New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-01-22

(. The Democratic members of the Legislature have
arranged to meet in caucus tomorrow, for the pur
pose Of determining upon candidate for United |
Senator from this State.
River Intelligence.
VIcKsBURG, Jan. 21.-The steamer Mars passed
down at O'Clock last night. The Pacific passed
down at this morning. The Princess passed down
at 8, and the 1ngomar at o'clock this evening.
"A. fProm the N. Y. sundsy rmes.
THE vAGABo ND"
Night with the Booths.
ssr "Insssuss s,ss, dsepo pssss nas.s,
Great actors seem to be regarded with peculiar
and personal interest The world wants to hear about
of Rachel is the most successful book Of the season.
and anecdotes Of Rosci0s or pictures Of Garck are
preserved as carefully - royal autographs originals
BY Guido. The feeting triumphs Of the stage are
mimic sovereign s sometimes lasting a. that OF the
real msnarchs who lorded it lofty. And indeed,
now that both are gone, wherein Is George III better
Of than Ganlck2 The tinssl crown lasted ts owner
fender Of the Faith the sceptre Of each has passed
into other hands.
! spent night, not long ago, with young Booth
the theatrical wardrobe reading letters from I'd.
mund Kean and the elder Mathews, from Eiliston
and Macready looking over play bills printed In
1910; picking ont the history Of q lifeline from
fragments Of dresses and leaves Of books and read
ing remarkable character from manifestations made
only to its intimates. 1t is quite q history. The
young actor and started from Baltimore at noon
and drove about twenty-five mes before reaching the
farm. Neither Of ns were particularly conversant
with the management Of horses under difficulties
and when the harness broke, it did once or twice.
Romeo and the "vagabond" were in quandary in
kingdom for horse" but I'm sure he'd much rather
have had a groom just then; and when the carriage
stuck in the mud, We could only initiate the classic
countryman, and calls on our gods, but with as little
the reins, while Roscius set to work and played far
rier, being positively his first appearance In the part
We lost shoe, and famed horse, and broke the
tackle some half dozen times but at last got safely
at the fine old homestead where my friend was born
'Tisa beautiful spot None Of your carefully laid
out villas; no grottoes, or gardens fountains no
graveled walks or conseryatories but such place
prefer to anything Of the more fashionable Sort.
remote and lonely precinct the house stands back
long way from the county road, and is approached
through woods tis situated in an opening, and sur
rounded on all sides by thick growth OF trees the
whippoorwil and the raccoon are neighbors some
fields of meadow land or corn hard BY, relieve the
landscape and an acre or two Immediately beside the
| house was evidently once lawn 'ts now uncared
ing that stood when the elder Booth bought the farm
quarter OF century ago, is given over to squad
Of negroes, who labor on the place, while the DWELL
nghouse, some six years old, has constituted until
i
town residence, and when we reached the building it
had not been occupied, nor indeed opened for many
| months
We had the keys, however, and after giving our
horses in charge Of venerable black who declared he
had had Massa Edwin himself in charge more than
once" we entered the mansion. Twas nearly dark,
and cobwebs reached across the door most Of the fur
niture had been removed in fact ali but few book
cases and tables. We ransacked drawers and closets
for old books and letters and journals and pamphlets
and we found them. Books in every language Latin
and Greek, French. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese,
quotations the classics Of each language, with plays
| and dramas by all sorts of people in all sorts Of
tongues. Terence and Lope de Vega, Shakespeare and
TAFT, Ben Jonson and Racine lay side by side the
shelves with the productions Of some nameess vaga-
bond, who had sent his effort in manuscript to old
Booth for inspection. Plays whose names alone were
familiar to me; some of which had never heard or
read some that had been performed, some that had
been damned some marked for the stage, with the
blank page Interviewed and full OF directions some
with wonderful autographs on the lyleaf some with
| uncut leaves. Then there were novels and poems,
pieces Of Spanish literature. The Koran, too, we
found, and pored over it, getting authority for all
sorts Of wickedness; and concluded twould be o
much peasanter vade nec,in for young men than the
religious book of the Giaours
Before long, darkness overlook us but we were
prepared for all emergencies, and had brought can
dies from country shop on the road What to stick
them in was the question Mambrino's basin did ser
vice better than when it was transformed into he'll
met, and the experience Of my comrade suggested
other expedents for lighting the scene. One was
that should serve as candestck after the fashion
Of the martyrs in Nero's time he had seen some.
thing Of the sort the stage, suppose. This how
| ever, did not take my fancy as it did his, and we
compromised by sticking the candle in an old shoe
Then we sat on the floor together in an old closet,
and reveled treasures. First one would cry
at fresh discovery then the other exclaimed as
| he struck vein or came upon placer.
Letters and journals, as well as books, were open
to the scrutiny Engagements offered to Junius
Booth nearly half century ago particulars Of his
quarrel with Edmund Kean invitations to the box Of
the elder Mathews; witty notes from Eliston were
tumbed BY turns out OF trunks and corners, where
playbills had wonderful fascination for me. The
first appearance Of Edmund Kean and Jnnius Brutus
Booth In the same piece was announced the debut
Of Booth in America; the first night Of the "Apos
father once declined. II was strange to look at
these bills that were first handled fifty years ago and
three thousand miles away; that told Of the pleasures
of people long since in their graves. Manager and
actor and audience, all have passed away and here
were we two young men wondering and gossipipg
over all that remained of what was SO interest
ing. These little bits Of paper called up the
very wildly l could imagine the crowded house
as they must have appeared long before was born
and as looked up at the face of my companion, all
aglow with interest," it was no difficult task to sum
mon the handsome, expressive countenance his own
is said to be SO like, and to fancy the person and
powers Of the great actor whose genius as well al
whose manly beauty he inherits.
The plays were many of them the very same il
which young Booth excels. l saw the bills printed
when the father was at the exact age of his son to
day; Sir Giles Overreacb, Richard Ill, Sir Edward
Mortimer were in as much demand in England in 'lS
as they are in America in '5S. So thought Of tn
long Of triumphs the father had gone through
and wondered whether fate had in store for the youtl
at my side corresponding history, as she had al
ready showered on him corresponding gifts. Their
was tinge Of soberness In mirth. The glee witt
, which we goated over these strange treasures coul
not but be tnctured by thoughts OF the utter obyo
into which much Of what had once been so intensel
present had forever sunk; and as we saw the part
!. SO familiar cast to names we never heard, though W
talked not much Of sentiment, am sure we both fe
It, Then too, in the midst OF these mementos Of tn
father, we came upon pile ofplaybills belonging
the son, and compared the casts we thought Of th
time when some youngsters would be looking owe
these very lists, and we should have long since mou
dered. The candles were getting low, you see.
!, We were neither OF US good at snufing them an
more than once overturned stand and all in our il
= judged attempts, besides backing our fingers. Th
time passed away very quickly, and when Hamle
Q took out his watch and made me guess the hour
said 10 O'Clock, though it was past Q. We had mad
no arrangements for sleeping there no beddin
. in the house but we were having night of it, an
ol,1o tho ndy hrou