Drury Lane is now in flames, and that the Opera House shall go next." Mr. Kelly made every effort to trace these obliging personages, but never heard any thing more of them.

In October, Mr. Arnold brought out at the Lyceum, a musical piece of his own writing, entitled, "The Jubilee." Mr. Kelly composed the music, and it ran a number of nights. In the season' of 1811, Mr. Kelly composed the music for a musical drama, called "Gustavus Vasa," brought out at Covent Garden; another musical drama, called "The Peasant Boy," brought out at the Lyceum; a ballet of Des Hayes's production at the Opera House; and an historical play, called "The Royal Oak," performed at the Haymarket. The summer of that year Mr. Kelly passed at Wroxton, with his kind friend, Lord Guildford, and joined in the private theatricals, which formed one of the amusements of that hospitable mansion. In autumn Mr. Kelly proceeded to Dublin, to fulfil an engagement he had made with the manager of that theatre. On the 5th of September, 1811, he made his last appearance on any stage, on the stage where he had made his first appearance, when a boy, in 1779.

When Mr. Kelly reached Shrewsbury, on his way from Holyhead to London, happening to take up a London Newspaper, he read in the Gazette these portentous words: "Bankrupt; Michael Kelly, of Pall-Mall, music-seller." An announcement so unexpected, confounded him. He instantly wrote to his principal man of business, who had the management of all his money transactions, to know by whom the docket was struck, but received no answer. It afterwards turned out, that this person, who had been recommended to Mr. Kelly by a particular friend, and who, when he came into Mr. Kelly's employ, was a poor man, having amply stocked himself with every thing, sans cérémonie, took himself abroad, and "ne'er was heard of more." When Mr. Kelly arrived in town, he found that the docket had been struck against him by a particular friend of this person's, on account of a dishonoured bill. Mr. Kelly's solicitor, having looked into his affairs, and having found that he was much more deeply involved than he was aware of,

He

advised him, though his property ought to have paid all demands three times over, and though he might have superseded the commission, to let the bankruptcy take its course. did so; and the stock in his saloon was disposed of for onetenth of its value!

In November, 1812, a musical piece called "Illusion," written by Mr. Arnold, for which Mr. Kelly composed the music, was brought out very successfully at Drury Lane. In January, 1813, Mr. Coleridge's tragedy of "Remorse" was produced. There were some musical passages in it which Mr. Kelly composed; and on the beauty of which he was highly complimented by the poet. In the summer of the same year, Mr. Kelly, although seriously indisposed, went to Dublin, being subpoenaed in a law-suit against a music-seller there, who had pirated a number of his compositions. After his return to England, he spent a month with Lord Guildford, at Wroxton. The day before he took his departure, his everkind patron said to him: "My dear Mic, do not be in such a hurry to leave us; stay here a fortnight longer; stay a month; or (at the same time shaking him by the hand), stay here for ever. When we were riding the other day near the entrance of the park, you were admiring a spot of ground, and saying how happy you should be to spend the remainder of your days there; and so you shall, if you keep in the same mind. You have no family; I will build you a cottage on that very spot, where you shall not have the trouble of going and down stairs; you shall have a garden, and a paddock for a poney and a cow attached to it. Remember this is a serious promise; and whenever you quit public life, I will fulfil it. We will be neighbours, Mic; my wife shall sing with you, my chaplain shall drink with you, and I will talk with you." It is impossible to read this generous speech without emotion; and it is difficult to determine whether it is more honourable to the individual by whom, or to the individual to whom, it was made. Mr. Kelly was deeply affected by it; but death soon after deprived him of his truly noble friend.

up

During the next summer, Mr. Kelly made a party, and once more visited Paris. He spent some time there very agreeably, but was much annoyed by gout in the latter part of his stay. He speedily recovered, however, at Brighton; where he remained until summoned to Drury Lane, to get up and superintend the music in Macbeth, which was to be produced with uncommon splendour for Mr. Kean. In the choruses, Mr. Kelly had all the principal vocal performers; who (with a numerous list of choral singers, male and female) took infinite pains to execute those charming productions; and the result was in the highest degree gratifying. In March, "The Unknown Guest," an opera by Mr. Arnold, was produced. Mr. Kelly composed the music for it.

In the year 1818, Mr. Kelly composed the music to a piece called "The Bride of Abydos;" and in 1820 to another piece, called "Abudah ;" and his last production was a musical entertainment, called "The Lady and the Devil," for Drury Lane. Between the years 1797 and 1821, he composed for different theatres sixty-two pieces; being by far the greatest number produced by any one English composer, Mr. Bishop excepted.

For some years before his death, the gout almost deprived Mr. Kelly of loco-motion. Both his parents had been sufferers from the same disorder; in him, therefore, it was constitutional, and not his age's penance for his youth's excess. His general health, however, was good, and his spirits were always excellent. "One superior solace," he observes in his Reminiscences, "under my worst visitations, I have indeed possessed, which yet remains untold. With some, perhaps, an avowal of it may draw upon me an imputation of pride, or vanity; but, if I know myself, gratitude is paramount with me to either of those passions; and all liberal spirits, I trust, will excuse the apparent boast. Let me therefore declare, without equivocation or disguise, that the chief and dearest comfort remaining to me in this life, is the proud consciousness that I am honoured by the patronage of my beloved Monarch. Even from my earliest arrival in these realms, where George

the Fourth now reigns in peace and glory, it was my enviable fortune to be distinguished by the royal favour; and the humble individual who, in 1787, was noticed by the Prince of Wales, is still remembered, in 1825, by the King."

Mr. Kelly had the rare talent of acquiring and preserving the good opinion of every man with whom be became acquainted; not by sycophancy, but by cordiality of manners, a heartiness, a warmth, which convinced you, that to render you a service was a pleasure done to himself. He had (as has been seen) mixed much in the world, had travelled a great deal, had been familiar with the titled and the rich; and he might have been vain, had he not estimated this familiarity at its just value; and felt that whatever honour the patronage of rank and wealth confers upon talent, is, at least, compensated by the instruction or amusement which talent conveys to wealth and rank. He was full of liveliness, and a pleasant companion at all times; even during those visitations, (and they were not "few and far between") when fretfulness and despondency might have been expected to be the companions of suffering and of pain. It is not surprising, therefore, that he should be induced, early in the year. 1826, to publish two volumes of his "Reminiscences." From that work have been derived the principal facts comprehended in the preceding memoir. But, besides the occurrences personal to Mr. Kelly, (to which we have of course confined our selection,) his book contains a vast fund of entertaining anecdote respecting almost every person of distinction and notoriety contemporary with the writer; and it may justly be characterised as the most amusing production of the kind that has for many years issued from the press.

Mr. Kelly's death took place at Margate, on Monday the 9th of October, 1826. His body was conveyed to London, for interment in the church-yard of St. Paul's, Covent Garden; and was attended to the grave by a numerous train of private and professional friends.

62

No. IV.

THE EARL OF CHICHESTER;

BARON PELHAM; HIS MAJESTY'S POST-MASTER-GENERAL; A PRIVY COUNCILLOR IN IRELAND, AND F. R. S.

THIS

"Vincit amor Patriæ."

HIS highly-honoured and esteemed nobleman was descended from a long line of patrician ancestors. Thomas Pelham, Esq. son of Thomas Pelham, of Stanmer, Sussex, succeeded on the death of his cousin, Thomas Pelham, Duke of Newcastle, (many years the Prime Minister of George the Second,) in 1768, to the Barony of Pelham, of Stanmer, which had been conferred upon his Grace on the 5th of May, 1762; with limitation to this gentleman and his issue male; and his Lordship was elevated to an Earldom by patent, on the 23d of June, 1801, as Earl of Chichester. He married on the 11th of May, 1754, Anne, daughter and heiress of Frederick M. Frankland, Esq., by whom he had issue, Thomas, the subject of this memoir, two other sons, and four daughters.

The late Earl was born at Spring Gardens, on April 28th, 1756, was about seven years at Westminster-School, and finished his education at Clare-Hall, Cambridge.

His entrance on public life was as Commander of the Sussex Militia, in which situation Lieutenant-Colonel Pelham, by the urbanity of his manners, and his strict attention to the duties and discipline of the regiment, attracted and retained the regard of the leading families of the county.

In the year 1780, Mr. Pelham was elected a member of the House of Commons, and continued to be one of the representatives of the county of Sussex for twenty-one years;