The critic afterwards recals this opinion, in part, and admits that Kean was very great in the second act, where Lear seems absolutely stunned by the ingratitude of his children, and cries out in his bewildered manner "I will do such things What they are-I know not: but they shall be -Kean did not repeat the character of Lear very frequently, but fell back upon his old characters; and when his engagement for the season terminated, he set sail for America. CHAPTER IX. KEAN IN AMERICA - HIS RETURN TO ENGLAND-S WORSHIPPING A RELIC DE MONTFORT -KEAN AND YOUNG-THE ISLE OF BUTE-SECOND VISIT ΤΟ THE CONTINENT-COX v. KEAN-ITS CONSEQUENCES-HIS RETURN TO AMERICA. KEAN'S progress through the United States of America, was one continued march of triumph. Until the period of his quarrel with the people of Boston, in June, 1821, he had encountered nothing but respect and applause. The newspaper critics indeed differed a little as to his particular points of excellence, in the various parts which he undertook; but the general verdict in favour of his acting was unanimous. The amount of money that he brought to the American managers and to speculators in box-tickets must have been prodigious; for the playhouses were not only filled to the ceiling, but the tickets were put up to auction on the nights of his performance, and produced considerable sums of money beyond the ordinary price. The anxiety to witness his acting had, it seems, caused such a ferment amongst the citizens of New York, that the managers of the New York theatre put forth an announcement :-"To prevent the riotous scenes which have disturbed the peace of the town in the vicinity of the theatre, for several days and nights past, in efforts to forestal tickets, the managers have directed that the box-tickets of the whole lower tier, and fourteen of the second row next to the stage, shall be sold by public auction, the premiums for the choice to be appropriated to the Massachussetts General Hospital." Upon the first day's auction, upwards of eighteen dollars were paid for the choice of a single box, containing nine persons; and on the second day's auction, the total sum paid for the choice of seats, for one night, amounted to four hundred dollars and fifty cents. Kean himself reaped a large and brilliant harvest. Money and fame poured in upon him whenever and wherever he appeared. He first showed himself to the Americans at New York, in the character of Richard the Third. This was about November, 1820, and he continued in America, traversing all the northern provinces of the Union, till about August, 1821. For once in his life, he was prudent enough to transmit money from time to time to Coutts and Co., his bankers, and thus to put a large portion of his earnings out of his own immediate power. This saving spirit unluckily continued for a brief period, for on his return to England he drew cheque after cheque, in his old fashion, and very speedily levelled his mountain of American gold. It should be stated, that during his stay in the United States, he erected a monument over the grave of the once famous George Frederic Cooke, an actor to whom, in more points than one, our hero bore a very striking resemblance. It was in the course of performing this task of love, that he was enabled to obtain a very valuable relic, to which we shall presently advert more particularly. When we intimated that he was successful everywhere in America, we did not mean to exclude Boston; for he was received there, on his first visit, with extraordinary enthusiasm, drew large houses, " put money in his purse," and, in requital, acted for the benefit of the Boston charities. But his second visit to Boston was during the dull season of the year, at which time, finding the theatre almost wholly deserted, and in fact incompetent to pay him anything for the exertion |