Baillic, JOANNA

Baillic, JOANNA, poetess, was born in Bothwell manse, in Lanarkshire, 11th September 1762. Her father, a Presbyterian minister, in 1776 became professor of Divinity in Glasgow; her mother was the sister of William and John Hunter. She received a superior education, and soon began to manifest those talents which subsequently excited the admiration of the public. Her career was a singularly happy one, but devoid of all striking incident. In 1784 she went to reside in London, where her brother, Matthew Baillic, had established himself as a physician. In 1806 she and her sister took a house for themselves at Hampstead, and here she remained till her death, which occurred on the 23d of February 1851, when she had attained the venerable age of 88. Agnes, her sister, survived till 1861, being then a hundred years old. No authoress ever enjoyed a larger share than Joanna Baillic of the esteem and affection of her literary contemporaries. All vied in showing her a courteous respect, and even America sent its votaries to her little shrine at Hampstead. Her greatest achievement is undoubtedly the nine Plays on the Passions (1798-1836), which, though erroneous in conception, are full of noble and impressive poetry, and often characterised by intense dramatic power. The principle upon which Miss Baillic proceeded in the construction of these plays, was, like Marlowe and George Meredith, to take a single passion as the subject of a work, and to exhibit its influence on an individual supposed to be actuated by nothing else. In spite of this method of treatment, there are scenes, in her tragedies especially, where the interest of the reader is intensely excited by the great art shown in the minute delineation of a particular passion, and where he is forced to forget the artificial theory of the author. The most popular as well as the most powerful of her works is the tragedy of De Monfort. It was brought out at Drury Lane in 1800, Kemble and Mrs Siddons taking the leading parts. Her Family Legend, produced at Edinburgh under Scott's auspices in 1810, was a great success. Many of Miss Baillic's minor pieces are very sweet, simple, and beautiful; and are marked by a sprightly grace of versification, and a playful serenity of spirit, which pleasantly remind one of the author's personal character. She was under the middle size, but not diminutive; her form was slender, and her countenance showed high talent, worth, and decision. See Miss Thackeray's Book of Sibyls (1883).