f England
Company; and, afterwards, held the same position in the Midland Railway
Company. He speculated largely in railways, and, in the Parliamentary
return, already alluded to, his subscriptions appear as 319,835 pounds.

He came to London, and inhabited the house at Albert Gate, Knightsbridge
(now the French Embassy), where he entertained the Prince Consort, and
the aristocracy generally. He was elected M.P. for Sunderland in Aug.,
1845, and again served as Lord Mayor of York in 1846. The Railway smash
came; and, year by year, things went worse with him, until, early in the
year 1849, he had to resign the Chairmanship of the Eastern Central (now
Great Eastern), Midland, York, Newcastle and Berwick, and the York and
North Midland Railway Companies. He went abroad, where he lived for some
time, and tried, unavailingly, to retrieve his fortune. In July, 1865,
he was committed to York Castle for Contempt of the Court of Exchequer,
in not paying a large debt, and was there incarcerated till the following
October.

He fell so low, that, in 1868, some friends took pity on him, and raised
a subscription for him, thus obtaining 4,800 pounds, with which an
annuity was purchased. He died in London, 14 Dec., 1871.

We have been so accustomed to have nigger minstrels with us that I
suppose very few of us know when they began. Of course, I do not mean
the solitary minstrel like Rice of "Jump Jim Crow" fame, who was the
first, coming over here in 1836; but the first troupe. I find it in the
_Illustrated News_ of 24 Jan., 1846, whence also comes this illustration:

[Picture: The Ethiopian Serenaders]

"A party of American minstrels, under the above designation, commenced on
Wednesday night (21 Jan.), at the Hanover Square Rooms, a series of
concerts, for the avowed purpose of affording an accurate notion of Negro
character and melody. These artists are remarkably clever, and admirably
'made up.' They are painted jet black, with ruddy lips, and large
mouths; and, being capital actors, the deception created is so great,
that wagers have been offered that they are really 'darkies.' They dress
in dandy costume, _a la Jullien_--that is, white waistcoated and
wristbanded, turned up in the most approved D'Orsay fashion. Of course,
it is impossible to come to any right conclusion as to the authenticity
of the African airs, especially as they have arranged the compositions of
the great European masters in