Many mercies of God have been vouchsafed to me; my heart bows down with gratitude for what is given, with submission for what is taken away. I bless His name for what is past, and implore His heavenly aid and mercy to make happy and holy my life to come. Amen.

1846.

January 4th.—Arrived at Exeter, and came to the lodgings taken for me.

January 5th.--Went to the theatre; resolved, however bad the house might be, to act for myself and as a study. Acted Macbeth very fairly in part.

January 6th.-Sat down to read over what remained to be done of Pope; read all the essays, satires, epistles, &c., and finished the notes I had to copy in. This occupied me the entire day, which I gave up to it; I have now to make up a fair copy-book for the printer, but the work is done.

January 7th.-Hamlet. 9th.-Werner.

Plymouth, January 11th.-Wightwick called for me, and we went together to Colonel Hamilton Smith's, where we dined. We had a very delightful talk, the old colonel going into the question of races, dates, events, like a good-humoured and most social talking cyclopædia; after dinner he turned over drawings for me of costume, &c., most interesting.* I was pleased to see a book, 'Report of the Highland Society,' authenticating at least much, if not all, of the translation Macpherson has given to the world as of Ossian's Poems.

January 12th.-Hamlet. 13th.-Richelieu. 15th.-Othello. 16th.
Werner. 19th.-Macbeth. 21st.-Virginius.
Exeter, January 22nd.-Richelieu.

London, January 26th.-Looked at Daily News, not liking the leading article in its abuse of Peel. I cannot understand the sense of men who wish persons to think and act in a certain way, and when they do so abuse them for it. Acted King Lear at Princess's Theatre.

February 25th.-Dined with Kenyon. Met the Procters, Longmans, Mrs. Jameson, Babbage, Eastlake, Panizzi; in the evening, Boxall, Scharf.

February 27th.-Acted Cardinal Richelieu well. Was warmly greeted. Last night of engagement at Princess's Theatre. February 28th.-Left home for Edinburgh.

Edinburgh, March 2nd.-Acted Hamlet really with particular care, energy, and discrimination; the audience gave less applause

* Colonel Hamilton Smith supplied Macready with much valuable information on points of costume, heraldry, history, and scenery, illustrated by coloured drawings taken from a great variety of sources.-Ed.

1846. Manifestation of Jealousy when acting at Edinburgh. 575

to the first soliloquy than I am in the habit of receiving, but I was bent on acting the part, and I felt, if I can feel at all, that I had strongly excited them, and that their sympathies were cordially, indeed enthusiastically, with me. On reviewing the performance, I can conscientiously pronounce it one of the very best I have given of Hamlet. At the waving of the handkerchief before the play, and "I must be idle," a man on the right side of the stage-upper boxes or gallery, but said to be upper boxes-hissed! The audience took it up, and I waved the more, and bowed derisively and contemptuously to the individual. The audience carried it, though he was very staunch to his purpose. It discomposed me, and alas! might have ruined many; but I bore it down. I thought of speaking to the audience, if called on, and spoke to Murray about it, but he very discreetly dissuaded me. Was called for, and very warmly greeted. Ryder came and spoke to me, and told me that the hisser was observed, and said to be a Mr. W who was in company with Mr. Forrest! The man writes in the Journal, a paper depreciating me and eulogising Mr. F., sent to me from this place.

March 3rd.-Fifty-three years have I lived to-day. Both Mr. Murray and Mr. Ryder are possessed with the belief that Mr. Forrest was the man who hissed last night. I begin to think he was the man.

March 4th.-Acted King Lear to a very middling house (they will not come to see me here) which was cold in the extreme; there were a few persons that seemed to understand me, but it is slaughterous work to act these characters to these audiences.

March 6th.-Acted Othello with all the care and energy I could summon up. The house of course was bad, but I would not give in. The audience seemed really to yield themselves to full sympathy with the performance from the first to the last. They called for me, and cheered me very enthusiastically.

March 7th.-Acted Werner with much care and very fairly. Was called for, and very warmly received. Sir William Allan came into my room.

March 8th.-Called on Captain Rutherfurd, whom, as well as Mrs. Rutherfurd, I like extremely; they seem people of heart. Called at Lord Jeffrey's; sat with Mrs. Jeffrey. He came in, and talked for some time.

Dined with Professor Napier. Met Rutherfurd, Professor Wilson, Lord Robertson (Falstaff redivivus), &c.

March 9th. Read Dickens's letter on Capital Punishment,' which I thought very good; but the question arises to me, is not the mischief in the publicity of the punishment, and not in the punishment itself? Acted Hamlet.

March 10th.-Called and left card at Cadell's, on Major and Mrs. Moir, on McClaren; saw Hunter, and sat with him some time; he gave me an etching of Claude's. Called and left card on Dr. Alison; saw Lord Murray and his family; sat with him

some time. Called and left card on Lord Fullerton, on Mayne, on Miss Hunter Blair, on Professor and Miss Napier; called and sat with Captain and Mrs. Rutherfurd, who lent me the Daily News, with Dickens's three letters.

Dined with Rutherfurd. Mrs. R. and Mrs. Captain R., Mrs. Gordon, Lord Cockburn, Gordon, Professor Wilson, and some others were there. I enjoyed the day. The chief subject was poetry, and Rutherfurd asked me to repeat the beginning of Dryden's first ode, 'From Harmony,' which I did. He repeated some very striking lines of Mr. Lyte's. I liked Lord Cockburn extremely, and Wilson very much. I hope they may have liked their afternoon as well as I did. Went with Rutherfurd to Lord Jeffrey's. Met there Lord Murray, Lord Moncrieff, some other law-lord, Lord Cockburn, Mr. Fletcher, Miss Ogle, Miss Rigby, Haydon, &c. Mr. Gordon gave me a ticket for the Waverley Ball, but I could not encounter the loneliness of the crowd. Read paper.

March 11th.-Acted Cardinal Richelieu with all the pains I could. Called for. The house was not any improvement on what has been, and with to-night my hopes of emendation die out.

Edinburgh is lost to me as a place of income, a circumstance very much to be regretted by myself, and one I have striven against, unavailingly it seems; I have not talent, or the people have not taste to appreciate me: it is of little moment now which; my life is near its close-I will not go on.

March 12th.-Acted King Lear in many respects well; was called for and well received. Allan came into my room, much pleased.

March 13th.-Read The Times, a paragraph in it mentioning the circumstance of my first night here, quoting from The Scotsman, and adding, "the person supposed is Mr. Forrest, an American actor!" Acted Macbeth.

March 14th.-Called on Sir William Allan and looked at his pictures. Kind and interesting old man!

Acted Virginius as well as I could, under some embarrassment about my dress. The audience now seems growing into enthusiasm. Called for.

March 15th.-Called a little before one o'clock on Rutherfurd, who took me out in his carriage to his country-seat of Lauriston, a truly charming place, built up from and about an old square keep with corner-round turrets, standing in ground very tastefully laid out and planted, and commanding a view of the Firth, Inchkeith, the Ochills, the Lomonds of Fife, and altogether presenting scenes of the richest beauty on whatever side you turn; the house is most elegant and convenient, with a select—indeed I should say a splendid-library; it is a charming place. How happy the proprietor, with fame, fortune, a profession, a seat in his country's legislature-all to make life enjoyable! He seems to use all well I looked over several of his books; on our return we walked into the grounds of Lord Jeffrey's seat, a very pretty house, and com

1846.

Reminiscences on a Visit to Holyrood House.

573

manding from the high ground a very fine view of Edinburgh. Arrived at home, I read Dickens's two last letters, and slept in my chair about half an hour from weariness. Dined with Rutherfurd.

March 16th.-Acted Hamlet, I should say, in a very finished manner, of course I mean comparing myself with myself; but I was forcible, possessed of the full poetry of the part, and refined in manner.

March 17th.-Acted Macbeth with all the desire and all the effort to do it well, but the inspiration was absent, and I met with several contretemps, my hair-dresser drunk and impertinent, and some things of a similar kind to disturb my mind, so that I was really not in possession of myself. I was very much dissatisfied with myself; the performance was very unlike that of last night.

This engagement is over, and for the same number of nights, over a more extended period, it returns me the same, or less amount, than I received here twenty-one years ago on much less favourable terms, and under the disadvantage of very bad weather. I was then abused and attractive; I am now admitted, at last, to be a great artist, yet regardez l'épreuve.

March 18th.-Called on Captain Rutherfurd; wrote at his house a letter or note of answer to Mrs. Alison. Went with Captain Rutherfurd to Holyrood House. How I recollect the exciting, disturbing enthusiasm with which, thirty-three years ago, I first entered and walked through the court and rooms of this building: I fancied the scenes as lately acted. I saw the characters of those sad, those highly tragic and romantic scenes, the needlework of Mary, the splendour of the bed (alas!), the armour of Darnley, the closet, the blood, all were real things, invested with ideas of faded splendour, of awe, and mystery to me, that I well recollect haunted me with thoughts of deep melancholy the whole day through. How changed with years that bring the philosophic mind! How light and pleasing the gentle interest I had in walking through those rooms to-day, and pondering on the same persons and events!

Dined with Lord Robertson, met Colonel Ogilvie, Clift, Lockhart, brother to J. G. L., Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, Miss Rigby, Miss Sinclair, Mr. Moir, &c.

March 20th.-Set out for Arthur's Seat, walked round the hill and under the crags of the cliff, passed the Chapel of St. Anthony, taking in by turns a series of views-mountain, city, sea, and lake -that, in so small a compass and so near a large town, are unequalled perhaps in the world. Very kind note from Professor Wilson; answered it. Dined with Sir William Allan. Met Lord Cockburn, Noel Paton, Mr. Hill, Wilson's brother, Mrs. Crowe, author of 'Susan Hopley,' Misses Rigby, &c.

March 21st.-Called at the theatre and got my money from Murray, £340 2s. 6d. Called and lunched with Captain and Mrs. Rutherfurd. Called on Professor Napier, whom I saw and sat with; on Lord and Lady Murray, not at home; on Dr. Alison, saw Mrs. A., liked her; on Mrs. Ögle, took leave of her and Miss Ogle.

March 22nd.—Letter from dearest Catherine, inclosing one from dear Willie,* with an account of the shipwreck of a Boston vessel with German emigrants, the ship's company and crew, 130, bound to Texas. It made my heart bleed and my eyes overflow in even thinking of it. I was glad that he should be a witness if such scenes must occur, hoping the sight of them, with the devotion of those around him, and the first duties of humanity, would at once soften his heart and strengthen his hands. God bless him! Called on Rutherfurd, who took me out in an open carriage— rather sharp work-to Bonally, the country seat of Lord Cockburn. The place is a square tower or keep, built by Playfair, at the very foot of the Pentland Hills, commanding the most charming view of Edinburgh, the Firth, the neighbouring hills, those of Fife and the western mountains; it is beautiful. The house is very agreeable. Mrs. Cockburn and her three daughters, with a distant relation, a boy, were our breakfast party, and very pleasant. After breakfast we walked about the grounds, and the time flew rapidly to our departure. Lord Cockburn was most kind in his wish that I might return, and in his voluntary promise to see me in London. Our views home were charming. Took leave of the Rutherfurds. Found a kind note from Glasford Bell, and presently saw himself on his route to the north.

March 23rd.—Rose very early for my departure, paid all my bills, made gratuities, &c., and set out in the coach from Edinburgh; looked at the beauty of the city as I passed the High Bridge; was very drowsy through the morning's journey. Reached Galashiels, where I got outside another, the Chevy Chase, which carried me to Melrose. The country, particularly the Eildon Hills and the rapid course of the Tweed, interested me. Found myself in a most uncomfortable inn at Melrose, the people on the point of retiring from business, by which I was so disgusted that I decided on leaving it as soon I as could. Saw the Abbey, the best and richest specimen of the pointed Gothic I have seen in Scotland; much of the ornamental carving is of exquisite finish: the east window and that of the south transept are very beautiful. William of Deloraine and the old monks were present to my mind as I looked on the stone in the corner with the cross, pointed out as Michael Scott's. I was not in the best sight-seeing humour, but there was a great deal to interest and to please. Went in an open carriage to Dryburgh Abbey; the different views of the Eildon Hills are remarkably grand and beautiful, particularly that looking up the Tweed, from the bank of the Ferry on the Dryburgh side; at Dryburgh the building itself is so broken to pieces that little idea can be formed of its complete effect. The grave of Sir Walter Scott and his wife, without a stone over it, is in a small chapel-it is Scott's, and therefore of deep interest. Dined at Melrose, wrote to dear Catherine, and set out for Selkirk, stopping at Abbotsford, the * Then with a private tutor at Berryhead, near Brixham, on the south coast of Devonshire.-ED.