The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-22

of spectacular and pantomime perform ances and press notices from the news papers. These performances were given in the 40s and early 5os in England, The scrap book was kept by his uncle who, as aforesaid, died of cholera in 1S49.
 Continuing, MT. Hemmings said "G was learning to ride and also to do the tight rope when the Rzeys first appeared in England, In Birmingham. Then the Hemmings Troupe followed the Rizeleys in their steps performing this act in not only all the theatres in London and the provinces. but also on the continent, in Italy and in Belgium and month in Paris The Rizley act was a great nov city. We used to perform it between the acts in Italian operas In Italy and in France"
 After his uncle died, MT Hemmings was thrown on his own resources-he was then about fifteen. 'I found it very hard to get along" said Nrr. Hemmlngs, "as we were not acknowledged performers until twenty-one years of age. I went up to London and had an interview with a man named Batty, who was then man ager of Astleys theatre in London In those days it was customary to appren- tice boys and girls in the show business as in any other trade This was custom ary also, I believe, with American cir cuses. Anyway I was apprenticed to Batty and at the Worlds Fair in Lon don 1851, I did principal riding act.
 "Batty was in partnership with man in a big undertaking called the Hippo drome. in the vicinity of the Crystal Pal ace. The grand entry was called The Cloth of Gold. For a while I worked at both places, as did many of the other people, appearing in the afternoon in the Hppodrome and at the theatre in the evening. l remember my brother and | appeared In big spectacle at Astley's theatre entitled St. George and the Drag on. In 1853 we did equestrian work at the Rosemary Branch Gardens at Islington, which was destroyed by fire. We lost everything we had. horses, costumes and all. I was now absolutely penniless l then went with Mile McCarty's company for two seasons in England. This was a circus under canvas During the winter l played in the theatres. In the spring I joined Spence Stokes then a noted snowman. He had a big card with him in the person of Ella Zoara, who was a great principal circus rider, and also female impersonator. His makeup was really wonderful and he performed his act with this makeup with such success that no one ever suspected him of being a man. His sex was kept secret and he created a great sensation on the conti
 
 rlous courts of Europe and titled noble men went wild over him and made him costly presents 1t was about this time that the mating ring was introduced, thus revolutionizing the circus business and making It possible to give circus ex- hibitions on an interior stage. After this I worked with Pablo Pranques' circus. Wallett the famous clown and queen Jester played clown to my principal act. 
 About thi. time MT. Smith of London, bought a circus-it was during the Cri- mean war-with the intention of introduc- ing military eyolutions on the stage as soon the siege of Sebastopol was over. but the siege was so long continued that he had to send the company on the road. You see In these days circus actors were engaged all the year around In the sum- mer we played under canvas and in cold weather we played in London and in the larger cities of the provinces in buildings.
 "A modern counterpart may be found in the winter exhibitions given by Frank Bostock Francis Ferar and others. Those were great days. I remember that at Dunmore and at other places as well, it was customary in the fall of the year to give what was called the 'Flitch O Bacon fesivals. A man and wife who could prove that they had not quarreled for a certain length of time were pre- sented with souvenirs. At these festivals they used to call on London for talent. and Smith used to send his ballet girls from the Drury Lane down to the fes- tival. They would appear in the grand procession and then circus performances would be given afternoons and evenings. My last engagement in England was at two weeks winter circus given at Fox hall Gardens In London"
 In 1S55, Mr. Hemmines met a man by the name of James Amandez, in London. He was from America and was playing an engagement in London. He persuad7 ed MT. Hemmings to go to America with him, and George Reilly. the vaulter and juggler on horseback. They sailed on the steamer Ericsson of the Collins line, running between Liverpool and New York The captain was Captain Ericsson, the inventor of the famous Monitor, which latter fought battle with the Merrimac. Mir Hemmings remembers It as an extremely rough voyage. On thls trip the steamer carried the first big in- voice of canary birds ever brought to this country. They were shipped to the old animal dealer Richy, In New York. The weather was so bad coming over that these birds died by the score, so that In order to realize enough on what was left to break even on the order, Richy, after getting the birds into Nav York, shipped
 
 Cor them. Richy was a well known anil nal dealer in those days, having place on the Bowery and one at Hoboken, and Frank Thompson, who was connected with the Cincinnati Geological Gardens in their infancy, was for a long time an agent In Africa for Richy
 Mir. Hemmlngs. in undertaking the trip to America, was like the children of Is- rael when they set out from Egypt for the promised land. He expected that America would be a lond flowing with milk and honey; In other words, he ex- pected to find plenty of work, but he was disappointed. It was in the winter when he arrived in America and he found out that clrcuses were different here from those in England. In England circus performer could work all the year round. but here there was only work for him In the summer time under canvas. There was only one winter circus and that was General Welsh's Amphitheatre in Chest nut street Philadelphia, and if you could not get booked at this place you had to lie idle until the following summer.
 Mr. Hemmings stayed in New York a week and met an old friend by the name of Shirinni an Italian equestrian, who had been his tutor at Astley's circus in London. After trying to secure & date at Barnum's for his tight rope act, and get ting turned down by the manager be- cause he asked for $50 per week, he ar ranged to go to Cuba with Shirinni and they worked at Havana at the Plaza de Tauras in a circus, for about two weeks then a Spanish officer took charge of the show on a commission basis and took 1t Zen tour'' with OK teams through Cuba. While in Havana he received a letter