382 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



['ind S. X. Nov. 17. 'GO. 



the promised Supplement, reserving that for his 

 second volume, which, however, immediately ap- 

 peared, and prefixed to it was the " Narrative " 

 with Curll's Notes and the Initial Correspondence. 

 As the latter had been some time in print, and 

 contained the two letters referred to by Roscoe, 

 which appeared in the " Narrative," Curll did 

 not think it necessary to reproduce them in the 

 " Narrative." Curll had no purpose in this but to 

 save needless expense. Roscoe, however, finding 

 them only in the Initial Correspondence consi- 

 dered them as a part of Curll's counter-state- 

 ment, ignorant of the fact that they had appeared 

 in the " Narrative," and in every edition of the 

 "Narrative." Bowles was right by chance, for 

 he knew nothing of the authority of the edition he 

 quoted from : Roscoe was wrong by chance, and 

 for the same reason. B. V. R. 



THE LATE MR. MATHEWS, COMEDIAN. 

 I had originally intended that the accompanying 

 letters should appear in my recent edition of The 

 Life and Correspondence of Charles Mathews the 

 Elder, but the publication of that work took place 

 during a time of great domestic anxiety, and the 

 letters were omitted. As, however, they possess, 

 I think, great interest, the one being written in 

 the moment of triumph, the other in the hour of 

 mortal sickness, I forward them to " N. & Q." 

 for the use of any future writer on the life of 

 this illustrious actor, and for the information of 

 all interested in the drama and its professors. 

 Both were addressed to my father, Mr. Mathews's 

 pai'tner, in the years 1835-6 : — 



I. 



" N. York, Nov. 1. 

 " Dear Yates, 



" I have only time to say that I would not let you hear 

 that I had sent anybody else an account of my success 

 and left you out ; but I have 10 letters to write in 2 hours, 

 and I must refer jou to my son for Newspaper accounts 

 of my 1st appearance — the result of my great night — 

 my great triumph — my great every thing — I have sent 

 you. The hand-bill I alluded to in my last gave me an 

 opportunity of addressing the audience (1500 Dollars- 

 worth of them on the subject). Wait and hear the Trip, 

 said I ; but I confess I funk-ed as it were on recollecting 

 the pledge I had given to perform it. N'importe — I tri- 

 umphed. I have not time to say more. The Militia 

 Muster (most to be dreaded) went as well as in England 

 every hit — so did Uncle Ben — so did Judge. God bless 

 you.' Mrs. M. to Mrs. Y. I to you and her also — thine 

 sincerelj'. — C. Mat. 



" I have sent 600/. to Cockburn — that is better than 

 L 7 rj-j-^» ' To Kemble tears, 

 ^ alone I did tt. To Mathews loud Huzzas.' 



" Vide Davis, Garrick, and Barry." 



II. 



" Liverpool, March 19. 

 " Dear Yates, 

 " After my most disastrous expedition and being com- 

 pelled to fly to have a chance of dying in England — it was 



natural that in case of recovery I should cling to a hope 

 of an at home Season. A new Entertainment was aban- 

 doned as soon as I landed. I then hoped that last year's 

 plan might be adopted. Mj' impression now is — that I 

 shall never perform again. I am blighted — withered. 

 Imagine a man of 75 years without legs, and scarcely 

 enough breath to bear him across a room — and you have 

 me. I have not been in a bed more than 5 times since the 

 19th of Feby. I dare not lie down for dread of actual 

 suffocation. I can no more — but this. — I am compelled 

 under these circumstances, and as I see the injustice of 

 keeping you any longer in doubt — to abandon all idea of 

 occupying the theatre during the ensuing Spring and 

 Summer Season. God bless you. Mrs. M. joins me in 

 kind saj'ings and good wishes to you and Mrs. Yates. 

 Ever faithfully yours, 



" C. Mathews." 



Edmund Yates. 

 St. John's Wood. 



WENTWORTH, EARL OF STRAFFORD, CLEARED 

 FROM A MISTAKE OF MR. FORSTER'S. 



I am anxious to put on record a thorough ex- 

 culpation of this great., but arbitrary, statesman 

 from at least one serious charge which has been 

 brought against him. Several years ago I wrote 

 to Mr. Forster, pointing out the error ; but whe- 

 ther he has taken any opportunity of correcting it 

 I do not know. 



It Is stated by Mr. Forster {Lives of Eminent 

 British Statesmeii, ii. 286.), as one of the " sad 

 consequences of Wentworth's casual appearances 

 in the Queen's withdrawing room," that he looked 

 too constantly upon the beautiful wife of Robert 

 Dormer, Earl of Carnarvon, either for love of 

 herself, or for hatred of her' father and her hus- 

 band. For this statement Mr. Forster refers to 

 the Strafforde Papers (11.47.), and quotes a letter 

 which is headed, iu bold type, "The Lord Conway 

 to the Lord Deputy" — " the Lord Deputy /a'm- 

 self^' as Mr. Forster emphatically, and as If with 

 surprise, observes. In a few lines under this 

 heading we find the following bit of court scandal : 

 " my Lord Wentworth hath been at Court, and in 

 the Queen's withdrawing room was a constant 

 looker upon my lady " of Carnarvon, &c. &c. It 

 seems impossible alu'iost to have made the mistake 

 into which Mr. Forster has deliberately fallen ; for 

 he represents Lord Conway as amusing Strafford, 

 then Lord Wentworth, and in Ireland, with an 

 account of the gallantries of that identical Lord 

 Wentworth enacted in England. Historical 

 readers are well aware that there was a Lord 

 Wentworth of the South, as well as a Lord 

 Wentworth of the North ; and it is evident at n 

 glance that the Lord Wentworth, of whom Con- 

 way gossips, was the Lord AVentworth who first 

 bore that title, by courtesy, as son and heir of the 

 fourth Baron Wentworth of Nettlested and first 

 Earl of Cleveland, and who was afterwards (Col- 

 lins' Peerage, Brydges' edit.) summoned to Tar- 



