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BIRTHS.

July 16. The wife of Savage French, esq. High Sheriff of the county of Cork, a dau.-21. At Melbourne-ball, co. York, the lady of Major-gen. Sir Henry Vavasour, bart. a dau.-24. In Upper Harleystreet, the wife of N. Garland, esq. of Michaelstow-ball, Essex, a son.-27. The wife of Charles Barclay, esq. M. P. a dau.-31. At Vienna, the Archduchess Henrietta, consort of the Archduke Charles, a dau. July... The wife of Stephen Sheffield Cassan, esq. of Sheffield-hall, Queen's County, a daughter.

Lately. Lady Alicia Trimleston, a day. -In Upper Brook-street, the wife of Maj.gen Lloyd, a dau. At Bognor, Lady Frances Ley, a son.-At Hadsor-house, co. Worcester, the wife of Rev. R. A. Amphlett, a son.-At the Rectory, Blithfield, co. Stafford, Lady H. Bagot, a dau.—At Breamore-house, Hants, the wife of Chas. Hulse, esq. M. P. a son.-At Bloxworthhouse, Dorset, Hon. Mrs. Fred. Noel, a son.-The wife of John Watts, esq. of Pinckney-house, Keevill, Wilts, a son and heir.-At Kelston-house, Lady Hawkins, a son. At Taunton, the lady of Sir Chas. Chalmers, bart. R. N. a son and heir.At Tatton Park, the wife of Wilbraham Egerton, esq. M. P. a son.-The lady of Hon. Isaac Butler, Dublin, a son.-The wife of the Very Rev. Peter Browne, M.A. Dean of Ferns, a daughter.

Aug. 10. The wife of Lieut.-gen. Burr, of Upper Fitzroy-street, a son.

MARRIAGES.

June 6. John Halcomb, esq. of Marlborough, banker, to Margaret, youngest sister of Robert Barbor, esq. of the Charter-house.

July 10. George Rich, esq. to Catherine, eldest dau. of the late Dudley Loftus, esq. of Killyon, Westmeath.

11. Major Angelo, 21st reg. to Pauline, dau. of the Marquis de Choiseul.

16. At Edinburgh, Lieut..col. Duncan Cameron, K. C. B. to Catherine, eldest dan. of the late Lieut. gen. Mackay Hugh Baillie, of Rose-ball.

19. Thos. Cotton, esq. late of Curacoa, to Miss Richards, of Dudley Grovehouse, Harrow-road.

20. Alfred Thorp, esq. of Walthamstow, to Louisa Susannah, eldest dau. of the late Sir William Plomer.

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Capt. Henry Elton, R. N. to Mrs. Touchet, widow of the late Peter Touchet, esq. and sister of Sir Francis Ford, bart.

Capt. Paxton, third Foot Guards, to Frances, daughter of the late H. Halsey, esq. of Henley Park.

22., Dr. Sherson, of Bridge-house, to Miss Fisher, daughter of Richard Fisher,, esq. of Reading, Berks.

23. William Rashleigh, esq. M. P. of Menabilly, Cornwall, to Caroline, eldest daughter of Henry Hinxman, esq. of Ivy Church-house, Wilts.

25. Hon. and Rev. Thomas L. Dundas, to Mary Jane, eldest daughter of Rev. James Bousquet, of Hardingstone.

26. Major G. H. Hewett, eldest son of Sir G. Hewett, bart. to Louisa Majendie, fifth dau. of the Bishop of Bangor.

29. George Hewett, esq. to Harriet, youngest daughter and coheiress of the late Henry Andrews, esq. of Wakefield.

Robert Ramsden, esq. eldest son of R. Ramsden, esq. of Carlton-hall, Notts, to Frances Matilda, third daughter of John Plumptre, esq. of Fredville, Kent.

30. Capt. Hood Knight, R. N. second son of Adm. Sir J. Knight, K. C. B. to Louisa Augusta, only child of the late Adm. George Keppel.

Lately. By special license, in Grosvenor-square, Hon. Mr. Campbell, eldest son of Lord Cawdor, to Lady Elizabeth Thynne, eldest dau. of Marquis of Bath.

Rev. Willoughby Crewe, nephew to Lord Crewe, to Miss Hervey, niece of Mrs. Luck. John Croft, esq. late Charge d'Affaires at Lisbon, to Amelia Elizabeth, eldest daughter of James Warre, esq.

Ralph Adderley, esq. to Miss Mills, dau. of the late W. Mills, esq. of Barlastonhall, co. Stafford.

George Pinchen, esq. of Haselburyhouse, Wilts, to Mary, only dau. of James Bethell, esq. of Ladydown, near Bradford.

Sir Alexander Campbell, bart. of Aberuchell, to Margaret, youngest dau. of the late Mr. A. Coldstream, of Crieff.

Aug. 1. Rev. Win. Heath, of Eton college, and vicar of Isleworth, to Ellen, daughter of Capt. W. King, of his Majesty's ship Eridanus.

Henry Howard, esq. of Kensworth-ball, Herts, to Eliza Trenholm, widow of the late Sir John Trenholm, K. G.

3. H. D. Milligan, esq. of Wimpole. street, to Georgiana Mathilda, third dau. of Sir Walter Stirling, bart.

Stratford Canning, esq. Envoy to the Swiss Cantons, to Harriet, youngest dau. of the late Thomas Raikes, esq. of Upper Grosvenor-street.

Col. Mellor, of Derby, to Florence, daughter of the late Rev. C. Hope, of Great Burstead, Essex.

6. Capt. W. R. Smith, R. N. nephew to the Duke of Wellington, to Miss Saunders, dau. of the late Capt. R. Saunders, R. N. of St. Thomas, near Exeter.

14. Rev. John Harrison, A. M. (only son of the late Rev. John Harrison, rector of Wrabness in Essex) to Henrietta Elizabeth, eldest dau. of Thomas Wollaston, esq. of Ness Cliff, Salop.

24. Francis Duval, esq. of the Customhouse, to Sarah, eldest dau, of John Wolfe, esq. of London-street, Fitzroy-square.

RIGHT HON. RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN.
(Concluded from p. 86.)

Mr. Sheridan, who was now encumbered with the cares of a family, felt the necessity of immediate exertion to provide for the pressing calls inseparable from a domestic establishment, which, if not splen. did, was marked with all the appearance of genteel life. His attempt at dramatic composition, and the moderate opinion which he entertained of his talents in that respect, have been already noticed; but his charming lines to Miss Linley, and some occasional productions, which displayed with equal happiness his natural tenderness of sentiment and brilliancy of wit, had secured to him no mean reputation as a poet. Thus compelled to become a candidate for public favour, he once more resumed his courtship of the Comic Muse. On finishing his Play of The Rivals, he presented it to the Manager of Covent-Garden Theatre, and it was performed on the 17th of January, 1775. This Comedy was justly considered, by candid criticism, as a most promising essay for an author in his 24th year; but the public opinion did not exactly coincide with that of acknowledged judges of dramatic merit; and, in consequence of some slight disapprobation, it was laid aside for a time, after the first night's performance. The partial failure of the piece has been attributed to the indifferent acting of Mr. Lee in the character of Sir Lucius O'Trigger. For that gentleman, though allowed to possess considerable merit in parts of much more importance, had not sufficiently studied the whimsical humour and national manner of Irish characters. Whatever may have been the cause, Mr. Sheridan withdrew his Play without any compulsion; and, having made some judicious alterations, both in the progress of the plot and in the language, it was shortly after brought forward again, and received in the most favourable manner. The fable of this Comedy possesses ́a sufficient degree of probability to render it interesting: the incidents succeed each other in natural progression, and the dialogue is witty, humourous, and characteristic, interspersed with pathetic appeals to the heart, but without those extraordinary effusions of excellence which, from the pen of the same writer, have since delighted the fancy and improved the understanding, on the stage and in the closet. Had Mr. Sheridan's powers been evinced but by this Comedy only, he would have been placed at no very great eminence above the common crowd of Play-wrights.

His next production was the farce of St.
GENT. MAG. August, 1916.

Patrick's Day; or, The Scheming Lieutenant; a piece evidently written more for the purpose of trying his ability to excite broad laughter and humorous merriment, than with a view of enlarging his reputation. It was presented by him to Mr. Clinch, as a testimony of his gratitude, for the assistance he had experienced from that gentleman's excellent performance of Sir Lucius O'Trigger, in The Rivals, in which he had succeeded Mr. Lee. The Farce of St. Patrick's Day was actually written in eight and forty hours, and was performed for the benefit of Mr. Clinch, on the 2d of May, in the same year.

At the commencement of the ensuing season, he brought out his comic opera of The Duenna, a composition in every respect superior to the general class of English operas then iu fashion. The plot of this pleasing piece, which deservedly retains its popularity on the stage, is simple, and incapable of producing much interest; but the elegance of the diction, the sweetness of the poetry, and the appropriate spirit infused into the characters, placed it, beyond all competition, above the sing-song trifles which were then in high repute. The Duenna surpassed even The Beggar's Opera in attraction and popularity, and was performed seventyfive nights during the season, while Gay's singular production rau only sixty-five.

Mr. Sheridan's circumstances becoming about this time more independent, and his genius having struck out a line productive of fame and profit, he began to indulge in expensive entertainments, and found no difficulty in extending his connexions in fashionable life. "The feast of reason and the flow of soul" were seldom absent from the hospitalities of his table, and they were unquestionably very much promoted by the strength of argument and brilliancy of wit which he could call forth in the hours of instructive inquiry or sportive conviviality, as well as by the charms of Mrs. Sheridan's conversation, and her fascinating powers of voice.

Mr. Garrick having resolved to retire from the management of Drury Lane Theatre, a negotiation with him for the purchase of his share of the Patent was entered into by Dr. Ford, Mr. Linley, and Mr. Sheridan, who, in 1776, paid the sum of 30,0001. for it. It now became his interest to apply his talents in support of the Theatre in which he was so materially concerned, and he immediately brought out The Trip to Scarborough, altered from Vanburgh's Comedy of The Relapse. It was performed on the 24th of February,

2777;

1777; and, though the dialogue was much improved, and the incidents judiciously altered, the audience did not receive it in a very favourable manner on the first night of representation, on account of the incorrectness of the performers in general. It was afterwards played to crowded houses.

His next production was the Comedy of The School for Scandal, which has deservedly raised his fame to undisputed preeminence over all contemporary dramatic writers, and conferred a lustre on the British Comedy which it did not previously possess. The School for Scandal was performed on the 8th of May, 1777, and attracted from that late period to the conclusion of the season, the most fashionable and numerous audiences. A Play of such superior merit, and written by so young an author, was rewarded with unqualified applause. The Criticks of that time were anxiously engaged in extolling the beauties with which it abounds, and some of them were not wanting to discover others, that either do not exist, or remained unknown to the writer himself. But although it must ever rauk as a finished piece in the simplicity of plot, in the natural progression of incident, in faithful imitation of manners, in the vigorous and exact delineation of living character, and, above all, in fertility of wit and felicity of expression; it is to be lamented, that the author did not apply himself with more care to improve the heart, and stimulate the public mind to the cultivation of morality. The fashionable taste for scandal is indeed exposed; but it is exposed to the laughter, not to the contempt and detestation of the audience: it produces mirth, but does not excite execration. The hypocrite, who covers his abominable designs with the mask of honour and integrity, is indeed punished; but the punishment is not commensurate to the offence, and our abhorrence is weakened by the unseasonable playfulness of the poet's satire. The author is too strenuous an advocate for dissipation of manners, and the vices of libertinism are too successfully defended.

Mr. Sheridan on this occasion appears, in a great measure, to have forgotten the legitimate end of dramatic composition, and not to have been sufficiently sensible, that whatever is intended for the amusement of society at large, should also be capable of communicating solid instruction, and producing real amendment. It has been remarked, with some degree of propriety, that the characters of Joseph and Charles have been taken from Fielding's Blifil and Tom Jones; and that the disguise assumed by Sir Oliver Surface has been borrowed from a similar incident in Mrs. Sheridan's Novel.

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His Critic, written upon the model of the Duke of Buckingham's Rehearsal, came out on the 30th of October, 1778. The success of The Critic was complete and well deserved; and, though the subject had been very ably handled by his ingenious predecessor, he succeeded in embellishing it with so great a variety of ludicrous incidents, and introduced such extraordinary novelty of satire, as to divest it of the slightest appearance of imitation.

The lamented death of the British Roscius, in 1779, furnished Mr. Sheridan with an opportunity of exercising powers of a very different nature: he accordingly wrote the Monody to the memory of Mr. Garrick, which was recited at Drury Lane Theatre, by Mrs. Yates, in the month of March of the same year. The sentiments are, in general, appropriate to the occasion, and the poetry possesses strength and melody, but the effect was not adequate to the expectations of the author and his friends.

Notwithstanding the profits which he derived from his pieces, and the share he had in the Theatre, which was very considerable, as he had obtained Mr. Lacy's interest in the patent, a property equally valuable with that of Mr.Garrick, and of course worth, on the lowest calculation, thirty thousand pounds, his pecuniary embarrassments had considerably increased. His domestic establishment was not only very expensive, but conducted without any kind of economy. The persuasions of Mr. Fox, whose friendship he had carefully cultivated, operated, with a firm conviction of his own abilities, in determining him to obtain a seat in the House of Commons. For some time before he had endeavoured to qualify him. self for public speaking, by declaiming at the private meetings of several of his most intimate acquaintances: and it was customary with him, like the logical disputants of antiquity, to start a subject of discussion, and advocate either side of the question, for the purpose of exercising his ingenuity in argument.

Mr. Sheridan was afterwards honoured with the notice of a noble Duke, who, though not then in office, possessed great influence in Opposition: and an application was made, through the medium of a common friend, to obtain his Grace's nomination of Mr. Sheridan for one of his boroughs. The application, however, proved fruitless, as his Grace had either already completed his list, or placed but little reliance on the parliamentary powers of his dramatic acquaintance. Mr. Sheridan was not discouraged by the disappointment; and, a general election having taken place in 1780, he resolved to canvass for himself, and chose the town of Stafford for the scene of

his first political operations. In the adoption of that measure, he appears to have been actuated by several im. portant considerations. The borough of Stafford was not devoted to the interest of any particular patron; it was free from all suspicion of ministerial influence, and the arts of corruption had been ever tried without effect to undermine the independence of the electors. All these circumstances, strengthened by a pressing invitation, and promise of the most zealous support from a principal gentleman of the place, induced Mr. Sheridan to propose himself as a candidate to represent the borough of Stafford in the next Parliament. He accordingly proceeded to the spot, and was perfectly satisfied with the pleasing prospect of success that opened to his ambition. But although he experienced uncommon disinterestedness, and great liberality of conduct in the people of Stafford, a certain degree of expense, which has for a long time blended itself with the purest proceedings of the elective system in this country, was found unavoidable, and his affairs were not at that time in the most flourishing state. He was soon convinced, that the moderate sum of one thousand pounds was a sine qua non, which alone could bring the negotiation between the young champion of liberty and the independent electors to a successful conclusion. The money was raised, and he was in consequence returned for Stafford; and, from the moment of his introduction into the House of Commons, he became a firm supporter of all the measures of Opposition. Though he contented himself at the commencement of the Session with giving a silent vote against the Minister, he was indefatigable without doors in seconding the views of his Party, and exciting the clamour of public indignation against the measures of Government. He constantly attended popular meetings and political clubs, and his pen was employed with success in several periodical publications. He had a considerable share in The Englishman, a Paper which was conducted with great acrimony against the Administration of Lord North; and, when the Rockingham party came into power, in 1782, his exertions were rewarded with the appointment of Under Secretary to Mr. Fox, then Secretary of State for the Foreign Department.

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The death of the Marquis of Rockingham, and the unexpected elevation of the Earl of Shelburne to the important office of First Lord of the Treasury, completely defeated the views of his friends; and the ever-memorable Coalition having been formed, Mr. Sheridan was once more called upon to carry on literary hostilities against the new Administration. The pe

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riodical work of The Jesuit soon appeared, and several very distinguished members of the Party are confidently stated to have contributed to that production *. At length, the Coalition having gained a decisive victory over the new-fangled Administration formed by the Shelburne party, Mr. Sheridan was once more brought into place, and appointed, in April 1783, Secretary of the Treasury. It was extremely natural to suppose, that The Jesuit would not be attacked by those to whose cause it had been devoted: but the spirit of prosecution, though allowed to slumber for a short interval, broke out with redoubled vigour, when his Grace of Portland was succeeded, as First Lord of the Treasury, by Mr. Pitt, and an entire change took place in men and measures. Attorney General was obliged, ex officio, to continue the prosecution, the groundwork of which still existed; and Mr. Wilkie, who had the courage to conceal the names of the gentlemen by whom he had been employed, was sentenced to an imprisonment of twelve months. The system of party-politics evinced in this instance, as it has in almost every other case, selfishness and ingratitude. The man who possessed the courage to expose his own person to punishment, and his circumstances to ruin, in order to screen those by whom he had been engaged in his professional pursuits, for the purpose of promoting their favourite end, is said to have been treated with neglect; and it will with difficulty be credited, that his expenses were never paid.

Mr. Sheridan appears to have been a figure originally introduced into the political picture, more for the purpose of completing the group in the back ground, than of standing forward as a principal character. But the irresistible impulse of genius gave a sudden expansion to his powers, extricated him from the inferior estimation in which he was held, and placed him, if not in an equal rank with Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke, at least in the very next to it.

East India Bill was distinguished for loHis defence of Mr. Fox's celebrated gical precision; and though he had not, on previous occasions, delivered his sentiments with extraordinary ability, bis speech on that interesting subject was so masterly, as to induce the public opinion

*This is a mistake-the few papers published under the title of "The Jesuit," we believe only 18 in number, were all written by one gentleman, who has been dead a few years. Mr. Fox, Mr. Sheridan, and their friends, were the persons who suggested the idea of such a publication; but not one of those gentlemen wrote a single line in it.

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to select him from the second class of Parliamentary Speakers. In 1785, his powers began to expand in proportion to the confidence which he acquired in debate; and his observations on Mr. Pitt's Perfumery Bill were justly admired for splendid effusions of wit and great force of argument. But the part he took in the consideration of the Irish Propositions, which were brought forward during the same year, was peculiarly striking, and raised his reputation as an orator to a very superior degree. In calling the attention of the House to the fourth proposition, he displayed a general knowledge of the interests of both kingdoms, and a depth of investigation which the most sanguine expectations of his friends could not have anticipated; and from that moment he was viewed as a formidable opponent by the late Minister, and looked up to with admiration, as a principal leader of the party to which he belonged.

Mr. Sheridan had many difficulties to encounter in his Parliamentary life. His father was an Actor, he had himself largely contributed to the entertainment of the Publick, and was the Manager of a Theatre. The prejudices of Mankind, however ridiculous, are too often victorious over the claims of genuine merit, and would have, perhaps, prevailed in intimidating any other person than the man against whom they were, in this instance, directed. Fully convinced of his decided superiority over birth and fortune, he proceeded regardless of personal reflections; and if his opponents succeeded in irritating him by the asperity of their allusions, he met them with manly resolution, chastised them with the lash of legitimate satire, or held them up to universal ridicule in bursts of extemporaneous wit, that have never been equalled, perhaps, in the British Senate. He was rapidly approaching to perfection as an orator, when the impeachment of Mr. Hastings supplied him with an opportunity of displaying powers which were then unrivalled. His speech delivered in the House of Commons, in April 1787, on the eighth article, as stated in the order laid down by Mr. Burke, relative to "money corruptly and illegally taken," was allowed to equal the most argumentative and impassioned orations that had ever been addressed to the judgment and feelings of the British Parliament. He fixed the uninterrupted attention of the House for upwards of five hours, confirmed the minds of those who wavered, and produced co-operation from a quarter, which, it was supposed, would have been hostile to any farther proceeding.

Mr. Sheridan seems, at this period, to have been convinced of the necessity of indefatigable application and persevering

industry, to support the splendid fame he had acquired; and accordingly prepared himself, with unremitting assiduity, to perform his official duties as one of the Managers of the prosecution, instituted by the Representatives of the people against Mr. Hastings, and carried on before the supreme tribunal of the nation. In the long examination of Mr. Middleton, he gave decided proofs of a strong and discriminating mind; but when, in June 1788, he summed up the evidence on the charge, respecting the confinement and imprisonment of the Princesses of Oude, and the seizure of their treasures, his superiority over his colleagues was established by universal consent. But, however admirable his speech may be now considered, as a composition, there were, at that time, several circumstances of magnitude and singularity, that conspired to give it a celebrity which posterity will scarcely admit it to possess. To form a just opinion of this memorable oration, which occupied the attention of the Court, and excited the admiration of the Publick, for several hours, it would be necessary to have heard Mr. Sheridan himself; and, to those who have not witnessed the correctness, strength, and animation of his elocution, it will be sufficient to repeat what was said by Æschines to the people of Rhodes, in praise of the harangue which had caused his banishment-"What applauses would you not have conferred, had you heard Demosthenes himself deliver it?"

Soon after this great era in the public life of Mr. Sheridan, the melancholy indisposition of his Majesty, which plunged the country into a state of the deepest distress, led to the discussion of a question, exceeding in political importance every other national occurrence from the Revolution of 1688 down to that time. The Ministry and Opposition essentially differed with respect to the means to be adopted for supplying the defect of the personal exercise of the Royal authority; and Mr. Sheridan took a leading part in the attempts which were made to declare the Prince of Wales Regent, without such restrictions as Parliament should think fit to impose. The favour in which he was held at Carlton House was certainly superior to that enjoyed by the most distinguished Members of the party, and his conduct occasioned suspicions that have never been completely removed. His Royal Highness was very much in the habit of consulting Mr. Sheridan, and his answer to Mr. Pitt's letter, with respect to the restrictions on the Regency, which was allowed to be dignified, cautious, and temperate, has been principally ascribed to the prudent counsels of this gentle

man.

Mr.

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