upon a novel entitled "The Abbess." In 1819 he produced his celebrated play Alberti, the principal character of which was written for the actor Cooper. It was highly successful, and is a beautiful piece of classical composition. It was written with the object of vindicating the character and conduct of Lorenzo De Medici from the calumnies of the Italian dramatist, Alfieri, in his tragedy entitled The Conspiracy of the Pazzi. He also wrote a play called Alexander Serverus, and died in New York, in 1828, universally regretted. JAMES HILLHOUSE was born in New Haven, in 1789. In early life he was a merchant, but about 1832 he retired from active business to devote himself to literary pursuits. His first publication was Percy's Mask, a dramatic poem, which appeared first in London, and was reprinted in America in 1820. In 1821 he published Judgment, a descriptive poem in blank verse, and in 1825, Hadad, a dramatic poem. His only other dramatic composition was Demetria. It has been said of these dramas that the scholar studies them as the productions of a kindred spirit, which had drunk deeply at the fountains of ancient lore until it had itself been molded into the same form of stern and antique beauty which marked the old Athenian dramatists. JAMES K. PAULDING, the novelist, wrote a comedy entitled The Lion of the West, which was played for the first time at the Park Theater of New York in 1831 with great success. It became a popular piece, and was often repeated. The poet, GEORGE P. MORRIS, produced a play called Brier Cliff, performed at the Chatham Street Theater, New York, 1825. It was very successful, and often reproduced. ding; The Daughter; The Actress of Padua; The Bravo. The tragedy of Caius Marius was written at the instance of Forrest, and was produced by the latter at the Arch Street Theater, Philadelphia. He was well versed in dramatic literature, and has given ample evidence that he possessed original dramatic ability of no mean order. Several of his plays were brought out in London with considerable RICHARD PENN SMITH was a Philadelphian by birth, and educated for the bar. From 1822-1827 he edited a newspaper, "The Aurora," when, finding it both wearisome and unprofitable, he abandoned it to resume his profession. It was probably to the promptness which editorship necessarily requires that he owed the facility with which he could compose dramatic pieces. The following plays from his pen have been performed at different periods, and in most instances with complete success: Quite Correct; Eighth of January; The Disowned, or The Prodigals; The Deformed, or Woman's Trial; A Wife at a Venture; The Sentinels; William Penn; The Triumph of Plattsburg; The Water Witch; Is She a Brigand; My Uncle's Wed success. JOSEPH BARTLETT was born at Plymouth, in the year 1763, and had a remarkable career. After graduating at Harvard College he studied law in Salem, but soon started for England on a voyage of adventure. While there he took to gambling, and was put in prison for debt. This induced him to write a play, the sale of which procured a sufficient sum for his release. He claimed to be the first American who had a play represented on the English stage, but the title of this production is unknown. He came back with a great quantity of goods procured on credit, and was wrecked on Cape Cod. Then he went into law business and politics, and was elected to the Legislature. He was considered a clever playwright, but was not much esteemed as a man. NATHANIEL HARRINGTON BANNISTER was one of the best dramatic writers of his day. His plays possess decided merit, display considerable command of language, and his plots are ingeniously developed. He frequently allows his imagination, however, to run wild, erroneously mistaking bombast for grandeur and force. He was born in Delaware, in 1813; became a member of the corps dramatique at the age of sixteen; and made his first appearance, in Baltimore, as Young Norval. During the season of 1844 he wrote the drama of Putnam, which was produced at the New York Bowery Theater, and had the unprecedented run of over one hundred nights. The best known of his numerous plays are the following: Marriage Contract, a comedy in five acts, first produced in New Orleans in 1837; Murrell, the Land Pirate, a local piece, played with much success in various parts of the country; The Gentlemen of Lyons, highly spoken of by New York critics of a former generation; Roman Slaves, a tragedy in five acts; Two Spaniards; and Caius Silius. His tragedy Psammetichus, or The Twelve Tribes of Egypt, was intended for Edwin Forrest. He also wrote a tragedy entitled The Wandering Jew, which somewhat anticipated the Wagnerian idea of prolixity of plot-consisting of fifteen acts!-good, long, legitimate acts! JOHN AUGUSTUS STONE, actor and dramatist, was born at Concord, Mass., in 1801, and drowned himself, in 1834, at Philadelphia, in a fit of mental derangement. He made his debut in Boston as 66 Old Norval," in the play of Douglas. He wrote Metamora, a tragedy acted in various cities of the United States with great success, and for which he received $500 from Edwin Forrest. His other celebrated tragedy, Fauntleroy, was first acted in Charleston. The Ancient Briton, considered his best dramatic production, was first played in March, 1883, at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia. He was also the author of The Banker of Rouen; La Roque; The Regicide; The Demoniac; Tancred; and other pieces. CORNELIUS A. LOGAN, born in Baltimore, in 1800, won considerable distinction as a dramatist. He also served at various periods as theatrical critic, as manager, and as a comedian of no mean order. He was a bold defender of the stage against pulpit attacks. His comedy, entitled The Wag of Maine, was pronounced by the New York papers of his day to be "the best American comedy that has been written." It was intended for Hackett, and performed at the Park Theater, New York, for a number of successive nights during the season of 18351836. He also wrote the farce The Wool Dealer, the principal character being played by Dan Marble in all his engagements. His other pieces were Yankee Land, a comedy; Removing the Deposits; Astarte, an adaptation of Shelley's "Cenci," and A Hundred Years Hence. He died at Cincinnati in 1853. RUFUS DAWES, better known as a poet than as a dramatist, was born in Boston in 1803, and died at Washington in 1859. In 1839 he published Athenia of Damascus, which was written expressly for Mrs. George Jones. The New York press spoke warmly. of this production, giving it a high place among the best dramatic pieces of the day. JAMES H. KENNICOTT, of New Orleans, is entitled to distinction as a dramatist from his having received the premium of three hundred dollars offered by James H. Caldwell for the best tragedy, for the opening of his new theater in New Orleans. The circumstances under which Irma was produced were as follows: In 1829, when a schoolmaster in the western part of the State of New York, he took up a newspaper and read the offer of Edwin Forrest of five hundred dollars for the best play suited to his peculiar style of acting. In the same paper was the offer of James H. Caldwell for a similar production. Although he had read but few dramas and had never seen the performance of any play excepting the representation of Rob Roy by a strolling company, he undertook the task of writing for both the proposed prizes. "Irma," says Mr. Kennicott, "was written of mornings, always before breakfast, and took me a fortnight to each act. I then took up the subject of "King Philip," and wrote a piece which I called Metacomet, for the purpose of offering it to Mr. Forrest; but having no acquaintance through whom I could send it to that gentleman, it was sent on, in company with Irma, to Mr. Caldwell. The piece was so long that it was not offered to the committee, or if offered was never read." Irma was selected, and was said to be the first American piece ever played in New Orleans. It was produced in March, 1830, with a powerful cast, and met with the most decided marks of public approbation. It is a curious fact that the Metamora of Mr. Stone, which gained the prize for Mr. Forrest's offer, was founded on the same story as that from which Mr. Kennicott wrote Metacomet, viz., "King Philip." The author of Irma died in Texas, of the prevailing sickness, in the summer of 1838. CAROLINE LEE HENTZ wrote a praiseworthy Indian play entitled Leonorah, or The Western Wild. An excellent criticism of this piece appeared in "The Western Magazine" for February, 1833, and it was produced during the same year at Caldwell's New Theater in New Orleans. This lady also wrote the dramas called Moorish Bride and Zara. SAMUEL WOODWORTH (1885-1842), well known as the author of the poem "The Old Oaken Bucket," possessed considerable ability as a dramatist. Among the pieces written by him were The Deed of Gift, acted in Boston; Lafayette, or The Castle of Olmetz, acted in New York; The Widow's Son, printed in 1825, and acted in New York; The Forest Rose, which was a favorite piece with New York audiences; The Locket, etc. He was one of the founders of the "New York Mirror," in 1823, in conjunction with George P. Morris; withdrew from it in 1824, and in 1827 edited the "Parthenon." He was a frequent contributor of verses to the newspapers, and wrote a number of songs on the |