The Sun.
London, England, 1814-10-08 00:00:00

; SAMUEL JACKSON PRATT, Esc.

This Gentleman,- who has long been known
and admired in. the literary world, closed his
earthy career on Tuesday last, at his apartments
in Cohnore-row, Birmingham. He descended
from a very respectable family,. and -his father,
we believe, was High-Sheriff of Huntingdonshire.
He. commenced .his literary course very early in
life, under the name of CoucTENEv:Agt.noTt-i.
The first of his productions. whiCh attracted the
notice of the Public, was a tribute to the me-
mory of GOLDSMITH, whose • poetical. Works
are the model of his own, and - whom he
has followed more successfully 'than tiny sub-
sequent writer. -His Poem of Sympathy has
• passed through many edit ions, and is characteriz-
ed by feeling, energy, and beauty. %Viten he had
established a fame by his Poems and Novels, he
threw off his assumed name, and increased • his
reputation by his_ succeeding productions. He
was one of the most prolific writers o 1 his day ;
and it is but a just tribute to his character to sly,
that all his works strongly tend to promote the
interests of benevolence and virtue. • Thch,gh
his literary fame has been somewhat overcast
by the extraordinary success of several comilei»po-
rary Poets, yet it is probable that many of his
works will be admired when most of theirs have
sunk into oblivion.—His chief error was• not
knowing how to check the exuberance ui his
feeling and imagination; and, therefore, lie some-
times diffused his sentinietits to a tedious extent.
His first novel, entitled Literal Opinions, was
published in:detached volumes, which were'eager-
'ly perused. us -they•sticcessively appeared. They
display the imperfection which-we have noticed,
but exhibit, at the sa:nme time, some well-drawn
characters, particularly those of Benignus anti
Draper, and the work altogether is highly
amusing and interesting% His ShenStone Gr-cen,
Emma Corbett, The Pupil of Pleasure, have
passed- through many -editions, and are likely to
preserve their station. His Gleanings and Cot-
tage Pictures, have been deservedly admired.; but
the form& are certainly extended to a weaxisome
excess. A judicious selection from his, WOrks,
and a candid account of his life, would form au
interesting and amusing miscellany, and probably
may be expectad from his friend and literary coad-
jutor, Dr. MAYOR. ME. PRATT Was intimately cOn-
nected with many distinguished characters of our
times.,--Among these were Dr. POTTER, the Trans-
lator of Eschylifs. and Earipedes, the elder COLMAN,
Dr. I3EATTT, and, indeed, most of those charactem s
whose 4•"6.1: with the literature of their
country. • The collection of letters which Mr.
PRATT received, form a-considerable mass, and a
selection would be an interesting addition to our
epistolary freasures. His Sympathy was first
handed to time late Mr. CADELL, by another of. his
friends, GI.9RON 'the historian. Dr. HAWK”'
WORTH was One of Mr. PRATT'S most intimate
friends, and the latter wrote a Tragedy en-
titled- " The Fair Circassian," which was loand-
ed on time novel of Almorqn and Hornet, writ-
ten by the former. This Tragedy was repre-
sented with considerable success at Drury-Lane
Theatre,- and the heroine viva; performed by the
present Countess of DERBY. The character was
intended for Mrs. St bnoNs, of whom Mr. Pli:'lTT
was one of the earliest friends ; but that luminary
of the Stage did not adorn time theatrical world in
the metropolis till the following year. Mr. PRATT
was a short time in the Church, during which he
published a beautiful, elegy, entitled The Par-
tridges, which is to .be found in all the col-
lections of fugitive poetry. He 'afterwards ven-
tured on theatrical boards, and performed Hamlet
at Covent-Garden, but not • with such success
as to tempt him to adopt time profession of an
Actor, though he was followed and admired as a
Public Reader in this Country, in Scotland, and
in Ireland. He then entered into partnership
with a bookseller at Bath, but he fuuiill _that a
'shop was little congenial to his disposition and
habits, and therefore soon relinquished the con-
nection • The early life of Mr. PRATT was mark-
ed by saV indiscretions as too frequently accom-
pany Ggli-tus, obliged to subsist by its 'own la-
bours ; but he was always ready to employ
his efforts in the service of humanity, and
was particularly zealous in the cause—of un-
friended talents.—No man ever attained
public distinction was mor pt from envy ;
and though he may, in the visSm tides of a life un-
supported by fortune, and exposed to. all the. ca-
sualties of a precarious subsistence, have fallen
into errors, nothing of malice or ill-nattire can
be justly imputed to him;. and as. his Works are all
intended -to promote the interests of• virtue,. none
of those errors should be ‘.‘ remembered in his
Epitaph."
•

COCK-ROAD GANG 9V MARALIDP.ItS.-111forITIR-
tion having been given to the Magistrates that a
gang of desperadoes infested tile above neigh-
bourhood, to such an alarming degree, that no
inhabitant was was • safe in •'his bed, and no
traveller could, without danger, pass the'Kings-
Wood road, on Sunday evening last, a strong
party of civil officers from Bristol, were dispatch-
ed in order to take them jute) custody. •The gang
had, however, been apprised of their approach,
and a desperate conflict ensued ; sonic of the of-
ficers were severely wounded, and were obliged to
retreat for that night. Early on Monday morn-
ing a much stronger force, well armed, repaired
thither, and after another set-to, in which the
officers were fired upon, they: succeeded in. securing
7 men and 2 women,•who were immediately coin-
mitted tp Lawford's-gate Bridewell: Caines (tile
ringleader)•escaped, but his
.mother and his son
were taken. Tuesday night, another party went
iii quest of the remainder ; and we have the satis,
faction to find, that the whole were committed on
Wednesday to Glocester gaol. Bales of stolen
property were found concealed in their respective
dwellings..---( Bath Herald;
The letter-box at the India House will he de-
finitively closed on Monday next, and the letters
for India will in future he forwarded through the
medium of the General Post Office, subject to in-
land pOstage and Ship-letter char ;ca.
WILLIAM COVENNAY--, who was stahhqd. by his
Wife in• Brownlowstreet, Drury-lane,' afew.days
ago, and taken to the Middlesex Hoq)ital, is de-
clared by the Surgeons to be out of danger.