have seen him perform, while Foote took Mother Cole, &c., with uncommon humour and vivacity. In that, and some other parts, the imitations of Bannister were at once chatte and cor. rect. He feems to have poffeffed, in an eminent degree, that faculty for which Eftcourt was formerly fo diftinguilhed, of feizing at once upon the ridiculous traits of an actor, and conveying them to the audience in a manner which rendered them highly comic. This, with refpect to imitation in general, has been itated as an ill-natured propension of the human mind. We think far otherwife. In our ideas it feems to range on the fide of wit and humour, (properties which could not exit except they met with abfurdities to feed upon,) and indeed to be, by holding the mirror up to nature, wit and humour reduced to practice. The present Mr. Bannitter (whofe excellence as an actor, or estimation as a man, can receive no additional advantage by any praife that we can beftow) inherits this peculiar trait of his father's genius; and, although he is now fparing in the ufe of it, no one will deny but that from its goodhumoured effufions, when he was once in the habit of practising it, the actors themselves that were then exhibited might have derived both pleasure and advantage. In the year 1768 Mr. Charles Bannitter firit appeared on Drury-lane ftage, in the character of Merlin, in Cymon; a drama which, we think, owed its fuccefs more to the excellence of its actors than to its intrinfic merit. Arduous as the task was to endeavour to appear confpicuous in a piece wherein the whole ftrength of the houfe was united, yet our young adventurer fucceeded: he met with great applaufe, and, in the part of Don Die go, in the Padlock, which foon followed, the judgment of the town was confirmed. This induced Mr. Dibden to compofe many fongs particularly for him. In the genuine English ballad, (which, by-the-bye, always finds its way to an English heart,) he was unequalled; he felt his fubject and fituation on the flage to their utmost extent, and never failed to convey those feelings to his auditors. It has been faid, that he was not fcientifically grounded in mufic. To which Dr. Arne once replied, that Nature had, in this respect, done so much, that, to him, the study of the minute of mufic was ufelefs. In fact, he had the theory in his mind: and we think with the Doctor, that the mere detail of the fcience would, upon many occafions, only have embarralled him. It is, in this Memoir, unneceffary to enumerate the varied and extenlive range of characters which Mr. Charles Bannister played with fuccefs; they are ftill well known to our contemporaries, and will all be recorded long before any can be forgotten. We thall, therefore, only notice, that, in Hawthorn, (a part peculiarly adapted to his figure and his powers,) Grimbald, and Caliban, (two characters, in the reprefentation of which he feemed to have thrown every human property and propenity out of his system,) we fear he never can be equalled. Exhibitions fo oppofite as the former to the two latter, are strong proofs of the versatility of his genius; but we think that this was ftill, if poffible, rendered more confpicuous in his broad display of the dry, formal, though manly, humour of Steady, contrasted with his exquifite imita tion of the emafculate effeminacy of Arionelli. To conclude this notice, we must obferve, that the fubject of it (who through life afforded fo much entertainment to the public) was, in private, as much the delight of his friends.. His convivial talents were fo eminent, that they rendered his company a rich treat to his numerous acquaintance: but these talents, we cannot help obferving, however agreeable they may be to the world, are very frequently injurious to their poffeffors, as they fometimes lead them into excelles which, although good fenfe may reprobate, it is not always in the power of good nature to avoid. Men, therefore, in eminent theatrical fituations, would do well to reflect, that they owe more to themselves and families than even to the town; or, rather, that by paying a proper regard to the former, they are taking the fureft means to attract and rivet the applaufe of the latter. It gives us pleasure to add, that, as few actors in our time have left the Stage more regretted by the public than than did Mr. B., fo have few men left the world for whofe memories their friends and affociates have expreffed more regard. His readiness to oblige, and, upon many occafions, his promptnefs of repartee, endeared him to fociety; therefore we can only lament, that he did not take greater advantage of the popular tide to provide against a rainy day. This is what many men, conscious of their own powers, have deferred until it was too late to begin; but few have been fo happy in thofe filial attentions that fmooth the downhill path of life as was Charles Bannis ter. It may chronologically be neceffary to ftate, that he died the 19th of October 1804; and that the most eminent aftors of both theatres, from motives of respect, attended his funeral. PARTICULARS of the Loss of the DUKE (By an EYE-WITNESS.) ON the morning of Monday the 3d of Septem ber, the Duke of Cumberland Packet was lying at anchor in the Road of St. John's, waiting for the mail, which was expected to come on board that day. His Majesty's fhip Serapis, a 44, armed en Bute, lay about two miles farther out, waiting to convoy the packet down to Tortola. The wind had been blowing very fresh from the North during the night, and at noon had confiderably increated. His Majefty's fhip de Ruyter, an old 74, which had lately been brought there to be fitted up as a prifon-fhip, lay at anchor in Deep Bay; he had a very weak crew on board, and made fignals of diftrefs to the Serapis; a boat came on board the packet at 12 o'clock, from the latter veffel, requesting the aid of fome men, in order to affift them in relieving the de Ruyter; but this Captain Lawrence could not with propriety grant. At this time we ftruck our top-gallant mafts, and at two P. M. we let go the best bower anchor, having been hitherto riding with the fmall bower only. The gale continued to increafe, and at fix o'clock it blew a perfect storm from the N. W. by W. when we ftruck our yards and top-mafts. The men had hardly finished this work when it was difcovered that the veffel had parted her best bower cable. This furprifed and alarmed us exceedingly, as the rope was nearly new, and we had been affured that the bottom of the roadftead was a hard fand: it must have been cut upon a fhip's anchor, or on a bed of coral. We immediately bent the remaining part of it to the tream anchor, and the stream cabic to the kedge. The wind continued to rage with unabated vio. lence, the hip pitched immoderately, and dreading left the cable fhould give way, at ten o'clock we let go the two remaining anchors. Every thing had now been done for the fafety of the fhip that was in the power of the crew; the reft mended ourselves to the protection of the AL we confided to Providence; and having recomMIGHTY, we remained idle but anxious fpec tators of the fcene before us, and awaited the event in filent dread. To men who were fo fcene could be fo truly awful: the wind raged deeply interested in the effects of the ftorm, no with a violence known only in tropical climates -the rain fell like a deluge-the waves had riten to a molt ftupendous height-the ship was pitchalready gone, and we momentarily expected to ing her forecastle under water-our beft cable was part the reit. To add to the horrors of our fituation, the lightning, flashing now and then, difcovered to us, notwithstanding the extreme darknefs of the night, that, as foon as we should part or drive away from our moorings, a reet of horrid rocks lay to leeward ready to receive us. Thus fituated, every man was fenfible that it was abfolutely impoffible to combat fingly the terrible agitation of the elements, and our feeble expectations of faving our lives were refted folely an the trail hope of the fhips riding out the tempeft. The mafts of the de Ruyter had been trequently fhewn to us by the glare of the lightning, and we could perceive that the was driving from her moorings. They difappeared all at once, and we concluded that the had foundered. We fuppofed the Serapis had fhared the fame fate. About eleven o'clock, the windlais gave way, with a tremendous noife: the failors immediately clapped tops upon the cables, and fecured them by means of ring-bolts on the decks. Thete were continually breaking, and were as often replaced. The cable had now held fo long, that we began to entertain fome faint hope of riding out the gale, and we dared for a moment to quit the deck for fome refreshment; but no fooner were we fat down, when a loud groan from the crew fummoned us on deck: we dreaded the worit: the Captain came running forward, and foon put an end to our doubts by exclaiming-" All's now over! LORD GOD, have mercy upon us!" The cable had parted; the ship hung about two minutes by the stream and kedge, and then began to drive broadfide on, dragging them along with her. Our feelings at this moment are not to be defcribed, nor can I think on any fimilar fituation to which they can be compared. At this time, fome of the feamen, torn by defpair, feemed for a moment to forget themlelves; the cries of their homes, their wives, and their chil dren, refounded through the fhip; but they foon became fenfible of their folly, and refumed their ufual firmnels. As foon as the fhip parted, which was about termined to stick to it fo long as the fhip remain12 o'clock, every man clung to a rope, and deed entire the wind had veered fomewhat to the Weit, which prevented her from ftriking on the reef of rocks which we fo much dreaded. It was now one o'clock: we had drifted an hour, ing fait by the rigging, our bodies beat by the without knowing whither. We continued holdheaviest rain, and lathed by every wave. A dreadtul filence enfued, every one being too intent on his own approaching end, to be able to could be heard but the horrid howling of the communicate his feelings to another; nothing tempeft. A little after one we ftruck, and inftantly went off again; this, together with feveral lights before us at a diftance, convinced us that we were driving towards the harbour of St. John's, John's, and that we had ftruck on the bar. We faw a large object before us, which we dreaded was Rat Inland, (a perpendicular rock in the middle of the harbour, with a fort upon it.) we were faft approaching it, and that the garrifon might be fpectators of our fate, for it was in vain to think of affiftance; we fired two alarm guns; but from the tremendous noife of the wind and waves, we doubted if they could be heard. We foon found that this object was a large ship, on which we were directly driving. We came up with her, and went clofe under her itern. A faint hope now appeared of being stranded on a fandy beach, for we knew that, although the harbour is chiefly bounded with rock, yet that there were a few mud and fand banks, and our wishes led us to hope the best. The Captain therefore ordered the carpenter to get the hatchets all ready to eut away the mafts, in order to make a raft for thofe who chose to venture on it. We could now plainly perceive land not far diftant, on which we were driving, and as we knew it to be a huge rock, we run up the fore and mizen ftayfails, thinking by this means to divert the courfe of the ship, but at the fame moment the wind chopped from N. N. W. to Weft, being no less than fix points of the compafs, and continued to blow with the fame fury; this kept us clear of the projecting land, and drove us beyond it a fhort distance, when the fhip ftruck; her first strokes were apparently upon a fandy beach, and we could plainly difcern two large thips afhore, juft abreaft of us. We now fondly imagined that we would be driven on board these Chips, but in this we were difappointed; we drove paft, beating with violence at every wave, and in a few feconds found the fhip bring up on fome horrid rocks, at the foot of a ftupendous precipice. Every hope now vanished, and we began already to confider ourselves as beings of another world; the veffel was dafhed with extreme violence on the rocks, and we could diftinctly hear the cracking of her timbers below: in order to eafe the veffel, and, if poffible, prevent her from parting, we immediately cut away the mizenmatt, and fhortly after the fore-mait; the mainmaft we allowed to remain, in order to steady the fhip, and, if poffible, prevent her from canting to windward, which would mevitably have drowned us all. The veel had ftruck about two o'clock, and in half an hour afterwards we found that the water was up to the lower deck. Never was day-light fo anxioufly wifhed for as by the unfortunate crew of this fhip. After having hold fo long of the fhrouds, we were forced to cling three hours longer before the dawn appeared, during which time we were under continual dread of the fhip's parting, and launching us into eternity: the fea was making a complete breach over her, laying on her beam-ends; and ftiff and benumbed as we were, it was with the utmoft difficultywe could preferve our hold against the force of the waves, every one of which truck and nearly drowned us. The break of day difcovered to us all the horrors of our fituation: the veffel was laying upon large rocks, at the foot of a craggy, overhanging precipice, twice as high as the fhip's main-maft; the mizen-maft, which, although cut away, ftill hung in a diagonal direction, fupported by fome ropes, reached within about four fathoms of the rock! the land forming a fort of bay around us, alfo approached us a-head, and the extremity of the jib-boom was not far from it; we could plainly difcern many fhips on fhore in various parts of the harbour, and the wind and rain beat upon us with unabated violence: the fhip lay a miferable wreck; one wave had carried away her ftern boat, unfhipped her rudder, and wathed overboard her quarter boards, binnacle, and round-houfe; her fore and mizen-mafts lay alongfide, fupported by fmall ropes, and the fhip had bilged her larboard fide. Our first thoughts, after the dawn appeared, were naturally directed to the poffibility of faving our lives; and we all agreed, that the only hopes of doing fo was by means of the mizen-malt: we immediately got the top-maft and top-gallant-mafts launched out on it, which reached within a few feet of the rock, but the part of the precipice which it approached, was fo perpendicular, as to afford us but faint hopes of relief, unlefs it might be procured by means of fome bufhes which grew on the brow of the rock: a failor foon made trial of it; but to our great mortification we faw him heave a rope, on the end of which was formed a noofe, and which catching hold of fome of the largest bushes, brought them away in an inftant, and difcovered to us that the roots of the fhrubs were faftened to nothing but a much decayed weather beaten rock, incapable of affording them fupport fufficient to withstand the fmaileft weight. Another feaman, who feemed from defpair to have imbibed an extraordinary degree of courage, followed the firft man out on the matt, with the intention of throwing himself from the end upon the mercy of the rock: he had proceeded to the extremity of the top-gallant-maft, and was on the point of leaping among the bufhes, when the pole of the maft, unable to fuftain his weight, gave way, and precipitated him into the bolom of the waves: as the fall was at leaft forty feet in height, it was fome time before he made his appearance above the furface of the water, and when he did, every one expected to fee him dafhed to pieces among the rocks, but he had fortunately carried down with him the piece of the broken maft, to which were faftened fome fmall ropes, and by clinging taft to them, he preferved his head above water, at the intervals of the waves receding, until a tackle was fixed to hoist him up. All our hopes of being faved by means of the mizen maft were now blatted; andyet fome decifive meafure feemed abfolutely neceffary; for as the ftorm did not abate in the imalleft degree, we began ftill more to dread that the thip would part, as the had already bilged on the larboard fide; the whole crew had befides been fo fatigued, difpirited, and benumbed, that they were hardly able to hold out any longer. It was in vain to expect outward aflittance, as we were not feen from the town, and the fhips which were in fight of us had it not in their power to afford us the least aid. Some negroes did make their appearance on the top of the rock, and we requested them to defcend a little way in order to receive a rope; but whether from fear or mere ftupidity I do not know, but in fpite of all our entreaties, promifes, and threats, thefe creatures ftood gaping in the most idiotical manner, foinetimes at us, and fometimes at themselves, without making the leaft motion to approach us. Whilft we were meditating in fullen filence on our fituation, Mr. Doncafter, the Chief Mate, unknown to any one, went out on the bowfprit, and, having reached the end of the jib-boom, was then feen to throw himself headlong into the water; he had hardly fallen, when a tremendous wave threw him upon the rock," and lett him dry; there he remained a few moments without BURLINGTON-HOUSE and ALBANY, [WITH A VIEW.] BURLINGTON HOUSE, in Piccadilly, without motion, until a fecond wave washed him ftill farther up, when, clinging to fome roughnefs in the cliff, he effectually preferved his hold. He remained there a few minutes to recruit himfelf, and then began to fcramble up the rock. Mr. Doncafter's prefervation was moft miraculous; all the fhip's company were unanimous in declaring that it was next to an impoffibility: it feemed, indeed, a fingular in- ftreet, but is entirely concealed from terpofition of Providence in our behalf. In about half an hour, he with infinite difficulty reached the fummit of the cuff. anxiously had we been watching every step Most which he took, and praying for his fafety, confcious that our prefervation depended folely upon it. He immediately came round to that part of the precipice which was over against our quarter, and, defcending a little way, he received a rope thrown from the main-top; this he faftened to fome trees on the top of the cliff, and we paffed the other end of it to the head of the mizen top-maft. This being done, a few of the moft expert feamen warped themfelves up upon it, carrying with them the end of another rope, upon which a tackle was bent, and which they faftened alfo to the trees: the other end of the tackle was made faft to the mizen maft, and the fold of it paffed to the crew upon deck. By means of this rope, which we faftened to our waift, and the first rope, by which we fupported ourfelves, warping along it with our hands, we were all, in the fpace of three hours, fafely hoifted to the top of the cliff, except a few of the most active feamen, who were left to the laft, and obliged to warp themfelves up as the first had done. The whole fhip's company, confifting of Captain Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, the Mafter, Mr. Doncafter, the Chief Mate, Mr. Lowrie, the Surgeon, with twenty-four feamen and petty Officers, and three paffengers, Mr. Verchild, Mr. Wood, and Lieutenant Webber, of the artil lery, having now aflembled on the rock, we took leave of our miferable veffel, and bent our way towards the town. Nor did our difficulties end here; the whole plain before us, in confequence of the rain which had fallen and still was pouring down in great abundance, prefented the appearance of a large lake, through which we found our way with much difficulty. In thofe places where roads or furrows had been made, we frequently plumped up to the neck, and were in great danger of being carried down by the ftream. After wading about three miles through fields of canes, whole tops could hardly be feen above the water, we reached the town of St. John's, where we were fo cour coufly received, that I believe we should have died for want of food and neceffaries, had it not been for the kind offices of a mulatto taylor, to whom we fent for clothes, and who carried us to a houfe where we were furnished with beds and provifions. In a few hours afterwards the wind chopped round to the South, from which quarter it blew with the fame violence the whole of the 4th and part of the 5th. The hurricane lafted forty-eight hours, during which time it made a complete fweep of half the compafs, beginning at North, and ending at South. This favourable change faved the fhip from breaking up, and on the morning of the 5th we found her lying nearly dry, among the rocks, with five large holes in her larboard fide, and we were enabled to fave fome of our linen that was floating in the hold. the rendence of his Grace the Duke of Portland, Rands about midway be. tween Sackville treet and Old Bond the view of the paffenger by a lofty Adjacent to this noble mansion stands a pile of buildings now called ALBAfidence of Lord Melbourne, who exNY. This was fome years ago the rechanged it with the Duke of York for years' refidence, his Royal Highness rehis house at Whitehall. After a few moved from it; and the house and who has divided it into complete and ground were purchased by a builder, detached fets of chambers, in the manner of the Parifian hotels, or like those of our Inns of Court. It is defigned principally for the refidence of fingle gentlemen who may wish to enjoy the advantages of a permanent or occafional residence in London, in a ftile of convenience and accommodation appropriate to their rank, unburthened by the expenfe of a great houthold eltablishment, the waste and annoyance of a retinue of fervants. or the extrava gant charges, and noifes, and comfort- A pretty covered walk leads from the back of the houfe into Saville row. The name of Albany has been given to this place out of refpect to the title of his Royal Highnefs, as Duke of York and Albany. Albany Houfe, or Albany Place, however, would, to common understandings, perhaps have been preferable. VESTIGES, |