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M. Ross in the Character of NORFOLK in the Albion Queens . Act I. Scene II.

THE

HIBERNIAN MAGAZINE:

OR,

Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge,

For MARCH, 1775

Memoirs of DAVID ROSS, Efq; Patentee of the Theatre at Edinburgh, and now performing at the Theatre-Royal, in Smock-Alley. With an elegant Engraving of that capital Performer in the Character of the Duke of Norfolk, in the Albion Queens.

M

R. DAVID ROSS was born on the it of May, 1732, in the parifh of St. James, London. He is defcended from antient, and honourable families, both by father and mother: On bis father's fide, the name is too well known in the North of Scotland, to need any explanation: His mother was MCartney, a near relation of Juftin McCartney, of Spring-houfe, in the co. of Tipperary, Efq; His father was a very eminent Sollicitor, and agent for the crown in all its Scottish bufinefs; and was the first perfon who brought Mr. Murray (now Lord Mansfield) to the bar of the house of Lords, as council in Scotch appeals; and by introducing him early to that auguft affembly, gave him an opportunity of difplaying thofe talents which have raifed him to high honours and great wealth: it is true, abilites like his, muft have made their way; but it is not impoffible he might have been ten years later in his progrefs, had it not been for the happy circum fiance of Mr. Rofs's bringing him into fame of the most material causes then in agitation: half an hour employed in figning a commiffion, may be ten years in the way of preferment: For to a young man being engaged in capital caufes, may be ten years advance in his rife at the bar, and fifty thousand pounds advantage March, 1775.

to his fortune. Mr. Murray (now Lord Mansfield) infifted on Mr. Rofs taking his fon from a very reputable fchool at Hackney, where he was receiving his first tincture of education, and fending him to Westminster-school (where he, himself, had been bred) and accordingly did him the honour to carry him to school with his nephew, the prefent Lord Stormont. It was there his theatrical genius first discovered itfelf. The Siege of Damafcus was to be performed by fome young gentlemen of the first families and fortune there at fchool; the parts were played by Lord Stormont, Lord Charles Douglas (fon of the Duke of Queensberry) Mr. Levifon Gower (Lord Gower's fon) and many others of rank. Young Rofs was felected as one of them; and Mr. Quin, at the defire of the Duke of Queenfberry, prefided as preceptor, to inftruct them: The part of Caled was in difpute, and it was to be given to the young gentleman who spoke a certain fpeech, appointed by Mr. Quin, in the beft manner. There were many candidates, and the palm was, by Mr. Quin, given to Mr. Rof, then only fiteen years old. This fo inflamed his fageftruck mind, that it is fuppofed it gave it a ftrong bias to the profeffion of an actor. Mr. Rofs continued at Westminster until he arrived at the head form. From

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that

that he went to Chrift-church, Oxford, but was foon removed to the Temple by his father, who intended him for the bar. There he fulfilled that line of Pope, He fudy'd Shake feare at the Inns of Court. Mr. Rofs was diftinguifhed as a lad of genius and lively parts; and, at Oxford, made feveral compofitions that were highly applauded by Dr. Markham, the prefent Bishop of Chester.

At the period he arrived at the Temple, it was his misfortune to lose his mother; his father marrying a fecond wife, unhappy difputes arofe between father and fon; he threw up his views at the bar, and embraced the ftage, though from his abilities and natural gifts of voice, perfon and good connections, had he fluck to the law, he would have had a fair chance to fucceed to a degree of eminence. But upon fome quarrel with his father he fet off for Dublin, applied to Mr. Sheridan (who then prefi ded at Smock-alley) who affured him of that rank in his profeffion to which he is now happily arrived, though his timidity was to exceeding great, that Mr, Sheridan food fingular in his opinion, but his knowledge pointed out the bril liant in the mine. An opportunity foon offered that confirmed Mr. Sheridan's opinion: the play of the Orphan was to be performed at Smock-alley. Mr. Sheridan, Chamont; Mr. Moffop, Polydore; and Mr. Digges, Caftalio. Mr. Digges

was taken fuddenly i 1; and on the day of the play Mr. Rofs, at an hour or two's notice (as he had ftudied the part) undertook it, and difcovered ftrong marks of a promiting actor, Mr. Garrick hearing of this performance from an authority on which he could depend, entered into an engagement with him; and he and Mr. Mollop made their appearance the following winter. Mr. Rofs's first ap pearance in London was in Young Bevil, in which he made a very frong impreffion on the public in general (per forming it 16 nights) and on the late Mr. Colley Cibber in particular, who was then in the boxes with Mr.Lacy, the joint patentee. He defired Mr. Lacy to introduce him to Mr. Rofs, and in the great room, he complimented him fo far as publickly to fay, he had not feen a Bevil fince the death of Mr. Booth, he defired to fee Mr. Rofs at his houfe, and read Lord Townly and Sir Charles Eafy to him, in both which we have seen him yery lately with infinite pleasure and fatisfaction: and the excellence he has difplayed in Effex, Lear, Jaffier, Othelfo, Horatio, Oakley, Sir John Brute,

Duke of Norfolk, in the Albion Queens, &c. &c, must stamp him in every mind of taste and judgment as an actor of the firft merit: indeed, after Mr. Barry, we have no one fo good in that walk of acting.

When Mr. Barry left Covent Garden to come over to Dublin, in order to build Crow-1treet theatre, Mr. Rofs left Drury lane for Covent Garden, and took poffeffion of all Mr. Barry's parts; and fupported that difficult task with profit and reputation, till 1757, when he went to Edinburgh; obtained his majelly's patent for a theatre royal; and in the year after was appointed matter of the revels for the kingdom of Scotland; a place of profit and honour. From thefe fituations, though acting may be convenient, it is by no means neceflary to his circunftances, fince without it he has a very happy in

come.

Mr. Cibber, in his apology, takes notice of what advantage it is to an actor, to preferve an amiable character in private life; as Mr. Rofs had the happiness to be born and bred a gentleman, he has been fo wife and prudent to preferve a fair and unblemished character; and lives efteemed and valued in a happy circle of acquaintance.

Hiftory of the Proceedings of the British Parliament, continued from Page 104. Friday, January 27.

HE committee appointed to take Th the merchants' petitions into confideration fat, and being informed that Mr. Wooldridge from the Committee of London merchants attended, he was called in, and being put to the bar, he acquainted the conmmittee, that he was directed by the petitioners to represent the impropriety of revealing the fate of their affairs at the bar of that house, unless called upon in times like this, when the public weal is evidently at ftake; but when the mode of examination is fuch as totally to preclude them from anfwering any valuable purpose, which they appre hended was now the cafe, they beg leave humbly to wave appearing before the committee that had been appointed, and to fignify their entire fatisfaction refpe&ting their American debts, provided the means of remittance fhould not be cut off by measures that may be adopted in Great Britain.

A counter petition from Birmingham to that already mentioned was prefented and read, and then the house adjourned to

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made into the manner of procuring and figning the petition of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Birming ham, which was prefented to the house on the 25th. This was done on the ground that the perfons who had figned the petition were neither merchants, traders to America, nor manufacturers; but fhop-keepers and other inferior people, who had been induced to fet their names from motives that would appear upon examination. This motion occafioned a short debate, but, on the queftion bing called for, it paffed in the negative, 87 to 37.

Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Lord North prefented fundry letters and papers lately received from America, which were referred to the committee on American papers.

A petition and counter-petition from Leeds were prefented, read, and referred to the fame committee with the rest. Mr. Sawbridge arofe, and made his annual motion for fhortening the duration of parliament. He faid, he fhould not trouble the house with many arguments to enforce his motion, having often spoke upon the subject before; he fhould only obferve, that, in the reign of Henry VIII. we had a fervile parliament; in the reign of Charles I. a violent parliaRent; and in the reign of Charles II. a proffituted and penfioned parliament; yet we need not search so far back, for the laff parliament was more fervile, violent, and corrupt, than either of the three before mentioned; that he should fay but little of the prefent parliament, as it was but in its infant ftate; that he was informed that it was not the legiti mate offspring of the people, but the brat of the minifter; and, as he entertained no good opinion of the father, he therefore could expect but little good from his progeny.

Alderman Oliver feconded the motion, and spoke of the evil tendency of long parliaments.

The Lord Mayor faid, he could not give a filent vote on the occafion; that great praise was due to the worthy Alderman for his truly patriotic endeavours; that he thought the prefent parliament had violated the truft repofed in them, by treating with contempt and disdain the petition of the North American merchants; and was it not hard that their conftituents must be obliged to wait feven years before they could deprive them of that power which they had affumed in the firft feffion?

Mr. Moyfey (member for Bath) faid,

the origin of feptennial parliaments was founded on three grounds, all temporary, yet administration would make the mode perpetual. The reafons for feptennial parliaments, at the time of the rebellion in 1715, were, he said, because of the difordered flate the nation was in at the time of an election; that it would be eafy for the Jacobite party to take the advantage of fuch a time; that elections were expenfive, and created many animofities, &c. all the objections to frequent parliaments then were now obliterated, for we were not in fear of a Jacobite party, and Mr. Grenville's bill had put the article of expence totally out of the way; that, if we had frequent parliaments, it would fave the treasury money, for it would not coft them fo much to purchase a vote for three years as feven, therefore the struggle would be lefs.

Serjeant Glynn spoke a confiderable time very ably on the subject, and was much for the motion.

The question was called for aloud on the oppofite fide, and the houfe divided without one reafon for rejecting the mos tion being given by any of the members in administration.

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Thursday 2.

104

195

He

The American papers having all been read, Lord North rose, and recapitula→ ted their contents; difcriminated the temper of the colonies; pointed out thofe where moderation prevailed; and those whofe violence was concealed under the appearance of duty and fubmiffion, and pointed directly at such as he thought were in a state of a&ual rebellion. next adverted to the arts employed to raife this feditious fpirit on both fides of the water, entered minutely into a comparifon of the burdens borne by the peo ple of both countries, ftated the trade and commerce carried on between them, the advantages arifing from that commerce, the most probable way of fecuring them, and the very great disparity there was between the ability and real fupport which America afforded to this country. He then proceeded to lay down the legiflative fupremacy of parliament; flated the measures adopted by America to refift it, and the almost univerfal confederacy of the colonies to at laft deny it. Here he laid his foot on the great barrier which feparated, and for the prefent difunited both countries; and on this ground alone of refiftance and denial, he raifed every argument leading to the moR 2

tion

tion he intended to make. The queftion, he faid, lay within a very narrow com pafs; it was fimply whether we fhould abandon this claim, and at once give up every advantage arifing both from the fovereignty and the commerce Or whether, to enfure both, we fhould refort to the measures indifpenfably neceffary on fuch an occafion. He then pointed out the means, and concluded with moving, "That an addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, to thank him for the information laid before this Houfe;" and, after enumerating the great grounds of the motion, affuring him, "that they would fupport his Majefty in the due execution thereof, at the hazard of their lives and fortunes."

Mr. Dunning replied to Lord North; he afferted, that, whatever the facts stated might be, the conclufions drawn from them were either fallacious or erroneous in every particular. He infifted America was not in rebellion; and that every appearance of riot, diforder, tumult, and fedition, the noble Lord had recounted, arofe not from difobedience, treafon, or rebellion, but was created by the conduct of thofe, whofe views were manifeftly directed to reduce America to the moit abject ftate of fervility and defpotifm, as a prelude to the realizing the fame wicked fyftem in the mother country.

The Attorney General, in answer to Mr. Dunning, faid, that the Americans were traitors, rebels, and republicans.

cans;

Col. Grant, in reply to Mr. Dunning, faid, that he had often acted as an officer in the fame fervice with the Amerithat he knew them well, and from that knowledge would venture to predict, that they would never dare to face an English army, as they were deftitute of every requifite neceffary to conftitute good foldiers.

Mr. Fox entered into a very full view of the question; followed the Minifter through almost every ftage; fpoke to the injuftice, the inexpediency, and folly of the measure, as it prefented itfelf in a variety of ftriking lights; and predicted defeat on one fide of the water, and ruin and deferved punishment on the other. He spoke for an hour and ten minutes, and concluded by quoting Lord North's motion, omitting all of it but the title, and fubftituting the following words: "But deploring that the information that they (the papers) had afforded, ferved only to convince the Houfe, that the measures the Ministry had taken, tended rather to widen than heal the unhappy differences which had fo long continued

to fubfift between Great-Britain and America, and prayed a speedy alteration of the fame."

The question being put, his Lordthip's motion paffed without amendment, 288

to 135.

Friday 3] The Commons ordered accounts of feveral exports and imports to and from North America and the WeftIndies, to be laid before the House. Saturday 4.] Nothing material tranfacted.

Monday 6.] Sir Charles Whitworth reported the refolution of the Committee on Thursday, that an humble address be prefented to his Majefty, &c. The Spea ker was proceeding to put the queftion to agree with the report, when Lord John Cavendifli moved, that the faid refolution be recommitted. His head and heart combined to deprecate the horrors of a civil war, neceffarily involving a foreign one alfo with the combined forces of moft powerful nations. He represented the jealousy of our neighbours, from their difgrace and our glory in the last war. He ftated, very clearly and juftly, our domeftic fituation, our ftate with the colonies and foreign powers. He called the attention of the House to the unequal balance of our lofs and our gain in the event, in which we might find our revenue deftroyed, our trade annihilated, and our empire itself overturned; and if we fucceed in fubduing America, we could gain nothing.

Lord Lumley feconded Lord John's motion, and the debate was long and warmly continued. At length, the queftion being put, it paffed in the negative, 288 to 105.

The report was then received, and Lord North ordered, in pursuance thereof to draw up an addrefs, which being complied with, the fame was read and agreed to by the Houfe, and ordered to be communicated to the Lords at a conference, to defire their concurrence thereto.

Accordingly, about three o'clock, Lord G. Germaine waited on the Houfe of Peers, to defire a conference with their Lordships upon the state of the colonies in North America; and having received their Lordships answer, that they would hold it immediately, he withdrew; and in a fhort time the Hon. Members appointed on behalf of the Commons came into the Painted Chamber, and were met by a number of Lords appointed to conduct the matter for the House of Peers. Lord North then read an addrefs come to by the House of Com

mons,

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