In the year 1797, our English syren was again induced to enter into the pale of matrimony; and was married to M. Felessent, a gentleman attached to the French army in a civil capacity, who soon afterwards resigned his post, and now resides in the vicinity of Venice upon an estate purchased by his wife. By his consent she now visits England; and he awaits her return at the expiration of her present lucrative engagements.

Fame had announced far and wide Mrs. Billington's great improvement on the continent; and her arrival in this country was looked for by the cognoscenti with the utmost anxiety and solicitude. Fortunately for the musical public at large, her first engagements after her return were at the English theatres; so that every one had an opportunity of hearing at an inconsiderable expence the finest and most admired singer in Europe.

Her first re-appearance was on the 3d of October 1801, at Covent-garden theatre, in that most happy and judicious combination of the Italian and English schools, the serious opera of Artaxerxes; in which Dr. Arne has consolidated the beautiful melody of Hasse, the mellifluous richness of Pergolese, the easy flow of Picini, and the finished cantabile of Sacchini, with his own pure and native simplicity.

At the drawing up of the curtain Mrs. B. was welcomed with that warmth which bespoke the high expectations of the audience, and the pleasure they felt at seeing her again on a London stage. At the very commencement of her performance all their ex

pectations

pectations were justified. In the duet of "Fait Aurora," which she sung with Mr. Incledon, she glided through the chromatic passage which closes the first and second strain, with a sweetness of effect which no one but herself could produce, and gave the minor third, at the words "from the idol of my heart," with a delicacy and tenderness which came from the heart, and touched the nerves of the whole audience. In the beautiful and richly-accompanied air," Adieu, thou lovely youth," she was equally charming; her expression was every where perfectly just, and her divisions infinitely neat. In "If o'er the cruel tyrant Love," she was exquisite. We never witnessed a higher degree of taste, or a more sweet and impressive manner than she displayed in almost every bar of this fine and original air. Her ornaments, though abundant, were chaste; and the additional notes at the final close, in which she soared with ease to D in alt, were as ingenious and tasteful as they were forcible and expressive. Her "Let not rage" was also enchanting, and admitted no idea but that of excellence of the first order. The winning softness with which she accented the notes; her high-wrought yet chaste embellishments; the melting delicacy of her turns; and the affecting emphasis with which she enforced the sentiment at the words, "Father, brother, lover, friend," sunk to the heart of every hearer, and convinced the whole audience of the powers of vocal music. In a word, nothing remained to crown the delight of the evening but her execution of the noble bravura which

precedes

precedes the finale. In this ("The soldier tir'd of war's alarms") she displayed the triumph of her art. We, who have formerly heard the .once celebrated Miss Brent (afterwards Mrs. Pinto) in this fine song, were utterly astonished to find the performance of that accomplished singer so far exceeded by that of Mrs. Billington. With fewer liberties than first-rate performers generally take with songs of this description, she gave it a force and novelty of effect which perfectly enraptured us. The distances were hit with a clearness and precision that evinced her perfect intimacy with the first secrets of fine performance; and the variation she introduced at the repetition of the concluding division, as also the energy with which she darted to the key-note in alt, kept pace with every expectation her previous excellence had created, and impressed us with ideas of admiration and astonishment.

We have dwelt the more on Mrs. Billington's performance in this opera on account of the superior excellence of its music, which gave much more scope to her powers than any others in which she afterwards appeared either at Covent-garden or Drurylane.

Mrs. Billington is not the only living branch of her family to whom Nature has been lavish of her favours. Her brother, Mr. Charles Weichsell, distinguished himself very early in life as a performer on the violin, an instrument which he has since cultivated with uncommon success: both his tone and execution are excellent; and his taste, and style of Dd accompanying

1802-3.

accompanying are of a very superior description. He was the infant associate of his sister in her musical studies, and has almost constantly accompanied her in her travels, and participated in her honours.

Mrs. Billington has no living issue; but is nevertheless distinguished for her attachment to children; and has actually adopted a little girl, whom she took under her protection at nine years old, and has since placed in a convent at Brussels.

Mrs. Billington, by her journey to Italy, had at one time realized very considerable property; but by the entrance of the French troops into Venice she lost no less than twenty thousand sequins, which she had deposited in the bank of that place.

The extraordinary produce of her professional talents has, however, rendered her little sensible of such a loss: the profits of her various engagements last winter are supposed to have exceeded ten thousand pounds; and those of the approaching season will probably be equally great. She has signed articles for the opera; and no concert of celebrity that can procure her assistance on almost any terms will be without the attraction of her talents.

WILLIAM HUTTON, F. A. S.S.

BIOGRAPHY is never more usefully employed than in delincating the progress of a man of genius and persevering virtue, from the fhade of poverty, ignorance, and obfcurity, to distinction and independ

ence.

ence. The lives of great men, as herocs and statesmen are usually styled, have much in them to excite admiration; but the life of a private perfon, who has, by his assiduous application and uniform regularity of conduct, overcome all the difficulties of his early destiny, and raised himself to eminence among his contemporaries, comes home to the bofom, tends to excite emulation in the mind of the reader, especially of the young, and bids him " go and do like

wife."

This remark will apply with peculiar force to the interesting memoir which we are now about to lay before our readers. The subject of it passed his childhood and youth in extreme indigence and hardship, but by temperance and industry he has attained to a state of affluence; and, what is still more observable, has by the publication of several valuable works gained the notice and estimation of the world.

William Hutton was born September 30th, 1723, in Full-street, Derby. Between the age of four and five he was sent to a poor day-school, where he fell into the hands of one of those petty tyrants, too commonly to be found in country towns and villages. This man's practice was, when his young scholars offended him, to beat their heads against the wall, holding them at the same time fast by the hair. This brutal treatment completely disgusted young Hutton with books; and he is one among many instances that eminent mental acquirements, and a love of literature, is not always preceded by a fondness for reading in early life.