514 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



own calling. Tom King, however, 

 very early in life, displayed a spirit 

 much above the drudgery of tlie 

 shop ; and, as there was no chance 

 of his rising to distinction in real 

 life, he directed his ambition to- 

 wards elevation in the mimic world 

 of a theatre. He joined some pro- 

 vincial company Ions; before he had 

 attained his twentieth yoar, and 

 experienced all tlie vicissitudes that 

 usually attend the life of a strolling 

 aftor. ilc once valked from Bea- 

 cot\srield to London and back again 

 the same day, for the purpose of 

 raising a small sum, to purchase 

 what are technically called " proper- 

 ties," essential to his ap])earance at 

 night in the character of Richard 

 the Third, i'he profit of his exer- 

 tions in this arduous part was three 

 pence halfpenny and some ends of 

 candle. The latter he oH'ercd as a 

 tribute of gallantry to some green- 

 room goddess, of Mhom he was at 

 that time enamoured. lie continued 

 to wear the sock and buskin as the 

 necessities of the various companies 

 to \Vhich he belonged for many 

 years might require; and his attach- 

 ment to tragic characters, for which 

 he was wholly unfit, long prevented 

 his talents from rising to that dis- 

 tinction which he afterwards ac- 

 quired, and so deservedly continued 

 to possess, on the London stage. — 

 He first, however, rose to fame in 

 Dublin, v,here he had sense enough 

 to discover the real bent of his ge- 

 nius ; and, on his second engage- 

 ment upon the London boards, ap- 

 peared in characters calculated to 

 give full scope to his merit. Mr. K. 

 Eitwried, many years ajo, a lady 

 who belonged to Drury-lane thea- 

 tre, and who has uniformly acted 

 the part of an affeftionate wife and 

 » guod waoiau.— At two o'clock ia 



the afternoon of the 20th inst. hU 

 remains were removed for interment 

 in the vault of St. Paul's, Covent- 

 garden, conveyed in a hearse with 

 four horses, feathers, velvets, Sec. 

 and followed by five mourning- 

 coaches and four, with the usual at- 

 tendants. The mourners were, in 

 the. first coach, INIessieurs King, 

 Bliss, Dence, and Cobb ; second, 

 Moody, Packer, Wronghton, and 

 Pope ; third, Palmer, Barrymore, 

 Dowton, and Whitfield ; fourth, 

 Powell, Dignum, Waldron, and 

 We-.vifzer ; fifth, H. Siddons, Wll- 

 liam Powell, prompter, Holland, 

 and Maddocks. The inscription on 

 the colhn-plate was simply thus: — 

 " Thouias King, died the 11th De- 

 cember, 1805, aged 76 years." Let 

 his survivors on the stage imitate his 

 powers and his virtues ! He was 

 an admirable adtor, and lived and 

 died an honest man. 



16th, At Constantinople, aged 

 73, the sultana Valide, mother of 

 the grand signior. 



T8th. After a long illness, the 

 right hon. Henry Beauchamp, llth 

 lord St. John of Bletsoe, F. L. S. 

 Dying without male-issue, he is stic- 

 cecded in title and estate by his 

 brother, the hon. St. Andrew St. 

 John, knight of the shire for the 

 county of Bedford. He succeeded 

 his father 1767 ; and married, 1780, 

 Emma, second daj^ghter of the late 

 Samuel Whitbread, esq. by whom 

 he had Emma, born 1782 ; Augusta, 

 born Dec. '2, 1782 ; married, 1803, 

 John Vaughan, esq. serjeant atlaw; 

 Margaret, born 1785 ; Barbara-, 

 born 1789. 



20th. At Totteridge, Herts, 

 aged 74, the hon. Mrs. Maitlaad, 

 wife of gen. the honourable Alexan- 

 der Maitland, col. of the 40th regi- 

 ment of foot. 



Killed 



V, 



