Bayly, THOMAS HAYNES

Bayly, THOMAS HAYNES, an English songwriter and author, was born at Bath, October 13, 1797. After deserting successively both law and the church, Bayly, during a short sojourn amid the brilliant society of Dublin, first discovered his own powers as a ballad-writer and achieved his earliest successes. In 1824 he settled in London; and his I'd be a Butterfly was quickly followed by The Soldier's Tear, We met—twas in a Crowd, She wore a Wreath of Roses, Oh, no, we never mention her, and many others, familiar wherever the English language is spoken. Bayly also wrote a novel, The Aylmers, several volumes of verse, some tales, and numerous dramatic pieces, the best of which was Perfection, a clever little comedy, produced by Madame Vestris, and once very popular. In his last years he suffered much from confirmed jaundice and dropsy, which brought about his death, April 22, 1839.