bursting social bubbles--"Seventy-two last August, man! Strong as a hickory, and every whit as sound"--was for many years a favorite with the representatives of "character old men" on our stage. Mr. Blake, the original Adam in Philadelphia, was particularly happy in the _role_, playing it many times in New York; and E. L. Davenport made a decided hit as Adam at the Olympic in London, in January, 1850, when the comedy was first produced in England. Mr. Davenport on this occasion had the support of his wife, who played Gertrude, and who was then still billed as Miss Fanny Vining. There is no record of Mrs. Mowatt's appearance in _Fashion_, except on one evening in Philadelphia, when she played Gertrude for the benefit of Mr. Blake, and once in New York--at the Park, May 15, 1846. She felt that the character gave her no great opportunity, and she never attempted it again. [Illustration: ANNA CORA MOWATT RITCHIE.] Mrs. Mowatt's career as an actress was very remarkable. She was one of the few persons of adult years who, going upon the stage without the severe training and long apprenticeship so necessary even to indifferent dramatic success, display anything like brilliant dramatic qualities. She was an actress and a "star" born, not made. Her reasons for adopting the profession were as remarkable as the triumphs she won; her success as a playwright encouraging her, she said, to attempt to achieve like favor as a player. Every one familiar with the history of the theatre since it has had a history knows well how great is the distinction between producer and performer, and how few are the actors who have written clever plays, how few the authors who have become distinguished as actors upon the stage. The popularity of Miss Elizabeth Thompson's battle pictures would not encourage her to attempt to lead armies in the field; gun-makers are proverbially poor marksmen; and Von Buelow would never succeed were he to attempt the construction of a grand-piano.