Page:Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (IA franklesliesillu2418lesl).djvu/13

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mighty pretty soul alio in:" bo sams up with of "specially Nell" kiesing But her greatest part was the "comical" Florimel, in "Secret Love, or the Dryden's Maiden Queen," to Hart's Celadon: the incidents and allusions carrying a personal application to the mistress and gallant. Nelly was now living in the fashionable part of Drury Lane, the Strand end, near the lodgings of Lacy, the actor, at the top of Maypole Alley, and over against the gate of Craven House at the bottom of the alley was the far-famed Strand Maypole, upon the site of which is the church of St. Mary-le-Strand; the alley is now Drary Comet. Pepys desoribes grotty Nelly standing at her lodg inge door in her smock- sleeves and bodice, look- ing at "merry milkmanide with garlands upon their paile, dancing with a fid- elle before them." On the 19th Cetobor, 1687, the Earl of Crvery's "Black Prince" was pro- ducedat the King's House, Nelly playing Alizia, or Alice Piers, the mistress of Edward III. The King was present, and was to charmed with her beauty and wit that it was soon reported that "the King had eent for Nelly" and it proved true. She was often at Whitelill, but still attended to her then- all trical engagements; but Dryden's "Conquest of in Graunda," in which Nelly bad a part, was post-De poned for a sonnon, for reasons not necessary to be specified. When the play was produced, with w Nelly as Almabide, in her brond-brimmed hat e and waist-belt, Charles became more than ever p enamored: LI "There W Hart's and Howley's souls she did connare, And made a king a rival to a player." T C At the birth of Charles Beanclerk Nelly wan P living in apartments in Lincoln's Inn Fields, sooD after which she move to a honeo at the cast end of the north side of, Pall Mal, and next year to s house on the south side, with a garden toward St. C James's Park, which was a4 first conveyed to her by the King on lense, but subsequently free to Nell and her representatives for ever. E Nell Gwynne bore Charles a seconal clald in 1071, named James, in compliment to the Duke of York. On December 27, 1670, the King crested his cklest 9 son Baron of Headington and Earl of Burford. The mother's house at Windsor was named Bur-C ford House, and the King had its staircaeo paintod by Verrio; and this was the rendezvous of all who wished to stand well at the castle. V Nell did not forget ber aged mother, who resided at one time with her in Pall Mall; for in s apothecary's bill, accidentally discovered among the Exchequer papers, are charges for cordial julepe with pearls for "Master Charles," and a cordial for "old Mrs. Gwynne." The idea of founding a Royal Hospital at Cheleen or agred and disabled soldiers, said to have origi- nated with Nelly, has been before referred to: the first stone was laid by the King in 1682. Helly'e benevolence and sympathy with the suffer- ing strengthen the evidence of the tradition as to the foundation; and some sixty years ago her portrait served as the sign of a public-house adjoining the hospital. The tradition is still rifo in Chelsea. Dedications of books, at this period, to "Madame Eleanor Gwynne," though adulatory, Lespeak her populanty. In 1680 died her second and youngest son, James; and in 1684 the boy Earl of Burford was created Duke of St. Albans, and appointed to the then lucrative offices of Registrur of the High Court of Chancery and Master Falconer of England. Charles II, ended bis dissolute life sensible of his eins, and seeking forgiveness from bis Maker. His dying request, made to his brother and suc cossor, concluded with, "Let not poor Nelly starve." While her grief was still freah, the "gold stuff" grow scarcer than over; and if not actually arrested for debt in the spring of 1685, she was certainly outlawed for the non-payment of certain bille, for which some of her trdesmen, since the deaths of the King had become very elamorous. Her resources were now slender enongh. But the King had not forgotten the dying request of his only brother, "Let not poor Nelly starve" and the secret service ex- penses of King Jamce/show a payment to Richard Graham, Esq., of £729 2. 3d., "to bo by him paid over to the several tradeemen, creditors of Mrs. Ellen Gwynne, in entisfaction of their debts for which the said Ellen stood out- Inwed." In the same yeor the King relieved Nelly by two additional payments of £500 each; and two years after made a settlement of pro- perty upon bor, mud "alter her dosth upon the Duke of St. Albans and his issue mole, with the reversion in the crown." Nelly now fell sick. Her friend, Dr. Tenison, Vicar of St. Martin'e, in which parish Pall Mall 16 satuated, attended ber. She made her will, and signed it "E. G." only: ebe could not eigu her name. She died of apoplexy in November, 1687, in her thirty-eighth year, but the exact day is un- known; she is onid to have died piously and peni. tently. Her father is said to have died in a privon at Oxford; and aho left £20 yearly for the releas | E ing of poor debtore out of prison every Christmas Day. Cn the night of the 17th November, 1697, Nelly was buriod, according to her own request, in the church of St. Martin's-in-the-Fielde. The ex- penses of her funeral, £375, were advanced from m the next quarter's allowance of £1,500 a-year, w which King James had settled upon her. Dr. C Tenison, too, complied with her request, and c preached her faneral sermon. I E King James continned the mother's pension to her son, and gave him the coloneley of a regimont of borse; he distinguished himself at the siege t of Belgrade, became in after life a Knight of the t Garter, and died father of eight eone, by his wife, H the high-bern and wealthy lioireas, Lady Dinnn C de Vere, n beauty in the Kneller collection at Hampton Court. Dongles Jerrold wrote a well-constracted comedy of "Nell Gwynno; or the Prologne," attempting to show "eune glimpses of the silver lining of a character, to whose influence over an imprincipled voluptnary is owing a national asylum for veteran eoldiers, and whose brightneee shines with the moet amiable fuetre in many actions of her life, and in the last disposal of her workly effects." AN INDIAN FAKIR. A SOMEWHAT extraordinary-looking character is shown in one of our engravings for the present week, in the person of a Muesulman Saint or Fakir of peculiar reverence, having the formidable name of Wuzzer Alle Shah Merlung, and his resiones at Hoshingabad, in Central India. The estimalle pietist, who holds an almost divine authority among the people of his own faith, is also the care- taker of one of the public gardene on the Ner- budds, and conecquently far lees abject in his poverty than is common among those of his caste. Our engraving shows his wonderfully long hair, which reaches to within two feet of the ground ne he stands upright, and descends in single curls of nearly the thickness of a man's thumb; and there is another, very popular in India, but of which we have at present no copy, showing him with his puggaree of hair gathered in soake-like coils that would fill an ordinary fruit-basket, around his bend, and confined by a single strip of whita muslin. It is doubtful which is the more bideoas -the one shown, or the other referred to: just as we have no idea whatever at 'which of the times ho is more in the peculiar odor of sanctity" when h his hirsute crop is tightly rolled or loosely pendant. A STREET VENDER At Charleston, As A proper pendant to some of the other ex- cellent illustrations of life at Charleston, 8. C., lately given, wo prosent. thie week a type of the "Street Vender" of that peenliar city. The street- venders are all negros, of course of both ex and generally old or part mille nge. The outfit conmats of a las tray low basket, containing a melon or two (in season) corn, peas, eomotinoce fiel, aud other article- invariably carried on the head, after the manner of the Italian venders of "imgees," and amoune- ed by differcut deverij- tions of plaintive cries, all more or less idong and generally exeryl to those mannerlora. Very often ton in the case of the Uncle-Tan-looking old gentleman with the cane, whom wo present, these is also a pail or bucket unintelligible. to the carried in the band, containing the unall re- rusinder velach cannot well find place on the head. The Charleston "Street Vender" is an "institution," and as much we prescut him, JAPANESE ROPEMAKER. THE working classes of Japan aro distinguished for their industry, their sobriety, and their clean- liness. As soon as our workman, portrayed in the engraving, has concluded his day's work, himself, bis wife and domestics will throw off their robes of cosine cotton, and enjoy the luxury of a bath in huge lacquered vessels manufactured for the purpose. Our ropenanker's occupation is neither well paid nor well considered, but, Mongolian S be is, with all the ugly characteristics of that race, there is nevertheles au elegance about his poverty, a tastefud disposal of his mesgro and poor surroundinge, which no one expecta to eec in a person of bis clase, unless it be in an artiean of Paris. FINDING OF COULTHARD'S BODY In the Deserts of Australia. THE interior of Australia, like the interior of Africa, presents almost insurmountable difficulties to the pioneers of progress. Arid miles of country, waterless and gameless, and beyond which all is unknown, face the adventurer and durably dare him to leave the haunts of men. Yet, an inauy a boy lows to his after-cost, there are men who turn their backs on no obstacle, shrink before no danger, and, in whatever guise death comes, winee not, neither fear. Staart, Warbartos, Hack, and the Governor MecDonald, have rule themselves famous as explorers of that vast continent, which is destined in the far-away East to becomo a co- pire of unlimited extent. They have managed to stare death out of countenance, and live to enjoy their celebrity; but others have not been so for- tunate. Poor Coulthard, as brave a man an ever breathed, died of thirst in the desat. He was found several weeks after by two friends, who anxiety had been excited by his prolonged absence, his skeleton hand still grapping a tin canteen, on which were ecratehed his last words of ngouy. Our illustration but too graphically conveys the thrilling eccoo of the tuding of the body, nt the same time that it seems to convey the very atmo- ephore of loneliness and agony amid which the sod event comrred. OUR BASE-BALL ILLUSTRATIONS. We add to our portrait gallery of cuinat ball players this week the counterfeit presentment of one of the most ceteemed and popaler tosabors of the fraternity, viz., Mr. George H. Flmley, the active and efcseul secoul base player of the Excelsior Club of Brooklyn, Prolably no club in the Natiesint Avanclation hos a wore extended reputation thou the Excelsior, Club of Brooklyn, and most nesuredly none stand deservully higher in the estimation of the best class of the fraternity. It was the Excelsior Club that in- angursled those best-ball Lanes through the country, which more than anything else bave done so musieli to advance the popularity of the game, and to make it the national pactime it now is, their visite northward to Buffalo, nouthward to Philadelphia and Baltimore, al castward to Boston, aording the citizens of those soveral localities such an exhibition of the most attrac tive feature of Uso ga on to produce quite a furore for the sport, the present great popularity of base-bal in Philadelphia especially being almost entirely due to the visit of the Excelacor Chub in 1550. At that time. the Excelsior Nine was the model ume of the country. the Iscented Creighton bong par excell, see the ball player of America. Bet it was not more as gracefl and expert exemplars of the beauties of base-ball than un goucrous rivals and gentlemanly contestante that the Excellors were, and are pow noted; and its to the pote worthy characteristic that we desire to call the special