The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-28 00:00:00

Poet." To be called his " brother poet " was quite suffi—
cient for Banim ; but the offer of obliging him was too
flattering to be slighted, so, after some consideration, he
told the goodnatured bard that there was nothing in the
world he should like so much as a season ticket to the
private theatre, where he could see Mr. Mooro on the
nights of performance. This request was at once granted,
and, tor the remainder of the theatrical season, little John
Banim was happy as his heart could desire,—the same
ticket which opened the theatre to him was, he considered,
a tribute to his poetic ability. And how the boy's soul
would have swelled could he then have known that but
twentytwo years later his own fame would be so fully
acknowledged that this same great poet, whom he was now
so anxious to please, would, when in Kilkenny, call upon
old Michael Banim, and, finding that he was from home,
write, as a card, and leave for the old man, these words—
" Mr. Thomas Moore called to pay his respects to the
father of the author cf 'The O'Hara Family !' "

It was Banim's first intention to pursue the
career of an artist, and he became for a time
a pupil of the Royal Dublin Society. Gradu-
ally, however, and primarily, perhaps, owing
to the necessity of earning money, he drifted
into literature. In his letters home there is
constant allusion to "newspaper scribbling
" and reporting." He was still hovering be-
tween the two professions, when an event
occurred which finally turned the scale—
namely, the success of a poem entitled
" Ossian's Paradise," which he sold to a
London publisher for 201. The poem was
published in February, 1821, and on the 28th
of May following, the tragedy of Damon and
Pythiaa, by John Banim, E*q., was performed
at Covent Garden, with Macready and Charles
Kemble in the principal parts. The accept-
ance of the play was owing in great measure
to the kind recommendation of Mr. Sheil, but
it had intrinsic merits, and " all the London
" papers were unanimous in its praise."
The year after this success was spent with
his own family, and at the conclusion of it,
having taken to wite a pretty Irish girl with
the pretty name of Ellen Ruth, daughter of
an Irish gentleman farmer of the old school,
Banim set off for London to commence literary
man in earnest.

His first lodgings were at No. 7, Amelia-
place, Brompton ; and, owing to the success of
his play, he was able to obtain employment at
once. The following letter is very interesting,
and natural and manly :

London, April 4th, 1822.
My dear Michael,—Do not be so uneasy about me ; I am
in the receipt of a weekly stipend, that is, paid weekly,
but it is a settled annuity, which keeps the pot boiling
very well.
As soon as I was fixed I took up a newspaper, looked
over the advertisements, saw a new periodical ad►ertised,
wrote immediately to the proprietor;, furnishing some
specimens of my capability; was treated with immediate
attention, and soon engaged, and I sin right well pleased
with the concern altogether. _ _ _

And now you must praise me, and say that I have not
succeeded badly at the outset, considering that I am only
an Irish country boy.
I work hard, to be sure, to meet my engagement; it
is what I expected, and what I like. I am not iodebttd
to a single introductory letter : this to me is delightful—
to work one's own way, without incurring obligation,
sweetens labour

The expense of travelling has been very great, and the
cost of living here out of all proportion with Kilkenny.
Then why, you will say, saddle yourself with a responsi-
bility to create the expense ? My dear Michael, this is my
answer—l have purchased, by my outlay, rational happ...
ness, settled habits, and a continual stimulus to fume
exertion. With the money I have expended lam as haply
as any fellow can be, in my humble sphere. lam in
excellent health and spirits. My appetite may be said to
be too voracious for my income; and further, Ellen keels
me in countenance in this respect. I go to bed early,
rise early, drink nothing but water or tea ; work with a
liking for it, all the day long, and I have my cheerful
fireside, with a companion thereat whose smile cheers me
after my toil.

Three months after this he obtained an addi-
tional engagement on the Literary Register, so
we may presume that he was now earning
quite sufficient money to meet all his simple
wants with ease.

These bright beginnings were, however,
soon to be overcast. Banim had miscalculated

neither his own genius nor his own prudence,
but there was an enemy at hand whom it was
impossible to ward off. Banim's health gave
way, and, to add to his distress, his wife began to
display symptoms of a very delicate constitu-
tion. Still he fought manfully to keep his
head above water. The following little anec-
dote will be read with sympathy by all :

His wife's ill health, and a slight attack of his own pains,
were again pressing upon his slender resources; and
being unwilling to delay his task—the completion of the
tales—by entering into any new engagements with pub-