of Connecticut from 1846 till 1872. In 1853 he received the degree of S. T. D. from Trinity college. Dr. Hallam was an original thinker and an interesting writer. His specialty in the pulpit was the expounding of peculiar texts. lie is the author of " Lectures on the Morning Prayer" (Philadelphia, 1850-'l) ; " Sketches of 1 ravel in Europe " and "Lectures on Moses" (New York, 1869); "Sovereigns of Judah" (1877); and "Annals of St. James's, New London."
HALLAM, William, theatre-manager, b. in
England about 1712; d. there about 1758. He
was a brother of Admiral Hallam, of the British
navy, and became manager of the Goodman's
Fields theatre, London. In his competition with
Garrick, who managed Drury Lane theatre, he
became bankrupt in 1750, and in the same year
organized a dramatic company that was sent,
under the direction of his brother Lewis, to the
North American colonies and the British West
Indies. Before the actors sailed they studied
twenty-four plays, besides farces and medleys,
which in suitable weather were rehearsed on
ship-board. They also took with them costumes and
scenery. In June, 1754, William Hallam sailed
for the North American colonies, landing in
Philadelphia. He remained with the comedians about
one year, but did not perform. Disposing of his
half-interest to his brother Lewis, he returned to
England in 1755, where he soon afterward died. —
His brother, Lewis, theatre-manager, b. in
England about 1714; d. in Jamaica, W. I., in 1756,
had been an actor under William's management.
On the failure of the London establishment, he
took charge of the American enterprise, and, on
joint account with William, conducted the actors
across the ocean. They arrived at Yorktown, Va.,
and began their performances in Williamsburg,
then the capital of the colony. Here they hired
a large wooden structure, which was roughly
altered to suit their purposes. It was so near the
forest that the players were able to shoot
wild-fowl from the windows of the building. Their
opening performance was “The Merchant of
Venice.” The orchestra was supplied by a single
player on the harpsichord. From Williamsburg
the troupe travelled to Annapolis and Philadelphia.
In 1754 they performed in New York city,
under the sole management of Lewis Hallam, and
in 1756 went to the British West Indies, where
Hallam died. — His wife, b. in London; d. in
Philadelphia, Pa., in 1773, was an actress at the Goodman's
Fields theatre, and in 1752 came to this
country with her husband. After the death of
Hallam she married his successor in the management,
David Douglas, and retired from the stage
in 1769. — Their son, Lewis, b. in England in 1738;
d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 1 Nov., 1808, was
educated at the grammar-school in Cambridge, to
follow a profession, under the patronage of his
uncle, the admiral. At the age of fourteen he
came with his parents to this country, and made
his first appearance on any stage at the theatre in
Williamsburg, in a subordinate part. After the
death of his father he followed the fortunes of his
step-father, Douglas, the new manager. They faced
the yellow fever, the Revolution, and the intolerance
of New England. In Newport, R. I., the
company was permitted only to recite so-called
“Moral Dialogues.” One of these was
Shakespeare's “Othello.” The play-bills read: “Mr.
Douglas will represent Othello, a noble and
magnanimous Moor, who loves a young lady named
Desdemona, and after he has married her,
harbors (as in too many cases) the dreadful passion
of jealousy.” “Mr. Hallam will delineate Cassio,
a young and thoughtful officer, who is traduced
by Mr. Allen (Iago), and, getting drunk, loses his
situation and his friends.” As an actor Hallam
never rose to eminence; but in the negro
character of Mungo, in the play of the “Padlock,”
he was seen to advantage. It is laid to his charge
that he too frequently indulged in the habit of
interpolating profanity to emphasise his language.
After the retirement of Douglas, Hallam united
with John Henry in the management of the
“American company,” and continued playing,
with varying success. During their management
it was the custom to set aside benefit-nights for
popular actors. On such occasions the public was
invited to purchase tickets of admission at the
lodgings of the beneficiaries. This was deemed a
gala occasion by young gallants for personal
interviews with popular actresses. Favored patrons
were also allowed to visit the performers behind
the scenes during the action of the play. At about
the same time the “citizens” were requested “to
send their servants to the theatre on the opening
of the doors, at 4 o'clock, to keep the places they
had secured for the evening's performance.” In
1797 Hallam sold out his half-interest in the
management to William Dunlap. Mr. and Mrs. Hallam
then became salaried actors. Hallam made
his final appearance in New York city on 6 June,
1806. He married his first wife in the West
Indies. She lived but a short time. After her death
Hallam married Miss Tuke in 1791. In her best
days the second Mrs. Hallam was a comely woman
and a good comedy actress.
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HALLECK, Fitz-Greene, poet, b. in Guilford, Conn., 8 July, 1790; d. there, 19 November, 1867. His ancestors were among the earliest of the Pilgrim fathers. Some literary admixture was in his blood from both his paternal and maternal ancestry, he being descended from Peter Halleck, or Hallock, who landed at New Haven in 1640, and with eleven other heads of families settled at Southhold, on the eastern shore of Long Island, and on his mother's side from the Rev. John Eliot, the pious “Apostle to the Indians,” who arrived in Boston in 1631. The future poet was sent to school when he was six years of age; and when he was seven he took part in one of the public exhibitions, or “quarter-days,” as they were called in Connecticut — an honor not usually accorded to lads of his tender years. Said a venerable lady who was present: “He was the brightest and sweetest-looking lad I ever saw, and so intelligent and gentle in his manner that every one loved him.” He was no sooner taught to write than he took to rhyming. As one of his school companions remarked, “He couldn't help it.” In an old writing-book, dated 1802, on a page opposite to some juvenile verses, appears the following title, showing that the schoolboy indulged in dreams of literary distinction, “The Poetical Works of Fitz-
