Wednesday, 3rd February.—I awoke at 7 and got up at a ¼ to 8. Read in the Irish History while my hair was doing. At 9 we breakfasted. Pasted my name in some of my books. At 10 came the Dean till 11. Read with him first in the Old Testament and then in Hume. Pasted my name in some of my books. I have got all the same pictures I had in my former room, hung up in my present room, with the exception of some old prints and of the two ugly oil pictures of my Father and Mother, and with the addition of Hayter’s drawing of Mamma and I. My fine casts of the dear French family are also hung up in my sitting-room; they only came home today as the frame had to be mended. I am so fond of them. Various prints are also being hung up in my study. Wrote my journal. Drew....
Saturday, 6th February.— ... I have quite forgotten to mention that the young Queen of Portugal was married by proxy on the 1st of January to—my Cousin Ferdinand, Uncle Ferdinand’s eldest son, and who completed his 19th year on the 29th of last October.[210] The negotiations to this purpose have been going on since last September, and have only just now come to an end. Count Lavradio, whom we saw just before we went to Ramsgate, went to Cobourg to meet Uncle Ferdinand and my dear Cousins Ferdinand and Augustus, there. Dear Uncle Leopold has managed a great deal of the business; he is ever ready and ever most able to assist his family. Uncle Ferdinand has not long left Brussels, where he came to settle and arrange about the marriage. Dear Uncle Ferdinand is, of course, full of anxiety for the welfare and happiness of his son. Ferdinand will soon come to Brussels with Augustus on his way to Lisbon and they will also come here. I cannot say how happy I am to become thus related to the Queen of Portugal, who has always been so kind to me and for whom I have always had a great affection. She is warm-hearted, honest and affectionate, and when she talks, is very pleasing. We have known each other since our 8th year (for there is only a month’s difference of age between us). She is far from plain too; she has an exquisite complexion, a good nose and fine hair. I hear that Ferdinand is full of good and excellent qualities, has a pure and unsophisticated mind, and is very good-looking....
Saturday, 20th February.— ... At ½ past 3 came the Dean till 4. Read with him in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Practised on the piano for Mrs. Anderson.[211] Drew while Lehzen read to me out of that Rapport about Fieschi.[212] Practised again on the piano. At ½ past 7 we dined. Aunt Gloucester, the Prince of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeldt,[213] the Archbishop of York and Miss Harcourt, the Duke of Wellington, Count[214] and Countess Charles Pozzo di Borgo, the Earl and Countess of Lincoln,[215] Viscount and Viscountess Beresford,[216] Lord Hill, Lady Caroline Legge,[217] Lady Theresa Strangways, Sir Robert and Lady Peel, General Upton and Sir Samuel Higgins dined here. I sat between the Duke of Wellington and Count C. Pozzo di Borgo. The Count is a very agreeable man. His wife, the dear little Countess, looked lovely; she is such a charming person; she is the 3rd daughter of the Duc de Crillon and is called Valentina. Lady Lincoln is also a very charming young person; she was so pretty but she is very much changed as she was very ill all last summer and is still very far from well. I sat a good deal with her and the little Countess Pozzo, and found them very amiable and cheerful....
Saturday, 27th February.— ... It was Miss Joanna Baillie’s[218] Tragedy of The Separation in 5 acts, performed for the 2nd time. The principal characters are: Garcio (an Italian Count), Mr. Charles Kemble,[219] who acted finely in parts but is dreadfully changed; Rovani (his friend), G. Bennett who acted disagreeably and affectedly; the Marquis of Tortona, Mr. Pritchard, a poor odd-looking creature; Margaret (wife to Garcio), Miss Helen Faucit,[220] who acted well in the pathetic quiet parts. I had not seen Charles Kemble since 5 years, and I did not quite recollect his countenance; those however who had seen him in his good days, when he was an excellent actor and a very handsome man, found the change very great. I, for my part, like Macready by far better. Kemble whines so much and drawls the words in such a slow peculiar manner; his actions too (to me) are overdone and affected, and his voice is not pleasant to me; he makes terrible faces also which spoils his countenance and he looks old and does not carry himself well. He was very fine, however, at the end of the 3rd act when he snatches the picture out of his wife’s hand, and when he discovers it to be that of her brother Ulrico whom he murdered,—the way in which he throws the picture on the ground and sinks trembling and gasping against the bed, while his countenance pourtrays the violent feelings of remorse, horror and conscience this Kemble did very finely, and also when he takes leave of Margaret. He was undoubtedly a very fine actor, nay, still is, but he is not natural enough for my taste. I do think Macready is so feeling and natural, particularly now; he was perhaps formerly rather affected and violent at times. His voice too I like so much and he does not drawl the words; I like him best after Young, who was the most beautiful actor I ever saw, or who perhaps ever existed in this country, except Garrick and John Kemble (Charles K.’s elder brother). I only saw Young twice but I shall never forget it. I saw him 1st in Macbeth and then I saw him take his final leave of the stage in Hamlet. I must say a few words about G. Bennett[221] and Miss Helen Faucit. Bennett, whom I have seen act really extremely well in The Miller and His Men, in Pizarro, in King John as Hubert, &c., &c., was extremely disagreeable yesterday as Rovani; he twisted his arms, hands, legs, back and even eyes in all directions, and drawled his words in speaking most disagreeably. Miss Faucit is plain and thin, and her voice is much against her, but when she is gentle and pathetic she is far from disagreeable; she rants and screams[222] too much also, but as she is very young, they say she may become a good actress. The Tragedy though well written is rather unnatural and very heavy in parts; I must say I greatly prefer The Provost of Bruges and think it by far more natural. Kemble and Miss Faucit were called out and were much applauded....
P.V. del. R.P. April 1837.
Mr. Charles Mathews as Dapperwit in The Rape of the Lock
CHARLES MATHEWS.
From a sketch by Princess Victoria.
Monday, 29th February.— ... At ½ past 7 we went to the play to Mme. Vestris’s[223] Olympic, with Lehzen and Sir J. C. I had never been there before; it is a very small but pretty, clean little theatre. It was the burletta of One Hour or The Carnival Ball in one act. The principal characters are: Mr. Charles Swiftly, Mr. Charles Mathews,[224] a most delightful and charming actor; he is son to the celebrated old Mathews who died last year. He is quite a young man, I should say not more than five or six and twenty.[225] His face is not good-looking, but very clever and pleasing; he has a very slight, pretty figure, with very small feet and is very graceful and immensely active; he skips and runs about the stage in a most agile manner. He is so natural and amusing, and never vulgar but always very gentlemanlike. He is a most charming actor....
Charles Mathews is the most delightful and amusing actor possible. He is the only child of his parents and was intended for an architect and studied in Greece and Italy for that purpose; but having a penchant for the stage, he abandoned his profession and had become an actor; we see how it has succeeded—most perfectly!...
Wednesday, 2nd March.— ... Lady Burghersh[226] told me that she knew Charles Mathews very well when she was in Florence, where he was come for the purpose of studying architecture; she said she had often acted with him in their private theatricals and that he always showed a great talent for acting, and that he then performed as a gentleman; he now acts quite like a gentleman, and looks so too; he is a charming performer I think. Lady Burghersh also said that he looks younger than he is, for that he must be 3 or 4 and thirty. He told her when at Florence that he had a great passion for the stage, but, as his father was greatly averse to his son becoming an actor, he refrained from doing it during his father’s lifetime....