school, and to give up every hope from the protection of her kind patroness. Lord Tyrawley carried his fair prize to his own apartments in Somerset-house, where she was treated with the same respect as if she had been really Lady Tyrawley; a name which he had frequently promised, before her elopement, to confer upon her, and he still continued to assure her that he would fulfil his engagement. She assumed his name, and lived with him for several months, till his ANNE) formerly a celebrated actress, who has perpetuated her name by the publication of her life in 1784. Her mother was the daughter of an eminent farmer and hop-planter at Maidstone, whose name was Seal. He was one of the people called Quakers, and grew so opulent, as to be enabled to purchase an estate at Tunbridge Wells, called Mount Sion. Dying young and intestate, his whole fortune fell into the hands of his widow, who married a second husband named Busby; a man of supposed pro-lordship was ordered to join his perty, but, in fact, so involved regiment in Ireland, where, upin debt, that Mrs. Busby, not on his arrival, he found his having taken the necessary pre- estates so involved by the macautions to secure a maintenance nagement of his steward, that for herself and daughter, was nothing could retrieve his affairs left destitute of support. Before but an advantageous marriage. this sad reverse of fortune she With this view he paid his adfurnished her houses on Mount dresses to Lady Mary Stewart, Sion, and let them, during the daughter of the Earl of Blessingseason, to persons of the first ton, whose fortune was reputed distinction. One of those who to be 30,0001. and who, though occasionally occupied these not handsome, had a genteel perhouses was Mrs. Godfrey, sister son and most engaging disposito the great Duke of Marlbo- tion. During the courtship, the rough, who contracted such a Earl of Blessington, having heard friendship for Mrs. Busby and much of the connection between her daughter, that she offered to his intended son-in-law and Miss bring up the latter in every re- Seal (then called Lady Tyrawspect like her own daughter. ley), wrote to the latter to deThis offer, though declined at sire information concerning the first in the prosperous circum- nature of that connection, at the stances of Mrs. Busby, was now same time explaining the motives gratefully accepted. Mrs. God- of his request. This letter was frey accordingly placed Miss received by Miss Seal, just after Seal, with her own daughter, at her recovery from her first lyinga boarding-school in Queen in of a son. In the violence of Square. Here she remained tillher resentment she enclosed Lord the age of fourteen, when she unfortunately attracted the notice of Lord Tyrawley, who accidentally met with her while upon a visit. Young, inexperienced and volatile, his Lordship soon persuaded her to elope from Blessington every letter she had received from her lover. Among these was one she had just received by the same post, and which she sent unopened. In this letter, Lord Tyrawley, after explaining the necessity of his marriage, marriage, added, that " he should a Portuguese lady, a circumstay no longer with his intended stance of which he did not care wife, than was necessary to reto inform Miss Seal, he placed ceive her fortune, when he would the latter in the house of an immediately fly on the wings of English merchant. In this falove to share it with her; that mily she became acquainted with he had made choice of Lady Capt. Bellamy, who having in Mary Stewart, who was both vain solicited her to accept his ugly and foolish, in preference hand, and suspecting that her to one with an equal fortune, refusal was occasioned by a sewho was beautiful and sensible, cret partiality for Lord Tyrawley, lest an union with a more agreewho likewise visited at the same able person might be the means house, informed her of his lordof decreasing his affection for ship's connection with Donna her," &c. &c.---Lord Blessington, Anna. Rage accordingly suphighly irritated on the perusal of plied the place of affection; she this letter, instantly forbade his immediately married the captain, daughter ever to see or write and set sail with him for Ireland. again to her perfidious lover. After the arrival of Capt. BelBut his injunction came too late ; lamy and his new married lady they had been already privately at the place of their destination, married. Lord Tyrawley, how- our heroine was born, on St. ever, was disappointed of his George's Day, 1733, some months expected fortune; his mistress too soon for the captain to claim renounced her connection with any degree of consanguinity to him; a separation from his lady her. Her mother had so carefulensued; and his lordship, the ly concealed her pregnancy and disappointed victim of his du- connection with Lord Tyrawley plicity, was sent, at his own so- from her husband, that he had licitation, in a public character not entertained the least suspito Lisbon. On her separationcion of her incontinence. Her from Lord Tyrawley, Miss Seal birth, however, discovered the embraced the theatrical profes-whole, and so exasperated the sion, and going over to Ireland, || captain at her duplicity, that he performed the first characters immediately left the kingdom, there, for several years, with and never after either saw or some reputation. But a disa-corresponded with her. Lord greement arising between the Tyrawley, though greatly disproprietors of the theatre and pleased at Miss Seal's sudden herself, she, on a sudden, took departure from Lisbon, wrote to the strange resolution of embark- his adjutant in Ireland, to reing for Portugal, in order to quest, if she proved pregnant in renew her intimacy with Lord time; to consider the child as his, Tyrawley. His lordship, who and to take care of it as soon as had previously sent her many born, without, if possible, sufferpressing, but hitherto ineffectual ing the mother to see it for his invitations, had lately forborne lordship did not conceive her them. He now received her connection with Capt. Bellamy with open arms; but having re- to be of an honourable nature. cently formed a connection with Accordingly, our apologist was put put out to nurse till she was two years old; and, at the age of four, was placed, for her education, at a convent at Boulogne, where she continued till she was eleven. On being ordered home, a Mr. Du Vall, who had been a domestic of his lordship's, but now lived in St. James's Street, was directed to meet her at Dover; and with him she resided till his lordship's return from Portugal, when he received her in the most parental manner, and soon took her to a little box he had hired in Bushy Park. Here she was introduced to all his visitors, who were chiefly the witty and the gay; and who, the more effectually to please Lord Tyrawley, were lavish in the praises of his daughter, and very early tainted her mind with the pernicious influence of flattery. His lordship being soon after appointed Ambassador to Russia, she was left under the care of a lady of quality, with an annual allowance of 1001. and ander an express injunction not to see her mother. The latter, however, who had married again, and whose husband, after stripping her of every thing valuable, had deserted her, prevailed upon her daughter to quit her kind protectress and live with her. In consequence of this, the ample allowance, which had been her mother's inducement to this imprudent step, was withdrawn, and Miss Bellamy was renounced by her father. Soon after, Mr. Rich, of Covent Garden Theatre, having by accident heard her repeat some passages in Othello, engaged her as a performer. She had perfected herself in the characters of Monimia and Athenais, and the former was fixed on for her first appearance. Mr. Quin, when she was introduced to him, and who governed the theatre with a rod of iron, while Mr. Rich, though proprietor, was through his indolence a mere cypher, insisted on the impropriety of a child's attempting a character of such importance, and recommended to her to play Serina instead of Monimia. Rich, however, persevered in bringing ber forward in her chosen character. A rehearsal was called, when the fair adventurer was treated by the company with sovereign contempt. Mr. Quin, who was to play Chamont, was absent, Mr. Hale mumbled over Castalio, and Mr. Ryan whistled Polydore; but as she had the opportunity of seeing the piece performed at Drury Lane Theatre the night before her appearance, it gave her a sufficient knowledge of the business of the play. Her performance met with universal approbation, and the congratulations of Quin, &c. while Rich expressed as much triumph as he usually did on the success of one of his darling pantomimes. Heving thus happily commenced he theatrical career, she had the good fortune to acquire the patronage of the first ladies of distinction; and, at the same time, had among the gentlemen, many professed admirers, among whom was Lord Byron; but as she would listen to nothing but marriage and a coach, his lordship chagrined at her rejecting his own terms, contrived a plan to be revenged; in consequence of which the Earl of i a friend of his lordship's, called, one Sunday evening, to inform her, that Miss B-, an intimate of her's, was in a coach, at the D bottom bottom of Southampton Street, and wished to speak to her; when, on going to the coach door, without hat or gloves, she was suddenly hoisted into it by his lordship, and carried off as fast as the horses could gallop. When a little recovered from her astonishment, which at first had deprived her of utterance, she gave free vent to her reproaches. The coach soon stopt in a lonely place at the top of North Audley Street, fronting the fields; Oxford Street, at that time, not extending so far as it does at present. Here the earl got out, and took her into his house. He then left her, as he said, to prepare a lodging for her, which he had already seen at a mantuamaker's in Broad Street, Carnaby Market. He soon returned; and with him came the person she least expected to see-her own brother. She instantly flew into his arms, but was repulsed so violently, that she fell to the ground. The shock of such a repulse from a brother, in the moment in which she hoped to find him her protector, deprived her of her senses. On her return to sensibility, the only object that appeared, was an old female servant, who told her that she had orders to convey her to the lodgings that had been prepared for her. From this old woman she learned, that her brother had bestowed manual chastisement upon the earl; but that, as he seemed to suppose that she had consented to the elopement, he had declared he would never see her more. The woman added, that he had threatened the earl and his associate with a prosecution, which had so terrified her master, that he gave orders to have her removed out of the house as soon as possible, as her being found there might make against him. This elopement having been misrepresented in the news-papers, she wrote her mother a true account, in hopes to retrieve her favour; but Mrs. Bellamy, at the instigation of a wicked female relation, who lived with her, returned her daughter's letter unopened. Thus abandoned by her mother, and too much depressed by public scandal to attempt a reinstatement in the theatrical line, the anguish of her mind brought on a fever, that had nearly proved fatal, but of which her youth and constitution at length got the better. On her recovery, she paid a visit to a female relation of her mother, named Clarke, at Brain tree, in Essex, whose family being Quakers, it was probable, had not heard of her disgrace; and here she met with a very cordial reception. The remains of recent illness would have appeared a sufficient motive for this visit, had it not been supposed likewise, that she came to claim a legacy of 3001. that had been left to her by a sister of Mrs. Clarke's, on condition that she never went upon the stage, and which they paid her immediately, without enquiring whether she had forfeited it. The famous Zachary Moore, who from possessing an estate of 25,0001. a year, was reduced, by his extravagance, at the age of forty to the necessity of accepting an ensigncy in a regiment at Gibraltar, happened to be on a visit in that neighbourhood, and unfortunately discovered that this picture of sainted simplicity was no less a personage than Miss |