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MR. BRAHAM-MR. DUCROW.

-more memorable also for its striking events. The success of The Jewess was one that will not occur, and certainly has not occurred, in a quarter of a century. The assault of Mr. Macready was, beyond any dispute, a striking event; and the last performance on the London stage, and the stage of life as well, of Madame Malibran was another. These occurrences were "interlarded" with a considerable degree of fun, one sample of which cannot fail to divert the reader. Mr. Braham had engaged the Bedouin Arabs to perform in the Colosseum at a considerable expense; and Mr. Ducrow having announced a similar kind of entertainment by a larger number of artists, an application was made at Bow Street, on behalf of the former, for a warrant to stop the proceedings of the latter; upon which Ducrow issued the following bill:

"Extraordinary Equestrian and Gymnastic Arab "Feats! surpasses anything of the kind ever pro"duced. The public are respectfully informed that "these are not the four black men who play without "their shoes and stockings at the west end of the

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town, but upwards of forty British artists, that "challenge all Europe for talent, variety, extraor"dinary feats of manly skill and activity, and who

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nightly receive thunders of applause from crowded "audiences, and do not play to a dozen of daily "loungers. The union of talent and Arab spec"tacles of this establishment does not confine itself "to the tumbling of four great ugly blacks, who

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MR. DUCROW'S BILL.

85

have been refused an engagement at Astley's, because there are so many superior and more extraordinary men of our own country nearly starving, "and compelled to perform on an open race-course "for a penny, whilst those four men can get one "hundred pounds per week, because they are black, "and foreigners.

"The reader no doubt has witnessed boys running "alongside of a coach, doing what is termed CAT-IN

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WHEEL, and turning foresprings with one hand " and then the other; or throwing summersets from "a sand-bank. Such is the grand performances of "these Sauteurs, consisting of three or four blacks, "who walk on their hands, with their

66 NAKED FEET IN THE AIR, LIKE TWO BLACK FRYING-PANS,

"(of course no lady or respectable person can sit "and see this.)

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"These blacks, with the man who takes half their money, applied at Bow Street to ask if they could "not prevent Astley's from using the word Arab "Exercises,' for that the public went every night "and filled Astley's, and never came to see them "at all! Why, of course, the public are the "best judges, and know the difference between see

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'ing a spectacle in character, produced with splen"dour, to introduce the talents of the flying man, "the equilibrists, elastic tumblers, the antipodeans, "jugglers, dancers, men and horses, tableaux, the "groups of trained horses, and other novelties!

"But come, see, and judge for yourselves; for this "is only a small part of Astley's entertainments."

I should like to know who could resist such an appeal as this. Thousands did "go and judge for "themselves," and laughed at the play-bill, more than, probably, at any of the performances they had seen in their lives. If any one comedian of the day possessed half the humour there is in Ducrow, he would make a splendid fortune, without working half as hard for it as he does.

CHAPTER IV.

The manager's last sight of the actress-Kean, ou Désordre et Génie, exemplified in the actor and the dramatist-Kean's sugar and water, without brandy-Taglioni and Malibran, "the two stars in one sphere"-6,000%. too much to pay for enthusiam-One of Beazley's many jokes-A supper at Brompton, and a breakfast in the morning-Malibran's death-Funeral-Mourners at it-The Moseley arms and the coffin-De Beriot-Dr. Belluomini-Lablache-De Beriot's grief, and his sister's letter-Report of the Festival Committee-The Duchess of St. Alban's-Malibran's correspondence-Melancholy engagement for a small sum--Demand for an unusually large one-The fall of beauty and talent.

DURING a short visit I paid to Paris, during the recess, in company with mine excellent friend, Mr. Beazley, (under whose surveillance Drury Lane Theatre was to be redecorated, beautified, cleansed, altered, relighted, &c. &c., by the first day of the ensuing October, I saw Madame Malibran for the last time, ALIVE, in the Variétés Theatre, on Wednesday, August 31, to which place all the playgoers of this metropolis, who could gain admission at any price, were attracted, to witness the first representation of a drama, entitled Kean, ou Désordre et

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ALEXANDER DUMAS' "KEAN."

Génie, founded, or purporting to be founded, on the biography of our celebrated tragedian. The drama was from the pen of Alexander Dumas, who sat in becoming state in the dress boxes, to listen to the plaudits bestowed upon as worthless a composition as ever was put upon a stage. The tendency to exaggeration, which characterises our lively neighbours in most respects, is remarkably apparent in their dramatic labours. They seek for effect, even at the expense of truth, and in utter defiance of all probability. An historical subject, taken up by one of their ablest dramatists, is handled in the same fashion -although they have access to Bibliothèques in abundance, where such glaring inaccuracies might be corrected. If, therefore, they trifle with matters of fact, in connexion with national narrative, it is less to be wondered at that they do not consult them in cases of a purely individual nature. Monsieur Dumas' drama of Kean is the completest hodgepodge that ever was compiled. He lays the scene of the tragedian's glory at Covent Garden, instead of Drury Lane, represents him as a perfect RICHELIEU in the beau monde, exhibits him as disputing the heart of the Countess Kefeld, lady of the Danish ambassador, with no less a personage than the Prince of Wales, (characterised as his intimate friend,) who, for interfering with his Royal Highness's pleasurable pursuits, banishes him to America for one year, whither he carries off the richest English heiress, yclept Miss Anna Danby; while, in some interme