LATE COMPTROLLER-GENERAL OF THE POST-OFFICE, AND M. P. FOR THE CITY OF BATH.

THE name of this gentleman has been long before the public, and during a period of more than half a century was constantly advancing into repute and respectability. With a versatility of character, joined to a degree of ability that falls to the lot of but few, we behold him, now governing a theatre, - now giving laws to the General Post-Office. Thus, the same man who at one period of his life superintended the dramatic amusements of the gayest city in the empire, at another was busied in projecting a new system of mails, aiding commerce by the accelerated rapidity of his contrivances, and at length accomplishing and perfecting his grand original plan to facilitate the intercourse, not only between different parts of the kingdom, but with all the nations of the universe.

John Palmer was born at Bath, in the year 1742. His father was a respectable brewer in that city; and the maiden name of his mother, Miss Long, descended from an old and respectable family, which had been settled there for more than a century. The boy was sent at a very early age to Coleme, a village at some little distance from the place of his birth, for the express purpose of being educated under the Rev. Mr. Needham. While there, he not only displayed an uncommon degree of sprightliness, but an extraordinary aptitude for learning; which was not always accompanied, however, with the inclination to excel, although he fully possessed the ability.

When young Palmer had acquired some knowledge of the classics, he was removed to the public school at Marlborough, annexed to which there are certain valuable scholarships and exhibitions, which enable the higher class of pupils, when duly qualified, to repair on very easy terms either to Oxford or Cambridge. These advantages were carefully pointed out by a relation, the Rev. Mr. Palmer, who recommended the church as a profession, and in both of these plans the father most readily joined; he wished his offspring to be freed from the embarrassments and difficulties attendant upon trade, and longed above all things to behold his son John in holy orders.

His son John, however, longed to be an officer; and it is not a little remarkable, that this same propensity, as if hereditary, devolved on his two grandsons, one of whom has risen to an honourable station as a field-officer in the army, and another to the rank of a post-captain in the navy. But the old gentleman proved inexorable; and, as the subject of this memoir was accustomed to observe," after a stout contention between the sword and the surplice, it proved a drawn battle.”

As it was necessary, however, that he should be something, and as he would not consent to become a clergyman, he was destined to be a brewer. With this view, his father removed him, when scarcely fourteen years of age, to his own countinghouse, which proved a fresh subject of complaint; for by this

time he had taken a great fancy to hunting, as his reverend relation kept a small pack of hounds, and occasionally mounted his cousin during a holiday on one of his own horses. To quit such a scene of amusement for the drudgery of mercantile concerns, to abandon all ideas of a scarlet coat and the command of a regiment for the enumeration of casks of beer, and the superintendence of draymen, was a most miserable falling off; and accordingly he bitterly lamented his destiny for many years after.

At first, young Palmer exhibited an equal degree of contempt and negligence in respect to business, which produced bitter reproaches on the part of his parents; but he at length altered his plan, and betook himself to his daily avocations with a degree of zeal and assiduity that had nearly proved fatal. A timely retreat into the country, however, restored him to his wonted health; and soon after his return to Bath, a new and important event occurred, which, by affording employment to his talents, and giving a new direction to his pursuits, banished for ever all the ideas so long and so fondly cherished of a military life.

Bath, which had even then outstripped every provincial city and town in the empire, and in many points of view was deemed preferable as a residence even to the metropolis itself, still proved deficient in one essential requisite for a place of entertainment. From the first appearance of Garrick, the histrionic art began to be cultivated in England with great attention, and new theatres were every where erected for the accommodation of the public. At Bath, however, an old, mouldering, ruinous building, had been converted to this use, although wholly unsuitable for a genteel audience, and at the same time utterly inconvenient to the actors themselves.

To remedy this glaring defect, ten of the principal inhabitants determined to erect a new and elegant play-house, on the most solemn assurances that the proprietors of the old one, who pretended to be actuated solely by the good of the city, would instantly apply their premises to some other purpose the moment that the new building was completed; but no sooner

did this occur, than the old play-barn was re-opened, and a most violent opposition, equally fatal to both parties, immediately took place. The partners of the new house, disheartened by continual losses and disputes, now withdrew one by one; on which, the senior Mr. Palmer, who was a complete man of business, immediately conceived the notion of taking the whole under his own immediate management. He accordingly purchased all the remaining shares on very easy terms, and completed the whole by granting an annuity to his adversary. From this moment all opposition ceased, and the new theatre became the sole point of attraction.

The wonderful increase of the city of Bath, which of course produced an influx of company, made this species of property every day more valuable. But that very circumstance rendered the prosperity of the theatre precarious; for being situate in the old town, it was of course at a considerable distance from the new buildings, and the proprietors of these began already to conceive the idea of erecting one for themselves. In addition to this, the new house was still unprotected by law, as a very severe act of parliament at that time existed against the public exhibition of dramatic performances.

The poor actor, also, to adopt the humiliating language of Churchill, was actually deemed a vagrant, and consequently

"Of the beadle's lash afraid!"

The manager, too, when he travelled along with his company of comedians, from town to town, was not unfrequently obliged

"To cringe, for wretched means of life,

"To madame may'ress, or his worship's wife."

Nay, the very prerogative of the crown was so strictly limited, as to be precluded from granting any future patent or licence beyond those already in existence for Drury-Lane and CoventGarden.

His Majesty himself, therefore, had he been so disposed, had it not in his power to extend his protection to the theatre at

Bath; so that an act of parliament could alone guarantee the proprietor from hazard, and secure the personal safety of the performers from the penalties then most unjustly annexed to their profession.

To obtain these desirable ends, the elder Mr. Palmer presented a petition to both houses of parliament, which was warmly supported by the corporation, partly with a view of benefiting the city, and partly with a wish to gratify an old friend. His son John was selected on this occasion to solicit the act, and for this purpose, he immediately repaired to London. Although scarcely a man in point of years, he had uniformly distinguished himself by his vigour, ability, and perseverance; while a recent event had contributed not a little to his reputation. Arthur, the contemporary and friend of Garrick, and then acting manager of the theatre, had been most unjustly attacked by Derrick, the master of the ceremonies. To repel a wanton accusation, he published two letters in the Bath Journal, which restored one party to the public favour, and assigned the other to disgrace.

Flushed with this successful effort of his "maiden pen," his zeal and good conduct during his residence in the metropolis, procured him so many friends, that on this occasion also, he proved victorious. Accordingly after the lapse of two or three months, he returned home armed with a double authority; for in addition to an act of parliament, he had obtained all the splendour arising out of a patent, which conferred the title of Theatre Royal.

Immediately after this, he was entrusted with the superintendance and direction of it. One might have supposed that this alone would have proved sufficient to occupy all his attention. But he was young, and his mind was active and vigorous, so that he was enabled, even at this early period, to carry a new project, of which he had sometime since conceived the idea, into immediate execution. Singular as it may seem, this plan had nothing military, nothing theatrical in it ;—

*This was the first "Theatre Royal" out of London.