Charles Mathews, the second considerable comedian of that name,—though his
father seems to have been, by all accounts, the greater of the two,--died of bronchitis at Manchester on Monday, at the age of 75. Ile will be a great loss to the English. Stage, for though not an actor of great range, he was always a. gentleman, understood the grossness and vulgarity of mere cari- cature, and was always sprightly as well as well-bred. He was as good in the expression of ennui as in rattling parts, and no one could have beaten him in either. Oddly enough, he began life as an architect, and was most reluctant to give up that not very exciting profession, — for which he does not seem to have evinced any very remarkable talent,—for the stage, though for the stage he certainly had very unusual gifts. It is said that Mr. Mathewshad very unusual powers of abstracting his mind from the scene immediately before him, powers which he had first mild- vated when he found how much the unmeaning conviviality of his father's companions wearied him. Perhaps it may be found that a great power of not attending to what you don't want to bear, is usually united with a still greater power of attending to it with something far beyond most men's powers of attention. You can- not study the real characteristics of manner half so well, without; being able to ignore them at will, and so, also at will, to give e freshness to them.
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