialogue, by the law which gov
erned the two great patent theatres. Hence,
pantonimes, burlettas with dumb action, melo-
dramas, in which dialogue in doggrel rhyme
with vocal accompaniments were allowed, sing
ing, dancing, the tight and the slack rope, etc,
made up the routine of the nightly am easements.