Miss Marion Dunn

In my last article I made mention of Miss Julia Harland, her father, Mr. Wallack, and her husband, Mr. William Hoskins— a splendid dramatic and musical trio. The former died on August 19,1872, while her husband was touring New Zealand with Miss Florence Colville, whom he subsequently married. Miss Julia Harland was descended from a family highly honored and respected in the dramatic world. Her father, Mr. John Henry Wallack, visited Australia, on pleasure bent, in 1862, and appeared on the occasion of Lady Don's benefit at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, as Sir Anthony Absolute, but increasing years and defective memory prevented his reappearance. He was a very gentlemanly actor of the old school. His elder son was, in his time, the best Don Caesar de Bazan; and the younger son, J . W. Wallack, had made a name for himself on the American stage.

Miss Julia Harland made her mark in English opera many years before she came to the colonies, when she succeeded Madame Anna Hilton at the Princess' Theatre, London, as prima donna of the English Opera Company, then under J. M. Maddox, a somewhat eccentric manager, whom London 'Punch' is said to have dubbed 'King Maddox.' In that company, with Donald King, Leffler, H. Horncastle, and Allen, she became the operatic star of London. Some time after this she accepted an engagement with Thomas Rouse, known in pit and gallery as 'Bravo Rouse,' succeeding Miss Annetta Mears at the Grecian Saloon, City-road, London. During her stay at this house, under the conductorship of Mr. B. Isaacson, her splendid talents, as one critic tells us, brought the little theatre into notoriety and nightly filled the coffers, much to the gratification of the manager. One of the best operatic companies then obtainable was engaged to support Miss Harland. There was a Mr. Fraser, described as a very able tenor, who died in America; Mr. Charles Horn, a son of an eminent composer, a baritone from the English Opera House named Baldwin, Mr. Eaton O'Donnell, Mr. H. Horncastle, Mr. Patrick Corri, son of Hadyn Corri, of Dublin, and brother of Mrs. Frederick Younge, the eminent comedienne, so well known in Australia in the fifties and sixties. Then there were the sisters M. A. and Emma Crisp, a Miss Johnstone, Mr. R. Phillips, and Mr. Campbell, father-in-law of John Dunn, a comedian who flourished in Melbourne in the fifties, sixties end seventies. His correct name Was John Benjamin Donohoe, and two of his daughters, Miss Rosa Dunn, now Mrs. L. L. Lewis, and Miss Marion Dunn, now Mrs. Marcus Clark, widow of the journalist and novelist, are well known to Australian readers. Of the Dunn family I shall have something to say at another time. With the company supporting Miss Harland was the eminent comedian Fred Robson, better known as Little Robson, A goodly company truly. After severing her connection with the Grecian Theatre. Miss Harland appeared at several of the principal theatres in opera. In 1856, in company with her husband, William Hoskins, Walter Sherwin, Linley Norman, and the basso Farquharson, she left London for Australia, arriving in Melbourne in August of the same year, and announcing themselves as the English Opera Company. Miss Julia Harland made her first appearance in Melbourne on September 1, as Lucia, in "The Bride of Lammermoor," Mr. Hoskins appearing the same evening in the farce a "Fast Train — High Pressure Express," as Jack Delaware. The company was successful throughout the colonies, Miss Harland's talents, being every where appreciated. In 1859 she joined the Opera Company at the Princess' Theatre, and in conjunction with Madame Carandini, Messrs. Laglaise, Emile Coulon, Schultz, John Gregg, and others, appeared in "II Trovatore," its first production in the Australian colonies— Miss Harland in the character of the gipsy Azucena, which was universally acknowledged to be a triumphant and thoroughly artistic performance. On the retirement of Mr. Hoskins from management in Melbourne, and during his absence from the city, Mrs. Hoskins had lived in complete retirement, and for some weeks before her death suffered severely from dropsy. In private life Mrs. Hoskins was highly esteemed. Her brother-in-law, H. H. Hoskins, a solicitor, and that genial actress, Mrs. Alfred Phillips, were with her in her last moments.

Mr. William Hoskins was the son of Abraham Hoskins, gentleman, of Newton Park, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and was born February 17, 1816. He was first educated at the Grammar School, Burton-upon-Trent, where his uncle. Rev. Hugh Jones was headmaster. From this school he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, being intended for one of the liberal professions, but, refusing to study for the church, was articled to a solicitor at Birmingham. His stage fever began at the early age of 10 years, after witnessing a performance of the Stanton Company, whose performances were given in a large malt house attached to Mr. Newman's Blue Stoop Hotel, Burton. The idea of being an actor never left him, and one day he threw up his articles and bolted for London, where, at the Pantheon Theatre, he paid 10s for the privilege of playing Antonio in "The Merchant of Venice." He had resolved, however, to be a leader or nothing, and paid three guineas to play Hamlet, and Slasher in "P.P., or the Man and the Tiger." He made his first professional appearance as Icilius in "Virginius" with Messrs. Macsfield and Kelly in Southampton. During this engagement his father forgave what he considered his son's folly and supplied him with money to become a lessee; but, the speculation failing, he took on engagement with Manager Smith, of the Norwich Circuit, playing alternate nights with G . V . Brooke. Hoskins was the original Cardinal Richelieu in Bulwer's play of that name, a part played by him in 1840 for 101 nights. In 1843 he opened at Covent Garden, succeeding Jas. Anderson as Charles Courtley , in "London Assurance." (Imagine the ponderous Anderson as Charles Courtley!) It was during this engagement that Mr. Hoskins discovered that his forte was comedy, not tragedy. Many other actors had ideas of tragedy when they were genuine comedians, Leston and little Robson being cases in point. Next he went to Manchester, under Mr. John Knowles, and from there was en gaged by Mr. Greenwood, partner of Mr. Samuel Phelps, of Sadlers Wells, opening at that theatre in 1846 in the two act comedy, "Naval Engagements," in which 'old Lambert' made such a hit years after in Melbourne. His first great London hit was as Lucio in ''Measure for Measure." From Sadlers Wells, in 1851-52, he joined Mr. E. T. Smith (father, of Dr. L. L. Smith, of Melbourne) as manager and principal comedian, at Drury Lane, thence to the Olympic, with Mr. William Farren in a similar capacity, He then returned to Mr. Phelps, and from Sadlers Wells he came to Australia. He held an indisputably first place in these colonies; in every principal theatre in Sydney, Melbourne, and New Zealand he has been leading comedian and manager.

In December 1884, at the age of 68 years, Mr Hoskins took his farewell of the stage at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. The piece chosen was the old comedy, "The Heir at Law," in which the veteran actor had won laurels in the past. Mr. Hoskins was, of course, the Dr. Pangloss, LL.D., A.S.S. The play is now obsolete, but full of good materials, and every character in it requires an actor. Mr. Redwood was the Lord Duberly, a character connected in my memory with Rogers and Lambert, and it will take a very great actor to efface their memories. Titheradge was Dick Dowlas; Richard Stewart, as Zekiel; J. R. Creville, Kenrick; Herbert Fleming, as Steadfast; Mrs. Chippendale, as Lady Duberly; Jenny Watt Tanner, as Caroline Dormer; and our not-yet-forgotten favorite Myra Kemble, as Cicily. A grand cast! The old Royal was crowded, and at the conclusion of the play Mr. Hoskins, in evening costume, delivered his farewell address. It was an instructive history of the stage, and few actors were more capable of handling such a subject as was William Hoskins. At the conclusion of his address the scene opened and disclosed the stage full of people, actors, musicians, Bohemians, personal and professional friends, headed by Mr. George Coppin, who was spokesman for the crowd. Mr. Coppin, who could (and can) be serious when he pleased, was humorous and sentimental by turns. He recalled the days when he and Hoskins were boys together, "when the stage and all associated with it were so different from what it is now, and maybe so much better." At the end of Mr. Coppin's pleasant speech, he handed Mr. Hoskins a purse of 50 sovereigns, for which useful gift the recipient expressed his warm thanks. In this connection it may be mentioned that to Mr. Hoskins Sir Henry Irving is indebted for much good tuition when the now stage leader was a novice, and Irving did not forget his old tutor on the occasion of his fare well benefit. He sent a drat for £100 to swell the fund. And thus Mr. Hoskins pleasantly and regretfully bade fare well to stage life, though I think he had taken some pupils to coach up in the profession.

The career of Mr. Hoskins under the Southern Cross was a varied one, and in a monetary sense not a success. Though a great actor, there was a want of stability about the man which prevented the accumulation of money. Though a lessee and manager on several occasions in various cities, none of the gold ever clung to his finger's. He was as much a failure, as a business man, as was G. V. Brooke; few actor-managers are successful that way. While Hoskins was lessee of the Melbourne Royal, he entered into a verbal agreement with Walter Montgomery to play a season in Melbourne. Montgomery was then in Sydney, and was to sign the agreement on arrival at Melbourne. In those days Mathew Henry Taylor shared with Tom Pavey the legal business of the theatrical profession. Tom was solicitor for Hoskins, and Taylor for Montgomery. Mr. Taylor had been in partnership with John Baxter Bennett, who never did anything shady, but the partnership had been dissolved, and Taylor was on his own. On arrival at Melbourne, Montgomery wished to give a series of readings at St George's Hall, for his own benefit. To this Hoskins objected, naturally thinking that the readings would injure the subsequent theatrical season; and St. George's Hall being next door to the Theatre Royal, the Montgomery readings would attract the public and injure the ordinary business at the theatre. Hoskins declined to sanction the readings, and Montgomery consulted Taylor as to how far he was tied to Hoskins under the verbal agreement. It is a standing joke that no man should sign a verbal agreement; but to get rid of Mr. Montgomery's verbal agreement, much correspondence ensued. Montgomery (per Taylor) wrote that unless readings were to be given and take precedence of the season at the Royal, Montgomery would not complete the agreement. "And this," wrote Taylor, "is Mr. Montgomery's ultimatum." As Hoskins said, he might just as well have sent his pomatum. Hoskins would not agree to the readings, and Montgomery broke his word as to the engagement. It was, of course, a serious loss to Hoskins, as Montgomery always drew crowded houses. That, however, is only one instance of want of business tact: there were many others.

In Sydney, Mr. Hoskins came across Miss Florence Colville, then under the alleged protection of a certain sporting butcher, who is still with us. Mr. Hoskins saw the germs of dramatic talent in the lady, and induced her to adopt the stage as a profession, a better one than "that other." The gay Lothario was, like Barkis, willing, and the lady toured with Hoskins during the lifetime of Julia Harland, and he eventually married her. On her death he married a Miss Bowman, a daughter, I think, of G. V. Brooke's old friend and supporter, Dr. Bowman, of Russell-street, Melbourne. Summed up, this may be said to have been Hoskins' Australian career. He landed in 1856, and made his first appearance at the old Queen's, in Melbourne. He became manager of the Ballarat Theatre in 1858, and of the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, in 1863. He subsequently managed the Haymarket Theatre, Melbourne, and rebuilt the Theatre Royal at Christchurch. From 1884— his big benefit— until his death on September 28, 1886, he was a teacher of elocution in Melbourne.

John Benjamin Dunn (family name Donohoe, mentioned above) was an old London actor of vast experience, who had served articles, as it were, under W. C. Macready and other eminent actors. He first came into note in London, when the singer and dancer Rice, known as 'Jim Crow' Rice, came from America and took the Big Smoke by storm with his American eccentricities. "Wheel about and turn about and do just so; Wheel about and turn about, and jump Jim Crow," accompanying the song with a dance and a jump. To counteract the attraction John Dunn was put forward as the English Jim Crow, and succeeded. He came from California to Melbourne in 1855 with his family, one daughter (Rose) being on the stage. Miss Dunn became an especial favorite, and in a long season at the Princess' in the early sixties established herself in the good opinion of the Melbourne public. When George Fawcett Rowe was dramatizing Dickens, Miss Dunn's impersonations were a feature in the plays, notably Barnaby in 'Barnaby Rudge.' Miss Dunn, however, was not an enthusiast in stage matters, and when Mr. L. L. Lewis, an eminent amateur musician, and in a good commercial position, 'came along' Miss Dunn embraced the opportunity and became Mrs. Lewis, in which capacity she has enjoyed a happy life, and at one time used to come from her retirement at St. Kilda and assist at swell readings in the aristocratic suburb. The other daughter, Marion, made her first appearance in Melbourne at a time when Docy, Maggie and Nellie Stewart were budding. Miss Marion Dunn married Marcus Clark; he dying early, left the little lady with a large little family, for whom she has bravely battled and won. John Dunn, the father, may be said to have died upon the stage. After a performance, in August 1875, he fell dead on his own doorstep in Fitzroy. John, notwithstanding a certain - amount of Bohemianism, was careful of the pence, and left his widow the solid consolation of a couple of thousands of pounds sterling. There was a son, a good-looking lad, who tried the stage and failed. The talent went with the daughters. The mother was not an actress, but she was a splendid housekeeper and managed her four-in-hand team splendidly.

(To be continued.)