ftage has poffeffed for many years; he ftands unrivalled in the happy part of delivering a lively pro

logue; and we are happy to find that he is once more amufing the public on the boards of "Old Drury."

THE HON. BROWNLOW NORTH,

LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER.

THIS refpectable prelate is half-brother of the late Frederick, Earl of Guildford, the amiable, but culpable minister of this country, during one of the moft eventful periods of its history.

Brownlow was educated at Eton fchool, whence he removed to Trinity College, Oxford, which he afterwards left for a fellowship of All-Souls.

Here he took his degree of LL.D. and on entering into holy orders, was preferred to a canonry of Christ Church; in 1770, he was advanced to the Deanery of Canterbury, and appointed one of the King's Chaplains; the year following, he was confecrated Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry *.

In 1774, he was tranflated and confirmed in the fee of Worcester; and in 1781, he was removed to Winchester.

In all the fituations he has filled, his Lordship has obtained diftinguished reputation; and every church

Dr. North was Dean of Canterbury before he was twentynine years old, and Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry at the age of thirty-three, being the youngest Proteftant prelate ever confecrated in England.

over which he has prefided, ranks his name in the catalogue of its moft munificent prelates.

When he was Bishop of Worcester, he promoted that excellent inftitution for the benefit of the widows and orphans of poor clergymen belonging to his diocese, in aid of the charity derived to them from the mufic meeting, and alfo for the relief of the aged infirm incumbents of fmall livings, and of poor curates with large families.

His Lordship's manner is highly dignified, yet condefcending; he blends authority and watchfulness with tenderness and benevolence. He is juftly regarded as the father of his diocefe; and his charities, which are very extenfive, are judiciously adminif

tered.

His Lordship has invariably preferved, through life, the cfteem of men of all parties and perfuafions. During a long refidence in Italy, whither he went on account of his health, he attracted the univerfal regard of the dignified clergy of the Roman communion. In fhort, the fuavity of his manners, and his elegant deportment, excited in many a high degree of refpect for the English HIERARCHY.

Dr. North, at one time, took an active part in the great political queftions of the day. In 1784, he fupported Mr. Fox's celebrated India bill in the House of Lords; and, during another important period, we find his name in every divifion of the Peers, in favour of the Prince of Wales' uncontrouled right to the Regency.

As Bishop of the fee of Winchester, he is Prelate

of

of the Garter, the infignia of which order are conftantly worn by his Lordship.

He is now a widower, and has four daughters and two fons.

MR. WILLIAM JACKSON, OF EXETER.

THIS elegant compofer, and ingenious writer, was born at Exeter, in May, 1730. His father was an eminent grocer in that place, and afterwards mafter of the city workhouse.

He gave his fon a very liberal education; and perceiving that the bent of his genius lay towards mufic, he complied with his inclinations, and put him under the tuition of Mr. Travers, organift of the cathedral church of St. Peter, in Exeter, with whom he continued two years. After leaving Mr. Travers, Mr. Jackfon went to London, about the year 1748, where he became a pupil of Mr. Travers, organist of the King's chapel, and of St. Paul's, Covent-garden, with whom he alfo remained two years, and then returned to his native city, where he taught mufic for many years with great reputation. He alfo publifhed feveral charming compofitions, marked by the most chafte conception, the moft elegant tafte, and the most correct knowledge of the principles of harmony. In fhort, all his pieces were received with applause, and still rank very high in the mufical

world.

Notwithstanding his great and universally acknowledged merit in his profeffion, he did not obtain a fituation

Q

fituation as an organift until Michaelmas, 1777, when he fucceeded Mr. Richard Langdon as Sub-chanter, Organist, Lay-vicar, and Mafter of the Chorifters, in the cathedral of Exeter.

Mr. Jackson, early in life, married Miss Bartlett, a milliner at Exeter, who is ftill alive, and by whom he has had feveral children, three of whom, only, are now living-two fons and a daughter. One of the former (the elder) went to India, and returned thence with a competent fortune, which he intended to enjoy in his native city, in the bofom of his family; but the appointment of an embaffy to the court of Pekin, called him from his retirement into actual service; he accordingly accompanied Lord Macartney on that mission, and now refides once more near Exeter. The youngest fon living, is employed at prefent at Turin, as fecretary of legation, at that

court.

After amusing the circle of his friends with several ingenious pieces of his writing, in profe and verse, Mr. Jackfon appeared as a compofer in the year 1755, and as an author in 1782; a lift of his publications is fubjoined. His first literary work was printed in two volumes, fmall octavo, and entitled "Thirty Letters on various Subjects." These formed a miscellaneous collection on literature and fcience, and evinced extenfive knowledge, united with an elegant tafle. On poetry, mufic, and painting, bis opinions are allowed to be very ingenious, and have obtained general approbation. But in other refpects he manifefted fomewhat of a paradoxical spirit, par

ticularly

ticularly in the inftance of Spontaneous generation, a notion which he attempted to illuftrate, and revive from the oblivion in which it had fo defervedly funk. These letters, on the whole, raised our author's credit very high. It was not, however, until 1795, that he thought proper to publish a new edition of them, although they had been out of print for feveral years before. To that edition (being the third), which is in one volume, octavo, there are feveral additions and corrections.

In the year 1791, he publifhed a pamphlet "On the prefent State of Mufic, in London," of which a fecond edition was foon called for.

During the last year, Mr. Jackfon added another volume to his Letters, under the title of "The Four Ages; with Effays on various Subjects." In this ingenious work he confiders the four mythological ages as characteristic of fo many diftinct periods of the world, but in a different order from that in which the poets have placed them. Among the effays there is a moft curious and entertaining one, on the character of Gainsborough, the painter, of whom fome whimfical anecdotes are given.

In the year 1792, a literary fociety was inftituted at the Globe Inn, Fore-ftreet, Exeter, of which the first members were, Dr. Downman, prefident; Mr. Polwhele, author of "The Hiftory of Devonshire ;” Mr. Jackfon; the Rev. Mr. Swete, of Oxton; Mr. Hole, author of an " Effay on the Arabian Nights' Entertainments;" Mr. Sheldon, the anatomist; and