years of age, for the purpose of recovering his health by a voyage, he sailed for Sydney. Australia, remaining during several years and leading a life of adventure. Prom Australia he went to New Zealand, made a whaling-voyage in the South seas. and finally landed in the East Indies. He visited most of the interior provinces of Hindostan and spent some time in tiger-hunting. Prom Hindostan, Wallace sailed for Chili, and in turn visited Peru and Buenos Ayres, giving concerts in the large cities of those countries. This musical progress was gradually extended to Mexico and the West Indies. His earliest appearance in the United States as a virtuoso was in New Orleans. Thence he travelled through the Union for several years, giving entertainments in the large cities. Later Wallace went to England, turning his attention to the composition of operas. In London he produced in succession "Maritana " and " Matilda of Hungary." The first named readily found its way to the chief opera-houses of the European -continent. La^er the composer brought out "Lurline," "The Maid of Zurich," "The Amber Witch," "Love's Triumph," and "The Desert Flower." After a short stay in Paris, for the restoration of his health, he again crossed the Atlantic, landing at Rio Janeiro. Thence he sailed for New Orleans, whence he continued a prolonged concert tour in the principal cities of the Union. As a performer on the violin and piano-forte Wallace was more than respectable, and free from sensationalism. His compositions for the piano-forte are melodious and effective. As an opera-composer he was deficient in the science of instrumentation, but he well understood how to write for the voice, and many of his melodies combine fluency and grace with the charms of originality. This is particularly the case with his first two lyric dramas. His earliest works continue to hold the stage.
WALLACK, James William, actor, b. in
Lambeth, England, 24 Aug., 1794; d. in New York
city, 25 Dec., 1864. His parents were comedians,
who performed at the London minor play-houses
and in the British provinces. His first appearance
on the stage was as a child at the Surrey theatre
in London. Soon afterward he performed in
juvenile characters at Drury Lane, and at the age
of eighteen entered on a permanent career at the
same house as Laertes in “Hamlet.” He also
acted in the British provinces and in Ireland,
gradually winning his way to popularity as a useful
representative of drama and comedy. In 1824
Wallack became stage-manager at Drury Lane,
and rose to the performance of secondary rôles in
tragedy. Later he played at the Haymarket, and
officiated as stage-manager at the Princess's theatre.
For about twenty years his attention was
divided between the theatres of the United States
and those of his native land. He made numerous
voyages to this country, where he was always
received with favor. On the occasion of his first
visit to the United States, in 1818, he boldly
advanced himself to the interpretation of Macbeth,
Romeo, Shylock, Coriolanus, Hamlet, and Richard
III., without making any favorable impression.
But in the principal rôles in “The Stranger,”
“Pizarro,” and “The Gamester,” closely copied in
the manner of Kemble, he attracted favorable
consideration. From 1818 until 1845 Wallack
performed at intervals in all the principal cities of
the Union. Among his best renderings were the
chief characters in “The Brigand,” “The Rent-Day,”
“The Wonder,” “Don Cassar de Bazan,”
“Wild Oats,” and the refined comedy parts of
Mercutio, Jaques, and Benedick. “Love's
Ritornello,”
as sung by him in “The Brigand,” was
hummed from one end of the land to the other.
In 1822 Wallack met with an accident, in which
his leg was fractured by the overturning of a
stagecoach between New York and Philadelphia. This
mishap retired him from active life for about
eighteen months; from its effect he never
entirely recovered. From 1837 until its destruction
by fire Wallack conducted the New York
National theatre. There he presented a repertory of
the best plays in the English language, rendered
by a company such as never before had been seen
in this country. In 1852 he assumed the management
of Wallack's lyceum, and in 1861 established
Wallack's theatre. As a performer he was
endowed with a fine personality; his voice was highly
melodious, set off by flexibility and careful elocution,
and his knowledge of stage-effect was
unexcelled. In refined and eccentric comedy Wallack
had few superiors. Some of his rôles in the
romantic dramas of his own creation were
entirely unequalled, and have passed away with him.
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His son, John Lester, actor, b. in New York city, 1 Jan., 1820; d. in Stamford, Conn., 6 Sept., 1888, spent his infancy and boyhood in England. At the age of twenty he was entered as lieutenant in the British army, but after two years' service he abandoned his military career. Ambitious of following in the footsteps of his father, he began his new experience on the Dublin stage in the part of Don Pedro in “Much Ado about Nothing.” He remained there two seasons, which were followed by an engagement at Edinburgh and a brief connection with the Haymarket theatre in London. In this country Mr. Wallack at first became known as John W. Lester, making his first appearance as such at the New York Broadway theatre, 27 Sept., 1847, as Sir Charles Coldstream in Dion Boucicault's adaptation of “Used Up.” After two years' connection with this establishment he appeared in succession at several other houses — the Bowery, Burton's, Niblo's, and Brougham's lyceum. In 1852 he joined the company at his father's theatre, where he acted as stage-manager and played leading parts. On the death of the elder Wallack, in 1864, he succeeded him as proprietor of Wallack's theatre, which he conducted with more or less success for twenty-four years. On 21 May, 1888, after his managerial retirement, Mr. Wallack was the recipient of a brilliant dramatic testimonial that netted the beneficiary the unexampled proceeds of $20,000. Among the actor's best performances were Don Felix in “The Wonder,” St. Pierre in “The Wife,” Alfred Evelyn in “Money,” Charles Surface in “The School for Scandal,” Young Marlowe in “She Stoops to Conquer,” Harry Dornton in “The Road to Ruin,” and Claude Melnotte in “The Lady of Lyons.” In his youth Mr. Wallack had a pleasing tenor voice, which he often used to advantage. In many respects his abilities were similar to his father's. But, unlike him, he never aspired to the leading rôles in trage-
