SMOLLETT, ToniAs, an eminent Scottish novel-, ist and poet, was the son of Archibald Smollett, the fourth son of Sir James Smollett of Bonhill. He was born at Dalquhurn, near Renton, in the parish of Cardross, Dumbartonshire, in 1721.
Smollett was educated at the parish school of Dum barton, and he afterwards prosecuted his studies at the college of Glasgow with diligence and success. Here he contracted a fondness for the medical pro fession, and was apprenticed to Mr. John Gordon of that city. In this capacity he studied medicine and the belles lettres. He occasionally indulged in satiri cal effusions, not only against those who merited it, but against the more decent and respectable persons whom he knew, and his conversation has been describ ed as a " string of epigrammatic sarcasms against one or other of the company." In the seventeenth year of his age he wrote a tragedy, called the Regicide, the subject of which was the assassination of James I. of Scotland.
In 1740, when his apprenticeship was finished, he set out for London to solicit employment in the army or navy, and to bring his tragedy upon the stage. Although the exertions of his friends could not recom mend his play to the favour of the theatres, they procured for him the situation of surgeon's mate to one of the ships of the line that went out in the unfor tunate expedition to Carthagena in 1741, under Ad miral Vernon.t Disgusted with the navy, our author quitted the service in the West Indies, and resided for some time in Jamaica, where he became acquainted with Miss Lascelles, a beautiful woman, whom he af terwards married.
In 1746 he returned to London, and though a Whig in politics, yet the love of his country predominated, and he expressed his feelings respecting the cruelties of the English troops during the rebellion, in a poem, entitled, the Tears of poem written with elegance and spirit. In the same year he published his .fidvicc, a Satire, an acrimonious attack upon seve ral individuals of rank and fortune. In the same year he wrote an Opera, entitled illecste, for Mr. Rich, manager of Covent Garden; but in consequence of a dispute, which exposed the manager to the shafts of his wit, it was neither acted nor printed.
In 1747 he published his Reproof, a Satire, being the second part of the .4dvice, continuing the same system of inveterate attack upon all the leading per sonages of the times. In the same year he married
Miss Lascelles, who expected a portion or L3000 in West India property. Trusting to this expectation, he lived elegantly and hospitably; but being able to recover only a small part of the above sum, and that by means of expensive litigation, he got into serious pecuniary difficulties, which compelled him to have recourse to his pen.
He accordingly devoted his time to literature, and brought out in 1748 his .11dventures of _Roderick Ran dom, in 2 vols. 12mo. a work which both bettered his pecuniary circumstances, and widely extended his re putation.
The tragedy of the Regicide, already mentioned, was subscription in 1749, and he derived from it considerable emolument. lIc went to Paris in 1750, and about this time he composed his .Rdven tures of Peregrine Pickle, with the Memoirs of a Lady of Quality, which appeared in 1751 in 4 vols. This work is marked with broad humour, and great know ledge of the world. Real personages and real inci dents are often described, as in Roderick Random, but the adventures, and frequently the language, were stained with an indelicacy and immorality that were highly reprehensible. The edition was quickly sold; another was bought up in Ireland; and the work was translated into French. Our author received, too, a very handsome sum for inserting in this novel the Memoirs of Lady Vane, which were furnished by her self, and which gave additional popularity to the work.
Notwithstanding the great success of Roderick Ran dom and Peregrine Pickle, Smollett seems to have been anxious to quit the profession of an author. He obtained about this time the degree of M. D. proba bly from some foreign university, and he announced his intention to practise medicine, by a work entitled, Ai Essay on the External Use of 1Titer, in a Letter to Dr. , with particular Remarks upon the pre sent method of using the Mineral Waters at Bath in Somersetshire,and a plan for rendering them more safe, agreeable, and efficacious, 1752, 4to. In the practice of physic, however, lie was not successful, and was compelled again to have recourse to his pen. In 1753 be published his .thlventures of Count Fathom, in 2 vols. 12mo. but it was neither so ably written nor so popular as its predecessors.