New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-25

commanding figure"
! Returning to London Fennell made an engage
ment with Harris the manager of Covent Garden
Theatre and appeared Otkelo with good success.
Going back to Edinburgh he played there again,
and met many OF the prominent literary characters
4 of that city. He became involved in one of those
childish quarrels about pats which constantly
breaking out in tho best regulated theatres. and
gives a. long, tedious and utterly pro6tess
count of it, Mr.. Fennen evidently regards the
event perhaps the most important, historically
considered. of the century. Coley Cibber might
have made it interesting. but Mr.. Fennell writes
about ii in such dull way that the episode is simply
unreliable. 1t will hardly be believed that this
foolish squabble of no interest to any human
being, occupies something like fifty pages of the
book. 1t is really enivening in the Of it to
come across "a Captain McEwen. who had been in
the battle of Bunker HILL and returned to England
! with but seven men of his original company"
Fennell renewed his intimacy with Bruce and is sad
to have helped him ir correcting the Scotticsms
his book. Our author next playing for Tate
Wilkinson at York, where he met Mrs Farren.
having the pleasure of dining with her once and of
hearing her play on the piano." The recollection
of this prompts the following piece of exuberance
" IL anything | could say could prove a mite in
the treasury of alteration. should be lavish in her
praise, out conscious of poverty silent the
Countess of Derby hope she experiences all the
happiness to which her merits and virtues give her
! an irresistible title" At York. Mr.. Fennell also
met Mr. Warren, afterward the manager of the
Philadelphia Theatre. 1t is here noted that Mr..
tennell lived upon vegetables for weeks" but
was seduced from his vegetarian faith by" nice
heeisteak with oyster sauce" He al ways doing
something other " for six weeks" with the
utmost enthusiasm, and then abandoning il forever
AT one time he began work of "A most extensive
nature, viz, the arrangement of everything that
had been written in the English language, in poetry
and prose- in alphabetical order under its respective
head. embracing well the major and the minor
poets the works of the moralists the historians
and the orators" He went ut this trilng job with
the greatest industry. He caused to be manufac-
tured number of large ruled blank books. with
Russia binding of red and green morocco, at the
Expense of four guineas each. Suddenly a sense of
The immense number of such books which he would
be compelled to purchase and of the thereof in
duccd him to abandon the gigantic compilation :;
and he probably began to do something else with
similar short-li Ved energy.
Passing over various escapades both numerous and
tiresome, find Mr.. Fenncll engaging to 60 to
America with Mr. Wignell. then manager of n new
theatre in Philadelphia He arrived in Newly
to find the yellow fever raging in that city, where
the people dying at the rate of one hundred
day. But he needed money; his drafts were on
Philadelphia; and going there he taught English to
French emigrants until the curtain should 90 up
again. He played first for r.Wignell ut Annapolis
and afterward in Philadelphia Suddenly again he
took ii into his head to establish works for the
production of artificial salt. For the necessary APP
paratus, some of it, he seems to have had pat
ent. He encountered innumerabe difficulties. those
of pecuniary sort being predominant. He played
short engagements; he gave Rotations: he taught
eOcution to boys. He continued to bore everybody
about the salt works, and among others he ap-
pealed to Aaron Burr who nd yised him to apply for
aid to the Legislature. He had small salt works in
operation here and there and among others one At
New-Utrecht which destroyed by fire. Then
came lawsuits; then the death of children then
sickness severe that Mr.. Fcnuclrs coffin was
ordered; then more salt works near New London
which no sooner were toleraby prosperous than
they were also burned; then more theatrical en-
gagements; then disastrous attempts to establish
college of elocution lii Boston then plan for IN
structing deaf and dumb children then the utter
destruction OF the salt works by Il violent storm
which broke over the peninsula and carried ali
before it," including all Mr.. Fennels money earned
begged borrowed. Tho Connecticut wreckers
stole the floating timber and poor Fenncll had
nothing for it but to return to his theatrical drudg
Iery. He tells US how when he sick and poor In
New-York his young friend John Howard Paine
took him to his home and watched him tendery
day and night-a charity natural in the author of
/" Home. Sweet Home"
The news of the arrival of George Frederick
Cooke in America, Fennell says. aroused him from
the ethargy of despair into which he had fallen
Still feeble he declared that he would be present AT
Cookies first appearance; and so he was. He went
about hour before the usual time to the Park
Theatre, finding the street crowded and entrance
difficult. Most of the ladies of his party went
home; only one succeeded in gottlng into the
theatre. Cooke asked Fennell in Philadelphia to
! play Otheito to his own Idgo; but there the
usual differ lty; the part given to Mr.. Wood
and Door Fennel went back to his readings and
Rotations with occasional engagements at the
theatres He describes the temple of the drama al
Washington being in dilapidate1 state, with
water coming through the roof and three feet deep
in the cellar. After this there followed what Mr.
Fennell calls "a continued of calamities y
In Baltimore he arrested for debt and i'm
prisoned. His old friend Warren came to his
rescue, and the page grows redolent with praises of
his benevoence. AT the sa ne time" saws Fennell
4" am not ignorant of the many wtticlsms he has
INDUCED at my expense in public his glbes hi
tests, his flashes OF merriment which have so often
set his and other tables in roar; they have been
communicated to me under the guiso of friend
ship. l laughed at his humor, but | detested the
communication
Every other resource having failed, after sixteen
months imprisonment in Baltimore Fennel re-
turned to his family in Philadelphia. Mr. Warren
gave him q short engagement and benefit, but no.
body came. Lameness caused " by II fatal leap for
Alexander's car" complicated matters. Nobody
wanted any more lessons in elocution The wife
and children somehow have gone off the scene for
FenEell declares that he has none to suffer with
him, and is insulated beng" There was
nothing for him now to do but TO write his auto
biography and die.
In order to extend his book to 800 pages, am
sorry to say that Mr.. Fennell most palpabIv pads