jane porter-born, a.d. 1776. died, a.d. 1850.

anna maria porter-born, a.d.1781, died, a.d. 1832.

ALTHOUGH Jane Porter is the elder of these two gifted sisters, yet, when speaking of their literary life, Anna Maria is always considered her senior. The latter began her career as an authoress at the early age of twelve. But before alluding to their works, some notice of their perfect private life ought to possess some interest for the many who have derived pleasure or instruction—or both combined—from their writings.

Jane and Anna Maria Porter were the daughters of an Irish officer of the 6th, or Inniskilling Dragoons, who died soon after the birth of the latter. Mrs. Porter—left a young and lovely widow in very straitened circumstances—quitted the borderland of Scotland, where she was residing at the time of her husband's death, and went to live in Edinburgh. She did so with a view of affording her children the educational advantages of the Athens of the North; advantages which they appear to have availed themselves of from a very early age. With her three younger children Mrs. Porter lived in Edinburgh for some years—quietly and frugally, as her means compelled her to do—her eldest son being left at a public school in England. Whilst in Edinburgh they made the acquaintance of Sir Walter Scott, then a student at college there. Anna Maria was his chieffavourite; and we are told that “he was very fond of either teasing the little female student when very gravely engaged with her book, or more often fondling her on his knees, and telling her stories of witches and warlocks, till both forgot their former playful merriment in the marvellous interest of the tale.”