Miss Harris, of Hadley, daughter of the late James Harris, Esq. of Great Baddow, Essex. Captain G. H. Towry, of the Royal Navy, to Miss Chamberlain, daughter of G. Chamberlain, Esq. of Devonshire-place.

DIED.

Suddenly, at Thorne's house, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire, universally lamented, Mrs. Milnes, a lady whose hospitalities were well known in the fashionable world.-Mrs. Milnes's death was occasioned by a dropsical complaint, to which she had been for several years subject. Suddenly, Sir Walter Vavasor, Bart. of Haslewood, in Yorkshire. Mr. Girtin the painter; the arts have suffered a severe loss. At Paris, the celebrated M. de Calonne, in his 69th year. At Berlin, his Excellency Phillip Charles Alvensleben, Minister of State, Knight of the Orders of the Red and Black Eagle, and of that of St. John and Jerusalem, &c. &c. At Cheam, in Surrey, Mrs. Pybus, widow of the late John Pybus, Esq. and mother of Charles Small Pybus, Esq. one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. The celebrated Austrian engineer and artillery officer, Baron Von Vega. He was found dead on the banks of the Danube, and is supposed to have thrown himself into the river in a fit of despondency, occasioned by an hypochondriacal affection and depression of spirits. In Duke-street, Westminster, after a long and painful illness, Dr. Arnold, the celebrated composer. At Bristol, the Rev. Dr. Hunter, Minister of the Presbytery Meeting, London Wall. Of an apoplexy, John Scott, Esq. one of his Majesty's sitting Justices of the Peace for Marlborough-street Police Office. The Rev. Stebbing Shaw, Rector of Hartsham, in Derbyshire, and Author of the History and Antiquities of the County of Stafford. At Aidwick, in Sussex, in the 12th year of her age, Charlotte Diana, eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Brooke Pechell, Bart. At Bath, Mrs. St. Barbe, wife of John St. Barbe, Esq. of Blackheath. Of a decline Miss Harris, aged 15, the beautiful and amiable daughter of Mr. Harris, Proprietor of Covent-Garden Theatre. The circumstance attending this young lady's decease was particularly affecting. Her anxious parents were assisting her up stairs, not without hopes of her recovery, when she expired in their arms without a struggle, or any observeable indication of pain. She was buried on Wednesday the 17th Nov. at Hillingden, near Uxbridge, in the family vault built by Mr. Harris. On the 23d O&t. at Vienna, in the 80th year of his age, universally esteemed and regretted, General Jerningham, nephew to the late Sir George Jerningham, Bart. of Cossey, in Norfolk. He served upwards of 50 years in the Imperial service, and was Chamberlain to the Empress Maria Theresa, and to the Emperors, Joseph, Leopold, and Francis. Robert Winter, Esq. aged 75, of the Pipe-Office, a -gentleman well known on the turf, and to most of the convivial circles about Covent Garden and St. James's. Sunday the 7th Nov, suddenly, Mr. Abraham Simpson, shop keeper, of Harwich. On the Saturday following, his distressed widow, who was about 23 years of age, and who had been brought to bed only six weeks before, rushed in a fit of frenzy up the garret stairs, threw herself out of the window, and was literally dashed to pieces. In the 68th year of his age, after an illness of six days, Mr. Sewell, bookseller, of Cornhill, respected and regretted by all who knew him,"

MONTHLY MIRROR,

FOR

DECEMBER, 1802.

Embellished with

A PORTRAIT OF MR. T. DIBDIN, ENGRAVED BY RIDLEY, FROM A FINE PAINTING BY MR. C. ALLINGHAM.

PRINTED, FOR THE PROPRIETORS,

By J. Wright, Mo. 20, Denmark-Court, Strand,

And published by VERNOR and HOOD in the Poultry;

Sold, also, by all the Booksellers in

the United Kingdom.

A Portrait of John Adolphus, Esq. F. A. S. author of a Continuation of Hume's History of England, &c &c. from an original Painting by Mr. C. Allingham, will embellish our next Number.

A Portrait of Mr. Stephen Kemble, in the character of Falstaff, from a Painting by the same very ingenious young artist, is in forwardness, and will shortly appear.

Mr. G. Bloomfield's Lines are again postponed for want of room. We hope to be more fortunate next month.

We hope PICUMNUS (Fakenham) will have his wish accomplished, but there is nothing poetically new or striking in the article last communicated.

An Original Epilogue by GARRICK, and which is in his own hand-writing, is in our possession, and shall be inserted the first opportunity.

The Prophecy of Ishmael, by J. T. B. (Manchester) shall have an early si

tuation.

CASATOR (Chester) must accept the apology which is due to a vast number of poetical contributors, for the delay in inserting his first communication. Is J. D. empowered to make us the loan of the portraits he mentions? EUDORA (Burton on Trent) is informed, that if a portrait of the lady alluded to could, with propriety, be introduced into this work, we have no means of obtaining any accurate resemblance of her.

The additional quotations from Churchill cannot be inserted; and, to prevent correspondents from giving themselves unnecessary trouble, we inform them that we have carried our System of Heraldry to the full extent we at first designed.

CIVIS (Wolverhampton) has a little exceeded the sobriety of criticism in his last favour. We shall avail ourselves next month of the liberty he has allowed us. We certainly cannot refuse the copy of a poem so singular in its kind as that which CIVIS offers.

The insertion of the Letter transmitted by G. (Plymouth) will not be necessary, as one to the same purport has been admitted into the present number.

We are obliged to G. B. (Chester) but the merits of the Manchester company have again and again been discussed in the Mirror.

Lines addressed by J. P. BINHAM (Liverpool) to Miss Walstein, shall have a place.

++ A new Edition of the popular Novel of OLD NICK, with Alterations and Additions, will be published at the latter End of January, 1803.

ERRATUM IN OUR LAST.

P. 291, 1. 2. for "only child," read, "only son."

MONTHLY MIRROR,

FOR

DECEMBER, 1802.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF

MR. THOMAS DIB DIN.

With a Portrait.

MR. THOMAS DIEDIN, (son of Mr. Charles Dibdin, of Sans Souci, and brother to Mr. Charles Dibdin, Junr. of Sadler's Wells) was born in London, on the 21st of March, 1771. After having received a liberal education, at the expence of his mother, (whose kindness he is now happy in endeavouring to return) he was, by a maternal uncle (the late Cecil Pitt, Esq. of Dalston) articled an apprentice to Sir Wm. Rawlins, our last year's sheriff, who at that time was in business as an auctioneer and upholsterer.

While in his earliest school days, young Dibdin was remarkable for his attachment to reading and drawing, in the one or other of which he generally employed the hours allotted to play; or when he joined in any recreation, it was frequently in planning theatrical representations and at the age of thirteen, he produced a farce, in one act, which was performed by his school-fellows. It is not surprising that these dramatic propensities should follow him in his apprenticeship, during which he dedicated all the time he could call his own in the day, (and was often a "borrower of the night,") to the prosecution of his favourite pursuits, and particularly to the completion of the model of a theatre, in which he copied all the favourite scenery then exhibiting at Covent Garden, Drury Lane, and the Royalty.

At the end of four years, these growing inclinations for whateve related to the stage, became too strong for resistance; and at the age of eighteen he left his business, assumed the name of Merchant, and made his appearance as an actor, at East Bourne, in Sussex, where he also made his first essay as a scene painter. He remained only with this company till it left East Bourne, when he accepted a better engagement from Mrs. Baker, proprietress of the Canterbury, Rochester, and several other theatres in Kent, with whom he still keeps up a friendly correspondence. In the following year he played

at Beverly and Harrowgate after which he joined Messrs. Banks and Ward at Liverpool, and continued with them three years, per forming alternately at Manchester, Chester, and Liverpool. At the two first theatres he was principally employed as prompter and painter; and at Manchester he made his first public attempt as a dramatic writer, by the production of a farce called Sunshine after Rain, which was well received, and was performed three years ago, for Mr. Munden's benefit, at Covent Garden. In the last year of his engagement at Manchester, (1793) he married Miss HILLIAR, of the same theatre, formerly of the Edinburgh and Newcastle company, and who now performs at Covent Garden; a lady, who, beside her merit as an actress, fulfils the duties of a private station with the greatest degree of propriety..

The year following his marriage, he brought out a piece at Sadler's Wells, called The Rival Loyalists, or Shebah's Choice, the success of which induced him to re-assume his real name, and led the way to an engagement for himself and his wife, which lasted four years; in which time he produced fifteen or sixteen favourite burlettas, pantomimes, &c. In one of these his song of The tight little Island was first introduced to the public.

As the Sadler's Wells engagement did not extend to the winter, Mr. and Mrs. Dibdin returned to the country, and remained with Mrs. Baker at Canterbury &c. till circumstances made way for their engagement in town. Mr. Dibdin, by writing local comic songs, obtained great favour in the sight of his Kentish friends, which of course procured him great benefits. He also added much to the amount of his pecuniary receipts, by indefatigably cultivating his talent as a scene painter: and, as Mrs. Dibdin was a favourite in the circuit, and very much patronised, their circumstances became greatly superior to what most country theatres might be supposed to produce, when an unexpected occurrence removed them both to a soil, where the minutest claim to merit is certain of encouragement and support.

Mr. Dowton, of Drury Lane theatre, was very desirous of ap pearing in the character of a comic Jew, and at his entreaty Mr. Dibdin undertook to write the farce of the Jew and the Doctor, which was begun and completed in a very few days. But, when our author supposed the height of his ambition was about to be attained, by the representation of one of his productions at a London theatre royal, he was obliged to withdraw his farce in favour of a piece written by Mr. O'Keeffe, which Mr. Dowton's partners in the benefit had accepted before they knew of the farce in question,

A Nosegay of Weeds.