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MATHEWS to 150,000 converts. No small part of this suc- cess was due to Father Mathew's personal pop- ularity. He was invited to all parts of Ireland. In Limerick the crowds who came to hear him from the furthest parts of Connaught were so large, that but for the liberality of the citizens there would have been a famine in the place. He now gave up everything else to devote his life to the cause of temperance. At Galway he administered the pledge to 100,000 persons in two days, and after visiting every large town in Ireland he went to England, where he was received with the greatest enthusiasm. His be- nevolent labors had involved him deeply in debt, and although he received from the queen a pension of 300, most of it was applied to paying an insurance on his life for the benefit of his creditors. His brother, a wealthy dis- tiller in Ireland, assisted him until his business was ruined by the progress of the temperance movement. After travelling and lecturing for some time in England with scarcely less suc- cess than in bis native country, he visited the United States, lecturing in the principal cities, and returned to Ireland in the autumn of 1851. A statue has been erected to him in the city of Cork, and in September, 1874, a movement was in progress in New York for the erection of a similar statue in Central park. MATHEWS. I. Charles, an English actor, born in London, June 28, 1776, died in Plymouth, June 28, 1835. He was educated at the mer- chant taylors' school, and subsequently was ap- prenticed to his father, a bookseller. He grad- ually imbibed a predilection for the stage, and after appearing at several provincial theatres as an amateur, was engaged as a comedian at the theatre royal, Dublin. Meeting with un- just treatment here both from the manager and the public, he determined to return to his fa- ther's business ; but on the way to London he accepted an engagement at Swansea, where he performed for some time with success. After acting several years at York, he became a mem- ber of the Haymarket^ company, and on May. 16, 1803, made his debut before a London au- dience as Jubal in " The Jew." He performed for many years at the principal London thea- tres ; but feeling that the parts assigned to him did not afford fair scope for his talents, he in- stituted in 1818, in imitation of Foote and Dib- din, a species of entertainment in the form of a monologue, which, under the title of "Ma- thews at Home," proved very successful. For five successive seasons he drew crowded au- diences to the English opera house, where, by his comic songs, recitations, anecdotes of per- sonal adventure, and imitations of well known actors, he greatly enhanced his reputation. In 1822-'3 he made a successful tour in the Uni- ted States, where he gathered materials for his " Trip to America," which was received with not less favor than his " At Home." He continued both entertainments for more than ten years longer, appearing at intervals on the stage in the regular drama; and in 1834 he re- MATHIAS 279 turned to America and performed his " Trip." He died soon after his return to England. His powers of mimicry, combined with an expres- sive countenance, a flexible voice, and keen discernment, gave him a high position on the English stage. His Mawworm, Sir Fretful Plagiary, Morbleu, Monsieur Mallet, Multiple in " The Actor of All Work," &c., were among the most finished and original conceptions of the comic drama. His imitative powers were abundantly displayed in his " At Home," which was written for him by various authors. In private life he was greatly esteemed, and pos- sessed the friendship of Coleridge, Lamb, and other eminent men. His "Memoirs" were published by his widow (4 vols. 12mo, Phila- delphia, 1839). II. Charles, son of the prece- ding, also a comedian, born in December, 1803. He was educated as an architect, but subse- quently went upon the stage, and has for many years held a prominent place as a light come- dian. In connection with his first wife, better known as Madame Vestris, who died in 1857, he was for years manager of the Olympic and Lyceum theatres in London. In 1857-'8 he made a professional tour in the United States, where he married Mrs. Davenport, an actress, known as Lizzie Weston. In 1860 he with- drew for a time from the stage, and gave en- tertainments similar to those of his father, in which he was assisted by his wife. In 1863 he visited Paris and performed in a French version, made by himself, of one of his own plays. He visited the United States again in 1869 and 1871, going in the interim to Austra- lia, and in 1872 returned to England, where his wife died in 1873. MATHEWS, Cornelias, an American author, born at Port Chester, N. Y., Oct. 28, 1817. He graduated at the university of New York, and commenced his literary career in 1836 by contributions in prose and verse to various pe- riodicals. In 1839 he published "Behemoth, a Legend of the Mound Builders;" in 1840, "The Politicians," a comedy; and in 1841, " The Career of Puffer Hopkins," a novel illus- trating various phases of political life in New York. His remaining works comprise " Poems on Man in the Republic" (1843); "Big Abel and Little Manhattan " (1845) ; " Witchcraft," a tragedy (1846); "Jacob Leisler," a play (1848); "Moneypenny, or the Heart of the World" (1850); "Chanticleer, a Thanksgiving Story " (1850) ; " A Pen and Ink Panorama of New York City " (1853) ; " False Pretences," a comedy (1856) ; and " Indian Fairy Tales " (1868). He has edited various journals and contributed largely to periodicals. MATHIAS, Thomas James, an English author, born about 1750, died in Naples in 1835. He graduated at Trinity college, Cambridge, in 1774, and several years later received an ap- pointment in the royal household, which he held till 1818, when he retired on a pension. He commenced his literary career by publish- ing a volume of " Runic Odes " imitated from