HESIANS, FELICIA DOROTHEA, was born September 25th 1704, at Liverpool, where her father, whose name was Browne, was engaged in mercantile pursuits. lie was a native of Ireland ; her mother was an Englishwoman, but was descended from a Venetian family through her father, who was commercial agent at Liverpool for the Venetian government. About the year 1800 Mr. Browne, in consequence of the failure of a mercautile concern iu which he was engaged, removed his family from Liverpool to an old mansion, spacious and solitary, called Grwych, not far from Abergele in Denbighshire, North Wales. Mr. Browne died not long afterwards. Felicia Browne began to write poetry before she was nine years of age, and her mother, a womau of education and taste, was her first confidant and encourager.
Miss Brown's first volume of poems was published iu 1803, and oontains some verses written by her as early as 1803 or 1804. A harsh review of this little volume affected her so much that she was confined to her bed for several days. Her second volume, ' The Domestic Affections,' was published. in 1812.
In 1812 Miss Browne became the wife of Captain Hemans of the fourth regiment. His constitution had suffered so severely iu the retreat upon Corunna, and subsequently by fever caught iu the dis astrous Walcheren expedition, that he felt it necessary, a few years after their marriage, to exchange his native climate for that of Italy. This at least is the motive assigned for his leaving his wife ; but their union, it is said, was not happy, and this separation, which took place just before the birth of her fifth son, closed it. for ever. Mrs. Hemans with her five eons went to reside with her mother, then living at Brouwylfa, near St. Asaph, in North Wales.
Mrs. H01131:19 now resumed her literary and poetical pursuits with increased ardour. She studied the Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German lauguagcs. She made some translations from Horace, Herrera, and Camoeus, and contributed a series of papers on 'Foreign Literature' to the 'Edinburgh Magazine." The Restoration of the Works of Art to Italy' was published in 1815 ; Tales and Historic Scenes' in 1819; and about the same time ' The Sceptic,' a didactic poem, in Iferoie rhyme ; and Modern Greece,' in ten.liae stanzas. Her poem of Dartmoor' obtained the prize from the Royal Society of Literature in 1821.
When about twenty-five years of age, Mrs. Hemans became acquainted with the Rev. Reginald Heber, afterwards Bishop of Calcutta, who passed a part of every year at Bedryddan, near St. Asaph, and their
acquaintance soon ripened into friendship. At his suggestion she wrote her first dramatic work, the tragedy of The Vespers of Palermo,' which was represented at Covent Garden Theatre, London, in 1823. It was unsuccessful there, but was afterwards better received at Edinburgh, when Walter Scott wrote an epilogue for it. The Siege of Valends, the Last Cmistantine, and other Poems' was published in 1521 In 182S Mrs, Hennas removed, with her mother, her sister, and her own seas, to Mullen, near St. Asaph. Her sister had returned, in 1S21, from Germany, when one of her brothers was attached to the Vienna embassy, bringing with her a fresh supply of German books, and Mrs. Ifemans's delight in German literature may be dated from that time. Her ' Lays of many Lands,' moat of which appeared in the 'New Monthly Magazine,' then edited by Thomas Campbell, were suggested by Herder's 'Stinnen der Volker in Liedern: and preceded by 'The Forest Sanctuary,' formed her next volume, published in 1e27, which was followed, in 1323, by the 'Records of Woman.' Meet of these poems were written at Rhyllon, and many of those in the last volume are tinged by the melancholy occasioned by the recent death of her 'mother, for whom her affection was always exceedingly ong.
In the autumn of 1823, on the marriage of her sister, and the removal of her brother, who was In the army, to Ireland, Mrs. Tiernans established herself at the village of Wavertree, near Liverpool. in the expectation of obtaining good schools for her children and pleasant society for herself. She had however little success in either of these objects. In the early part of the summer of 1529 Mrs. Heinen', paid a shift to Scotland, and was introduced to Sir Walter Scott, with whom she afterwards spent several days at Abbotsford. In 1830 she published another volume of poetry, ' The Songs of the Affections,' and in the summer of the same year paid a visit to the lakes of Cumberland and Westmoreland. She remained a fortnight with Words worth at Rydal Mount, and then took up her residence at Dove-Neat Cottage, near Atobleside. After remaining some weeks, she was induced to make a second visit to Scotland, on which occasion she spent the greater part of the time at Milburn Tower, the seat of Sir Robert Liston. During this visit she formed a friendship, in consequence of which she was induced to visit Dublin before she returned to Waver tree, and ultimately decided on leaving England, and fixing her abode at Dublin.