der's repentance appeared in all the contrite fymptoms of a Chriftian fincerity. Cibber's apology, p. 451. Account of the late George Colman, efq. from the European Magazine. GE EORGE COLMAN was the fon of Francis Colman, efq. his majefty's refident at the court of the grand duke of Tufcany at Florence, by a fifter of the late countefs of Bath. He was born at Florence about 1753, and had the honour of having the late king George II. whofe name he bears, for his godfather. He received his education at Westminster-fchool, where he very early showed his poetical talents. The first performance by him is a copy of verses addrefled to his coufin lord Pulteney, written in the year 1747, while he was at Weftminfter, and fince printed in the St. James's Magazine, a work published by his unfortunate friend Robert Lloyd. At fchool he had for his companions Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Churchill, Bonnel Thornton, and fome others, who afterwards diftinguifhed themselves in the literary world. From Westminster-school he removed to Oxford, and became a ftudent of Chrift church. It was here, at a very early age, he engaged with his friend, Bonnel Thornton, in publishing The Connoiffeur, a periodical paper which appeared once a week, and was continued from January 31, 1754, to September 30, 1756. When the age of the writers of this entertaining paper is confidered, the wit and humour, the fpirit, the good fenfe, and fhrewd obfervations on life and manners, with which it abounds, will excite fome degree of wonder, but will at the fame time evidently point out the extraordinary talents which were afterwards to be more fully difplayed in the Jealous Wife and the Clandeftine Marriage. The recommendation of his friends, or his choice, but probably the former, induced him to fix upon the law for his profeffion; and he accordingly was entered of Lincoln's Inn, and in due feafon called to the bar. He attended there a very fhort time, though, if our recollection does not mislead us, he was feen often enough in the courts to prevent his abandoning the profeffion merely for want of encouragement. It is reasonable, however, to fuppofe, that he felt more pleafure in attending to the mule than to briefs and reports, and it will therefore excite no wonder that he took the earliest opportunity of relinquishing purfuits not congenial to his tafte. Apollo and Lyttleton, fays Wycherley, feldom meet in thẹ fame brain. On the 18th of March, 1758, he took the degree of master of arts at Oxford, and in the year 1760, his firft dramatic piece, Polly Honeycombe, was acted at Drury-lane, with great fuccefs. For leveral years before, the comic mufe feemed to have relinquished the ftage. No comedy had been produced at either theatre fince the year 1751, when Moore's Gil Blas was with In conjunction with this gentleman, he wrote the best parodies of modern times, the "Odes to Oblivion and Obscurity." When Mr. Lloyd's volume of poems was about to be published by fubfcription, materials being wanted to complete it, Mr. Colman gave Mr. Lloyd The Law Student, addressed to himself, with fuch alterations as that circum(tance made neceffary. difficulty difficulty performed nine nights. At length, in the beginning of the year 1761, three different authors were candidates for public favour in the fame walk, almoft at the fame time, viz. Mr. Murphey, who exhibited the Way to Keep Him; Mr. Macklin, the Married Libertine; and Mr. Colman, the Jealous Wife. The former and latter of these were moft fuccefsful, and the latter in a much higher degree. Indeed, when the excellent performance of Mefits. Garrick, Yates, O'Brien, King, Palmer, Moody, with Mrs. Pritchard, Clive, and Mifs Pritchard, are recollected, it would have fhewn a remarkable want of taste in the town not to have followed, as they did, this admirable piece, with the greateft eagerness and perfeverance. The mention of the jealous Wife in Churchill's Rofciad, occafioned Mr. Colman to experience fome of the malevolence which that and other of Mr. Churchill's fatires gave birth to. We fhall only obferve, that much good writing, and much wit and humour, were thrown away in this very acrimonious and difgraceful controverly. We fhall not regularly trace the feveral dramatic pieces of Mr. Colman as they appeared, the greater part being within the most of our readers remembrance. In July, 1764, lord Bath died, and on that event Mr. Colman found himself in circumftances fully fufficient to enable him to follow the bent of his genius. The firft publication which he produced, after this period, was a tranflation of the comedies of Terence, in the execution of which he refcued the author from the hands of as taftelefs and ignorant a fet of writers as ever difgraced the name of tranflators. Whoever would with to fee the fpirit of the ancient bard transfufed into the English language, muft look for it in Mr. Colman's verfion. The fucceffor of lord Bath, general Pulteney, died in 1767, and Mr. Colman again found himfelf remembered in his will, by a fecond annuity, which confirmed the independency of his fortune. He feems, however, to have felt no charms in an idle life; as, in 1767, he united with Meflrs. Harris, Rutherforth, and Powell, in the purchase of Covent-Garden theatre, and took upon himfelf the laborious office of acting manager. The differences which arofe from this affociation are too recent to be forgot, and the caufes of them perhaps too ridiculous to be recorded. It may, however, in general, be obferved, that the appeals to the public, during this controverfy, do great credit to the talents, if not the tempers, of each party. As an act of oblivion of former animofities, and a general reconciliation of all parties, foon afterwards took place, we fhall not perpetuate the memory of quarrels, now no longer of confequence to the public. The After continuing manager of Covent-Garden theatre feven years, Mr. Colman fold his fhare and intereft therein to Mr. James Leake, one of his then partners, and, in 1777, purchafed of Mr. Foote, the theatre in the Hay-market. eftimation which the entertainments exhibited under his direction were held in by the public, the reputation which the theatre acquired, and the continual concourse of the polite world, during the height of fummer, fufficiently fpeak the praises of Mr. Colman's management. Indeed it has been long admitted, that no per fon, fon, fince the death of Mr. Garrick, was fo able to fuperintend the entertainments of the stage as the fubject of this account. To fagacity in difcovering the talents of his performers, he joined the inclination and ability to difplay them with every advantage. To him Mr. Henderfon, Mils Farren, Mrs Bannister, Mifs George, Mrs. Wells, and, in fome meafure, Mr. Edwin, (whole comic powers had been buried a whole feason under Mr. Foote's management) befides fome others, owed their introduction to a London audience; and the great improvements made by Mr. Palmer, Mr. Parfons, &c. teftify the judgement and industry of their director. Mr. Colman's attention to the theatre did not make him entirely neglect his claffical ftudies. He gave the public a new tranflation aud commentary on Horace's Art of Poetry, in which he produced a new fyftem to explain this very difficult poem. In oppofition to Dr. Hurd, he fuppofes," that one of "the fons of Pifo, undoubtedly the "elder, had either written or me"ditated a poetical work, moft probably a tragedy; and that he "had, with the knowledge of the family, communicated his piece or intention to Horace; but Ho"race either difapproving of the "work, or doubting of the poetical "faculties of the elder Pifo, or "both, wished to diffuade from all " 66 thoughts of publication. With "this view he formed the defign "of writing this epiftie, addrefling "it with a courtlinefs and delicacy 66 perfectly agreeable to his acknowledged character, indifferently to "the whole family, the father and "his two fons, Épiftola ad Pifones "de arte Puetica." This hypothefis is fupported with much learning, ingenuity, and modefty; and if not fully established, is at least as well entitled to applaufe as that adopted by the bishop of Worcefter. On the publication of the Horace, the bishop faid to Dr. Douglas, "Give my compliments to C" and thank him for the handfome manner in which he has treated me, and tell him, that I think he "is right." " Befides the dramatic works of Mr. Colman, and thofe we have already mentioned, he was the author of a preface to the laft edition of Beaumont and Fletcher, a differtation prefixed to Mallinger, a feries of papers in the St. James's Chronicle, under the title of the Genius, and many other fugitive pieces. At the clofe of the theatrical feafon of 1785, Mr. Colman was feized at Margate with the pally, and at the beginning of the feafon of 1789, he first fhewed fymptoms of derangement of his mind, which increafing gradually, left him in a ftate of • idiotism. On this occafion the concluding lines of his friend Churchill's Epiftle to Hogarth, will naturally intrude themfelves on our reader's attention: "Sure 'tis a curfe which angry fates impofe To mortify man's arrogance, that thofe Who're fashion'd of some better fort of clay, Much fooner than the common herd decay. What bitter pangs must humbled genius in their last hour to view a Swift and feel, Steele ! How muft ill-boding horrors fill her breast, reft, For qualities most dear, plung'd from that And funk, deep funk, in fecond childheight, hood's night. Are men indeed fuch things? And are the best More fubject to this evil than the rest, Preys on herfelf, and is deftroy'd by thought. Conftant attention wears the active mind, Blots out her pow'rs, and leaves a blank behind." In this fad state he was committed to the care of a perfon at Paddington. The management of the theatre was entrusted to his fon, with an allowance of 6001. a year. Mr. Colman died on the 14th of Auguft, 1794, at the age of 62, at Paddington. A few hours before his death he was feized with violent fpafms, which were fucceeded by a melancholy ftupor, in which be drew his last breath. NATURAL NATURAL HISTORY. Defcription of Corfica. HE ifland of Corfica, now Tied to the crown of Great Britain, is fituated nearly oppofite to the main-land of Genoa, between the gulph of Genoa and the inland of Sardinia; and, according to the best maps which Bufching had feen, is in length thirty-two miles, and in breadth twelve miles,* divided almost longitudinally by a chain of mountains; and indeed the greateft part of the island is mountainous. The foil is fruitful even on the mountains, except the higheft, whofe fummits are covered with fnow the greatest part of the year. Corn grows very well, and much flax, and in many places excellent wine, and oil, and chefnuts. In the interior part of the ifland is plenty of cattle, and the inhabitants drive a great trade with all forts of them, but more efpecially goats, whofe flesh is the common food of Corfica. There are feveral mines of iron, lead, copper, and filver, befides fiores and minerals, and a good coral fishery on the coaft. The number of parishes, in 1740, was 333; of villages 427; of hearths, 46,854; and of fouls, 120,380; which, in 1760, amount ed to 130,000; Mr. Boswell carries it to 220,000. conquered by the Genoefe, who The kingdom of Corfica was drove out the Saracens, A. D. 806. The Pifans took it from the Genoefe in the 11th century, ceded it in the following, and recovered it in the next. Alphonfus V. king of Arragon, attempted, without fuccefs, to make himfelf mafter of it 1420. In 1533, the French poffeffed themfelves of the greatest part of the island, but ceded it by the treaty of Cambrefis, 1559. In 1564, the inhabitants revolted from the Genoefe; and, though reduced to obedience five years after, preferved an inveterate averfion to the Genoefe, who treated them with the utmost rigour. An infurrec tion, on occafion of heavy taxes, broke out in 1726, which were ended by the interpofition of the emperor. In 1735, fresh troubles broke out, and the islanders chofe Theodore baron Neuhof their king; who, after fome exertions, ended his days in prifon for debt at Lon don, where, in 1753, a fubfcription was raifed for him by public advertisement. Peace was at length reftored during the years 1743 and 1744; and, though our fleet bom Thefe are German miles, each of which is about five English miles. barded |