To George Washington from James Fennell, 12 December 1796
From James Fennell
Library [Philadelphia]1 Decr 12th 1796
Sir,
I take the liberty of submitting to you the inclosed plan of lectures which I hope will be honoured with your approbation.2 I am, Sir, With the greatest respect, Your most obedient humble Servant,
James Fennell.
ALS, DLC:GW. No reply to Fennell from GW has been found.
James Fennell (1766–1816), an English native and recent immigrant to the United States, studied for careers in the ministry and the law, but an extravagant lifestyle and heavy debt led him to embark on a career as an actor. In 1787, Fennell landed the role of Othello at the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh. Over the next few years, he worked as an actor in Great Britain and edited a short-lived weekly publication, Theatrical Guardian. Fennell traveled to the United States in 1793 after signing a contract to perform in the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. The yellow fever outbreak that year postponed his debut on the Philadelphia stage until winter 1794, which marked the start of his celebrity in the United States. After experiencing repeated unsuccessful business ventures, such as his proposal for a course of scientific lectures, and his invention of a mechanism to extract salt from sea water, Fennell went to New York in late summer 1797 and continued to perform on-stage into the early nineteenth century. He was among the most prominent and successful actors in the United States.
1. Fennell wrote from the Library Company of Philadelphia, where subscriptions for his proposed course of readings were to be received (see n.2 below).
2. Fennell enclosed an undated printed advertisement announcing his proposal to deliver “the ensuing winter, A course of Readings and Recitations, Moral, critical, and entertaining.” The course would offer a total of thirty readings, in prose and verse, illustrating the effect of “human passions” on man and “the welfare of nations.” The course would incorporate discussions about well-known authors and “the art of speaking.” Fennell slated Tuesdays and Thursdays, both morning and evening, for the “days of reading.” Morning lectures would be by subscription only, while members of the public were invited to attend evening lectures. The announcement advertised subscription costs, which would be handled by Zachariah Poulson, Jr., a long-time librarian and director at the Library Company of Philadelphia (DLC:GW).
The Gazette of the United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser for 13 Dec. 1796 printed an announcement, dated 12 Dec., which was identical to the advertisement that Fennell enclosed with the present document. The same newspaper for 21 Dec. announced an “Introductory Reading” for Fennell’s course, scheduled for Tuesday, 27 Dec. at “College-Hall” at the present-day University of Pennsylvania, where subsequent course meetings were to be held. For examples of authors and topics discussed in Fennell’s course, which included Oliver Goldsmith, see the Gazette of the United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser for 2 Jan. 1797.