Page:Dictionary of National Biography. Sup. Vol II (1901).djvu/234

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Forbes
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Forbes

had an original part, Miss Hargrave, in Taylor's 'Settling Day' on 4 March 1863, played Mrs. Featherley in 'Everybody's Friend,' Maria in 'Twelfth Night,' Clara Vernon in Wilkie Collins's 'Frozen Deep,' and some original parts in burlesque. At the Prince of Wales's, Tottenham Street, she made, 6 April 1867, her great triumph as Esther Eccles in Robertson's 'Caste' (Times, 11 April 1867), was on 21 Dec. the original Lady Selina Raffleticket in Boucicault's 'How she loves him,' and on 15 Feb. 1868 the first Amanda in Robertson's 'Play.' At the Holborn on 5 Sept. she played the twin sisters Craddock in Byron's 'Blow for Blow.' At the Globe, in Byron's 'Minnie,' 29 March 1869, she was Minnie Vaughan, and 18 Sept. the heroine of Robertson's 'Progress.' At the Globe on 10 Feb. 1870 she was Philomel in Mr. Craven's 'Philomel,' and at the Holborn, 1 Oct., the heroine of Sefton Parry's 'Odds,' and 5 Dec. Madame d'Artignes in Boucicault's 'Jezebel.' In 1872 she was at the Gaiety, where she played Mary Thornberry in 'John Bull,' and was, 3 March 1873, at the Prince of Wales's the first Ann Silvester in Wilkie Collins's 'Man and Wife.' At the Princess's she was Ruth in the 'Lancashire Lass,' and 20 March 1875, at the Adelphi, Smike in 'Nicholas Nickleby.' On 30 Oct. she was Little Em'ly in a revival of the piece so named. At the St. James's she played Grace Harkaway in 'London Assurance,' and at the Adelphi Helen in the 'Hunchback' to the Julia of Lilian Adelaide Neilson [q. v.] in 1879. At the former house on 6 Jan. 1877 she was the first Anna in the 'Danischeffs;' at the latter, 30 Sept. 1879, the first Midge in Boucicault's 'Rescued,' and had, 21 Oct. 1880, an original part in Boucicault's 'O'Dowd.' On 5 Aug. 1881, at Drury Lane, she played an original part in 'Pluck' by Pettitt and Harris. She also took part at the Adelphi in many revivals. She died of cancer at Broadstairs 30 May 1892. Miss Foote was a good actress and possessed of remarkable pathos. Her Esther Eccles in 'Caste' and her Anna in the 'Danischeffs' could not easily have been surpassed.

[Personal knowledge; Pascoe's Dramatic List; Scott and Howard's Blanchard; Button Cook's Nights at the Play; Sunday Times, various years; Hollingshead's Gaiety Chronicles.]

J. K.

FORBES, ARCHIBALD (1838–1900), war correspondent, the son of Lewis William Forbes, D.D. (d. 1854), minister of Boharm, Banffshire, by his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Archibald Young Leslie of Kininvie, was born in Morayshire in 1838. After studying at the university of Aberdeen from 1854 to 1857, he went to Edinburgh, and after hearing a course of lectures by (Sir) William Howard Russell, the famous correspondent, he enlisted in the royal dragoons. While still a trooper he began writing for the 'Morning Star,' and succeeded in getting several papers on military subjects accepted by the 'Cornhill Magazine.' On leaving the army in 1867 he started and ran with very little external aid a weekly journal called the 'London Scotsman ' (1867-71). His chance as a journalist came when in September 1870 he was despatched to the siege of Metz by the 'Morning Advertiser' (from which paper, however, his services were transferred after a short period to the 'Daily News'). In all the previous reports from battlefields comparatively sparing use had been made of the telegraph. Forbes laments his own supineness in the matter of wiring full details from the scene of operations. But the intensity of competition rapidly developed the long war telegram during the autumn of 1870, and no one contributed more effectively to this result than Forbes. He witnessed many of the events of the autumn campaign and entered Paris with the Prussians (with whom he established excellent relations) on 1 March 1871. On this occasion he was nearly drowned in a Parisian fountain as a German spy by an enthusiastic French mob. He managed to arrive first in England with his account of the Prussian entry. Two months later he returned to Paris and witnessed the horrors of the commune with the sang froid for which he became celebrated. In 1873 he represented the 'Daily News' at the Vienna exhibition; subsequently he saw fighting in Spain, both with the Carlists and their opponents; and in 1875 he accompanied the Prince of Wales on his visit to India. In 1876 he was with Tchernaieff and the Russian volunteers in Servia. In 1877 he witnessed the Russian invasion of Turkey, and on 23 Aug. was presented to Alexander II at Gornic Studen as the bearer of important news from the Schipka Pass. On this occasion the emperor conferred upon him the order of St. Stanislaus for his services to the Russian soldiers before' Plevna. During 1878, after a flying visit to Cyprus, he lectured in England upon the Russo-Turkish war. In 1878-9 he went out to Afghanistan, and accompanied the Khyber Pass force to Jellalabad. From Afghanistan he went to Mandalay and had interviews with King Theebaw. In 1880 he was with Lord Chelmsford in the Zulu war. On 5 July, after the victory of Ulundi, he rode 110