David, the greatest actor of his age, and the most successful of theatrical managers, was descended from a French Protestant family (Garrique), that had settled in England on the revocation of the edict of Nantes. The father of David, Captain Peter Garrick, was on a recruiting expedition when his celebrated son was born at Hereford, and baptized there February 28, 1716-17. The captain usually resided at Lichfield on half pay, but in order to benefit his family he accepted an offer to proceed on service to Gibraltar in place of a brother officer who was desirous of returning to England. This kept him many years absent from his family, and the letters written to him by "little Davy," acquainting him with the doings at Lichfield, are highly interesting memoirs of the future Roscius. In his nineteenth year, after receiving a good education at the grammar-school of Lichfield, David was sent to the establishment at Edial, opened in June or July 1736 by that greatest of Lichfield men, Samuel Johnson. The Edial seminary was shut in about six months, and master and pupil, Johnson and Garrick, proceeded to London, one to commence the study of the law, and the other to try his tragedy of Irene. They left Lichfield on the 2d of March 1736-7. Seven days afterwards Garrick was entered of Lincoln's Inn, but he resided for some time with the Rev. Mr Colson, a distinguished teacher at Rochester. His father, who had returned from Gibraltar, died about a month after David's arrival in London, and it is worthy of note, that in his will, dated 1st January 1736-7, while he left liberal legacies to his other children, the youngest is only remembered by this bequest: "Items, to my son David, one shilling." Fortunately a rich uncle, a wine merchant at Lisbon, in his will left David a sum of £1,000; and he entered into partnership with his brother as wine merchants in London and Lichfield. The concern was not prosperous, and before the end of 1741 David had spent nearly half of his thousand pounds. His passion for the stage completely engrossed him; and being acquainted with Giffard, manager of the theatre at Goodman's Fields, he accompanied that gentleman, with a party of his players, to Ipswich, where Garrick made his first essay as an actor under the name of Lyddal. His success on the provincial boards determined his future career. On the 19th of October 1741 he made his appearance at Goodman's Fields in the character of Richard III., and gained the most enthusiastic applause. His staid and sedate brother, and his sisters at Lichfield, were scandalized at this derogation from the provincial dignity of the family; and Garrick, greatly distressed at the shock they had received by the intelligence (which however he expected), hastened to give up his interest in the wine company. Each night added to his popularity on the stage. He was received by the best company in town. Glover ("Leonidas") attended every performance; Lyttelton, Pitt, and several other members of parliament, had shown him the greatest civility. Before next spring he had supped with "the great Mr Murray, counsellor," and hoped to do so with Mr Pope through Murray's introduction, while he was dining with Halifax, Sandwich, and Chesterfield. "There are a dozen dukes of a night at Goodman's Fields," writes Horace Walpole; and Garrick's farce of the Lying Valet being at this time brought out with success, the honours of dramatic author were added to those of the stage. His fortune was made.

Having very advantageous terms offered him for performing in Dublin during part of the summer, he went over to that city, where he found the same homage paid to his Garrick, merit which he had received from his own countrymen. To the service of the latter, however, he esteemed himself more immediately bound; and therefore, in the ensuing winter, he engaged himself to Fleetwood, manager of Drury Lane. In this theatre he continued till 1745, when he again went over to Ireland, and continued there the whole season, as joint-manager with Sheridan, in the direction and profits of the theatre-royal in Smock Alley. From Dublin he returned to England, and was engaged for the season of 1746 with Rich at Covent Garden. This was his last performance as a hired actor; for in the close of that season Fleetwood's patent for the management of Drury Lane expired, and that gentleman having no inclination further to pursue a design by which, from his want of acquaintance with the proper conduct of it or some other cause, he had considerably impaired his fortune, Garrick, in conjunction with Lacy, purchased the property of the theatre, together with the renovation of the patent, and in the winter of 1747 opened it with the best actors, and especially with the famous prologue written by his old preceptor Johnson, who, though somewhat splenetic, if not envious, at Garrick's sudden rise, was glad to see

"The reign commence Of rescued nature and reviving sense."

The naturalness of Garrick's acting was its great charm, Booth, Quin, and the old tragedians were remarkable for a style of stately declamation, sonorous and often graceful and impressive, but wanting the versatility and rapid changes of passion that, when exhibited by Garrick, at once captivated the audience. "It seemed," said old Richard Cumberland, "as if a whole century had been stepped over in the passage of a single scene; old things were done away, and a new order at once brought forward, bright and luminous, and clearly destined to dispel the barbarisms of a tasteless age, too long superstitiously devoted to the illusions of imposing declamation." In comedy Garrick also excelled, and the variety of his acting was justly considered one of his peculiar excellences. As a manager, though he committed some grievous blunders, his career was beneficial to the stage. He purified it of much of its grossness, and introduced a correctness of costume and decoration unknown before. In 1749 Garrick was married to Mademoiselle Violette, a German lady, who had attracted the admiration of the court of Vienna as a dancer, and was patronized in England by the Countess of Burlington. The union was a happy one, and the lady survived, living in great respect, until 1822. Having sold the moiety of his theatre for £37,000, Garrick took leave of the stage in 1776, but only enjoyed his opulent and well-earned repose for a period of less than three years, dying on the 20th of January 1779.

Johnson, whose various and not always consistent criticisms on Garrick, are scattered through the pages of Boswell, spoke warmly of the elegance and sprightliness of his friend's conversation, as well as of his liberality and kindness of heart; and his death, which came upon him unexpectedly, "eclipsed," Johnson said, "the gaiety of nations, and impoverished the public stock of harmless pleasure." But the most accurate and discriminating character of Garrick, slightly tinged with satire, is that drawn by Goldsmith in his poem of Retaliation. As a literary man Garrick was happy in his epigrams and slight occasional poems. He had the good taste to recognise, and the spirit to make public his recognition of, the excellence of Gray's Odes at a time

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1 Forster's Life of Goldsmith, 2d edition, 1854. 2 Cunningham's edition of Johnson's Lives. Garrick's early life may have been wild, as Mr Cunningham assumes, but we hear nothing of it while he was with Johnson at Edial; and in Gilbert Walmsley's letter to Colson, Garrick is mentioned as a very sensible young man, and a good scholar, whom the captain, his father, hoped to send to the temple and educate for the bar. Yet the captain's will was made about this very time. The specification of the "shilling" seems undoubtedly to imply marked displeasure; but David at this period received a legacy of £1,000 left him by his uncle at Lisbon, while his brother and sisters received only £500 each. See Davies's Life of Garrick, in which work, however, there is some inaccuracy and confusion as to dates. GARROW and Cossyah Hills, a mountainous district of Hindustan, on the N.E. frontier of Bengal, between the 25th and 26th degrees of north latitude. Its boundaries are Goalpara and Camroop on the north, Jyntea on the east, Sylhet on the south, and Mymensingh on the west. The area of the whole tract is estimated at 4347 square miles, of which the Garrows contain one-half, the other moiety being included within the Cossyah Hills. The population, which amounts to 65,205, is composed of the subjects of various native chiefs, who, though taken under British protection, are exempted from the payment of tribute. The character of the country is wild, as is also that of the people; but the liberal policy of the protecting government, and the interposition of its power only when rendered indispensable by the refractory chiefs, have succeeded in maintaining tranquillity. The people are of a stout make, vigorous and athletic, but ill-looking. They are not so dark as those in Bengal. They go nearly naked; and, although calling themselves Hindus, eat all kinds of food, and drink spirituous liquors. They worship Mahadeva; and at Banjam, a pass in the hills, they worship the sun and moon. They are poor and barbarous in their habits. Their houses are of the rudest description, being raised on piles three or four feet from the ground. The houses of the better classes are more neatly executed. They are said to be cheerful in their dispositions, and mild in their manners. At the foot of the Garrow Hills reside a tribe of people called Hajins, who are more like the Hindus, and who will not kill a cow.