e Irish Emigrant_,
with which he often graced the stage of the Winter Garden. In that he
touched the extremes of gentle humour and melting pathos. He was
delightfully humorous, also, in Handy Andy, and in all that long line of
Irish characters that came to our stage with Tyrone Power and the elder
John Drew. He had exceptional talent for burlesque, and that was often
manifested in his early days. _Fra Diavolo_, _Beppo_, _Lallah Rookh_,
_The Lady of the Lions_, and _The Colleen Bawn_, were among the
burlesques that he produced, and with those he was the pioneer.

Engagements were filled by Mr. and Mrs. Florence, at the outset of their
starring tour, in many cities of the republic, and everywhere they met
with kindness and honour. Among the plays written by Florence were _The
Irish Princess_, _O'Neil the Great_, _The Sicilian Bride_, _Woman's
Wrongs_, _Eva_, and _The Drunkard's Doom_. On April 2, 1856 Mr. and Mrs.
Florence sailed for England, and presently they appeared at Drury Lane
theatre, where they at once stepped into favour. The performance of the
_Yankee Gal_ by Mrs. Florence aroused positive enthusiasm--for it was
new, and Mrs. Florence was the first American comic actress that had
appeared upon the English stage. More than two hundred representations
of it were given at that time. Florence used to relate that his
fortunes were greatly benefited by his success in London, and he
habitually spoke with earnest gratitude of the kindness that he received
there. From that time onward he enjoyed almost incessant prosperity. A
tour of the English provincial cities followed his London season. He
acted at Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, and Dublin,
and both his wife and himself became favourites--so that their songs
were sung and whistled in the streets, wherever they went.

Returning to the United States Mr. and Mrs. Florence renewed their
triumphs, all over the land. In 1861 Florence played some of Burton's
characters in Wallack's theatre--among them being Toodle and Cuttle. At
a later period he made it a custom to lease Wallack's theatre during the
summer, and there he produced many burlesques. In 1863, at the Winter
Garden, he offered _The Ticket-of-Leave Man_ and acted Bob Brierly,
which was one of the best exploits of his life. In 1867 Wallack's old
theatre being then called the Broadway and managed by Barney Williams,
he brought to that house the comedy of _Caste_ and presented it with a
distrib