12 - The Sixth Continental Tour

Summary

Aldridge, through his London agent J. W. Anson, had received a letter from a theater manager in Kharkov, proposing that he return to perform there at the end of May and also appear at other towns nearby:

Forgive me please that I did not give you any answer about your coming or your not coming to Kharkov but the reason was that I could nothing decide before I was sure I would become [manager of ] the Theater house at Pultawa [now Poltava, Ukraine]. Now I have taken the house notwithstanding the large sum I will be obliged to pay for it, being sure of the great income you will bring. I ask you then, my dear Sir, to come to Kharkov, Ekaterinoslav [now Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine] and Pultawa, but I fear that our arrangements require a little change. It will be utterly impossible to perform more than 6 times in Kharkov (I mean the fifth as your half benefit) and I ask of you to arrive for the 29th or 30th of May. For every performance I propose to you 200 r. (as we arranged it before) and Ekaterinoslav 7 performances your half benefit the 5th time every evening 100 rbls. At Pultawa 10 performances (the seventh evening your half benefit). I am afraid I am not able to propose to you more than 200 rbls. every performance as money matters are bad and the expenses are too great, as I am obliged to pay for the house 2,750 rbls. Forgive my changing our last arrangements but you will find yourself that I act so on the utter impossibility. If the houses are full every evening we may perhaps add a few performances on those or other conditions. Give me an answer to this letter by telegraph and write if you are bringing new pieces as you wanted to do.

Goodbye, my dear Sir, and receive mine and my whole family's cordial salutations.

Your truly and devoted,

Leonide Mangenkanihoff

Aldridge evidently accepted this proposal, for a few days later he mentioned these arrangements in a letter to his old fried J. J. Sheahan in Hull:

London 27th March 1863

I have once more returned to England but I return in about a fortnight please God to give ten representations at Moscow. I then proceed to Kharkoff Ekatorenaslav [sic] and Pultawa.