BARBAULD

barbauld, anna letitia (1743-1825), english poet and miscellaneous writer, was born at kibworth-harcourt, in leicestershire, on the 20th of june 1743. her father, the rev. john aikin, a presbyterian minister and schoolmaster, taught his daughter latin and greek. in 1758 mr aikin removed his family to warrington, to act as theological tutor in a dissenting academy there. in 1773 miss aikin published a volume of _poems_, which was very successful, and co-operated with her brother, dr john aikin, in a volume of _miscellaneous pieces in prose_. in 1774 she married rochemont barbauld, a member of a french protestant family settled in england. he had been educated in the academy at warrington, and was minister of a presbyterian church at palgrave, in suffolk, where, with his wife's help, he established a boarding school. her admirable _hymns in prose and early lessons_ were written for their pupils. in 1785 she left england for the continent with her husband, whose health was seriously impaired. on their return about two years later, mr barbauld was appointed to a church at hampstead. in 1802 they removed to stoke newington. mrs barbauld became well known in london literary circles. she collaborated with dr aikin in his _evenings at home_; in 1795 she published an edition of akenside's _pleasures of imagination_, with a critical essay; two years later she edited collins's _odes_; in 1804 she published a selection of papers from the english essayists, and a selection from samuel richardson's correspondence, with a biographical notice; in 1810 a collection of the _british novelists_ (50 vols.) with biographical and critical notices; and in 1811 her longest poem, _eighteen hundred and eleven_, giving a gloomy view of the existing state and future prospects of britain. this poem anticipated macaulay in contemplating the prospect of a visitor from the antipodes regarding at a future day the ruins of st paul's from a broken arch of blackfriars bridge. mrs barbauld died on the 9th of march 1825; her husband had died in 1808. a collected edition of her works, with memoir, was published by her niece, lucy aikin, in 2 vols., 1825. see a. l. le breton, _memoir of mrs barbauld_ (1874); g. a. ellis, _life and letters of mrs a. l. barbauld_ (1874); and lady thackeray ritchie, _a book of sibyls_ (1883). barbecue (span. _barbacoa_), originally a framework on posts placed over a fire on which to dry or smoke meat; hence, a gridiron for roasting whole animals, and in cuba an upper floor on which fruit or grain is stored. in the united states the word means an open-air feast, either political or social, where whole animals are roasted and eaten and hogsheads of beer and other vast quantities of food and drink consumed.