[Boase's Modern English Biogr. ii. 29; Times, 11 Dec. 1891; Colles's Literature and the Pension List; Allibone's Dict. Suppl. ii. 891.]
JAGO, JAMES (1815–1893), physician, second son of John Jago, was born on 18 Dec. 1815 at the barton of Kigilliack, Budock, near Falmouth, once a seat of the bishops of Exeter. He was educated at the Falmouth classical and mathematical school until about 1833. After a short period of private tuition he entered St. John's College, Cambridge, in Easter term 1835, and graduated B.A. in the mathematical tripos of 1839 as thirty-second wrangler. He then determined to adopt the medical profession, and studied at various hospitals in London, Paris, and Dublin. On 16 Feb. 1843 he was incorporated at the university of Oxford from Wadham College (Gardiner, Reg. Wadham, ii. 414). He graduated M.B. on 22 June 1843, and the degree of doctor of medicine was conferred upon him by this university on 10 June 1859. He then began to practise in Truro, and in 1856 he was appointed physician to the Royal Cornwall Infirmary, and he was also connected professionally with the Truro dispensary. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on 2 June 1870, and he served (1873-5) as president of the Royal Institution of Cornwall at Truro, a society of which he had been the honorary secretary for many years.
He died on 18 Jan. 1893. He married, in 1864, Maria Jones, daughter of Richard Pearce of Penzance, by whom he had two daughters.
Dr. Jago was a voluminous writer on various medical subjects, the most important of which were investigations upon certain physiological and pathological conditions of the eye, which his mathematical and medical knowledge especially fitted him to discuss. He was also interested in the history and progress of Cornish science and antiquities. His works are:
- ‘Ocular Spectres and Structures as Mutual Exponents,’ London, 1856, 8vo. This work deals with various optical defects of the human eye.
- ‘Entoptics, with its Uses in Physiology and Medicine,’ London, 1864, 8vo.
He also contributed various papers to the ‘London Medical Gazette,’ ‘Proceedings of the Royal Society,’ the ‘British and Foreign Medical and Chirurgical Review,’ and the ‘Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall.’
[Proceedings of the Royal Society, 1893, vol. liv.; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1715-1886.]
JAMES, DAVID (1839–1893), actor, whose real name was Belasco, born in London in 1839, made his first appearance in a subordinate part at the Princess's theatre under Charles Kean. He is first recognisable at the Royalty, where on 28 Sept. 1863 he was the first Mercury in Mr. Burnand's burlesque of ‘Ixion.’ The following year he was at the Strand, where he played in burlesque, and on 28 Oct. was the first Archibald Goode, a young lover in Craven's ‘Milky White.’ Tom Foxer in Craven's ‘One Tree Hill’ followed. In Mr. Burnand's ‘Windsor Castle’ he was Will Somers. Other parts of little importance succeeded, and on 15 June 1867 he was the first Joseph in ‘Our Domestics,’ (‘Nos Domestiques’). His reputation rose with his performance on 5 Feb. 1870 of Zekiel Homespun in a revival of the ‘Heir at Law.’ Two months later, in partnership with Henry James Montague [q. v.] and Thomas Thorne, he undertook the management of the Vaudeville, but was unable to appear in the opening performances. On 4 June 1870, at the Vaudeville, he played Mr. Jenkins in Albery's ‘Two Roses,’ was the original John Tweedie in ‘Tweedie's Rights’ on 27 May 1871, and Bob Prout in ‘Apple Blossoms’ on 9 Sept. He played Sir Benjamin Backbite in ‘School for Scandal’ and Goldfinch in the ‘Road to Ruin’ with brilliant success, Sheridan's masterpiece being given over four hundred times. He was the original Sir Ball Brace in Albery's ‘Pride’ on 22 April 1874, and ‘the retired butterman,’ Perkyn Middlewick, in ‘Our Boys’ on 16 Jan. 1875. This was his greatest success, and the piece was played for over a thousand times; it was not removed from the playbills until 18 April 1879, and was claimed as ‘the largest run on record.’ On 19 April 1879 he was the first Plantagenet Potter in ‘Our Girls,’ on 29 Jan. 1880 the first John Peddington in Mr. Burnand's ‘Ourselves,’ and on 8 March Smallrib in Charles Wills's ‘Cobwebs.’ James was the first Edward Irwin in Albery's ‘Jacks and Jills’ on 29 May, Macclesfield in E. G. Lankester's ‘The Guv'nor’ on 23 June, and Professor Mistletoe in Byron's ‘Punch’ on 26 May 1881. After, the partnership between James and Thorne had come to an end, James played at the Haymarket Lovibond in the ‘Overland Route’ and Eccles in ‘Caste.’ In 1885 he undertook the management of the Opera Comique, playing Blueskin in ‘Little Jack Sheppard,’ and Aristides Cassegrain in the ‘Excursion Train.’ In 1886 he was at the Criterion playing John Dory in ‘Wild Oats,’ Simon Ingot in ‘David Garrick,’ Matthew Pincher in ‘Cyril's Success,’ and his old part in ‘Our Boys.’ At the Criterion he was also the first Townely Snell in the ‘Circassian’ on 19 Nov. 1887,
