MATTHEWS, Henry William. Ensign 43 Bengal N.I., major 9 March 1845; lieut.-col. Bengal staff corps 26 April 1859, col. 16 Aug. 1868; general 22 Dec. 1877. d. 8 Sydney place, Bath 15 July 1884.
MATTHEWS, James. b. 1819 or 1820; a conjuror in London and the provinces 1845 to death; one of the first to use pure sleight-of-hand instead of apparatus; made two tours in South Africa; performed at Royal Polytechnic institution, London long time. d. 28 Aug. 1880.
MATTHEWS, John Thomas. b. London 17 Oct. 1805; favourite pupil of Joseph Grimaldi the clown; an actor at Olympic theatre 1820; clown in pantomime called The Hag of the forest at Sadler’s Wells 26 Dec. 1828; played clown for 50 nights in Mother Goose; clown in Puss in boots, and three other pantomimes at Covent Garden; created a sensation at Drury Lane by imitating Duvernay in La Cachuca; engaged by W. C. Macready for Covent Garden at 3 pounds per week 20 July 1837; played in Edinburgh; superintended production at the Variétés, Paris, of a pantomime called ‘Arlequin’ Aug. 1842; played in Planché’s Fortunio at Drury Lane 1843; danced in ballet at Vauxhall 1847; clown in Surrey pantomime 1848, Marylebone 1851 and Drury Lane 1852; at Adelphi, Drury Lane, Covent Garden and in the provinces; he used to sing Hot Codlins, Tippity witchet, and The life of a clown, the last composed for him by Balfe; gave an entertainment July 1859; played at Drury Lane in introductions to various pantomimes; last appeared at Drury Lane 26 Dec. 1864 in Hop o’ my thumb; the last of the old-fashioned clowns; landlord of the Crown and Cushion, Page walk, Bermondsey 1843–51, of the Rose and Crown 57 Drury lane Aug. 1852 to 1858, and of the Rosemary branch tavern 18 Aberystwyth terrace, Islington 1858–60; lived at Brighton 1866 to death. d. 28 Walpole terrace, Kemp Town, Brighton 4 March 1889. bur. Brighton cemet. 9 March. Illust. sp. and dr. news, ii 268 (1874), portrait; Theatrical times, i 273 (1847), portrait; Theatre n.s. xiii 233 (1889); The World 21 Dec. 1881 pp. 5–6 and ’Xmas number 1886, portrait; H. Valentine’s Behind the curtain (1848) 93–95.
Note.—He m. at St. George’s, Bloomsbury, London 28 Oct. 1825 Fanny Maria Casciani dau. of a Florentine sculptor and had three children, Clara who m. Mr. Lawrence a clown; Fanny; and a son who died in infancy.
MATTHEWS, Richard. Barrister M.T. 25 April 1828; sergeant at law 7 July 1852. d. 24 Feb. 1854 aged 57. bur. Highgate cemet.
MATTHEWS, William Anthony. b. Malta 14 Aug. 1813; partner in firm of Thomas Turton and sons of Sheaf steel works Sheffield; mayor and master cutler of Sheffield 1852–54, being the first to hold the two offices together. d. 19 July 1872. I.L.N. xxiv 39 (1854), portrait.
MATTHIE, James. b. 1806; entered Bengal army 1820; captain of right wing of 1 European regiment 8 Sep. 1835 to 1 March 1850; deputy comr. of Assam 1 April 1839 to 1852; lieut.-col. of 33 N.I. 1 March 1850 to 1852, of 30 N.I. 1852–3, of 1 European fusiliers (right wing) 1853–4, of 17 N.I. 1854–6, of 21 N.I. 1856–9; col. of 2nd European fusiliers 19 Aug. 1859 to death; M.G. 1 Jany. 1862. d. Upper Hamilton terrace, St. John’s Wood, London 28 March 1865.
MATTHIESSEN, Augustus (son of William Matthiessen of 1 Nun’s court, Coleman st. city of London, merchant). b. London 2 Jany. 1831; studied under Will and Buff at Giessen 1852, Ph.D. Giessen; studied under Bunsen at Heidelberg 1853–7; fitted up a laboratory at 1 Torrington place, London 1857, where he investigated the physical properties of pure metals and alloys; F.R.S. 6 June 1861, member of council, royal medallist 1869; lecturer on chemistry at St. Mary’s hospital 1862–8; constructed ten electrical standards for the British Association 1862–5; joint lecturer on chemistry at St. Bartholomew’s hospital 1868–70, sole lecturer 1870; had a large practice as a consulting chemist; an editor of Philosophical Mag. Jany. 1869 to June 1870; examiner to Univ. of London 1870; author of 38 scientific papers and of 23 papers with other writers; poisoned himself with prussic acid at St. Bartholomew’s hospital, London 6 Oct. 1870. Nature, ii 517–18 (1870); Times 8 Oct. 1870 p. 5 col. 5.
MATTHISON, Arthur. b. Birmingham, May or June 1826; journalist in New York; vocalist and lecturer at Hamilton’s Diorama, St. James’s hall, London 1873; played King Richard in Rebecca 13 Feb. 1875, Owen in The World 31 July 1880, Colonel Dalton in Youth 6 Aug. 1881, all at Drury Lane theatre; author of Keep your door locked, farce produced at Adelphi 29 Aug. 1866; Enoch Arden, a drama 1869; A false step 1879, prohibited by the lord chamberlain; Brave hearts, drama Criterion 24 Jany. 1881; A thread of silk, comedy Crystal Palace 3 Nov. 1881; More than ever, burlesque Gaiety 1 Nov. 1882; author with Clement Scott of The great divorce case, comedy Criterion 15 April 1876; with Joseph Hatton of Liz, drama Opera Comique 1 Sep. 1877; and with Charles Wyndham of Tantalus, Folly 14 Oct. 1878; translated A. Belgioioso’s Brief observations on singing 1860, and A. Perrin’s Military studies 1863; author of The state banquet 1862; Half an hour with a good author 1872; his poem The little hero 1879 was frequently recited and was set to music by Stephen Adams i.e. Michael Maybrick in 1881; composer of The little gold locket, a song 1879; wrote the words of upwards of 50 songs 1861–80, of H. Leslie’s cantata The daughter of the Isles 1862, of J. Barnby’s sacred idyll Rebekah 1872, and of M. W. Balfe’s opera The Talisman 1874. d. 17 Store st. Bedford sq. London 21 May 1883. bur. Brompton cemetery 24 May.
MATURIN, Edward (son of Charles Robert Maturin, C. of St. Peter’s church, Dublin, and novelist 1782–1824). b. Dublin 1812; ed. at Trin. coll. Dublin, B.A. 1832; barrister in the U.S. of America; professor of Greek in College of South Carolina; taught Greek and Latin in New York 30 years; revised the Gospel of St. Mark for the American Bible Union 1850; author of Montezuma, the last of the Aztecs, a romance 2 vols. New York 1845; Benjamin the Jew of Grenada, a romance 1848; Eva, or the Isles of life and death 2 vols. 1848; Lyrics of Spain and Erin. Boston 1850; Bianca, a tale of Erin and Italy. New York 1852. d. New York 25 May 1881.