¥800.] 
ing man for upwards of fifty years, and de- 
‘parted this life in the 85th year of his age. 
He married Lord Offory’s mother, by whom 
he had three daughters, the prefent Lady 
Warwick, Mrs. Smith, and one unmarried. 
At her houfe in Portman-fquare, at a very 
advanced age, Mrs. Montague, celebrated no 
lefs for her literary talents than for herannual 
bounty and hofpitality on May Day to the 
poor chimney-fweepers of this metropolis, 
This lady was anexcellent fcholar ; fhe pof- 
feffed a found judgment and an exquifite tafte. 
Her eflay on the writings and genius of Shak- 
fpeare, in anfwer to the frivolous objections 
of Voltaire, muft always rank with the beft 
illuftrations of the tranfcendent powers of our 
great Englifh poet. Her worls is not an ela- 
borate expofition of abfcure paffages, but a 
comprehenfive furvey of the fublimity of his 
genius, of his profound knowledge af human 
nature, and of the wonderful refources of ima- 
gination. This eflay ,is, we believe, the 
only work of which Mrs. Montague publicly 
avowed herfelf to be the author, but itis well 
known, that fhe affifted the firft Lord Lyt- 
telton inthe compofition of his Dialogues of 
the Dead; and fome of the beft of thefe dia- 
logues, by his lordthip’s own acknowledg- 
ment, were the efforts of her,pen. Lord 
Lyttelton was very much attached to her, and 
if he had been free from matrimonial con- 
nexions, fhe might have commanded his title 
and fortune. Mrs. M. however, it was ima- 
gined, was attached to Pulteney, the famous 
Earl of Bath. She accompanied this noble- 
man and his lady on a tour through Germany. 
Mrs, Montague peculiarly excelled in epifta- 
lary compofition, and her letters, in point of 
learn ing, judgment, and elegance, far ex- 
ceed thofe of her name-fake, Lady Mary 
Wortley Montague, even fuppofing that the 
latter was really the author of the letters at- 
tributed to her, which, however, have long 
been known to be in a great meafure fiGtitious. 
Mrs. M. was 4 near relation of the celebrated 
Dr. Conyers Middleton, to whofe care fhe 
devolved'in early life, and who fuperintended 
her education with parental fondnefs. It is 
faid that fhe made fo early a difplay of her 
tendency to literature, that fhe had tranf- 
cribed the whole of the Speétators before the 
was eight years of age. Incredible as this 
ftory feems to be, it has been attetted by the 
beft authority, and was always fokemnly 
afirmed by the late Dr. Moniey, phyfi- 
cian of Chelfea College, a particular friend 
ef Dr, Middleton, and of Mrs. Montague, 
The epiftolary correfpondence that took place 
hetween Dr. Mon ey and Mrs. Montague, 
during her tour in Germany, and, indeed, 
through the whole of their intertourfe fe 
wpw ards of thirty years, affords proofs of un- 
common talents, ‘original humour, and acute 
obfervation onboth fides. In private life Mrs. 
Moritague was an example of liberal difcretion, 
“Mrs. Montague— Admiral Barrington. 
375 | 
and ratiof™l benevolence. Her hand was al- 
ways extended to the protection of genius, 
and the relief of diftrefs, but fhe was careful te 
diftinguifh the objects, and not to lavith her 
bounty upon falfe pretenfions. This lady’e 
magnificent manfion was the refort of the moft 
diftinguifhed charaéters of her time, and all 
were emulous to teftify their efteem, and pay 
homage to the endowments of her mind, and 
the amiable qualities of her heart. 
At his lodgings inthe Abbey-green, Bath, 
in his 7a year, the Hon. Samuel Barring- 
ton, fenior admiral of the white, and general 
of his Majefty’s marine forces. ‘The life 
of Admiral Barrington forms a fingular 
exception to the common mode of rifing 
in the Britith army and navy. Although 
born of a noble family, he afcended by 
flow degrees to the fecond rank in the 
Britifh marine. Inftead of foliciting for ho-~ 
nours or employments, ‘Barrington waited 
till they were offered to him, and has beer 
fometimes known to decline what has been 
moft ardently fought for by others; inftead 
of feeking influence by a feat in the Houfe of 
Commons, which he could eafily have ac- 
quired, he made it a rule not to afk a favour 
of the admiralty, whofoever fat at the head 
of the board. Admiral Barrington was one 
of the younger fons of Vifcount Barrington, 
whofe family name was Shute, and who af- 
fumed the name of Barrington fome few years 
before the admiral’s birth. The vifcount had 
fix fons, the fecond of whom di¢d in his in- 
fancy, and all the reft refe to fome degree of 
eminence in the ftate. The oldeft, Vifcunat 
Barrington, was, for many years, fecretary 
at war, John, the third, was a general in 
the army. Daines, the fourth, was a Welfh 
Judge, and well known by his writings ; the 
fubje& of-thefe memoirs was the. fifth 5. and 
the younger, wha was chriftened. by the patro- 
nimic name of the family, is the prefent 
worthy bifhop of Durham. Samuel Barring- 
ton was born in 1729; and having from his 
early youth fhewn an attachment to the naval 
fervice a) entered very young into the Britifh 
navy. He patted through the inferior fta- 
tions. of midfhipman and licutenant with great 
reputation. We find the date of his fart 
commillion as poft-captain was May 29, 1747. 
A peace with France and Spain, which took 
place foon after, deprived him of any oppor 
tunity of difplaying his courage or conduct in 
his new tation. After the peace of 1748, 
captain Barrington, had the command of the 
Seahorfe, a twenty, gun fhip, in the Medi- 
terranean ftation, and while there, was  dif- 
patched from Gibraltar to 'Tetuan, to nego~ 
ciate the sedemption of fome Britifh captives, 
in which he fucceeded, He had afterwards 
the command of the Crown man of wary on 
the Jamaica ftation. As thefe ftations, in, 
_time of peace, are afually held for three 
years, We find Captain Barrington. was in 
Nna COs, 
