If such was a leading trait in the conduct of Mrs. Siddons, Mrs. Jordan was the very opposite; charity being the prominent characteristic of her mind. No deserving object ever applied to her in vain, and even prior to her connection with the Duke of Clarence, the following fact may be relied upon. Bearing in mind the cruel conduct exerted towards herself by Mr. Dayly, and the difficulties experienced during her pregnancy; she always entertained the most humane and lively feelings for destitute females similarly circumstanced. Actuated by that praise-worthy sentiment, Mrs. Jordan provided herself with several complete sets of linen necessary for lyingin women, which, upon application and a knowledge that the objects were deserving, she was accustomed to lend out for the use of females under such circumstances. Being better enabled to indulge her philanthropic disposition after joining the Duke of Clarence, her charitable exertions increased for a time in proportion to her means, and numerous were the objects, who showered blessings upon one, whose benevolence was as unostentatious, as it proved liberal and extented in its varied ramifications. The winter of 1789 was spent by Mrs. Jordan in personating, during the season, most of those characters in which she had so uniformly obtained the plaudits of her hearers. In the summer she made a trip to Edinburgh, where the same success crowned her endeavours, until towards the close of her theatrical exertions, when the manager sought to cast odium upon her, for not completing her agreement, which she was prevented from doing on account of the death of her revered mother. No female ever felt more unbounded love for a parent than did Mrs. Jordan, who experienced the most acute anguish for the loss she had sustained; it was indeed, an affliction so deeply rooted, that it required every effort of reason and philosophy to counteract its poignant effects. Grief, perhaps, found some alleviation from the efforts of the poetic muse, as at the period. alluded to, we find that the accompanying lines were written by Mrs. Jordan, and which were inserted in the Edinburgh Herald. TO THE MEMORY OF A REVERED MOTHER. "Be ready, reader, if thou hast a tear, Catch the last sounds, and learn like her to groan ! The bleeding heart that's whelm'd with real woe, At once a mother's and a daughter's joy; We shall not enter into a full detail of the circumstances relative to her connexion with Mr. Ford. At the close of the season of 1790, incessant attendance on her theatrical duties had so far impaired the health of Mrs. Jordan, that she became seriously indisposed, and a spitting of blood that took place seemed indicatory of an approaching decline. As her medical adviser thought change of air essential, and being partial to the north of England, Mrs. Jordan determined upon a visit to York, where she had not been for some years. Thither she repaired, accompanied by Mr. Ford, and performed during the race week in several of her first-rate parts. A dislike, however, to the luke-warm conduct displayed by the York audience, led her to refuse the fulfilment of stipulations previously entered into, wherefore, she chose to forfeit the sum named in case of failure, rather than play, and being then at Castle Howard for the benefit of the country air, she forwarded a letter, of which the annexed were the contents: "SIR, "I agree with pleasure to your proposal of giving you thirty pounds, rather than ever perform in York. I shall return to-morrow, and settle the balance of the account. "I am, Sir, "Your obliged humble Servant, "D. FORD." After continuing her tour to Newcastle, and other towns of the north, Mrs. Jordan returned to the London boards, being, however, compelled at intervals to absent herself, owing to the increase of her family by Mr. Ford. In this state, affairs continued until the summer of 1791, when following her professional avocations at York, she was on many occasions subjected to gross insults while on the stage, from the interference of some strict moralists, in consequence of her cohabiting with Mr. Ford in the character of his mistress, and it was then for the first time that she began seriously to contemplate a separation, unless he consented to ratify his promise by making her his wife. On resuming her engagement in London, immediately after the occurrence above referred to, it was the adverse fate of Mrs. Jordan to arrest the attention of the Duke of Clarence, who became particularly fascinated by her personification of "Little Pickle," in "The Spoiled Child," The exquisite symmetry of Mrs. Jordan's form in male attire, and more particularly her unmatched talents, in delineating the character of "Little Pickle," combined to subdue the affections of the personage in question, and in consequence, overtures were made, when the lady, with that delicacy of feeling so invariably characteristic of her actions, rejected the offer, situated as she still was with Mr. Ford. Thus for a time, matters continued; the lover's importunities encreasing, while pecuniary offers were tendered in the way of a settlement, to the amount of one thousand pounds per annum, which ultimately led Mrs. Jordan to conceive that it became a bounden duty, on account of her offspring, to reflect seriously on the subject. The ultimatum of this painful scrutiny, was a proposal on the part of Mrs Jordan, that as she had for so many years cohabited with, and borne him (Mr. Ford,) a family of children; in consideration also of her having been uniformly introduced into society as his wife, she conceived herself justly entitled to his hand, and in consequence she stipulated that Mr. Ford should at once name a day to ratify the promise so incessantly made, or in the event of refusal, she conceived herself at liberty to act as the dictates of prudence should prescribe. Mr. Ford, however, thought fit to evade the question, when she conceived herself at liberty to embrace the protection offered by the Duke of Clarence, as in that case, she conceived ample means would be placed at her disposal to provide for her offspring, in whose behalf no legal plea on Mr. Ford could be set forth. This state of affairs was soon bruited abroad, when a party sprung up in vindication of Mr. Ford, by whom he was represented as an abandoned and injured man, to which were added aspersions on her conduct in a professional point of view. Mrs. Jordan, however, who, when roused, was as capable as any woman to vindicate her own wrongs, determined by a bold step to effect that end, and in consequence the following letter appeared in all the public prints, dated from the treasury of Drury Lane theatre, the 30th of November, 1790. "SIR, "I have submitted in silence to the unprovoked and unmanly abuse, which for some time past, has been directed against me,-because it has related to subjects about which the public could not be interested; but to an attack upon my conduct in my profession, and the charge of want of respect and gratitude to the public, I think it my duty to reply. "Nothing can be more cruel and unfounded than the insinuation that I absented myself from the theatre, on Saturday last, from any other cause than real iuability, from illness, to sustain my part in the entertainment. "I have ever been ready and proud to exert myself to the utmost of my strength, to fulfil my engagements with the theatre, and to manifest my respect for the audience; and no person can be more grateful for the indulgence and applause with which I have been constantly honoured. I would not obtrude upon the public attention to anything that does not relate to my profession, in which I alone I may, without presumption, say I am accountable to them; but thus called on, in the present instance, there can be no impropriety in my answering those, who have so ungenerously attacked me,-that if they could drive me from that profession, they would take from me the ONLY INCOME I have, or mean to possess, the whole earnings of which, upon the past, and one half for the future, I have already settled upon my CHILDREN. Unjustly and cruelly traduced as I have been, upon this subject, I trust that this short declaration will not be deemed impertinent and for the rest, I appeal with confidence to the justice and generosity of the public. "I am, Sir, "Your Obedient Servant, ''DOR. JORDAN." A variety of ill-natured paragraphs appeared in the daily prints nothwithstanding this unvarnished explanation of facts, until the 10th of December, when Mrs. Jordan performed the part of Roxalana," in "The Sultan," on which occasion, the public displeasure was openly manifested, but conscious of the rectitude of her own sentiments, she advanced boldly to the front of the stage, and alluding only to circumstances connected with her theatrical calling, addressed the audience in the following terms: "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, "I should conceive myself utterly unworthy of your favour, if the slightest mark of public disapprobation did not affect me very sensibly. "Since I have had the honour and the happiness to strive here to please you, it has been my constant endeavour by unremitting assiduity, to merit your approbation. I beg leave to assure you, upon my honour, that I have never absented myself one minute from the duties of my profession, but from real indisposition. Thus having invariably acted, I do consider myself under the public protection." The separation of Mrs. Jordan from Mr. Ford was at length made public, when she immediately became the protegee of her royal admirer; it should, however, be explicitly understood that no improper fintimacy took place between the parties, anterior to the candid proposal made upon her part to Mr. Ford, |