Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-24


made to Americans, who do not care
anything for schools but want tuneful
and interesting musical dramas, and the
latest determination of the Academy
set to Guido the Metropolitan set has
handicapped the whole scheme for the
public. In spite Of these drawbacks
there is plenty Of money and plenty Of
organization. so that it may yet retrieve
its errors.
Modjeska had been claiming atten-
ton in I" Donna Diana" an old come
dy revived, in which she appears to
much better advantage than in most Of
her stock pieces.
Mr.. Days revival Of the - Merry
Wives Of Windsor was something OF
an artistic failure, mainly because the
central figure, which is Fdlstaf, is no
longer within the grasp of Charles
Fisher. The comedy itself is loaded
with horse-play at the best, and unless
the unctious humor of the old swash-
buckler redeems it the scenes fall
rather fiat. Nothing can be more
dreary nowadays than the last act, in
which the whole company 60 through
the mummery at Hearne Oak. Mr..
DAILY adheres to his old plan Of doing a
Shakspearean comedy every season, but
it is doubtful if his clever people, who
are the best we have for current or
contemporaneou character, cango back
ward to the antique with facile art.
Curiously enough, Margaret Mather
has caught the town in " Leah one
of the most cruel and melancholy OF
stock pieces. But there can be no
doubt of her power in it. She has
packed the UniOn-Square night after
night, and Mr.. Hill has been compelled
to postpone his change of bill. This
only proves what has been frequently
said-that Miss Mather is essentially a
melodramatic actress. Given such
plays as Madeline Morel," The
sphinx" ARTICLE A." &C., she
would revive the fpror that Clara
Morris once made.
Preparations are making at the
Union-Square for the production Of a
serio.comic piece called " Jack in the
Box" for which young Englishman
named Glover has been sent out to
superintend the rehearsals. Mr.. Lester
Wallack has announced his intention of
reyiying himself in "The Guv'nor,"
and Kate Castleton, somewhat worn.
has quietly taken possession of the
Standard. Dixey remains on self
sustaining basis at the BUOu, and the
population Of New York begins to groan
under the weight of his souvenirs.
ENIGRANTS AND EMIGRATION.
From the beginning of the year 1915
to the close Of 1885 S,l33,272 emf
grants were landed at the port of New
York, $780, 800 of these were Irish
and 3,l40,G76 Germans, while the Eng
lish constituted 100000. The largest
number of emigrants ever landed at
Castle Garden in one year was 41G,0NG,
in 1882, and the smallest since lS47 was
j4.j3G, in 1877. This was probably
caused by European doubts of Ameri-
can financial stability. for the Castle
Garden authorities say that emigration
is one Of the most sensitive of imam
cial indicators. Between 1919 and
1854 the average number Of emigrants
landed in New York was over 100000
per year. yet the breaking ont of
the American war sent the figures
down to 81, $50 in 1851. The emigrants
bring more money into the country than
is generally known, and some of New
York's prosperity is undoubtedly due
to the fact that it receives nearl y three
fourthS Of the whole emigration to this
country. During the last five years
they have exchanged gold coin and for
eign notes amounting to $S,3S2,O0O at
Castle Garden, besides which they have
carried drafts on the interior amount
ing to over 100000, AID have paid
sj.000.O00 additional before leaving
their own countries for transportation on
American railways and river steamers.
As this last amount ultimatel y comes to
the American railway and steamboat
owners, the emigrants must be credited
with having brought Sl5.3N2. GOO into
the country during the last five years
Previous to l847 the condition of the
emigrants was miserable in the extreme.
They were crowded on the lower decks
of vessels sick and well, old and
Young, male and female, all together
! subject to brutalities from the crew and
officers, and in nowise better Oil than
blacks in the hold OF slaye-Ship. EX-
listing statistics show that % per cent.
of all who emigrated during some years
previous to ls47 died on the voyage
or shortly after landing. A yOy-
age often lasted three months.
When the emigrants did land they
were made the victims Of organized
bands of robbers, whose numbers and
power in the community seem increi.
BILE now. There were chiefs among
them, with agencies in inland cities and
henchmen by the score. They would
forcibly seize passengers baggage and
then charge exorbitantly for storage, or
they would extort three times the actual
cost Of transportation. Captains of ca
nal and river-boatS, custom-house OIL
GERS, and railroad-men worked in with
these criminals, and between them there
were few of the emigrants who eS-
capped being feeced. Other classes of
criminals inveigled emigrant-girlS by
the thousands. and dens existed all
along the water side, where murder for
the sake of robbery was almost carried
on as trade. These mOnstrouS evils
caused a popular movement which re-
suited in legislation establishing the
Commissioners Of Emigration, since
which the dangers to the emigrant have
been minimized. Every now and then
some individual attempts to perpetrate
an outrage on an emigrant or emigrants'
but the New York judges are terribly
severe in these cases, as Italian padrOnes
sent for ten years to Sing Sing and pro-
curesses ruined and put in prison for
half the remainder Of their natural
lives can testify.
Average Attendance.