The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-09-14 00:00:00

If R. 110 LCROI7:

Mr. Ho!croft we fore-in Oreagweeart, Leiner.
111•400... Oeeetabe 11:4 1744. Jibs Whet was a
illtoe-malter, a etillitigibr which lusien-alirsys re.
thinker a- peenhar leaveds- The- former was of 'en
unsettled temper', seldom dwelling. long in one
place; sod the son accompanied him 111 ull hi. pert-
Wrna Mr. Holcralt was in his teens,
he was i servant to the Hoe. Mr. Vernon ; and his
chief tasplaysivest was to ride his masters. race.
horses, which were in training to ran at Newmarket.
He ,tan afterwards mach devoted tothe art of horse-
manship. He was also considerably Numbed to the
study ormusic; mid same time alter applied much
of his attention to conosisesrahip in painting. Mr.
Hulcroit had an active wind, and viii no .none
aware of any path that led to improvement sad ex-
cellence, then he wits anxious In enter that path.
Notwithstanding thii, he persers red to the age of
s ears, with sonic little interruption, in his fa-
! tirer's trade of a show-maker.

About the period of lint above alluded to, %fr. •
Holcroll conceived a passion for the stage. and of.
fered hit services at the NUM time to Mr. Charles
Macklia and Mr. Samuel Foote. Foote en-
ctmraged him; but Macklin talked to him in so
specious a styli, and held out to him so many
demptstimas and prospects, which were never IV.
aimed...hat he wad indiseed to decide for Macklin
and Ireland, a decision which he continued long to
repent.
In the profession of a player, Mr. Holcroft con-
tinued, not with the most flattering success, WI
after the privity 'tion of hit first play of Duplicity, in
1781. Immodnitely on the exhibition of this co-
medy, he witistirt w from the stage es an actor, and
for unreal yeses devoted his attention princi-
pally to dramatic competition. His writings of this
kiwi Wert 13111 flllll.lll
9, Tut Num. P. I it, an opera. 3. The Choleric Fa-
thers, an opera. 4. The Follies ut a Day, a comedy, Immo-
lated from the Frew It of Beaumarchais. 5 firductioa, a
comedy, 1738. 6. 't he German Hetet, a drama, trauslation,
1799. 7. Ti.. tichutel for Arrogance, • comedy, partly from
the French of Deitoese lees, 179 a. O. The Rued toßion, and
the best of his draussue aritutgs, 179 a. 9. tonne .16 Frail-
leg, a camisedy, 1794. i Ihe Deserted Daughter, • come-
-4 1743. li. The Man eefl'..:• Thousand, a comedy, i ;96.
Id. The Force of RIC.. tile, a comedy, 1796. 13. He is
Mach to Blame, a comedy, very successful, i 795. 14. 1( nave
u Nut, • comedy. 1798. u. Deaf and Dumb, • comedy,
from the French, very suceessrul, tem. lb. A Tale of
3ifystery, ea after-piece, tram the 1 teach, 1100. t 7. Hear
Nob Rides, • comedy, 1403. Is. The Vindictive Man, a co-
nett?, 'nu&
llolcroft also exercised his talent, with ad-
vantage to his reputation, in the novels of Anne
St. Ices. published 1792, and Hugh Trevor, pub-
lished 3794. He also published a third novel, en-
titled Brian Pr .due, in the year Ito?. The pub-
lic are further indebted to the pea of Mr. Nolen/ft
for many translations t—
_ . . .

t. Tlea- Private Life of Voltaire, taco. s. affeamirs
Baaou trait*, 3 WON. 191110 3. The Secret History of the
Court of Berlin, by the Coast de bitralieau, a rola. tivO. 4.
T..ra of the Caustic, b. Bedew de Grans, 5 vol.. 1011•0. 5.
The posthumous Weeks of Frederick 11. King of Prussia,
is villa two. ti. Au Alaridaed display of the Physioptoray
of Leveler large vole. M.

The greet action of the life of Mr. llolcroft we.,
undoubtedly, his voluntary surrender to the indict-
ment for high treason, preferred against hint in the
Autumn of 1794. Few persons can mow doubt,
that if Mr. Pitt's Ailininistratinn had succeeded,
at that time, in bringing to capital punishment
the twelve person., m Ay of them not personal!)
known to each other, alto were then wantonly and
wickedly included is one indictment, the coastal'.
lion and liberties of England would have been dc-
stroyeA ; and, unfelt persons will refuse to confess
that the voluntary surrender of one of the parties,
after the Grand Jury had decided that they should
be tried for their lives, was • great and impressive
demonstration of conscious innocence, and we* the
first event which, concurring with many films-

nate circumstances, after the two /louses of Parlia-
ment had anted that there was a ren.piracy, and had
thus prejstked the accused, save'} our country from
shattruetnna of the worst sort. on that memorable

'Mr. Holcrolt spent the principal port of the y.:urs
1799, 180 u and i in Germany and France ; and
the observations collected by him, in his travels,
were afterwards published by loin in two roll. 410.
The surrivias widow of Mr. Ilolcroft, is the niece
of the celebrated Mercier, author of the Taldraa de
Peria,,and a member of the French Legislature. A
subscription limes been srt on font to en the fa-
mily to open a school for the support of the younger
branches.

SCICIDE.-...31. It. a gemtleniati, who was con-
sidered in possession of an independent fortune,
between fifty and sixty years of age. was found
dead, in a shocking mangled state, on Monday
morning, in the Thames. above Sunbury. Report
says. that this inifortisinite man, who had spent his
e inn
lif 'percentile speculatiwn..luid imbibed a pro-
.•.
penalty for play, and had lost there very consider-
able sums of money within the last fortnight, which
had brought on a despondency bordering on insan-
ity. He took apartments in the neighbourhood of
Weybridgr, three weeks ago; he kit his habitation
on Thursday morning last, and was not seen after.
Sunday morning, about four o'clock, Mr. Wm-
1151110N. of Laurence-lane, Cheapside. cut his
throat. bat not having done it effectually. he at-
tempteti to hang himself with Ins garters, but was
vinalilein effect it from lou of blood. having fas-
tened the garter across his mouth inkteed of his
neck. in which state he was discovered, and cut
down. Ile languished till Tuesday morning, and
then expired.
In the memory of the oldest person living, there
has not been so great a profusion of lints as the
prere.,t season affords; every hedge of hazel, cop-
pice, and wood, trema with them ; they hang RS
thick (almost) as the leaves that surround them.
This is the eases not only in (articular districts and
counties, but thmwghout England.—But if the
msdignlity of nature is admirable iu regard to this
beautiful production, so ought the pultlic caution
to he no less, in regard to its use. " The kernels
of attta,"seys an eminent physician," are extreme-
ly•iojetious to asthmatic persons; they are hard of
*wills, and stallltt‘, causing shorthees of breath,
whoesimitc."---They should not he preinisturely
gethan4,-nor immediate/1y turd: a week's lodging
Is the hunk will inepetvre their flavour, and render
them Is.. cloeptiosable in point of wholesome-
tun% •
•