For JULY, 1818. A New and Improved Series, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ILLUSTRIOUS AND DISTINGUISHED CHARACTERS. Number One Hundred and Twelve, MISS CLARA FISHER. THIS very young lady, whose extra- seventeen nights to crowded houses.ordinary talents may justly be deemed On the 8th of March, 1818, she appeared wonderful at her early state of infancy, is in the pantomime of Gulliver, at Coventthe fourth daughter of Mr. Fisher, a re- Garden, in the character of Richard III. spectable auctioneer; and was born on the and where she performed it before the 14th of July, 1811. Nature endowed her Prince Regent and a numerous list of perwith an uncommon share of intellect; and sons of distinction. Mr. Elliston engaged such was her nicety of ear to music, in her for a few nights at Birmingham, where which she took great delight, that soon she was received with the warmest apafter she could walk she would learn any plause; her success has been equal at Worair with the truest correctness, after hearing cester, Bath, and Bristol. We are credibly it played only once or twice on the piano-informed that she means this summer to forte. Her parents were not frequenters visit Brighton, Margate, Southampton, of the Theatre, therefore her dramatic ta- Weymouth, and the principal wateringlents are the more extraordinary: That places, previous to her engagements at powerful attraction, Miss O'Neill, induced, || Dublin, Edinburgh, Liverpool, &c. however, Mr. Fisher and his family to visit Covent-Garden, when that lady appeared in the character of Jane Shore; and the little Clara, on her return home, evinced the impression made on her mind by the performance: she retired into a corner of the apartment, and went through, in dumb shew, all she had witnessed; she was then under four years of age, and her aptness to imitate all she saw continued several months. Mr. D. Corri, the celebrated composer, proposed to bring out a drama altered from Garrick's Lilliput: to Miss Clara was assigned the character of Lord Flimnap; and on the 10th of December, 1817, she made her first debût before a London audience, where she met with the most flattering reception, and the piece ran for Our readers cannot but recollect the well-merited encomiums bestowed on this charming and interesting child in the daily prints, after her performing in Liliput and Gulliver. Enchained by surprise and admiration, the lash fell from the hand of criticism, and all, unanimously, bestowed the meed of well-earned praise. Two elder sisters of the interesting Clara, are very promising young actresses, and perform counter characters to the lovely infant. They are constantly noticed by the higher classes of society, and invited to the most fashionable parties, where their juvenile talents, devoid of all conceit or presumption, though they must be conscious of their excellence, ensure them the most flattering reception. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. A BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSIC, FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIME, SELECTED FROM THE BEST AUTHORITIES. (Continued from Vol. XVII. page 245.) Les Grandes Chro niques de France inform us, that Thibaut, at the age of thirty-five, having conceived a violent and hopeless passion for Queen Blanche, was advised to apply himself to music and poetry. He did so; and produced the most beautiful songs and melodies ever heard. It is the opinion of the French antiquaries, that the tunes of the ancient MSS. of the songs of this Prince were originally set by himself If we peruse attentively the ancient in that of Provence. historians and poets of France, we shall find || that their military songs were of the highest antiquity. In these they celebrated the heroic and martial deeds of their great commanders; and they were sung in chorus by a whole army when going out to attack an enemy; which custom they probably derived from their German ancestors. Charlemagne was particularly fond of these warlike songs, and like our own Alfred, collected them and learned them by heart. It was customary at that time to have a Herald Minstrel, chosen on account of the strength and clearness of his voice, which not only qualified him for animating the soldiers to battle, but also for making proclamations of the public ceremonies; he was also accustomed to sing metrical songs at public festivals. The famous song of Roland, continued in favour among the French soldiers as late as the battle of Poictiers, in the time of John of France. In the time of Philip de Valois, between the years 1228 and 1250, the French had in use more than thirty musical instruments; the form of the greatest part of which is unknown to the present age. Among them, however, are the following wellknown instruments of modern times-flutes, harps, hautbois, bassoons, trumpets, small kettle-drums carried by a boy and beaten by a man, cymbals, tambour de basque, two long speaking trumpets, two large handbells, guitars, bagpipes of various kinds, a dulcimer, a vielle (or as it is vulgarly called a hurdy-gurdy), and regals, or what we call portable organs. In regard to the French vocal music, the poets made a particular line of an old song the refrain, or burthen to the new. The songs of Thibaut, King of Navarre, are placed at the head of those that have been preserved in the French language, as those of Guillaume IX. Duke of Aquitaine, are The fourteenth century seems the era when music in parts, moving in different melodies, came first in favour. In the preceding age we can find no music of more than two parts, in counterpoint of note against note. From the close connexion of the arts to each other, we cannot trace the progressive improvement of music in Italy, without first speaking of its language. Its sweetness and facility of utterance render it certainly more favourable to singing than any other language. The sweet eloquence of the Tuscan dialect renders it superior to all others for expressing words set to music; and the lyric verses of Italy were long known to be superior to every other kind of poetry. Though the French wrote verses in their own dialect much sooner than the Italians, yet their language was brought to no perfection till the close of the century before last, but the writings of the Italians even of the fourteenth century, are regarded as perfect models, both as to diction and construction and, indeed, in that century all the nations of Europe began to cultivate the art of poetry; but noue were so sweet and tasteful on this head as the Italians. In the History of Malaspina we find mentioned a chorus of women singing through the streets, accompanied with cymbals, drums, flutes, viols, &c. in the year 1268, when Prince Conrad was marching against Furon in tutto trent' otta e trescento, "And all those costly robes of state, The Italians were the inventors of the madrigal, the etymology of which term has been much disputed; but there is little doubt of its having first been used in religious poems, addressed to the Blessed Virgin;-alla madre; whence came the word madriale and madrigale, being afterwards applied to short poems of love and galJantry both by the French and Italians, the original import has been forgotten. The most ancient melodies in Italy were all from a collection of spiritual songs. It was not till near the time of Petrarch that poetry seemed to have recovered its ancient lustre. A peculiar kind of vocal music was prevalent in his time, but, unfortunately, none of the original melodies to which his exquisite sonnets were set, have come down to the present period. Every nation in Europe has produced good poetry before it could boast of being set to such music as constituted good melody. In an account of Petrarch's coronation we read of two choirs of music, one vocal the other instrumental, employed in the procession, which sang and played by turns in sweet harmony. This certainly implies a progress in figurative counterpoint, and singing and playing in concert. Even in 1360, one of the Chronicles of Frankfort observes, that music had "a figurative kind of composition unknown before." Boccacio survived Petrarch but two years. His Decamerone has always been regarded as a faithful delineation of the manners and customs of Italy in his time. Though, like our historical romances, it is composed of fable and real history, yet it is a very probable work of imagination. Truth is never violated by too high a colouring, and the music of the Florentines is well treated of. We may gather from him that besides carols and ballads, the singing of which marked the steps of a dance, there were in his time songs without dances, and tunes without songs. The two chief instruments mentioned in the Decamerone, which were played on by ladies and gentlemen, were the lute and viol; on which latter instrument ladies too were often wont to perform. When company wanted to dance merely to music that was instrumental, a servant was called in to perform on the bagpipe. (To be continued.) ANECDOTES OF ILLUSTRIOUS FEMALES. MRS. DELANEY. colouring which might shame the needle At the age of seventy-five this prodigy or the pencil's skill. The moss, the films, of female genius invented an art which she the farina, every part the most minute was brought to that perfection which, to use represented with the most astonishing prethe words of the late celebrated Miss Se- cision, delicacy, and fidelity. Mrs. Delaney ward, "makes imitation hopeless." Ten had ever been a fine painter; and versed immense folios were enriched by her hand in the arts of chemistry, she dyed all the with an hundred flowering plants, repre-papers herself from whence she formed this senting in cut paper, which was previously dyed in various colours, the finest flowers of our own climate, and, indeed, of every other, from the best specimens that the field, the garden, the green-house, and conservatory could furnish; these were all finished with that truth and brilliancy of her nimic creation: her writing-paper her sole material, her scissors her only instrument. The paper, as we said before, was completely shaded by herself with every various tint, and never received any additional touches after the flower was once cut out; neither did she make any drawing: the pattern, or rather the original specimen, lay before her, and she cut from the eye. The floating grace of the stalks was wonderful, the flowers, leaves, and buds most elegantly and exquisitely disposed: they possessed a fine relief produced by light and shade, and their rich and natural appearance was far beyond what the pencil could ever hope to produce. For every reason this extraordinary female deserves to be placed amongst the illustrious; and we address this authentic anecdote in a particular manner to our more mature female readers. It is a fault too much practised by both sexes to indulge in listlessness and a kind of "hopeless langour," at the decline of life. Our energies and talents were given us to persevere in their exercise to the end. How many moments of ennui would be spared when the bright season of youth is at an end, if women would render their age interesting and amiable by employing themselves in those amusements with which elegant accomplishments are so replete. What a lesson for exertion of our faculties is this splendid invention at the advanced age of seventyfive! MRS. BENNET. THIS lady, who lived to a very great age, deserves a place here for her inestimable literary talents, and also for her having been for many years the intimate companion and cherished friend of the matchless Richardson, the author of Clarissa and Grandison; and whose friendship for this amiable woman, of long standing, ceased not till his death. Her poetry had all the neatness, humour, and gaiety of Swift; and her wit and vivacity rendered her society and conversation a perpetual treat. The following anecdote serves to shew that this sprightliness attended her through the extreme of old age, almost to her dying hour. On her seventieth birth-day, being very ill with the erypsipilas, or as it is commonly called, Saint Anthony's fire, she wrote a most arch, beautiful little poem, reproach. ing the Saint for his very bad taste in intriguing with an old woman. Her death happened in 1793, when full of years and honour she quitted this world without either mental or bodily pain. Her letters to her illustrious correspondents were, to the very last, replete with spirit and eloquence. HISTORICAL AND SELECT ANECDOTES. STRIKING INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF THE ABBE LA CAILLE, THE ASTRONOMER. THE father of La Caille was a parish clerk in the country; and at the age of ten years his father sent him every evening to ring the church bell; but the boy always returned home at a very late hour. His father beat him, and still La Caille stayed an hour after he had rung the bell. The father finding something mysterious in this proceeding, watched him one evening. He saw his son ascend the steeple, ring the bell as usual, and remain there afterwards during an hour. When the child descended, he trembled exceedingly, and, falling on his knees, confessed that the pleasure he took in watching the stars from the steeple was the real cause of detaining him from home. As the father had no notion of astronomy, he flogged the boy very severely. The youth was found weeping in the street by a man of science, who, when he discovered in a boy of ten years of age, a passion for contemplating the stars at night, he soon decided that the seal of nature had impressed itself on the genius of that child; and relieving the parent of his (to him) useless son, and the son from the unaspiring father, he assisted La Caille in his pursuit, and the event completely justified the prediction. CURIOUS PARTICULARS OF DR. JOHNSON'S MARRIAGE. MRS. JOHNSON had a very red face and very indifferent features; and her manners in advanced life, for her children were all grown up when Johnson first saw her, had an unbecoming excess of girlish levity and disgusting affectation. The rustic prettiness, and artless manuers of her daughter Lucy, had won Johnson's youthful heart when she was on a visit at the Reverend John Hunter's, at Litchfield, in Johnson's school days. Disgusted by his unsightly || what religion the Chinese profess?"—Mr. Griffith replied that it was somewhat difficult to say; but it seemed a sort of polytheism. Not seeming to understand the meaning of this word, spoken in English, Bertrand remarked-" Pluralité de Dieux." "Ah! pluralité de Dieux," said Bonaparte. "Do they believe in the immortality of the soul?"-" I think," replied Mr. Griffith, form, she had a personal aversion to him, nor could the beautiful verses he addressed to her on receiving from her a sprig of myrtle, teach her to endure him: she, at length, returned to her parents in Birming. ham, and was soon forgotten. Business taking Johnson to Birmingham, on the death of his own father, and calling upon his coy mistress there, he found her father" they have some idea of a future state."dying. He passed all his leisure hours at "Well," said Napoleon, "when you go Mr. Porter's, attending his sick-bed, and,|| home, you must get a good living; I wish in a few months after his death, asked you may be made a prebendary, Sir."Mrs. Johnson's consent to marry the old He then went round to the whole circle, widow. After expressing her surprise and had something obliging to say to every at a request so extraordinary, "No, Sam, one, and bowed very politely to each of my willing consent you will never have the party as they retired. He was, by no to so preposterous a union. You are not means, so corpulent as he has been repretwenty-five, and she is turned fifty. If she sented. had any prudence this request had never been made to me. Where are your means of subsistence? Porter has died poor in consequence of his wife's expensive habits. You have great talents, but, as yet, have turned them into no profitable channel.”— "Mother, I have not deceived Mrs. Porter: I have told her the worst of me; that I am of mean extraction; that I have no money; and that I have had an uncle hanged. She replied, that she valued no one more or less for his descent; that she had no more money than myself; and that though she had not had a relation hanged, she had fifty who deserved hanging." THEATRICAL ANECDOTE. Ar the time when Lee was manager of the Edinburgh Theatre, he was determined to improve upon stage thunder. For this purpose he procured a quantity of ninepound shot, and putting them into a wheelbarrow he affixed thereto a nine-pound wheel; this done, ridges were placed at the back of the stage, and one of the carpenters was ordered to trundle this wheelbarrow, so filled, backwards and forwards over those ridges. The play was Lear, and in the two first efforts the thunder had a good effect: at length, as the King was braving," the pelting of the pitiless storm," the thunderer's foot slipped, and down he came, wheel-barrow and all: the stage WHEN Mr. Cooke, who was in the suite being on a declivity, the balls made their of Lord Amherst on his return from China, way towards the orchestra, and meeting was introduced to Napoleon, he asked Mr. but a feeble resistance from the scene, laid Cooke if he was descended from the cele-it flat. This storm was more difficult for brated navigator?" You had a Cook," || Lear to encounter than that tempest of added he, "who was, indeed, a great man.” When Dr. Lynn was presented, he asked him at what university he had studied? and on being told at Edinburgh, he repeat-chestra, while, to crow the scene of coned, "Ah! Edinboorg." He then, after innumerable questions, asked him if he bled and gave as much mercury as our St.ment of the audience. Helena Doctors? RECENT PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO BONAPARTE. Mr. Griffith, the chaplain to the embassy, was next introduced, whom Bonaparte termed l'aumonier, pronouncing at the same time in English, clair-gee-man.—“ Well, Sir," he continued," have you found out which he had so loudly complained, the balls taking every direction. The fiddlers were alarmed, and hurried out of the or. fusion, the sprawling thunderer was discovered lying prostrate, to the great amuse AUTHENTIC ANECDOTE RELATIVE TO THE |