fellow," says
another:--"you're too natural for them; they don't feel it."

"If it's natural they must feel it," said I, adding, "each of my
characters are, according to my ability, painted from nature; they are
individual abstractions with which _I_ have nothing to do; the colouring
is a part of each, and I can't change it as I change my audience:--'tis
only for me to present the picture as it is; for them to like or dislike
it."

For the six following evenings the houses, though not great, were equal
and good; each night I found my audience understanding me better, and
felt that I was grappling them closer to me. The arrival of Mrs. and Mr.
Wood earlier than the manager counted upon, created a difficulty; to
obviate which I waived my claim to six of my nights, as my acting must
have kept them idle.

A day or two before my departure for Philadelphia, I witnessed the first
appearance of this lady and her husband. Her reception was enthusiastic,
but Malibran had left impressions it was difficult to compete with; and,
although her brilliant talent was on all hands admitted, I am not sure
whether her husband's manly style of singing a ballad was not to the
full as much considered as her execution of the most brilliant scena.

The Park Theatre is, as well as I could judge, about the size of the old
Lyceum, of the horse-shoe form; has three tiers of boxes; is handsome,
and in all respects as well appointed as any theatre out of London.

The orchestra is at present excellent, and under the direction of a
very clever man--Penson, formerly leader at Dublin. The company I found
for my purpose a very fair one, my pieces requiring little save
correctness from most of those concerned, except where old men, like
"Aspen," "Frederick II." &c. occur, and all such parts found an
excellent representative in an American actor, called Placide. Descended
of a long line of talented players, he possesses a natural talent I have
rarely seen surpassed, together with a chastity and simplicity of style
that would do credit to the best school of comedy; yet he has never been
away from his own country. I trust the model may not be lost on those
who have to follow him.

There is a representative of old women here, too, a native, Mrs.
Wheatley, an inartificial charming actress, with a perfect conception of
all she does, and a humorous _espieglerie_ of manner that is admirable.
This lady has a daughter, a girl of fourteen, one of the cleverest