The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-12-03 00:00:00

'missions, . stamped by
talk:id of nothing but Erapira: hz spouted the
spe.thes of Eivira ; and his passion for tint stage br
curie every hour vehenteiit and uncptroulable, sip
returned with his father to Ballynallincb, but not ,
to his asual o:capations. The Sidioniao accikais
still ram.; in !n car; and her majestic math and
awtul brow still tilled his fancy. Every thing was
negleeted for his favourite °Ned; and every thiak
not conneded with it became tiresome and insiPid.
His propensity grew visibly more tooted by tipe;
his importunities were irreststibl^ ; and his pa is
at length, tin-ling all opposition unavailing, were
compelled to think seriously of the pradleabillty of
indulging him.
i• In pursuance of the resolution he had taken. Mr.
Berrie returned with his son to Belfast, in order to
consult Mr. Krauss, and to ask his opinion of the
buy's qualifications. Mr. Avails.is the manager of
the Belfast theatre, and a man of friendly disposi-
tions arid liberal chara&er. In his pres-nce, Master '
BETTY repeated some pas-ages from the part of
E'lnta. The manager was a good deal struck with
wli it he had heard, but wished to have the opinion •
id' Mr. 1 foe Gls, his prompter, for whose judgment he. •
had a considerable deference. That gentleman was
accordingly sent for, and immediately discerned in
the boy's recitation and adion, great capabilities for
a first rate actor. He gave him a few instrudions, and
at the same time point ed out to him the part of Rolla.
as • snitch fitter object of his sunly, than that of
Efira, to which he had berin direded by his feelings.
on teeing the performance of Mrs. Sinooss. 'I be
s outig gentleman felt the full value of the know.
ledge he had received, and in the ardour of his gra-
ti:u.te, told Mr. Hunch, he was his
,:_ftterdiall avel
lbe lather and son now returned once more to
lynaltinch; and Master thrry happening to find the -
tragedy of Zara in the house, began to study the part
of Osman, in addition to that of tinPa and some
others. Some time afte:wards, Mr. Hotate accept-
ed a pressing invitation which had tecehuolyfrom O.
Mr. Berry, to pass a sh"rt time at his hoed* In the
country, with a view of obseisi gt: e boy attire . 4
narri,wly, and in order t give tun nu
in-trutho...s. Mr. HOUGH soon foUnd that hi, pupil
possessed a docility even greater than his jtienics, tor,
whatever he was directed to d o, he could iiis:aitt:y
execute, arid was sure never to forget. He found Ih' 4
that his feelings could take the impression of every
passion and sentiment, and express them in their ap-
preptiate language. Whatever was properly pre-
sented to his mind, he could immediately lay hold
of, and seemed to seize, by a sort of intuitive sagacity,
the spirit of every sentence, and the prominent beau-
ties et every remarkable passage.
he happy moment at length arrived, which woe:-
to realise our hero's hopes and wishes. Mr. A TIC NS.
induced by the reports he had received, and solicit-
ous to brig forward some extraordinary novelty,
on account of the extreme depression of the times,
offeted him an engagement to play at )Fist, for
tour nights. Accoringly, about the *fiddle of
August, 1803, he announced the Tragedy of Zara.
the part of Omen to be undertakenhryeaatarecriewgd7enn—f
&man orb, el
wspears of ell!,e. The singularity of
the exbiiiition dr-nv together a f:
people, ss ha were equally astonished and estrapttit-
ssi at the performance of the young actor."

,
- .
derful youth is eopied from an eseellAt pamphlet,
entitlei, " Memoirs of tile Litt of the roans Rve• .
out," by .1. MERRITT : ,
"WILLIAM RANI YWEST DETTY,MityS(Ma WIC.
LI A Nay BE r T v,vras born on the 13th of Septem-
ber, 1791, as appears from the perish register of the
Church of St. Chad's, in Shrewsbury; Mr. Bierve,
the father, was the son of Dr. BET i• y, a physician
of the first eminence et Lisburn. nor far from Bel-
fast, in the North of Ireland, at whose deeth he be- • !
i
be-
came possessed of a handsome 'independent for-
tune. His wife was Misi MARY START Ni Out
• [
daughter of a respectable gentleman :in thee' ty ire
of Worcester. Sate was a young lady of • II
education and high accomplishments, and b t
him a respectable fortune, part of which, it is sai.l, ''''‘ ;
is entailed on the young gentleman who ii we sub-, j
ject of these memoirs. It has beers frequently said, , /
that Miss STAN TON Ic2Al been formerly either a per- ',
former on a public stage. or in the frequent habit i
of acting in private theatres ; neither of which re.,
pots hits the smallest fouedition in truth. The
name of STANTON happen: to belong; to steveral t
families of the theatried peifession.in varioas,peeta
of de! kingdom ; and Ces eircunist ince! ho eq the
nee e identity nt the names, rreiv have ;Ai Te-
position that the familyof Mr. Berry WAti-• •,11
in the number. . . .
44 It is, however, certain, that Miss S.rsetTON al-
ways discovered a great predilection for the amuse-
ments of the Theatre, and she end her sisters, in
;heir own family, used frequently to divert thane-
sefs:sleith reciting plays, and other pieces of poetry.
44 Mr. BETTY, at the time of the birth of his son,
lived within a small distance of Shrewsbury, frill , ,
whence he removed, a few veers after, to the height*
bourhood of his native place, in the North 4.4;4
land. lie occupied a farm, and also cerr' on
some business relating to the linen mewl'
near Ballynehincle in the come), of DAIL l .se. ..
m tined in this situation, till the rising celebrity of
his son rendered it necessary for hies et gite tip his
employments, in order to attend the young vase. •
man in his theatrical eleurAtme,
'Le
'Mrs. Ber ry , being herself at accomplished speak. '
er, and residing in a district where the Kegtob lan-
guage is spoken in its worst state of deptevity,
thought it necessary to pay particular attention to
the education of her son, iu that ernernental and nee •
cessa,y acquirement. He was, therefore, exercised
at an early period, in the habit of reciting passages
from the best of authors, and wes taught to pro.
nounce the language with ,proprie' y.
" In the summer of tete:, the play of Pizarro was
brought out by the Betfast netneger with mutts
splendor, and Mrs. Sit:moss was the Elora. As
Mr. Be rev and his son happened to be irethe MIMI,
tbey were induced to go to the theeti.e, being the
first time that Master BET 1 V had e,, r seen a play.
From this moment his fate was decided. When ht • .
came home, he told his father with a look of such. •"i
enthusiasm, and a voice so paills:c, that Mose *hot ~
heard him win never forget MI/expression, tie /as
shirt/ c.,•ta,n/e die, ff he mast not be a piaArr. ' 4._
wonderful aging of Mrs. bit:emits,: in Elo re. ' Ail
easily to !ie forgotten by the mtist phlegmatic, ha
left an impression on hi, glowinepruitel, wh-ch no-
thing c-iul.l ever erase It was fie-tun:me La him-
self, that his first. and theretorit most durable iin-
, ptessions, were stamped by such a wall . He
I talked of nothing but Etapirii; 114 spouted the
1
spe.thes of Rivets ; and his passion for dots:age 4)-
cease every hour velse•neet and uncptreulable. Hie,
returned with hi. fether to Ballynallinch, hut not j
to his usual o:eopations. The Sidioniail ambit's 7
I still r.ct..; in his cer ; and her majestic mai,lt and
awtul 'wow still tilled his I:.ncy. Every thing was
neglected for his favourite °hied; and every think
not conneded with it became tiresome and insipid ' '
His propensity grew visibly more tooted by tipe; , 4
his impt-etunities were irresistible; and his pa is
at length, :hieing all opposition uneeailing, were
compelled to think seriously of die prealcabillty of 1
indulging him. _ _ . . . . . _ __