, author of <c Chrysal, or the Adventures 'of a Guinea,“and other works
, author of
<c Chrysal, or the Adventures 'of a Guinea,“and other works
of a similar kind, was a native of Ireland, and descended
from a branch of the Johnstons of Annandale. He was
born in the early part of the last century, but in what year
we have not been able to discover. After receiving a good
classical education, he was called to the bar, and came
over to England for practice in that profession, but being
unfortunately prevented by deafness from attending the
courts, he confined himself to the employment of a chamber counsel. It does not appear that his success was great,
and embarrassed circumstances rendered him glad to embrace any other employment, in which his talents might
have a chance to succeed. His
” Chrysal“is said to have
been his first literary attempt, two volumes of which he
wrote while on a visit to Mount Edgecumbe, the seat of the
late earl of Mount Edgecumbe. He appears to have had
recourse to some degree of art, in order to apprize the
public of what they were to expect from it. In the newspapers for April 1760, it is announced that
” there will be
speedily published, under the emblematical title of the
f Adventures of a Guinea/ a dispassionate, distinct account
of the most remarkable transactions of the present times all
over Europe, with curious and interesting anecdotes of
the public and private characters of the parties principally
concerned in these scenes, especially in England; the
whole interspersed with several most whimsical and entertaining instances of the intimate connection between high
and low life, and the power of little causes to produce great
events.“This, while it has the air of a puff, is not an unfaithful summary of the contents of these volumes, which
were published in May of the same year, and read with
such avidity, that the author was encouraged to add two
more volumes in 1765, not inferior to the former, in merit
or success; and the work has often been reprinted since.
The secret springs of some political intrigues on the continent, are perhaps unfolded in these volumes, but it was
the personal characters of many distinguished statesmen,
women of quality, and citizens, which rendered the work
palatable. A few of these were depicted in such striking
colours as not to be mistaken; and the rest, being supposed to be equally faithful, although less obvious, the
public were long amused in conjecturing the originals.
With some truth, however, there is so much fiction, and in
a few instances so much of what deserves a worse epithet,
that
” Chrysal“does not appear entitled to much higher
praise than that of the best
” scandalous chronicle of the
day." In one case, it may be remembered, the author
occasioned no little confusion among the guilty parties, by
unfolding the secrets of a club of profligates of rank, who
used to assemble at a nobleman’s villa in Buckinghamshire.
In this, as well as other instances, it must be allowed, that
although he describes his bad characters as worse than they
were, he everywhere expresses the noblest sentiments of
indignation against vice and meanness.