writer of the paragraph contradicting the statement, was 1798. in the theatre at the time when Mr. Palmer was attacked

by the illness of which he died."

It is worthy of observation, that if Mr. John Palmer uttered those words at all in the play, he could not have been performing the character of "The Stranger" (Waldbourg,) but must have been performing that of Tobias, who utters the words, "Yet there is another and a better world,"

(1) The following paragraphs, contradicting the above-mentioned account relative to the death of Mr. John Palmer, appeared in the Liverpool Mercury of the 31st of August and 21st September, 1838, and appear to be conclusive on the point; for every one who knew the strict veracity of the late Mr. Egerton Smith, the then editor, must be aware that he never would have inserted or sanctioned the insertion of those paragraphs in his newspaper, if they had not been perfectly correct :

"There is another and a better world.'-A correspondent, who signs Dramaticus,' and who witnessed Mr. Vandenhoff's masterly personification of the Stranger, last week, enquires if it be true, as he has repeatedly heard asserted, that the celebrated John Palmer expired on the Liverpool stage, immediately after repeating the line, 'There is another and a better world.' We know that such is a pretty general impression, and Mr. Roscoe's pathetic verses on the subject of Palmer's death, may have tended to confirm the mistake. The writer of this paragraph was present at our Theatre, when the appalling catastrophe occurred, and he can assure Dramaticus,' that the fancied coincidence did not take place. Mr. Palmer died in one of the scenes succeeding that in which the sentence in question occurs.”—The Liverpool Mercury of 31st of August, 1838.

"John Palmer's death. In a recent number of the Mercury, in reply to the query of a correspondent, we corrected a mistake or misrepresentation respecting the death of Mr. John Palmer, on the Liverpool stage, whilst he was performing the character of the Stranger, in Kotzebue's play of that title, in the year 1798. The current story is, that he expired immediately after exclaiming, in the words of the author, There is another and a better world.' The entry in the Annals appended to Gore's Directory, appears to countenance this rumoured coincidence, It is as follows: 1798. Mr. John Palmer died on the stage after having given utterance to Kotzebue's memorable words, in the Stranger, 'There is another and a better world.' The alleged coincidence has been, perhaps, strengthened, by a passage in Mr. Roscoe's Monody on the deceased. With respect to the precise circumstances attending the death of Mr. Palmer, we have nothing to add to what we stated in our former note. Our correspondent wishes to know at what particular part of the performance Mr. Palmer died? We cannot, at this distant period, recollect all the facts; but we repeat with perfect confidence, that the catastrophe did not happen in that scene where the expression which has been considered so singular a coincidence occurs."-The Liverpool Mercury of 21st September, 1838.

1798. very early after the commencement of the play, in the 1st scene of the 1st act.

He was interred in Walton Church-yard. A performance at the Liverpool Theatre, for the benefit of his family, took place on the 18th of August, 1798; the receipts of which, after defraying the funeral expenses, were £412; and an appropriate and pathetic address was spoken by Mr. Holman on the occasion." The address was written by Mr. Roscoe.

On the 7th of November, 1798, an address of congratulation was ordered by the Common Council to be presented to the King, by the Recorder and Members for the borough, on the glorious victory obtained by Admiral Lord Nelson, over the French fleet at the mouth of the Nile; and it was accordingly presented on the 14th.

In 1798, the building in Grosvenor-street, formerly the Tennis Court, before mentioned, was converted into a place of worship, called All Saints' Church, by the Rev. Robert Banister, a clergyman of the Church of England, who officiated as the minister there from 1798 until a short time before his death in 1829. He was educated at Cambridge, and was afterwards Curate of Upholland Church, near Wigan; he then came to Liverpool, and was Curate at St. John's, St. Paul's, and St. Peter's Churches, successively. When Christ Church was built by Mr. Houghton, he intended Mr. Banister to officiate there; a difference, however, occurred between him, the then Bishop of Chester, and Mr. Houghton, which induced Mr. Banister to purchase the Tennis-court, and he opened it for Divine worship, as All Saints' Church; but in consequence of the difference with the Bishop it was not consecrated or licensed, whilst Mr. Banister officiated there, although he used the whole

(1) Troughton's Liverpool, page 199, (where the address is given,) and page 324.

(1)

of the Church of England service, including that of 1798. baptism and of funerals. In 1832 it was licensed by the Bishop of Chester, and the Rev. John Lyons officiated at it for some years. When Mr. Banister opened it, it would hold 2600 persons. (2) In 1845 the building was sold to the Roman Catholics, and is now used by them as one of their places of worship, and dedicated to St. Joseph.

In this year a subscription list was opened in various cities and towns for voluntary contributions for the defence of the country, and for the raising of further supplies for the government. At that period this country was engaged in a war, of which, from the aggressive designs and implacable feelings of the enemy, there seemed to be little chance of a termination; a dangerous mutiny had recently existed in the fleet; a rebellion had broken out in Ireland, and a hostile invasion on a large scale was contemplated, and eventually, in part, attempted by the enemy in that country; the national distress and public anxiety were very great; and the £3 per Cent. Consols, the depression of which is a sure index to the feelings of uneasiness in the public mind, fell down to £48. Liverpool very liberally responded to the scheme of a voluntary contribution or self-taxation, and in a remarkably short time, upwards of £17,000 was subscribed and remitted; the contributions of persons of all parties, opinions, and modes of thinking, who harmoniously united in the time of danger.(3)

(1) Communicated by Mr. W. C. Fairclough, a gentleman who married the daughter of the Rev. R. Banister.

(2) Troughton's Liverpool, page 384.

(3) The unanimous and harmonious feeling which prevailed in Liverpool on the above subject, amongst contributors of all parties, will be apparent on a reference to the Liverpool newspapers of the time, in which a list of their names has been preserved. Amongst the contributors in the city of London, the house of Boyd, Benfield and Company, merits notice; they subscribed the munificent sum of £3000, with the promise of an annual contribution during the continuance of the war.— Gentleman's Magazine for February, 1798, vol. 68, page 165.