hearing a child of ten or twelve years old recite numerous paffages in a play, or ode after ode from Horace, with claffical precifion, has been thought fufficiently marvellous; but the fame infant repeating by heart a whole book of Ovid, would not ftrike us with an aftonishment equal to that which we feel in feeing this boy not only deliver with accuracy fo many and various parts of our dramatic authors, but also feel the fentiments he utters for that he is fenfible to the full power of them we may fafely affirm, or he could not fo forcibly infpire into his audience the fame emotions.

remained in this fituation, till the rifing celebrity of his fon rendered it neceffary for him to give up his em ployment, in order to attend the young gentleman in his theatrical excurfions."

was never more beautifully illuftrated than in this inftance. But, no doubt, our readers will be eager to know who this prodigy is, and whence he sprang, before they are made acquainted with the bounteous gifts kind Nature has lavished upon him.

William Henry Weft Betty, the only fon of William Henry Betty (under whofe paternal protection he now is), was born in the neighbourhood of Shrewsbury, the 13th of September, 1791. As the exact age of mafter Betty is a circumftance which muft add greatly to the intereft the public takes in his behalf, it has been thought proper to confult and quote the register in the parish book of St. Chad, in Shrewsbury, which confirms the above account. Mr. Betty's father, that is, the grandfather of our young hero, was a phyfician of fome eminence at Liburn, in the north of Ireland, not many miles from Belfaft. On the death of dr. Betty, mr. Betty became poffeffed of a comfortable independence. Mr. Betty, at the time of the birth of his fon, lived within a fmall Jittance of Shrewsbury, [Hopton Wafers,] from whence he removed, a few years after, to the neighbourhood of his native place, in the north of Ireland. He occupied a farm, and alfo carried on fome bufinefs relating to the linen manufactory, near Ballyna

eireumftance, from the mere identity of the names, may have led to a fuppofition that the family of mr. Betty was included in the number. Both these accounts are alike erroneous: fhe had a good education beftowed on her, and diftinguished herself for her accom→ plishments; he had, moreover, a refpectable fortune, a part of which we believe, is entailed on this young gentleman. It must be allowed, that this lady and her fifters often fought occafion, and took delight, to repeat now and then a few judiciously felected paffages from fome of our first dramatic writers. It is not poffible to fay how far the child, in his earliest days, might imbibe with a mother's affection a mother's partialities. In tracing the fource of this early acquirement, it is proper to obferve, that mr. Betty, the father, was not lefs partial to the drama than the mother, and that he very frequently had profeffional men of eminence at his table, where of course the conversation must often run into the bufinefs of the ftage. An early acquired habit, and a natural propensity, have nearly the fame appearances, and fometimes the fame effect. To the tenderer parent, however, must be afcribed the merit of perfectioning the young pupil in his pronunciation and graceful delivery: and though he often fixed upon palfages from the best dramatic writers

for

for his exercise in this way, it is pofitively affirmed by her friends, that it was without any view to her fon's adopting the profeffion in which he now thines fo pre-eminently it is even fuppofed, that, at the period we are fpeaking of, any propofal of the kind would have been received with difguft. The profeffion of the ftage in this country is held in higher repute than in any other; and though fome unworthy members of it have lowered it in the eyes of many, yet a Garrick, a Hull, a Smith, a Lewis, a Kemble, a Farren, a Pope, a Siddons, with a long lift from the dramatis perfonæ, as amiable in private life as enviable in public, muft always contribute to leffon the repugnance a parent is difpofed to feel at a child's expreffing a penchant for the theatre.

While fome reprefent the extraordinary proficiency of our young gentle. man in this art to parental enthusiasm and parental difcipline, others afcribe it to the mere force of genius. Genius itself is perhaps nothing clfe than ftrong natural parts directed to one particular object; and it is not attempted to be denied, that when malter Betty's friends difcovered in him a ftrong prepoffeffion for the ftage, they did all they could to infure his fuccess in it.

Mr. Betty and his fon were in Belfaft in the fummer of 1802, when the play of Pizarro was got up with much ftudied preparation; mrs. Siddons was to perform Elvira. Our young Rof cius was carried to this play, the first he had ever feen performed, and from that moment his future deftiny was fixed. Mrs. Siddons's acting made an indelible impreffion on his mind; and perhaps it is not one of the leaft fortunate circumstances in his life, that the model he fo earnestly looked at was an excellent one. On his way to Ballynahinch, his converfation with his father difcovered what an uncontrollable fway his paffion for the hiftrionic art had over him; fo that at length both his parents finding all oppofition to his wifhes of no avail, they feriously bethought themfelves of indulging him to their mutual fatisfaction. Mr. Betty now determined to return to Belfast,

with a view of confulting mr. Atkins,* the manager of that town, as to the youth's qualifications. Mafter Betty recited a few paflages from the part of Elvira, which very much ftruck that gentleman by the vigorous though untutored manner of his delivery. Nevertheless, as he had a great opinion of the judgment of mr. Hough, his prompter, he confulted him before he would give a decided opinion of the probability of the ultimate fuccefs of the young candidate. This latter gentleman inftantly difcerned fomething above the common rate of promife in the afpiring youth, and advifed his immediately fludying the part of Rolla, as a much fitter character than that of Elvira. The young gentleman is faid to have difcovered the value and folidity of the advice mr. H. gave him in this and other refpects, and in the rapture of his heart to have exclaimed to that gentleman, You are my guardian angel. Mr. Hough was a little. while after invited to spend a short time with mr. Betty and his family at Ballynahinch, where he found his young pupil ftudying the part of Ofman in the tragedy of Zara, as well as that of Rolla in Pizarro. Mr. Hough was now more than ever interested in the progrefs of mafter B. for he found him at once docile in manner, and retentive in memory. He was convinced that his feelings were capable of receiving the impreffion of every paffion, and his language fufceptible of duly expreffing as much. By the reports of mr. Hough to mr. Atkins, who was folicitous to bring forward fome extraordinary novelty on account of the extreme depreffion of the times; t it was re

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*It is but fair to affert, that this gentleman has ever been found ready to patronife real merit, and many of the now. principal performers acknowledge with candor the unwearied attention beflorved by mr. Atkins on their juvenile efforts.

The much lamented infurrellion in Dublin, which caufed the death of lord Kilwarden, had recently taken place, and had fpread a great alarm over all parts of the country.

folved,