MRS. JAMESON, whose “Characteristics of Women” has become a classic, was born in Dublin, May 17th, 1794. Her father, D. Brownell Murphy, was a miniature-painter, no wealthier than artists generally are, and his daughter began life at the age of sixteen as a governess in the family of the Marquis of Winchester. In 1825 she married Robert Jameson, a lawyer, with whom she did not live long. He went as a judge to Jamaica, while she remained at home to pursue her career as an authoress. Her “Characteristics of Women” appeared in 1832, her “Sacred and Legendary Art” from 1848 to 1852, and her “Miscellaneous Essays” in 1846. She wrote also “Celebrated Female Sovereigns” and a number of other works which were once widely read. She died in Middlesex, England, March 17th, 1860.