Page:Men of the Time, eleventh edition.djvu/1068

 TOOLE— TORRENS.

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the War in the Crimea ; " and in 1865 visited England, where he met with a most cordial reception. After the defeat of the Russian army before Plevna (Sept. 11, 1877) General Todleben, who appears previously not to have enjoyed Court favour, was invited to under- take the reduction of that strong- hold. On his arrival at the Russian head-quarters (Sept. 28) the famous engineer at once proceeded to direct regular siege operations by sap and mine against the Turkish fortifica- tions. Soon the place was com- pletely invested, and after a contest which worthily ended an heroic defence, Osman Pasha, the Turkish commander, was at last compelled to surrender at discretion. In April, 1878, General Todleben was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army before Constan- tinople in the place of the Grand- Duke Nicholas, who had to give up that post in consequence, it was alleged, of ill-health. Subsequently he became Governor-General of Odessa, which post he resigned in June, 1880.

TOOLE, John Laurence, come- dian, son of Mr. Toole, the civic toast-master, born in London, March 12, 1830, was educated at the City of London School, and became a clerk to a wine-merchant, but quit- ted this occupation, his taste lying in another direction. Having been smitten with the " bias dramatic," he was induced to join the City Histrionic Club, where his qualifi- cations for the dramatic profession were soon recognized, and he foirnd a fj9,vourable opportunity for ap- pearing before a public audience at a benent to Mr. P. Webster, at the Haymarket Theatre, July 22, 1852. Having successfully passed this ordeal, he resolved to become an actor, and commenced his profes- sional career under Mr. Charles Dillon, at the Queen's Theatre, Dublin, where he achieved great success. After further testing his powers at Belfast^ Edinburgh, and

Glasgow, he accepted, in 1854, an engagement at the St. James's Theatre, London, imder the manage- ment of Mrs. Seymour, and sustained a variety of characters in low comedy with considerable success. This was followed by an engagement with his old manager, Mr. C. Dillon, who had the Lyceum for a short term, and, on the opening of the New Adelphi Theatre by Mr. Webster, . Mr. Toole became the leading come- dian. His style of acting is marked by a close fidelity to nature in every character he undertakes, whether it be in the broad region of farce, or in those more important parts in which tears and laughter equally predominate ; such as ** Caleb Plum- mer,"inthc version of Mr. Dickens's "Cricket on the Hearth," or the honest fireman "Joe Bright," in the drama "Through Fire and Water." For several years Mr. Toole has been in the habit of making a professional tour in the provinces, where he is as great a favourite as in the metropolis. In July, 1874, he went on a " starring" tour to the United States, and made his American d^bUt at Wal- lack's Theatre, New York (Aug. 17). He reappeared at the Gaiety Theatre, London, Nov. 8, 1875. On the 17th of Nov., 1880, he commenced the man- agement at the Folly Theatre, which he has had reconstructed in accord- ance with all the requirements of the authorities, re-christened it, and called it after his own name — Toole's Theatre — which is one of the best managed and most suc- cessful in the metropolis. TORONTO, Bishop of. (See

SWBATMAN.)

TORRENS, Sib Robert Richabd, E.C.M.G., is the son of the late Colonel Robert Torrens, formerly M.P. for Ashburton and Bolton, and was born in 1814. He was educated at Trinity CoUege, Dublin, but his name does not appear in the list of Dublin graduates. He was appointed in 1841 Collector of Cus- toms in South Australia^ and a non-

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