observes a modern critic, “for the sake of effect, may very well be contrasted with Fawcett; his ability is not so various, nor, perhaps, so originally strong, but his style is unassuming, correct, and delicate; he never thrusts himself upon attention by vehemence or confidence, nor constrains it by distortion of feature, voice, or limb. If there be a quaintness in his manner, it is a natural, not an affected one, and it luckily suits his characters, for he does not attempt many, and what he undertakes he always performs." Mr. Simmons died suddenly, in consequence, it is said, of a fall down the stone steps of an area, which dislocated his neck.

DAVISON, (MARIA,) whose maiden name was Duncan, was born about the year 1783, at Liverpool, where her father was an actor of some celebrity. She appeared on the stage as soon as she was able to walk; and, in her fourteenth year, played Priscilla Tomboy, at Dublin, with enthusiastic applause. Miss Farren, who was performing at the same time, was much struck with the acting of the subject of our memoir, and predicted that she would soon rise to the head of her profession. In 1797 and 1798, she was a member of Tate Wilkinson's company, with whom she established her reputation as a light-comedy actress; performing at York, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, with distinguished applause. After having refused more than one offer from the London managers, she accepted an engagement at Margate, and from thence came to the metropolis, upon a liberal salary; and made her débût at Drury Lane, in the character of Lady Teazle. Such was the impression she produced in this part, that The School for Scandal was performed for sixteen nights. She afterwards acquired additional éclat, by her Nell, in The Devil to Pay, and Peggy, in The Country Girl, in which she was not inferior to Mrs. Jordan. She was the original representative of Juliana, in Tobin's comedy of The Honeymoon; which has justly been considered her chef-d'œuvre. Her acting, says a critic, during the dance with Lopez, is the finest piece of pantomime the stage ever witnessed.

It almost might be said, the body thought

Her personation of Moggy M' Gilpin, in The Highland Reel, is another excellent piece of acting; whilst in sentimental comedy, her Julia stands unrivalled. Mrs. Davison's vocal powers are also of no mean order: few can sing a ballad more sweetly; and, in the opera of The Travellers, she astonished the audience by singing a duet with Braham, in a style that shewed her capable of sustaining, with a little study, a first-rate operatic character. Mrs. Davison was married to a gentleman of that name, on the 31st of October, 1812; but her conjugal life is said to be much embittered by the gambling propensities of her husband. She is above the middle size, with prominent, but very expressive features; and, altogether, may be called a hand

some woman.

COBHAM, (THOMAS,) was born in London, in the early part of the year 1786. His father is said to have been a devoted lover of science, a profound algebraist and mathematician, and celebrated as an architectural draughtsman. The subject of our memoir was apprenticed to a printer, but imbibed a strong predilection for the stage, by witnessing Cooke's performance of Shylock; and could not rest until he had himself played the same part at a private theatre. This was in Lamb's Conduit Street, where he became acquainted with Kean, under whose advice and guidance he relinquished the printing business; and, in 1803, became a member of Mr. Jerrold's company, then performing at Watford, in Hertfordshire. Here he played a variety of characters, including Sir Giles Overreach, Captain Macheath, Sir Anthony Absolute, &c., and, occasionally, Harlequin. He next played, successively, at Margate, Guernsey, Exeter, Weymouth, Wisbeach, Portsmouth, and Salisbury; at which last place he married a Miss Drake. In 1810, he was engaged by Mr. Penley to appear at the Tottenham Street Theatre, where he played Marmion forty nights; and sustained, with great applause, all the leading tragic parts. The East London was the next scene of his perforinances, where he gained such reputation, as Richard the Third, that the Covent Garden managers immediately offered

incongruous parts of Earl Osmond, Lockit, Richard, Macheath, and Pantaloon. On the 27th of November, 1811, he made his first appearance at Covent Garden, as King James, in The Knight of Snowdon, but returned, in the following Easter, to the Surrey, whence he removed to Dublin, and led the business there for two seasons. He subsequently played at the Olympic, Cobourg, East and West London Theatres, and, for a short time, at Astley's. "What Mr. Huntley could be, or rather what he might have been," says a biographical critic, is not now our purpose to inquire-what he is may soon be told. A powerful portrayer of the easily defined emotions-a glorious actor of straight-forward delineations. Give him rage, despair, fear, or any strong and decided passions, and he will communicate its throes to his auditors with the fidelity and fire of Kean; but when he comes to the nicer shades of character-to the mixed emotions-to those pithy speeches with which Shakspeare abounds, where, in one line, many differences and conflicting passions are to be portrayed, he hurries over the passage, as if he felt a consciousness of insufficiency. Nothing on earth can exceed his 'Oh! that the slave had twenty thousand lives in Othello, but in the words, Not a jot, not a jot,' he produces no effect at all." Mr. Huntley is said to be a great sufferer from rheumatic gout, brought on by a career of dissipation, which has lately produced such ruinous effects upon his health, as to prevent his appearing upon the stage, or to make use of his legs without the aid of a stick. If we may credit his biographer, he is nearly bent double, and his hands are so covered with chalk stones, that he can write his name on a wall with his own fingers. The entreaties of his friends, and the warnings of his physician, have proved alike in vain, in restraining him from the constant use of spirituous liquors. Latterly, it is said, his engagement at the Surrey, with Honeyman, who kept a public-house as well as the theatre, was one guinea a night, and as much brandy as he could drink. Although a married man, his connexions with other females than his wife were numerous, in proof of which

a ludicrous anecdote has been told. His wife's name having been left at the door for admittance, he sent round, indignantly, to know why Mrs. Huntley had been refused an entrance; "Why, what am I to do, sir?" said the moneytaker, "I have passed nine Mrs. Huntleys already."

RAYNER, (LIONEL BENJAMIN,) was born at Keckmondwicke, a village in Yorkshire, on the 10th of October, 1788. A perusal of the tragedy of Alexander the Great, which he got by heart, first gave him a predilection for the stage, and it was irrevocably confirmed by witnessing, at Leeds, the performance of Mathews, in Farmer Ashfield. He joined a small company, at Cheadle, in Staffordshire, where he opened as Jeremy Diddler, but soon aspired to the principal parts in genteel comedy. Being refused this wish, he joined another company, at Stratford-upon Avon, where his acting in Solomon Lob, in Love Laughs at Locksmiths, brought him into some notice, and procured him a rise of salary. From Stratford, he went to Manchester and Nottingham, where he was paid £1 10s. per week, and had such profitable benefits, that, at the end of a year, he found his receipts averaged a guinea per day. His fame soon reached the metropolis, and on the 16th of June, 1815, he made his débût at the Haymarket, as Frank Oatlands, in A Cure for the Heart Ache. He met with a most flattering reception, and amply sustained his reputation by his successive performances, during the season, of Zekiel Homespun, Andrew Bang, Sim, Stephen Harrowby, Sheepface, &c., &c. At the close of the Haymarket, he returned to the provinces, and did not appear again on the London boards, until December, 1822, when he opened with Dandie Dinmont, at Drury Lane. He was received with enthusiastic applause; but, as it is said, Elliston only wanting him to sustain that particular part, the other characters in Rayner's line being filled by Knight, our actor was shelved, and left Drury Lane in disgust. After a professional trip to Lynn, he appeared in July, 1823, at the Lyceum, in the part of Fixture, in which he made but little impression. His Giles, in The Miller's

Maid, however, was a decided hit, and raised his reputation so much, that he received offers both from the Covent Garden and Drury Lane managers. He closed with the former, under an engagement for three years, at £10, £11, and £12 per week, and made his début, on the 8th of October, as Tyke. A writer, in The Times, thus notices his appearance:-" Last night, Mr. Rayner, who has played rustic characters at the English Opera House, with considerable success, made his first appearance at this theatre, as Tyke, in The School of Reform. The deep impression left on the public mind, by the admirable performance of Emery, made this attempt arduous, but we are happy to say it was completely successful. Except that Mr. Rayner wants some of the personal advantages which Emery possessed, for representing the stout-hearted ruffian, we do not think his performance at all inferior to that which we were accustomed to regard as the perfection of rude tragedy. From first to last, he retained entire possession of the part; never relapsing into himself, or trying to raise a laugh, by trickery or burlesque, and giving all the more quiet parts of the dialogue in a natural and unforced manner, which is rarely to be perceived on the stage. In the more trying passages, he gave a picture of remorse working in a long-seared conscience, and agitating an uncultivated, but powerful mind, which was positively terrific. His vain attempts to assume the appearance of indifference; the halfstifled utterance which the 'climbing passion forced; his frightfully vivid description of his old father falling down lifeless as he saw him conveyed to the ship; and, perhaps, above all, the interview with his father, where the old affection quivers on his lip, and dissolves him in welcome tears, were so powerful and true, that we almost hesitate to call them acting. The audience not only testified their sense of his excellence in the principal scenes by loud applauses, but by the still more unequivocal testimony of tears, and by the deep silence which they kept, whenever he appeared towards the close of the play. Mr. Abbott came forward, to announce the performances for the next night; but his voice was

drowned in applause and cries of Rayner.' He persisted, however, in the execution of his task, but the call was renewed, when he retired, and, after some very becoming hesitation, Mr. Rayner appeared, evidently much affected, and announced, that, with the kind approval of the audience, the play would be repeated on Friday,' and retired amidst the cheers of the house. It is really gratifying to record success so genuine and so fairly earned; and to perceive a line where so much excellence was lately displayed, filled again by a real and an original actor." Since that time, Mr. Rayner has performed a variety of characters, but has not been assigned that prominent situa tion to which his merits entitle him. Indeed, he can hardly be called a popular metropolitan actor, though, in the provinces, few are received with more enthusiasm. His provincial benefits are better attended than those of any other actor; whence it has become a saying among the profession, that he "could make a benefit upon Salisbury Plain." One night, the demand for tickets was so great, that he sold more than the house would contain. Those who could not gain admission at the doors, determined, at least, says one of his biographers," to see and hear their favourite, and actually insisted on his coming to them, which he did, and with his usual good sense and good humour, asked how he could oblige them." "Sing us a song, Rayner," was the reply, "and we'll go quietly home." Rayner mounted a tub, and with the accompaniment of one violin, sang one of his best comic songs, for which he received three hearty cheers, and his patrons dispersed. Mr. Rayner is said to be, in private life, a warm friend and most delightful companion; he is fond of fox-hunting, horse-racing, &c., and is a regular subscriber at Tattersall's. He was married, in 1812, at Shrewsbury, to Miss Margaret Remington, by whom he has one son.

MARDYN, (Mrs.) was born about the year 1789, and is, we believe, a native of Ireland. Her parents being in humble circumstances, she was obliged to get her living in the capacity of housemaid. Whilst in this situation, at Plymouth, a mutual attachment took place be

tween herself and a young midshipman, whose death, soon afterwards, is said to have "embittered her day of life, and been the everlasting bitter in the cup of sweets that public favour presented." We are not informed what circumstance led to her appearance on the stage, but in 1811, we find her married to a Mr. Mardyn, and playing, at a small salary, at the West London Theatre. She was at Bath, in 1814, and in September, 1815, made her débat at Drury Lane, being engaged there, as it is said, through the influence of a person of some importance in the theatrical world, with whom she had formed a connexion, after separating from her husband. She made her first appearance, at Drury Lane, as Amelia Wildenheim, in Lovers' Vows, and was received with the most enthusiastic applause. There was a girlish gaiety and ingenuous wildness of youth about her performance, that completely took the audience by surprise, and forced them into admiration, when, perhaps, the judgment was not altogether satisfied. Her next character, Albina Mandeville, gave almost equal satisfaction; as did her Peggy, in The Country Girl, in which she was pitted against Mrs. Alsop. The palm was generally awarded to Mrs. Mardyn, who played, though somewhat too boisterously, with all the freshness of originality, whilst Mrs. Alsop's Peggy was manifestly a copy of Mrs. Jordan's. Mrs. Mardyn has latterly disappeared from the stage, and is, perhaps, less celebrated as an actress, notwithstanding her talents, than for her supposed connexion with Lord Byron. The facts, says the lady's biographer, are these:--Mrs. Mardyn called on his lordship to solicit his interference, we think, to obtain her the part of the heroine in Diamond's Bride of Abydos, but, at all events, on some subject of that nature. During the period of their conversation, a violent shower came on, and his lordship, seeing that Mrs. Mardyn could not leave the house, was anxious to invite her to dinner: his lady, however, could not condescend to dine with an actress, and Lord Byron, accordingly, ordered his carriage for Mrs. Mardyn to depart in. These circumstances were construed into a matter of very grave charge against Mrs. Mar

dyn, who was said to have caused a separation between the noble bard anc his lady, and was, in consequence, received with great disapprobation at her next appearance on the stage. She came forward with tears in her eyes, and protested her innocence; her innocent look, and melodious voice, were too powerful to withstand, and she was at once restored to favour. After this period, however, she played but little, and is, we believe, now residing on the continent. An anecdote is told of her being duped into a belief of her husband's death, under the following circumstances:-After her separation from him, she allowed him two guineas per week, but being in want of more money, he got a friend to write to his wife an account of his death, and, at the same time, to request a certain sum to defray the expenses of the funeral. Mrs. Mardyn complied, and went into mourning, but had not worn her weeds more than three days, before she met her husband, staggering towards Drury Lane, in a state of intoxication. "Of Mrs. Mardyn's talents as an actress," says a critic, "we entertain a very high opinion. We think she possesses genius, which is the greatest endowment any one can boast; but she lacked study, attention, and practice. animal spirits ran away with her; her very walk was buoyant; her run was a dance; she seemed for ever juvenile; she was a complete exemplification of the breaking up of a boarding school; in short, her spirits wanted the curb of propriety, and yet her very gracelessness had such a grace, that we could not bear to check her; and whenever she strove to reduce her acting to the stricter bonds, we mourned the absence of the very gambols that delighted us whilst we condemned them."

Her

BOOTH, (SARAH,) was born at Birmingham, in 1793; and, at the age of eleven, was engaged at the Manchester Theatre, principally as a dancer. She next performed at Doncaster, whence she came to London; and sustained the principal female characters, in melodrama, at the Circus, under Elliston. Her débût at Covent Garden, took place on the 23d of November, 1810, when she played Amanthis, in The Child of Nature. "She was received,"