The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-09-13 00:00:00

MEMOIR OF MISS CLARA FISHER.

‘' Ingentes maim°, anguste is pectore versaos."—iflaw.
This interesting lick girl is the fourth and youngest dough.
In of Mr. F. G. Fisher, SWIM years 'lace proprietor of the
Stevie Library, at Brighton. She was burn on the 14th of
July, 1811, in Margaret.street, Cavendis►•square, and is
coosesineutly now not quite eleven years mud two usontbs
old. It bait been imagined that Ms. Clara Fisher's acting
is the resell of arduous tuition—that s►e was born and bred
in the Thespian car—t►at she is but the copyist of those
who have of late excelled in the characters in which she has
been brought forward—in short, that she deserves to be
praised only se a dexter girl, whose ideas have been fed
and trained mnehankaily to personation upon the stage.
These erroneous ideas will be removed by the wive about
to be given.

It mast be teamed that, were Miss Clara Fisher nothing
more than a well-tutored minvie, if would not becume the
public to take much intereut io any t►ing respecting her
career; but as abe is possessed of a really superior mind,
which bas been gradually unfolding its perceptions from
earliest infancy down to the present time in an uncommon
manner, it is a laudable curiosity that eras to be arousinted
with particulars of the buJiling and the blossoming of her
geniis% and merits that some trouble should be taken fur its
gratification.

From the moment that infailine perception commences,
she exhibited a very extraordinary degree of observation ■ad
feeling. In the nurse's arias sire showed a passionate fond-
ues.s fur movie, which was Merlin( charaeterimie, and evioc.
ed, by symptonis of extreme delight, her partiality fur some
tones, whilst others, that were sot'agreeable to her ear, were
opposed by every possible sits of aversion. Mask, to the
wasversal instinct, is language, sad the baby Clara decided
on its expressions as would as adult in eases of appeal of oral
elogorace to the moral sense. She discoursed with sounds,
and evidently received and communicated ideas under the
Influence of harmony.
Miss O'Neill'. distinguished first appearance in Eagtaod
induced Mr. Fisher, who was at that time a resident in
Loudon, to take his family to C.svent garden Theatre, and
amongst them was little Clara, then about four years old. The
play was Jane Shore; and Clara, is. common with all the
'children of larger growth," seemed rivet it'd ea M iss O'Nei it'.
representation of the soforrisnate heroine of the piece.
Oa her return home from the play, she retired to s corner
of the room, and, unconscious of observation, repeated, is
drab show, a great part of the performances she had just
witnessed. Her parent. were struck with the correctness
of her delineation, sod sabsequensly remarked that she would
often go over the same action without laurels' • word, but
evidently reciting internally the respective parts of Alicia
and Jams Shore.

When her elder sister played plaintive airs on the piano-
forte, she would lay aside ber dull and begin to act, in si-
lence, a kind of pity-muving tale, raising her little hands and
eyes in grateful sipplication' kneeling, and then telling at
felt length on the carpet, as if dead ; then would she suddenly
assume a frantic manner, but witbunt uttering a syllable;
.or could bar family ever learn from her what was passing la
her mind during these starts of dramatic (secy. Net a.riuus
represestation alone excited her notice ; having been taken
to the Olympic Theatre, where a clown exhibited • gro-
tesque dance, on her return home she we'll through every
step of her original, with all its merry eloqueate of limb and
feature.

These evidences of talent in a child not four years old
surprised and delighted her domestic circle; and, whenever
they had • social party of visitors, it was necessary only for
the elder Miss Fisher to set the keys of the piano-forte in
motion, upon owe of Clara's f ite ails, to throw her iu a
fit of acting.
At length she was persuaded to exhibit in form before •
party of intimate friends, and the applanse which followed
tended to increase that ardent love fur•the mimic art which
thenceforward became the polar 1111/ .1811 her infant thoughts
and actions.

It was in the autumn of 1817, about two years after she
had seen Miss.O'Neill, that ■u event occurred which at once
drew the Wilk notice towards her. Mr. D. Corti, the emi-
nent professor of lassie. tad made an arrangement wit► the
manager of Drnry.lase Theatre, for a performance of Gar-
rick's blirlerta of LSWptil, to be acted by young persons be-
tweeu the ages of six and ten years, who were chiefly his own
pupils. Miss Clara was invited to a rehearsal, with which
she was highly pleased; and, being prompted by a conscious-
nom of her own powers, she requested perwilasiou to juin the
jeveuile corps el. aeratique. Her parents haviag cons, sited,
• tangible taste of her quality became requisite. Accord-
ingly Mr, Fisher caused h. eldest daughter to read to her
Ihespeech iu Jane Nitere that begins," 0 thou most righteous
Judge!" which she acquired perfectly in a few minutes. This
she spoke at the ensuing rehearsal of Mr. Correa pupils, with
such correctuesa, beauty of articulation, and just (upbraid',
that • large party of theatrical amateurs who were preseut
expres►ed the utmost astonishment and delight. Her praises
now resounding on a 4 sides, the manager tif Drury-lane
Theatre was induced to include her ■mosg the performers
of Lillipst, which was altered for the occasion, with the ad-
dition of sungs, ■ad ■ Masque written by Mr. Fisher, in
which was Introduced the last Act of Maar& the Third, fur
the purpose of bringing forward the little Clara (then jest
six years and • half old), in the tharseter of the erouk-backed
usurper. On the 10th of December, 1817, she appeared on
the Drury-lane Flare, and, by her success in that arduous
part, so little calculated for a javeaile performer, sire laid the
ground-work of her subsequent fame. Every one who bail
▪ en her spoke in raptures of the 'akin she displayed; •nd
the consequence was, ilist the Lilliputian drama was re-
pealed for seventeen nights, to crowded houses; and Mr.
Harris immediately aflersard engird her to perform at
Gse■t-garden, which she did with equal eclat.
After concluding the part of Rickard, on the first evening,
at Drury-lase, she appeared in her own proper Mile person,
and, with an easy and engaging air, a sweet and lively tune,
and astonishing correctness of pronunciation, delivered
the following Epilogue, written fur the occasion by her
father

Well, Sirs! what say you to our little play?
Must it expire, or live another day?
Will you permitonee more, our group In try
To raise your laughter, or to make yue Cr) !
My epargled robes laid by, and waving plume,
hi muslin frock, my sex I re-assume;
And though in wimple dress I'm sow arrayed,
I hope you'll not reject a little maid
Who saes for favour, fur herself ■ad those
Wbn, like herself, are mow in common clothes.
And I assure you; Ladies, from my heart,
I like my robes much better than my part :
The shining spangles are to me so dear,
I'm conic to ask—may I again appear ?
0 pray me in this one request,
And I will attire to please you—aud be Brest?

Os quitting Covent-gardeeThratre, she was engaged by
Mr. Ellision to perform at Birmingham for a few nights,
where she was equally well received as in London. hence
she proceeded to Bath and Bristol, where aloe preformed on
a stage erected iu the Assembly Room, Patters-street, in
Junc,lllB, and has since paid frequent visite to almost every
considerable tows in England and Scotland. She has per-
formed the part of Richard the Third above two hundred
and fifty times, besides numerous other characters, both
tragic and comic. ft is now nearly Ave years niece her
first appearance at Drury-lane, and her improvement iu
every quality fur the stage has bre° progressively marked.
One or two particulars we must not omit to mention, as
proofs of Miss Clara Fisher's genuine talent fur the arduous
profrasiuo on which she has entered. Previous to her pre-
sent visit to Bristol (where she was last wed( a spectator of
liraiirorth and L(fis in London), she had not seen above a
doses playa in the whole coarse of her life, aad, excepting
Richard as Third, which she saw performed by Mr. Kean,
she has not seen one of those characters acted is which she is
must celebrated! Report has said that she was a pupil of
Mr. Kean ; but the fact iv that her family are nut personalty
acquainted with that gentleman, sod Miss Clara never saw
him except ow the stage. Der only instructor in the histri-
onic art is her own understaadeog and genius; she fully cam-
prated, her author, sad eaters freely iutu the spirit of the
character she undertakes.

Neither Mr. Fisher nor any of his family 111711 connected
with the stage when little Clara Bret displayed her bias for it.
Her father is (ex crytieg as to music) ber only instructor is

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