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Mr. ROBERTSON proposed the health of a gentleman now present, who had long enlivened the Edinburgh stage---" Mr. Jones."

Mr. JONES returned thanks for an honour so unexpected. He was not able to express his feelings of gratitude. Although it was his business to teach others utterance, he was himself on this occasion deprived of all utterance. In this city he had met many and kind patrons; and he should consider it his greatest misfortune now to leave it.-(Cheers.)

The CHAIRMAN did not know till now that the toasts of the evening were not all exhausted, and he would now propose a gentleman connected with a sister art of representation, who had done great honour to Scotland, and rendered some parts of its history immortal by his genius as a painter. He was unable to do justice to the subject, but he was able to speak of the worth of the individual, of his modesty of deportment, his kindly feelings, and his gentlemanly manner. He begged to give the health of their townsman, Mr. William Allan.-(Loud applause.)

Mr. ALLAN returned thanks in a few words.

Mr. Collier here favoured the company with a song. Mr. HOPE proposed the health of Mr. Lockhart, and the rising genius of Scotland.-( Applause.)

Mr. W. ALLAN, banker, said one gentleman of the theatre had given the ladies of Edinburgh; and they had already done honour to Mrs. H. Siddons. He begged to propose the other ladies of that admirable company, of which the manager might well boast, and this city well be proud.-(Great cheering.)

The CHAIRMAN begged to propose the health of a distinguished cavalry officer. He claimed the privilege of an old soldier himself; for be it known (said Mr. R.) that I am a disbanded rear-rank man of Captain Bonar's company.-(Loud laughter.) He had been a foot soldier---and not every horse, indeed, would carry a rider of such magnitude-(laughter)-but he had no jealousy of the other branch, and he therefore most cordially proposed the health of Sir Hussey Vivian.— (Loud cheers.)

An Officer (a son of Sir Hussey's) returned thanks. Mr. Thorne, Song, "John Anderson, my jo'."

Mr. ROBERTSON then gave severally the healths of Mr. Burn the architect, and Mr. Stanley of the Theatre, which he introduced in his peculiarly happy manner. The latter sung, "Four and twenty actors all in a row." Mr. ROBERTSON, after giving the healths of Mr. Charles Kemble, of the Stewards, and of Mr. Murray, left the chair at half-past eleven, when it was taken by Captain Broadhead, and, after some other toasts, the meeting separated.

The late hour to which we have been run, we trust will be a sufficient apology to our readers for the hurried manner we have been compelled to finish our report of this interesting meeting. We must not dismiss it, however, without adverting to the universal satisfaction that seemed to pervade the assembly; owing, in the first place, to the excellent arrangements of Mr. Murray, and the unremitting attention of the Stewards, and, secondly, to the amiable deportment of the Chairman---the peculiar naïveté and unassuming manner of Sir Walter, so admirably adapted to afford satisfaction to a numerous meeting, were never more conspicuous, particularly when he was put upon his confession, and for the first time publicly avowed that the author of the Waverley novels and Sir Walter Scott were the same person.

MRS. SIDDONS.

A Worcester Journal, noticing the lately published Life of Mrs. Siddons, adds the following anecdote :--"Some of Mrs. Siddons' earliest acting days were passed in this city. Probably Mr. Boaden never heard of the caustic remark which old Kemble made on his daughter's marriage with Siddons. The father had interdicted his daughter from marrying an actor. She, however, encouraged the addresses of Siddons, who did not rank very high in his profession, and played all sorts of characters from Hamlet to Harlequin. They were ultimately married, and, after the nuptials, old Kemble said to a friend, I can't say that my daughter has disobeyed me, for in marrying Siddons it can't be said that she has married an actor.'

CALEDONIAN THEATRE.

M. ALEXANDRE has repeated his performances here for the fourth and fifth time, and they seem to increase in attraction every evening. Last night the theatre was crowded to suffocation, and numbers failed in obtaining admission. Monsieur A. visited Abbotsford some days ago, and his worthy host having learnt that he kept a book with the various tributes which had been paid to his talents in different countries, stept aside, and while the ventriloquist was getting into the carriage, Sir Walter presented him with the following characteristic impromptu :

TO MONSIEUR ALEXANDRE.

Of yore, in old England, it was not thought good

To carry two visages under one hood;

What should folks say to you, who have faces such plenty,
That from under one hood you last night shew'd us twenty!
Stand forth! arch deceiver! and tell us, in truth,

Are you handsome or ugly, in age or in youth?
Man, woman, or child? or a dog, or a mouse?

Or are you, at once, each live thing in the house?

Each live thing, did I ask? each dead implement too!
A work-shop in your person-saw, chisel, and screw.
Above all, are you one individual? I know
You must be, at the least, Alexandre and Co.
But I think you're a troop-an assemblage-a mob-
And that I, as the Sheriff, must take up the job;
And, instead of rehearsing your wonders in verse,
Must read you the riot act, and bid you disperse !

Abbotsford, 23d April.

WALTER SCOTT.

[graphic]

ROME.---DINNER TO MR. WILKIE.

(From the Ayr Advertiser.)

WE have been favoured with a letter from a townsman and artist now in Rome, giving some account of a dinner just given there to Mr. Wilkie, from which we make the following extracts :

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"79, VIA SESTINA, TRINITA DE MONTE, ROME, 18th Jan. 1827.---The day before yesterday (16th January), we, the Scotch artists and lovers of the fine arts at present in Rome, gave a splendid dinner to our countryman and brother artist Wilkie. It was entirely national. There were but few invitations, and fiftyfour persons sat down to the most superb dinner I ever saw. Nothing was wanting to render it highly interesting. His Grace the Duke of Hamilton was in the chair, with the modest Wilkie on his right hand, and on his left Sir Robert Liston. The other two posts of honour were held by General Ramsay and Sir Alex. Wood. There were also present Sir Wm. Forbes, Sir Alex. M'Kenzie, Col. White, Col. Campbell, &c. together with the most talented persons in Rome and Florence, viz. Thorwaldstein, the first sculptor of the day; Camucini, the best historical painter in Rome; and Benvenuti, of Florence. After the healths of his Majesty the King of England, and his Holiness the Pope!--what will the Ayr folks say to this?---the Duke gave the health of Mr. Wilkie, dwelling, at considerable length, on the merits of our Scotch Teniers. Wilkie's reply, in my estimation, was excellent. Indeed, there was something so irresistibly interesting in his whole appearance and manner during the evening, that he captivated every one. In the drawing-room he seemingly was overcome by a sense of the honour about to be conferred on him; he was silent and thoughtful, replying to the numerous salutations of his friends by a silent inclination of the head, accompanied by a smile, which told how grateful were the feelings of his heart. During dinner, pale and abstracted, he seemed unconscious of what was going on around him, until roused from his thoughtfulness by the numerous honourable references made by the Duke to his various performances. When at last he rose to reply to the

well-meant speech of the Duke, it was with such a tremulous air as made us all fear it would impede his utterance; but a few sentences brought him to himself, and, after modestly expressing his grateful thanks for the honour done him, he dwelt with simple eloquence on the numerous advantages to be derived from a residence at Rome. He was proud to see so many of his countrymen, artists, present, who had, like pilgrims, crossed the snowy Alps to pay their devotions at the shrine of the Vatican, and who would likely carry back to their northern climate those seeds, which, if carefully cultivated, might one day rise to their country's honour. Anxious to refute the prevailing opinion here, that cold northern climates are inimical to the production of genius, he brought in review and commented almost on all the men of talent who had lived for many centuries back; and concluded with an elegant compliment to Cavaliere Thorwaldstein, who, he said, to use a paradox, had come from the frozen regions of Denmark (Thorwaldstein being a native of that country) to diffuse warmth and genius over the ever-fertile land of Italy. In fact, his speech was so comprehensive and interesting, that all admired it, and he sat down amidst shouts of applause. He was equally successful in replying to the health of the President and Members of the Royal Academy of London, wherein he expatiated most skilfully on the merits of a worthy member just dead (Flaxman), and was equally fine on the late Sir Henry Raeburn. Sir Archibald Campbell, and many others, spoke also. Many toasts followed. The memory of Burns, &c. &c.; and Scotch songs we had in abundance. Altogether, the thing was such as never was seen in Rome before, and, in all probability, never will be seen again."

DINNER TO DAVID WILKIE, Esq. R. A.,

AND LIMNER TO HIS MAJESTY FOR SCOTLAND.
Rome, Jan. 16th, 1827.

It must be gratifying to the friends and admirers of this eminent artist to learn that his health, although not re-established so far as could be wished, is yet in a state of gradual improvement. Mr. Wilkie has lately

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