a nephew of Thomas Holme, the first Surveyor-General of Pennsylvania. Miss Schaumburg is the eighth remove, in a direct line, from this aboriginal princess, and ⚫ was born in New Orleans, although she has always resided in Philadelphia. From childhood, her great musical talent was evident, united to a voice of uncommon power, purity, and sweetness. Its natural advan tages have been fully developed by the late Signor Perelli, who considered her his most brilliant scholar; and she combines the finest dramatic appreciation with the most remarkable compass and execution. The "soirées" musicales at her residence gather together all that Philadelphia society affords of most elegant and most accomplished. The earlier portion of her education was chiefly directed by the late Hon. H. D. Gilpin, one of the most elegant scholars of America; and she has had all the advantages in cultivation which his magnificent library can afford. She has added the accomplishment of speaking several modern languages. She has also a graceful gift of versification, frequently, though unpretendingly, exercised for the entertainment of her immediate circle.

Miss Schaumburg's appearance in the first social circles was followed by general admiration. When the Prince of Wales with his suite visited Philadelphia, he spent the only evening of his stay at the Academy of Music. He saw Miss Schaumburg in another box, and his attention was at once attracted by her beauty. She was dressed with simplicity, in white, with gold orna

ments in her hair. The lorgnettes of the royal party were turned in her direction long enough to show the whole house the object of their admiration. The Prince declared her "the most beautiful woman he had seen in America."

Her great dramatic talent was first developed during the patriotic exertions made for the Sanitary Fair. A number of gifted and energetic ladies and gentlemen fitted up a little private theater, to hold about three hundred persons, the performers to be all amateurs, selected from among the élite of Philadelphia society, and the proceeds to be devoted exclusively to the wounded soldiers. The enterprise was eminently successful in a financial view; and it also proved Philadelphia unsurpassed in the possession of amateur talent. Many plays were brought out, but "The Ladies' Battle," in which Miss Schaumburg sustained the principal rôle of the "Countess,” took society by storm. Those who witnessed that exquisite rendition, combining the most perfect grace and highbred elegance with the most delicate shades of emotion, remember it as a piece of acting unrivaled on the American stage. A year or two later, the comedy of "Masks and Faces" was produced by the same association, for the benefit of the Chicago Fair, under the immediate supervision of Mrs. Aubrey H. Smith, a daughter of Judge Grier, of the Supreme Court, and a lady noted for her vivacity, energy, and spirit. Miss Schaumburg sustained in this the great rôle of "Peg Woffington," and again created a furore. It seemed difficult, indeed, to

decide in which she most excelled-the dash and bril liancy, or the pathos and emotion of the impulsive, warm-hearted, and fascinating Peg; whilst her Irish "jig" was inimitable in its spirit, lightness, and grace. The play altogether was so superbly put upon the stage of the little theater, or "Amateur Drawing-room," as it is called, and so admirably rendered in each of its parts, by gentlemen and ladies of cultivation, that to those who witnessed it, all professional performances of it since have suffered by comparison. A melodrama, called "The Wife's Secret"-in which Miss Schaumburg sustained the rôle of "Lady Evelyn"-was afterwards produced, with great éclat, at the "Drawing-room," for charitable purposes. In this probably the most trying rôle ever attempted by any lady amateur-Miss Schaumburg achieved fresh laurels. Madame Ristori, who was then in Philadelphia, and who witnessed one of the performances, expressed herself surprised and delighted at the genius of the brilliant amateur. So remarkable a talent should be frequently exerted in the noble cause of charity; and as it is becoming more and more the fashion for ladies in private life to exercise their gifts for the benefit of the poor, it is to be hoped that Miss Schaumburg may be induced to contribute her aid to them in other cities than her own.

XX.

"THE most charming woman in the world."

The phrase has often been carelessly used, under a fleeting impression. But when deliberately and universally applied to one person by all who know her, it acquires a significance deeper than common. Madame Le Vert is perhaps the only woman who has reigned as a belle in both hemispheres,—has received the homage of chivalrous admiration, alike in the Northern and Southern sections of the United States, as well as in the courtly circles of Great Britain and Continental Europe, and who, at the same time, has never been assailed by the shafts of envy or calumny. She has had a remarkable experience in wearing the crown of beauty and genius, -that it has been without a thorn. Such an anomaly argues an uncommon character. To receive tributes from the lowly and the exalted, the humble and the gifted, the obscure and the brilliant, all breathing the same heart-incense, is something remarkable. Calhoun called her “the gifted daughter of the South." Irving said of her: “She is such a woman as occurs but once in the course of an empire." Another eminent author said: "There is but one such in America." Miss Bremer

named her "her Magnolia Flower of the South,” and "Sweet Rose of Florida." A distinguished writer said: "I defy any one to spend an hour in her company without rising up a wiser and better man, having a sense of musical joyance in his heart, because of her words." Lamartine said to her: "You can fill with pleasure the hearts of your nation by describing what you have seen to them, as you are now delighting me." She is more widely known as a "social genius" than any American woman; for her fame has spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and in various countries beyond the seas. A key to this extraordinary popularity may be found in the observation of a little child, who whispered, after sitting by her, "She isn't a fine lady at all; she is just like me; and I love her." This is her specific charm; the spirit of love that goes out from a great and good heart, and meets everywhere response and recognition. The adulation received from every quarter could not mar a nature so gifted with good sense, simplicity, and earnestness. Living in the sunshine of fashionable life, and distinguished by the smiles of the fickle goddess, she never lost her tender humanity; always proving herself as genial as gay, as sweet and courteous as brilliant; as true and appreciative as fascinating. She was always "a social harmonizer." Her sunny spirit was like a

stream

"In whose calm depths the beautiful and pure

Alone are mirrored."

"She was made without antipathies," says one of her