MADAME MALIBRAN.

"MON CHER MONSIEUR BUNN,

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"Pressée par le temps comme je le suis, n'ayant que peu de jours à rester à Londres, puisque je pars pour l'Italie avant la fin du mois; j'accepterais volontiers votre offre de jouer la Sonnambule en Anglais pour une soirée, seulement aux termes de deux cent cinquante livres sterlings, payables le matin même de la représentation. J'ai cru devoir vous dire de suite mes intentions, pour ne pas perdre de temps en correspondences ou en conférences, qui ne changeraient rien à mes intentions. "Recevez mes compliments empressés.

"Le 21 Juin, Saturday Morning.

"M. F. MALIBARN."

“ P.C.—Un oui, ou non, de suite, s'il vous plait."

"Dans le cas où vous accepteriez, veuillez mentionner les termes contenus dans la presente lettre ?"

Here is a copy of a letter which she sent me announcing her arrival to fulfil her last engagement; and on coming to the theatre in the evening, she said, "I wrote it in the hall while they unpacked the carriage, and signed it De Beriot, to tell you from myself that I was married:

"Here we are

“A'l'instant j'arrive, à votre disposition, et bien portante. Je désirerais bien aller ce soir au théâtre dans le dressed circle, ou box. Croyez-vous que je pourrais y aller? Un mot de réponse; mon rôle, s'il vous plait.

"No. 59, Conduit-street."

"In haste,

"MARIA DE BERIOT."

What greater insight into the mind and character of such a being can be furnished than evidences such as these, emanating from her under different excitements, all indicative of those various feelings by which the whole tenor of her life was regulated. Truly indeed has it been written,

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"Women with painted forms,

They may deceive men, but cannot deceive worms;"

and though the charge conveyed herein be not brought against her, the moral is the same; for those "posthumous rascals have long since been banqueting on the cheek that was once so full of bloom, and the voice of lament has succeeded to the voice

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DECORATIONS OF DRURY LANE THEATRE.

of music, and-and-" Eheu fugaces, Posthume, Posthume, labuntur anni"-and-and

"How are the mighty fallen, and the beauteous passed away!”

CHAPTER XVIII.

Disadvantages of a clean over a dirty house-Monody on Madame Malibran-View of her resting-place-Death of Mr. Braham inspiring new life in Mr. Sinclair-Madame Schroeder and Madame SchneiderForrest's last address in America, and first appearance in England— Difference between the performers of the two countries-Mrs. Norton -Deaths of George Colman, George Harris, and John BannisterLord Byron's opinion of Colman-Another poet's opinion of himself— Correspondence with a variety of people in a variety of ways-Moore, Wilkie, Chantrey, Parker, Ries, Leigh Hunt, Webbe, Jenny Vertpré, Mademoiselle Duvernay, &c.

ANOTHER, among the many disadvantages under which the manager of one of the Theatres Royal labours, is the heavy tax of beautifying the interior of the building-a tax that was at this time doubly onerous, from the dirty state of the rival house: and the worst part of this duty is, that all the "golden opinions" the decorations of a theatre may win, will not add a single one to the treasury. The embellishments of Drury Lane Theatre, on its opening for the season of 1836-37, cost more than 1,5007., and are the very same to be seen there at this present writing, entering now on their fourth year of service. The reader shall have a full detail of them, that he may know what money has been spent to sustain the olden glories of this establishment, and to enable him (if he will have the kindness to take so much trouble) to give the lie direct to those slanderous magpies who talk of my having made Drury Lane theatre a bear garden, and having left it a dust-hole. I was told that my successor grumbled at having had literally to take out twenty-eight cart-loads of rubbish from the house, before he could begin to put it in order, and my reply, on hearing this, was that he would bring as many into it before he opened, and leave double the number behind him when he left-and seeing what has been done, and what is likely to be done, I think so still. But to the ornamental department:

DECORATIONS OF DRURY LANE THEATRE.

DECORATIONS OF THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.

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The Ceiling-Light gold colour enrichments supporting emblematical cameos, radiate towards the centre, and are connected by slender festoons of flowers; intersecting these at the base are eight bold semicircular panels, representing openings in the ceiling, showing the sky, with groups of children, allegorically illustrating the drama and the sciences connected with it. The ground is a soft cream colour.

The Cove is separated from the ceiling by a white fret enrichment on a lavender ground, and is divided into compartments of various tints of colour, ornamented with emblematical devices, bands of flowers, &c., and slightly relieved by gold.

On the Gallery Front are tastefully drawn dancing figures holding wreaths and festoons of flowers, interspersed with musical trophies, forming a sort of continuous frieze, of a novel and pleasing character. The second circle is divided by gilt enrichments into panels, in each of which is a raffle foliage scroll containing birds of rich plumage; and between these are smaller panels containing grotesque masks, on a maroon ground.

The First Circle is also formed into panels containing cameo paintings, surrounded by arabesque ornaments, and between these again are medallions containing heads of Tragedy, Comedy, &c., on a clear blue ground, and surrounded by sparkling gold ornaments.

The Dress Circle.-The panels of this circle contain wellexecuted paintings illustrating the best known subjects from the acted dramas of Shakspeare. These panels are separated by rich gilt dwarf pilasters, which form the base of the elegant white and gold columns of the box fronts.

The Proscenium.-The columns of the proscenium are again burnished gold relieved by white. In the box fronts, between them, on a crimson velvet ground, are richly gilt ornaments.

The general style of the decorations is after the Halls of the Vatican, painted by Raffaelle, though not at all copied from it.

Look at this grand display, actually got up in the very first style by that first of all decorators, Mr. Crace, and at a cost which added 500l. a year to the lease for the term. And the cui bono? It was beautiful to look upon—an artist might pass a pleasant and useful morning in contemplating it, and, taken altogether it was much more worth beholding than many things that were put upon the stage; but these doings never attract a

penny piece. The people look upon them as a matter of course: if you do not pay such attentions, you are considered in every respect a dirty personage; and if you do pay them, at however high a price, you get no credit for it. You have the gratification certainly of receiving company in a splendid mansion, but you also have the gratification of knowing that they only think it their due; and that unless the attractions on the stage are as dazzling as those on the front of the boxes, they would flock in greater numbers into the filthiest theatre in the metropolis. But if I have not already shown that every thing is against, and nothing for, a London manager, my present labour, like my past, has been indeed in vain.

The opening of Drury Lane Theatre, which had been announced to take place on the 1st, was postponed to the 8th of October, owing to the melancholy circumstance dwelt upon in the preceding chapter. I told you some pages back, patient reader, of the sacrilege I committed on the coffin of the deceased Madame Malibran, when

“The corse and I were left alone together ;"

and it is perhaps a pardonable vanity which, after having mentioned the fact, induces me to introduce the result, viz. THE MONODY ITSELF, which was spoken on the occasion of opening the theatre. It is not put forward on the score of any poetical pretensions; but considering where it was written, and under what feelings it was written, where it was delivered, and the interest which on that spot had been attached to the object of it, it may not be deemed altogether intrusive:

MONODY.

&c. &c. &c.

Changed is the scene since, one brief summer past,
Our theme of thanks by you was welcomed last;
Changed too each thought, which used to plume the flight
Of hope and joy, on this our opening night-

The smiles which beamed around us, the response

That glowed within us, clouded all at once.
Enchantress of the nations! She who breathed
The sweetest notes that ever music wreathed,
Whose magic tones were wont to pour along
Those compassed sounds, unknown before to song,
Hath passed forever from us-cold and still
The lip which once could every bosom thrill;
Glazed too the eye, whose intellectual fire
Could light the dull, and e'en the bright inspire:
And now she sleeps, if that may grief atone,
Within the land which loved her as its own.

MADAME MALIBRAN.

Here, then, where late the magic of her art
Subdued the stoutest, melted every heart,
It may be pardoned if we bring to view
Some humble tribute to such greatness due!

Here the scene changes, and discovers

THE MILL IN "LA SONNAMBULA."

Behold the scene, familiar to each eye

As were its tears she could command, or dry:
The mill, the stream, the cottage, and the dale-
The youth who loved her, and believed her tale.

Here the scene changes to

THE PRISON IN "FIDELIO."

Then pass we on to where, in hopes to save
Her captive lord, Fidelio dug his grave,
The daring heroine, the devoted wife,
Who risked her own, to save a husband's life.

Here the scene changes to

THE DESERTS IN "THE MAID OF ARTOIS."

Then farther on, along yon barren sand
The hapless maiden bathed her lover's hand,
Prepared the latest gasp of life to give,
And die with him her heart could not outlive!
Where is the breast, so uninspired and cold,
Could scenes of such pervading force behold,
Nor, while he bowed to woman's power before,
Gaze on, and wonder at its worth the more !
These are the scenes whose form we would recall,
Which want, alas! the soul that made them all—
And now but serve to show, in sad array,
The mighty and the beauteous passed away.
Now turn we to that fane, whose cloisters rang
With the rich strain her dying accents sang;
Beneath whose sacred dome in peace now lie
All of that gifted spirit which could die!
And thus, when other ties may be forgot,
Lov'd be the sanctuary, blest the spot,
Whence the last notes she warbled into air
Ascended into heaven, and rested there.

Here the scene changes to

THE INTERIOR OF THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF MANCHESTER.

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At the conclusion of the requiem, performed at Drury Lane Theatre on this occasion, immediately following the delivery of the monody, that exquisite finale to the Sonnambula, familiar