portraits and historical subjects. Macklin engaged him, among other distinguished artists, for the POETS' GALLERY, but a delicate state of health prevented him from pursuing his professional occupation, and drove him to the sea-side, where, recollecting the precept of Horace, ut pictura poesis, he employed the pen instead of the pencil, and wrote a tragedy on the subject of Colonel Kirke's cruelty. He presented it to the managers of the Bath theatre; and, at Lisbon, whither his physicians thought it necessary to send him, he had the satisfaction of hearing that it had been well received, and greatly applauded.

In the summer of 1788, in a state of health somewhat improved, but not sufficiently re-established to render it adviseable for him to resume his profession, he returned to this metropolis. The success of his play induced him again to turn his thoughts to dramatic composition. He had also formed an acquaintance at Florence with the lamented STEPHEN STORACE, then rising into celebrity as a composer, who encouraged him to make a second attempt. He did so, and produced the favourite entertainment of No Song no Supper, an opera of which the dialogue is so lively, the incidents so diverting, and the music so delightful, that after a lapse of seventeen years it still continues one of the most attractive after-pieces on the stage. The managers, however, to whom it was presented, declined receiving it, and it was brought out for the benefit of Mr. Kelly on the 16th of April, 1790.

The Cave of Trophonius was acted the following season* for the benefit of Mrs. Crouch, but Madame Storace falling ill during its run, it was laid aside, and has never been revived. The Prize, another of our most popular farces, being also rejected by the Drury Lane managers, was introduced to the public on the benefit night of Signora Storace, on the 11th of March, 1792. My Grandmother, we believe, experienced similar neglect. It was acted the following year† at Mr. Colman's theatre in the Haymarket, where the Drury Lane company were at that time performing, the building of the present theatre not being completed.

Thus successful was Mr. Hoare as a dramatic writer, in spite of the inactivity, the ignorance, or the bad taste of the managers of the theatre, who, though they

* 3d of May, 1791. † 16th Dec. 1793.

refused to act his dramas, did not hesitate to pour the profits of them into their treasury; and, we believe, we may truly add, that overflowing as it was, very few of the guineas fell into the hands of the person who was most entitled to them.

1

In the summer of 1795, Mr. Hoare, produced at the Haymarket the Three and the Deuce, for the principal incident in which he was indebted to the Spanish stage. It was afterwards acted at Drury Lane, and has lately been revived with great success by Mr. Elliston. In 1796 he brought out Mahmoud † at Drury Lane, and Lock and Key at Covent Garden. Mr. Braham, in

the former piece, made his first appearance on the English stage; and Mr. Hoare, with a liberality that reflected the highest honour on his character and feelings, gave the whole profits of the opera to the widow of his friend Storace, who composed part of the music, but died before the representation.

His next theatrical effort was a musical farce, called The Friend in Need, § performed at Drury Lane with very good success; the principal part, which was serio-comic, was admirably acted by Mr. Bannister. About the same time appeared the opera of the Italian Villagers || at Covent Garden; the music by Shield. This was followed by the Captive of Spilburg, at Drury Lane, taken, chiefly, from the French of CAMILLE's Souterraine. This piece was also very successful. The music was composed by Dussek, Next came the comedy of Indiscretion.** Mrs. Jordan was the heroine, who returned to the theatre solely through the author's mediation, after she had refused all communication with the manager: notwithstanding this circumstance, the comedy was chosen as the subject of a part of Mr. Sheridan's grand philippic against the author's petition in Lincoln's Inn; and it formed the front groundwork of that petition, which finally ended in the security of the right of authors to immediate payment of their labours at the theatre, in common with the performers, and the several other persons engaged in the necessary business of the theatre.

As soon as Mr. Sheridan, had delivered his invective against the authors, Mr. Hoare threatened a preface to

* 2d Sep. † 30th April,

|| 25th April,

1st Feb. § 9th Feb. 1797. ** 10th May, 1800.

a new edition of Indiscretion, which was then publishing, but as the result just mentioned of the authors' petition sufficiently accounted for Mr. Sheridan's attack, (hine illa ira, he did not think it worth while to prosecute his design.

The Authors' Petition was brought forward on occasion of the settlement (or attempt to settle) of the affairs of Drury Lane before Lord Eldon, the Chancellor, and was in the names of P. Hoare, M. G. Lewis, and I. Cobb; Mr. Cumberland afterwards joined the party.

The comedy of Sighs, or the Daughter, was produced at the Haymarket July 30, 1799. It was received with very loud applause, and continues a stock piece at that house. The opera of Chains of the Heart, performed at Covent Garden on the 9th December, 1801, was written for the purpose of introducing Mr. Brahain and Signora Storace to the public, on their return from the continent. His last theatrical production was The Partners, at the Haymarket, acted on the 28th June, 1805, and condemned, almost without a hearing, by a party who seemed determined, from the beginning, to dissolve the firm.

In the year 1799 Mr. Hoare was named by the Royal Academy their Secretary for Foreign Correspondence, an office which had been held by the late James Boswell, Esq. and hitherto considered as a mere ornamental appendage to the Institution. When Mr. Hoare accepted the office, it occurred to him, that as he was personally acquainted with several principal members of Foreign Academies, it became his duty to avail himself of that circumstance for the advantage of the Institution to which he belonged, and he accordingly proposed to the Royal Academy to commence a correspondence between the Academy of London and all great Foreign Academies, for the purpose of mutual communications of whatever might tend to the advancement of the arts. The president warmly espoused the proposition, and Mr. Hoare proceeded accordingly. Finding, however, that the delays inseparable from the actions of all large bodies, would, at least, protract his publications to a fruitless length, in the year 1802 he published his first number of correspondence, handsomely printed in quarto, at his own risk. On this the subject was taken again into consideration at the Royal Academy, and the publication adopted by the council. The following year

he published a second number, and two years afterwards a third. At this time a resolution was passed in the council of the Academy to make the continuance of such correspondence one of the conditions of Mr. Hoare's office, and some intimations were made to him of an. nexing a stipend to the office. This offer Mr. Hoare, with his usual disinterestedness, declined on his own part, leaving it, however, to be accepted by his successor.

The result of the above correspondence has been the ascertaining, by ample authentic documents, the various degrees of encouragement in which the arts are placed in several of the greatest foreign states, and other com munications respecting particular works of art in those countries as well as our own; an inquiry certainly so far useful to us, as it furnishes a proper rule by which we ineasure our own exertions on this head.

Mr. Hoare conceived also that such a work would contribute not only to the honour of the Royal Academy, but to that of the English nation, as it would have a tendency to shew that this country desires to be regarded not only as the medium by which trade and commerce diffuse their benefits through the world, but as the central point of information also in other matters, which regard intellectual cultivation.

With a view to assist the progress of the arts in Great Britain, he last year published an "Inquiry into the requisite cultivation and present state of the Arts of Design in England," in which he endeavoured to shew the real value of the arts to every country, and the best methods of advancing them in his own; together with a sketch of their actual progress in England.

A few months ago Mr. Hoare commenced a periodical work under the title of THE ARTIST, of which we have already spoken in this work. It is publishing in weekly numbers, and offers a series of essays on science and art, written by men of eminent professional abilities, on topics relative to their respective studies, and by other persons peculiarly conversant with those subjects. Mr. Hoare's extensive knowledge and various acquirements peculiarly qualify him for the superintendance of so interesting a publication. Besides some ingenious productions from his own very elegant pen, we have noticed several valuable communications on literature, the drama, and the arts, from Mr. Cumberland, Mr. Hoppner, Mr. Northcote, and other men of distinguished talent.

We ought also to mention a pathetic little poem, bearing the title of Love's Victims, or The Hermit's Story; which Mr. Hoare published in 1793, and which received the commendation and corrections of his amiable friend the late Rev. Mr. Graves, of Claverton.

We do not know that his tragedy of Julia, or Such things were, has ever been published, but its high dramatic merit, and the powerful manner in which the character of the heroine is delineated, may be inferred from its having been twice selected by Mrs. Siddons for her benefit, once at Liverpool, and afterwards at Drury Lane.

Such are the few particulars which we have been able to collect of Mr. Hoare's history as a public character. In his private capacity we are enabled to testify, from our own knowledge, that no gentleman is more generally esteemed, or more deserves to be so.

EARL STANHOPE,

SECRETARY OF STATE TO GEORGE I.

WHISTON says, of this nobleman, "After he had been some time a courtier, I freely asked him whether he had been able to keep his integrity at court; to which he made me no reply, whence I concluded he had not been able to do it, for he would never tell a lie.” A different inference might be drawn from his silence, which probably was occasioned only by his disgust át the impertinence of the question.

Lord Stanhope was at Eton school with one of the Scotch noblemen who were condemned after the rebellion in 1715. He requested the life of his old schoolfellow (whom he had never seen since that time) of the privy council, whilst they were deliberating upon the signing of the warrant of execution of these unfortunate noblemen. His request was refused, till he threatened to give up his place if the council did not comply with it. This menace procured him the life of his associate in early life, to whom he afterwards sent a handsome sum of money.

Of such advantage are sometimes the connections that are formed in public schools. What may profit, may likewise hurt. The gold that purchases bread may purchase poison, and the seminary that administers to