Having brought this seminary from a deplorable state, in which he found it, to a flourishing condition, he was rewarded with the honours of citizenship. His peaceful and useful life was interrupted by the French invasion. He found means to make himself beloved by his adopted fellow-citizens, and they employed him in administrative offices in several of the Swiss cantons; but, finally withdrawing from public life, he married, and commenced author and editor of a newspaper. Abälino," the play which has made him known to the American public, and entitles him to notice in a history of the American theatre, was written upwards of forty years ago, probably about the same time that his translator commenced dramatist by writing The Father of an Only Child. His principal works are novels, which have been very popular.

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His Abälino has been translated into most of the languages of Europe, and brought forward on most of the European stages under various disguises. It was first played, in a language foreign to its author, in New-York, and only played in America by its original title. Never was a play more successful, or a successful play less productive to its author or translator. It was overwhelmed by snow.

On the 13th of April, De Montfort, one of those grand and truly poetical, as well as philosophical dramas, written by Joanna Baillie, to portray the progress of the passions, was performed, but failed.

If Mr. Cooper, instead of Mr. Hodgkinson, had represented the character of De Montfort, it might not have been so. The last mentioned performer, with all his versatility and excellence, had nothing of the sublime or philosophic in his composition. He was incapable of understanding De Montfort. But let us remember that all the apparent sublimity and real black letter of John Kemble, and the greatly superior powers of his great sister, could not render De Montfort popular in London. It would not perhaps have been so in the time of Addison.

To dilate on the merits of Joanna Baillie, and to insert a notice of her literary life, would give us pleasure; but we are admonished that our limits are too circumscribed for even the facts immediately belonging to our history.

Charles Jared Ingersoll produced a tragedy at the Philadelphia theatre, called Edwy and Elgiva. Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Merry played the principal characters, and the piece met with success. This gentleman has written a tragedy, called Julian the Apostate, of much merit, as far as we can remember from reading the manuscript many years since. It has neither been played nor printed.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Mr. Hodgkinson prefers being a salaried Performer to sharing Profits-Mr. White's Romeo-The Abbé de l'Epée-Philadelphia Company-Engagement of Mrs. Merry and Mr. Cooper for NewYork-Starring-Miss E. A. Westray-Mr. Placide-Hodgkinson's Falstaff-Opening of the theatre in October, 1802—Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock-Mr. and Mrs. Johnson arrive from EnglandMr. Prigmore-Mr. Wilson-Blue Beard-The Wheel of Truth -The Voice of Nature-Mr. Cooper departs for Drury LaneConsequences of the Wheel of Truth-Jonathan Oldstyle and Andrew Quoz.

It now appearing that the profit upon the theatrical business when divided would not yield Mr. Hodgkinson as much as his salary, by the agreement made at Boston, and the addition made afterward, he asked to be released from the sharing engagement, and placed on the salary list again; but demanded for himself and wife 130 dollars per week. The return to the salary list was finally agreed to, but the increase refused.

Mr. White attempted Romeo, and gave hopes of improvement; but much improvement was wanted to constitute him an artist.

The friends of Mr. Cooper, and among them the manager, wishing his return to the New-York theatre, mutual explanations took place; and the latter finding no difficulty in writing to invite him back, or in saying, "As far as my behaviour was influenced by anger in the unfortunate business

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which separated us, it was unwarrantable-it is likewise highly probable that I thought too much of myself and allowed too little for you, and consequently was erroneous," an engagement was concluded.

The next new play the manager produced was from the French, and called The Abbé de l'Epée. In this piece Mrs. Powell exceeded all expectation as the deaf and dumb boy. The public voice did her justice at last. But Mr. White failed altogether in the part allotted to him, and it was given to Mr. Martin.

As an instance of sensitiveness, or jealousy, or morbid feeling of some kind, this anecdote is worth recording. Hodgkinson had refused the part of greatest importance, as it respects the display of passion or of skill, in the Abbé de l'Epee, and the manager yielded and gave it to Mr. Harper, very much to the injury of the piece. A short time after, while the piece was still in rehearsal, and after it was known that Mr. Cooper was re-engaged, Mr. Hodgkinson's attorney, Richardson, called on the manager and read a paper addressed to him, complaining of a plot formed for the purpose of calling Hodgkinson to account for not playing the abovementioned part in the new play; and stating, "that on a certain day some one of the conspirators is to call upon the manager for the reason Mr. Hodgkinkinson is not in the play, who is to answer that he refused; and then he is to be cut up for his slight of the public." He goes on to say that he hopes

and believes that "the manager is not in the plot, but as he had read the play in a certain lawyer's office, he must know who the persons are, and have it in his power to prevent it; and that if it is not prevented, every thing must be at an end between the manager and Mr. Hodgkinson." As the accused and suspected manager had never read his play in a "lawyer's office," and knew nothing of any conspiracy, he dismissed the agent satisfied by the assurance. But not so his principal-he wrote to the author of the play in these words: "I am satisfied that you are no way concerned in the business which hurt me so much; but my authority on the intended plan I think unquestionable:" and went on to say, that, as but a few had read the play, the author may "stop the attempt." He then proposes friendship, and pledges himself "not to be a candidate for the theatre, but to support the present lessee in it ;" and concludes by asking for a copy of Abälino, "as a matter of justice, if not of friendship."

Mr. White consented to being withdrawn from the character of St. Alme, in the new piece, and announced it to the public as his wish, he finding the character too arduous; Martin prepared for the part, and Hodgkinson took Martin's place. The play was eminently successful.

Mr. Darley, having thrown up his commission as an officer in the marine corps of the United States, had returned to the stage of Philadelphia, and Miss E. Westray had become Mrs. Darley. With this