w
one at the Park. The Philadelphia company, still bleeding from the
wounds of the unsuccessful season, and urged by necessity for future
support, applied to Hallam and Hodgkinson to rent them the theatre in
John-street. Guided by a policy, rational enough and perhaps justifiable
on principles of self-defence, though certain not very liberal, and in
the end greatly injurious to themselves, the York proprietors
peremptorily refused. The circus of Ricketts, the equestrian, in
Greenwich-street then presented itself, and the Philadelphia company
opened in full force. In order to oppose them, Hallam and Hodgkinson
invited Mr. Sollee with his company to John-street. The Philadelphia
company, however, made a very successful campaign of it. Sollee also had
his visitors, and the consequence to H. and H. was that when they came
to open the new house they played to thin or rather empty boxes; the
town being saturated with theatrical exhibitions, and a little exhausted
too of the cash disposable for such recreations.

In New-York as well as Philadelphia, and indeed in every place where
Mrs. M. went, she was no sooner seen than admired; and the impression
she never failed to make at first sight remained, not only uneffaced but
more deeply augmented in proportion as she was seen, even to the end of
her life. She afterwards visited Baltimore and other places, and
wherever she went, was the polar star to which the attention of all was
directed.

While she was proceeding in this career of success her felicity met with
the most cruel interruption by the sudden death of her husband, which
happened at Baltimore in the latter end of the year 1798. Mr. Merry had
not laboured under any specific physical complaint from which his death
could in the smallest degree be apprehended. On the day before christmas
he was apparently well, had walked out into the garden, and was soon
after followed by some friends who found him lying senseless on the
ground. Medical aid was immediately called in--several attempts were
made to draw blood from him but without the least success; the
physicians pronounced it an apoplectic case, and from every circumstance
the conclusion was that his death was instantaneous and without pain.
Mr. Merry was large and of a plethoric habit; and to that his death may,
in some sort, and was then entirely ascribed. But circumstances appeared
after his death which led to a conclusion that concealed sorrow, might
have had some shar