his trooper's cloak, in the dead of night, and explored the kitchen, searching the dresser and shelves, in hopes of finding some eatable remnant that might satisfy the cravings of hun. ger, but in vain. On his return to his hay-truss, he accidentally struck against the kitchen table, the noise of which he feared might alarm the family; and that, uncertain of the real cause of his leaving his apartment at that hour, they might naturally suppose that his purpose was to rob the house, as a reward for the hospitality he had received. The idea added to the misery he was then enduring. He trembled, and listened, but all was quiet. He then renewed his search, for his hunger overcame his fears, and to his intense delight he found a large crust of stale bread, which he was afterwards informed had been used for rubbing out some spots of white paint from the very cloak that composed his bedding. He devoured it with avidity, as he was entering on a fourth day without nourishment, and returned heartfelt thanks to Providence, whose omnipotent hand was stretched out in the very critical moment, to save him from the most direful of all possible deaths-starvation!

At length he "returned to reason and the shop," and was received by his relatives with all the warmth of parental affection. For three years he attached himself solely to business, and resolved to abandon the stage and its delusive dreams forever. But the applause he had received continully rang in his ears. Anon the theatrical drum sounded its loudest notes; he forgot the misery of his former campaigns, the empty glory alone remaining in his recollection. The temptation overpowered him, and once more he became an actor. After several short excursions of little moment, he enlisted under the banners of Mr. Richard William Knipe, whose daughter he afterwards married in Belfast, and became the father of a family of four children. Knipe was a veteran commander, highly esteemed in the country parts of Ireland a scholar and a gentleman, whose facetious and eccentric character was long remembered and recorded with pleasure by those who knew him. On Knipe's death, Cherry joined the principal provincial company of Ireland, under the management of Atkins, where he filled a most extensive round of characters,

and for many years was the popular favourite throughout the north.

Mr. Ryder, having, in 1787, been engaged for Covent Garden, Cherry, whose reputation had reached the capital, was called up from Belfast, to supply his place at the Theatre Royal, Smock-alley, Dublin. He made his first appearance as Darby, in the Poor Soldier; his success exceeded his most sanguine expectations; he soon established himself in public favour, obtained possession of a range of characters as various as they were extensive, and for six years, Little Cherry, as he was familiarly called, stood at the top of his profession in the comic line. His first original character in Dublin was a Spouting Barber, in a very pleasant entertainment, called The Hypochondriac, which performance gave great satisfaction to the author, Mr. ANDREW FRANKLIN, who wrote constantly for the Dublin theatre, and whose productions were held in high repute in his own city, even when they had not been breveted by the London stamp. Franklin was the author of a farce, called the Mermaid, acted at Covent Garden, in 1792, better suited to the gods of the gallery than the critic in his closet. In 1797, he produced, A Trip to the Nore, a musical trifle in one act, intended to celebrate Lord Duncan's victory at Camperdown. Franklin says in the preface, that he wrote it in one day, and that it cannot brave literary animadversion. In the same year appeared from his pen a comic piece, with the startling title of The Wandering Jew, which was speedily consigned to oblivion. His other dranias are, The Outlaw's Embarkation (produced on the expedition to Holland in 1799); Gander Hall (a failure), acted one night only at the Haymarket, for the benefit of Mrs. Gibbs; The Egyptian Festival, a comic piece; and The Counterfeit, a farce. The two last were produced at Drury-lane, with tolerable attraction.

turned to his native country, induced by a flattering offer from Daly to perform with Miss Farren. He received a most cordial greeting on his appear ance as Sir Peter Teazle, and remained for two seasons in Ireland, during which time he wrote and produced two operatic pieces- Harlequin in the Stocks, and The Outcasts, which were received at the Crow-street Theatre with general approbation, and added much to his professional importance. The manager treated him ill, and he quitted Ireland once more, for Manchester, from whence he removed to Bath, at that time considered second only to London, in theatrical taste and fastidious criticism. He succeeded Blisset, who had been a universal favourite, but the Bath connoissieurs pronounced Cherry's Captain Bertram in the Birth-Day, to be as finished a picture of the scenic art as had ever been witnessed on their boards. reputation as an actor in the first class soon became fixed and determined, and for four seasons he enjoyed the most honourable patronage and support.

Ilis

On the resignation of Mr. King, he obtained the summit of his wishes, an engagement at Drury-lane, where he offered himself for public approbation on the 24th of September, 1802, in the characters of Sir Benjamin Dove, in Cumberland's comedy of The Brothers, and Lazarillo, in Jephson's farce of Two Strings to your Bow. The success he met with in both these parts at once established his position. On the 7th of February, 1804, Cherry made a great step as a dramatic author by the production of The Soldier's Daughter, a comedy, which, whatever may be the true standard of its merit, enriched the treasury of the theatre, and ran for thirty-five nights to crowded houses, during the first season. It has kept the stage ever since; and, although too mawkish in sentiment, and too full of clap-trap to suit the fastidiousness of modern taste, it is, nevertheless, an effective play, and likely to continue long on the stock list, as affording the opportunity of good acting in many of the principal characters. The underplot, with the distresses of the Malfort

family, forms a damaging episode, which would be better omitted. The title of the comedy was happily suited to the warlike spirit of the time. The Widow Cheerly, the Soldier's Daughter, was admirably supported by Mrs. Jordan, who also spoke an epilogue in character, which very whimsically described a female army of reserve, and contained several happy points, delivered by that inimitable actress with the most powerful effect. Exactly two months later, Cumberland produced a comedy on the same boards, which he christened The Sailor's Daughter, but the similarity of name was far from producing a corresponding success. After five or six unprofitable repetitions, it was laid aside.

In 1817, The Soldier's Daughter was revived at Covent Garden Theatre, for Miss O'Neill, who performed the Widow Cheerly six times; but she was more exclusively a daughter of Melpomene than Thalia, and in this part suggested painful reminiscences of Mrs. Jordan.

On the 15th of May, 1805, Cherry brought out a comic sketch at Drurylane, entitled, All for Fame, or a Peep at the Times, which was performed, or rather recited, for Mrs. Mountain's benefit. It was a mere trifle, pleasantly levelled at the Betty mania, and the prevailing rage for infantine actors. In the August of the same year, he wrote a comedy called The Village, or the World's Epitome, which was acted at the Haymarket, and so badly received that it was withdrawn after the second representation. The object seemed to be to correct the error of those who imagine the country to be the only seat of innocence, candour, and generosity. For Incledon's benefit at Covent Garden, Cherry furnished a musical interlude, under the title of Spanish Dollars, or the Priest of the Parish, which was afterwards adopted by the management. In the year following, the grand operatic drama of The Travellers, or Music's Fascination, in five acts, was produced at Drury-lane. Few pieces have been more successful or attractive, and the spectacular portion was considered to have surpassed

Lewis as Sir Charles Racket, as if he was going to eat me." make two bites of A cherry,”

all that had hitherto been attempted. The music, composed by Corri, and sung by Braham, Mrs. Mountain, Signora Storace, and Mrs. Bland, was greatly admired at the time. The piece is replete with clap-traps and allusions to passing events, which received proportionate applause. The plot and incidents are extravagant, not to say impossible; but the excellence of the acting, and the constant variety, silenced all critical objections. Sixteen years later, The Travellers was revived at the same theatre, with very little success, and scarcely one of the original performers.

Thomas King, the celebrated comedian, the original Lord Ogleby and Sir Peter Teazle, who had retired from the stage in 1802, died at the commencement of February, 1806. On the 12th of that month a performance took place at Drury-lane for the benefit of his widow, who was in straitened circumstances, as King had imprudently lost much of his savings by gambling. For this occasion Cherry wrote a poetical effusion (as it was called in the bill), denominated "Thalia's Tears." This was never repeated or printed. On drawing up the curtain, the stage exhibited an interesting group. The back-ground represented Parnassus. Upon a pedestal in the centre, Mrs. Jordan, as Thalia, was discovered weeping over an urn, containing the ashes of poor Tom King, once the favourite of the comic muse. On each side the most admired characters of this excellent actor were personified by the following individuals: Mr. Bannister appeared as Touchstone, Mr. Cherry as Lord Ogleby, Mr. Wroughton as Moody (Country Girl), and Mr. Dowton as Sir Peter Teazle. Thalia recorded the talents of her deceased favourite; and the mellifluous tones of Mrs. Jordan's voice, and the feeling energy of her gestures were never more successfully exerted in exciting the sympathetic sorrow of her auditors. The before-mentioned performers recited in turn several appropriate lines; and a dirge,composed by P.King, was solemnly sung by Braham, Kelly, Miller, Madame Storace, and Mrs. Bland. A song, written by Monk Lewis, was also given by Braham in his best style. The produce of the evening, it was supposed, could not fall short of six hundred pounds. On the 8th of February, 1807, Cherry added to his list

of dramas an operatic piece in three acts, called Peter the Great, or the Wooden Walls, which was acted at Covent Garden, but only repeated five times. The subject has been often selected, but never handled with superior effect. The familiar expression "wooden walls”—as applied to ships, may be traced back to the famous oracle delivered to the Athenians at the time of the Persian invasion (see Herodotus, book vii.), in which it is declared that they shall deliver their city from the enemy by means of their wooden walls. The subsequent naval victory of Salamis vindicated the prophecy. On the 9th of April, 1807, Cherry's last appearance as an author took place at Drury-lane, in the production of a comedy in three acts, called A Day in London, which was only acted three times. This piece, although not deficient in wit and point, had too many scenes without action, and merely conversational, to give satisfaction to the audience. The writer, with a proper degree of deference, withdrew it at once. After the burning of Drury-lane, and the erection of the new theatre, Cherry ceased to be engaged in London. He then became manager of a circuit in Wales, occasionally visiting the south of Ireland. Edmund Kean was the leading actor in this company for more than two years, between 1809 and 1811, struggling with poverty and obscurity, but filled with the genius which, not long afterwards, blazed forth in unparalleled effulgence on the boards of Drury-lane.

Cherry died on the 7th of February, 1812, at Monmouth, in South Wales, and is buried there. He had just completed his fiftieth year. His death was caused by congestion of the brain, brought on by mental anxiety consequent on the wreck of all his property in the managerial speculations abovenamed. The thought that his wife and youthful family were left entirely unprovided for embittered his last moments, and quickened the progress of disease. Mrs. Cherry survived her husband for twenty-five years, enduring many sorrows, and within eighteen years of the present date, was reduced to such distress that she received relief from the Drury-lane and Covent Garden funds, although she had no positive claim on either.

J. W. C.

We know that "Britannia rules the waves," and that she has ruled them ever since she first "arose from out the azure main;" at any rate we have been trained implicitly in that belief from childhood, and do not intend to ababjure it. One thing is quite certain, Britain is mainly indebted to her wooden walls for her rank, position, and power as the leading empire of the world. Fifty years ago Britain was, under Providence, absolutely indebted for her existence as a nation to her navy; it alone preserved her from invasion, and to this day it is her right arm and her safeguard. We-English, Irish, Scotch are essentially maritime people; and during the last two or three centuries our gallant seamen, and seasongs relative to them and their noble profession, have alike been popular in the highest degree. These sea-songs are eminently national-the only really national songs that England, as one of the three kingdoms, possesses. Ireland and Scotland, for the last hundred years at least, each have contributed a fair proportion of their sons to the imperial navy and to the merchant service; and to a very considerable extent natives of England, Ireland, and Scotland acquire at sea (especially if men-of-war's men) the same general professional characteristics. They, in a manner, cease to be exclusively English, Irish, or Scotch, and become emphatically BRITISH SEAMEN, renowned throughout the wide world for their nautical skill, their dauntless bravery, their indomitable hardihood, their many noble and matchless qualities. We make this observation, which we believe to be just and truthful, in order that it may be understood that we regard our "English" sea-songs as being also Irish and Scotch in the sense above indicated; for England's naval victories were won, and England's wooden walls are at the present moment manned, with officers and seamen of each of the three kingdoms in very fair proportions, according to their respective populations.

This much premised, let us next remark the instructive fact, that no foreign nation possesses sea-songs worthy of the name when compared with

ours. The Dutch, the Danes, and Norwegians, it is true, have a few tolerable sea-songs, and one of them at least the Norsk song ("Mens Nordhavet bruser mod fieldbygt Strand ")— is quite a national song in every sense, as we had reason to learn when in Norway. And during our sojourn in Denmark we picked up one Sang for Flaaden," which is really a capital Danish sea-song-vigorous, terse, spirited, and buoyant as the motion of a bounding bark. We will here quote a single stanza of the original as a specimen :

"Derfor rask ombord!

66

See Fregatten, hvor hun stamper!
Seer ikke bbor

Hekla med af Langsel damper ?
Op med Seil og Damp!

Op med Ræer og op med Master!
Rask afsted til Kamp!

skal bide, at

Tydsken haaner Eder, Guster!
Ud med bber Fregat!
Og send hum Luget glat !
Hurra! hurra! hurra!"

We do not attempt to translate the above, because we know by experience that it is impossible to adequately preserve the peculiar spirit of the original. Whoever, however, understands Danish, will agree with us that there is a sailor-like energy, a genuine salt-water smack in the lines; and the other half-dozen stanzas of the song are equally good.

France has long been a great maritime power as regards her navy, but we question whether what we should regard as a genuine sea-song was ever written by a Frenchman. To illustrate and enforce our opinion, let us give what we consider a very fair specimen of a French

CHANSON MARINE.
"Chacun à sa Philosophie,
Un marin à la sienne aussi :
Sur ma Frégate je défie
Et les chagrins et les soucis.
Pour les dompter,

Les éviter,

Now, is the above worthy to rank alongside our own ocean lyrics? Decidedly not. It is redolent, to use a hackneyed expression, not of the heaving billows of ocean, not of the spirit of the real blue-water tar, but of the Parisian boulevards and the Palais Royal! One cannot but be amused at the idea of calling it a sea-song. The author may have sailed on salt water, he may have crossed the line, and may even be a practical seaman himself for aught we know to the contrary; but assuredly his "philosophie," as expressed in the song, is not that of a sailor, but of a littérateur, a veritable enfant de Paris, who, when he would discourse of the ocean, is rather thinking of the Seine and its barges, and swimming-schools; and who sings of the sea, and of ships, and of sailors just in the same spirit as one of his brethren, who writes

"La vie est une voyage, Tachons de l'embellir! Jetons sur son passage Les roses du plaisir 1"

But the genius of French and English seamen is so different that, after all, it is possible that a song which the latter would regard with unutterable contempt and disgust, may exactly suit the fancy and sentiment of the mercurial, yet gallant sons of Gaul.

To resume. We possess sea-songs, written fully three centuries ago; but there is little doubt that similar productions, popular at a yet earlier date than the reign of Elizabeth, are now irrecoverably lost. The defeat of the Spanish Armada, at a somewhat later period, probably inspired many a brave ballad and song in glorification of our ships and sailors; and these songs would be printed on black letter broadsides, or handed about in MS., and in some instances would be sung over the

* London: Ingram and Co.

length and breadth of the land; and yet all, or nearly all of them have likewise perished. In Pepy's collection is a naval song, descriptive of a sea-fight in the reign of bluff King Hal, and several similar pieces a generation or two later in date have been preserved. One of the oldest of these is "The Mariner's Song," in the comedy of Common Conditions, bearing date 1576. As a specimen of the style of our earliest seasongs, we shall present it entire, as given, with modernised spelling, in the "Book of English Songs.'

"Lustily, lustily, lustily let us sail forth,

The wind trim doth serve us, it blows from the north.

"All things we have ready, and nothing we want To furnish our ship that rideth hereby Victuals and weapons they be nothing scant, Like worthy mariners ourselves we will try. Lustily, lustily, &c.

"Her flags be new trimmed, set flaunting aloft,

Our ship for swift swimming, Oh! she doth ex-
cel;

We fear no enemies, we have 'scaped them oft,
Of all ships that swimmeth she beareth the bell.
Lustily, lustily, &c.

"And here is a master excelleth in skill,

And our master's mate he is not to seek; And here is a boatswain will do his good will, And here is a ship, boy, we never had leak. "If fortune then fail not, and our next voyage prove,

We will return merrily, and make good cheer,
And hold altogether as friends link'd in love,
The cans shall be filled with wine, ale, and beer.
Lustily, lustily," &c.

The reader will observe that even at this early period much of the characteristic, bold, confident, roistering spirit which pervades modern sea-songs, is expressed in the above antique "stave." It is rather curious, however, that the mariners vaunt the extreme swiftness of their ship rather than their own valour in fight. They "fear no enemies," not because they know they can conquer them in battle, but because they have 'scaped them oft," owing to the "swift swimming' of their own ship! Another song, of the date 1609, commences thus:

"We be three poor mariners,
Newly come from the seas:
We spend our lives in jeopardy,
While others live at ease!"

The two lines of this "Mariner's Glee," which we have italicised above,