TRIMMER, Mrs. SARAII, teas b. at Ipswich on Jan. 6. 1741. Her father was a Mr. Joshua Kirby, a man of intelligence and piety, who removed to London about 14 years after, and became tutor to 1 he prince of Wales. afterward George III.. in the science of perspective, a subject in connection with which he was favorably known by several: ingenious works. Among other distinguished persons with whom his daughter had now the advantage of meeting, was the great Dr. Johnson, with whom she speedily became a favorite. In 1759 her father was appointed clerk of the works at Kew palace, whither he went to reside; and here miss Kirby became acquainted with Mr. Trimmer, to whom, in 1762, she was married. It was not till the year 1780 that she came before the world as an authoress, by the publication of her Easy Introduction to the Knowledge of Nature, intended for the use of young people. The success of this little work encouraged her to further efforts in the same field; and during the next few years, she issued in succession six volumes of Sacred History, Selected from the Scriptures, with Annotations and Reflections Adapted to the Comprehension of Young Persons. Her next
work was the Economy of Charity, addressed to benevolent people of her own sex, which went through several editions. She edited subsequently in succession The Family Maga zine, and the Guardian of Education; a selection of her contributions to the first of which was issued under the title of Instructive Tales: her chief papers to the other being collected in the volume published after her death as An Essay upon Christian Education. Besides this, she labored assiduously in the preparation of school-books for the society for promoting Christian knowledge, intended to supersede the imperfect manuals then in use; and did much miscellaneous work of a somewhat cognate kind. She died quite suddenly on Dec. 15, 1810. Her works for the young, though now for the most part superseded, were excellently adapted for their purpose, and for a long time had an exten sive popularity. Her History of the Robins is still a favorite.