All thought of ill in hearing thee.---MOORE.

The task be mine

To tend a parent, with delighted care,

To smooth the pillow of declining age.---MURPHY.

WERE we to confine our memoirs to subjects of great interest, we should quickly exhaust the stock of histrionic intelligence. Biography becomes amusing from two different causes-first, where the incidents of the being's life awaken our curiosity or sympathy; and, secondly, where (though there be no incident at all) we feel a personal interest for the individual. That this sort of feeling must pervade many persons towards the subject of the present memoir, we are well aware. Her unassuming manner, her unobtrusive talent on the stage, and the excellent character which distinguishes her in society, have procured her hosts of friends, by whom, destitute as it is of novelty, this sketch will be read with avidity.

Even in this early stage of our work, there have not been wanting critics who have carped at us, for favouring VOL. II.-18,

C

ladies in their respective memoirs; passing over and making their offences light, whilst we dipped our critical quills in gall, to attack the misdeeds of the other sex. If we have been guilty of this dereliction from our duty, and have leant to the favourable side of the female portraiture, we conceive we may say with Armstrong :

"If so, 'tis a fault on the right side;"

to which our readers may rejoin, in parody.

Perhaps not with you, you are critics.

Let these gentlemen wait, until real bold-faced vice comes under our review: let them restrain their impatience, until they find us holding forth to execration those who, without the plea of necessity, degrade not alone the stage, but human nature, and we shall not be found wanting.

It is with feelings of unmixed delight and respect, that we record the following facts of our present subject.

Miss CAREW's father holds a situation under government, and is descended from a family of the greatest respectability in Devonshire; one of whom, from his erratic genius, became a subject of some notoriety. We allude to the celebrated Bamfylde Moore Carew. This mighty mendicant was, we are informed, Mr. Carew's grand-uncle.

Our heroine was born on the 16th October, 1799, and evinced very early the possession of considerable musical powers, which were cultivated by her parents, though without any view of their ever being exercised in the precincts of a theatre.

Miss CAREW's improvement was so rapid, that her father was induced to resolve to dedicate her efforts to the concert-room; and accordingly Mr. Welsh was applied

to, and, after the immediate requisites of education were attended to, she was articled to that gentleman.

Miss CAREW, at the age of fourteen, was placed in the choruses at Covent-garden theatre, for the sake of the practice they rendered her, rather than from any profit to be derived from such a source.

The management were made acquainted with the talent of their young actress, but wisely forebore thrusting her forward in parts which her age incapacitated her from sustaining. Besides, her voice, though sweet, was by no means settled, and it would have been rash to have hazarded her subsequent fame on an early experiment.

A few unimportant parts, ke Maria in The Spoiled Child, served to initiate her a little into the business of the stage: but still her situation was, to her ardent mind, excessively irksome.

Chance, that goddess to whom almost every great being has been more indebted than even to their talent, gave our heroine an opportunity of displaying her powers in the early part of the year 1816. A rehearsal of Guy Mannering was called in the morning at twelve, in which Miss Stephens was of course to sustain the character of the heroine, and Miss CAREW (we think) that of a Gypsey. Instead of Miss Stephens, an apology arrived at the theatre, announcing her indisposition, and that she was utterly unable to appear that night. Manager Fawcett, unwilling to change the piece, which was then in the zenith of its attraction, persuaded our heroine to attempt the character. She did so. Her performance was attended throughout with demonstrations of public approbation, and her "Rest thee, Babe," met a rapturous encore. Upon this, the management employed Miss CAREW'S talents in the capacity of double to Miss Stephens: but

lest, gentle reader, you should be ignorant of the meaning of that term, we shall elucidate.

Vocalists being particularly subject to indispositions, and the other et ceteras that prevent performers appearing, a singer of perhaps equal talent, but less name, is engaged at a small salary, who is obliged to understudy all the characters sustained by her principal, and is expected to be ready to perform them at the shortest notice. As some instances of the talent that has been obscured in this manner, we name our heroine and Mrs. Boyle, of Covent-garden theatre, who is now the acknowledged double of Miss Tree, though possessing as much musical knowledge, and quite as good a voice, as the lady she occasionally represents. We do not mean to deny, that this managerial system may sometimes prevent disappointment to the public, but it involves injustice and injury to the performer, and tends to obscure the talent that might be brought forward to the benefit of the coffers of the treasury.

Well, then, as Miss Stephens's double, our heroine subsequently sustained Sylvia in Cymon, and performed it so much to the satisfaction of Mr. Morris, that he immediately engaged her as leading vocalist at the Haymarket.

In July 1816, behold her, Prima Donna at a theatre that did not play an opera during the season. She might well exclaim,

"What is there in a name?"

for though she was called the first singer, she seldom sang at all; the musical pieces at that theatre generally containing either singing chambermaids, which were sustained by Miss De Camp, or light comedy ladies (with songs), played by Miss Matthews.

After a season of nominal greatness, our heroine re

turned to the drudgery of the unceasing Covent-garden choruses; occasionally emerging to perform a part which she had hastily studied, when Miss Stephens was unwell, and when missing their favourite had put the audience out of temper, to witness the efforts of a substitute of whom they knew nothing.

Mr. Arnold, of the English Opera House, is the only clear-headed manager we know; his judgment is invariably correct. He saw and approved our heroine; and, after some negotiation with Mr. Welsh, arranged with that gentleman for the lady's services, at a liberal salary.

On the 7th July, 1818, Miss CAREW appeared at the English Opera House, as Clara, in The Duenna, and met with decided success. She subsequently performed Polly (Beggar's Opera), Clarissa (Lionel and Clarissa), Rosina, Rosetta, &c. &c. &c. Her performance in the five act operatic-dramatic-biographical entertainment, yclept Gil Blas, was very excellent; and she sang, in an exquisite manner, a song beginning with these lines (or some very like them),

"The sun shall glad the hills with light,

But I shall never see it more."

After this period, our heroine became a member of the Drury-lane company, where she experienced much illiberal treatment (especially during temporary indisposition) from that dæmon of the drama, Elliston. Miss CAREW subsequently enlisted a second time beneath the banners of manager Morris. She now dedicates her talents to the improvement of others, and gives lessons in singing to members of the first families in the kingdom. We understand this young lady does not intend to appear again in public.

We have now to consider Miss CAREW's talents: and here