Account of the late Mr. 
fav, that as no one ever furpaffed him in 
talent, fo no one ever loved or more faith- 
fully purfsed virtue than he did through a 
long and trying courfe. 
{t was a very few days after the open- 
ing of the exhibition that Mr. Burke call- 
ed on Mr. Barry. He had received a let- 
ter from the celebrated Dr. Sleigh of 
Cork, recommending the young painter to 
his notice. Mr. Burke- at that time re- 
fided in Dublin, under the patronage of 
the Viceroy, the late Duke of Northam- 
berland. He foon felt the greatnefs of 
Mr. Barry's merit, and early Tomaunica- 
ted -to him his punpore of fending him to 
tia, and afterwards to Italy. To 
prefs forward to thofe events, Mr. Barry, 
after refiding about nine months in Deb- 
Jin, went to London in company with Mr. 
Richard Burke, who immediately intro- 
duced him to the fociety and friendfhip of 
Sir Jofhua Reynoids, Dr. Johnfon, the 
Athenian Stuart, Dr. Goldimith, anda 
few -ocher eminent men. By thefe ineiti- 
mable perfons Mr. Barry was thenceforth 
efeemed and admired. He became a fa- 
voured pupil of Sir Jofhua ; and no one 
ever eftimated Barry*s talents 2s a painter 
higher than that great judge of the art. 
Their intercourfe has been extremely con- 
fidential. Often have we heard Mr. Barry 
fpeak, and fometimes with tears in his 
eyes, of the many affectionate moments he 
p2ffed with his mafter and his friead. But 
we can but flightly touch thefe interefting 
fcenes. 
When Mr. Burke came into adminiftra- 
tion with the Reet quis of Rockingham, he 
fent for otr arilt, and faid, ** Go now to 
Rome, and regard me as your banker.’ 
Mr. Barry now viited all the celebrated 
tchools on the Continent, in which iludy 
he paifed three, years, Mr. Burke de:ray- 
ing the whole of the expence. ; 
‘Soon after his retien from Italy, in 
+575, he publithed a work of peer re- 
earch into the prisciples of fuccefs in the 
fine-arts. It was intitled, ‘© An Inqu’ ry 
into the real and imaginary Qofirudi:ons 
to the Acquifition of the Arts ia Eng- 
Jand ;°” and was writen to courteraé tne 
opinicns of three foreign writ:rs of great 
celebrity, who maintained the influence of 
phyfcal circumftances oa the imsgination 
anc tafte of a peuple to be decifive ; 5 and 
contended that the Englifh nation muft be 
deficient in the delicacy and fenfibility of 
genius. Mr. Barry vindicated the cha. 
raGter of the genius of our countrymen in 
the true fpirit of genius. About two 
years aiter this Mr. Barry was cletied 
Royal Academician; and in 1786 was 
Barry, ibe Painter, [May 1, 
made Profeffor of Painting to the Royal 
Academy. 
In tracing the error of the critics we 
have jutt fooken of, Mr, Barry had fhewn 
that fuccefs in the arts chiefly depends on 
the influence of szoral caufes ; and he now 
bent all his efforis to the removal of the 
obitru€tions in that quarter which had re- 
tarded the progrefs of our fchool of paint- 
ing. To trace his hif@ory in the chair 
would be to difplay exemplary virtue 
ftruggling with envy, felfifhaefs, and ma- 
lice. But thefe facts are broadly known, 
and juftiy appreciated by a public that 
will, fooner or later, have vengeance for 
wrongs on its champions. In 1799 Mr. 
Barry was removed from the profefforfhip, 
and expelled from the Royal Academy. 
About the time Mr. Barry publifhed 
his Inquiry, an offer was made by Sir Jo- 
fhua Reynolds, Mr. Barry, and other 
eminent painters, to adorn St. Paul’s with 
religious pictures ; which being declined 
on the ground of its being iaconfifent 
with the temper of the Proteftant religion, 
Mr. Barry turned his eyes towards the 
Ssciety for the Encouragement of Arts, 
for an opportunity of fetting the example 
of a pure tafe in painting, and of fowing 
the feed, which will not perith, of future 
emulation among Our countrymen. He 
offered to decorate, gratuitoufly, the grant 
room of the Society with a feries of allego- 
vical pictures. The offer was accepted. 
Thole fine paintings which equally grace 
the name of the fociety and the artiff, 
were placed on their walls. Although the 
gift was entirely free, the Society voted 
Mr. Barry a gold medal, and two hundred 
guiness ; and ordered the pictures to be 
exnibited in their reoms dusing two fea- 
fons for his benefit, whica produced feven 
hundred pounds clear, the Society defray- 
ing the whole expence of the exhibition. 
_ For fome years previous to- his death 
Mr. Barry lived chiefly in a very retired 
manner, ina houfe in Caftic-ftrcet, Ox- 
ferd- road, inhabiced only by himfelf, with. 
out dumefic, and often without a vifitor 
for monihs. And here it isthat we mut 
{peak of his faults, his ouly and his venial 
faults. He who can feel what itis but to 
estertain the purpole of a life of indepen- 
dence, in the career cf an art, or any pub- 
lic life, will deicry fome at leaft of the- 
dangers of the fituation to the fociable 
virtues. It is impoflibie to be ineefiantly 
in the thock ‘of warfare with rapacityand 
meannefs, without contraéting too much 
of contempt for the ators tn’ the fcene, 
and an averfien longer to mix with it. 
This was the fum of Mr. Barry’s error. 
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