James Barry, whose life we now write, acquired a considerable estate by commerce; and filled the civic honours of the city of Dublin, which he also represented in Parlia ment. The son, after he was called to the bar, practised for several years with reputation and success. In 1629 the king conferred upon him the office of his majesty's serjeant-at-law for the kingdom of Ireland, with a yearly fee of twenty pounds ten shillings. Lord Wentworth, afterwards Earl of Strafford, lord deputy of Ireland, soon perceived his talents, and took him under his protection; accordingly, Aug. 5, 1634, he appointed him second baron of the exchequer of Ireland, to hold during pleasure, with such fees, rewards, and profits, as Sir Robert Oglethorpe, Sir Lawrence Parsons, or Sir Gerard Lowther, or any other second baron, did or ought to receive. He soon after had the honour of knighthood conferred on him. This appointment in the exchequer he obtained through Lord Wentworth's friendship, in opposition to another candidate who had powerful recommendation from England. Of this kindness he was ever after grateful; and, in 1640, when the Parliament of Ireland were about to send over a deputation of their body to England to impeach the Earl of Strafford, he joined all his weight and interest with Sir James Ware, and other members of the House of Commons, to oppose that measure. The torrent was too violent to be withstood; and we hear little more of Sir James Barry, during the civil wars, until a little before the restoration of King Charles II. in 1660, when he was chairman of the convention which voted his majesty's restoration, without any previous conditions. In obtaining this vote, his influence and talents were instrumental; and accordingly we find him experiencing the gratitude of his sovereign, by being made lord chief justice of the King's Bench of Ireland, the 17th November of the same year. Nor was this the only honour bestowed on him; for, on the 18th of December following, the king issued a privy seal, in consideration of his eminent fidelity and zeal shewn for his majesty's service, creating him Lord Baron of Santry of the Kingdom of Ireland; and he was soon after called to the privy council. He died in March 1672, and was buried in Christ Church, Dublin. He left behind him issue to inherit his titles and estate. His only publication was, "The Case of Tenures upon the Commission of Defective Titles, argued. by all the Judges of Ireland; with the Resolution, and the Reasons of their Resolution." Dublin, 1637, folio, dedicated to the Earl of Strafford. SPRANGER BARRY. THIS celebrated actor, who so equally divided the laurel with the immortal Garrick, was born on the 20th November, 1719, in the parish of St. Warburgh, Dublin. He was the son of an eminent silversmith of that city, prosperous in trade, and possessing good family connections, who bred this his eldest son to the business; but an early intercourse with the theatres (of which there were two at that period in Dublin) with the solicitation of a remarkably handsome and finely-proportioned person, melodious and powerful voice, and pleasing address, quickly obliterated every idea relative to business, which the attendance behind the counter between two and three years, might have enabled him to acquire, and he commenced actor in the year 1744, making his first appearance in the arduous character of Othello. It has been observed, with some truth, that most first appearances discover more of inclination than real genius. The case was, however, different with Mr. Barry, for he, like our celebrated Roscius, nearly gained the summit of perfection at his outset, and (if we credit the accounts of some of the best theatrical judges of that day) gave evident marks that he required nothing but stage practice to place him at the head of his profession. The summer of 1744 he played in Cork, and acquired fresh fame; and here it was first suggested to him, by his chief patron, Dr. (afterwards Sir) Edward Barry, to visit England, as the soil most congenial to great abilities and superior talent. However, prior to his making this attempt, he returned to Dublin, and joined the company of that year, which stands remarkable in the annals of Irish theatricals, for the finest collection of excellence that ever was known at any one period. Our readers will best judge of this themselves, when they are informed, that the imperishable names of Garrick, Barry, Sheridan, Quin, Woffington, and Cibber, stood first upon the list; and that there was scarce a play that these performers did not change parts, in a praise-worthy contention for rival powers. The public, it is to be regretted, paid a dear price for this mental luxury, as the constant and excessive fulness of the house brought on innumerable colds and fevers, besides dislocations and other odd kind of accidents in abundance, which, terminating in the deaths of many individuals, the saying became common, that Miss died of a Quin fever, but In 1746, Mr. Barry arrived in England, and was engaged at Drury Lane, and, the next year the patent falling into the hands of Messrs. Garrick and Lacy, Mr. Barry took the lead as the principal performer of that house, and here it was that Mr. Garrick and he frequently appeared in the same characters, and divided the applause of admiring audiences; however, Barry, after a short period, feeling an inferiority arising from the joint power exerted against him as actor and manager, quitted Drury Lane, and beaded the forces of Covent Garden. Here his gigantic powers had full play, and here he entered the lists of competition against a man, who, till now, had thrown all his competitors at an immeasurable distance. They played all their principal characters against each other with various success, Garrick being allowed to be the best Richard, and Barry the finest Othello; and remained opposing each other till the summer of 1758, when Barry, in conjunction with Woodward of Covent Garden, undertook a journey to the sister kingdom, where they built two elegant and commodious theatres, one in Crow street, Dublin, and the other in Cork; and, as joint managers, exerted their respective abilities, assisted by a very respectable company, part of which they brought with them from England. Unfortunately, however, after giving their scheme a fair trial for some years, on account of the expenses of the building, the great salaries, the increase of performers, and the uncertainty of their nightly receipts, they both found, that far from benefiting themselves by the exchange, they had altered their situations lamentably for the worse. Woodward was the first to discover the error into which they had fallen; and he immediately made the best bargain he could with Barry, to be paid his share in annuities, and, bidding adieu to Ireland, rejoined the corps from which he had deserted; and in a very laughable prologue (which is still well remembered, and is to be found in print,) restored himself once more to the favour of the public. Barry staid but a few seasons behind him, for, in 1766, both he and Mrs. Barry played at the Opera House in the Haymarket, under Mr. Foot's management. Here it was Mrs. Barry made her first appearance before a London * This lady, whose maiden name was Street, was a native of Bath, and the daughter of an eminent apothecary in that city, who, unwisely preferring temporary gratification to the future prospects of his family, gave into all the extravagant expenses of that fashionable place; so that, although his practice was extensive, it was always balanced by his expenditure. Mrs. Barry, from her childhood, amidst several promising quali fications, expressed a warm and decided preference for theatrical amusements; which, joined to a figure pleasingly feminine, great sweetness of temper, and the fashionable station she filled, made her, as she grew up, an object of general attachment. When she was arrived at the age of seventeen, she was particularly noticed by a young gentleman of large fortune, and the brother of a noble lord, who was then resident at Bath. From seeing her casually in the Rooms, he was struck with her manners, &c. and he contrived to drink tea with her at a third person's house. Here her conversation established what her charms had begun; and, after a few visits to the house, he formally asked permission of the father to become audience. The character she chose was Desdemona, in which, though there is little for a performer to shew forth in, yet in this she shewed such judgment, tenderness, and his son-in-law. So advantageous an offer was readily embraced by all parties: the parent was flattered with the idea of noble connections; and the daughter with being blessed with the object of her affections. Whilst things were in this train of maturation, an unexpected letter arrived, informing the lover of the death of an uncle in Town, which required his immediate attendance. He obeyed unwillingly (of course), after having pledged his adoration for his instant return; but the pernicious air of London (like the human touch to the sensitive leaf) soon dissipated his vows, and banished for ever from his memory all his protestations; whilst the amiable object of them, after waiting two months, in expectation of hearing from him, had nothing but sighs, tears, and painful recollections to comfort her. The chagrin she was thrown into on the ill-fated termination of this love adventure, so visibly impaired her health, that it was thought advisable, by her physicians, to go into the country. A near relation, in Yorkshire, made an offer of his house, which was accepted; and, as individuals sometimes rise from one extreme to another, she entered at first with fictitious gaiety into every species of amusement, till, by degrees, she caught the sprightliness of the place, and perfectly recovered her usual flow of spirits. Amongst the amusements of the county, the Yorkshire playhouse, which was only distant a few miles from where she resided, was not of course overlooked. There it was she first beheld Mr. Dancer, and married him shortly after at Bath; but, as her relations would not suffer her to indulge her theatrical passion in that city, she went, in the summer season, to Portsmouth. The following winter they went to York, where they solicited an engagement, and obtained it; and she be came the favourite actress there until Sept. 1758, when they turned their thoughts towards Ireland. Messrs. Barry and Woodward having opened Crow street theatre, they readily got engagements on genteel salaries. Mrs. Dancer had played in York before several genteel audiences, and it was then thought by the best provincial judges, that she would one day become a great acquisition to the stage. Her first appearance in Dublin confirmed this opinion; and she every night proved she was in want of nothing but experience. There was a dancer on the Dublin stage, who, from the intimacy he had with our heroine and her husband, proposed taking an excursion into the country with the former and another lady for a few days, to which the husband consented. She had been away but the second day, when it was hinted to the husband by some malicious person, that they went off together; and he, believing it, instantly pursued them, and at a little village, about twenty miles from town, got intelligence that they were at the principal inn. Here he lost sight of his prudence, and, rushing into the house like a madman, demanded his wife; who, with the other lady and gentleman, were drinking tea in the dining-room; and, |