1806. } 
be B28 
MEMOIRS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 
eT 
Some accounr of the late MR. BARRY, 
the PAINTER. 
FTO record the deeds, and delineate the 
i. features, of departed worth and ge- 
nius, is one of thole employments of a 
writer's profefiion which compenfate for 
many an ungrateful Jabour, It is not 
only that the writer in this cafe partakes 
of the triumph he purfues 5 but there are 
other objects to gratity his beft paffions. 
Ti malicious tongues have fullowed the 
greatne's he records, (and where is the 
theme he will find free from this?) he has 
the grateful tafk to rebuke and bumble 
them. If forrow has breathed upon the 
hero’s life, he fympathizes, it is true, but 
{weet is the fympaihy that fhares infuch a 
forrow. Not to pafs into any thing fan- 
ciful in tracing this, let us add, if there 
are faults to be recorded, the writers duty, - 
though painful then, is {till not without 
its compeniation. Yo fhelier from preju- 
dice, and preferve from malignant colour- 
ing, the error, whatever it be, which he 
freely conteffes to the reader, is a proud 
duty, and an object of the greater ambi- 
tion, inafmuch as it is even more uieful to 
the public than to the theme of his protec. 
fion. 
If thefe fentiments generally are true, 
they are peculiarly applicable to the {fub- 
jet of this memoir 3 and Mr. Barry’s bil-. 
tory naturally will lead the btographer 
through all the viciffitudes here fkeiched. 
Early in life, and long before men ufual- 
ly diftinguihh right from wrogg in a mere- 
Jy grofs way, Mr, Barry conccived an in- 
extinguifhable paffion for that mental en- 
joyment which few men even of merit di- 
refily feek, and of which the vulgar have 
no perception even in theory. The eager- 
nefs of his purfuit of this up to the very 
brink of the grave, his contempt for the 
many worldly eviis it brought upon him, 
his tredfaft chearful Spirit theough all dif- 
appoinment, do form a charaéer necellary, 
jt is true, to a Platonic romance, but fo 
unnatural in rea! life, that no duubt ma- 
ny fhall gneftion its exiftence. But we 
write for two purpofes : to folace and de- 
Jight thofe who know the reality of fuch 
Virtue, and to preferve its precious fame 
from that poifon with which the breath of 
envy would corrode it. 
At the age of nineteen Mr. Barry was 
already a painter of fuch decided merit, as 
to place his fame at once in that enviable 
xank to which the public afterwards gave 
its univerfal fanétion. This is the mor¢ 
furprifing, as he had never had any direct 
infticution, ner could have many cafual 
means of improvement. He was born in 
the city of Cork, in Iveland ; and after 
receiving a good claffical education, began 
in the fame place, unpromptcd by any one, 
and very faintly aided, to profecnte the 
fiudy of the difficult {cience. Before he 
had quite completed bis nineteenth year, 
he painted a picture from an interelting 
legend of his country, which recorded the 
ftcry of the converfion from idolatry and 
the baptifm of aking of Cabhel. 
his revenue was fcanty at this pericd, is 
plain ; for having feat his pitture to Dub- 
lin, he proceeded thither on foot, accom. 
panied by Mr. Cornelius Mahony, a, 
{chool-fel.ow, who, like himfelf, was then 
for the firft time adventuring upon the 
theatre of the woild. The time of his 
arrival in. Dublin was the eve of an exhi- 
bition of paintings by the Society for the 
Encouragement of Arts there. The time 
allowed for the reception of pi&tures was 
already paft. But fuch was the effect of 
Mr. Barry’s performance upon the mana- 
gers, that they unanimoufly placed it on 
their walis. And. now he firit knew the 
fullnefs of that fenfation which merit ne- 
ver wholly erjoys tid it has received the 
feal of fuccefs ; and he boldly prediéted te 
his companion that his picture would have’ 
every eye and every veice. His predic- 
tion was foucded on too intimate a know- 
ledge of his own ftrength to fail. Myr, 
Barry’s name was inftantly known in 
Dublin ; and the praife of his pi€ture ran 
fiom mouth to mouth. ‘The Society vot. 
ed the arti’ a premium, % though none 
had been offered that year by advertife- 
ment. The painting was bought by three 
eminent members of the Irith Commons, 
and prefented to the Houfe as a new tro- 
phy of thé genius of the country. And 
here we «iil finifh its individual biftory hy 
{tating that it was confumed in the fire 
which fome years after deftroyed the Par- 
liament Houfe in Dublin. But the mott 
important and the moft acceptab'e benefit 
Mr. Barry derived from this memorable 
picture was the friendthip of Edmund 
Burke. Propitious indeed mult that in- 
firument be which produced fuch an ef- 
fect. “Thisisnot theplaceia which to touch 
even the outline of that great man’s worth, 
But we cannot meption the ve sera'ed name 
without feizing upon the just oceafion to 
fay, : 
That. 
