792 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



exhijjit any other passions than those- 

 ■wh-Tch his age has poriintti.'d him to 

 linoH^ and feel. In short, he is nei- 

 ther more nor less than a child pos- 

 sessed of extraordinary powers for 

 theatrical rpyircsentation. 



Impressed as was Mr. Hongh with 

 favourable sentiments for his pupil, 

 on his return he induced the mana- 

 ger of the Belfast theatre to engage 

 the child for four nights, and, on the 

 16th of August, 1803, he made his 

 first appearance on the stage at Bel- 

 fast, in the character of Osman, be- 

 ing then eleven years of age. — 

 Throughout the night he discovered 

 no sign of embarrassment*, per- 

 formed without mistake, and re- 

 ceived the most tumultuous and in- 

 cessant applause. The ensuing 

 morn he wns announced for the part 

 of Young Norval, in the tragedy of 

 Douglas, and liis representation of 

 that chara6ter inspired the whole 

 town of Belfast with the liigliest 

 consideration for his talents. lie 

 afterwards played Holla and Romeo 

 with equal success. His fame hav- 

 ing spread to Dublin, Mr. Jones, 

 the manager there, engaged him for 

 nine nights. The probability of 

 the child's theatrical interest becom- 

 ing very Aveighty, induced Mr. 

 Betty to attach Mr. Hough entirely 

 to ids son, which the all'ection and 

 zeal of the latter rendered ao easy 

 task. 



On the 28th of November, master 

 Betty appeared at the theatre-royal 

 Crow-street, in the character of 

 Young Norval, and received, in ad- 

 dition to the most general and un- 

 bounded applause, the appellation of 

 *' The Young Roscius." His success 



in Dublin was so great, that the ma- 

 nager endeavoured to engage him 

 for a term of years, at a liberal and 

 increasing salary ; much to the cre- 

 dit of Duhlifi, however, there alone 

 have been found those, who, free 

 from envious or interested m.otives, 

 have had suihcient discernment to 

 ap])reciate truly the child's talents 

 and the extravagant impropriety 

 both of the theatre and the public 

 in forcing him into an untimely ma- 

 turity. 



The author of " The Series of 

 Familiar Epistles to F. Jones, esq. 

 on the present state of the Irish 

 Stage," a work of the keenest wit, 

 humour, and satire, points out 

 the lolly and absurdity of making 

 the stage a nursury, and laments that 

 a promising child should be deprived 

 of that education which might niake 

 him a useful man, to be converted 

 into a source of theatrical revenue. 

 Prince William, now duke of Glou- 

 cester, it is said, has condescended 

 to give a similar, though a more 

 prudential, because a more ciualiiied 

 advice. One of our esquires on this 

 side the water, not quite satisfied 

 with the indefinite dirc6tions of the 

 Familiar Epistles, has published an 

 ortavo of '<• Hints for the Education 

 of the Young Roscius." According 

 to him, he must possess many natural 

 endowments, and almost innumera- 

 ble qualifications and acquirements 

 indispensibly requisite : great la. 

 hour: invincible ardour; perspi- 

 cuity of intelleft ; strength of me- 

 mory ; polished capability ; classi- 

 cal education ; French ; a uni- 

 versal knowledge of history ; aa 

 acquaintance with the best masters 



• Ryder, the celebrated Tiisl» comedian, has said that he had served three ap- 

 prenticeships to the stage (2t years) and tlie curiaiu never rose above huii a single 

 night that he did not tremble. 



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