siasm, and joining in the plaudits his malediction of England elicited. We do not think it matters much, however conspicuous any ordinary individual may make himself in such matters; but public functionaries, whatever may be their feelings, surely ought to be, at least in appearance, neutral. We feel that we have no apologies whatever to offer to Mr. Meagher for this honest delivery of our sentiments. We have expressed ourselves in the handsomest terms of his private character; but when he places himself in the ranks of sedition, becomes an associate with those whose aim is to subvert the government of our country, and who speaks of that country in the most audacious terms of detraction, we are fully justified in "discussing" him in this, his public capacity. Mr. Meagher had evidently taken a one-sided view of the adage, "Aut Cæsar aut nihil," inasmuch as finding he never could become the first, he disdained the thought of subsiding into the other; and therefore leaped from the respectability of a patriot into the criminality of a traitor! It is such dangerous spirits as this person has proved himself to be, who have reduced the fair island in which they were born to the condition he has described it to have been in, who woefully pervert the high talents with which Nature has endowed them, and attribute to the misgovernment of others that which has altogether been brought about by their own misdirection. Truly, and beautifully withal, has Erin's chosen bard, Thomas Moore, thus sung of his native land: "Oh, let grief come first, O'er pride itself victorious, Thinking that man hath curst What Heaven hath made so glorious!" CHAPTER II. ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN STAGE-PROS AND CONS-THE LEGISLATURE AND THE PEOPLE HAVE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION 66 STARS"- -G. F. COOKE -THE EARLIEST AND THE LATEST 66 TER-BOOTH AND HIS NOSE-CONWAY, JOHN BULL," AND THEODORE HOOK-MACREADY AND HIS NOSE SOMETHING THE 66 SUS MADAME VESTRIS CHARLES MA THEWS, AND HIS FRENCH AND ENGLISH CORRESPONDENCE THE PRESS AND ITS PRIVILEGES HENRY PHILLIPS BRAHAM AND HIS TOUR-EFFECT OF FOREIGN UPON NATIVE TALENT-LIST OF THOSE WHO HAVE PRODUCED THAT EFFECT -FASHION OPPOSED TO JUDGMENT. VOL. II. C his wife. This was in 1742, when William Hallam (brother of the Hallam whom Charles Macklin, "the Jew That Shakspeare drew," accidentally killed in Drury Lane green-room, on the 10th of May, 1735,) succeeded to the managerial chair which Giffard had vacated, and remained in it until the year 1750, when he failed. Upon this untoward result of his administration, he directed his attention to the establishment of a theatrical company in America. Having imparted his scheme to his brother Lewis, who was a member of his late company, they organised an efficient force, with which Lewis sailed in the beginning of May, 1752, and landed at Yorktown, in Virginia, in the middle of June, leaving his brother William, the original projector, at home, to forward all matériel they might from time to time require. They moved on to Williamsburg, at that time the capital of the State, and on the following 5th of September (having obtained permission of the Governor to erect a theatre) a regular company of English performers made their first* appearance in America, with the view of establishing the drama there. * We believe that two or three minor members of this troupe went "starring" in the previous July, to Annapolis (the present |