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THE 


ANNUAL 


BIOGRAPHY  AND  OBITUARY 


1832. 


VOL.  XVI. 


LONDON: 

PRINTED    FOR 

LONGMAN,  REES>  ORME,  BROWN,  GREEN,  &  LONGMAN, 

PATERNOSTER-ROW. 

1832. 


cr 

'100 

f\(p 


V- 


LONDOK: 

Printed  by  A.  &  R.  Spottiswoode, 
New-Street- Square. 


CONTENTS. 


i. 

MEMOIRS     OF     CELEBRATED      PERSONS     WHO      HAVE      DIED 
WITHIN    THE    YEARS    1830 — 1831. 

No.  Page 

1.  The  Honourable  Sir  Robert  Cavendish  Spencer  -  1 

2.  Henri/  Mackenzie,  Esq.             -  10 

3.  Brigadier- General  Alexander  Walker  24 

4.  Robert  William  Elliston,  Esq.  51 

5.  Sir  William  Johnstone  Hope  -  67 

6.  Archdeacon  Parkinson            -  -75 

7.  Lord  Viscount  Torrinaton  84 

8.  John  Jackson,  Esq.  R.A.-  95 

9.  Lieutenant- Governor  JBrowell  - .  -  106 

10.  John  Abernethy,  Esq.  -  116 

11.  Mrs.  Siddons  -  131 

12.  Sir  Edward  Berry             -  -  173 

13.  Dr.Mackie  -  -  182 

14.  The  Rev.  Robert  Hall   -  -  195 

15.  Sir  Murray  Maxwell                -  -  -  220 

16.  Thomas  Hope,  Esq.  -  256 

17.  The  Earl  of  Dundonald  -  265 

18.  Archdeacon  Churton  -  -               -  271 

19.  Mr.  N.  T.  Carrinaton         .  r^  -  279 

20.  Sir  Joseph  Sydney  Yorke  -  288 

21.  William  Roscoe,  Esq.            -  ^ ..-:  303 

22.  Charles  Owing,  Esq.            -  315 

23.  Rear-Admiral  Walker  .  -  321 

24.  Andrew  Strahan,  Esq.  •>          -  326 

25.  The  Earl  of  Northesk  -  331 

26.  William  Hamper,  Esq.  -  -  339 


IV  CONTENTS. 

No.  Page 

27.  James  Northcote,  Esq.  R.  A.  -        347 

28.  Thomas  Greatorex,  Esq.  -        381 

29.  The  Earl  of  Norbury            -  392 

30.  Robert  Chessher,  Esq.  397 

31.  The  Rev.  Philip  Taylor  409 
Letter  from  Sir  George  Mackenzie  416 

II. 

A    General  Biographical   List  of  Persons    who  have    died   in 

1830—1831.             .                 -  -                            418 


THE 

ANNUAL 

BIOGRAPHY  AND  OBITUARY, 

OF 

-  1831. 


PART  I. 

MEMOIRS  OF  CELEBRATED  PERSONS,  WHO  HAVE 
DIED  WITHIN  THE  YEARS  1830-1831. 


No.  I. 
THE  HON.  SIR  ROBERT  CAVENDISH  SPENCER, 

KNIGHT  COMMANDER  OF  THE  ROYAL  HANOVERIAN  GUELPHIC 
ORDER,  CAPTAIN  OF  HIS  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  MADAGASCAR, 
SURVEYOR- GENERAL  OF  THE  ORDNANCE,  AND  AN  EXTRA 
GROOM  OF  HIS  MAJESTY'S  BEDCHAMBER. 

THIS  gallant  officer  was  the  third,  but  second  surviving,  son 
of  George  John,  second  and  present  Earl  Spencer,  K.  G.,  and 
the  Hon.  Lavinia  Bingham,  eldest  daughter  of  Charles,  first 
Lord,  and  afterwards  Earl  of,  Lucan. 

Sir  Robert  was  born  on  the  24-th  of  October,  1791 ;  and 
received  his  education  at  Harrow.  He  commenced  his  naval 
career  in  August,  1804,  as  midshipman  on  board  the  Tigre,  80, 
Captain  Benjamin  Hallowell,  with  whom  he  first  sailed  to  the 
Mediterranean ;  and  from  thence  accompanied  Nelson  to  the 
West  Indies,  in  pursuit  of  the  combined  fleets  of  France  and 

VOL.  XVI.  B 


2        THE    HON.  SIR   ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER. 

Spain.  In  the  spring  of  18079  Captain  Hallowell  was  oc- 
cupied in  commanding  the  naval  part  of  the  expedition  sent 
from  Messina,  to  take  possession  of  Alexandria ;  and  Mr. 
Spencer  was  employed  in  all  the  boat  services  which  took 
place ;  and  at  both  the  unsuccessful  attacks  on  Rosetta,  under 
the  immediate  orders  of  Captain  (now  Vice- Admiral)  Fellowes. 

For  the  next  two  years  the  Tigre  was  principally  employed 
in  watching  the  port  of  Toulon ;  and  at  the  capture  and  de- 
struction of  the  French  convoy  in  the  bay  of  Rosas,  Novem- 
ber 1.  1809,  Mr.  Spencer  was  employed  in  the  Tigre's 
launch,  under  Lieutenant  Edward  Boxer,  the  senior  officer, 
and  leader  of  the  starboard  line  of  boats.  The  crew  of  the 
launch  were  among  the  first  who,  hauling  up  on  the  in-shore 
side  of  la  Lamproie,  penetrated  under  the  boarding  nettings, 
which  the  French  had  neglected  to  lace  down,  doubtless  sup- 
posing that  the  fire  from  the  beach  would  have  deterred  any 
attempt  to  board  on  that  side. 

Mr.  Spencer's  commission  as  lieutenant  bore  date  Decem- 
ber 13.  1810:  he  removed  with  Rear- Admiral  Hallowell  to 
the  Malta,  84- ;  and  continued  to  serve  in  that  ship  until  he  re- 
ceived an  order  to  take  charge  of  the  Pelorus  brig,  in  October, 
1812.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Commander  January 
22. 1813;  and  appointed  first  to  the  Kite  brig,  of  sixteen  guns, 
and  soon  after  to  the  sloop  Espoir  of  eighteen,  which,  joining 
Sir  Edward  Pellew's  fleet,  was  selected  by  that  officer  to  form 
a  part  of  Captain  Usher's  squadron  employed  off  the  French 
coast,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Marseilles.  That  little  squad- 
ron was  in  a  state  of  unceasing  activity,  few  days  passing  in 
which  it  was  not  engaged  with  the  enemy.  One  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  its  services  was  one  suggested  by  Captain 
Spencer  —  the  destruction  of  the  batteries  at  Cassis,  a  small 
sea-port  between  Marseilles  and  Toujon.  "  O\ying  to  a  light 
wind,"  says  Captain  Usher,  in  his  official  letter,  "  the  Un- 
daunted could  not  take  up  the  anchorage  that  I  intended  : 
therefore,  to  Captain  Coghlan,  Sir  John  Sinclair,  and  the 
Hon.  Captain  Spencer,  I  am  entirely  indebted  for  the  success 
that  attended  an  enterprise  which,  for  gallantry,  has  seldom 


.     THE    HON.  SIR    ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER.        3 

been  surpassed."  The  re-embarkation  of  the  men  was  con- 
ducted under  Captain  Spencer's  orders ;  and  he  selected  a 
situation  which  was  particularly  well  calculated  to  resist  any 
attack  from  Toulon  or  Marseilles,  had  such  been  attempted. 

On  the  19th  of  January,  1814,  Captain  Spencer  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Carron  twenty-gun  corvette ;  which  ship  he 
continued  to  command  after  his  advancement  to  post  rank, 
June  4.  1814.  The  Carron  was  one  of  the  small  squadron 
under  Captain  the  Hon.  W.  H.  Percy  at  the  attack  of  Fort 
Bowyer,  near  Mobile,  in  West  Florida,  September  15.  1814. 

It  appears  by  the  official  account  of  that  gallant,  but  un- 
successful enterprise,  that,  after  the  senior  officer  anchored, 
the  wind  died  away,  and  a  strong  ebb  tide  prevented  Captain 
Spencer  from  getting  his  ship  into  the  position  wished  for. 
He  therefore  left  her  distantly  engaged,  hastened  to  the  assist- 
ance of  his  gallant  friend,  and  remained  with  him  on  board 
the  Hermes,  until  the  boats  of  the  squadron  came  alongside 
to  take  out  her  surviving  officers  and  crew,  the  greater  part  of 
whom,  including  many  of  the  wdunded,  were  received  on 
board  the  Carron. 

At  the  latter  end  of  the  same  year,  Captain  Spencer  was 
very  usefully  employed  in  the  expedition  against  New  Orleans. 
From  his  knowledge  of  the  French  and  Spanish  languages, 
he  was  selected  by  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane  to  obtain  inform- 
ation respecting  the  state  of  Louisiana,  and  procure  guides, 
pilots,  &c.  for  the  approaching  expedition.  He  narrowly 
escaped  being  taken  prisoner  by  General  Jackson's  cavalry, 
while  in  company  with  an  officer  of  the  Quarter-master  Ge- 
neral's department,  looking  into  the  fort  of  Pensacola,  into 
which  place  the  enemy's  cavalry  entered  at  the  moment  these 
officers  pushed  off  from  the  mole-head. 

Although  the  junior  captain  present,  Captain  Spencer  was 
selected  to  reconnoitre  Lac  Borgne,  in  company  with  Major 
Peddie,  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  where  a  landing  could 
be  best  effected.  Having  obtained  considerable  influence 
over  the  emigrated  Spaniards  and  Frenchmen  settled  as  fish- 
ermen, &c.,  he  prevailed  on  one  of  them  to  take  Major  Peddie, 

B  2 


4)         THE    HON.  SIR   ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER. 

himself,  and  coxswain  in  a  canoe  up  the  creek ;  and  this  party 
actually  penetrated  to  the  suburbs  of  New  Orleans,  and  walked 
over  the  very  ground  afterwards  taken  up  by  General  Jackson 
as  the  position  for  his  formidable  line  of  defence.  Having 
discovered  an  eligible  spot  for  the  disembarkation,  he  under- 
took, with  Colonel  Thornton,  and  about  thirty  of  the  85th 
and  95th  regiments,  to  dislodge  a  strong  picket  of  the  enemy  ; 
a  service  which  they  performed  most  efficiently,  without  a 
shot  being  fired,  or  an  alarm  given.  From  this  time  to  the 
disastrous  8th  of  January,  when  the  army  failed  in  its  last 
attack  on  the  American  lines,  Captain  Spencer  was  engaged 
in  all  the  arduous  duties  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  officers 
who  remained  on  shore.  It  was  shortly  after  that  he  received 
a  letter  from  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane,  conveying  that  officer's 
sense  of  his  exertions  and  conduct  during  the  whole  of  the 
operations  connected  with  Louisiana  and  Florida,  and  ap- 
pointing him  to  the  command  of  the  Cydnus,  a  fine  thirty- 
eight  gun  frigate.  Peace  was  soon  after  concluded  with  the 
United  States;  and  it  being  desirable  to  keep  our  Indian 
allies  from  further  hostilities,  Captain  Spencer  was  selected  by 
Sir  Pulteney  Malcolm  for  the  delicate  service  of  settling  all 
their  claims,  and  dismissing  them  from  our  service.  This  was 
arranged  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  His  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment, notwithstanding  the  prejudices  and  wild  habits  of  the 
Indians,  amongst  whom  Captain  Spencer  lived  encamped  at 
Prospect  Bluff,  far  up  the  Apalachicola  river,  for  more  than  a 
month. 

Captain  Spencer's  next  appointment  was  May  20.  1817,  to 
the  Ganymede,  26;  and,  whilst  commanding  that  ship  in  the 
Mediterranean,  he  was  sent,  by  Sir  Charles  V.  Penrose,  to 
remonstrate  with  the  Bashaw  of  Tunis  on  the  behaviour  of 
his  cruisers.  Not  only  was  this  mission  successful,  but  the 
Bashaw  was  induced  to  sign  an  additional  article  to  the  exist- 
ing treaty,  binding  himself  to  certain  points  deemed  of  im- 
portance by  the  British  Government. 

In  1819,  an  expedition  being  intended  by  Spain  for  the 
recovery  of  her  South  American  colonies,  and  it  being  sup- 


-THE    HON.  SIR    ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER.        5 

posed  that  our  extensive  and  valuable  commercial  interests 
might  suffer  between  the  contending  parties,  Sir  Thomas  M. 
Hardy  was  nominated  to  the  chief  command  on  the  coasts  of 
South  America ;  and  Captain  Spencer  was  selected  by  the 
First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  to  command  a  frigate  under  his 
orders.  He  was  accordingly  appointed  to  the  Owen  Glen- 
dower,  of  42  guns. 

It  was  his  fortune  on  this  service  to  be  frequently  obliged 
to  act  in  a  diplomatic  character.  Our  complicated  commercial 
relations  with  the  new  states,,  which  we  had  not  then  recog- 
nised, occasioned  very  intricate  questions  of  international  law : 
in  all  these,  Captain  Spencer's  cultivated  mind,  and  excellent 
judgment,  were  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  the  important  in- 
terests which  he  represented.  To  the  internal  government  of 
his  ship,  and  the  education  of  the  young  men  intrusted  to  his 
care,  he  also  so  far  devoted  his  attention,  that  the  Owen 
Glendower  was  instanced  as  an  example  of  efficient  order 
and  perfect  discipline  worthy  of  general  imitation.  It  was  in 
that  frigate  that  the  useful  invention  of  Congreve's  Lights  was 
first  introduced,  at  Captain  Spencer's  own  expense,  before  it 
had  been  countenanced  by  the  Board  of  Ordnance.  The 
Owen  Glendower  was  paid  off  at  Chatham,  September  17. 
1822,  having  previously  visited  Copenhagen,  to  which  place 
Captain  Spencer  was  accompanied  by  his  noble  father. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  1823,  Captain  Spencer  was  appointed 
to  the  Naiad,  46;  in  which  frigate,  after  a  cruise  in  the 
Channel,  he  sailed  from  Spithead  with  sealed  orders,  in 
September  following.  After  remaining  at  Lisbon  until  the 
early  part  of  1824,  he  proceeded  to  Algiers  with  the  Chame- 
leon brig,  of  10  guns,  under  his  orders,  to  remonstrate  against 
the  outrageous  proceedings  of  the  Dey,  who  had  broken  open 
the  house  of  the  British  Consul,  and  taken  away  two  of  his 
servants,  under  the  pretence  that  they  belonged  to  a  tribe 
called  Cabbais,  natives  of  the  interior >  against  whom  the 
Regency  had  commenced  a  war  of  extermination  and  plunder. 
On  his  arrival,  Captain  Spencer  found  two  Spanish  vessels  in 
.the  mole,  which  had  just  been  captured,  and  their  crews 

B  3 


6         THE    HON.  SIR    ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER. 

destined  to  slavery.  With  the  most  praiseworthy  feeling,  he 
made  the  release  of  these  poor  captives  a  part  of  his  demands, 
agreeably  to  the  Exmouth  treaty,  which  renounced  the  right 
of  the  Dey  to  enslave  Christian  subjects.  After  waiting  four 
clays,  and  finding  the  Dey  still  obstinate  in  refusing  his  just 
claims,  Captain  Spencer  embarked  the  Consul-general  and 
family  on  board  the  Naiad;  and  on  the  31st  of  January,  1824, 
got  under  weigh  with  his  guests,  and  worked  out  of  the  bay 
with  the  Chameleon  in  company.  Whilst  the  Naiad  and  her 
consort  were  beating  out,  the  corvette  which  had  captured 
the  Spanish  vessels  was  seen  running  for  the  mole;  and 
chase  being  given,  and  several  shot  fired  across  her  bows  to 
bring  her  to,  which  was  disregarded,  she  was  reduced  to  a 
wreck  by  the  Naiad's  fire,  and  subsequently  laid  on  board 
very  gallantly  by  the  Chameleon.  In  a  few  minutes  she  was 
in  possession  of  the  brig's  crew,  and  proved  to  be  the  Tripoli 
of  18  guns,  and  100  men,  of  whom  seven  were  killed 
and  twelve  wounded  ;  the  British  sustained  no  loss.  Finding 
that  this  vessel  was  in  a  leaky  state,  and  so  much  disabled  by 
the  fire  she  had  sustained  as  to  make  her  quite  unseaworthy, 
Captain  Spencer  abandoned  her,  after  taking  out  the  Alge- 
rine  commander  and  seventeen  Spaniards,  the  latter  of  whom 
were  thus  happily  rescued  from  slavery. 

Captain  Spencer  then  repaired  to  Malta,  for  the  purpose 
of  communicating  his  proceedings  to  Sir  Harry  Neale,  the 
commander-in-chief  in  the  Mediterranean,  with  whom  he  re- 
turned, two  days  afterwards,  to  Algiers.  The  Dey  still  con- 
tinued obstinate  in  his  refusal,  and  a  blockade  was  established ; 
during  the  whole  period  of  which  the  Naiad  Was  employed  on 
that  coast.  On  the  24th  of  May,  1824,  Captain  Spencer  re- 
ported to  the  commander-in-chief  a  very  gallant  exploit  — 
the  complete  destruction,  under  the  walls  of  Bona,  of  an 
Algerine  brig  of  war,  by  the  boats  of  the  Naiad,  under  the 
command  of  his  first  lieutenant,  Mr.  Quin. 

At  length  every  preparation  was  made  for  bombarding  the 
town,  when  the  Dey  communicated  to  Captain  Spencer,  who 
had  been  sent  on  shore,  his  readiness  to  come  to  terms*  As 


THE    HON.  SIR    ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER.        7 

it  appeared  likely  that  the  negotiations  and  final  arrangements 
would  occupy  some  days,  the  commander-in-chief  then  dis- 
persed his  squadron,  and  left  Captain  Spencer  to  conclude 
the  treaty  with  the  Dey ;  which  he  performed  to  the  perfect 
satisfaction  of  Government.  The  last  year  of  the  Naiad's 
service  was  passed  on  the  shores  of  Greece  and  the  Archipe- 
lago, employed  in  the  protection  of  our  commerce,  and  occa- 
sionally in  political  negotiation  with  the  commander  of  the 
Turkish  forces  in  the  Morea,  and  with  the  Greek  chiefs. 

On  the  Naiad  being  ordered  home,  Sir  Harry  Neale  ad- 
dressed a  very  complimentary  letter  to  Captain  Spencer,  ex- 
pressing his  sense  of  Captain  Spencer's  services.  The  Naiad 
was  paid  off  at  Portsmouth,  in  the  autumn  of  1826.  The 
high  state  of  perfection  to  which  the  gunnery  was  carried, 
and  the  admirable  system  of  discipline  established  on  board 
that  frigate,  during  the  period  of  Captain  Spencer's  com- 
mand, is  said  "  never  to  have  been  exceeded." 

In  August,  1827,  Captain  Spencer  was  appointed  Private 
Secretary  to  his  Royal  Highness  the  Lord  High  Admiral, 
his  present  Majesty  William  IV.;  and  in  that  situation  he 
assisted  in  effecting  many  useful  reforms  in  the  naval  depart- 
ment. He  was  a  great  advocate  for  that  system  of  inspection 
which,  at  the  time,  gave  much  satisfaction  to  the  service,  bu4 
which  has  since  been  discontinued.  To  his  pen  is  attributed 
the  ingenious  catechism  which  gained  the  name  of  the 
Ninety-nine  Questions,  and  which,  though  not  acted  on  (it  is 
believed  on  account  of  the  Lord  High  Admiral's  resignation)* 
became  known  to  the  service,  and  was  ;productive  of  many 
advantageous  results. 

If  by  some  it  has  been  thought  that,  whilst  in  this  arduous 
situation,  Sir  Robert  Spencer  drew  the  strings  of  authority 
too  tight,  it  must  be  recollected  that  to  such  an  accusation 
all  public  officers  are  liable;  and,  where  so  much  real  worth 
is  acknowledged,  a  little  occasional  bluntness  and  shortness 
of  manner,  unfortunately  incident  to  the  profession  of  a  sea- 
man and  the  habits  of  command,  may  surely  be  excused. 
,  During  the  illness  of  Sir  William  Hoste,  Captain  Spencer 

B   4 


8        THE    HON.  SIR    ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER. 

took  the  command  of  the  Royal  Sovereign  yacht,  when  his 
Royal  Highness  made  his  second  visitation  to  the  Dockyards, 
in  1828.  Exemplary  in  all  his  conduct,  he  thought  it  right 
to  read  to  the  ship's  company  the  service  of  the  church ;  and 
his  Royal  Highness  remarked,  that  he  had  never  heard  it 
performed  with  more  impressive  eloquence  than  on  that 
occasion. 

Captain  Spencer  continued  to  fill  his  important  office  until 
the  royal  Duke's  retirement,  in  1828.  His  Royal  Highness, 
as  a  mark  of  his  approval  and  esteem,  had  appointed  him,  on 
the  24th  of  August,  one  of  the  Grooms  of  his  Bedchamber ; 
in  October  of  the  same  year  he  was  nominated  a  Knight 
Commander  of  the  Royal  Hanoverian  Guelphic  Order :  he 
was  knighted  at  Windsor  on  the  24-th  of  the  following  month. 

On  the  resignation  of  his  Royal  Highness,  employment 
again  became  immediately  the  object  of  this  zealous  and 
indefatigable  officer;  and  in  September,  1828,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Madagascar,  a  frigate  of  46  guns,  on  the 
Mediterranean  station.  On  his  brother,  Lord  Althorp,  be- 
coming a  member  of  the  present  administration,  Sir  Robert 
Spencer  was  selected  to  represent  the  Navy  at  the  Ordnance 
Board,  as  Surveyor-general  of  that  department ;  and  his  ship 
was  ordered  home.  He  was  not  destined,  however,  to  revisit 
his  native  country;  an  inflammation  of  the  bowels  having 
seized  him  at  Alexandria,  and  in  two  days  terminated  his 
valuable  life.  He  died  on  the  4th  of  November,  1830. 

Throughout  life,  all  the  energies  of  Sir  Robert  Spencer's 
active  mind  were  unremittingly  employed  in  the  science  of 
his  profession,  and  in  its  discipline ;  and  these  great  acquire- 
ments, united  with  his  native  gallantry  and  tried  spirit,  made 
him  an  early  and  bright  example  to  the  British  Navy,  rich  as 
it  is  in  the  display  of  nautical  skill  and  bravery.  So  happily 
did  the  firmness  of  his  mind  combine  with  the  benevolence  of 
his  heart,  that  the  attachment  and  devotion  with  which  he 
inspired  the  officers  and  men  with  whom  he  sailed,  can  be 
understood  only  by  those  who  witnessed  the  result;  for  they 
saw  the  affectionate  confidence  which  was  reposed  in  his 


THE    HON.  SIR    ROBERT    CAVENDISH    SPENCER.        9 

fatherly  protection,  and  the  instantaneous  obedience  which 
was  given  to  his  masterly  commands.  It  is  also  difficult  to 
describe  the  unequalled  delight  of  his  society.  The  playful- 
ness and  gaiety  of  his  disposition,  the  tenderness  of  his  heart, 
the  good  sense,  the  deep  feeling,  and  the  entire  absence  of  all 
selfishness,  which  peculiarly  belonged  to  his  conversation, 
gave  to  his  social  intercourse  a  charm,  which  no  one  who 
ever  partook  of  it  in  his  familiar  hours  can  recollect  without 
the  deepest  sorrow  for  his  loss. 


For  the  foregoing  memoir,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
paragraphs,  we  are  indebted  to  Marshall's  Royal  Naval 
Biography. 


10 


No.  II. 
HENRY  MACKENZIE,  ESQ. 

HENRY  MACKENZIE  was  born  at  Edinburgh,  in  August, 
1745.  His  father  was  Dr.  Joshua  Mackenzie,  an  eminent 
physician  of  Edinburgh,  who  had  himself  been  distinguished 
in  the  world  of  letters  as  the  author  of  a  volume  of  Medical 
and  Literary  Essays ;  his  mother  was  Margaret,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Mr.  Rose  of  Kilravock,  of  a  very  ancient  family 
in  Nairnshire. 

After  being  educated  at  the  High  School  and  University 
of  Edinburgh,  Mr.  Mackenzie,  by  the  advice  of  some  friends 
of  his  father,  was  articled  to  Mr.  Inglis  of  Redhajl,  in  order 
to  acquire  a,  knowledge  of  the  business  of  the  Exchequer ;  a 
law  department  iri  which  he  was  likely  to  have  fewer  com- 
petitors than  in  any  other  in  Scotland. 

To  this,  although  not  perfectly  compatible  with  that  literary 
taste  which  he  very  early  displayed,  he  applied  with  due  dili- 
gence;  and,  in  1765,  went  to  London  to  study  the  modes  of 
English  Exchequer  practice,  which,  as  well  as  the  constitution 
of  the  courts,  are  similar  in  both  countries.  While  there,  his 
talents  induced  a  friend  to  solicit  his  remaining  in  London, 
and  qualifying  himself  for  the  English  bar.  But  the  anxious 
wishes  of  his  family  that  he  should  reside  with  them,  and  the 
moderation  of  an  unambitious  mind,  decided  his  return  to 
Edinburgh ;  and  there  he  became,  first  partner,  and  after- 
wards successor  to  Mr.  Inglis,  in  the  office  of  Attorney  for 
the  Crown. 

His  professional  labour,  however,  did  not  prevent  his 
attachment  to  literary  pursuits.  When  in  London,  he 
sketched  some  part  of  his  first  and  very  popular  work,  The 


HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ.  11 

Man  of  Feeling,  which  was  published  anonymously  in  1771; 
and  was  so  much  a  favourite  with  the  public,  as  to  become,  a 
few  years  after,  the  occasion  of  a  remarkable  fraud.  A  Mr. 
Eccles  of  Bath,  observing  that  the  book  was  accompanied  by 
no  author's  name,  laid  claim  to  it,  transcribed  the  whole  in 
his  own  hand,  with  blottings,  interlineations,  and  corrections, 
and  maintained  his  right  with  such  plausible  pertinacity,  that 
Messrs.  Cadell  and  Strahan  (Mr.  Mackenzie's  publishers) 
found  it  necessary  to  undeceive  the  public  by  a  formal 
contradiction. 

In  a  few  years  after  this  Mr.  Mackenzie  published  his 
Man  of  the  World,  which  seems  to  be  intended  as  a  second 
part  to  The  Man  of  Feeling.  It  breathes  the  same  tone  of 
exquisite  moral  delicacy,  and  of  refined  sensibility.  In  his 
former  fiction,  he  imagined  a  hero  constantly  obedient  to 
every  emotion  of  his  moral  sense.  In  The  Man  of  the  World 
he  exhibited,  on  the  contrary,  a  person  rushing  headlong  into 
vice  and  ruin,  and  spreading  misery  all  around  him,  by 
pursuing  a  happiness  which  he  expected  to  obtain  in  defiance 
of  the  moral  sense. 

His  next  production  was  Julia  de  Roubigne,  a  novel  in  a 
series  of  letters.  The  fable  is  very  interesting,  and  the  letters 
are  written  with  great  elegance  and  propriety  of  style. 

In  1777  or  1778,  a  society  of  gentlemen  in  Edinburgh, 
mostly  of  the  legal  profession,  who  used  to  meet  occasionally 
for  convivial  conversation  at  a  tavern  kept  by  M.  Bayll,  a 
Frenchman,  projected  the  publication  of  a  series  of  papers  on 
morals,  manners,  taste,  and  literature,  similar  to  those  of  the 
Spectator.  This  society,  originally  designated  The  Tabernacle^ 
but  afterwards  The  Mirror  Club,  consisted  of  Mr.  Mackenzie* 
Mr.  Craig,  Mr.  Cullen,  Mr.  Bannatine,  Mr.  Macleod,  Mr. 
Abercrombie,  Mr.  Solicitor-General  Blair,  Mr.  George  Home, 
and  Mr.  George  Ogilvie;  several  of  whom  afterwards  became 
judges  in  the  supreme  Courts  of  Scotland.  Of  these,  Mr. 
(now  Sir  William)  Bannatine,  a  venerable  and  accomplished 
gentleman  of  the  old  school,  is,  at  present,  the  only  survivor. 
Their  scheme  was  speedily  carried  into  effect;  and  the  papers 


12  HENRY   MACKENZIE,    ESQ. 

under  the  title  of  The  Mirror,  of  which  Mr.  Mackenzie  was 
the  editor,  were  published  in  weekly  numbers,  at  the  price  of 
three-pence  per  folio  sheet.  The  sale  never  reached  beyond 
three  or  four  hundred  in  single  papers ;  but  the  succession  of 
the  numbers  was  no  sooner  closed,  than  the  whole,  with  the 
names  of  the  respective  authors,  were  republished  in  three 
duodecimo  volumes.  The  writers  sold  the  copyright;  out  of 
the  produce  of  which  they  presented  a  donation  of  100/.  to 
the  Orphan  Hospital,  and  purchased  a  hogshead  of  claret  for 
the  use  of  the  club.  To  The  Mirror  succeeded  The  Lounger, 
a  periodical  of  a  similar  character,  and  equally  successful. 
Mr.  Mackenzie  was  the  chief  and  most  valuable  contributor 
to  both  these  works.  His  papers  are  distinguished  from  all 
the  r,est  by  that  sweetness  and  beauty  of  style,  delicacy  of 
taste,  and  tenderness,  which  form  the  peculiar  character  of 
his  writings.  In  The  Lounger,  Mr.  Mackenzie  paid  the  first 
tribute  to  the  genius  of  Burns,  by  a  review  of  his  poems  then 
first  published,  which  brought  the  unknown  poet  into  im- 
mediate notice,  and  at  once  drew  him  from  obscurity  into 
the  full  blaze  of  a  fame  that  will  never  die.* 

On  the  institution  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Edinburgh, 
Mr.  Mackenzie  became  one  of  its  members ;  and,  amongst 
the  papers  with  which  he  enriched  the  volumes  of  its  Trans- 
actions, are,  an  elegant  tribute  to  the  memory  of  his  friend, 
Judge  Abercrombie,  and  a  memoir  on  German  Tragedy ;  the 
latter  of  which  bestows  high  praise  on  the  Emilia  Galotti  of 
Lessing,  and  on  The  Robbers,  by  Schiller.  For  this  memoir 
he  had  procured  the  materials  through  the  medium  of  a 
French  work ;  but  desiring  afterwards  to  enjoy  the  native 
beauties  of  German  poetry,  he  took  lessons  in  German  from 
a  Dr.  Okely,  who  was,  at  that  time,  studying  medicine  at 
Edinburgh.  The  fruits  of  his  attention  to  German  literature 
appeared  farther  in  the  year  1791,  in  a  small  volume  contain- 
ing translations  dt  the  Set  of  Horses,  by  Lessing,  and  of  two 
or  three  other  dramatic  pieces. 

*   The  Mirror  began  the  23d  January,  1779,  and  ended  the  27th  May,  1780. 
The  Lounger  began  the  6th  February,  1785,  and  ended  the  6th  January,  1787, 


HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ.  13 

Mr.  Mackenzie  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Highland  Society,  and  by  him  were  published  the  volumes  of 
their  Transactions,  to  which  he  prefixed  an  account  of  the  in- 
stitution and  principal  proceedings  of  the  Society.  In  those 
Transactions  is  also  to  be  found  his  view  of  the  controversy 
respecting  Ossian's  Poems ;  and,  whatever  may  be  thought  of 
his  success  in  vindicating  their  authenticity,  the  paper  contains 
a  most  interesting  account  of  Gaelic  poetry. 

In  the  year  1792,  he  was  one  of  those  literary  men  who 
contributed  occasional  tracts  to  disabuse  the  lower  orders  of 
the  people,  led  astray  at  that  time  by  the  prevailing  frenzy  of 
the  French  Revolution.  In  1793,  he  wrote  the  Life  of  Dr. 
Blacklock,  at  the  request  of  his  widow,  prefixed  to  a  quarto 
edition  of  that  blind  poet's  works.  Mr.  Mackenzie's  intimacy 
with  Blacklcck  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  knowing  the 
habits  of  his  life,  the  bent  of  his  mind,  and  the  feelings  peculiar 
to  the  privation  of  sight  under  which  Blacklock  laboured. 

The  Literary  Society  of  Edinburgh,  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
last  century,  whose  intimacy  Mr.  Mackenzie  enjoyed,  is  de- 
scribed in  his  Life  of  John  Home,  which  he  read  to  the  Royal 
Society  in  1812;  and,  as  a  sort  of  Supplement  to  that  Life,  he 
then  added  some  Critical  Essays,  chiefly  on  Dramatic  Poetry, 
which  have  not  been  published. 

Mr.  Mackenzie  was  also  a  dramatic  author.  A  tragedy 
written  by  him  in  early  life,  under  the  name  of  The  Spanish 
Father,  was  never  represented ;  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Gar- 
rick's  opinion  that  the  catastrophe  was  of  too  shocking  a  kind 
for  the  modern  stage;  although  he  owned  the  merit  of  the 
poetry,  the  force  of  some  of  the  scenes,  and  the  scope  for  fine 
acting  in  the  character  of  Alphonso.  the  leading  person  of  the 
drama.  In  1773,  Mr.  Mackenzie  produced  a  tragedy  under 
the  title  of  The  Prince  of  Tunis,  which,  with  Mrs,  Yates  as 
its  heroine,  was  performed  with  applause,  for  six  nights,  at  the 
Edinburgh  Theatre.  Of  three  other  dramatic  pieces  by  Mr. 
Mackenzie,  the  next  was  The  Shipwreck,  or  Fatal  Curiosity. 
This  was  an  alteration  and  amplification  of  Lilly's  hor- 
rible, but  rather  celebrated,  tragedy  of  Fatal  Curiosity,  sug~ 


14  HENRY   MACKENZIE,    ESQ. 

gested  by  a  perusal  of  Mr.  Harris's  Philological  Essays,  then 
recently  published.  Some  new  characters  were  introduced, 
with  the  view  of  exciting  more  sympathy  with  the  calamities  of 
the  Wilmot  family.  Rather  unfortunately,  Mr.  Colman  had, 
about  the  same  time,  taken  a  fancy  to  alter  Lilly's  play.  His 
production  was  brought  out  at  the  Haymarket,  in  1782;  and 
Mr.  Mackenzie's  at  Covent  Garden,  in  1783  or  1784. —  The 
Force  of  Fashion^  a  comedy,  by  Mr.  Mackenzie,  was  acted 
one  night  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  in  1789;  but,  from  its 
failure,  it  was  never  printed.  The  object  of  this  piece  was  to 
ridicule  those  persons  who  affect  fashionable  follies  and  vices, 
while  in  reality  they  despise  them.  Its  language  was  elegant  ; 
but  its  characters,  though  not  ill-drawn,  wanted  novelty;  and, 
altogether,  its  deficiency  in  stage  effect  was  palpable.  Another 
unsuccessful  comedy  of  Mr.  Mackenzie's,  mentioned  in  Camp- 
bell's History  of  Poetry  in  Scotland,  was  The  White  Hypocrite, 
produced  at  Covent  Garden  in  the  season  of  1788-9. 

Among  the  prose  compositions  of  Mr.  Mackenzie  was  a 
political  tract,  An  Account  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Parliament 
of!784>,  which  he  was  induced  to  write  at  the  persuasion  of 
his  old  and  steady  friend,  Mr.  Dundas,  afterwards  Lord  Mel- 
ville. It  introduced  him  to  the  countenance  and  regard  of 
Mr.  Pitt,  who  revised  the  work  with  particular  care  and  at- 
tention, and  made  several  corrections  in  it  with  his  own  hand. 
Some  years  after,  Mr.  Mackenzie  was  appointed,  on  the  re- 
commendation of  Lord  Melville,  and  the  Right  Honourable 
George  Rose,  also  his  particular  friend,  to  the  office  of  Comp- 
troller of  the  Taxes  for  Scotland,  an  appointment  of  very  con- 
siderable labour  and  responsibility ;  and  in  discharging  which 
this  fanciful  and  ingenious  author  showed  his  power  of  enter- 
ing into  and  discussing  the  most  dry  and  complicated  details 
when  that  became  a  matter  of  duty. 

In  1808,  Mr.  Mackenzie  published  a  complete  edition  of 
his  works,  in  eight  volumes  octavo. 

Venerable  and  venerated,  as  the  last  link  of  the  chain  which 
connected  the  Scottish  literature  of  the  present  age  with  the 
period  when  there  were  giants  in  the  land,  —  the  days  of 


HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ.  15T 

Robertson,  and  Hume,  and  Smith,  and  Home,  and  Clerk, 
and  Fergusson,  —  Mr.  Mackenzie  long  lived  the  ornament  and 
pride  of  his  native  city.  The  moment  at  length  arrived  when 
his  numerous  and  attached  friends  were  to  be  deprived  of  the 
wit  which  enlivened  their  hours  of  retirement,  the  benevolence 
which  directed  and  encouraged  their  studies,  and  the  wisdom 
which  instructed  them  in  their  duties  to  society.  After  having 
been  confined  to  his  room  for  a  considerable  time  by  the 
general  decay  attending  old  age,  Mr.  Mackenzie  expired,  on 
the  evening  of  Friday  the  14th  of  January,  1831. 

In  1776,  Mr.  Mackenzie  was  married  to  Miss  Penuel 
Grant,  daughter  of  Sir  Ludovick  Grant,  of  Grant,  Bart.,  arid 
Lady  Margaret  Ogilvy ;  by  whom  he  had  a  family  of  eleven 
children ;  the  eldest  of  whom  is  Lord  Mackenzie,  an  eminent 
Judge  in  the  Courts  of  Session  and  Justiciary. 


Although  we  have  added  various  circumstances  from  other 
quarters,  we  have  derived  the  foregoing  little  memoir  prin- 
cipally from  the  Lives  of  the  Novelists,  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  ; 
who,  when  the  "  Great  Unknown,"  paid  Mr.  Mackenzie  the 
immortal  compliment  of  dedicating  Waverley  to  him.  From 
the  same  high  authority  we  quote  the  following  summary  of 
Mr.  Mackenzie's  literary  merits  :  — 

"  As  an  author,  Mr.  Mackenzie  has  shown  talents  both  for 
poetry  and  the  drama.  Indeed,  we  are  of  opinion  that  no 
man  can  succeed  perfectly  in  the  line  of  fictitious  composition 
without  most  of  the  properties  of  a  poet,  though  he  may  be  no 
writer  of  verses ;  but  Mr.  Mackenzie  possesses  the  power  of 
melody  in  addition  to  those  of  conception.  He  has  given  a 
beautiful  specimen  of  legendary  poetry,  in  two  little  Highland 
ballads;  a  style  of  composition  which  becomes  fashionable  from 
time  to  time,  on  account  of  its  simplicity  and  pathos,  and  then 
is  again  laid  aside,  when  worn  out  by  the  servile  imitators  to 
whom  its  approved  facility  offers  its  chief  recommendation.  — 
But  it  is  as  a  novelist  that  we  are  now  called  on  to  consider 
our  author's  powers ;  and  the  universal  and  permanent  popu- 


16  HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ. 

larity  of  his  writings  entitles  us  to  rank  him  among  the  most 
distinguished  of  his  class.  His  works  possess  the  rare  and 
invaluable  property  of  originality,  to  which  all  other  qualities 
are  as  dust  in  the  balance ;  and  the  sources  to  which  he  re- 
sorts to  excite  our  interest  are  rendered  accessible  by  a  path 
peculiarly  his  own.  The  reader's  attention  is  not  riveted,  as 
in  Fielding's  works,  by  strongly  marked  character,  and  the 
lucid  evolution  of  a  well-constructed  fable  ;  or,  as  in  Smollett's 
novels,  by  broad  and  strong  humour,  and  a  decisively  superior 
knowledge  of  human  life  in  all  its  varieties;  nor,  to  mention 
authors  whom  Mackenzie  more  nearly  resembles,  does  he  at- 
tain the  pathetic  effect  which  is  the  object  of  all  three,  in  the 
same  manner  as  Richardson,  or  as  Sterne.  An  accumulation  of 
circumstances,  sometimes  amounting  to  tediousness,  —  a  com- 
bination of  minutely  traced  events,  with  an  ample  commentary 
on  each, — were  thought  necessary  by  Richardson  to  excite  and 
prepare  the  mind  of  the  reader  for  the  affecting  scenes  which 
he  has  occasionally  touched  with  such  force;  and,  without 
denying  him  his  due  merit,  it  must  be  allowed  that  he  has 
employed  preparatory  volumes  in  accomplishing  what  has  cost 
Mackenzie  and  Sterne  only  a  few  pages,  perhaps  only  a  few 
sentences. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  although  the  two  last-named  authors 
have,  in  particular  passages,  a  more  strong  resemblance  to 
each  other  than  those  formerly  named,  yet  there  remain  such 
essential  points  of  difference  betwixt  them,  as  must  secure 
for  Mackenzie  the  praise  of  originality  which  we  have  claimed 
for  him.  It  is  needless  to  point  out  to  the  reader  the  dif- 
ference between  the  general  character  of  their  writings,  or 
how  far  the  chaste,  correct,  almost  studiously  decorous  manner 
and  style  of  the  works  of  the  author  of  The  Man  of  Feeling, 
differ  from  the  wild  wit  and  intrepid  contempt  at  once  of 
decency,  and  regularity  of  composition,  which  distinguish 
Tristram  Shandy.  It  is  not  in  the  general  conduct  or  style  of 
their  works  that  they  in  the  slightest  degree  approach ;  nay, 
no  two  authors  in  the  British  language  can  be  more  distinct. 
But  even  in  the  particular  passages  where  both  had  in  view 


HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ.  17 

to  excite  the  reader's  pathetic  sympathy,  the  modes  resorted 
to  are  different.  The  pathos  of  Sterne  in  some  degree  re- 
sembles his  humour,  and  is  seldom  attained  by  simple  means ; 
a  wild,  fanciful,  beautiful  flight  of  thought  and  expression  is 
remarkable  in  the  former,  as  an  extravagant,  burlesque,  and 
ludicrous  strain  of  thought  and  language  characterises  the 
latter.  The  celebrated  passage  where  the  tear  of  the  recording 
angel  blots  the  profane  oath  of  Uncle  Toby  out  of  the  register 
of  heaven,  a  flight  so  poetically  fanciful  as  to  be  stretched  to 
the  very  verge  of  extravagance,  will  illustrate  our  position. 
To  attain  his  object,  —  that  is,  to  make  us  thoroughly  sym- 
pathise with  the  excited  state  of  mind  which  betrays  Uncle 
Toby  into  the  indecorous  assertion  which  forms  the  ground- 
work of  the  whole,  —  the  author  calls  heaven  and  hell  into  the, 
lists,  and  represents,  in  a  fine  poetic  frenzy,  its  effects  on  the 
accusing  spirit  and  the  registering  angel.  Let  this  be  con- 
trasted with  the  fine  tale  of  La  Roche,  in  which  Mackenzie 
has  described,  with  such  unexampled  delicacy  and  powerful, 
effect,  the  sublime  scene  of  the  sorrows  and  resignation  of  the 
deprived  father.  This  also  is  painted  reflectively;  that  is,  the 
reader's  sympathy  is  excited  by  the  effect  produced  on  one  of 
the  drama,  neither  angel  nor  devil,  but  a  philosopher,  whose 
heart  remains  sensitive,  though  his  studies  have  misled  his 
mind  into  the  frozen  regions  of  scepticism.  To  say  nothing 
of  the  tendency  of  the  two  passages,  which  will  scarcely,  in  the 
mind  of  the  most  unthinking,  bear  any  comparison,  we  would, 
only  remark,  that  Mackenzie  has  given  us  a  moral  truth, 
Sterne  a  beautiful  trope ;  and  that  if  the  one  claims  the  palm, 
of  superior  brilliancy  of  imagination,  that  due  to  nature  and 
accuracy  of  human  feeling  must  abide  with  the  Scottish  author. 

"  Yet,  while  marking  this  broad  and  distinct  difference 
between  these  two  authors,  the  most  celebrated  certainly  among 
those  who  are  termed  sentimental,  it  is  but  fair  to  Sterne  to 
add,  that  although  Mackenzie  has  rejected  his  license  of  wit, 
and  flights  of  imagination,  retrenched  in  a  great  measure 
his  episodical  digressions,  and  altogether  banished  the  inde-  . 
cency  and  buffoonery  to  which  he  had  too  frequent  recourse, 

VOL.  xvi.  c 


18  HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ. 

still  their  volumes  must  be  accounted  as  belonging  to  the  same 
class ;  and,  amongst  the  thousand  imitators  who  have  pursued 
their  path,  we  cannot  recollect  one  English  author  who  is 
entitled  to  the  same  honour.  The  foreign  authors  Riccoboni 
and  Marivaux  belong  to  the  same  department:  but  of  the 
former  we  remember  little ;  and  the  latter,  though  full  of  the 
most  delicate  touches,  often  depends  for  effect  on  the  turn  of 
phrase,  and  the  protracted  embarrassments  of  artificial  gal- 
lantry, more  than  upon  the  truth  and  simplicity  of  nature. 
The  Heloise  and  Emile  partake  of  the  insanity  of  their  author, 
and  are  exaggerated,  though  most  eloquent,  descriptions  of 
overwhelming  passion,  rather  than  works  of  sentiment. 

"  In  future  compositions,  the  author  dropped  even  that 
resemblance  which  the  style  of  The  Man  of  Feeling  bears,  in 
some  particulars,  to  the  works  of  Sterne;  and  his  country 
may  boast  that,  in  one  instance  at  least,  she  has  produced  in 
Mackenzie  a  writer  of  pure  musical  Addisonian  prose,  which 
retains  the  quality  of  vigour  without  forfeiting  that  of  clearness 
and  simplicity. 

"  We  are  hence  led  to  observe,  that  the  principal  object  of 
Mackenzie,  in  all  his  novels,  has  been  to  reach  and  sustain  a 
tone  of  moral  pathos,  by  representing  the  effect  of  incidents, 
whether  important  or  trifling,  upon  the  human  mind,  and 
especially  on  those  which  were  not  only  just,  honourable,  and 
intelligent,  but  so  framed  as  to  be  responsive  to  those  finer 
feelings  to  which  ordinary  hearts  are  callous.  This  is  the 
direct  and  professed  object  of  Mackenzie's  first  work,  which 
is  in  fact  no  narrative,  but  a  series  of  successive  incidents, 
each  rendered  interesting  by  the  mode  in  which  they  operate 
on  the  feelings  of  Harley.  The  attempt  had  been  perilous  in 
a  meaner  hand ;  for,  sketched  by  a  pencil  less  nicely  discrimi- 
nating, Harley,  instead  of  a  being  whom  we  love,  respect, 
sympathise  with,  and  admire,  had  become  the  mere  Quixote 
of  sentiment ;  an  object  of  pity,  perhaps,  but  of  ridicule  at  the 
same  time.  Against  this  the  author  has  guarded  with  great 
skill;  and,  while  duped  and  swindled  in  London,  Harley 
neither  loses  our  consideration  as  a  man  of  sense  and  spirit, 


HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ.  19 

nor  is  subjected  to  that  degree  of  contempt  with  which  readers 
in  general  regard  the  misadventures  of  a  novice  upon  town, 
whilst  they  hug  themselves  in  their  own  superior  knowledge 
of  the  world.  Harley's  spirited  conduct  towards  an  imper- 
tinent passenger  in  the  stage-coach,  and  his  start  of  animated 
indignation  on  listening  to  Edward's  story,  are  skilfully  thrown 
in,  to  satisfy  the  reader  that  his  softness  and  gentleness  of 
temper  were  not  allied  to  effeminacy,  and  that  he  dared,  on 
suitable  occasions,  do  all  that  might  become  a  man.  We  have 
heard  that  some  of  Harley's  feelings  were  taken  from  those  of 
the  author  himself,  when,  at  his  first  entrance  on  the  dry  and 
barbarous  study  of  municipal  law,  he  was  looking  back,  like 
Blackstone,  on  the  land  of  the  Muses,  which  he  was  con- 
demned to  leave  behind  him.  It  has  also  been  said,  that  the 
fine  sketch  of  Miss  Walton  was  taken  from  the  heiress  of  a 
family  of  distinction,  who  ranked  at  that  time  high  in  the 
Scottish  fashionable  world.  But  such  surmises  are  little  worth 
the  tracing ;  for  we  believe  no  original  character  was  ever 
composed,  by  any  author,  without  the  idea  having  been  pre- 
viously suggested  by  something  which  he  had  observed  in 
nature. 

"  The  other  novels  of  Mr.  Mackenzie,  although  assuming 
a  more  regular  and  narrative  form,  are,  like  The  Man  of 
Feeling,  rather  the  history  of  effects  produced  on  the  human 
mind  by  a  series  of  events,  than  the  narrative  of  those  events 
themselves.  The  villany  of  Sindall  is  the  tale  of  a  heart 
hardened  to  selfishness,  by  incessant  and  unlimited  gratifi- 
cation of  the  external  senses ;  a  contrast  to  that  of  Harley, 
whose  mental  feelings  have  acquired  such  an  ascendancy  as  to 
render  him  unfit  for  the  ordinary  business  of  life.  The  pic- 
ture of  the  former  is  so  horrid,  that  we  should  be  disposed  to 
deny  its  truth,  did  we  not  unhappily  know  that  sensual  in- 
dulgence, in  the  words  of  Burns, 

*  hardens  a'  within, 

And  petrifies  the  feeling  ;' 

and  that  there  never  did,  and  never  will  exist,  any  thing  per- 
manently noble  and  excellent  in  a  character  which  was  a 

c  2 


20  HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ. 

stranger  to  the  exercise  of  resolute  self-denial.  The  history 
of  the  victims  of  Sindall's  arts  and  crimes,  particularly  the 
early  history  of  the  Annesleys,  is  exquisitely  well  drawn; 
and,  perhaps,  the  scene  between  the  brother  and  sister  by  the 
pond  equals  any  part  of  the  author's  writings.  Should  the 
reader  doubt  this,  he  may  easily  make  the  experiment,  by 
putting  irin^o  the  hands  of  any  young-  person  of  feeling  and 
intelligence,  and  of  an  age  so  early  as  not  to  have  forgotten 
the  sports  and  passions  of  childhood. 

"  The  beautiful  and  tragic  tale  of  Julia  de  Roubigne  is  of  a 
very  different  tenour  from  The  Man  of  the  World;  and  we  have 
good  authority  for  thinking  that  it  was  written  in  some  degree 
as  a  counterpart  to  the  latter  work.  A  friend  of  the  author, 
the  celebrated  Lord  Kames,  we  believe,  had  represented  to 
Mr.  Mackenzie,  in  how  many  poems,  plays,  and  novels,  the 
distress  of  the  piece  is  made  to  turn  upon  the  designing 
villany  of  some  one  of  the  dramatis  personae.  On  considering 
his  observations,  the  author  undertook,  as  a  task  fit  for  his 
genius,  the  composition  of  a  story  in  which  the  characters 
should  be  all  naturally  virtuous,  and  where  the  calamities  of 
the  catastrophe  should  arise,  as  frequently  happens  in  actual 
life,  not  out  of  schemes  of  premeditated  villany,  but  from  the 
excess  and  over  indulgence  of  passions  and  feelings,  in  them- 
selves blameless,  nay,  praiseworthy,  but  which,  encouraged  to 
a  morbid  excess,  and  coming  into  fatal  though  fortuitous  con- 
course with  each  other,  lead  to  the  most  disastrous  conse- 
quences. Mr.  Mackenzie  executed  his  purpose;  and  as  the 
plan  fell  in  most  happily  with  the  views  of  a  writer,  whose 
object  was  less  to  describe  external  objects  than  to  read  a 
lesson  on  the  human  heart,  he  has  produced  one  of  the  most 
heart-wringing  histories  which  has  ever  been  written.  The 
very  circumstances  which  palliate  the  errors  of  the  sufferers, 
in  whose  distress  we  interest  ourselves,  point  out  to  the  reader 
that  there  is  neither  hope,  remedy,  nor  revenge.  When  a 
Lovelace  or  a  Sindall  comes  forth  like  an  evil  principle,  the 
agent  of  all  the  misery  of  the  scene,  we  see  a  chance  of  their 
artifices  being  detected;  at  least  the  victims  have  the  conscious- 


HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ. 

ness  of  innocence,  the  reader  the  stern  hope  of  vengeance. 
But  when,  as  in  Julia  de  Roubigne,  the  revival  of  mutual  affec- 
tion on  the  part  of  two  pure  and  amiable  beings,  imprudently 
and  incautiously  indulged,  awakens,  and  not  unjustly,  the 
jealous  honour  of  a  high-spirited  husband, — when  we  see 
Julia  precipitated  into  misery  by  her  preference  of  filial  duty 
to  early  love,  Savillon,  by  his  faithful  and  tender  attachment 
to  a  deserving  object,  and  Montauban,  by  a  jealous  regard- to 
his  spotless  fame,  — we  are  made  aware,  at  the  same  time,  that 
there  is  no  hope  .of  aught  but  the  most  unhappy  catastrophe. 
The  side  of  each  sufferer  is  pierced  by  the  very  staff  on  which 
he  leaned ;  and  the  natural  and  virtuous  feelings  which  they 
at  first  most  legitimately  indulged,  precipitate  them  into  error, 
crimes,  remorse,  and  misery.  The  cruelty  to  which  Mont* 
auban  is  hurried  may,  perhaps,  be  supposed  to  exempt  him 
from  our  sympathy,  especially  in  an  age  when  such  crimes  as 
that  of  which  Julia  is  suspected  are  usually  borne  by  the 
injured  parties  with  more  equanimity  than  her  husband  dis- 
plays. But  the  irritable  habits  of  the  time,  and  of  his  Spanish 
descent,  must  plead  the  apology  of  Montauban,  as  they  are 
admitted  to  form  that  of  Othello.  Perhaps,  on  the  whole, 
Julia  de  Roubigng  gives  the  reader  too  much  actual  pain  to  be 
so  generally  popular  as  The  Man  of  Feeling;  since  we  have 
found  its  superiority  to  that  beautiful  essay  on  human  sen- 
sibility often  disputed  by  those  whose  taste  we  are  in  general 
inclined  to  defer  to.  The  very  acute  feelings  which  the  work 
usually  excites  among  the  readers  whose  sympathies  are  liable 
to  be  awakened  by  scenes  of  fictitious  distress,  we  are  disposed 
to  ascribe  to  the  extreme  accuracy  and  truth  of  the  sentiments, 
as  well  as  to  the  beautiful  manner  in  which  they  are  expressed. 
There  are  few  who  have  not  had,  at  one  period  of  life,  disap- 
pointments of  the  heart  to  mourn  over ;  and  we  know  no  book 
which  recalls  the  recollection  of  such  more  severely  than 
Julia  de  Roubigne. 

"  We  return  to  consider  the  key-note,  as  we  may  term  it, 
on  which  Mackenzie  has  formed  his  tales  of  fictitious  woe, 
and  which  we  have  repeatedly  described  to  be  the  illustration 

c  3 


#2  HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ. 

of  the  nicer  and  finer  sensibilities  of  the  human  breast.  To 
attain  this  point,  and  to  place  it  in  the  strongest  and  most 
unbroken  light,  the  author  seems  to  have  kept  the  other 
faculties  with  which  we  know  him  to  be  gifted  in  careful 
subordination.  The  northern  Addison,  who  revived  the  art 
of  periodical  writing,  and  sketched,  though  with  a  light  pencil, 
the  follies  and  the  lesser  vices  of  his  time,  has  showed  himself 
a  master  of  playful  satire.  The  historian  of  the  homespun 
family  may  place  his  narrative,  without  fear  of  shame,  by  the 
side  of  The  Vicar  of  Wakefield.  Colonel  Caustic  and  Um- 
fraville  are  masterly  conceptions  of  the  laudator  temporis  acti ; 
and  many  personages  in  those  papers  which  Mr.  Mackenzie 
contributed  to  the  Mirror  and  Lounger  attest  with  what  truth, 
spirit,  and  ease  he  could  describe,  assume,  and  sustain  a  variety 
of  characters.  The  beautiful  landscape  painting  which  he  has 
exhibited  in  many  passages,  (take,  for  example,  that  where 
the  country  seat  of  the  old  Scottish  lady  and  its  accompani- 
ments are  so  exquisitely  delineated,)  assures  us  of  the  accuracy 
and  delicacy  of  his  touch  in  delineating  the  beauties  of  nature. 
"  But  all  these  powerful  talents,  any  single  one  of  which 
might  have  sufficed  to  bring  men  of  more  bounded  powers 
into  notice,  have  been  by  Mackenzie  carefully  subjected  to 
the  principal  object  which  he  proposed  to  himself — the  de- 
lineation of  the  human  heart.  Variety  of  character  he  has 
introduced  sparingly,  and  has  seldom  recourse  to  any  pecu- 
liarity of  incident,  availing  himself  generally  of  those  which 
may  be  considered  as  common  property  to  all  writers  of  ro- 
mance. His  sense  of  the  beauties  of  nature,  and  his  power  of 
describing  them,  are  carefully  kept  down,  to  use  the  expression 
of  the  artists;  and,  like  the  single  straggling  bough  which 
shades  the  face  of  his  sleeping  veteran,  just  introduced  to 
relieve  his  principal  object,  but  not  to  rival  it.  It  cannot  be 
termed  an  exception  to  this  rule,  though  certainly  a  peculiarity 
of  this  author,  that  on  all  occasions  where  sylvan  sports  can  be 
introduced,  he  displays  an  intimate  familiarity  with  them;  and 
from  personal  habits,  to  which  we  have  elsewhere  alluded, 
shows  a  delight  to  dwell  for  an  instant  upon  a  favourite  topic. 


HENRY    MACKENZIE,    ESQ.  23 

"  Lastly,  the  wit  which  sparkles  in  his  periodical  essays, 
and,  we  believe,  in  his  private  conversation,  shows  itself  but 
little  in  his  novels ;  and  although  his  peculiar  vein  of  humour 
may  be  much  more  frequently  traced,  yet  it  is  so  softened 
down,  and  divested  of  the  broad  ludicrous,  that  it  harmonises 
with  the  most  grave  and  affecting  parts  of  the  tale,  and  becomes, 
like  the  satire  of  Jacques,  only  a  more  humorous  shade  of 
melancholy.  In  short,  Mackenzie  aimed  at  being  the  his- 
torian of  feeling,  and  has  succeeded  in  the  object  of  his  am- 
bition. But  as  mankind  are  never  contented,  and  as  critics 
are  certainly  no  exception  to  a  rule  so  general,  we  could  wish 
that,  without  losing  or  altering  a  line  that  our  author  has 
written,  he  had  condescended  to  give  us,  in  addition  to  his 
stores  of  sentiment,  a  romance  on  life  and  manners ;  by  which, 
we  are  convinced,  he  would  have  twisted  another  branch  of 
laurel  into  his  garland." 


c   1 


No.  III. 
BRIGADIER-GENERAL  ALEXANDER  WALKER, 

OF    THE    BOMBAY    ARMY. 

FOR  the  following  interesting  Memoir,  we  are  indebted  to 
Major  Moor,  F.R.  S.,  author  of  "  The  Hindu  Pantheon,"  &c. 


UNTIL  within  these  few  years,  very  little  of  the  public  at- 
tention has  been  attracted  to  the  services  rendered  individually 
to  their  country  by  officers  in  the  armies  of  the  East  India 
Company.  The  eclat  of  the  capture  of  Seringapatam,  of 
Bhurtpore,  and  of  the  Burmese  war,  and  perhaps  a  few  other 
leading  Indian  events  of  modern  date,  may  have  dwelt  for  a 
while  on  the  public  ear,  and  are  even  yet  scarcely  forgotten. 
But  it  may  be  questioned  if  the  circumstance  of  these  victories 
having  been  achieved  under  the  command  of  his  Majesty's 
generals  —  and,  in  two  instances  out  of  the  three  named,  by 
generals  of  high  aristocratic  rank  —  may  not  have  been  a 
leading  cause  why  even  those  exploits  have  not  faded  from 
the  memory  of  the  English  public ;  as  have  numerous  victories, 
equally  brilliant  in  a  military  light,  and  almost  equally  im- 
portant, civilly  considered,  executed  without  eclat  by  the 
East  India  Company's  officers,  in  the  ordinary  and  extra- 
ordinary performance  of  their  duties.  On  this  topic  a  passage 
occurs  to  us  in  the  East  India  Military  Calendar,  —  a  work  of 
high  merit  and  interest,  to  which  the  India  Company  and 
their  armies,  we  hope,  feel,  as  they  ought,  deeply  indebted. 
It  is  this,  relating  the  services  of  Colonel  John  Little :  — 
"  At  the  defence  of  Mangalore  this  officer,  then  lieutenant, 
was  adjutant  of  the  8th  battalion  of  Sepoys.  This  defence 
was  one  of  the  most  gallant  achievements  of  modern  times ; 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  25 

and  may  be  well  placed  in  the  same  page  of  history  with  its 
compeer,  the  defence  of  Gibraltar.  Considering,  indeed,  the 
comparative  means  of  defence,  a  doubt  may  be  reasonably 
entertained  if  the  defence  of  Mangalore  was  not  the  most 
heroic  of  the  two.  But  see  the  difference  :  —  how  few  per- 
sons, be  they  where  they  may,  have  not  heard  of  Gibraltar  and 
the  gallant  Elliot :  how  few,  except  of  the  Indian  class,  ever 
heard  of  Mangalore,  and  the  equally  gallant  Campbell !  — 
of  Mangalore,  which  the  Bombay  army  ought  6  to  stand  a 
tiptoe'  at  the  mention  of."  —  iii.  468. 

The  indifference,  amounting  almost  to  apathy,  with  which 
communications  on  literary,  scientific,  and  other  subjects  con- 
nected with  our  Indian  empire  are  received  in  England,  sur- 
prises the  few  who  at  all  turn  their  attention  in  that  direction. 
The  religion,  mythology,  politics,  statistics,  natural  history,  &c., 
of  those  regions  that  were  formerly  deemed  so  interesting, 
and  which  have  become,  and  are  becoming,  more  and  more 
nationally  important  to  us,  can  now  command  a  very  small 
portion,  indeed,  of  the  attention  of  the  reading,  reflecting, 
or  inquisitive  public  of  England.  Some  reasons  may  be 
plausibly  assigned  for  this ;  —  but,  while  we  lament  the  fact, 
we  do  not  deem  this  a  fit  occasion  to  investigate  the  cause. 

India  has  been  won  for  England  by  the  talents,  courage, 
and  virtues  of  the  East  India  Company's  servants ;  and  must 
be  so  retained,  if  retained  at  all  —  but  more  especially  by  the 
sword.  The  just  eulogium  paid  to  one  of  those  servants,  by 
a  late  lamented  minister  in  the  House  of  Commons,  was  well 
applied.  "  Europe,"  said  Mr.  Canning,  "  from  her  schools 
of  diplomacy,  never  produced  a  more  consummate  statesman; 
nor  India,  so  fertile  in  heroes,  a  more  accomplished  soldier." 
With  the  exception  of  that  highly  gifted  individual,  General 
Sir  Thomas  Munro  —  if  he  must  be  an  exception  —  we 
question  if  Mr.  Canning's  eulogium  can  be  more  justly 
applied  to  any  one  than  to  Brigadier- General  Alexander 
Walker. 

In  1780  he  was  appointed  a  cadet  on  the  Bombay  esta- 
blishment, and  went  to  India  in  the  same  ship  with  the  late 


26  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

amiable  and  able  Dr.  Helenus  Scott.  The  friendship  thus 
commenced  between  these  excellent  men  increased  with  their 
years,  and  was  interrupted  by  death  only.  In  1782,  Ensign 
Walker's  native  battalion  formed  part  of  the  Bombay  field 
force,  under  the  ill-fated  General  Mathews.  In  the  course 
of  that  service  against  Hyder's  forts  on  the  coast  of  Malabar, 
Ensign  Walker  was  present  at  various  sieges  and  assaults,  of 
places  whose  names  are  now  almost  forgotten ;  although,  at 
the  time,  the  exploits  by  which  they  were  accompanied  were 
the  theme  of  much  applause.  Of  these  we  may  mention 
Rajmundry,  Onore,  Cundapore,  Hassan-ghury,  and  Manga- 
lore,  —  where,  as  well  as  in  various  engagements  and  skir- 
mishes, which  occurred  during  that  very  active  campaign, 
Ensign  Walker  bore  a  part. 

The  subsequent  defence  of  Mangalore  was  the  greenest 
leaf  in  the  little  wreath  then  won  by  the  Bombay  army.  In 
that  defence  Ensign  Walker's  battalion,  the  8th,  commanded 
by  the  accomplished  Captain  Dunn,  was  highly  distinguished; 
and  for  its  valour  and  fidelity  was  honoured,  by  the  Bombay 
government,  with  the  title  of  "  The  Grenadier  Battalion,"  — 
a  distinction  which,  for  half  a  century,  it  has  retained  with 
undiminished  reputation ;  and  of  which  every  one  who  has 
served  in  it,  from  the  Sepoy  to  its  commandant,  ever  has  been, 
and  is,  justly  proud. 

In  those  days  lieutenants  often  commanded  battalions,  and 
ensigns  led  attacks  and  sorties.  In  one  of  these,  at  Manga- 
lore, at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  headed  by  Ensign  Walker, 
he  was  severely  wounded.  The  vigour  of  this  defence  brought 
Tippoo— become,  by  his  father's  death,  Sovereign  of  Mysore  — 
before  the  battered  and  crumbling  walls  of  Mangalore ;  in- 
censed at  its  obstinacy,  and  flushed  with  his  recent  capture 
of  Mathews  and  the  Bombay  army.  On  this  interesting 
occasion  Ensign  Walker,  though  not  recovered  of  his  wound, 
joined  his  corps  at  an  advanced  post,  from  which  they  were 
speedily  driven  in. 

In  the  course  of  this  remarkable  siege  —  more  resembling 
that  of  Saragossa  than  any  within  our  knowledge  —  he  was 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  %J 

again  wounded  ;  and  received  repeated  marks  of  approbation 
from  Colonel  Campbell,  the  distinguished  officer  who  com- 
manded the  heroic  garrison. 

When,  from  the  almost  total  absence  of  provisions  (every 
horse  had  long  disappeared,  and  the  caption  of  a  rat  was 
hailed  as  a  piece  of  good  fortune),  and  of  every  thing  neces- 
sary for  defence,  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  if  it  might  still  be 
so  denominated,  became  inevitable,  Tippoo  demanded  two 
hostages  for  our  due  observance  of  the  articles  of  capitulation. 
Volunteers  were  invited,  and  Ensign  Walker  immediately 
presented  himself. 

At  that  period  (1783),  Tippoo  was  known  to  the  English 
chiefly  as  a  cruel  and  perfidious  tyrant :  nor  did  the  English 
rank  high  in  the  Sultan's  estimation  for  any  thing  but  bravery. 
It  must  be  confessed  that  Tippoo's  conduct,  after  his  capture 
of  Mathews'  army  at  Bednore,  gave  strength  to  the  oppro- 
brious epithets  which  enemies,  little  known  to  each  other 
beyond  the  reach  of  their  bayonets  and  guns,  are  too  prone 
to  reciprocate. 

Nor  did  Tippoo's  behaviour  to  the  Mangalore  hostages, 
during  the  four  months  which  he  detained  them,  tend  much 
to  the  redemption  of  his  character.  They  were  shamefully 
subjected  to  a  variety  of  privations,  hardships,  and  insults ; 
and  on  more  than  one  occasion  they  even  considered  their 
lives  in  great  danger. 

The  Bombay  government,  at  that  day  not  very  forward  to 
bestow  military  praise,  gave  Ensign  Walker  and  his  colleague, 
Lieutenant  Gilkennet,  the  pay  and  allowances  of  captains, 
while  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy ;  and  "  for  their  spirited 
and  zealous  conduct  on  this  occasion,  whereby  they  were 
exposed  to  great  danger,"  presented  each  with  a  donation  of 
2000  rupees. 

The  peace  of  1783  between  France  and  England  led  to 
the  like  in  India.  Governments  now  turned  their  minds  to 
corresponding  pursuits.  The  partiality  of  the  Chinese  for 
the  furs  of  more  northern  latitudes  gave  rise  to  a  hope,  on  the 
part  of  the  Bombay  government,  that  our  trade  with  them 


28  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

might  be  advantageously  extended  by  establishing  a  military 
and  commercial  post  on  the  north-west  coast  of  America. 
Ensign  Walker  was  selected  to  command  the  military  part 
of  the  speculation.  After  exploring  as  far  north  as  62°,  and 
remaining  awhile  at  Nootka  Sound,  the  enterprise  was  aban- 
doned ;  and  he  rejoined  the  Grenadier  battalion  in  garrison 
at  Bombay.  In  1788  he  was  promoted  to  a  lieutenancy, 
having  been  an"  ensign  since  1782. 

Tippoo's  conduct  to  our  ally,  the  Rajah  of  Travancore,  in 
1790,  brought  on  him  another  war  with  the  English;  who 
now,  instead  of  having  to  fight  Tippoo  with  all  India,  and 
indeed  all  the  world,  against  them,  had  the  leading  powers 
of  India  as  allies,  against  Tippoo,  single-handed.  His  pre- 
parations for  this  event  of  war  could  not  be  unobserved  by 
us ;  and  we  had  accordingly  provided  for  it,  by  armies  newly 
organised  and  highly  disciplined,  —  by  replenished  treasuries 
and  restored  credit,  — and  by  having  general  officers  of  reput- 
ation of  his  Majesty's  service  placed  at  the  head  of  all  the 
governments  of  India;  whither  six  King's  regiments  of  foot 
had  been  recently  sent,  in  addition  to  two,  and  one  of  ca- 
valry, already  there. 

Both  belligerents  had,  indeed,  been  looking  to,  and  pre- 
paring for  war,  ever  since  the  peace  of  1783;  and  had  reci- 
procally felt  each  other's  pulse  intermediately.  Tippoo  had 
calculated  erroneously  on  his  European  and  Indian  sup- 
porters; and,  perhaps,  on  our  diplomatic  skill,  military 
potency,  and  forbearance  in  reference  to  our  weak  ally  of 
Travancore :  nor  should  we,  perhaps,  under  other  circum- 
stances, have  resorted  at  once  to  arms,  on  Tippoo's  aggression 
towards  him,  but  have  first  tried  what  negotiation  might 
effect  in  the  way  of  satisfaction  and  atonement.  The  distracted 
state  of  affairs  in  France,  and  the  condition  of  our  arms 
in  India,  as  indicated  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  pointed  at 
the  present  as  a  favourable  moment  to  strike  a  blow  at  Tippoo. 

Colonel  Hartley,  of  his  Majesty's  75th  regiment,  was  se- 
lected to  command  the  force  equipped  at  Bombay  for  the 
relief  of  the  Rajah  of  Travancore.  No  officer  would*  willingly 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  29 

take  the  field  from  Bombay  without  the  Grenadier  battalion : 
Hartley  knew  it  well,  for  he  was  breda  in  the  East  India 
Company's  army.  Lieutenant  Walker  embarked  with  his 
battalion,  and  served  in  the  first  smart  campaign.  He  was 
appointed  Adjutant  of  the  Line  to  the  field  force. 

The  names  of  Indian  places  are  uncouth  to  western  eyes 
and  ears.  The  battle  of  Tiroovanagary,  and  the  escalade  of 
Trincalore,  one  would  not  now  venture  to  enounce  to  ears 
polite.  But  they  have  had  their  day  —  the  last  of  many  a 
brave  soldier.  On  those  occasions  Lieutenant  Walker  was 
app  resent. 

In  the  campaign  of  1791,  the  Governor  and  Commander- 
in-chief  of  Bombay,  General  Abercrombie,  in  person,  com- 
manded the  field  army.  He  appointed  Lieutenant  Walker 
to  the  adjutancy  of  the  10th  Native  Infantry,  with  which  he 
served  in  the  campaign  of  1792.  This  terminated  in  the 
treaty  of  peace  dictated  by  Lord  Cornwallis  before  Serin- 
gapatam.  This  campaign  exhibited  the  extraordinary  event 
of  the  armies  of  the  three  presidencies,  headed  by  their 
several  Governors  and  Commanders-in-chief,  Cornwallis, 
Meadows,  and  Abercrombie,  co-operating  before  the  enemy's 
capital  in  Mysore. 

Lieutenant  Walker  resigned  his  adjutancy  to  rejoin  his 
old  corps  the  Grenadier  battalion;  but  was  soon  after  ap- 
pointed Military  Secretary  to  Colonel  Dow,  the  commanding 
officer  in  Malabar.  That  officer  relinquishing  his  command 
from  ill  health,  Lieutenant  Walker  was  appointed  Quarter- 
master of  Brigade.  But  his  corps  being  required  at  the 
siege  of  Cochin,  he  resigned  his  situation  on  the  staff  to 
share  in  that  service.  Colonel  Petrie  then  commanded  the 
field  division  of  the  Bombay  army,  and  Lieutenant  Walker 
was  made  his  Military  Secretary. 

About  this  period  the  supreme  government  deemed  it  ex- 
pedient to  form  a  commission  of  three  members  for  adminis- 
tering the  affairs  of  Malabar,  which  were  found  of  an  exceed- 
ingly difficult  and  delicate  complexion.  Lieutenant  Walker 
was  appointed  assistant  to  the  commissioners.  The  presence 


SO  BRIGADIER. GENERAL    WALKER. 

in  Malabar  of  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Bombay  anny} 
General  James  Stuart,  was  found  necessary ;  and  he  appointed 
Brevet  Captain  Walker  his  Military  Secretary.  This  office 
he  held,  on  most  confidential  terms,  during  the  whole  of  that 
General's  command  of  the  army,  whether  in  the  field  or  at 
the  presidency,  where  he  was  second  in  council. 

In  1797,  Captain  Walker  was  appointed  Deputy  Quarter- 
master General  of  the  Bombay  army,  which  gave  him  the 
official  rank  of  Major.  In  the  following  year  he  obtained 
the  office  of  Deputy  Auditor-general ;  and  the  Court  of  Di- 
rectors, as  a  mark  of  their  sense  of  his  services,  nominated 
him  to  succeed  to  the  office  of  Auditor-general,  on  the  first 
vacancy. 

In  1799,  war  again  broke  out  with  Tippoo.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  severity  of  the  terms  imposed  on  him  by  Lord  Corn- 
wallis,  of  the  cession  of  half  his  territorial  empire,  and  as 
much  money  as  it  was  supposed  he  could  collect  in  a  country 
which  had  for  years  been  the  seat  of  war,  and  ravaged  to  the 
very  gates  of  his  capital  by  the  most  destructive  of  invaders, 
the  Mahrattas ;  notwithstanding  all  these,  Tippoo  was  found 
with  his  remaining  country  so  flourishing,  his  treasury  so 
full,  and  his  armies  so  numerous  and  good,  as  again  to 
require  the  co-operation  of  all  the  disposable  force  of  the 
three  presidencies,  with  the  Commanders-in-chief  at  the  head 
of  their  respective  armies. 

General  Stuart  appointed  Major  Walker  to  be  Quarter- 
master General  to  the  Bombay  army  in  the  field.  He  was  at 
the  battle  of  Seedaseer,  the  first  conflict  of  the  war ;  and  at 
the  capture  of  Seringapatam,  the  last.  This  event  terminated 
in  the  death  of  Tippoo,  and  in  the  transfer  of  all  the  re- 
sources of  a  potent  empire  from  the  sway  of  our  most  invete- 
rate foe  to  our  own  :  —  not,  however,  the  uninterrupted  sway  ; 
for  it  was  a  long  while  before  such  a  grand  commotion  of  all 
the  warlike  elements  of  India  could  be  hushed  to  peace. 

The  vast  amount  of  wealth,  in  money  and  jewels,  captured 
at  Seringapatam,  indicated  the  great  resources  of  the  Mysore 
country ;  and  the  fact  that  on  the  day  after  its  fall  the  En- 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  SI 

glish  had  to  bury  upwards  of  ten  thousand  of  those  who  so 
bravely  defended  it — and  no  unnecessary  slaughter  occurred 
—  marked  the  fidelity  of  his  soldiers  to  its  late  ruler. 

General  Stuart  returned  to  Europe  in  1 800.  It  was  not 
likely  that  such  a  man  as  Major  Walker  would  be  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  ordinary  exercise  of  his  mere  military  functions. 
His  situation  in  the  Malabar  commission  had  made  him 
known  to  all  the  authorities  in  India.  He  collected  and  for- 
warded to  Government  very  valuable  political  and  statistical 
information  connected  with  the  important  province  of  Mala- 
bar, recently  brought  under  our  dominion,  as  part  of  Tip- 
poo's  territorial  cession.  Some  complicated  and  delicate 
affairs  with  the  Rajah  of  Cochin  required  investigation  and 
adjustment.  The  negotiations  were  intrusted  to  Major 
Walker,  and  were  completed  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Gover- 
nor General. 

It  may  be  in  place  to  mention  here  that,  while  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  Malabar  commission,  he  attracted  the  notice 
of  that  consummate  statesman,  Marquis  Wellesley,  then 
Governor  General,  who  addressed  General  Stuart,  12th 
February,  1800,  in  these  terms:  — "  I  request  you  will 
convey  my  thanks  to  Captain  Walker  for  the  supplementary 
Memoir  on  Malabar.  I  have  received  great  satisfaction 
from  his  several  able  communications  on  that  subject;  and  I 
entertain  so  high  a  sense  of  his  talents,  integrity,  knowledge, 
and  general  character,  that,  after  your  departure  from  India, 
it  would  be  very  satisfactory  to  me  if  I  could  induce  him  to 
enter  my  family.  My  intention  is,  to  endeavour  to  select, 
from  the  Presidencies  of  Fort  St.  George  and  Bombay,  officers 
of  high  character,  qualified  to  give  me  information  with  regard 
to  the  local  details  of  each  Presidency.  I  found  the  greatest 
advantage,  under  this  plan,  in  the  assistance  of  Major  Beat- 
son  previously  to  the  late  war ;  and  I  am  satisfied  that  Cap- 
tain Walker's  services  might  be  employed  with  great  public 
benefit  in  my  family." 

At  the  request  of  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  Major  Walker 
was  nominated  to  attend  the  commanding  officer  in  Mysore 


32  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

and  Malabar,  to  assist  him  in  the  campaign  of  1800  with 
such  local  information  as  he  had  acquired.  On  the  comple- 
tion of  this  active  service,  chiefly  against  rebellious  chieftains, 
as 'we  termed  them,  Major  Walker  received  the  thanks  of 
Government ;  and  again,  on  the  dissolution  of  the  Malabar 
commission,  of  which  he  had  been  some  time  a  member. 

These  events  bring  us  to  the  early  part  of  the  year  1800. 
About  this  time  terminated  the  series  of  services  in  which 
Major  Walker,  in  almost  every  grade  and  office  in  the  army, 
regimental  and  staff,  and  in  various  civil  situations,  had  been 
employed  in  the  southern  portions  of  our  Indian  empire  — 
Malabar,  Cananara,  Mysore,  and  Ceylon. 

The  attention  of  the  government  of  Bombay  had  long 
been  directed  to  the  fine  provinces  of  Guzerat.  They  had, 
under  the  military  dominion  of  the  Gaikawar  family,  one  of 
the  great  feudatories  of  the  Mahratta  empire,  become  the 
region  of  misrule  in  almost  every  possible  form.  Instead  of 
being  the  granary  of  Western  India,  a  mine  of  commercial 
wealth  to  us  and  to  all  around,  and  the  abode  of  peace, 
plenty,  and  happiness,  Guzerat  had  sunk  into  poverty,  debt, 
dependence,  degradation,  intestine  tumult  and  anarchy,  to 
an  extent  scarcely  imaginable,  and  utterly  insupportable. 

Some  of  the  leading  parties  in  the  Gaikawar  state  looked 
to  the  English  with  a  hopeful  eye  for  the  removal  of  the 
horrors  of  their  condition.  Others,  interested  in  the  con- 
tinuance of  their  rapine,  as  earnestly  desired  our  absence : 
foreseeing,  in  our  ascendancy,  the  end  of  theirs.  Interference 
among  such  discordant  interests  was  a  measure  of  extra- 
ordinary delicacy  and  difficulty.  Existing  treaties  gave  us 
certain  rights  and  privileges  in  Guzerat ;  but,  uninvited,  direct 
interposition  was  not  among  them.  In  India,  of  all  countries, 
negotiation,  unbacked  by  the  potencies  of  military  logic, 
proceeds  very  languidly;  and  of  all  the  states  of  India, 
Guzerat  was,  at  this  time,  the  least  likely  to  be  pacified  and 
tranqutllised  through  any  imaginable  exertion  of  mere  diplo- 
macy. The  desperate  condition  of  the  ruling  family,  from 
disunion  among  its  members,  and  imbecility  in  its  head  (for 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  33 

although  the  elder  brother  was  now  on  the  throne*  three  of 
his  brethren  had  contrived  to  seat  themselves  there  before 
him,)  from  mutinous  troops,  rebellious  subjects,  an  exhausted 
treasury,  overwhelming  debts,  and  all  the  co-efficients,  that 
mark  the  decline  of  states,  and  desolation  of  the  people, 
afforded  an  opportunity  for  our  welcome  and  invited  appear- 
ance, in  force,  in  support  of  the  threatened  and  tottering 
government  of  Guzerat. 

Although  Major  Walker's  services  had  hitherto  been 
wholly  confined  to  the  southern  portions  of  our  Indian  empire, 
.he  was  now  selected  to  conduct  the  negotiations*  and  to  com- 
mand the  troops  to  give  them  weight,  in  view  to  the  esta- 
blishment of  our  salutary  influence  in  that  interesting  region, 
beyond  the  most  northern  boundary  of  our  government  in 
Western  India. 

We  will  endeavour,  in  a  few  lines,  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
country  now  about  to  become  the  scene  of  the  most  important 
services  rendered  by  Major  Walker  to  his  employers,  his 
country,  and  humanity.  It  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  few  men 
to  effect  greater.. 

Guzerat  is  known  as  one  of  the  great  states  of  the  ano- 
malous empire  of  the  Mahrattas  :  it  lies  between  the  20th  and 
24?th  degrees  of  north  latitude.  The  gulf  of  Cutch  and  the 
Pudder  river  chiefly  mark  its  north-western  boundary ;  and 
the  gulf  of  Cambay  and  the  river  Nerbudda  the  south-eastern. 
South-westward  is  the  sea ;  north-eastward,  Malwa  and  Kan- 
deesh.  North-east  and  south-west,  its  length  may  be  estimated 
at  about  400  miles,  by  less  than  200  in  average  breadth.  Its 
population  has  been  somewhat  roughly  and  vaguely  reckoned 
between  six  and  seven  millions ;  probably  over-rated,  in  the 
proportion  of  one  Mahomedan  to  ten  Hindoos.  Its  capa- 
bilities of  export  in  cotton,  grain,  butter,  and  other  prime 
articles,  are  prodigious.  In  its  best  days,  between  forty  and 
sixty  years  ago,  the  Gaikawar  could  bring  into  the  field  from 
sixty  to  seventy  thousand  horse ;  and  it  is  the  boast  of  the 
family,  heretofore  renowned  for  military  prowess,  that  its 
territories  have  never  been  conquered.  The  eastern  parts  are 

VOL.  XVI.  D 


34t  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER, 

hilly,  and  the  immemorial  resort  and  abode  of  many  lawless 
tribes  of  plunderers.  They  are  fully  persuaded  ttyat  the  low- 
fertile  lands  were  and  are  the  property  of  their  forefathers 
and  themselves,  and  they  act  fully  on  such  persuasion  — 

..  —  "  on  the  good  old  plan, 
That  they  may  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  may  keep  who  can." 

The  low  regions  near  the  sea  have  been  equally  notorious 
for  piracy,  from  times  long  anterior  to  the  invasion  of  Alex- 
ander, as  noted  by  Arrian  and  Nearchus,  to  the  present,  or 
nearly :  for  the  English,  within  the  last  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years,  as  far  as  relates  to  the  practice  of  their  piratical  habits, 
have  almost,  perhaps  wholly,  annihilated  them,  root  and 
branch. 

Few  countries  in  the  world  have  a  greater  variety  of  in- 
habitants than  Guzerat.  The  bases  of  its  population  are,  as 
has  been  noticed,  Hindoos.  Of  these  the  military  tribes 
abound ;  but  it  has  been  also  the  favourite  abode  of  brahmas 
and  merchants.  Splendid  temples,  rich  endowments,  and 
superstitious  legends,  mark  it  as  the  seat  of  priests  and  priest- 
craft. Schismatics  also  are  very  numerous  :  no  part  of  India 
abounds  more  in  Jainas  and  Budhists.  .The  Mahomedans 
have  heretofore  had  considerable,  at  times  (of  Akber  and 
Aurengzeb)  almost  paramount,  influence  in  Guzerat.  Several 
independent  states  arose  and  became  established  there  out  of 
the  conquests  and  decline  of  the  imperial  house  of  Timour, 
and  still  retain  some  show  of  power ;  little  consonant,  how- 
ever, with  the  fine  cities  which  flourished  in  the  days  of  their 
prosperity;  still  magnificent  in  their  decay.  The  sect  of 
Parsee  consider  Guzerat  as  their  home :  perhaps  20,000 
of  that  fine  race  may  be  found  there.  This  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  most  priest-ridden  sects  in  India;  and,  strange 
to  tell,  the  laity  are  wealthy,  and  the  priesthood  not.  But 
the  fact  is,  that  it  is  the  Parsee  women  over  whom  the 
priests  have  so  much  influence.  The  men,  the  higher  classes, 
are  said  to  be  rather  philosophic  in  matters  of  religion  ;  the 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER,  35 

women  are,  assuredly,  among  the  most  chaste  in  the  world. 
Many  thousands  of  Arabs  and  Hubshees  (the  latter  are  natives 
of  Habesh,  or  Abyssinia,)  were  found  in  the  armies  of  the 
chieftains  of  Guzerat,  and  were  among  the  most  turbulent 
and  troublesome  of  its  discordant  elements. 

The  early  part  of  Major  Walker's  negotiations  in  the 
Gaikawar  states  had  for  their  objects,  the  reconcilement  of 
estranged  and  hostile  members  of  the  ruling  family ;  the  pay-« 
ment  of  the  arrears,  and  the  dismissal  of  the  lawless  soldiery ; 
the  arrangement  and  collection  of  the  dilapidated,  and  almost 
unproductive,  revenues ;  the  reduction  of  the  overwhelming 
debt  of  the  state  ;  the  re-organisation  of  the  nearly  inoperative 
courts,  judicial  and  civil ;  and  various  other  points  essential  to 
the  restoration  to  tranquillity  of  an  unhappy  country,  sunk  in 
the  combined  results  of  all  these,  and  many  other  co-existing 
abuses. 

Effecting  these,  or  any  of  these  reforms,  was  necessarily  in 
direct  opposition  to  the  views  and  interests  of  those  numerous 
and  influential  parties,  including  the  soldiery,  who  had  created 
the  abuses  and  would  benefit  by  their  continuance ;  and  every 
art  that  accomplished  intriguers  could  bring  into  ingenious 
operation  at  Baroda,  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  usual 
residence  of  the  court  and  head  of  the  state,  was  to  be  early 
combated  and  frustrated. 

Major  Walker's  opponents  did  not  rely  solely  on  their 
talent  for  negotiation  and  intrigue :  if  they  had,  they  might  in 
the  end,  perhaps,  have  been  counterplotted.  But  by  adding 
violence  to  their  efforts,  they  warranted  the  application  on  our 
part  of  the  means  that,  as  before  hinted,  tend  materially  to 
thwart  intrigue,  and  to  strengthen  and  abridge  negotiation. 
The  chief  of  Kurrie  openly  rebelled  against  the  state.  It  be- 
came necessary  to  make  a  military  demonstration;  and  Major 
Walker  took  the  field  with  a  considerable  detachment,  and 
the  Gaikawar  troops  joined  him.  Pending  some  negotiations, 
the  rebels,  augmented  to  the  estimated  number  of  25,000,  made 
a  furious  and  rather  unexpected  attack  on  our  detachment. 
We  were  not,  however,  in  military  parlance,  taken  by  surprise ; 

D  2 


S6  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

the  conflict  was  sharp,  and  the  rebels  were  repulsed  with  great 
loss.  On  our  part  the  loss  was  severe;  for,  though  uncom- 
bined  with  the  strict  discipline  of  our  troops,  the  individual 
bravery  of  the  native  soldiery  is  admirable.  It  became  neces- 
sary for  us  to  remain  on  the  defensive  until  the  arrival  of  re- 
inforcements from  Surat,  Bombay,  and  Goa ;,  which  arrived 
with  most  extraordinary  and  unlocked  for  celerity.  The 
strong  fort  of  Kurrie  was  beleaguered,  breached,  and -carried 
by  assault. 

On  this  occasion  Major  Walker  received  the  thanks  of  the 
government  and  Commander-in-chief  of  Bombay,  and  of  the 
Governor-General,  Marquis  Wellesley,  who  conveyed  his 
"  thanks  to  Major  Walker  for  the  judgment  and  address 
which  he  manifested  in  the  conduct  of  the  negotiations,  and 
for  the  distinguished  exertions  of  military  talent  in  the  conflict 
in  which  he  was  unavoidably  engaged  with  the  rebels." 

Colonel  Sir  William  Clarke,  of  his  Majesty's -86th  regi- 
ment, who  was  then  our  political  resident  at  Goa,  proceeded 
himself  with  the  reinforcement  from  that  city.  Sir  William 
was  a  good  soldier,  and  witnessed  with  admiration  the  military 
talent  of  his  colleague  Walker.  He  wrote  to  the  Bombay 
government  in  these  terms,  in  May,  1802: — "  The  judg- 
ment I  formed  soon  after  my  arrival  here  enables  me  to  assure 
you,  Honourable  -Sir,  that,  in  my  humble  opinion,  the  com- 
plete success  of.  our  arms  on  the  30th  April  is  not  more 
likely  to  convey  a  sense  of  British  superiority  to  the  minds  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Guzerat,  than  are  the  steady  countenance 
and  deportment  sustained  by  Major  Walker  from  the  moment 
he  was  attacked  on  the  17th  of  March  till  reinforcements 
arrived,  and  the  judgment  displayed  by  him  in  the  advan>- 
tageous  position  he  took  up  on  that  day  and  maintained  after- 
wards, and  the  resources  for  opposition  and  defence  which  his 
mind  daily  suggested,  and  which  his  detachment  .cheerfully 
executed  under  peculiar  circumstances  of  difficulty  and  danger." 

These  events  tended  to  the  establishment  of  our  influence 
in  Guzerat,  on  which  the  comfort  and  safety,  if  not  the  sal- 
vation, of  the  ruling  family  hinged.  Major  Walker  was  now 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  SJ 

(June,  1802)  appointed  "  Political  Resident  at  the  court  of  his 
Highness  the  Gaikawar  Rajah."  He  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing a  subsidiary  British  force  at  the  capital,  Baroda.  But 
such  was  the  tenacity  with  which  the  misgoverning  soldiery 
retained  their  power,  that  it  became  necessary  actually  to  be- 
siege and  bombard  the  capital  before  they,  including  more 
especially  the  Arabs,  could  be  expelled. 

Comparative  tranquillity  was  thus  restored  to  Guzerat. 
Territorial  cession  was  made  to  the  English,  in  view  to  se- 
cure a  certain  source  of  payment  of  the  subsidy  for  our  troops, 
now  permanently  stationed  there.  The  Peshwa  and  Sindia  pos- 
sessed very  annoying  rights  in  Guzerat,  —  extending  to  an  ad- 
mixture of  authority  with  local  participations  of  revenue  in 
some,  and  almost  a  paramount  authority  in  other  portions  of 
the  Gaikawar  States,  —  in  all  cases  perplexingly  undefined.  It 
became  expedient  to  put  an  end  to  such  conflicting  and  embar- 
rassing intermixture  of  political  and  fiscal  powers,  which  had 
long  proved  the  source  of  much  disagreement  and  disorder  in 
other  parts  of  the  Mahratta  dominions  ;  nor,  indeed,  had  we 
been  able  effectual!}7  to  free  our  own  from  the  relics  of  such 
unpleasant  counter-operation. 

This  was  now  effected,  partly  by  negotiation  ancj,  cession  to 
us  and  to  the  Gaikawar,  with  or  without  compensation;. -and 
(as  political  events  in  1803-4  led  to  hostilities)  finally  by  con- 
quest from  the  interposing  parties.  Of  the  revenue  of  these 
ceded  and  conquered  districts,  including  those  called  the 
Paunch  Mahl,  and  the  city  and  pergunnah  of  Baroach,  Major 
Walker  was  charged  with  the  collection,  as  well  as  with 
their  general  management. 

The  delicacy  and  difficulty  of  effecting  a  permanent  settle- 
ment of  such  conflicting  interests,  can  be  appreciated  only  by 
those  who  have  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  their  commence- 
ment, progress,  and  outworking.  It  may  suffice  here  to  ob- 
serve, that  Major  Walker's  very  successful  arrangement  of  all 
the  points  in  question  were  fully  approved  by  his  immediate 
and  remote  superiors ;  viz,  the  Bombay  government,  the  su» 

D  3 


38  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

preme  government  of  India,  and  the  honourable  the  Court  of 
Directors  in  England. 

Our  salutary  influence  in  Guzerat  being  now  fairly  esta- 
blished, the  usual  effects,  peace  and  prosperity,  followed  in 
its  train.  The  burdensome  and  mutinous  soldiery  were  paid 
off  and  dismissed,  —  only  a  force  necessary  for  the  safety  and 
honour  of  the  country  and  its  government  being  retained  ; 
the  ruling  family  were  to  a  certain  degree  reconciled  —  fully, 
was  found  to  be  impossible ;  agriculture  and  commerce  were 
extended ;  the  surprisingly  increased  revenues  were  put  in 
course  of  collection  without  the  presence  of  itinerant  armies,  a 
thing  long  unwitnessed ;  and  the  collected  revenue  found  its 
way  into  the  treasury  of  the  state,  as  rare  an  event;  the  debts 
of  the  government  were  ascertained  and  fixed,  and  put  in  a 
train  of  liquidation.  To  effect  this,  it  became  necessary  for 
the  English  government  to  become  security  to  the  native 
bankers  for  large  advances  on  the  mortgaged  revenues;  for  the 
immediate  pecuniary  means  and  the  credit  of  the  Gaikawar 
state  were  equally  at  the  lowest  possible  ebb. 

All  these  combined  points  gave  us  a  right  to  interfere  for  a 
while  in  the  superintendence  of  the  collection  of  the  territorial 
and  commercial  revenues ;  and  their  increasing  produce  under 
such  mitigated  control  was  a  theme  of  general  surprise.  But, 
in  truth,  the  productive  fertility  of  this  favoured  region  is  sur- 
passing, and  was  never  before  fairly  developed. 

These  ameliorations  led,  in  1805,  to  a  general  defensive 
treaty  of  alliance  between  the  Gaikawar  and  the  English, 
negotiated  by  Majcr  Walker.  It  received  the  unqualified 
approbation  of  his  employers.  That  of  the  supreme  govern- 
ment was  thus  expressed  by  the  Governor- General  in  council 
to  the  Governor  of  Bombay,  under  date  of  18th  March,  1806  : 
— <{  We  concur  entirely  in  the  sentiments  which  the  honour- 
able the  Governor  has  expressed  of  the  merit  of  Major  Walker; 
and  we  request  that  you  will  signify  to  that  officer  our  dis- 
tinguished approbation  of  the  zeal,  ability,  and  judgment 
manifested  by  him  during  the  whole  course  of  the  arduous 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  39 

negotiation  which  has  terminated  in  the  late  important  and 
advantageous  arrangements  with  the  Gaikawar  state." 

Tranquillity  was  not  yet,  however,  completely  restored 
throughout  the  dominions  of  the  Gaikawar.  Several  of  the 
rajahs,  or  military  chieftains,  in  the  important  division  or 
province  of  Kattywar,  comprising  a  great  part  of  the  south- 
west or  peninsular  portion,  formed  by  the  gulfs  of  Cambay 
and  Cutch  and  the  Sea,  still  retained  some  of  the  dismissed 
discontented  bands  of  soldiery,  and,  perhaps  unsoftened,  some 
of  the  original  elements  of  the  national  disorder  and  de- 
rangement. Its  remoteness  from  the  seat  of  government, 
and  the  high  military  pride  of  its  turbulent,  unyielding,  petty 
chieftains,  rendered  especial  negotiation,  backed  by  the  pre- 
sence of  a  military  force,  a  necessary  resort. 

In  1807,  Major  Walker  received  instructions  to  proceed 
into  Kattywar  in  a  civil  and  military  capacity.  His  instruc- 
tions were  thus  prefaced:  —  "  As  no  officer  on  this  establish- 
ment equally  unites  with  yourself  the  essential  qualifications 
of  the  requisite  information  and  local  influence  for  the  purpose 
of  conducting  the  objects  of  the  projected  expedition  into 
Kattywar  to  their  desired  issue,  the  honourable  the  Governor 
in  Council  is  pleased  to  vest  the  command  of  the  detachment 
to  be  employed  on  this  especial  service  in  you." 

Such  semi-independent  military  chiefs  as  have  been  above 
alluded  too  deem  it  derogatory  from  their  honour  and  dig- 
nity to  surrender  any  point  without  some  show  of  opposition. 
Fighting  a  regular  or  irregular  battle  with  the  moveable 
columns  which  accompany  the  state  collectors  of  the  revenue, 
was  no  unusual  event  among  Mahrattas  before  payment  of 
the  usual  demand  :  the  existing  weakness  or  embarrassments 
of  the  state,  and  the  comparative  reverse  of  these  predicaments 
on  the  part  of  the  feudatories,  was  the  common  calculation  as 
to  payment  or  refusal. 

On  this  occasion  it  was  found  necessary,  among  other  mili- 
tary operations,  to  besiege,  bombard,  and  breach  the  strong 
fortress  of  Kundorna  Kanaka,  before  the  province  of  Kattywar 
could  be  brought  into  the  regular  pacific  current  of  events 


40  BfUGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

now  spreading  itself  over  the  fertilised  territories  of  the  Gaika- 
war.  The  Governor  of  Bombay,  the  Commander-in-chief, 
and  the  Governor- General  conveyed  "  their  thanks  to  Major 
Walker,  and  their  approbation  of  the  judicious  mode  of  attack 
on  Kundorna  Kanaka,  and  the  spirit,  vigour,  and  effect  with 
which  it  was  conducted." 

It  was  in  the  course  of  this  expedition  into  Kattywar  that 
Major  Walker  found  himself  in  a  situation  enabling  him  to 
press,  with  an  effect  thentofore  unattainable,  the  abolition  of 
female  infanticide;  an  object  of  great  solicitude  to  himself, 
and,  as  is  well  known,  of  his  excellent  and  amiable  friend, 
Jonathan  Duncan,  the  Governor  of  Bombay.  It  was  known 
to  have  prevailed  immemorially  among  the  Jahrejah  Rajpoots 
of  Kattywar.  Major  Walker  lent  himself  to  this  measure 
with  all  the  zeal  and  cordiality  of  his  eminently  humane  nature ; 
and  he  succeeded  beyond  the  expectation  of  any  who  at  all 
knew  the  character  and  feeling  of  the  parties  with  whom  he 
had  to  negotiate. 

Of  all  the  results  of  his  forty  years'  services  and  labours  in 
India,  and  for  his  country,  this,  the  abolition  of  infanticide, 
was  the  one  which  clung  the  closest  to  his  heart.  His  military 
achievements,  his  civil  successes,  shrunk  to  nothing  in  his  just 
estimation  compared  with  this  greater  triumph  of  humanity. 
As  this  subject  has  already  been  brought  before  the  public  in 
a  quarto  and  an  octavo  volume,  we  shall  notice  it  here  no 
farther  than  to  observe,  that  his  negotiations,  correspondence, 
historical  collections,  and  exertions  on  this  matter  alone,  ap- 
pear sufficient  to  have  fully  occupied  the  time  and  attention 
of  an  ordinary  man. 

But  although  we  deem  what  has  been  already  published 
on  Hindoo  infanticide  sufficient  to  mark  the  humanity  of 
Walker's  character  on  that  subject,  we  are  induced  to  give 
the  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  one  who  knew  him  most 
intimately,  not  only  as  a  fellow  labourer  in  his  political  and 
military  career,  but  in  private  life  as  a  confidential  friend  and 
member  of  his  family.  It  is  from  his  suitable  successor  as 
Political  Resident  in  Guzerat.  —  "  It  will  be  a  melancholy 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  41 

pleasure  to  me  to  render  you  information  on  prominent  events 
which  occurred  during  the  many  years  I  had  the  good  fortune 
to  be  a  member  of  the  family  of  our  most  valued  friend  at 
Baroda.  You  will,  I  am  sure,  agree  with  me  in  opinion 
as  to  the  exalted  worth  of  a  man  who,  highly  appreciated  as 
he  may  have  been,  was  inferior  to  none  of  those  eminent 
persons  who  have  so  well  merited  the  honours  and  stations 
bestowed  on  them.  Of  his  enthusiastic  devotion  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  East  India  Company  and  his  indefatigable 
industry,  the  high  integrity  of  his  character  and  firmness  of 
purpose,  I  need  say  nothing  to  you,  whom,  from  early  days, 
I  know  to  have  been  his  esteemed  friend.  But  even  to  you  I 
cannot  withhold  the  remark,  that  an  anxious,  unceasing  desire 
of  promoting  the  happiness,  and  bettering  the  condition,  of 
all  who  fell  under  the  influence  of  his  authority,  was  a  pre- 
dominant passion  of  his  life.  Its  whole  tenour  was  based  on  the 
principles  of  the  purest  philanthropy.  Such  a  man,  I  need 
not  add,  was  honoured  and  beloved;  and  his  name,  to  the 
hour  of  my  quitting  Guzerat>  many  years  after  that  populous 
province  had  lost  the  benefit  of  his  presence,  was  uttered  by 
all  with  feelings  of  deep  veneration  for  his  virtues." 

This  leads  us  to  a  transient  notice  of  what  an  industrious 
and  zealous  man  can  effect.  We  have  seen  that  while  em- 
ployed in  Malabar,  —  fully,  as  one  witnessing  his  avocations 
would  have  thought,  —  he  found  time  to  collect  and  arrange 
very  voluminous  reports  connected  with  every  department  of 
the  government  of  that  interesting  and  important  region,  then 
newly  brought  under  our  dominion,  and  very  little  known  to 
us.  These  reports  the  Governor-General  and  the  govern- 
ments of  Madras  and  Bombay  deemed  highly  valuable,  as 
furnishing  the  bases  of  the  future  and  permanent  rule  of  our 
new  acquisitions.  So,  while  similarly  employed  in  Guzerat, 
his  similar  collections  and  arrangement  of  information^  and 
his  reports  thereon,  on  every  subject  connected  with  the  im- 
provement of  its  condition,  were  similarly  appreciated  by  his 
immediate  and  distant  superiors. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to. remark)  that  a  history  of 


42  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER* 

Guzerat  would  furnish  as  interesting  a  volume  as  any  that 
could  be  produced  on  East  Indian  affairs.  It  would  afford 
ample  scope  foi*  the  exertion  of  talent  on  almost  every  inviting 
topic  of  Oriental  literature  and  research.  Whenever  such  a 
work  maybe  contemplated,  Major  Walker's  extended  reports 
and  correspondence,  on  nearly  all  those  topics,  would  furnish 
abundant  materials  for  the  finishing  hand  of  the  historian. 
These  reports  are,  it  is  believed,  accessible.  Major  Walker's 
private  collections  are  also  very  great.  Had  time  and  leisure 
permitted  him  to  arrange  them,  the  becoming  reserve  and 
diffidence  of  his  nature  might  have  yielded  to  the  solicitations 
of  his  literary  friends,  as  to  their  committal  to  the  press. 

Such  'unceasing  inter  tropical  exertions  of  mind  and  body 
as  we  have  seen  Major  Walker  engaged  in,  from  1782  to 
1808,  produced  their  usual  effects.  Equanimity  and  tem- 
perance contributed,  no  doubt,  to  ward  off  their  earlier  se- 
verity; but  they  now  told,  in  language  too  plain,  that  the 
period  of  repose  was  imperatively  present.  His  departure 
from  Guzerat  was,  however,  in  conformity  to  the  expressed 
wishes  both  of  the  government  of  Bombay  and  of  the  Gaik- 
awar,  postponed  as  long  as  possible  —  his  medical  friends 
thought  too  long. 

Towards  the  end  of  1808  Major  Walker  gained  rank,  and 
applied  for  a  furlough  to  Europe.  On  this  occasion  the  fol- 
lowing general  order  was  issued  to  the  Bombay  army,  19th 
January,  1809  :  — 

"  The  Honourable  the  Governor  in  Council  is  pleased  to 
permit  Lieutenant-Colonel  A.  Walker,  of  the  1st  regiment  of 
Native  Infantry,  to  proceed  to  England,  with  the  option  of 
returning  to  or  retiring  from  the  service  at  the  expiration  of 
his  furlough.  In  thus  announcing  the  departure  of  Lieu- 
t^nant-Colonel  Walker,  the  Governor  in  Council  discharges 
one  of  the  most  gratifying  obligations  of  his  public  duty  in 
recording,  in  concurrence  with  the  sentiments  of  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  forces,  his  unreserved  testimony  to  the 
distinguished  merits  of  an  officer,  whose  progress  throughout 
the  service  has  uniformly  reflected  the  highest  credit  on  the 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  43 

profession  of  which  he  has  proved  himself  so  respectable  a 
member.  The  character  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walker  first 
attracted  the  notice  of  this  Government  in  the  confidential 
situation  which  he  held  of  Secretary  to  Lieu  tenant- General 
Stuart,  as  Commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  under  this  pre- 
sidency ;  and  who  having,  moreover,  appointed  him  to  the 
office  of  Deputy  Quaster-master  General,  in  January,  1799, 
the  Lieutenant- Colonel  accompanied  that  experienced  officer 
in  charge  of  the  arduous  duties  of  Quarter-master  General  to 
the  Bombay  army  that  co-operated  in  the  reduction  of  the 
fortress  of  Seringapatam  in  the  memorable  campaign  of  that 
year.  The  selection  of  the  Lieutenant- Colonel  to  fill  even- 
tually the  appointment  of  assistant  to  the  Auditor- General 
having  been  communicated  to  the  Honourable  the  Court  of 
Directors,  they  were  pleased,  in  1801,  to  direct  that  he  should 
succeed  to  the  responsible  situation  of  Auditor-General  to  this 
presidency.  The  several  occasions,  however,  which  the  ad- 
ministration of  this  presidency  has  had  to  avail  itself  of  the 
experienced  talents  and  acquirements  of  that  officer,  have  in- 
terrupted his  succession  to  the  principal  charge  of  either  of 
the  two  above-mentioned  offices,  in  the  immediate  line  of  his 
profession,  —  in  view  to  which  he  had  thus  successively  been 
selected,  —  and  in  both  of  which  he  was  eminently  qualified 
to  promote  the  public  service.  Having  accompanied  the 
Committee  of  Government  *  that  proceeded  to  Malabar  in 
1797,  the  knowledge  which  Colonel  Walker  thence  acquired 
of  the  state  of  affairs  in  that  province,  joined  to  his  con- 
ciliatory character,  led  to  his  being  nominated  a  member  of 
the  commission  that  was  formed  for  regulating  the  affairs  of 
Malabar,  at  a  crisis  which  demanded  the  selection  of  servants 
of  approved  judgment  and  talents.  On  the  abolition  of  the 
commission,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walker  would  have  succeeded 
to  the  office  of  Auditor- General,  pursuant  to  his  nomination 
by  the  Honourable  Court,  had  not  the  course  of  events  called 
for  the  exercise  of  his  tried  abilities  in  promoting  the  national 
interests  in  a  more  active  and  delicate  scene  of  operation; 

*  The  Governor,  Duncan,  and  the  Commander-in-chief,  General  Stuart. 


44>  BRIGADIER- GENERAL    WALKER* 

The  Baroda  state  having  solicited  the  interposition  of  the 
Honourable  Company's  favour  and  authority  in  extricating 
that  government  from  the  various  difficulties  and  distresses 
under  which  it  then  laboured,  this  officer  proceeded  to  the 
northward  in  1802;  and,  in  the  short  warfare  which  ensued, 
Lieutenant- Colonel  Walker's  services  attracted  the  thanks  of 
His  Excellency  the  Most  Noble  the  Governor-General  in 
Council,  6  for  the  judgment  and  address  which  he  manifested 
in  the  conduct  of  the  negotiations  with  the  minister  Rouba, 
and  for  Major  Walker's  distinguished  exertion  of  military 
talents  in  the  contest  in  which  he  was  unavoidably  engaged 
with  the  superior  force  of  Malhar  Rao  Gaikawar.' — -  Having 
successively  engaged  in  the  reduction  of  the  active  and  dan- 
gerous opposition  that  immediately  distracted  the  Gaikawar 
state,  the  attention  of  Lieutenant- Colonel  Walker  has  for  these 
last  seven  years  been  sedulously  devoted,  in  his  capacity  of' 
Resident  at  Baroda,  in  co-operating  with  the  administration 
of  the  Gaikawar  government  towards  a  restoration  of  its 
affairs  :  after  the  attainment  of  which  important  object,  he  is 
now  returning  to  his  native  country,  with  the  regret  of  his 
own  government  at  the  loss  of  his  able  assistance,  with  the 
distinguished  approbation  of  the  Governor-General  of  India 
for  the  eminent  services  he  has  rendered,  and  the  general 
good  wishes  of  the  sovereign  and  subjects  in  the  country  of 
the  Honourable  Company's  ally,  at  the  court  of  which  he 
had  thus  long  and  usefully  resided." 

Early  in  1809  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walker  embarked  at 
Bombay  for  England.  The  ship  had  not  cleared  the  harbour 
when  he  received  a  letter  from  the  Governor-General,  Lord 
Minto,  expressive  of  his  wish  that  he  would  not  quit  India.  It 
had  become  known  to  his  lordship,  and  others,  that  some  in- 
flammable materials  were  likely  soon  to  explode  to  the  north- 
ward of  Guzerat ;  and  it  was  not  probable  that  the  turbulent 
spirits  in  the  contiguous  parts  of  that  province,  so  recently  re- 
duced to  quietness,  could  so  remain,  when  an  inviting  move- 
ment in  their  neighbourhood  told  them  "  there  were  dangers 
to  dare  and  spoil  to  be  won."  The  absence  of  the  head  and 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  45 

hand  that  had  suppressed  and  kept  down  these  high  minds  was 
quickly  felt.  Colonel  Walker's  ship  touched  at  Point  de 
Galle  (his  immediate  impulse  of  quitting  the  ship  on  the 
receipt  of  Lord  Minto's  letter  was  found  impracticable) ;  and 
other  letters  reached  him  there  from  His  Excellency,  which 
determined  him  to  return  at  all  hazards,  and  in  defiance  of  all 
medical  opinion  and  advice.  The  repose  of  a  fortnight  on 
ship-board,  with  the  salubrious  change  to  sea  air,  had  pro- 
duced their  usual  effects  ;  and  Colonel  Walker  found  his 
health  so  much  amended  as  to  warrant  a  hope  that  he  might 
still  withstand,  for  another  year,  the  trying  climate  of  Guzerat. 

He  returned  forthwith  to  Bombay,  and  thence  soon  pro- 
ceeded to  the  scene  of  his  late  successful  exertions.  Futteh 
Sing,  the  enterprising  ruler  of  Cutch,  had  threatened  the  in- 
vasion of  Guzerat.  This  had  caused  Lord  Minto's  letters ; 
and,  we  believe,  before  Colonel  Walker  could  return  thither 
the  threats  had  been  executed,  with  their  expected  results, 
the  uprising  of  the  Kattywarry  chiefs  of  the  Gaikawar  state. 
An  immediate  demonstration  of  force  was  necessary ;  and 
Colonel  Walker  again  entered  Kattywar  at  the  head  of  a 
detachment  stronger  than  had  before  acted  in  that  quarter, 
where  he  was  joined  as  before  by  the  army  of  the  Gaikawar. 
Among  other  operations,  the  detachment  besieged  and  took 
the  fort  of  Kandadher,  in  June.  The  strong  fort  of  Mallia,  of 
high  reputation  among  the  military  of  Guzerat,  and  neighbour- 
ing nations,  upheld  its  character.  It  became  necessary  to 
breach  it.  This  operation  being  sufficiently  effected,  it  still 
refused  to  yield  ;  and  was  carried  by  assault  on  the  7th  of  July, 
after  a  very  vigorous  resistance.  The  fortress  was  razed. 

These  brilliant  operations  had  the  usual  effect  of  abridging 
and  smoothing  the  progress  of  negotiation;  and  the  pressing 
and  delicate  affairs  with  the  government  of  Cutch  were 
brought  to  a  favourable  conclusion.  The  piratical  states  and 
parties  of  that  neighbourhood  were  also  at  this  time  favourably 
and  finally  arranged;  the  strong  piratical  hold  of  Positra 
having  surrendered  to  our  detachment. 

On  these  satisfactory  events  various  encomiums  were  passed 


46  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

on  Colonel  Walker  and  his  gallant  band :  from  these  we 
select  the  following :  —  The  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Bom- 
bay army  expressed  the  "  highest  satisfaction,  and  con- 
gratulated the  army  on  an  achievement  so  distinguished  by 
judgment,  decision,  zeal,  and  intrepidity;  and  so  highly 
creditable  to  the  troops  engaged.  The  Commander-in-chief 
begs  to  distribute  his  praise  and  gratitude  to  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Walker,  Major  Mahoney,  and  the  officers  and  men, 
for  their  spirited,  gallant,  and  energetic  conduct  in  this  ardu- 
ous enterprise."  The  Bombay  government  thus  concluded 
its  general  order  to  the  army. 

"  In  thus  narrating  the  circumstances  that  attended  the  re- 
duction of  the  Fort  of  Mallia,  the  Governor  in  Council  affords 
the  most  satisfactory  testimony  to  the  able  disposition  that  had 
been  planned  by  that  judicious  and  experienced  officer,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Walker;  and  to  the  vigour,  promptitude,  and 
bravery  by  which  that  plan  was  carried  into  effect  by  the 
gallant  detachment  under  that  officer's  command,  which  has 
added  another  conspicuous  exploit  to  those  which  have  already 
distinguished  the  zeal  and  intrepidity  of  the  Bombay  army." 

Having  accomplished  all  the  objects  for  which  government 
had  so  pressingly  desired  his  return,  Colonel  Walker  again 
obtained  leave  to  quit  India.  On  this  occasion  the  following 
general  order  was  issued  to  the  army :  — 

"  Bombay  Castle,  23d  Jan.  1810.  The  Honourable  the 
Governor  in  Council  is  pleased  to  permit  Lieutenant- Colonel 
Walker  to  proceed  to  England,  with  the  option  of  retiring 
from,  or  returning  to,  the  service.  The  sentiments  of  Govern- 
ment on  the  high  professional  character  and  distinguished 
merits  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walker  were  expressed  in  the 
orders  dated  19th  January,  1809,  on  the  occasion  of  that 
officer's  former  embarkation  for  Europe.  The  communication 
of  the  wishes  of  the  Right  Honourable  the  Governor- General 
that  the  residence  of  Colonel  Walker  in  this  country  might 
be  prolonged,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  into  effect  an  ar- 
rangement of  great  political  importance,  determined  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel to  return  to  his  station,  and  to  resume  the 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  47 

functions  of  his  office.  Having  immediately  entered  upon  the 
delicate  duties  committed  to  his  able  management,  the  progress 
of  his  negotiations,  and  the  success  of  his  measures,  have  been 
marked  by  that  judgment,  ability,  and  address,  of  which  he  has 
afforded  so  many  decided  proofs ;  at  the  same  time  that  the  re- 
putation of  the  British  arms  has  been  maintained  and  extended 
under  his  approved  military  talents  and  skill,  in  a  degree 
that  has  already  attracted  the  distinguished  approbation  of  the 
Right  Honourable  the  Governor-General.  The  Governor  in 
Council  therefore,  in  announcing  Lieutenant- Colonel  Walker's 
ultimate  return  to  his  native  country,  embraces  the  opportunity 
of  renewing  the  expression  of  the  obligations  of  the  Govern- 
ment for  the  important  services  which  have  already  received 
its  cordial  and  unqualified  testimony,  and  which  have  been 
enhanced  by  the  eminent  and  substantial  benefits  that  this  pre- 
sidency has  derived  from  his  protracted  residence  in  India." 

The  year  1831  deprived  England  of  many  of  its  illustrious 
sons  —  of  more  than  usually  fall  in  that  brief  period.  The 
demands  on  our  pages  are  commerisurably  great.  The  period 
of  Colonel  Walker's  brilliant  services  had  now  arrived ;  and 
we  feel  called  on  to  hasten  this  slight  memoir  to  its  conclusion. 
We  have  already  given,  on  two  or  three  occasions,  the  enco- 
miastic records  which  his  immediate  employers  in  India  saw 
fit  to  make  in  reference  to  his  services.  It  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  gratifying  to  us,  and  to  his  numerous  friends, 
were  we  to  give,  in  this  place,  more  of  such  honourable  tes- 
timonials. We  have  before  us  upwards  of  three-score  general 
orders  by  Governors  of  India  and  by  Commanders-in-chief 
of  the  armies,  and  minutes  of  Council  by  the  different  Govern- 
ments of  India,  and  extracts  from  the  consultations  of  the 
Court  of  Directors  in  England,  of  a  like  tendency,  —  all  ex- 
pressive of  gratitude  and  admiration  of  his  talents,  zeal, 
courage,  assiduity,  and  success.  The  temptation  to  lay  many 
of  these  before  our  readers  is  great;  but  we  must  refrain. 

On  quitting  India,  Colonel  Walker  could  not  but  see  that 
a  perseverance  in  the  measures  and  system  by  which  he  had 
restored  peace,  plenty,  credit,  and  confidence  throughout  a 


48  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

state  in  which  the  direct  reverse  of  all  those  blessings  had 
long  reigned  triumphant,  was  essential  to  their  continuance; 
and  he  could  not  but  feel  that  the  superintendence  of  one 
well'  trained  in  his  school  was  almost  as  essential  to  such  per- 
severance. In  his  early  service  in  Guzerat,  he  had,  out  of 
esteem  for  his  respected  parents,  taken  by  the  hand  a  very 
young  man.  Perhaps  the  situation  —  the  usually  idle  one  -— 
of  aide-de-camp  may  have  been  given  him:  but  Walker's 
aides-de-camp  were  not  suffered  to  be  idle  —  all  in  his  family 
must  work ;  and  in  this  young  gentleman  he  found  an  able 
and  willing  workman.  He  deserved,  and  won,  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  superior,  and  became  his  political  assistant, 
confidential  friend,  and  ardent  co-operator  in  all  his  plans* 
The  civil  governors  of  India  have  seen  with  much  dissatis- 
faction the  increased  employment  of  military  officers  in  the 
departments  of  diplomacy  and  revenue.  In  theory  their  view 
is  just.  The  Court  of  Directors  have  had,  and  have,  the  like 
feeling.  But  all  have  been  compelled  to  approve  of  many 
practical  deviations  from  such  theory.  The  native  govern- 
ments of  India  are  all  essentially  military.  With  Hindoos, 
none  but  the  military  tribe  can  furnish  sovereigns.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  the  East  India  Company's  civil  servants  do  not, 
beyond  the  necessary  and  admitted  equal  influence  of  talents 
and  morals,  carry,  in  pressing  times,  a  like  weight  at  native 
courts  as  military  ambassadors.  In  delicate  times  it  has  been 
found  expedient  to  fill  all  the  governments  of  India  with 
soldiers.  The  commencement  of  this  alteration  was  in  1 788-9, 
when  Generals  Lord  Cornwallis,  Sir  William  Medows,  and 
Sir  Robert  Abercrombie,  were  the  Governors  and  Com- 
manders-in- Chief  respectively  of  Bengal,  Madras,  and  Bom- 
bay. The  humbling  and  subjugation  of  Tippoo,  and  the 
eventual  annexation  of  the  power  of  his  realm  to  our  own, 
were  the  consequences.  Lord  Harris,  Sir  Thomas  Monro, 
Sir  John  Malcolm,  and  other  distinguished  general  officers, 
have  succeeded  to  those  chairs.  In  the  line  of  diplomacy,  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  Generals  Palmer  and  Sir  David  Ochter- 
Jony,  G.  C.B.,  Sir  Barry  Close,  Colonel  Wilks,  and  other 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER.  49 

soldiers,  have  been  eminently  successful  at  the  durbars  of  the 
native  princes.  Still  the  feeling  of  cedant  arma  prevails,  and 
very  properly.  In  addition  to  this,  Colonel  Walker  had  to 
combat  the  non-acquisition  of  rank  on  the  part  of  the  gentleman 
whom  he  desired  should  continue,  as  principal,  what  he  had 
helped  to  establish,  as  assistant.  The  Bombay  Government 
well  knew  that  no  friend  or  even  brother  of  Walker's  would 
be  recommended  by  him  for  any  office  for  which  a  more  fit 
man  could  be  found.  In  this  case,  moreover,  the  officer  be- 
longed to  a  different  establishment ;  and  that  the  most  remote, 
as  to  distance,  politics,  language,  and  every  point,  —  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Madras  army. 

The  recommendation  was  strenuously  resisted  on  a  variety 
of  reasonable  grounds  by  both  the  Bombay  and  the  Supreme 
Governments,  in  whom  the  appointment  rested,  and  by  the 
Court  of  Directors,  as  to  its  confirmation.  But  when  Colonel 
Walker  saw  a  point  clearly,  he  outworked  it  steadily ;  and  all 
parties  at  length  saw  it  also,  and  yielded  to  his  reiterated 
recommendation.  It  was  in  favour  of  Lieutenant  James  Car- 
nac,  who  was  appointed  to  the  important  situation  of  "  Politi- 
cal Resident  at  the  Court  of  his  Highness  the  Gaikawar  Rajah." 
It  may  not  be  superfluous,  perhaps,  to  some  of  our  readers  to 
be  informed,  that  the  office  of  political  resident  on  the  part 
of  the  East  India  Company  is  equivalent  to  that  of  ambassador 
from  a  crowned  head.  The  result  proved  the  wisdom  that 
had  prompted  the  recommendation ;  and  Major  Carnac  is  now 
one  of  the  Court  of  Directors  of  the  East  India  Company. 

Colonel  Walker  we  have  brought  to  England  in  1810.  In 
1812  he  retired  from  the  service,  and  fixed  himself  in  his 
native  country,  where  he  lived  most  happily  in  the  bosom  of 
his  amiable  family,  attending  with  ardour  to  the  varied  pur- 
suits of  agriculture,  and  the  improvement  of  his  estates.  In 
1822  he  was  called  from  this  retirement  to  the  government  of 
St.  Helena,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier- General.  We  can 
only  notice,  that  in  this  limited  boundary  his  active  mind  was 
most  usefully  employed.  He  improved  the  agriculture  and 
horticulture  of  the  island  by  the  establishment  of  farming  and 

VOL.  XVI.  E 


50  BRIGADIER-GENERAL    WALKER. 

gardening  societies,  to  which  he  delivered  lectures,  —  its  morals 
by  the  foundation  of  schools  and  libraries,  and  the  suppression 
or  mitigation  of  all  that  trenched  on  the  decencies,  comforts, 
and  happiness  of  his  few  thousands  of  subjects ;  —  he  intro- 
duced silk-worms,  and  gave  a  stimulus  to  their  views  of  ex- 
port, &c.  &c. 

In  this  confined  sphere  of  usefulness,  he  was  struck  with 
apoplexy  while  at  the  council-board;  from  the  effects  of  which 
he  never  fully  recovered.  He  died  at  the  age  of  about  66,  at 
his  beloved  home — Bowland,  by  Edinburgh  — on  the  5th  of 
March,  1831,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  sons. 

He  who  traces  this  brief  memoir  —  brief  in  reference  to 
copiousness  of  materials  and  attraction  of  subject  —  enjoyed 
for  nearly  half  a  century  the  acquaintance  and  friendship  of 
this  excellent  man  :  during  more  than  half  that  period  few 
months  elapsed  without  the  confidential  interchange  of  an 
epistolary  sheet  or  two.  He  hoped  that  some  literary  friend 
would  compose  a  more  suitable  memoir,  to  take  its  station 
immediately  beside  that  of  his  countryman,  Sir  Thomas 
Munro ;  to  whom,  in  zeal,  talent,  industry,  worth,  and  suc- 
cess, General  Walker  bore  a  near  resemblance:  but  not 
learning  that  such  a  memoir  is  to  be  looked  for,  this  poor  one 
is  thus  substituted.  The  writer  deems  it  one  of  the  most 
honourable  points  of  his  (not  unhonoured)  life,  to  have  been 
uninterruptedly  for  such  a  time  the  acquaintance,  the  intimate, 
the  confidential  friend  of  such  a  man  as  Alexander  Walker. 


No.  IV. 
ROBERT  WILLIAM  ELLISTON,  ESQ. 

"  THE  death  of  a  comic  actor,"  justly  observes  the  clever 
writer  of  a  very  entertaining  daily  paper  *,  "  is  felt  more  than 
than  that  of  a  tragedian.  He  has  sympathised  more  with 
us  in  our  every-day  feelings,  and  has  given  us  more  amuse- 
ment. Death,  with  a  tragedian,  seems  all  in  the  way  of  busi- 
ness. Tragedians  have  been  dying  all  their  lives.  They  are 
a  '  grave'  people.  But  it  seems  a  hard  thing  upon  the  comic 
actor  to  quench  his  airiness  and  vivacity  —  to  stop  him  in  his 
happy  career  —  to  make  us  think  of  him,  on  the  sudden,  with 
solemnity  —  and  to  miss  him  for  ever.  We  could  have  *  bet- 
ter spared  a  better  man.'  It  is  something  like  losing  a  merry 
child.  We  have  not  got  used  to  the  gravity." 

Robert  William  Elliston  was  born  April  7.  1774-,  in  Orange 
Street,  Bloomsbury.  His  father,  a  watchmaker,  was  the 
youngest  son  of  an  eminent  farmer  at  Gidgrave,  near  Orford, 
in  Suffolk,  and  brother  to  the  Reverend  William  Elliston,  D.  D. 
Master  of  Sidney-Sussex  College,  Cambridge. 

At  nine  years  of  age  young  Elliston  was  placed  at  St. 
Paul's  school ;  and  as  he  was  accustomed  to  visit  his  uncle 
Dr.  Elliston  at  Cambridge,  during  the  vacations,  he  appeared 
to  have  before  him  prospects  in  the  University,  and  also, 
should  he  think  fit  to  enter  the  clt:rical  profession,  in  the 
Church.  It  is  said  that  his  ambition  for  scenic  celebrity  was 
first  excited  by  the  applause  he  received  at  the  school  Speeches 
in  1790,  on  delivering  an  English  thesis,  the  subject  of  which 
was,  "  Nemo  confidat  nimium  secundis."  He  is  remembered,' 
about  the  same  period,  to  have  represented  Pierre,  in  "  Venice 
Preserved,"  at  some  private  performances  at  the  Lyceum;  and 

*  The  Tatler. 
E    2 


52  ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

he  shortly  after  abruptly  quitted  school  (at  the  time  he  was 
the  fourth  boy)  without  the  knowledge  of  his  friends. 

He  wandered  to  Bath,  where,  to  procure  the  temporary 
means  of  subsistence,  he  engaged  himself  as  clerk  in  a  lottery 
office,  and  remained  in  that  capacity  for  a  few  weeks,  until  he 
found  an  opportunity  of  making  his  theatrical  essay,  which 
was  in  the  humble  part  of  Tressel,  in  "  Richard  the  Third," 
April  21.  1791.  Although  this  performance  was  very  suc- 
cessful, the  manager  was  not  able  to  offer  him  a  permanent 
engagement :  he  obtained,  however,  from  Mr.  Wallis,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Campbell,  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  Tate 
Wilkinson,  at  York,  who  immediately  engaged  him.  The 
principal  characters  in  Wilkinson's  company  being  entirely 
pre-occupied,  the  truant  in  a  short  time  became  weary  of  his 
situation,  and  wrote  to  his  uncle  a  letter  supplicating  for  for- 
giveness. He  was  allowed  to  return  to  his  family,  but  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  relinquish  his  taste  for  the  stage.  In  1793 
he  appeared  a  second  time  at  Bath,  in  the  character  of  Romeo: 
and  during  the  season  he  continued  to  play  a  variety  of  cha- 
racters in  tragedy,  comedy,  opera,  or  pantomime. 

As  his  occupation  in  life  appeared  now  to  be  decisively 
adopted,  another  uncle,  the  late  Professor  Martyn,  had  the 
kindness  to  use  his  exertions  to  introduce  him  to  the  boards 
of  Drury  Lane ;  but  the  terms  proposed  not  being  sufficient 
to  induce  Elliston  to  leave  Bath,  he  concluded  an  engage- 
ment there  for  four  years.  In  1 796  he  carried  off  from  that 
city  Miss  Rundall,  a  teacher  of  dancing;  and  soon  after  their 
marriage  in  London  made  his  first  bow  to  a  London  audience 
at  the  Haymarket,  June  24-.  of  that  year,  in  the  very  opposite 
characters  of  Octavian  in  "  The  Mountaineers,"  and  Vapour 
in  "  My  Grandmother."  Having  performed  a  few  nights,  he 
returned  to  Bath  until  the  latter  end  of  the  season,  when  he 
again  appeared  at  the  Haymarket,  as  Sir  Edward  Mortimer  in 
"  The  Iron  Chest,"  which,  only  a  short  time  before,  had  been 
produced  and  condemned  at  Drury  Lane,  although  Mr. 
Kemble  had  taken  the  character  of  Sir  Edward  Mortimer. 

From  the  Haymarket  Mr.  Elliston  was  engaged  to  perform 


ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ.  53 

for  a  limited  number  of  nights  at  Covent  Garden;  but,  owing 
to  some  disagreement  with  Mr.  Harris,  he  again  joined  the 
Haymarket  corps;  and  on  Mr.  Colman's  new  arrangement 
in  1803,  he  became  not  only  his  principal  performer,  but  also 
his  acting  manager.  In  the  succeeding  year  when  John 
Kemble  quitted  Drury  Lane,  Mr.  Elliston  was  engaged  to 
supply  his  place :  after  the  theatre  was  burnt,  when  the  com- 
pany performed  at  the  Lyceum,  he  left  it  in  consequence  of 
some  quarrel  with  Thomas  Sheridan. 

He  then  took  the  Circus,  and  having  given  it  the  name  of 
the  Surrey  Theatre,  commenced  performing  some  of  the  best 
plays  of  Shakspeare,  and  some  operas,  having  so  far  altered 
them  as  to  bring  them  within  the  meaning  of  the  license;  a 
practice  which  he  defended  in  a  well-written  pamphlet.  He 
acted  the  principal  parts,  and  was  equally  applauded  in  Mac- 
beth and  Macheath.  In  1805  he  published  "  The  Venetian 
Outlaw,  a  Drama,  in  three  acts,"  which  he  hafl  himself 
adapted  from  the  French  —  "  Abeliino,  le  grand  Bandit." 

On  the  re-opening  of  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  Elliston  again 
formed  part  of  that  company :  on  the  first  night  he  delivered 
Lord  Byron's  opening  address,  and  personated  the  character 
of  Hamlet.  When  the  theatre  was  let  out  on  a  lease  in  1819, 
he  became  the  lessee,  at  a  yearly  rent  of  10,200/. ;  and  so 
continued  until  declared  a  bankrupt,  in  1826.  After  some 
speculations  in  the  Olympic  theatre,  he  again  undertook  the 
superintendence  of  the  Circus,  and,  until  very  lately,  occa- 
sionally performed  upon  its  boards,  in  Cumberland's  Jew, 
Dr.  Pangloss,  and  some  smaller  parts.  His  death  was 
occasioned  by  apoplexy,  on  Friday,  the  7th  of  July,  1831. 

"  Mr.  Elliston,"  says  the  authority  which  we  quoted  at  the 
commencement  of  this  little  memoir,  "  was  the  best  comedian, 
in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word,  that  we  have  seen.  Others 
equalled  him  in  some  particular  points ;  Lewis  surpassed  him 
in  airiness  ;  but  there  was  no  gentleman  comedian  who  com- 
prised so  many  qualities  of  his  art  as  he  did,  or  who  could 
diverge  so  well  into  those  parts  of  tragedy  which  find  a  con- 
necting link  with  the  graver  powers  of  the  comedian  in  their 

E  3 


,54  ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

gracefulness  and  humanity.  He  was  the  best  Wildair,  the 
best  Archer^  the  best  Aranza ;  and  carrying  the  seriousness  of 
Aranza  a  little  further,  or  making  him  a  tragic  gentleman  in- 
stead of  a  comic,  he  became  the  best  Mortimer 9  and  even  the 

best  Macbeth,  of  any  performer  who  excelled  in  comedy." 

******* 

"  The  tragedy  of  this  accomplished  actor  was,  however, 
only  an  elongation,  or  drawing  out,  of  the  graver  and  more 
sensitive  part  of  his  comedy.  It  was  in  comedy  that  he  was 

the  master. 

-#  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"  In  comedy,  after  the  death  of  Lewis,  he  remained  with- 
out a  rival.  He  had  three  distinguished  excellencies,  —  dry 
humour,  gentlemanly  mirth,  and  fervid  gallantry.  His  fea- 
tures were  a  little  too  round,  and  his  person  latterly  became 
a  great  deal  too  much  so.  But  we  speak  of  him  in  his  best 
days.  His  face,  in  one  respect,  was  of  that  rare  order  which 
is  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  expression  of  enjoyment :  —  it 
laughed  with  the  eyes  as  well  as  the  mouth.  His  eyes,  which 
were  not  large,  grew  smaller  when  he  was  merry,  and  twinkled 
with  glee  and  archness;  his  smile  was  full  of  enjoyment;  and 
yet  the  moment  he  shook  his  head  with  a  satirical  deprecation, 
or  dropped  the  expression  of  his  face  into  an  innuendo,  nothing 
could  be  drier  or  more  angular  than  his  mouth.  There  was 
a  generosity  in  his  style,  both  in  its  greater  and  smaller  points. 
He  understood  all  the  little  pretended  or  avowed  arts  of  a 
gentleman,  when  he  was  conversing,  or  complimenting,  or 
making  love ;  every  thing  which  implied  the  necessity  of  at- 
tention to  the  other  person,  and  a  just,  and  as  it  were,  mutual 
consciousness  of  the  graces  of  life  on  his  own.  His  manners 
had  the  true  minuet-dance  spirit  of  gentility,  —  the  knowledge 
how  to  give  and  take,  with  a  certain  recognition  of  the  merits 
on  either  side,  even  in  the  midst  of  raillery.  And  then  his 
voice  was  remarkable  for  its  union  of  the  manly  with  the 
melodious;  and  as  a  lover,  nobody  approached  him.  Cer- 
tainly nobody  approached  a  woman  as  he  did.  It  was  the 
reverse  of  that  preposterous  style  of  touch  and  avoid,  —  that 


ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ.  55 

embracing  at  arms'  length,  and  hinting  of  a  mutual  touch  on 
the  shoulders,  —  by  which  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the 
stage  think  fit  to  distinguish  themselves  from  the  characters 
they  perform,  and  even  the  Pollys  and  Macheaths  propitiate 
our  good  opinion.  Elliston  made  out  that  it  was  no  shame  to 
love  a  woman,  and  no  shame  in  her  to  return  his  passion.  He 
took  her  hand,  he  cherished  it  against  his  bosom,  he  watched 
the  moving  of  her  countenance,  he  made  the  space  less  and 
less  between  them,  and  as  he  at  length  burst  out  into  some 
exclamation  of '  Charming  !  or  Lovely  ! '  his  voice  trembled, 
not  with  the  weakness,  but  with  the  strength  and  fervour  of 


"  In  tragedy,  for  want  of  a  strong  sympathy  with  the  serious, 
he  sometimes  got  into  a  commonplace  turbulence,  and  at 
others,  put  on  an  affected  solemnity ;  and  he  was  in  the  habit 
of  hawing  between  his  words.  The  longer  he  was  a  manager, 
the  worse  this  habit  became.  He  was  not  naturally  inclined 
to  the  authoritative ;  but  having  once  commenced  it  in  order 
to  give  weight  to  his  levity,  he  seems  to  have  carried  about 
the  habit  with  him,  to  maintain  his  importance.  Unfor- 
tunately, he  fancied  that  he  was  never  more  natural  than  on 
these  occasions.  He  said  once,  at  the  table  of  a  friend  of  ours, 
clapping  himself  on  the  knee,  and  breathing  with  his  usual 
fervour,  e  Nature-aw,  Sir,  is  every  thing-aw :  I-aw  am  always- 

ffyo  natural-aw.' " 

#  *  *  #  *  *  #- 

"  We  had  an  hour's  conversation  with  him  once  at  Drury 
Lane ;  during  which,  in  answer  to  some  observation  we  made 
respecting  the  quantity  of  business  he  had  to  get  through,  he 
told  us,  that  he  had  formed  himself  *  on  the  model  of  the 
Grand  Pensionary  De  Witt.'  Coming  with  him  out  of  the 
theatre,  we  noticed  the  present  portico  in  Bridges  Street,  which 
had  just  been  added  to  the  front ;  and  said  that  it  seemed  to 
have  started  up  like  mngic.  '  Yes,  sir,'  said  he,  c  energy  is 
the  thing ,  —  I  no  sooner  said  it,  than  it  was  done :  —  it  was 
a  Bonaparte  blows" 


56  ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

"  There  was  real  energy,  however,  in  all  this,  and  the  right 
animal  spirits,  as  well  as  an  innocent  pedantry:  nor  did  it 
hinder  him  from  being  the  delightful  comedian  we  have  de- 
scribed. He  could  not  have  been  it  had  he  not  been  pleased 
with  himself;  and  a  little  superfluous  self-complacency  off  the 
stage  was  to  be  pardoned  him.  A  successful  actor  would  be 
a  phenomenon  of  modesty,  if  he  were  not  one  of  the  vainest 
of  men.  Nobody  gets  such  applause  as  he  does,  and  in  such 
an  intoxicating  way,  except  a  conqueror  entering  a  city. 

"  We  must  not  forget  to  mention,  that  Elliston's  homely 
tragedy  was  excellent.  He  has  rivalled  Bannister  in  the  per- 
formance of  the  Brazier  in  "  John  Bull ;"  and  his  Sheva  in  the 
comedy  of  "  The  Jew"  was  admired  to  the  last  for  its  pathetic 
delicacy.  Upon  the  whole,  as  the  gallant  of  genuine  comedy, 
and  an  accomplished  actor  of  all-work,  he  has  left  nobody  to 
compare  with  him." 

A  writer  in  the  Monthly  Magazine,  who  describes  Mr. 
Elliston  as  having  been  one  of  his  earlier  associates,  tells  the 
following  whimsical  anecdotes  of  him  : — 

"  The  ruling  passion  of  Elliston's  mind,  I  should  say,  was 
vanity,  or  perhaps  we  may  ennoble  it  by  the  term  of  ambition. 
I  do  not  mean  mere  personal  vanity,  or  desire  of  extravagant 
praise,  in  the  exercise  of  his  profession  —  I  believe  in  this  par- 
ticular he  was  exceeded  by  many  of  his  brethren ;  but  it  was  his 
management  he  delighted  to  honour.  It  was  an  overweening 
desire  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  his  associates  and  depend- 
ents an  exaggerated  idea  of  his  own  importance  —  to  impart 
a  false  consequence  to  the  rule  of  his  little  dominion  —  a  pre- 
rogative he  had  succeeded  in  persuading  himself  was  equal  to 
royalty  itself.  Here  is  an  instance.  A  gentleman  of  con- 
siderable merit  as  a  provincial  actor  once  called,  by  appoint- 
ment, at  Drury  Lane  Theatre.  He  found  Mr.  Elliston,  who 
had  then  the  management,  giving  some  directions  on  the  stage, 
and  was  welcomed  by  him  with  great  politeness.  The  mana- 
ger however,  thinking,  from  the  slight  conversation  which  had 
passed,  the  gentleman  in  question  did  not  seem  sufficiently 
impressed  with  the  greatness  of  the  individual  whom  he  had 


ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ.  .5? 

the   honour   for   the    first   time  of  addressing,  took  an  odd 
method  of  displaying  his  power   and  consequence.     "  Yes» 
Sir,"  said  Mr.  Elliston,  continuing  the  conversation  previously 
commenced,  with   a   slow  and  solemn    enunciation,  —  "  the 
drama  —  is  now  —  at  its  lowest  ebb;  and — "  then  suddenly 
breaking  off,  in  a  loud  emphatic  voice  he  called  "  First  night 
watchman"  — The  man  instantly  stepped  up,  and  making  his 
bow  stood  for  orders.  — "  And,"  resuming  to  the  actor,  "  and 
unless  — a  material  —  change  — "  again  breaking  off,  he  called, 
"  Other  night  watchman"  wiih  peculiar  emphasis.  The  call  was 
obeyed  as  before  —  "a  material  change —  I  say — takes  place, 
—  as  Juvenal  justly — "  "  Mr.  Prompter"  —  The   prompter 
came — "as  Juvenal  justly  observes — "  "Box-keeper,  dress 
circle,  right  hand"  —  The  man  joined  the  group:  —  "  but,  Sir, 
a  reaction  must  take  place,  when — "  "  Other  Box-keepers" 
— The  other  box-keepers  came  up.  —  "  Sir,  I  say  there  must  be 
a—"  "Copyist."  —  Copyist  arrives,  —  "must  be  a—"  "First 
scene-shifter"     The  man  comes.  —  "  Sir,  I  say  it,  a  convulsion, 
which  will  overturn  — "  "  Other  scene-shifter"  They  all  flock 
round — "  and  eventually  crush  even  the  —  "  "  Call-boy"  Mr. 
Elliston  having  now,  by  the  power  of  his  wand,  collected  all 
these  personages  around  him,  without  seeming  to  have  an  idea 
of  providing  for  their  exit,  luckily  thought  that  the  easiest 
way  to  dismiss  them,  without  derogation  to  his  dignity,  would 
be  to    make  an  exit  himself:    beckoning,  therefore,    to   the 
actor,  for  whose  especial  benefit  this  display  of  authority  was 
got  up,  he  said,  in  a  slow  and  magisterial  tone,  "  Follow  me ;" 
then,  in  the  most  dignified  manner,  he  retired  to  his  room, 
leaving  the  minions  of  his  power  to  guess  at  his  will." 

"  If  ever  an  actor  obtained  credit  for  identifying  himself 
with  the  character  he  represented,  it  was  certainly  due  to  Mr. 
Elliston  more  than  to  any  man  on  the  stage ;  for  it  is  a  well 
known  fact  that,  during  the  celebrated  representation  of  the 
Coronation  at  Drury  Lane,  Mr.  Elliston  was  so  carried  away 
by  the  enthusiasm  of  his  profession,  that  he  verily  believed 
himself  to  be  the  royal  personage  he  represented.  When  the 
mimic  but  gorgeous  pageant  left  the  stage,  the  acclamations  of 


58  ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

a  crowded  house  were  long  and  deafening ;  until  Elliston,  for- 
getting that  he  was  only  the  puppet  of  royalty,  overcome  with 
emotion,  burst  into  tears,  and  stretching  forth  his  hands,  ex- 
claimed, in  an  almost  inarticulate  voice, —  'Bless  you,  bless 
you,  my  people!"5 

Under  his  favourite  signature  of  ELIA,  Mr.  Charles  Lamb> 
whose  critical  and  miscellaneous  essays  have  so  frequently 
delighted  the  public,  thus,  in  the  Englishman's  Magazine, 
speaks  of  Mr.  Elliston:  — 

"  My  acquaintance  with  the  pleasant  creature,  whose  loss 
we  all  deplore,  was  but  slight.*  The  anecdotes  which  I  have 
to  tell  of  him  are  trivial,  save  inasmuch  as  they  may  elucidate 
character.  —  To  descant  upon  his  merits  as  a  comedian  would 
be  superfluous.  ,  With  his  blended  private  and  professional 
habits  alone  I  have  to  do ;  that  harmonious  fusion  of  the  man- 
ners of  the  player  into  those  of  every-day  life,  which  brought 
the  stage-boards  into  streets  and  dining-parlours,  and  kept  up 
the  play  when  the  play  was  ended.  f  I  like  Wrench,'  a  friend 
was  saying  to  him  one  day;  '  because  he  is  the  same  natural, 
easy  creature  on  the  stage,  that  he  is  off?  '  My  case  exactly,' 
retorted  Elliston  —  with  a  charming  forgetfulrcess  that  the 
converse  of  a  proposition  does  not  always  lead  to  the  same 
conclusion  — { I  am  the  same  person  off  the  stage  that  I  am 
on?  The  inference,  at  first  sight,  seems  identical;  but  ex- 

*  "  My  first  introduction  to  E.,  which  afterwards  ripened  into  an  acquaintance 
a  little  on  this  side  of  intimacy,  was  over  a  counter  of  the  Leamington  Spa  Li- 
brary, then  newly  entered  upon  by  a  branch  of  his  family.  E.,  whom  nothing 
misbecame  —  to  auspicate,  I  suppose,  the  filial  concern,  and  set  it  a  going  with  a 
lustre,  was  serving  in  person  two  damsels  fair,  who  had  come  into  the  shop  osten- 
sibly to  enquire  for  some  new  publication,  but  in  reality  to  have  a  sight  of  the 
illustrious  shopman,  hoping  some  conference.  With  what  an  air  did  he  reach 
down  the  volume,  dispassionately  giving  his  opinion  upon  the  worth  of  the  work 
in  question,  and  launching  out  into  a  dissertation  on  its  comparative  merits  with 
those  of  certain  publications  of  a  similar  stamp,  its  rivals  !  his  enchanted  customers 
fairly  hanging  upon  his  lips,  subdued  to  their  authoritative  sentence.  So  have  I 
seen  a  gentleman  in  comedy  acting  the  shopman.  So  Lovelace  sold  his  gloves  in 
King  Street.  I  admired  the  histrionic  art,  by  which  he  contrived  to  carry  clean 
away  every  notion  of  disgrace  from  the  occupation  he  had  so  generously  submitted 
to ;  and  from  that  hour  I  judged  him,  with  no  after  repentance,  to  be  a  person 
with  whom  it  would  be  a  felicity  to  be  more  acquainted." 


ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ.  ,5& 

amine  it  a  little,  and  it  confesses  only,  that  the  one  performer 
was  never,  and  the  other  always,  fi  acting* 

"  And  in  truth  this  was  the  charm  of  El  listen's  private  de- 
portment. You  had  a  spirited  performance  always  going  on 
before  your  eyes,  with  nothing  to  pay.  As,  where  a  monarch 
takes  up  his  casual  abode  for  a  night,  the  poorest  hovel  which 
he  honours  by  his  sleeping  in  it  becomes  ipso  facto  for  that 
time  a  palace ;  so,  wherever  Elliston  walked,  sat,  or  stood  still, 
there  was  the  theatre.  He  carried  about  with  him  his  pit,  box, 
and  galleries,  and  set  up  his  portable  playhouse  at  corners  of 
streets  and  in  the  market-places.  Upon  flintiest  pavements 
he  trod  the  boards  still  ,*  and  if  his  theme  chanced  to  be  pas- 
sionate, the  green  baize  carpet  of  tragedy  spontaneously  rose 
beneath  his  feet.  Now  this  was  hearty,  and  showed  a  love 
for  his  art.  So  Apelles  always  painted  —  in  thought.  So. 
G.  D.  always  poetises.  I  hate  a  lukewarm  artist.  I  have 
known  actors  —  and  some  of  them  of  Elliston' s  own  stamp  — 
who  shall  have  agreeably  been  amusing  you  in  the  part  of  a 
rake  or  a  coxcomb,  through  the  two  or  three  hours  of  their 
dramatic  existence ;  but  no  sooner  does  the  curtain  fall  with 
its  leaden  clatter,  but  a  spirit  of  lead  seems  to  seize  on  all  their 
faculties.  They  emerge  sour,  morose  persons,  intolerable  to 
families,  servants,  &c.  Another  shall  have  been  expanding 
your  heart  with  generous  deeds  and  sentiments,  till  it  even 
beats  with  yearnings  of  universal  sympathy ;  you  absolutely 
long  to  go  home  and  do  some  good  action.  The  play  seems 
tedious  till  you  can  get  fairly  out  of  the  house,  and  realise 
your  laudable  intentions.  At  length  the  final  bell  rings,  and 
this  cordial  representative  of  all  that  is  amiable  in  human 
breasts  steps  forth  —  a  miser.  Elliston  was  more  of  a  piece. 
Did  hep/ay  Ranger?  and  did  Ranger  fill  the  general  bosom 
of  the  town  with  satisfaction  ?  why  should  he  not  be  Ranger, 
and  diffuse  the  same  cordial  satisfaction  among  his  private 
circles  ?  with  his  temperament,  his  animal  spirits,  his  good 
nature,  his  follies  perchance,  could  he  do  better  than  identify 
himself  with  his  impersonation  ?  Are  we  to  like  a  pleasant 
rake,  or  coxcomb,  on  the  stage,  and  give  ourselves  airs  of 


60  ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

aversion  for  the  identical  character  presented  to  us  in  actual 
life  ?  or  what  would  the  performer  have  gained  by  divesting 
himself  of  the  impersonation  ?  Could  the  man  Elliston  have 
been  essentially  different  from  his  part,  even  if  he  had  avoided 
to  reflect  to  us  studiously,  in  private  circles,  the  airy  briskness, 
the  forwardness,  and  'scape-grace  trickeries  of  his  prototype? 

"  But  there  is  something  not  natural  in  this  everlasting 
acting ,-  we  want  the  real  man. 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  that  it  is  not  the  man  himself,  whom 
you  cannot,  or  will  not  see,  under  some  adventitious  trappings, 
which,  nevertheless,  sit  not  at  all  inconsistently  upon  him? 
What  if  it  is  the  nature  of  some  men  to  be  highly  artificial  ? 
The  fault  is  least  reprehensible  in  players.  Gibber  was  his 
own  Foppington,  with  almost  as  much  wit  as  Vanbrugh  could 
add  to  it. 

"  «  My  conceit  of  his  person '  (it  is  Ben  Jonson  speaking  of 
Lord  Bacon)  e  was  never  increased  towards  him  by  his  place 
or  honours.  But  I  have,  and  do  reverence  him  for  the  great- 
ness,  that  was  only  proper  to  himself;  in  that  he  seemed  to 
me  ever  one  of  the  greatest  men  that  had  been  in  many  ages. 
In  his  adversity  I  ever  prayed  that  heaven  would  give  him 
strength  ;  for  greatness  he  could  not  want.' 

"  The  quality  here  commended  was  scarcely  less  conspi- 
cuous in  the  subject  of  these  idle  reminiscences  than  in  my 
Lord  Verulam.  Those  who  have  imagined  that  an  unexpected 
elevation  to  the  direction  of  a  great  London  theatre  affected 
the  consequence  of  Elliston,  or  at  all  changed  his  nature,  knew 
not  the  essential  greatness  of  the  man  whom  they  disparage. 
It  was  my  fortune  to  encounter  him  near  St.  Dunstan's  Church 
(which,  with  its  punctual  giants,  is  now  no  more  than  dust, 
and  a  shadow)  on  the  morning  of  his  election  to  that  high 
office.  Grasping  my  hand  with  a  look  of  significance,  he  only 
uttered,  —  '  Have  you  heard  the  news?' — then  with  another 
look  following  up  the  blow,  he  subjoined,  *  I  am  the  future 
Manager  of  Drury  Lane  Theatre.'  Breathless  as  he  saw  me, 
he  stayed  not  for  congratulation  or  reply,  but  mutely  stalked 
away,  leaving  me  to  chew  upon  his  new-blown  dignities  at 


HOBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ.  61 

leisure.  In  fact,  nothing  could  be  said  to  it.  Expressive  si- 
lence alone  could  muse  his  praise.  This  was  in  his  great 
style. 

"  But  was  he  less  great,  (be  witness,  O  ye  powers  of  equa- 
nimity !  that  supported  in  the  ruins  of  Carthage  the  consular 
exile,  and  more  recently  transmuted,  for  a  more  illustrious 
exile,  the  barren  constableship.of  Elba  into  an  image  of  Im- 
perial France,)  when  in  melancholy  after-years,  again,  much 
near  the  same  spot,  I  met  him,  when  that  sceptre  had  been 
wrested  from  his  hand,  and  his  dominion  was  curtailed  to  the 
petty  managership,  and  part  proprietorship,  of  the  small 
Olympic,  his  Elba?  He  still  played  nightly  upon  the  boards 
of  Drury,  but  in  parts,  alas !  allotted  to  him,  not  magnificently 
distributed  by  him.  Waving  his  great  loss  as  nothing,  and 
magnificently  sinking  the  sense  of  fallen  material  grandeur 
in  the  more  liberal  resentment  of  depreciations  done  to  his 
more  lofty  intellectual  pretensions,  <  Have  you  heard,'  (his 
customary  exordium)  '  have  you  heard,'  said  he,  *  how  they 
treat  me?  They  put  me  in  comedy,1  Thought  I  —  but  his 
finger  on  his  lips  forbade  any  verbal  interruption  — '  Where 
could  they  have  put  you  better?'  Then  after  a  pause  — 
*  Where  I  formerly  played  Romeo,  I  now  play  Mercutio ; ' 
—  and  so  again  he  stalked  away,  neither  staying,  nor  caring 
for,  responses. 

"  O !  it  was  a  rich  scene  —  but  Sir  Antony  Carlisle,  the 
best  of  story-tellers  and  surgeons,  who  mends  a  lame  nar- 
rative almost  as  well  as  he  sets  a  fracture,  alone  could  do  jus- 
tice to  it  —  that  I  was  witness  to,  in  the  tarnished  room  (that 
had  once  been  green)  of  that  same  little  Olympic.  There, 
after  his  deposition  from  imperial  Drury,  he  substituted  a 
throne.  That  Olympic  Hill  was  his  '  highest  heaven;'  him- 
self '  Jove  in  his  chair.'  There  he  sat  in  state,  while  before 
him,  on  complaint  of  Prompter,  was  brought  for  judgment  — 
how  shall  I  describe  her?  —  one  of  those  little  tawdry  things 
that  flirt  at  the  tails  of  chorusses  — a  probationer  for  the  town, 
in  either  of  its  senses  — the  pertest  little  drab — a  dirty  fringe 
and  appendage  of  the  lamps'  smoke  —  who,  it  seems,  on  some 


62  ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

disapprobation  expressed  by  a  4  highly  respectable'  audience, 
had  precipitately  quitted  her  station  on  the  boards,  and  with- 
drawn her  small  talents  in  disgust. 

"  fi  And  how  dare  you,'  said  her  manager  —  assuming  a 
censorial  severity  which  would  have  crushed  the  confidence  of 
a  Vestris,  and  disarmed  that  beautiful  rebel  herself  of  her  pro- 
fessional caprices  —  I  verily  believe,  he  thought  her  standing 
before  him  — (  how  dare  you,  Madam,  withdraw  yourself  with- 
out a  notice  from  your  theatrical  duties?' — 6J  was  hissed, 
Sir.'  — e  And  you  have  the  presumption  to  decide  upon  the 
taste  of  the  town?'  —  *  I  don't  know  that,  Sir,  but  I  will  never 
stand  to  be  hissed,'  was  the  subjoinder  of  young  Confidence-— 
when,  gathering  up  his  features  into  one  significant  mass  of 
wonder,  pity,  and  expostulatory  indignation  —  in  a  lesson 
never  to  have  been  lost  upon  a  creature  less  forward  than  she 
who.  stood  before  him  —  his  words  were  these  —  {  They  have 
hissed  me.1 

"  'Twas  the  identical  argument  a  fortiori  which  the  son  of 
Peleus  uses  to  Lycaon  trembling  under  his  lance,  to  persuade 
him  to  take  his  destiny  with  a  good  grace. — *  I  too  am  mortal.' 
And  it  is  to  be  believed  that  in  both  cases  the  rhetoric  missed 
of  its  application,  for  want  of  a  proper  understanding  with  the 
faculties  of  the  respective  recipients. 

"  (  Quite  an  opera  pit,'  he  said  to  me,  as  he  was  courteously 
conducting  me  over  the  benches  of  his  Surrey  theatre,  the  last 
retreat,  and  recess,  of  his  every-day  waning  grandeur. 

"  Those  who  knew  Elliston  well  know  the  manner  in  which 
he  pronounced  the  latter  sentence  of  the  few  words  I  am  about 
attempting  to  record.  One  proud  day  to  me  he  took  his  roast 
mutton  with  us  in  the  Temple,  to  which  1  had  superadded  a 
preliminary  haddock.  After  a  rather  plentiful  partaking  of  the 
meagre  banquet,  not  un refreshed  with  the  humbler  sort  of 
liquors,  I  made  a  sort  of  apology  for  the  humility  of  the  fare, 
observing  that,  for  my  own  part,  I  never  ate  but  of  one  dish 
at  dinner.  "  I,  too,  never  eat  but  one  thing  at  dinner,"  was  his 
reply  —  then  after  a  pause  —  t;  reckoning  fish  as  nothing.'* 
The  manner  was  all.  It  was  as  if  by  one  peremptory  sen- 


ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELUSTON,    ESQ.  03 

tence  he  had  decreed  the  annihilation  of  all  the  savoury  escu- 
lents,  which  the  pleasant  and  nutritious  food-giving  Ocean 

pours  forth  upon  poor  humans  from  her  watery  bosom 

This  was  greatness,  tempered  with  considerate  tenderness  to 
the  feelings  of  his  scanty  but  welcoming  entertainer. 

"  Great  wert  thou  in  thy  life,  Robert  William  Elliston  ! 
and  not  lessened  in  thy  death,  if  report  speak  truly,  which  says 
that  thou  didst  direct,  that  thy  mortal  remains  should  repose 
under  no  inscription  but  one  of  pure  Latinity.  Classical  was 
thy  bringing  up ;  and  beautiful  was  the  feeling  on  thy  last 
bed,  which,  connecting  the  man  with  the  boy,  took  thee  back, 
in  thy  latest  exercise  of  imagination,  to  the  days  when,  un- 
dreaming of  theatres  and  managerships,  thou  wert  a  scholar, 
and  an  early  ripe  one,  under  the  roofs  builded  by  the  munifi- 
cent and  pious  Colet.  For  thee  the  Pauline  muses  weep.  In 
elegies,  that  shall  silence  this  crude  prose,  they  shall  celebrate 
thy  praise.'* 

From  the  same  pen,  we  believe,  proceeded  the  following 
address. 


TO    THE    SHADE    OF    ELLISTON. 

"  JOYOUSEST  of  once  embodied  spirits,  whither  at  length 
hast  thou  flown  ?  to  what  genial  region  are  we  permitted  to 
conjecture  that  thou  hast  flitted  ? 

"  Art  thou  sowing  thy  WILD  OATS  yet  (the  harvest  time 
was  still  to  come  with  thee)  upon  casual  sands  of  Avernus  ? 
or  art  thou  enacting  ROVER  (as  we  would  gladiier  think)  by 
wandering  Elysian  streams  ? 

"  This  mortal  frame,  while  thou  didst  play  thy  brief  antics 
amongst  us,  was  in  truth  any  thing  but  a  prison  to  thee,  as 
the  vain  Platonist  dreams  of  this  body  to  be  no  better  than  a 
county  gaol,  forsooth,  or  some  house  of  durance  vile,  whereof 
the  five  senses  are  the  fetters.  Thou  knewest  better  than  to 
be  in  a  hurry  to  cast  off  those  gyves ;  and  had  notice  to  quit, 
I  fear,  before  thou  wert  quite  ready  to  abandon  this  fleshly 


64  ROBERT    WJLLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

tenement.  It  was  thy  pleasure  house,  thy  palace  of  dainty 
devices  ;  thy  Louvre,  or  thy  Whitehall. 

"  What  new  mysterious  lodgings  dost  thou  tenant  now  ? 
or  when  may  we  expect  thy  aerial  housewarming  ? 

"  Tartarus  we  know,  and  we  have  read  of  the  blessed 
Shades ;  now  cannot  I  intelligibly  fancy  thee  in  either. 

"  Is  it  too  much  to  hazard  a  conjecture,  that  (as  the  school- 
men admitted  a  receptacle  apart  for  patriarchs  and  un-chrisom 
babes)  there  may  exist  —  not  far  perchance  from  that  store- 
house of  all  vanities,  which  Milton  saw  in  visions  —  a  LIMBO 
somewhere  for  PLAYERS?  and  that 

'  Up  thither  like  aerial  vapours  fly 
Both  all  Stage  things,  and  all  that  in  Stage  things 
Built  their  fond  hopes  of  glory,  or  lasting  fame  ? 
All  the  unaccomplish'd  works  of  Authors'  hands, 
Abortive,  monstrous,  or  unkindly  mix'd, 
Damn'd  upon  earth,  fleet  thither  — 
Play,  Opera,  Farce,  with  all  their  trumpery  — ' 

"  There,  by  the  neighbouring  moon  (by  some  not  impro- 
perly supposed  thy  Regent  Planet  upon  earth),  may'st  thou 
not  still  be  acting  thy  managerial  capriccios,  great  disembodied 
lessee  ?  but  lessee  still,  and  still  a  manager. 

"  In  green  rooms,  impervious  to  mortal  eye,  the  muse  be- 
holds thee  wielding  posthumous  empire." 

#**#  ##  *  * 

"  Magnificent  were  thy  capriccios  on  this  globe  of  earth, 
ROBERT  WILLIAM  ELLISTON  !  for  as  yet  we  know  not  thy  new 
name  in  heaven. 

"  It  irks  me  to  think,  that,  stripped  of  thy  realities,  thou 
shouldst  ferry  over  a  poor  forked  shade,  in  crazy  Stygian 
wherry  Methinks  I  hear  the  old  boatmen,  paddling  by  the 
weedy  wharf,  with  rancid  voice,  bawling,  "  SCULLS,  SCULLS:" 
to  which,  with  waving  hand,  and  majestic  action,  thou  deign- 
est  no  reply,  other  than  in  two  curt  monosyllables,  "  No  — 
OARS." 

"  But  the  laws  of  Pluto's  kingdom  know  small  difference 
between  king  and  cobbler,  manager  and  call-boy;  and,  if 
haply  your  dates  of  life  were  conterminant,  you  are  quietly 


ROBERT    WILLIAM    ELLISTON,    ESQ.  65 

taking  your  passage,  cheek  by  cheek  (O  ignoble  levelling  of 
Death!)  with  the  shade  of  some  recently  departed  candle- 
snuffer. 

"  But,  mercy  !  what  strippings,  what  tearing  off  of  histrionic 
robes,  and  private  vanities  !  what  denudations  to  the  bone, 
before  the  surly  ferryman  will  admit  you  to  set  a  foot  within 
his  battered  lighter  ! 

"  Crowns,  sceptres;  shield,  sword,  and  truncheon;  thy  own 
coronation  robes  (for  thou  hast  brought  the  whole  property- 
man's  wardrobe  with  thee,  enough  to  sink  a  navy) ;  the 
judge's  ermine ;  the  coxcomb's  wig ;  the  snuff-box  a  la  Fop- 
ping  ton  —  all  must  overboard,  he  positively  swears — and  that 
ancient  mariner  brooks  no  denial ;  for,  since  the  tiresome 
monodrame  of  the  old  Thracian  Harper,  Charon,  it  is  to  be 
believed,  hath  shown  small  taste  for  theatricals. 

"  Ay,  now  'tis  done.  You  are  just  boat  weight ;  pura  et 
puta  anima. 

<fi  But  bless  me,  how  little  you  look ! 

"  So  shall  we  all  look  —  kings  and  keysars  — stripped  for 
the  last  voyage. 

"  But  the  murky  rogue  pushes  off.  Adieu,  pleasant,  and 
thrice  pleasant  shade  !  with  my  parting  thanks  for  many  a 
heavy  hour  of  life  lightened  by  thy  harmless  extravaganzas, 
public  or  domestic. 

"  Rhadamanthus,  who  tries  the  lighter  causes  below,  leav- 
ing to  his  brethren  two  the  heavy  calendars,  —  honest  Rhada- 
manth,  always  partial  to  players,  weighing  their  parti-coloured 
existence  here  upon  earth,  —  making  account  of  the  few  foibles 
that  may  have  shaded  thy  real  life,  as  we  call  it  (though 
substantially,  scarcely  less  a  vapour  than  thy  idlest  vagaries 
upon  the  boards  of  Drury),  as  but  of  so  many  echoes,  natural 
repercussions,  and  results  to  be  expected  from  the  assumed 
extravagancies  of  thy  secondary  or  mock  life,  nightly  upon  a 
stage,  —  after  a  lenient  castigation,  with  rods  lighter  than 
of  those  Medusean  ringlets,  but  just  enough  to  £  whip  the 
offending  Adam  out  of  thee'  —  shall  courteously  dismiss  thee 
at  the  right-hand  gate  —  the  o.  P.  side  of  Hades  —  that  con- 

VOL.  xv j.  F 


66  ROBERT    WILLIAM   ELLISTON,    ESQ. 

ducts  to  masques,  and  merry-makings,  in  the  Theatre  Royal 
of  Proserpine." 

Mr.  Elliston  became  a  widower  March  31.  1821.  He 
has  left  several  sons.  His  funeral  took  place  on  the  15th  of 
July  at  St.  John's  church,  Waterloo  Road.  The  procession 
was  a  walking  one,  and  was  attended  by  Messrs.  H.  T.  Ellis- 
ton,  Wilson,  Harris,  C.  R.  Elliston,  Torre,  Rundal,  Winston, 
Dr.  Hyde,  Messrs.  Beazley,  Brown,  Osbaldiston,  Major  Wa- 
then,  Messrs.  Roper,  Rogers,  Durrant,  and  Fairbrother. 
The  body  was  deposited  in  a  vault  under  the  church,  near 
the  coffin  of  the  late  comedian  Bengough. 


No.  V. 
SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSTONE  HOPE, 

KNIGHT  COMMANDER  OF  THE  MOST  HONOURABLE  MILITARY 
ORDER  OF  THE  BATH;  KNIGHT  OF  THE  ORDER  OF  MALTA, 
AND  OF  THE  TURKISH  ORDER  OF  THE  CRESCENT ;  THE  SENIOR 
VICE-ADMIRAL  OF  THE  RED;  A  PRIVY  COUNCILLOR;  A  COM- 
MISSIONER OF  GREENWICH  HOSPITAL;  FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL 
SOCIETY  J  A  VICE-PRESIDENT  OF  THE  PITT  CLUB  OF  SCOT- 
LAND J  AND  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  ROYAL  CALEDONIAN  HUNT. 

THE  surname  of  Hope  is  of  great  antiquity  in  Scotland.  John 
de  Hope,  the  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  is  said  to 
have  come  from  France,  in  the  retinue  of  Magdalene,  Queen 
to  James  V.,  anno  1537:  settling  in  Scotland,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Gumming,  by  whom  he  had  a  son,  Edward,  who 
was  one  of  the  most  considerable  inhabitants  of  Edinburgh  in 
the  reign  of  Queen  Mary ;  and  being  a  great  promoter  of  the 
Reformation,  was  chosen  one  of  the  Commissioners  for  that 
metropolis  to  the  General  Assembly  in  1560. 

The  said  Edward  was  father  of  Henry  Hope,  a  considerable 
merchant,  who  married  Jaqueline  de  Tott,  a  French  lady,  and 
by  her  had  two  sons:  1.  Henry,  ancestor  of  the  great  and 
opulent  branch  of  the  Hopes,  long  settled  at  Amsterdam ;  and, 
2.  Thomas,  an  eminent  lawyer*,  great-grandfather  of  Charles, 
first  Earl  of  Hopetown ;  whose  grandson,  John,  a  merchant  in 
London,  married  Mary,  only  daughter  of  Eliab  Breton,  of 
Fortyhill,  Enfield,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  Esq.  by  Mary, 
daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Sir  William  Wolstenholme,  Bart. 

*  Sir  Thomas  Hope  was  advocate  to  Charles  I.  Three  of  his  sons  being  at 
the  same  time  Lords  of  Session,  it  was  thought  indecent  that  he  should  plead 
uncovered  before  them,  which  was  the  origin  of  the  privilege  the  King's  advocates 
have  ever  since  enjoyed. 

F    2 


68  SIR    WILLIAM    JOHNSTONS    HOPE. 

William  Johnstone  Hope,  the  third  and  youngest  son  by 
the  above  marriage,  was  born  at  Finchley,  in  the  county  of 
Middlesex,  August  16.  1766;  and  entered  the  naval  service  in 
the  year  1776,  under  the  patronage  of  his  half-uncle,  the  late 
Commissioner  Hope.*  The  vessel  in  which  he  commenced 
his  professional  career  was  the  Weazle,  of  14  guns;  and  he 
afterwards  accompanied  his  uncle  into  the  Hind,  Crescent, 
Iphigenia,  and  Leocadia;  serving  in  the  West  Indies,  on  the 
coast  of  Guinea,  in  the  North  Sea,  and  at  Newfoundland. 

From  the  Leocadia,  Mr.  Hope  was  removed  into  the  Port- 
land of  50  guns,  bearing  the  flag  of  Vice- Admiral  Campbell, 
on  the  Newfoundland  station;  and  in  October,  1782,  he  ob- 
tained the  rank  of  Lieutenant  in  the  Daedalus  frigate,  to  which 
he  was  re-commissioned  after  the  peace  of  1783. 

The  Daedalus  was  employed  on  the  coast  of  Scotland  until 
1784,  when  she  was  paid  off  at  Chatham.  We  next  find  our 
officer  serving  as  Flag- Lieutenant  to  the  late  Admiral  Mil- 
banke,  Commander-in-chief  at  Plymouth,  with  whom  he 
continued  till  the  spring  of  1786,  when  he  joined  the  Pegasus 
frigate,  at  the  particular  request  of  her  commander,  H.  R.  H. 
Prince  William  Henry,  his  present  Most  Gracious  Majesty, 
whom  he  accompanied  to  Newfoundland,  Halifax,  and  the 
West  Indies.  On  the  latter  station  Lieutenant  Hope  ex- 
changed into  the  Boreas,  of  28  guns,  at  that  time  commanded 
by  the  heroic  Nelson ;  and  he  remained  in  that  ship  until 
November  30.  1 787,  on  which  day  she  was  put  out  of  com- 
mission at  Sheerness. 

Our  officer  was  subsequently  nominated  one  of  the  Lieu- 
tenants of  the  Victory,  a  first  rate,  fitting  for  the  flag  of  Earl 
Howe;  but  as  the  disturbances  in  the  United  Provinces  of 
Holland  were  speedily  suppressed,  by  the  vigorous  measures 
of  Great  Britain  and  of  Prussia,  he  was  soon  afterwards  paid 
off,  and  for  a  short  time  remained  on  half-pay.  His  next 
appointment  was  to  the  Adamant,  of  50  guns,  in  which  ship, 
the  late  Sir  Richard  Hughes  hoisted  his  flag  as  Commander- 

*  Charles  Hope,  Esq.,  Commissioner  of  Chatham  Dock-yard,  died  Sept.  10. 
1808. 


SIR    WILLIAM    JOHNSTONE    HOPE,  69 

in-chief  on  the  North  American  station,  and  sailed  for  Halifax 
about  the  month  of  June,  1789. 

Early  in  1790,  Lieutenant  Hope  obtained  the  command  of 
the  Rattle  sloop ;  and  in  the  month  of  June  following,  (Cap- 
tain Knox,  of  the  Adamant,  being  under  the  necessity  of 
retiring  from  active  service,  through  ill  health,)  he  was  chosen 
to  act  as  Captain  of  that  ship,  which  still  bore  Sir  Richard 
Hughes's  flag.  From  a  circumstance  nearly  similar,  our 
officer  shortly  afterwards  received  another  appointment.  To- 
wards the  latter  end  of  the  same  year,  Captain  Lindsay,  of 
the  Penelope  frigate,  resigned  his  commission,  and  Captain 
Hope  was  nominated  to  succeed  him.  He  accordingly  took 
the  command  of  the  Penelope,  pro  forma,  and  then  returned 
to  the  Adamant.  The  Board  of  Admiralty,  however,  did  not 
think  proper  to  confirm  his  commission  for  the  former  ship ; 
and  the  latter  having  been  ordered  home,  he  paid  her  off  at 
Plymouth,  in  the  summer  of  1792. 

From  this  period  we  find  no  mention  of  Captain  Hope  till 
January,  1793.  He  then  commanded  the  Incendiary  fire- 
ship  ;  and  continued  in  that  vessel  until  January  9.  1 794,  on 
which  day  he  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Post- Captain  in 
the  Bellerophon,  of  74  guns,  at  that  time  bearing  the  broad 
pendant,  and  subsequently  the  flag  of  the  late  Sir  Thomas 
Pasley,  who  commanded  a  division  of  Earl  Howe's  fleet  in  the 
actions  of  May  28.  and  29.,  and  the  ever  memorable  battle  of 
June  1.  in  the  same  year. 

On  the  28th  May,  the  republican  fleet  being  discovered  to 
windward,  Rear-Admiral  Pasley  led  on  his  own  division  with 
firmness  and  intrepidity  to  the  attack.  Towards  the  evening 
the  Bellerophon  brought  the  Revolutionnaire,  of  J 10  guns,  to 
action,  and  maintained  the  unequal  contest  for  upwards  of  an 
hour,  before  any  other  of  the  British  ships  could  arrive  to 
support  her.  Being  then  disabled,  she  bore  down  to  the  main 
body  of  the  fleet;  and  the  darkness  of  the  night  soon  after 
put  an  end  to  the  partial  action  that  had  taken  place  between 
the  advanced  division  and  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  line.  At 
the  dawn  of  the  ensuing  day,  both  fleets  appeared  drawn  up 

F  3 


70  SIR    WILLIAM    JOHNSTONE    HOPE. 

in  order  of  battle ;  and  on  Lord  Howe  making  the  signal  to 
break  through  the  French  line,  the  Bellerophon  immediately 
obeyed,  and  passed  between  the  fifth  and  sixth  ships  in  the 
enemy's  rear,  accompanied  by  the  Queen  Charlotte  and  Le- 
viathan. The  rest  of  the  British  being  at  this  time  in  the  act 
of  passing  to  leeward,  and  without  the  sternmost  ships  of  the 
French  line,  the  enemy  wore,  for  the  purpose  of  succouring 
their  disabled  vessels ;  which  intention,  by  reason  of  the  dis- 
united state  of  his  fleet,  and  having  no  more  than  the  two 
crippled  ships,  the  Bellerophon  and  Leviathan,  at  that  time 
near  him,  Earl  Howe  was  unable  to  frustrate.  During  the 
two  succeeding  days, —  the  long  and  tedious  interval  between 
the  skirmish  last  mentioned,  and  the  final,  the  glorious  ter- 
mination of  this  so  long  pending  contest,  —  a  thick  fog  pre- 
vented a  renewal  of  the  action ;  but  the  hostile  fleets,  in  the 
short  spaces  of  time  when  the  atmosphere  became  less  ob- 
scure, were  constantly  visible  to  each  other. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  June,  the  British  fleet, 
having  previously  had  the  good  fortune  to  obtain  the  weather- 
gage,  bore  up  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  enemy  to  a 
general  and  decisive  action.  Needless  is  it  to  say,  that,  after 
a  long  and  bloody  battle,  a  total  defeat  of  the  French  arma- 
ment was  effected.  The  loss  sustained  by  the  Bellerophon 
was  trivial,  considering  how  much  she  had  been  exposed ;  it 
amounted  to  no  more  than  four  men  killed,  and  twenty-seven 
wounded.  Rear- Admiral  Pasley  lost  a  leg  on  the  occasion  ; 
and  was  soon  afterwards  rewarded  for  his  gallant  conduct 
with  the  dignity  of  a  baronet  of  Great  Britain,  and  a  pension 
of  WOOL  per  annum.* 

For  his  share  in  this  brilliant  affair,  Captain  Hope  was  pre- 
sented with  the  gold  medal,  then  first  instituted  by  his  Majesty 
George  III.,  as  a  mark  of  honourable  distinction  for  naval  ser- 
vices ;  and,  in  common  with  the  other  officers  of  the  fleet,  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament.  He  continued 

*  Sir  Thomas  Pasley  died  at   Chilland  Cottage,   near  Winchester,  Nov.  29, 
1 808,  aged  75  years. 


SIR    WILLIAM   JOHNSTONE    HOPE.  71 

to  command  the  Bellerophon  till  January,  1 795  ;  and  in  the 
month  of  March  following  was  appointed  to  the  Tremendous, 
another  74?,  attached  to  the  Channel  fleet,  in  which  ship  he 
remained  till  the  ensuing  May :  when,  at  the  request  of  Ad- 
miral Duncan,  he  joined  the  Venerable,  of  the  same  force, 
bearing  the  flag  of  that  officer,  under  whom  he  served  for 
some  time,  in  the  North  Sea.  Unfortunately,  however,  he  re- 
ceived a  violent  contusion  on  the  head,  on  board  one  of  the 
Russian  men  of  war,  at  that  period  acting  in  conjunction  with 
the  British  squadron,  and  was,  in  consequence,  obliged  to  re- 
sign his  command.  This  accident,  which  happened  about  the 
month  of  October,  1796,  was  no  doubt  a  source  of  much 
chagrin  to  Captain  Hope,  as  it  deprived  him  of  the  honour  of 
participating  in  the  victory  obtained  over  the  Dutch  fleet,  off 
Camperdown,  on  the  llth  of  October,  1797.  In  the  course 
of  the  same  year,  he  was  employed  to  equip  ten  sail  of  gun- 
brigs  at  Leith,  by  the  particular  desire  of  the  Lord  Lieutenant 
of  Edinburgh,  the  country  at  that  period  expecting  to  be 
invaded  by  France. 

Captain  Hope's  next  appointment  was  in  February,  1798, 
to  the  Kent,  a  third  rate  of  the  largest  class,  then  recently 
launched,  and  fitting  for  the  flag  of  Lord  Duncan ;  who, 
as  soon  as  the  ships  destined  to  remain  under  his  orders 
had  repaired  the  damages  sustained  in  the  late  action,  re- 
turned to  his  station,  and  by  his  continued  vigilance  almost 
annihilated  the  Dutch  trade.  In  this  ship  Captain  Hope 
assisted  in  the  expedition  against  Holland,  by  the  combined 
forces  of  Great  Britain  and  Russia,  in  the  autumn  of  1799; 
and  on  that  occasion  was  present  at  the  capture  of  the  Helder, 
and  the  surrender  of  a  Dutch  squadron,  commanded  by  Rear- 
Admiral  Storey ;  and  was  afterwards  charged  with  the  official 
despatches  to  the  Admiralty,  announcing  the  important  event. 
On  his  arrival  in  London,  he  had  the  gratification  of  receiving 
his  Sovereign's  personal  thanks  for  his  services,  together  with 
the  usual  gratuity  of  500/.,  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  a 
sword.  At  a  shortly  subsequent  period,  the  Emperor  of 

F  4 


72  SIR    WILLIAM    JOHNSTONS    HOPE. 

Russia  was  also  pleased  to  send  him  the  riband  and  cross  of  a 
Knight  of  Malta.* 

At  the  commencement  of  1800,  Lord  Duncan  resigned  the 
command  in  the  North  Sea ;  and,  in  the  month  of  June,  the 
Kent  was  sent  to  reinforce  the  fleet  under  the  orders  of  Lord 
Keith,  on  the  Mediterranean  station.  In  the  course  of  the 
same  year  an  attack  was  meditated  upon  the  city  of  Cadiz, 
and  Captain  Hope  was  nominated  to  the  command  of  a  bat- 
talion of  seamen,  to  be  landed  with  the  army;  but  in  con- 
sequence of  the  representations  which  were  made  by  the 
Spanish  Governor  of  the  miserable  situation  of  the  inhabitants, 
who  were  then  suffering  beneath  a  violent  epidemic  disease, 
the  enterprise  was  abandoned,  and  the  fleet  returned  to 
Gibraltar. 

Jn  the  month  of  December,  Captain  Hope  received  Lieu- 
tenant-General  Sir  Ralph  Abercromby,  with  his  staff,  on  board 
the  Kent,  at  Gibraltar,  and  conveyed  him  from  thence  to 
Egypt.  He  was  subsequently  employed  in  the  blockade  of 
Alexandria ;  and  remained  upon  that  station  till  Cairo  sur- 
rendered to  the  British  arms.  As  the  service  then  required 
the  Kent  to  be  appropriated  to  the  flag  of  Sir  Richard  Bick- 
erton,  and  as  Captain  Hope  was  not  disposed  to  serve  under 
a  flag-officer,  he  was  allowed  to  return  to  Europe ;  but  pre- 
viously to  his  departure  he  received,  by  order  of  the  Sultan, 
the  Turkish  order  of  the  Crescent.  The  Commander-in- 
chief  was  also  pleased,  in  compliment  to  his  professional  merit, 
to  offer  him  the  situation  of  First  Captain  of  the  Fleet.  Par- 
ticular circumstances,  however,  with  which  we  are  unac- 
quainted, induced  him  to  decline  the  proposal. 

A  general  peace  soon  afterwards  took  place ;  in  conse- 
quence of  which  Captain  Hope  remained  on  half-pay  until 
the  renewal  of  hostilities,  in  the  spring  of  1804  ;  when  he  was 
appointed  to  the  Atlas,  of  74  guns,  originally  a  three-decker, 

*  His  imperial  majesty  the  Emperor  of  all  the  Rnssias  is  the  Grand  Patron  of 
the  Order,  which  has  never,  we  believe,  been  conferred  on  more  than.two  British 
officers ;  viz.  Sir  W.  Johnstone  Hope,  and  the  late  Sir  Home  Riggs  Popham,  a 
memoir  of  whom  will  be  found  in  the  "  Annual  Biography  and  Obituary  for 
1822." 


SIR    WILLIAM    JOHNSTONE    HOPE.  J3 

fitting  at  Chatham,  and  afterwards  employed  off  the  Texel. 
This  command  he  held  for  about  three  months,  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which  time  he  was  obliged,  from  ill  health,  to  come 
on  shore :  and  we  find  no  farther  mention  of  him  till  early 
in  1807,  when  he  was  called  on,  during  the  presidency  of 
Lord  Mulgrave,  to  take  a  seat  at  the  Board  of  Admiralty ; 
which  seat  he  vacated  in  the  year  1809.  He  was  nominated 
a  Colonel  of  Royal  Marines,  August  1.  1811;  advanced 
to  the  rank  of  Rear- Admiral,  August  12.  1812;  appointed 
Commander-in-chief  at  Leith,  in  November,  1813;  created  a 
K.  C.  B.,  January  2.  1815  ;  and  re-appointed,  in  the  spring  of 
1816,  to  the  chief  command  on  the  coast  of  Scotland,  where 
he  continued  until  September,  1818. 

On  the  12th  of  August,  1819,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Vice- Admiral.  In  January,  1820,  he  again  became  a  Lord 
of  the  Admiralty  ;  and  when  the  Duke  of  Clarence  was  ap- 
pointed Lord  High  Admiral,  he  retained  his  seat  at  the 
board  as  one  of  his  Royal  Highness's  Council.  He  was 
created  a  Grand  Cross  of  the  Bath,  October  4.  1825. 

In  March,  1828,  Sir  William  Hope  was  appointed  by  the 
Lord  High  Admiral,  Treasurer  of  the  Royal  Hospital  at 
Greenwich,  and  thereupon  resigned  his  seat  at  the  Admiralty. 
On  the  passing  of  the  Act  for  the  better  regulation  of  that 
noble  establishment,  by  which  the  office  of  Treasurer  was 
abolished,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  five  Commissioners 
for  managing  the  affairs  of  the  institution.  At  the  formation 
of  Lord  Grey's  ministry,  on  the  23d  of  November,  1830,  he 
received  his  last  honorary  preferment,  a  seat  at  the  Privy 
Council. 

Sir  W.  J.  Hope  was  for  thirty  years  a  member .  of  the 
House  of  Commons.  He  was  first  elected  in  1800,  for  the 
Dumfries  district  of  Burghs;  and  in  1804,  on  the  death  of 
General  Sir  Robert  Laurie,  was  chosen  for  the  county  of 
Dumfries,  which  he  continued  to  represent  during  six  Parlia- 
ments, until  the  general  election  of  1830,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son. 

Sir  William  Hope  was  twice  married  :  first,  July  8.  1792, 


74  SIR    WILLIAM   JOHNSTONE    HOPE. 

to  Lady  Anne  Johnstone  Hope,  eldest  daughter  of  James 
third  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  Maid  of  Honour  to  her  Majesty,  by 
whom  he  had  two  daughters  and  four  sons :  1 .  Elizabeth, 
2.  Mary,  3.  John  James  Hope  Johnstone,  Esq.,  who  has 
assumed  the  name  of  Johnstone  after  his  own,  and  is  a  claim- 
ant (through  his  mother)  for  the  disputed  title  of  Marquis  of 
Annandale ;  he  married  in  1816,  Alicia  Anne,  eldest  daughter 
of  George  Gordon,  of  Halhead,  Esq.;  4.  Captain  William 
Hope  Johnstone,  now  Captain  of  the  Britannia,  the  flag-ship 
of  Sir  Pulteney  Malcolm,  in  the  Mediterranean ;  he  married 
in  1826,  Ellen,  eldest  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Kirkpatrick, 
Bart.;  Charles  James,  Captain  R.  N.,  who  married,  in  1827, 
Eliza,  third  daughter  of  Joseph  Wood,  Esq. ;  and  6.  George 
James,  also  Captain  R.  N.,  who  married,  in  1826,  Maria, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Ranking,  Esq.  Lady  Anne  Hope  having 
died  August  28.  1818,  Sir  William  was  re-married  October 
30.  1821,  to  the  Right  Hon.  Maria  Countess  Dowager  of 
Athlone,  widow  of  Frederick  William  sixth  Earl  of  Athlone, 
daughter  of  Sir  John  Eden,  Bart.,  and  cousin  to  Lord  Auck- 
land and  Lord  Henley.  Her  Ladyship  survives. 

Sir  William  died  at  Bath,  on  the  2d  of  May,  1831 ;  aged 
64.  His  remains  were  interred  on  the  21st  May,  in  John- 
stone  church,  in  the  county  of  Dumfries.  A  portrait  of  him, 
when  a  Post- Captain,  was  published  in  the  Naval  Chronicle 
in  1807. 


"  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Biography,"  and  "  The  Gentle- 
man's Magazine,"  have  furnished  the  materials  for  the  fore- 
going Memoir. 


No.  VI. 

THE    VENERABLE 

THOMAS  PARKINSON,  D.D.,  F.R.S.; 

ARCHDEACON  OF  LEICESTER;  CHANCELLOR  OF  THE  DIOCESE 
OF  CHESTER;  A  PREBENDARY  OF  ST.  PAUL'S  ;  AND  RECTOR 
OF  KEGWORTH,  IN  LEICESTERSHIRE. 

£ 

DR.  PARKINSON  was  born  at  Kirkham  in  the  Fylde,  in  Lan- 
cashire, on  the  14th  June,  174-5.  His  father  being  engaged 
in  pursuits  which  called  him  much  from  home,  Dr.  Parkinson 
was  brought  up  chiefly  under  the  guidance  of  his  mother,  who 
was  a  most  affectionate  parent,  zealously  solicitous  for  the  best 
interests  of  her  family,  continually  watching  over  them,  and 
who  ensured  and  enjoyed,  as  the  reward  of  her  amiable  exer- 
tions, the  gratitude  and  love  of  her  children. 

Dr.  Parkinson  was  sent  at  an  early  age  to  the  Free  Gram- 
mar School  in  Kirkham,  where  he  received  the  rudiments  of  a 
classical  education.  When  there  he  was  always  considered  a 
youth  of  promising  talent  and  great  application.  Contrary  to 
the  wishes  of  his  father,  he  formed  an  early  desire  to  obtain  an 
university  education,  and  the  opposition  which  he  experienced 
no  doubt  delayed  his  removal  to  college  beyond  the  usual 
period  at  which  young  men  were  then  accustomed  to  enter  the 
university.  The  difficulties,  however,  which  he  had  to  en- 
counter in  the  above  respect  were  at  last  obviated,  and  at  the 
age  of  19  years  he  was  entered  as  a  pensioner  at  Christ's 
College,  Cambridge. 

Mr.  Parkinson  had  trials  of  no  ordinary  nature  to  undergo 
when  at  college ;  the  same  spirit  which  opposed  his  entrance 
at  the  university  in  the  first  instance,  induced  his  father  to 


76  ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON. 

refuse  him  all  pecuniary  assistance  when  there.  An  octo- 
genarian friend  of  the  subject  of  our  memoir  has  recently 
expressed  his  belief,  that,  beyond  common  necessaries,  Mr. 
Parkinson  never  occasioned  his  father  to  expend  more  than 
20/.  in  the  whole  course  of  his  life.  He  left  the  school  at 
Kirkham  for  college  with  an  exhibition  of  34-/.  per  annum. 

It  was  the  denial  of  all  pecuniary  assistance  on  the  part  of 
his  father  which  probably  compelled  Mr.  Parkinson,  after  en- 
gaging closely  in  the  routine  of  college  studies,  to  spend  much 
time  in  abstruse  calculations,  and  seldom  allow  himself  more 
than  five  or  six  hours  for  repose.  On  the  recommendation  of 
a  college  friend,  Mr.  Parkinson  was  employed  by  the  Board 
of  Longitude  in  the  calculation  of  tables  of  the  series  of  pa- 
rallax and  refraction.  He  was  assisted  in  this  labour  by  Mr. 
Lyons,  the  author  of  a  Treatise  on  Fluxions.  By  their  united 
efforts  (the  greater  portion  of  the  fatigue,  however,  devolving 
upon  young  Parkinson,)  the  volume,  a  tolerably  thick  quarto, 
closely  printed,  was  completed  in  two  years.  At  this  period 
it  was  highly  creditable  to  the  subject  of  our  memoir,  that, 
although  suffering  under  grievous  disadvantages,  he  annually 
remitted  a  sum  for  distribution  amongst  the  poor  of  his  native 
town,  and  educated  his  brother  Robert  at  Emanuel  College. 
In  the  outset  of  life  Mr.  Parkinson's  worldly  disappointments 
were  great,  and  his  prospects  gloomy.  Independently  of  re- 
ceiving no  aid  from  his  father  in  his  college  pursuits,  he  had 
the  mortification  of  seeing  a  property  which  he  had  been  always 
taught  to  expect  would  have  been  his  own,  bestowed  elsewhere. 
What  would  have  operated  as  a  severe  affliction  upon  some, 
had  not  that  effect  upon  him;  he  regarded  the  privation  as  a 
mercy,  and  has  been  frequently  heard  to  remark,  that,  had 
affluence  smiled  upon  his  early  career,  indolence  would  pro- 
bably have  claimed  him  for  her  own. 

The  time  spent  in  the  calculations  above  referred  to  must 
have  materially  impeded  his  private  studies,  preparatory  to 
taking  his  Bachelor's  degree :  he,  however,  gained  the  first 
mathematical  honour  of  his  year,  and  that  against  a  compe- 
titor of  great  reputation  in  his  day  as  a  mathematician.  Mr, 


ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON.  77 

Parkinson  took  his  degree  of  B.  A.  in  January,   1769,  having 
commenced  his  residence  at  college  in  October,  1 765. 

On  the  25th  May,  1769,  he  was  ordained  Deacon  by  Dr. 
Terrick,  then  Bishop  of  London,  at  Fulham ;  and  on  the  4th 
February,  1771,  Priest,  by  Dr.  Law,  then  Bishop  of  Carlisle, 
at  Cambridge.  He  officiated  as  Moderator  in  the  examination 
of  the  young  men  for  their  degrees  in  the  year  1774,  when 
the  late  Dr.  Milner  (Dean  of  Carlisle  and  Master  of  Queen's) 
was  Senior  Wrangler.  The  other  Moderator  of  the  year  was 
Mr.  Kipling,  afterwards  D.D.  and  Dean  of  Peterborough. 
On  the  29th  June,  1775,  he  was  presented  by  the  Dean  and 
Chapter  of  Ely  to  the  vicarage  of  Meld  re  th,  in  the  county  of 
Cambridge.  He  served  the  office  of  Proctor  of  the  Univer- 
sity in  1  786-7.  He  succeeded  Dr.  Law  (late  Bishop  of  El- 
phin,  and  brother  of  the  late  Lord  Chief  Justice  Ellenborough) 
as  one  of  the  Tutors  of  Christ's  College ;  and  became  Senior 
Tutor  of  that  establishment  on  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Shepherd. 
In  1789,  he  published  a  large  quarto  volume  on  Mechanics 
and  Hydrostatics,  a  branch  of  practical  mathematics  upon 
which  he  had  thought  deeply.  This  volume  has  been  fre- 
quently and  most  extensively  used  as  a  work  of  reference. 

When  he  resigned  the  vicarage  of  Meldreth  we  are  not 
aware;  but  in  the  year  1790  he  was  instituted  by  Bishop 
Pretyman  to  the  rectory  of  Kegworth,  Leicestershire,  upon 
the  presentation  of  the  Master,  Fellows,  and  Scholars  of 
Christ's  College. 

On  the  16th  April,  1794,  he  was  collated  by  his  contem- 
porary at  college,  Bishop  Pretyman,  to  the  Archdeaconry  of 
Huntingdon.  In  1795  he  took  his  Doctor's  degree.  For 
the  prebend  of  Chiswick,  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  he  was 
indebted,  in  1798,  to  the  late  learned  and  respected  Bishop 
Porteus;  and  on  the  12th  October,  1804,  Bishop  Majendie 
conferred  upon  him  the  Chancellorship  of  the  diocese  of  Ches- 
ter. The  selection  of  Dr.  Parkinson  for  these  varied  prefer- 
ments, by  three  contemporary  prelates  of  the  established 
church,  was  no  small  tribute  to  the  excellence  of  his  character 
and  the  extent  of  his  acquirements. 


78  ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON. 

In  1812,  Dr.  Parkinson  resigned  the  Archdeaconry  of 
Huntingdon,  and  was  collated  to  that  of  Leicester  by  Bishop 
Tomline  (formerly  Pretyman).  Dr.  Middleton  (afterwards 
the  memorable  Bishop  of  Calcutta)  succeeded  Dr.  Parkinson 
as  Archdeacon  of  Huntingdon. 

On  Dr.  Parkinson's  assumption  of  office  as  Archdeacon  of 
Leicester,  he,  at  the  desire  of  the  diocesan,  convened  a  public 
meeting  to  take  into  consideration  the  best  means  of  educating 
the  children  of  the  poor,  according  to  the  plan  of  national 
education  adopted  in  the  metropolis.  A  meeting  of  the  gentry 
and  clergy  was  accordingly  held  in  the  castle  of  Leicester,  on 
Thursday  the  4th  June,  1812,  when  the  subject  was  intro- 
duced by  the  Archdeacon  in  a  very  elegant  and  animated 
address.  The  result  was  the  establishment  of  an  extensive 
school  in  Leicester  upon  the  Madras  system,  and  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  last  printed  report  of  the  secretary  and  com- 
mittee under  whose  direction  it  is  managed,  contained  284 
boys  and  102  girls,  and  had  educated,  from  its  commence- 
ment in  1818,  no  less  than  3480  children. 

In  November,  1812,  a  requisition  most  respectably  signed 
was  sent  to  the  Archdeacon,  soliciting  him  to  convene  a 
meeting  of  the  clergy  of  his  archdeaconry,  to  take  into  con- 
sideration and  to  form  a  petition  to  Parliament  against  the 
Roman  Catholic  claims.  The  Archdeacon  complied  with  the 
requisition,  and  a  meeting  was  held,  at  which,  after  consider- 
able discussion,  a  petition  drawn  up  by  Dr.  Parkinson  was 
adopted,  and  afterwards  presented  to  both  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment. The  Roman  Catholic  question  was  one  upon  which 
the  Archdeacon  had  thought  much,  and  as  to  which  he  felt 
deeply  interested.  Firmly  believing  that  no  change  had  taken 
place  in  the  principles  of  the  Raman  Catholic  Church,  and 
that  the  same  aversion  to  Protestantism,  the  same  arrogation 
of  exclusive  faith  and  salvation,  and  the  same  desolating  system 
of  intolerance  were  still  upheld  at  her  altars,  which  had  in 
former  times  excited  the  just  dread,  and  produced  the  pro- 
tecting laws  of  our  Protestant  forefathers,  he  scruplecl  not  to 
stand  forward  in  opposition  to  any  repeal  of  statutes,  the' main- 


ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON.  79 

tenance  of  which  he  conscientiously  believed  to  be  essential  to 
the  very  existence  of  the  country  as  a  Protestant  state.  The 
idea  of  conciliating  the  great  body  of  the  Roman  Catholics  by 
concessions  he  treated  as  utterly  chimerical ;  he  had  narrowly 
watched  the  effects  produced  by  former  concessions,  and  had 
found  that,  instead  of  giving  satisfaction,  and  leading  to  ulti- 
mate peace,  they  had  only  produced  fresh  demands,  to  be 
repeated  till  nothing  was  left  to  be  conceded.  The  chief 
ground,  however,  of  Dr.  Parkinson's  opposition  to  the  grant 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  claims,  was  a  dread  of  exciting  the 
anger  of  the  Deity,  and  the  consequent  outpourings  of  wrath- 
ful judgments  upon  the  country  for  relinquishing  what  he  con- 
ceived had  been,  under  Divine  Providence,  the  only  means  of 
enabling  Britain  so  long  to  protect  and  cherish  the  Protestant 
faith.  With  respect  to  the  Roman  Catholics  as  fellow-men 
and  fellow-subjects,  the  right  hand  of  friendship  was  never 
withholden  by  Dr.  Parkinson.  It  was  not  against  them,  but 
against  their  principles  and  their  priesthood,  that  he  warred. 

In  August,  1813,  Archdeacon  Parkinson  presidejd  at  a 
meeting  held  at  Leicester,  when  a  society  was  formed  for  the 
county  of  Leicester,  in  aid  of  the  London  Society  for  promoting 
Christian  Knowledge.  He  also  took  an  active  part  in  the 
establishment  of  Savings'  Banks  within  his  jurisdiction.  He 
interested  himself  very  warmly  in  the  erection  of  an  episcopal 
chapel  on  the  newly  enclosed  forest  of  Charnwood ;  and  on 
Sunday  the  18th  June,  1815,  (the  very  day,  and  at  the  very 
hour,  the  battle  of  Waterloo  was  raging  in  full  fury,)  a  very 
commodious  chapel  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Tomline,  for 
the  use  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  immediate  district.  A  sermon 
was  preached  on  the  occasion  by  Mr.  (now  Dr.)  Bay  ley,  then 
Sub-dean  of  Lincoln,  now  Archdeacon  of  Stow  and  Prebend^ 
ary  of  Westminster.  In  1818,  a  district  board  was  formed 
tor  the  Archdeaconry  of  Leicester,  at  the  request  of  his  Ma- 
jesty's Commissioners  for  building  New  Churches.  The  Arch- 
deacon was  appointed  chairman  of  the  board,  and  through  its 
agency  an  elegant  Gothic  church,  capable  of  containing  2000 


80  ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON. 

persons,  was  erected  in  the  parish  of  St.  Margaret,  Leicester. 
Dr.  Parkinson  never  omitted  attendance  at  the  board  when 
his  health  permitted;  was  a  liberal  subscriber  to  the  fund  for 
purchasing  and  fencing  the  site  of  the  church ;  and,  during  the 
entire  progress  of  the  undertaking,  evinced  the  liveliest  anxiety 
for  the  completion  of  the  object  in  view. 

During  Dr.  Parkinson's  incumbency  of  the  archdeaconry 
of  Leicester,  several  other  petitions  were  presented  to  parlia- 
ment from  the  clergy  of  Leicestershire,  against  the  concession 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  claims.  Some  of  these  were  warmly 
attacked  in  the  House  of  Commons  by  Sir  J.  Mackintosh, 
Mr.  Barham,  and  others.  On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Legh  Keck, 
M.  P.  for  Leicestershire,  spoke  at  considerable  length,  and 
with  great  spirit,  in  defence  of  the  course  pursued  by  his 
clerical  constituents.  It  was  in  1825  that  the  Archdeacon 
once  more  furnished  a  petition,  which,  with  some  alterations, 
was  adopted  and  presented.  This  petition  was  rather  singular 
in  point  of  form.  One  of  the  reasons  it  assigned  why  the 
claims  should  not  be  granted,  had  reference  to  the  Arch- 
deacon's dread  of  the  dispensations  of  Divine  Providence. 
This  part  of  the  petition  was  commented  upon  with  great 
severity  by  Lord  King  in  the  House  of  Peers.  The  Arch- 
deacon was  gratified  at  the  notice  bestowed  on  the  passage, 
and  frequently  declared  that,  unless  a  similar  view  of  the 
subject  was  introduced  into  a  petition  having  reference  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  question,  and  emanating  from  a  body 
of  Protestant  clergy,  he  should  feel  no  pleasure  in  affixing 
his  signature. 

Subsequently  to  1825,  the  infirmities  of  age  pressed  so 
heavily  upon  Dr.  Parkinson,  that  his  journeys  never  exceeded 
a  few  miles  from  home.  His  intellects  were,  however,  un- 
impaired ;  and  he  was  remarkably  punctual  in  replying  to 
any  communications  which  were  addressed  to  him.  The 
loss  of  some  early  associates  deeply  affected  him ;  and  he 
was  not  an  inattentive  observer  of  what  was  passing  in  the 
world  around  him.  Occurrences  which  took  place  there 


ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON.  81 

seriously  agitated  him ;  and  while,  as  a  loyal  subject,  he  bowed 
with  the  utmost  submission  to  the  decisions  arrived  at  by  the 
legislature  on  some  vitally  important  questions,  he  deeply 
lamented  the  fatal  errors  into  which  he  conceived  that  legis- 
lature had  fallen,  and  trembled  for  the  consequences.  He 
had  been  visibly  declining  for  about  a  year  previously  to  his 
death.  The  natural  vigour  of  his  constitution,  however, 
enabled  him  sometimes  to  rally  in  such  a  manner,  as  to 
excite  hopes  in  the  breasts  of  his  friends  that  he  might  be 
spared  to  them  for  some  time  longer.  These  hopes  were  com- 
pletely dissipated  for  a  month  or  six  weeks  previously  to  his 
death  ;  his  appetite  had  failed  him,  his  rest  had  become  dis- 
turbed, and  it  was  clear  that,  without  some  material  change 
for  the  better,  he  could  not  long  sustain  the  unequal  combat. 
The  trying  scene  was  now  rapidly  approaching ;  and  for  the 
last  week  or  ten  days  of  his  life  he  scarcely  took  any  nourish- 
ment. He  .waited  in  patience  the  close  of  his  mortal  career; 
and  his  "  end,"  like  his  "  life,"  was  marked  by  "  peace." 
He  merely  ceased  to  breathe  when  the  body  and  spirit 
parted  —  not  even  a  sigh  escaped  him  at  the  awful  moment! 
His  death  took  place  at  the  Rectory,  Kegworth,  on  the  1 3th 
of  November,  1830,  in  the  86th  year  of  his  age. 

He  was  interred  in  the  chancel  of  Kegworth  Church,  on 
Saturday  the  20th  November,  amidst  the  deep  regrets  of  a 
numerous  circle  of  friends,  and  the  heartfelt  sympathies  of 
the  village  poor,  who  attended  in  great  numbers  on  the 
melancholy  occasion. 

The  character  of  Dr.  Parkinson  may  be  comprised  in  a  few 
words.  His  disposition  was  mild,  obliging,  patient,  humble, 
and  serious ;  his  habits  were  temperate ;  benevolence  was  a 
leading  feature  in  his  composition,  and  had  manifested  itself 
in  beautiful  operation  through  every  stage  of  his  life-  His 
perception  of  what  was  agreeable  and  what  painful  to  others 
was  remarkably  acute,  and  (when  duty  did  not  interfere)  he 
was  extremely  cautious  of  wounding  the  feelings  of  those  with 
whom  he  had  to  hold  intercourse.  Truly  might  it  be  said, 
that  he  participated  in  the  joys  and  entered  into  the  griefs  of 

VOL.  XVI.  G 


82  ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON. 

all  around  him.  The  attachment  of  his  pupils  to  him  was 
strong  and  permanent,  and  evinced  itself  in  various  instances. 
Indeed  it  was  impossible  to  know  him  thoroughly  and  not 
feel  the  liveliest  regard  for  him.  The  honours  which  he  had 
gained  at  college,  and  the  rewards  which  resulted  from  his 
literary  career,  enabled  and  induced  him  to  extend  his  sphere 
of  usefulness  to  his  relations,  and  to  redouble  his  exertions  on 
behalf  of  the  friends  above  whom  success  had  far  placed  him: 
he  had  not  so  "  drunk  of  the  world"  as  to  be  intoxicated  with 
the  alluring  potion.  The  contributions  of  the  Archdeacon  to 
charitable  institutions  were  very  large  and  numerous;  and 
splendid  were  his  acts  of  private  beneficence.  Although  in 
the  receipt  of  a  large  income,  and  living  at  a  moderate  ex- 
pense in  comparison  with  it,  the  small  property  he  has  left 
behind  him  speaks  volumes  as  to  the  extent  of  his  liberality. 
There  was,  undoubtedly,  a  great  want  of  discrimination  with 
respect  to  the  objects  on  which  his  bounty  was  bestowed. 
Distress,  in  whatever  shape  it  presented  itself,  was  almost 
certain  of  being  relieved  by  him.  The  conviction  that  a 
fellow-creature  was  undone,  or  in  want,  was  a  sufficient  pass- 
port to  his  heart.  — 

"  Here  did  soft  charity  repair, 

To  break  the  bonds  of  grief, 
To  smooth  the  flinty  couch  of  care, 
And  bring  to  helpless  man  relief!  " 

To  his  servants  he  was  a  considerate  and  indulgent  master, 
an  adviser  and  benefactor  in  seasons  of  difficulty,  and  a  pro- 
tector when  any  attempts  at  either  imposition  or  oppression 
were  made  upon  them. 

Dr.  Parkinson  was  about  the  middle  stature ;  his  counte- 
nance bland  and  ingenuous ;  his  eye  keen  and  piercing,  and 
strongly  demonstrative  of  the  active  and  fertile  mind  which 
reigned  within.  On  a  first  interview,  something  bordering  on 
austerity  might  have  occurred  to  a  party  as  existing  in  the 
Doctor's  composition  ;  but  this  almost  instantly  disappeared, 
and  his  natural  suavity  of  demeanour  evinced  itself.  His 
disposition  to  think  well  of  others  sometimes  produced  a 


ARCHDEACON    PARKINSON.  83 

want  of  firmness  when  decision  was  desirable,  and  punish- 
ment highly  necessary.  This  failing,  however,  principally 
betrayed  itself  in  cases  attended  with  either  palliative  or 
highly  afflictive  circumstances,  which  called  into  exercise  the 
amiable  qualities  we  have  been  feebly  attempting  to  delineate. 
The  publications  of  the  Archdeacon  were  not  numerous. 
In  addition  to  those  we  have  mentioned,  he  printed  "  The 
Duties  and  Qualifications  of  the  Christian  Minister,"  a 
sermon  preached  in  Chester  Cathedral  on  the  20th  Sep- 
tember, 1801  ;  "  What  is  truth  ?"  a  sermon  preached  in  the 
same  cathedral,  on  occasion  of  a  general  Ordination,  29th 
September,  1816  ;  "A  Charge  delivered  to  the  Clergy  of  the 
Archdeaconry  of  Leicester,  A.  D.I  822."  We  believe  there 
were  several  other  occasional  Charges  and  Sermons  published 
by  Dr.  Parkinson;  but  we  have  neither  the  titles  of  them,  nor 
any  means  of  ascertaining  their  dates. 


From  "  The  Gentleman's  Magazine," 


No.  VII. 
THE  RIGHT  HONOURABLE  GEORGE  BYNG, 

SIXTH  VISCOUNT  TORRINGTON,  IN  DEVONSHIRE,  AND  BARON 
BYNG,  OF  SOUTHILL  IN  BEDFORDSHIRE  (1721);  A  BARONET 
(1715);  VICE-ADMIRAL  OF  THE  WHITE;  DOCTOR  OF  THE 
CIVIL  LAW;  FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY;  PATRON  OF  THE 
MAIDSTONE  MASONRY  SOCIETY;  A  VICE-PRESIDENT  OF  THE 
LITERARY  AND  COVENT  GARDEN  THEATRICAL  FUNDS,  ANfr 
OF  THE  MERCHANT  SEAMEN'S  AUXILIARY  BIBLE  SOCIETY, 

THE  SEAMEN'S   AND  LONDON  HOSPITALS,   THE  MILE  END 
PHILANTHROPIC  SOCIETY,  THE  EASTERN  DISPENSARY,  AND 

THE  BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN  PHILANTHROPIC  SOCIETY. 

THIS  nobleman  was  descended  from  the  Byngs  of  Wrotham, 
in  the  county  of  Kent,  who  flourished  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
VII.  In  that  of  Elizabeth,  Thomas  Byng  was  Master  of 
Clare  Hall,  Regius  Professor  of  Civil  Law,  and  Vice-Chan- 
cellor of  the  University  of  Cambridge.  Robert,  his  elder 
brother,  and  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  served  for 
the  borough  of  Abingdon  in  the  first  parliament  of  that  Queen, 
and  also  in  the  34th  year  of  her  reign.  His  eldest  son,  George, 
received  the  honour  of  knighthood  from  Queen  Anne,  for  his 
gallant  behaviour  in  the  battle  of  Malaga ;  and,  after  perform- 
ing many  other  signal  services,  he  was  raised  to  the  dignity 
of  the  peerage  by  the  title  of  Baron  Byng,  of  Southill  in  the 
county  of  Bedford,  and  Viscount  Torrington,  of  Torrington, 
in  Devonshire.  He  died  First  Lord  Commissioner  of  the 
Admiralty,  January  17.  1733,  in  the  80th  year  of  his  age. 
The  unfortunate  Admiral  John  Byng,  who,  after  giving  many 


LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON, 


85 


proofs  of  courage,  was  at  length  shot  upon  a  dubious  sentence 
for  neglect  of  duty,  March  14.  1757,  was  his  fourth  son. 

The  gallant  officer  of  whom  we  are  about  to  speak  was  the 
eldest  son  of  John,  fifth  Viscount  (great  grandson  of  the  first 
peer),  formerly  a  Colonel  in  the  3d  regiment  of  Guards,  and 
afterwards  a  Commissioner  of  the  Stamp  Office,  by  Bridget, 
daughter  of  Commodore  Arthur  Forrest,  who  died  Com- 
mander-in-chief at  Jamaica,  and  was  buried  at  Kingston  in  that 
island,  and  sister  to  the  wife  of  the  Right  Honourable  William 
Windham.  Lord  Torrington's  maternal  grandmother  was 
also  connected  with  the  navy  from  her  birth,  having  been 
born  on  board  his  Majesty's  ship  the  Prince  Frederick,  on 
the  passage  to  Jamaica,  on  St.  Cecilia's  Day;  whence  she  was 
christened  Cecilia  Frederica  Marina.  The  noble  subject  of 
this  memoir  was  born  in  London,  January  5.  1768,  and  re- 
ceived the  rudiments  of  his  education  under  the  late  Dr.  James, 
at  Greenwich ;  whence  he  was  removed  to  a  respectable 
seminary  at  Paddington,  conducted  by  a  Mr.  Boucher.  Being 
destined  for  the  naval  profession,  he  embarked  February  23. 
1778,  as  a  Midshipman  on  board  the  Thunderer,  of  74  guns, 
commanded  by  the  Honourable  Boyle  Walsingham,  which 
ship  formed  part  of  the  fleet  under  Admiral  Keppel,  in  the 
action  with  the  Count  d'Orvilliers,  on  the  27th  July,  in  the 
same  year.  Some  time  after  that  event  Mr.  Byng  joined  the 
Alarm  frigate,  Captain  Sir  Richard  Pearson;  and  subsequently 
the  Active,  of  32  guns,  Captain  Thomas  Mackenzie.  In  the 
latter  vessel  he  was  engaged  in  the  affair  at  Porto  Praya, 
between  Commodore  Johnstone  and  M.  de  SuflFrein. 

The  Active  was  afterwards  detached  by  the  Commodore  to 
escort  a  fleet  of  transports  and  merchant  ships  to  the  East 
Indies ;  and,  on  her  arrival  there,  Mr.  Byng  was  received  on 
board  the  Superb,  of  74-  guns,  bearing  the  flag  of  Sir  Edward 
Hughes,  the  gallant  protector  of  India;  under  whom  he 
served  in  two  severe  actions  with  M.  de  Suffrein,  one  of  the 
ablest  officers  that  the  French  marine  has  ever  produced.  In 
the  last  of  these  conflicts  Mr.  Byng  had  a  very  narrow  escape, 
all  the  men  at  the  gun  at  which  he  was  stationed  being  either 

G  3 


86  LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON. 

killed  or  badly  wounded  by  the  destructive  effects  of  a  single 
shot,  whilst  he  himself  received  no  material  injury,  although 
struck  by  a  splinter. 

Some  time  previously  to  this  event,  the  Superb  having  been 
dismasted,  and  otherwise  greatly  damaged  in  a  heavy  gale  of 
wind,  Sir  Edward  Hughes  was  obliged  to  shift  his  flag,  pro 
tempore,  into  the  Sultan,  of  the  same  force.  On  the  5th  of 
November,  1783,  the  former  was  driven  from  her  anchors  in 
Tellicherry  Road,  and  drifting  towards  the  shore,  she  struck 
upon  a  rock  and  sunk ;  but  fortunately  her  crew  were  saved. 

Hostilities  having  ceased  soon  after  the  last  battle,  the 
Commander-in-chief  sailed  for  Europe ;  and  Mr.  Byng  was 
removed  into  the  Defence,  74,  bearing  the  broad  pendant  of 
Commodore,  afterwards  Sir  Andrew  Mitchell,  with  whom  he 
returned  to  England  in  the  month  of  December,  1785.  On 
his  arrival,  he  passed  the  usual  examination  for  a  Lieutenant  ; 
soon  after  which  he  joined  the  Jupiter,  of  50  guns,  the  flag- 
ship of  the  late  Sir  William  Parker,  on  the  Leeward  Island 
station,  and  served  under  that  officer  during  a  period  of  three 
years. 

Commodore  Parker  was  succeeded  by  the  late  Sir  John 
Laforey ;  and  Mr.  Byng  was  received  by  the  latter  on  board 
the  Trusty,  50.  At  length,  in  the  month  of  September,  1790, 
after  more  than  twelve  years'  active  service,  in  the  course  of 
which  he  had  participated  in  no  less  than  four  general  actions, 
Mr.  Byng  received  a  commission  from  England,  promoting 
him  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant,  in  which  capacity  he  returned 
home  in  the  Shark  sloop  of  war. 

Early  in  the  ensuing  year  Mr.  Byng  was  appointed  to  the 
Illustrious,  of  74  guns,  Captain  C.  M.  Pole ;  from  that  ship 
he  removed  into  the  Druid  frigate  as  First  Lieutenant,  and  in 
her  assisted  at  the  capture  of  several  privateers,  merchantmen, 
and  smugglers.  His  next  appointment  appears  to  have  been 
to  the  Impregnable,  a  second  rate,  bearing  the  flag  of  Rear- 
Admiral  Caldwell;  but  ill  health  compelling  him  to  go  to 
sick  quarters,  he  was  thereby  unfortunately  prevented  from 
sharing  in  the  glories  of  the  memorable  1st  of  June,  1794. 


LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON.  87 

He  however  rejoined  his  ship  on  her  return  to  port*,  and  in 
the  month  of  October  following  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of 
Commander,  in  the  Ferret  sloop,  employed  in  the  North  Sea. 
We  subsequently  find  him  acting  as  Captain  of  the  Artois 
frigate  during  the  temporary  absence  of  Sir  Edmund  Nagle. 

On  the  18th  June,  1795,  Captain  Byng  was  made  post, 
into  the  Redoubt,  of  20  guns,  stationed  as  a  floating  battery 
in  the  river  Tyne,  where  lie  rendered  essential  service  to  the 
shipping  interest,  by  his  spirited  conduct  in  suppressing  an 
unlawful  combination  of  the  seamen,  entered  into  for  the 
purpose  of  extorting  exorbitant  wages.  For  his  conduct  on 
that  occasion  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  Trinity  House  at 
Newcastle,  and  the  Corporation  of  North  Shields,  as  also  of 
the  shipowners  of  those  places.f 

Our  officer's  next  appointment  was  to  the  Mercury,  of  28 
guns,  attached  to  the  squadron  on  the  Newfoundland  station, 
under  the  orders  of  Sir  James  Wallace.  In  1796,  when  the 
French  Admiral  Richery  invested  that  settlement  with  seven 
ships  of  the  line  and  three  frigates,  having  2000  troops  on 
board,  the  Vice- Admiral  defended  it  with  one  ship  of  50  guns, 
two  frigates,  and  two  sloops ;  and,  aided  by  the  bravery  and 
vigilance  of  Captain  Byng,  and  the  other  officers  of  his  small 
squadron,  ultimately  succeeded  in  compelling  the  enemy  to 
abandon  their  project  of  subjugating  the  colony. 

In  the  following  year,  1797,  Captain  Byng  was  appointed 
to  the  Galatea,  of  32  guns,  in  which  frigate  he  cruised  during 

•  Mr.  Buller,  who  had  superseded  Lieutenant  Byng  in  the  Impregnable,  was 
mortally  wounded  in  the  battle. 

f  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  Times  and  Newcastle  Advertiser  :  — 

"  Neivcastle,  Oct.  20.  1795. 

"  At  a  meeting  of  ship-owners,  held  in  the  Trinity  House  in  Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne  this  day,  — 

"  Resolved  unanimously, 

"  That  the  thanks  of  this  meeting  be  given  to  George  Byng,  Esq.,  Commander 
of  his  Majesty's  floating  battery  Redoubt,  at  Shields,  for  his  spirited  conduct  in 
suppressing  the  late  violent  proceedings  of  the  seamen,  when  stopping  ships  pro- 
ceeding to  sea,  with  a  view  to  extort  exorbitant  wages  :  and  that  the  same  be  con- 
veyed by  letter  from  the  Chairman  ;  which  was  accordingly  done  by  Mr.  Lawton, 
the  Chairman  :  also  the  thanks  of  the  mayor  and  corporation,  and  gentlemen  ship- 
owners of  North  Shields." 


SB-  LORET  VISCOUNT    TOKRINGTOST. 

the  remainder  of  the  revolutionary  war,  on  the  coasts  of 
France  and  Ireland,  and  captured  several  armed  vessels,  one 
of  which  was  le  Ranger,  a  French  corvette  of  14  guns;  he 
also  recaptured  the  Kenyorr,  a  British  West-Indiatnan,  valued 
at  40.000/. ;  and,  in  company  with  the  Doris  frigate,  recap- 
tured two  large  Portuguese  Brazil  ships. 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1801,  Captain  Byng 
was  elected  a  burgess  of  the  ancient  borough  of  Plymouth. 
This  mark  of  respect  was  paid  him  upon  his  return  from  a 
cruise  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  during  which  the  Galatea  en- 
countered a  violent  hurricane,  and  had  nearly  foundered:  her 
mizen-mast  was  carried  over  the  side ;  at  the  same  time  her 
fore  and  main-top-masts  also  went,  though  there  was  not  a 
stitch  of  canvass  set.  One  man  went  over  with  the  mizen« 
mast,  and  several  others  were  much  hurt. 

Subsequently  to  the  treaty  of  Amiens,  the  Galatea  was  sta- 
tioned on  the  south-west  coast  of  Ireland,  for  the  suppression 
of  smuggling ;  and  Captain  Byng  continued  on  that  service 
until  the  month  of  May,  1802,  when  he  was  compelled  to 
relinquish  his  command,  in  consequence  of  ill  health,  occa- 
sioned by  long  and  severe  cruises  during  the  preceding  winter. 

On  the  renewal  of  the  war  with  the  French  republic,  Cap- 
tain Byng,  then  in  a  state  of  convalescence,  tendered  his 
services,  and  was  immediately  appointed  to  the  Texel,  of 
64  guns,  as  commanding  officer  of  the  block-ships  stationed 
in  the  Medway ;  and  on  the  retirement  of  Earl  St.  Vincent 
from  the  Admiralty,  that  nobleman  paid  Captain  Byng  the 
flattering  compliment  of  promoting  his  First  Lieutenant  and 
two  Master's  Mates  to  superior  ranks. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1804,  Captain  Byng  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Malabar,  of  50  guns,  and  commanded  that 
ship  until  March,  1805,  when  he  removed  into  the  Belliqueux, 
of  64  guns ;  and,  in  the  following  autumn,  accompanied  Sir 
Home  Popham  on  an  expedition  against  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  The  squadron,  having  on  board  a  body  of  troops 
tinder  Major-General  Sir  David  Baird,  arrived  in  Table  Bay, 
January  4.  1806;  and  on  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  the 


LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON.  89 

Dutch  governor  (Jansens)  having  signed  a  capitulation  for  a 
general  surrender,  England  became  once  more  possessed  of 
one  of  the  most  important  settlements  in  the  world,  and  which 
has  since  been  permanently  annexed  to  the  British  empire. 

The  land  forces  employed  on  the  above  occasion  were 
strengthened  by  a  marine  battalion,  commanded  by  Captain 
Byng,  from  whose  great  exertions  the  service  derived  much 
benefit,  which  was  warmly  acknowledged  by  the  joint  com- 
manders in  their  respective  despatches,  wherein  they  highly 
commended  "  the  perseverance  and  determination  with  which 
Captain  Byng,  and  the  officers  and  seamen  under  his  com- 
mand, overcame  the  obstacles  opposed,  by  an  extreme  dif- 
ficulty of  country,  to  the  conveyance  of  artillery."  * 

The  presence  of  the  ships  belonging  to  the  East  India 
Company,  which  had  assisted  in  the  reduction  of  the  Cape, 
being  no  longer  necessary,  Captain  Byng  was  directed  to 
escort  them  to  Madras :  on  his  arrival  at  which  place  he  re- 
ceived an  address  from  their  commanders,  some  of  whom  had 
served  with  the  Marine  Brigade,  expressive  of  the  sense  they 
entertained  of  his  constant  and  unremitting  attention  to  them, 
and  requesting  his  acceptance  of  a  piece  of  plate,  of  the  value 
of  100/.,  as  a  testimony  of  their  respect. 

*  Extract  from  Sir  David  Baird's  public  despatches,  addressed  to  Viscount 
Castlereagh :  — 

"  Cape  Town,  Jan.  12.  1806. 

"  On  every  occasion  where  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  call  for  the  co  oper- 
ation of  British  seamen  in  land  enterprises,  their  valour  has  been  so  conspicuous, 
and  their  spirit  of  labour  and  perseverance  so  unconquerable,  that  no  tribute  of 
my  applause  can  add  a  lustre  to  their  character ;  but  I  discharge  a  most  agreeable 
portion  of  my  duty  in  assuring  your  lordship,  that  in  the  recent  employment  of 
their  services  they  have  maintained  their  reputation.  And  in  this  place  it  behoves 
me  to  inform  your  lordship,  that  the  uniform  good  conduct  of  those  gallant 
fellows,  and  the  zeal  of  Captain  George  Byng,  who  commanded  them,  together 
with  that  of  every  subordinate  officer,  have  merited  my  fullest  approbation." 

The  heroic  Captain  Hardinge,  who  afterwards  commanded  the  St.  Fiorenzo, 
and  fell  in  action  with  la  Piedmontaise,  served  on  shore  under  the  orders  of 
Captain  Byng,  with  whom  he  had  sailed  from  England  as  a  passenger  to  join 
the  Salsette  frigate  at  Bombay.  On  quitting  the  Belliqueux,  he  thus  addressed 
her  commander :  — 

"  Amongst  the  sensations  which  an  event  like  this  awakens,  the  only  painful 
one  is,  that  I  am  to  be  separated  from  those  I  love,  and  for  .1  period  so  indefinite. 
But  no  space  of  time  can  ever  separate  me  from  you." 


gO  LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON. 

In  the  course  of  the  same  year,  the  Belliqueux  formed  part 
of  Sir  Edward  Pellew's  squadron  at  the  capture  and  destruc- 
tion of  a  Dutch  frigate,  seven  brigs  of  war,  and  about  twenty 
armed  and  other  merchant-vessels,  in  Batavia  roads.  During 
the  operations,  the  Commander-in-chief  publicly  expressed 
satisfaction  at  Captain  Byng's  activity  and  good  conduc.t,  by 
the  telegraphic  signal  —  "  Your  zeal  I  have  noticed" 

From  this  period  nothing  material  occurred  until  1809, 
when  our  officer  hoisted  a  broad  pendant  on  being  appointed 
to  conduct  an  armament  sent  from  Bombay  to  occupy  the 
island  of  Roderiguez,  and  thus  pave  the  way  for  the  reduction 
of  the  Isles  of  Mauritius  and  Bourbon.  This  object  was 
successfully  accomplished ;  and  Captain  Byng  had  the  satis- 
faction of  receiving  the  thanks  of  the  government  of  Bombay, 
together  with  a  present  of  300/.,  for  the  very  cordial  and  im- 
portant assistance  afforded  by  him  to  the  military  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Keating. 

The  Belliqueux  continued  on  the  East  India  station  until 
the  month  of  June,  1810,  at  which  time  Captain  Byng  re- 
ceived orders  to  proceed  to  China,  for  the  purpose  of  affording 
protection  to  the  homeward-bound  trade.  On  the  14th 
February,  1811,  he  sailed  from  Macao  Roads,  in  company 
with  seven  of  the  Honourable  Company's  ships ;  and,  after 
encountering  very  tempestuous  weather  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  arrived  with  his  charge  at  St.  Helena 
(May  15.),  where  he  was  joined  by  the  Menelaus  and  Chiffo- 
nee  frigates,  five  Indiamen,  and  several  South -Sea  whalers, 
the  whole  of  which  reached  the  Downs  in  safety,  on  the  8th 
of  August  following. 

Previously  to  leaving  India  for  China,  the  Belliqueux  had 
exchanged  fifty  of  her  healthy  men  for  a  similar  number  from 
other  ships,  whose  constitutions  had  been  much  impaired  by  a 
service  of  ten  years  and  upwards  in  the  Oriental  tropics :  she 
also  received  on  board  thirty-two  men  invalided  from  various 
diseases.  During  the  voyage  from  China  to  England,  no  less 
than  224?  men  had  been  placed  on  the  sick  list,  the  whole  of 
whose  cases  happily  yielded  to  medical  treatment,  to  which 


LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON.  91 

due  efficacy  had  been  given  by  a  light  and  proper  diet  of  fresh 
food,  very  large  quantities  of  which  had  been  procured 
through  the  liberal  donations  and  judicious  arrangements 
made  by  Captain  Byng.* 

The  Belliqueux  was  paid  off  at  Chatham,  soon  after  her 
arrival ;  and  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Yorke,  then  at  the  head 
of  the  Admiralty,  immediately  offered  Captain  Byng  the  com- 
mand of  either  of  the  new  74<'s  about  to  be  commissioned : 
but  our  officer,  preferring  a  ship  of  the  old  construction,  made 
choice  of  the  Warrior,  to  which  he  was  accordingly  appointed. 
Some  time  after  this  event,  he  received  a  letter  from  the  Se- 
cretary of  the  India  House,  communicating  the  thanks  of  the 
Court  of  Directors  "  for  his  care  and  attention  to  the  fleet 
recently  under  his  convoy ;  and  informing  him  that,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  zeal  and  attention  to  the  Company's  interests 
evinced  by  him  on  various  occasions,  the  Court  of  Directors 
had  resolved  to  present  him  with  the  sum  of  1000  guineas 
for  the  purchase  of  a  piece  of  plate,  as  an  acknowledgment  of 
his  services." 

Captain  Byng  succeeded  to  the  title  on  the  demise  of  his 
father,  January  8.  1813.  That  nobleman  had  survived  his 
brother,  George,  the  fourth  Viscount,  only  fourteen  days. 

The  Warrior  was  principally  employed  in  the  Baltic  and 
North  Seas,  under  the  Admirals  Young,  Foley,  and  Hope,  by 
whom  our  officer's  conduct  on  alt  occasions  was  most  warmly 
approved  f;  and  in  the  year  1813,  when  our  neighbours  the 


*  A  narrative  of  the  means  employed  in  the  recovery  of  these  seamen  was  pub- 
lished in  the  twenty-eighth  volume  of  the  Naval  Chronicle  by  R.  W.  Bampfield, 
Esq.,  the  surgeon  of  the  Belliqueux,  who  pays  due  testimony  to  the  benevolent 
exertions  of  Captain  Byng,  and  who,  in  1818,  dedicated  to  Lord  Torrington  his 
"  Practical  Treatise  on  Tropical  and  Scorbutic  Complaints ;  "  "  as  a  tribute  of 
respect  due  to  the  benevolence,  zeal,  and  ability  which  his  Lordship  displayed  in 
his  earnest  efforts  to  preserve  the  lives  of  those  confided  to  his  command.1' 

•f*  The  following  are  copies  of  testimonials  from  several  of  the  distinguished 
characters  under  whom  Lord  Torrington  served  when  in  the  command  of  the 
Warrior :  — 

"  My  Lord,—  It  is  so  much  the  duty  of  a  Commander-in-chief  to  do  justice  to 
the  merits  of  officers  who  serve  under  his  command,  that  I  can  have  no  hesitation 
in  bearing  testimony  to  your's,  during  the  time  of  your  serving  in  the  fleet  in  the 


92  LORD    VISCOUNT    fORIUNGTON. 

Dutch,  having  thrown  off  the  yoke  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
recalled  the  ancient  House  of  Nassau  to  rule  over  them,  he 
was  selected  to  convey  William  Frederick,  Prince  of  Orange* 
to  his  native  country,  for  the  purpose  of  assuming  the  station 
and  honours  so  long  enjoyed  by  his  progenitors. 

His  Serene  Highness  embarked  on  board  the  Warrior  in 
the  Downs,  November  25th,  and  on  the  following  morning 
sailed  for  the  coast  of  Holland ;  but,  owing  to  unfavourable 
winds,  did  not  reach  Scheveling  until  the  30th,  when  the 
Prince  and  Lord  Clancarty,  the  British  Ambassador,  with 
their  respective  suites,  landed  amidst  the  hearty  huzzas  of  the 
numbers  assembled  from  all  parts  to  witness  their  debarkation. 
His  Serene  Highness  was  attended  to  the  Hague  by  Lord 
Torrington,  whom  he  favoured  with  the  most  gracious  ex- 
pressions for  his  attention,  accommodation,  and  hospitality, 
during  the  time  he  had  the  pleasure  of  being  his  guest.  The 
same  illustrious  individual  afterwards  conferred  upon  his  Lord- 


North  Sea  ;  and  in  so  doing,  I  have  great  pleasure  in  being'able  to  say,  that,  from 
the  time  of  your  joining  the  fleet  to  that  of  your  being  removed  from  it,  I  had 
every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  zeal,  attention,  and  alacrity  with  which  you 
performed  every  service  on  which  you  were  employed. 

"  I  had  frequent  occasions  to  be  pleased  with  your  anxiety  to  be  employed  on 
active  service,  and  particularly  with  the  earnest  desire  you  expressed  to  be  allowed 
to  serve  on  shore  when  the  seamen  and  marines  were  landed  to  capture,  and  to 
defend  the  Islands  of  Zealand. 

(Signed)  "  W.  YOUNG,  Admiral.'* 

<;  I  have  great  satisfaction  in  stating,  that  during  the  time  the  Warrior  was 
under  my  flag,  I  had  every  reason  to  approve  of  the  manner  in  which  the  service 
was  conducted  in  that  ship  ;  and  that  I  always  considered  the  promptitude  and 
regularity,  which  I  could  not  fail  to  observe,  as  the  effect  of  the  correct  system 
of  discipline  established  by  your  Lordship. 

(Signed)  "  R.  BICKERTON,  Admiral." 

"  I  can  with  truth  say,  I  had  every  reason  to  approve  and  applaud  your 
conduct  in  every  respect,  while  I  had  the  honour  of  being  on  service  with  your 
Lordship. 

(Signed)         «  THOS.  FOLEY,  Vice- Admiral." 

"  I  have  pleasure  in  stating,  that  wherever  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  serving 
with  you,  both  this  war  and  the  last,  in  frigates  and  ships  of  the  line,  I  always 
thought  the  ships  you  commanded  excellent,  efficient  men  of  war,  and  had  full 
confidence  in  your  zeal  and  ability. 

(Signed)  «  GRAHAM  MOORE." 

This  latter  officer,  when  appointed  to  a.  command  in  the  Baltic,  proceeded 
thither  in  the  Warrior. 


LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON.  93 

ship  the  insignia  of  the  Order  of  Wilhelm  of  the  Netherlands; 
for  which  an  elegant  gold-hilted  sabre,  with  a  suitable  inscrip- 
tion, has  since  been  substituted. 

Lord  Torrington  subsequently  convoyed  a  fleet  of  mer- 
chantmen to  the  West  Indies ;  and  during  his  absence  was 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  Rear- Admiral,  by  commission  dated 
June  4.  1814. 

On  perusing  the  foregoing  sketch  of  the  Viscount's  profes- 
sional career,  it  will  be  seen  that  thirty -three  years  and  a  half 
of  his  life  were  spent  in  active  service  at  sea;  fifteen  of  them 
in  the  East  and  West  Indies.  An  impaired  state  of  health, 
occasioned  thereby,  and  the  claims  upon  his  attention  of  a 
numerous  progeny,  obliged  him,  in  1818,  to  decline  the  offer 
of  a  foreign  command.* 

In  1821,  Lord  Torrington  was  made  a  Vice- Admiral. 

We  are  not  aware  of  his  lordship's  ever  having  published 
any  separate  work ;  but  the  pages  of  the  Naval  Chronicle  are 
enriched  with  numerous  hydrographical  communications  made 
by  him. 

The  evening  of  Lord  Torrington's  life  was  divided  between 
the  cares  of  a  numerous  family,  his  senatorial  duties,  and  at- 
tention to  a  numerous  list  of  public  charities.  His  death  took 
place  on  the  18th  of  June,  1831,  at  his  seat  Yotes  Court, 
near  Meriworth,  Kent. 

Lord  Torrington  was  twice  married :  first,  February  8. 
1793,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Philip  Langmead,  of  Hoegate 
House,  Plymouth,  Esq.  M.  P.,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter, 
the  Hon.  Lucy  Elizabeth,  and  a  son  who  died  an  infant  in 
1796.  Having  lost  his  first  wife,  August  20.  1810,  his  lord- 
ship married,  secondly,  October  5.  in  the  following  year, 
Frances  Harriet,  second  daughter  of  Rear- Admiral  Sir 
Robert  Barlow,  K.  C.  B.,  and  niece  to  Sir  George  Hilard 
Barlow,  Bart.  G.  C.  B.,  and  by  that  lady,  who  survives  him, 
had  five  sons  and  two  daughters ;  3.  the  Right  Hon.  George 

*  The  chief  command  at  the  Leeward  Islands  was  offered  to  Lord  Torrington 
previously  to  its  being  tendered  to  Rear-admiral  Donald  Campbell,  who  died 
Nov.  11.  1819. 


!) 


4f  LORD    VISCOUNT    TORRINGTON. 


now  Lord  Viscount  Torrington,  born  in  1812 ;  4-.  the  Hon. 
Frances  Elizabeth,  his  twin  sister;  5.  the  Hon.  Hilaro  Caro- 
line ;  6.  the  Hon.  Robert  Barlow  Palmer;  7.  the  Hon.  James 
Master  Owen ;  9.  and  10.  the  Hon.  Russell  John  Morris, 
and  the  Hon.  Stanhope  Frederick  Hopwood,  twins,  the  latter 
of  whom  died  an  infant  in  1824-. 


"  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Biography"  is  our  authority  for 
the  foregoing  Memoir. 


No.  VIII. 
JOHN  JACKSON,  ESQ.  R.A. 

MEMBER  OF  THE  ACADEMY  OF  ST.  LUKE,  &C. 

THE  British  School  of  Portraiture  has,  within  little  more  than 
twelve  months,  sustained  the  loss  of  two  of  its  most  distinguished 
professors ;  and  the  Royal  Academy  has  thereby  been  deprived 
of  two  of  its  ablest  supporters,  and  no  less  esteemed  members. 
Scarcely  had  the  prescribed  period  of  mourning  for  the  loss 
of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  terminated,  than  the  friends  of  art 
had  to  lament  the  death  of  Mr.  Jackson,  who,  being  little 
past  the  prime  of  life,  and  yet  in  the  full  vigour  of  mental 
energy,  had  he  been  spared,  might  have  successfully  emulated 
a  considerable  portion  of  Sir  Thomas's  practice  and  fame. 
The  full  tide  of  patronage  flowed  prosperously  on  Lawrence, 
and  his  genius  was  borne  triumphantly  upon  the  stream :  his 
illustrious  career  ended,  the  waters  were  prompt  to  waft  the 
next  well-appointed  bark  to  the  haven  of  success.  Jackson 
had  that  within  him  which,  properly  excited,  would  have 
enabled  him  to  accomplish  great  things  in  his  art :  —  the  field 
was  now  open  to  competition  for  the  prize;  and,  had  his 
energies  been  thoroughly  awakened  and  put  in  full  operation, 
he  doubtless  might  have  won  it. 

It  was  said  by  the  lamented  Owen,  though  not  at  all  que- 
rulously, that  Lawrence  ought  to  produce  more  splendid 
pictures  than  his  competitors ;  because  all  the  most  illustrious 
for  great  deeds,  the  most  exalted  by  birth,  or  most  distin- 
guished for  beauty,  would  exclusively  be  painted  by  him. 
Hence,  besides  all  the  other  advantages  which  such  patronage 
must  induce  as  stimuli  to  excellence  in  his  art,  he  had  the 


96  JOHN   JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A. 

felicity  of  studying  from  a  class  of  personages  who,  without 
any  effort  of  his  own,  supplied  him  abundantly  with  living 
models  of  grace. 

The  death  of  the  late  President  of  the  Royal  Academy 
then,  with  reference  to  this  monopoly  of  good  fortune,  was  a 
benefit  to  the  other  professors  of  portraiture ;  for,  the  taste  of 
the  aristocracy  in  this  country  leading  them  to  patronise  this 
department  of  art  almost  to  the  exclusion  of  every  other,  still 
prompting  a  demand  for  portrait,  they  were  of  necessity  obliged 
to  seek  the  next  in  talent  to  supply  the  desideratum.  Hence, 
the  present  deservedly  esteemed  President  of  the  Royal 
Academy,  the  veteran  Sir  William  Beechey,  Messrs.  Phillips, 
Pickersgill,  and  Jackson, — each  perhaps  according  to  his 
respective  pretensions,  —  had  to  divide  the  advantages  hitherto 
so  exclusively  enjoyed  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence. 

It  would  have  been  invidious  to  have  pointed  to  Jackson  as 
the  most  able  in  the  list  of  competitors  for  the  prize  of  fame ; 
though,  now  that  he  is  numbered  with  the  dead,  those  who 
were  his  honourable  competitors  whilst  he  was  living,  will 
readily  yield  to  his  memory  all  that  was  its  due.  Jackson 
was  eminently  endued  with  that  faculty,  which  is  esteemed,  in 
England,  perhaps,  above  all  others  in  the  wide  scope  of  the 
attributes  of  the  painter's  art ;  namely,  a  superior  perception 
for  colour.  Had  he  pushed  this  faculty  to  the  extent  of  his 
latent  power, — and  as  it  was  reasonably  expected  that,  from 
the  increasing  high  patronage  which  he  was  experiencing,  he 
had  determined  to  do,  —  it  may  not  be  assuming  too  much  to 
infer,  that  he  would  have  produced  works,  which  would  have 
shown  that  a  great  colourist  still  maintained  the  reputation  of 
the  British  School  of  Portraiture. 

To  excel  in  this  department  of  painting,  judging  from  the 
habits  and  progress  of  many  illustrious  professors,  it  would 
appear  that  a  portrait-painter  should  manifest  an  early  pre- 
dilection for  that  branch  of  study.  The  power  of  "  catching 
a  likeness"  is  something  like  a  gift  of  nature.  Many,  who 
from  necessity  have  relinquished  the  more  imaginative  pur- 
suits of  painting,  from  the  want  of  employment  or  other  cir- 


JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A.  9? 

cumstances,  have  toiled  almost  in  vexation  and  despair,  in  the 
abstract  attempt  of  obtaining  a  resemblance  of  the  visage ; 
whilst  to  Reynolds,  Lawrence,  Hoppner,  Beechey,  Jackson, 
and  others,  who  made  choice  of  this  department  in  their 
boyhood,  producing  a  likeness  ever  continued  the  least 
amongst  the  difficulties  of  their  art, 

Mr.  Jackson  was  born  at  Lastingham,  a  small  village  in  the 
North  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  on  the  3 1st  of  May,  1 778.  Very 
early  in  life,  he  evinced  a  capacity  for  pencilling  a  likeness ; 
and  strengthened  this  faculty  by  "  noting  down"  the  phy- 
siognomies of  many  of  his  neighbours,  old  and  young.  He 
was,  however,  apprenticed  to  a  business  little  congenial  to  his 
graphic  taste.*  Whilst  yet  the  term  of  his  indentures  was 
unexpired  by  nearly  two  years,  finding  occasional  oppor- 
tunities for  the  indulgence  of  his  propensity  for  the  art,  he  had 
made  some  heads  in  small,  which  exhibited  a  talent  much 
beyond  what  could  be  expected  from  one  entirely  self-taught, 
with  no  example  of  art  to  refer  to  in  aid  of  his  ardent  desire 
to  improve.  These  attempts  fortunately  being  seen  by  an 
intelligent  neighbour,  though  in  the  humble  capacity  of  the 
village  schoolmaster,  by  his  friendly  exertion  they  were  shown 
to  the  family  of  the  late  Earl  of  Mulgrave ;  and  this  fortuitous 
circumstance  laid  the  foundation  of  that  auspicious  career 
which  commenced  on  his  becoming  the  protege  of  that  worthy 
nobleman ;  who,  with  his  Lordship's  brother  the  Honourable 
General  Phipps,  and  others  of  his  noble  family,  were  the  con- 
stant patrons  and  friends  of  the  painter  through  life. 

It  was  owing  to  this  circumstance  that  Mr.  Jackson  obtained 
the  countenance  of  the  late  Sir  George  Beaumont,  at  whose 
instance,  by  a  subscription  fund,  the  remainder  of  the  term  of 
his  apprenticeship  was  purchased,  when  he  was  happily  placed 
in  a  state  of  freedom  to  pursue  the  bent  of  his  inclination  for 
graphic  study;  with  means  much  more  felicitous  than  those 
which  usually  attend  native  talent,  on  its  first  embarking  to 
explore  the  wide  ocean  of  taste. 

The  likenesses  which  the  ingenious  youth  had  yet  taken 

*  To  his  father's  occupation,  that  of  a  village  tailor. 
VOL.  XVI.  H 


98  JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A. 

were  principally  drawn  in  pencil,  or  slightly  tinted  in  water 
colours ;  when  Sir  George  Beaumont  advised  him  to  make  an 
attempt  to  paint  in  oil,  lending  him,  by  way  of  coup  d'essai,  a 
three-quarter  head,  a  portrait  of  the  father  of '  George  Colman 
the  Younger/  painted  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  Jackson  was 
thus  provided  with  a  prototype ;  but  the  prepared  pigments 
were  desiderata  which  the  resources  of  a  country  village  could 
not  be  expected  to  supply.  Genius  and  perseverance,  how- 
ever, will  find  the  means  of  surmounting  difficulties,  insu^ 
perable  to  all  but  those  who  have  that  glorious  ardour 
which  boldly  grapples  with  all  things  possible.  There  was 
in  the  neighbourhood  a  house-painter  and  glazier;  and,  the 
ingenious  young  artist  being  a  favourite  with  every  one,  this 
humble  handicraftsman  opened  to  him  his  store;  and  from 
such  rude  materiel  as  his  back  premises  afforded,  the  tyro 
contrived  to  compound  a  palette ;  and  produced,  to  the  asto- 
nishment of  his  patron,  a  copy  of  the  picture,  so  veritably 
like  in  colour,  execution,  and  effect,  that  Sir  George  was  at 
once  satisfied  that  Nature  had  intended  his  protege  for  a 
painter. 

It  was  the  more  fortunate  for  the  youth  that  Sir  George 
Beaumont  happened  to  be  an  amateur  painter  of  great  talent, 
well  skilled  in  all  the  arcana  of  the  art,  a  consummate  con- 
noisseur, and  associated  in  the  most  friendly  intimacy  with  all 
the  first  artists  of  the  age.  Under  such  auspices,  it  will  not 
be  matter  of  surprise  that  the  young  painter  made  rapid  pro- 
gress in  his  studies,  and  gave  early  presage  of  his  future  ex- 
cellence as  a  master  of  the  British  school. 

Soon  after  this  period,  and  with  the  concurrence  of  the  Earl 
of  Mulgrave,  who  had  munificently  rewarded  him  for  some 
small  portraits  which  he  had  taken  from  members  of  his  Lord- 
ship's family,  Sir  George  proposed  to  Jackson  the  propriety 
of  going  to  the  metropolis  to  pursue  his  studies,  saying,  "  You 
must  attend  the  drawing-school  of  the  Royal  Academy  in  the 
evening,  and  copy  pictures  by  day.  Now  you  shall  have  fifty 
pounds  annually  during  your  studies,  which,  with  a  table  at 
my  house  in  town  at  my  expense,  will,  I  think,  be  ample  for 


JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A.  9Q 

a  youngster  who  is  desirous  of  improvement  in  his  art.  Be 
steady,  and  you  will  be  secure  of  my  friendship,  and  that  of 
my  worthy  friend  Lord  Mulgrave."  It  was  so  arranged ;  and 
the  young  painter,  by  his  exemplary  conduct,  did  all  that  was 
becoming  him  to  deserve  and  maintain  as  he  did  the  friend- 
ship, and  even  the  affection,  of  these  distinguished  patrons  to 
the  end  of  their  lives.  He  followed  the  venerated  remains  of 
Sir  George  Beaumont  to  the  tomb  a  few  years  since,  and 
recently  —  rendering  the  same  homage  to  the  manes  of  his 
first  patron,  Lord  Mulgrave,  such  the  decree  !  —  was  smitten 
over  his  hallowed  grave  by  that  unrelenting  hand,  which,  in  a 
few  days,  numbered  him  also  with  the  dead. 

Mr.  Jackson,  having  accomplished  the  term  appropriated 
to  the  study  of  drawing,  commenced  portrait-painter  in  the 
metropolis ;  and  being  supported  by  the  influence  of  the  Earl 
of  Mulgrave,  and  recommended  by  Sir  George  Beaumont, 
obtained  much  employment.  For  some  years,  however,  sub- 
sequently to  this,  his  portraits  in  oil  obtained  for  him  no  great 
distinction.  Hoppner,  Beechey,  Opie,  Owen,  and  Phillips, 
his  contemporaries,  were  esteemed  superior  in  this  depart- 
ment ;  having,  by  more  extensive  practice,  the  reputation  of 
getting  together  the  tout  ensemble  of  a  picture  with  more  tact. 
Lawrence,  too,  was  then  approximating  to  the  zenith  of  his 
fame.  Indeed,  Jackson's  pictures  were  not  wrought  in  that 
style  which  made  a  striking  impression  in  the  Royal  Aca- 
demy exhibitions ;  and  his  pictures,  even  whole-length  por- 
traits of  persons  of  rank  and  title,  were  in  consequence 
frequently  hung  almost  at  the  highest  elevation  on  the  walls  of 
the  Exhibition. 

At  that  period,  about  twenty  years  ago,  although  Jackson 
had  not  established  his  reputation  as  a  painter  in  oil,  his  por- 
traits in  water  colours  were  universally  admired;  and  his 
practice  in  this  department  was  extensive,  and  productive  of 
a  very  handsome  income.  In  these,  the  heads  were  tastefully 
drawn,  the  resemblances  were  faithfully  correct,  and,  although 
carefully  finished,  wrought  with  masterly  spirit.  The  style 
indeed  was  so  deservedly  popular,  that  his  practice  was  greater 

H  2 


100  JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R,  A. 

perhaps  than  that  of  any  contemporary  portrait-painter  in 
small.  Many  of  the  heads  engraved  in  CadelPs  splendid  pub- 
lication, "  Portraits  of  Illustrious  Persons  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,"  were  from  drawings  by  Jackson. 

However  great  the  celebrity  and  the  income  which  Jackson 
obtained  by  these  performances,  many  of  which  were  beautiful, 
he  sought  distinction  in  a  superior  order  of  art.  He  felt  con- 
scious that  by  due  exertion  he  might  compete  with  the  most 
celebrated  portrait-painters  in  oil ;  and,  relinquishing  the  prac- 
tice of  water-colours,  soon  accomplished  his  object.  One  of 
the  pictures  which  gave  him  rank  amongst  the  elite  of  the 
British  school  was  a  portrait  of  Canova,  the  celebrated  Italian 
sculptor,  exhibited  in  the  great  room  of  the  Royal  Academy : 
this  alone  was  sufficient  to  establish  his  fame. 

The  tact  with  which  Mr.  Jackson  copied  the  works  of  the 
old  masters  surprised  his  contemporaries.  His  imitations 
•werefac-similes,  and  appeared  to  be  produced  almost  without 
any  mental  effort.  Some  few  years  since,  feeling  desirous  to 
obtain  a  study  from  a  portrait  of  Rubens,  ipse  pinxit,  one  of 
the  pictures  which  his  late  Majesty  munificently  sent  to  the 
British  Institution  as  an  exemplar  to  the  students,  Mr.  Jack- 
son seated  himself  amongst  the  many  artists,  some  of  established 
reputation,  who  were  copying  there,  several  indeed  from  this 
particular  portrait.  The  promptitude,  however,  with  which 
he  wrought  his  effect,  and  the  certainty  with  which  he  pro- 
ceeded, developing  the  system  of  Rubens,  led  the  whole  group 
to  suspend  their  operations ;  and,  marvelling  at  his  superior 
perceptions,  they  not  only  felt,  but  expressed  their  admiration 
at  the  intelligence  and  skill  which  governed  his  pencil,  and 
enabled  him  with  this  enviable  facility  to  master  his  object. 

This  very  facility,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  may  perhaps 
be  assigned  as  a  reason  why  his  progress  to  the  highest  point 
of  art  was  not  obtained.  He  painted  his  pictures  with  the 
ease  which  is  apt  to  beget  indifference  to  fame.  Men  of 
genius,  not  impelled  by  ambition,  feeling  that  they  can  ac- 
complish when  they  choose  greater  works  than  those  which 
they  perform  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  are  apt  to  procrasti- 


JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A.  101 

nate,  —  to  defer  to-day  that  which  may  be  done  to-morrow, — 
until  that  future  day  —  which  they  may  never  live  to  behold. 
Mr.  Jackson's  employers  were  pleased  with  his  perform- 
ances, —  and  he  was  content. 

It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Jackson,  however,  to  say, 
that,  during  the  last  two  or  three  years  of  his  practice,  his  pic- 
tures displayed  qualities  of  a  very  superior  order.  That  "  low- 
toned  brightness"  which  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  admired,  and 
which  he  so  successfully  obtained  in  his  finest  productions, 
prevailed  in  the  latter  works  of  Mr.  Jackson ;  sufficiently,  in- 
deed, to  remind  the  connoisseur  of  the  feeling  of  his  illus- 
trious predecessor.  Though  he  gave  out  that  he  only  copied 
nature  as  she  appeared  to  him,  those  who  look  at  his  heads 
will  see  that  he  did  much  more  :  that  he  looked  upon  her  with 
the  eye  of  genius,  discovering  her  true  mental  character ;  and 
also  with  the  eye  of  art,  which  perceived  what  to  advance  into 
light,  and  what  to  throw  into  shade.  "  He  occupies  a  place," 
says  a  writer  in  the  Athenaeum,  "  between  the  fine,  elegant 
detail  of  Lawrence,  and  the  vigorous  generalities  of  Raeburn : 
or,  as  others  word  it,  though  perhaps  less  truly,  he  is  a  dis- 
ciple of  the  school  of  Reynolds,  and  one  of  the  cleverest  of  its 
followers.  Where  thought  and  intelligence  were  required,  he 
readily  supplied  them :  he  rose  and  fell  with  his  subject,  and 
may  be  considered  as  one  of  the  most  honest  of  all  the  chil- 
dren of  flattery.  He  had  an  uncommon  readiness  and  skill  of 
hand  —  a  rapid  felicity  of  finish,  which  enabled  him  to  dash 
off  at  a  few  sittings  whatever  he  undertook :  his  colouring  was 
deep,  clear,  and  splendid;  and  in  this  he  more  resembled 
Reynolds  than  any  artist  since  his  day." 

The  whole-length  portrait  of  the  Marquis  of  Chandos,  re- 
presented in  the  costume  of  an  officer  of  the  Hussars,  which 
appeared  in  the  exhibition  of  the  Royal  Academy  in  1830, 
was  a  picture  of  surpassing  excellence;  although  its  merits 
were  not  of  that  forced  or  artificial  character  which  is  almost 
indispensable  in  rendering  a  portrait  of  large  dimensions  suf- 
ficiently imposing  in  effect  to  bear  up  against  the  meretricious 
splendour  of  an  exhibition  at  Somerset  House, 

H  3 


1Q2  JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A. 

A  whole-length  of  the  venerable  Earl  Fitzwilliam,  painted 
about  two  years  since,  is  esteemed  one  of  Mr.  Jackson's  very 
best  pictures.  His  Lordship,  from  motives  which  the  painter 
could  not  successfully  combat,  —  namely,  those  which  arose 
from  a  desire  to  avoid  publicity,  —  refused  to  allow  the  picture 
to  be  exhibited  at  Somerset  House,  a  refusal  which  to  the 
painter  was  a  subject  of  deep  regret. 

The  Hon.  Mrs.  Agar  Ellis,  Lady  Ann  Vernon  (the  lady  of 
the  present  Archbishop  of  York),  and  Miss  Vernon  their 
daughter,  are  amongst  the  happiest  efforts  of  his  pencil ;  as 
are  also  portraits  of  the  bust  of  Thomas  Stothard,  R.  A., 
Henry  Bone,  R.  A.,  and  the  late  John  Flaxman,  R.  A.  These 
three  admirable  heads  were  executed  by  the  desire  of  that  dis- 
tinguished patron  of  art,  Lord  Dover,  as  part  of  a  series  of 
portraits  of  British  artists ;  which  compliment  his  Lordship 
intended  to  extend  to  all  the  members  of  the  Royal  Academy, 
and  to  place  their  resemblances  in  his  gallery.  Sir  Tho- 
mas Lawrence  had  promised  to  sit  to  Jackson,  as  the  subject 
for  the  next  on  the  list.  The  unexpected  death  of  Sir  Thomas 
suspended,  for  a  time,  the  continuation  of  the  series ;  and  it  is 
to  be  feared  that  with  the  demise  of  Jackson  the  plan  has 
found  its  termination. 

Of  one  of  these  portraits,  that  of  Flaxman,  too  much  cannot 
be  said  in  commendation:  it  was  stamped  in  the  mint  of 
nature.  The  encomiums  which  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  be- 
stowed upon  it,  whilst  presiding  at  the  dinner  previously  to 
opening  the  Exhibition  in  which  it  shone  a  graphic  star,  were 
such  as  did  no  less  honour  to  the  candour  and  good  taste  of 
the  President,  than  to  the  talent  of  him  on  whom  they  were 
bestowed.  Sir  Thomas  characterised  the  work  "  as  a  great 
achievement  of  the  English  school,  and  a  picture  of  which 
Vandyck  might  have  felt  proud  to  own  himself  the  author." 

We  may  also  particularise  two  portraits  of  John  Soane,  R.  A., 
one  of  which  (in  small)  represented  the  venerable  architect 
decorated  with  the  insignia  of  a  freemason  ;  a  portrait  of  the 
late  Reverend  Holwell  Carr,  now  in  the  National  Gallery, 
Pall  Mall;  a  fine  half-length  of  Mr.  Ludgate;  several  mem- 


JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A.  103 

bers  of  the  family  of  Sir  W.  Bagshaw  of  the  Oaks,  near  Shef- 
field; and  a  fine  portrait  of  Daniel  Sykes,  Esq.,  late  M.  P. 
for  Hull. 

Mr.  Jackson,  at  different  periods  of  his  life,  painted  his  own 
portrait,  both  in  water  colours  and  in  oil.  A  drawing  of  his 
own  bust  too,  in  black  chalk  heightened  with  white,  executed 
nearly  the  size  of  life  upon  coloured  crayon  paper,  is  not  only 
a  faithful  resemblance,  but  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of 
mastery  and  execution  extant.  This  was  done  "  off-hand," 
as  a  present  to  a  friend.  His  best  portrait  of  himself,  how- 
ever, considered  as  a  complete  picture,  is  that  which  he 
painted  for  his  honoured  friend  and  patron  the  late  Earl  of 
Carlisle,  which  is  in  the  collection  at  Castle  Howard. 

Mr.  Jackson  has  left  a  fine  portrait  of  Baron  Denoyers, 
which  he  intended  to  send  as  a  present  to  that  celebrated 
French  artist,  in  return  for  a  collection  of  proof  impressions 
of  his  engravings  which  the  Baron  presented  to  him  during 
his  visit  to  Paris. 

During  the  exhibition  of  Flaxman's  portrait  at  the  Royal 
Academy,  a  celebrated  French  artist  standing  before  the  pic- 
ture exclaimed,  "  Ah  !  this  is  very  fine  portrait  —  almost  as 
fine  as  Gerard ;"  and  still  dwelling  upon  it,  rejoined,  "  quite 
as  fine  as  Gerard  ! "  The  picture  indeed,  from  its  striking 
effect,  invited  many  remarks :  amongst  others,  those  of  two 
inquisitive  youngsters,  disciples  of  the  palette.  "  What  ve- 
hicle do  you  think  did  Jackson  use  to  get  so  much  the  cha- 
racter of  an  old  master  ?"  said  one.  The  response  was 
neither  prompt  nor  satisfactory ;  when  a  third,  of  about  the 
same  standing,  listening  to  the  dialogue,  exclaimed,  "  I  have 
it  —  he  rubs  it  over  with  dirt,  and  then  he  varnishes." 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1815,  Mr.  Jackson  was  elected 
an  Associate  of  the  Royal  Academy;  and  on  the  10th  of 
February,  1817,  a  Royal  Academician. 

In  the  year  1816,  he  accompanied  General  the  Hon.  Ed- 
mund Phipps  in  a  tour  through  Holland  and  Flanders;  and 
in  1819,  in  company  with  Mr.  Chantrey  the  sculptor,  he 

H  4 


104  JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A. 

made  the  tour  of  Italy,  by  way  of  Geneva,  Milan,  Padua, 
Venice,  Bologna,  Florence,  and  Rome.  At  the. imperial  city 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  St.  Luke. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife  he  had 
a  daughter,  yet  living.  After  remaining  a  widower  three 
or  four  years,  he  married  the  daughter  of  James  Ward, 
Esq.  R.  A.,  by  whom  he  had  three  children,  yet  infants. 

Mr.  Jackson  manifested  so  great  an  affection  for  the  place 
of  his  nativity,  that  for  many  years  he  seldom  failed  to  make 
an  annual  visit  to  the  scene  of  his  early  associations.  As  a 
mark  of  his  reverence  for  the  church  there,  a  short  time  since 
he  completed  a  picture,  which  he  presented  to  the  parish  for 
an  altar-piece,  together  with  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds,  to  enlarge 
the  space  from  which  it  was  to  receive  light:  the  subject, 
"  Christ  in  the  Garden,"  from  the  invaluable  cabinet  picture 
by  Correggio,  in  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 
His  Grace  lent  Mr.  Jackson  the  picture  for  this  express  pur- 
pose ;  but  the  figures  were  enlarged  to  the  size  of  life. 

Notwithstanding  this  gift  to  the  altar  of  the  Established 
Church,  Mr.  Jackson  was  a  sectarian ;  being  one  of  the  most 
esteemed  amongst  the  congregation  denominated  Methodists, 
and  one  of  the  strictest  of  the  persuasion. 

The  death  of  this  distinguished  artist  took  place  at  his 
house,  in  St.  John's  Wood,  on  the  1st  of  June,  1831.  It  may 
be  justly  said  of  him  that  he  was  a  most  amiable  and  gene- 
rous man,  and  that  few  persons  have  gone  to  the  grave  more 
sincerely  regretted  by  his  private,  though  extensive,  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintance.  He  abstained  from  mingling  in 
the  bickerings  of  his  brethren  in  the  art ;  and  there  was  an 
honesty,  a  manliness,  an  urbanity  in  his  conduct  and  deport- 
ment, which  secured  the  respect  and  esteem  of  every  one  who 
knew  him.  The  liberality  of  his  character  was  such  as  fre- 
quently to  make  him  transgress  those  bounds  which  are  pre- 
scribed by  the  maxim  that  charity  begins  at  home ;  and  the 
young  students  in  art  always  found  him  a  willing  counsellor, 
ready  and  willing  to  explain  the  course  by  which  he  had 


JOHN    JACKSON,    ESQ.  R.  A.  105 

himself  obtained  so  high  and  honourable   a  station  in  his 
profession. 


With  the  exception  of  a  few  paragraphs  derived  from  other 
sources,  we  are  indebted  to  "  The  Library  of  the  Fine  Arts" 
for  the  foregoing  memoir. 


106 


No.  IX. 
WILLIAM  BROWELL,  ESQ. 

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    OF    GREENWICH    HOSPITAL. 

THIS  officer  entered  the  naval  service  in  the  year  1771,  at 
the  age  of  twelve,  as  a  midshipman,  on  board  the  Merlin 
sloop,  commanded  by  Captain  (afterwards  Sir  Samuel) 
Marshall,  a  particular  friend  of  his  father's.  He  followed  his 
Captain  into  the  Princess  Amelia,  then  fitting  for  the  flag- 
ship of  Sir  George  Bridges  Rodney ;  and  sailed  in  her  to 
Jamaica.  The  Princess  Amelia  being  ordered  home,  our 
young  sailor  accompanied  the  Admiral  into  the  Portland,  and 
remained  in  her  on  the  West  Indian  station  until  the  Admiral 
returned  to  England.  Soon  after  he  was  entered  on  board 
the  Levant,  of  28  guns,  Captain  the  Honourable  — — 
Murray ;  Mr.  Gower  (afterwards  Sir  Erasmus),  with  whom 
he  served  in  the  West  Indies,  being  First  Lieutenant  of  her. 
The  Levant  sailed  for  the  Mediterranean  to  join  that  station  ; 
and,  on  the  breaking  out  of  war  with  America,  was  ordered  to 
cruise  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay ;  when  Mr.  Browell,  in  con- 
sequence of  his  steadiness  and  good  conduct,  although  very 
young,  was  sent  in  a  prize  into  Lisbon,  where  he  was  detained 
for  three  months  waiting  for  his  ship,  until  his  friend  Captain 
Marshall,  in  the  Arethusa,  putting  into  the  Tagus,  gladly 
received  him  on  board,  and  kept  him  in  his  ship,  on  active 
service,  till  he  was  appointed  Master's  Mate  into  the  Victory, 
of  100  guns,  then  bearing  the  flag  of  Admiral  Keppel ;  under 
whom  his  excellent  father  also  had  served.  He  was  in  the 
Victory  during  the  action  off  Ushant,  when  he  so  distinguished 
himself  that  the  Admiral,  on  the  10th  of  November,  1778, 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL.  107 

promoted  him  to  Lieutenant,  into  the  Bienfaisant,  of  64?  guns, 
Captain  M'Bride.  The  Bienfaisant  was  particularly  dis- 
tinguished in  the  action  with  the  squadron  under  Don  Juan  de 
Langara,  in  1780, —  not  only  on  account  of  Captain  M'Bride's 
conduct  in  the  action  itself,  in  which  he  had  the  good 
fortune  to  sustain  but  trivial  loss,  but  by  the  great  adroitness 
and  skill  with  which  he  contrived  to  secure  possession  of  the 
Phoenix,  of  80  guns,  the  flag-ship  of  the  Spanish  Admiral. 
The  engagement  took  place  in  the  midst  of  a  tremendous 
storm,  in  which  the  Phoenix  and  Bienfaisant  were  completely 
separated  from  their  companions :  but  such  was  the  address 
Captain  M'Bride  used,  that  he  contrived  to  secure  his  prize 
and  carry  her  safe  into  Gibraltar,  notwithstanding  the  par- 
ticular inconvenience  under  which  his  ship  laboured ;  as  ex- 
plained in  the  following  narrative,  which  we  extract  from 
Charnock's  "  Biographia  Navalis,"  and  which  is  most  strongly 
illustrative  of  the  gallantry,  good  faith,  and  humanity  of  the 
hardy  sailors  of  that  day :  — 

"  In  consequence  of  the  signal  for  the  general  chase,  on 
the  evening  of  the  16th,  about  four  o'clock,  we  got  within 
reach  of  the  stern  chase  guns  of  the  enemy,  which  they  plied 
as  we  advanced,  but  to  little  effect.  At  a  quarter  before  five, 
being  then  about  half  a  cable  distant  from  one  of  them,  she 
began  to  fire  her  quarter-guns  upon  our  bow.  By  some 
accident,  she  took  fire  and  blew  up.  Had  this  awful  event 
taken  place  a  few  minutes  later  we  must  have  shared  her  fate : 
it  was  impossible  to  avoid  the  wreck,  great  part  falling  athwart 
us ;  but  we  passed  through  it  without  any  damage.  Many 
small  pieces  fell  on  board,  which  wounded  three  men.  The 
sails  and  rigging  being  wet  with  the  rain,  and  at  the  instant  a 
shower  coming  on,  it  prevented  the  fiery  matter  that  hung 
upon  them  taking  effect ;  the  sea  was  so  agitated  that  it  filled 
the  decks  with  water.  As  the  ship  sailed  into  the  chaos  at 
the  rate  of  nine  knots  an  hour,  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish 
if  any  of  the  unfortunate  people  were  upon  the  wreck.  The 
afore-mentioned  ship  was  the  St.  Domingo,  of  70  guns  and 
600  men.  We-  continued  the  pursuit,  and  between  eight  and 


108  LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL. 

nine  came  up  with  one  of  the  enemy's  ships  that  had  been 
engaged  with  the  Defence.  Found  her  mizen-mast  gone,  and 
fire  slack.  Upon  receiving  two  or  three  fires  from  us,  the 
main- top- mast  went  over  the  side.  Our  mizen-top-mast  being 
shot  away,  and  rigging  out,  the  ship  fell  off  and  passed  her : 
we  got  round  again,  and  closed  her  as  soon  as  possible.  As 
we  advanced  to  her  in  a  position  in  which  we  might  have  been 
much  annoyed,  we  were  surprised  at  receiving  no  fire.  We 
kept  ours,  and  hailed  her.  Our  heads  being  different  ways, 
passed  each  other  before  we  could  get  any  reply.  When  we 
got  round  to  her  again,  and  hailed  her,  we  were  answered, 
that  the  Admiral  did  not  intend  to  fight  any  more.  We 
ordered  them  to  haul  down  her  ensign,  and  that  we  should 
send  a  boat  on  board,  which  was  done :  it  returned  with  Don 
Francisco  Melgarys,  her  Captain,  from  whom  we  found  it 
was  the  Phoenix,  of  80  guns  and  700  men.  Don  Juan  de 
Langara,  the  Commander-in-chief,  having  his  flag  on  board, 
was  wounded.  What  has  been  their  real  loss  we  have  not 
yet  been  able  to  learn.  During  the  night  the  weather  grew 
worse :  when  day  broke,  the  condition  of  so  large  a  ship  a 
perfect  wreck,  no  other  ship  in  sight,  and  a  gale  of  wind, 
Captain  M'Bride  felt  himself  in  a  very  interesting  situation. 
With  great  risk  he  got  about  one  hundred  men  on  board :  the 
gale  increasing,  he  was  obliged  to  lay  to  for  the  ensuing  day 
and  night.  In  the  morning  it  moderated  so  that  boats  could 
pass :  but  having  the  small-pox  on  board  of  the  Bienfaisant, 
and  near  700  prisoners  on  board  the  Phoenix,  he  was  unwill- 
ing to  introduce  an  infection  among  them,  which  induced  him 
to  make  the  proposal  which  is  enclosed  to  Admiral  Langara. 
It  was  accepted  with  thanks,  and  executed  with  the  utmost 
delicacy.  Their  conduct  convinced  Captain  M'Bride  that 
his  ideas  of  the  honour  of  the  Spanish  officers  were  well 
founded ;  for,  after  the  matter  was  settled,  they  assisted  in  re- 
fitting, and  navigating  the  ship  into  Gibraltar  Bay. 

"  «  Bienfaisant  at  Sea,  January  18th,  1780. 

"  «  The  small-pox  being  on  board  his  Majesty's  ship  Bien- 
faisant, of  a  malignant  kind,  the  feelings  of  a  British  officer 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL.  109 

cannot  allow  him  to  introduce  an  infection  even  amongst  his 
enemies.  From  this  consideration,  and  the  very  gallant  de- 
fence made  by  Admiral  Langara  and  his  officers,  Captain 
M'Bride  consents  that  neither  officers  nor  men  shall  be  re- 
moved from  the  Phcenix,  taken  by  his  Britannic  Majesty's 
ships  Defence  and  Bienfaisant,  Admiral  Langara  being  re- 
sponsible for  the  conduct  of  his  officers  and  men  :  and,  in 
case  that  we  fall  in  with  any  Spanish  or  French  men  of  war, 
he  will  not  suffer  Lieutenant  Thomas  Louis,  his  officer,  to  be 
interrupted  in  conducting  and  defending  the  ship  to  the  last 
extremity,  agreeably  to  his  orders ;  and  if,  meeting  with  supe- 
rior force,  the  ship  should  be  re-taken,  and  the  Bienfaisant 
fight  her  way  clear,  Admiral  Don  Juan  de  Langara,  his 
officers  and  men,  are  to  hold  themselves  prisoners  of  war  to 
Captain  M'Bride,  upon  their  parole  of  honour  (which  he  is 
confident  with  Spanish  officers  s  ever  sacred).  Likewise,  if 
the  Bienfaisant  should  be  taken,  and  the  Phcenix  escape,  the 
Admiral  Don  Juan  de  Langara,  his  officers,  &c.  will  no  longer 
be  prisoners,  but  freed  immediately.  In  short,  they  are  to 
follow  the  fate  of  the  Bienfaisant. 

(Signed)          JOHN  M'BRIDE. 

JUAN  IQ.  DE  LANGARA/" 

Lieutenant  Browell  accompanied  the  party  on  board  the 
Phcenix,  and  sailed  in  her,  first  to  Gibraltar  and  afterwards  to 
England,  where  she  was  taken  into  our  service  and  named 
the  Gibraltar. 

From  the  Bienfaisant  he  followed  Captain  M'Bride  into 
the  Artois ;  and  in  the  action  off  the  Dogger  Bank,  between 
the  fleets  commanded  t  by  Sir  Hyde  Parker  and  Admiral 
Zoutman,  on  Captain  M'Cartney  being  killed,  he  volunteered 
to  go  on  board  the  Princess  Amelia,  and  (the  First  Lieutenant 
being  wounded)  took  charge  of  her;  and  in  a  short  time,  from 
the  greatest  confusion,  produced  perfect  order  and  regularity, 
for  which  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  Admiral.  But,  to 
use  his  own  expressions,  services  in  those  days  were  not 
rewarded  as  they  have  been  since,  which  he  proved  by  the 


110  LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL. 

fact,  that  he  was  for  three  years  in  a  ship  to  which  three  line 
of  battle  ships  had  struck  during  that  period,  and  yet  the  First 
Lieutenant  was  not  promoted.  He  was  not  himself  the  First 
Lieutenant. 

He  remained  in  the  Artois  until  the  peace,  in  1782.  He 
was  then  appointed  to  the  Princess  Royal,  Captain  Faulkner, 
guard-ship  at  Portsmouth,  and  removed  with  him  into  the 
Triumph. 

In  the  armament  in  1 790  he  was  appointed  First  Lieutenant 
of  the  Canada  74,  Captain  the  Hon.  Hugh  Seymour  Conway, 
who  was  forced  to  leave  her  for  a  short  time,  having  acci- 
dentally received  a  violent  blow  on  the  head  by  a  hand  lead 
which  a  seaman  was  throwing.  In  the  interim,  Mr.  Browell 
had  the  pleasure  of  serving  under  his  friend  Sir  Erasmus 
Gower,  who  became  the  acting  Captain. 

In  1791  he  was  appointed  First  Lieutenant  of  the  Alcide  74, 
Captain  Sir  Andrew  Douglas. 

In  1793  he  was  appointed  First  Lieutenant  of  the  Leviathan 
74,  Captain  the  Hon.  Hugh  Seymour  Conway ;  and  sailed 
to  the  Mediterranean  in  the  fleet  commanded  by  Lord  Hood. 
On  our  taking  possession  of  Toulon,  August  28th,  1793,  his 
Captain  was  sent  home  with  despatches,  leaving  him  in  com- 
mand of  the  ship  in  his  absence;  during  which  period  he  was 
actively  employed,  and,  among  other  services,  in  conveying 
Sardinian  troops  from  Oneglia. 

In  1794  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Commander, 
into  the  Prince  Edward  armed  ship,  which  attended  Lord 
Moira's  army  to  Ostend,  until  the  evacuation  of  that  place,  in 
which  his  brother,  Captain  Herbert  Browell,  bore  a  very 
conspicuous  part,  being  agent  of  transports,  and  having  the 
superintendence  of  the  embarkation.  His  boat  was  the  last 
to  leave  the  shore.* 

*  Captain  Herbert  Browell  died  in  the  West  Indies  in  1797,  in  command  of 
the  Brunswick  74.  He  was  the  young  officer  of  whom  the  person  who  shows 
the  deep  well  at  Carisbrook  Castle,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  tells  that  he  leaped  over 
it,  —  a  feat  not  to  be  performed  either  by  a  squirrel  or  by  a  kangaroo,  as  the 
axle  is  so  placed  as  to  render  it  impossible.  What  Captain  Browell  really  did 
was  quite  hazardous  enough,  having,  the  instant  the  door  was  opened,  taken  a 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL.  Ill 

In  the  same  year  (1794?)  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was 
made  Post  into  the  Princess  Augusta  Royal  Yacht,  fitted  up 
for,  and  ordered  to  bring  over  to  England,  the  Princess 
Caroline  of  Brunswick  * :  but,  in  consequence  of  tempestuous 
weather,  she  was  conveyed  in  a  50-gun  ship  as  far  as  Graves- 
end,  where,  during  the  time  the  yacht  was  awaiting  her  arrival. 
Captain  Browell  had  the  honour  of  being  admitted  into  the 
society  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  (late  King  George  IV.),  who 
acknowledged  these  few  days  to  be  amongst  the  pleasantest 
of  his  life.  The  Prince,  at  all  times  most  gracious  and  elegant 
in  his  demeanour,  delighted  to  identify  himself  with  the  pro- 
fessional taste  and  feeling  of  those  whom  he  honoured  with 
his  acquaintance.  On  this  occasion,  in  an  hour  of  hilarity, 
his  Royal  Highness  sang  several  of  Dibdin's  exquisite  sea 
songs,  in  a  style  and  with  an  effect  which  Captain  Browell 
(who  was  no  flatterer)  declared  he  never  heard  surpassed. 

The  yacht  landed  the  Princess  at  Greenwich  Hospital;  and. 
the  Captain  was  honoured  with  several  invitations  to  the  fetes 
and  parties  which  took  place  consequent  to  the  marriage. 

In  1795  he  was  appointed  Captain  of  the  Sans  Pareil, 
bearing  the  flag  of  Rear-Admiral  Lord  Hugh  Seymour,  an 
80-gun  ship,  captured  from  the  French  in  Lord  Howe's 
action  of  the  1st  of  June,  1794,  and  afterwards  taken  into 
our  service.  This  beautiful  ship  had  all  the  fine  qualities  of 
a  man  of  war.  She  was  noted  also  for  her  strict  discipline 
and  excellent  interior  arrangements ;  but  she  was  still  more 
remarkable  for  the  number  of  young  officers  who  served  in 
her  at  that  period,  and  who  afterwards  distinguished  them- 
selves during  the  war ;  many  of  whom  are  now  high  in  the 
service,  and  by  all  of  whom  Captain  Browell  was  most 
highly  esteemed,  their  friendship  for  him  terminating  only 
with  his  life.  '"•*•-  ""• 


spring,  and  leapt  on  the  margin  of  the  well,  to  the  great  alarm  of  a  party  of 
ladies  who  were  with  him. 

*  A  high  distinction  for  a  young  officer  not  of  noble  birth,  and  procured  fbr 
him  by  the  powerful  interest  of  Lord  Hugh  Seymour. 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL. 

In  Lord  Bridport's  action  on  the  23d  June,  1795,  the 
Sans  Pareil  *  bore  a  conspicuous  part ;  and  Lord  Hugh 
Seymour  received  the  thanks  of  both  houses  of  parliament 
for  his  conduct. 

Amongst  those  killed  were  the  Signal  (Second)  Lieutenant, 
and  a  Lieutenant  of  Marines.  Captain  Browell  was  particu- 
larly grieved  by  the  death  of  the  former.  Charles  Morris 
Stocker  was  a  gentleman  of  much  talent,  had  been  well  edu- 
cated, and  was  an  excellent  officer :  he  had  served  with  Cap- 
tain Browell  in  the  Victory,  was  the  friend  of  his  early  youth, 
and  was  endeared  to  him  by  many  amiable  qualities.  Captain 
Browell  always  said  that  this  was  the  most  distressing  event 
of  his  life;  and  described  the  choking  sensation  which  he  felt 
from  grief  suppressed  by  the  necessity  of  giving  orders  and 
otherwise  exerting  himself. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  mutiny  at  Portsmouth,  the 
Sans  Pareil,  being  uninfected  by  the  evil  feeling  which  had 
spread  itself  through  the  fleet,  was  ordered  to  reinforce  the 
North  Sea  squadron.  She  shortly  after  returned  and  joined 
the  Channel  fleet. 

To  this  period  fortune  had  been  most  propitious  to  the 
subject  of  this  memoir.  He  had  been  constantly  employed 
a-float,  had  seen  much  and  arduous  service,  and  by  his  skill, 
courage,  and  activity,  had  acquired  numerous  friends.  Every 
senior  officer  under  whom  he  had  served  had  been  desirous 
on  changing  his  ship  of  taking  him  with  him.  He  had  been 
highly  valued  as  a  First  Lieutenant,  a  situation  in  a  man-of- 
war  equivalent  to  the  main  spring  in  a  watch.  He  was, at 
this  time  Flag-Captain  to  Rear- Admiral  Lord  Hugh  Seymour, 
an  officer  of  high  rank  and  influence,  strongly  attached  to 
him,  and  was  in  command  of  one  of  the  finest  ships  in  his 
Majesty's  service.  A  war  of  unprecedented  length  had  begun, 

*  The  Sans  Pareil  is  now  a  sheer  hulk  at  Plymouth.  The  Lieutenant- 
Governor's  affection  for  her  was  quite  extraordinary.  He  pleaded  hard  for  having 
her  retained  in  the  service  when  she  was  considered  worn  out ;  and  three  years 
ago,  on  his  eldest  nephew's  return  from  a  visit  to  his  brother  at  Devonport,  his 
first  question  to  him  was,  "  Did  you  sec  my  old  ship  ?  " 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL.  113 

and  every  circumstance  appeared  to  combine  to  ensure  him  a 
brilliant  course,  which  might  have  enrolled  his  name  amid 
those  of  Nelson,  St.  Vincent,  Duncan,  and  the  other  naval 
heroes  whose  exploits  have  immortalised  themselves  and 
adorned  the  pages  of  British  history. 

But  it  pleased  Almighty  God  to  put  a  sudden  stop  to  his 
career,  by  one  of  those  untoward  accidents  that  no  human 
prudence  could  have  foreseen,  or  caution  have  prevented.  — 
Returning  to  his  boat  from  his  house  in  Gosport,  he  passed 
by  a  warehouse,  and  under  a  package  of  wool  which  the 
warehousemen  were  in  the  act  of  lowering  by  a  crane  from 
an  upper  story.  At  the  moment,  the  iron  hook  gave  way,  and 
Captain  Broweli  must  inevitably  have  been  crushed  to  death, 
had  he  not  made  a  violent  spring,  which  bore  him  clear  from 
under  it,  but  did  not  carry  him  far  enough  to  escape  from  the 
rebound :  he  was  struck  in  the  back,  and  received  an  injury 
in  the  spine  from  the  effects  of  which  he  never  fully  recovered, 
and  which  quite  unfitted  him  for  sea  duty. 

He  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  some  time,  and  in  con- 
sequence resigned  his  command  of  the  Sans  Pareil,  in  which 
he  was  succeeded  by  his  old  messmate  and  friend  Captain 
(late  Sir  Charles  V.)  Penrose. 

He  was  afterwards  appointed  to  a  royal  yacht  at  Deptford. 

In  1805,  he  was  nominated  a  Captain  of  Greenwich  hos- 
pital; and  in  1809,  on  the  death  of  Captain  Boucher,  he  was 
made  Lieutenant-Go vernor,  in  which  situation  he  continued 
until  his  death. 

The  following  letter  from  the  late  Earl  of  Pembroke,  K.  G. 
to  Captain  Broweli,  on  his  appointment,  is  honourable  to 
both  parties : — 

"  Wilton  House,  January  9.  1 809. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  am  truly  glad  to  hear  of  your  wishes 
as  to  the  Lieutenant-government  of  Greenwich  hospital  being 
fulfilled ;  and  I  wish  I  could  thinkj  from  a  selfish  motive,  that 
my  having  named  you  to  Lord  Mulgrave*  had  had  any  part 

*  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty. 
VOL.  XVI.  I 


114"  LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL. 

of  the  effect  which  you  are  pleased  to  ascribe  to  it.  Lord  Mul- 
grave  then  told  me,  that  the  appointment  was  such  as  must  be 
bestowed  upon  the  most  deserving ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  he  has  now  proved  his  words  to  be  good.  I  beg  the 
Lieutenant- Governess  to  accept  of  my  best  wishes  ;  and 
"  I  am,  my  dear  Sir, 

"  Your  very  obedient  Servant, 

(Signed)  "  PEMBROKE." 

"  Captain  Browell,  &c.  &c.  &c." 
*' .  •  -  •  ^^- 

Although  disabled  from  serving  on  board  of  ship,  and  placed 
in  a  quiet  situation,  his  life  was  by  no  means  inactive  or  in- 
dolent :  he  was  arduous  in  his  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the 
Hospital;  which  was  known  and  duly  appreciated  by  his 
present  Majesty,  who  was  uniformly  gracious  and  friendly  to 
him;  and  a  most  retentive  memory  of  persons  and  events 
with  which  he  was  blessed  enabled  him  to  reward  humble 
merit,  and  bring  forward  many  deserving  old  seamen  for  the 
benefit  of  the  establishment. 

Devotedly  attached  to  his  profession,  he  was  a  zealous  pro- 
moter of  the  interests  of  the  Naval  Charitable  Society  and  other 
similar  institutions;  and  the  Sailor's  Widow  and  Orphans 
in  him  always  experienced  a  kind  and  generous  patron. 

On  the  13th  of  December,  1795,  he  married  Mary  the 
only  daughter  of  the  first  Admiral,  and  sister  of  the  late 
Admiral  Faulknor,  a  very  amiable  and  accomplished  lady,  of 
a  very  delicate  constitution.  She  died  September  19th,  1809; 
from  which  period  one  of  his  sisters  resided  with  him  and  did 
the  honours  of  his  house  until  his  death,  July  20th,  1831,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two. 

Manly  and  gentlemanlike  in  his  behaviour,  frank  and  open 
in  his  feelings,  and  sincere  in  his  attachments,  many  of  the 
most  honourable  and  worthy  men  of  the  age  were  numbered 
amongst  his  friends ;  and  his  kind  and  liberal  hospitality  ex- 
tended to  all  who  were  related  to  or  connected  with  him. 

Admirals  Lord  Hood,  Sir  John  Colpoys,  and  Sir  Richard 
Keats  were  successively  governors  of  Greenwich  hospital 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    BROWELL.  115 

whilst  he  was  there,  of  whom  he  severally  enjoyed  the  society 
and  friendship.  The  former  two  he  survived ;  the  last,  to- 
gether with  all  the  officers  of  the  establishment,  by  whom  he 
was  most  highly  esteemed  and  respected,  followed  his  body 
in  sadness  to  the  grave :  whilst,  amongst  the  veteran  pensioners 
who  lined  the  road,  many  a  hard  and  weatherbeaten  coun- 
tenance plainly  evinced  the  feeling  of  having  lost  a  friend  and 
benefactor. 

The  affliction  of  those  nearly  related  to  him  can  be  esti- 
mated only  when  it  is  known,  that  a  more  united  family  never 
existed.  Three  brothers  and  five  sisters  had  for  more  than 
half  a  century  combined  in  a  bond  of  unity  and  love,  which 
during  all  that  period  had  never  been  broken. 

They  shared  each  other's  griefs  and  pleasures ;  they  held 
together  under  every  circumstance ;  they  were  ever  ready  to 
rejoice  at  each  other's  good  fortune,  ever  prompt  to  assist, 
ever  willing  to  console  one  another. 

Could  a  link  be  broken  in  that  family  of  love  that  would 
not  vibrate  through  the  whole  chain  ?  Alas  !  no. 

To  mitigate  their  grief  they  have  the  remembrance  of  him 
who  is  gone: — a  good  son,  a  kind  husband,  an  affectionate 
brother ;  upright  and  honourable  in  all  his  actions,  true  and 
just  in  all  his  dealings,  and  sincerely  religious  without  fanati- 
cism. Whatever  might  have  been  his  failings,  and  without 
them  he  had  not  been  mortal,  they  were  largely  overbalanced 
by  his  virtues.  He  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  died  beloved, 
honoured,  and  respected.* 


We  have  been  favoured  with  the  foregoing  little  memoir 
by  an  old  and  intimate  friend  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor's. 

*  The  Lieutenant- Governor  has  a  nephew,  Mr.  Langton  Browell,  a  very  pro- 
mising young  man,  the  son  of  Henry  Browell,  Esq.  of  the  King's  household, 
who  is  now  serving  as  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy,  and  whose  advancement  the  old 
gentleman  had  most  at  heart,  although  he  constantly  averred  that  no  partiality 
could  induce  him  to  exert  himself  in  his  behalf,  if  he  did  not  believe  him  to  be  a 
good  officer,  and  well  deserving  of  it. 


I  2 


116 


No.  X. 

JOHN  ABERNETHY,  ESQ. 

FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY  ;  ONE  OF  THE  COURT  OF 
ASSISTANTS  OF  THE  ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  SURGEONS,  AND 
ONE  OF  THE  CURATORS  OF  THEIR  MUSEUM  ;  AN  HONORARY 
MEMBER  OF  THE  ROYAL  MEDICAL  SOCIETY  OF  EDINBURGH, 
AND  OF  THE  MEDICAL  SOCIETIES  OF  PARIS  AND  PHILA- 
DELPHIA, &C. 

FOR  a  great  part  of  the  following  brief  Memoir  of  this  able 
and  extraordinary  man,  we  are  indebted  to  the  "  National 
Portrait  Gallery."  But  we  have  derived  some  of  our  mate- 
rials from  private  sources. 


THE  place  of  Mr.  Abernethy's  birth  has  been  much  dis- 
puted ;  and  it  is  said  that  he  was  himself  ignorant  of  it.  The 
town  of  Abernethy  in  Scotland,  and  that  of  Derry  in  Ireland, 
both  claim  the  distinction.  We  believe,  however,  that  he 
was  born  in  Scotland,  about  the  year  1763-4. 

Soon  after  his  birth,  it  appears,  his  parents  came  to  reside 
in  London,  where  he  was  put  to  a  day-school  in  Lothbury,  and 
there  he  imbibed  the  elementary  principles  of  grammatical  and 
classical  instruction.  In  due  time,  he  was  bound  apprentice 
to  the  late  Mr.  Charles  Blick,  under  whose  auspices  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  with  great  advantage;  the  skill  and  high 
name  of  the  master,  together  with  the  opportunities  for  im- 
provement offered  by  his  extensive  practice,  and  his  connection 
with  Saint  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  affording  every  stimulus 
and  means  of  acquiring  experience  to  the  pupil.  At  this 
period  of  his  life  our  subject  seems  to  have  indulged  in  some 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ.  117 

of  those  eccentricities  which  marked  his  more  mature  and 
serious  career.  But,  whatever  may  have  been  his  oddities  in 
conversation  and  behaviour,  he  was  steady  in  making  himself 
practically  conversant  with  his  profession ;  and  his  talents 
were  such  as  to  excite  expectations  which  the  result  did  not 
disappoint.  Neither  at  that,  however,  nor  at  any  period  of 
his  life,  did  Mr.  Abernethy  read  so  hard  as  some  of  his  con- 
temporaries ;  but  no  man  thought  more  deeply.  During  his 
youthftil  application  an  epoch  took  place  in  the  surgical 
world  by  which  no  one  profited  more  extensively  than  him- 
self: the  celebrated  John  Hunter  had  commenced  his  ad- 
mirable lectures,  in  1773;  and  the  developement  of  his  great 
discoveries  was  proceeding  while  Abernethy,  from  a  boy,  had 
become  an  emulous  young  man,  arduous  in  the  search  of  that 
information  which  was  to  raise  him  to  future  eminence.  He 
was  fortunate  enough  to  become  the  pupil  of  Mr.  Hunter ; 
and  not  only  his  pupil,  but  his  friend. 

On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Pott,  the  assistant-surgeon  to 
St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  Mr.  Abernethy's  professional 
reputation  rendered  him  the  successor  of  that  gentleman. 
Having  now  accumulated  a  great  fund  of  knowledge,  he  de- 
termined to  begin  giving  courses  of  lectures  at  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's Hospital;  of  the  Medical  School  of  which  noble 
institution  he  was  always,  therefore,  justly  considered  the  father. 
At  the  commencement  of  his  lectures,  however,  his  class  was 
far  from  being  so  numerously  attended  as  might  have  been 
anticipated ;  but  a  consciousness  of  his  own  ability  to  raise  it 
to  a  just  pre-eminence  sustained  him  under  this  discourage- 
ment. At  this  period  Dr.  Marshall,  who  had  established 
himself  as  a  lecturer  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Hospital,  far  more 
than  divided  the  popularity  of  medical  instruction ;  and,  though 
not  distinguished  for  profound  research,  or  for  any  novel  im- 
provements in  discovery  or  practice,  his  manner  and  style  were 
so  agreeable  as  to  confirm  the  hold  he  had  taken  on  the  great 
body  of  students,  and  to  continue  the  attraction  of  his  courses 
to  the  last.  His  death,  above  twenty  years  ago,  left  Mr. 
Abernethy  alone  in  the  field ;  which  he  ever  afterwards  cul- 

i  3 


118  JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

tivated  and  enriched  by  an  abundant  display  of  talent  of  the 
highest  order.  On  the  death  of  his  former  master,  Sir 
Charles  Blick,  Mr.  Abernethy  was  elected  surgeon  in  his 
room ;  and  was,  at  that  time,  considered  as  the  best  lecturer 
on  anatomy,  physiology,  and  surgery  in  London. 

Having  briefly  glanced  at  Mr.  Abernethy  as  a  viva  voce 
teacher,  in  which  capacity  he  has  rarely  been  surpassed,  we 
come  now  to  speak  of  his  more  permanent  position  as  an  author 
of  medical  works.  His  earliest  publication  consisted  of  a  few 
Physiological  Essays ;  which  were  speedily  succeeded  by  a 
small  but  clever  Essay  on  the  treatment  of  Lumbar  Abscess. 
These  formed,  with  some  additions,  his  first  volume  in  8vo. 
London,  1793-7,  entitled  Surgical  and  Physiological  Essays; 
and  were  distinguished  by  the  same  strong  sense,  and  plain 
and  forcible  illustration,  which,  from  that  time  till  his  decease, 
marked  all  that  flowed  from  his  tongue  and  pen,  and  elevated 
him  to  the  rank  he  so  long  maintained  among  his  professional 
brethren,  and  with  the  world  in  general.  We  believe  that  it 
was  soon  after  the  appearance  of  this  publication'  that  the 
author  of  "  The  Pursuits  of  Literature,"  in  one  of  his  notes, 
spoke  prophetically  of  Mr.  Abernethy,  as  "  a  young  surgeon 
of  an  accurate  and  philosophical  spirit  of  investigation,  from 
whose  genius  and  labours  I  am  led  to  think  the  medical  art 
and  natural  science  will  hereafter  receive  great  accessions." 

The  approbation  with  which  this  work  was  received,  was 
augmented  by  the  appearance  of  yet  more  valuable  perform- 
ances. In  1804?  was  published,  "  Surgical  Observations, 
containing  a  Classification  of  Tumours,  with  cases  to  illustrate 
the  History  of  each  Species;  an  Account  of  Diseases,"  &c.&c.: 
and,  in  1806,  "  Surgical  Observations,  Part  Second,  contain- 
ing an  Account  of  Disorders  of  the  Health  in  general,  and  of 
the  Digestive  Organs  in  particular,  which  accompany  Local 
Diseases,  and  obstruct  their  Cure."  The  fame  of  these 
Treatises  soon  spread,  not  only  throughout  England,  but  over 
the  continent  of  Europe ;  and  the  French  surgeons  especially 
did  homage  to  the  masterly  spirit  they  evinced.  Bold  and 
successful  operations  ;  practical  and  lucid  descriptions  ;  origi- 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ.  119 

nal  and  comprehensive  views ;  all  combined  to  enhance  the 
great  reputation  of  the  author,  and  to  elevate  the  character  of 
the  national  school  of  which  he  was  so  bright  an  ornament, 
and  which  had  already  risen  so  high  through  the  splendid 
efforts  of  John  and  William  Hunter. 

Having  been  elected  Anatomical  Lecturer  to  the  Royal 
College  of  Surgeons,  Mr.  Abernethy  published,  in  1814, 
"  An  Enquiry  into  the  Probability  and  Rationality  of  Mr. 
Hunter's  Theory  of  Life ;  being  the  subject  of  the  first  two 
Anatomical  Lectures  delivered  before  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons  of  London."  Following  Mr.  Hunter's  steps,  he 
elucidated  that  celebrated  man's  views  with  respect  to  the 
nature  of  the  living  principle,  which  views  seem  derived  from 
the  most  probable  conclusions  to  which  our  reason  can  carry 
us;  viz.  that  life,  in  general,  is  some  principle  of  activity  added 
by  the  will  of  Omnipotence  to  organised  structure,  —  and 
that  in  man,  who  is  endowed  with  an  intelligent  faculty,  in 
addition  to  this  vital  principle  possessed  by  other  organised 
beings,  to  life  and  structure  an  immaterial  soul  is  super" 
added, 

"  We  perceive,"  observes  Mr.  Abernethy,  "  an  exact  cor- 
respondence between  those  opinions  which  result  from  physio- 
logical researches,  and  those  which  so  naturally  arise  from  the 
suggestions  of  reason  that  some  have  considered  them  as 
intuitive.  For  most  reflecting  persons  in  all  ages  have  be- 
lieved, and  indeed  it  seems  natural  to  believe,  what  modern 
physiology  also  appears  to  teach,  that  in  the  human  body 
there  exists  an  assemblage  of  organs  formed  of  common  inert 
matter,  such  as  we  see  after  death,  a  principle  of  life  and 
action,  and  a  sentient  and  rational  faculty,  all  intimately  con- 
nected, yet  each  apparently  distinct  from  the  other. 

"  So  intimate,  indeed,  is  the  connection,  as  to  impose  on 
us  the  opinion  of  their  identity.  The  body  springs  and 
bounds,  as  though  its  inert  fabric  were  alive ;  yet  we  have 
good  reasons  for  believing  that  life  is  distinct  from  organis- 
ation. The  mind  and  the  actions  of  life  affect  each  other. 
Failure  or  disturbance  of  the  actions  of  life  prevent  or  disturb 


120  JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

our  feelings,  and  enfeeble,  perplex,  or  distract  our  intellectual 
operations.  The  mind  equally  affects  the  actions  of  life,  and 
thus  influences  the  whole  body.  Terror  seems  to  palsy  all 
its  parts,  whilst  contrary  emotions  cause  the  limbs  to  struggle, 
and  become  contracted  from  energy.  Now,  though  these  facts 
may  countenance  the  idea  of  the  identity  of  mind  and  life,  yet 
we  have  good  reasons  for  believing  that  they  are  perfectly 
distinct :  whilst,  therefore,  on  the  one  hand  I  feel  interested 
in  oppugning  those  physiological  opinions  which  tend  to  con- 
found life  with  organisation,  I  would,  on  the  other,  equally 
oppose  those  which  confound  perception  and  intelligence  with 
mere  vitality." 

He  thus  concludes  :  — 

"  Thus  my  mind  rests  at  peace  in  thinking  on  the  subject 
of  life  as  it  has  been  taught  by  Mr.  Hunter ;  and  I  am 
visionary  enough  to  imagine,  that  if  these  opinions  should 
become  so  established  as  to  be  generally  admitted  by  philo- 
sophers, that  if  they  once  saw  reason  to  believe  that  life  was 
something  of  an  invisible  and  active  nature  superadded  to 
organisation,  they  would  then  see  equal  reason  to  believe 
that  mind  might  be  superadded  to  life,  as  life  is  to  structure. 
They  would  then,  indeed,  still  farther  perceive  how  mind  and 
matter  might  reciprocally  operate  on  each  other  by  means  of 
an  intervening  substance.  Thus,  even,  would  physiological 
researches  enforce  the  belief  which,  I  may  say,  is  natural  to 
man — that,  in  addition  to  his  bodily  frame,  he  possesses  a 
sensible,  intelligent,  and  independent  mind  ;  an  opinion  which 
tends,  in  an  eminent  degree,  to  produce  virtuous,  honourable, 
and  useful  actions." 

.  Two  years  after  the  appearance  of  these  lectures,  Mr.  Law- 
rence, who  had  recently  been  elected  to  the  situation  of 
colleague  to  Mr.  Abernethy,  delivered  at  the  College  of 
Surgeons,  and  subsequently  published,  his  two  Introductory 
Lectures  on  Comparative  Anatomy  and  Physiology.  In  the 
commencement  of  his  first  lecture,  Mr.  Lawrence  thus  speaks 
of  Mr.  Abernethy  :  — 

"  It  was  not  till  the  latter  part  of  last  summer  that  the 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

Court  of  Assistants  of  this  College  did  me  the  honour  of  ap- 
pointing me  one  of  their  professors ;  an  appointment  which  I 
freely  acknowledge  to  have  been  most  gratifying  to  my  feel- 
ings, not  only  on  account  of  the  body  who  conferred  it,  but 
when  I  considered  to  whom  I  had  succeeded  *,  and  to  whom 
I  became  associated.f  To  your  feelings  I  must  trust  for  an 
excuse,  if  any  be  thought  necessary,  for  taking  this  earliest 
opportunity  of  giving  utterance  to  the  sentiments  of  respect  and 
gratitude  I  entertain  for  the  latter  gentleman.  You  and  the 
public  know,  and  have  long  known,  his  acute  mind,  his 
peculiar  talent  for  observation,  his  zeal  for  the  advancement 
of  surgery,  and  his  successful  exertions  in  improving  the 
scientific  knowledge  and  treatment  of  disease.  His  singular 
happiness  in  developing  and  teaching  to  others  the  original 
and  philosophic  views  which  he  naturally  takes  of  all  the 
subjects  that  come  under  his  examination, —  and  the  success 
with  which  he  communicates  that  enthusiasm  in  the  cause  of 
science  and  humanity  which  is  so  warmly  felt  by  himself,  — the 
admirable  skill  with  which  he  enlivens  the  dry  details  of 
elementary  instruction,  —  are  most  gratefully  acknowledged 
by  his  numerous  pupils.  All  these  various  excellences 
have  been  repeatedly  felt  in  this  Theatre.  Having  had  the 
good  fortune  to  be  initiated  in  the  profession  by  Mr.  Aber- 
nethy,  and  to  have  lived  for  many  years  under  his  roof,  I  can 
assure  you  with  the  greatest  sincerity,  that,  however  highly 
the  public  may  estimate  the  surgeon  and  the  philosopher,  I 
have  reason  to  speak  more  highly  of  the  man  and  the  friend; 
of  the  invariable  kindness  which  directed  my  early  studies  and 
pursuits,  of  the  disinterested  friendship  which  has  assisted 
every  step  of  my  progress  in  life,  of  the  benevolent  and  ho- 
nourable feelings,  the  independent  spirit,  and  the  liberal  con- 
duct, which,  while  they  dignify  our  profession,  win  our  love 
and  command  our  respect  for  genius  and  knowledge,  convert- 
ing these  precious  gifts  into  instruments  of  the  most  extensive 
public  good." 

*  Astley  Cooper,  Esq.  t  J.  Abcrnethy,  Esq. 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

In  his  second  lecture,  however,  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  develop- 
ing his  ideas  concerning  the  principle  of  life,  attacked  Mr 
Hunter's  theory,  as  maintained  by  Mr.  Abernethy,  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  illustrated  and  supported  it ;  and  incul- 
cated the  doctrine  that  the  principle  of  life,  whether  sentient 
or  intelligent,  is  in  all  organised  beings  the  same,  — that  the 
vital  properties  are  all  derived  from  the  organic  structure  of 
those  beings,  —  and  that  the  difference  of  that  structure  consti- 
tutes the  only  difference  in  their  faculties  and  powers.  In 
consequence,  when,  in  1817,  Mr.  Abernethy  delivered  another 
course  of  "  Physiological  Lectures,  exhibiting  a  general  view 
of  Mr.  Hunter's  physiology,  and  of  his  researches  into  com- 
parative anatomy,"  he  not  only  defended  the  theory  which  he 
had  previously  explained,  but  made  some  strong  observations 
on  the  evil  consequences  arising  to  society  from  the  adoption 
of  principles  of  another  description  ;  and  strove  to  elevate,  as 
Hunter  had  ever  done,  the  thoughts  of  the  student  from  the 
contemplation  of  Nature  to  Nature's  God." 

"  It  has  been  said,"  he  remarks,  "  that  '  an  undevout 
astronomer  is  mad  :(*  yet  he  only  contemplates  the  immensity 
and  order  of  the  works  of  Nature,  and  the  causes  of  the  va- 
rieties of  light  and  seasons,  so  serviceable  to  the  living  beings 
which  inhabit  this  planet,  and,  as  he  infers,  to  those  of  others. 
But  what  shall  we  say  of  the  anatomist,  who  observes  the 
structure  and  functions  of  those  beings, — who  examines  their 
extreme  variety,  and  regular  gradation  and  connection, — with- 
out any  feeling  or  perception  that  Intelligence  has  operated  in 
ordaining  the  laws  of  Nature?  We  judge  of  others  by  ourselves; 
and  assuredly  such  a  character  must,  by  the  bulk  of  mankind, 
be  considered  as  possessing  either  a  deficient  or  perverse 
intellect. 

"  The  opinion  that  Intelligence  must  have  ordained  the 
order  of  Nature  is  not  only  impressed  by  her  decrees  upon 
the  bulk  of  mankind,  but  is  confirmed  by  the  observations 
and  reflections  of  the  most  observant  and  intellectual  indi- 
viduals of  the  human  race.  Those  who  think  that  intelligence 
may  exist  distinct  from  organisation,  are  disposed  to  admit 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ.  123 

that  the  intelligence  with  which  they  are  endowed  may  have 
a  separate  existence.  Those  who  think  that  perception  is  not 
essential  to  life,  but  is  an  attribute  of  something  different,  are 
also  disposed  to  admit  the  separate  existence  of  perception 
and  intelligence;  and  thus  do  these  two  opinions  produce  and 
support  each  other.  Both  opinions  are  natural  to  most  men, 
and  confirmed  by  the  observations  and  consideration  of  the 
most  intellectual  of  the  human  race." 

Any  further  notice  of  the  controversy  between  Mr.  Aber» 
nethy  and  Mr.  Lawrence  is  as  unnecessary  as  it  would  be 
painful. 

An  anecdote  illustrative  of  the  sound  integrity,  as  well  as  of 
the  humour,  of  Mr.  Abernethy's  character  may  here  be  intro- 
duced. On  his  receiving  the  appointment  of  Professor  of 
Anatomy  and  Surgery  to  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  a 
professional  friend  observed  to  him  that  they  should  now  have 
something  new. — "  What  do  you  mean  ? "  asked  Mr.  Aber- 
nethy. — "  Why,"  said  the  other,  "  of  course  you  will  brush 
up  the  lectures  which  you  have  been  so  long  delivering  at  St. 
Bartholomew's  Hospital,  and  let  us  have  them  in  an  improved 
form."  —  "  Do  you  take  me  for  a  fool  or  a  knave  ?"  rejoined 
Mr.  Abernethy;  "  I  have  always  given  the  students  at  the 
Hospital  that  to  which  they  are  entitled  —  the  best  produce 
of  my  mind.  If  I  could  have  made  my  lectures  to  them  better, 
I  would  instantly  have  made  them  so.  I  will  give  the  College 
of  Surgeons  precisely  the  same  lectures,  down  to  the  smallest 
details  :  —  nay,  I  will  tell  the  old  fellows  how  to  make  a  poul- 
tice." Soon  after,  when  he  was  lecturing  to  the  students  at 
St.  Bartholomew's,  and  adverting  to  the  College  of  Surgeons, 
he  chucklingly  exclaimed,  "  I  told  the  big  wigs  how  to  make 
a  poultice!"  It  is  said  by  those  who  have  witnessed  it,  that 
Mr.  Abernethy's  explanation  of  the  art  of  making  a  poultice 
was  irresistibly  entertaining. 

It  is  not  easy  to  particularise  Mr.  Abernethy's  ensuing  pub- 
lications, in  the  arrangement  of  which  for  the  press,  with  re- 
ference to  title-pages,  &c.  he  was  always  singularly  careless. 
Some  of  them  appeared  first  in  small  portions,  which  were 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

afterwards  collected  and  enlarged ;  so  that  a  volume  consisted 
of  several  separate  parts,  and  repeated,  together  with  new 
matter,  much  of  what  was  previously  known.  One  remarkable 
publication  was,  <;  Surgical  Observations  on  the  Constitutional 
Origin  and  Treatment  of  Local  Diseases ;  and  on  Aneurisms. 
London,  8vo.  1809."  Mr.  Abernethy's  memorable  cases  of 
tying  the  iliac  artery  for  aneurism  are  detailed  in  this  volume: 
the  success  of  the  operation  is  almost  an  era  in  adventurous 
surgical  experiment,  and  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  the 
judgment  and  skill  of  the  operator.  His  preceding  and  later 
works  are  comprised  in  Messrs.  Longman  and  Co.'s  cata- 
logue, where  we  find  Abernethy's  authorship  in  six  octavo 
volumes.  1.  "  On  the  Origin  and  Treatment  of  Local  Dis- 
eases ;  and  on  Aneurisms,  including  Directions  for  the  Treat- 
ment of  Disorders  of  the  Digestive  Organs."  2.  "  On  Diseases 
resembling  Syphilis,  and  on  Diseases  of  the  Urethra."  3. 
**  On  Injuries  of  the  Plead,  and  Miscellaneous  Subjects."  4«. 
"  Lumbar  Abscesses  and  Tumours."  5.  "  Physiological 
Lectures  (collected  in  one  volume)."  And,  6.  Another  volume 
of  "  Physiological  Lectures."  He  also  wrote,  for  Dr.  Rees's 
Cyclopaedia,  the  anatomical  and  physiological  articles  from  the 
commencement  of  the  work  to  the  article  "  Canal :"  of  these, 
the  article  "  Artery"  is  perhaps  the  most  important. 

Such  are  the  valuable,  we  may  say  invaluable,  productions 
of  Mr.  Abernethy,  which  will  long  be  consulted  by  the 
faculty,  as  the  most  certain  authorities  to  which  they  can 
apply  on  the  wide  and  interesting  range  of  subjects  they  em- 
brace. Nor  have  their  technicalities  prevented  them  from  also 
experiencing  a  success,  rare  among  scientific  discussions,  that 
of  being  widely  popular  with  judicious  readers  of  every  intel- 
ligent class;  Mr.  Abernethy,  among  his  other  discoveries, 
having  found  out  the  way  to  render  his  books  as  entertaining 
and  attractive  as  they  are  instructive  and  important.  His 
acute  reasoning,  his  sensible  advice,  intelligible  to  every  ca- 
pacity, and  his  prodigious  mass  of  information,  acquired  by 
long  practice  and  experience,  render  him,  indeed,  an  admirable 
guide  for  all,  whether  learned  or  unlearned, 


JDHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

Mr.  Abernethy  was  an  excellent  chemist,  although  he  pro- 
fessed not  to  know  much  about  the  matter.  He  was  intimately 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Howard  (the  brother  of  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk) ;  and  in  conjunction  with  that  gentleman  discovered 
the  "  fulminating  mercury,"  the  force  of  which  so  much 
astonished  those  who  were  not  aware  of  the  existence  of  any 
greater  explosive  power  than  the  comparatively  insignificant 
one  of  gunpowder. 

In  writing  a  memoir,  however  slight,  of  Mr.  Abernethy,  it 
is  impossible  not  to  mention  the  bluntness  with  which  he  fre- 
quently treated  those  who  consulted  him.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  this  has  been  greatly  exaggerated  ;  but  it  is  worthy 
of  observation  that,  for  above  a  century  and  a  half,  the  capital 
has  seen  a  regular  succession  of  medical  men  who  have  dif- 
fered from  their  brethren  in  this  respect,  and  substituted  a 
certain  roughness  of  mien  and  speech  for  the  more  customary 
suavity  of  the  profession.  Whether  affected  or  natural,  this 
practice  has  much  whereon  to  found  its  apology  and  justify  its 
consequences,  as  well  as  something  to  impeach  its  propriety 
and  assail  its  effect.  It  frequently  proceeds  from  a  wish  to 
avoid  the  evils  of  doubt  and  wavering,  and,  by  straight-for- 
ward plainness,  to  inspire  the  patient  with  that  confidence  which 
is  so  likely  to  contribute  essentially  to  his  cure.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  must  be  confessed,  that  it  is  both  a  relief  and  satis- 
faction to  the  majority  of  invalids,  to  be  permitted  to  commu- 
nicate, all  their  ailments,  and  even  fancies,  to  the  individual  to 
whose  prescriptions  they  look  for  restoration  to  health.  Their 
accounts  may  be  tedious,  their  fears  irrational,  and  their 
feelings  erroneous ;  but  still  it  seems  to  be  a  duty  in  the  pro- 
fessional man  in  whose  hands  they  consider  their  life  or  death 
to  be  placed,  to  make  great  allowances  for  them,  and  to  listen 
as  far  as  possible  to  their  obscure  and  perplexing  histories, 
rather  than  to  cut  them  short  with  sharp  rebuke,  or  passionate 
dismissal. 

The  multitude  of  amusing  instances  related  of  Mr.  Aber- 
nethy's  disregard  of  this  latter  principle  would  fill  a  volume. 
As  such  whims  are  characteristic,  and  in  no  way  derogate  from 


126  JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

the  extraordinary  and  acknowledged  skill  of  an  individual, 
whose  success  as  a  surgeon  conferred  blessings  on  thousands 
of  his  fellow  creatures,  we  will  quote  one  or  two  of  them  as 
specimens. 

A  lady,  consulting  him  on  a  nervous  disorder,  entered  into 
a  long,  frivolous,  and  fantastic  detail  of  her  symptoms.  Un- 
satisfied with  being  referred  to  his  "  book"  for  instruction 
respecting  the  treatment  of  her  complaints,  she  persisted  in 
endeavouring  to  extract  further  information  from  Mr.  Aber- 
nethy.  After  suffering  her  volubility  with  considerable  patience 
for  a  while,  he  exclaimed,  to  the  repeated  "  May  I  eat  oysters, 
Doctor?  May  I  eat  suppers  ?"  —  "  I'll  tell  you  what,  Ma'am  : 
you  may  eat  any  thing  but  the  poker  and  the  bellows ;  for  the 
one  is  too  hard  of  digestion,  and  the  other  is  full  of  wind." 

"  Pray,  Mr.  Abernethy,  what  is  a  cure  for  gout?"  was  the 
question  of  an  indolent  and  luxurious  citizen.  "  Live  upon 
sixpence  a- day  —  and  earn  it !"  was  the  pithy  answer. 

A  scene  of  much  entertainment  once  took  place  between 
our  eminent  surgeon  and  the  famous  John  Philpot  Curran. 
Mr.  Curran,  it  seems,  being  personally  unknown  to  him,  had 
visited  Mr.  Abernethy  several  times,  without  having  had  an 
opportunity  of  fully  explaining  (as  he  thought)  the  nature  of 
his  malady :  at  last,  determined  to  have  a  hearing,  when  in- 
terrupted in  his  story,  he  fixed  his  dark  bright  eye  on  the 
"doctor,"  and  said  — "  Mr.  Abernethy,  I  have  been  here  on 
eight  different  days,  and  I  have  paid  you  eight  different 
guineas ;  but  you  have  never  yet  listened  to  the  symptoms  of 
my  complaint.  I  am  resolved,  Sir,  not  to  leave  this  room 
till  you  satisfy  me  by  doing  so."  Struck  by  his  manner,  Mr. 
Abernethy  threw  himself  back  in  his  chair,  and  assuming  the 
posture  of  a  most  indefatigable  listener,  exclaimed,  in  a  tone 
of  half  surprise,  half  humour,  —  "  Oh !  very  well,  Sir;  I  am 
ready  to  hear  you  out.  Go  on,  give  me  the  whole  —  your 
birth,  parentage,  and  education.  I  wait  your  pleasure ;  go 
on."  Upon  which,  Curran,  not  a  whit  disconcerted,  gravely 
began :  — "  My  name  is  John  Philpot  Curran.  My  parents 
were  poor,  but  I  believe  honest  people,  of  the  province  of 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

Munster,  where  also  I  was  born,  at  Newmarket,  in  the  county 
of  Cork,  in  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty. 
My  father  being  employed  to  collect  the  rents  of  a  Protestant 
gentleman,  of  small  fortune,  in  that  neighbourhood,  procured 
my  admission  into  one  of  the  Protestant  free-schools,  where 
I  obtained  the  first  rudiments  of  my  education.  I  was  next 
enabled  to  enter  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  in  the  humble 
sphere  of  asizer:" — and  so  he  continued  for  several  minutes, 
giving  his  astonished  hearer  a  true,  but  irresistibly  laughable 
account  of  his  "  birth,  parentage,  and  education,"  as  desired, 
till  he  came  to  his  illness  and  sufferings,  the  detail  of  which 
was  not  again  interrupted.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add, 
that  Mr.  Abernethy's  attention  to  his  gifted  patient  was,  from 
that  hour  to  the  close  of  his  life,  assiduous,  unremitting,  and 
devoted. 

On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Abernethy  was  highly  amused  with 
the  course  pursued  by  a  lady  who  was  aware  of  his  detest- 
ation of  ignorant  loquacity,  and  silly  affectation.  Abruptly 
entering  his  consulting-room,  without  uttering  a  word,  she 
thrust  towards  him  her  finger,  which  had  received  a  severe 
injury.  Mr.  Abernethy  looked  first  at  her  face,  and  then  at 
her  finger,  which  he  dressed ;  and  the  fair  patient  instantly 
and  silently  withdrew.  In  a  few  days  she  called  again,  and 
again  protruded  the  affected  part.  "  Better  ?"  asked  Mr. 
Abernethy ;  —  "  Better,"  answered  the  lady:  again  the  finger 
was  dressed,  and  again  the  lady  left  the  apartment.  After 
several  similar  visits,  at  length  she  held  out  her  finger  free 
from  all  bandages,  and  in  fact  healed.  "Well?"  enquired 
Mr.  Abernethy;  —  "  Well,"  echoed  the  lady.  —  «  Upon  my 
soul,  Madam,"  exclaimed  the  delighted  surgeon,  "  you  are 
the  most  rational  woman  I  ever  met  with  ! " 

A  yet  more  pleasant  part  of  our  task  remains  to  be  per- 
formed :  it  is  to  record  the  humanity  and  liberality  of  Mr. 
Abernethy.  Where  poverty  and  disease  have  prevented  in- 
dividuals from  waiting  upon  him  in  his  own  house  for  advice, 
he  has  been  frequently  known  not  only  to  visit  them  constantly, 
and  at  inconvenient  distances,  without  fee  or  reward,  but 


128  JOHN   ABERNETHr, 

generously  to  supply  them  from  his  own  purse  with  what  their 
wants  required.  More  affecting  instances  of  charity  and 
generosity,  seconding  the  utmost  exertions  of  medical  skill, 
could  not  be  produced  from  the  life  of  any  of  his  contem- 
poraries (liberal  and  admirable  as  the  conduct  of  many  of 
them  is)  than  from  that  of  John  Abernethy.  The  following 
is  one  example  :  — 

In  the  year  1818,  Lieutenant  D fell  from  his  horse  on 

a  paved  street  in  London,  and  fractured  his  skull  and  arm, 
whilst  his  horse  trod  on  his  thigh,  and  grievously  injured  the 
limb.  Mr.  Abernethy  was  the  surgeon  nearest  to  the  young 
man's  lodgings :  he  was  sent  for :  he  came,  and  attended  daily. 
After  the  lapse  of  months,  convalescence  took  place  amidst 
great  weakness,  when  Abernethy  enjoined  the  adoption  of 
shell-fish  diet  at  Margate.  His  grateful  patient  requested 
information  as  to  the  amount  of  his  pecuniary  debt  for  pro- 
fessional aid  and  care.  Abernethy  smiled,  and  said,  "  Who 
is  that  young  woman  ?" — "  She  is  my  wife." — "  What  is  your 
rank  in  the  army  ?  " — "  I  am  a  half-pay  Lieutenant." — «  Oh  ! 
very  well ;  wait  till  you  are  a  general,  then  come  and  see  me, 
and  we'll  talk  about  it." 

"  In  the  year  1812,"  says  a  correspondent  of  the  Gentle- 
man's Magazine  (to  which  publication  we  are  also  indebted 
for  our  last  anecdote),  "  I  lacerated  my  left  tendon  Achilles, 
and,  after  ineffectual  attempts  at  cure  by  other  professional 
men,  consulted  Abernethy.  On  quitting  his  house,  I  asked 
when  my  next  visit  should  be  paid. — '  Your  recovery  will  be 
slow,'  said  he:  'if you  do  not  feel  much  pain,  depend  upon 
it  you  are  gradually  getting  round  ;  if  you  do  feel  much  pain, 
then  come  again  —  but  not  else.  I  don't  want  your  money.'  " 

One  of  the  students  at  the  Hospital  intimated  to  Mr. 
Abernethy  that  he  wished  to  become  his  "  dresser ; "  the  usual 
fee  for  which  is  sixty  guineas  for  the  year.  Mr.  Abernethy 
invited  the  young  man  to  breakfast  with  him  the  next  morn- 
ing, to  arrange  the  matter ;  and  in  the  mean  time,  having  made 
some  enquiries  respecting  him,  ascertained  that  he  was  atten- 
tive and  clever,  but  in  straitened  circumstances.  At  the 


JOHN    ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

breakfast  table,  the  student  took  a  small  bag  from  his  pocket; 
containing  the  sixty  guineas,  and  placed  it  on  the  table;  when 
it  was  instantly  returned  to  him  by  Mr.  Abernethy,  who,  in 
the  most  kind  and  friendly  manner,  insisted  upon  his  applying 
the  money  to  the  purchase  of  books,  and  other  necessary  means 
of  improvement.  That  student  is  now  a  practitioner  of  con- 
siderable eminence  in  the  metropolis* 

In  lecturing,  Mr.  Abernethy's  manner  was  peculiar,  ab- 
rupt, and  conversational;  and  often  when  he  indulged  in 
episodes  and  anecdotes  he  convulsed  his  class  with  laughter, 
especially  when  he  used  to  enforce  his  descriptions  by  earnest 
gesticulation.  Frequently,  while  lecturing,  he  would  descend 
from  his  high  stool,  on  which  he  sat  with  his  legs  dangling, 
to  exhibit  to  his  class  some  peculiar  attitudes  and  movements 
illustrative  of  the  results  of  different  casualties  and  disorders  ; 
so  that  a  stranger  coming  in,  unacquainted  with  the  lecturer's 
topics,  might  easily  have  supposed  him  to  be  an  actor  enter- 
taining his  audience  with  a  monologue,  after  the  manner  of 
Matthews  or  Yates.  This  disposition,  indeed,  gave  rise  to  a 
joke  among  his  pupils  of  "  Abernethy  at  Home"  whenever  he 
lectured  upon  any  special  subject.  In  relating  a  case,  he  was 
seen  at  times  to  be  quite  fatigued  with  the  contortions  into 
which  he  threw  his  body  and  limbs  ;  and  the  stones  he  would 
tell  of  his  consultations,  with  the  dialogue  between  his  patient 
and  himself,  were  theatrical  and  comic  to  the  greatest  degree. 

The  reported  fashion  of  Mr,  Abernethy's  courtship  and 
marriage  is  also  extremely  characteristic.  It  is  told,  that 
while  attending  a  lady  for  several  weeks,  he  observed  those 
admirable  qualifications  in  her  daughter,  which  he  truly  es- 
teemed to  be  calculated  to  render  the  married  state  happy. 
Accordingly,  on  a  Saturday,  when  taking  leave  of  his  patient, 
he  addressed  her  to  the  following  purport: — "You  are  now 
so  well  that  I  need  not  see  you  after  Monday  next,  when  I 
shall  come  and  pay  you  my  farewell  visit.  But,  in  the  mean 
time,  I  wish  you  and  your  daughter  seriously  to  consider  the 
proposal  I  am  now  about  to  make.  It  is  abrupt  and  un- 
ceremonious, I  am  aware ;  but  the  excessive  occupation  of  my 

VOL.  XVI.  K 


130  JOHN   ABERNETHY,    ESQ. 

time  by  my  professional  duties  affords  me  no  leisure  to  ac- 
complish what  I  desire  by  the  more  ordinary  course  of  atten- 
tion and  solicitation.  My  annual  receipts  amount  to L9 

and  I  can  settle /.  on  my  wife :  my  character  is  generally 

known  to  the  public,  so  that  you  may  readily  ascertain  what 
it  is.  I  have  seen  in  your  daughter  a  tender  and  affectionate 
child,  an  assiduous  and  careful  nurse,  and  a  gentle  and  lady- 
like member  of  a  family ;  such  a  person  must  be  all  that  a 
husband  could  covet,  and  I  offer  my  hand  and  fortune  for  her 
acceptance.  On  Monday,  when  I  call,  I  shall  expect  your 
determination ;  for  I  really  have  not  time  for  the  routine  of 
courtship."  In  this  humour,  the  lady  was  wooed  and  won ; 
and  the  union  proved  fortunate  in  every  respect.  A  happier 
couple  never  existed, 

Mr.  Abernethy  died,  after  a  protracted  illness,  at  his  house 
at  Enfield,  on  Wednesday  the  20th  of  April,  1831.  He 
maintained  his  good  spirits  to  the  last.  His  lower  extremi- 
ties becoming  swelled,  his  answer  to  the  enquiries  of  a  friend 
who  called  upon  him  was,  "  I  am  better  on  my  legs  than  ever  : 
you  see  how  much  stouter  they  are ! "  He  persisted  in  at- 
tributing his  own  complaints,  as  he  had  attributed  the  com- 
plaints of  so  many  of  his  patients,  to  the  disordered  state  of 
the  stomach :  —  "  It  is  all  the  stomach  ;  we  use  our  stomach 
ill  when  we  are  young,  and  it  uses  us  ill  when  we  are  old." 
It  is  a  curious  and  extraordinary  fact,  however,  that  he  gave 
strict  directions  that  his  body  should  be  carefully  watched,  to 
prevent  its  being  examined  or  opened. 


131 


No.  XL 
MRS.  SIDDONS. 

SHADE  of  William  Prynne  !  —  but  why  should  we,  even  if  we 
had  the  power,  evoke  the  "  utter  barrister"  of  1631  to  look 
upon  the  doings  of  1831  ?  The  change  is  great  indeed 
since  the  author  of  "  Histriomastix  "  fulminated  his  thousand 
quarto  pages  against  "  stage  plays,"  as  the  "  very  pomps  of 
the  devil ;  "  but  no  jot  greater  in  what  concerns  "  plays, 
playerly-play-poets,  players,  play-haunters,  play-houses,  and 
play-poems,"  than  in  what  concerns  all  other  matters  of  life, 
from  the  most  momentous  to  the  most  trivial.  Why,  there- 
fore, should  we  wish  the  shade  of  William  Prynne  to  be  toiv 
mented,  by  overlooking  us  while  we  offer  a  posthumous 
tribute  to  the  memory,— not  of  a  player  merely,  but  of  "  a  she 
player,"  as  he  designates  an  abomination  in  whose  possible 
existence  at  some  future  period  of  inconceivable  depravity  he 
barely  believed?  Alas  for  the  illustrious  woman  who  is 
gone,  had  she  lived  in  those  times  !  She  might  have  graced 
some  humble  circle  of  domestic  life  by  her  virtues;  but  she 
would  never  have  thrilled  the  hearts,  exalted  the  minds,  and 
sublimed  the  feelings  of  thousands,  and  tens  of  thousands,  by 
the  creations  of  Shakspeare  breathing  through  her  lips  ! 

This  extraordinarily  endowed  woman,  who  realised  in 
every  quality  of  mind,  and  voice,  and  form,  all  that  a  prodigal 
fancy  could  imagine  of  abstract  perfection  for  the  very  thing 
she  became,  was  born  at  Brecknock,  in  South  Wales,  July 
14th,  1755.*  Her  birth  was  most  theatrically  legitimate. 
Her  father,  Roger  Kemble,  was  a  provincial  manager ;  her 

*  It  is  rather  a  singular  circumstance,  that,  in  the  register  of  her  baptism  in  the 
parish  church  of  Brecknock,  she  is  made  the  daughter  of  George  Kemble.  How 
such  an  error  crept  into  the  register,  it  is  impossible  at  this  distance  of  time  to 
discover. 

K    2 


MRS.  SI0DONS. 

mother  was  the  daughter  of  another  provincial  manager,  Mr. 
Ward ;  and  in  due  time,  too,  she  married  Mr.  Siddons  *,  a 
member  of  her  father's  corps  dramatique.  Unfortunately,  it 
does  not  appear  that  either  Mr.  Siddons  or  Mr.  Roger 
Kemble  was  any  thing  on  the  stage  beyond  what  was  suffi- 
cient for  country  audiences  a  century  ago ;  else  might  their 
wife  and  daughter  have  exclaimed  in  the  language  of  Portia 
to  Brutus,  — 

"  Think  you  I  am  no  stronger  than  my  sex, 
Being  so  father'd  and  so  husbanded  ?  " 

It  was  not  till  her  eighteenth  year  that  her  union  with 
Mr.  Siddons  took  place ;  but,  according  to  one  of  her  biogra- 
phers, her  attachment  displayed  itself  before  she  was  fifteen. 
To  weaken  that  attachment,  which  her  parents  could  consider 
only  as  an  impulse  of  childish  feeling,  she  was  placed  in  the 
family  of  a  Mrs.  Greathead,  of  Guy's  Cliff,  near  Warwick. 
Mr.  Boaden  says  she  "  resided  under  the  protection"  of  this 
lady  for  nearly  two  years.  There  is  no  good  reason  for  con- 
cealing that  this  "  residing  under  the  protection  "  of  Mrs. 
Greathead,  was,  in  fact,  becoming  her  maid-servant.  Do  we 
think  the  less  of  a  magnificent  river  because  we  can  step  across 
it  at  its  source  ? 

If  it  be  true  that  she  fell  in  love  thus  early,  it  is  no  less 
true,  though  somewhat  more  remarkable,  that  neither  time 
nor  absence  extinguished  her  passion  :  for,  according  to  some 
accounts,  she  married  Mr.  Siddons  in  defiance  of  parental  dis- 

*  In  a  history  of  Worcester  now  lying  before  us,  we  find  the  copy  of  a  play-bill, 
dated  February  1 2.  1 767,  in  which  Mr.  Roger  Kemble  announces  his  company 
of  comedians  as  playing  at  the  King's  Head  in  that  city,  with  a  concert  of  music. 
The  play  was  King  Charles  I.  (written  by  Haward,  the  actor),  and  the  cha- 
racters were  thus  cast :  —  "  James,  Duke  of  Richmond,  Mr.  Siddons ;  Fairfax, 
Mr.  Kemble ;  James,  Duke  of  York,  Master  J.  Kemble ;  the  Duke  of  Glou- 
cester, Miss  F.  Kemble ;  the  young  Princess,  by  Miss  Kemble ;  and  Lady 
Fairfax,  by  Mrs.  Kemble.  Singing  between  the  acts  by  Mrs.  Fowler  and  Miss 
Kemble."  In  the  April  following,  Master  J.  Kemble  is  announced  as  PhillideJ, 
in  King  Arthur;  and  Miss  Kemble  as  Ariel,  in  the  Tempest. 

From  the  same  work  we  quote  the  following  anecdote :  — 

"  When  Miss  Kemble,  the  present  Mrs.  Siddons,  married  against  her  father's 
consent,  he  sent  for  her,  and  said,  *  Well,  my  dear  child,  I  made  you  promise 
never  to  marry  a  performer,  and  you  have  not  disobeyed  me ;  for  the  devil  himself 
could  not  ni^Ue  an  actor  of  your  husband.'  " 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  133 

approbation  ;  although,  according  to  others,  with  it,  in  order 
that  she  might  not  be  at  the  trouble  of  going  as  far  as  Gretna 
Green.  We  cannot  pretend  to  decide  between  these  autho- 
rities. She  was  certainly  married;  and  this,  we  take  it, 
ought  to  satisfy  any  reasonable  lover  of  facts.  Her  husband 
has  been  described,  by  one  who  knew  him  in  the  prime  of 
life,  as  a  "  fair,  and  very  handsome  man,  sedate  and  graceful 
in  his  manners,  and,  in  his  youth,  capable  of  inspiring  a  pas- 
sion quite  as  ardent  as  his  own."  He  was,  at  the  time,  sus- 
taining the  first  line  of  business  in  the  company  of  his  father* 
in-law, — that  is,  he  could  play  any  thing,  —  the  first  of 
recommendations  for  an  itinerant  actor,  who  is  sure  to  be 
called  upon  to  play  every  thing  in  the  succession  of  those 
manifold  exigencies  which  characterise  the  campaigns  of  a 
strolling  manager.  He  had  so  quick  a  study,  too,  that  he 
could  make  himself  master  of  the  longest  part  between  night 
and  night  — the  second  of  invaluable  recommendations  under 
the  above-mentioned  circumstances,  and  specially  serviceable 
to  Mr.  Siddons ;  because,  it  seems,  he  enjoyed  in  equal  per- 
fection the  talent  of  forgetting  whatever  he  learned,  just  as 
quickly  as  he  had  learned  it. 

It  is  said,  that  before  her  marriage,  and  while  living  at 
Mrs.  Greathead's,  the  subject  of  this  memoir  contrived  to 
obtain  an  introduction  to  Garrick,  in  whose  presence  she  re- 
cited some  of  the  speeches  of  Jane  Shore.  He  was  pleased, 
we  are  told,  with  her  utterance  and  deportment,  wondered 
how  she  had  got  rid  of  the  provincial  ti-tum-ti  cadence,  ad- 
mitted her  merits ;  but  declined  offering  her  an  engagement. 
It  was  not  very  likely,  indeed,  however  clever  a  young  lady  of 
sixteen  or  seventeen  might  appear,  that  Garrick  would  dis- 
turb the  arrangements  of  his  theatre,  where  Mrs.  Yates  and 
MissYoung  then  divided  the  empire  of  tragedy,  by  inviting  the 
town  to  witness  the  immature  efforts  of  so  youthful  a  candidate. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Siddons  were  per- 
forming at  Cheltenham,  where  the  latter  attracted  the  notice 
of  Lord  Bence,  afterwards  created  Earl  of  Aylesbury.  His 
Lordship  was  so  struck  with  her  acting,  that  he  wrote  to 

K  3 


134  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

Garrick  about  her ;  and  Garrick,  who  was  not  accustomed  to 
think  slightly  of  an  opinion  sealed  with  a  coronet,  sent  the 
Rev.  H.  Bate  (known  subsequently  as  Sir  H.  Bate  Dudley) 
to  attend  her  performances,  and  report  his  opinion  of  them  ; 
unconscious,  in  all  probability,  that  the  Mrs.  Siddons  of  the 
Cheltenham  theatre  was  the  Miss  Kemble  of  Mrs.  Great- 
head's  family,  upon  whose  claims  to  his  patronage  he  had 
already  personally  decided.  The  result  of  this  mission  was, 
such  a  report  of  the  young  actress  as  led  to  her  appearance 
at  Drury  Lane,  on  Friday,  the  29th  December,  1 775. 

The  character  she  selected  for  her  debut  was  that  of  Portia 
in  the  "  Merchant  of  Venice ;  "  and  she  was  announced  as  a 
young  lady  merely.  Theatrical  criticisms,  in  those  days,  were 
not  manufactured  in  such  abundance  as  they  now  are ;  though, 
probably?  they  were  written  with  pretty  much  the  same  know- 
ledge of  the  thing  criticised.  As  a  curiosity,  rather  than  as  a 
just  estimate  of  what  her  performance  was,  we  insert  a  notice 
of  it,  which  has  survived  the  general  fate  of  such  perishable 
commodities. 

"  On  before  us,"  says  the  critic,"  tottered  rather  than 
walked  a  very  pretty,  delicate,  fragile-looking  young  creature, 
dressed  in  a  most  unbecoming  manner,  a  faded  salmon- 
coloured  sack  and  coat,  and  uncertain  whereabouts  to  fix 
either  her  eyes  or  her  feet.  She  spoke  in  a  broken  tremulous 
tone,  and,  at  the  close  of  a  sentence,  her  words  generally 
lapsed  into  a  hurried  whisper  that  was  absolutely  inaudible. 
After  her  first  exit  the  buzzing  comment  round  the  pit  ran 
generally,  «  She  is  certainly  very  pretty ;  but  then  how 
awkward  !  and  what  a  shocking  dresser !  '  Towards  the 
famous  trial  scene  she  became  more  collected,  and  delivered 
the  great  speech  to  Shylock  with  the  most  critical  propriety, 
but  still  with  a  faintness  of  utterance  which  seemed  the  result 
rather  of  an  internal  physical  weakness  than  a  deficiency  of 
spirit  or  feeling.  Altogether,  the  impression  made  upon  the 
audience,  by  this  first  effort,  was  of  the  most  negative 
description." 

It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  above  account  was  written 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  135 

by  a  very  sagacious  judge  of  such  matters.  Making  every 
allowance  for  the  trepidation  incident  to  her  situation, — every 
allowance  for  her  as  yet  dawning  powers, —  it  is  hardly  possible 
but  that,  to  a  discerning  eye,  there  was  the  dawn  of  a  genius 
whose  rising  effulgence  was  at  hand;  for  we  know  how 
brightly  that  effulgence  shone  forth  only  a  year  or  two  after- 
wards. It  is  as  easy  to  suppose  that  Milton  or  Dryden  wrote 
at  fifteen  with  no  sparkle  of  that  immortal  spirit  which  after- 
wards blazed  out,  as  that  Mrs.  Siddons  at  twenty  should  have 
delivered  the  language  of  Shakspeare  without  one  prophetic 
gleam  of  what  she  became  at  five  or  six  and  twenty.  If, 
indeed,  there  be  any  truth  in  an  anecdote  related  by  Miss 
Lefanu,  in  her  "  Life  of  Mrs.  Sheridan,"  Garrick  perceived  the 
future  Siddons,  whatever  may  have  been  his  motive  for  per- 
mitting her  to  languish  in  his  hands :  for,  in  a  dispute  with 
Miss  Younge,  on  some  subject  of  theatrical  prerogative,  the 
manager  exclaimed,  "  I  tell  you,  and  others,  you  had  better 
not  give  yourselves  airs ;  for  there  is  a  woman  in  the  house 
who,  if  I  choose  to  bring  her  forward,  would  eclipse  you  all 
in  youth,  beauty,  and  talent." 

She  played  Portia  a  second  time,  on  the  Tuesday  following 
(January  2.  1776);  and,  on  the  13th  of  the  same  month, 
appeared  as  one  of  the  Ladies  Collegiate,  in  Ben  Jonson's 
"  Epicaene  !  "  This  admirable  comedy  had  been  adapted  for 
modern  representation  by  the  elder  Colman ;  but  when,  in 
the  following  year  (1777),  he  collected  and  published  his 
dramatic  productions,  he  omitted  Mrs.  Siddons'  name  in  the 
original  cast  of  "  The  Silent  Woman,"  as  revived  by  himself. 
The  three  lady-graces  there  enumerated  are  Miss  Sherry, 
Mrs.  Davies,  and  Miss  Platt. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  season  she  performed  several 
insignificant  characters :  among  them,  one  in  an  operatic 
piece,  called  The  Blackamoor  washed  Wliite  (from  the  pen  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Bate) ;  and  another,  in  Mrs.  Cowley's  comedy 
of  the  Runaway.  The  former  expired  after  the  third  repre- 
sentation ;  but  the  latter  having  a  run  of  seventeen  nights, 
enabled  Mrs.  Siddons,  in  some  degree,  to  familiarise  herself 

K  4 


136  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

with  the  gaze  of  a  metropolitan  audience.  Two  characters, 
and  only  two,  were  assigned  to  her  which  gave  her  an  oppor- 
tunity of  appearing  on  the  stage  with  Garrick  himself:  the 
one,  Mrs.  Strickland,  in  Hoadley's  comedy  of  "  The  Suspicious 
Husband,"  Garrick  playing  Ranger ;  the  other,  Lady  Anne, 
to  his  "  Richard  the  Third."  The  latter  she  repeated  twice, 
and  the  last  time  in  the  presence  of  royalty  ;  the  tragedy  being 
performed  on  the  5th  of  June,  1776,  by  command  of  their 
Majesties.  Five  days  after,  Garrick  took  his  leave  of  the 
public  in  Don  Felix. 

There  was  certainly  nothing  very  brilliant  in  this  her  first 
season  at  Drury  Lane.  By  what  strange  misconception  of  her 
powers,  or  by  what  sinister  influence,  if  there  were  no  mis- 
conception, she,  whose  whole  nature  was  moulded  for  the  ex- 
pression of  gorgeous  tragedy,  should  have  been  limited  to 
inferior  comedy,  it  were  vain  to  enquire.  We  have  but  to 
remember  what  Mrs.  Siddons  became,  and  then  to  wonder 
that  Lady  Anne,  in  "  Richard  the  Third,"  was  the  only  display 
permitted  to  her  as  a  tragic  actress.  No  doubt  she  knew 
herself  better ;  and  the  consciousness  that  she  was  shut  out 
from  the  path  where  alone  she  aspired  to  walk,  added,  per- 
haps, to  some  of  those  minor  mortifications  which  await  the 
career  of  genius  in  its  proud  and  silent  struggles  after  fame, 
determined  her  to  renounce  whatever  hopes  she  might  have 
cherished  from  appearing  before  a  London  audience. 

The  biographers  of  Mrs.  Siddons  have  been  at  some  pains 
to  discover  the  cause  of  her  failure  in  various  supposed  mo- 
tives of  Garrick.  He  was  "  ungenerous,"  "  insincere," 
"jealous,"  and,  lastly,  reluctant  that  any  body  should  be 
thought  capable  of  discerning  -theatrical  excellence  except 
himself;  and  as  Mrs.  Siddons  had  been  recommended  to  his 
notice,  therefore  he  would  not  recognise  her  merit.  Nothing 
can  be  more  ridiculous  than  these  various  suppositions, 
Garrick,  we  know,  had  enough  of  that  feeling  which  makes 
all  men  afraid  of  successful  rivalry,  and  most  men  ready  to 
obstruct  a  competitor  where  they  have  the  power.  But  what 
had  he  to  fear  from  Mrs.  Siddons  ?  She  was  just  commencing 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  137 

her  professional  life ;  he  retiring  from  his  own.  Besides,  Mrs. 
Siddons  at  twenty  could  not  have  been  formidable  to  the 
sole  monarch  of  the  stage,  making  the  very  largest  allowance 
that  can  be  claimed  for  her  then  powers.  The  truth  is,  his 
critical  emissary,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bate,  after  having  seen  her  in 
various  characters  at  Cheltenham,  persuaded  himself  that 
the  one  in  which  she  was  greatest  was  Rosalind.  His  fiat, 
therefore,  stamped  her  a  comic  actress,  and  to  comedy  she 
was  consigned.  That  she  failed,  in  consequence,  to  make  any 
impression  need  not  be  wondered  at ;  and  that  she  returned 
to  the  provinces  without  awakening  even  a  suspicion  of  the 
mighty  powers  slumbering  within  her,  is  surely  as  little  a 
matter  of  astonishment,  when  we  reflect  that  Lady  Anne  was 
the  sole  test  of  their  existence. 

Mr.  Yates,  the  manager  of  the  Birmingham  theatre,  offered 
the  unsuccessful  debutante  an  engagement,  which  she  imme- 
diately accepted;  and,  during  the  summer  of  1776,  "acted 
the  first  business  "  (to  use  the  technical  phraseology  of  the 
Green  Room)  in  the  great  "  toy-shop  of  Europe,"  as  Burke 
felicitously  designated  Birmingham.  There  she  played  with 
Henderson  (himself  an  unsuccessful  seeker  of  metropolitan 
fame),  who  was  so  struck  with  her  style  of  acting,  that  he 
wrote  immediately  to  Mr.  Palmer,  the  manager  of  the  Bath 
theatre  (to  which  Henderson  belonged  at  the  time),  urging 
him  in  the  strongest  terms  to  engage  her.  The  Bath  stage, 
however,  was  pre-occupied  by  a  lady  who  played  the  same 
cast  of  characters.  Palmer  could  not,  therefore,  comply  with 
his  friend's  advice ;  but  it  was  not  lost  upon  him,  for  at  Bath 
Mrs.  Siddons  afterwards  made  that  impression  which  was  the 
herald  of  her  greatness  when  she  returned  to  the  boards  of 
Drury  Lane  in  1 782,  and  won  from  others  the  opinion  which 
Henderson  was  the  first  to  pronounce,  —  viz.  "  that  she  had 
never  had  an  equal,  and  never  would  have  a  superior." 

Her  range  of  characters  at  the  principal  provincial  theatres 
during  this  period  was  tolerably  expansive;  but  those  in  which 
she  was  considered  to  excel,  were  Euphrasia,  Alicia,  Rosalind, 
Matilda,  and  Lady  Townley.  At  Manchester,  one  of  her 


138  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

most  applauded  parts  was  Hamlet ;  a  character  she  performed 
many  years  afterwards  on  the  Dublin  stage,  though  she  could 
never  be  prevailed  upon  to  play  it  in  London. 

It  was  a  favourite,  and  a  just,  maxim  of  Frederick  of  Prussia, 
that  accident  must  first  lift  a  man  from  the  ground ;  but  that, 
once  raised,  the  vigour  of  his  own  wing  can  alone  sustain  him. 
Mrs.  Siddons  verified  the  truth  of  this  maxim.  Bath  was, 
undoubtedly,  a  desirable  station  to  her ;  for  it  was  then,  more 
than  now,  a  select  London.  But  the  theatre  for  some  time 
was  sufficiently  cool  when  she  played ;  and  Palmer  troubled 
her  only  on  his  Thursday  nights,  when  the  Cotillon  Balls 
carried  off  every  body  who  could  move  to  the  rooms,  and 
when,  consequently,  that  eye,  which  ere  long  was  to  fascinate 
all  ranks  and  ages,  was  frequently  bent  on  vacancy.  At  last 
came  Frederick's  "  accident."  On  one  of  these  devoted 
Thursdays,  there  happened  to  be  in  the  theatre  persons  not 
only  of  consummate  taste,  but,  what  is  of  much  more  con- 
sequence in  such  matters,  persons  whose  taste  carried  with  it 
the  authority  of  station.  It  was  in  vain  that  equal,  perhaps 
superior,  taste,  on  foot,  had  already  pronounced  her  great ; 
the  taste  which  rolls  in  a  carriage,  and  speaks  from  titled  lips, 
is  the  taste  that  becomes  an  oracle  : 

"  Let  but  a  lord  once  own  the  happy  lines, 
How  the  wit  brightens,  and  the  style  refines !  " 

This  oracle  spoke  —  and  fashion,  for  once,  wore  her  bells 
beneath  the  casque  of  Minerva.  Every  body  could  then  discern 
what  nobody  had  been  able  to  discover  till  it  was  discovered  for 
him.  Even  the  cotillons  languished  on  the  nights  when  Mrs. 
Siddons  performed ;  and  dancing  was  renounced  for  the  plea- 
sure of  weeping,  sighing,  and  trembling  at  the  theatre.  What  a 
triumphant  moment  must  that  be,  when  a  mind  long  conscious 
of  the  things  it  can  do  (as  every  mind  is  which  can  do  any 
thing  worthy  of  immortality),  finds  itself  at  last  fairly  entered 
upon  the  bright  path  where  all  its  lonely  musings  of  long  ne- 
glected years  start  into  realities  !  Such  a  moment  this  was  to 
Mrs.  Siddons.  She  had  gained  the  only  point  that  true  genius 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  139 

desires  —  opportunity  to  develope  itself.  Even  had  hers  been 
less  than  it  was,  and  so,  incapable  of  responding  to  the  estimate 
of  her  judges,  still  it  was  a  moment  the  consequences  of  which 
were  most  precious  to  her ;  for,  so  long  as  the  world  chooses 
to  call  us  great,  we  are  in  possession  of  all  the  advantages  of 
being  great. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  fame  which  now  gathered  round 
her  should  have  prompted  the  London  managers  to  make 
proposals  for  securing  her  services :  but  it  is  surprising  that 
the  Bath  manager  should  have  suffered  her  to  escape  from 
him  in  the  way  he  did ;  for  it  is  stated  by  one  of  her  bio- 
graphers upon  "  unquestionable  authority,"  that  a  very  in- 
considerable increase  of  salary  would  have  induced  her  to 
relinquish  all  idea  of  appearing  in  London  again,  at  least  for 
many  years.  That  increase,  however,  the  manager  hesitated 
to  offer  till  it  was  too  late.  The  fact  was,  seeing  herself 
esteemed  and  followed  by  the  first  people  at  Bath,  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons  had  completely  acquiesced  in  her  situation  there;  the 
more  so,  probably,  because  of  the  distaste  which  her  experi- 
ment on  the  London  boards  in  1775  had  produced.  The 
growing  demands  of  her  family,  however,  determined  her  to 
accept  a  proposal  which  would  enable  her  to  meet  those  de- 
mands with  more  comfort  to  herself  than  she  could  hope  to 
do  if  she  declined  it. 

When  it  was  finally  settled  that  she  should  enter  into  an 
engagement  with  the  manager  of  Drury  Lane  (an  engagement, 
it  is  said,  mainly  resulting  from  the  influence  of  the  late 
Duchess  of  Devonshire  with  Sheridan),  she  invited  her  friends 
and  admirers  to  her  farewell  performance  on  the  Bath  stage, 
and  to  receive  from  her  three  reasons  for  quitting  them.  The 
night  came,  and  Mrs.  Siddons  recited  a  poetical  address  of 
her  own  writing,  in  which  she  supposes  they  would  feel  some 
astonishment  at  listening  to  verses  the  composition  of  one  who 
had  hitherto  aspired  no  higher  than  to  "  repeat  with  decency 
the  verses  of  others;"  and  some  curiosity  to  know  what  the 
reasons  were  which  she  intended  to  submit  to  them.  At 
length  she  produced  her  "  reasons,"  —  leading  on  the  stage 


140  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

her   three    children,  —  and,    as   she   pointed    to   them,    ex- 
claimed: — 

"  These  are  the  moles  that  heave  me  from  your  side, 
Where  I  was  rooted  —  where  I  could  have  died!  " 

The  appeal  was  irresistible,  and  the  mother  and  the  actress 
were  alike  gratified. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1782,  Mrs.  Siddons  made  her 
second  appearance  on  the  boards  of  Drury  Lane,  after  an 
interval  of  seven  years ;  but  she  had  left  so  little  impression 
behind  her,  from  the  characters  she  performed  during  the 
season  of  1775-6,  —  so  slight  a  recollection  remained  of  her 
among  play -goers,  —  that  she  now  stood  before  a  London  au- 
dience under  all  the  circumstances  usually  attendant  upon  a 
first  appearance.  There  were  no  comparisons  to  institute 
between  what  she  was  and  what  she  had  become. 

Isabella,  in  Southerne's  tragedy  of  that  name,  was  the  cha- 
racter she  selected ;  and  her  performance,  judging  from  the 
language  of  contemporary  criticism,  was  even  thus  early  cast 
in  a  mould  which  she  never  saw  reason  to  alter,  during  the 
thirty  years  she  continued  to  represent  it.  This  fulness  of 
perfection  is  the  exclusive  attribute  of  genius  of  the  highest 
order.  Inferior  minds  strive  to  produce  complete  effects  by 
laborious  study,  and  successive  improvements :  superior  ones 
seize  at  once  what  they  design  to  do,  and  execute  what  they 
design  with  the  same  rapidity.  It  is  the  flight  of  the  arrow, 
which  goes  directly  to  its  mark.  And  any  one  who  has  a 
clear  remembrance  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  will  recollect  that  there 
was  a  uniformity  in  her  style  of  personating  all  her  characters, 
instead  of  a  perpetual  effort  to  strike  out  new  beauties ;  the 
natural  result  of  a  vivid  conception  in  the  first  instance,  regu- 
lated afterwards  by  profound  judgment. 

We  appeal,  for  example,  to  those  who  saw  her  play  Isabella 
previously  to  her  retirement  from  the  stage,  whether  the  fol- 
lowing passages  from  a  criticism  which  relates  to  her  perform- 
ance of  it  on  the  10th  of  October,  1782,  are  not  accurately 
descriptive  of  her  style  at  a  later  period :  — 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  141 

"  As  she  came  upon  the  stage  with  her  son,  followed  by 
Villeroy,  her  step  was  considerate  and  her  head  declined 
slightly,  her  eye  resting  upon  her  son.  The  first  impression 
having  been  deeply  made  by  her  exterior,  the  audience  was 
soon  struck  by  the  melancholy  sweetness  with  which  the  fol- 
lowing exquisite  passage,  referring  to  Biron,  came  upon  the 
ear :  — 

1  Oh  !  I  have  heard  all  this ; 
But  must  no  more ;  the  charmer  is  no  more; 
My  buried  husband  rises  in  the  face 
Of  my  dear  boy,  and-ehides  me  for  my  stay. 
Canst  thou  forgive  me,  child  ?  ' 

"  And  her  fair  admirers  were  in  tears  as  she  questioned 
her  son.  No  art  ever  surpassed  the  perfect  cadence  of  the 
next  allusion  to  him. 

*  Sorrow  will  overtake  thy  steps  TOO  SOON  — 
/  should  not  hasten  it.' 

"  The  passing  bitterness  of  reflection  upon  her  own  state, 
produced  as  it  subsided  a  moral  sympathy  with  others. 

"  The  interview  with  Count  Baldwin,  that  chalky  sideling 
personage  old  Packer,  was  a  good  deal  hurt  by  his  insipid 
manner ;  but  when  he  consents  to  provide  for  the  child,  on 
the  condition  that  his  mother  never  visits  him,  Mrs.  Siddons 
burst  forth  with  the  pecuiar  mildness  of  a  mother's  impatience; 
and  the  whole  house  told  her  that  she  was  irresistible. 

'  WHAT  !  take  him  FROM  me  ?  — 
No,  we  must  never  part ;  I  LIVE  but  in  my  child ! ' 

"  On  the  arrival  of  the  creditors,  the  answer  to  the  nurse's 
earnest  enquiry,  '  What  will  you  do,  Madam?' 

«  Do?  NOTHING!' 

"  And,  on  the  noise  increasing,  — 

'  Hark  !  they  are  coming.     Let  the  torrent  ROAR  ; 
It  can  but  overwhelm  me  in  its  fall.' 

"  He  who  remembers  that  word  NOTHING  (as  Laertes  has 
it,  '  so  much  more  than  matter'),  and  recollects  the  position 


MRS.  SIDDONS. 

her  eye-brows  assumed,  the  action  of  her  right  arm,  and  the 
energy  of  her  tone,  '  Let  the  torrent  roar,'  may  be  assured 
that  the  greatest  of  tragedians  then  stood  before  him. 

«  Now  I  believe  all  possible.     This  ring, 
This  LITTLE  ring,  with  necromantic  force, 
Has  raised  the  ghost  of  pleasure  to  my  fears ; 
Conjured  the  sense  of  honour,  and  of  love, 
Into  SUCH  shapes,  —  they  fright  me  from  myself.' 

"  The  diminutive  becoming  mighty  as  SHE  gave  the  word 
little ;  followed  by  SUCH  shapes,  spoken  with  horrors  teeming 
in  the  fancy,  made  the  hearer  start  with  an  undefined  pertur- 
bation. 

— — '  Biron  died,  — 

Died  to  my  loss  at  Candy ;  there's  my  HOPE  — 
Oh  do  I  live  to  hope  that  he  died  there  ! ' 

"  This  jealousy  of  affection,  plunged  into  circumstances  so 
disastrous,  even  as  to  a  sentiment  that  dishonours  the  ruling 
passion,  was  delivered  by  Mrs.  Siddons,  as  it  was  written 
by  the  author,  with  pathos  that  will  never  be  excelled. 

"  I  wish  it  were  in  the  power  of  the  painter  to  fix  every 
change  of  that  living  picture  upon  the  canvas !  Courtesy  while 
she  cautiously  examined  the  supposed  stranger,  —  the  joy  to 
observe  no  trace  of  Biron,  —  the  recognition  of  him,  —  the 
stupor  that  weighed  upon  her  countenance  while  she  sobbed 
out  the  mysterious  communications  previously  to  his  retiring, 
—  the  manner  in  which  she  occupied  the  stage  during  that 
dreadful  soliloquy,  —  Biron's  return, — the  still  more  alarm- 
ing exclamations  of  his  wife,  till  she  leaves  him  in  despair  ! 

"  Every  thing  here  had  a  truth  of  soul,  and  look,  and  ges- 
ture, to  which  all  that  I  have  ever  seen  in  female  art  bore  no 
comparison  whatever.  But  the  LAUGH,  when  she  plunges 
the  dagger  into  her  bosom,  seemed  to  electrify  the  audience ; 
and,  literally,  the  greater  part  of  the  spectators  were  too  ill 
themselves  to  use  their  hands  in  her  applause." 

We  ask  again,  could  a  critic  describing  Mrs.  Siddons' 
Isabella,  five  and  twenty  or  thirty  years  afterwards,  have 
failed  to  dwell  upon  any  one  of  the  points  here  singled  out  ? 


MRS.  SIDDONS. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  add  that  her  success  was  decisive.  The 
public  had  never  before  beheld  an  actress  whom  Nature  had 
so  prodigally  gifted.  She  combined  all  the  separate  excel- 
lences of  her  predecessors  and  contemporaries,  and  added  to 
their  common  stock  her  own  exclusive  endowments.  Mrs. 
Yates  was  majestic,  Mrs.  Crawford  pathetic,  Miss  Younge 
enthusiastic ;  the  voice  of  the  first  was  melodious,  that  of  the 
second  harsh,  that  of  the  third  tremulous.  As  to  features, 
Mrs.  Yates  was  after  the  antique,  but  she  had  little  flexibility; 
Mrs.  Crawford  was  even  handsome,  but  the  expression  of  her 
countenance  was  rather  satirical ;  of  Miss  Younge  the  features 
wanted  prominence  and  relief,  and  the  eye  had  little  colour.  In 
their  style  of  acting  they  differed  considerably.  Mrs.  Yates 
studied  to  be  graceful ;  Mrs.  Crawford  was  vehement,  and 
threw  her  arms  out  from  side  to  side,  struck  her  bosom,  &c. ; 
Miss  Younge  had  acquired  the  temperance  in  action  which 
Shakspeare  recommends,  and  in  every  motion  was  correct 
and  refined,  delicate  and  persuasive.  Their  rival,  as  we 
have  said,  had  their  separate  excellences  united,  with  all  that 
they  had  not.  There  was  no  invidious  but,  to  curtail  her  of 
her  full  perfections  in  every  requisite  that  imagination  could 
devise. 

Between  the  10th  and  30th  of  October,  Mrs.  Siddons  per- 
formed Isabella  eight  times,  and  during  the  season  two  and 
twenty.  Her  next  character  was  Euphrasia,  in  the  ponderous 
tragedy  of  "The  Grecian  Daughter';"  and  she  displayed,  as  far  as 
Murphy's  frigid  pen  afforded  her  scope,  those  loftier  attributes 
of  regal  greatness  which  shone  forth  so  sublimely  afterwards 
in  her  Lady  Macbeth,  Queen  Catharine,  and  Lady  Constance. 
Some  surprise,  it  is  said,  was  expressed  upon  her  entrance 
the  first  night ;  for  she  appeared  a  perfectly  different  being 
from  herself  in  Isabella.  The  settled  sorrow  that  weighed 
down  the  wife,  the  presumed  widow  of  Biron,  had  given  place 
to  a  mental  and  personal  elasticity,  obviously  capable  of  efforts 
"  above  heroic."  Hope  seemed  to  brighten  her  crest,  and 
duty  to  nerve  her  arm. 

To  Isabella  and  Euphrasia  succeeded  Jane  Shore, — a  cha- 


144  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

racter  which,  even  in  her  youth,  it  was  impossible  she  should 
look  so  well  as  many  actresses  of  vastly  inferior  powers  who 
have  represented  it.  The  whole  bearing  of  Mrs.  Siddons* 
majestic  figure,  the  severe  grandeur  of  her  countenance,  the 
lofty  character  of  her  eye,  the  imperial  tones  of  her  voice,  — 
were  all  incompatible  with  our  notions  of  a  court  wanton, 
whose  fascinations  lie  in  far  different  qualities  of  mind  and 
body.  But  these  rare  disqualifications,  these  splendid  con- 
tradictions, were  soon  forgotten  in  the  equally  rare  and  splen- 
did intellectual  impersonation  of  the  fallen,  miserable,  yet 
noble-minded  frail  one.  Warton  has  justly  remarked,  in  his 
"  Essay  on  the  Writings  and  Genius  of  Pope,"  that  the 
answer  of  the  dying  penitent,  — when  her  husband  asks  why 
she  fixes  her  eyes  upon  him  with  such  an  earnest,  such  a 
piteous  look,  as  if  her  heart  were  full  of  some  sad  meaning  she 
could  not  speak,  — 

"  Forgive  me  !  —  but  forgive  me !" 

is  "  pathetic  to  a  high  degree;  those  few  words  far  exceeding 
the  most  pompous  declamations  of  Cato."  How  Mrs.  Siddons 
used  to  utter  those  few  words,  who  can  forget  ?  "  I  well 
remember,"  says  her  biographer,  describing  her  first  and 
subsequent  performances  of  the  character,  "  the  sobs,  the 
shrieks,  among  the  tenderer  part  of  her  audiences,  and  the 
tears  which  manhood  at  first  struggled  to  suppress,  but  at 
length  grew  proud  of  indulging.  We  then,  indeed,  knew  all 
the  LUXURY  of  grief;  but  the  nerves  of  many  a  gentle  being 
gave  way  before  the  intensity  of  such  appeals ;  and  fainting 
fits  long  and  frequently  alarmed  the  decorum  of  the  house, 
filled  almost  to  suffocation." 

Calista,  in  "  The  Fair  Penitent,"  was  her  next  display  :  a 
character  which  no  skill  in  the  performer  can  redeem  from  the 
inherent  and  disgusting  depravity  stamped  upon  it  by  the 
poet.  There  is  not,  in  the  whole  range  of  the  acting  drama, 
a  play  more  offensive  to  moral  feeling  and  to  decency  than 
"The  Fair  Penitent;"  and  there  are  few  things  more  painful  than 
to  witness  the  performance  of  Calista  by  an  actress  whom  we 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  145 

wish  to  believe  unpolluted  by  the  atmosphere  of  a  theatre. 
She  awakens  no  sympathy,  and  ought  not  to  awaken  any ; 
but  then,  on  the  other  hand,  she  inspires  no  hatred  of  vice. 
The  only  sentiment  excited  is  that  of  contempt  for  a  bold, 
bad  woman,  who  is  more  indignant  that  her  guilt  is  suspected, 
than  sorrowful  or  penitent  when  it  is  discovered.  The  cha- 
racter, however,  admits  of  the  representation  of  passions,  dif- 
fering in  their  origin  and  intensity  from  those  of  the  parts  in 
which  Mrs.  Siddons  had  already  appeared;  and,  upon  the 
whole,  it  was  considered  not  only  as  the  noblest  effort  of  her 
powers,  but  as  an  indication  from  which  the  judicious  critic 
might  prophesy  of  her  more  concentrated  energies  in  Lady 
Macbeth. 

The  unprecedented  attraction  of  Mrs.  Siddons  was  met,  on 
the  part  of  the  proprietors  of  Drury  Lane,  with  suitable  liber- 
ality. Her  engagement,  as  to  weekly  salary,  was  upon  an 
annual  rise  from  ten  pounds.  This  salary  they  did  not  then 
augment ;  but  they  allowed  her  two  benefit  nights,  and  relin- 
quished, on  both,  the  nightly  charge,  about  ninety  pounds. 
Her  success,  too,  was  seconded  by  her  own  prudence.  She 
launched  into  no  unnecessary  expenses,  residing  merely  in 
respectable  lodgings  in  the  Strand,  for  the  convenience  of 
being  near  the  theatre;  and,  animated  by  the  best  inspiration, — 
a  mother's  feelings  for  her  family,  —  prepared  herself  for  a  life 
of  such  exertion  as  mocks  the  toil  of  mere  manual  labour. 
It  became,  of  course,  the  fashion  to  know  her;  and  for  once 
the  fashionable  world,  in  following  the  fashion,  did  honour  to 
itself.  Her  door,  at  this  time,  saw  more  carriages  daily 
before  it  than  that  of  any  other  private  residence  in  London. 

For  her  first  benefit  she  chose  the  character  of  Belvidera ; 
when  the  demand  for  boxes  was  so  great,  that  the  proprietors 
paid  her  the  profitable  compliment  of  allowing  her  the  use  of 
their  own  six  on  the  occasion.  But  it  is  foreign  to  the  pur- 
pose of  this  memoir  either  to  specify  minutely,  or  to  examine 
critically,  the  characters  which  Mrs.  Siddons  successively  per- 
sonated during  her  theatrical  life.  It  is  enough  to  record,  that 

VOL.  XVI.  L 


1  !<(')  MRS.  SIDDQNS* 

from  the  moment  she  appeared,  she  took  possession  of  the 
throne  of  tragedy;  and  that,  from  the  moment  she  quitted  that 
throne,  no  one  has  been  found  to  fill  the  vacancy.  All  we 
shall  attempt  beyond  this  must  be  limited  to  the  more  pro- 
minent events  that  distinguished  her  splendid  career,  whether 
as  regarding  the  actress  or  the  woman. 

The  first  of  these  events  was  the  early  notice  bestowed 
upon  her  by  George  III.  and  his  illustrious  consort.  In  the 
month  of  January,  1783,  Mrs.  Siddons  had  the  honour  of 
performing  by  express  command  all  the  characters  in  which 
she  had  then  appeared,  (viz.  Isabella,  Euphrasia,  Jane  Shore, 
Calista,  and  Belvidera,)  before  his  Majesty  and  the  royal  family. 
Nor  had  she  become  less  an  object  of  interest  and  curiosity 
among  the  higher  orders  of  society.  A  vague  and  childish, 
if  not  an  impertinent,  desire  was  frequently  expressed  by  some 
of  these  higher  orders  to  know  how  she  acquired  the  art  of 
producing  such  wonderful  effects;  as  if  it  were  a  thing  to  be 
learned,  like  the  rule  of  three.  They  enquired  into  her  modes, 
of  study,  the  discipline  of  her  mind;  and  one  lady  in  par-* 
ticular,  a  titled  person,  was  said  to  have  propounded  this 
knotty  question:  —  "  Pray,  Madam,  when  you  are  to  prepare 
yourself  in  a  character,  what  is  your  primary  object  of  atten-i 
tion,  the  superstructure,  as  it  may  be  called,  or  the  foundation 
of  the  part?"  Mrs.  Siddons,  who  must  have  despaired  of 
answering  the  question,  contented  herself  with  a  simple  unaf- 
fected statement  of  a  fact,  which  she  imagined  contained  a 
reply  to  what  the  querist  intended  to  ask.  "  When,"  said 
she,  "  a  part  is  first  put  before  me  for  study,  I  look  it  over  in 
a  general  way,  to  see  if  it  is  in  nature;  and  if  it  is,  I  am  sure 
it  can  be  played."  —  As  to  her  mode  of  study,  in  her  apart- 
ment, it  was  silent.  It  was  thus  she  conceived  what  could  be 
done ;  and  at  rehearsals  ascertained  the  practical  effect  of  her 
conceptions.  Some  proof  of  this  alleged  mode  of  study  may 
be  found  in  the  circumstance,  that  though  she  often  sought-  a 
confirmation  of  her  own  judgment  in  the  experience  of  Mr^ 
Sheridan  (the  teacher  of  elocution),  it  was  always  done  at  the. 
theatre;  for  there  alone,  she  would  say,  could  she  show  him 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  147 

exactly  what  it  was  she  meant,  or  what  she  inteticled  to  do  at 
night.  ''\ •'•'< 

We  have  mentioned  that  the  Drury  Lane  manager  allowed 
a  second  benefit  night  to  Mrs.  Siddons,  on  which  occasion 
she  selected  the  character  of  Zara,  in  Congreve's  "  Mourning 
Bride,"  —  a  tragedy  inordinately  praised  as  a  whole  by  a  critic 
of  the  square  and  rule  school  (Lord  Kames) ;  and  almost  as 
inordinately  eulogised  by  another  critic,  Dr.  Johnson  (who 
had  no  true  feeling  of  poetic  sentiment),  for  a  single  passage : 
it  is  hardly  necessary  to  remind  the  reader  that  we  allude  to 
the  description  of  a  Gothic  cathedral;  a  description  which  the 
Doctor,  with  an  extraordinary  oblivion  of  what  is  to  be  found 
in  English  literature,  pronounced  to  be,  if  not  unequalled,  at 
least  unexcelled.  This  second  benefit  took  place  in  the  month 
of  March,  1783 ;  and  some  notion  may  be  formed  of  the  ex- 
tent to  which  Mrs.  Siddons'  attractions  had  reached,  when  we 
mention  that  it  produced  the  sum  of  650/. :  for  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre  of  1783  was  not  that 
enormous  receptacle  which  it  now  is.  Seven  rows  of  the  pit 
were  laid  into  the  boxes  on  the  occasion ;  and  Lady  Spencer 
gave  ninety  guineas  for  her  side  box,  while  Lady  Aylesbury 
sent  50/.  for  an  upper  box.  It  is  amusing  to  add,  as  coin- 
cident almost  with  these  evidences  of  the  position  Mrs.  Siddons 
had  taken  in  public  estimation,  that  a  poem  entitled  the 
"  Tragic  Muse,"  written  by  the  ingenious  author  of  the  "  His- 
tory of  Modern  Europe"  (Russell),  was  published  about  this 
time;  and  that  the  writer  was  gravely  rebuked  by  some  pro- 
phetic reviewer,  for  "  wasting  his  verse  upon  excellence  that 
was  in  its  nature  fugitive,  the  meteor  of  the  moment!" 

The  following  summary  of  the  characters  played  by  Mrs. 
Siddons  during  her  first  season,  and  the  number  of  repre- 
sentations given  to  each,  will  show  the  extraordinary  exertions 
she  made  between  the  10th  of  October  and  the  5th  of  June  :-4-> 
Isabella,  22 — Jane  Shore,  14  —  Calista,  14  —  Belvidera, 
13  —  Euphrasia,  11  —  Zara,  3.  If  to  these  we  add  three 
performances  in  "  The  Fatal  Interview,"  a  tragedy  by  Hull, 
which  then  expired,  we  have  an  aggregate  of  no  less  than 

L  2 


148  ^IRS.  SIDDONS. 

eighty  representations  ;  and  the  majority  of  them,  from  the  in* 
tense  passions  that  were  to  be  displayed,  of  the  most  ex<- 
liausting  description. 

No  sooner,  however,  had  Drury  Lane  closed,  than  she  left 
London  for  Dublin,  where  her  brother,  John  Kemble,  was 
then  playing,  and  who  had  signed  an  engagement  for  three 
years  with  the  proprietors  of  Drury  Lane.  Her  success  here 
corresponded  with  that  she  had  experienced  in  the  metropolis, 
in  spite  of  some  strong  predilections  which  the  Dublin  au- 
dience entertained  in  favour  of  Mrs.  Crawford.  It  is  said  she 
carried  away  about  eleven  hundred  pounds  from  Dublin,  and 
at  least  seven  hundred  from  Cork. 

It  was  on  her  return  from  Dublin,  towards  the  latter  end' 
of  October,  1783,  that  she  had  the  honour  of  an  interview 
with  Dr.  Johnson  ;  and,  though  the  particulars  are  narrated  in 
Bos  well's  inimitable  life  of  that  great  man,  some  notice  of  the 
occurrence  ought  to  be  found  in  a  life  of  Mrs.  Siddons.  The 
Doctor's  own  account  is  extant  in  a  letter  from  him  to  Mrs. 
Thrale,  dated  October  27.  "  Mrs.  Siddons,"  says  he,  "  in 
her  visit  to  me  behaved  with  great  modesty,  and  left  nothing 
behind  her  to  be  censured  or  despised.  Neither  praise  nor 
money,  the  two  powerful  corrupters  of  mankindr  seem  to  have 
depraved  her.  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  her  again.  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons and  I  talked  of  plays ;  and  she  told  me  her  intention  of 
exhibiting  this  winter  the  characters  of  Constance,  Katharine, 
and  Isabella  in  Shakspeare." 

When  she  came  into  the  room,  there  happened  to  be  no 
chair  ready  for  her.  "  Madam, "  said  Johnson,  with  a  smile, 
"  you,  who  so  often  occasion  a  want  of  seats  to  other  people^ 
will  the  more  easily  excuse  the  want  of  one  yourself."  He 
enquired  with  which  of  Shakspeare's  characters  she  was  most 
pleased  :  upon  her  answering  that  she  thought  the  character 
of  Queen  Katharine,  in  Henry  VIII.,  the  most  natural.  "  I 
think  so  too,  Madam,"  said  he;  "  and  whenever  you  perform  ity 
I  will  once  more  hobble  out  to  the  theatre  myself."  (Alas  ! 
when  she  did  perform  it,  five  years  afterwards,  that  mighty 
mind  was  no  more ! )  He  told  her  that  her  "  great  pre- 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  -149 

tlecessor,  Mrs.  Pritchard,  was  in  common  life  a  vulgar  idiot, 
who  used  to  talk  of  her  gownd ;  but  that  on  the  stage,  she 
seemed  to  be  inspired  by  gentility  and  understanding." 

The  next  distinctions  that  awaited  her  this  year,  were  the 
renewed  condescensions  of  the  royal  family.  Her  first  per- 
formance of  the  season  (Isabella)  was  by  command  of  their 
Majesties ;  and  soon  after  she  was  appointed  reading  pre- 
ceptress to  the  Princesses.  Attentions  of  the  most  flattering 
kind  were  lavished  upon  her,  indeed,  by  all  ranks ;  but  in  the 
midst  of  it  all,  she  showed  that  one,  at  least,  "  of  the  most 
powerful  corrupters  of  mankind"  had  not  depraved  her. 

Hitherto  she  had  left  Shakspeare  untouched ;  and  the  first 
character  she  acted  was  selected,  it  is  said,  as  affording  some 
relief  to  her  frame,  really  exhausted  by  the  dreadful  fatigues 
she  had  undergone,  with  no  other  intermission  than  was 
afforded  by  travelling  from  place  to  place.  It  was  that  of 
Isabella  in  "  Measure  for  Measure,"  which  she  performed 
November  3d,  1783;  and  repeated  on  the  5th,  by  Royal 
command,  so  desirous  were  their  Majesties  of  seeing  her  in 
any  thing  new.  Her  delineation  of  it  was  full  of  original  ge- 
nius, both  as  to  conception  and  as  to  execution.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  sublime  energy  she  threw  into  that  fine  pas- 
sage commencing :  -— 

'"  Could  great  men  thunder 

As  Jove  himself  does,  Jove  would  ne'er  be  quiet: 

For  every  pelting  petty  officer 

Would  use  his  heaven  for  thunder  j  nothing  but  thunder." 

The  manner  in  which  she  pronounced  the  words  "  NOTHING 
BUT  thunder  ! "  was,  to  use  the  prescriptive  phrase  of  thea- 
trical critics,  electrical. 

Having  played  Mrs.  Beverley,  in  "  The  Gamester,"  (which 
gave  her  the  .first  opportunity  of  acting  with  her  brother,  who 
sustained  the  part  of  Beverley,)  and  established  additional 
claims  to  her  power  over  the  heart,  in  depicting  the  woes  of 
private  life,  she  made  her  appearance  on  the  10th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1 783,  in  the  character  of  Constance,  by  Royal  command 

L  3 


150  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

Her  performance  seems  to  have  divided  the  opinions  of  the 
play-going  world ;  some  extolling  it,  and  others,  without  ab- 
solutely decrying  it,  insinuating  comparisons  which  led  to  the 
inference  (at  least  were  intended  to  do  so),  that  the  creations 
of  Otway,  Southerne,  and  Rowe  were  within  her  grasp,  but 
those  of  Shakspeare  not.  Discriminating  judges,  however, 
who  divested  themselves,  difficult  as  it  sometimes  is  to  do  so, 
of  the  impressions  already  produced  by  her  predecessors,  and 
who  examined  her  personation  of  the  character  by  the  text  of 
Shakspeare  only,  were  satisfied  that  she  had  studied  him  with 
a  mind  superior  to  any  who  had  gone  before  her,  so  far  as 
their  own  experience  warranted  them  in  coming  to  such  a 
conclusion. 

Her  next  effort  boldly  challenged  that  comparison  which  is 
sure  to  invite  failure,  where  it  is  not  sustained  by  great  original 
powers.  She  selected  for  her  benefit  this  season  the  cha- 
racter of  Lady  Randolph  ;  a  character  which  Mrs.  Crawford 
had  not  only  made  her  own,  as  it  were,  but  which  she  was 
actually  playing  at  Covent  Garden.  Mrs.  Siddons  prudently 
reserved  the  bold  experiment  for  her  benefit  night, — an  oc- 
casion on  which  performers  are  allowed,  if  not  almost  ex- 
pected, to  put  themselves  to  strange  trials,  and  when  want  of 
success  does  not  carry  with  it  any  very  serious  consequences. 

Mrs.  Siddons  had  many  advantages  in  the  competition; 
youth,  beauty,  a  finer  figure,  more  power  of  eye,  and  a  voice 
in  its  whole  compass  sound  and  unbreaking.  Her  declamation, 
too,  was  more  studied,  finished,  and  accurate.  She  was  sure 
to  give  a  better  reading  of  the  part ;  and  the  only  question  was, 
what  was  to  balance  the  storm  of  passion  by  which  her  great 
rival  had  surprised  and  subdued  a  long  succession  of  audiences? 
These,  with  many  others,  were  among  the  anxious  conjectures 
and  anticipations  of  Mrs.  Siddpns'  friends  and  admirers.  She 
herself,  probably,  suffered  no  anxious  conjectures  or  antici- 
pations to  disturb  her:  for,  had  she  not  felt  that  secret  conr 
fidence  which  told  her  what  she  could  do,  it  is  hardly  to  be 
supposed  she  would  have  risked  so  formidable  a  comparison  j 
and  in  obedience  to  that  confidence  she  made  her  own  study 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  151 

of  the  character.  There  was  no  imitation ;  —  still  less  were 
there  any  violent  contrasts  in  order  to  avoid  it;  —  the  public 
were  left  to  judge  between  two  actresses  in  the  same  character 
totally  unlike  each  other ;  and  the  result  was,  they  gave  the 
preference  to  Mrs.  Siddons,  on  the  solid  grounds  of  mental 
superiority  in  conception,  and  physical  superiority  in  execution. 
Petty  cavils,  and  rooted  prejudices,  she  could  not  expect  to 
surmount ;  and  some  of  the  former  she  must  have  viewed  only 
with  contempt.  There  were  then,  as  now,  long-eared  critics, 
who  could  discover  nothing  in  her  extraordinary  popularity 
but  a  "  fame  borne  up  by  the  vapour  of  fashionable  folly." 
There  were  others,  not  long-eared,  but  diseased  with  sple- 
netic scurrility,  who  could  scrawl  and  print  such  trash  as  the 
following:  —  "  The  judicious  would  as  soon  see  Bensley  mur- 
dering Lear,  or  kicking  up  the  heels  of  Alexander  the  Great. 
Her  head  seems  to  dance  upon  wires,  like  that  of  Punch's 
antic  queen ;  though  a  Gentoo  might  think  it  more  resembled 
that  of  the  China  mandarin  in  our  drawing-rooms."  A  third 
class  of  critics  were  the  candid  ones,  who  did  not  venture  to 
decry  her,  but  only  cautioned  her  against  trusting  to  the  sta- 
bility of  her  renown.  They  poured  these  sedative  truths  into 
her  ears :  — "  The  favour  of  the  public  is  laudable.  I  wish  it 
may  be  lasting ;  but,  I  hope,  without  that  ingratitude  to  their 
old  servants  which  will  make  their  passion  for  Mrs.  Siddons 
less  valuable,  as  it  will  convey  a  warning  to  her,  that  a  new 
face  may  possibly  erase  the  impression  which  she  has  so 
anxiously  studied  to  form,  and  so  happily  made."  A  kinder 
pen,  and  a  better  heart,  described  her  situation  in  these  words: 
"  She  has  raised  herself  and  family  from  the  honours  of  Wol- 
verhampton  to  those  which  a  Theatre  Royal  can  confer :  she 
has  established  her  sway  over  the  passions  of  all,  from  the 
Sovereign  to  the  mechanic ;  she  sees  respect  and  affluence  the 
produce  of  her  genius ;  and  has  a  right  to  be  proud."  She 
had  this  right;  but  that  she  exercised  it  meekly  is  recorded 
in  her  own  language,  in  the  following  early  effusion  of  her 
gratitude.  Mr.  Boaden,  from  whose  volumes  we  borrow  it, 
does  not  state  on  what  occasion  it  was  put  forth;  but  it 

L  4 


MRS.  SIDDONS. 

seems  to  be  only  a  portion  of  some  longer  address  to  the 
public:—^- 

"  She  knows  the  danger  arising  from  extraordinary  and 
unmerited  favours ;  and  will  carefully  guard  against  any  ap- 
proach of  pride,  too  often  their  attendant.  Happy  shall  she 
esteem  herself  if,  by  the  utmost  assiduity,  and  constant  ex^- 
ertion  of  her  poor  abilities,  she  shall  be  able  to  lessen, 
though  hopeless  ever  to  discharge,  the  vast  debt  she  owes  the 
public." 

Drury  Lane  Theatre,  Dec.  17.t1782, 

One  accusation  was  early  made,  and  to  the  last  by  some 
maintained,  against  Mrs.  Siddons,  —  that  of  parsimony.  It  is 
of  little  moment  now  to  discuss  the  justice  of  this  charge; 
but  it  was  at  least  prudent,  if  she  shared  any  portion  of  those 
friendly  fears  that  were  expressed  as  to  the  permanency  of 
her  attractions,  that  she  should  husband  carefully  for  her 
family  the  means  she  was  then  enabled  to  command ;  and  it 
is  just  possible  that  what  began  in  prudence  continued  from 
habit.  At  the  period  we  are  describing,  she  was  publicly 
accused  "  of  lingering  behind  the  rest  of  the  congregation,  in 
the  gallery  of  St.  Martin's  Church,  to  avoid  a  present  of  be^ 
nevolence  to  the  Westminster  Dispensary."  Lingering  be-^ 
hind !  An  odd  way  this  of  managing  such  an  affair.  Would 
it  not  have  been  much  better  to  go  out  first,  along  with  the 
bulk  of  the  congregation  ?  By  such  a  contrivance,  a  person 
who  really  wished  to  save  half-a-crown,  might  stand  a  fail- 
chance  of  doing  so  without  observation ;  but  to  be  the  last, 
to  linger  till  the'churchwarden's  plate  was  full,  and  till  the 
holder  of  the  plate  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  note  the  charL- 
table  deeds  of  the  straggling  few  that  brought  up  the  rear, 
was  surely  the  only  way  to  invite  observation,  and  to  render 
as  conspicuous  as  possible  the  solitary  meanness.  Such 
clumsy  detraction,  however,  did  her  rising  greatness  pro* 
voke;  and,  in  all  probability,  the  more  general  imputation 
of  covetousness  was  fastened  upon  her,  not  so  much  from  any 
real  evidence  of  a  sordid  disposition,  as  from  the  laudable 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  153 

contrast  which  her  prudence  and  frugality  presented  to  the 
proverbial  prodigality  of  the  profession  to  which  she  belonged. 

It  was  during  this  year  (1784)  that  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds 
painted  his  celebrated  portrait  of  her  as  the  TRAGIC  MUSE  ; 
the  original  of  which  is  now  in  the  splendid  collection  of  the 
Marquis  of  Westminster,  and  the  duplicate  at  Dulwich  Col- 
lege. The  name  of  the  great  artist,  and  the  date  of  the  pic- 
ture, were  inscribed  by  him  on  the  hem  of  the  garment ;  the 
only  instance,  it  is  said,  of  his  having  affixed  them  to  any 
production  of  his  pencil.  When  Mrs.  Siddons  first  saw  the 
picture  in  its  finished  state,  she  went  near  to  examine  the 
pattern  of  this  which  appeared  to  be  a  curious  classic  em- 
broidery (at  that  time  much  in  fashion),  and  then  perceived 
it  contained  the  great  painter's  name,  a  circumstance  which 
she  noticed  to  Sir  Joshua,  who  was  present.  "  I  could  not 
lose  the  opportunity,"  he  replied,  "  of  my  name  going  down 
to  posterity  on  the  hem  of  your  garment."  Burke,  who  in- 
spected the  progress  of  this  fine  and  celebrated  work,  pro- 
nounced it  "  the  noblest  portrait  he  had  ever  seen  of  any  age." 

Mrs.  Siddons'  second  season  at  Drury  Lane  closed  on 
the  1 3th  of  May,  with  a  sixth  performance  of  Belvidera.  She 
acted  fifty-three  times  between  the  8th  of  October  and  her  last 
night ;  that  is,  allowing  for  the  Oratorios  in  Lent,  once  in 
every  three  nights  of  the  company's  performance.  Her  range 
of  characters  was  as  follows  :  —  Isabella,  Belvidera,  Lady 
Randolph,  Shakspeare's  Isabella  and  Thomson's  Sigismunda, 
Euphrasia,  Constance,  Jane  Shore,  the  Countess  of  Salisbury, 
Zara  in  "  The  Mourning  Bride,"  and  Calista. 

During  the  summer  recess  she  acted  at  Edinburgh  eleven 
nights ;  and  the  distinction  she  met  with  in  that  capital  was 
entitled  to  be  ranked  among  her  most  flattering  triumphs. 
It  had  not  then,  indeed,  received  from  itself  the  somewhat 
arrogant  title  of  the  "  Modern  Athens  :"  but  it  was  the  centre 
ot'literature  and  science;  and  the  supporters  of  the  theatre  were 
to  be  found  among  a  class  of  persons  infinitely  more  polished 
and  intelligent  than  the  mixed  audiences  of  London.  From 
Edinburgh  she  went  to  Dublin  and  Cork ;  but  her  health 


154>  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

began  to  feel  the  effects  of  such  incessant  labour;  and  she  was 
compelled  to  relinquish  some  of  the  engagements  into  which 
she  had  entered,  in  consequence  of  severe  and  even  danger- 
ous illness. 

Precluded,  thus,  from  fulfilling  her  more  serious  engage- 
ments with  provincial  managers,  it  was  hardly  to  be  expected 
she  could  meet  the  wishes  of  her  professional  brethren,  who 
were  naturally  anxious  to  secure  her  attraction  for  their 
benefits.  Her  inability  to  do  this  was  malignantly  repre- 
sented by  her  enemies  as  an  unwillingness,  arising  solely  from 
considerations  of  gain;  and  a  playhouse  faction  was  organised 
to  harass  and  insult  her  upon  her  return  to  Drury  Lane, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  season  1784-5.  It  was  alleged 
that  she  had  refused  to  play,  while  in  Ireland,  for  an  actor  of 
the  name  of  Digges  (who  had  suffered  a  paralytic  stroke), 
unless  he  paid  her  50/. ;  and  that  she  had  prevented  Mr. 
Brereton  from  taking  a  benefit  in  Dublin,  by  refusing  to  act 
for  him  at  all, — a  refusal,  as  it  afterwards  appeared  by  the 
acknowledgment  of  Mr.  Brereton  himself,  which  arose  en- 
tirely from  illness.  The  justice  or  injustice  of  these  accus- 
ations mattered  little  to  those  by  whom  they  were  made  and 
persisted  in.  The  object  was  to  raise  a  clamour  that  might 
obscure,  for  a  time,  the  excellence  that  offended  them.  A 
newspaper  war  of  paragraphs  and  letters  was  the  prelude  to 
the  attacks  that  were  to  be  made  upon  her  personally.  Her 
husband,  Mr.  Siddons,  addressed  a  feeble,  ill-conceived  letter 
upon  the  subject  to  the  printer  of  "  The  Public  Advertiser." 
Mr.  Brereton  answered  it ;  and  followed  up  his  answer  by  a 
second  letter,  when  informed  that  his  first  was  not  considered 
sufficiently  explicit  in  vindication  of  Mrs.  Siddons.  In  this  he 
declared,  "  that  it  was  in  no  respect  owing  to  Mrs.  Siddons  that 
he  had  no  benefit  in  Ireland ;  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  in  the 
course  of  a  long  and  dangerous  illness,  he  received  proofs  of 
friendship  from  her  which  he  should  ever  recollect  with  grati- 
tude, and  which  he  then  avowed  with  sincere  satisfaction." 

Of  course  the  parties  who  had  raised  the  outcry  were  not 
to  be  disappointed  of  their  design,  merely  because  it  happened 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  155 

that  they  were  in  the  wrong.  If  such  persons  allowed  them- 
selves to  be  turned  aside  by  considerations  of  that  kind,  there 
would  be  an  end,  at  once,  to  nine  tenths  of  ail  clamour,  from 
that  which  hunts  down  a  minister  to  that  which  pursues  only 
a  player.  On  the  evening,  therefore,  of  Mrs.  Siddons'  first 
appearance  for  the  season  (October  5th,  1784),  in  the  character 
of  Mrs.  Beverley,  when  the  curtain  drew  up,  she  was  assailed 
with  vociferated  cries  of  "Off!  off  I"  mingled  with  yells, 
hootings,  groans,  and  all  the  other  marks  of  gallery  dis- 
pleasure. She  bore  it  for  a  time  with  grace,  composure,  and 
unaffected  dignity,  acknowledging  at  intervals  the  applauses 
of  the  other  portions  of  the  audience :  but  the  uproar  render- 
ing it  impossible  for  the  play  to  proceed,  her  brother,  who  was 
on  the  stage  with  her  in  the  character  of  Beverley,  at  length 
led  her  off. 

This  was  a  signal  for  a  renewed  contention  between  her 
assailants  and  her  friends  :  the  former  shouting  in  triumph ; 
the  latter  calling  loudly  for  her  re-appearance.  Those  calls 
gradually  increasing,  and  predominating  over  the  noise  of  the 
galleries,  Mrs.  Siddons  came  on  again  alone,  and  advancing 
with  a  firm  step,  a  calm  countenance,  and  a  respectful  but 
collected  carriage,  to  the  front,  she  thus  addressed  the 
audience :  — 

"  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN, 

"  The  kind  and  flattering  partiality  which  I  have  uniformly 
experienced  in  this  place,  would  make  the  present  interruption 
distressing  to  me  indeed,  were  I  in  the  slightest  degree 
conscious  of  having  deserved  your  censure.  I  FEEL  NO  SUCH 
CONSCIOUSNESS.  The  stories  which  have  been  circulated 
against  me  are  CALUMNIES.  When  they  shall  be  proved  to 
be  true,  my  aspersers  will  be  justified ;  but,  till  then,  my  re- 
spect for  the  public  leads  me  to  be  confident  that  I  shall  be 

PROTECTED  FROM  UNMERITED  INSULT." 

The  woman  here  achieved  a  triumph  as  great  as  had  ever 
waited  upon  the  actress.  Her  enemies  were  ashamed  of 
fheir  cause ;  her  friends,  proud  of  hers.  She  retired  amki 


156  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

deafening  plaudits.  But  the  firmness  that  sustained  her  while 
before  the  audience,  a  little  failed  her  when  she  was  in  her 
own  room.  To  afford  the  agitated  nerves  a  short  season  for 
composure,  Mr.  King,  the  manager,  requested  a  few  minutes 
indulgence  ;  and  the  necessity  to  become  somebody  else,  soon 
restored  her  to  herself.  Finally,  her  justification  was  complete, 
when,  a  few  days  afterwards,  Mr.  Digges  acknowledged  pub- 
licly that,  instead  of  Mrs.  Siddons  having  demanded  and  re- 
ceived 501.  far  acting  for  his  benefit,  he  "  had  paid  her  no 
money  whatever ; "  but  had  written  a  letter  to  her  expressive  of 
his  obligations  on  the  occasion.  This  letter,  it  seemed,  had 
been  mislaid  or  destroyed  by  Mrs.  Siddons,  and  therefore  he 
now  repeated  those  expressions  of  obligation. 

If  we  may  be  allowed  to  parody  the  almost  (if  not  quite) 
Hibernian  passage  of  our  great  epic  poet,  that  in  the  lowest 
deep  there  is  a  lower  still,  we  should  say,  that  Mrs.  Siddons 
having  gained  the  topmost  point  of  fame  already,  she  this 
season,  at  one  spring,  placed  herself  upon  a  yet  loftier  ele- 
vation. We  allude  to  her  performance  of  Lady  Macbeth, 
in  which  character  she  appeared  for  the  first  time  on  the  2d 
of  February,  1 785,  when  "  criticism,  and  envy,  and  rivalry, 
sunk  before  her."  From  that  hour  her  dominion  over  the  pas- 
sions was  undisputed,  her  genius  pronounced  to  be  at  least 
equal  to  her  art,  and  Sir  Joshua's  happy  thought  of  identify- 
ing her  person  with  the  Muse  of  tragedy  confirmed  by  the 
immutable  decision  of  the  public.  We  entirely  acquiesce  in 
the  opinion  that  has  been  expressed  with  regard  to  this  mag- 
nificent effort — that  "  if,  since  the  Eumenides  of  ^Eschylus, 
tragic  poetry  had  produced  nothing  so  terrible  and  sublime 
as  the  Macbeth  of  Shakspeare,  it  may  be  said  with  equal  truth, 
that  since  dramatic  fiction  has  been  invested  with  seeming 
reality,  nothing  superior  to  the  Lady  Macbeth  of  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons has  been  seen."  But  it  would  demand  an  elaborate 
essay  to  show  fully  in  what  consisted  the  extraordinary  ex- 
cellence of  this  performance ;  while,  as  words  cannot  describe 
looks,  or  give  the  perfect  image  of  living  action,  much  of  what 
did  constitute  it  must  of  necessity  be  incommunicable.  There 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  157 

are  many  yet  surviving  who  remember  what  it  was.  When 
there  shall  be  none  remaining  who  can  do  so,  the  recollection 
of  the  most  perfect  exhibition  which  the  stage  ever  presented, 
— the  exhibition  of  one  of  Shakspeare's  greatest  creations  in  a 
spirit  akin  to  his  own  mighty  conceptions,  — will  have  passed 
away  for  ever ;  and  all  that  mere  language  can  effect  will  be 
to  exhaust  itself  in  vague  generalities.  From  the  first  night 
of  her  appearance  in  this  character,  down  to  her  retirement 
from  the  stage,  it  became  her  exclusive  possession.  Not  but 
that  there  were  those  who  attempted  to  dispute  the  posses- 
sion ;  but  the  intermediate  space  was  so  vast,  Mrs.  Siddons' 
elevation  so  unapproachable,  that  each  attempt  was  soon 
abandoned.  Garrick's  Lear,  or  John  Kemble's  Coriolanus, 
was  not  more  exclusively  made  his,  than  Mrs.  Siddons  made 
Lady  Macbeth  hers.*  The  policy  of  abstaining  so  long 
from  the  performance  of  such  a  character  was  now  apparent ; 
for  by  what  new  poetic  wonder  could  it  be  followed?  All- 
other  force  in  female  character  is  comparative  feebleness  on 
the  English  stage.  On  the  7th  of  February,  Mrs.  Siddons 
repeated  her  performance  by  command  of  their  Majesties.  It 
seems  almost  wonderful  to  add,  that,  during  the  same  season, 
she  delighted  the  public  with  a  matchless  representation  of 
Desdemona,  and  a  delicately  finished  one  of  Rosalind.  Her 
other  novelties  were  Margaret  of  Anjou,  in  the  "  Earl  of  War- 
wick;*' Zara,  in  the  tragedy  of  that  name  ;]Countess  of  St.  Val- 
lori,  in  Cumberland's  tragedy  of"  The  Carmelite;"  Camilla,  in 
Massinger's  "Maid  of  Honour;"  andElfrida,  in  Malone's  dra- 
matic poem  of  the  same  name ;  the  number  of  her  performances 
amounting  to  seventy-one.  Elfrida,  it  may  be  remarked,  was- 
produced  in  obedience  to  a  wish  conveyed  from  the  Palace. 
It  was  much  admired  in  the  closet  at  Buckingham  House ; 
and  this  admiration  created  a  desire  to  see  the  great  preceptress 


*  "  Mrs.  Siddons,"  said  Lord  Byron,  "  was  the  beau  iddal  of  acting;  Miss 
O'Neill  I  would  not  go  to  see  for  fear  of  weakening  the  impression  made  by  the 
Queen  of  Tragedians.  When  I  read  Lady  Macbeth's  part  I  have  Mrs.  Siddons 
before  me ;  and  imagination  even  supplies  her  voice,  whose  tones  were  super- 
human, and  power  over  the  heart  supernatural," 


158  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

in  the  heroine.  But  though  a  beautiful  poem  in  many  parts, 
it  was  essentially  unfit  for  representation ;  and  the'consequence 
was,  it  was  acted  only  once  after  the  14th  April,  when  their 
Majesties  were  present  at  the  performance. 

An  injudicious  attempt  was  made  to  introduce  Mrs.  Siddons 
in  comedy  —  the  more  injudicious  because  wholly  unnecessary  ; 
as  at  this  time  Drury  Lane  possessed  the  united  attractions  of 
Miss  Farren  and  Mrs.  Jordan.  The  characters  she  played 
were  Mrs.  Lovemore,  in  Murphy's  "  Way  to  Keep  Him ;  " 
Mrs.  Oakley,  and  Lady  Restless,  in  "  All  in  the  Wrong ; " 
and,  we  believe,  one  or  two  others. 

The  flattering  attentions  paid  by  George  the  Third  to  this 
great  actress  were  not  confined  to  the  public  exhibition  of  her 
talents.  She  frequently  enjoyed  the  honour  of  being  with  the 
royal  family  in  their  retired  moments,  both  at  Buckingham 
House  and  at  Windsor.  This  enabled  her  to  be  among  the 
first  who  discerned  those  symptoms  of  mental  aberration 
which,  in  the  year  1788,  called  for  the  solemn  attention  of  the 
legislature  ;  and  the  circumstance  that  confirmed,  if  it  did  not 
first  awaken,  her  suspicions  was  singular. 

His  Majesty,  on  all  occasions,  had  expressed  his-  gracious 
disposition  to  promote  the  interests  of  herself  and  her  family ; 
but  on  one  occasion,  at  the  period  we  are  now  speaking  of, 
he  put  into  her  hands  a  sheet  of  paper  subscribed  with  his 
name  merely ;  intended,  it  may  be  presumed,  to  give  her  the 
opportunity  of  pledging  the  royal  signature  to  any  provision 
of  a  pecuniary  nature  which  might  be  most  agreeable  to  her- 
self. This  paper,  with  the  discretion  that  was  suited  to  the 
circumstance,  and  which  was  so  characteristic  of  Mrs.  Siddons 
herself,  she  immediately  delivered  to  the  Queen. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  ]  788,  Mrs.  Siddons  performed, 
for  the  first  time,  Queen  Katharine  in  "  Henry  the  Eighth," 
which  was  carefully  revived  by  Mr.  Kemble,  now  stage- 
manager,  who  was  resolved  to  introduce  those  changes  in 
scenery,  dresses,  the  properties,  &c.,  which  constituted  an 
era  in  the  art.  Henry  VIII.  was,  accordingly,  produced  with 
such  splendour  and  novelty  that  it  became  one  of  the  most 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  159 

attractive  pieces  the  stage  had  ever  known.  And  here,  as  in 
Lady  Macbeth  (and,  indeed,  all  her  characters),  we  could 
run  riot  in  quotation,  to  renew,  for  a  moment,  the  exquisite 
gratification  with  which  we  listened  to  her  noble  delivery  of 
innumerable  passages.  But  our  prescribed  limits  are  rapidly 
narrowing  themselves,  and  a  volume  might  be  filled  with  such 
a  theme  !  One  only  observation,  therefore,  shall  be  obtruded, 
relating  to  the  last  scene  in  which  Katharine  appears.  A 
Siddons  alone  could  have  invested  that  scene  with  the  intense 
interest  which  she  threw  round  it.  Full  as  it  is  of  Shak- 
speare's  finest  touches  of  tenderness  and  pathos,  and  deep  as 
are  the  emotions  which  it  excites  in  the  reading,  it  requires 
extraordinary  powers  in  the  actress  to  make  its  quiet  sorrow 
reach  the  hearts  of  an  audience.  Mrs.  Siddons,  however, 
wrung  them  to  the  quick ;  and  silent  tears,  shed  in  sympathy 
for  a  sick  and  dying  Queen,  killed  by  afflictions  too  sharp  for 
long  suffering,  were  the  homage  paid  to  her  transcendant 
powers.  Her  whole  appearance  was  a  personification  of  that 
grief  which  digs  its  victim's  grave;  yet  so  resigned,  so  meek, 
so  gentle,  so  full  of  conscious  love  and  honour  and  virtue,  un- 
worthily requited  I  We  can  vividly  recall  her  languid  and 
dejected  air,  and  almost  fancy  we  hear  the  plaintive  sadness  of 
her  voice  as  she  uttered  the  passages  in  reply  to  Capucius,  who 
entreats  her  to  "  take  good  comfort."  All  the  yet  lingering 
affections  of  the  unjustly  deserted  wife,  —  all  the  natural 
yearnings  of  the  mother's  heart  for  the  child  she  is  about  to 
leave,  —  were  distressingly  true  to  nature. 

This  season,  too,  she  added  Volumnia  to  her  other  cha- 
racters from  Shakspeare ;  and,  before  the  close  of  it,  appeared 
as  Britannia.  Britannia  !  In  what  ?  Mallet's  "  Masque  of 
Britannia,"  or  Lillo's  "  Masque  of  Britannia  and  Batavia,"  or 
Mr.  Lediard's  "  Opera  of  Britannia/'  or,  lastly,  Sir  W. 
Dayenant's  and  Inigo  Jones's  "  Masque  of  Britannia  Tri- 
umphant" ? — In  none  of  these;  but —  in  a  promenade,  concert, 
recitation,  supper,  and  ball,  given  by  the  club  at  Brookes's  to 
the  ladies,  in  the  Opera  House  (which  was  suitably  fitted  up 
for  the  occasion),  in  celebration  of  the  King's  recovery  !  It 


160  MRS.  S1DDONS. 

was  even  so.  Mrs.  Siddons,  dressed  as  Britannia,  recited  an 
ode  written  by  Merry,  of  Delia  Cruscan  notoriety;  and  when 
she  had  done,  sat  down  in  the  exact  attitude  of  Britannia,  as 
the  lady  appears  on  our  copper  coin.  She  even  repeated  the 
exhibition  on  her  benefit  night,  after  performing  Juliet,  on  the 
llth  of  May.  Surely,  nothing  but  an  amiable  desire  to  con- 
tribute her  share,  in  any  way  she  could,  towards  the  general 
fund  of  rejoicing  at  an  event  which  she  had  personal  feelings 
to  gratify  in  commemorating,  could  have  induced  her  to  con- 
sent to  a  piece  of  mummery,  for  which  any  jlgurante  on  the 
stage  had  sufficient  qualifications. 

In  the  year  1792,  the  Drury  Lane  company  played  at  the 
Opera  House,  while  their  theatre  was  rebuilding;  and  here, 
on  the  26th  March,  she  first  delighted  the  town  with  her  re- 
citation of  Collins's  Ode  on  the  Passions.  The  new  theatre, 
however,  was  completed  by  the  spring  of  1794;  and  on  the 
21st  of  April  in  that  year  opened  with  the  tragedy  of  Macbeth, 
Mr.  C.  Kemble  (then  not  more  than  twenty)  performing  the 
character  of  Malcolm.  "  Mrs.  Siddons,"  says  one  of  her 
biographers,  "  on  this  first  appearance  in  the  new  theatre, 
would  have  been  more  than  human  if  she  had  riot  exulted. 
It  was  unquestionably  the  finest  in  Europe;  and  the  conduct 
of  it,  and  its  main  support,  certainly  in  her  own  family.  As 
to  the  property  itself,  I  am  very  sure  that  they  grasped  at  it 
in  imagination.  So  devoted  to  politics  as  Mr.  Sheridan 
seemed,  it  might  look  more  than  a  remote  probability  that  he 
would  one  day  take  office  with  his  party,  and  that  a  theatre 
and  its  concerns  must  be  resigned  to  the  more  urgent  claims 
of  official  dignity  and  business.  At  such  a  time,  a  sale  might 
take  place  upon  liberal  and  easy  terms,  and  the  influence  of 
Mr.  Sheridan  upon  the  fashionable  world  continue  a  marked 
preference  for  a  theatre  of  which  he  had  been  the  proprietor, 
and  was  still  the  guardian."  If  these  were  the  hopes  of  the 
Kemble  family,  they  were  destined  to  disappointment,  not 
only  then,  but  afterwards;  for  when,  in  the  season  1800-1, 
Mr.  Kemble  resumed  the  stage-management  (which  he  had 
relinquished  to  Mr.  Wroughton  in  disgust  some  years  before), 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  161 

preparatory  to  a  purchase  of  part  of  the  property,  in  con-' 
junction  with  Mrs.  Siddons,  obstacles  presented  themselves 
connected  with  Mr.  Sheridan  which  were  found  to  be  insur- 
mountable. The  consequence  was,  that  Mr.  Kemble,  his 
sister,  and  his  brother,  seceded  to  Covent  Garden  Theatre;  Mr. 
Kemble  himself  becoming  a  large  proprietor  of  the  concern. 

It  has  been  remarked,  that  the  life  of  an  author  is  best  read 
in  his  works.  More  emphatically  may  the  same  thing  be  said 
of  an  actor ;  taking  the  characters  in  which  he  appears  before 
the  public  as  the  only  portion  of  his  life  with  which  the  public 
itself  has  any  thing  to  do.  We  have  therefore  traced,  with 
some  minuteness,  the  progress  of  Mrs.  Siddons  through  the 
principal  parts  she  represented,  as  the  only  appropriate  record 
of  what  has  associated  her  name,  imperishably,  with  the  glory 
of  the  British  drama.  As  long  as  the  productions  of  Shak- 
speare,  Otway,  Rowe,  and  Southerne  hold  their  place  upon 
the  stage,  so  long  will  it  be  remembered  that  Mrs.  Siddons 
was  once  their  Queen  Katharine,  Queen  Constance,  Lady 
Macbeth,  Isabella,  Jane  Shore,  Calista,  and  Belvidera.  And 
here  we  would  observe,  as  a  striking  proof  of  the  fact^  without 
going  into  any  enquiry  as  to  the  cause ^  that  the  higher  species 
of  dramatic  writing  has  declined  among  us, — that,  during  the 
thirty  years  the  stage  possessed  such  an  actress,  not  a  single 
tragedy  was  produced  by  contemporary  writers  to  which  even 
her  transcendant  powers  could  give  vitality.  Many  indeed 
were  written;  and  in  many  new  characters  did  she  appear 
during  that  period;  but,  with  the  exceptions  of  "  Pizarro"and 
"  The  Stranger,"  where  are  they  now?  Neither  "  Pizarro"  nor 
"  The  Stranger,"  however,  is  called  a  tragedy  ;  they  are  plays 
merely,  with  a  given  quantity  of  tragic  incidents.  The  former, 
which  owed  much  of  its  unprecedented  popularity  to  the  po- 
litical feeling  of  the  day,  independently  of  the  extraordinary 
attractions  of  Kemble  in  Holla,  Mrs.  Siddons  in  Elvira,  and 
Mrs.  Jordan  in  Cora,  has  already  become  the  dullest  of  melo- 
dramatic spectacles,  now  that  the  political  feeling,  together 
with  those  great  performers,  are  no  more.  "  The  Stranger" 
still  takes  its  turn  with  what  are  called  stock  pieces ;  and  will 

VOL.  XVI.  M 


MRS.  SIDDONS. 

probably  continue  to  do  so,  till  a  sound  manly  taste  shall  teach 
our  audiences  to  distinguish  between  nature  and  tawdry  sen- 
timent. 

For  the  last  twenty  years  of  her  professional  life,  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons  was  like  a  successful  conqueror,  who  consigns  himself  to 
comparative  mediocrity  by  subduing  all  his  enemies.  So  it 
was  with  her.  She  had  achieved  every  thing  that  could  be 
achieved.  She  left  herself  no  fresh  victories  to  gain,  no  new 
laurels  to  gather.  To  pursue  our  simile  to  a  point,  where  in 
fact  it  is  no  simile  at  all,  there  was  nothing  remaining  for  her 
to  do,  but  to  fight  her  battles  again  and  again ;  to  repeat, 
every  season,  her  principal  characters ;  and  to  delight  afresh 
those  who  could  never  be  weary  of  beholding  her  in  them. 
The  remaining  portion  of  this  memoir,  therefore,  will  conduct 
the  reader  from  the  stage  to  private  life  —  from  the  actress  to 
the  woman ;  for  there  is  a  natural  and  laudable  curiosity  in 
the  human  mind  to  know  something  of  the  personal  character 
of  individuals  whose  public  conduct  has  awakened  our  admir- 
ation. 

Mrs.  Siddons  was  less  taciturn  in  society  than  was  generally 
imagined  by  those  who  had  only  infrequent  opportunities  of 
seeing  her.  She  sang  many  simple  ballads  with  infinite  taste ; 
and,  when  in  a  very  select  circle,  introduced  a  peculiarly  dry 
humour  into  amusing  trifles.  Joanna  Baillie  says,  "  The  effect 
she  gave  to  the  comic  passages  of  Shakspeare  was  the  most 
wonderful  proof  of  her  genius." 

Many  exaggerated  stories  have  been  related  of  her  stately 
manner,  and  theatrical  elocution,  when  off  the  stage.  It  was 
obviously  impossible  that  a  woman  upon  whom  Nature  had 
stamped  loftiness  of  mien,  could  throw  it  wholly  aside,  even  on 
the  most  ordinary  occasions ;  while  some  allowance  was  to  be 
made  for  the  habitual  assumption  of  characters  that  demanded 
solemnity  of  look,  grandeur  of  action,  and  dignity  of  voice. 
Nature  arid  art  thus  co-operating,  and  the  impulses  of  art 
being  nearly  as  constant  as  those  of  nature,  it  was  to  be  ex- 
pected that  Mrs.  Siddons  in  a  room  would  be  unlike  other 
\vomen;  added  to  which,  they  who  had  received  their  first 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  163 

impressions  of  her  on  the  stage,  would  find  it  very  difficult  to 
discard  them  altogether  when  they  met  her  in  private  society. 
Hence  the  ridiculous  anecdotes  that  have  been  circulated  and 
believed  respecting  her;  ridiculous,  because  the  major  part 
were  such  as  could  not  be  true,  without  leading  to  the  con- 
clusion that  she  was  herself  weak,  vain,  and  ridiculous.     Yet, 
we  can  well  believe  that  such  effects  as  the  following  were  un- 
consciously produced   by  her   presence.      "  Who  was  it  (I 
think  Northcote  the  painter},"  says  an  anonymous  writer  in 
one  of  our  periodicals,   "  who  said  he  had  seen  a  group  of 
young  ladies  of  rank,  Lady  Fannies  and  Lady  Maries,  peeping 
through  the  half-open  door  of  a  room  where  Mrs.  Siddons 
was  sitting,  with  the  timidity  and  curiosity  as  if  it  had  been 
some  preternatural  being,  —  much  more  than  if  it  had  been 
the  Queen?  which  I  can  easily  believe.  '  I  remember  that,  the 
first  time  I  found  myself  in  the  same  room  with  Mrs.  Siddons, 
I  was  struck  with  a  sensation  which  made  my  heart  pause, 
and  rendered  me  dumb  for  some  minutes;  and,  when  I  was 
led  into  conversation  with  her,  my  first  words  came  faltering 
and  thick,  —  which  never  certainly  would  have  been  the  case 
in  presence  of  the  autocratrix  of  all  the  Russias :  nor  was  this 
feeling  of  her  power,  which  was  derived  from  her  association 
with  all  that  was  grand,  poetical,  terrible,  confined  to  those 
who  had  felt  and  could  appreciate  the  full  measure  of  her  en- 
dowments.    Every  member  of  that  public,  whose  idol  she  was, 
from  the  greatest  down  to  the  meanest,  felt  it  more  or  less. 
I  know  a  poor  woman  who  once  went  to  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Siddons,  to  be  paid  by  her  daughter  for  some  embroidery. 
Mrs.  Siddons  happened  to  be  in  the  room ;  and  the  woman, 
perceiving  who  it  was,  was  so  overpowered,  that  she  could  not 
count  her  money,  and  scarcely  dared   to  draw  her  breath. 
'  And  when  I  went  away,  Ma'am,'  added  she,  in  describing 
her  own  sensations,  6  I  walked  all  the  way  down  the  street, 
feeling  myself  a  great  deal  bigger.'     This  was  the  same  un- 
conscious feeling  of  the  sublime,  which  made  Bouchardon  say 
that,  after  reading  the  Iliad,  he  fancied  himself  seven  feet  high. 
It  reminds  one  also  of  the  poor  musician,  who,  when  introduced 

M  2 


164-  MRS.  SXDDONS. 

to  Mozart,  was  so  overcome  by  the  presence  of  that  greatness 
which  had  so  long  filled  his  imagination,  that  he  could  not 
even  lift  his  eyes  from  the  ground;  but  stood  bowing,  and 
stammering  out,  *  Imperial  majesty!  —  Ah! — Imperial  ma- 
jesty!'" 

A  whimsical  illustration  of  the  impression  which  her  regal 
brow,  effulgent  eyes,  and  noble  countenance  were  so  well  cal- 
culated to  produce,  is  that  of  a  gentleman  who  was  accused  of 
being  in  love  with  her,  because  of  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
he  spoke  of  her.  "  In  love  with  Mrs.  Siddons  ?"  he  ex- 
claimed ;  "  good  God  !  I  should  as  soon  think  of  making  love 
to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  ! " 

She  was  fond  of  amusing  her  leisure  hours  with  an  art  not 
often  cultivated  by  females,  that  of  statuary.  It  is  supposed 
this  predilection  had  some  effect  upon  the  simplicity  and  grace 
of  her  drapery  on  the  stage,  and  the  severity  of  her  attitudes, 
by  directing  her  attention,  as  it  necessarily  would,  to  the  an- 
tique. Some  busts,  modelled  by  her,  are  still  preserved  at 
Guy's  Cliff,  the  seat  of  Mrs.  Greathead,  with  whom,  it  may 
be  remembered,  she  was  placed  by  her  parents  when  about 
fifteen ;  but  it  is  not  mentioned  whether  they  were  the  pro- 
duction of  that  or  of  a  more  mature  age. 

She  was  the  mother  of  five  children,  three  daughters  and 
two  sons :  one  daughter  and  one  son  survived  her.  The 
latter,  George  John  Siddons,  is  in  India ;  and,  we  believe,  an 
officer  in  the  military  service  of  the  East  India  Company  :  the 
former,  Cecilia  Siddons,  had  been  the  constant  companion  of 
her  revered  parent  for  years,  and  was  with  her  in  the  last 
dying  moments  of  her  dissolution. 

Her  second  daughter,  Maria,  sunk  into  the  grave,  at  Bris- 
tol, on  the  6th  of  October,  1798,  the  victim  of  that  hopeless 
but  flattering  disease,  consumption ;  the  victim,  too,  there  is 
reason  to  believe,  of  an  unfortunate  attachment  to  the  late 
President  of  the  Royal  Academy,  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence. 
"  She  was,"  says  Mr.  Boaden,  "  one  of  the  loveliest  beings  I 
have  ever  known.  I  can  hardly  bring  myself  to  allow  so 
much  —  but  she  was,  perhaps,  more  beautiful  even  than  her 


MRS.  SIDDONS. 

mother ;  or  rather,  perhaps,  what  the  latter  would  have  been, 
if,  with  every  indulgence  in  her  early  years,  she  had  possessed 
full  leisure  to  cultivate  her  taste,  and  exercise  her  fancy,  with- 
out any  of  those  prodigious  exertions  which  gave  her  at  last 
an  appearance  of  strength  and  energy  not  usually  charac- 
teristic of  English  females.  The  gain  is  on  the  side  of 
grandeur ;  the  loss,  of  winning  gentleness  and  almost  angelic 
softness.  To  confirm  this  notion,  a  very  early  picture  of 
Mrs.  Siddons  resembles  this  lamented  and  excellent  young 
lady." 

Sir  Thomas,  then  Mr.  Lawrence,  paid  his  addresses  to 
her;  but,  as  is  commonly  believed,  after  he  had  secured 
her  affections,  he  found  his  own  enthralled  by  those  of  her 
elder  sister.  That  he  struggled  to  quench  this  new  and 
dangerous  passion,  will  be  at  once  inferred  by  all  who  knew 
his  high  and  honourable  character ;  that  he  could  quench  it 
will  be  as  quickly  doubted,  by  all  who  know  what  the  passion 
is :  and  then  remains  the  nice  point  of  moral  obligation,  — 
whether  it  were  more  just,  when  he  found  (no  matter  from 
what  cause  arising)  that  he  could  not  exchange  hearts  at  the 
altar,  to  draw  back;  or,  shrouded  in  hypocrisy,  to  fulfil  the 
outward  act  and  ceremony  of  a  contract,  whose  essential  con- 
ditions he  knew  were  beyond  his  power  to  perform  ?  But 
this  is  not  the  place  (neither  is  there  occasion  if  it  were)  to 
discuss  a  question  concerning  parties  all  of  whom  are  now  in 
their  graves ;  and  we,  too,  "  hasten  from  the  subject." 

In  December,  1802,  Mrs.  Siddons  lost  her  father;  and,  on 
the  24th  of  March  following,  her  eldest  daughter,  the  progress 
of  whose  malady  was  so  rapid  that  she  died  before  her  mother's 
return  from  Ireland.  This  second  blow  weighed  heavily 
upon  her  spirits.  What  she  felt,  indeed,  is  beautifully  and 
pathetically  expressed  by  herself  in  a  correspondence  that  was 
given  to  the  world  under  peculiar  circumstances. 

"  The  testimony  of  the  wisdom  of  all  ages,"  she  observes, 
in  one  of  these  letters,  "  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  to 
this  day,  is  childishness  and  folly,  if  happiness  be  any  thing 
more  than  a  name ;  and  I  am  assured  our  own  experience 

M  3 


166  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

will  not  enable  us  to  refute  the  opinion.  No  —  no;  it  is 
the  inhabitant  of  a  better  world.  Content,  the  offspring  of 
moderation,  is  all  we  ought  to  aspire  to  here  ;  and  moderation 
will  be  our  best  and  purest  guide  to  that  happiness  to  which 
she  will  most  assuredly  conduct  us.  If  Mr.  L.  thinks  himself 
unfortunate,  let  him  look  at  me  and  be  silent.  The  inscru- 
table ways  of  Providence  !  Two  lovely  creatures  gone ;  and 
another  is  just  arrived  from  school  with  all  the  dazzling, 
frightful  sort  of  beauty  that  irradiated  the  countenance  of 
Maria,  and  makes  me  shudder  when  I  look  at  her.  I  feel 
myself  like  poor  Niobe,  grasping  to  her  bosom  the  last  and 
youngest  of  her  children  ;  and,  like  her,  look  every  moment 
for  the  vengeful  arrow  of  destruction." 

It  was  about  this  period  that  a  separation  took  place  be- 
tween herself  and  Mr.  Siddons.  The  exact  causes  of  it  are 
not  known,  nor  need  they  be  sought.  The  merits  of  Mr. 
Siddons  as  an  actor  were  so  thoroughly  obscured  by  the 
blaze  of  glory  which  surrounded  his  wife,  that  it  was  con- 
sidered incompatible  with  the  interests  of  the  family  to  allow 
him  to  continue  on  the  stage.  At  one  time  he  purchased  into 
Sadler's  Wells ;  and  though  for  several  seasons  it  turned  out 
a  profitable  speculation,  in  the  end  he  retired  from  it  with 
loss.  The  same  fate  attended  another  undertaking,  from 
which  he  had  promised  himself  great  advantages.  These 
things  tended,  perhaps,  to  sour  his  disposition;  and,  in 
addition,  he  is  said  to  have  grown,  latterly,  somewhat  im- 
patient of  the  "  crown  matrimonial,"  —  that  is,  he  was  apt  to 
consider  himself  neglected  in  society,  because  of  the  greater 
attractions  which  centred  in  his  wife.  This  feeling  "  unhap- 
pily produced,"  says  Mr.  Boaden,  "  in  a  most  honourable 
and  high-spirited  man  some  inequalities  of  temper,  which 
occasionally  seemed  harsh  to  a  woman  conscious  of  the  most 
unremitting  diligence  in  her  exertions,  and  often  endangering 
her  health  to  secure,  along  with  fame  to  herself,  the  present 
and  future  comforts  of  her  family.  Some  expressions  of  her 
irritation  upon  such  annoyances  have  been  printed,  by  the 
person  to  whom  I  have  before  alluded  ;  and,  at  length,  Mr. 


MRS.  SIDDONS. 

Siddons,  after  suitable  arrangements  as  to  the  property,  re- 
tired to  Bath.  But  he  retained,  at  all  times,  the  sincerest 
regard  for  his  incomparable  lady,  and  proved  it  by  the  last 
solemn  act  of  his  existence."  He  died  at  Bath  in  1808. 

We  can  hardly  feel  surprised  to  find  Mrs.  Siddons  (thus 
harassed  with  domestic  sorrows)  impatient  for  retirement; 
though  still  basking  in  the  full  sunshine  of  fame,  and  com- 
manding the  sources  of  increasing  fortune.  But  her  brother 
had  now  embarked  23,000/.  (10,000/.  paid  down,  and  the 
remainder  to  be  received  out  of  the  accumulating  profits  of 
the  property),  in  Covent  Garden  Theatre ;  and  her  presence 
there  was  vitally  important  to  him.  She  therefore  determined 
to  devote  herself  to  his  views  in  life,  when  her  own  were  all 
closed.  In  the  correspondence  to  which  we  have  already  re- 
ferred, she  thus  alludes  to  this  determination :  — 

"  Alas  !  my  dear  friend,  what  have  I  here  ?  Yet  here, 
even  here,  I  could  be  content  to  linger  still  in  peace  and 
calmness.  Content  is  all  I  wish.  But  I  must  again  enter 
into  the  bustle  of  the  world.  For  though  fame  and  fortune 
have  given  me  all  I  wish ;  yet,  while  my  presence  and  my 
exertions  here  may  be  useful  to  others,  I  do  not  think  myself 
at  liberty  to  give  myself  up  to  my  own  selfish  gratifications." 
Again  :  "  I  shall  leave  this  place  (Banister's),  on  the  4-th  of 
next  month  (September,  1803);  and  will  write  again  as  soon 
as  I  can  after  I  get  to  town.  I  shall  have  a  great  deal  of 
business  upon  my  hands,  and  upon  my  head  and  heart  many 
imperious  claims.  I  find  it  is  utter  folly  in  me  to  think  that 
I  am  ever  to  live  one  day  for  myself,  while  these  various 
claims,  dear  and  tender  as  they  must  always  be,  exist : 
nothing  but  my  brother  could  have  induced  me  again  to 
appear  in  public;  but  his  interest  and  honour  must  always 
be  most  dear  to  me. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1803,  she  appeared  at  Covent 
Garden,  in  Isabella ;  and  continued  to  play  all  her  principal 
characters,  till  the  public  discovered  that  Master  Betty  (who 
made  his  first  appearance  in  London  the  following  year)  was 
infinitely  superior  to  either  herself  or  her  brother.  She  then 

M  4 


1(JS  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

retired  from  an  arena  where  competition  would  have  dis- 
honoured her.  The  distemper,  however,  was  too  violent  to 
last  long ;  though  certainly,  for  a  time,  the  delirium  was  about 
as  complete  as  any  popular  frenzy  we  can  remember. 

In  the  winter  of  1806-7,  Mrs.  Siddons  and  Shakspeare 
recovered  their  usurped  authority;  and  her  Volumnia, 
Katharine,  and  Lady  Macbeth  were  among  her  most  splen- 
did triumphs :  but  in  the  following  year  (September  20.  1808), 
the  scene  of  them  was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  little  more  than 
three  months  afterwards,  however  (December  31st),  the  first 
stone  of  a  new  theatre  was  laid  by  his  late  Majesty  (then 
Prince  of  Wales);  and  on  the  18th  of  September,  1809,  the 
present  magnificent  edifice  was  opened,  with  the  tragedy  of 
"  Macbeth."  But  it  passed  in  dumb  show ;  for  a  theatrical 
conflict  commenced  that  night,  as  memorable  in  dramatic 
annals  as  Blenheim  or  Waterloo  in  military  ones.  Need  we 
say,  we  allude  to  the  O.  P.  war  ?  Beyond  this  we  do  not  mean 
to  go.  The  campaign  has  its  own  historian ;  and  two  goodly 
octavo  volumes  will  inform  posterity  how,  for  sixty-seven 
nights,  the  heroes  of  the  one  and  two  shilling  galleries  fought 
the  battle  of  the  pit  and  boxes,  whose  rights  were  violated  by 
taxing  them  without  their  consent.  They  who  were  to  have 
paid  the  tax  did  not  care  one  straw  about  it :  but  they  who 
were  never  likely  to  pay  it,  had  too  much  genuine  patriotism 
to  suffer  any  such  selfish  considerations  to  make  them  in- 
different to  the  contemplated  tyranny. 

Mrs.  Siddons  opened  the  new  theatre,  as  we  have  said,  on 
the  18th  of  September,  1809;  and  it  was  the  24th  of  April, 
1810,  before  she  repeated  Lady  Macbeth.  In  the  season  of 
1810-1],  she  performed  nearly  the  whole  of  her  characters; 
and  never  did  she  display  greater  dignity  and  force  of  mind. 
It  would  be  absurd  to  say  her  autumn  excited  the  tears  of  her 
April,  when  her  Isabella,  her  Shore,  and  her  Belvidera  were 
in  their  prime;  but  her  Constance,  her  Hermione,  her  Queen 
Katharine,  and  her  Lady  Macbeth,  were  shorn  of  none  of 
their  splendour  down  to  their  latest  repetition.  In  1812  she 
retired  from  the  stage,  and  chose  for  her  farewell  part  Lady 


MRS,  SIDDONS.  169 

Macbeth,  which  she  performed  on  the  29th  of  June  in  that 
year.  The  occasion  was  distinguished  by  a  homage  to  her 
genius  which  has  no  precedent  in  theatrical  annals.  When 
the  horrible  night  scene  shuts  in,  a  general  movement  was  ob- 
served in  the  house  — the  remainder  of  the  play  was  dismissed 
—  and  the  audience  lingered  only  till  she  delivered  her  short 
valedictory  address.  On  that  night,  therefore,  her  professional 
life  may  be  said  to  have  terminated  :  for  though  she  came  for- 
ward on  two  or  three  subsequent  occasions,  between  the  years 
1812  and  1817,  purely  to  serve  the  interests  of  her  brother 
Mr.  C.  Kemble,  she  did  not,  like  some  performers,  accept 
of  any  limited  engagements  afterwards  to  perform  a  certain 
number  of  characters.  We  were  ourselves  .present  the  last 
time  she  ever  appeared  upon  the  stage,  when  she  performed 
Lady  Randolph  for  her  brother's  benefit.  But  five  years  had 
swept  away  the  boundary  between  vigour  and  decrepitude. 
Her  voice,  her  step,  her  action,  all  were  feeble.  Her  eye 
alone  seemed  to  have  lost  nothing  of  its  marvellous  expression. 
She  was  a  magnificent  ruin,  from  which,  without  the  aid  of 
memory,  imagination  could  picture  forth  what  the  noble  edi- 
fice must  have  been  when  complete  in  all  its  fine  proportions. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1815,  she  lost  her  son,  Henry  Sid- 
dons,  who  died  at  Edinburgh,  where  he  was  the  manager  of 
the  theatre.  He  played  one  or  two  seasons  in  London ;  but 
he  inherited  no  portion  of  his  mother's  talents. 

It  may  be  remarked,  that  on  the  8th  of  June,  1816,  Mrs. 
Siddons  consented  to  play  Lady  Macbeth,  to  gratify  the  late 
Princess  Charlotte.  Her  Royal  Highness,  however,  when  the 
night  came,  was  too  ill  to  attend.  At  first,  the  managers 
thought  of  changing  the  play ;  but,  conceiving  the  public 
would  be  greatly  disappointed  at  not  seeing  Mrs.  Siddons,  she 
readily  complied  with  their  wish,  and  performed  the  character. 

After  her  retirement  from  the  stage,  she  gave  a  course  of 
public  readings  from  Shakspeare,  at  the  Argyle  Rooms,  which 
were  eagerly  attended  by  the  public.  It  is,  perhaps,  not  too 
much  to  say,  that  her  reading  of  one  of  Shakspeare's  plays 
was  a  higher,  a  more  complete  gratification,  and  a  more 


170  MRS.  SIDDONS. 

astonishing  display  of  her  powers,  than  her  performance  of 
any  single  character.  Her  profound  admiration  of  the  poet, 
and  her  deep  insight  into  his  most  hidden  beauties,  made  her 
almost  a  poetess,  or  at  least  like  a  priestess,  full  of  the  god  of 
her  idolatry.  There  was  no  got-up  illusion,  no  scene,  no 
trickery  of  the  stage:  there  needed  no  sceptred  pall,  no 
sweeping  train,  nor  any  of  the  gorgeous  accompaniments  of 
tragedy.—  SHE  was  tragedy  !  "  Othello,"  "  Hamlet,"  and 
"  Macbeth"  were  among  the  plays  which  she  read  on  this 
occasion. 

She  also  gave  public  readings  of  Milton,  consisting  chiefly 
of  passages  from  "  Paradise  Lost."  We  do  not  remember 
whether  they  formed  any  part  of  her  course  at  the  Argyle 
Rooms;  but  when  she  was  in  Edinburgh,  about  the  year 
1805,  we  were  among  the  delighted  few  who  heard  her  read- 
ings from  the  great  Epic  bard. 

The  latter  years  of  Mrs.  Siddons  were  passed  in  affluence, 
in  comparatively  good  health,  in  domestic  comfort,  and  in  the 
society  of  those  distinguished  friends  whom  time  had  left  her, 
or  who  successively  filled  up  the  chasms  which  time  had 
made.  She  died  on  the  8th  of  June,  1831,  at  her  house  in 
Upper  Baker  Street*,  having  nearly  completed  her  76th 
year.  Why  her  remains  were  not  honoured  with  a  public 
funeral  in  Westminster  Abbey,  where  lie  the  ashes  of  many 
less  entitled  to  such  posthumous  respect,  we  know  not.  In- 
stead of  this,  however,  they  were  conveyed,  on  the  16th  of 
the  same  month,  to  a  vault  in  Paddington  Church.  The 
funeral  procession  consisted  of  a  hearse,  drawn  by  four  horses, 
followed  by  two  mourning  coaches  and  four,  containing  the 
relations  of  the  deceased;  afterwards  fourteen  mourning 

*  The  house,  which  the  genius  and  industry  of  Mrs.  Siddons  enabled  her  to 
purchase,  was  fitted  up  with  a  plainness  that  has  seldom  attended  rooms  of  equal 
grandeur  —  the  tone  of  the  whole  house  was  that  of  wainscot ;  and  the  Muse  of 
Tragedy,  instead  of  "  sweeping  by  in  her  sceptred  pall,"  amused  her  retirement 
with  the  simplex  mundiiiis  of  quaker  affluence.  In  her  dining-room  hung  the 
portrait  of  her  brother  John,  as  Hotspur,  on  horseback,  which  the  late  Sir  Francis 
Bourgeojs  painted,  when  M.  Desenfans  became  possessed  of  the  wonderful  sketch 
by  Vandyke,  now  at  Dulwkh. 


MRS.  SIDDONS.  171 

coaches  drawn  by  two  horses,  each  containing  four  gentlemen 
belonging  to  the  theatres  :  two  gentlemen's  carriages  brought 
up  the  procession.  The  number  of  persons  assembled  to 
witness  the  funeral  could  not  be  less  than  5000. 

On  a  marble  slab  before  her  monument  is  the  following 
text,  particularly  enjoined  by  herself, — 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord." 

Nearly  the  same  inscription  is  on  a  mural  tablet  to  her  me- 
mory, placed  to  the  left  of  the  altar  in  the  Church  of  Pad- 
dington,  except  that  the  sacred  text  chosen  for  the  sarcophagus 
is  that  of  —  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth." 

Mrs.  Siddons'  will  has  been  proved  at  Doctors'  Commons, 
and  her  personal  property  sworn  under  35,000/.  She  leaves 
5500/.  five  per  cent.  Bank  Annuities,  to  her  beloved  and  truly 
affectionate  friend,  Miss  MarthaWilkinson,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Tate  Wilkinson,  Esq. ;  likewise  some  articles  of  domestic 
furniture.  The  ink-stand  made  from  a  portion  of  the  mul- 
berry tree  planted  by  the  immortal  Shakspeare  (which  she 
had  bequeathed  to  her  late  brother  John  Philip  Kemble), 
and  a  pair  of  gloves  worn  by  the  bard  himself  (which  were 
given  to  her  by  the  late  Mrs.  Garrick),  she  leaves  to  her 
daughter  Cecilia  and  her  son  George.  She  leaves  to  Cecilia 
all  her  furniture,  portraits,  trinkets,  drawings,  books,  plate, 
china,  carriages,  and  other  moveables,  and  all  the  money  in 
the  house  and  at  the  banker's.  To  Theresa,  the  wife  of  her  dear 
brother,  Charles  Kemble,  the  portrait  of  her  husband,  painted 
by  Clark.  To  her  beloved  sister,  Mrs.  Frances  Twiss,  201.  for 
a  mourning  ring.  To  her  poor  sister,  Mrs.  Ann  Hatton  (this 
lady,  it  is  believed,  is  Ann  of  Swansea,  the  author  of  a  variety 
of  novels),  20/.  per  annum  for  life ;  "  which,  in  consideration 
of  her  ill  health  and  forlorn  situation,  she  has  many  years 
received"  from  the  testatrix.  To  her  inestimable  and  beloved 
friend  Mrs.  Charlotte  Fitzhugh,  a  handsome  mourning  ring. 
She  leaves  small  legacies  to  her  servants.  The  rest  of  her 
property  she  divides,  in  three  equal  shares,  among  her 
daughter  Cecilia;  her  son  George  John;  and  Harriet,  the 


MRS.  SIDDONS. 

widow  of  her  late  son,  Henry  Siddons,  for  the  benefit  of  their 
children ;  but  the  children  are  barred  all  benefit  from  the  will 
of  their  grandmother  if  they  dispute,  to  the  annoyance  of  their 
mother,  the  will  made  by  their  father  a  short  time  before  his 
decease. 

Mrs.  Siddons'  will  was  made  in  1815,  when  her  brother, 
Mr.  J.  P.  Kemble,  and  her  nephew,  Mr.  Horace  Twiss,  were 
appointed  executors ;  but  recently  a  codicil  has  been  added, 
substituting  the  name  of  William  Meyrick,  Esq.,  of  Red  Lion 
Square,  for  that  of  Mr.  Kemble.  The  will  was  proved  by 
Mr.  Meyrick  only. 


For  the  foregoing  memoir  we  are  indebted  to  the  kindness 
of  a  literary  friend. 


173 


No.  XII. 
SIR  EDWARD  BERRY,  BARONET; 

REAR-ADMIRAL  OF  THE  RED  ;    AND    A  KNIGHT  COMMANDER  OF 
THE  MOST  HONOURABLE  MILITARY  ORDER  OF  THE  BATH. 

THIS  gallant  and  distinguished  officer  was  the  fourth  son  of 
the  late  Edward  Berry,  Esquire,  a  merchant  of  London,  by 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Forster,  of  Bar- 
badoes,  F.R.S. 

He  was  born  on  the  17th  of  April,  1768;  and,  having 
evinced  an  early  predilection  for  the  sea-service,  he  was  in- 
troduced into  the  Royal  Navy,  under  the  auspices  of  Lord 
Mulgrave,  on  the  5th  of  February,  1779,  when  he  wanted 
some  months  of  being  eleven  years  of  age;  and  made  his  first 
voyage  to  the  East  Indies  in  the  Burford,  of  70  guns.  The 
first  recorded  circumstance  of  his  professional  life  was  the 
boarding  of  a  French  ship  of  war ;  for  which  action  he  was 
rewarded  with  a  Lieutenant's  commission.  His  subsequent 
conduct  in  the  glorious  battle  of  June  1.  1794,  also  obtained 
for  him  the  approbation  of  his  superiors. 

Being  First  Lieutenant  of  his  Majesty's  ship  Captain,  at 
Porto  Ferrajo,  Sir  Horatio  Nelson  recommended  him  for  pro- 
motion for  "  the  masterly  style  in  which  he  brought  that  ship 
to  bear  on  the  batteries." 

Early  in  1796,  Mr.  Berry  was  appointed  by  Sir  John 
Jervis,  under  whom  he  had  before  served,  to  the  Agamemnon, 
of  64  guns,  commanded  by  Commodore  Nelson,  who  was  at 
that  time  employed  in  laying  the  foundation  of  his  future 
fame;  and  to  whose  favourable  notice  he  soon  recommended 
himself,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  following  passage,  which 


SIR    EDWARD    BERRY. 

we  extract  from  a  letter  addressed  by  that  officer  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief, May  30.  1796: — 

"  Lieutenant  Berry  joined  me  in  the  Comet ;  and  I  have, 
as  far  as  I  have  seen,  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  him, 
both  as  a  gentleman  and  an  officer.  I  had,  a  few  days  ago, 
a  plan  for  taking  the  French  brig  of  war  out  of  Vado,  and 
intrusted  the  execution  of  it  to  him  :  it  miscarried  from  an 
unforeseen  and  improbable  event ;  but  I  was  much  pleased  by 
Mr.  Berry's  strict  attention  to  my  instructions." 

Passing  over  occurrences  of  minor  importance,  we  shall 
here  introduce  the  contents  of  a  paper  written  by  Commodore 
Nelson,  some  time  after  the  memorable  battle  off  Cape  St. 
Vincent;  on  which  occasion  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  by 
his  extraordinary  activity  in  boarding  two  of  the  enemy's 
ships,  acquired  the  honest  eulogium  of  every  officer  in  the 
fleet : — 

"  A  few  Remarks  relative  to  myself  in  the  Captain,  in  which 
Ship  my  Pendant  was  flying  on  the  most  glorious  Va- 
lentine's Day,  1797. 

"  At  one,  P.  M.,  the  Captain  having  'passed  the  sternmost 
of  the  enemy's  ships,  which  formed  their  van  and  part  of  their 
centre,  consisting  of  1 7  sail  of  the  line,  —  they  on  the  lar- 
board, we  on  the  starboard  tack,  —  the  Admiral  made  the 
signal  to  tack  in  succession:  but  perceiving  all  the  Spanish 
ships  to  bear  up  before  the  wind,  evidently  with  an  intention 
of  forming  their  line,  going  large,  joined  their  separate  di- 
visions, at  that  time  engaged  with  some  of  our  centre  ships, 
or  flying  from  us,  —  to  prevent  either  of  their  schemes  from 
taking  effect,  I  ordered  the  ship  to  be  wore ;  and  passing  be- 
tween the  Diadem  and  Excellent,  at  a  quarter  past  one 
o'clock,  was  engaged  with  the  headmost,  and  of  course 
leewardmost,  of  the  Spanish  division.  The  ships,  which  I 
knew,  were  the  Santissima  Trinidada,  126;  San  Josef,  112; 
Salvador  del  Mundo,  112;  San  Nicholas,  80;  another  first 
rate,  and  a  74-,  names  unknown. 

"  I  was  immediately  joined,  and  most  nobly  supported,  by 


SIR    EDWARD    BERRY.  175 

the  Culloden,  Captain  Troubridge :  the  Spanish  fleet,  not 
wishing,  I  suppose,  to  have  a  decisive  battle,  hauled  to  the 
wind  on  the  larboard  tack,  which  brought  the  ships  above 
mentioned  to  be  the  leewardmost  and  sternmost  ships  in  their 
fleet.  For  near  an  hour,  I  believe  (but  do  not  pretend  to  be 
correct  as  to  time),  did  the  Culloden  and  Captain  support 
this  apparently,  but  not  really,  unequal  contest ;  when  the 
Blenheim,  passing  between  us  and  the  enemy,  gave  us  a 
respite  and  sickened  the  Dons. 

"  At  this  time  the  Salvador  del  Mundo  and  Sanysidro 
dropped  astern,  and  were  fired  into  in  a  masterly  style  by 
the  Excellent,  Captain  Collingwood,  who  compelled  the 
Sanysidro  to  hoist  English  colours ;  and  I  thought  the  large 
ship,  Salvador  del  Mundo,  had  also  struck :  but  Captain 
Collingwood,  disdaining  the  parade  of  taking  possession  of  a 
vanquished  enemy,  most  gallantly  pushed  up  with  every  sail 
set  to  save  his  old  friend  and  messmate,  who  was  to  appear- 
ance in  a  critical  state;  the  Blenheim  being  a-head,  the  Cul- 
loden crippled  and  astern.  The  Excellent  ranged  up  within 
two  feet  of  the  San  Nicholas,  giving  a  most  tremendous  fire. 
The  San  Nicholas  luffing  up,  the  San  Josef  fell  on  board  her; 
and  the  Excellent  passing  on  for  the  Santa  Trinidada,  the 
Captain  resumed  her  station  abreast  of  them,  and  close  along- 
side. At  this  time  the  Captain  having  lost  her  fore-top-mast, 
not  a  sail,  shroud,  nor  rope  left;  her  wheel  shot  away,  and 
incapable  of  further  service  in  the  line,  or  in  chase;  I  di- 
rected Captain  Miller  to  put  the  helm  a-starboard,  and,  call- 
ing for  the  boarders,  ordered  them  to  board. 

"  The  soldiers  of  the  69th,  with  an  alacrity  which  will 
ever  do  them  credit,  and  Lieutenant  Pearson  of  the  same 
regiment,  were  almost  the  foremost  on  this  service  :  — the  first 
man  who  jumped  into  the  enemy's  mizen  chains  was  Captain 
BERRY,  late  my  first  Lieutenant  (Captain  Miller  was  in  the 
very  act  of  going  also,  but  I  directed  him  to  remain) :  he  was 
supported  from  our  sprit-sail  yard,  which  hooked  in  the  mizen- 
rigging.  A  soldier  of  the  69th  regiment  having  broken  the 
upper  quarter-gallery  window,  I  jumped  in  myself,  and  was 


176  SIR    EDWARD    BERRY. 

followed  by  others  as  fast  as  possible.  I  found  the  cabin 
doors  fastened,  and  some  Spanish  officers  fired  their  pistols : 
but  having  broken  open  the  doors,  the  soldiers  fired ;  and  the 
Spanish  Brigadier  (Commodore  with  a  distinguishing  pen- 
dant) fell,  as  retreating  to  the  quarter-deck.  I  pushed  imme- 
diately onwards  for  the  quarter-deck ;  where  I  found  Captain 
Berry  in  possession  of  the  poop,  and  the  Spanish  ensign 
hauling  down.  I  passed  with  my  people  and  Lieutenant 
Pearson,  on  the  larboard  gangway,  to  the  forecastle,  where 
I  met  two  or  three  Spanish  officers  prisoners  to  my  seamen  — 
they  deli vered  me  their  swords.  A  fire  of  pistols,  or  muskets, 
opening  from  the  Admiral's  stern-gallery  of  the  San  Josef,  I 
directed  the  soldiers  to  fire  into  her  stern;  and  calling  to 
Captain  Miller,  ordered  him  to  send  more  men  into  the  San 
Nicholas,  and  directed  my  people  to  board  the  first  rate ; 
which  was  done  in  an  instant,  Captain  Berry  assisting  me 
into  the  main-chains.  At  this  moment  a  Spanish  officer 
looked  over  the  quarter-deck  rail,  and  said  they  surrendered. 
From  this  most  welcome  intelligence,  it  was  not  long  before  I 
was  on  the  quarter-deck,  where  the  Spanish  Captain  with  a 
bow  presented  me  his  sword,  and  said  the  Admiral  was  dying 
of  his  wounds.  I  asked  him,  on  his  honour,  if  the  ship  was 
surrendered  ?  He  declared  she  was :  on  which  I  gave  him  my 
hand,  and  desired  him  to  call  on  his  officers  and  ship's  com- 
pany, and  tell  them  of  it ;  which  he  did :  —  and  on  the  quarter- 
deck of  a  Spanish  first  rate,  extravagant  as  the  story  may  seem, 
did  I  receive  the  swords  of  vanquished  Spaniards ;  which;  as  I 
received,  I  gave  William  Fearney,  one  of  my  bargemen ;  who 
put  them,  with  the  greatest  sangfroid,  under  his  arm.  I  was 
surrounded  by  Captain  Berry,  Lieutenant  Pearson  of  the  69th 
regiment,  John  Sykes,  John  Thomson,  Francis  Cooke,  all  old 
Agamemnons,  and  several  other  brave  men,  seamen  and  sol- 
diers. —  Thus  fell  these  ships  ! " 

For  this  heroic  conduct,  Captain  Berry  was  made  a  Post- 
Captain  on  the  6th  of  March,  1797.  In  the  course  of  the 
same  year  he  appeared  at  Court  with  Sir  Horatio  Nelson ; 
and  it  has  been  said  that  after  the  King  had  complimented 


SIR    EDWARD    BERRY.  177 

the  latter  on  account  of  his  exploits,  and  condoled  with  him 
on  his  misfortune  in  losing  a  limb  at  the  attack  upon  Santa 
Cruz,  the  hero  introduced  his  companion  to  his  Majesty,  with 
the  remark,  "  that  he  had  not  experienced  any  great  loss,  as 
this  officer  was  his  right  hand  ! " 

On  the  19th  of  December  following,  Captain  Berry  com- 
missioned the  Vanguard,  of  74  guns,  fitting  for  the  flag  of  his 
friend  Nelson,  with  whom  he  soon  after  returned  to  the 
Mediterranean  station. 

The  proceedings  of  the  squadron  detached  from  the  fleet 
off  Cadiz  to  watch  the  armament  about  to  sail  from  Toulon, 
under  General  Bonaparte,  and  which  ended  in  the  total  de- 
feat of  the  enemy,  on  the  glorious  1st  of  August,  1798,  are 
well  known.  We  shall,  therefore,  content  ourselves  with  ob- 
serving, that,  notwithstanding  the  excessive  damage  which  the 
Vanguard  received  in  the  Gulf  of  Lyons,  Rear-Admiral  Nel- 
son, to  whom  the  charge  of  the  squadron  had  been  confided 
by  Earl  St.  Vincent,  determined  not  to  remove  his  flag  from 
that  ship ;  which  was  soon  refitted  by  the  great  exertions  of 
Captain  Berry  while  at  anchor  in  the  Sardinian  harbour  of 
St.  Pietro,  whence  she  again  sailed  in  tolerable  order. 

Soon  after  the  termination  of  the  tremendous  conflict  in 
Aboukir  Bay,  Captain  Berry  was  sent  to  the  Commander-in- 
chief  with  the  Rear- Admiral's  despatches ;  from  which  we 
make  the  following  extract:  —  "  The  support  and  assistance  I 
have  received  from  Captain  Berry  cannot  be  sufficiently  ex- 
pressed. I  was  wounded  in  the  head,  and  obliged  to  be  car- 
ried off  the  deck ;  but  the  service  suffered  no  loss  by  that  event. 
Captain  Berry  was  fully  equal  to  the  important  service  then 
going  on ;  and  to  him  I  must  beg  leave  to  refer  you  for  every 
information  relative  to  this  victory.  He  will  present  you  with 
the  flag  of  the  second  in  command,  that  of  the  Commander-in- 
chief  being  burnt  in  POrient." 

On  his  passage  down  the  Mediterranean  in  the  Leander,  of 
50  guns,  commanded  by  the  late  Sir  T.  B.  Thompson,  our 
officer  had  the  misfortune  to  be  made  prisoner  by  Le  Gene- 
reux,  a  French  74-.  He  also  received  a  severe  wound  in  the 

VOL.  XVI.  N 


178  SIR   EDWARD    BERRY. 

desperate  action  which  took  place  on  that  occasion.  The 
enemy,  on  taking  possession  of  their  prize,  not  only  plundered 
the  officers  and  crew  of  every  thing  they  possessed,  but  after- 
wards, by  their  cruelty  and  neglect,  exposed  the  sick  and 
wounded  to  almost  certain  death.  However,  Captains  Thomp- 
son and  Berry  were  permitted  to  return,  on  their  parole  of 
honour,  to  England,  where  they  were  received  by  their  coun- 
trymen with  great  applause.  Sir  Horatio  Nelson's  duplicate 
despatches  had,  in  the  mean  time,  been  brought  home  overland 
by  the  Hon.  Captain  Capel ;  and  honours  of  every  kind  were 
decreed  to  the  conquerors  of  the  Nile.  Captain  Berry  was 
knighted  by  his  Sovereign,  on  the  12th  of  December,  1798; 
received  a  gold  medal  in  common  with  the  other  officers  who 
had  shared  in  the  late  triumph ;  and  was  presented  with  the 
freedom  of  the  metropolis  in  a  gold  box,  value  100  guineas. 
He  also  received  the  thanks  of  the  Court- Martial  held  to 
enquire  into  the  circumstances  attending  the  capture  of  the 
Leander,  "  for  the  gallant  and  active  zeal  he  manifested,  by 
giving  his  assistance  in  the  combat." 

In  the  autumn  of  1799,  Sir  Edward  Berry  repaired  once 
more  to  the  Mediterranean,  as  Captain  of  Lord  Nelson's  flag- 
ship, the  Foudroyant;  and  early  in  the  following  year  had  the 
satisfaction  of  assisting  at  the  capture  of  his  old  opponent,  Le 
Genereux,  and  of  Le  Guillaume  Tell,  a  French  80,  the  only 
remaining  ship  which  had  escaped  from  the  battle  in  Aboukir 
Bay.  In  this  conflict,  the  Foudroyant  expended  a  hundred 
and  sixty-two  barrels  of  gunpowder,  and  two  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  forty-nine  cannon  shot  of  various  sizes.  A  more 
heroic  defence  than  that  made  by  the  Guillaume  Tell  is  not 
on  record.  Her  colours  were  kept  flying  until  she  had  be- 
come an  ungovernable  log  ;  and  she  sustained  a  loss  of  two 
hundred  men  killed  and  wounded.  The  Foudroyant's  loss 
was  eight  men  killed,  and  sixty-one  wounded.  During  the 
action,  Sir  Edward  Berry,  who  displayed  the  same  matchless 
intrepidity  and  able  conduct  that  he  had  done  before  in  many 
trying  situations,  was  hurt  in  the  foot,  but  not  so  much  as  to 
induce  him  to  quit  the  deck.  Some  time  afterwards  he  pre- 


SIR    EDWARD    BERRY.  179 

sented  the  ensign  of  Le  G6nereux  to  the  corporation  of  Nor- 
wich ;  by  whom  it  was  suspended  in  St.  Andrew's  Hall,  with 
an  appropriate  inscription  and  trophies. 

In  the  month  of  June  following,  Sir  Edward  conveyed  the 
Queen  of  Naples,  her  family  and  attendants,  from  Palermo  to 
Leghorn;  from  which  place  Lord  Nelson  proceeded  across 
the  Continent  on  his  way  to  England,  and  the  Foudroyant  to 
Minorca  to  refit.  Previously  to  the  landing  of  the  above  per- 
sonages, her  Sicilian  Majesty  presented  Sir  Edward  with  a 
gold  box,  set  with  brilliants,  and  a  diamond  ring. 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  the  same  year,  our  officer  re- 
turned to  England  in  the  Princess  Charlotte  frigate ;  and 
during  the  remainder  of  the  war  he  commanded  the  Ruby,  of 
64  guns,  stationed  in  the  North  Sea. 

In  the  summer  of  1805,  Sir  Edward  Berry  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  Agamemnon,  of  64-  guns ;  and  sent  to 
join  Nelson's  fleet.  On  his  passage  out,  he  most  conspicuously 
evinced  his  profound  knowledge  of  seamanship.  During  the 
night,  he  found  himself  with  a  single  ship,  and  that  very  old 
and  of  very  small  dimensions  for  her  rate,  in  the  midst  of  the 
Rochfort  squadron,  consisting  of  five  sail  of  the  line,  two 
frigates,  and  a  brig,  off  Cape  Finisterre.  He  well  knew  the 
value  to  Lord  Nelson  of  every  additional  ship,  uninjured  and 
without  delay;  and,  by  his  superior  seamanship  and  skill,  he 
contrived  to  get  away  from  them,  and  joined  Lord  Nelson  a 
short  time  before  the  great  battle  of  Trafalgar :  and  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  Lordship  and  the  Lords 
of  the  Admiralty  highly  commended  his  conduct  on  this 
occasion. 

At  the  battle  off  Cape  Trafalgar  (the  21st  of  October,  1805), 
and  its  unparalleled  victory,  which  totally  frustrated  Bona- 
parte's plan  for  invading  England  from  Boulogne,  the  Agamem- 
non was  the  eighth  ship  of  the  van  column  of  the  British  fleet; 
and  Sir  Edward  Berry,  as  usual,  sustained  his  high  and 
bravely  earned  reputation,  under  the  heroic  chief,  who  fell  in 
the  arms  of  glorious  Victory,  and  whose  memory  will  be  ever 
dear  to  the  British  navy  and  the  British  nation. 

N  2 


180  SIR    EDWARD    BERRY. 

After  this  memorable  event,  Sir  Edward  proceeded  to  the 
West  Indies  in  the  same  ship,  the  Agamemnon,  and  parti- 
cipated in  the  victory  gained  by  Sir  Thomas  Duckworth,  on 
the  6th  of  February,  1806,  off  St.  Domingo.  On  that  occa- 
sion, having  silenced  a  74-gun  ship,  and  caused  her  to  strike 
her  colours,  he  hastened  to  attack  another;  when,  to  his 
great  surprise,  the  first  ship  re-hoisted  her  colours,  and  was 
again  captured ;  which  circumstance  caused  some  unpleasant 
altercation  after  the  action. 

Upon  his  return  home,  the  Committee  of  the  Patriotic 
Fund  at  Lloyd's  presented  Sir  Edward  with  a  sword,  value 
100  guineas,  also  with  three  silver  vases,  commemorative  of 
the  three  great  battles  in  which  he  had  been  engaged.  He 
also  received  two  medals  from  the  King;  one  for  the  action 
of  Trafalgar,  and  the  other  for  the  action  of  St.  Domingo ; 
ancThaving  previously  obtained  a  medal  for  the  action  of  the 
Nile,  he  was  the  only  officer  of  his  Majesty's  navy  who  had 
the  honour  of  possessing  three  medals.  At  the  close  of  the 
same  year  he  was  created  a  Baronet,  by  patent,  dated  Dec. 
12.  1806. 

In  the  autumn  of  181 1,  Sir  Edward  obtained  the  command 
of  the  Sceptre,  of  74-  guns  ;  from  which  ship  he  was  removed 
the  next  year  into  the  Barfleur,  of  98  guns ;  and  again  sent 
to  the  Mediterranean,  under  Lord  Exmouth. 

In  December,  1813,  Sir  Edward  was  appointed  to  the 
Royal  Sovereign  yacht;  and  in  the  summer  of  the  following 
year,  he  was  in  attendance  on  the  allied  monarchs,  during 
their  visit  to  the  fleet,  at  Spithead.  He  subsequently  com- 
manded the  Royal  George,  another  yacht;  and  on  the  2d 
January,  1815,  was  nominated  a  K.  C.B.  At  the  general 
promotion,  August  12.  1819,  he  obtained  one  of  the  vacant 
Colonelcies  of  Royal  Marines;  on  the  19th  July,  1821,  was 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  Rear- Admiral  of  the  Blue ;  and  sub- 
sequently to  that  of  Rear- Admiral  of  the  Red. 

For  several  years  this  distinguished  officer  had  been  suf- 
fering under  severe  illness  and  extreme  debility,  the  effect  of 
paralysis,  which  rendered  him  totally  incapable  of  taking  upon 


SIR    EDWARD    BERRY.  181 

himself  the  active  duties  for  which  his  distinguished  talents  in 
his  profession,  and  his  high  character,  so  eminently  qualified 
him.  At  the  restoration  of  peace,  in  18 14-,  he  returned  to 
Norfolk,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Catton,  near  Norwich; 
whence  after  some  years  he  proceeded  to  Bath,  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health.  With  the  same  design,  the  gallant  Baronet 
subsequently  made  a  continental  tour ;  and  lived  for  some  time 
at  Pisa,  in  Italy.  The  hopes  of  re-establishing  health  were 
unhappily  not  realised;  and  he  returned  to  Bath,  where  he 
expired  on  the  13th  of  February,  1831 ;  aged  sixty-two. 

Sir  Edward  Berry  was  remarkable  for  his  coolness  and  in- 
trepidity in  carrying  into  action  his  ship,  which  was  at  all 
times  well  disciplined1,  but  without  undue  severity  and  co- 
ercion. In  private  life  he  was  exemplary  for  strict  integrity, 
and  was  a  sincere  friend. 

Sir  Edward  married,  on  the  12th  of  December,  1797,  his 
first  cousin,  Louisa,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Forster, 
D.  D.,  Rector  of  Shotley,  in  Suffolk,  who  survives  him ;  but 
he  died  without  issue,  and  the  Baronetcy  has  consequently 
become  extinct. 

His  funeral,  which  took  place  at  Bath,  was  attended  by 
upwards  of  sixty  officers  of  the  navy  and  army,  who  volun- 
teered to  pay  this  last  token  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  one 
who  had  served  his  country  with  such  distinguished  honour; 
and  the  pall  was  supported  by  Vice- Admirals  Sir  Henry 
Bayntun,  K.  C.  B.,  Sir  William  Hargood,  K.  C.  B.,  and 
Richard  Dacres,  and  Rear- Admirals  Joseph  Fuller,  Charles 
Cunningham,  and  Robert  R.  Fitzgerald. 

There  are  several  engraved  portraits  of  Sir  Edward  Berry ; 
two  of  them  are  from  a  miniature  by  Grimaldi,  and  another 
was  drawn  and  engraved  by  Or  me. 


The  materials  for  this  little  memoir  have  been  derived  from 
several  sources ;  but  principally  from  Marshall's  Royal  Naval 
Biography. 


N  3 


182 


No.  XIII. 

JOHN  MACKIE,  M.D. 

HOWEVER  mournful  it  is  to  dwell  on  departed  excellence,  and 
to  record  those  talents  and  virtues  which  are  for  ever  lost  to 
us  in  this  world,  still  there  is  a  melancholy  gratification  in  the 
task;  and  in  the  following  faithful  sketch  of  a  character  so 
truly  benevolent  and  amiable  as  that  of  Dr.  Mackie,  we  may 
hope  to  direct  the  attention  of  our  readers  with  advantage  to 
those  habits  and  pursuits  which  conduced  to  make  him  pass 
above  eighty  years  in  the  perfect  enjoyment  of  all  his  faculties, 
and  the  beautiful  serenity  of  a  contented  mind.  We  may 
profit  by  his  experience;  and  learn  from  him,  that  "  the  great 
secrets  of  human  happiness  are  a  good  conscience,  occupation, 
order,  and  an  anxiety  for  the  happiness  of  others." 

Dr.  John  Mackie  was  born  under  the  same  roof  as  Charles 
the  First,  in  part  of  the  ancient  Abbey  of  Dunfermline,  in  the 
county  of  Fife,  in  the  year  174-8;  and  was  descended  from  a 
very  ancient  Highland  family,  who  possessed  the  lands  of 
Creigh,  Spanzedell,  and  Polrossie,  in  Sutherland,  so  far  back 
as  the  year  1427.*  But  the  highly  gifted  subject  of  this  brief 
memoir  was  not  a  person  who  stood  in  need  of  this  sort  of 
illustration,  or,  indeed,  who  was  desirous  of  borrowing  merit 
from  the  dead. 

The  eldest  of  fifteen  children  (his  father  having  been  thrice 
married),  he  was  early  engaged  in  the  busy  scenes  of  life; 
and  his  visits  to  his  native  city  were  consequently  "  few  and 

•  Donald  M'Kie,  or  M'Kay,  the  immediate  ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the 
family,  who  signalised  himself  at  the  battle  of  Tuttumtarwigh,  A.  D.  1406,  was 
the  third  son  of  Neil,  eighth  Baron  of  Farre,  in  Strathnaver,  brother  to  Angus 
the  ancestor  of  Lord  Reay. 


DR.  MACKIE.  183 

far  between :"  yet  his  name  will  ever  be  revered  by  his  towns- 
men, as  doing  honour  to  his  birth-place;  being  always  con- 
nected with  acts  of  generosity  and  kindness  to  all  who  in  any 
way  needed  his  assistance.  He  never  forgot  an  old  familiar 
face;  and  the  Scottish  accent  was  always  a  passport  to  his 
heart. 

Being  intended  at  an  early  age  for  the  medical  profession, 
he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  Dr.  John  Stedman,  and  ac- 
companied him  to  the  University  of  Edinburgh  in  1763. 
Here,  by  extraordinary  diligence  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge, 
and  an  unusual  aptitude  for  acquiring  every  sort  of  information, 
he  soon  became  a  favourite  pupil  in  the  classes  of  Cullen, 
Monro,  Gregory,  and  Black ;  and  we  have  the  authority  of 
his  schoolfellow,  the  late  Sir  Henry  Moncrieff  Wellwood 
(himself  one  of  the  most  universally  respected  men  of  his 
time),  for  saying,  that,  both  at  school  and  at  college,  young 
Mackie  was  the  most  remarkably  popular  youth  he  had  ever 
known.  During  one  of  his  vacations,  he  made  a  voyage  to 
Greenland,  to  see  the  only  foreign  country  which  was  then 
accessible  to  him.  This  love  of  travel  was,  in  later  years, 
amply  gratified. 

Dr.  Mackie  first  settled  in  practice  at  Huntingdon,  and 
afterwards  at  Southampton,  where  he  remained  above  twenty 
years,  although  tempted  in  the  course  of  that  period,  by  strong 
solicitations,  to  move  both  to  Bath  and  to  London.  It  has 
been  well  observed  by  Paley,  that,  if  a  metropolitan  residence 
presents  more  attractions  to  a  man  of  talent  than  a  provincial 
town,  he  is  often  rewarded  for  resisting  them,  by  the  closer 
friendships  which  local  circumstances  throw  in  his  way,  by  a 
greater  degree  of  independence,  and  by  the  consciousness  of 
being  the  means  of  improving  the  tone  of  the  little  circle  around 
him.  Of  these  advantages  Dr.  Mackie  was  perfectly  sensible ; 
and  he  was  confirmed  in  them  by  a  conversation  with  Dr. 
Baillie,  about  the  year  1 804.  On  casually  complimenting  that 
illustrious  physician,  during  a  medical  consultation,  on  the 
pre-eminence  to  which  he  had  attained,  Dr.  Baillie  replied,  in 
an  impressive  manner,  "  Dr.  Mackie,  you  are  the  object  of  my 

N  4 


184-  DR.  MACKIE. 

envy :  you  have  a  full  practice  in  the  country ;  you  are  actively 
employed,  without  being  harassed ;  you  enjoy  pure  air,  the 
society  of  friends,  and  intervals  of  leisure,  which  /  can  scarcely 
ever  command;  and  you  talk  of  retiring  from  business  in  a 
few  years,  whilst  I  feel  that  I  shall  die  in  harness."* 

On  a  calm  retrospection  of  his  life,  Dr.  Mackie  was  indeed 
accustomed  to  consider  this  as  the  happiest  period  of  it ;  for, 
besides  the  satisfaction  of  having  extended  the  sphere  of  his 
practice  over  an  immense  surface,  being  often  called  into  the 
neighbouring  counties  of  Wilts,  Dorset,  Sussex,  Surrey,  and 
even  beyond  Henley-upon-Thames,  he  had  the  pleasure  of 
knowing  that  none  of  his  numerous  competitors  ever  spoke  of 
him  with  any  other  feeling  than  that  of  cordial  esteem.  Few 
men,  in  the  course  of  a  long  professional  career,  have  encoun- 
tered less  personal  enmity,  or  conciliated  more  valuable  and 
lasting  friendships.  To  him  we  may  apply  the  words  of  the 
President  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians,  speaking  of 
Warren,  "  Nemo  eo  semel  usus  est  medico,  quin  socium  vo- 
luerit,  et  amicum." 

In  that  quality  which  ought  to  be  the  brightest  ornament 
of  a  British  physician  —  disinterestedness,  he  was  pre-eminent. 
His  attention  being  devoted  to  the  higher  objects  of  his  pro- 
fession, he  could  not  stoop  to  petty  gains;  and  he  had  so  much 
of  that  liberality  which  belongs  to  a  truly  philosophic  mind, 
that  he  is  believed  to  have  refused  half  as  many  fees  as  he 
received. 

Few  practitioners  had  a  better  knowledge  of  the  treatment 
of  consumption.  Patients  in  that  disease  were  sent  to  him 
from  the  metropolis,  and  from  the  northern  counties ;  and  he 
was  in  frequent  correspondence  and  consultation  with  the  first 
names  of  the  profession  —  Sir  Lucas  Pepys,  Sir  Richard  and 
John  Jebb,  William  and  John  Hunter,  Lettsom,  Fothergill, 
Pitcairn,  Saunders,  Denman,  Reynolds,  Pemberton,  Farquhar, 
Fraser,  Baillie,  Halford,  Knighton,  Bain  (of  London),  Andrew 

*  This  melancholy  anticipation  was  realised,  Dr.  Baillie  having  been  cut  off 
in  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age.  (See  the  Eighth  Volume  of  the  Annual 
Biography  and  Obituary.) 


DR.  MACKIE.  185 

Duncan,  sen.  (of  Edinburgh),  Percival,  the  younger  (of  Dub- 
lin), Wall  (of  Oxford),  Pennington  (of  Cambridge),  Falconer 
(of  Bath),  Raitt  (of  Huntingdon),  Moncrieffe  (of  Bristol), 
Carrick  (of  Clifton),  Fowler  (of  Salisbury),  Robertson  Bar- 
clay (of  Cavill),  and  John  Storer  (of  Nottingham).  To  all  of 
these  he  was  more  or  less  personally  known  ;  but  with  the 
two  latter  estimable  men  he  maintained  an  uninterrupted 
friendship  and  epistolary  intercourse  for  more  than  half  a 
century. 

Whilst  in  full  business,  Dr.  Mackie  contrived  to  read  a 
great  deal,  and,  as  it  were,  to  make  time  to  peruse  the  most 
remarkable  publications  of  the  day  ;  but  this  was  not  done 
without  detriment  to  his  eyes,  by  reading  constantly  with  open 
curtains  at  earliest  dawn,  and,  afterwards,  in  the  day-time, 
during  his  rapid  journeys  in  his  carriage.  We  may  here 
mention,  that  his  favourite  English  author  was  Young,  and 
his  favourite  Latin  classic  Horace.  An  edition  of  each  of 
these  writers  was  always  to  be  found  in  the  pockets  of  his 
postchaise.  We  have  sometimes  seen  there  an  odd  volume 
of  Guy  Patin,  and  some  of  the  witty  productions  of  Dr 
Gregory. 

His  handwriting,  like  all  his  other  accomplishments,  was 
elegant,  and  very  different  from  the  slovenly  scrawl  of  many 
eminent  physicians,  who  appear  to  esteem  too  lightly  the 
habit  of  distinct  writing  —  a  habit  which,  it  may  be  remarked, 
not  only  gives  pleasure  in  the  communications  of  friendship, 
but  which  may  extend  life  itself,  by  promoting  accuracy  in  the 
compounding  of  medicines. 

Though  educated  under  his  maternal  uncle,  Andrew  Do- 
naldson *,  whose  religious  opinions  were  peculiar;  and  though 
belonging  to  a  profession  which  has  been  too  frequently  ac- 
cused of  a  leaning  towards  scepticism ;  it  is  gratifying  to  know 
that  Dr.  Mackie  always  acknowledged  his  belief  in  the  divine 
inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  and  that  he  was  firmly  attached 

*  An  etching  of  this  extraordinary  character  exists,  though  very  rare,  by  Kay, 
in  which  he  is  represented  with  a  flowing  beard,  reading  a  Hebrew  Bible,  on  a 
bookseller's  counter. 


186  »R.  MACKIE. 

to  the  Church'  of  England.  He  may  be  said  to  have  been 
passionately  fond  of  pulpit  eloquence, —  an  attentive  listener  to, 
and  more  than  once  in  his  life  a  composer  of,  sermons,  Even 
when  fully  occupied,  he  was  a  regular  attendant  on  the  ministry 
of  his  learned  rector,  Doctor  Richard  Mant  (father  of  the  pre- 
sent Bishop  of  Down  and  Connor),  constantly  and  cordially 
co-operating  with  him  in  his  benevolent  exertions  for  the  good 
of  his  extensive  parish  of  All  Saints.  With  party  politics  he 
never  interfered;  and,  though  a  supporter  of  Mr.  Pitt's 
measures,  during  the  period  of  the  French  revolution,  he 
always  abstained  from  voting  in  the  memorable  election  con- 
tests at  Southampton, 

In  the  year  1814,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  general  peace, 
Dr.  Mackie  resolved  to  obey  the  judicious  precept  of  Horace, 
"  solve  senescentem  ; "  and  prepared  to  quit  a  profession  to 
which  he  had  devoted  forty  of  the  best  years  of  his  life,  with 
singular  assiduity  and  success.  He  left  Southampton,  not 
without  some  painful  struggles,  on  the  27th  of  September ; 
and  many  will  still  remember  the  affecting  parting  with  his 
friends  on  that  day.  In  walking  from  his  own  residence 
above  the  Bar  to  the  Quay,  opposite  the  Custom-house,  where 
he  embarked  for  Havre,  on  board  the  Chesterfield,  Captain 
Wood,  he  was  detained  more  than  three  hours  receiving,  as 
he  went  along,  the  affectionate  farewells  of  his  patients,  and 
of  many  inhabitants  and  visiters,  to  whom  he  was  before  un- 
known. This  scene  of  melancholy  gratification  was  relieved 
only  by  a  bon  mot  of  Mr.  Jekyll,  then  residing  at  Paultons : 
"  Oh  !  Doctor,  you  are  only  going  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
Cyclades  (sick  ladies) :  we  shall  soon  have  you  back  amongst 
us."  The  remark  was  not  only  humorous,  but  in  some  de- 
gree prophetic;  for  Dr.  Mackie  had  no  sooner  arrived  in  Paris 
than  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  requested  his  advice ;  and  a  few  days 
after  he  reached  Marseilles,  Lord  Winchelsea  called  on  him 
to  desire  his  attendance  on  his  sister,  Mrs.  Fielding.  With 
both  these  requests  he  cheerfully  complied ;  observing  to  the 
last-mentioned  nobleman,  that  when  he  quitted  England  he 
meant  to  leave  behind  him  the  practice  of  physic,  but  that 


DR.  MACKIE.  187 

his  leisure  and  experience  should  always  be  at  the  service  of 
his  countrymen.  Some  years  afterwards,  when  on  the  verge 
of  seventy,  heedless  of  fatigue  or  inconvenience,  he  made  two 
long  and  arduous  journeys  in  Italy :  the  one  over  the  Apen- 
nines, by  night,  from  Florence  to  Bologna,  to  visit  Lord 
Hinchingbroke,  the  great  grandson  of  his  first  and  earliest 
patron,  the  Admiralty  Lord  Sandwich,  as  he  was  called ;  the 
other  from  Rome  to  Naples,  through  a  country  at  that 
moment  infested  with  robbers,  expressly  to  attend  Lady 
Glenbervie,  who  was  dangerously  ill. 

But  if  Dr.  Mackie,  when  abroad,  had  abundant  exercise 
amongst  his  countrymen  for  his  professional  talents,  they  were 
by  no  means  suffered  to  lie  dormant  amongst  foreigners.  At 
Rome  (where  he  was  called,  by  way  of  eminence,  "  il  celebre 
Medico  Inglese,")  he  was  consulted  by  the  Queen  of  Spain, 
the  Prince  Poniatowski,  and  Louis  Bonaparte  * ;  at  Geneva, 
by  the  celebrated  jurist,  Etienne  Dumont,  and  by  Mons.  De 
Rocca,  the  second  husband  of  Madame  de  Stael. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  because  we  have  necessarily  intro- 
duced into  this  memoir  the  names  of  a  few  great  and  opulent 
individuals,  that  Dr.  Mackie  confined  his  attention  solely  to 
them ;  for  it  may  be  safely  stated,  that  no  English  physician 
on  the  Continent  held  his  talents  and  knowledge  more  uni- 
versally at  the  command  of  his  poorer  fellow-countrymen. 
Comparatively  speaking,  there  are  but  few  indigent  travellers 
residing  in,  or  passing  through,  the  great  cities  of  Europe. 
Some,  however,  especially  in  the  seaports,  are  to  be  met  with  ; 
and  these,  whenever  they  applied  to  Dr.  Mackie,  were  sure 
to  find  relief  from  his  purse,  if  they  did  not  derive  benefit 
from  his  prescriptions. 

From  many  of  the  French  emigrants,  to  whom,  during  the 
years  1793,  1794,  and  1795,  he  had  been  kind  at  Southampton, 
attending  their  sick  beds  gratuitously,  sending  them  provisions 
from  his  kitchen,  and  emptying  his  wardrobe,  to  supply  their 

*  Having  refused  pecuniary  remuneration  for  his  attendance,  the  ex-King 
presented  him  with  two  views  of  Tivoli,  by  Granet, —  an  artist  since  known  to  the 
British  public  by  his  interior  of  a  convent,  purchased  for  George  the  Fourth. 


188  DR.  MACKIE. 

immediate  wants,  he  received  the  most  gratifying  civilities 
during  his  travels  in  France.  It  has  been  too  much  the  cus- 
tom in  England  to  denounce  this  class  of  men  as  heartless  and 
ungrateful,  forgetting,  or  unwilling  to  acknowledge,  that  series 
of  kindnesses  which  preserved  them  from  starvation  and  mas- 
sacre. A  writer  of  travels  has  gone  so  far  as  to  state,  that  a  glass 
of  eau  sucree  was  the  extent  of  their  practical  hospitality  to 
their  English  friends.  This  colouring  Dr.  Mackie  was  enabled 
to  declare  to  be  false,  from  his  own  repeated  experience ;  and 
he  has  been  heard  to  say,  that  gratitude,  hospitality,  and  com- 
plaisance were  never  more  beautifully  combined,  than  in 
the  entertainments  given  to  him  by  M.  des  Moulins,  at  Bor- 
deaux ;  M.  S9evole  Cazotte,  and  M.  Auguste  de  la  Tour,  at 
Versailles ;  M.  le  Marechal  de  Viomenil,  at  Paris ;  M.  le 
Marquis  d'Albertas,  at  Marseilles;  and  M.  de  Montblanc 
(well  known  in  the  University  of  Oxford  as  an  able  teacher  of 
the  French  and  Italian  languages  during  the  revolution),  now 
Archbishop  of  Tours. 

Dr.  Mackie  passed  the  greater  part  of  ten  years  on  the 
Continent;  sojourning  chiefly  at  Spa,  Brussels,  Baden,  Vichy, 
Tours,  Marseilles,  Nice,  Genoa,  Milan,  Florence,  Rome, 
Venice,  Naples,  Berne,  Geneva,  and  Vevey.  At  the  latter 
place  he  printed  (for  private  distribution  only)  an  essay,  en- 
titled, "  A  Sketch  of  a  new  Theory  of  Man ; "  which  was 
immediately  translated  into  French,  by  M.  le  Ministre  Mon- 
neron,  of  Oron,  in  the  Canton  de  Vaud.  This  little  work,  to 
those  who  enjoyed  the  acquaintance  of  its  author,  will  always 
remain  valuable,  as  reflecting  an  image  of  his  mind,  and 
reviving  his  favourite  notions  in  their  recollection,  together 
with  his  terse,  lucid,  and  classical  method  of  conveying 
them. 

It  is  to  be  lamented,  that  the  subject  of  our  memoir  had  so 
little  of  the  prevalent  passion  for  authorship,  and  that  he  never 
was  a  candidate  for  literary  fame.  During  the  course  of  his 
practice,  he  considered  it,  indeed,  to  be  his  duty  to  publish 
several  remarkable  medical  cases.  One  of  these,  on  Tetanus, 
has  been  transferred  to  the  pages  of  the  Encyclopaedia ;  and 


IXR.  MACKIE.  189 

was  lately  quoted  from  the  chair  of  the  Professor  of  Medicine 
at  the  London  University.  But  he  could  not  be  prevailed  on 
to  give  to  the  world  a  series  of  Letters  on  Education,  written 
to  his  son  during  the  first  year  of  his  residence  at  Oxford ; 
nor  some  observations  on  Regimen,  addressed  to  a  foreign 
physician  :  the  latter  subject  being  one  to  which  he  was  well 
known  to  have  paid  particular  attention. 

There  is  another  subject,  on  which,  on  his  retirement  from 
the  world,  he  was  recommended  by  the  late  Mr.  Townsend 
to  employ  his  pen,  —  namely,  the  Biography  of  his  contem- 
poraries. For  a  work  of  this  sort  he  was  admirably  qualified, 
having  a  memory  stored  with  anecdote,  and  having  been  per- 
sonally known  to  so  many  distinguished  men.  From  the 
peculiar  advantage  of  Dr.  Stedman's  early  introductions — from 
his  intimacy  with  the  noble  families  of  Hinchingbroke  and 
Broadlands,  where  literary  characters  used  to  assemble  at 
certain  periods  of  the  year  —  from  his  residence  at  a  place  of 
fashionable  resort,  like  Southampton  —  and  from  his  long 
sejour  in  several  of  the  capitals  of  Europe  — it  is  not  surprising 
that  a  person  of  popular  manners,  and  fascinating  conversation, 
living  almost  to  a  Nestorian  age,  and  having  seen  nearly  three 
generations,  should  have  formed  a  very  numerous  acquaint- 
ance. A  list  now  before  us  shows  Dr.  Mackie  to  have  been 
known  to  the  following  celebrated  persons,  in  addition  to 
those  eminent  men  of  his  own  profession  whom  we  have 
already  enumerated:  —  Hume,  Robertson,  Blair,  Johnson, 
Boswell,  Langton,  Home  Tooke,  Antisejanus  Scott,  Lord 
Buchan,  Mark  Noble,  Basil  Montagu,  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
Omai,  Dr.  Solander,  Captain  Cook,  Lord  Rodney,  Howard 
the  philanthropist,  Sir  H.  Englefield,  the  first  Earl  of  Malmes- 
bury,  Count  Rumford,  Lord  Glenbervie,  Mitford  the  historian, 
Lord  Byron,  Tierney,  Sheridan,  Dugald  Stewart,  Andrew 
Dalzell,  Dr.  Wolcot,  Archbishop  Magee,  Bishop  Tomline, 
John  -Eardley  Wilmot,  J.  J.  Conybeare,  Thomas  Bowdler, 
Frederick  North,  Mrs.  Eliz.  Carter,  Mrs.  Piozzi,  Mrs.  Grant 
of  Laggan,  Madame  d' Albany  (widow  of  the  Pretender), 
Madame  de  Montolieu  (authoress  of  "  Caroline  de  Lichfeld"), 


DR.  MACKIE. 

Miss  L.  M.  Hawkins,  Mrs.  Barbauld,  J.  G.  Le  Maistre,  De 
Sismondi,  Berthollet,  Denon,  Massena,  Maret,  Le  Chevalier, 
Thorvaldsen,  Fabbroni,  Akerblad,  Acerbe,  Simond,  Canova, 
&c.  Of  these  eminent  individuals,  in  his  latter  days,  he  used 
to  converse  with  unusual  animation ;  and  it  was  like  lifting  up 
the  curtain  of  the  past,  to  hear  this  venerable  octogenarian 
talking  of  the  master-spirits  of  his  time.  Nor  was  there  any 
of  that  moroseness  about  him,  in  speaking  of  by-gone  times, 
for  which  Horace  Walpole,  and  many  of  the  literati  of  the 
last  century,  seemed  inclined  to  plead  a  sort  of  privilege. 
Miss  Hawkins,  in  her  memoirs,  speaks  of  him  as  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  conversationists  she  had  ever  known  ;  bringing 
to  bear  on  all  subjects  the  resources  of  a  ready,  acute,  and 
luminous  mind. 

On  his  return  from  the  Continent,  Dr.  Mackie  was  applied 
to  by  Sir  Walter  Farquhar  to  take  charge  of  several  invalids, 
who  were  about  to  repair  thither  for  the  sake  of  health ;  but 
a  feeling  consciousness  of  diminished  powers,  which  none  but 
himself  perceived,  and  which  is  peculiar  to  men  of  a  strong 
character,  induced  him  to  decline  some  flattering  and  profit- 
able offers.  He  fixed  on  Bath,  that  delightful  cradle  of  old 
age,  as  a  residence  for  several  winters ;  but  a  severe  domestic  ca- 
lamity (the  premature  death  of  his  son-in-law,  in  1827),  which 
he  felt  with  all  the  keen  sensibility  of  youth,  brought  him  to 
Chichester,  where  he  breathed  his  last,  on  the  29th  of  January, 
1831,  after  a  residence  of  three  years.  He  was  nearly  eighty 
when  he  came  to  settle  at  that  place.  Age  had  already  dim- 
med, though  not  obscured,  the  brightness  of  his  faculties,  and 
weakened  his  power,  but  not  his  inclination,  to  do  good.  Al- 
though he  could  not,  as  formerly,  attract  by  the  force  of  his 
eloquence,  or  inspire  gratitude  by  his  skill  and  tenderness  in 
alleviating  disease;  yet  the  charm  of  natural  politeness  and 
cheerful  piety  operated  equally  on  young  and  old,  high  and 
low,  who  were  brought  within  his  sphere,  and  inspired  those 
with  warm  attachment  who  knew  him  only  in  the  vale  of 
years.  His  family  had  the  inexpressible  pleasure  of  seeing 
him  valued  and  beloved,  at  a  period  when  many  are  thought 


DR.  MACKIE.  191 

useless  members  of  society ;  thus  proving,  that  neither  youth, 
nor  vigour,  nor  eloquence,  nor  science,  nor  even  usefulness, 
is  necessary  to  conciliate  love.  Benevolence,  a  total  forget- 
fulness  of  self,  and  consideration  for  others,  will  invest  age 
and  infirmity  with  the  powers  of  pleasing,  and  will  ensure 
happiness  to  the  possessor  of  such  a  disposition.  Instead  of 
the  tardy  and  reluctant  services  of  unwilling  attendants,  he 
engaged  the  devoted  attention  of  all  who  approached  him; 
and,  if  he  often  expressed  great  partiality  for  the  inhabitants 
of  Chichester,  they  returned  his  affection  with  every  possible 
mark  of  kindness  and  regard.  He  retained  his  faculties  till 
within  a  few  hours  of  his  decease ;  and  his  death,  which  was 
without  a  struggle,  cannot  be  better  described  than  in  the 
words  of  Suetonius :  — "  Sortitus  exitum  facilem,  et  qualem 
semper  optaverat;  nam  fere  quoties  audisset  cito  ac  nullo  cru- 
ciatu  defunctum  quempiam,  sibi  et  suis  ei»0ava<nav  similem  (hoc 
enim  verbo  uti  solebat)  precabatur."  His  abstemious  habits 
and  natural  activity,  joined  to  a  fine  constitution,  had  enabled 
him  to  enjoy  a  most  extraordinary  length  of  uninterrupted 
health ;  for,  except  a  slight  attack  on  his  lungs,  which  he 
parried  by  drinking  the  goat's  milk  at  Amubrie,  in  the  High- 
lands, in  1 790,  he  was  never  confined  by  sickness  to  bed  forty- 
eight  hours  in  his  life.  To  his  extreme  temperance  also  may 
fairly  be  attributed,  under  Providence,  much  of  the  comfort 
and  tranquillity  of  his  old  age;  his  total  freedom  from  pain  or 
irritability;  and  the  great  blessing  of  preserving  his  judgment 
unclouded,  and  his  memory  unimpaired,  to  the  close  of 
life. 

His  remains  were  interred,  by  his  own  express  desire,  in 
the  most  private  manner,  in  the  village  church-yard  of  West 
Hampnett,  near  Chichester.  The  mourners  were  —  his  son, 
the  Rev.  John  William  Mackie;  his  nephew,  the  Rev.  George 
Porcher,  of  Oakwood ;  and  his  friend  .Dr.  Forbes,  who  had 
watched  his  gradual  decline  with  unremitting  kindness  and 
assiduity.  The  funeral  service  was  performed  by  the  worthy 
Vicar,  the  Rev.  Cecil  Greene,  who  alluded .  to  his  loss, 


192  DR.  MACKIE. 

in  a  very  feeling  manner,  in  a  sermon  preached  on  the  sub- 
sequent Sunday.  The  Rev.  Charles  Hardy  also  preached 
a  funeral  sermon  at  the  Sub- deanery  Church  in  Chichester, 
taking  for  his  text,  "  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  right- 
eous." This  sermon  was  much  admired  for  its  simplicity 
and  truth. 

Dr.  Mackie  was  married,  in  1784,  to  Dorothea  Sophia, 
eldest  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Des  Champs  (de  Marsilly), 
Rector  of  Pillesden,  Dorset,  and  Chaplain  to  the  Queen  of 
Prussia.  This  lady  was  allied  to  some  of  the  most  illustrious 
Protestant  families  in  France.  Her  maternal  ancestor,  Daniel 
Chamier,  the  intrepid  leader  of  that  virtuous  and  persecuted 
body,  boldly  advocated  their  cause  in  several  interviews  with 
Henry  the  Fourth ;  and  was  subsequently  fixed  on  to  draw 
up  the  famous  Edict  of  Nantes,  the  revocation  of  which,  in 
the  reign  of  Louis  the  Fourteenth,  was  so  disastrous  to 
France,  and  so  beneficial  to  England,  Holland,  and  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Mackie  was  much  admired  for  the  brilliancy 
of  her  wit  (which  is  hereditary  in  the  Chamier  family),  as 
well  as  for  her  other  accomplishments ;  and,  having  been 
educated  chiefly  amongst  foreigners,  became  deeply  versed 
in  French  literature.  She  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  first 
to  give  to  her  fair  countrywomen  a  picture  of  Madame  de 
Sevigne  in  an  English  dress,  by  a  spirited  translation  which 
she  published  in  1802. 

By  this  marriage,  which  proved  in  every  respect  a  most 
happy  one,  as  Mrs.  Mackie  was  not  only  an  affectionate  and 
exemplary  wife  and  mother,  but  a  congenial  friend  and  com- 
panion, Dr.  Mackie  left  one  son,  now  student  of  Christ 
Church,  Oxford,  and  one  daughter,  widow  of  the  late 
lamented  John  Mackie  Leslie,  Esq.  Mrs.  Mackie  died  at 
Vevey,  in  March,  1819. 

In  concluding  this  slight  biographical  sketch,  we  must  be 
permitted  one  remark  on  Dr.  Mackie's  very  prepossessing 
personal  appearance  —  on  that  distinguished  air  which  made 
so  striking  an  impression  that  he  was  never  forgotten  by  those 


DR.  MACKIE.  193 

who  had  once  seen  him.  "  Bonum  virum  facile  crederes, 
magnum  libenter."  He  was  tall,  and  well  made ;  and  his  fine 
forehead  and  regular  features  were  rendered  extremely  pleasing 
by  the  benevolence  of  his  smile.  To  the  dignity  of  the  mettle 
Cour  he  added  all  the  ease  of  modern  manners ;  and  there 
was  something  of  grace  and  urbanity  in  his  address,  which 
reminded  his  visitors  of  Burns's  happy  expression  — 

"  In  Heaven  itself  I'd  ask  no  more 
Than  just  a  Highland  welcome." 

In  his  youth,  owing  to  the  elegance  of  his  form,  he  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  "  Society  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons"  before 
the  usual  age,  in  order  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  a  splendid 
procession  through  the  streets  of  Auld  Reekie.  In  the  de- 
cline of  life,  his  venerable  aspect  excited  much  admiration 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  He  was  a  truly  beautiful  old 
man,  preserving  his  hair,  teeth,  and  colour  nearly  to  the 
age  of  eighty.  "  Candiduli  dentes,  venusti  oculi,  color  suavis, 
et  ea  quse  Euryclea  laudat,  Ulyssi  pedes  abluens,  lenitudo 
orationis,  mollitudo  corporis." 

Although  dissimilar  in  features  and  complexion,  he  had  so 
much  of  the  air  and  figure  of  the  late  amiable  Gerard  An- 
drewes,  Dean  of  Canterbury  (who  lives  in  the  recollection  of 
most  of  our  readers),  that  he  was  often  taken  for  him  in  the 
streets  of  London, — particularly  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of  dress- 
ing in  black,  and  of  wearing  a  turned  up  or  shovel  hat :  and 
once,  in  the  Dean's  own  church  of  St.  James's,  Dr.  Mackie 
created  no  slight  surprise  by  politely  declining  to  assist  at  the 
Communion  Table,  when  called  upon  by  one  of  the  persons 
in  attendance  on  a  sudden  emergency. 

A  fine  portrait  of  Dr.  Mackie  was  painted  in  miniature  by 
Engelheart,  in  1784?;  another,  by  Marchmont  Moore,  in  1830, 
engraved  by  Freeman,  in  the  same  year ;  a  drawing  in  water 
colours,  by  Slater,  in  1808  :  nor  can  we  omit,  in  this  catalogue 
of  excellent  likenesses,  a  small  whole-length  sitting  figure,  in 
terra  cotta,  by  Gahagan  of  Bath,  which  was  considered  by 

VOL.  xvi.  o 


DR.  MACK-IE. 

the  critics  of  the  day  a  masterpiece  of  classical  design  and 
execution. 


The  greater  part  of  the  foregoing  memoir  has  already  ap- 
peared in  "  The  Gentleman's  Magazine ; "  but  we  have  added 
some  interesting  passages  with  which  we  have  been  favoured 
from  an  authentic  source. 


195 


No.  XIV. 
THE   REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL,  D.D. 

FOR  the  fallowing  brief  memoir  of  this  eminent  and  excellent 
person,  of  whom  Doctor  Parr  said  —  "  Mr.  Hall  has,  like 
Bishop  Taylor,  the  eloquence  of  an  orator,  the  fancy  of  a  poet, 
the  acuteness  of  a  schoolman,  the  profoundness  of  a  philoso- 
pher, and  the  piety  of  a  saint," — we  are  indebted  to  the  pages 
of  the  Imperial  Magazine. 


THE  name  of  Robert  Hall  is  so  well  known  to  the  Chris- 
tian public,  that,  even  by  persons  who  differ  from  him  in  re- 
ligious sentiment,  it  is  rarely  mentioned  without  the  respect 
and  veneration  which  unaffected  piety  and  superior  talents 
never  fail  to  command.  While  living,  he  was  followed  by  the 
plaudits  of  fame,  which  he  disdained  to  court;  but  it  was  re- 
served for  death  to  teach  his  friends  how  sincerely  and  ex- 
tensively he  was  beloved,  and  how  deeply  and  universally  his 
loss  has  been  deplored. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Hall,  whose  name  also  was  Robert,  was 
an  excellent  and  highly  esteemed  minister  of  the  Particular 
Baptist  Persuasion.  During  many  years  he  was  pastor  of  a 
congregation  at  Arnsby,  in  the  county  of  Leicester;  and  was 
also  a  leading  man  in  the  Northamptonshire  association,  being 
venerated,  by  all  who  knew  him,  for  his  piety,  wisdom,  and 
amiable  spirit.  He  was  the  author  of  a  popular  little  work, 
entitled  "  A  Help  to  Zion's  Travellers,"  which  has  passed 
through  many  editions,  and  is  still  in  circulation.  Of  the  late 
Mr.  Andrew  Fuller  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  friends,  and 
travelled  seventy  miles  to  assist  at  his  ordination. 

o  2 


196       THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

His  son,  the  late  Rev.  Robert  Hall,  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  was  born  at  Arnsby,  the  residence  of  his  father,  in 
May,  1 764 ;  and  froni  his  infancy  was  trained  up  under  a 
sense  of  his  duty,  both  to  God  and  to  man.  Nor  were  the 
advice  and  example  of  his  pious  parent  bestowed  upon  him  in 
vain.  In  early  life  his  love  of  useful  knowledge,  and  his 
facility  in  acquiring  it,  gave  strong  indications  of  a  powerful 
intellect,  which,  ripening  into  maturity,  fully  gratified  the  most 
sanguine  expectations  of  his  friends.  As  a  proof  of  his  pre- 
cocious powers,  it  has  been  said,  that,  at  the  age  of  nine  years, 
he  was  able  to  comprehend  the  acute  metaphysical  reasonings 
of  the  celebrated  Jonathan  Edwards3  in  his  profound  argu- 
mentative treatises  on  the  "  Freedom  of  the  Human  Will, 
and  on  the  Affections." 

On  leaving  the  paternal  abode,  he  was  placed  in  the  academy 
of  the  late  ingenious  Mr.  John  Ryland,  of  Northampton ;  from 
which  place  he  afterwards  removed  to  the  institution  esta- 
blished at  Bristol  for  the  education  of  young  men  intended 
for  the  ministry,  among  the  Particular  Baptists.  At  this  time, 
the  management  of  this  seminary  was  under  the  care  of 
Dr.  Caleb  Evans,  who  also  officiated  as  pastor  of  a  respect- 
able congregation  adjoining,  in  Broadmead.  Mr.  Evans  was 
a  man  of  extensive  learning,  of  fervent  piety,  of  captivating 
eloquence,  and  of  liberal  sentiments  on  disputable  points  in 
theology.  To  this  gentleman,  it  is  more  than  probable,  the 
pupil  was  indebted  for  a  considerable  portion  of  that  catholic 
spirit,  and  utter  freedom  from  bigotry,  which  distinguished 
him  in  after  life. 

Between  the  tutor  and  the  pupil  a  mental  congeniality  was 
soon  perceptible  :  this  speedily  produced  mutual  attachment ; 
which  every  circumstance  so  conspired  to  augment,  that,  in 
the  estimation  of  many,  the  latter  was  already  marked  as  the 
intended  successor  of  the  principal,  both  in  the  church  and 
the  academy. 

The  mind  of  Mr.  Hall  being  deeply  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  eternal  things,  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen  he 
went  forth  to  call  sinners  to  repentance.  His  preaching, 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL.         197 

however,  was  chiefly  confined  to  villages  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
abode ;  but  in  all  places  he  was  most  cordially  received,  as  a 
young  man  of  more  than  common  promise. 

Shortly  after  this  he  was  removed  to  King's  College,  Aber- 
deen, where  he  formed  an  intimacy  with  his  fellow-student, 
Mr.  (now  Sir  James)  Mackintosh ;  who,  though  somewhat 
younger  than  himself,  took  great  delight  in  classical  literature. 
During  his  residence  at  Aberdeen,  which  was  nearly  four 
years,  Mr.  Hall  regularly  attended  the  lectures  of  the  learned 
Dr.  GeorgeCampbell,  Professor  of  Theology  and  Ecclesiastical 
History  at  Marischal  College.  At  intervals,  however,  and 
especially  in  the  vacations,  he  exercised  his  preaching  talents, 
as  we  learn  from  the  diary  of  his  friend  Mr.  Fuller,  who, 
under  the  date  of  May,  1784,  has  made  the  following  entry : 
—  "  Heard  Mr.  Robert  Hall,  jun.  from  '  He  that  increaseth 
knowledge  increaseth  sorrow/  Felt  very  solemn  on  hearing 
some  parts.  O  that  I  could  keep  more  near  to  God !  How 
good  it  is  to  draw  near  to  him  ! " 

On  leaving  the  college,  Mr.  Hall  took  his  degree  as  Master 
of  Arts,  and  soon  after  repaired  to  Bristol,  where  he  became 
an  assistant  to  Dr.  Evans  in  the  academy,  and  his  coadjutor 
in  the  ministry.  In  this  city  he  was  exceedingly  followed  and 
admired,  by  a  multitude  of  highly  respectable  hearers.  "  I 
well  remember,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  to  have  seen,  oftener 
than  once,  the  meeting  crowded  to  excess ;  and,  among  the 
hearers,  many  learned  divines,  and  even  dignitaries,  of  the 
Established  Church." 

But  in  the  midst  of  this  popularity  a  dark  cloud  arose 
which  spread  a  gloom  over  the  congregation,  and  threatened 
to  deprive  the  Christian  world  of  one  of  its  brightest  orna- 
ments. Some  alarming  symptoms  of  an  intellectual  nature 
appeared,  in  consequence  of  which  he  was  removed  to  his 
friends,  in  Leicestershire ;  where,  by  judicious  treatment,  the 
malady  was  subdued,  and  his  great  and  noble  mind  regained 
its  perfect  liberty  and  former  power. 

About  the  time  that  Mr.  Hall  laboured  under  this  severe 
affliction,  Dr.  Evans  died ;  but  his  assistant  and  friend  being 

o  3 


198  THE    REVEREND    ROBERT    HALL, 

unable  to  become  his  successor,  the  trustees  and  congregation 
elected  the  younger  Mr.  Ryland,  who,  accepting  the  pastoral 
charge,  continued  with  them  until  his  death,  when,  in  1826y 
he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Hall. 

On  recovering  from  his  affliction,  and  finding  that  his  pros- 
pects in  Bristol  had  been  defeated,  Mr.  Hall  visited  Cam- 
bridge, in  the  autumn  of  1790,  and  preached  as  a  candidate 
for  the  pastoral  office  of  the  Baptist  church  in  that  city;  and 
gaining  the  approbation  of  his  hearers,  he  was  chosen  pastor 
early  in  the  ensuing  year.  The  letter  of  invitation  from  the 
church  to  Mr.  Hall  was  published  in  a  pamphlet,  written  by 
Mr.  Nash,  of  Royston,  entitled  t4  Animadversions  on  Mr. 
Burke's  Reflections  on  the  French  Revolution." 

It  is  well  known  that,  prior  to  this  time,  the  Baptist  church 
in  Cambridge  had  been  under  the  pastoral  superintendence  of 
the  celebrated  Robert  Robinson,  who  has  been  generally 
thought  to  have  degenerated  into  Socinianism.  Many  in  the 
congregation,  therefore,  were  not  prepared  to  hear  the  doc- 
trine advanced  by  Mr.  Hall,  nor  disposed  to  receive  it.  This 
circumstance  will  readily  account  for  the  following  incidental 
occurrence. 

The  first  sermon  Mr.  Hall  preached  at  Cambridge,  after 
he  became  a  settled  pastor,  was  in  confirmation  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  atonement.  Immediately  after  the  service,  one  of  the 
congregation,  who  had  followed  poor  Mr.  Robinson  through 
all  his  changes  of  sentiment,  until  he  was  hovering  over  the 
very  undefinable  barrier  which  separates  the  colder  Soeinian- 
istn  from  infidelity,  went  into  the  vestry,  and  said,  "  Mr,  Hall, 
this  preaching  won't  do  for  us  :  it  will  only  suit  a  congregation 
of  old  women  ! "  "  Do  you  mean  my  sermon,  Sir,  or  the 
doctrine?"  "  Your  doctrine"  "  Why  is  it  that  the  doctrine 
will  only  do  for  old  women?"  "  Because  it  may  suit  the 
musings  of  people  tottering  upon  the  brink  of  the  grave." 
"  Thank  you,  Sir,  for  your  concessions.  The  doctrine  will 
not  suit  people  of  any  age  if  it  is  not  true ;  and  if  it  be  true, 
it  is  equally  important  at  every  age.  So  that  you  will  hear  it 
again,  if  you  hear  me." 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL.        199 

But,  whatever  might  have  been  the  opinion  of  the  individual 
noticed  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  by  persons  of  more  dis- 
cernment Mr.  Hall's  doctrines  were  most  cordially  received. 
In  a  general  view,  indeed,  he  found  the  church  in  a  torpid 
state.  Many  had  left  their  first  love  ;  and,  although  they  had 
a  name  to  live,  it  was  too  evident  that  the  form  of  godliness 
was  not  accompanied  with  its  power. 

The  important  truths  of  the  Gospel,  however,  which  they 
had  not  been  accustomed  to  hear,  were  now  again  brought 
before  them;  so  that  many  who  had  hitherto  considered 
morality  as  the  all  in  all  of  Christianity,  soon  began  to  see 
that  Divine  revelation  is  something  more  than  a  system  of 
ethics.  Through  the  luminous  appeals  made  by  Mr.  Hall  to 
the  volume  of  inspiration,  they  were  induced  to  believe  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  atonement  is  not  a  figurative  expression, 
but  a  vital  principle,  without  which  an  outward  conformity  of 
morals  to  any  given  rules  can  be  of  no  account  in  the  sight 
of  God.  The  change  which  followed  this  mode  of  preaching, 
and  these  doctrines,  was  soon  apparent ;  and  the  young  pastor 
was  not  ungrateful  that  his  labours  had  been  thus  owned  and 
blessed  by  the  great  Head  of  the  church. 

Mr.  Hall  continued  in  Cambridge  from  1791  until  the 
year  1806,  when  a  severe  personal  malady  compelled  him  for 
a  season  to  relinquish  the  pastoral  office.  This  was  attended 
with  circumstances  of  peculiar  sorrow.  During  the  years  of 
his  ministry  in  Cambridge,  he  had  seen  the  church  committed 
to  his  care  raised,  from  a  state  of  comparative  death,  to  health 
and  vigour,  and  manifesting  all  the  indications  of  renovated 
life.  The  members  had  increased  both  in  numbers  and  in 
piety,  and  the  congregation  had  assumed  an  aspect  of  respect- 
ability and  seriousness,  which  furnished  decisive  evidence  that 
the  Word  had  not  been  preached  to  them-in  vain.  But  in  the 
midst  of  this  usefulness  he  was  torn  from  an  affectionate 
people,  under  circumstances  which  rendered  it  somewhat 
doubtful  if  he  would  ever  be  able  to  resume  his  pastoral 
labours.  Under  this  conviction,  another  minister  was  chosen  ; 


200       THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

so  that  Mr.  Hall,  on  his  recovery,  found  his  pulpit  already 
occupied. 

He  was  not,  however,  left  long  without  employment.  The 
Baptist  church  in  Leicester  being  in  want  of  a  minister,  Mr. 
Hall  was  requested  to  fill  the  office ;  and,  after  due  deliber- 
ation, he  accepted  the  invitation.  Here  also,  on  his  arrival, 
he  found  the  church  in  a  languid  condition.  The  chapel 
would  not  contain  more  than  about  three  hundred  persons ; 
but  even  this  number  did  not  attend :  the  members  were  poor, 
and  the  congregations  scanty.  His  preaching,  however,  soon 
created  a  considerable  stir.  Many,  attracted  by  his  doctrines, 
and  others  allured  by  his  eloquence,  were  induced  to  attend 
his  ministry  ;  so  that  very  shortly  the  building  was  found  to 
be  too  contracted  to  accommodate  the  crowds  that  attended. 
An  enlargement  of  its  dimensions  speedily  took  place ;  but  this 
was  soon  found  insufficient,  and  another  addition  was  made : 
but  even  this  was  so  inadequate  that  a  third  became  necessary  ; 
and  it  was  again  enlarged,  so  as  to  seat  about  eleven  hundred 
persons,  and  the  members  increased  in  due  proportion. 

Mr.  Hall  had  not  been  long  settled  in  Leicester,  before  he 
became  acquainted  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  T.  Robinson,  well 
known  as  the  author  of  a  celebrated  work,  entitled  "  Scripture 
Characters,"  and  then  Vicar  of  St.  Mary's.  Between  these 
individuals  the  acquaintance  soon  ripened  into  a  genuine  and 
permanent  friendship,  which  death  alone  was  able  to  dissolve. 
On  the  great  and  leading  truths  of  Christianity  their  views 
were  similar  ;  in  sentiment,  both  were  liberal ;  and  possessing 
talents  of  a  superior  order,  no  difference  of  opinion  on  minor 
points  was  ever  suffered  to  disturb  their  subsisting  harmony. 
The  eulogium  which  Mr.  Hall  passed  on  the  character  of  his 
deceased  friend  at  the  Auxiliary  Bible  Society  in  Leicester, 
shortly  after  his  death,  is  at  once  a  masterpiece  of  eloquence 
in  itself,  and  a  faithful  portrait  of  departed  worth. 

Mr.  Hall,  having  remained  in  Leicester  about  twenty  years, 
received,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Ryland,  in  Bristol,  in  1825,  an 
invitation  to  succeed  him  in  his  pastoral  charge,  and  in  the 
presidency  of  the  academy.  This  occasioned  a  severe  struggle 


THE    REVEREND    ROBERT    HALL.  201 

in  his  own  mind,  and  was  a  subject  of  much  emotion  among 
the  members  of  his  church,  who  had  enjoyed  his  ministry  for 
so  long  a  period.  A  sense,  however,  of  public  duty  at  length 
prevailed  over  all  private  considerations;  and  in  the  month  of 
March,  1826,  he  took  his  departure  from  Leicester,  and  fixed 
his  abode  in  Bristol,  Here  he  continued  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  his  official  situation  until  death  terminated  his  career 
of  usefulness,  and  snatched  him  from  a  multitude  of  friends, 
by  whom  he  was  sincerely  beloved,  leaving  them  to  lament  a 
loss  which  cannot  easily  be  repaired. 

Of  Mr.  Hall's  illness,  death,  funeral,  and  general  character, 
the  following  extracts  will  furnish  a  faithful  delineation.  In 
the  Bristol  papers  the  solemn  event  is  thus  announced :  — 

"It  is  our  melancholy  duty  to  announce  the  decease  of  the 
above  able,  pious,  and  distinguished  minister  of  the  Baptist 
congregation  in  this  city.  Mr.  Hall  had  been  long  a  sufferer 
from  illness,  but  continued  his  pastoral  duties  until  a  fortnight 
since.  On  the  10th  of  February,  he  experienced  an  attack  of 
the  disorder  to  which  he  had  been  long  subject,  just  before 
the  commencement  of  a  service  at  Broadmead,  in  which  he 
was  that  evening  to  have  engaged.  His  disorder  continued 
to  increase ;  and  after  great  suffering,  borne  with  exemplary 
patience,  and  in  full  confidence  in  the  atoning  merits  of  our 
Saviour,  he  expired  on  Monday,  the  21st  of  February,  1831, 
at  four  P.  M.,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age,  at  his  residence  in 
Ashley  Place. 

66  His  name  stood  prominent  as  one  of  the  first  pulpit 
orators  of  the  day :  his  oratory  was  not  loud,  forcible,  and 
overpowering,  like  some  distinguished  individuals,  whose 
powers  have  been  compared  to  the  thunder  of  cataracts ;  but 
it  was  soft,  mellifluous,  rich,  deep,  and  fluent,  as  the  flowing 
of  a  mighty  river  ;  —  to  this  he  added  an  earnestness  and  fer- 
vency which  impressed  his  audience  with  the  sincerity  of  his 
belief.  We  do  not  understand  that  he  ever  published  any 
series  of  sermons ;  but  those  detached  ones  that  he  did  pub- 
lish, only  added  to  the  regret  that  he  had  not  more  fully  com- 
mitted to  the  press  his  valuable  discourses. 


THE    REVEREND    ROBERT    HALL. 

"  While  residing  at  Cambridge  he  became  known  to,  and 
admired  by,  some  of  the  most  distinguished  scholars  of  the 
age.*  From  this  celebrated  seat  of  learning  he  went  to  Lei- 
cester ;  and  from  Leicester  he  was  called,  by  the  congregation 
of  Baptists  in  Bristol,  to  succeed  the  late  Dr.  Ryland,  at 
Broadmead,  in  1826.  How  well  he  fulfilled  his  arduous 
duties,  the  affection  and  sympathy  of  his  flock  are  the  best 
evidence.  Mr.  Hall  has  left  a  widow,  one  son,  and  three 
daughters.  His  death,  to  them,  and  to  his  numerous  ad- 
mirers and  friends,  is  a  great  and  irreparable  loss,  but  to  him- 
self gain  unspeakable ;  by  it  he,  no  doubt,  exchanges  a  state 
of  pain  and  suffering  for  one  of  unbounded  bliss."  —  Bristol 
Gazette,  February  24.  1831. 

"  Death  is  an  event  of  such  ordinary  occurrence,  that  it 
produces  a  deep  impression  on  the  public  mind  only  in  those 
rare  instances  in  which  the  departed  individual  was  rendered 
a  conspicuous  or  important  portion  of  human  society  —  as  the 
possessor  of  uncommon  qualities,  or  the  instrument  of  ex- 
tensive effects.  That  such  an  individual  existed  in  the  late 
Robert  Hall,  none  who  were  acquainted  with  his  character, 
his  ministry,  or  his  writings,  will  for  a  moment  question.  To 
consign  in  silence  to  the  weekly  record  of  death  the  sudden 
removal  from  our  world  of  a  man  so  prominent  in  whatever 
has  the  strongest  claim  on  intellectual,  moral,  or  religious  ad- 
miration, would  leave  a  degree  of  reproach  on  that  city  which 
has  been  blessed  and  honoured  by  his  presence  during  the 
last  five  years  of  his  valuable  life.  By  this  melancholy  event, 
a  star  of  the  first  magnitude  and  splendour  has  been  eclipsed  ; 
and  death  has  seldom  claimed  a  richer  spoil. 

"  To  speak  of  this  incomparable  man  in  language  propor- 


•  It  may  not,  perhaps,  be  generally  known,  that  Dr.  Harrington,  Bishop  of 
Durham,  offered  Dr.  Hall  high  preferment  in  the  church,  if  he  would  he  ordained 
in  it;  but  this  flattering  offer  he,  from  conscientious  motives,  declined.  To  the 
preceding  act  of  rigorous  adherence  to  purity  of  principle  may  be  added  the  fol- 
lowing instance  of  his  genuine  modesty.  In  September,  1817,  the  honorary 
degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  on  him,  unsolicited,  by  Marischal  College,  Aber- 
deen. But  such  was  his  humility,  that  the  few  friends  who  were  aware  of  the 
circumstance  could  never  persuade  him  to  assume  the  title. 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL.        205 

tioned  to  his  merit,  is  far  beyond  the  pretension  of  this  hasty 
memorial :  his  just  eulogy  would  require  an  eloquence  like 
that  which  his  generous  spirit  has  so  often  displayed  at  the 
grave  of  departed  eloquence ;  like  that  with  which  he  has 
represented  the  feelings  of  the  nation  on  the  death  of  the 
Princess  Charlotte  —  the  feelings  of  Leicester  on  the  death  of 
Mr.  Robinson  —  or  those  of  Bristol  on  that  of  Dr.  Ryland ; 
an  eloquence  like  that  which  has  so  long  charmed  into  ad- 
miring attention  the  thousands  who  hung  upon  his  lips.  The 
tones  of  that  hallowed  oratory  haunt  us  at  this  moment  with 
a  mental  echo  that  will  not  soon  die  away ;  —  but,  alas  !  the 
living  voice,  or  another  like  it,  will  be  heard  no  more  ! 

"  In  the  sublime  and  boundless  themes  of  religious  con- 
templation, this  sacred  orator,  this  Christian  Demosthenes, 
triumphed,  as  in  an  element  congenial  with  the  amplitude 
and  grandeur  of  his  mind.  His  preaching  was  as  far  superior, 
in  magnificence  of  thought  and  expression,  to  ordinary  preach- 
ing, as  the  "  Paradise  Lost"  is  superior  to  other  poetry.  It  was, 
if  such  an  image  may  be  allowed,  like  harmony  poured  forth 
by  a  harp  of  a  thousand  strings.  But  he  has  himself  un- 
consciously portrayed  it,  in  his  exquisite  remarks  on  the 
preaching  of  Mr.  Robinson  :  — 

"  '  You  have  most  of  you  witnessed  his  pulpit  exertions, 
on  that  spot  where  he  was  accustomed  to  retain  a  listening 
throng,  awed,  penetrated,  delighted,  and  instructed,  by  his 
manly  unaffected  eloquence.  Who  ever  heard  him  without 
feeling  a  persuasion  that  it  was  the  man  of  God  who  addressed 
him ;  or  without  being  struck  by  the  perspicuity  of  his  state- 
ments, the  solidity  of  his  thoughts,  or  the  rich  unction  of  his 
spirit?  It  was  the  harp  of  David,  which,  touched  by  his 
powerful  hand,  sent  forth  more  than  mortal  sounds,  and  pro- 
duced an  impression  far  more  deep  and  permanent  than  the 
thunder  of  Demosthenes,  or  the  splendid  conflagrations  of 
Cicero!' 

"  The  energies  of  this  great  spirit  were  concentrated  in 
devotion,  consecrated,  through  a  long  course  of  years,  to  the 
religious  benefit  of  man,  and  the  glory  of  a  redeeming  God. 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

The  intellectual  sublimity  and  beauty  of  his  mind  were  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  moral  elevation  and  spiritual  grace 
of  his  character.  The  singular  humility  of  his  heart,  die 
remarkable  modesty  and  affability  of  his  deportment,  pre- 
sented an  affecting  contrast  to  the  splendour  of  his  genius : 
his  conscientious  and  unearthly  indifference  to  fame  or  emolu- 
ment was  rendered  the  more  striking  by  his  ability  to  com- 
mand them,  had  he  wished,  with  his  tongue  and  with  his  pen. 

"  Combining  the  intellect  of  a  Paschal  with  the  oratory 
of  a  Massillon,  he  retained  through  life  a  transparent  simplicity 
and  sincerity,  as  great  as  the  wonders  of  his  reason  and  elo- 
quence ;  while  his  endowments  were  embalmed  and  crowned 
by  a  seraphic  piety.  But  praise  is  useless  here ;  '  his  praise 
is  in  all  the  churches  :'  so  long  as  genius,  hallowed  and  sub- 
limed by  devotion,  shall  command  veneration,  the  name  of 
Robert  Hall  will  be  remembered  among  the  brightest  ex- 
amples of  sainted  talent.  And,  above  all,  '  his  record  is  on 
High:1  he  has  passed  from  a  state  of  protracted  suffering  into 
that  glory  to  which  he  had  long  and  fervently  aspired,  and 
which  he  had  often  portrayed  with  the  vividness  of  one  who 
had  caught  an  anticipating  glimpse  of  the  beatific  vision."  — 
Farley's  Bristol  Journal. 

Among  the  many  sketches  of  this  excellent  man  that 
have  been  already  given  by  different  persons,  the  following 
brief,  but  characteristic,  touches  ought  not  to  be  omitted. 
They  were  taken  down  as  delivered  by  the  Rev.  H.  Melville, 
of  Camden  Chapel,  Camberwell,  on  February  27th,  1831 :  — 
"  I  cannot  refer  you  to  a  better  antidote  against  infidelity 
than  to  a  sermon  on  modern  infidelity  by  the  Rev.  Robert 
Hall.  If  majesty  of  composition  —  closeness  of  argument  — 
flow  of  eloquence  —  but,  above  all,  fervour  of  piety,  can  de- 
light you,  you  will  find  them  all  united  in  that  great  com- 
position. Perhaps  this  is  the  greatest  work  which  has  been 
left  us  by  this  gifted  man,  who  has,  within  the  past  week, 
entered  into  that  rest  for  which  he  had  so  long  sighed. 

'  Though  the  living  voice  be  for  ever  hushed  in  the  silence 
of  the  tomb,  yet  shall  this  sermon  remain,  to  after  ages,  an  im- 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALt.         205 

pregnable  barrier  against  all  the  assaults  of  infidelity.  Though 
a  minister  of  a  sect  from  which  we,  as  members  of  an  apos- 
tolic church,  widely  differ,  he  was  a  prime  master  of  divinity. 
His  oratory  was  the  oratory  of  thought  He  carried  his 
auditory  with  resistless  energy  before  him,  one  idea  not  de- 
parting till  a  greater  and  loftier  filled  its  room." 

The  funeral  of  the  Rev.  R.  Hall  took  place  on  Wednesday, 
the  3d  of  March.  About  half-past  eleven  o'clock  the  pro- 
cession left  Ashley  Place ;  and,  on  its  arrival  at  the  Baptist 
Seminary,  it  was  joined  by  the  students,  the  Dissenting  and 
Wesleyan  ministers  of  Bristol  and  its  neighbourhood,  and 
the  congregation  and  friends  of  the  deceased.  The  procession, 
which  now  amounted  to  several  hundreds,  proceeded  to 
Broadmead.  On  arriving  at  the  chapel,  the  body  was  placed 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  centre  aisle,  immediately  under  the 
pulpit.  As  soon  as  the  persons  composing  the  congregation 
had  sealed  themselves,  the  funeral  service  was  commenced  by 
singing  the  90th  Psalm  —  "  O  God !  our  help  in  ages  past." 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Anderson  then  ascended  the  pulpit;  and,  having 
read  a  part  of  the  1 5th  chapter  of  St.  Paul's  First  Epistle  to 
the  Corinthians,  he  offered  up  a  most  solemn  and  impressive 
prayer.  The  17th  hymn  of  the  1st  Book  of  Dr.  Watts's 
Collection  having  been  sung,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Crisp  delivered 
an  affecting  funeral  oration ;  at  the  conclusion  of  which  the 
body  was  removed  from  the  chapel,  and  deposited  in  a  vault 
behind  the  pulpit  with  that  of  the  late  Dr.  Ryland.  The 
Rev.  W.  Thorpe  concluded  the  service  by  prayer.  Not- 
withstanding the  unfavourable  state  of  the  weather,  the  chapel 
was  in  some  places  crowded  to  excess ;  the  galleries  were 
filled  with  ladies  attired  in  deep  mourning.  The  chapel  was 
rendered  peculiarly  mournful  on  this  solemn  occasion,  by  the 
frontage  of  the  galleries  and  the  pulpit  being  hung  with  black 
cloth.  The  respect  and  esteem  in  which  the  worthy  pastor 
was  held  by  his  congregation  were  fully  apparent  in  every 
countenance  ;  and  his  memory  will  be  long  and  affectionately 
cherished  by  his  beloved  flock. 

The  funeral  sermon  was  preached  at  Broadmead   by  the 


206        THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

Rev.  J.  Hughes,  of  Battersea,  from  Job  xiv.  14.  on  Sunday 
morning,  March  6th,  to  a  crowded  congregation.  It  is  un- 
necessary to  add,  that  it  was  a  very  suitable,  chaste,  and  de- 
scriptive discourse.  As  an  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  in 
which  Mr.  Hall  was  held,  and  that  his  removal  is  considered 
a  public  loss,  we  understand  that  the  pulpits  of  other  chapels 
were  covered  with  black  cloth;  and  know  that  discourses  suit- 
able to  the  occasion  were  delivered  to  commemorate  his 
worth.  The  immediate  cause  of  Mr.  Hall's  death  was  a 
disease  of  the  heart.  The  post  mortem  examination,  it  is  said, 
did  not  disclose  the  cause  of  the  excruciating  pain  that  he 
was  accustomed  to  endure  in  his  back,  when  in  an  erect 
position.  A  calculus  was  found  in  the  kidney. 

That  Mr.  Hall's  death  was  in  perfect  unison  with  his  life, 
the  following  brief  memorial  of  his  last  moments  will  fully 
attest :  —  "  He  lingered  until  four  o'clock  on  Monday  after- 
noon, when  he  uttered  these  words,  (  I  have  a  desire  to  de- 
part, and  to  be  with  Christ.  Come,  Lord  Jesus ;  come 
quickly.'  In  a  few  minutes  his  prayer  was  answered,  and  he 
was  admitted  into  the  immediate  presence  of  that  adorable 
Saviour,  whom,  having  loved  and  faithfully  served,  he  longed 
to  behold  face  to  face." 

For  many  valuable  and  interesting  observations,  incorpo- 
rated in  this  narrative,  we  have  to  acknowledge  our  obligations 
to  Dr.  Gregory,  of  Woolwich,  who,  for  many  years,  was  an 
intimate  friend  of  the  deceased.  A  memoir,  published  in  the 
Imperial  Magazine  for  December,  1827,  has  also  furnished 
an  outline  of  Mr.  Hall's  early  life.  For  a  still  more  consider- 
able portion,  however,  of  the  information  embodied  in  this 
biographical  sketch,  respecting  Mr.  Hall's  residence  in  Bris- 
tol, his  death,  funeral  solemnities,  the  attachment  of  his  nume- 
rous friends,  and  the  delineation  of  his  character,  we  are 
indebted  to  the  author  of  the  following  letter,  in  which  the 
writer's  own  views  and  feelings  are  more  particularly  portrayed. 

"  Mr.  Hall  was  truly  a  liberal  man ;  and  he  rejofced  greatly 
at  the  diffusion  of  truth  and  knowledge.  But  his  liberality 
was  not  of  that  false  kind,  friend  as  he  was  to  the  liberty  of 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL.        207 

the  press,  that  could  lead  him  to  look  on  its  abuse  with  un- 
concern, or  to  regard  the  efforts  that  were  lately  so  daringly 
made  to  diffuse  blasphemy  with  any  other  feelings  than  those 
of  indignation.  In  his  opinion,  men  being,  as  they  naturally 
are,  fallen  and  depraved,  and  "  loving  darkness  rather  than 
light,"  these  attempts  were  as  much  an  abuse  of  Christian 
liberty  as  they  were  dangerous  to  the  people  and  offensive 
unto  God  —  "a  crime  which  no  state  should  tolerate."  But 
tyranny  and  intolerance,  the  twin  sisters  of  misrule,  had  never 
a  more  determined  opponent;  nor  liberty,  Christian,  well- 
defined  liberty,  a  more  ardent  friend.  Of  Christianity,  Mr.  EL 
confidently  believed,  that  — 

'  Where  she  came, 

There  freedom  came ;  where  she  dwelt,  there  freedom  dwelt ; 
Ruled  where  she  ruled,  expired  where  she  expired  ! ' 

"  That  he  regarded  the  Scriptures  as  the  common  property 
of  mankind,  and  had  learned  from  them  to  blend  decision  of 
character  with  that  charity  which  seeks  to  throw  oil  on  the 
troubled  waters  of  strife,  and  to  bring  good  men  nearer  to- 
gether, his  own  recorded  opinion  will  prove :  this,  and  much 
more,  your  readers  will  infer  for  themselves. 

"  To  the  Christian  kindness,  the  condescension,  and  the 
affability  of  Mr.  Hall,  I  am  witness.  When  a  stranger  in 
Bristol,  and  comparatively  unknown,  he  was  pleased,  after  a 
missionary  prayer-meeting  in  his  own  chapel,  most  courteously 
to  notice  me,  and  invite  me  to  his  abode,  where  I  have  had 
the  pleasure  of  spending  many  hours  in  his  company ;  and 
also  with  my  brethren,  and  Mr.  Hall,  at  the  house  of  our 
mutual  friend,  Thomas  Wright,  Esq.,  of  this  city.  More  of 
these  favoured  opportunities  might  have  been  enjoyed,  had  it 
not  been  thought  that  his  kindness  would  be  but  ill  requited 
by  any  thing  like  obtrusion  on  his  goodness  and  his  time.  I 
remember  well  the  substance  of  many  conversations  with  him, 
on  religion  generally  —  on  the  Catholic  question  —  the  go- 
vernment of  Methodism  —  prophecy  —  many  great  and  good 
men,  and  their  writings  —  the  pleasure  with  which  he  spoke  of 


208  THE    REVEREND    ROBERT    HALL. 

them  —  especially  of  Mr.  Bunting,  and  his  high  opinion  of 
his  sermon  on  Justification  :  —  many  of  his  observations  are 
deeply  impressed  on  my  memory. 

"  The  writer  has  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  some  few 
great  men,  and  has  been  in  company  with  many  who  seemed 
to  be  great ;  but  such  kindness  and  humility  as  the  late  Rev. 
Robert  Hall  manifested  he  has  not  often  witnessed.  No  dis- 
play of  superiority  was  made ;  nothing  that  sought,  or  took 
pleasure  in  attempts,  to  cow  into  abject  submission  the  persons 
that  were  favoured  with  his  company :  it  would  rather  seem 
that  he  was  the  person  favoured,  and  as  if  he  sought  to  raise 
himself  up  to  those  that  listened  to  him  with  delightful  atten- 
tion. And  who,  that  was  worthy  of  his  presence,  could  in  any 
way  abuse  it ;  or  but  feel  how  amiable,  as  well  as  f  awful, 
goodness  is?'  But  I  have  neither  time  nor  room  to  enlarge." 

Through  nearly  the  whole  course  of  Mr.  Hall's  life,  and  in 
the  sketches  of  his  talents  and  character  which  have  appeared 
since  his  death,  regrets  have  been  expressed  that  his  publi- 
cations were  not  more  numerous ;  especially  as  those  which 
appear  are  of  the  most  exquisite  order,  equally  worthy  of  the 
most  extensive  circulation,  and  of  being  transmitted  to  pos- 
terity.* To  diminish  these  regrets,  we  are  enabled  to  state 

*  Mr.  Hall's  publications  appeared  under  the  following  titles  :  — "  Christianity 
consistent  with  the  Love  of  Freedom,  being  an  Answer  to  a  Sermon  by  the  Rev. 
John  Clayton,"  1791,  8vo.  — "  Apology  for  the  Freedom  of  the  Press,  and  for 
general  Liberty,  with  Remarks  on  Bishop  Horsley's  Sermon,  preached  13th  Jan. 
1793,"  8vo.  — "  Modern  Infidelity  considered  with  respect  to  its  Influence  on 
Society  ;  a  Sermon  preached  at  Cambridge,"  1800,  8vo.  — "  Reflections  on  War,  a 
Sermon,  on  June  1.  1802,  being  the  Day  of  Thanksgiving  for  a  General  Peace." — 
"  The  Sentiments  proper  to  the  present  Crisis;  a  Fast  Sermon  at  Bristol,  Oct.  19. 
1803."  —  "The  Effects  of  Civilisation  on  the  People  in  European  States," 

1805 "  The  Advantages  of  Knowledge  to  the  Lower  Classes,  a  Sermon  at 

Leicester,"  1810.  —  "  The  Discouragements  and  Supports  of  the  Christian  Mi- 
nister, an  Ordination  Sermon,"  1812. —  "  The  Character  of  the  late  Rev.  Thomas 
Robinson,  Vicar  of  St.  Mary's,  Leicester,"  1813.  —  "  Address  to  the  Public  on 
an  important  Subject  connected  with  the  Renewal  of  the  Charter  of  the  East 
India  Company,"  1813.—"  An  Address  to  the  Rev.  Eustace  Carey,  Jan.  19. 
1814,  on  his  Designation  as  a  Christian  Missionary  to  India."—  "  On  Terms 
of  Communion  ;  with  a  particular  view  to  the  Case  of  the  Baptists  and  the  Pzedo- 
Baptists,"  1815.  —  «  The  essential  Difference  between  Christian  Baptism  and  the 
Baptism  of  John  more  fully  stated  and  confirmed."  —  "  A  Sermon  occasioned  by 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL.        209 

on  the  most  unquestionable  authority,  that  a  committee  of 
Mr.  Hall's  most  valued  friends,  among  whom,  we  understand, 
are  Dr.  Gregory  of  Woolwich,  and  the  Rev.  John  Foster 
of  Bristol,  author  of  the  celebrated  Essays  on  "  Decision  of 
Character,"  &c.,  have  undertaken  to  arrange  and  republish 
Mr.  Hall's  works.  It  is  also  their  intention  to  collect  letters 
(many  of  which  are  exquisite),  fugitive  pieces,  and  sermons; 
which  have  been  taken  down  with  so  much  fidelity,  as  to 
convey  a  tolerable  idea  of  their  real  value  and  intrinsic  ex- 
cellence. 

These  works,  when  collected  and  arranged,  it  is  presumed, 
will  stand  as  follows :  — 

Republished  Works  of  the  late  Rev.  Robert  Hall,  four  vo- 
lumes, octavo.  Letters  and  fugitive  pieces,  one  volume  at  least. 
A  very  distinguished  individual  will,  it  is  also  expected,  por- 
tray the  character  of  this  richly  endowed  and  excellent  man. 
The  whole  will  therefore,  it  is  highly  probable,  amount  to 
about  seven  octavo  volumes.  The  profits  arising  from  the  sale 
will  be  devoted  to  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Hall's  surviving  family, 
consisting  of  his  widow,  one  son,  and  three  daughters;  and 
since,  from  the  number  of  his  friends,  an  extensive  circulation 
may  be  reasonably  anticipated,  it  is  to  be  hoped  they  will 
derive  from  the  publication  some  considerable  advantage. 


Since  the  appearance  of  the  foregoing  memoir  in  the  Im- 
perial Magazine,  the  first  volume  of  the  publication  alluded  to 
in  the  conclusion  of  it  has  appeared ;  and  we  extract  the  fol- 
lowing able  notice  of  it  from  "  The  Athenaeum : "  — 

Many  who  were  ignorant  of  the  late  Robert  Hall  as  a  mi- 
nister, knew  him  as  a  great  mind,  or  rather,  as  a  most  dis- 
tinguished instance  of  a  great  mind  acted  upon  by  religion, 


the  Death  of  the  Princess  Charlotte  of  Wales,  preached  at  Leicester,  1817."  — 
'<  A  Sermon  on  the  Death  of  Dr.  Ryland,"  1826.  Mr.  Hall  was  for  some  time 
one  of  the  conductors  of  the  Eclectic  Review. 

VOL,  XVI.  P 


210       THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

and  devoting  its  energies  entire  and  unadulterate  to  the  pur- 
suit and  dissemination  of  religious  truth.  His  claim  to  be 
considered  the  first  preacher  of  the  age  has  been  recognised 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  any  sect  or  circle  —  by  judges 
varying  most  widely  in  their  creed  and  system  of  church 
government,  and  by  not  a  few  lacking  definite  belief  of  any 
kind.  This  triumph  has,  however,  been  shared  by  ministers 
far  less  gifted ;  very  mixed  congregations  have  at  times  been 
molten  into  one  spirit  and  interest  under  their  appeals  :  ladies 
have  fainted,  the  niggardly  have  emptied  their  purses,  the 
young  have  trembled,  and  the  old  glowed  with  enthusiasm, 
through  the  influence  of  inferior  eloquence.  This  is  not  a 
distinction  to  be  greatly  insisted  on ;  for  the  impression  made 
depends  as  much  on  the  calibre  of  the  hearer's  own  mind,  the 
state  of  his  nerves,  or  the  retentiveness  of  his  memory,  as  on 
the  merits  of  the  preacher.  Added  to  this,  the  impression 
made  by  public  speaking  is  often  aided,  if  not  mainly  caused, 
by  adventitious  circumstances;  as,  expressive  action,  a  striking 
and  varied  intonation  of  voice,  great  earnestness  of  manner,  or 
extraordinary  excitement  in  the  subject.  Or  it  may  be  that 
the  listener's  mind  has  been  made  a  recipient  of  pleasure 
similar  to  that  arising  from  a  dramatic  representation  :  lie  has 
been  alternately  astonished,  soothed,  or  awe-struck,  without 
any  trouble  to  his  understanding;  his  feelings  have  been 
touched,  and  he  has  not  been  required  to  think.  But  the 
hearer's  pleasure,  if  so  derived,  fades  the  moment  he  leaves 
the  orator's  presence ;  and  the  orator's  triumph  is  abated  the 
moment  he  prints  his  composition :  nevertheless,  many  possess 
and  retain  the  praise  of  being  eloquent,  because  they  are  heard, 
not  read.  But  Robert  Hall  was  great  in  the  pulpit,  and 
also  great  out  of  it ;  many  of  his  warmest  appreciators  never 
heard  the  sound  of  his  voice  or  sat  beneath  the  scintillation  of 
his  eye,  but  were  made  his  admirers  by  the  silent  perusal  of 
his  writings,  when  the  interest  of  such  perusal  necessarily  de- 
pended on  the  merits  of  the  composition.  It  was  this  which 
set  him  above  so  many  distinguished  compeers.  He  was  in- 
deed a  great  preacher ;  but  the  fame  of  that  name,  limited 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL, 

unavoidably  to  the  years  of  his  life,  the  congregation  that 
heard  him,  their  memories  and  power  of  judging,  would  have 
been  a  slight,  and  in  time  a  perishable  memorial.  With  powers, 
too,  less  exquisite  in  their  symmetry  and  growth,  —  with  an 
understanding  less  keenly  exercised,  —  with  an  imagination  in- 
ferior in  strength  and  beauty,  and  a  faculty  of  reason  less 
fitted  to  rule  over  the  splendid  realm  of  his  intellect  with  the 
grasp  and  vision  of  a  legislator,  — with  a  meaner  endowment  of 
grand  and  various  properties,  —  Robert  Hall  might  have  at- 
tained the  praise  of  oratory ;  but  it  required  the  association  6f 
all  to  make  him  what  he  was,  and  what  his  writings  will  always 
prove  him  to  have  been  —  a  GREAT  MAN.  Some  persons  may 
think  that  so  high  a  title,  to  be  deserved,  requires  more  of 
action,  and  of  action  conversant  with  remarkable  events ;  that 
a  man  to  be  great  must  be  a  conqueror,  a  legislator,  a  dis- 
coverer, or,  at  the  very  least,  an  inventor  —  one  whose  ex- 
istence must  produce  startling  results,  whose  greatness  is 
palpable  to  the  senses,  and  whose  achievements  may  be  weighed 
and  measured.  Such  persons  may  be  reminded  with  ad- 
vantage of  Pascal's  definition  of  the  three  orders  of  distinction: 
that  which  is  seen  with  the  eye  —  that  which  is  appreciated 
by  the  mind  —  and  that  which  is  recognised  by  God:  the 
order  of  outward  pomp,  the  order  of  intellect,  and  the  order 
of  holiness.  To  be  classed  with  the  first,  Robert  Hall  had 
certainly  no  title,  for  he  lived  and  died  a  humble  dissenting 
minister ;  to  the  second  and  third  class  he  belonged  equally : 
and  it  was  the  perfect  harmony  that  subsisted  between  his 
spirit  and  his  understanding,  between  his  devotional  feelings 
and  his  mental  vigour  —  it  was  the  lovely  and  long-continued 
union  manifest  in  his  character,  of  talent  and  goodness,  of 
intellect  and  piety,  that  gave  him  unquestionable  right  to  the 
title  of  Great.  But  whilst  in  his  mind  philosophy  and  religion 
maintained  an  inseparable,  it  was  a  distinct  existence;  he 
never  attempted  to  reciprocate  their  characters  or  blend 
their  instructions  —  knowing,  to  quote  a  remark  of  his  own, 
"  that  Christianity,  issuing  perfect  and  entire  from  the 
hands  of  its  Author,  will  admit  of  no  mutilations  or  im- 

p  2 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

provements ;  it  stands  most  secure  on  its  own  basis ;  and, 
without  being  indebted  to  foreign  aids,  supports  itself  best 
by  its  own  internal  vigour.  It  is  dogmatic ;  not  capable  of 
being  advanced  with  the  progress  of  science,  but  fixed  and 
immutable." 

He  treated  religion  as  a  noble  and  intellectual  thing,  because 
he  felt  his  own  acute  and  comprehensive  intellect  quickened 
and  amplified  when  borne  upon  its  wings  to  the  contemplation 
of  things  as  they  are.  He  neither  allegorised  the  Scriptures, 
nor  anathematised  life,  nor  denounced  the  human  mind,  in 
terms  which  the  Creator  has  not  thought  fit  to  use :  but  he 
pressed  conviction  home  upon  the  conscience  with  the  dig- 
nified seventy  of  truth  —  shook  with  the  grasp  of  a  giant  the 
painted  pillars  of  worldly  confidence  and  vanity  —  rent  open 
the  delusions  of  infidelity  with  a  "  flaming  sword  which  turned 
every  way  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life ; "  and  then, 
sheathing  that  sword,  scattered  the  dew  of  holy  consolation  on 
the  spirits  of  the  weary,  the  wretched,  and  the  penitent.  The 
religion  he  advocated  was  neither  one  of  ceremonies  nor  of 
abstractions ;  it  neither  savoured  of  a  wild  or  effeminate  fana- 
ticism, nor  yet  of  a  cold  vague  philosophy :  it  was  the  incul- 
cation of  truths  at  once  revealed,  living,  and  divine;  a  religion 
that  could  renew,  exalt,  and  strengthen  alike  the  understanding 
and  the  affections ;  a  religion  with  authority  to  command 
actions,  with  power  to  supply  motives,  power  to  impart  a 
desire  of  approximating  to  Deity,  of  preferring  the  real 
and  the  unseen  to  the  tangible  and  apparent  —  a  true  and 
vital  principle  of  progression  —  "a  pure  river  of  water 
of  life." 

Mr.  Hall  never  struggled  to  set  forth  himself;  and  this 
self-oblivion,  in  coincidence  with  the  chaste  severity  of  his 
taste,  the  piercing  vigour  of  his  understanding,  and  the  grave 
majesty  of  his  imagination,  which  could  not  stoop  to  exag- 
geration or  ornament,  peculiarly  fitted  him  to  be  a  champion 
and  delineator  of  CHRISTIANITY.  But,  although  Mr.  Hall's 
conceptions  were  stamped  with  all  the  characteristics  of  a  first- 
rate  mind,  that  from  youth  had  been  elaborately  cultivated, 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

rigidly  disciplined,  and  fed  no  less  with  gentle  affection  than 
with  lofty  thoughts :  yet  his  eloquence  would  scarcely  be  con- 
sidered eloquent  by  the  multitude ;  many  a  sounding  declam- 
ation, glittering  with  every  species  of  literary  vice,  has  been 
more  vehemently  applauded  than  productions  developing  the 
finest  powers  of  the  human  mind,  and  affording  the  most  per- 
fect specimens  of  the  English  language.  But  if  Mr.  Hall 
wanted  imagination,  it  was  to  those  only  who  consider  ima- 
gination as  a  kind  of  scene-shifter,  or,  at  most,  a  scene-painter 
to  the  feelings;  and  if  he  lacked  fancy,  it  was  to  those  who 
think  the  sole  end  of  language  is  to  arrange  an  antithesis,  or 
build  up  a  simile.  He  was  by  no  means  favourable  to  a  pic- 
turesque phraseology  —  to  poetic  diction  in  prose  —  to  sudden 
changes  of  style,  or  to  what  are  called  bursts  of  eloquence  — 
the  said  bursts  frequently  consisting  of  a  regiment  of  similes, 
an  attendant  staff  of  epithets  and  conjunctions,  the  rear  brought 
up  by  a  grand  personification,  and  a  coinage  of  new  words  in 
honour  of  its  appearance  ! 

To  speak  of  Mr.  Hall's  compositions  merely  with  reference 
to  their  style,  simplicity  and  discrimination  mark  his  choice  of 
words  —  strength,  ease,  and  compactness,  the  construction  of 
his  sentences.  He  spoke  frequently  in  epigrams  and  apoph- 
thegms, but  he  never  wrote  in  them ;  and  even  his  sparing  use 
of  alliteration  and  antithesis  seems  oftener  the  result  of  accident 
than  intention.  There  is  no  balanced  monotony  between  the 
first  and  last  clause  of  his  paragraphs :  inartificial,  yet  ela- 
borately correct;  easy  of  apprehension,  yet  weighty  with 
meaning,  we  find  richness  united  with  simplicity  —  trans- 
parency with  depth  —  and  symmetry  with  strength.  It  is, 
in  fact,  owing  to  these  excellences,  that  solitary  extracts  give 
little  notion  of  the  value  of  the  remainder.  When  fine  pas- 
sages are  dovetailed  in  for  effect,  they  may  be  quoted  for 
effect ;  but  not  when  they  are  the  natural  growth  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  have  an  inseparable  connexion  with  what  precedes 
and  with  what  follows.  The  sermon  on  '  Modern  Infidelity* 
is  considered  by  able  judges  Mr.  Hall's  best  work ;  it  may  be 
considered  perfect :  a  sermon  that  contains  far-extending 

p  3 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

thought,  piercing  argument,  graphic  delineation,  and  calm 
and  noble  seriousness.  The  reader's  interest  in  this  produc- 
tion will  not  be  lessened  by  knowing  that  Mr.  Hall  prepared 
it  for  the  press  from  memory  (the  discourse  not  having  been 
written);  and  that  part  of  it  was  prepared  while  lying  on  the 
jftoor,  to  mitigate  the  agony  he  habitually  endured  in  his  back. 
Another  sermon,  "  Thoughts  proper  to  the  present  Crisis," 
preached  and  printed  in  1803,  affords  a  fine  instance  of  the 
prophetic  foresight  of  genius,  and  of  the  value,  beyond  the 
passing  moment,  of  sentiments  deduced  from  principles,  and 
of  warnings  grounded  on  facts  significant  of  human  nature. 
Twenty- eight  years  have  elapsed ;  but  read  even  at  the  present 
crisis,  nothing  can  be  finer  than  his  denunciations  of  the  base 
and  earth-born  system  of  morals  which,  instead  of  appealing 
to  any  internal  principle,  leaves  every  thing  to  calculation, 
and  determines  every  thing  by  expediency :  which  makes  the 
grandest  questions  that  can  agitate  the  human  mind  mere 
questions  of  interest,  and  regards  even  the  Scriptures  as  a 
spiritual  ledger-book  of  profit  and  of  loss :  which  mechanises 
whatsoever  it  touches,  turning  from  the  beautiful  with  a  con- 
temptuous doubt  of  its  utility,  subjecting  the  good  to  an  arith- 
metical process  miscalled  reasoning,  flinging  over  the  heart 
the  frost-work  of  fashion,  and  making  social  intercourse  a 
cold,  false,  brilliant  interchange  of  manners. 

The  volume  that  has  called  forth  these  remarks  is  only  the 
first ;  six  is  the  intended  number,  and  of  these,  the  memoir, 
to  be  written  by  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  (if  our  private  in- 
formation may  be  trusted)  will  scarcely  be  inferior  in  value  to 
the  rest  of  the  work.  Sir  James  was  a  fellow-student  of  Mr. 
Hall's  at  Aberdeen. 

******  * 

We  shall  make  a  few  extracts  from  an  able  and  authentic 
pamphlet,  written  by  one  of  Mr.  Hall's  medical  attendants, 
(Mr.  Chandler,  of  Bristol,)  detailing  the  circumstances  of  his 
illness  and  death. 

"  It  is  generally  known,  that  throughout  life,  or  at  least 
from  early  youth,  Mr.  Hall  was  subject  to  acute  pain  in  the 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

back.  When  it  is  considered  that  this  long-continued  afflic- 
tion was  ascertained  to  have  been  occasioned  by  renal  calculi 
of  a  very  singular  if  not  unique  conformation,  it  is  surprising 
that  his  expression  of  suffering  should  have  been  so  feeble, 
and  his  endurance  of  it  so  patient :  but  that,  under  the  severer 
goadings  of  these  actual  thorns  in  the  flesh,  he  should  rise 
superior  to  pain,  and  actually  derive  from  it  an  additional 
excitement  to  his  accustomed  eloquence  in  preaching,  and 
deliver  on  such  occasions  some  of  the  richest  and  most  bril- 
liant of  his  discourses,  was  as  strikingly  illustrative  of  the  order 
of  his  mind,  as  it  is  signally  demonstrative  of  the  perennial 
resources  of  Christianity. 

"  It  was  discovered,  in  the  posthumous  research,  that  disease 
had  commenced  in  the  bones  of  the  spine,  about  the  lower 
part  of  the  back  and  loins ;  and  it  has  been  ascertained,  that, 
when  a  child,  he  manifested  the  symptoms  of  this  disorder, 
As  it  was  checked  before  it  became  too  deep-seated,  it  has 
been  suggested,  perhaps  not  improbably,  that  the  pain  and 
irritation  occasioned  by  the  formation  of  the  calculi  in  the 
kidney  became  a  counteracting  means  of  a  remedial  tendency, 
and  that  to  this  cause  we  may  possibly  have  been  much  in- 
debted for  his  conservation  to  the  world.  Whilst,  on  the  one 
hand,  we  have  to  regret  that  the  recumbent  position  rendered 
necessary  by  the  pain,  which  continued  more  or  less  through 
life,  deprived  us  of  what  otherwise  we  might  have  received 
from  his  pen ;  on  the  other  hand,  we  owe  much  to  this  very 
affliction,  by  its  giving  occasion  to  so  beautiful  a  display  of  the 
Christian  graces,  of  patient  resignation,  and  general  sympathy 
with  the  sufferings  of  others. 

"  Our  esteemed  friend  was  subject,  during  the  last  five  or 
six  years  of  his  life,  to  sudden  attacks  of  difficult  breathing. 
These  attacks,  consisting  of  laboured  circulation  of  the  blood 
through  the  lungs,  produced  more  of  terrific  agony  than  of 
positive  pain  —  a  feeling  as  of  impending  dissolution,  and  that 
in  one  of  its  severest  modes.  So  great  was  his  distress,  that 
he  has  often  said  to  me,  during  and  after  an  attack,  that  he 
could  more  easily  suffer  seven  years'  unabated  continuance  of 

p  4 


216       THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

the  pain  in  his  back,  acute  as  it  was,  than  one  half-hour  of 
the  conflict  within  his  chest ;  and  he  always  expressed  a  con- 
fidence that,  if  the  attacks  were  to  recur  frequently,  he  should 
either  not  be  able  long  to  survive,  or  (what  he  most  dreaded) 
he  should  be  prevented  from  exercising  himself  in  public,  and 
be  laid  aside,  in  a  state  of  great  affliction  to  himself,  and  of 
distress  to  his  family, 

"  The  diseases  which  occasioned  these  attacks  were  ulti- 
mately ascertained  to  have  been  a  softened,  and  consequently 
weakened  state  of  the  muscular  structure  of  the  heart,  and  a 
chronic  inflammatory  process  going  on  in  the  interior  mem- 
brane of  the  great  arterial  trunk  ;  the  whole  course  of  which 
presented  considerable  disease,  and  which  finally  became 
more  actively  inflamed  and  ulcerated."— P.  11~*-13. 

*•  During  this  period,  it  has  been  increasingly  delightful  to 
witness,  amongst  the  most  unequivocal  signs  of  an  augmenting 
fatal  disease,  a  remarkable  advance  in  simplicity  of  mind  and 
devotional  ardour — qualities,  indeed,  conspicuously  character- 
istic before,  but  now  far  more  beautifully  expressed.  Our 
beloved  pastor  manifested,  in  his  declining  days,  such  a  finish 
of  Christian  courtesy  and  dignified  deportment,  combining 
such  genuine  lowliness  of  heart  with  such  true  sublimity  of 
mind,  as  evidenced  him  to  be  rapidly  ripening,  and  nearly 
ready  for  the  ingathering. 

"  The  last  few  months  of  his  life  were  singularly  marked 
by  a  heavenly  fervour  in  devotional  exercises,  both  in  the 
family  and  in  the  church,  in  which  he  would  bear  upon  his 
heart  the  cases  of  all  those  who  needed  special  intercession, 
with  such  minuteness  and  propriety,  such  affection,  and  such 
elegant  delicacy  of  feeling,  as  tended,  above  all  his  other  great 
and  shining  talents,  to  endear  him  to  our  hearts  when  living, 
as  they  will  chiefly  embalm  him  in  our  memories  now  that  he 
is  removed." — P.  16,  17. 

The  following  passages  affectingly  detail  the  closing 
scene: — 

"  On  entering  his  room,  I  found  him  sitting  on  the  sofa, 
surrounded  by  his  lamenting  family ;  with  one  foot  in  the  hot 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

water,  and  the  other  spasmodically  grasping  the  edge  of  the 
bath ;  his  frame  waving  in  violent,  almost  convulsive  heavings, 
sufficiently  indicative  of  the  process  of  dissolution.  I  hastened, 
though  despairingly,  to  administer  such  stimulants  as  might 
possibly  avert  the  threatening  termination  of  life ;  and,  as  I  sat 
by  his  side  for  this  purpose,  he  threw  his  arm  over  my  shoulders 
for  support,  with  a  look  of  evident  satisfaction  that  I  was  near 
him.  He  said  to  me,  '  I  am  dying ;  death  is  come  at  last : 
all  will  now  be  useless.'  As  I  pressed  upon  him  draughts  of 
stimulants,  he  intimated  that  he  would  take  them  if  I  wished ; 
but  he  believed  all  was  useless.  On  my  asking  him  if  he  suf- 
fered much,  he  replied, 6  Dreadfully/  The  rapidly  increasing 
gasping  soon  overpowered  his  ability  to  swallow,  or  to  speak, 
except  in  monosyllables,  few  in  number,  which  I  could  not 
collect;  but,  whatever  might  be  the  degree  of  his  suffering, 
(and  great  it  must  have  been),  there  was  no  failure  of  his 
mental  vigour  or  composure.  Indeed,  so  perfect  was  his  con- 
sciousness, that,  in  the  midst  of  these  last  agonies,  he  intimated 
to  me  very  shortly  before  the  close,  with  his  accustomed  court- 
eousness,  a  fear  lest  he  should  fatigue  me  by  his  pressure ; 
and  when  his  family,  one  after  another,  gave  way  in  despair, 
he  followed  them  with  sympathising  looks,  as  they  were  obliged 
to  be  conveyed  from  the  room.  This  was  his  last  voluntary 
movement ;  for,  immediately,  a  general  convulsion  seized  him, 
and  he  quickly  expired. 

"  It  is  not  in  my  power  adequately  to  represent  the  solemn 
and  awful  grandeur  of  this  last  scene.  Our  beloved  pastor 
died  from  a  failure  of  the  vital  powers  of  the  heart,  amidst  the 
vigorous  energies  of  consciousness  and  volition  ;  his  placidity, 
and  complacency  of  spirit,  being  in  striking  contrast  with  the 
wild  and  powerful  convulsions  of  a  frame  yielding  in  its  full 
strength.  The  last  struggle  was  violent,  but  short.  The 
pains  of  dying  were  extreme;  but  they  were  borne  with 
genuine  Christian  magnanimity.  Peacefully  he  closed  those 
'  brilliant  eyes  which  had  so  often  beamed  upon  us  rays  of 
benignity  and  intellectual  fire/  Calmly,  yet  firmly,  he  sealed 


218       THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL. 

those  *  lips  which  had  so  often  charmed  our  ears  with  messages 
of  divine  mercy  and  grace.'  And  as  he  lay  a  corpse  over  my 
shoulder,  he  exhibited  '  a  countenance  combining  such  peace, 
benevolence,  and  grandeur,  in  its  silent  expressions,'  as  have 
seldom  been  witnessed  in  the  dead." — P.  37 — 39. 

"  I  have  never  before  seen,  and  scarcely  shall  I  again  wit- 
ness, a  death,  in  all  its  circumstances,  so  grand  and  impressive; 
so  harmonious  with  his  natural  character,  so  consistent  with 
his  spiritual  life."— P.  42. 

Accidentally  taking  up  a  life  of  Pascal  whilst  writing  these 
remarks  on  Robert  Hall,  we  have  been  struck  with  one  or 
two  marked  similarities  in  the  lives  and  deaths  of  these  illus- 
trious men.  Both  manifested  at  a  very  early  age  the  master- 
ing intellect  that  afterwards  bore  fruit  and  came  to  perfection. 
Pascal  was  not  twelve  when  he  reasoned  his  way  into  geometry ; 
and  Robert  Hall  was  still  younger  when  he  comprehended 
Jonathan  Edwards's  metaphysical  and  profound  treatise  on 
the  *  Freedom  of  the  Will.'  Great  part  of  the  life  of  each 
was  spent  in  acute  and  unceasing  pain ;  which  yet  was  not 
allowed  to  sour  their  spirits,  or  interrupt  intellectual  research. 
Both  consecrated  their  extraordinary  powers  to  the  supreme 
study  of  Christianity;  and,  as  their  career  approached  its  close, 
their  minds  and  tempers  shone  more  and  more  with  that 
lambent  light  which  issues  in  "  perfect  day."  They  grew 
into  that  serene  simplicity,  which  is  the  last  attainment  even 
of  Christianised  greatness ;  and  in  their  closing  hours,  when 
an  agonising  death  brought  them  into  communion  with  their 
Master,  they  reciprocally  turned  from  their  own  sufferings, 
to  think  and  speak,  with  emphatic  interest,  of  the  sufferings  of 
the  poor.  It  is  not  intended  to  press  the  parallel :  the  mind 
of  Pascal,  acute  as  it  was,  never  fully  emerged  from  some 
errors ;  and  his  spirit,  lovely  as  it  was,  was  not  wholly  free 
from  weakness :  but  of  Robert  Hall  we  may  say,  without  fear 
that  any  who  knew  him  thoroughly  will  contradict  us  —  he 
was  preserved  in  the  province  of  labour  until  age,  if  not  death, 
must  soon  have  terminated  his  work ;  and  then,  but  not  till 


THE  REVEREND  ROBERT  HALL, 

then,  like  a  shock  of  corn  in  its  season  fully  ripe,  but  without 
any  symptom  of  decay,  without  any  blight  on  his  genius,  or 
the  least  mildew  on  his  reputation,  he  was  gathered  to  the 
assembly  of  the  just,  to  a  sphere  of  loftier  intelligence  and 
perfect  purity. 


220 


No.  XV. 
SIR  MURRAY  MAXWELL,  KNIGHT, 

AND   A    COMPANION     OF   THE     MOST     HONOURABLE     MILITARY 

ORDER   OF    THE    BATH,*    A  POST-CAPTAIN  IN  THE  ROYAL 
NAVY;  AND  FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY. 

THIS  distinguished  officer  was  a  son  of  Alexander  Maxwell, 
Esq.,  merchant  at  Leith  (third  son  of  Sir  William  Maxwell, 
the  fourth  Baronet),  by  Mary,  daughter  of  Hugh  Clerk,  Esq, 
Sir  Murray  was  one  of  nine  brothers,  six  of  whom  devoted 
themselves  to  the  service  of  their  county.  His  eldest  brother, 
General  William  Maxwell,  is  now  heir  presumptive  to  the 
Baronetcy.  One  of  his  brothers,  Keith,  died  a  Post-Captain 
R.  N. ;  and  another,  John,  who  survives,  attained  that  rank 
in  1810.  His  cousin  Jane,  daughter  of  the  late  Sir  William 
Maxwell,  married  Alexander,  fourth  Duke  of  Gordon. 

Sir  Murray  commenced  his  naval  career  under  the  auspices 
of  Sir  Samuel  Hood ;  obtained  his  first  commission  as  a 
Lieutenant  in  1796  ;  and  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the 
Cyane  sloop  of  war,  at  the  Leeward  Islands,  in  December, 
1802.  The  Cyane  formed  part  of  Commodore  Hood's 
squadron  at  the  reduction  of  St.  Lucia,  in  June,  1803;  and 
Captain  Maxwell  was  immediately  after  appointed  to  the 
Centaur,  a  third  rate,  bearing  the  broad  pendant  of  his  patron ; 
with  whom  he  also  served  at  the  capture  of  Tobago,  Deme- 
rara,  and  Essequibo,  in  the  following  autumn.  His  post 
commission  was  confirmed  by  the  Admiralty,  August  4. 
1803. 

Captain  Maxwell  was  subsequently  employed  in  the  block- 
ade of  Martinique  ;  and  in  April,  1804,  he  accompanied  Com- 
modore Hood  and  the  late  Major- General  Sir  Charles  Greeu 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

on  the  expedition  against  Surinam,  the  only  colony  then  pos- 
sessed by  the  enemy  in  Dutch  Guiana;  Berbice  having  sur- 
rendered to  the  British  soon  after  the  above-mentioned 
settlements. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  the  Centaur  anchored  about  ten 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Surinam  river;  and  the  next 
day  a  division  of  the  army,  commanded  by  Brigadier- General 
Maitland,  was  sent,  under  convoy  of  the  Hippomenes  corvette, 
to  effect  a  landing  at  Warappa  creek,  about  thirty  miles  to 
the  eastward.  The  object  of  this  operation  was  to  obtain  a 
communication  by  water  with  the  Commewyne,  and  to  pro- 
cure a  sufficient  number  of  plantation  boats  to  transport  the 
troops  down  that  stream,  towards  its  junction  with  the  Suri- 
nam, and  thereby  facilitate  their  approach  to  a  position  in  the 
rear  of  Fort  New  Amsterdam,  situated  on  the  confluence  of 
those  rivers,  and  mounting  upwards  of  80  guns. 

^In  order  that  no  time  should  be  lost,  preparations  were 
also  made  for  landing  a  body  of  troops  to  take  possession  of 
Braam's  Point,  on  which  was  a  battery  of  seven  18-pounders, 
completely  commanding  the  entrance  of  the  Surinam.  Bri- 
gadier-General Hughes  undertook  to  superintend  this  service  ; 
and  the  wind  proving  favourable,  Captain  Edward  O'Brien, 
of  the  Emerald  frigate,  pushed  over  the  bar  with  the  rising 
tide,  and  anchored  close  to  the  fort,  followed  by  the  Pandour 
troop-ship,  and  Drake  sloop  of  war.  The  enemy  kept  up  a 
brisk  fire  as  the  Emerald  approached  ;  but  it  was  soon  silenced 
by  a  few  broadsides  from  that  ship  and  her  consorts.  A 
party  of  the  64th  regiment  then  landed,  and  secured  forty-five 
prisoners,  three  of  whom  were  wounded.  In  the  course  of 
the  following  day  most  of  the  ships  were  got  into  the  river ; 
but  the  Centaur  was  obliged  to  remain  outside,  on  account  of 
her  great  draught  of  water. 

At  this  period  Captain  Maxwell  and  the  Major- General's 
Aid-de-Camp  were  sent  with  a  summons  to  the  Dutch  Gover- 
nor; whose  answer,  conveying  a  refusal  to  capitulate,  was  not 
received  until  the  morning  of  the  28th.  Commodore  Hood, 
and  his  military  colleague,  having  previously  removed  to  the 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

Emerald,  now  used  every  effort  to  get  up  the  river  before 
dark :  but,  owing  to  the  shallowness  of  the  water,  that  ship 
was  obliged  to  force  her  way  through  the  mud,  in  three  feet 
less  water  than  she  drew;  and  it  was  not  till  late  at  night  that 
she  arrived  near  the  lower  redoubt,  named  Frederici,  on  which 
were  mounted  twelve  heavy  pieces  of  cannon. 

We  should  here  observe,  that  the  Surinam  coast  is  very 
difficult  of  approach,  being  shallow  and  full  of  banks :  a  land- 
ing is  to  be  attempted  only  at  the  top  of  high  water,  and  at 
particular  points;  the  land  is  uncleared,  and  the  soil  very 
marshy;  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  an  army  to  penetrate 
into  the  interior,  except  by  the  rivers^  and  creeks.  The  shores 
on  both  sides  of  the  Surinam  river  below  Frederici  redoubt, 
with  the  exception  of  one  spot  on  the  eastern  shore,  are 
equally  difficult  of  access ;  and  the  enemy,  by  means  of  their 
forts,  ships  of  war,  armed  merchantmen,  and  gun-boats, 
were  completely  masters  of  the  navigation  between  Frederici 
and  Paramaribo,  the  capital  of  the  colony. 

On  the  29th,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Shipley,  of  the  Engineers, 
went  on  shore  at  the  above-mentioned  spot,  where  a  plant- 
ation had  lately  been  established ;  and  having  explored  the 
road  through  the  woods,  he  reported,  on  his  return,  that  a 
body  of  men  might  be  conducted  thence  to  the  rear  of  Fort 
Frederici.  In  consequence  of  this  information  a  detachment, 
consisting  of  140  soldiers  belonging  to  the  64th  regiment,  and 
30  others  equipped  as  pioneers,  was  placed  under  the  com- 
mand of  Brigadier-General  Hughes,  who  landed  about  11  P.  M. 
and  immediately  commenced  his  march,  accompanied  by 
Captain  Maxwell,  and  30  seamen  under  his  orders. 

A  great  quantity  of  rain  having  recently  fallen,  it  was  found 
that  the  path,  at  all  times  difficult,  had  become  almost  im- 
passable :  but  no  obstacle  could  damp  the  enterprising  spirit 
of  our  brave  countrymen,  who  overcame  every  impediment, 
and,  after  a  laborious  march  of  five  hours,  arrived  near  the 
place  of  their  destination.  The  alarm  was  then  given  ;  and  the 
enemy  opened  a  heavy  fire  of  grape-shot  upon  them  whilst 
forming  into  columns,  previously  to  their  quitting  the  wood, 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

and  of  musketry  as  they  advanced  to  the  battery,  which  was 
stormed  and  carried  with  the  greatest  intrepidity.  Brigadier- 
General  Hughes  and  Captain  Maxwell  then  moved  on  to  Fort 
Leyden,  a  place  of  equal  strength ;  and,  by  a  repetition  of  the 
same  impetuous  attack,  soon  obliged  the  enemy  to  call  for 
quarter.  The  number  of  prisoners  taken  on  this  occasion  was 
121  ;  the  remainder  of  the  garrisons  effected  their  escape 
across  the  Commewyne  to  Fort  New  Amsterdam. 

By  this  brilliant  affair,  a  position  was  secured  from  whence 
a  heavy  fire  could  be  directed  against  Fort  New  Amsterdam ; 
and  a  communication  with  the  Commewyne  river  being  opened, 
the  means  of  forming  a  junction  with  Brigadier-General  Mait- 
land  were  established.  The  British,  at  the  same  time,  obtained 
possession  of  the  finest  part  of  the  colony,  abounding  with  re- 
sources of  every  description.  Captain  Maxwell's  exertions 
upon  this  occasion  were  highly  meritorious  ;  and  much  of  the 
success  attending  the  enterprise  may  justly  be  attributed  to 
his  animating  example. 

On  the  same  day,  April  30th,  Sir  Charles  Green  received 
information  that  Brigadier-General  Maitland  had  effected  a 
landing  at  the  Warappa  creek,  under  the  able  superintendence 
of  Captain  Conway  Shipley,  commanding  the  Hippomenes, 
assisted  by  Captain  Kenneth  Mackenzie  of  the  Guachapin  ; 
who  had  with  great  zeal  quitted  his  sloop  fifty  leagues  to  lee- 
ward, finding  from  baffling  winds  and  currents  she  could  not 
get  up,  and  proceeded  with  fifty  of  her  crew  in  boats  to  aid 
that  part  of  the  army. 

Under  these  circumstances,  no  time  was  lost  in  disembark^ 
ing  the  remainder  of  the  troops,  about  1000  in  number,  at 
Fort  Leyden,  and  pushing  them  on,  by  the  north  bank  of  the 
Commewyne,  to  meet  the  others  on  their  passage  down  that 
river.  The  artillery,  stores,  and  provisions  were  at  the  same 
time  conveyed  by  boats ;  and  an  armed  flotilla  established  in 
the  Commewyne  by  the  indefatigable  exertions  of  the  navy.* 

*  The  flotilla  was  commanded  by  Captain  Charles  Richardson,  of  the  Alligator 
troop-ship,  whose  conduct  and  exertions  throughout  the  campaign  are  very  highly 
spoken  of  in  the  public  despatches, 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  Brigadier- General  Maitland  having  taken 
possession  of  the  enemy's  post  at  Warappa  creek,  after  a  short 
resistance,  and  with  great  diligence  procured  a  number  of 
boats  to  convey  his  corps,  appeared  coming  down  the  river  in 
very  good  order ;  and  landed  at  a  plantation  on  the  south  side, 
where  he  was  soon  joined  by  part  of  the  forces  from  the 
opposite  bank. 

This  desirable  object  being  effected,  and  the  enemy's  com- 
munication cut  off  by  the  activity  of  the  ships'  boats,  the  army 
being  on  the  advance,  and  every  preparation  made  by  the 
squadron  for  attacking  Fort  New  Amsterdam,  the  Batavian 
Commandant  thought  proper  to  send  out  a  flag  of  truce,  with 
proposals  to  surrender  on  terms  of  capitulation.  The  nego- 
tiations for  that  purpose  were  conducted,  on  the  part  of  the 
British,  by  Captain  Maxwell  and  Lieutenant- Colonel  Shipley ; 
and  at  five  P.  M.  on  the  5th  of  May,  the  fortress  was  taken 
possession  of  by  an  advanced  corps  under  Brigadier- General 
Maitland. 

The  valuable  colony  of  Surinam  was  thus  added  to  the 
British  dominions :  a  frigate  of  32  eighteen- pounders,  a  cor- 
vette mounting  18  guns,  and  all  the  other  national  vessels  in 
the  rivers,  were  likewise  surrendered.  The  total  number  of 
prisoners  taken,  exclusive  of  the  staff  and  civilians,  was  2001 : 
the  loss  sustained  by  the  English  amounted  to  no  more  than 
eight  killed  and  twenty-one  wounded ;  five  of  the  former  and 
eight  of  the  latter  were  naval  officers  and  seamen.  We  shall 
close  our  account  of  this  conquest  with  an  extract  from  Sir 
Charles  Green's  official  report  to  Earl  Camden,  dated  "  Para- 
maribo, May  13.  1804  :" — 

"  In  all  conjunct  expeditions,  the  zealous  co-operation  of 
the  navy  becomes  of  the  most  essential  importance ;  but  such 
is  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  military  positions  in  this  country, 
that  our  success  depended  chiefly  upon  their  exertions,  no 
movements  being  possibly  made  without  their  assistance.  It 
is  therefore  incumbent  on  me  to  bear  my  sincere  testimony 
to  the  cordial,  zealous,  and  able  support  the  army  has  received 
from  Commodore  Hood,  and  all  the  Captains  and  other  offi- 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

cers  of  the  squadron  under  his  command,  which  must  ever  be 
remembered  with  gratitude.  Captain  Maxwell,  of  the  Cen- 
taur, having  been  more  particularly  attached  to  the  troops 
under  my  immediate  command  on  shore,  I  am  bound  to  no- 
tice his  spirited  and  exemplary  behaviour." 

Captain  Maxwell  returned  to  England  with  the  Com- 
modore's despatches  in  June,  1804 ;  and  we  subsequently  find 
him  commanding  the  Centaur  as  a  private  ship  on  the  Ja- 
maica station,  where  he  removed  into  the  Galatea  frigate  in 
the  summer  of  1805.  His  next  appointment  was  to  the 
Alceste  of  46  guns,  formerly  La  Minerve,  one  of  the  frigates 
captured  by  part  of  a  squadron  under  Sir  Samuel  Hood,  in 
September,  1806. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1808,  Captain  Maxwell  being  off 
Cadiz,  with  the  Mercury  28  and  Grasshopper  brig  under  his 
orders,  observed  a  fleet  of  Spanish  vessels  coming  along  shore 
from  the  northward,  under  the  protection  of  about  twenty  gun- 
boats, and  a  formidable  train  of  flying  artillery.  On  their 
arrival  off  Rota  he  stood  in  with  his  little  squadron,  and  com- 
menced a  vigorous  attack  upon  them,  which  continued  from 
four  o'clock  until  half-past  six  p.  M. ;  when  two  of  the  flotilla 
being  destroyed,  the  remainder  obliged  to  retreat,  the  batteries 
at  Rota  silenced,  and  many  of  the  merchantmen  driven  on 
shore,  the  boats  of  the  frigates  were  sent  in  under  the  direc- 
tions of  Lieutenant  Allan  Stewart,  who  boarded  and  brought 
off  seven  tartans,  loaded  with  valuable  ship  timber,  from 
under  the  very  muzzles  of  the  enemy's  guns,  although  sup- 
ported by  numerous  armed  barges  and  pinnaces  sent  from 
Cadiz  to  assist  in  their  defence.  This  spirited  service  was 
performed  in  the  teeth  of  eleven  French  and  Spanish  line-of- 
battle  ships  then  lying  ready  for  sea;  and  must  therefore  be 
considered  as  reflecting  the  highest  credit  on  Captain  Max- 
well and  his  brave  companions,  whose  situation  during  the 
action  was  rather  a  critical  one,  as  the  wind  blew  dead  upon 
the  shore,  and  the  ships  were  compelled  to  tack  every 
fifteen  minutes,  in  order  to  avoid  the  dangerous  shoals  near 
Rota. 

VOL.  xvi.  o 


226  SIR   MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

Subsequently  to  this  event  Captain  Maxwell  was  actively 
employed  on  the  coast  of  Italy,  where  he  assisted  at  the  de- 
struction of  several  armed  vessels  and  martello  towers,  as  also 
in  bringing  off  a  large  quantity  of  timber  from  a  depot  be- 
longing to  the  enemy  at  Terracina.  On  the  22d  May,  1810, 
a  party  from  the  Alceste  landed  near  Frejus,  stormed  a  bat- 
tery of  two  24-pounders,  spiked  the  guns,  broke  the  carriages, 
blew  up  the  magazine,  and  threw  the  shot  into  the  sea.  A 
few  days  afterwards  her  boats  attacked  a  French  convoy 
bound  to  the  eastward,  captured  four  vessels  laden  with  mer- 
chandise, drove  two  others  on  shore,  and  obliged  the  re- 
mainder to  put  back. 

In  the  ensuing  autumn  Captain  Maxwell  was  attached  to 
the  inshore  squadron  off  Toulon;  and  in  the  spring  of  1811, 
when  cruising  on  the  coast  of  Istria,  under  the  orders  of  Cap- 
tain (the  late  Sir  James)Brisbane,  he  assisted  in  the  destruction 
of  a  French  national  brig  in  the  small  harbour  of  Parenza. 
The  action  afterwards  fought  in  the  Adriatic,  by  a  squadron 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Maxwell,  is  thus  described  by 
him  in  his  public  letter  to  the  senior  officer  on  that  station, 
dated  off  Lissa,  December,  1 .  1811  :  — 

"  SIR,  —  His  Majesty's  ships  under  my  orders  having 
been  driven  from  their  anchorage  before  Lugina,  by  strong 
gales,  had  taken  shelter  in  Lissa,  when  the  telegraph  on 
Whitby  Hill  signalised  "  three  suspicious  sail  south."  The 
Alceste,  Active,  and  Unite  were  warped  out  of  Port  St.  George 
the  moment  a  strong  east-north-east  wind  would  permit ;  and 
on  the  evening  of  the  28th  ultimo,  off  the  south  end  of  Lissa, 
I  met.  with  Lieutenant  M'Dougal,  of  his  Majesty's  ship  Unite, 
who,  with  a  judgment  and  zeal  which  do  him  infinite  credit, 
had  put  back,  when  on  his  voyage  to  Malta  in  a  neutral,  to 
acquaint  me  he  had  seen  three  French  frigates  forty  miles  to 
the  southward.  All  sail  was  now  carried  in  chase ;  and  at 
9  A.  M.  on  the  29th  the  enemy  were  seen  off  the  island  of 
Augusta  :  he  formed  in  line  upon  the  larboard  tack,  and  stood 
towards  us  for  a  short  time ;  but  finding  his  Majesty's  ships 
bear  up  under  all  sail,  in  close  line  abreast,  he  also  bore  up  to 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

the  north-west  and  set  studding  sails.  At  eleven  the  rear 
ship  separated,  and  stood  to  the  north-east :  I  immediately 
detached  the  Unite  after  her;  and  Captain  Chamberlayne's 
report  to  me  of  the  result  I  have  the  honour  to  enclose.* 
At  twenty  minutes  past  one,  p.  M.,  the  Alceste  commenced 
action  with  the  other  two,  by  engaging  the  rearmost  in  passing 
to  get  at  the  Commodore ;  but,  an  unlucky  shot  soon  after- 
wards bringing  down  our  main-top-mast,  we  unavoidably 
dropped  a  little  astern  :  cheers  of e  Vive  1'EmpereurP resounded 
from  both  ships  ;  they  thought  the  day  their  own, — not  aware 
of  what  a  second  I  had  in  my  gallant  friend,  Captain  Gordon, 
who  pushed  the  Active  up  under  every  sail,  and  brought  the 
sternmost  to  action,  within  pistol  shot;  the  headmost  then 
shortened  sail,  tacked,  and  stood  for  the  Alceste,  which, 
though  disabled  in  her  masts,  I  trust  he  experienced  was  not 
so  in  her  guns.  After  a  warm  conflict  of  two  hours  and 
twenty  minutes  the  French  Commodore  made  off  to  the  west- 
ward, which,  from  my  crippled  state,  I  was  unable  to  pre- 
vent. The  other  surrendered,  after  being  totally  dismasted, 
with  five  feet  water  in  her  hold,  and  proved  to  be  La  Pomone, 
of  44  guns  and  322  men,  commanded  by  Captain  Rosamel ; 
who  fought  his  ship  with  a  degree  of  skill  and  bravery  that 
has  obtained  for  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  opponents. 
The  other  was  La  Pauline,  of  similar  force,  commanded  by 
M.  Montford.  They  were  from  Corfu,  going  to  join  the 
squadron  at  Trieste.f  The  Alceste  had  20  killed  and 

*  Captain  Chamberlayne  reports  the  capture  of  La  Persanne,  a  French  store- 
ship,  mounting  26  nine-pounders,  with  a  complement  of  190  men,  having  in  her 
hold  120  iron  guns  and  several  pieces  of  brass  ordnance.  She  kept  up  a  running 
fight  from  noon  till  4  v.  M.,  and  did  not  surrender  whilst  the  least  chance  remained 
of  escaping  from  her  very  superior  opponent.  The  Unite'  was  much  cut  up  in 
her  masts,  yards,  sails,  and  rigging,  by  a  galling  fire  from  the  Frenchman's  stern- 
chasers  ;  but  fortunately  only  one  of  her  crew  was  wounded.  The  enemy,  whose 
masterly  manoeuvres  and  persevering  resistance  reflect  great  credit  on  her  com- 
mander, Mons.  Satie,  had  two  men  killed  and  four  wounded.  La  Persanne,  being 
found  unfit  for  the  British  navy,  was  sold  at  Malta,  to  an  agent  of  the  Tunisian 
government,  for  15,5001. 

f  La  Pomone  had  in  her  hold  42  iron  guns,  9  brass  ditto,  and  220  iron  wheels 
for  gun-carriages.  She  was  one  of  the  largest  class  of  French  frigates,  and  had 

2  2 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

wounded ;  Active,  35  ;  and  Pomone,  50 ;  and  it  is  with  poig- 
nant regret  I  inform  you  that  Captain  Gordon  has  lost  a  leg : 
but,  thank  God  !  he  is  doing  well.  His  merits  as  an  officer  I 
need  not  dwell  upon  —  they  are  known  to  his  country ;  and  he 
lives  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  have  the  happiness  to  know  him. 
His  First  Lieutenant,  William  Bateman  Dashwood,  lost  his 
arm  soon  after  he  was  wounded ;  and  the  ship  was  fought  by 
Lieutenant  George  Haye,  in  a  manner  that  reflects  the  highest 
honour  upon  him  :  his  services  before  had  frequently  merited 
and  obtained  the  highest  approbation  and  strong  recommend- 
ation of  his  Captain,  who  also  speaks  in  the  warmest  praise  of 
acting  Lieutenant  Moriarty ;  Mr.  Lothian,  the  Master  ;  Lieu- 
tenant Meers,  R.  M.  ;  and  every  officer,  seaman,  and  marine 
under  his  command. 

"  Although  our  success  was  not  so  complete  as  I  trust  it 
would  have  been  could  the  Alceste  have  taken  up  her  intended 
position  alongside  La  Pauline,  instead  of  that  ship,  from  the 
fall  of  our  topmast,  being  enabled  to  manoeuvre  and  choose 
her  distance,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  state,  that  every  officer  and 
man  here  behaved  most  gallantly.  I  was  most  ably  assisted 
on  the  quarter-deck  by  my  First  Lieutenant,  Andrew  Wilson, 
and  Mr.  Howard  Moore,  the  Master;  the  main-deck  guns  were 
admirably  directed  by  Lieutenant  James  Montagu  and  Mr. 
James  Adair,  acting  in  the  place  of  Lieutenant  Hickman,  left 
at  Lissa  with  the  gun-boats.*  In  justice  to  two  very  deserv- 
ing officers,  Lieutenant  Miller,  R.  M ,  of  the  Active,  and 
Lieutenant  Lloyd,  R.  M.,  of  the  Alceste,  it  is  necessary  to 
mention  that  they  were  ashore  with  most  of  their  respective 
parties  at  Camesa  Castle  and  Hoste's  Islands,  for  the  defence 


been  built  by  the  citizens  of  Genoa  for  that  nautical  mushroom  Jerome  Bona- 
parte, to  whom  she  was  presented  on  his  obtaining  the  rank  of  a  captain  in  the 
imperial  marine. 

*  Lieutenant  John  Collman  Hickman,  1  midshipman,  and  30  seamen,  were 
left  in  three  prize  vessels  for  the  protection  of  the  island  against  the  designs  of 
Marshal  Bertrand  ;  the  Alceste,  having  also  left  behind  1  lieutenant,  1  Serjeant, 
2  corporals,  and  48  privates  of  the  royal  marines,  had  on  board  only  218  officers 
and  men.  The  Active  was  equally  short  of  complement. 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

of  Lissa,  hourly  threatened  with  an  attack  from  the  enemy, 

assembled  in  great  force  at  Lesina. 

*  *  *  *  *  # 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

(Signed)      "  MURRAY  MAXWELL." 
«  To  Captain  Rowley,  H.  M.  S.  Eagle, 
Senior  officer  of  the  Adriatic  squadron" 

Captain  Maxwell,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1813,  had  the 
misfortune  to  be  wrecked  in  the  Daedalus  frigate,  on  a 
shoal  near  Ceylon,  whilst  convoying  a  fleet  of  Indiamen  to 
Madras. 

In  October,  1815,  he  was  re-appointed  to  the  Alceste,  at 
the  particular  request  of  Lord  Amherst,  who  was  then  about 
to  proceed  on  his  celebrated  embassy  to  China. 

The  Alceste  sailed  from  Spithead,  February  9.  1816, 
touched  at  Madeira,  Rio  Janeiro,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
Anjere,  and  Batavia ;  entered  the  China  sea  by  the  Straits  of 
Banca ;  communicated  with  Canton ;  passed  through  the 
straits  of  Formosa,  into  the  Tung-Hai,  or  Eastern  Sea ;  and 
finally  anchored  in  the  Gulf  of  Pe-tche-lee,  on  the  28th  July, 
after  a  passage  of  only  fifteen  days  from  the  neighbourhood 
of  Macao.  Her  consort,  the  Lyra  brig,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Basil  Hall,  had  previously  been  despatched  thither  to 
announce  the  approach  of  the  embassy. 

Lord  Amherst  having  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pei-ho 
river  on  the  9th  of  August,  and  it  being  certain  that  several 
months  must  elapse  before  his  Excellency  could  return  from 
Pekin  to  Canton,  the  place  where  he  intended  to  re-embark 
for  England,  Captain  Maxwell  determined  to  employ  the  in- 
terval in  examining  some  parts  of  the  different  coasts  in  that 
unfrequented  portion  of  the  globe.  The  first  object  which 
seems  to  have  attracted  his  attention  was  to  obtain  a  complete 
knowledge  of  the  Gulf  of  Pe-tche-lee ;  and  for  this  purpose  he 
took  to  himself  the  northern  part,  assigning  the  southern  to 
Captain  Hall,  and  so  directing  the  return  of  the  General 

o  3 


230  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

Hewitt  as  to  enable  her  commander  to  explore  the  central 
passage.* 

The  course  taken  by  the  Alceste  led  to  a  partial  survey  of 
the  Gulf  of  Leo-tong,  never  before  visited  by  any  European 
ship.  In  coasting  along  the  western  shore,  a  view  was  ob- 
tained of  the  great  wall  of  China,  extending  its  vast,  but 
unavailing,  defences  over  the  summits  and  along  the  skirts  of 
hills  and  mountains.  Stretching  across  to  the  opposite  shore, 
she  anchored,  and  completed  her  water,  in  a  commodious 
bay,  situated  in  lat.  39°  33'  north,  long.  121°  19'  east.  From 
thence  Captain  Maxwell  proceeded  to  the  southward  until  he 
reached  the  extreme  Tartar  point  of  the  gulf;  and  then, 
steering  in  the  same  direction,  passed  through  a  cluster  of 
islands,  named  by  him  the  Company's  Group,  which,  with 
those  at  Mee-a-tau,  may  be  said  to  divide  the  Yellow  Sea 
from  the  Gulf  of  Pe-tehe-lee.  He  then  stood  to  the  eastward, 
and  put  into  Che-a-tow  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Shan-tung,  where 
he  found  the  General  Hewitt,  and  was  soon  after  joined  by 
Captain  Hall ;  who  had  kept  the  coast  of  China  in  sight  as 
much  as  possible,  and  obtained  a  complete  knowledge  of  that 
part  of  the  gulf  lying  between  the  Pei-ho  and  the  place  of 
rendezvous. 

Had  Captain  Maxwell  sailed  from  hence  to  Chu-san,  and 
there  awaited  the  change  of  the  monsoon,  any  expectations 
originally  formed  by  him  would  have  been  more  than  gratified 
by  the  result  of  this  hasty  survey :  little,  indeed,  could  he 
have  anticipated  the  further  extension  and  increased  import- 
ance of  discoveries  that  awaited  him. 

Leaving  the  General  Hewitt  to  complete  the  ulterior  ob- 
jects of  her  voyage,  the  Alceste  and  Lyra  sailed  from  Che-a- 
tow  Bay  on  the  29th  of  August,  and  proceeded  to  examine  the 
south-west  coast  of  Corea,  where  they  had  some  interesting 
communications  with  the  natives;  who  appear  to  have  been 
prevented  by  the  strict  orders  of  their  government  from  en- 

*  The  General  Hewitt  Indiaman,  Captain  Walter  Campbell,  had  been  taken 
up  by  the  Hon.  Court  of  Directors,  for  the  conveyance  of  the  presents  intended 
for  the  Emperor  of  China. 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

couraging  an  intercourse  which,  if  liberated  from  this  re- 
straint, their  inclinations  would  have  led  them  to  cultivate. 
The  researches  of  Captain  Maxwell  in  this  quarter  enabled 
him  to  rectify  an  enormous  geographical  error  respecting  the 
peninsula  of  Corea,  and  reveal  the  existence  of  myriads  of 
islands,  forming  an  archipelago,  —  a  fact  before  unknown  and 
unsuspected.  It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  the  Lion,  of  64  guns, 
employed  to  convey  Lord  Macartney,  the  former  Ambassador, 
was  the  only  ship  which  had  ever  before  penetrated  into  the 
gulf  of  Pe-tche-lee;  but  her  commander,  Sir  Erasmus  Gower, 
kept  the  coast  of  China  aboard  only,  and  touched  neither  at 
the  Tartar  nor  at  the  Corean  side.  Cooke,  Perouse,  Brough- 
ton,  and  others,  had  well  defined  the  bounds  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  this  country ;  but  the  western  had  been  laid  down  by 
the  Jesuits  in  their  map,  from  Chinese  accounts  and  their  own 
imaginations  only.* 

Having  thus  materially  benefited  nautical  science,  Captains 
Maxwell  and  Hall  visited  the  Great  Loo-Choo  Island,  an- 
choring in  Napa-kiang  Roads  on  the  1 6th  of  September.  The 
natives  at  first  showed  the  same  disinclination  to  intercourse 
as  those  of  Corea ;  and  it  required  great  discretion  and  mild- 
ness to  produce  a  contrary  feeling.  In  this  object,  however, 
they  succeeded.  The  judicious  forbearance  manifested  by 
them  on  their  first  arrival  secured  the  favourable  opinion,  and 
disarmed  the  jealousy,  of  the  public  authorities  :  whilst  their 
uniform  kindness  of  manner  won  the  general  regard  of  this 
truly  amiable  people,  from  whom  they  received  the  most  liberal 
assistance  and  friendly  treatment,  during  a  stay  of  six  weeks ; 
at  the  end  of  which  time  their  separation  took  place,  under 
circumstances  of  mutual  esteem  and  regret.  Whether  the 
Loo-Choo  Islands  can  be  rendered  either  of  political  or  of 
commercial  utility,  may  deserve  consideration ;  and,  looking 
to  the  possibility  of  the  question  being  decided  in  the  affirm- 
ative, the  information  thus  obtained  respecting  them,  and  the 

*  Captain  Maxwell  found  the  main  land  of  Corea  from  100  to  130  miles 
farther  to  the  eastward  than  his  charts  led  him  to  believe. 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

favourable  impression  produced,  must  be  deemed  both  interest- 
ing and  important.* 

Returning  from  .Loo-Choo,  the  Alceste  and  Lyra  passed 
the  Pa-tchou  Islands,  and  the  south  end  of  Formosa ;  crossed 
the  straits  in  very  boisterous  weather;  and  arrived  off  Lin-tin 
on  the  2d  day  of  November. 

Captain  Maxwell  now  lost  no  time  in  applying  to  the 
Viceroy  of  Canton,  through  the  local  authorities,  for  a  pass 
to  carry  the  Alceste  up  the  Tigris,  to  secure  anchorage,  where 
she  could  undergo  some  necessary  repairs.  Evasion  after 
evasion,  accompanied  by  insulting  messages,  were  the  only 
proofs  that  he  obtained  of  his  application  having  been  received. 
He  therefore  determined  to  proceed  without  permission  ;  but 
had  scarcely  approached  the  narrow  entrance  of  the  river, 
when  an  inferior  mandarin  came  on  board,  and  desired,  in  a 
high  and  domineering  tone,  that  the  ship  should  be  directly 
anchored ;  stating  that,  if  Captain  Maxwell  presumed  to  pass 
the  Bocca,  the  batteries  would  instantly  sink  her. 

Fully  satisfied  that  the  tame  submission  of  others  had  only 
added  to  the  arrogance,  and  fostered  the  insolence,  of  the 
Chinese,  —  convinced  also  that  the  petty  tyrant  who  attempted 
to  dishonour  his  country's  flag  would  not  respect  the  person 
of  her  Ambassador  the  more  on  account  of  his  forbearance, — 
Captain  Maxwell  calmly  told  the  mandarin  that  he  would 
first  pass  the  batteries,  and  then  hang  him  at  the  yard-arm 
for  daring  to  come  off  with  so  impudent  a  message.  His 
boat  was  then  cut  adrift,  and  himself  taken  into  custody. 

Orders  were  now  given  for  the  Alceste  to  be  steered  close 
under  the  principal  fort.  On  her  approach  the  batteries  and 
seventeen  or  eighteen  war-junks  endeavoured  to  make  good 
the  threat,  by  opening  a  heavy,  though  ill-directed  fire.  The 
return  of  a  single  shot  silenced  the  flotilla;  and  one  broadside, 

*  Captain  Hall,  on  his  return  to  England,  published  a  very  interesting  nar- 
rative of  the  "  Voyage  to  Corea,  and  the  Island  of  Loo-Choo."  This  work  he 
dedicated  to  Sir  Murray  Maxwell, — "  to  whose  ability  in  conducting  the  voyage, 
zeal  in  giving  encouragement  to  every  enquiry,  sagacity  in  discovering  the  dis- 
position of  the  natives,  and  address  in  gaining  their  confidence  and  good  will," 
he  attributes  "  whatever  may  be  found  interesting  "  in  his  pages. 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL.  238 

poured  in  with  three  hearty  cheers,  proved  quite  sufficient  for 
her  more  formidable  opponent.  The  other  batteries  being 
soon  after  quieted,  the  Alceste  proceeded  without  further 
molestation  to  the  second  bar,  and  subsequently  to  Whampoa; 
at  which  latter  place  she  remained  until  the  arrival  of  Lord 
Amherst  and  his  suite,  in  January,  1817. 

The  effects  of  Captain  Maxwell's  decisive  conduct  was  soon 
evinced  by  the  arrival  of  all  kinds  of  Supplies  to  his  frigate, 
and  a  cargo  to  the  General  Hewitt,  before  withheld  on  the 
plea  of  her  being  required  to  carry  back  the  tribute  which 
she  had  brought  from  England  to  the  celestial  empire :  also 
by  the  publication  of  an  edict  *,  endeavouring  to  make  the 
affair  at  the  Bocca  Tigris  appear  to  the  natives  as  a  mere 
salute,  or  "  ching-chinning"  ceremony,  —  although  the  report 
of  their  loss,  promulgated  previously  to  this  official  fabrication, 
stated  it  to  be  47  killed,  and  many  others  "spoiled"  (wounded); 
which  probably  was  near  the  truth,  as  the  Chinese  warriors 
stood  rather  thick  in  the  batteries,  and  the  Alceste's  32- 
pounder  carronades  were  well  loaded  with  grape.  It  likewise 
came  to  pass,  that  the  viceroy  thought  proper  to  send  down 
a  high  mandarin,  attended  by  one  of  the  hong,  or  security 
merchants,  to  wait  upon  Captain  Maxwell,  welcome  him  into 
the  river,  and  compliment  him  with  all  possible  politeness  ! 

Lord  Amherst  having  re-embarked,  the  Alceste  sailed  from 
Whampoa,  on  the  21st  January,  1817;  exchanged  friendly 
salutes  with  the  guardians  of  the  Bocca  Tigris ;  touched  at 
Macao  and  Manilla ;  rounded  the  numerous  clusters  of  rocks 
and  shoals  lying  to  the  westward  of  the  Philippines,  and  to 
the  north-west  of  Borneo  ;  and  then  shaped  a  course  for  the 
Straits  of  Gaspar,  which  she  entered  soon  after  daylight  on 
the  18th  of  February. 

The  morning  was  fine,  the  wind  fresh  and  favourable,  and 
the  Alceste  moving  rapidly  through  the  water ;  every  appear- 
ance promised  a  rapid  passage  into  the  Java  sea,  for  which 

*  The  word  "  edict "  appears  to  be  applied  by  the  Chinese  to  any  piece  of 
common  information,  whether  it  is  from  the  Emperor,  or  has  the  force  of  a  law, 
or  not. 


Sin    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

Captain  Maxwell,  who  had  been  on  board  the  whole  of  the 
preceding  night,  was  steering  the  course  laid  down  in  the 
most  approved  charts,  and  recommended  by  the  sailing  di- 
rections in  his  possession,  when  the  ship  struck  against  a 
sunken  rock,  three  miles  distant  from  Pulo  Leat,  or  Middle 
Island,  and  having  grated  over  it  for  a  few  seconds,  took  a 
slight  heel  to  starboard,  and  became  immovable.  The  ra- 
pidity of  her  motion,  at  the  instant  of  striking,  rendered  it 
highly  probable  that  she  had  received  serious  injury;  and 
every  doubt  on  this  subject  was  soon  removed  by  the  appear- 
ance of  her  false  keel  floating  alongside,  and  the  report  of  the 
carpenter,  who  stated  that  the  water  in  the  hold  had  increased 
from  2£  to  7  feet,  and  that  it  was  gaining  rapidly  on  the 
pumps. 

The  sails,  which  had  at  first  been  thrown  a-back,  were  now 
furled,  and  the  best-bower  anchor  was  dropped,  to  keep  her 
fast,  from  the  apprehension,  if  she  went  off  the  rock,  of  her 
instantly  sinking.  At  this  alarming  crisis,  not  the  slightest 
confusion  or  irregularity  occurred :  every  necessary  order 
was  as  coolly  given,  and  as  steadily  obeyed,  as  if  nothing 
unusual  had  happened ;  every  one  did  his  duty  calmly,  dili- 
gently, and  effectually. 

The  boats  being  hoisted  out,  Lord  Amherst  and  the  gentle- 
men of  his  suite,  within  half  an  hour  of  the  striking  of  the 
ship,  were  in  the  barge,  and  making  for  the  nearest  part  of 
the  above-mentioned  desert  island.  After  leaving  the  Alceste, 
they  saw  more  accurately  the  dangerous  nature  of  her  situation. 
The  rock  on  which  she  had  struck  was  distinctly  seen  from 
the  boat,  extending  only  a  few  yards  from  her.  Beyond,  the 
water  was  dark  and  deep  for  nearly  half  a  mile ;  it  then  be- 
came so  shallow,  that  the  beautiful  but  fatal  coral  was  con- 
tinually seen  as  they  approached  the  shore.  When  about  a 
mile  from  Pulo  Leat,  rocks,  covered  by  not  more  than  from 
one  to  three  feet  water,  surrounded  them  on  all  sides.  The 
barge  struck  several  times ;  but  was  saved  from  any  serious 
accident  by  the  skill  of  Lieutenant  Hoppner,  who  commanded 
her.  After  sailing  or  rowing  for  about  an  hour,  they  gained 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

what  had  appeared  from  the  ship  to  be  land  covered  with 
wood — but,  to  their  mortification,  discovered  nothing  but  in- 
sulated masses  of  granite,  interspersed  with  mangrove  trees 
growing  in  the  water.  Being  now  joined  by  a  cutter,  with 
the  servants  of  the  embassy,  and  part  of  the  guard,  they 
proceeded  along  shore  in  quest  of  a  more  convenient  place  for 
debarkation.  Several  creeks,  which  seemed  to  penetrate  in- 
land, were  in  vain  explored;  they  all  terminated  in  deep 
swamps.  Similar  attempts  were  reiterated,  till  anxiety  to 
send  back  the  boats  determined  his  Excellency  to  land  on  the 
first  rocks  which  should  be  found  sufficiently  large  or  nume- 
rous for  the  reception  of  the  party.  This  intention  was  at 
length  effected  in  a  small  bay,  where  the  rocks  were  so 
mingled  with  the  trees  as  to  afford  firm  hand-hold.  The 
boats  were  then  immediately  despatched  to  assist  in  bringing 
on  shore  whatever  could  be  saved  from  the  wreck.  A  more 
convenient  landing-place  being  subsequently  discovered  near 
an  eminence  on  which  an  encampment  might  be  formed,  the 
whole  party  removed  thither,  leaving  a  marine  behind  to 
communicate  with  the  boats  as  they  successively  approached 
the  shore. 

The  heat  of  the  day  as  it  advanced,  and  the  exertions  of  the 
men  in  clearing  the  ground,  for  the  reception  of  persons  and 
baggage,  produced  great  thirst,  and  rendered  it  necessary  to 
look  for  water,  of  which  none  had  been  brought  on  shore, 
except  a  very  small  quantity  collected  from  the  dripstones  on 
deck.  A  search  for  this  purpose  was  conducted  in  several 
directions  without  success ;  and,  night  coming  on,  it  was  relin- 
quished in  the  hopes  of  better  fortune  on  the  morrow.  During 
the  whole  day,  and  till  a  late  hour  in  the  evening,  the  boats 
were  constantly  employed  conveying  articles  from  the  wreck, 
and  towing  ashore  a  raft  on  which  had  been  placed  the  bag- 
gage, stores,  and  a  small  supply  of  provisions  rescued  with 
much  labour  and  difficulty,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Captain  Maxwell,  whose  exertions  and  self-possession  were 
most  highly  spoken  of  by  all  his  fellow  sufferers. 

Towards  midnight,  as  the  tide  rose,  the  swell  of  the  sea 


236  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

lifted  the  ship  from  the  rock,  and  dashed  her  on  it  again  with 
such  violence,  as  to  render  it  necessary  for  the  top-masts  to 
be  cut  away.  In  doing  this,  two  men  were  very  severely 
bruised. 

The  following  morning  Captain  Maxwell  landed  *  ;  *and, 
after  consulting  with  Lord  Amherst,  it  was  determined  that 
his  Excellency,  and  the  gentlemen  of  the  embassy,  should 
proceed  without  delay  to  Batavia  in  the  barge,  with  a  picked 
Crew,  commanded  by  the  Junior  Lieutenant  (Mr.  Hoppner) : 
one  of  the  cutters  was  also  prepared  to  accompany  them,  for 
the  purpose  of  assisting  in  case  of  attack  or  accident.  The 
Master  of  the  Alceste  was  sent  on  board  the  latter  to  navigate 
the  boats.  At  this  season  there  was  no  probability  of  the 
passage  to  Batavia  exceeding  sixty  hours,  the  distance  being 
only  197  miles  :  the  inconvenience  to  which  his  Excellency 
would  be  subjected  was,  consequently,  very  limited  in  dura- 
tion; and  much  additional  expedition  in  the  dispatch  of  relief 
might  be  expected  from  his  personal  exertions  at  Batavia. 
The  stock  of  liquors  and  provisions  furnished  to  the  boats 
was  necessarily  very  small,  and  only  sufficient  on  very  short 
allowance  to  support  existence  for  four  or  five  days  :  only  seven 
gallons  of  water  could  be  spared  for  the  whole  party,  consisting 
of  47  persons ;  but  they  were  fortunately  visited  by  a  heavy 
fall  of  rain  on  the  day  after  their  departure,  which  more  than 
supplied  the  place  of  what  had  already  been  expended.  In 
the  history  of  the  British  navy,  replete  as  that  history  is  with 
extraordinary  and  even  romantic  incidents,  there  is  not, 
perhaps,  a  chapter  of  deeper  interest  than  that  which  relates 
the  conduct  and  adventures  of  the  small  body  of  intrepid 
beings  thus  left  on  a  solitary  island,  remote  from  succour,  and 
with  only  a  very  uncertain  prospect  of  ever  obtaining  it.  It 
places  in  the  strongest  light  those  manly  and  noble  qualities 
which  have  always  distinguished  our  sailors;  and  to  which 
not  only  the  glory,  but  the  very  safety  of  their  native  country 
is  mainly  attributable.  We  extract  the  following  simple  nar- 

*  The  water  had  by  this  time  risen  to  the  main  deck  from  below,  and  was 
beating  over  it  through  the  starboard  ports  as  the  ship  lay  on  her  beam  ends. 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL.  237 

rative  of  the  hardships  and  dangers  to  which  these  brave 
fellows  were  exposed,  and  of  the  fortitude  with  which  those 
hardships  were  sustained,  and  the  courage  with  which  those 
dangers  were  met,  from  the  account  of  the  voyage  by  Mr. 
M'Leod,  the  surgeon  of  the  Alceste :  — 

"  The  number  left  behind  was  two  hundred  men  and  boys, 
and  one  woman.  The  first  measure  of  Captain  Maxwell,  after 
fixing  a  party  to  dig  a  well  in  a  spot  which  was  judged,  from 
a  combination  of  circumstances,  the  most  likely  to  find  water, 
was  to  remove  our  bivouac  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  we 
could  breathe  a  cooler  and  purer  air ;  a  place,  in  all  respects, 
not  only  better  adapted  to  the  preservation  of  our  health,  but 
to  our  defence  in  case  of  attack.  A  path  was  cut  upwards, 
and  a  party  employed  in  clearing  away  and  setting  fire  to  the 
underwood  on  the  summit.  This  last  operation  tended  much 
to  free  us  from  myriads  of  ants,  and  of  snakes,  scorpions, 
centipedes,  and  other  reptiles,  which  in  such  a  place  and 
climate  generally  abound.  Others  were  employed  in  remov- 
ing upwards  our  small  stock  of  provisions,  which  were  de- 
posited (under  a  strict  guard)  in  a  sort  of  natural  magazine, 
formed  by  the  tumbling  together  of  some  huge  masses  of  rock 
on  the  highest  part  of  this  eminence.  On  board  the  wreck  a 
party  was  stationed,  endeavouring  to  gain  any  accession  they 
could  to  our  stock  of  provisions  and  arms,  and  to  save  any 
public  stores  that  could  be  found.  There  was  a  communi- 
cation for  this  purpose  between  the  shore  and  the  ship  when- 
ever the  tide  permitted.  For  the  last  two  days  every  one  had 
experienced  much  misery  from  thirst :  a  small  cask  of  water 
(the  only  one  which  could  be  obtained  from  the  ship)  was 
scarcely  equal  to  a  pint  each  in  the  course  of  that  period;  and 
perhaps  no  question  was  ever  so  anxiously  repeated  as,  *  What 
hope  from  the  well  ?'  About  eleven  at  night  the  diggers  had 
got,  by  rather  a  tortuous  direction  (on  account  of  large  stones), 
as  far  down  as  twenty  feet,  when  they  came  to  a  clayey  or 
marly  soil,  that  above  it  being  a  red  earth,  which  seemed 
rather  moist,  and  had  nothing  saline  in  the  taste.  At  a  little 
past  midnight,  a  bottle  of  muddy  water  was  brought  the  cap- 


238  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL* 

tain  as  a  specimen ;  and,  the  moment  it  was  understood  to  be 
fresh,  the  rush  to  the  well  was  such  as  to  impede  the  work- 
men :  therefore  it  became  necessary  to  plant  sentries  to  enable 
them  to  complete  their  task,  and  permit  the  water  to  settle  a 
little.  Fortunately,  about  this  time  a  heavy  shower  of  rain 
fell,  and,  by  spreading  sheets,  tablecloths,  &c.,  and  wringing 
them,  some  relief  was  afforded.  There  are  few  situations  in 
which  men  exposed  without  shelter  to  a  torrent  of  rain  would, 
as  in  the  present  instance,  hail  that  circumstance  as  a  blessing: 
bathing  in  the  sea  was  also  resorted  to  by  many  in  order  to 
drink  by  absorption,  and  they  fancied  it  afforded  relief. 

"  Thursday,  20th.  This  morning  the  Captain,  ordering 
all  hands  together,  stated  to  them  in  few  words,  that  every 
man,  by  the  regulations  of  the  navy,  was  as  liable  to  answer 
for  his  conduct  on  the  present  as  on  any  other  occasion ;  that, 
as  long  as  he  lived,  the  same  discipline  should  be  exerted,  and, 
if  necessary,  with  greater  rigour  than  on  board ;  a  discipline 
for  the  general  welfare,  which  he  trusted  every  sensible  man 
of  the  party  must  see  the  necessity  of  maintaining ;  —  assuring 
them,  at  the  same  time,  he  would  have  much  pleasure  in  re- 
commending those  who  distinguished  themselves  by  the  regu- 
larity and  propriety  of  their  conduct;  —  that  the  provisions  we 
had  been  able  to  save  should  be  served  out,  although  neces- 
sarily with  a  very  sparing  hand,  yet  with  the  most  rigid 
equality  to  all  ranks,  until  we  obtained  that  relief  which  he 
trusted  would  soon  follow  the  arrival  of  Lord  Amherst  at 
Java. 

"  During  this  day  the  well  afforded  a  pint  of  water  for  each 
man :  it  had  a  sweetish  milk-and-water  taste,  something  like  the 
juice  of  the  cocoa-nut,  but  nobody  found  fault  with  it*;  on  the 
contrary,  it  diffused  that  sort  of  happiness  which  only  they 
can  feel  who  have  felt  the  horrible  sensation  of  thirst  under  a 
vertical  sun,  subject  at  the  same  time  to  a  harassing  and 
fatiguing  duty.  This  day  was  employed  in  getting  up  every 
thing  from  the  foot  of  the  hill ;  boats  passing  to  the  ship ;  but, 

*  "  It  was  happily  said,  when  mixed  with  a  little  rum,  to  resemble  milk-punch  ; 
and  we  endeavoured  to  persuade  ourselves  that  it  was  so." 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL.  239 

unfortunately,  almost  every  thing  of  real  value  to  us  in  our 
present  case  was  under  water.  We  were  in  hopes,  however, 
that,  as  no  bad  weather  was  likely  to  happen,  we  might  be 
enabled,  by  scuttling  at  low  water,  or  by  burning  her  upper 
works,  to  acquire  many  useful  articles. 

"On  Friday  (21st),  the  party  stationed  at  the  ship  found 
themselves,  soon  after  daylight,  surrounded  by  a  number  of 
Malay  proas,  apparently  well  armed,  and  full  of  men.  With- 
out a  single  sword  or  musket  for  defence,  they  had  just  time 
to  throw  themselves  into  the  boat  alongside,  and  push  for  the 
shore,  chased  by  the  pirates,  who,  finding  two  of  our  other 
boats  push  out  to  their  assistance,  returned  to  the  ship  and 
took  possession  of  her.  Soon  afterwards  it  was  reported, 
from  the  look-out  rock,  that  the  savages,  armed  with  spears, 
were  landing  at  a  point  about  two  miles  off.  Under  all  the 
depressing  circumstances  attending  shipwreck,  —  of  hunger, 
thirst,  and  fatigue,  —  and  menaced  by  a  ruthless  foe,  it  was 
glorious  to  see  the  British  spirit  staunch  and  unsubdued. 
The  order  was  given  for  every  man  to  arm  himself  in  the  best 
way  he  could ;  and  it  was  obeyed  with  the  utmost  promptitude 
and  alacrity.  Rude  pike-staves  were  formed,  by  cutting  down 
young  trees;  small  swords,  dirks,  knives,  chisels,  and  even 
large  spike-nails  sharpened,  were  firmly  affixed  to  the  ends  of 
these  poles ;  and  those  who  could  find  nothing  better  hardened 
the  end  of  the  wood  in  the  fire,  and  bringing  it  to  a  sharp 
point,  formed  a  tolerable  weapon.  There  were,  perhaps,  a 
dozen  cutlasses;  the  marines  had  about  thirty  muskets  and 
bayonets,  but  could  muster  no  more  than  seventy-five  ball- 
cartridges  among  the  whole  party.  We  had  fortunately  pre- 
served some  loose  powder  drawn  from  the  upper  deck  guns 
after  the  ship  had  struck  (for  the  magazine  was  under  water 
in  five  minutes),  and  the  marines,  by  hammering  their  buttons 
round,  and  by  rolling  up  pieces  of  broken  bottles  in  cartridges, 
did  their  best  to  supply  themselves  with  a  sort  of  langrage 
which  would  have  some  effect  at  close  quarters;  and  strict 
orders  were  given  not  to  throw  away  a  single  shot  until  sure 
of  their  aim.  Mr.  Cheffy  the  carpenter,  and  his  crew,  under 


240  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

the  direction  of  the  Captain,  were  busied  in  forming  a  sort  of 
abattis,  by  felling  trees,  and  enclosing  in  a  circular  shape  the 
ground  we  occupied;  and,  by  interweaving  loose  branches 
with  the  stakes  driven  in  among  these,  a  breastwork  was 
constructed,  which  afforded  us  some  cover,  and  must  naturally 
impede  the  progress  of  any  enemy  un supplied  with  artillery. 
That  part  of  the  island  we  had  landed  on  was  a  narrow  ridge, 
not  above  a  musket-shot  across,  bounded  on  one  side  by  the 
sea,  and  on  the  other  by  a  creek,  extending  upwards  of  a  mile 
inland,  and  nearly  communicating  with  the  sea  at  its  head. 
Our  hill  was  the  outer  point  of  this  tongue,  and  its  shape 
might  be  very  well  represented  by  an  inverted  punch-bowl : 
the  circle  on  which  the  bowl  stands  would  then  show  the  for- 
tification ;  and  the  space  within  it  our  citadel. 

44  It  appeared  by  the  report  of  scouts,  a  short  time  after  the 
first  account,  that  the  Malays  had  not  actually  landed,  but 
had  taken  possession  of  some  rocks  near  this  point,  on  which 
they  deposited  a  quantity  of  plunder  brought  from  the  ship ; 
and  during  the  day  they  continued  making  these  predatory 
trips. 

"  In  the  evening  all  hands  were  mustered  under  arms,  and 
a  motley  group  they  presented:  it  was  gratifying,  however, 
to  observe,  that,  rude  as  were  their  implements  of  defence, 
there  seemed  to  be  no  want  of  spirit  to  use  them  if  occasion 
offered.*  The  officers  and  men  were  now  marshalled  regularly 
into  different  divisions  and  companies,  their  various  posts  as- 
signed, and  other  arrangements  made.  An  officer  and  party 
were  ordered  to  take  charge  of  the  boats  for  the  night ;  and 
they  were  hauled  closer  into  the  landing-place.  An  alarm 
which  occurred  during  the  night  showed  the  benefit  of  these 
regulations ;  for,  on  a  sentry  challenging  a  noise  among  the 

•  "  Even  the  little  boys  had  managed  to  make  fast  a  table  fork,  or  something 
of  that  kind,  on  the  end  of  a  stick,  for  their  defence.  One  of  the  men  who  had 
been  severely  bruised  by  the  falling  of  the  masts,  and  was  slung  in  his  hammock 
between  two  trees,  had  been  observed  carefully  fishing,  or  fixing,  with  two  sticks 
and  a  rope-yarn,  the  blade  of  an  old  razor.  On  being  asked  what  he  meant  to  do 
with  it,  he  replied,  «  You  know  I  cannot  stand ;  but,  if  any  of  these  fellows  come 
within  reach  of  my  hammock,  I'll  mark  them.'  " 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

bushes,  every  one  was  at  his  post  in  an  instant,  and  without 
the  least  confusion. 

"  On  Saturday  morning  (22d),  some  of  the  Malay  boats 
approached  the  place  where  ours  were  moored ;  and,  with  the 
view  of  ascertaining  whether  they  had  any  inclination  to  com- 
municate on  friendly  terms,  the  gig,  with  an  officer  and  four 
hands,  pulled  gently  towards  them,  waving  the  bough  of  a 
tree  (a  general  symbol  of  peace  every  where),  showing  the 
usual  demonstrations  of  friendship,  and  of  a  desire  to  speak  to 
them :  but  all  was  vain,  for  they  were  merely  reconnoitring 
our  position,  and  immediately  pulled  back  to  their  rock. 

"  The  Second  Lieutenant  (Mr.  Hay)  was  now  ordered, 
with  the  barge,  .cutter,  and  gig,  armed  in  the  best  way  we 
could,  to  proceed  to  the  ship,  and  regain  possession  of  her, 
either  by  fair  means  or  by  force ;  the  pirates  not  appearing  at 
this  time  to  have  more  than  eighty  men.  Those  on  the  rocks, 
seeing  our  boats  approach,  threw  all  their  plunder  into  their 
vessels,  and  made  off. 

"  Two  of  their  largest  proas  were  now  at  work  on  the  ship ; 
but,  on  observing  their  comrades  abandon  the  rock,  and  the 
advance  of  the  boats,  they  also  made  sail  away,  having  pre- 
viously set  fire  to  the  ship ;  which  they  did  so  effectually,  that 
in  a  few  minutes  the  flames  burst  from  every  port,  and  she 
was  soon  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  smoke.  The  boats  were 
unable  to  board  her,  and  therefore  returned. 

"  Here  was  a  period  to  every  hope  of  accommodation  witji 
these  people,  — if,  indeed,  any  reasonable  hope  could  ever  have 
been  entertained  on  that  head.  The  Malays,  more  especially 
those  wandering  and  piratical  tribes  who  roam  about  the  coasts 
of  Borneo,  Billiton,  and  the  wilder  parts  of  Sumatra,  are  a 
race  of  savages,  perhaps  the  most  merciless  and  inhuman  to 
be  found  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The  Battas  are  literally 
cannibals.  In  setting  fire  to  the  ship,  they  gave  a  decided 
proof  of  their  disposition  towards  us  ;  but,  although  certainly 
with  no  good  intention,  they  did  merely  what  we  intended  to 
do ;  for,  by  burning  her  upper  works  and  decks,  every  thing 

VOL.  XVI.  R 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

buoyant  could  float  up  from  below,  and  be  more  easily  laid 
hold  of. 

"  The  ship  continued  burning  during  the  whole  of  the 
night ;  and  the  flames,  which  could  be  seen  through  the  open- 
ings of  the  trees,  shed  a  melancholy  glare  around,  and  excited 
the  most  mournful  ideas.  This  night  also  all  hands  were 
suddenly  under  arms  again,  from  a  marine  firing  his  musket 
at  what  he  very  properly  considered  a  suspicious  character 
near  his  post,  who  appeared  advancing  upon  him,  and  refused 
to  answer  after  being  repeatedly  hailed.  It  turned  out  after- 
wards that  the  branch  of  a  tree,  half  cut  through  the  day  before, 
had  given  way,  under  one  of  a  race  of  large  baboons,  which 
we  found  about  this  time  disputed  the  possession  of  the  island 
with  us.  At  the  well,  where  there  generally  was  kept  a  good 
fire  at  night,  on  account  of  the  mosquitoes,  the  sentries  had 
more  than  once  been  alarmed  by  these  gentlemen  showing 
their  black  faces  from  behind  the  trees.  They  became  so  ex- 
tremely troublesome  to  some  ducksjve  had  saved  from  the 
wreck,  (seizing  and  carrying  them  up  the  trees,  and  letting 
them  fall  down  again  when  alarmed,)  that  on  several  occasions 
they  left  their  little  yard,  and  came  up  among  the  people, 
when  the  monkeys  got  among  them ;  thus  instinctively  prefer- 
ring the  society  of  man  for  protection. 

"  On  Sunday  morning  (23d),  the  boats  were  sent  to  the 
still  smoking  wreck ;  and  some  flour,  a  few  cases  of  wine,  and 
a  cask  of  beer,  had  floated  up.  This  last  God-send  was  an- 
nounced just  at  the  conclusion  of  divine  service,  which  was 
this  morning  held  in  the  mess-tent;  and  a  pint  was  ordered  to 
be  immediately  served  out  to  each  man,  which  called  forth 
three  cheers.*  This  seems  to  be  the  only  style  in  which  a 
British  seaman  can  give  vent  to  the  warmer  feelings  of  his 
heart.  It  is  his  mode  of  thanksgiving  for  benefits  received ; 

"  Some  decorously  righteous  man,  observing  to  the  chaplain  that  he  had  never 
seen  such  a  scene  in  England  as  the  congregation  cheering  at  the  church-door, 
the  latter  replied,  with  proper  liberality  (and  tolerable  good-humour),  <  Perhaps 
you  never  saw  a  thirsty  English  audience  dismissed  with  the  promise  of  a  pint  of 
beer  a-piece.'  " 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

and  it  equally  serves  him  to  honour  his  friend,  to  defy  his 
enemy,  or  to  proclaim  victory.  This  day  we  continued  im- 
proving our  fence,  and  clearing  away  a  glacis  immediately 
around  it,  that  we  might  see  and  have  fair  play  with  these 
barbarians,  should  they  approach.  They  had  retired  behind 
a  little  islet,  called  Pulo  Chalacca,  or  Misfortune's  Isle,  about 
two  miles  from  us,  and  seemed  waiting  there  for  reinforce- 
ments ;  for  some  of  their  party  had  made  sail  towards  Billiton. 

"  Monday  morning  (24th)  the  boats,  as  yesterday,  went  to 
the  wreck,  and  returned  with  some  casks  of  flour,  only  par- 
tially damaged ;  a  few  cases  of  wine,  and  about  forty  boarding- 
pikes,  with  eighteen  muskets,  were  also  laid  hold  of.  With 
the  loose  powder  secured  out  of  the  great  guns  in  the  first 
instance,  Mr.  Holman,  the  gunner,  had  been  actively  em- 
ployed forming  musket-cartridges ;  and  by  melting  down  some 
pewter  basins  and  jugs,  with  a  small  quantity  of  lead  lately 
obtained  from  the  wreck,  balls  were  cast  in  clay  moulds,  in- 
creasing not  a  little  our  confidence  and  security.  A  quart  of 
water  each  had  been  our  daily  allowance  from  the  well  hitherto ; 
and  on  this  day  a  second  was  completed  near  the  foot  of  the 
hill  in  another  direction,  which  not  only  supplied  clearer 
water,  but  in  greater  plenty ;  and  we  could  now,  without  re- 
striction, indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a  long  drink,  —  not  caring 
even  to  excite  thirst,  in  order  to  enjoy  that  luxury  in  a  higher 
perfection. 

"  On  Tuesday  (25th),  the  boats  made  their  usual  trip ; 
some  more  cases  of  wine,  and  a  few  boarding-pikes,  were 
obtained,  both  excellent  articles  in  their  way,  in  the  hands  of 
men  who  are  inclined  to  entertain  either  their  friends  or  their 
foes.  On  shore  we  were  employed  completing  the  paths  to 
the  wells,  and  felling  trees  which  intercepted  our  view  of  the 
sea. 

"  Wednesday  (26th),  at  daylight,  two  of  the  pirate  proas, 
with  each  a  canoe  astern,  were  discovered  close  in  with  the 
cove  where  our  boats  were  moored.  Lieutenant  Hay  (a 
straight-forward  sort  of  fellow),  who  had  the  guard  that  night 
at  the  boats,  and  of  course  slept  m  them,  immediately  dashed 

R  2 


244  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

at  the  Malays  with  the  barge,  cutter,  and  gig.  On  perceiv- 
ing this,  they  cut  adrift  their  canoes  and  made  all  sail, 
chased  by  our  boats.  They  rather  distanced  the  cutter  and 
gig,  but  the  barge  gained  upon  them.  On  closing,  the  Malays 
evinced  every  sign  of  defiance,  placing  themselves  in  the  most 
threatening  attitudes,  and  firing  their  swivels  at  the  barge. 
This  was  returned  by  Mr.  Hay  with  the  only  musket  he  had 
in  the  boat;  and,  as  they  closed  nearer,  the  Malays  commenced 
throwing  their  javelins  and  darts,  several  falling  into  the  barge, 
but  without  wounding  any  of  the  men.  Soon  after  they  were 
grappled  by  our  fellows,  when  three  of  them  having  been  shot, 
and  a  fourth  knocked  down  with  the  butt  end  of  the  musket, 
five  more  jumped  overboard  and  drowned  themselves  (evi- 
dently disdaining  quarter),  and  two  were  taken  prisoners,  one 
of  whom  was  severely  wounded.  This  close  style  of  fighting 
is  termed  by  seamen  man-handling  an  enemy. 

"  The  Malays  had  taken  some  measure  to  sink  their  proa, 
for  she  went  down  almost  immediately.  Nothing  could  ex- 
ceed the  desperate  ferocity  of  these  people.  One  who  had 
been  shot  through  the  body,  but  who  was  not  quite  dead,  on 
being  removed  into  the  barge,  with  a  view  of  saving  him  (as 
his  own  vessel  was  sinking),  furiously  grasped  a  cutlass  which 
came  within  his  reach  ;  and  it  was  not  without  a  struggle 
wrenched  from  his  hand:  he  died  in  a  few  minutes.  The 
consort  of  this  proa,  firing  a  parting  shot,  bore  up  round  the 
north  end  of  the  island,  and  escaped.  Their  canoes  *  (which 
we  found  very  useful  to  us)  were  also  brought  on  shore,  con- 
taining several  articles  of  plunder  from  the  ship.  They 
appeared  to  be  the  two  identical  proas  which  set  fire  to  her. 
The  prisoners  (the  one  rather  elderly,  the  other  young),  when 

*  "  During  the  time  the  boats  were  absent  in  chase,  Mr.  Fisher,  anxious  to 
secure  one  of  the  canoes,  which  was  drifting  past  with  the  current,  swam  out 
towards  it.  When  within  a  short  distance  of  his  object,  an  enormous  shark  was 
seen  hovering  near  him,  crossing  and  re-crossing,  as  they  are  sometimes  observed 
to  do  before  making  a  seizure.  To  have  called  out  might  probably  have  unnerved 
him  (for  he  was  unconscious  of  his  situation) ;  and  it  was  resolved  to  let  him 
proceed  without  remark  to  the  canoe,  which  was  the  nearest  point  of  security. 
Happily  he  succeeded  in  getting  safely  into  it ;  whilst  the  shark,  by  his  too  long 
delay,  lost  a  very  wholesome  breakfast." 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL.  245 

brought  on  shore,  seemed  to  have  no  hope  of  being  permitted 
to  live,  and  sullenly  awaited  their  fate ;  but,  on  the  wounds  of 
the  younger  being  dressed,  the  hands  of  the  other  untied,  and 
food  offered  to  them,  with  other  marks  of  kindness,  they  be- 
came more  cheerful,  and  appeared  especially  gratified  at  see- 
ing one  of  their  dead  companions,  who  had  been  brought  on 
shore,  decently  buried. 

"  The  Malays  are  a  people  of  very  unprepossessing  aspect ; 
their  bodies  of  a  deep  bronze  colour;  their  black  teeth  and 
reddened  lips  (from  chewing  the  betel-nut  and  siri),  their 
gaping  nostrils,  and  lank  clotted  hair  hanging  about  their 
shoulders  and  over  their  scowling  countenances,  give  them 
altogether  a  fiend-like  and  murderous  look.  They  are  like- 
wise an  unjoyous  race,  and  seldom  smile. 

"  The  state  of  one  of  the  wounds  received  by  the  Malay 
(his  knee-joint  being  penetrated,  and  the  bones  much  injured), 
would  have  justified,  more  particularly  in  this  kind  of  field 
practice,  amputation  ;  but  on  consideration  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  convince  him  of  this  being  done  with  the  intention 
of  benefiting  him,  and  might  have  the  appearance  of  torture, 
which  it  was  not  improbable  might  suggest  the  idea  of  ampu- 
tation and  other  operations  to  them,  in  the  event  of  any  or 
all  of  us  falling  into  their  hands,  it  was  determined  to  try  the 
effect  of  a  good  constitution,  and  careful  attention.  A  little 
wigwam  was  built,  and  a  blanket  and  other  comforts 
given  to  him,  his  comrade  being  appointed  his  cook  and  at- 
tendant. They  refused  at  first  the  provisions  we  offered  them ; 
but,  on  giving  them  some  rice  to  prepare  in  their  own  way, 
they  seemed  satisfied.  Never  expecting  quarter  when  over- 
powered in  their  piratical  attempts,  and  having  been  generally 
tortured  when  taken  alive,  may  account  for  the  others  drown- 
ing themselves. 

"  In  the  forenoon,  immediately  after  this  rencontre,  fourteen 
proas  and  smaller  boats  appeared  standing  across  from  the 
Banca  side ;  and  soon  after  they  anchored  behind  Pulo  Cha- 
lacca.  Several  of  their  people  landed,  and  carrying  up  some 
bundles  on  their  shoulders,  left  them  in  the  wood,  and  returned 

K  3 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

for  more.  We  had  some  hope,  from  the  direction  in  which 
they  first  appeared,  as  well  as  their  anchoring  at  that  spot  (the 
rendezvous  agreed  upon  at  the  departure  of  Lord  Amherst)* 
that  they  might  have  been  sent  from  Batavia  to  our  relief. 

"  The  small  flag  (belonging  to  the  embassy)  was  brought 
down  and  displayed  on  the  look-out  rock ;  the  strangers  each 
immediately  hoisted  some  flag  at  their  mast-heads.  Anxious 
to  know  still  more  about  them,  Mr.  Sykes  was  allowed  to  ad- 
vance with  the  union-jack,  accompanied  by  some  more  of  the 
young  gentlemen,  along  the  strand,  to  a  considerable  distance; 
and  soon  after  some  of  their  party,  with  a  flag,  set  off  to  meet 
them.  As  they  mutually  approached,  the  Malays  dropped  a 
little  in  the  rear  of  their  flag-bearer,  and  laid  down  their  arms ; 
ours  also  fell  astern ;  and  the  two  ancients  (or  colour-men }, 
wading  into  a  creek  which  separated  them,  cautiously  met  each 
other.  The  Malay  salamed  a  good  deal ;  many  fine  York- 
shire bows  were  made  on  the  other  side :  shaking  hands  was 
the  next  ceremony,  and  then,  joining  flags*  they  walked  up 
arm  and  arm  to  the  place  where  the  Captain  and  several  others 
were  stationed.  Satisfied  now  they  must  be  friends  sent  to 
our  assistance,  they  were  welcomed  with  cheers,  and  every 
countenance  was  gladdened.  But  our  joy  was  of  short  dur- 
ation ;  for  although  their  flag  was  laid  submissively  at  the  Cap- 
tain's feet,  and  all  were  sufficiently  civil  in  their  deportment, 
yet  they  turned  out  to  be  mere  wanderers,  employed  gathering 
a  sort  of  sea- weed,  found  on  the  coast  of  these  (but  in  still 
greater  abundance  among  the  Pelew)  islands*  said  by  some  to 
be  an  article  of  commerce  with  the  Chinese  epicures,  who  use 
it  like  the  bird-nests  in  their  soups.  All  this  was  made  out 
chiefly  by  signs,  added  to  a  few  Malay  words  which  some 
understood. 

"  Mr.  Hay,  with  his  division  armed,  proceeded  down  to 
their  anchorage,  himself  and  some  other  officers  going  on 
board  with  their  Rajah  (as  they  styled  him),  who  expressed  a 
great  desire  to  see  the  Captain  on  board,  and  sent  him  a  pre- 
sent of  a  piece  of  fish  and  some  cocoa-nut  milk.  During  the 
night  many  schemes  were  proposed  as  to  the  best  mode  of 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

negotiating  with  these  people.  Some  thought  that,  by  the 
hope  of  reward,  they  might  be  induced  to  carry  part  of  us  to 
Java,  and  our  four  remaining  boats  would  then  be  equal  to 
the  conveyance  of  the  rest.  Others,  adverting  to  the  treache- 
rous conduct  of  the  Malays,  and  the  great  temptation  to  mur- 
der us  when  in  their  power,  from  that  sort  of  property  still  in 
our  possession,  and  to  them  of  great  value,  considered  it  safest 
to  seize  upon  and  disarm  them,  carrying  ourselves  to  Batavia, 
and  then  most  amply  to  remunerate  them  for  any  incon- 
venience they  might  have  sustained  from  being  pressed  into 
the  service. 

"  The  morning  of  Thursday,  the  27th,  however,  perfectly 
relieved  us  from  any  further  discussion  on  this  subject,  the 
Rajah  and  his  suite  having  proceeded  to  plunder  the  wreck, 
which  by  this  time  they  had  espied.  It  is  probable  they  were 
not  certain  of  our  real  situation  on  the  first  evening,  but  might 
have  supposed,  from  seeing  the  uniforms,  colours,  and  other 
military  appearance,  that  some  settlement,  as  at  Minto  (in  the 
Island  of  Banca),  had  been  established  there ;  and  this  may 
also  account  for  their  civility  in  the  first  instance :  for,  from 
the  moment  their  harpy-like  spirit  was  excited  by  the  wreck, 
and  they  saw  our  real  condition,  there  were  no  more  offerings 
of  fish  or  of  cocoa-nut  milk. 

"  To  have  sent  the  boats  openly  to  attack  them  was  judged 
impolitic ;  it  would  only  have  driven  them  off  for  a  moment, 
and  put  them  on  their  guard  against  surprise  by  night,  should 
it  be  thought  necessary  in  a  day  or  two  to  do  so.  They  could 
deprive  us  of  little ;  for  the  copper  bolts  and  iron  work,  which 
they  were  now  most  interested  about,  were  not  to  us  of  ma- 
terial importance. 

"  We  had  the  day  before  moved  the  boats  into  another 
cove,  more  out  of  sight  (from  the  overspreading  branches  of 
the  trees),  and  safer  in  case  of  attack,  being  commanded  by 
two  strong  little  forts  (one  having  a  rude  drawbridge),  erected 
on  the  rocks  immediately  above  it,  and  wattled  in,  where  an 
officer  and  piquet  were  nightly  placed ;  and  a  new  serpentine 


248  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

path  was  cut  down  to  this  inlet,  communicating  with  our  main 
position  aloft. 

"  On  Friday,  the  28th,  the  Malays  were  still  employed  on 
the  wreck.  A  boat  approached  us  in  the  forenoon  ;  but,  on 
the  gig  going  out  to  meet  it,  they  refused  to  correspond,  and 
returned  to  their  party.  No  relief  having  appeared  from 
Batavia,  and  the  period  being  elapsed  at  which  (as  was  now 
thought)  we  had  reason  to  expect  it,  measures  were  taken,  by 
repairing  the  launch  and  constructing  a  fine  raft,  to  give  us 
additional  powers  of  transporting  ourselves  from  our  present 
abode,  before  our  stock  of  provisions  was  entirely  exhausted. 

"  On  Saturday,  the  1st  of  March,  the  Malays  acquired  a 
great  accession  of  strength,  by  the  arrival  of  fourteen  more 
proas  from  the  northward  (probably  of  the  old  party),  who 
joined  in  breaking  up  the  remains  of  the  wreck. 

"  At  daylight,  on  Sunday  the  2d,  still  greater  force  having 
joined  them  during  the  night,  the  pirates  (leaving  a  number  at 
work  on  the  wreck)  advanced  with  upwards  of  twenty  of  their 
heaviest  vessels  towards  our  landing-place ;  fired  one  of  their 
patereroes ;  beat  their  gongs ;  and,  making  a  hideous  yelling 
noise,  they  anchored  in  a  line  about  a  cable's  length  from  our 
cove.  We  were  instantly  under  arms,  the  party  covering  the 
boats  strengthened,  and  scouts  sent  out  to  watch  their  motions, 
as  some  of  their  boats  had  gone  up  the  creek,  at  the  back  of 
our  position ;  and  to  beat  about,  lest  any  should  be  lying  in 
ambush  from  the  land.  About  this  time  the  old  Malay 
prisoner,  who  was  under  charge  of  sentries  at  the  well,  and 
who  had  been  incautiously  trusted  by  them  to  cut  some  wood 
for  the  fire,  hearing  the  howling  of  his  tribe,  left  his  wounded 
comrade  to  shift  for  himself,  ran  off  into  the  wood,  and 
escaped,  carrying  with  him  his  hatchet.  Finding,  after  wait- 
ing a  short  time  in  this  state  of  preparation,  that  they  made 
no  attempt  to  land,  an  officer  was  sent  a  little  outside  the  cove 
in  a  canoe,  waving  in  a  friendly  manner,  to  try  how  they  would 
act.  After  some  deliberation,  one  of  their  boats,  with  several 
men  armed  with  creeses,  or  their  crooked  daggers,  approached: 
here,  as  usual,  little  could  be  made  out,  except  a  display  of 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL.  249 

their  marauding  spirit,  by  taking  a  fancy  to  the  shirt  and 
trowsers  of  one  of  the  young  gentlemen  in  the  canoe;  but,  on 
his  refusing  to  give  them  up,  they  used  no  force. 

"  A  letter  was  now  written,  and  addressed  to  the  chief 
authority  at  Minto,  a  small  settlement  on  the  north-west  point 
of  Banca,  stating  the  situation  in  which  we  were  placed,  and 
requesting  him  to  forward,  if  in  his  power,  one  or  two  small 
vessels  to  us,  with  a  little  bread  and  salt  provisions,  and  some 
ammunition.  Again  the  officer  went  out  in  the  canoe,  and 
was  again  met  by  the  Malay  boat.  This  letter  was  given  to 
them,  the  word  Minto  repeatedly  pronounced  (which  they 
seemed  to  understand),  the  direction  pointed  out,  and  signs 
made  that  on  their  return  with  an  answer  they  should  be 
rewarded  with  abundance  of  dollars  —  showing  them  one  as  a 
specimen.  This  was  done  more  to  try  them,  than  with  any 
hope  of  their  performing  the  service ;  for,  although  a  boat 
went  down  to  Pulo  Chalacca  (where  they  appeared  to  have 
somebody  in  superior  authority),  yet  none  took  the  direction 
of  Banca.  Meantime  their  force  rapidly  increased,  their  proas 
and  boats  of  different  sizes  amounting  to  fifty.  The  larger 
had  from  sixteen  to  twenty  men,  the  smaller  about  seven  or 
eight;  so  that,  averaging  even  at  the  lowest,  ten  each,  they 
had  fully  five  hundred  men.  The  wreck  seemed  now  nearly 
exhausted,  and  appeared  to  be  a  very  secondary  object, 
knowing  the  chief  booty  must  be  in  our  possession ;  and  they 
blockaded  us  *with  increased  rigour,  drawing  closer  into  the 
cove,  more  especially  at  high  water;  fearful  lest  our  boats, 
being  afloat  at  that  period,  should  push  out  and  escape  them* 
In  the  afternoon  some  of  the  Rajah's  people  (whom  we  at  first 
considered  our  friends)  made  their  appearance,  as  if  seeking  a 
parley ;  and  on  communicating  with  them,  gave  us  to  under- 
stand by  signs,  and  as  many  words  as  could  be  made  out,  that 
all  the  Malays,  except  their  party,  were  extremely  hostile  to 
us;  that  it  was  their  determination  to  attack  us  that  night; 
and  urging  also  that  some  of  their  people  should  sleep  up^the 
hill,  in  order  to  protect  us.  Their  former  conduct  and  pre- 
sent connections  displayed  so  evidently  the  treachery  of  this 


250  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

offer,  that  it  is  needless  to  say  that  it  was  rejected ;  giving 
them  to  understand  we  could  trust  to  ourselves.  They  imme- 
diately returned  to  their  gang,  who  certainly  assumed  a  most 
menacing  attitude.  In  the  evening,  when  the  officers  and 
men  were  assembled  as  usual  under  arms,  in  order  to  inspect 
them,  and  settle  the  watches  for  the  night,  the  Captain  spoke 
to  them  with  much  animation,  almost  verbatim  as  follows:  — 

"  6  My  lads,  you  must  all  have  observed  this  day,  as  well 
as  myself,  the  great  increase  of  the  enemy's  force  —  for  enemies 
we  must  now  consider  them — and  the  threatening  posture  they 
have  assumed.  I  have,  on  various  grounds,  strong  reason  to 
believe  they  will  attack  us  this  night.  I  do  not  wish  to  con- 
ceal our  real  state,  because  I  think  there  is  not  a  man  here 
who  is  afraid  to  face  any  sort  of  danger.  We  are  now 
strongly  fenced  in,  and  our  position  is  in  all  respects  so  good, 
that,  armed  as  we  are,  we  ought  to  make  a  formidable  defence 
against  even  regular  troops  :  what,  then,  would  be  thought  of 
us,  if  we  allowed  ourselves  to  be  surprised  by  a  set  of  naked 
savages,  with  their  spears  and  creeses  ?  It  is  true  they  have 
swivels  in  their  boats,  but  they  cannot  act  here :  I  have  not 
observed  that  they  have  any  matchlocks  or  muskets ;  but  if 
they  have,  so  have  we.  I  do  not  wish  to  deceive  you  as  to 
the  means  of  resistance  in  our  power.  When  we  were  first 
thrown  together  on  shore,  we  were  almost  defenceless ; 
only  seventy-five  ball  cartridges  could  be  mustered;  we  have 
now  sixteen  hundred.  They  cannot,  I  believe,  send  up 
more  than  five  hundred  men ;  but  -with  two  hundred  such 
as  now  stand  around  me,  I  do  not  fear  a  thousand,  nay, 
fifteen  hundred  of  them.  I  have  the  fullest  confidence  we 
shall  beat  them :  the  pikemen  standing  firm,  we  can  give 
them  such  a  volley  of  musketry  as  they  will  be  little  prepared 
for ;  and  when  we  find  they  are  thrown  into  confusion,  we  '11 
sally  out  among  them,  chase  them  into  the  water,  and  ten  to 
one  but  we  secure  their  vessels.  Let  every  man,  therefore, 
be  on  the  alert,  with  his  arms  in  his  hands ;  and  should  these 
barbarians  this  night  attempt  our  hill,  I  trust  we  shall  con- 
vince them  that  they  are  dealing  with  Britons.' 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

"  Perhaps  three  jollier  hurras  were  never  given  than  at 
the  conclusion  of  this  short  but  well-timed  address.  The 
woods  fairly  echoed  again  ;  whilst  the  picket  at  the  cove,  and 
those  stationed  at  the  wells,  the  instant  it  caught  their  ear, 
instinctively  joined  their  sympathetic  cheers  to  the  general 
chorus. 

"  There  was  something  like  unity  and  concord  in  such  a 
sound  (one  neither  resembling  the  feeble  shout  nor  savage 
yell),  which,  rung  in  the  ears  of  these  gentlemen,  no  doubt  had 
its  effect;  for  about  this  time  (8  P.  M.)  they  were  observed 
making  signals  with  lights  to  some  of  their  tribe  behind  the 
islet.  If  ever  seamen  or  marines  had  a  strong  inducement  to 
fight,  it  was  on  the  present  occasion ;  for  every  thing  conduced 
to  animate  them.  The  feeling  excited  by  a  savage,  cruel,  and 
inhospitable  aggression  on  the  part  of  the  Malays,  •—  an 
aggression  adding  calamity  to  misfortune,  —  roused  every 
mind  to  a  spirit  of  just  revenge ;  and  the  appeal  now  made  to 
them  on  the  score  of  national  character  was  not  likely  to  let 
that  feeling  cool.  That  they  might  come,  seemed  to  be  the 
anxious  wish  of  every  heart.  After  a  slender  but  cheerful  re- 
past, the  men  laid  down  as  usual  on  their  arms,  whilst  the 
Captain  remained  with  those  on  guard  to  superintend  his 
arrangements.  An  alarm  during  the  night  showed  the  effect 
of  preparation  on  the  people's  minds ;  for  all  like  lightning 
were  at  their  posts,  and  returned  growling  and  disappointed 
because  the  alarm  was  false. 

"  Daylight,  on  Monday  the  3d,  discovered  the  pirates 
exactly  in  the  same  position  in  front  of  us  ;  ten  more  vessels 
having  joined  them  during  the  night,  making  their  number 
now  at  least  six  hundred  men.  The  plot  began  to  thicken, 
and  our  situation  became  hourly  more  critical.  Their  force 
rapidly  accumulating,  and  our  little  stock  of  provisions  daily 
shortening,  rendered  some  desperate  measure  immediately 
necessary. 

"  That  which  seemed  most  feasible  was,  by  a  sudden  night 
attack,  with  our  four  boats  well  armed,  to  carry  by  boarding 
some  of  their  vessels;  and,  by  manning  them,  repeat  our  attack 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

with  increased  force,  taking  more,  or  dispersing  them.  The 
possession  of  some  of  their  proas,  in  addition  to  our  own  boats 
(taking  into  consideration  that  our  numbers  would  be  thinned 
on  the  occasion),  might  enable  us  to  shove  off  for  Java,  in  de- 
fiance of  them.  Any  attempt  to  move  on  a  raft,  with  their 
vessels  playing  round  it  armed  with  swivels,  was  evidently 
impossible.  Awful  as  our  situation  now  was,  arid  every  hour 
becoming  more  so ;  —  starvation  staring  us  in  the  face  on  one 
hand,  and  without  a  hope  of  mercy  from  the  savages  on  the 
other ;  —  yet  were  there  no  symptoms  of  depression,  or  gloomy 
despair  ;  every  mind  seemed  buoyant ;  and,  if  any  estimate  of 
the  general  feeling  could  be  collected  from  countenances,  from 
the  manner  and  expressions  of  all,  there  appeared  to  be  formed 
in  every  breast  a  calm  determination  to  dash  at  them,  and  be 
successful;  or  to  fall,  as  became  men,  in  the  attempt  to  be 
free. 

"  About  noon  on  this  day,  whilst  schemes  and  proposals 
were  flying  about,  as  to  the  mode  of  executing  the  measures  in 
view,  Mr.  Johnstone  (ever  on  the  alert),  who  had  mounted 
the  look-out  tree  —  one  of  the  loftiest  on  the  summit  of  our  hill 
—  descried  a  sail  at  a  great  distance  to  the  southward,  which  he 
thought  larger  than  a  Malay  vessel.  The  buzz  of  conversation 
was  in  a  moment  hushed,  and  every  eye  fixed  anxiously  on  the 
tree  for  the  next  report;  a  signal-man  and  telescope  being  in- 
stantly sent  up.  She  was  now  lost  sight  of  from  a  dark  squall 
overspreading  that  part  of  the  horizon  ;  but  in  about  twenty 
minutes  she  emerged  from  the  cloud-,  and  was  decidedly 
announced  to  be  a  square-rigged  vessel.  « Are  you  quite  sure 
of  that  ? '  was  eagerly  enquired.  « Quite  certain/  was  the 
reply  ;  <  it  is  either  a  ship  or  a  brig,  standing  towards  the 
island,  under  all  sail.'  The  joy  this  happy  sight  infused,  and 
the  gratitude  of  every  heart  at  this  prospect  of  deliverance, 
may  be  more  easily  conceived  than  described.  It  occasioned 
a  sudden  transition  of  the  mind  from  one  train  of  thinking  to 
another;  as  if  waking  from  a  disagreeable  dream.  We  imme- 
diately displayed  our  colours  on  the  highest  branch  of  the  tree, 
to  attract  attention,  lest  she  should  only  be  a  passing  stranger. 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL.  Q53 

"  The  pirates  soon  after  this  discovered  the  ship  (a  signal 
having  been  made  with  a  gun  by  those  anchored  behind  Pulo 
Chalacca),  which  occasioned  an  evident  stir  among  them. 
As  the  water  was  ebbing  fast,  it  was  thought  possible,  by  an 
unexpected  rush  out  to  the  edge  of  the  reef,  to  get  some  of 
them  under  fire,  and  secure  them.  They  seemed,  however,  to 
have  suspected  our  purpose ;  for  the  moment  the  seamen  and 
marines  appeared  from  under  the  mangroves,  the  nearest  proa 
let  fly  her  swivel  among  a  party  of  the  officers,  who  had  been 
previously  wading  outwards  * ;  and  the  whole,  instantly  getting 
under  weigh,  made  sail  off,  fired  at  by  our  people,  but  unfor- 
tunately without  effect;  for,  in  addition  to  the  dexterous 
management  of  their  boats,  the  wind  enabled  them  to  weather 
the  rocks.  It  was  fortunate,  however,  this  attack  on  them  took 
place,  and  that  it  had  the  effect  of  driving  them  away  ;  for,  had 
they  stood  their  ground,  we  were  as  much  in  their  power  as 
ever — the  ship  being  obliged  to  anchor  eight  miles  to  leeward 
of  the  island,  and  eleven  or  twelve  from  our  position,  on 
account  of  the  wind  and  current;  and,  as  this  wind  and  cur- 
rent continued  the  same  for  some  time  afterwards,  they  might 
most  easily,  with  their  force,  have  cut  off  all  communication 
between  us.  Indeed,  it  was  a  providential  and  most  extraor- 
dinary circumstance,  during  this  monsoon,  that  the  ship  was 
able  to  fetch  up  so  far  as  she  did.  The  blockade  being  now 
raised,  the  gig,  with  Messrs.  Sykes  and  Abbot,  was  despatched 
to  the  ship,  which  proved  to  be  the  Ternate,  one  of  the  Com- 
pany's cruizers,  sent  by  Lord  Amherst  to  our  assistance, 
having  on  board  Messrs.  Ellis  and  Hoppner,  who  embarked 
on  the  day  of  their  arrival  at  Batavia,  and  pushed  back  to  the 
island." 

Mr.  M'Leod  further  observes: — "  It  is  a  tribute  due  to 
Captain  Maxwell  to  state  (and  it  is  a  tribute  which  all  most 
cheerfully  pay),  that,  by  his  judicious  arrangements,  we  were 
preserved  from  all  the  horrors  of  anarchy  and  confusion.  His 
measures  inspired  confidence  and  hope;  whilst  his  personal 

*  The  shot  was  picked  up  by  one  of  the  young  gentlemen,  and  appeared  to  be 
of  malleable  iron,  not  quite  round. 


254  SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL. 

example,  in  the  hour  of  danger,  gave  courage  and  animation 
to  all  around  him." 

Mr.  Ellis  also  (the  third  Commissioner  of  the  Embassy) 
remarks : —  "  Participation  of  privation,  and  equal  distribution 
of  comfort,  had  lightened  the  weight  of  suffering  to  all ;  and  I 
found  the  universal  sentiment  to  be  an  enthusiastic  admiration 
of  the  temper,  energy,  and  arrangements  of  Captain  Maxwell. 
No  man  ever  gained  more  in  the  estimation  of  his  comrades 
by  gallantry  in  action,  than  he  had  done  by  his  conduct  on 
this  trying  occasion :  his  look  was  confidence,  and  his  orders 
were  felt  to  be  security." 

The  next  and  part  of  the  following  day  were  employed  in 
embarking  the  crew  and  remaining  stores  on  board  the  Ter- 
nate ;  which  sailed  in  the  afternoon  of  the  7th,  and  reached 
Batavia  on  the  evening  of  the  9th.  Lord  Amherst  and  Cap- 
tain Maxwell  having  deemed  it  advisable  to  combine  the 
conveyance  of  the  embassy  with  that  of  the  officers  and  crew 
of  the  Alceste  to  England,  the  ship  Caesar  was  taken  up  for 
those  purposes  ;  and  all  the  necessary  arrangements  being 
completed,  they  sailed  from  Batavia  Roads  on  the  12th  of 
April. 

On  his  passage  home  Captain  Maxwell  had  an  interview 
with  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who  remembered  that  he  had  com- 
manded at  the  capture  of  La  Pomone,  and  said  to  him,  "  Fous 
etiez  tr.es  mediant  —  Eh  bien !  your  government  must  not 
blame  you  for  the  loss  of  the  Alceste,  for  you  have  taken  one 
of  my  frigates."  That  his  government-had  no  cause  to  cen- 
sure him  will  be  seen  by  the  following  decision  of  a  Court- 
Martial,  held  on  board  the  Queen  Charlotte,  at  Portsmouth, 
in  August,  1817:  — 

"  The  Court  is  of  opinion  that  the  loss  of  His  Majesty's 
late  ship  Alceste  was  caused  by  her  striking  on  a  sunken 
rock,  until  then  unknown,  in  the  straits  of  Gaspar.  That  Cap- 
tain Murray  Maxwell,  previous  to  the  circumstance,  appears 
to  have  conducted  himself  in  the  most  zealous  and  officer- 
Hke  manner;  and,  after  the  ship  struck,  his  coolness,  self-col- 
lection, and  exertions,  were  highly  conspicuous;  and  that 

18 


SIR    MURRAY    MAXWELL.  255 

every  thing  was  done  by  him  and  his  officers  within  the  power 
of  man  to  execute,  previous  to  the  loss  of  the  ship ;  and  after- 
wards to  preserve  the  lives  of  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Amherst, 
His  Majesty's  Ambassador,  and  his  suite,  as  well  as  those  of 
the  ship's  company,  and  to  save  her  stores  on  that  occasion : 
the  Court,  therefore,  adjudge  the  said  Captain  Murray  Max- 
well, his  officers  and  men,  to  be  most  fully  acquitted" 

Amongst  the  witnesses  examined  on  this  occasion  was  Lord 
Amherst,  who  stated,  "  that  he  had  selected  Captain  Maxwell, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  embassy,  from  motives  of  personal 
friendship,  as  well  as  from  the  high  opinion  he  entertained  of 
his  professional  character ;  which  opinion  had  been  much  in- 
creased by  the  events  of  the  voyage." 

Captain  Maxwell  was  nominated  a  C.  B.  in  1815,  and  re- 
ceived the  honour  of  knighthood  on  the  27th  of  May,  1818. 
At  the  general  election  in  the  same  year  he  stood  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  city  of  Westminster,  and  sustained  severe  per- 
sonal injury  from  the  vile  rabble  with  which  the  hustings  in 
Covent  Garden  is  on  such  occasions  surrounded.  On  the 
20th  of  May,  1819,  the  Hon.  East  India  Company  presented 
him  with  the  sum  of  1 5OO/.  for  the  services  rendered  by  him 
to  the  embassy,  and  as  a  remuneration  for  the  loss  he  sus- 
tained on  his  return  from  China.  He  was  appointed  to  the 
Bulwark,  a  third-rate,  bearing  the  flag  of  Sir  Benjamin  Hal- 
lowell,  at  Chatham,  in  June,  1821 ;  and  removed  to  the 
Briton  frigate,  on  the  28th  of  November,  1 822 ;  and  he  was 
afterwards  employed  on  the  South  American  station. 

On  the  llth  of  May,  1831,  Sir  Murray  Maxwell  was  ap- 
pointed Lieutenant-Governor  of  Prince  Edward's  Island ;  and 
was  preparing  to  take  his  departure,  when  a  very  short  illness 
terminated  his  life,  on  the  26th  of  June,  1831. 


For  the  foregoing  memoir  we  are  principally  indebted  to 
«  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Biography,"  and  "M'Leod's  Nar- 
rative of  the  Voyage  of  the  Alceste." 


256 


No.  XVI. 
THOMAS  HOPE,  ESQ.  F.R.S.,  AND  F.S.A. 

THIS  gentleman,  equally  known  in  the  world  of  fashion  and 
the  world  of  art,  was  a  descendant  from  the  Hopes  (Baronets) 
of  Craig  Hall,  in  the  county  of  Fife.  The  founder  of  the 
family  appears  to  have  been  John  de  Hope,  who  came  from 
France  in  the  train  of  Magdalene,  Queen  of  King  James  the 
First.  His  grandson,  Henry,  an  eminent  merchant,  married 
Jeanne  de  Tott,  a  French  lady,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons : 
Thomas,  created  a  Baronet  in  1626  ;  and  Henry,  who  settled 
in  Holland,  and  amassed  a  large  fortune  in  commerce.  Of 
this  gentleman,  Mr.  Hope  was,  we  believe,  a  nephew,  and  a 
partner  in  the  concern.  One  of  his  brothers  still  resides  in 
Amsterdam;  and  another  (Philip  Hope,  Esq.),  in  Norfolk 
Street,  London.  The  Hopes  of  Amsterdam  were  proverbial 
for  wealth,  for  liberality,  for  the  splendour  of  their  mansion, 
and  for  their  extensive  and  valuable  collection  of  works  of  art. 
Early  in  life,  Mr.  Hope,  possessing  an  ample  fortune,  tra- 
velled over  various  parts  of  Europe,  &sia,  and  Africa ;  and 
having,  with  a  refined  taste,  acquired  a  facility  of  drawing,  he 
brought  home  a  large  collection  of  sketches,  principally  of 
architecture  and  sculpture.  Soon  after  his  return  and  settle- 
ment in  London,  he  published  "  A  Letter,  addressed  to 
F.  Annesley,  Esq.,  on  a  Series  of  Designs  for  Downing 
College,  Cambridge;"  in  which,  founding  his  judgment  on 
what  he  had  seen  and  examined  in  the  course  of  his  travels, 
he  criticised,  with  considerable  severity,  the  series  of  plans, 
elevations,  &c.  which  had  been  produced  by  Mr.  Wyatt.  In 
consequence,  as  it  has  been  said,  of  these  criticisms,  Mr. 
Wyatt's  designs  were  rejected;  and  Mr.  Wilkins  was  after- 


THOMAS    HOPE,    ESQ.  257 

wards  employed  to  commence  the  college.  The  building, 
however,  has  not  been  finished. 

Having  purchased  a  large  house  in  Duchess  Street,  Mr. 
Hope  devoted  much  time  and  study  in  finishing  and  fitting 
up  the  interior  from  his  own  drawings,  and  partly  in  imitation 
of  the  best  specimens,  both  ancient  and  modern,  in  Italy.  A 
description  of  this  house  will  be  found  in  the  first  volume 
of  "  The  Public  Buildings  of  London,"  by  Britton  and  Pu- 
gin,  accompanied  by  two  plates  representing  the  Flemish 
Picture  Gallery,  which  was  an  addition  made  in  1820.  A 
view  of  the  old  Picture  Gallery,  together  with  a  catalogue  of 
the  pictures,  was  published  in  Westmacott's  "  Account  of  the 
British  Galleries  of  Painting  and  Sculpture." 

Mr.  Hope's  country  mansion  was  at  Deepdene,  near  Dor- 
king; and  thither  he  had  removed  a  large  number  of  his  pic- 
tures, sculpture,  and  books,  having  built  for  their  reception 
a  new  library,  a  gallery,  and  an  amphitheatre  to  arrange  and 
display  antiques.  There  are  three  views  of  this  mansion  in 
"  Neale's  Seats ; "  and  two,  with  a  description  recently  revised, 
will  be  found  in  Prosser's  "  Views  in  Surrey."  It  is  remark- 
able that  this  beautiful  spot  is  described  by  the  old  topographer 
Aubrey  by  the  name  of  its  future  owner.  His  words  are  as 
follows :  —  "  A  long  Hope,  i.  e.  according  to  Virgil,  '  deductus 
vallis,'  is  contrived  in  the  most  pleasant  and  delightful  solitude 
for  house,  gardens,  orchards,  boscages,  &c.  that  I  have  seen 
in  England;  it  deserves  a  poem,  and  was  a  subject  worthy  of 
Mr.  Cowley's  muse.  The  true  name  of  this  Hope  is  Dipden, 
quasi  Deepdene."  The  natural  beauties  of  Deepdene  were 
first  moulded  into  cultivation  by  the  Hon.  Charles  Howard, 
who  died  in  1714. 

In  1805,  Mr.  Hope  published  the  drawings  which  he  had 
made  for  his  furniture,  &c.  in  a  folio  volume,  entitled  "  House- 
hold Furniture  and  Decorations."  Notwithstanding  the  ridi- 
cule attempted  to  be  cast  on  this  work  in  the  Edinburgh 
Review,  it  led  the  way  to  a  complete  revolution  in  the  up- 
holstery and  interior  decoration  of  houses.  "  To  Mr.  Hope," 
says  Mr.  Britton,  in  his  volume  entitled  "  The  Union  of  Paintr 

VOL.  XVJ.  S 


258  THOMAS    HOPE,    ESQ. 

ing,  Sculpture,  and  Architecture,"  "  we  are  indebted,  in  an 
eminent  degree,  for  the  classical  and  appropriate  style  which 
now  generally  characterises  our  furniture  and  domestic  uten- 
sils. Like  most  other  innovations,  his  was  described  as 
whimsical  and  puerile  by  some  persons  —  as  if  it  were  unbe- 
coming a  man  of  fortune  to  indulge  in  the  elegant  refinements 
which  wealth  placed  at  his  command:  whilst  others  caricatured 
the  system,  by  cramming  their  apartments  with  mythological 
figures  and  conceits,  jumbled  together  without  propriety  or 
meaning." 

Mr.  Hope  was,  in  all  respects,  a  munificent  patron  of  art 
and  of  artists,  and  even  of  the  humbler  mechanic ;  for  he  has 
been  known  to  traverse  obscure  alleys,  lanes,  and  courts,  to 
find  out  and  employ  men  of  skill  and  talent  in  their  respective 
pursuits.  Thorwaldsen,  the  Danish  sculptor,  was  chiefly  in- 
debted to  him  for  the  early  support  and  patronage  which  he 
experienced.  By  him  the  genius  of  young  Chantrey  was 
called  into  action,  whilst  the  more  mature  talents  of  Flaxman 
were  honourably  employed.  These  are  only  a  few  of  the 
numerous  instances  in  which  his  liberality  was  nobly  and 
advantageously  manifested.  In  one  case,  however,  his  pa- 
tronage was  returned  by  an  act  of  the  basest  ingratitude. 
Some  dispute  having  arisen  between  Mr.  Hope  and  a  French- 
man of  the  name  of  Dubost,  respecting  the  price  and  execution 
of  a  painting,  the  artist  vented  his  spleen  by  the  exhibition  of 
an  infamous  caricature  —  a  picture  which  he  entitled  "  Beauty 
and  the  Beast ; "  Mrs.  Hope  being  drawn  in  the  former  cha- 
racter, and  her  husband  in  the  latter,  laying  his  treasures  at 
her  feet,  and  addressing  feer  in  the  language  of  the  French 
tale.  This  picture  was  publicly  exhibited,  and  attracted  such 
crowds  of  loungers  and  scandal-lovers  to  view  it,  that  from 
20/.  to  30/.  a  day  was  taken  at  the  doors.  It  was  at  length 
cut  to  pieces  in  the  room,  by  Mr.  Beresford,  the  brother  of 
Mrs.  Hope.  Dubost,  upon  this,  brought  an  action  against 
that  gentleman,  laying  his  damages  at  1000/.  ;  but  the  jury 
gave  him  only  5/.,  as  the  worth  of  the  canvass  arid  colours  ; 
and  that  would  not  have  been  awarded,  had  Mr.  Beresford,' 


THOMAS    HOPE,    ESQ. 

instead  of  the  general  plea  of  "  not  guilty,"  put  in  a  plea  that 
he  destroyed  the  picture  as  a  nuisance. 

In  1809,  Mr.  Hope  published  "  The  Costume  of  the  An- 
cients," in  two  volumes,  royal  8vo. ;  in  fixing  the  price  of 
which,  in  order  to  promote  its  more  extensive  circulation, 
he  at  once  sacrificed  1000/.  of  the  cost.  The  figures,  which 
were  chiefly  selected  from  fictile  vases  (many  of  them  in  Mr. 
Hope's  own  collection),  are  engraved  in  outline,  and  the 
greater  part  of  them  by  that  eminent  master  in  that  style, 
Mr.  H.  Moses.  Three  years  afterwards,  Mr.  Hope  published 
his  "  Designs  of  Modern  Costumes,"  in  folio.  These  works 
evinced  a  profound  research  into  the  works  of  antiquity,  and 
a  familiarity  with  all  that  is  graceful  and  elegant. 

Mr.  Hope's  "  Anastasius ;  or,  Memoirs  of  a  Modern 
Greek,"  an  historical  and  geographical  romance  in  three 
volumes,  evinced  at  once  the  general  knowledge,  the  fancy, 
and  powers  of  the  author.  It  presents  such  a  faithful  picture 
of  the  customs,  manners,  and  countries  of  the  Turks  and 
Greeks,  that,  when  a  gentleman  of  high  diplomatic  station 
and  abilities  was  advised  to  publish  an  account  of  his  travels 
among  those  people,  he  replied,  that  Mr.  Hope  had  already 
given  such  an  accurate  and  graphic  description  of  them  in 
"  Anastasius,"  that  there  would  be  nothing  new  for  him  to 
relate.  Of  the  profligate  hero  of  the  work,  however,  it  has 
been  but  too  justly  observed  :  — 

"  Anastasius  is  a  scoundrel  of  the  deepest  dye,  with  no 
mixture  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness  to  blend  with  the 
harsher  ingredients  of  his  character.  If  at  any  time  a  spark 
of  better  feeling  is  struck  out  by  the  collision  of  circumstances 
from  his  flinty  nature,  it  is  as  immediately  extinguished,  and 
'  straight  is  cold  again.'  He  seems  to  belong  entirely  to  that 
modern  school  of  worthies,  who,  by  the  aid  of  a  white  fore- 
head, a  curled  lip,  raven  hair  and  eyes,  and  the  Turkish 
costume,  have  contrived  to  excite  so  powerful  a  sympathy  in 
their  favour."  * 

Besides  these  productions,  Mr.  Hope  contributed  several 

*   Quarterly  Review, 
s  2 


260  THOMAS    HOPE,    ESQ. 

papers  to  different  periodical  publications ;  and,  at  the  time 
of  his  decease,  was  engaged  in  passing  through  the  press  a 
work  "  On  the  Origin  and  Prospects  of  Man."  That  work 
has  since  been  published ;  and  for  the  following  able  little 
analysis  of  its  singular  contents,  we  are  indebted  to  the  kind- 
ness of  a  literary  friend  :  — 

"  The  *  Essay  on  the  Origin  and  Prospects  of  Man,'  pub- 
lished posthumously,  is  only  a  preliminary  portion  of  a  work 
much  more  extensive,  which  Mr.  Hope  had  long  meditated, 
on  Beauty;  comprising,  under  that  term,  every  species  of  at- 
tribute, physical  and  intellectual,  of  which  the  mere  passive 
contemplation  affords,  through  the  channel  of  the  senses,  the 
exalted  pleasures  of  which  the  cause  is  called  beauty.  How 
far  this  Essay  will  enhance  the  brilliant  reputation  of  the 
author  of  "Anastasius,"  may  be  questioned  ;  but  no  one,  whose 
taste  for  abstruse  disquisition  may  lead  him  through  the  three 
volumes  of  which  it  consists,  will  deny  it  to  be  the  production 
of  a  mind  of  more  than  ordinary  talents  and  acquirements. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  difficulties  incident  to  such  dis- 
cussion should  be  further  increased  by  the  adoption  of  a  pe- 
culiar style,  modelled  on  a  theory  which  is  announced  and 
vindicated  in  the  introduction :  in  fact,  so  foreign  is  it  in  its 
structure,  as  to  require  continual  translation  into  the  English 
of  which  the  vocabulary  consists. 

"  The  fundamental  principle  of  Mr.  Hope's  cosmogony  is, 
that  all  things  are  generated  by  time  andjspace  :  — to  these 
succeed  gravitation,  centrifugal  and  centripetal ;  from  which, 
as  the  principle  of  all  aggregation  and  combination,  arise  the 
earliest  modifications  of  electricity ;  namely,  those  which  pro- 
duce the  force  of  cold,  combination,  and  substance,  —  cold 
being  the  connecting  link  between  mere  force  and  positive 
substance.  Substance,  which  at  first  is  radiant,  consolidates, 
according  to  the  determining  circumstances,  into  forms  gase- 
ous, liquid,  and  solid.  From  amorphous  matter,  by  the 
action  of  electricity  and  cold,  is  produced  crystallisation;  the 
highest  and  completest  form  of  substances  inorganic.  By  de- 
combinations  brought  about  by  the  agency  of  heat,  and  other 


THOMAS    HOPE,    ESQ. 

recombinations,  we  ascend  by  a  scale  to  substance  organic 
and  living,  vegetable  and  animal ;  —  proving,  contrary  to  the 
accepted  belief,  that,  after  the  creation  of  inorganic  matter, 
another  distinct  creation  was  necessary,  in  order  to  infuse  into 
the  former  the  principles  of  life  ;  that  in  the  very  conditions 
of  mere  time  and  space,  in  the  very  first  act  of  the  creation, 
were  already  laid  the  seeds  of  its  last  and  highest  develope- 
ments,  not  only  vital,  but  sensitive  and  intellectual ;  and  that 
it  was  impossible,  when  the  former  arose,  the  latter  should 
not,  in  their  turn,  out  of  them  have  arisen. 

"  These  views,  strange  as  they  must  appear,  are  developed 
in  a  most  elaborate  argument,  supported  by  the  resources  of 
an  imagination  highly  active,  and  aided  by  an  extensive  refer- 
ence to  authorities  both  ancient  and  modern,  sacred  as  well  as 
profane.  This  is  not  the  place  for  more  than  the  most 
rapid  summary  of  a  work,  to  do  full  justice  to  which  would 
occupy  a  space  much  more  considerable  than  we  could,  con- 
sistently with  our  general  plan,  devote  to  it;  —  but  the  alleged 
natural  history  of  man  is  too  singular  to  be  wholly  passed 
over.  When,  it  seems,  in  the  progress  of  creation,  the  elements 
of  organised  substance,  by  successive  combinations  and  decorn- 
binations,  had  arrived  at  a  condition  suited  to  the  formation  of 
beings,  not  only  vital  and  sentient,  but  intellectual,  these 
elements,  meeting  from  opposite  points  by  pressure,  gradually 
accumulated  and  combined,  until  they  resulted  in  man  !  This 
process  going  on  simultaneously  wherever  the  elements  were 
to  be  found,  it  follows,  that  every  part  of  the  world  so  circum- 
stanced was  in  a  condition  to  produce  its  autocthones.  The 
genus  man  thus  comprises  distinct  species,  each  deriving  from 
its  own  peculiar  parent  stock,  discriminated  one  from  the 
other  by  a  comparative  scale  of  excellence,  both  in  physical 
and  in  intellectual  capacity;  the  former,  if  not  determining 
the  latter,  at  least  being  its  unerring  index.  Between  these 
several  races  is  a  boundary,  not  only  distinct  and  well  defined, 
but  impassable :  so  that  a  Caffre  or  a  Samoyed  could  no  more, 
by  whatever  pains  in  education  or  discipline,  be  elevated  to 
the  comprehension  of  European  science,  than  the  dullest  of 

s  3 


THOMAS    HOPE,    ESQ. 

brutes  be  trained  to  the  sagacity  of  the  elephant.  The  cause 
of  these  differences  Mr.  Hope  traces  to  certain  circumstances 
in  climate,  soil,  and  situation ;  and  he  observes,  that  it  is  in 
those  regions  where  Nature  has  been  more  than  ordinarily 
bountiful  to  the  inferior  animals,  that  she  has  seemed  most 
niggardly  to  man  :  for  the  elements,  forestalled  and  exhausted 
by  the  combinations  necessary  for  the  formation  of  the  former, 
were  but  scantily  afforded  in  their  concurrence  for  the  formation 
of  the  latter.  The  country  of  the  ourang  outang  and  the  ele- 
phant is  at  the  same  time  the  birthplace  of  the  most  degraded 
of  the  human  species  ;  and,  on  a  comparison,  it  may  fairly  be 
called  in  doubt,  whether,  in  that  country,  the  advantage  remain 
with  the  man,  or  with  the  brute :  the  former,  it  is  true,  is  pos- 
sessed of  faculties  of  which  the  other  is  wholly  deprived;  but 
so  imperfectly  are  they  developed,  as  scarcely  to  be  of  any 
value,  while  he  is  greatly  inferior  in  those  physical  qualities, 
and  in  the  senses,  they  enjoy  in  common. 

"  Of  the  original  races,  some,  both  of  the  highest  and  of  the 
lowest  species,  have  become  extinct.  The  latter  have  perished 
and  left  no  trace  ;  but  of  the  former,  the  records  of  ages  of  the 
remotest  time  indicate  a  people,  cultivated  in  arts  and  manners, 
theists  in  religion ;  the  first  and  most  excellent  of  creation ; 
whose  stature,  form,  and  longevity,  attest  an  immeasurable 
superiority ;  and  from  whose  wreck,  mixed  up  with  baser 
matter,  was  collected  and  preserved  by  tradition  all  that  has 
since  formed  the  basis  and  nucleus  of  civilisation.  Such  were 
the  Bible  Patriarchs  before  the  flood  —  such  the  Titans  of 
mythology  —  such  the  Pree-adamites  of  Arabian  fable.  Next 
in  order  of  excellence  must  be  placed  the  stock  anciently  in- 
habiting the  country  between  the  Euxine  and  Caspian,  to  the 
south  ;  chiefly  known  by  the  colony  which,  under  the  name  of 
Pelagians,  Hellenes,  and  Dorians,  settled  in  Greece,  and  the 
country  along  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  adjacent.  These 
were  alike  beautiful  in  form,  and  exquisite  in  faculty ;  by  them 
was  carried  to  rapid  perfection  all  that  is  in  art  most  rare, 
and  in  science  most  abstruse  ;  and  it  is  according  as  succeed- 
ing generations  approach  the  purity  of  this  race,  that  they  will 


THOMAS    HOPE,    ESQ.  £63 

approximate  to  an  excellence  which,  deteriorated  as  they  ale, 
they  never  can  hope  fully  to  attain. 

"  Pursuing  the  analogy  by  which  he  has,  from  the  simplest 
elements  (elements  not  yet  obvious  to  the  senses,  scarcely  in- 
deed to  the  imagination),  traced  the  concatenation  to  shape- 
less masses,  to  crystallised  substance,  to  organisation,  to 
vitality,  —  till,  in  the  latest  and  highest  link,  the  diapason  closes 
full  in,  — Mr.  Hope  Allows  the  decombinations  of  this  world, 
to  other  combinations  in  a  more  central  and  less  imperfect 
sphere,  in  which  they  will  be  absorbed  ;  forming  there  an  entity 
comprehending  all  modifications,  inanimate  and  animate,  inor- 
ganised  and  organic,  vegetable  and  animal,  sentient  and  intel- 
lectual, from  the  first  and  simplest  to  the  last  and  highest,  on 
which  it  was  founded. 

"  Such  are  the  speculations  of  a  writer,  long  holding  a  dis- 
tinguished place  among  the  authors  of  the  day,  but  in  a  depart- 
ment of  literature  so  distinct  from  that  which  occupied  his 
latter  years,  that  few,  in  perusing  them,  would  recognise  the 
author  of  those  works  on  art,  and  above  all,  of  that  splendid 
fiction  by  which  Mr.  Hope  is  chiefly  known.  In  these  meta- 
physical disquisitions  there  is  strong  internal  evidence  of  an 
earnest  and  sincere  pursuit  of  truth,  and  of  amiable  and  bene- 
volent feelings,  which,  however  obnoxious  Mr.  Hope's  para- 
doxes may  be,  cannot  fail  to  conciliate :  and  if  his  reasonings 
do  not  convince,  they  at  least  afford  ingenious  views,  well 
followed  up  ;  and,  to  the  few,  materials  for  thinking." 

Mr.  Hope  died  on  the  3d  of  February,  1831.  It  has  been 
said  of  him,  and  we  believe  with  only  strict  justice,  that  he  was 
a  most  affectionate  husband,  a  fond  and  watchful  parent,  and 
a  kind  and  humane  man  to  all  his  domestics  and  dependants ; 
that  his  knowledge  was  extensive,  varied,  and  solid  ;  and  that 
his  unostentatious  habits  and  manners  rendered  him  an  object 
of  admiration  to  those  who  were  honoured  with  his  friendship. 

A  large  collection  has  been  left  by  Mr.  Hope  of  drawings 
and  engravings  illustrative  of  buildings  and  scenery  in  Greece, 
Turkey,  Italy,  France,  Germany,  &c.,  and  several  plates  of  his 
antique  sculpture  and  vases. 

s   4 


<264  THOMAS   HOPE,    ESQ. 

Mr.  Hope  married,  April  16,  1806,  the  Hon.  Louisa 
Beresford,  fifteenth  and  youngest  child  of  the  Right  Rev.  Lord 
Decies,  Lord  Archbishop  of  Tuam,  and  sister  to  the  present 
Lord  Decies.  They  had  three  sons  ;  the  eldest  of  whom,  Mr. 
Henry  Hope,  was  a  Groom  of  the  Bedchamber  to  King 
George  the  Fourth,  and  still  holds  that  offiqe  to  his  present 
Majesty.  Mrs.  Hope,  also,  is  Woman  of  the  Bedchamber  to 
her  Majesty :  there  is  a  charming  portrait  of  this  lady  by  Sir 
Thomas  Lawrence. 

Mr.  Hope's  will  has  been  proved  by  his  brother,  P.  H. 
Hope,  Esq.,  and  Jeremiah  Harman,  Esq.,  to  each  of  whom  is 
left  a  legacy  of  one  thousand  pounds.  The  collection  of 
Italian  pictures,  articles  of  vertu,  and  the  furniture,  together 
with  the  house  in  Mansfield  Street,  are  left  to  the  eldest  son, 
who  is  likewise  residuary  legatee.  To  his  widow  is  left  one 
thousand  pounds  in  money,  to  be  paid  immediately;  an  an- 
nuity of  one  thousand  pounds  a  year,  in  addition  to  the  lady's 
marriage  settlement  of  three  thousand  a  year  ;  and  during  her 
life  the  mansion  and  furniture  at  Deepdene.  Large  legacies 
are  left  to  his  other  children ;  and  many  of  his  friends  are  also 
remembered  in  his  will,  especially  the  Rev.  William  Harness, 
son  of  his  friend  Doctor  Harness,  to  whom  he  has  left  five 
hundred  pounds.  Probate  was  granted  for  one  hundred  and 
eighty  thousand  pounds  personal  property.  The  gallery  in 
Duchess  Street,  appended  to  Mr.  Hope's  house,  in  which  his 
Italian  pictures  are  deposited,  was  built  by  his  brother,  Mr. 
P.  H.  Hope ;  and  the  splendid  assemblage  of  pictures  by 
the  Dutch  and  Flemish  masters,  which  are  mingled  with  the 
Italian  school,  are  the  property  of  Mr.  P.  H.  Hope,  by  whom 
they  were  collected. 


265 


No.  XVII. 
THE  RIGHT  HON.  ARCHIBALD  COCHRANE, 

NINTH  EARL  OF  DUNDONALD,  LORD  GOCHRANE  OF  PAISLEY 
AND  OCHILTREE,  LORD  COCHRANE  OF  DUNDONALD,  AND  A 
BARONET  OF  NOVA  SCOTIA. 

IT  is  impossible  to  contemplate  the  life  of  the  noble  subject 
of  this  memoir  without  pain.  Like  many  other  celebrated 
men,  he  greatly  contributed  to  the  progress  of  useful  know- 
ledge, and  the  benefit  of  his  country,  without  the  slightest 
advantage  to  himself.  Indeed,  he  wholly  expended  his  private 
fortune  in  speculations,  which  have  proved  profitable  only  to 
others ;  and  devoted  to  the  public  that  time  and  those  talents 
which,  if  they  had  been  bestowed,  or  even  partially  bestowed, 
upon  the  management  and  improvement  of  his  own  estate, 
would  have  rendered  him  as  opulent  as  he  actually  became 
necessitous. 

The  noble  family  of  which  he  was  the  representative  took 
its  surname  from  the  barony  of  Cochrane,  in  Renfrewshire, 
North  Britain,  where  it  appears  to  have  been  of  great  an- 
tiquity. Although  his  ancestors  did  not  attain  the  dignity  of 
the  peerage  until  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  yet  they  had  been 
Barons  of  some  distinction  for  many  centuries  before.  William 
Cochrane,  a  chieftain  who  in  his  time  possessed  considerable 
power  and  renown,  left  but  one  child,  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Alexander  Blair  (the  proper  family  name  at  this  day) ;  and 
by  him  had  seven  sons.  William,  the  second  of  these, 
was  created  Baron  Cochrane  of  Dundonald,  in  164? 7,  by 
Charles  I. ;  and  was  advanced  to  the  dignity  of  Earl  of  Dun- 
donald, in  1669,  by  Charles  II.  From  his  eldest  son  de- 
scended seven  Earls  of  Dundonald ;  but  that  branch  became 
extinct  in  1758,  by  the  demise  of  William,  a  bachelor,  who 
was  killed  at  the  capture  of  Cape  Breton.  The  honours  and 


266  THE    EARL    OP    DUNDONALD. 

estates  then  devolved  on  Thomas,  the  father  of  the  iate  peer ; 
he  being  descended  from  John,  the  younger  son  of  the  first 
Earl. 

Archibald  Cochrane,  the  late  Earl,  was  born  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1748-9.  He  was  the  second  but  eldest  surviving 
son  of  Thomas,  by  his  second  wife  Jean,  eldest  daughter  of 
Archibald  Stewart,  of  Torrence,  in  the  county  of  Lanark,  Esq. ; 
which  lady  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-six,  and  died  in  1808. 

In  1764-,  his  Lordship  obtained  a  Cornet's  commission  in 
the  3d  regiment  of  dragoons.  He  soon,  however,  quitted 
the  army  for  the  navy,  arid  served  as  a  midshipman  under  one 
of  his  countrymen,  the  late  Captain  Stair  Douglas,  a  gallant 
officer  of  the  old  school.  He  was  afterwards  stationed  on 
board  a  vessel  on  the  coast  of  Guinea  as  an  acting  Lieutenant ; 
and  there  manifested  great  talents  and  peculiarities ;  among 
the  latter  of  which  was  the  custom  of  appearing  constantly, 
except  on  duty,  without  a  hat;  for  the  purpose,  as  he  observed, 
"  of  keeping  the  head  cool." 

On  the  demise  of  his  father,  which  took  place  on  the  27th 
of  June,  1778,  Lord  Cochrane  succeeded  to  the  family  titles. 
He  then  determined  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  scientific 
pursuits,  with  the  laudable  view  of  improving  the  manufactures 
and  commerce  of  his  country. 

One  of  the  first  inventions  published  by  this  nobleman  was 
intimately  connected  with  the  safety  of  the  British  navy,  the 
extension  of  our  mercantile  speculations,  and  the  advantage 
of  the  great  proprietors  of  estates  in  the  northern  portion  of 
the  kingdom.  While  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  he  had  perceived 
that  both  King's  ships  and  merchant  vessels  were  subject  to 
be  worm-eaten  in  a  very  short  space  of  time ;  instances,  indeed, 
having  occurred  in  some  of  the  great  rivers,  in  which,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months,  they  were  declared  not  to  be  "  sea- 
worthy." To  remedy  such  an  evil  became  a  particular  object 
of  Lord  Dundonald's  study ;  and  he  at  last  hit  upon  an  ex- 
pedient wjiich  promised  to  be  attended  with  the  most  brilliant 
success,  both  in  a  national  and  in  a  profitable  point  of  view. 
It  was  his  Lordship's  opinion  that  an  extract  from  coal,  in  the 


THE   EARL    OF    DUNDONALD.  267 

shape  of  tar,  would  prove  effectual  to  the  end  proposed ;  and, 
after  a  variety  of  trials,  it  was  at  length  found  to  answer.  By 
way  of  a  final  experiment,  an  application  was  made  to  the 
States-General,  and  a  guard-ship  stationed  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Texel  had  her  bottom  "  payed"  with  this  material.  On 
her  return  into  port,  the  keel,  and  all  the  streaks  below  water- 
mark, were  found  to  be  sound  and  substantial.  A  certificate 
of  the  fact  was  granted ;  and  a  similar  trial  was  made  on  a 
decked  boat  stationed  at  the  Nore,  the  result  of  which  was 
equally  satisfactory.  As  the  small  or  refuse  coals  were  as 
good  as  the  best  for  the  purpose,  warehouses  and  proper 
buildings  for  carrying  on  the  process  were  erected  at  New- 
castle; and  in  1785,  his  Lordship  obtained  an  act  of  parlia- 
ment for  vesting  in  him  and  his  assigns,  for  twenty  years,  the 
sole  use  and  property  of  a  method  of  extracting  tar,  pitch, 
essential  oils,  volatile  alkali,  mineral  acids,  salts,  and  cinders, 
from  pit-coal,  throughout  his  Majesty's  dominions ;  for  which 
he  had  previously  procured  a  patent  for  the  usual  short  term. 
The  general  adoption  of  copper  sheathing,  however,  rendered 
the  speculation  abortive ;  the  use  of  coal  tar  was  confined  to 
the  covering  of  outhouses,  sheds,  and  fences ;  and  Lord  Dun- 
donald  not  only  reaped  no  profit  whatever  from  his  invention, 
but  sustained  an  extensive  loss  by  it. 

In  1785,  his  Lordship  circulated  "  An  Account  of  the 
Qualities  and  Uses  of  Coal-tar  and  Coal-varnish;"  and  in 
the  same  year  he  also  published  a  quarto  pamphlet,  entitled 
"  The  present  State  of  the  Manufacture  of  Salt  explained;"  in 
which  he  recommended  the  refuse  as  a  manure. 

In  1795,  he  published  "  A  Treatise,  showing  the  intimate 
Connection  that  subsists  between  Agriculture  and  Chemistry; 
addressed  to  the  Cultivators  of  the  Soil,  to  the  Proprietors  of 
the  Fens  and  Mosses  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  to  the 
Proprietors  of  West  India  Estates;"  and  in  1799,  "  The  Prin- 
ciples of  Chemistry  applied  to  the  Improvement  of  the  Practice 
of  Agriculture." 

In  1801,  his  Lordship  obtained  a  patent  "  for  a  method  of 

preparing  a  substitute  for  gum  Senegal  and  other  gums  exten- 

18 


268  THE    EARL    OF   DUNDONALD. 

sively  employed  in  certain  branches  of  manufacture."  His 
preparation  was  to  be  formed  from  lichens,  from  hemp  or 
flax,  and  the  bark  of  the  willow  and  lime.  In  1  803,  he  re- 
ceived another  patent  "  for  methods  of  preparing  hemp  and 
flax,  so  as  materially  to  aid  the  operation  of  the  tools  called 
hackles,  in  the  division  of  the  fibre."  This  plan  consisted  in 
steeping  or  boiling  the  stalks,  in  order  more  effectually  to 
remove  the  bark  before  dressing;  and,  as  it  was  found  to 
lessen  the  danger  of  mildew  in  sail-cloth,  it  was  more  gene- 
rally adopted,  although  it  did  not  prove  more  profitable,  than 
Lord  Dundonald's  other  inventions. 

In  1807,  during  the  successful  contest  of  the  present  Earl 
of  Dundonald,  then  Lord  Cochrane,  for  the  representation  of 
Westminster,  it  was  rumoured,  for  election  purposes,  that  the 
noble  subject  of  this  memoir  was  at  the  point  of  death.  The 
object  was  to  cause  it  to  be  apprehended  that  the  votes  given 
to  the  son  would  be  of  no  avail,  since,  in  the  event  of  the  death 
of  his  father,  he  would  be  rendered  ineligible  to  a  seat  in  the 
House  of  Commons.  To  defeat  this  insidious  stratagem, 
Lord  Dundonald  addressed  the  following  good-humoured 
letter  to  the  Editor  of  one  of  the  London  journals. 


«  London,  November  24.  1807. 

"  On  perusing  your  paper  of  this  date,  I  was  very  much 
surprised  to  find  that  you  had  represented  my  state  of  health 
to  be  so  bad,  that  my  life  was  despaired  of.  I  assure  you, 
sir,  that  I  never  enjoyed  better  health  ;  and  I  flatter  myself 
that  I  shall  outlive  all  the  members  and  candidates  for  West- 
minster, excepting  my  son,  Lord  Cochrane.  As  you  seem  to 
take  a  particular  interest  in  my  state  of  health,  you  shall  be 
duly  informed  by  me  when  my  life  is  despaired  of.  Inform- 
ation as  to  my  demise,  you  cannot  well  expect  to  receive  from 
me.  You  will  oblige  me  by  giving  this  letter  a  place  in  your 
paper  of  to-morrow. 

*  "  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  Servant, 

"  DUNDONALD." 


THE    EARL    OF    DUNDONALD.  269 

Three  of  the  candidates  for  Westminster  at  that  period,  — 
the  three  unsuccessful  candidates,  Mr.  Sheridan,  Mr.  Elliot, 
and  Mr.  Paull,  —  Lord  Dundonald  did  actually  outlive.  In 
the  circumstances  of  difficulty  and  embarrassment,  however, 
in  which  he  was  placed,  life  was  to  him  scarcely  a  boon.  It 
was  in  allusion  to  this  nobleman  that  the  following  remarks 
were  made  in  the  Annual  Address  of  the  Registrars  of  the 
Literary  Fund  Society  in  the  year  1823  :  — 

"  A  man  born  in  the  high  class  of  the  old  British  peerage 
has  devoted  his  acute  and  investigating  mind  solely  to  the 
prosecution  of  science ;  and  his  powers  have  prevailed  in  the 
pursuit.  The  discoveries  effected  by  his  scientific  research, 
with  its  direction  altogether  to  utility,  have  been  in  many  in- 
stances beneficial  to  the  community,  and  in  many  have  been 
the  sources  of  wealth  to  individuals.  To  himself  alone  they 
have  been  unprofitable ;  for  with  a  superior  disdain,  or  (if 
you  please)  a  culpable  disregard  of  the  goods  of  fortune,  he 
has  scattered  around  him  the  produce  of  his  intellect  with  a 
lavish  and  wild  hand.  If  we  may  use  the  consecrated  words 
of  an  Apostle,  '  though  poor,  he  has  made  many  rich/  and 
though  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  wealth,  he  has 
been  doomed  to  suffer,  through  a  long  series  of  laborious 
years,  the  severities  of  want.  In  his  advanced  age,  he  found 
an  estimable  woman,  in  poverty,  it  is  true,  like  himself,  but  of 
an  unspotted  character  and  of  a  high  though  untitled  family, 
to  participate  the  calamity  of  his  fortunes ;  and  with  her  vir- 
tues and  prudence,  assisted  by  a  small  pension  which  she  ob- 
tained from  the  benevolence  of  the  Crown,  she  threw  a  gleam 
of  light  over  the  dark  decline  of  his  day.  She  was  soon,  how- 
ever, torn  from  him  by  death,  and,  with  an  infant  whom  she 
bequeathed  to  him,  he  was  abandoned  to  destitution  and  dis- 
tress (for  the  pension  was  extinguished  with  her  life).  To 
this  man,  thus  favoured  by  nature,  and  thus  persecuted  by 
fortune,  we  have  been  happy  to  offer  some  little  alleviation 
of  his  sorrows ;  and  to  prevent  him  from  breathing  his  last 
under  the  oppressive  sense  of  the  ingratitude  of  his  species." 

What  may  have  been  the  subsequent  struggles  with  mis- 


#70  THE    EARL    OF    DUNDONALD. 

A  fortune  of  this  aged  nobleman  it  is  melancholy  to  imagine. 
He  was  at  length  relieved  from  them  by  death.  His  decease 
took  place  at  Paris,  on  the  1st  of  July,  1831. 

The  Earl  of  Dundonald  was  thrice  married  :  first,  at  Anns- 
field,  October  1 7.  1774,  to  Anne,  second  daughter  of  Captain 
James  Gilchrist,  R.  N.,  of  that  place ;  and  by  that  lady  had 
one  daughter  and  six  sons  :  1 .  the  Right  Hon.  Thomas,  now 
Earl  of  Dundonald,  born  in  1775,  who  from  his  adventurous 
spirit  has  made  the  name  of  Lord  Cochrane  familiar  in  almost 
every  quarter  of  the  world ;  he  married,  about  1813,  Catherine 
Frances  Corbet,  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  Barnes,  and  has 
several  children ;  2.  Lady  Anne,  and  3.  the  Hon.  James,  who 
both  died  young;  4.  the  Hon.  Basil  Cochrane,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  36th  foot,  who  died  May  14.  1816;  5.  the 
Hon.  William  Erskine  Cochrane,  a  Major  in  the  army,  and 
late  of  the  15th  regiment  of  dragoons;  6.  the  Hon.  Archibald 
Cochrane,  Captain  R.  N. ;  7.  the  Hon.  Charles,  who  died 
young.  The  first  Countess  having  died  at  Brompton,  No- 
vember 13.  1784,  the  Earl  married,  secondly,  at  London, 
April  12.  1788,  Isabella,  widow  of  John  Mayne,  of  Teffont- 
Ewias  in  Wiltshire,  Esq.,  and  daughter  of  Samuel  Raymond, 
of  Belchamp  Hall  in  Essex;  and  by  her,  who  died  in  De- 
cember, 1808,  at  the  house  of  her  brother,  Samuel  Raymond 
Esq.,  had  no  issue;  thirdly,  in  April,  1819,  Anna  Maria, 
eldest  daughter  of  Francis  Plowden,  Esq.  LL.D.,  the  Irish 
historian,  who  died  September  18.  1822,  leaving  an  only  child, 
the  Hon.  Dorothy  Cochrane,  so  named  after  her  maternal 
grandmother,  who  was  the  authoress  of  an  opera  entitled 
"  Virginius." 


To  the  "  Public  Characters"  we  are  principally  indebted 
for  the  materials  of  the  foregoing  memoir. 


271 


No.  XVIII. 

THE  VENERABLE  RALPH  CHURTON, 

ARCHDEACON  OF  ST.  DAVID'S;  RECTOR  OF  MIDDLETON  CHENEY, 
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE;  AND  F.S.  A. 

s 

THE  Archdeacon  was  born  December  8.  1  754,  as  is  correctly 
stated  by  Mr.  Ormerod,  the  historian  of  Cheshire,  "  at  an 
estate  called  the  Snabb,  in  the  township  of  Bickley,"  and 
parish  of  Malpas  ;  the  younger  of  two  sons  of  Thomas  Chur- 
ton  and  Sarah  Clemson.  His  early  demonstration  of  talents 
and  piety,  united  to  a  frame  of  body  naturally  weak,  appears 
to  have  suggested  to  a  tender  mother  (of  whom,  though  he 
lost  her,  with  his  other  parent,  in  childhood,  he  always  spoke 
in  terms  of  the  strongest  affection,)  the  wish  to  have  him 
educated  for  the  Church.  It  was  a  happy  Providence  that 
this  wish  was  formed,  and  more  happy  that  it  was  formed 
where  the  most  amiable  of  men,  and  honoured  son  of  the 
Church  of  England,  the  late  Archdeacon  Townson,  was  at 
hand  to  foster  it.  The  circumstances  attending  his  education 
were  afterwards  thus  modestly  detailed  by  himself  in  his  Life 
of  Townson  :  — 

"  The  writer  of  these  memoirs  was  the  younger  son  of  one 
of  Doctor  Townson'  s  parishioners,  a  yeoman.  At  a  proper 
age  he  was  put  to  the  Grammar  School  at  Malpas,  with  wishes, 
I  believe,  rather  than  any  just  hopes,  of  bringing  him  up  to 
the  Church.  It  pleased  God  that  both  his  parents  died  ;  but 
he  continued  at  school  ;  and  his  worthy  master,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Evans,  recommended  him  to  Doctor  Townson,  who  made  him 
presents  of  books,  and  frequently  assisted  and  directed  his 
studies.  By  Doctor  Townson's  recommendation,  he  was 
entered  at  Brasenose  in  1772;  and  the  same  generous  hand 
contributed  one  half  towards  his  academical  expenses," 


ARCHDEACON    CHURTON. 

In  a  letter  which  he  afterwards  wrote  to  Bishop  Heber,  on 
his  appointment  to  the  See  of  Calcutta,  he  tells  this  charac- 
teristic anecdote  :  —  "  When  I  was  left,  more  than  fifty  years 
ago,  a  fatherless  and  motherless  boy,  an  honest  labourer  on 
the  farm  suggested  to  me  this  natural  source  of  consolation  : 
— «  You  will  now  have  the  prayers  of  the  Church  for  you.' 
May  you  find  in  this  thought  the  comfort  which  I  then  found : 
for  you  also  will  now  remember,  if  your  spirit  should  incline 
to  sink  under  your  arduous  duties,  that  you  have  the  prayers 
of  the  Church  for  you." 

Among  his  schoolfellows  at  Malpas,  was  the  late  Thomas 
Crewe  Dod,  Esq.  of  Edge,  near  Malpas,  whose  warmhearted 
friendship  was  continued  from  this  time  to  his  death,  through 
a  life  often  tried  in  battle-fields,  and  passed  in  scenes  fre- 
quently far  distant,  and  always  far  different,  from  the  retired 
occupations  of  a  student. 

In  ]  778,  Mr.  Churton  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  his  College ; 
in  1785,  he  was  chosen  Bampton  Lecturer  ;  appointed  White- 
hall Preacher,  by  Bishop  Porteus,in  1788;  in  1792,  his  kind 
friend  and  benefactor,  Doctor  Townson,  lived  to  see  him  pre- 
sented by  his  College  to  the  living  of  Middleton  Cheney  ;  — 
he  was  collated  to  the  Archdeaconry  of  St.  David's,  by 
Bishop  Burgess,  in  1805;  and  it  is  due  to  his  memory,  as 
well  as  to  the  honour  of  a  distinguished  statesman  now  living, 
to  add,  that  the  friendship  of  Viscount  Sidmouth  would  have 
raised  him  to  a  still  higher  dignity,  had  not  political  changes 
frustrated  his  intention. 

The  protection  of  Townson,  and  his  own  rising  merit,  pro- 
cured him,  early  in  his  academic  life,  many  valued  friends. 
Among  those  with  whom  he  was  on  habits  of  intimacy,  were 
the  learned  and  pious  Lewis  Bagot,  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph,  and 
Dean  of  Christ  Church  ;  Sir  Roger  Newdigate,  Bart.,  a  name 
now  long  endeared  to  the  Oxford  Muses ;  the  excellent  and 
learned  Doctor  Winchester,  author  of  the  "  Dissertation  on 
the  XVIIth  Article  of  the  Church  of  England ; "  and  the 
amiable  naturalist,  and  sincere  Christian,  Gilbert  White, 
whose  hospitable  roof  at  Selborne,  Hants,  generally  received 


ARCHDEACON    CHURTON.  273 

him  at  Christmas  to  what  its  owner  called  a  winter  migration. 
"  For  if  you  cannot  be  as  regular,"  said  the  rural  Philoso- 
pher, "  as  a  ring-ousel  or  a  swallow,  where  is  the  use  of  all 
your  knowledge,  since  it  may  be  outdone  by  instinct  ?  " 

He  was  also  at  this  period  happy  in  the  friendship  of  the 
memorable  Richard  Gough,  to  whom  a  kindred  zeal  in  anti- 
quarian researches  could  not  fail  to  recommend  him  ;  of  John 
Loveday,  Esq.,  of  Caversham,  Berks,  and  his  son  John  Love- 
day,  D.  C.  L.,  of  Williamscot,  Oxon ;  to  whose  superior 
powers  of  mind  and  exact  judgment  he  constantly  expressed 
his  obligations,  and  paid  a  feeling  tribute  to  their  memory  in 
his  "Life  of  Townson,"and  the  preface  to  his  "Life  of  Nowell." 

The  friend  of  his  youthful  choice  was,  however,  one  whose 
career  of  honour  was  speedily  shortened  by  the  grave.  This 
was  Henry  Edwards  Davis,  then  of  Baliol  College,  the 
author  of  "  Remarks  on  Gibbon,"  the  only  one  of  his  assail- 
ants to  whom  Gibbon  replied.  It  was,  indeed,  one  of  those 
exploits  which  are  considered  so  peculiarly  the  province  of 
maturer  years,  that  a  late  biographer  and  relation  *  of  Bishop 
Douglas  has,  with  pardonable  partiality,  claimed  for  the 
Bishop  the  credit  of  having  guided  the  pen  of  Henry  Davis, 
It  is  no  detraction  from  the  fair  fame  of  that 

—  "  scourge  of  impostors,  and  terror  of  quacjcs," 

to  state,  on  the  certain  authority  of  Archdeacon  Churton,  that, 
except  in  giving  Henry  Davis  access  to  his  valuable  library, 
Bishop  Douglas  had  little  or  no  literary  share  in  the  achieve- 
ment. 

The  Archdeacon  was  the  author  of  a  numerous  list  of 
works,  chiefly  in  divinity  and  ecclesiastical  biography,  bearing 
the  impress  of  a  conscientious  devotedness  to  principle,  under 
the  guidance  of  a  cultivated  taste  and  a  sound  understanding, 
The  titles  of  the  principal  of  these  are  as  follows : — 

1.  Bampton  Lectures;  eight  Sermons  on  the  Prophecies 
relating  to  the  Destruction  of  Jerusalem,  preached  before  the 
University  of  Oxford.  1785.  8vo. 

*  The  Rev.  W.  Macdonald,  editor  of  «  Select  Works  of  Bp.  Douglas." 
VOL.  XVI.  T 


274  ARCHDEACON    CHURTON. 

2.  A  Memoir  of  Thomas  Townson,  D.  D.  Archdeacon  of 
Richmond,  and  Rector  of  Malpas,  Cheshire,  &c.  prefixed  to 
"  A  Discourse  on  the  Evangelical  History  from  the  Interment 
to  the  Ascension,"  published  after  Dr.  Townson's  death  by 
John  Loveday,  Esq.,  D.  C.  L. :  Oxford,  1793.     This  memoir 
has  been  wholly  or  in  part  thrice  reprinted;  in  1810,  prefixed 
to  an  edition  of  Townson's  whole  Works,  2  vols.  8vo. ;  in 
1828,  with  a  private  impression  of  "  Practical  Discourses,"  by 
the  late  Archdeacon  Townson,  edited  by  the  present  distin- 
guished and  venerated  Bishop  of  Limerick;  and  in  1830,  with 
the  same  Discourses  published  by  Messrs.  Cochran  and  Dun- 
can.    Bishop  Jebb  has  characterised  Archdeacon  Churton's 
memoir  of  his  friend  as  "  an  admirable  biographical  sketch, 
uniting  the  fine  simplicity  of  Isaak  Walton  with  the  classical 
elegance  of  Lowth." 

3.  A  Short  Defence  of  the  Church  of  England,  &c.  ad- 
dressed to  the  Inhabitants  of  Middleton  Cheney,  Northamp- 
tonshire.    Oxford,  1795. 

4.  An  Answer  to  a  Letter  from  Francis  Eyre,  of  Wark- 
worth,  Esq.  on  the  "  Short  Defence,"  &c.     Oxford,  1 796. 

5.  A  Postscript  to  an  Answer  to  Francis  Eyre,  Esq.,  oc- 
casioned  by  his   late   publication,  entitled  A   Reply  to   the 
Rev.  R.  Churton,  &c.     Oxford,  1798. 

6.  Another  Postscript  to  the  same.     1801. 

7.  A  Letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Worcester,  occasioned  by  his 
Strictures  on  Archbishop  Seeker  and  Bishop  Lowth,  in  his 
Life  of  Bishop  Warburton.     Oxford,  1796. 

8.  The  Lives  of  William  Smyth,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and 
Sir    Richard    Sutton,    Knight,    Founders  of   Brazen   Nose 
College,  Oxford.    1800.   8vo.  —  To  this  work  a  Supplement 
was  published  in  1803. 

9.  The  Life  of  Alexander  Nowell,  Dean  of  St.  Paul's,  &c. 
Oxford,  1809.    8vo. 

10.  The  Works  of  Thomas  Townson,  D.  D.  with  an  Ac- 
count of  the  Author,  an  Introduction  to  the  Discourses  on 
the  Gospels,  and  a  Sermon  on  the  Quotations   in  the  Old 
Testament.     1810.    2  vols.  8vo. 


ARCHDEACON    CHURTON,  275 

11.  Several  detached  Sermons  on  various  occasions;  viz. 
The  Will  of  God  the  ground  and  principle  of  civil  as  well  as 
religious  Obedience,  preached  before  the  University,  1789; 
A  Fast  Sermon,  before  the  University,  1793;  A  Sermon  at 
the  Bishop  of  Peterborough's  Visitation  at  Towcester,  1798; 
Antichrist,  the  Man  of  Sin,  before  the  University,  1802;  The 
Constitution  and  Example  of  the  Seven  Apocalyptic  Churches, 
at  Lambeth,  at  the  consecration  of  Thomas  (Burgess)  Bishop 
of  St.  David's,  and  John  (Fisher)  Bishop  of  Exeter,  1803; 
The  Reality  of  the  Gun-powder  Plot  vindicated  from  some 
recent  Misrepresentations  [of  Bishop  Milner],  before  the  Uni- 
versity, 1805 ;  On  the  Manner  of  our  Lord's  Preaching,  1819 ; 
The  Duty  of  maintaining  primitive  Truth,  1819. 

The  last  publication  from  his  pen  was  a  short  Memoir  of 
his  friend  the  classical  and  accomplished  Dr.  Richard 
Chandler,  prefixed  to  a  new  edition  of  his  "  Travels  in  Asia 
Minor  and  Greece."  2  vols.  8vo.  Oxford,  1825. 

In  affording  assistance  to  other  authors,  Mr.  Churton  was 
ever  liberal  and  kind.  He  is  enumerated  by  Mr.  Gough 
among  his  most  valuable  correspondents;  and  that  learned 
antiquary  testified  his  regard  for  him,  not  only  in  a  bequest  of 
100/.,  but  by  the  solemn  gift,  not  long  before  his  death,  of  a 
few  valuable  books.  Among  these  was  a  copy  of  Wood's 
Athenae  Oxonienses,  containing  the  manuscript  notes  of  Bishop 
Kennett;  and  which,  after  Mr.  Churton's  decease,  was  to  be 
placed  with  the  bulk  of  Mr.  Gough?s  books  in  the  Bodleian 
Library.  Immediately  on  receiving  the  announcement  of  the 
new  edition  of  that  great  work,  Mr.  Churton  anticipated  the 
transmission  of  the  volumes  to  the  Bodleian,  in  order  that  the 
editor,  Dr.  Bliss,  might  have  access  to  the  information  they 
contained.  In  the  same  way,  and  for  a  similar  purpose,  the 
Bishop's  own  copy  of  his  "  Parochial  Antiquities  "  was  trans- 
mitted to  Dr.  Bandinel. 

Mr.  Nichols,  in  his  "  Literary  Anecdotes,"  was  also  mate- 
rially  assisted  by  Mr.  Archdeacon  Churton ;  as  was  Mr. 
Chalmers,  in  his  "  History  of  the  University  of  Oxford." 

Among  the  acknowledgments  in  the  preface  to  the  "  History 

T  2 


270  ARCHDEACON    CHURTQN* 

of  Cheshire  "  is  the  following :  —  "  The  name  of  Archdeacon 
Churton  must  follow  that  of  his  deceased  friend  (Dean  Choi- 
mondeley).  To  his  communications  the  author  is  indebted 
for  an  ample  account  of  the  Rectors  of  Malpas,  and  other  in- 
teresting particulars  relative  to  that  parish ;  and  for  a  variety 
of  notices  extracted  from  his  manuscript  collections,  compiled 
from  various  sources  during  the  time  he  was  employed  in  his 
excellent  Lives  of  the  Founders  of  Brazen  Nose." 

To  Mr.  Baker's  "History  of  Northamptonshire," besides  such 
information  as  it  is  in  the  power  of  every  parochial  clergyman 
to  bestow  on  a  county  historian,  and  some  literary  notices  of 
the  rectors  his  predecesssors,  the  Archdeacon  contributed  a 
fine  engraving  of  the  church  at  Middleton  Cheney. 

With  his  friends,  Doctor  Burgess,  the  present  learned  and 
pious  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  Doctor  Thomas  Dunham  Whitaker, 
the  late  elegant  historian  of  Craven  and  of  Yorkshire,  the 
excellent  Rev.  J.  B.  Blakeway,  one  of  the  authors  of  the 
"  History  of  Shrewsbury,"  and  the  Rev.  H.  J.  Todd,  author 
of  many  well-known  theological  and  philological  works,  he 
was  frequently  in  correspondence  on  the  literary  subjects  in 
which  they  were  engaged. 

To  the  pages  of  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  the  Archdeacon 
was  for  many  years  a  frequent  contributor  ;  and  his  communi- 
cations were  always  characterised  by  depth  of  learning,  accu- 
racy of  judgment,  and  the  warmest  attachment  to  the  consti- 
tution in  church  and  state. 

Archdeacon  Churton  married,  July  11.  1796,  Mary  Calcot, 
of  Stene  in  Northamptonshire,  and  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
four  only  survive.  His  third  son,  William  Ralph  Churton, 
educated  at  Rugby,  some  time  of  Lincoln  College,  afterwards 
on  the  Michel  foundation  at  Queen's,  and  then  Fellow  of  Oriel 
College,  obtained  in  1820  the  Chancellor's  prize  for  Latin 
verse,  the  subject  of  which  was  "Newtoni  systema;"  afterwards 
aFirst  Class  degree,  in  1 822;  and,  in  1824,  the  University  prize 
for  an  English  essay,  on  "Athens  in  the  time  of  Pericles,  and 
Rome  in  the  time  of  Augustus."  After  these  academical 
honours,  having  travelled  a  short  time  in  Italy  and  other  parts  of 


ARCHDEACON    CHURTON.  277 

the  Continent,  he  was  soon  after  his  return  appointed  Domestic 
Chaplain  to  Doctor  Howley,  then  Bishop  of  London,  now 
the  accomplished  Primate  of  the  English  Church.  On  the 
29th  of  August,  1828,  he  died  of  a  consumption,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six,  to  the  unspeakable  sorrow  of  his  family,  and  many 
friends  distinguished  for  talents  and  character  ;  whose  esteem 
raised  a  monumental  tablet  in  St.  Mary's,  Oxford,  with  the 
following  inscription  :  — 

"  M.  S.  Gulielmi  Radulphi  Churton,  Collegii  Orielensis 
Socii,  et  per  biennium  Gulielmo  Episcopo  Londinensi  a  sacris 
domesticis,  qui  phthisi  eheu  praereptus,  Middletoniae  in  agro 
Northamptoniensi  supremum  diem  obiit  kal.  Septemb.  anno 
sacro  M.DCCC.XXVIII.  aetatis  xxvu.  Animo  erat  pio,  candido, 
sereno,  ingenio  acri,  doctrina  eleganti,  et,  quod  in  ilia  setate 
mireris,  judicio  subacto  et  limato.  TgAsi«>0=j£  ev  oAjyco  £7rA>jpa;<rs 
Juveni  desideratissimo  amici  moerentes," 


John,  the  fourth  son,  died  at  the  Charterhouse,  November 
15.  1814,  aged  eleven.  In  March  17.  1829,  the  Archdeacon 
lost  his  wife,  the  affectionate  mother  of  his  children  :  Caroline, 
his  youngest  daughter,  died  April  19th  following;  and  his 
second  daughter,  Anne,  on  the  llth  of  December  in  the  same 
year. 

His  surviving  children  are,  1.  the  Rev.  Thomas  Townson 
Churton,  M.  A.,  now  Fellow  and  Tutor  of  Brazen  Nose; 
2.  the  Rev.  Edward  Churton,  M.  A.,  of  Christ  Church,  now 
Master  of  the  Hackney  Church  of  England  School  ;  3.  Mary  ; 
4.  Henry  Burgess  Whitaker,  of  Baliol  College. 

In  private  life  Archdeacon  Churton  was,  as  this  short  me- 
moir will  testify,  and  the  names  of  many  honoured  individuals 
now  living  might  be  adduced  to  prove,  a  zealous  and  un- 
changing friend,  and  most  exemplary  in  all  his  domestic  and 
social  duties.  His  diligence  as  a  parish  priest  was  unremit- 
ting :  during  an  incumbency  of  nearly  forty  years  in  a  poor 
and  populous  village,  he  was  never  for  any  continuance  absent 
from  his  parish  ;  even  on  such  occasions,  his  choicest  relax- 
ation being  to  pay  an  occasional  visit  to  his  poor  townsmen  at 

T  3 


278  ARCHDEACON    CHURTON. 

Malpas,  and  to  preach  over  the  grave  of  Townson.  To  pur- 
poses of  charity  and  literature  he  was  ever  ready  to  devote  a 
portion  of  an  income  which  was  far  from  abundant.  Though 
his  knowledge  was  most  extensive,  he  had  nothing  of  the 
pride  of  learning ;  and,  in  his  addresses  to  his  country  con- 
gregation, he  spoke  a  language  which  the  poorest  could  com- 
prehend. Though  his  uncompromising  attachment  to  the  truth, 
which  he  found  in  the  Church  of  England,  forced  him  into 
unwilling  controversy  with  Roman  Catholics  and  Protestant 
Dissenters,  his  opponents  respected  the  principles  by  which 
they  could  not  be  convinced.  The  late  Doctor  O'Connor 
more  liberally  sought  his  acquaintance ;  and  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest,  to  whom  he  was  frequently  opposed,  was  heard  to 
declare  (as  a  tender-hearted  Irish  woman  is  said  to  have 
prayed  for  Charles  Leslie),  that  "  if  it  were  possible  for  a 
heretic  to  be  saved,  he  thought  an  exception  must  be  made 
for  Archdeacon  Churton." 

He  died  on  the  23d  of  March,  1831  ;  aged  76. 


From  "  The  Gentleman's  Magazine." 


279 


No.  XTX. 
MR,  N.  T.  CARRINGTON. 

JFoR  the  following  little  memoir  of  the  highly  gifted  and 
amiable,  but  ill-fated,  author  of  "  Dartmoor ; "  "  The  Banks 
of  Tamar ;  "  "  My  Native  Village ;  and  other  poems  ;"  we  are 
also  indebted  to  the  pages  of  "  The  Gentleman's  Magazine." 


MR.  CARRINGTON  was  born  at  Plymouth,  in  the  year  1777. 
His  parents  were  engaged  in  a  retail  grocery  business,  and, 
at  one  period  of  their  lives,  were  possessed  of  considerable 
property.  His  father  was  also  employed,  in  some  capacity, 
in  the  Plymouth  Arsenal.  When  the  subject  of  our  memoir 
had  attained  his  fifteenth  year,  his  father  proposed  to  ap- 
prentice him  to  Mr.  Foot,  then  First  Assistant  in  the  Plymouth 
Dock-yard.  On  this  subject  we  are  enabled  to  quote  Mr. 
Carrington's  own  words  :  — 

<e  A  handsome  sum  of  money  was  to  have  been  paid  down 
as  the  price  of  my  admission  into  the  Yard  as  Mr.  Foot's 
apprentice.  Such  things  were  allowed  then ;  I  believe  that 
they  now  manage  very  differently.  In  consequence,  however, 
of  some  difference,  I  was  finally  bound  apprentice  to  Mr. 
Thomas  Fox,  a  measurer. 

"  I  was  totally  unfit,  however,  for  the  profession.  Mild 
and  meek  by  nature,  fond  of  literary  pursuits,  and  inordi- 
nately attached  to  reading,  it  is  strange  that  a  mechanical 
profession  should  have  been  chosen  for  me.  It  was  prin- 
cipally, however,  my  own  fault.  My  father  was  attached  to 
the  Dock-yard,  and  wished  to  see  me  in  it;  and,  as  the 
popular  prejudice  in  those  days  among  the  boys  of  the  town 
was  in  favour  of  the  business  of  a  shipwright,  I  was  carried 

T  4 


280  MR.  N.  T.   CARRINGTON. 

away  by  the  prevailing  mania,  and  was,  accordingly,  bound 
apprentice.  This,  however,  had  scarcely  been  done  when  I 
repented ;  and,  too  late,  found  that  I  had  embraced  a  calling 
foreign  to  my  inclinations.  Dissatisfaction  followed,  and  the 
noise  and  bustle  of  a  Dock-yard  were  but  ill  suited  to  a  mind 
predisposed  to  reflection,  and  the  quietest  and  most  gentle 
pursuits.  The  ruffianism  (I  will  not  change  the  term)  of  too 
many  of  the  apprentices,  and,  indeed,  of  too  many  of  the  men, 
sickened  me.  Let  no  parent  place  his  child  in  the  Dock- 
yard at  Plymouth,  unless  he  have  previously  ascertained  that 
his  health,  strength,  personal  courage,  .and  general  habits  of 
thinking  and  acting,  will  make  him  a  match  for  the  desperate 
spirits  with  whom  he  will  have  to  contend.  I  hope  that  the 
condition  of  the  Yard  in  respect  to  the  apprentices  is  ame- 
liorated now ;  but  I  cannot  help,  although  I  have  been  eman- 
cipated so  long,  and  am  now  fifty-three  years  of  age  —  I 
cannot,  I  say,  refrain  from  registering  my  detestation  of  the 
blackguardism  which  did  prevail  in  the  Yard  at  the  time  of 
my  unfortunate  apprenticeship*" 

The  above  observations  (written  shortly  before  his  decease) 
have  been  found  in  a  rough  memorandum-book,  accompanied 
by  the  following  note  to  his  eldest  son,  now  proprietor  of  the 
Bath  Chronicle :  — 

"  DEAR  HENRY,  —  I  have  been  repeatedly  spoken  to  by 
various  persons  to  leave  some  account  of  my  life  (my  life), 
which,  say  they,  if  hereafter  prefixed  to  my  "  Remains,"  may 
probably  be  productive  of  some  benefit  to  the  family.  It  is 
this  consideration,  my  dear  son,  and  this  only,  that  prompts 
me  to  leave  you  some  materials  from  which  you  may  draw  up 
a  memoir.  Let  it  be  as  correct,  and  as  near  the  spirit  of  the 
manuscript,  as  possible. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  Henry, 

"  Your  affectionate  father, 

«  N.  T.  CARRINGTON.'* 

This  brief  epistle  is  admirably  illustrative  of  Mr.  Carring- 
ton's  characteristic  modesty ;  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted 


MR.  N.  T.  CARRINGTON.  281 

that  he  did  not  commence  the  task  at  an  earlier  period,  as  it 
may  be  safely  said,  that  his  complete  autobiography  would 
have  possessed  considerable  interest.  We  have  quoted  the 
whole  of  these  hasty  memoranda  (for  they  are  nothing  else), 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  prefatory  lines. 

To  resume  our  simple  narrative  :  —  Our  poet's  occupation 
in  Plymouth  Dock-yard  grew  every  day  more  irksome  to 
him ;  and,  after  remaining  there  about  four  years,  he,  to  use  a 
common  phrase,  resolved  on  "  running  away  ;"  having  in  vain 
endearoured  to  prevail  on  his  parents  to"  place  him  in  a  situ- 
ation more  consonant  with  his  favourite  pursuits.  On  leaving 
the  Dock-yard,  not  knowing  whither  to  turn  his  steps,  he,  in 
a  moment  of  bitter  desperation,  caused  by  the  injustice  with 
which  he  thought  his  parents  had  treated  him,  entered  him- 
self as  a  seaman  on  board  a  ship  of  war,  and  served  in  the 
action  which  took  place  oflTCape  Finisterre,  February  14-th, 
1 797.  His  first  verses  on  record  were  written  in  commemor- 
ation of  this  event ;  they  attracted  the  notice  of  his  Captain, 
who,  perceiving  that  he  deserved  a  better  situation,  and  that 
some  very  untoward  circumstances  must  have  occurred  to  in- 
duce him  to  seek  this  line  of  life,  gave  him  his  liberty,  and 
sent  him  home  to  his  native  town.  He  then  commenced  the 
business  of  a  public  teacher  at  Plymouth  Dock  (now  Devon- 
port),  and  speedily  attracted  considerable  attention  by  his 
acuteness  in  his  modes  of  instruction.  It  should  be  here  ob- 
served, that  Mr.  Carrington  was  indebted  entirely  to  his  in- 
tense love  of  reading  and  research  for  the  knowledge  which 
he  possessed ;  and  he  has  often  been  heard  to  remark,  that  he 
recollects  having  learned  nothing  of  consequence  at  school 
with  the  exception  of  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  and  the 
elements  of  English  grammar.  He  subsequently  went  to 
Maidstone,  in  Kent,  where  he  opened  school.  He  remained 
in  that  town  about  three  years ;  and  it  may  be  observed  that, 
in  after  life,  he  frequently  dwelt  with  great  delight  on  his 
recollections  of  the  scenery  around  Maidstone,  and  the 
character  of  what  he  used  to  term  "  its  fine-spirited  in- 
habitants." 


Mil.  N.  T.  CARRINGTON. 

At  the  solicitations  of  a  circle  of  friends  at  Plymouth  Dock, 
who  wished  him  to  undertake  the  education  of  their  sons,  he 
returned  in  1808  to  that  town,  after  a  residence  in  Maidstone 
of  about  two  years;  and  the  academy  which  he  then  esta- 
blished he  continued  to  conduct  till  within  six  months  of  his 
death,  being  a  period  of  twenty-two  years  of  unceasing  toil. 
This  long  course  of  silently  discharged  duty  presents  none  of 
those  points  of  inciting  interest  which  occur  in  the  lives  of 
men  of  more  precarious  and  more  stirring  fortunes.  During 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  above-named  period,  Mr.  Carrington 
was  employed,  in  his  laborious  duties  as  a  public  teacher,  from 
seven  in  the  morning  in  the  summer  till  half-past  seven  in  the 
evening :  in  the  winter  his  labours  commenced  at  nine  in  the 
morning,  and  continued  till  eight  at  night.  It  was  after  this 
hour  that  he  found  his  only  opportunities  of  cultivating  the 
taste  for  literature  with  which  he  had  been  gifted  by  nature. 
Although  passionately  fond  of  composition,  he  never  suffered 
it  to  interfere,  in  the  slightest  way,  with  the  more  important 
duties  of  his  station  ;  and  of  this  he  frequently  spoke  with  the 
exultation  arising  from  the  consciousness  of  his  never  having 
sacrificed  business  to  inclination.  The  nature,  however,  of 
Mr.  Carrington's  studies  cannot  be  better  learned  than  from 
the  following  brief  and  affecting  address  prefixed  to  the  first 
edition  of  his  "  Banks  of  Tamar : " — 

"  TO  THE  READER. 

"  The  severity  of  criticism  may  be  softened  by  the  intima- 
tion that  the  MSS.  of  this  volume  passed  from  the  author 
to  his  printer  without  having  been  inspected  by  any  literary 
friend. 

"  Other  circumstances,  very  unfavourable  to  literary  com- 
position, have  attended  this  work.  In  the  celebrated  tale  of 
<  Old  Mortality*  Mr.  Pattison,  the  village  teacher,  after  de- 
scribing with  admirable  fidelity  his  anxious  and  distressing 
labours  during  the  day,  observes,  «  The  Reader  may  have 
some  conception  of  the  relief  which  a  solitary  walk,  in  the 
cool  of  a  fine  summer  evening,  affords  to  the  head  which  has 


MR.  N.  T.  CARRINGTON.  283 

ached  and  the  nerves  which  have  been  shattered  for  so  many 
hours,  in  plying  the  task  of  public  instruction. 

"  c  My  chief  haunt/  he  continues,  '  in  these  hours  of  golden 
leisure,  is  the  banks  of  the  small  stream  which,  winding  through 
a  lone  vale  of  green  bracken,  passes  in  front  of  the  village 
school-house/  &c.  But  the  teacher  of  Gandercleugh  pos- 
sessed advantages  which  never  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  writer  of 
this  work.  Engaged,  like  that  far-famed  personage,  in  the 
education  of  youth,  his  labours  have  seldom  been  relinquished 
till  the  close  of  our  longest  summer  evenings;  when,  instead 
of  retiring  to  the  banks  of  a  beautiful  stream,  he  has  almost 
uniformly  been  driven  by  business  connected  with  his  arduous 
profession,  or  by  literary  cares,  to  his  solitary  study  at  home. 
There,  depressed  by  the  previous  fatigues  of  the  day,  he  has 
occasionally  indulged  in  composition ;  and  hence  this  volume, 
the  production  of  many  a  pensive  abstracted  hour." 

Columns  of  description  could  not  convey  a  better  idea  of 
the  difficulties  under  which  the  "  Banks  of  Tamar"  was  com- 
posed, than  is  conveyed  in  the  above  few  simple  words.  The 
first  edition  of  this  poem  appeared  in  1820.  He  had,  pre- 
viously to  the  printing  of  this  work,  published  many  little 
fugitive  poems  of  great  beauty,  and  which  attracted  much  at- 
tention, particularly  in  Devonshire,  where  the  author  was  best 
known.  He  next  published  "  Dartmoor,  a  descriptive  poem," 
the  first  edition  of  which  appeared  in  1826.  This  poem  was 
written  for  the  purpose  of  being  submitted  for  the  premium 
offered  about  two  years  before,  for  the  best  poem  on  that  sub- 
ject, by  the  Royal  Society  of  Literature.  By  some  accident, 
the  premium  was  awarded  three  or  four  months  before  Mr. 
Carrington  was  aware  that  the  time  of  presentation  had  arrived. 
It  is  needless  to  say,  that  his  poem  was  not  forwarded  to  the 
Society;  the  author  threw  it  by,  without  entertaining  the 
slightest  intention  of  ever  publishing  an  effusion  on  what  he 
imagined  the  bulk  of  the  reading  public  would  think  a  most 
unpromising  subject.  By  some  chance,  however,  the  poem 
came  under  the  notice  of  W.  Burt,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the 
Plymouth  Chamber  of  Commerce,  who  persuaded  Mr.  Car- 


MR.  N.  T.  CARRINGTON. 

rington  to  publish  it ;  and  it  accordingly  appeared,  with  ex- 
planatory notes  by  that  gentleman.  "  Dartmoor'*  met  with 
far  greater  success  than  the  author  had  ever  dared  to  antici- 
pate. It  was  received  with  much  delight  by  the  public;  it 
was  very  highly  spoken  of  by  the  periodical  press;  and  the 
consequence  was,  that  a  second  edition  was  called  for  not  more 
than  two  months  after  the  appearance  of  the  first.* 

We  are  now  approaching  a  very  painful  portion  of  our 
poet's  story.  Two  or  three  years  before  the  publication  of 
"  Dartmoor,"  the  town  of  Devonport  was  seized  with  an  un- 
accountable mania  for  Subscription  Schools  ;  by  the  establish- 

*  In  noticing  the  poem  of  "  Dartmoor,"  the  Monthly  Review  says  :  — 
"  The  subject,  though  by  no  means  an  alluring  one,  seems  to  have  been  taken 
up  with  enthusiasm  by  Mr.  Carrington ;  and  it  c.ertainly  comes  out  of  his  hands 
in  a  much  more  animated  and  interesting  form  than  we  could  have  expected. 
He  takes  his  reader  with  him  on  a  fine  summer  holiday  over  Dartmoor,  de- 
scribing, as  he  goes  along,  the  savage,  fantastic,  yet  engaging  peculiarities  of  that 
desolate  scene.  In  addition  to  the  accuracy  of  his  local  knowledge,  he  inter- 
weaves in  his  sketches  several  interesting  episodes,  and  poetic  images  of  no  mean 
order.  His  blank  verse  is  generally  harmonious,  without  touching  the  extremes 
of  feebleness  on  one  side,  or  of  affected  energy  on  the  other  ;  and  very  frequently 
we  meet  with  passages  which  seem  to  have  been  polished  with  particular  care,  and 
are  distinguished  for  chaste,  classical,  and  even  eloquent  expression.  We  must 
content  ourselves  with  a  single  specimen  :  — 

'  How  beautiful  is  morning,  though  it  rise 
Upon  a  desert !   What  though  Spring  refuse 
Her  odours  to  the  early  gale  that  sweeps 
The  highland  solitude  ;  yet  who  can  breathe 
That  fresh,  keen  gale,  nor  feel  the  sanguine  tide 
Of  life  flow  buoyantly  ?    O !  who  can  look 
Upon  the  Sun,  whose  beam  indulgent  shines 
Impartial,  or  oh  moor  or  cultured  mead, 
And  not  feel  gladness  ?    Hard  is  that  man's  lot, 
Bleak  is  his  journey  through  this  vale  of  tears, 
Whose  heart  is  not  made  lighter,  and  whose  eye 
Is  brighten'd  not  by  morning's  glorious  ray, 
Wide-glancing  round.      The  meanest  thing  on  earth 
Rejoices  in  the  welcome  warmth,  and  owns 
Its  influence  reviving.     Hark  !  the  hum 
Of  one  who  loves  the  morn,  —  the  bee,  who  comes 
With  overflow  of  happiness,  to  spend 
The  sunny  hour ;  and  see  !  across  the  waste 
The  butterfly,  his  gay  companion,  floats  ;  — 
A  wanderer,  haply,  from  yon  Austral  fields, 
Or  from  the  bank  of  moorland  stream  that  flows 
In  music  through  the  deep  and  shelter'd  vales.'  " 


MR.  N.  T.  CARRINGTON. 

ment  of  the  first  of  these  academies,  Mr.  Carrington's  pro- 
sperity, in  common  with  that  of  several  other  public  teachers 
residing  in  the  town,  was  materially  injured.  He  still,  how- 
ever, struggled  on  ;  though  the  circumstance  of  his  having  a 
large  family  dependent  on  his  exertions  rendered  the  decrease 
of  income,  caused  by  the  Subscription  Schools,  to  be  very 
severely  felt  by  him.  Towards  the  close  of  1827  he  was 
attacked  by  incipient  consumption  ;  and  in  a  few  months  it 
was  apparent  that  the  disease  would  inevitably  be  fatal.  He 
still,  however,  attended  unceasingly  to  his  school;  and  although 
reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton,  and  weak  as  an  infant,  he  continued 
to  discharge  his  scholastic  duties  till  March,  1830, — a  period  of 
nearly  three  years,  —  when  he  became  so  completely  worn  out, 
by  the  inroads  of  the  deadly  complaint  with  which  he  was 
afflicted,  that  he  was  obliged  to  cease  all  further  efforts.  The 
most  affecting  incidents  could  be  related  of  his  noble  inde- 
pendence of  mind  during  the  distressing  sufferings  with  which 
he  had  to  contend;  but  it  would  not  be  well  to  fill  the  public 
ear  with  those  private  matters,  though  many  —  many  years 
must  elapse  before  they  will  be  effaced  from  the  memory  of 
his  friends  and  connections.  It  was  during  his  illness,  and 
in  as  enfeebled  a  state  of  body  as  ever  man  composed  in,  that 
Mr.  Carrihgton  wrote  and  prepared  for  the  press  his  last 
publication  —  "  My  Native  Village  ;  and  other  poems."  In 
"  My  Native  Village,"  he  frequently  alludes,  in  affecting 
terms,  to  the  painful  nature  of  his  situation.  He  introduces 
the  book  to  the  public  in  the  following  words :  — 

66  I  have  not  published  any  new  volume  since  the  public- 
ation of  { Dartmoor,'  so  many  years  ago.  A  severe  and  pro- 
tracted illness  has  prevented  me  from  writing  a  poem  of  any 
length ;  and,  if  the  reader  should  occasionally  perceive  traces  of 
languor  in  the  present  publication,  I  trust  he  will  impute  them 
to  the  proper  cause.  I  am  not,  however,  without  hope  that, 
although  this  volume  was  composed  under  some  of  the  most 
distressing  circumstances  that  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  man,  the 
ingenuous  critic  will  find,  in  some  pages,  reasons  for  commend- 
ation." 


286  MR.  N.  T»  CARRINGTON. 

In  this  poem,  as  we  before  observed,  he  alludes  most  feel- 
ingly to  his  untoward  lot.  The  following  lines,  referring  to 
the  "  Pleasant  Bard  of  Harewood,"  present  a  touching  pic- 
ture of  his  own  sufferings  —  they  were  prophetic  of  his  rapidly 
approaching  fate ;  — 

"  His  wanderings  and  his  musings,  hopes  and  fears, 
His  keen-felt  pleasures  and  his  heart-wrung  tears, 
Are  past ;  —  the  grave  closed  on  him  ere  those  days 
Had  come  when  on  the  scalp  the  snow-wreath  plays. 
He  perish'd  ere  his  prime  ;  but  they  who  know 
What  'tis  to  battle  with  a  world  of  woe, 
From  youth  to  elder  manhood,  feel  too  well 
That  grief  at  last  within  the  deepest  cell 
Of  the  poor  heart  will  bring  decay,  and  shake 
So  fierce  the  soul,  that  care  like  age  will  make 
'  The  grasshopper  a  burden.'     Slowly  came 
The  mortal  stroke,  but  to  the  end  the  flame 
Of  poesy  burnt  on.     With  feeble  hand 
He  touch'd  his  harp ;  but  not  at  his  command 
Came  now  the  ancient  music.      Faintly  fell 
On  his  pain'd  ear  the  strains  he  loved  so  well, — 
And  then  his  heart  was  broken  !  " 

In  the  course  of  his  illness  Mr.  Carrington  experienced 
much  cheering  kindness,  —  not  from  his  own  townsmen,  whose 
apathy  towards  literature  is  as  proverbial  now  as  it  was  when 
Mr.  Britton  wrote  his  observations  on  Plymouth  Pock,  in  his 
"  Beauties  of  England  and  Wales,"  —  it  was  not  from  his 
townsmen  that  Mr.  Carrington  experienced  the  kindness 
which  cheered  his  latter  days, —  but  from  strangers  who  knew 
him  only  through  his  works.  Among  Mr.  Carrington's  warm- 
est-hearted friends  were  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Jones,  of  North  Bovey, 
and  the  Rev.  R.  Mason,  of  Widdicombe,  both  on  Dartmoor ; 
George  Harvey,  Esq.  F.R.S.  &c.  and  H.  Woolcombe,  Esq. 
of  Plymouth:  from  these  gentlemen,  as  well  as  from  his 
Grace  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  Lord  John  Russell,  Lord 
Clifford,  Sir  T.  D.  Acland,  and  other  noblemen  and  gen- 
tlemen, Mr.  Carrington  received  much  kindness  and  attention : 
nor  let  it  be  forgotten,  that  his  late  Majesty  George  the  Fourth 
was  a  liberal  patron  of  our  poet. 

In  July,  1830,  Mr.  Carrington  removed  with  his  family  to 

18 


MR.  N.  T.  CARRINGTON.  28? 

Bath,  in  order  to  reside  with  his  son,  who  about  that  time  had 
become  proprietor  of  the  Bath  Chronicle.  By  this  time  he  was 
in  the  most  advanced  stage  of  consumption ;  he  daily  grew 
weaker  and  weaker ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  Septem- 
ber, 1830,  he  expired,  apparently  of  mere  weakness  and  ex- 
haustion. As  he  always  expressed  the  utmost  horror  of  being 
buried  in  any  of  the  "great  charnel-houses  of  Bath"  (as  he 
used  to  term  the  burial  grounds  of  that  populous  city),  he  was 
interred  at  Combhay,  a  lonely  and  beautiful  little  village 
about  four  miles  from  Bath. 

Mr.  Carrington's  widow  and  six  children  are  now  under  the 
protection  of  the  poet's  eldest  son,  Mr.  H.  E.  Carrington,  of 
Bath. 


288 


No.  XX. 

ADMIRAL  SIR  JOSEPH  SYDNEY  YORKE, 

KNIGHT  COMMANDER  OF  THE  MOST  HONOURABLE  MILITARY 
ORDER  OF  THE  BATH;  MEMBER  OF  PARLIAMENT  .FOR  REI- 
GATE;  A  DIRECTOR  OF  GREENWICH  HOSPITAL;  AND  HALF- 
BROTHER  OF  THE  EARL  OF  HARDWICKE. 

THE  Right  Honourable  Charles  Yorke,  Lord  Chancellor  of 
England,  was  the  second  son  of  Philip,  first  Earl  of  Hard- 
wicke,  who  had  also  held  the  same  high  office.  He  received 
the  seals  in  1770,  and  was  created  a  Peer  by  the  title  of  Baron 
Morden ;  but  dying  before  the  patent  had  passed  the  Great 
Seal,  it  did  not  take  effect,  and  was  never  afterwards  com- 
pleted, though  it  had  passed  through  the  Privy  Seal  Office, 
and  every  other  form.  His  eldest  son,  however,  on  the  de- 
mise of  his  uncle,  the  late  Earl  of  Hardwicke,  succeeded  that 
nobleman  both  in  title  and  in  estates. 

The  subject  of  the  present  memoir  was  the  third  and 
youngest  son  of  Lord  Chancellor  Yorke ;  by  his  second  wife, 
Agneta,  one  of  the  daughters  and  co-heiresses  of  Henry  John- 
son, Esq.  of  Great  Berkhamstead,  in  Hertfordshire. 

He  was  born  in  London,  June  6th,  1768;  entered  the 
naval  service  February  15th,  1780;  and,  after  serving  some 
time  as  Midshipman  in  the  Duke  of  98  guns,  commanded  by 
Sir  Charles  Douglas,  Bart.,  removed  with  that  distinguished 
officer  into  the  Formidable,  another  second  rate,  bearing  the 
flag  of  Lord  Rodney,  to  whom  he  acted  as  Aid-de-camp  at 
the  great  battles  fought  off  Guadaloupe,  April  9th  and  12th, 
1 782 ;  in  which  the  French  fleet  was  totally  defeated,  and  Ad- 
miral the  Count  de  Grasse  taken  prisoner. 

The  Formidable  having  returned  to  England,  Mr.  Yorke, 
after  a  short  interval,  joined  the  Assistance  of  50  guns,  Com- 


SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORRE.  289 

modore  Sir  Charles  Douglas,  stationed  on  the  coast  of  America; 
and  subsequently  the  Salisbury  of  50  guns,  Captain  Sir  Eras- 
mus Gower,  bearing  the  broad  pendant  of  Admiral  J.  Elliot, 
in  which  ship  he  continued  on  the  Newfoundland  station 
nearly  three  years,  in  the  capacity  of  master's  mate. 

He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant,  June  16.  1789 
and  served  as  such  on  board  the  Adamant  of  50  guns,  Rear- 
Admiral  Sir  R.  Hughes,  Bart.,  Thisbe  frigate,  and  Victory 
of  100  guns;  in  the  last  of  which  he  continued  during  the 
Spanish  and  Russian  armaments. 

In  February,  1791,  he  was  promoted  to  the  command  of 
the  Rattlesnake  sloop  of  war,  in  which  vessel  he  cruised  in  the 
Channel  until  the  commencement  of  the  war  with  the  French 
Republic,  when  he  was  made  Post  into  the  Circe  of  28  guns, 
by  commission  dated  February  4.  1793;  and  placed  under 
the  orders  of  Lord  Howe.  The  Circe  was  actively  employed 
in  the  Channel  Soundings,  Bay  of  Biscay,  &c. ;  and  Captain 
Yorke  had  the  good  fortune  to  capture  several  of  the  enemy's 
large  privateers,  and  a  number  of  merchant  vessels.  He  also 
took  the  Espiegle  French  corvette  close  to  Brest  harbour,  and 
in  sight  of  a  very  superior  French  squadron.  ;-' 

In  August,  1794,  Captain  Yorke  removed  into  the  Stag  of 
32  guns ;  and  after  serving  some  time  on  the  same  station  as 
before,  and  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  he  was  ordered  to  join 
the  North  Sea  fleet,  at  that  period  commanded  by  Lord 
Duncan. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1 795,  Captain  Yorke,  being  in 
company  with  a  light  squadron,  under  the  orders  of  Captain 
James  Alms,  gave  chase  to  two  large  ships  and  a  cutter,  and 
brought  the  sternmost  to  action.  After  a  conflict  for  about 
an  hour,  the  enemy  struck,  and  proved  to  be  the  Alliance 
Batavian  frigate,  of  36  guns  and  240  men ;  her  consorts,  the 
Argo,  of  the  same  force,  and  Nelly  cutter  of  1 6  guns,  effected 
their  escape,  after  sustaining  a  running  fight  with  the  other 
ships  of  the  British  squadron.  In  this  spirited  action,  the 
Stag  had  4  men  slain  and  13  wounded,  and  the  enemy  be- 
tween 40  and  50  killed  and  wounded. 

VOL.  xvr.  u 


290  SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

Captain  Yorke  continued  to  command  the  Stag,  and  cruised 
with  considerable  success  against  the  armed  and  trading  ves- 
sels of  the  enemy,  until  March,  1800,  when  he  was  appointed 
to  the  Jason  of  36  guns ;  and  in  the  following  year  removed 
to  the  Canada  74,  which  formed  part  of  the  western  squadron 
during  the  continuance  of  the  war. 

After  the  renewal  of  hostilities  in  1803,  Captain  Yorke 
commanded  successively  the  Prince  George  98,  Barfleur  98, 
and  Christian  VII.  of  80  guns.  He  was  knighted  April  21. 
1805,  when  he  acted  as  proxy  for  his  brother  the  Earl  of 
Hardwicke,  at  the  installation  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter  then 
celebrated. 

When  his  brother  the  Right  Honourable  Charles  Yorke 
was  appointed  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  in  June,  1810,  Sir 
Joseph  was  nominated  one  of  the  junior  Commissioners ;  and 
he  retained  his  seat  until  1818.  During  the  period  of  the  two 
brothers  sitting  at  the  Board,  the  Break-water  in  Plymouth 
Sound  was  decided  upon  and  commenced ;  the  Dock-yard  at 
Pembroke,  and  the  improvements  in  Sheerness-yard,  were 
also  determined  upon :  the  iron  tanks,  iron  cables,  and  round 
bows  of  the  ships  of  war,  were  generally  introduced  in  the 
service,  together  with  other  essential  improvements.  Previous 
to  Sir  J.  Sydney  Yorke  resigning  his  seat  at  the  Admiralty, 
the  round  sterns  were  also  brought  forward,  at.  the  suggestion 
of  Sir  R.  Seppings,  and  their  utility  strenuously  supported  by 
Sir  Joseph.  On  the  31st  of  July,  1810,  Captain  Yorke  was 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  Rear- Admiral  of  the  Blue;  and,  in 
January  following,  hoisted  his  flag  on  board  the  Vengeur  of 
74-  guns,  and  assumed  the  command  of  a  strong  squadron, 
with  which,  and  a  large  body  of  troops  intended  to  reinforce 
Lord  Wellington's  army  in  Portugal,  he  arrived  in  the  Tagus, 
March  4.  It  was  in  consequence  of  this  reinforcement  that 
the  French  army,  under  Marshal  Massena,  broke  up  from 
Santarem,  and  began  its  retreat  into  Spain.  He  afterwards 
sailed  to  the  Western  Isles,  with  a  squadron  consisting  of  three 
sail  of  the  line  and  two  frigates,  for  the  protection  of  the 


SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

homeward  bound  East  India  fleet,  the  whole  of  which  reached 
England  in  safety. 

Sir  Joseph  attained  the  rank  of  Vice- Admiral  in  1814;  and 
of  Admiral  in  1830.  On  the  enlargement  of  the  Order  of  the 
Bath,  he  was  nominated  a  Knight  Commander,  January  1. 
1815 ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  same  year  he  was  presented 
with  the  freedom  of  the  borough  of  Plymouth. 

Sir  Joseph  Yorke  was  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Commons.  He  was  first  returned 
to  Parliament  for  the  borough  of  Reigate  (in  which  his  family 
has  long  had  considerable  interest),  at  the  general  election  of 
1790.  He  was  re-chosen  at  those  in  17^6^nd  1802;  but  in 
1806  retired  in  favour  of  his  nephew  Lord  Royston,  and  was 
elected  for  St.  Germain's,  which  he  vacated  in  1810  in  favour 
of  his  brother.  In  1812,  he  was  elected  for  Sandwich;  in 
1818,  again  for  Reigate,  and  also  at  the  subsequent  elections 
of  1820,  1826,  1830,  and  1831.  His  lengthened  parlia- 
mentary career  was  distinguished  by  sound  and  constitutional 
views,  unflinching  zeal  for  the  interests  of  his  profession,  and 
invincible  and  irresistible  good  humour.  In  the  tumult  of  the 
most  stormy  debates,  his  voice  was  wont  to  appease  the  con- 
flicting senate,  and  restore  at  least  a  momentary  harmony  by 
the  quaint  phraseology  and  shrewd  observations  he  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  discussion. 

Sir  Joseph  was  Chairman  of  the  Waterloo  Bridge  Com- 
pany, in  the  management  of  whose  concerns  he  took  a  very 
active  part.  His  last  appearance  in  public  life  was  on  the 
29th  of  April,  1831,  when  he  presided  at  a  meeting  at  the 
Thatched  House  Tavern,  for  the  consideration  of  a  plan  sug- 
gested by  Commander  Dickson,  R.  N.,  for  "  A  School  for  the 
Education  of  the  Sons  of  Naval  and  Marine  Officers,  together 
with  an  Orphan  Foundation,  under  the  sanction  of  the  King's 
most  excellent  Majesty." 

Sir  Joseph  was  drowned  in  the  Southampton  Water,  on  the 
5th  of  May,  1831.  As  a  small  yacht  of  fourteen  tons,  belong- 
ing to  Captain  Bradby,  R.  N.,  residing  at  Hamble,  near 
Southampton,  was  returning  from  Portsmouth  to  Hamble, 

u  2 


SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

having  on  board  Sir  Joseph  Yorke,  Captain  Bradby,  and 
Captain  Young,  with  a  boatman  named  Chandler  and  a  boy, 
she  suddenly  sunk,  and  all  on  board  perished.  The  bodies 
were  soon  after  picked  up,  and  removed  to  Hamble.  One 
half  of  the  yacht  was  thrown  ashore ;  and  there  seems  to  be 
little  doubt  that  the  fatal  accident  was  occasioned  by  her  having 
been  struck  with  lightning. 

Sir  Joseph  Yorke  was  twice  married ;  first,  March  29. 
1798,  to  Elizabeth  Weake,  daughter  of  James  Rattray,  Esq., 
by  whom  he  had  six  sons  and  one  daughter:  1.  Charles 
Philip  Yorke,  a  Captain  R.  N.,  who,  in  the  event  of  his  sur- 
viving his  uncle,  will  succeed  to  the  Earldom  and  other  family 
titles ;  2.  Sydney  John,  who  died  in  infancy ;  3.  Henry  Regi- 
nald ;  4.  Eliot  Thomas ;  5.  Horatio  Nelson,  who  died  in 
1814,  in  his  twelfth  year;  6.  Grantham  Munter  Yorke,  Esq. 
who  married,  in  1830,  Marian  Emily,  sister  to  Sir  H.  C. 
Montgomery,  Bart. ;  and,  7.  Agneta  Elizabeth. 

Lady  Yorke  having  deceased  January  29.  1812,  Sir  Joseph 
married,  secondly,  May  22.  1813,  the  Most  Hon.  Urania 
Anne  Marchioness  Dowager  of  Clanricarde,  widow  of  Henry 
Marquess  of  Clanricarde;  and,  secondly,  of  Colonel  Peter  King- 
ton  ;  and  sister  to  the  present  Marquess  of  Winchester,  and  to 
Vice-Admiral  Lord  Henry  Paulet,  K.  C.  B.  Her  Ladyship 
is  now  for  the  third  time  a  widow. 

Sir  Joseph  Yorke's  will  has  been  proved  at  Doctors'  Com- 
mons. He  gives  a  legacy  of  500/.  to  his  wife  the  Marchioness, 
and  his  house  and  furniture  at  Hamblerice  for  life,  after  which 
they  are  to  devolve  on  his  eldest  son.  He  declares,  that  he 
does  not  bequeath  her  Ladyship  any  larger  sum,  in  con- 
sequence of  her  being  amply  provided  for  by  marriage  settle- 
ment. After  a  few  legacies  to  servants,  he  bequeaths  the 
residue  of  his  property  amongst  his  five  children,  and  appoints 
three  of  his  sons  executors.  The  personal  effects  were  sworn 
under  40,000/. 

The  remains  of  Sir  Joseph  Yorke  were  interred  in  the 
family  vault  at  Wimple,  in  Cambridgeshire. 


SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

"  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Biography,"  and  "  The  Gentle- 
man's Magazine,"  are  the  sources  whence  the  foregoing 
memoir  has  been  derived.  We  extract  the  following  interest- 
ing paper  from  the  "  United  Service  Journal." 

Nautical  Reminiscences  of  the  late  Admiral  Sir  J.  S.  Yorke. 

Few  who  have  served  with  the  late  Sir  Joseph  Yorke,  or 
who  have  known  him  in  private  society,  can  reflect  upon  his 
untimely  death  without  a  more  than  ordinary  degree  of  sorrow, 
or  can  recall  his  character  and  nature  to  the  mind  without 
pride  and  satisfaction. 

A  man,  however,  must  have  a  seaman's  feelings  fully  to  ap- 
preciate the  peculiar  characteristics  of  this  officer,  and  he  must 
have  a  knowledge  of  the  "  old  school ;  "  for  in  the  navy,  as  in 
civil  life,  the  advance  of  refinement  has  had  its  invariable 
effect  of  approximating  manners  and  assimilating  conduct,  and 
even  dispositions,  to  one  uniform  pattern  or  standard.  And 
yet  it  was  difficult  to  be  in  the  company  of  Sir  Joseph  Yorke 
without  being  instantly  struck  with  his  appearance,  and  im- 
pressed with  a  feeling  that  you  were  talking  to  one  "  not  of 
common  mould."  Sir  Joseph,  in  allusion  to  his  legs,  used 
humorously  to  say,  that,  "  take  him  half-way  up  a  hatchway,  he 
was  a  passable  fellow."  There  was  something  modest  even  in 
this  "  half- way;"  for  few  men  possessed  more  the  ensemble  of  a 
fine  figure.  His  height,  and  full  and  capacious  chest;  his 
heroic  head,  and  a  profusion  of  black  curling  hair;  an  eye 
remarkably  large,  penetrating,  and  brilliant,  although  un- 
steadily rapid  or  transitory  in  its  expression  ;  made  this  officer, 
when  I  first  served  under  him,  "  one  of  the  finest  young  cap- 
tains in  the  navy."  The  eye  and  forehead,  to  common  ob- 
servers, are  the  features  of  expression ;  but  artists  read  the 
passions  and  character  in  the  chin  and  strong  lines  of  the 
muscles  about  the  mouth ;  and  in  this  instance  they  were  full 
and  energetic  beyond  what  I  ever  witnessed,  except  in  Lord 
Byron. 

My  esteemed  commander  was  well  read  as  a  gentleman  and 
as  a  man  of  business ;  that  is  to  say,  lie  was  well  acquainted 

u  3 


SIR   JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

with  modern  history,  with  all  works  of  taste  and  amusement, 
and  with  whatever  publications  related  to  the  current  business 
of  life  in  its  profoundest  sense  :  but  I  do  not  suppose  that  he 
had  ever  troubled  "  black  letter"  much  ;  and  yet  I  was  often 
startled  at  the  manner  in  which  he  would  pour  forth,  ore 
rotnndo,  some  of  the  racy  humour  and  quaint  drollery  of  our 
old  authors,  which  so  irresistibly  stamp  the  character  and 
nature  of  old  English,  before  it  was  Latinised,  Gallicised, 
Italianised,  and  every  thing  else  but  Anglicised.  To  hear  Sir 
Joseph  address  a  ship's  company  was  a  rich  treat.  He  iden- 
tified himself  with  the  prejudices,  interests,  and  feelings,  and 
even  failings,  of  the  foremast-men,  adopted  even  their  slang  ; 
and  whilst  under  a  voluble  torrent  of  rich,  broad,  and  full 
humour,  he  insidiously  poured  forth  such  stimulants  to  a  love 
of  the  service,  to  a  sense  of  discipline,  and  to  a  zeal  for  Old 
England,  that  one  of  his  harangues  had  as  fine  a  moral  effect 
upon  a  ship's  company  as  the  songs  of  Dibdin.  I  recollect 
very  many  instances  of  this. 

Sir  Joseph  took  the  command  of  the  C a  in  1801,  from 

an  Irish  captain,  whose  officers,  petty  and  quarter-deck,  were 
all  Irish ;  and  who  had  succeeded  to  an  officer,  of  all  men  in 
the  service,  the  most  known  for  keeping  a  ship's  company  in  a 
state  of  "  the  most  admired  disorder."  I  recollect  when  this 
Anglo  predecessor  of  this  Anglo-Irish  captain  would  not  per- 
mit a  pretty  large  body  of  French  prisoners  to  be  confined  in 
the  hold,  or  placed  under  a  sentry.  One  day,  after  a  long 
chase  of  a  French  line-of-battle  ship,  during  which  the 
prisoners  were  allowed  to  look  out  of  the  port-holes,  and 
even  from  the  chains  at  the  chase,  the  drum  beat  to  quarters. 
On  clearing  the  ship  for  action,  it  was  found  that  every 
breeching  of  the  main-deck  guns  was  cut  through,  and  several 
of  the  lanyards  of  the  main  and  mizen  shrouds  were  cut  even 
to  a  few  yarns  with  sharp  knives.  To  this  anti-disciplinarian 
succeeded  a  captain  of  real  Irish  character,  such  a  one  as  Miss 
Edgeworth  herself  would  have  liked  to  have  drawn;  and 
many  of  the  old  jokes  told  about  "  Tommy  Pakenham's  boys," 
"  the  flogging  of  the  pigs"  on  the  quarter-deck,  "  the  star- 


SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

board-watch  bating  the  larboard,"  and  the  captain  "  bating 
both  with  a  big  shillalah," — until,  like  Newfoundland  dogs* 
they  became  dangerous  to  their  master,  — were  realised  among 
this  wild  crew. 

Sir  Joseph  did  not  make  himself  popular  by  bringing  with 
him  myself  and  other  officers,  who  were  "  mere  English.'7 
Probably  no  other  man  in  the  service  could  have  reduced 
such  a  ship's  company  to  so.  perfect  a  state  of  discipline,  and 
in  so  short  a  period ;  albeit  the  "  means  and  appliances  " 
savoured  of  the  old  school.  The  vices  to  be  cured  were 
drunkenness,  riots,  and  fighting;  a  most  lubberly  performance 
of  every  duty;  an  insolence  to  the  quarter-deck;  and,  lastly, 
a  vile  habit  in  relation  to  the  hammocks,  or  to  avoiding  the 
trouble  of  visiting  the  head  at  night.  These  offences  were 
never  spared  ;  but  punishment  was  accompanied  by  such  salu- 
tary addresses  to  the  ship's  company,  that  they  contained  not 
only  the  code  raisonne  which  must  ever  govern  such  a  com- 
munity, but  it  was  illustrated  and  rationalised  to  the  men  in  a 
manner  so  admirably  adapted  to  a  sailor's  habits  and  notions, 
that  the  effect  was  incredible.  A  sort  of  nautical  patriotism 
was  infused  into  the  crew,  and  for  this  object  no  means  were 
spared.  When  desertion  became  even  alarming,  Sir  Joseph 
(no  chaplain  being  on  board)  performed  the  Sabbath-church 
service,  and  taking  his  text  —  "  Shall  such  a  man  as  I  flee  ?" 
—  he  gave  a  practical  sermon,  full  of  sound  common  sense, 
upon  the  vice  of  desertion,  and  on  the  duty  of  serving  the 
country  —  "  and  fools  that  came  to  laugh,  remained  to  pray." 

It  is  extremely  useful,  not  only  to  the  service,  but  to  nature 
and  life  in  all  their  duties  and  relations,  to  show  the  horrible 
effects  produced  by  adopting  a  principle  that  bodily  pain,  or 
corporal  punishment,  are  the  sole  means  of  coercing  human 
beings  to  proper  conduct.  This  product  of  the  "  wisdom  of 
our  ancestors"  was  the  very  essence  of  all  things,  the  primum 
mobile  of  all  good  and  in  all  things,  when  Yorke  was  brought 
up  in  the  Rodney  School,  or  in  "  the  good  old  times."  Let 
us  be  warned  by  its  effects  upon  one  of  the  finest  spirits  and 
most  excellent  hearts  that  Nature  ever  made. 

u  4 


296  SIR   JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE.. 

When  I  entered  the  service,  the  discipline  was  truly  hor- 
rible ;  and  the  individual  instances  of  severity  are,  in  modern 
times,  appalling  to  reflect  upon. 

Whenever  the  hands  were  turned  up,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
the  shrill  pipe  was  immediately  heard,  a  boatswain's  mate  flew 

to  each  ladder,  armed  with  his  stick  or  bull's ,  and  with 

which  he  slashed  the  ascending  crew  indiscriminately,  often 
with  a  fiendish  malice,  or  a  yet  more  fiendish  wantonness. 
The  plea  was  "  to  punish  the  last  lubber ;"  as  if,  in  a  multitude, 
a  last  was  not  an  abstract  necessity  independently  of  slowness 
or  quickness.  Not  only  was  every  boatswain's  mate  intrusted 
with  the  discretion  of  this  horrible  punishment,  but  every 
midshipman  or  mate  of  a  watch  had  the  privilege  of  "  start- 
ing" men.  Of  the  withering  influence  in  the  service  of  such 
a  system,  I  have  been  the  frequent  witness ;  but  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  picture  forth  details  of  practices  now  happily  extinct 
in  the  profession. 

Yorke  was  always  beloved  by  his  crew.  His  men  saw  in 
him  the  ready  skilful  sailor,  the  daring  intrepid  officer ;  his 
broad  humour  delighted  them,  and  the  kindness  of  his  heart 
was  inexhaustible.  He  possessed  the  mastery  of  mind  which 
excites  awe,  respect,  and  love.  His  crew,  in  the  Stag,  joined 
the  mutiny  of  1797.  Yorke  addressed  them  with  great  spirit. 
The  men  declared  their  devotion  to  him  as  an  officer,  and 
even  entreated  that  he  would  continue  in  command  of  the 

ship ;  but  a  sine  qua  non  with  the  crew  was,  that  the  • 

Lieutenant  should  be  sent  on  shore  as  a  tyrant.  Yorke  would 
listen  to  no  compromise  unbecoming  his  rank  as  a  commander ; 
and  the  result  was,  that  the  obnoxious  Lieutenant  was  dis- 
missed by  the  crew,  and  Yorke  voluntarily  left  them,  amidst 
their  expressions  of  love  and  esteem. 

At  a  subsequent  period,  in  the line-of-battle  ship,  a 

very  alarming  disposition  prevailed  among  a  great  part  of  the 
ship's  company ;  and  the  old  mutineer's  toast,  of  "  A  dark 
night,  a  sharp  knife,  and  a  bloody  blanket,"  had  been  revived 
among  the  men. 

About  six  bells  of  the  first  watch,  the  Lieutenant  flew  into 


SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE, 

the  cabin  and  announced  to  Yorke,  that  the  men  had  formed 
two  lines  on  the  main-deck,  that  some  of  them  were  even 
brandishing  their  knives  as  ready  for  action.  Yorke,  with  the 
natural  intrepidity  of  his  character,  flew  to  the  scene  of  danger ; 
and  I  never  shall  forget  his  large  figure  boldly  and  rapidly 
advancing,  and  seen  only  dimly  by  the  two  or  three  lanterns 
that  were  burning.  Coming  totally  unarmed  to  the  head  of 
this  double  line  of  ruffians,  he  uttered,  with  his  sonorous  full 
voice,  a  few  of  his  usually  imperative  and  almost  wild  sentences, 
and  instantly  knocked  two  men  down,  on  the  right  and  left, 
with  his  double  fists.  Seizing  the  two  next  (men  of  very 
large  stature),  he  drove  their,  as  he  called  them,  "  lubberly 
heads "  together  with  a  force  that  rolled  them  stunned  and 
stupified  on  the  deck.  He  then  collared  two  others,  and 
passed  them  aft  to  the  officers,  who  by  this  time  were  as- 
sembling with  side-arms ;  and,  having  thus  secured  about  a 
dozen,  he  walked  fearlessly  through  the  long  line  of  the  re- 
mainder, abusing  them  with  every  epithet,  and  ending  his 
abuse  by  exclaiming — -  "  Have  you  the  impudence  to  suppose 
that  I  would  hang  such  a  lubberly  set  of  — —  as  you  are  ? 

No,  by ;  I  will  flog  every  ringleader  like ,  and  not 

put  the  fleet  to  the  disgrace  of  a  Court-Martial  to  try  such  a 

set  of ."     The  men  were  awed  by  the  mastery  of  his 

manner ;  and  in  two  or  three  cases,  where  one,  "  the  bravest 
of  the  brave,"  showed  a  desire  to  impede  his  steps,  he  knocked 
him  down,  and  in  one  or  two  instances  kicked  him  soundly  as 
he  lay  on  the  deck.  Thus  did  he  pass  forward  between  the 
line  of  sanguinary  lawless  ruffians;  and  by  dint  of  his  physical 
powers,  his  presence  of  mind,  and  dauntless  intrepidity,  he 
quelled,  at  the  expense  of  a  few  dozen  at  the  gangway,  a 
mutiny  which  might  have  occasioned  many  executions  and 
floggings  round  the  fleet.  The  mutiny  existed  only  among  a 
large  body  of  Irish  pressed  men ;  and  several  of  the  old  sea- 
men, when  they  saw  the  success  of  suppressing  it,  enjoyed  most 
heartily  the  humorous  heroism  of  the  Captain.  This  humour, 
of  which  no  idea  could  be  conveyed,  except  by  a  knowledge 
of  the  individual,  never  forsook  him. 


298  SIR   JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

One  evening,  in  the  Prince  George,  as  the  ship  was  rolling 
very  much  in  the  swell,  I  was  standing  by  the  Captain  at  the 
break  of  the  quarter-deck,  as  the  two  servants  of  the  cabin 
and  ward-room  were  passing  aft  from  the  galley,  each  with  a 
large  clothes-basket  on  his  head,  filled  with  the  crockery  of 
the  respective  messes.  The  ship  gave  a  sudden  lurch,  and 
the  whole  basket  was  pitched  from  the  head  of  the  ward-room 
servant  down  the  main  hatchway.  The  clatter  of  the  pro- 
fusion of  falling  plates  and  dishes,  with  the  terror  and  amaze- 
ment upon  the  simple  countenance  of  the  lad,  was  irresistibly 
ludicrous,  and  Yorke  enjoyed  the  scene  to  the  full.  In  the 
midst  of  a  laugh,  strong  enough  to  dissipate  the  bile  from  any 
frame,  it  was  announced  that  the  servants,  by  mistake,  had 
taken  up  each  other's  baskets;  and  that  the  crockery  projected 
from  the  head  of  the  ward-room  officer  belonged  to  the  Cap- 
tain, whilst  that  which  was  safe  was  really  the  property  of  the 
ward-room.  I  shall  never  forget  the  sudden  transition  from  rich, 
broad,  and  healthy  laughter  to  violent  rage ;  the  epithets  of 
"  lubber,"  with  reasons  multitudinous  why  and  how  the  ac- 
cident should  have  been  avoided,  were  poured  forth  in  pro- 
fusion. The  meum  and  the  tuum  were  illustrated  humorously ; 
and  the  result  was,  a  loan  of  plates  and  dishes  from  the  ward- 
room to  the  cabin  for  the  remainder  of  the  cruise. 

In  a  very  long  blockade  of  Brest,  the  Captain's  stock  be- 
came short,  and  an  awkward  dilemma  arose.  Three  officers 
dined  with  the  Captain  on  week  days,  whilst  he  dined  with 
the  Lieutenants  only  on  Sunday,  and  the  balance  of  hospitality 
was  eighteen  to  one  against  the  Captain.  His  object  was  to 
find  some  excuse  for  not  dining  with  the  officers  on  Sunday ; 
and  they,  of  course,  out  of  delicacy  or  pride,  would  refuse  his 
week-day  invitations.  This  was  effected  with  some  humour. 
He  came  unexpectedly  to  sup  in  the  ward-room,  and  showed 
to  the  officers  two  fine  water-colour  marine  paintings  he  had 
recently  finished.  Some  of  the  officers  praised  the  works  out  of 
commonplace  politeness,  others  out  of  servility  to  the  Captain, 
and  others  from  a  real  love  of  the  arts ;  but  the  First  Lieu- 
tenant, an  honest  matter-of-fact  man,  whom  Yorke  highly 


SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE.  299 

esteemed,  "  damned  with  faint  praise,"  and  found  fault  that 
"  the  ships  were  represented  too  close  to  the  rocks." 
"  Rocks  ! "  cried  Yorke,  starting  up  in  an  admirably  acted  fit 
of  rage,  "  rocks,  indeed  !  they  are  fog-banks,  as  clear  as  the 
sun  at  noon  ;  and  never  will  I  again  be  a  guest  where  such  a 
Goth,  a  Vandal,  a  Boeotian,  hurts  my  feelings  by  mistaking 
my  fog-banks  for  rocks."  Saying  this,  he  rushed  out  of  the 
cabin,  leaving  the  poor  astonished  First  Lieutenant  to  bear 
the  reproaches  of  the  whole  mess  for  having  affronted  the 
Captain.  The  invitations  for  the  remainder  of  the  cruise  were 
mutually  avoided  :  but  all  parties  from  the  next  day  were  as 
cordial  as  ever ;  and,  when  the  joke  was  seen  through,  it 
occasioned  a  great  deal  of  good-humoured  laughter  on  all 
sides. 

I  much  doubt  if  there  be  any  officer  living  who,  with  equal 
opportunities,  has  done  more  acts  of  individual  kindness  and 
benevolence  than  Sir  Joseph  Yorke,  or  any  person  to  whom 
so  many  are  indebted  for  their  commissions.  His  ear  was 
open  to  every  tale  of  distress ;  his  eye  was  always  vigilant  to 
discover  indigent  or  unfriended  merit ;  and  his  exertions  to 
relieve  misery,  and  reward  desert,  exceeded  any  thing  I  ever 
witnessed.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  his  relations  and 
party  had  often  occasion  to  point  out  the  impolicy  of  his  so 
constantly  ^exerting  his  interests  in  favour  of  persons  who  had 
no  electioneering  or  political  claims  upon  him  or  his  family. 
His  heart  was  impervious  to  all  such  suggestions ;  and  I  per- 
sonally know  very  many  Captains,  Commanders,  and  Lieu- 
tenants of  the  Navy,  officers  of  Marines,  and  gentlemen  in  the 
naval  yards  and  Government  offices,  whose  respectable,  and, 
in  some  cases,  affluent  condition,  is  entirely  derived  from  his 
spontaneous  and  disinterested  benevolence.  Several  men  of 
merit  he  raised  from  before  the  mast,  as  well  as  the  sons  of 
indigent  petty  officers.  His  coxswain  in  the  Jason  became  a 
post-captain.  The  master  of  the  Stag,  on  his  death-bed, 
implored  Yorke  to  befriend  his  destitute  orphan  ;  he  adopted 
the  child,  and  patronised  him  through  the  service  till  he 
left  him  a  Post-Captain  of  a  frigate.  A  poor  fisherman  of 


300  SIR   JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

Southampton  was  knocked  overboard  by  the  boom  of  his  fish- 
ing-smack, in  a  gale  of  wind  ;  when  his  little  child,  not  more 
than  ten  years  of  age,  seized  the  helm,  and  steering  through 
the  Needles,  brought  the  vessel  safe  into  Southampton.  Yorke 
took  the  boy  into  the  Jason,  educated  him,  and  made  him  a 
Lieutenant.  The  son  of  a  working  ship-carpenter  at  Ply- 
mouth Yard  exhibited  superior  talents  and  conduct,  in  a  very 
humble  station,  on  board  a  ship  ;  Yorke  gave  the  boy  a  clear 
stage  to  show  his  good  qualities,  patronised  him  through  dif- 
ferent grades,  till  he  left  him  a  Commissioner  of  a  public 
Board,  with  a  large  income.  Such  cases  are  extremely  nu- 
merous. The  last  instance  of  his  spirited  disinterested  bene- 
volence that  I  am  personally  acquainted  with  was  rather 
extraordinary.  A  Commissioner  of  a  public  Board  had  clan- 
destinely drawn  up  a  report  to  the  Treasury  against  an 
unfriended  individual.  The  report  was  full  of  false  figures 
and  false  statements ;  and,  to  prevent  detection,  the  register 
was  kept  under  lock  and  key,  so  that  the  victim  could  have 
no  means  of.  defence  or  exposure.  The  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer,  and  two  Lords  of  the  Treasury  Board,  were  made 
acquainted  with  the  fraud,  but  in  vain.  Yorke's  political  po- 
sition in  the  House  of  Commons  at  that  time  rendered  it 
extremely  painful  that  he  should  either  ask  a  favour  or  demand 
an  act  of  justice  of  the  Treasury.  Impressed  with  the  very 
scandalous  chicanery  and  cruelty  of  the  transaction,  his  ex- 
ertions at  the  Treasury  were  spirited  and  strenuous,  and^ 
although  they  were  unavailing,  they  reflected  the  highest 
honour  upon  his  benevolence,  and  upon  his  instinctive  abhor- 
rence of  oppression.  One  of  the  evil  doers,  moreover,  was 
his  friend,  and  the  brother  of  an  old  shipmate,  a  member  of 
the  peerage ;  but  neither  rank  nor  friendship  could  prevail 
against  a  sense  of  right.  The  only  instance  I  know  of  Yorke's 
doing  no  service  whatever,  for  an  old  friend  who  needed  it, 
and  whom  he  valued  as  an  officer  and  esteemed  as  a  man 
above  all  other  persons,  was  in  the  case  of  a  gentleman,  who 
was  highly  qualified  by  very  long  services  to  judge  of  his 
qualities,  and  who  bore  the  following  tribute  to  his  memory  : 


SIR   JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE.  301 

—  "  As  a  naval  Captain,  I  consider  Sir  Joseph  had  much 
skill,  energy,  and  judgment,  a  ready  decision,  and  a  firm 
spirit  in  emergencies.  Just,  affable,  humane,  forgiving,  and 
in  a  high  degree  conciliating,  he  was  always  beloved  by  his 
officers,  and  popular  with  his  seamen  ;  whose  attachment  he 
uniformly  won  and  retained,  from  a  confidence  felt  in  the  mild 
justice  of  his  rule,  and  in  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  sea- 
man's duty  and  character.  His  cheerful  courteousness  of  the 
high-born  gentleman,  wholly  devoid  of  pride,  and  ever  animated 
with  an  eager  zeal  for  the  glory  and  interest  of  his  country, 
made  him  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  had  the  happiness  to 
serve  under  his  command,  or  to  know  him  personally." 

Sir  Joseph  was  every  inch  a  sailor.  The  master  attendant, 
shipwright,  and  head  officers  of yard,  were  once  dis- 
cussing naval  qualifications.  I  was  then  a  boy ;  but  I  was 
struck  that,  amidst  their  conflicting  opinions,  they  were  all 
agreed,  that  Captain  Yorke  understood  scientifically  and 
practically  more  of  naval  architecture,  and  of  the  theory  and 
practice  of  all  that  related  to  building  and  fitting  a  ship,  than 
almost  any  man  they  had  seen. 

He  was  an  excellent  helmsman  and  pilot.  On  one  occasion, 
anxious  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  enemy  from  Cherbourg, 
he  beat  the  Jason  through  the  Needles,  at  night,  with  a  hard 
gale  almost  in  her  teeth. 

In  a  chase,  I  have  seen  him  at  the  wheel  for  four  hours  in 
the  roughest  weather ;  and  his  coxswain  was  the  only  man  in 
the  ship  (the  Jason)  to  whom  he  would  resign  his  post.  So 
intuitive  and  nice  were  his  perceptions  in  all  that  related  to 
"  the  shipman's  art,"  that  I  recollect  his  sending  for  the  officer 
of  the  watch,  on  an  extremely  fierce  night,  after  he  had  turned 
in  for  an  hour,  exhausted  by  his  long  station  at  the  wheel, 
in  a  very  anxious  chase  of  six  and  thirty  hours.  "  Who  is  at 

the  wheel,  Mr. ?"  was  the  first  question.  "  Askew,  the 

coxswain,"  was  the  reply.  "  That's  impossible  —  Askew 
never  steered  the  ship  in  this  manner  —  it  is  some  lubberly 
quarter- master ;" —  and  this  was  the  fact,  for  the  coxswain  had 
left  the  wheel  j  and  Yorke,  when  he  awoke  in  his  cot,  per- 


302  SIR    JOSEPH    SYDNEY    YORKE. 

ceived  the  inferiority  of  the  steering  by  the  motion  of  the 
ship. 

It  is  a  pity  that  his  admirable  method  of  training  his  men 
at  the  guns  was  not  followed,  or  the  subject  thought  of  in  the 
service,  till  our  war  with  America  taught  us  that  "  gunnery 
was  nine  points  of  a  battle." 

Of  this  able  officer's  benevolent  exertions  to  establish  the 
Naval  School ;  of  his  science,  energy,  and  business  tact,  dis- 
played in  the  construction  of  Waterloo  Bridge;  of  his  very 
useful  services  at  the  Admiralty  Board,  and  of  his  Parlia- 
mentary duties,  the  world  are  too  well  aware,  to  render  it 
necessary  that  I  should  even  allude  to  the  subject.  Nor  has 
it  been  necessary  for  me  to  refer  to  the  activity  of  his  services 
when  afloat;  or  to  that,  perhaps,  excessive  courage  which  in- 
duced him  to  attack  the  Dutch  squadron  and  decide  the  fight, 
yard-arm-and-yard-arm,  rather  than  wait  for  his  friends  astern. 
Yorke  was  Rodney's  aide-de-camp  in  the  battle  of  1782,  — a 
battle  in  which  infinitely  more  was  taught  than  the  breaking 
of  an  enemy's  line.  The  practice  of  interminable  manoeuvres, 
which  ended  in  nothing  but  vapouring  and  a  waste  of  powder, 
was  broken  through,  and  the  English  way  of  gaining  a  victory 
by  close  quarters  revived.  Sir  Joseph  Yorke  imbibed  the 
lesson  —  it  was  congenial  to  his  nature. 


303 


No.  XXL 
WILLIAM  ROSCOE,  ESQUIRE, 

A  ROYAL  ASSOCIATE    OF   THE   ROYAL   SOCIETY   OF   LITERATURE, 
AND  FELLOW  OF  THE  LINN^AN  SOCIETY. 

THE  history  of  the  distinguished  subject  of  this  memoir  is 
fraught  with  a  most  useful  lesson.  Favoured  by  no  advan- 
tages of  birth,  or  early  tuition ;  raised  by  the  native  energies 
of  his  mind  alone ;  he  reached  a  height  of  literary  eminence, 
rarely  attained  even  by  those  who  have  made  the  best  use  of 
the  advantages  of  academic  instruction.  We  are  happy  to 
learn  that  a  detailed  life  of  their  highly  gifted  father  is  pre- 
paring for  the  press  by  one  of  his  sons;  and  that  it  will  be 
prefixed  to  a  volume  of  miscellaneous  productions  of  his  pen 
hitherto  unpublished.  For  the  materials  of  the  following 
sketch,  we  are  principally  indebted  to  the  "Public  Characters," 
"  The  European  Magazine,"  "  The  Gentleman's  Magazine," 
"  The  Life  of  Dr.  Currie,"  &c. 


Mr.  Roscoe  was  born  at  Liverpool,  in  the  year  1752,  of 
obscure  parentage.*     His  father  and  mother  were  both  in 

*  At  the  aera  of  Mr.  Roscoe's  birth,  Liverpool  was  a  meime  village  in  com- 
parison to  its  present  extent ;  and  the  house  in  which  he  was  born  was  then  con- 
sidered as  being  situated  in  the  country.  At  this  time  it  occupies  nearly  a  central 
station ;  and,  retaining  its  original  character,  is  the  only  specimen  of  domestic 
architecture  in  the  town  with  a  porch  and  gable  ends,  which  give  it  an  air  of 
antiquity,  contrasted  as  it  is  with  the  superb  surrounding  edifices.  It  is  at 
present  a  tavern,  with  an  extensive  bowling-green  attached  to  it.  The  spot  (which 
is  now  classic  ground)  is  celebrated  by  Mr.  Roscoe,  in  his  elegant  poem  of 
"  Mount  Pleasant,"  the  exordium  of  which  alludes  to  the  morning  of  his  life 
being  spent  there  :  — 


30 i  WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ. 

the  service  of  a  bachelor,  a  gentleman  of  the  most  amiable 
and  generous  disposition,  with  whose  consent  they  married ; 
and  who,  dying  without  an  heir,  left  the  greater  part,  if  not 
the  whole,  of  his  property  to  the  subject  of  this  memoir. 

It  does  not  appear  that  his  patron  paid  any  attention  to  his 
early  education ;  and  his  father  had  no  higher  ambition  than 
to  make  him  acquainted  with  writing  and  arithmetic.  Through 
an  obstinacy  of  temper,  which  in  some  minds  is  the  forerun- 
ner of  genius,  young  Roscoe  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to 
submit  to  the  drudgery  of  scholastic  discipline;  and,  con- 
sequently, did  not  properly  avail  himself  even  of  the  small  ad- 
vantages cf  education  which  his  parents  were  able  to  afford 
him.  It  was,  however,  his  merit  to  discover  in  time  the 
means  of  self-education.  He  early  began  to  think  for  himself; 
and  his  habits  of  thought  and  mental  application  soon  gave 
evidence  of  that  genius  which  afterwards  shone  forth  with  so 
conspicuous  a  splendour.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  his  poetical 
productions  would  have  done  credit  to  one  who  had  enjoyed 
every  advantage  of  tuition;  and  he  was  at  that  time  found 
sufficiently  qualified  to  be  admitted  as  an  articled  clerk  to  Mr. 
Eyres,  a  respectable  attorney  in  Liverpool.  While  engaged 
in  the  duties  of  this  office,  and  fulfilling  them  to  the  perfect 
satisfaction  of  his  superior,  he  was  stimulated  to  undertake  the 
study  of  the  Latin  language,  by  one  of  his  companions,  who 
boasted  that  he  had  read  Cicero  de  Amicitia,  and  spoke  in 
high  terms  of  the  eloquence  of  the  style,  and  nobleness  of  the 
sentiments,  of  that  celebrated  composition.  Young  Roscoe 
immediately  commenced  the  work;  and,  smothering  his  dif- 
ficulties by  perpetual  reference  to  his  grammar  as  well  as  to 
his  dictionary,  he  laboured  through  the  task  which  the  spirit 
of  emulation  had  excited  him  to  undertake.  The  success  ex- 
perienced in  his  first  attempt  prompted  him  to  proceed ;  he 


Freed  from  the  cares  that  daily  throng  my  breast, 
Again  beneath  my  native  shades  I  rest ;  — 
These  shades,  \vhere  lightly  fled  my  youthful  day, 
Ere  Fancy  bow'd  to  Reason's  boasted  sway." 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ.  305 

stopped  not  in  his  career  till  he  had  read  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  the  Roman  classics; — a  pursuit  in  which  he 
was  encouraged  by  the  friendly  intercourse  of  Mr.  Francis 
Holden,  an  eccentric  but  excellent  scholar.  Having  thus 
made  considerable  progress  in  the  Latin  language,  he  —  still 
without  the  assistance  of  a  master  —  applied  to  the  study  of 
the  French  and  Italian :  the  best  authors  in  each  of  those 
tongues  soon  became  familiar  to  him ;  and  it  is  believed  that 
few  of  his  countrymen  ever  acquired  so  general,  so  extensive, 
and  so  recondite  a  knowledge  of  Italian  literature  as  did  Mr. 
Roscoe.  At  a  later  period  of  his  life,  he  added  Greek  to  his 
other  attainments. 

After  the  expiration  of  his  articles,  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Aspinall ;  when  the  entire  management  of  an 
office,  extensive  in  practice,  and  high  in  reputation,  devolved 
on  him  alone. 

About  this  time  he  formed  an  intimacy  with  Dr.  Enfield, 
the  tutor  of  the  academy  at  Warrington,  to  whom,  on  the 
publication  of  the  second  volume  of  that  popular  work  "  The 
Speaker,"  he  contributed  an  elegy  to  Pity,  and  an  ode  to 
Education :  Mr.  Roscoe  also  became  acquainted  with  Dr. 
Aikin,  then  practising  as  a  surgeon  at  Warrington  ;  and  these 
gentlemen  were  not  less  admirers  of  his  refined  and  elegant 
style  as  a  writer,  than  of  his  chaste  and  classical  taste  in 
painting  and  sculpture.  In  December,  1773,  he  recited 
before  the  society  formed  at  Liverpool  for  the  encouragement 
of  drawing,  painting,  &c.,  an  ode  which  was  afterwards  pwV 
lished  with  "  Mount  Pleasant,"  his  first  poetical  production, 
originally  written  when  in  his  sixteenth  year.  He  occasionally 
gave  lectures  on  subjects  connected  with  the  objects  of  this 
institution,  and  was  a  very  active  member  of  the  society. 

In  1788,  Mr.  Roscoe  published  a  work  upon  the  Slave 
Trade,  entitled  "  A  Scriptural  Refutation  of  a  Pamphlet 
lately  published  by  the  Rev.  Raymond  Harris;"  and  shortly 
afterwards  his  principal  poem,  "  The  Wrongs  of  Africa." 
Incited  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  same  train  of  feeling,  he 
composed,  soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  French  Revo* 

VOL.  xvr.  x 


306  WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ. 

lution,  two  ballads,  "  The  Vine-covered  Hills,"  and  "  Millions 
be  free  ! "  which  were  equally  popular  in  France  and  England; 
and  he  also  sang  the  praises  of  liberty  in  a  translation  of  one 
of  Petrarch's  odes,  which  was  inserted  in  the  Mercurio  Italico. 

In  1790,  Mr.  Roscoe  and  Dr.  Currie,  of  Liverpool,  com- 
menced a  series  of  Essays,  in  the  Liverpool  Weekly  Herald^ 
under  the  title  of  "  The  Recluse;"  which,  however,  was  not 
continued  beyond  twenty  articles.  The  greater  number  of 
these  were  written  by  Mr.  Roscoe. 

The  great  work  on  which  Mr.  Roscoe's  fame  chiefly  rests, 
his  "  Life  of  Lorenzo  de'  Medici,"  was  commenced  in  1790, 
and  completed  in  1796.  During  the  period  of  its  compilation, 
the  author  lived  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  Liverpool, 
whither  he  daily  repaired  to  attend  the  business  of  his  office. 
His  evenings  alone  could  be  dedicated  to  the  work ;  the  rare 
books  which  he  had  occasion  to  consult  were  mostly  procured 
from  London,  although  it  was  a  considerable  advantage  to  him 
that  his  friend  Mr.  Clarke  the  banker  had  spent  a  winter  at 
Florence.  The  work  was  printed  at  Liverpool,  under  his  own 
superintendence.  On  its  appearance,  it  was  hailed  with  a 
warm  and  universal  expression  of  approbation.  It  was  thus 
spoken  of  by  the  author  of  "  The  Pursuits  of  Literature :  " — 

"  But  hark,  what  solemn  strains  from  Arno's  vales 
Breathe  raptures  wafted  on  the  Tuscan  gales  ! 
Lorenzo  rears  again  his  awful  head, 
And  feels  his  ancient  glories  round  him  spread ; 
The  Muses  starting  from  their  trance  revive, 
And  at  their  ROSCOE'S  bidding,  wake  and  live." 

To  which  lines  the  following  note  was  appended :  — 
"  See  the  Life  of  Lorenzo  de'  Medici,  called  the  Magnifi- 
cent, by  William  Roscoe,  2  vols.  4to.  I  cannot  but  congra- 
tulate the  public  upon  this  great  and  important  addition  to 
classical  history,  which  I  regard  as  a  phenomenon  in  literature, 
in  every  point  of  view.  It  is  pleasant  to  consider  a  gentleman, 
not  under  the  auspices  of  a  university,  nor  beneath  the  shelter 
of  academic  bowers,  but  in  the  practice  of  the  law  and  business 
of  great  extent,  resident  in  a  remote  commercial  town,  where 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ.  307 

nothing  is  heard  of  but  Guinea-ships,  slaves,  blacks,  and  mer- 
chandise, in  the  town  of  Liverpool,  investigating  and  describing 
the  rise  and  progress  of  every  polite  art  in  Italy  at  the  revival 
of  learning,  with  acuteness,  depth,  and  precision  ;  with  the 
spirit  of  the  poet,  and  the  depth  of  the  historian.  It  is  plea- 
sant to  consider  this ;  and,  for  my  own  part,  I  have  not  terms 
sufficient  to  express  my  admiration  of  his  genius  and  erudition, 
or  my  gratitude  for  the  amusement  and  information  I  have  re- 
ceived. I  may  add,  that  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Roscoe 
procured,  from  the  libraries  at  Florence,  many  of  the  various 
inedited  manuscripts,  with  which  he  has  enriched  the  appendix 
to  his  history,  was  singularly  curious :  not  from  a  Fellow  or 
Traveller  of  the  Dilettanti,  but  from  a  commercial  man  in  the 
intervals  of  his  employment.  I  shall  not  violate  the  dignity  of 
the  work  by  slight  objections  to  some  modes  of  expression,  or  a 
few  words,  or  to  some  occasional  sentiments  in  the  historian  of 
a  republic;  but  I  recommend  it  to  our  country  as  a  work  of 
unquestionable  genius  and  uncommon  merit.  It  adds  the 
name  of  ROSCOE  to  the  very  first  rank  of  English  classical 
historians. 

Manet  hunc  jmlchrum  suafnma  laborem, 

MUSAREM  SrONDET  CHORUS,  ET   RoMANUS   ArOtLO." 

In  1798,  Mr.  Roscoe  published  "  The  Nurse,  a  Poem, 
from  the  Italian  of  Luigi  Tansillo,"  in  4to. ;  8vo.  1800. 

"  Amongst  those  friends  whom  Dr.  Currie  had  the  happi- 
ness to  possess,"  observes  the  filial  editor  of  the  life  of  Dr. 
Currie,  "  there  was  none  with  whom  he  lived  in  habits  of 
greater  intimacy  than  Mr.  Roscoe,  or  to  whom  he  was  more 
strongly  attached.  Their  friendship  was  cemented  by  a  com- 
mon taste  for  literature  and  intellectual  pursuits,  and  by  the 
congeniality  of  their  sentiments  on  many  important  subjects 
which  affect  the  welfare  of  the  human  race.  In  after-life,  their 
names  became  associated  in  the  literary  world.  Few  strangers 
of  eminence  arrived  at  Liverpool  without  an  introduction  to 
Mr.  Roscoe  and  Dr.  Currie ;  and  their  houses  were  the  resort 
of  men  of  learning  and  celebrity  from  all  quarters." 

x  2 


308  WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ. 

Prefixed  to  Dr.  Currie's  "  Life  and  Works  of  Robert 
Burns,"  is  a  beautiful  tributary  poem  to  the  memory  of  that 
extraordinary  man,  by  Mr.  Roscoe,  which  is  introduced  by 
Dr.  Currie  in  the  following  manner :  — 

"  It  is  from  the  pen  of  one  who  has  sympathised  deeply  in 
the  fate  of  Burns,  and  will  not  be  found  unworthy  of  its  author, 
the  biographer  of  Lorenzo  de'  Medici.  Of  a  person  so  well 
known,  it  is  wholly  unnecessary  for  the  editor  to  speak ;  and, 
if  it  were  necessary,  it  would  not  be  easy  for  him  to  find 
language  that  would  adequately  express  his  respect  and 
his  affection." 

On  the  death  of  Dr.  Currie  an  epitaph  on  his  distinguished 
friend  was  written  by  Mr.  Roscoe,  and  sent  to  Professor 
Smyth  for  his  revision.  In  revising  it,  from  the  Professor's 
deep  interest  in  the  subject,  the  epitaph,  as  it  now  stands  in 
the  parish  church  at  Sidmouth,  was  insensibly  drawn  up  ;  and 
being  returned  with  the  original  to  Mr.  Roscoe,  from  the 
same  deep  interest,  and  from  the  habitual  magnanimity  of  his 
nature  (to  use  Professor  Smyth's  own  expressions),  was  by  him 
preferred,  and  placed  on  the  tomb  of  their  common  friend. 

In  1 805  appeared  Mr.  Roscoe's  second  great  work,  "  The 
Life  and  Pontificate  of  Leo  the  Tenth,"  the  son  of  Lorenzo 
de'  Medici,  in  four  volumes,  quarto ;  the  octavo  edition  in  six 
volumes,  1806. 

In  the  preface  to  this  elaborate  performance,  the  author 
observes : — 

"  For  almost  three  centuries  the  curiosity  of  mankind  has 
been  directed  towards  the  age  of  Leo  X.  The  history  of 
that  period  has  not,  however,  been  attempted  in  a  manner  in 
any  degree  equal  to  the  grandeur  and  variety  of  the  subject. 
Nor  is  this  difficult  to  be  accounted  for.  Attractive  as  sucli 
an  undertaking  may  at  first  appear,  it  will  be  found  on  a 
nearer  inspection  to  be  surrounded  with  many  difficulties- 
The  magnitude  of  such  a  task ;  the  trouble  of  collecting  the 
materials  necessary  to  its  proper  execution ;  the  long  devotion 
of  time  and  of  labour  which  it  must  unavoidably  require ;  and, 
above  all,  the  apprehensions  of  not  fulfilling  the  high  expect- 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ.  309 

ations  which  have  been  formed  of  it;  are  some  of  those  cir- 
cumstances which  have,  perhaps,  prevented  the  accomplish- 
ment of  a  work  which  has  often  been  suggested,  sometimes 
closely  contemplated,  but  hitherto  cautiously  declined. 

66  The  same  considerations  which  have  deterred  others  from 
engaging  in  so  laborious  and  hazardous  an  attempt,  would  in 
all  probability  have  produced  a  similar  effect  on  myself,  had 
I  not  been  led  by  imperceptible  degrees  to  a  situation  in 
which  I  could  scarcely,  with  either  propriety  or  credit,  have 
declined  the  task.  The  history  of  the  "  Life  of  Lorenzo  de' 
Medici,"  the  father  of  Leo  X.,  had  opened  the  way  to  a  variety 
of  researches,  not  less  connected  with  the  events  of  the  en- 
suing period  than  with  those  of  the  times  for  which  they  were 
immediately  intended ;  and  even  that  work  was  considered  by 
many,  perhaps  not  unjustly,  as  only  the  vestibule  to  a  more 
spacious  building,  which  it  would  be  incumbent  on  the  author 
at  some  future  period  to  complete.  Since  that  publication, 
the  friendship  and  liberality  of  several  distinguished  characters, 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  have  supplied  me  with  many  valu- 
able communications  and  original  documents,  which,  without 
their  countenance  and  favour,  it  would  not  have  been  in  my 
power  to  have  obtained.  To  have  withheld  these  materials 
from  the  public,  would  have  defeated  the  purpose  for  which 
they  were  communicated ;  and  to  have  shrunk  from  the  task 
under  such  circumstances,  would  have  given  occasion  for  a 
construction  almost  as  unfavourable  to  myself  as  the  failure  of 
success.  These  reflections  have  induced  me,  amidst  the  con- 
stant engagements  of  an  active  life,  to  persevere  in  an  under- 
taking, which  has  occasionally  called  for  exertions  beyond 
what  my  time,  my  talents,  or  my  health,  could  always 
supply;  and  I  now  submit  to  the  public  the  result  of  the 
labour  of  many  years,  in  the  best  form  in  which,  under  all 
circumstances,  it  has  been  in  my  power  to  offer  it  to  their 
acceptance." 

Mr.  Roscoe  proceeds  to  describe  the  principles  on  which 
he  has  proceeded  in  the  execution  of  his  undertaking,  to  ad- 
vert to  the  literary  historians  whose  volumes  he  has  consulted, 

x  3 


310  WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ. 

to  describe  the  various  original  documents  to  which  he  has 
had  access,  and  to  acknowledge  the  assistance  which  he  has 
derived  from  numerous  friendly  sources.  In  conclusion,  he 
says :  — 

66 1  cannot  deliver  this  work  to  the  public  without  a  most 
painful  conviction  that,  notwithstanding  my  utmost  en- 
deavours, and  the  most  sedulous  attention  which  it  has  been 
in  my  power  to  bestow  upon  it,  many  defects  will  still  be  dis- 
coverable, not  only  from  the  omission  of  much  important  in- 
formation which  may  not  have  occurred  to  my  enquiries,  but 
from  an  erroneous  or  imperfect  use  of  such  as  I  may  have  had 
the  good  fortune  to  obtain.  Yet  I  trust,  that  when  the  extent 
of  the  work,  and  the  great  variety  of  subjects  which  it  com- 
prehends, are  considered,  the  candid  and  judicious  will  make 
due  allowance  for  those  inaccuracies  against  which  no  vigilance 
can  at  all  times  effectually  guard.  With  this  publication,  I 
finally  relinquish  all  intention  of  prosecuting,  with  a  view  to 
the  public,  my  researches  into  the  history  and  literature  of 
Italy.  That  I  have  devoted  to  its  completion  a  considerable 
portion  of  time  and  of  labour  will  sufficiently  appear  from  the 
perusal  of  the  following  pages,  and  it  may  therefore  be  pre- 
sumed that  I  cannot  be  indifferent  to  its  success.  But,  what- 
ever inducements  I  may  have  found  in  the  hope  of  conciliating 
the  indulgence  or  the  favour  of  the  public,  I  must  finally  be 
permitted  to  avow,  that  motives  of  a  different,  and  perhaps  of 
a  more  laudable  nature,  have  occasionally  concurred  to  induce 
me  to  persevere  in  the  present  undertaking.  Among  these, 
is  an  earnest  desire  to  exhibit  to  the  present  times  an  illus- 
trious period  of  society ;  to  recall  the  public  attention  to  those 
standards  of  excellence  to  which  Europe  has  been  indebted 
for  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  her  subsequent  improvement; 
to  unfold  the  ever  active  effect  of  moral  causes  on  the  acquire- 
ments and  the  happiness  of  a  people ;  and  to  raise  a  barrier, 
as  far  as  such  efforts  can  avail,  against  that  torrent  of  a  cor- 
rupt and  vitiated  taste,  which,  if  not  continually  opposed,  may 
once  more  overwhelm  the  cultivated  nations  of  Europe  in 
barbarism  and  degradation.  To  these  great  and  desirable 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ.  311 

aims  I  could  wisli  to  add  others,  yet  more  exalted  and  com- 
mendable; to  demonstrate  the  fatal  consequences  of  an  ill- 
directed  ambition,  and  to  deduce,  from  the  unperverted  pages 
of  history,  those  maxims  of  true  humanity,  sound  wisdom,  and 
political  fidelity,  which  have  been  too  much  neglected  in  all 
ages,  but  which  are  the  only  solid  foundations  of  the  repose, 
the  dignity,  and  the  happiness  of  mankind." 

The  following  passage  is  extracted  from  an  impartial  notice 
of  the  "  Life  of  Leo  X."  in  the  Monthly  Review  :  — 

"  Having  now  taken  a  rapid  view  of  the  details  of  political, 
ecclesiastical,  and  literary  matters  contained  in  these  volumes, 
we  should,  indeed,  be  ungrateful  if  we  did  not  acknowledge 
our  obligations  to  the  very  intelligent  and  ingenious  author, 
for  the  interesting  traits  which  his  researches  have  restored  to 
the  page  of  general  history,  for  many  portions  of  well  weighed 
and  authentic  narrative,  for  numerous  instances  of  able  criti- 
cism, for  various  happy  sketches  of  character,  and  for  the 
assistance  which  he  affords  to  the  attentive  reader  in  estimating 
the  state  of  the  human  mind  during  the  early  part  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  When  it  is  considered  that  these  learned 
labours  proceed  from  a  man  who  has  been  throughout  his -life 
engaged  in  business,  they  will  be  viewed  with  astonishment, 
and  will  induce  us  to  think  most  highly  of  his  persevering 
industry  and  happy  genius." 

After  the  publication  of  his  first  historical  work,  Mr.  Ros- 
coe  had  retired  from  his  practice  as  a  solicitor,  and  had  en- 
tered himself  at  Gray's  Inn,  with  the  intention  of  practising 
at  the  Bar.  In  1805,  however,  he  was  induced  to  join  the 
banking-house  of  his  friends  Messrs.  Clarke ;  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  received  a  strong  public  testimonial  to  his 
talents,  by  being  elected  one  of  the  members  for  his  native 
town  in  parliament.  His  senatorial  "career  was  brief;  but 
during  its  continuance  he  distinguished  himself  as  a  steadfast 
advocate  of  the  principles  he  had  always  professed,  and  as  a 
warm  partisan  of  the  cause  of  emancipation  throughout  the 
debates  upon  the  slave  trade.  After  the  dissolution  in  1807, 
distrusting  the  power  of  his  friends  to  secure  his  re-election, 

x  4- 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ. 

he  declined  entering  upon  a  new  contest ;  and  from  that  time 
interfered  with  politics  only  by  means  of  occasional  pamphlets. 
The  titles  of  the  principal  of  these  are  as  follows :  —  Remarks 
on  the  Proposals  made  to  Great  Britain  for  a  Negotiation  with 
France,  1808;  Considerations  on  the  Causes  of  the  present 
War,  1808;  Observations  on  the  Address  to  his  Majesty 
proposed  by  Earl  Grey,  1810;  Occasional  Tracts  relative  to 
the  War  betwixt  France  and  Great  Britain,  1811;  Letter  to 
Henry  Brougham,  Esq.  on  a  Reform  in  the  Representation 
of  the  People  in  Parliament,  1811 ;  Answer  to  a  Letter  from 
Mr.  J.  Merritt,  on  Parliamentary  Reform,  1812;  Observa- 
tions on  Penal  Jurisprudence  and  the  Reformation  of  Crimi- 
nals, 1819.  We  understand  that  his  correspondence  on  this 
last  subject,  with  various  individuals  in  the  United  States,  has 
been  productive  of  considerable  improvement  in  the  prisons 
of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania. 

In  1817,  Mr.  Roscoe  published  a  Discourse  he  delivered 
on  the  opening  of  the  Liverpool  Royal  Institution,  on  the 
Origin  and  Vicissitude  of  Literature,  Science,  and  Arts.  In 
1 824,  he  edited  a  new  edition  of  the  works  of  Pope,  to  which 
he  prefixed  a  life  of  the  author.  The  last  work  he  was  oc- 
cupied in  publishing  was  a  botanical  one,  on  a  portion  of  the 
"  Class  Monandria."  To  the  science  of  botany  he  had  pre- 
viously evinced  his  attachment,  by  "  An  Address  delivered 
before  the  Proprietors  of  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Liverpool, 
previously  to  opening  the  Garden,  May  3.  1802,"  published  in 
12mo. ;  and  by  the  following  communications  to  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  Linnaean  Society: — in  1806,  "  Of  the  Plants  of  the 
Monandrian  Class  usually  called  Scitamiriese "  (vol.  viii. 
p.  330.);  in  1810,  "An  artificial  and  natural  arrangement  of 
Plants,  and  particularly  on  the  systems  of  Linnaeus  and 
Jussieu"  (vol.  xi.  p.  50.);  in  1814,  "  On  Dr.  Roxburgh's  de- 
scription of  the  Monandrous  Plants  of  India"  (ibid.  p.  270.)* 

Mr.  Roscoe  also  wrote  the  excellent  preface  to  Daulby's 
Catalogue  of  the  Etchings  of  Rembrandt. 

While  Mr.  Roscoe's  mind  was  chiefly  occupied  with  his 
literary  and  political  studies,  a  series  of  unforeseen  circuin- 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ.  313 

stances,  particularly  several  other  failures,  obliged  the  bank- 
ing-house in  which  he  was  engaged  to  suspend  payment. 
The  creditors,  however,  had  so  much  confidence  in  Mr. 
Roscoe's  integrity,  that  time  was  given  for  the  firm  to  recover 
from  its  embarrassments ;  and  Mr.  Roscoe,  on  first  entering 
the  bank  after  this  accommodation,  was  loudly  greeted  by  the 
populace.  The  difficulties,  however,  in  which  the  bank  was 
placed  rendered  it  impossible  for  the  proprietors  to  make 
good  their  engagements.  Mr.  Roscoe  did  all  that  could  be 
expected  from  an  honest  man ;  he  gave  up  the  whole  of  his 
property  to  satisfy  his  creditors.  His  library,  which  was  very 
extensive,  and  consisted  principally  of  Italian  works,  was  the 
greatest  sacrifice ;  the  books  were  sold  (at  Liverpool)  for 
5150/.,  the  prints  for  1880/.,  and  the  drawings  for  7381.  A 
portrait  of  Leo  X.  was  purchased  for  500/.  by  Mr.  Coke,  of 
Holkham. 

Yet,  upon  the  whole,  Mr.  Roscoe  can  scarcely  be  termed 
unfortunate.  Distinguished  through  life  by  the  friendship  of 
the  gifted  and  noble,  his  days  were  passed  in  a  free  intercourse 
with  kindred  minds,  and  his  declining  years  were  solaced  by 
the  affectionate  attentions  of  justly  and  sincerely  attached  re- 
lations. He  was  regarded  as  the  head  of  the  literary  and 
scientific  circles  of  his  native  town  ;  and  much  of  his  time  was 
spent  in  the  promotion  of  many  noble  public  institutions  which 
he  had  contributed  to  establish.  The  reflection  that  by  his 
means  no  citizen  of  Athens  had  ever  assumed  a  mourning 
garment,  afforded  satisfaction  to  the  dying  moments  of  the 
statesman  of  old :  as  concise  a  comment  has  been  supplied  on 
the  tenour  of  Mr.  Roscoe's  life,  in  the  assertion  that  he  has 
not  left  behind  him  a  single  enemy.  "  Such,"  it  has  been  ob- 
served, "  was  the  charm  of  his  manner  —  of  his  unaffected 
cheerfulness  —  of  his  conciliating  disposition  —  of  his  playful 
humour  —  of  his  natural  eloquence  —  of  his  open  and  candid 
dealing  —  of  his  evident  and  unceasing  kindness  of  heart  and 
universal  benevolence  —  such  his  domestic  virtues,  and  such 
his  various  and  brilliant  talents  —  that  he  was  every  where, 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE,    ESQ. 

at  home  and  abroad,  loved  and  admired ;  and  he  died,  as  he 
lived,  without  an  enemy." 

The  death  of  this  amiable  and  highly  gifted  man  took  place, 
in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  at  Toxteth  Park,  Liverpool, 
on  the  30th  of  June,  1831 ;  after  a  short  illness,  partaking 
somewhat  of  the  nature  of  cholera.  His  funeral  was  attended 
by  committees  of  the  Royal  Institution,  the  Philosophical 
Society,  and  the  Athenaeum;  and  by  nearly  two  hundred 
gentlemen  on  foot,  besides  those  in  carriages. 


3L5 


No.  XXII. 
CHARLES  GORING,  ESQUIRE. 

THE  highly  estimable  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born 
February,  1743,  O.  S. ;  being  the  only  son  of  the  second 
marriage  of  Sir  Charles  Matthews  Goring,  Bart.,  of  High- 
den,  with  Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Sir 
Robert  Fagg.  Bart.,  in  right  of  whom  he  succeeded  to  the 
ancient  estate  and  mansion  of  Wiston,  in  Sussex. 

Mr.  Goring  was  educated  at  the  Charter  House;  admitted 
a  Gentleman  Commoner  of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford,  in 
1762;  afterwards  elected  a  Fellow  of  All-Souls  College;  and 
on  the  decease  of  his  father,  in  1769,  vacated  his  Fellowship, 
and  took  possession  of  his  family  seat,  where  he  resided,  with 
few  intermissions,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  this 
situation,  so  congenial  to  his  inclination  and  pursuits,  he  was 
constantly  engaged  in  some  useful  undertaking,  and  steadily 
directing  his  views  to  the  benefit  of  his  country,  his  neigh- 
bours, and  his  dependants.  It  was  the  rule  of  his  life  never 
to  be  unemployed ;  and  though  public  business  was  less  suited 
to  his  taste  than  private  and  domestic  duties,  yet  he  was 
always  earnest  in  his  endeavours  to  promote  the  interests  of 
the  community  at  large. 

When  the  borough  of  New  Shoreham  was  opened  to  the 
freeholders  of  the  rape  of  Bramber,  he  was  returned  as  its 
representative ;  and,  when  the  militia  was  established  on  its 
present  footing,  he  contributed  his  efforts  to  overcome  the 
resistance  that  was  raised  against  it  (which  continued  longer 
in  Sussex  than  in  any  other  county),  and  encountered  much 
difficulty  in  withstanding  the  popular  excitement.  On  this 
occasion  his  house  was  beset  by  a  tumultuous  mob,  who 


316  CHARLES    GORING,    ESQ. 

threatened  to  destroy  it,  and  who  were  diverted  by  him,  with 
considerable  address  and  courage,  from  their  criminal  design. 

He  filled  a  commission  in  the  militia  regiment  but  for  a 
short  time,  being  compelled  to  retire  by  the  attack  of  an 
acute  disease,  which  unhappily  abridged  the  term  of  his  pub- 
lic services,  and  returned  at  intervals  to  the  last.  Confined 
by  this  state  of  health  to  occupations  near  his  home,  he  there 
assiduously  discharged  the  duties  of  a  magistrate,  for  which 
he  was  eminently  qualified.  When  disengaged  from  such 
duties,  he  found  his  relaxation  in  agriculture  and  planting, 
with  the  diversions  of  the  field,  in  which  he  was  very  expert. 
Perfectly  acquainted  with  every  branch  of  rural  economy,  he 
managed  his  affairs  with  singular  success :  and,  in  the  year 
1801,  obtained  the  gold  medal  given  by  the  Board  of  Agri- 
culture, for  the  besf  essay  on  "  The  Conversion  of  Arable  Land 
into  Pasture." 

His  house  was  always  open  to  his  friends,  and  displayed  a 
scene  of  true  English  hospitality,  of  which  his  numerous 
labourers  partook.  To  the  cause  of  public  charity,  and  the 
institutions  which  promoted  it,  he  extended  his  liberal  sup- 
port; but  his  real  character  with  regard  to  munificence  was 
not  generally  known.  The  stream  of  his  private  bounty 
flowed  silently  and  unobserved.  His  delicacy  in  bestowing 
it  was  equal  to  his  generosity :  it  relieved  those  whom  he 
favoured  as  much  as  possible  from  the  weight  of  obligation, 
making  the  acceptance  appear  as  a  kindness  conferred  upon 
himself,  for  which  he  never  expected  any  requital.  He  re- 
spected in  others  that  independence  of  mind  which  he  main- 
tained in  his  own  conduct. 

It  must  be  acknowledged,  that  his  virtues  were  too  much 
secluded  from  public  view  to  be  duly  valued;  and,  as  he 
sought  neither  honour  nor  applause,  he  might  be  more 
regardless  of  the  opinions  entertained  by  others  than  was 
conducive  to  his  own  reputation.  If  this  were  a  defect,  and 
clouded  the  full  lustre  of  his  bright  example,  it  was  akin  to 
those  qualities  which  adorned  it.  From  ostentation  and 
vanity  he  was  entirely  exempt.  Maintaining  his  proper 


CHARLES    GORING,    ESQ.  317 

station  in  society,  and  respecting  its  just  gradations,  lie 
neither  courted  the  favour  nor  feared  the  frowns  of  the 
great  and  powerful.  He  could  not  affect  esteem  where  he 
did  not  feel  it,  nor  assume  a  cordiality  which  his  heart 
disowned.  His  errors  were  light  and  venial ;  and  in  all  the 
main  points  of  moral  excellence  and  Christian  virtue  he  stood 
distinguished  among  his  fallible  fellow- creatures.  In  every 
domestic  relation,  as  a  father,  husband,  and  master,  he  was 
affectionate  and  faithful,  benevolent  and  just. 

His  religious  principles  were  deeply  fixed,  and  strongly 
manifested :  the  truth  on  which  they  rested  nothing  could 
shake,  —  the  practice  they  inculcated  nothing  could  interrupt. 
A  sincere  member  of  the  Established  Church,  he  never  failed 
to  join  in  its  ordinances  and  worship. 

His  retirement  from  the  more  active  employments  to  which 
he  was  accustomed  occasioned  no  tedium,  but  was  happily 
and  usefully  occupied  in  reading,  or  writing,  or  projecting 
some  improvement.  He  had  continued  to  cultivate  his  class- 
ical learning  amidst  his  other  engagements,  and  frequently 
amused  himself  by  compositions  both  in  Latin  and  in  English. 
Many  of  his  lighter  productions,  as  well  as  his  more  serious 
Essays,  have  passed  anonymously  through  the  press  ;  but  his 
study  was  chiefly  devoted  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  Prophetic  Books ;  in  the  discussion  of  which 
he  received  a  marked  attention  from  Bishop  Horsley;  and, 
but  one  year  before  his  death,  communicated  with  the  learned 
Dean  of  Lichfield  on  his  "  Exposition  of  the  Book  of  Reve- 
lation." 

Mr.  Goring's  attention  was  called  to  the  subject  of  Prophecy 
by  "  Fleming's  Treatise  on  the  Downfall  of  the  French 
Monarchy,"  which  occasioned  his  pamphlet,  entitled  "  Anti- 
christ in  the  French  Convention,"  published  by  Cadell  and 
Davies,  1795.  He  subsequently  wrote  an  "Enquiry  into 
the  Second  Coming  of  our  Saviour,"  published  by  Cadell  and 
Davies,  1796;  and  also,  "  Remarks  on  the  Prophecies  of 
Isaiah,"  published  by  Cadell,  1827.  He  dwelt  on  these  two 
latter  subjects  with  never  ceasing  interest ;  and,  whatever 


318  CHARLES    GORING,    ESQ. 

judgment  may  be  formed  of  his  opinions  on  the  awful  events 
to  which  they  refer,  his  firm  faith  in  revealed  truth,  his 
earnest  piety,  and  grateful  humility,  cannot  be  questioned. 
Speaking  of  the  misapprehension  into  which  he  may  have 
been  betrayed,  he  says,  "  Still  the  investigation  may  be  found 
profitable.  The  Scriptures  want  only  to  be  thoroughly  known 
to  be  implicitly  believed.  That  the  safety,  peace,  and  happiness 
of  these  kingdoms  depend  upon  that  belief  in  the  people,  no 
one  who  has  made  that  investigation  can  doubt." —  Preface  to 
Antichrist  in  the  French  Convention. 

After  having  observed  that  the  idolatrous  corruptions  of 
the  Romish  Church  have  occasioned  the  degradation  of  those 
states  which  profess  its  worship,  and  that  the  blessing  of 
Divine  Providence  has  been  displayed  in  the  exaltation  of  this 
Protestant  country  he  adds,  — 

"  If  it  be  arrogance  to  attribute  our  laws,  our  con- 
stitution, and  our  Established  Church  to  the  gift  of  the 
Almighty,  then  let  me  be  rather  accused  of  arrogance  than 
ingratitude ;  for  I  will  thank  my  God  that  he  has  placed  me 
under  them.  Shall  we  sit  in  stupid  ignorance,  insensible  to 
the  blessings  we  enjoy,  and  unmindful  of  the  hand  that  be- 
stows them  so  liberally  upon  us?  Shall  the  fast  of  a  day 
atone  for  the  sins  of  a  year  ?  Shall  our  soul  sit  in  sorrow  and 
sackcloth,  and  not  also  rejoice  and  be  thankful?  Shall 
we  forget  to  give  Him  praise  who  is  the  lifter  up  of  our 
head?  He  hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation,  neither  hath 
the  heathen  knowledge  of  his  laws  :  and  whence  is  this  unequal 
lot  of  humanity?  Why  is  the  fair  inhabitant  of  this  small 
island  free,  while  the  swarthy  race  of  Africa  is  in  bondage  ? 
Thebes  and  Carthage  are  ancient  monuments  of  their  fame  ; 
proofs  that  they  neither  wanted  courage  to  war,  nor  ability  to 
govern.  The  man  of  the  world  may  scoff'  at  the  curse  de- 
nounced upon  Canaan ;  but  if  he  is  wicked  enough  to  set 
aside  the  dispensations  of  God,  he  will  find  himself  at  a 
loss,  with  all  his  ingenuity,  to  account  for  the  wide  difference 
between  these  nations  in  laws,  in  government,  in  religion,  .and 
in  the  comforts  of  life,  no  less  than  in  their  form,  their  hair, 


CHARLES    GORING,    ESQ.  319 

and  their  complexion.  Whether  we  deserve  all  this  favour 
is  another  point:  we  are  not  to  measure  His  mercy  by  our 
own  merits  ;  '  He  will  have  mercy  on  whom  He  will  have 
mercy : '  we  can  be  justified  only  by  the  blood  of  Christ ; 
nevertheless,  we  may  hope  that  our  works  have  not  been  such 
as  to  exclude  us  from  a  confidence  in  his  mercy.  We  may 
hope  that  He  hath  not  beheld  iniquity  in  Jacob,  nor  seen  per- 
verseness  in  Israel :  while  our  consciences  do  not  accuse  us  of 
any  of  the  three  great  national  offences ;  viz.  idolatry,  per- 
secution, and  injustice.  And  we  may  comfort  ourselves, 
although  our  neglect  of  our  God  hath  been  great  indeed, 
though  we  may  have  sons  of  Zimri  and  Korah  among  our 
tents,  that  we  have  not  as  a  nation  set  Him  at  defiance ;  we 
have  not  denied  his  name,  nor  broken  his  everlasting  cove- 
nant ;  we  have  not  yet  been  led  astray  by  the  daughters  of 
Moab  to  prostrate  ourselves  to  their  new  idols;  nor  have  we 
dared  to  make  a  covenant  with  Death."  —  An  Enquiry  into 
the  Second  Coming  of  Christ,  p.  55. 

These  passages  will  show  the  turn  and  tendency  of  his  re- 
ligious temper  and  principles  ;  and  they  are  not  inapposite 
to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Goring's  sight  continued  unimpaired,  his  observation 
quick,  his  judgment  exact,  his  memory  retentive,  and  his 
other  faculties  still  vigorous  and  active  to  the  last  period  of 
his  life.  His  spirit,  instead  of  being  broken  by  sickness  and 
subdued  by  infirmity,  became  indeed  more  meek,  but  not 
less  firm  and  resolute  in  that  trying  season.  The  strong 
traits  of  his  character  were  softened  by  affliction,  but  the  fire 
that  animated  them  shone  out  conspicuous  until  it  was  finally 
extinguished.  He  had  reached  his  eighty-fourth  year  with  little 
appearance  of  increasing  debility.  About  that  time  his  constitu- 
tion began  to  fail ;  but  still  he  kept  the  even  tenour  of  his  way, 
transacted  business  with 'his  usual  accuracy,  and,  when  sinking 
under  infirmity,  executed  whatever  he  contemplated  as  ex- 
pedient or  just  with  unabated  resolution.*  The  wearisome 

*  One  of  his  last  acts  was  an  enlargement  of  the  parish  church  of  Albourne, 
which,  though  undertaken  within  a  few  months  of  his  decease,  he  happily  lived 
to  complete. 


320  CHARLES    CORING,    ESQ. 

days  and  nights,  which  for  some  months  preceded  his  dis- 
solution, never  overcame  his  patience ;  he  endured  this  ha- 
rassing, and  usually  fretful,  season  with  exemplary  composure 
and  equanimity :  and  when  it  pleased  God,  on  the  3d  of 
December,  1829,  to  terminate  his  life,  he  expired  in  the  midst 
of  his  family,  who  were  assembled  round  him,  with  the  same 
tranquillity  that  he  would  have  laid  himself  down  to  sleep.  In 
that  extremity,  when  ready  to  depart,  he  could  probably  re- 
view the  life  that  he  had  passed  with  as  little  self-reproach, 
and  was  as  well  prepared  to  render  his  account  as  any  mortal 
that  is  still  conscious  of  his  failings,  and  relies  on  the  sole 
merits  of  his  Redeemer  for  pardon  and  salvation. 

Mr.  Goring  was  thrice  married :  — first,  to  Sarah,  daughter 
of  Ralph  Beard,  Esq.,  of  Hurst  Pierpoint,  April  20th,  1779; 
secondly,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Edward  Luxford,  Esq., 
of  Hailsham,  June  7th,  1798  ;  thirdly,  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  John  Ballard,  LL.D.,  Fellow  of  Winchester  Col- 
lege, Rector  of  Twiniharn  and  Albourne,  in  the  county  of 
Sussex,  and  Vicar  of  Portsea,  Hants ;  and  grand-daughter  of 
John  Ballard,  D.  D.,  Rector  of  Steeple  Langford,  Wilts,  and 
Frances,  sister  of  Sir  C.  M.  Goring.  By  his  first  marriage  he 
had  no  issue ;  by  his  second,  three  daughters  —  Elizabeth  *, 
Mary  f,  and  Frances ;  by  his  third,  two  sons,  Charles  and 
John,  and  one  daughter,  Mary.  He  left  five  surviving 
children  ;  viz.  Elizabeth,  Frances,  Charles,  Mary,  and 
John. 


We  have  been  favoured  with  the  foregoing  memoir  from 
an  authentic  source. 

*  Married  to  the  Rev.  W.  Trower.  f  She  died  in  her  infancy. 


321 


No.  XXIII. 
JAMES  WALKER,  ESQUIRE, 

;'a\V     Hi     ;•.:  ''.S't  '-  ''_•'•  -.' 

REAR-ADMIRAL    OF    THE    RED,    C.  B.,    AND    K.T.S. 

THIS  brave  and  distinguished  officer  was  the  son  of  James 
Walker,  of  Innerdovat,  in  Fife,  Esq.,  by  Lady  Mary  Walker, 
third  and  youngest  daughter  of  Alexander,  Earl  of  Leven  and 
Melville,  and  great-aunt  to  the  present  Earl.  He  entered 
the  navy  about  1776,  as  Midshipman  in  the  Southampton, 
frigate,  in  which  he  served  for  five  years,  principally  on  the 
Jamaica  station,  and  in  the  grand  fleet  under  Sir  Charles 
Hardy.  In  August,  1780,  he  had  a  narrow  escape,  being  sent 
to  assist  in  removing  the  prisoners  from  a  captured  privateer, 
which  sunk,  and  it  was  some  time  before  he  was  rescued  from 
the  waves.  In  1781  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieu- 
tenant, and  appointed  to  the  Princess  Royal,  but  almost 
immediately  exchanged  into  the  Torbay  74,  in  which  he 
served  under  Sir  Samuel  Hood  in  the  operations  at  St. 
Christopher's,  and  the  memorable  engagement  with  the  Count 
de  Grasse. 

After  the  peace  of  1783,  Lieutenant  Walker  spent  some 
years  in  France,  Italy,  and  Germany;  and  in  1788,  when  a 
war  broke  out  between  Russia  and  Turkey,  was  offered  the 
command  of  a  Russian  ship,  but  could  not  obtain  leave  to 
accept  it.  He  was  subsequently  appointed  in  succession  to 
the  Champion,  Winchelsea,  Boyne,  and  Niger.  The  last 
was  one  of  the  repeating  frigates  to  Earl  Howe's  fleet  in  the 
battle  of  June  1.  1794  ;  and  Mr.  Walker  was  advanced  to  the 
rank  of  Commander  for  his  conduct  as  Lieutenant  and  signal 
officer  on  that  glorious  day. 

Immediately  after  this  promotion,  he  went  as  a  volunteer 

VOL.  XVI.  Y 


REAR-ADMIRAL    WALKER. 

with  his  late  Captain,  the  Hon.  A.  K.  Legge,  and  his  old 
messmates  of  the  Niger,  in  the  Latona.  At  the  beginning  of 
1 795,  he  was  appointed  to  the  Terror  bomb ;  and,  in  June 
following,  assumed  the  temporary  command  of  the  Trusty  50. 
In  this  vessel  he  was  sent  to  convoy  five  East  Indiamen  to  a 
latitude  in  which  they  might  be  safely  left;  which  having 
done,  he  heard  on  his  return  of  a  large  fleet  of  merchantmen 
which  had  been  for  some  time  lying  at  Cadiz  in  want  of 
convoy,  and  under  heavy  demurrage.  Conceiving  he  could 
not  be  more  beneficially  employed  than  in  protecting  the 
commerce  of  his  country,  Captain  Walker  thought  fit  (in  con- 
travention to  his  orders,  which  were  to  return  to  Spithead) 
to  take  charge  of  these  vessels,  which  he  conducted  in  perfect 
safety  to  England.  Two  memorials  of  the  Spanish  merchants 
residing  in  London  represented  to  the  Admiralty,  that  "  the 
value  of  the  fleet  amounted  to  upwards  of  a  million  sterling, 
which  but  for  his  active  exertions  would  have  been  left  in 
great  danger,  at  a  most  critical  time,  when  the  Spaniards  were 
negotiating  a  peace  with  France."  The  Spanish  authorities, 
however,  having  resented  his  having  assisted  the  merchants 
in  removing  their  property,  it  was  deemed  right  to  bring 
Captain  Walker  to  a  Court- Martial  on  his  return  to  Ply- 
mouth ;  and,  it  being  found  that  he  had  acted  without  orders, 
he  was  broke.  At  the  same  time,  it  was  no  small  consolation 
to  his  feelings  to  know  that  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Admiralty  appreciated  the  motives  by  which  he  had  been 
actuated,  and  interested  themselves  in  his  favour.  About  eight 
months  after,  the  Spanish  ambassador  received  orders  from 
his  government  to  request  that  the  whole  transaction  might  be 
forgotten ;  and  Mr.  Walker  was  restored  to  his  rank  of  Com- 
mander, in  March,  1797. 

In  the  summer  of  1797,  while  the  mutiny  raged  at  the 
Nore,  Captain  Walker  suggested  a  plan  for  attacking  the 
Sandwich  with  the  smasher  guns  invented  by  his  relative. 
General  Melville,  and  volunteered  to  conduct  the  enterprise. 
It  so  happened  that  a  plan  exactly  similar  had  been  adopted 
by  the  Board  of  Admiralty  not  an  hour  before;  and  Captain 


REAR-ADMIRAL    WALKER.  $23 

Walker  was  immediately  appointed  to  the  command  of  a 
division  of  gun-boats,  fitted  at  Woolwich :  but,  before  he 
arrived  at  Gravesend,  the  mutineers  had  been  induced  to 
surrender.  He  was  then  ordered  to  act  as  Captain  of  the 
Garland  frigate,  and  to  escort  the  trade  bound  to  the  Baltic 
as  far  as  Elsineur.  On  his  return  from  that  service  he  re- 
moved into  the  Monmouth  64,  employed  in  the  North  Sea. 
In  Lord  Duncan's  memorable  battle  of  the  llth  of  October, 
1797,  the  Monmouth  was  closely  engaged  for  an  hour  and  a 
half  with  the  Delft  and  Alkmaar  ships  of  the  line,  and  com- 
pelled them  both  to  surrender.  The  latter  was  taken  in  tow 
immediately  after  the  action ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  heavy 
gale  that  ensued,  Captain  Walker  did  not  quit  her  until, 
after  an  anxious  period  of  five  days,  he  had  the  satisfaction 
of  anchoring  her  safely  in  Yarmouth  Roads.  He  was  im- 
mediately confirmed  in  the  rank  of  Post-Captain,  and  the 
command  of  the  Monmouth;  and  received  the  naval  gold 
medal,  and  the  thanks  of  Parliament.  On  the  19th  Decem- 
ber following,  he  assisted  in  the  ceremony  of  depositing  in 
St.  Paul's  the  colours  captured  in  the  recent  naval  victories. 

Captain  Walker  subsequently  commanded,  in  succession, 
the  Veteran  64,  Braakel  56,  Prince  George  98,  Prince  of 
the  same  force,  and  Isis  50.  The  last  was  one  of  Lord 
Nelson's  division  in  the  battle  of  Copenhagen,  April  2.  1801 ; 
and  was  most  warmly  engaged  for  four  hours  and  a  half  with 
two  of  the  enemy's  heaviest  block-ships,  and  a  battery  of  four- 
teen guns.  Its  loss  in  this  sanguinary  battle  amounted  to  9 
officers  and  103  men  killed  and  wounded. 

In  the  ensuing  summer  Captain  Walker  obtained  the  com- 
mand of  the  Tartar  frigate,  and  was  ordered  to  convoy  a  fleet 
of  merchantmen  to  the  Jamaica  station ;  where  he  received  a 
commission  from  the  Admiralty,  appointing  him  to  the  Van- 
guard 74.  On  the  renewal  of  hostilities  in  1803,  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  blockade  of  St.  Domingo;  and  while  on  that 
service  captured  the  Creole  44,  having  on  board  the  French 
General  Morgan  and  530  troops,  and  the  Duquesne  74,  —  the 
latter  after  a  chase  of  twenty  hours,  and  a  running  fight  of  an 

v  2 


REAR-ADMIRAL    WALKER. 

hour  and  a  half.  Shortly  after  his  return  the  town  of  St. 
Marc  surrendered,  after  a  blockade  of  fourteen  weeks ;  as 
also  did  the  garrison  of  Cape  Francais,  when  the  dominion  of 
the  French  was  at  an  end.  Captain  Walker  returned  to  Eng- 
land with  only  160  men,  although  nearly  that  number  of 
French  prisoners  was  embarked  on  board  his  ship, — a  cir- 
cumstance which  rendered  the  utmost  vigilance  necessary.  • 

He  was  subsequently  appointed  to  the  Thalia  frigate,  and 
sent  to  the  East  Indies ;  and  afterwards  to  the  Bedford  74, 
one  of  the  squadron  sent  by  Sir  W.  Sidney  Smith  to  escort 
the  royal  family  of  Portugal  from  Lisbon  to  Rio  Janeiro. 
On  his  arrival  there,  the  Prince  Regent,  in  consideration  of 
Captain  Walker's  unremitted  attention  to  the  Portuguese 
fleet  during  a  long  and  tempestuous  voyage,  signified  his 
intention  of  conferring  upon  him  the  order  of  St.  Bento 
d'Avis  :  but  some  objections  having  been  stated  by  his  spi- 
ritual advisers  on  account  of  Captain  Walker's  religion,  his 
Royal  Highness  determined  to  revive  the  military  order  of 
the  Tower  and  Sword,  of  which  he  created  him  a  Knight 
Commander  —  an  honour  subsequently  conferred  on  many 
British  officers.  The  Bedford  was  afterwards  employed  in 
the  blockade  of  Flushing,  and  other  services,  until  September, 
1814;  when  Captain  Walker  received  orders  to  assume  the 
command  of  a  squadron,  on  board  of  which  was  embarked 
the  advanced  guard  of  the  army  sent  against  New  Orleans. 
During  the  course  of  that  unsuccessful  attack,  in  which 
Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane  and  Rear-Admirals  Mal- 
colm and  Codrington  assisted,  Captain  Walker  was  left  in 
charge  of  the  line-of-battle  ships,  which,  on  account  of  the 
shallow  water,  could  not  approach  within  one  hundred  miles 
of  the  scene  of  action. 

In  1814,  Captain  Walker  was  selected  to  accompany  the 
Duke  of  Clarence  to  Boulogne,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
to  England  the  Emperor  of  Russia  and  King  of  Prussia. 
After  the  peace  he  commanded  the  Albion,  Queen,  and 
Northumberland,  third-rates ;  the  last  of  which  he  paid  off 
September  10.  1818,  and  thus  closed  a  continued  service  of 


REAR-ADMIRAL    WALKER. 

twenty-one  years  as  a  Post-Captain.  He  was  nominated  a 
Companion  of  the  Bath  on  the  extension  of  that  honourable 
order  in  1815;  and  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Rear- Admiral  at 
the  Coronation  of  King  George  the  Fourth,  the  promotion  on 
that  memorable  occasion  ending  with  him. 

The  Rear- Admiral's  death  occurred  on  the  13th  of  July, 
1831,  while  on  a  visit  to  his  son,  commanding  the  coast 
guard  at  Blatchington,  near  Seaford.  He  was  sixty-seven 
years  of  age. 

Rear- Admiral  Walker  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  the  Right  Hon.  General  Sir  John  Irvine, 
K.  B. ;  his  second,  and  widow,  was  a  daughter  of  Arnoldus 
Jones  Skelton,  of  Branthwaite  Hall,  in  Cumberland,  Esq., 
first  cousin  to  the  Marquis  Cornwallis,  and  M.  P.  for  Eye. 
His  eldest  son,  Melville,  is  an  officer  of  dragoons ;  his  second, 
Frederick,  a  Lieutenant  R.  N. ;  and  his  third,  Thomas,  died 
in  that  rank  in  1829. 


Principally,  from  "  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Biography/' 


&3&a 
uf 


Y  3 


326 


No.  XXIV. 
ANDREW  STRAHAN,  ESQUIRE, 

PRINTER    TO    HIS    MAJESTY. 

THIS  estimable  character  was  the  third  son  of  William 
Strahan,  Esq.,  many  years  his  Majesty's  printer,  who  died 
July  5.  1785. 

The  memory  of  Mr.  William  Strahan  was  honoured  by 
Mackenzie,  in  the  periodical  paper  called  "  The  Lounger;"  and 
much  of  what  was  advanced  by  that  elegant  writer  may,  with 
great  propriety  and  strict  justice,  be  transferred  to  the  subject 
of  the  present  memoir.  It  is  acknowledged  by  all  who  knew 
him  that  he  inherited  his  father's  professional  eminence,  his 
political  attachments,  his  consistency  of  public  conduct,  and 
his  private  virtues ;  and  by  these  secured  a  reputation  which 
will  not  be  soon  forgotten.  Like  his  father,  too,  he  acquired 
great  literary  property  and  influence  in  the  learned  world,  by 
purchasing  the  copyrights  of  the  most  celebrated  authors  of 
his  time;  frequently  in  connection  with  his  friend,  the  late 
Mr.  Alderman  Cadell.  In  this  his  liberality  kept  equal  pace 
with  his  prudence,  and  in  some  cases  went,  perhaps,  rather 
beyond  it.  Never  had  such  rewards  been  given,  as  both  by 
father  and  son,  to  the  labours  of  literary  men.  Among  the 
most  distinguished  authors  who  profited  by  their  liberality, 
we  may  mention  Johnson,  —  whose  frequent  expression  was, 
that  "they  had  raised  the  price  of  literature," — Hume,  War- 
burton,  Hurd,  Blackstone,  Burn,  Robertson,  Henry,  Gibbon, 
&c.  &c. 

By  continuing  this  encouragement  of  genius,  Mr.  Andrew 
Strahan  soon  attained  the  very  highest  rank  of  his  profession, 
and  became  equally  eminent  for  the  correctness  of  his  typo- 
graphy and  for  the  liberality  of  his  dealings ;  and  the  numer- 


ANDREW    STRAHAN,    ESQ. 

ous  works  to  which  his  name  appears,  and  which  were  executed 
specially  under  his  own  eye,  and  that  of  his  judicious  assist- 
ants, are  still  highly  esteemed  by  collectors.  In  all  might  be 
seen  perfect  integrity  and  unabating  diligence. 

Dr.  Johnson  remarks,  that  "  the  necessity  of  complying  with 
times  and  of  sparing  persons  is  the  great  impediment  to  bio- 
graphy." In  the  present  sketch  no  such  impediment  occurs. 
A  man  of  observation  who  has  reached  Mr.  Strahan's  age 
must  necessarily  have  witnessed  times  different  from  the  pre- 
sent, and  have  formed  plans  of  happiness  and  prosperity  not 
now  so  easily  obtained,  nor  so  generally  followed.  It  has 
been  justly  observed,  that  "  his  character  as  a  man  may  be 
best  appreciated  from  the  respect  and  affection  with  which  he 
was  treated  by  his  numerous  friends^  and  the  veneration  with 
which  he  was  received  by  his  younger  contemporaries.  If 
among  either  a  point  of  difference  arose,  his  judgment  was 
applied  for ;  if  a  difficulty  occurred,  his  advice  was  asked ;  if 
assistance  was  needed,  his  purse  was  known  to  be  open ;  and 
none  who  sought  aid  in  either  form  had  ever  reason  to  regret 
adopting  the  suggestions,  pursuing  the  counsel,  or  asking  the 
support  of  this  excellent  man."  The  same  writer  remarks, 
that,  "  unostentatious  in  his  mode  of  living,  and  attached  to 
the  last  to  the  residence  in  which  he  was  born  and  died,  he 
was  enabled  to  devote  a  considerable  part  of  his  income  to  the 
assistance  of  friends  who  required  a  temporary  help,  and  to 
the  relief  of  the  necessitous,  many  of  whom  will  now  record 
instances  of  his  bounty  which  was  bestowed  on  a  condition 
that  the  dispenser  of  it  should  be  concealed." 

That  Mr.  Strahan  should  be  attached  to  the  house  in  which 
he  was  born  and  died  is  not  remarkable.  It  was  consistent 
with  the  plan  of  life  in  which  he  had  been  educated.  The 
house  was  in  truth  classic  ground — not  a  room  in  it  that  was 
not  dear  to  his  remembrance.  In  that  hospitable  mansion  he 
had,  from  his  earliest  years,  enjoyed  the  conversation  of  the 
eminent  literary  characters  above  mentioned ;  and  it  was  there 
that  he  entertained  their  successors  up  to  the  present  period. 
Some  years,  indeed,  before  his  death,  he  had  purchased  a 


328  ANDREW    STRAHAN,    ESQ. 

house  and  grounds  at  Ash  ted,  Surrey,  to  which  he  retired  in 
the  summer  months  when  his  health  permitted,  and  in  which 
he  took  great  pleasure ;  but  this  retirement  was  seldom  of  long 
duration,  as  the  enlargement  of  his  business  and  extensive 
offices  required  his  frequent  attention.  His  life,  indeed,  was 
more  laborious,  and  required  greater  strength  of  mind,  than 
can  be  readily  conceived  by  those  who  have  not  attained  the 
same  eminence,  and  whose  opinions  have  not  been  in  equal 
demand  by  their  contemporaries. 

From  the  age  to  which  he  had  arrived,  and  the  company 
to  which,  he  had  been  accustomed,  joined  to  the  happiest 
powers  of  memory  and  recollection,  his  conversation  was  re- 
plete with  literary  anecdote,  which  he  related  in  a  manner 
that  had  all  the  charms  of  good  humour,  and  all  the  security 
of  the  strictest  veracity.  In  the  latter  quality  he  was  a  genuine 
pupil  of  Dr.  Johnson.  Whatever  he  related  might  be  de- 
pended on.  Nearly  forty  years  ago,  the  writer  of  the  present 
article,  happening  to  relate  an  incident  with  some  mistake  in 
names  as  well  as  date,  next  morning  received  from  Mr. 
Strahan  a  kind  letter,  rectifying  his  mistakes,  and  placing  the 
little  narrative  on  authentic  proofs. 

In  all  his  intercourse  with  his  friends  and  professional 
brethren,  he  evinced  an  uncommon  vigour  of  mind;  which, 
indeed,  he  retained  to  the  last.  Long  experience  always 
directed  him  to  that  which  was  most  salutary.  In  cases  of 
professional  difficulty,  no  man  could  see  his  way  more  clearly. 
It  was  wise,  therefore,  as  well  as  common,  for  his  brethren  to 
solicit  his  advice,  which,  whether  himself  interested  or  not, 
was  always  given  with  ready  kindness,  and  never  without 
effect.  The  peculiarities  of  his  temper  were  of  the  most 
amiable  kind ;  and,  of  the  numerous  friends  and  connections 
who  have  outlived  him,  there  are  none  who  have  not  a  pensive 
recollection  of  many  instances  of  his  kindness. 

Benevolence  was  a  striking  feature  in  his  character.  In 
]822,  he  presented  1000/.  3  per  cents,  to  the  Literary  Fund. 
It  has  been  stated  in  the  public  journals  that  he  bequeathed 
by  his  will  lOOOl.  each  to  six  other  charitable  institutions; 


ANDREW   STRAHAN,   ESQ. 

but  these  form  but  a  part  of  the  large  sums  periodically  be- 
stowed, —  although,  as  already  noticed,  with  a  secrecy  which 
is  not  often  observed  in  such  transactions,  and  which  was- not 
violated  by  him  even  when,  in  some  few  cases,  he  had  not  met 
with  the  most  grateful  return.  Much  was  given  to  those  who 
had  been  the  companions  of  his  early  life;  and  to  many  he 
contributed  that  assistance  which  afterwards  rendered  them 
independent. 

During  Mr.  Strahan's  long  and  active  life,  he  filled  various 
offices  and  relations ;  and  in  all  his  conduct  was  exemplary, 
although  his  career  was  not  without  difficulties  and  vicissitudes. 
In  1 797,  he  was  elected  representative  for  Newport  in  Hamp- 
shire ;  in  1802,  and  1806,  for  Wareham  ;  in  1807,  for  Carlow; 
in  1812,  for  Aldeburgh  ;  and  sat  in  parliament  until  1818, 
when  he  retired  from  public  life  in  consequence  of  his  ad- 
vanced age  (seventy-one).  In  1804  he  was  elected  on  the  Court 
of  Assistants  of  the  Stationers'  Company ;  but,  as  he  was  begin- 
ning to  experience  some  of  the  infirmities  of  age,  he  declined 
the  honourable  degrees  of  office.  In  1815,  Mr.  Strahan  in- 
formed the  Company  "  that,  being  desirous  of  treading  in  the 
steps  of  his  respected  father  (who  had  bequeathed  1000/.  for 
the  benefit  of  poor  printers),  he  had  transferred  to  the  Com- 
pany 1225/.  four  per  cents,  for  the  same  charitable  uses."  He 
also  presented  to  the  Company  a  portrait  of  his  father,  an 
excellent  likeness,  copied  by  Sir  William  Beechey  from  an 
original  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  Their  court-room  is  also 
decorated  by  a  portrait  of  himself,  by  the  late  William  Owen, 
Esq.  R.  A.,  placed  there  at  the  expense  of  the  Company  about 
the  time  he  became  a  benefactor. 

It  was  not  until  February,  1830,  that  Mr.  Strahan  showed 
symptoms  of  decay.  He  had  for  some  years  become  very  cor- 
pulent, and  seldom  went  abroad  but  in  his  carriage.  But, 
after  the  period  mentioned,  his  health  visibly  declined;  yet 
such  were  the  changes  in  his  disorder,  that  his  friends  were 
frequently  flattered  by  its  favourable  appearances.  He  was 
often  enabled  to  take  an  airing  in  his  carriage ;  and  was  much 
interested  in  the  wonderful  changes  which  have  taken  place  in 


330  ANDREW    STRAHAN,    ESQ. 

the  western  part  of  the  metropolis,  as  well  as  in  its  environs. 
A  very  few  days  before  his  death  he  was  able  to  take  one  of 
these  pleasant  rides ;  and  it  was  only  the  day  before  that  event 
that  symptoms  of  dissolution  were  visible.  Yet  up  to  the  last 
his  mind  seemed  to  retain  its  powers ;  and,  except  in  some 
moments  of  lethargy,  he  conversed  with  his  usual  acuteness 
on  any  subject  that  happened  to  occur. 

Mr.  Strahan  died  at  his  house  in  New  Street,  near  Fleet 
Street,  on  the  25th  of  August,  1831 ;  in  the  eighty-third  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  interred  at  Headly,  in  Surrey,  on  the  2d 
of  September. 


The  foregoing  memoir  we  have  derived  from  the  pages  of 
"  The  Gentleman's  Magazine." 


.J  /iumil  «*lftt  to  JL^U 

KJ  .1  j»^r.Kf>  /a  b^^ 


'.'.'  / 


•£  '  *'i   ni*  a' 
-c*iM 


331 


No.  XXV. 

'  '/^*> -.?i|f*r  ifeA^f/fio^  &f*  *y  i fflftj.*}  •  H»:  *  usaMjir. 

THE    RIGHT    HONOURABLE 

WILLIAM,    EARL   OF    NORTHESK, 

REAR-ADMIRAL  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN ;  ADMIRAL  OF  THE  RED  J 
KNIGHT  GRAND  CROSS  OF  THE  MOST  HONOURABLE  MILI- 
TARY ORDER  OF  THE  BATH;  GOVERNOR  OF  THE  BRITISH 
LINEN  COMPANY  IN  SCOTLAND;  DOCTOR  OF  LAWS;  AND  A 
VICE-PRESIDENT  OF  THE  NAVAL  AND  MILITARY  BIBLE 
SOCIETY. 

THE  family  of  the  late  Earl  of  Northesk  has  been  settled  for 
some  centuries  in  the  county  of  Angus,  in  Scotland.  His 
ancestors  came  originally  from  Hungary,  about  the  year  1 200, 
at  which  time  the  family  name  was  either  de  Bolinhord,  or 
Ballinhard ;  but,  getting  possession  of  the  lands  and  barony  of 
CARNEGIE,  they  adopted  that,  agreeably  to  the  custom  of  the 
age  and  country, 

In  the  reign  of  King  Charles  I.,  David,  the  eldest  of  four 
brothers,  was  created  Earl  of  Southesk,  and  Lord  Carnegie; 
and  John,  the  second,  was  advanced  to  the  dignities  of  Lord 
Inglismaldy,  Lord  Lour,  and  Earl  of  Ethie ;  which  titles  he 
afterwards  exchanged  for  those  of  Earl  of  Northesk  and  Lord 
Rosehill.  In  consequence  of  the  attachment  of  this  family  to 
that  unfortunate  monarch,  they  were  fined  by  Oliver  Crom- 
well 10,000/.  They  were  afterwards  equally  remarkable  for 
their  support  of  the  revolution,  and  for  their  steady  loyalty 
to  the  House  of  Hanover.  In  the  rebellion  in  1715,  when 
the  family  mansion  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  old  Pre- 
tender, the  Countess  of  Northesk  was  obliged  to  seek  refuge 
in  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  where  she  was  delivered  of  a  son, 
who  was  christened  George,  after  his  Majesty  George  L,  who 


33%  THE    EARL    OF    NORTHESK. 

condescended  to  be  one  of  the  sponsors,  and  was  represented 
by  proxy.  This  son  became  the  Earl  of  Northesk,  and 
entered  as  a  midshipman  in  the  Royal  Navy,  passed  through 
the  several  gradations  of  rank,  and  was  Admiral  of  the  Blue 
in  1773  ;  afterwards  became  Admiral  of  the  White;  and  died 
January  21st,  1792;  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

The  gallant  nobleman  whose  services  we  are  now  recording 
was  the  third  son  of  the  above-mentioned  Admiral,  by  Lady 
Anne  Leslie,  eldest  daughter  of  Alexander,  fifth  Earl  of 
Leven  and  Melville ;  and  was  born  in  1 738.  At  the  age  of 
eleven,  Mr.  William  Carnegie  embarked  in  the  Albion  with 
Captain  the  Hon.  Samuel  Barrington ;  and  afterwards  served 
in  the  Southampton  frigate  with  Captain  Macbride,  at  the 
time  he  conveyed  the  Queen  of  Denmark  to  Zell ;  and  in  the 
Squirrel,  with  Captain  Stair  Douglas.  He  then  obtained  an 
acting  appointment  as  Lieutenant  ofthe  Nonsuch;  and,  in  1777, 
was  confirmed  by  Lord  Howe  into  the  Apollo.  He  afterwards 
served  under  Sir  John  Lockhart  Ross,  in  the  Royal  George, 
at  the  capture  of  the  Caracca  fleet  off  Cape  Finisterre  ;  of  the 
Spanish  squadron  under  Don  Juan  de  Langara,  and  at  the  re- 
lief of  Gibraltar;  then  in  the  West  Indies  with  Lord  Rod- 
ney, who  promoted  him  from  the  flag-ship,  after  the  celebrated 
action  of  the  17th  of  April,  1780,  to  be  Commander  of  the 
Blast  fire-ship.  He  was  subsequently  removed  into  the  St. 
Eustatia,  and  was  present  in  her  at  the  reduction  ofthe  island 
of  that  name,  February  3.  1781. 

Captain  Carnegie  obtained  Post  rank  on  the  7th  April, 
1782;  and  at  the  ensuing  peace  returned  to  England,  in  the 
Enterprise  frigate,  and  was  paid  .off. 

In  1788  his  eldest  brother  died,  when  he  succeeded  to  the 
title  of  Lord  Rosehill ;  and  in  1790,  on  the  equipment  of  the 
fleet  in  consequence  ofthe  dispute  with  Spain  relative  to  Nootka 
Sound,  he  was  appointed  to  command  the  Heroine  frigate ; 
but  was  soon  after  paid  off. 

On  the  death  of  his  Lordship's  father,  January  29.  1792, 
he  succeeded  to  the  title  of  Earl  of  Northesk ;  and  in  January 
of  the  following  year  proceeded  to  the  West  Indies,  in  com- 


THE    EARL    OF    NORTHESK.  333 

mand  of  the  Beaulieu  frigate;  returned  from  thence  in  the 
Andromeda  in  December,  and  was  soon  after  placed  upon 
half-pay.  t^>*j  ; 

In  1796,  Lord  Northesk  was  elected  one  of  the  sixteen  re- 
presentatives of  the  peerage  of  Scotland  in  the  Parliament  of 
Great  Britain.  In  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Monmouth  64-,  and  joined  the  North  Sea  fleet  under  the  com- 
mand of  Admiral  Viscount  Duncan. 

.  In  May,  1797,  the  mutiny,  which  had  commenced  in  the 
Channel  fleet,  extended  to  the  ships  employed  in  the  North 
Sea ;  and  the  Monmouth  was  brought  by  her  refractory  crew 
to  the  Nore.  Perhaps,  at  no  period  was  an  event  more  to 
be  deplored  than  this  insubordination  of  the  seamen.  The 
nation  being  involved  in  a  war  in  which  only  her  naval  force 
could  be  employed,  and  that  force  being  in  rebellion  against 
those  who  had  its  direction,  a  universal  gloom  pervaded  ail 
classes  of  society.  At  length  some  symptoms  of  return  to 
their  duty  began  to  appear;  and  the  mutineers  sent  for  Lord 
Northesk  on  board  the  Sandwich,  (the  ship  where  Parker,  the 
ringleader,  and  his  misguided  associates  daily  assembled,)  to 
endeavour  to  effect  a  reconciliation  with  Government.  On 
the  6th  of  June,  the  two  delegates  of  the  Monmouth  went  on 
board  that  ship  from  the  Sandwich,  with  a  request  that  his 
Lordship,  who  was  confined  to  his  cabin,  would  accompany 
them.  On  reaching  the  Sandwich,  Lord  Northesk  was 
ushered  into  the  cabin,  where  Richard  Parker,  as  President, 
and  about  sixty  seamen,  acting  as  delegates  from  the  several 
ships,  were  sitting  in  close  deliberation.  Lord  Northesk  was 
accompanied  by  a  gentleman;  and,  before  the  commencement 
of  business,  Parker  demanded  to  know  who  he  was :  upon 
being  told  that  he  was  an  "  officer  of  the  Monmouth,  who 
accompanied  his  Lordship  as  secretary,"  he  said,  "  Who  knows 
him  ?  —  Say,  delegates  of  the  Monmouth,  what  kind  of  man  is 
he  ?  "  The  delegates  replied,  he  was  "  a  worthy  good  man ;" 
and  it  was  instantly  voted  that  he  might  attend  the  conference. 
The  president  of  these  infatuated  men  then  said  to  his  Lord- 
ship —  "  That  the  committee,  with  one  voice,  had  come  to  a 


334  THE    EARL    OF    NORTHESK. 

declaration  of  the  terms  on  which  alone,  without  the  smallest 
alteration,  they  would  give  up  the  ships ;  and  they  had  sent 
for  his  Lordship,  as  one  who  was  known  to  be  the  c  seaman's 
friend,'  to  be  charged  with  them  to  the  King ;  and  he  must 
pledge  his  honour  to  return  on  board  with  a  clear  and  positive 
answer  within  fifty-four  hours."  Parker  then  read  the  letter 
to  his  Majesty.  Lord  Northesk  informed  the  delegates,  that 
"  he  certainly  would  bear  the  letter  as  desired  ;  but  could  not, 
from  the  unreasonableness  of  their  demands,  flatter  them 
with  any  expectation  of  success."  They  persisted,  that  "  the 
whole  must  be  complied  with,  or  they  would  immediately  put 
the  fleet  to  sea." 

The  following  paper  was  then  handed  by  Parker  to  his 
Lordship,  and  is  a  curious  specimen  of  the  methodical 
manner  in  which  the  mutineers  conducted  their  mischievous 
designs :  — 

"  To  Captain  Lord  Northesk. 

"  Sandwich,  June  6th,  3  P.M. 

"  You  are  hereby  authorised  and  ordered  to  wait  upon  the 
King,  wherever  he  may  be,  with  the  resolution  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Delegates,  and  are  directed  to  return  back  with  an 
answer  within  fifty-four  hours  from  the  date  hereof. 

(Signed)     "  R.  PARKER,  President." 

Upon  receiving  these  instructions  his  Lordship  left  the 
Sandwich,  three  cheers  being  given  by  the  mutineers ;  and  he 
was  put  on  board  the  Duke  of  York,  Margate  packet,  for 
London*  *rn»*lta,;^ 

After  stopping  a  short  time  at  the  Admiralty,  Lord  North- 
esk attended  Earl  Spencer,  then  First  Lord,  to  the  King. 
The  demands  of  the  seamen  were  instantly  rejected ;  and 
Captain  (the  la,te  Admiral  Sir  John)  Knight,  who  had  obtained 
leave  from  Parker  to  come  on  shore  from  the  Montagu  (the 
surgeon  of  which  ship  had  been  tarred  and  feathered,  and 
then  rowed  on  shore),  carried  down  the  refusal  of  the  Lords 
of  the  Admiralty. 

The  seamen  having  subsequently  returned  to  their  duty, 


THE    EARL    OF    NORTHESK.  335 

and  Parker  having  been  executed.  Lord  Northesk  resigned 
the  command  of  the  Monmouth,  and  remained  unemployed 
till  the  year  1800,  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Prince,  of 
98  guns,  in  the  Channel  Fleet,  under  the  command  of  his 
illustrious  relation,  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent ;  in  which  ship  he 
continued  until  the  peace  in  1802. 

In  that  year  his  Lordship  was  re-elected  one  of  the  sixteen 
representative  Peers  of  Scotland. 

On  the  renewal  of  the  war  in  1803,  his  Lordship  was  im- 
mediately appointed  to  the  Britannia,  of  100  guns,  at  Ports- 
mouth; and  soon  after  received  the  honour  of  a  visit  on  board 
that  ship  from  their  Royal  Highnesses  the  Dukes  of  York 
and  Cambridge.  Towards  the  close  of  the  same  year  the 
Britannia  was  stationed  at  St.  Helen's,  to  guard  that  end  of 
the  Isle  of  Wight  in  case  of  an  invasion.  She  afterwards 
formed  a  part  of  the  Channel  Fleet  commanded  by  the  Hon. 
William  Cornwallis. 

In  May,  1804,  Lord  Northesk  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Rear- Admiral ;  and  in  the  following  month  hoisted  his  flag 
in  the  Britannia,  and  served  in  the  arduous  blockade  of  Brest, 
till  August  in  the  following  year ;  when  he  was  detached  with 
a  squadron,  under  the  orders  of  Sir  Robert  Calder,  to  rein- 
force Vice- Admiral  Collingwood  off  Cadiz. 

In  the  glorious  and  decisive  battle  of  Trafalgar,  his  Lord- 
ship took  a  distinguished  share  in  achieving  the  victory, 
previously  to  that  memorable  event,  the  Britannia  had  been 
directed  by  Lord  Nelson,  in  consequence  of  her  heavy  rate  of 
sailing,  constantly  to  take  a  position  to  windward  of  him 7 
and,  on  the  morning  of  the  glorious  21st  October,  1805,  he 
ordered  by  signal  that  she  should  assume  a  station  as  most 
convenient,  without  regard  to  the  order  of  battle ;  and  after- 
wards sent  verbal  directions  to  Lord  Northesk  to  break 
through  the  enemy's  line  a-stern  of  the  fourteenth  ship.  This 
was  effected  in  the  most  masterly  and  gallant  manner ;  though 
the  Britannia  was  severely  galled  in  bearing  down  by  a 
raking  fire  from  several  of  the  enemy.  On  passing  through 
the  line,  and  hauling  up,  she  was  the  fourth  ship  of  the  van 


336  THE    EARL    OF    NORTHESK. 

division  in  action,  the  Victory,  Temeraire,  and  Neptune  alone 
preceding  her ;  and,  in  a  short  space  of  time,  she  completely 
dismasted  a  French  ship  of  80  guns,  on  board  of  which  a 
white  handkerchief  was  waved  in  token  of  submission.  She 
afterwards  singly  engaged,  and  kept  at  bay,  three  of  the 
enemy's  van  ships,  that  were  attempting  to  double  upon  the 
Victory,  at  that  time  much  disabled,  and  warmly  engaged 
with  two  of  the  enemy.  During  the  whole  continuance  of 
this  long  and  bloody  conflict,  Lord  Northesk  zealously  emu- 
lated his  illustrious  leader;  nor  was  his  conduct  after  the 
action  less  meritorious,  while  his  skill  and  promptitude  were 
equally  conspicuous  in  the  arduous  task  of  securing  the  cap- 
tured ships.  And  when  the  order  was  given  for  destroying 
the  prizes,  after  removing  from  them  the  British  seamen,  his 
zeal  in  that  truly  dangerous  service,  in  a  tempestuous  sea,  and 
heavy  gale  of  wind,  was  exceeded  only  by  his  exemplary 
humanity.  Though  urgent  signals  were  made,  and  repeated, 
"to  expedite  their  destruction ;"  his  lordship  would  on  no 
account  suffer  L'Intrepide,  the  nearest  of  the  captured  ships 
to  the  Britannia,  to  be  scuttled  or  burned  till  his  boats  had 
rescued  from  the  devoted  prize  all  her  wounded  men,  and  the 
whole  of  her  surviving  crew. 

For  his  eminent  services,  as  third  in  command  of  the  vic- 
torious fleet,  Lord  Northesk  was,  on  the  29th  of  January, 
1806,  honoured  with  the  insignia  of  the  Order  of  the  Bath  : 
and  he  also  received  the  thanks  of  both  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment ;  the  freedom  of  the  City  of  London,  and  of  the  Gold- 
smiths' Company,  with  a  sword  of  the  value  of  one  hundred 
guineas  from  the  City  of  London  ;  an  Admiral's  medal  from 
his  Majesty  to  be  worn  round  the  neck  ;  and  a  vase  of  the 
value  of  3001.  from  the  Patriotic  Fund  at  Lloyd's. 

In  consequence  of  ill  health  Lord  Northesk  resigned  his 
command,  and  returned  to  England  in  the  Dreadnought,  ac- 
companied by  the  Britannia  and  three  of  the  prizes,  and 
reached  Portsmouth  16th  May,  1806. 

A  promotion  taking  place  28th  April,  1 808,  Lord  Northesk 


THE    EARL    OF    NORTIIESK.  337 

became  a   Vice-Admiral ;    and  on  the  4th  June,    18 14,  an 
Admiral. 

In  1815,  the  Order  of  the  Bath  was  remodelled  and  divided 
into  three  classes,  when  the  Earl  of  Northesk  was  placed  in 
the  first,  and  became  G.C.B. 

In  consequence  of  the  death  of  Admiral  Sir  William  Young, 
Admiral  Sir  James  Saumarez  was  appointed  Vice-Admiral  of 
Great  Britain;  and  at  the  same  time,  21st  November,  1821, 
the  Earl  of  Northesk  was  appointed  Rear- Admiral  of  .Great 
Britain,  in  the  room  of  Sir  James  Saumarez. 

In  May,  1827,  Lord  Northesk  was  appointed  Commander- 
in-chief  at  Plymouth,  where  his  Lordship  remained  until  18SO, 
when  the  period  allowed  for  the  command  expired.  I» :. 

Lord  Northesk  had  been  for  some  years  afflicted  with 
asthma;  but  no  serious  apprehensions  of  his  sudden  disso- 
lution were  entertained.  This  event,  by  which  the  Navy  has 
lost  a  bright  ornament,  the  nation  one  of  its  brave  defenders, 
and  his  family  one  of  the  best  of  parents,  occurred  on  the 
28th  of  May,  1831,  at  his  Lordship's  residence  in  Albemarle 
Street,  after  an  illness  of  three  days ;  which  was  considered  so 
slight  by  his  Lordship,  that  he  had  intended  to  be  present  at 
the  drawing-room  of  her  Majesty,  to  celebrate  his  Majesty's 
birth-day,  on  the  morning  of  which  he  became  a  corpse. 

The  funeral  of  this  brave  and  distinguished  nobleman  took 
place,  8th  of  June,  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  in  which  sacred 
edifice  repose  the  ashes  of  Nelson  and  Collingwood,  who 
shared  with  Lord  Northesk  the  laurels  won  at  Trafalgar. 
The  funeral  was  strictly  private,  and  was  attended  only  by  the 
relations  and  friends  of  his  Lordship.  In  room  of  the  pal), 
which  usually  covers  the  coffin  on  such  occasions,  was  sub-» 
stituted  the  English  flag,  supported,  as  pall-bearers,  by  Vice- 
Admiral  Sir  Richard  King,  Bart.  K.C.B.,  Vice- Admiral  Sir 
William  Hotham,  K.  C.  B.,  Rear- Admiral  Walker,  C.  B., 
Rear- Admiral  Rodd,  C.  B.,  Rear- Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Mas- 
terman  Hardy,  Bart.  K.  C.  B.,  and  Rear- Admiral  William 
Parker,  C.B. 

The  Earl  pf  Northesk  married,  in  1789,  Mary,  daughter  of 
VOL.  xvr.  z 


338  THE    EARL    OF   NORTHESK. 

William  H.  Ricketts,  Esq.,  by  Mary,  sister  of  the  late  Earl, 
and  mother  of  the  present  Viscount  St.  Vincent ;  by  whom  he 
had  issue  George,  Lord  Rosehill,  who  was  lost  on  board  the 
Blenheim,  where  he  was  Midshipman,  in  1807,  when  that 
ship  foundered  in  the  East  Indies,  having  on  board  the  flag  of 
Rear- Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Troubridge ;  William  Hopetoun, 
now  the  Earl  of  Northesk ;  and  several  other  children,  one  of 
whom  is  Midshipman  on  board  the  St.  Vincent,  with  Vice- 
Admiral  Sir  Henry  Hotham,  in  the  Mediterranean. 


"  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Biography,"  and  «  The  United 
Service  Journal,"  are  our  authorities  for  this  little  memoir. 


339 


No.  XXVI. 
WILLIAM  HAMPER,  ESQ. 

F.S.A.,  HONORARY  MEMBER  OF  THE  SOCIETY  OF  ANTIQUATITES 
AT  NEWCASTLE,  AND  A  JUSTICE  OE  THE  PEACE  FOR  THE 
COUNTIES  OF  WARWICK  AND  WORCESTER, 

FOR  the  following  brief  account  of  this  amiable  man  and  pro- 
found antiquary,  whose  name  and  memory  will  be  perpetuated 
in  the  annals  of  archaeology  and  topography,  as  long  as  those 
branches  of  literature  are  studied  and  admired,  we  are  in- 
debted to  "  The  Gentleman's  Magazine." 


MR.  HAMPER  was  descended  from  a  family  of  that  name  at 
Hurstperpoint,  in  the  county  of  Sussex,  who,  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  branched  off  from  the  parent  stock,  of  con- 
siderable antiquity,  at  West  Tarring,  in  that  county.  His 
father,  Thomas  Hamper,  settled  early  in  life  at  Birmingham ; 
and  there,  on  December  12.  1776,  his  only  child,  the  subject 
of  the  present  memoir,  was  born.  Raised  in  society  by  the 
cultivation  of  his  superior  talents  and  taste,  he  had  the  dis- 
tinguished merit  of  self-education,  and  was  the  simple  archi- 
tect of  his  own  reputation  and  station  in  the  republic  of  letters. 
He  was  brought  up  to  the  business  of  his  father;  and  the  task 
of  travelling  in  many  English  counties,  required  by  its  con- 
cerns, enabled  him  to  indulge  the  taste  he  had  acquired  for 
visiting  churches  and  other  ancient  buildings.  His  earliest 
productions,  however,  were  poetical  pieces,  which  were  gene- 
rally communicated  to  the  pages  of  the  Gentleman's  Magazine. 
The  very  first  of  these  we  believe  to  have  been  the  lines  en- 
titled "  The  Beggar-boy,"  in  the  number  for  September, 

z  2 


340  WILLIAM    HAMPER,    ESQ. 

1798.*  In  the  following  number  is  a  more  lively  and  spirited 
production,  an  anti-revolutionary  song,  beginning,  "  To  learn 
Johnny  Bull  a  la  mode  de  Paris;"  and  as  a  clever  piece,  writ- 
ten with  the  same  loyal  and  constitutional  feelings,  may  be 
mentioned  "A  Pindaric  Address,"  in  January,  1 801 .  These, 
and  many  others,  are  signed  H.  D.  B.,  the  initials  of  Hamper, 
Deritend,  Birmingham.  Whilst  on  the  subject  of  his  poetry, 
we  may  also  mention  a  very  clever  versification  of  the  legend 
regarding  the  Devil's  Dyke  in  Sussex,  which  has  been  fre- 
quently printed  in  the  Brighton  Guide  Books.  It  may  be 

*  The  following  is  the  piece  alluded  to  :  — 

THE  BEGGAR-BOV. 
When  blows  the  cold  and  piercing  wind, 

And  Nature's  dress'd  in  robes  of  snow, 
And  you,  with  friends  so  free  and  kind, 

Of  winter's  blasts  do  little  know ; 
In  dance  and  song  your  hours  enjoy, 

Nor  heed  the  tempest  roar ; 
Ah  !  think  on  the  poor  beggar-boy 

That's  shivering  at  your  door. 

His  parents  once  like  you  were  gay, 

Like  you  enjoy'd  their  revelry  ; 
But  intercepted  was  that  ray 

Of  mirth  by  clouds  of  penury. 
By  dire  disease  to  want  brought  nigh, 

Their  hearts  could  bear  no  more  : 
They  died,  —  and  left  the  beggar-boy 

That's  shivering  at  your  door. 

Say,  have  you  known  a  father's  love  ? 

Or  felt  a  mother's  fostering  care  ? 
You  have !   Oh  then  let  pity  move 

Your  hearts  to  once  a  darling  rare  ; 
The  father's  life  —  the  mother's  joy  — 

Than  him  was  none  loved  more, 
Than  him,  who  now  a  beggar-boy 

Stands  shivering  at  your  door. 

Oh  !  spare  from  your  luxurious  board 

A  morsel  small  for  his  relief; 
A  cast-off  garment  too  afford, 

And  kindly  heal  the  wounds  of  grief. 
Then  every  blessing  men  enjoy 
May  you  have  o'er  and  o'er  ; 
So  hopes,  so  prays,  the  beggar-boy 
That 's  shivering  at  your  door. 


WILLIAM    HAMPER,    ESQ".  341 

safely  affirmed  that  Mr.  Hamper's  poetical  compositions  evince 
a  feeling  mind,  felicity  of  expression,  and  occasionally  great 
and  original  humour.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  also  much 
attached  to  music,  and  was  a  composer  as  well  as  a  performer: 
he  set  to  music  one  or  more  songs,  which  were  published  un- 
der the  assumed  name  of  Repmah,  being  his  own  reversed. 

From  the  year  1804  to  1812,  Mr.  Hamper  communicated 
to  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  a  succession  of  views  of  churches 
and  other  ancient  structures,  accompanied  by  original  descrip- 
tions and  illustrations:  they  are  upwards  of  thirty  in  number, 
in  various  counties,  but  chiefly  in  Hampshire,  Sussex,  and 
Kent.  After  the  last-named  year  his  attention  was  diverted 
to  other  objects;  and  the  only  subsequent  plates  engraved 
after  his  pencil  are  the  very  singular  church  of  Barton-on-the 
Humber,  in  September,  1816,  and  the  birth-place  of  the 
reformer  Knox  at  Haddington,  in  April,  1817. 

In  1811,  at  the  request  of  the  Overseers  and  Guardians  of 
the  Poor  of  Birmingham,  and  on  the  express  solicitation  of 
the  magistrates  then  acting  for  that  town  and  neighbourhood, 
Mr.  Hamper  was  induced  to  take  upon  himself  the  office  of 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  the  county  of  Warwick.  As  there 
are  no  police  magistrates  in  the  great  town  of  Birmingham, 
none  of  the  unpaid  magistracy  in  any  part  of  the  kingdom 
can  be  called  upon  for  a  greater  sacrifice  of  time  than  the 
gentlemen  who  occupy  the  place  which  Mr.  Hamper  thus 
undertook.  He  executed  its  duties  with  the  utmost  activity, 
vigilance,  and  intelligence ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  one 
short  interval  *,  continued  to  fulfil  them  for  twenty  years. 

*  Upon  occasion  of  Mr.  Hamper's  temporary  relinquishment  of  the  office  in 
L8 1 9,  in  consequence  of  a  severe  illness  and  subsequent  debility,  a  special  general 
meeting  of  the  Overseers  and  Guardians  was  held,  Nov.  3.  1819;  and,  amongst 
other  Resolutions,  the  following  were  unanimously  agreed  to :  — 

*'  Resolved,  That  this  meeting  deeply  regrets  that  severe  illness  should  have 
obliged  their  highly  respected  magistrate,  William  Hamper,  Esq.,  to  retire  for  the 
present  from  the  office  he  had  so  long  held  with,  honour  to  himself  and  advantage 
to  the  town  of  Birmingham. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  most  respectful  and  sincere  thanks  of  this  meeting  be  given 
to  William  Hamper,  Esq.  for  the  readiness  with  which  he  accepted  of  the  office 
of  Magistrate,  at  the  particular  request  of  the  Overseers  and  Guardians,  and  for 

z  3 


342  WILLIAM    HAMPER,    ESQ. 

To  say  that  to  this  laborious  and  engrossing  public  duty 
is  entirely  to  be  ascribed  the  non-execution  of  the  new  edition 
of  Dugdale's  Warwickshire,  to  which  important  object  his 
researches  were  chiefly  directed  *,  might  be  assuming  too 
much  :  but  his  magisterial  functions  certainly  occupied  the 
best  portion  of  his  time,  and  for  many  years  very  closely 
confined  him  to  home.  Of  the  favourite  project  of  his  early 
years,  he  did  not,  however,  ever  lose  sight ;  he  was  constantly 
making  additions  to  his  manuscript  collections ;  and  it  may  be 
added,  that  those  collections  derived  considerable  accession 
from  the  very  circumstance  which  prevented  their  publication. 
His  intercourse  as  a  magistrate  with  the  nobility  and  gentry  of 
Warwickshire,  furnished  him  with  facilities  of  investigating 
the  muniments  of  nearly  all  the  ancient  county  families ;  an 
opportunity  that  he  diligently  improved,  and  such  a  one  as 
altogether  may  never  occur  again.  The  result  of  these  re- 
searches, as  well  as  others  made  in  our  public  depositaries, 
and  in  private  collections  (for  nothing  escaped  his  vigilance 
and  industry),  has  been  the  accumulation  of  materials  that 
may  be  truly  said  to  be  invaluable;  and  deeply  is  it  to  be 
regretted  that  he  was  not  prevailed  upon  to  prepare  for,  and 
conduct  through,  the  press  a  new  edition  of  Dngdale's  history, 
under  auspices  becoming  such  an  undertaking. 

We  believe  that  Mr.  Hamper's  antiquarian  essays  were 
confined  to  the  pages  of  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  until,  in 
1817,  he  became  a  correspondent  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries. 


the  great  vigilance,  impartiality,  and  ability  with  which  he  has  so  faithfully  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  office. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  cordial  and  best  wishes  of  this  meeting  be  conveyed  to 
"William  Hamper,  Esq.  for  his  speedy  recovery ;  and  that  he  be  assured  that  the 
Overseers  and  Guardians  will  feel  much  pleasure  whenever  the  state  of  his  health 
will  allow  of  his  again  affording  to  the  town  the  benefit  of  his  active  services." 

*  On  this  subject  in  1813  he  writes :  "  The  little  leisure  I  could  steal  from  my 
own  commercial  concerns  seems  swallowed  up,  pro  bono  publico,  in  the  duties  of 
my  magisterial  office,  so  that  I  have  really  no  time  (comparatively  speaking)  to 
frolic  in  the  peaceful  fields  of  literature.  I  live  in  the  town,  which  keeps  my 
knocker  going  from  morning  till  night  j  whereas  my  brothers  of  the  Bench,  one  and 
all,  reside  in  the  country,  and  are  free  from  these  perpetual  interruptions." — 
Letter  to  Mr.  Nichols. 


WILLIAM    HAMPER,    ESQ» 

In  the  mean  time  his  manuscript  treasures  were  continually 
accumulating ;  but  it  was  not  with  Mr.  Hamper  as  it  has  been 
with  so  many  collectors,  that  they  have  not  ceased  to  collect, 
and  yet  have  found  no  opportunity  to  arrange.  He  was  an 
example  for  order  and  arrangement,  and  his  handwriting  a< 
model  for  neatness  and  elegance.  He  thus  possessed  the 
power,  as  well  as  the  will,  to  become  the  ready  assistant  of 
his  antiquarian  friends ;  and  from  the  time  of  his  first  com- 
munications to  Mr.  Nichols  for  the  "  History  of  Leicestershire" 
in  1803,  there  was  a  succession  of  authors,  among  the  most 
eminent  topographers  of  the  age,  to  whom  he  furnished  im- 
portant contributions.  Mr.  Ormerod  was  particularly  in- 
debted to  his  assistance  and  advice  ;  and  it  should  be  noticed, 
that  nearly  all  the  seals  engraved  in  his  Cheshire  were  from 
the  accurate  sketches  of  Mr.  Hamper.  Among  other  names 
it  may  be  sufficient  to  enumerate  those  of  Bray,  Blakeway, 
Baker,  Britton,  and,  —  though  last,  not  least  in  the  scale  of 
obligation,  —  Cartwright.  The  list  might  be  greatly  extended, 
for  his  liberality  in  communication  knew  no  restraint:  but  one 
more  work  must  be  named,  in  which  he  took  particular  inte- 
rest on  account  of  its  local  nature — we  allude  to  "  Kenilworth 
Illustrated,"  4to.  1821;  which  splendid  volume  has,  amongst 
other  articles,  a  Masque  contributed  from  his  stores ;  and  the 
modern  scenery  of  the  castle  was  altogether  described  by  his 
pen. 

Mr.  Hamper's  distinct  publications  were  confined  to  two. 
In  1820,  he  printed  at  Birmingham  a  quarto  tract,  entitled 
"  Observations  on  certain  ancient  pillars  of  memorial  called 
Hoar-stones,"  wherein  he  has  most  ingeniously  and  satisfac- 
torily developed  the  origin  and  meaning  of  the  heretofore 
misunderstood  or  unknown  appellation  Hoar,  by  a  cloud  of 
evidence  that  might  create  surprise,  but  for  the  fact  of  his 
industrious  research  having  since  collected  and  prepared  for 
printing  at  least  an  equal  quantity  of  additional  illustrations; 
which  enlarged  work  has  been  presented  to  the  Society  whereof 
he  was  so  distinguished  a  member.  His  greatest  published 
work  is  "  The  Life,  Diary,  and  Correspondence  of  Sir  William 

z  4 


314  WILLIAM    HAMPER,    ESQ. 

Dugdale,"  a  handsome  quarto  volume,  printed  in  1827.  No 
fuller  proof  of  his  research  and  industry  need  be  adduced, 
than  the  notes  and  illustrations  which  accompany  that  public- 
ation. This,  with  all  its  labours  of  collecting,  arranging,  and 
elucidating,  was  a  most  delightful  occupation,  as  the  writer  of 
this  imperfect  tribute  to  his  memory  can  bear  testimony.* 
His  latter  days  were  in  part  amused  and  beguiled  by  prepar- 
ing for  the  press  an  Appendix  to  that  work,  consisting  of 
several  additional  letters  by  Sir  William,  his  son  John,  and 
others ;  extracts  from  a  recovered  volume  of  Sir  William's 
Diary ;  and  various  interesting  matter,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped 
will  be  printed,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  possess  the  original 
work. 

A  singular  curiosity  which  Mr.  Hamper  edited  in  1822 
deserves  to  be  mentioned.  It  is  entitled,  "  Two  Copies  of 
Verses,  on  the  meeting  of  King  Charles  the  First  and  his 
Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  in  the  valley  of  Kineton,  below 
Edge-hill,  in  Warwickshire,  July  13.  1643."  Of  these 
verses,  which  were  found  among  the  papers  of  Sir  William 
Dugdale,  Mr.  Hamper  printed  a  private  impression,  accom- 
panied with  an  engraving  of  the  silver  medal  struck  in  com- 
memoration of  the  event. 

We  shall  now  enumerate  Mr.  Hamper's  communications 
to  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  of  which  he  became  a  Fellow 
April  5.  1821.  Their  titles  are  as  follows:  —  In  1817,  Observ- 
ations on  the  Seal  of  Evesham  Abbey  in  Worcestershire, 
(printed  with  an  engraving  in  vol.  xix.  of  the  Archseologia, 
pp.  66—69.);  in  1818,  Observations  on  the  Site  of  the  Priory 
of  Holywell  in  Warwickshire,  a  Cell  to  Roucester  Abbey  in 
the  County  of  Stafford  (printed  ibid.  pp.  75 — 78.);  in  1820, 
The  Runic  Inscription  on  the  Font  at  Bridekirk  considered, 

*  In  his  introduction  to  the  volume,  after  expressing  his  obligation  to  several 
individuals  for  their  literary  contributions,  Mr.  Hamper  says :  — 

"  The  entire  volume  was  arranged  for  publication  during  the  evening  hours  of 
days  that  had  been  spent  in  active  duties  ;  a  circumstance  disclosed,  not  with  the 
hope  of  its  proving  an  excuse  for  defects,  but  rather  to  show  that  the  Editor's 
habits  are  in  strict  accordance  with  the  sentiment  conveyed  by  the  motto  of  the 
Dugdale  family, —  PESIIS  PATRICE  FIG  KATIES.  " 


WILLIAM    HAMPER,    ESQ.  345 

and  a  new  Interpretation  proposed  (ibid.  pp.  379 — 382.);  in 

1823,  Observations  on  a  gold  Ring  with  a  Runic  Inscription, 
in  the  possession  of  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen,  Pres.  S.A.  (ibid, 
vol.  xxi.  25 — 30.) ;  Sarcastic  Verses,  written  by  an  adherent  to 
the  House  of  Lancaster,  in  the  last  year  of  the  reign  of  Richard 
the  Second  (ibid.  pp.  88—91.);   Observations  on  the  Arms 
and  Seal  of  the  Town  of  Liverpool  (ibid.  pp.  543 — 546.);  in 

1824,  Explanation  of  a  Runic  Inscription  upon  a  Jasper  Ring 
belonging  to  Mr.  Cumberland  (ibid.  pp.  1175  118.);  Account 
of  a  Grave  in  the  Sand-rock  at  Lower  Stonnall,  Staffordshire 
(ibid.  548.) ;  in  1829,  A  Disquisition  on  a  passage  in  King 
Athelstan's  Grant  to  the  Abbey  of  Wilton  (vol.  xxii.  399 — 
402.) ;  A  Comment  on  a  Penny  of  Offa  King  of  Mercia  (xxiii. 
403 — 405.);  and,  in  1830,  A  Disquisition  on  the  member  in 
Architecture  called   an    Oriel  (ibid.  pp.  105— 116.). —  The 
several  articles  we  have  recited  (which  are  distinguished  for 
ingenuity  of  illustration,  and  a  condensed  apposite  style)  bear 
testimony  to  Mr.  Hamper's  varied  attainments  as  an  antiquary. 
In  his  philological  investigations  of  the  Runic  inscriptions,  he 
was  considered  peculiarly  successful ;  as  his  sagacity  has,  in 
more  than  one  instance,   most  satisfactorily  explained  what 
had  before  been  totally  misunderstood.     In  the  Saxon  lan- 
guage, and  the  Latinity  of  the  middle  ages,  he  was  equally 
well  versed.     The  beautiful  neatness  of  his  writing  has  been 
already  mentioned ;  and  so  complete  in  every  respect  was  the 
command  that  he  had  acquired  over  his  pen,  that  his  fac- 
similes of  autographs,  &c.  are  perfect  in  point  of  accuracy, 
and  his  trickings  of  ancient  seals  as  remarkable  for  their 
minute  correctness  as  for  their  number,  and  the  facility  with 
which  he  executed  them.     The  copies  he  industriously  made 
of  rolls  of  accounts,  charters,  deeds,  and  pedigrees,  are  as 
fair  as  print,  or  rather  as  copper-plate   engraving.     These 
manuscripts,   together  with  a  curious  collection  of  original 
letters  (for  each  of  which  he  provided  a  case  like  a  thin  book), 
and  his  valuable  library,  are  now  preparing  for  sale  by  Mr. 
Evans  of  Pall  Mall,  —  and  a  most  rare  and  choice  assemblage 
will  they  present.      Mr.  Hamper's  very  extensive  materials 


346  WILLIAM    HAMPER,    ESQ. 

for  a  distinct  History  of  Aston  and  Birmingham,  both  ancient 
and  modern,  and  which  it  was  one  of  his  cherished  ideas  to 
publish,  are  by  purchase  got  into  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Beilby, 
Knott,  and  Beilby,  of  Birmingham,  with  a  view  to  their  being 
printed. 

Mr.  Hamper  was  a  kind  and  sincere  friend,  an  excellent 
husband  and  parent,  and  a  most  devout  but  unpretending 
Christian.  His  amiable  disposition  and  pleasing  manners 
gained  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him  ;  and  even  those  who 
differed  from  him  in  political  opinions  could  not  avoid  admir- 
ing and  respecting  his  candour  and  disinterested  sincerity. 
Such  was  the  range  of  his  talent,  and  so  agreeable  his  society, 
that  whether  condescending  to  sport  with  children,  or  to  de- 
light and  inform  maturer  minds,  he  has  left  recollections  that 
will  not  easily  be  obliterated.  Possessed  of  great  natural 
taste,  a  cultivated  understanding,  playful  but  harmless  wit, 
and  an  excellent  memory,  such  were  the  irresistible  charms  of 
his  conversation,  that  he  was  the  centre  of  attraction  in  every 
society  he  joined.  His  letter-writing  was  the  very  beau  ideal 
of  perfection  ;  easy,  elegant,  clearly  expressed  ;  and,  whether 
grave  or  gay,  couched  in  language  as  remote  from  common? 
place  as  it  was  evidently  unstudied.  His  death  took  place  on 
the  3d  of  May,  1831,  at  Highgate,  near  Birmingham;  and 
his  remains  were  deposited  with  those  of  his  parents,  in  the 
churchyard  of  King's  Norton,  Warwickshire. 
.  Mr.  Hamper  married,  on  the  7th  November,  1803,  Jane, 
the  youngest  daughter  of  William  Sharp,  Esq.  of  Newport 
in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  a  gentleman  of  some  celebrity  amongst 
the  political  characters  of  the  day,  and  distinguished  for 
literary  taste  and  talent :  by  her  he  had  three  daughters,  now 
orphans,  their  mother  having  died  on  the  6th  of  June,  1829. 


34/7 


No.  XXVII. 
JAMES  NORTHCOTE,  ESQ.  R.  A. 

Now  that  the  venerable  Northcote  is  no  more,  it  appears  as 
if  the  last  link  which  connected  us  with  the  memory  of  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds  is  gone ;  for  he  was,  and  had  for  some  years 
been,  the  only  surviving  disciple  of  that  illustrious  painter. 

The  settlement  of  the  ancient  and  respectable  family  of  the 
Northcotes,  in  Devonshire,  may  be  traced  back  to  the  Con- 
quest, and  probably  to  an  anterior  period.  Of  this  family, 
which  has  given  several  high  sheriffs  to  the  county,  and  many 
representatives  of  it  to  parliament,  is  also  the  present  Sir 
Stafford  Henry  Northcote,  Bart.,  of  Pynes ;  whose  ancestor, 
John  Northcote,  Esq.,  of  Hayne,  in  the  county  of  Devon,  was 
elevated  to  that  dignity  on  the  16th  July,  1641.  The  manner 
in  which  Mr.  Northcote  himself  accounted  for  his  name  is 
whimsical,  and  might  not,  perhaps,  be  very  inaccurate  :  — • 
"  In  Devon,"  he  was  accustomed  to  say,  "  there  were  four 
cottages."  He  then  held  up  his  left  hand,  and  with  the  fore 
finger  of  the  right  he  deliberately  touched  each  of  the 
fingers  of  his  left,  adding,  "  The  cottages  stood  in  four  direc- 
tions :  there  was  East-cot,  North-cot,  South*cot  *,  and  West- 
cot.  Thus  originated  my  name." 

This  eminent  artist,  and  otherwise  highly  gifted  individual, 
was  born  at  Plymouth,  in  the  year  1746 ;  and  never  went  far 
from  his  native  town,  until  he  had  more  than  attained  the  age 
of  manhood.  He  evinced  his  predilection  for  the  arts  at  a 
very  early  period  of  life ;  but  received  no  encouragement  from 

*  If  the  name  of  Northcote  originated  as  above  described,  we  may  believe  that 
the  name  of  Joanna  Southcott  (the  prophetess),  who  was  born  in  the  same  county, 
originated  in  the  like  manner. 


348  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

his  father,  who  was  an  eminent  watchmaker,  and  who  ap- 
prenticed him  to  his  own  trade. 

After  he  had  served  his  time,  the  strong  bent  of  his  natural 
inclination  determined  him  to  abandon  the  mechanical  occu- 
pation in  which  he  had  hitherto  been  engaged,  and  to  devote 
himself  to  his  favourite  pursuits,  drawing  and  painting.  In 
these  he  manifested  so  much  ardour,  that  at  length,  through 
the  intervention  of  Dr.  John  Mudge,  F.  R.  S.,  a  physician  at 
Plymouth,  distinguished  for  some  scientific  works  on  the  Spe- 
culum, he  was  recommended  as  a  pupil  to  Sir  Joshua  Rey- 
nolds. Sir  Joshua  (who  was  himself  a  native  of  Plympton, 
not  far  from  Plymouth,)  was  an  old  friend  of  the  Mudge 
family;  and  on  his  tour  into  the  West  with  Dr.  Johnson,  in 
the  year  1762,  had  taken  the  great  moralist  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  John  Mudge,  then  a  surgeon,  and  introduced  him  to  the 
father,  the  Rev.  Zachariah  Mudge,  who  was  Vicar  of  St. 
Andrew's  in  Plymouth.  Mr.  Thomas  Mudge,  brother  to  the 
physician,  was  of  the  same  business  as  the  Northcotes,  having 
occupied  the  watchmaker's  shop  in  Fleet  Street,  London^ 
where  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Dutton,  a  name  which  still 
remains. 

Mr.  Northcote  had  nearly  reached  his  twenty-fifth  year 
when  he  arrived  in  London.  Although  Sir  Joshua  had  been 
induced  to  give  him  a  trial,  it  was  with  no  great  reliance  on 
his  talent ;  as  his  attainments  in  art,  which  had  been  obtained 
in  a  very  desultory  way,  bore  little  correspondence  with  those 
of  other  tyros  many  years  junior  to  himself.  Mr.  Northcote's 
diligence,  however,  soon  made  amends  for  his  deficiencies; 
and  his  improvement  was  rapid.  Of  an  age,  also,  to  become 
a  pleasant  companion  to  his  master,  and  connected  with  him 
by  provincial  associations,  he  quickly  became  a  favourite 
pupil ;  whilst  his  powerful  mind,  and  already  extraordinary 
talents  for  conversation,  enabled  him  to  avail  himself  of  all  the 
advantages  of  that  polished  society  which  was  accustomed  to 
resort  to  Sir  Joshua's  house.  Having  remained  domesticated 
there  for  five  years,  on  the  most  agreeable  terms,  in  May,  1776, 
he  reluctantly  quitted  that  delightful  abode ;  thinking  it  was  now 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  349 

time  to  do  something  for  himself,  in  which  opinion  his  pre- 
ceptor concurred,  saying,  "  I  hope  we  shall  assist  each  other 
as  long  as  we  live." 

On  leaving  Sir  Joshua,  Mr.  Northcote  commenced  portrait 
painter ;  and,  had  he  confined  himself  to  that  branch  of  art* 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  he  would  have  attained  eminence 
in  it,  as  he  had  a  just  perception  of  character,  and  his  style 
was  free  from  affectation.  However,  his  imagination  led  him 
to  the  indulgence  of  the  more  independent  and  pleasing, 
though  less  lucrative,  study  of  historical  painting.  In  further- 
ance of  this  object,  in  1777,  he  repaired  to  Italy,  where  he 
remained  about  three  years ;  during  which  time  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Imperial  Academy  at  Florence,  of 
the  Ancient  Etruscan  Academy  at  Cortona,  and  of  the  Aca- 
demy del  Forti  at  Rome.  He  was  also  requested  to  make  a 
portrait  of  himself,  to  be  placed  among  those  of  distinguished 
artists  which  grace  the  gallery  at  Florence :  the  picture  he 
presented  on  that  occasion  was  at  once  a  faithful  resemblance, 
and  an  exquisite  specimen  of  his  professional  skill.  Mr. 
Northcote  returned  to  this  country  in  1780;  having  visited,  on 
his  way,  all  the  repositories  of  the  Flemish  school. 

When  Mr.  Northcote  had  again  settled  at  home,  it  was 
soon  evident  that,  in  pursuing  the  study  of  design,  he  had  not 
mistaken  his  forte. 

About  this  period,  Mr.  Alderman  Boydell  had  accomplished 
an  undertaking  which  will  for  ever  render  his  memory  dear  to 
the  artist,  and  the  amateur  of  the  fine  arts.  The  art  of  en- 
graving had  not  been  successfully  practised  in  England,  until 
that  enlightened  tradesman  embarked  his  capital  in  its  pro- 
motion.' He  procured  the  loan  of  pictures  by  the  old  masters, 
from  the  collections  of  the  few  noblemen  and  gentlemen  who, 
at  that  time,  had  picture  galleries;  and  employed  artists  to 
copy  others  abroad :  from  these  he  engaged  the  best  en- 
gravers in  their  various  branches  to  make  engravings,  increas- 
ing the  remuneration  in  proportion  to  their  respective  exertions, 
and  to  the  success  of  his  speculation,  with  a  liberality  which 
would  have  become  a  prince.  Having  achieved  this  first  ex- 


350  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

peri  merit,  Mr.  Boydell  commissioned  several  of  our  most  dis- 
tinguished painters  to  produce  original  compositions  from 
history,  and  other  subjects ;  and  causing  these,  also,  to  be 
engraved  by  the  best  native  artists,  he  had  the  felicity  to  see 
a  school  of  engraving  established,  principally  under  his  au- 
spices, which  was  not  only  able  to  compete  with  that  of 
^France,  heretofore  the  first  in  the  world,  but  which  turned 
the  balance  of  the  print  trade,  as  ten  to  one,  in  favour  of 
England. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  being,  at  that  time,  one  of  the 
most  promising  painters  of  the  British  school,  was  employed 
by  Mr.  Boydell,  and  by  other  printsellers,  who,  influenced  by 
the  worthy  Alderman's  success,  became  publishers ;  and  prints 
from  the  designs  of  Northcote  were  to  be  seen,  framed  and 
glazed,  on  the  walls  of  the  higher  order  of  dwellings  in  every 
part  of  the  kingdom.  One  of  the  most  admired,  entitled 
"  The  Village  Doctress,"  had  for  several  years  a  considerable 
sale.  It  was,  in  fact,  by  familiar  subjects  of  this  class,  painted 
from  their  prototypes  in  nature,  and  thus  circulated  by  the  aid 
of  engraving,  that  a  general  feeling  in  favour  of  the  graphic 
arts  was  first  excited  throughout  the  country. 

The  time,  however,  was  approaching  when  a  new  and  a 
higher  impulse  was  to  be  given  to  the  native  schools  of  painting 
and  engraving,  by  the  formation  of  the  Shakspeare  Gallery. 
About  the  year  1 786,  a  scheme  was  suggested,  to  form  a  col- 
lection of  pictures  illustrative  of  our  great  dramatic  author, 
which  were  to  be  publicly  exhibited,  with  a  view  to  the  pro- 
duction of  a  splendid  work  in  folio  in  honour  of  the  Bard  of 
Avon.  Mr.  Boydell  at  once  adopted  the  proposal  for  this 
great  national  undertaking ;  and,  commencing  with  enthusi- 
astic zeal,  this  munificent  commercialist  supplied  the  funds, 
.and  gave  employment  to  every  distinguished  painter  in  the 
empire. 

It  was  this  memorable  occasion  that  enabled  Northcote  to 
develope  his  powers.     The  public  excitement  at  the  opening 
of  the  Shakspeare  Gallery  exceeded  the  expectations  of  even 
the  most  sanguine.     All  the  fashionable  world,  and  crowds  of 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ,  351 

every  class,  flocked  to  Pall  Mall  to  behold  the  interesting 
sight,  and  subscriptions  poured  in  from  every  quarter  in  sup- 
port of  the  glorious  novelty.  Amongst  the  many  splendid 
efforts  of  British  art  which  were  thus  collected  together,  none 
were  more  justly  attractive  than  the  compositions  of  North- 
cote.  The  scene  of  the  smothering  of  the  royal  children  in 
the  Tower  of  London  ;  that  of  taking  their  bodies  secretly  by 
torch-light  for  interment  at  the  foot  of  the  stone  steps ;  the 
subject  of  Arthur  and  Hubert ;  and  others  by  his  pencil,  cer^ 
tainly  may  be  reckoned  amongst  the  best  specimens  of  the 
state  of  British  art  at  this  flourishing  period  of  its  history. 
These  works  manifestly  proved  how  successfully  as  a  colourist 
he  had  imbibed  the  feelings  of  his  illustrious  master.  North- 
cote  had  now  attained  to  the  zenith  of  his  fame ;  and  he  re- 
ceived the  reward  of  it  by  being  elected  an  Associate  of  the 
Royal  Academy,  on  the  6th  of  November,  1786  ;  and  a  Royal 
Academician  on  the  13th  of  February,  1787. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted,  however,  that  a  project  thus 
auspiciously  begun,  and  thus  promising,  but  too  soon  satiated 
that  public  curiosity  which,  ever  seeking  novelty,  turns  to-day 
with  apathy  from  that  on  which  yesterday  it  dwelt  with  de- 
light ;  and  which  leaves,  without  remorse,  full  hope  to  fast 
with  disappointment.  The  Shakspeare  Gallery  speculation 
proved  an  entire  failure;  and  the  venerable  Boydell,  in  his 
patriotic  endeavour  to  still  further  advance  the  interest  of 
the  arts  of  his  country — made  a  wreck  of  his  fortune  !  The 
eclat  which  certain  painters  obtained  during  the  short  season 
of  popularity  which  the  Shakspeare  Gallery  experienced 
began  also  to  decline ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  North- 
cote,  and  some  others,  seem  to  have  lost  much  of  their  wonted 
energy  from  this  unfortunate  epoch.  It  is  true  that  they  still 
continued  to  paint,  and  laboured  long  and  steadily ;  but  the  fire 
that  was  kindled  on  the  establishing  of  this  national  competi- 
tion for  fame  soon  burnt  with  less  ardour ;  and  the  flame  by 
degrees  could  scarcely  warm  the  genius  that  gave  it  birth. 

Mr.  Northcote  from  this  period  divided    his  professional 
labours   among  historical   composition,  fancy  subjects,    and 


352  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

portraiture ;  until,  becoming  enamoured  of  the  dramatic  style 
of  art,  he  was  induced  to  paint  a  series  of  moral  subjects, 
illustrative  of  virtue  and  vice,  in  the  progress  of  two  young 
women.  It  would  seem  that  these  were  intended  to  rival  the 
works  of  Hogarth;  but,  although  the  main  points  of  this 
graphic  drama  bore  directly  upon  the  subject,  the  characters 
were  certainly  wanting  in  that  great  and  most  essential  pro- 
perty,—  expression;  to  say  nothing  of  the  general  deficiency 
of  the  series  in  the  painter-like  execution,  which  is  so  admir- 
ably displayed  in  the  Marriage  d-la-mode  and  other  works  of 
Hogarth.  We  are  led  to  speak  thus  freely  of  these  Ho- 
garthian  subjects  by  Northcote,  as  a  set-off  against  the  un- 
qualified expressions  of  contempt  which  he  was  wont  to  use 
when  reproving  Hogarth's  vanity  in  attempting  the  grand 
gusto  of  composition.  Hogarth,  no  doubt,  committed  himself 
by  his  departure  from  that  style  of  design  by  which  he  so  de- 
servedly obtained  his  reputation;  but  his  attempt  at  the  epic 
of  painting,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  was  not  a  degree  lower  on 
the  scale  of  excellence  than  Northcote's  attempt  at  this  species 
of  composition. 

It  is  evident  that  Mr.  Northcote  never  painted  but  with  his 
mind's  eye  steadily  fixed  upon  the  colouring  of  Sir  Joshua ; 
although  he  not  unfrequently  fancied  that  he  was  proceeding 
like  Titian,  Rubens,  or  Vandyke.  His  sojourn  in  Rome,  and 
his  visits  to  other  parts  of  Italy,  wrought  so  little  change  in 
his  style,  that  no  one  could  discover  the  least  appearance  of 
that  severity  of  manner  which  is  so  peculiar  to  the  Roman  and 
other  Italian  masters ;  and  which  may  be  quoted  in  obvious 
contradistinction  to  the  style  of  the  British  school.  His  pic- 
tures are  distinguished  for  their  fine  breadth  of  light  and 
shade;  and  most  of  his  historical  works  display  an  extensive 
and  accurate  acquaintance  with  the  subject  treated,  much 
study,  and  that  force  of  conception  which  is  the  true  charac- 
teristic of  genius.  For  a  period  of  above  thirty  years,  his 
productions  may  be  said  to  have  borne  a  conspicuous  part  in 
the  exhibitions  at  Somerset  House ;  and,  even  till  within  the 
last  year  of  his  life,  a  season  rarely  elapsed  at  the  British  In- 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  353 

stitution,  or  the  Gallery  of  the  British  Artists,  without  pre- 
senting one  or  more  efforts  of  his  pencil.  It  is  astonishing 
with  what  firmness  he  painted,  to  the  last;  but,  latterly,  his 
eye,  keen  as  it  was,  and  brilliant  with  the  light  of  mind,  failed 
in  its  nice  distinction,  appropriation,  and  harmony  of  colour. 

That  Mr.  Northcote  was  enthusiastic  in  the  pursuit  of  his 
art,  may  be  inferred  from  many  expressions  which  escaped 
him  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment  when  speaking  of  certain 
works  of  the  great  masters.  He  took  delight  in  painting 
wild  animals,  both  beasts  and  birds;  and  on  one  occasion, 
whilst  making  a  study  of  a  vulture  from  nature,  he  laid  down 
his  palette,  and  clasping  his  hands,  exclaimed,  "  I  lately  be- 
held an  eagle  painted  by  Titian ;  and  if  Heaven  would  give 
me  the  power  to  achieve  such  a  work,  I  would  then  be  con- 
tent to  die  ! "  Another  expression  to  which  he  once  gave  ut- 
terance, though  almost  the  converse  of  the  preceding  in  regard 
to  sentiment,  is  equally  characteristic  of  his  passionate  love  of 
art.  "  If  Providence,"  said  he,  "  were  to  leave  me  the  liberty 
to  select  my  heaven,  I  should  be  content  to  occupy  my  little 
painting-room,  with  a  continuance  of  the  happiness  I  have 
experienced  there ;  even  for  ever." 

In  that  same  little  painting-room,  in  his  house  in  Argyll 
Place,  he  pursued  his  art  for  nearly  half  a  century,  in  peace 
and  unmolested.  His  habits  were  economical :  and  his  time 
was  valued  with  correspondent  care;  for,  devoted  as  he  was 
to  conversation,  he  worked  and  talked  at  the  same  time,  and 
did  not  pay,  but  only  received  visits  for  the  sake  of  a  gossip. 
He  had  much  of  the  cynical  spirit  too  prevalent  with  artists, 
and  with  the  members  of  other  professions,  of  depreciating 
the  works  and  characters  of  their  fellow-labourers ;  yet  he 
was  one  of  those  philosophers  who  at  the  same  time  do  not 
forfeit  the  name  of  philanthropists, — kind-hearted  men  who, 
notwithstanding  their  accomplishments  in  the  art  of  reviling 
any  body  that  crosses  their  path,  are  yet  ready  to  go  out  of 
the  road  to  do  a  kindness  for  any  body.  Opie  he  always 
spared — living  and  dead  he  would  stoutly  defend  his  reput- 
ation against  all  opponents :  and  so  great  was  his  veneration 

VOL.  XVI.  A  A 


354<  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

for  his  preceptor  Reynolds,  that  he  would  never  allow  any 
one  to  utter  aught  to  the  disparagement  of  his  memory  but 
himself;  ancUeven  then  he  never  failed  to  extenuate  by  com- 
ment whatever  he  had  said  unkindly  of  Sir  Joshua;  as  though 
he  owed  it  in  piety  to  the  venerated  spirit  of  his  master,  which 
might,  perhaps,  be  hovering  near  him.  A  certain  nobleman, 
whilst  sitting  to  Northcote  for  his  portrait,  was  drawing  a 
comparison  between  Sir  Joshua  and  the  ancient  masters,  to 
the  disadvantage  of  our  great  painter.  Northcote  battled  it 
out  bravely  in  his  defence.  "  But,  Sir,"  said  his  Lordship, 
"look  at  the  grace,  the  feeling  of  Raffaele."  "Feeling! 
feeling  ! "  emphatically  echoed  the  artist ;  "  Reynolds  was  all 
feeling ;  —  the  ancients  were  baysts*  (beasts)  in  feeling."f 

Mr.  Northcote  was  of  low  stature,  being  very  little  above 
five  feet  in  height,  and  spare  withal.  He  was,  indeed,  a  per- 
fect model  for  Shakspeare's  Apothecary.  It  had  been  for 
many  years  his  custom  to  take  an  early  morning  walk.  When 
he  returned,  he  breakfasted,  and  went  to  his  studio.  About 
eleven  in  the  forenoon,  unless  he  was  engaged  with  a  sitter 
for  a  portrait,  his  levee  commenced.  It  rarely  happened  that 
he  remained  alone :  not  unfrequently  two  or  three  held  him 
in  conversation  at  the  same  time ;  and  it  often  occurred  that 
one  friend  succeeded  another  until  five  o'clock,  the  time  ap- 
pointed for  his  dinner.  Whatever  picture  he  had  in  hand, 
he  almost  invariably  proceeded  upon  it  without  the  appearance 
of  being  interrupted  by  those  who  surrounded  him.  His 
knocker  was  constantly  sounding,  and  he  was  rarely  denied. 
Those  who  were  in  the  most  familiar  habits  of  intimacy,  were 
allowed  to  walk  up  stairs  to  his  little  painting-room.  On 
rapping  at  the  door,  it  was  opened  by  Northcote,  palette, 
pencil,  and  malstick  in  hand.  His  general  salutation,  ac- 

*  Mr.  Northcote  spoke  with  the  provincial  pronunciation  of  the  west  of 
England,  as  did  also  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 

t  The  Editor  of  this  volume  was,  many  years  ago,  standing  opposite  Vandyke's 
celebrated  Portrait  of  Govartius  (now  in  the  National  Gallery),  when,  suddenly 
finding  Mr.  Northcote  by  his  side,  he  ventured  to  say  —  "  This  fine  head  must 
give  you  great  pleasure,  Sir." —  "  How  inferior  to  Sir  Joshua  !  "  was  the  instant 
and  brief  answer. 


JAMES   NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  355 

companied  by  a  searching  glance  of  his  acute  eye,  was,  "  O ! 
—  what — is  it  you?"  He  then  recommenced  painting;  and, 
turning  towards  the  new-comer  as  he  was  about  to  replenish 
his  palette  with  a  squeeze  of  white,  or  blue,  or  black,  he  would 
ask  some  shrewd  question  touching  the  proceedings  of  any  one 
who  might  be  the  talk  of  the  day,  whether  in  a  political,  civil, 
or  professional  capacity ;  and  having  obtained  an  answer,  re- 
turning to  his  picture,  he  would  begin  his  commentaries,  and 
by  degrees  illustrate  the  subject  by  an  extent  of  information, 
sometimes  bearing  directly  upon  the  point,  or  at  others  by  in- 
genious digression,  which  might  be  compared  with  the  rich 
style  of  thinking  that  characterised  some  of  the  reasonings  of 
the  sterling  old  Reviews. 

The  following  anecdote  is  related  of  him  while  he  was  em- 
ployed in  painting,  for  the  Shakspeare  Gallery,  his  picture  of 
"  The  Entrance  into  London  of  Richard  II.  and  Bolingbroke." 
For  this  fine  work  he  had  collected  a  most  multifarious  as- 
semblage of  materials.  He  painted  it  in  his  front  drawing- 
room; —  easels,  tables,  chairs,  stools,  boards  as  spacious 
shelves  crazily  propped  up,  limbless  lay- figures,  tattered  dra- 
peries, mutilated  plaster  casts  of  busts,  masks,  trunks,  arms, 
hands,  legs,  and  feet,  painted  studies  by  himself  and  others, 
prints  almost  innumerable  (including  a  pretty  sprinkling  of 
mezzotintos^  from  Sir  Joshua),  portraits  in  armour  from  Van- 
dyke, helmets,  cuirasses,  gauntlets,  greaves,  corslets,  battle- 
axes,  swords,  daggers,  and  other  ancient  implements  of 
"  murderous  war,"  with  a  variety  of  curious  matters  sufficient 
to  stock  the  museum  of  a  veritable  virtuoso,  lay  in  disorder 
around;  and  in  the  midst,  elevated  on  a  temporary  stage,  the 
diminutive  author  of  the  great  composition  stood,  driving  his 
work  in  with  hog- tool,  fitch,  and  sweetener. 

"Well!"  ejaculated  the  painter,  turning  and  eyeing  the 
surrounding  group  of  visiters,  "and  what  d'e  think  of  it?" 
"  I  think  you  are  proceeding  admirably,"  said  one.  "  This 
will  certainly  be  a  hit,  Mr.  Northcote,"  said  another.  "  O  ! 
ye  think  so,  do  'e  ! "  The  painter  was  pleased :  he  was  not 
always  proof  against  flattery :  indeed,  he  owned  that  a  little 

A  A  2 


356  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

of  that  commodity  was  grateful, — when  a  third  exclaimed  in 
ecstasy,  "  Mr.  Northcote,  your  horse  is  marvellously  fine — you 
have  rivalled  Rubens  ! " 

Northcote  remained  silent  for  a  while ;  when,  looking  fiercely 
from  his  height  down  upon  his  panegyrist,  he  exclaimed, 
"  D'e  take  me  for  an  idiot  ?  As  well  might  ye  compare  me  in 
stature  to  the  Colossus  of  Rhodes  I  —  It  is  not  like  Rubens  I 

—  I  fear  it  is  scarcely  like  a  horse  I" 

Whilst  he  was  yet  engaged  on  this  large  picture,  as  it 
advanced  towards  completion,  Mr.  John  Kemble  made  a 
morning  call  with  some  friends,  amateurs  of  the  drama,  all  of 
whom  complimented  the  painter  on  the  success  of  his  work, 
Kemble  observed,  "  Shakspeare  is  much  indebted  to  you,  and 
other  professors  of  your  imitative  pursuits,  for  the  many 
splendid  personifications  with  which  you  will  identify  your  art 
with  his  knowledge  of  nature."  "  I  would  willingly  return 
you  the  civility  in  kind,"  replied  Northcote ;  "  your  acting, 
and  that  of  my  late  friend  Garrick,  appear  to  me  to  be  very  fine  j 
but  I  am  not  sure  that  our  mutual  compliments  would  be 
creditable  to  either.  For  my  own  part,  I  should  not  very 
willingly  submit  the  test  to  Shakspeare,  fearing  that  my  per- 
ceptions would  fall  infinitely  short  of  his :"  adding,  with  a 
complacent  smile,  "  Might  he  not  say,  we  had  all  of  us  sacri- 
ficed his  meaning  to  stage  effect  ?  "  Kemble  was  not  entirely 
of  this  opinion.  "  You  have  often  seen  Garrick,  Mr.  North- 
cote ;  and  do  you  not  think  his  perception  of  Shakspeare  was 
just ? "  "I  am  a  painter,  and  cannot  be  supposed  to  be  a 
competent  judge.  You  are  not  a  painter,  and  think,  or  at 
least  affect  to  think,  highly  of  my  work  :  I  can  abstract  my 
mind  sufficiently  to  know  that  it  is  not  like  enough  to  Nature 
to  be  like  Shakspeare;  and,  to  speak  truly,  I  have  never  seen 
acting  such  a&  I  conceive  could  be  approved  by  him."  — 
"  Nay!"  interrupted  Kemble  and  his  friends. —  "  I  say  Ay!" 
exclaimed  Northcote  with  vehemence ;  "  I  will  be  more  plain 

—  I  have  never  witnessed  acting  that  was  not  a  trick;   ay, 
such  as  Shakspeare  could  not  have  endured  ?  "     Kemble  had 
scarcely  quitted  the  threshold,  than  he  observed,  "  I  cannot 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  357 

but  admire  the  little  cynic's  candour ;  but  methinks  he  might 
be  somewhat  more  courteous," 

A  professional  friend  of  Northcote's  had  lately  obtained  an 
employment  which  brought  him  occasionally  into  the  presence 
of  Royalty.  Northcote  was  anxious  to  discover  what  passed 
at  the  first  interview ;  and  he  asked  all  who  happened  to  be 
acquainted  with  him  for  information  on  the  subject.  No  one 
had  heard,  and  consequently  no  one  could  tell.  At  length  the 
party  himself  knocked  at  the  door  of  his  sanctum.  Northcote 
eyed  him  with  unusual  complacency,  and  added,  to  his  salu- 
tation of  "O!  what,  is  it  you?"  "  Come  in — I  am  verily 
about  to  give  up  the  ghost  in  my  fever  of  curiosity  to  know  all 
about  it." 

"  About  what  ?  "  replied  his  friend  with  surprise. 

"  About  what ! "  echoed  Northcote  :  "  Why  hav'n't  'e  seen 
the  King,  and  hav'n't  'e  seen  the  Queen  ?  Gude  God  !  I  ex- 
pected to  have  heard  that  you  were  in  the  seventh  heaven,  or 
confined  in  St.  Luke's." 

"  O !  yes,  I  have  been  introduced  to  their  Majesties  ; 
but " 

"  O !  then  I  see  you  will  make  nothing  of  it." 

"  Make  !  why  no :  I  had  the  honour  of  a  pretty  long  con- 
versation with  each,  but  I  have  heard  nothing  further." 

"  You  were  not  overawed,  then,  in  the  royal  presence?" 

"  Not  at  all.  I  spoke  upon  the  subject,  employment,  — 
saving  that  I  hope  I  was  not  wanting  in  deference  to  the  royal 
personages,  —  as  I  would  talk  to  you." 

"  O  !  then  assure  yourself  that  you  can  henceforth  be 
spared.  I  began  to  envy  you  your  new  honours :  I  would 
not  now  purchase  the  reversion  of  your  share  of  kingly 
patronage,  — no,  not  at  the  price  of  a  week's  pay  of  a  royal 
turn-broach." 

"You  may  perchance  be  mistaken,  my  friend." 

"  Think  you  so  ?  I  have  lived  a  few  years  longer  than  you. 
There  was  Sir  Joshua;  he  was  commissioned  to  paint  their 
Majesties  —  the  splendid  whole-lengths  for  the  council-cham- 
ber at  the  Royal  Academy  —  indubitably  two  of  the  finest 

A  A  3 


358  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

portraits  in  the  world.     He  executed  his  commission ;  but  he 
was  never  employed  by  their  Majesties  again." 

"  You  surprise  me,  Mr.  Northcote.  —  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Why  not !  —  Why,  because  he  was  a  great  man  and  a 
philosopher.  He  felt  his  own  dignity,  and  was  not  at  all  over- 
awed in  the  royal  presence.'* 

"  You  really  astonish  me  ;  I  should  have  thought,  from  the 
estimate  which  I  had  formed  in  my  own  mind  of  Sir  Joshua's 
manners,  that  such  amiable  personages  as  the  King  and 
Queen  would  have  delighted  in  his  conversation,  and  honoured 
him  with  their  patronage  in  preference  to  all  other  painters. 
The  easy  dignity  of  his  manners,  his  suavity,  his  great  reputa- 
tion, his  moral  character,  his  — " 

"  Just  so  :  but  what  then  ?  " 

"  And  have  I  not  heard  you  say  that  he  was  courteous  to 
every  one?  that  his  manners  were  so  condescending  and 
gracious,  that  even  a  journeyman  frame-maker,  sent  by  his 
master  to  take  measure  of  a  picture,  and  to  receive  orders  for  a 
frame,  went  away  elevated  in  his  own  self-esteem  from  the 
gratification  of  the  interview  ?" 

"  Even  so.  Such  a  man  one  would  be  almost  induced  to 
think  was  born  to  be  a  king,  —  but  certainly  not  to  be  a 
courtier.  Bless  thee,  soul  !  how  artless  'e  be  !  Can't  'e  see 
that  one  of  his  native  dignity  was  more  likely  to  strike  awe 
into  the  King  and  Queen,  who  were  comparatively  young  and 
inexperienced,  than  for  he  to  be  overawed  by  they  ?  The  one 
was  only  king  of  a  great  nation ;  whilst  the  other  was  the 
greatest  painter  in  the  world.  Hence  the  balance  of  greatness 
preponderating  on  the  side  of  the  subject,  the  King,  sensibly 
conscious,  from  the  ease  and  self-dependence  of  manner  of  the 
painter,  which  was  the  greater  man  of  the  two,  looked  at  the 
Queen  with  an  expression  which  intimated,  4  The  sooner  we  are 
relieved  from  the  annoyance  of  these  sittings,  the  more  agree- 
able : '  and  it  was  settled  that  they  would  never  expose  them- 
selves to  a  similar  experience." 

"  You  lay  down  the  law  by  a  code  of  your  own,  my  worthy 
friend  ;  and,  though  I  admit,  with  deference  to  your  dramatic 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  359 

invention,  that  it  might  pass  with  many  for  vraisemblance,  — 
I  must  say,  it  will  never  do,  Master  Northcote  ! " 

The  painter  laid  down  his  palette  for  a  moment,  and  eyeing 
his  visiter  with  the  fierceness  of  a  cockatrice,  exclaimed, 
"  Lord  !  I  did  not  think  'e  so  weak  ! "  then  raising  his  voice, 
"  I  know  that  I  am  right.  The  King  and  Queen  could  not 
endure  the  presence  of  him ;  he  was  poison  to  their  sight. 
One  or  the  other  must  give  place.  Reynolds  performed  his 
task  unembarrassedly ;  he  proceeded  with  their  likenesses  as 
though  he  were  studying  from  marble  statues:  he  was  na- 
turally polite;  but  only  answered  questions  as  he  would  to 
any  individual  lady  and  gentleman,  saving  that  he  forgot  not  to 
designate  his  royal  sitters  becomingly.  His  hand  was  as  firm 
as  his  voice  —  neither  faltered  ;  and  he  worked  with  reference 
to  naught  but  his  future  fame ;  his  philosophic  mind  was  ab- 
stracted to  the  one  single  object,  —  that  of  producing  a  fine 
picture." 

"  Well,  my  friend,  you  may  be  right." 

"  I  know  I  be  right,"  resuming  his  palette  and  proceeding ; 
"  I  could  illustrate  the  case  a  thousand  ways  if  I  were  not 
better  employed."  Fancy  the  painter  now  driving  his  colour 
with  inveteracy,  and,  after  a  silent  pause  of  half  a  minute  or 
so,  rejoining,  "  No ;  the  people  to  make  their  way  at  Court 
must  be  constituted  of  different  material  to  he.  Doubtless, 
he  would  have  been  gratified  by  the  honour  of  the  royal 
countenance ;  any  one,  indeed,  would,  if  he  were  not  a  cox* 
comb  or  a  fool :  but  Reynolds  loved  his  independence ;  he  had 
a  great,  a  glorious  object  in  view,  which  he  could  accomplish 
without  the  smile  of  royalty.  Do  not  suppose  he  was  ignor- 
ant of  the  value  of  royal  favour.  —  No ;  Reynolds  had  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  world :  he  would  have  gladly 
possessed  it ;  but  the  price  would  have  cost  him  too  much." 

The  painter  now  seemed  wrapped  in  the  subject  he  was 
painting  ;  when  his  visiter  happening  to  express  his  doubts  as 
to  the  orthodoxy  of  his  dictum,  Northcote  at  once  was  roused 
to  give  utterance  to  the  climax.  "  I  tell  'e,  both  King  and 
Queen  felt  so  ill  at  ease  in  the  presence  of  such  a  being,  that, 

A  A  4 


360  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

shrinking  into  themselves,  actually  overawed  by  his  intellectual 
superiority,  they  inwardly  prayed  to  God  that  a  trap-door 
might  open  under  the  feet  of  the  throne,  by  which  they  might 
escape ;  —  his  presence  to  botli  was  terrible." 

Thus  hyperbolically  was  he  wont  to  talk,  when  his  mind 
was  divided  between  conversation  and  painting,  and  thus  was 
he  impatient  of  contradiction. 

"  It  is  the  same  with  kings  as  with  the  public  headsman  : 
—  if  the  prisoner  be  overawed,  the  executioner  does  his  duty 
without  trepidation ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  victim  deport 
himself  with  dignified  intrepidity,  the  headsman  will  stand 
appalled,  totally  unnerved,  and  incompetent  to  strike  the  fatal 
blow.  So  it  happened  when  the  two  rebel  lords,  as  they  were 
designated,  Kilmarnock  and  Balmarino,  were  about  to  lose 
their  heads  on  a  scaffold  on  Tower  Hill,  in  George  the 
Second's  reign.  Kilmarnock  was  a  nervous  man ;  he  trembled, 
was  pale,  and  betrayed  every  demonstration  of  fear  at  the 
sight  of  the  terrible  apparatus  of  death.  He  knelt,  laid  his 
head  upon  the  block,  and  it  was  stricken  from  his  body  at  a 
blow.  Balmarino  now  ascended  the  scaffold :  his  look  was 
intrepid;  his  step  was  firm;  and,  slapping  the  executioner 
upon  the  shoulder,  with  a  loud  voice  and  unfaltering  tongue, 
he  exclaimed :  '  You  are  a  brave  fellow,  and  have  done  your 
work  dexterously.  Here  is  a  purse  for  you  ;  it  contains  not 
much  —  five  guineas  only ;  but  I  am  a  poor  gentleman,  it  is 
all  I  can  afford  to  give.  Now,  despatch  me  with  equal  skill/ 
Lord  !  the  man  was  not  used  to  encounter  such  a  great 
creature ;  he  appeared  to  be  a  superior  being  :  the  executioner 
could  not  stand  in  his  presence,  it  was  too  awful  for  him ;  the 
wretch  was  at  once  unmanned,  he  was  in  a  tremor  from  head 
to  foot,  and  incapable  of  doing  his  duty ;  he  mangled  the  neck 
of  the  brave  lord ;  and,  as  he  struck  the  last  feeble  stroke, 
was  himself  about  to  give  up  the  ghost.  Hitherto,  mark  ye, 
he  had  been  the  great  man,  important  by  virtue  of  his  office ; 
but,  behold  !  one  so  infinitely  greater  than  he  had  been  wont 
to  see,  reduced  him  to  his  own  insignificance ;  and  he,  who 
had  sent  so  many  out  of  the  world  with  all  the  dignity  of  his 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.^  36l 

calling,  was  now  ready  to  fall  on  his  knees,  and  beg  forgive- 
ness of  the  victim  he  was  legally  employed  to  despatch. 

"  No ;  in  such  interviews,  either  with  Kings,  or  with  their 
headsman,  one  of  the  two  must  stand  in  awe ;  and  the  dignity, 
you  will  observe,  sometimes  will  change  hands. 

"  Now,  the  most  grateful  incense  you  can  carry  to  the  foot 
of  the  throne  is  humility.  The  celebrated  Miss man- 
aged the  affair  well :  when  she  obtained  an  interview  with 
her  Majesty  Queen  Charlotte,  she  crawled  to  the  foot  of 
royalty,  and,  with  hysterical  sobbings,  expressed  her  over- 
whelming joy  at  the  thought  of  the  length  of  days  which  this 
honour,  this  too  gracious  and  over-condescending  goodness  of 
her  Majesty,  would  add  to  her  beloved  mother's  happiness. 
The  Queen,  good  lady,  never  felt  so  delighted  in  her  life  as 
on  this  occasion  of  the  prostration  of  one  of  the  cleverest  and 
most  distinguished  of  women,  thus  elevating  her  to  the  im- 
portance almost  of  a  deity.  Miss henceforth  lived  en- 
vied, always  flourishing  in  the  golden  sunbeams  that  emanate 
from  the  throne ;  for  she  had  the  felicity,  on  good  report,  to 
become  a  favourite  with  their  Majesties  the  most  august 
King  and  Queen,  and  all  the  Royal  Family  ! " 
.  Northcote  may  be  excused  for  these  mistaken  reveries 
touching  courtiers  and  the  Court,  when  it  is  known  that  he 
was  too  honest  a  cynic  to  indulge  in  such  reflections,  and  yet 
play  the  courtier  himself. 

A  certain  Royal  Duke  was  at  the  head  of  those  who  cha- 
peroned Master  Betty,  the  Young  Roscius,  at  the  period  when 
the  furor  of  fashion  made  all  the  beau  monde  consider  it  an 
enviable  honour  to  be  admitted  within  throne-distance  of  the 
boy  actor.  Amongst  others  who  obtained  the  privilege  of 
making  a  portrait  of  this  chosen  favourite  of  Fortune,  was 
Mr.  Northcote. 

The  Royal  Duke  to  whom  we  allude  was  in  the  habit  of 
taking  Master  Betty  to  Argyll  Place  in  his  own  carriage ;  and 
there  were  usually  three  or  four  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  rank, 
who  either  accompanied  his  Royal  Highness,  or  met  him 
at  the  studio  of  the  artist. 


362  JAMES   NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

Northcote,  nothing  awed  by  the  splendid  coteries  thus  as- 
sembled, maintained  his  opinions  upon  all  subjects  that  were 
discussed, —  and  his  independence  obtained  for  him  general 
respect :  though  one  pronounced  him  a  cynic ;  another  an 
eccentric;  another  a  humourist;  another  a  free-thinker;  and 
the  prince,  with  manly  taste,  in  the  nautical  phrase,  dubbed 
him  a  d d  honest,  independent,  little  old  fellow." 

One  day,  however,  the  Royal  Duke,  being  left  with  only 

Lady ,  the  Young  Roscius,  and  the  painter,  and  his 

patience  being,  perhaps,  worn  a  little  with  the  tedium  of  an 
unusually  long  sitting,  thought  to  beguile  an  idle  minute  by 
quizzing  the  personal  appearance  of  the  Royal  Academician. 
Northcote  at  no  period  of  life  was  either  a  buck,  a  blood, 
a  fop,  or  a  maccaroni :  he  soon  despatched  the  business  of 
dressing  when  a  young  man ;  and,  as  he  advanced  to  a  later 
period,  he  certainly  could  not  be  called  a  dandy.  The  loose 
gown  in  which  he  painted  was  principally  composed  of  shreds 
and  patches,  and  might,  perchance,  be  half  a  century  old  ;  his 
white  hair  was  sparingly  bestowed  on  each  side,  and  his  cra- 
nium was  entirely  bald.  The  royal  visiter,  standing  behind 
him  whilst  he  painted,  first  gently  lifted,  or  rather  twitched 
the  collar  of  the  gown  ;  which  Mr.  Northcote  resented  by  sud- 
denly turning  and  expressing  his  displeasure  by  a  frown. 
Nothing  daunted,  his  Royal  Highness  presently,  with  his 
finger,  touched  the  professor's  grey  locks,  observing,  "  You 
do  not  devote  much  time  to  the  toilette,  I  perceive  —  pray 
how  long?" 

Northcote  instantly  replied,  "  Sir,  I  never  allow  any  one  to 
take  personal  liberties  with  me; — you  are  the  first  who  ever 
presumed  to  do  so,  and  I  beg  your  Royal  Highness  to  recol- 
lect that  I  am  in  my  own  house."  He  then  resumed  his 
painting. 

The  Prince,  whatever  he  thought  or  felt,  kept  it  to  himself; 
and  remaining  silent  for  some  minutes,  Mr.  Northcote  ad- 
dressed his  conversation  to  the  lady,  when  the  Royal  Duke, 
gently  opening  the  door  of  the  studio,  shut  it  after  him,  and 
walked  away. 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,   ESQ.  363 

Northcote  did  not  quit  his  post,  but  proceeded  with  the 
picture.  It  happened  that  the  royal  carriage  was  not  ordered 
until  five  o'clock ;  —  it  was  now  not  four.  Presently  the 
Royal  Duke  returned,  re-opened  the  door,  and  said,  "  Mr. 
Northcote,  it  rains ;  pray  lend  me  an  umbrella."  Northcote, 
without  emotion,  rang  the  bell :  the  servant  attended  ;  and  he 
desired  her  to  bring  her  mistress's  umbrella,  that  being  the 
best  in  the  house,  and  sufficiently  handsome.  The  Royal 
Duke  patiently  waited  for  it  in  the  back  drawing-room,  the 
studio  door  still  open  ;  when,  having  received  it,  he  again 
walked  down  stairs,  attended  by  the  female  servant :  on  her 
opening  the  street-door,  his  Royal  Highness  thanked  her, 
and,  spreading  the  umbrella,  departed. 

"  Surely  his  Royal  Highness  is  not  gone,  —  I  wish  you 

would  allow  me  to  ask,"  said  Lady .  "  Certainly  his 

Royal  Highness  is  gone,"  replied  Northcote ;  "  but  I  will  en- 
quire at  your  instance."  The  bell  was  rung  again,  and  the 
servant  confirmed  the  assertion. 

"  Dear  Mr.  Northcote,"  said  Lady —,  "  I  fear  you  have 

highly  offended  his  Royal  Highness."  "  Madam,"  replied 

the  painter,  "  I  am  the  offended  party."  Lady made 

no  remark  except  wishing  that  her  carriage  had  arrived. 
When  it  came,  Mr.  Northcote  courteously  attended  her  down 
to  the  hall :  he  bowed,  she  curtsied,  and,  stepping  into  her 
carriage,  set  off  with  the  Young  Roscius. 

The  next  day,  about  noon,  Mr.  Northcote  happening  to  be 
alone,  a  gentle  tap  was  heard,  and  the  studio  door  being 
opened,  in  walked  his  Royal  Highness. 

"  Mr.  Northcote,"  said  he,  "  I  am  come  to  return  your 
sister's  umbrella,  which  she  was  so  good  as  to  lend  me  yester- 
day." The  painter  bowed,  received  it,  and  placed  it  in  a 
corner. 

"  I  brought  it  myself,  Mr.  Northcote,  that  I  might  have 
the  opportunity  of  saying,  that  I  yesterday  thoughtlessly  took 
a  very  unbecoming  liberty  with  you,  and  you  properly  resented 
it :  I  really  am  angry  with  myself,  and  hope  you  will  forgive 
me,  and  think  no  more  of  it." 


S64f  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,   ESQ. 

"  And  what  did  you  say  ?"  enquired  the  first  friend  to 
whom  Northcote  related  the  circumstance.  "  Say  !  Gude 
God  !  what  would  'e  have  me  have  said  ?  Why,  nothing  :  I 
only  bowed,  and  he  might  see  what  I  felt.  I  could  at  the 
instant  have  sacrificed  my  life  for  him!  — such  a  Prince  is 
worthy  to  be  a  King  ! "  The  venerable  painter  had  the  grati- 
fication to  live  to  see  him  a  King.  May  he  long  remain  so  ! 

One  day,  soon  after  his  late  Majesty  had  been  appointed 
Regent,  Sir  William  Knighton  called  upon  Mr.  Northcote, 
with  whom  he  had  long  been  intimately  acquainted,  and  in 
the  course  of  conversation  asked  him,  "  What  do  you  know  of 
the  Prince  Regent?"  "  Nothing,"  said  Northcote;  «  what 
should  I?"  "  Why  he  knows  you  very  well,"  observed  Sir 
William.  "  Who  says  so?"  "  Himself."  «  Pooh  !"  said 
Northcote,  "  it  is  only  his  brag." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  name  any  one  amongst  our  distin- 
guished contemporaries  who  loved,  and  at  the  same  time  who 
practised,  candour  more  uniformly  than  did  Mr.  Northcote. 
It  was  in  consequence  of  the  integrity  of  his  opinions,  that 
many,  not  capable  of  appreciating  this  superior  quality  of  his 
mind,  pronounced  him  an  ill-natured  cynic;  whilst,  on  the 
contrary,  he  was  a  truly  kind-hearted  man. 

Few  men  understood  human  nature  better  than  he  did: 
the  study  of  man  had,  indeed,  been  a  favourite  pursuit  with 
him  from  the  first  to  the  last ;  and  his  perceptions,  naturally 
acute,  from  the  exercise  of  this  faculty  of  "  reading  the  minds 
of  men,"  had  made  him  an  adept  in  the  science.  Hence  it 
may  be  said  of  him,  that  he  on  many  occasions  developed  the 
motives  of  his  neighbours'  actions  when  they  were  not  clearly 
defined  to  themselves  :  —  such  a  man  was  the  celebrated  Lord 
Shaftesbury.  Indeed,  we  know  not  with  whom  to  compare 
Mr.  Northcote,  in  this  rare  faculty,  so  aptly  as  with  that  ex- 
traordinary nobleman. 

One  amongst  innumerable  instances  of  his  acuteness  and 
foresight  occurred  at  the  period  when  the  late  Mr.  Whit- 
bread  undertook  the  arrangement  of  the  affairs  of  Drury  Lane 
Theatre.  The  known  energy  of  that  distinguished  personage, 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  365 

added  to  his  universal  reputation  for  honour  and  ability,  ex- 
cited the  hopes  of  all  that  the  affairs  of  "  old  Drury"  would 
regenerate  and  prosper  under  his  powerful  auspices.  If, 
indeed,  generous  zeal  and  never-ceasing  perseverance  in  the 
cause  could  have  accomplished  what  was  expected,  Mr.  Whit- 
bread  would  have  saved  the  concern.  The  popularity  of 
Kean  and  other  auspicious  circumstances,  arising  out  of 
Mr.  Whitbread's  active  management,  for  some  time  augured 
well.  Every  one  who  possessed  property,  over  whom  the 
great  manager  had  the  least  influence,  was  canvassed  by  him 
to  support  his  new  undertaking  by  the  purchase  of  shares. 
Few  who  were  asked,  relying  on  the  judgment  and  integrity 
of  Mr.  Whitbread,  refused:  Northcote,  however,  may  be 
instanced  as  a  memorable  exception. 

This  eminent  painter  had,  for  the  preceding  two  or  three 
years,  experienced  the  most  flattering  personal  attentions  from 
Mr.  Whitbread  and  his  amiable  lady.  He  had  partaken  of 
the  elegant  hospitalities  of  Southhill,  and  was  admitted  of  the 
friendly  coterie  in  Dover  Street.  He  received,  moreover,  a 
commission  to  paint  a  portrait  of  the  illustrious  senator,  — 
an  honour  of  which  he  was  justly  proud,  Northcote  too  being 
a  patriot.  On  this  friendly  footing  it  was  not  surprising  that 
Mr.  Whitbread,  presuming  that  the  painter  had  realised  some 
funded  property,  should  invite  him  to  become  a  shareholder. 
In  fact,  Mr.  Whitbread  called  in  Argyll  Place,  and  personally 
asked  Mr.  Northcote's  support,  at  the  same  time  expatiating 
upon  the  advantages  likely  to  arise  from  the  investment. 
This  application  failed;  and  we  have  reason  for  believing 
that  what  passed  at  the  interview  must  have  been  sufficiently 
painful  to  both  parties  :  the  one  in  experiencing  a  refusal,  and 
the  other  in  feeling  it  right  to  refuse.  On  this  occasion  the 
extraordinary  perception  and  foresight  of  Mr.  Northcote 
amounted  to  absolute  prophecy. 

Within  an  hour  after  the  interview,  to  a  friend  who  was  in 
the  painter's  studio,  he  gave  free  utterance  to  his  reflections 
upon  the  subject.  "  Gude  God  !  "  he  ejaculated,  "  what 
folly  it  is  to  hold  any  converse  with  the  great,  other  than  that 


366  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

which  belongs  to  a  man  as  to  his  mere  profession  !  He 
may  respect,  —  nay,  he  may  look  up  to  and  honour  them  as 
his  patrons  and  employers  ;  but  to  indulge  in  the  egregious 
vanity  of  supposing  he  can  hold  community  with  them  on  the 
footing  of  friends,  is  a  moral  misdemeanor  for  which  the 
perpetrator  ought  to  be  soundly  whipped." 

"  Why  look-e  !  History  affords  no  instance  of  a  man 
being  on  even  apparently  easy  and  familiar  terms  with  an- 
other, much  his  superior  in  rank  and  fortune,  but  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  independence.  That  equality,  which  flattery  on 
one  side  at  least  presumes,  is  impossible.  The  great,  as 
patrons,  from  their  condescension  may  excite  the  gratitude, 
the  affection,  —  ay  !  even  the  devotion,  of  the  client;  but  the 
great  are  incapable  of  sympathetic  feelings  with  such :  they 
are  too  conscious  that  they  bestow,  and  ever  mindful  that  we 
receive ;  their  patronage  shuts  up  every  inlet  to  affection  on 
their  part,  and  your  familiarity  is  at  best  only  on  sufferance. 
—  No,  the  tenure  upon  their  affections  is  not  worth  the  wax 
that  seals  the  bond  for  its  security  ;  —  it  is  ever  liable  to  be 
torn  and  thrown  by  your  haughty  patron  in  your  own  foolish 
face." 

The  painter  all  this  while  was  employed  on  his  picture,  a 
subject  from  Mr.  Fox's  account  of  King  James  the  Second  ; 
and  proceeding  with  his  reflections  by  instalments,  —  by  those 
fits  and  snatches  which,  nevertheless,  he  joined  together  with 
extraordinary  nicety,  particularly  when  it  is  recollected  that 
a  considerable  portion  of  his  mind  was  necessarily  occupied 
upon  the  picture. 

One  of  those  pauses  now  ensued,  during  which  he  seemed 
to  labour  as  though  he  was  recovering  by  the  use  of  both 
oars  for  the  little  way  he  had  made  upon  the  tide  of  his  art ; 
when,  his  energies  having  as  it  were  fetched  up,  he  renewed 
his  cynical  declamation  with  a  vehemence  which  seemed  to 
portend  a  climax.  "  Yes  !"  said  he  emphatically,  "  his  am- 
bitious mind  has  grasped  this  difficulty,  and  he  is  determined 
to  conquer  it.  He  has  raised  his  standard,  and  thinks  to 
enroll  me  amongst  the  madmen  and  blockheads  who  come 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  367 

at  his  call.  When  such  as  lie  condescends  to  ask  favours  of 
such  as  /,  be  sure  it  behoves  one  to  ba  on  one's  guard.  Gude 
God  !  He  knows,  as  all  of  his  class  know,  that  to  ask  of  those 
whom  they  have  condescended  to  smile  upon,  is  to  command" 

"  Well,  but  my  dear  friend,"  said  his  listener,  "  you  are 
including,  in  your  animadversions  upon  a  class,  an  individual 
who  is  superior  to  this  heartlessness,  one  who  is  perhaps  as 
single-minded  and  as  much  above  such  sentiments  as  any  — " 

"  Pshaw  !  how  can-e'  defend  him  ?  They  are  all  alike. 
What  is  it  they  will  not  do  to  gratify  their  greediness  for 
eclat,  their  ravening  after  applause  ?  —  you  can  oppose  no 
moral  bounds  to  their  ambition.  I  do  not  say  he  has  courted 
this  new,  this  popular  appointment,  with  the  envious  eyes  of 
all  the  fashionable  world  upon  him :  no,  —  but  he  has  taken  it. 

—  He  has  rashly  embarked  in  the  mighty   concern ;  he  is 
punched  upon  an  unknown  sea,  with  all  his  friends  on  board, 

—  and  if  he  goes  down,  —  why  they  must  be  ingulfed  with 
him." 

"  But,  my  friend,  knowing  the  honour  of  the  party  as  you 
do,  can  you  suppose  that  he  would  allow  you  to  be  a  sufferer, 

—  supposing  that  it  should  ultimately  prove  a  losing  specu- 
lation?" 

"Prithee  do  not  talk  so  idly! — You  make  me  mad!" 
Then  suspending  his  operations,  turning  round  upon  the  pivot 
of  his  stool,  pushing  his  spectacles  above  his  brow,  and  "  look- 
ing daggers,"  he  exclaimed,  "  What  then,  would  ye  have  me, 
after  losing  in  a  speculation  upon  mock-kings  and  mock- 
queens, —  upon  Punch !  the  pittance  which  I  have  saved  from 
the  labours  of  my  life,  to  keep  me  and  her  (meaning  his  sister) 
from  poverty  in  our  old  age, — would  ye  have  me  go  to  him, 
in  forma  paupens,  to  ask  of  his  bounty  that  which  I  had 
fooled  away  ?  If  it  were  a  duty,  I  could  lay  me  down  quietly, 
and  submit  to  be  smothered :  —  but  I  thought  ye  knew  me 
better  than  to  suppose  me  capable  of  that ! " 

No ;  in  honour  to  the  manes  of  the  venerable  painter  be  it 
said,  had  he  embarked  his  all,  and  lost  it  in  that  most  unfor- 
tunate speculation,  notwithstanding  his  severe  animadversions 


368  JAMES    ^ORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

upon  one  of  the  most  honourable  of  men,  he  would  have 
perished  rather  than  have  enrolled  himself  amongst  those  who 
reproached  the  great  mind  of  him  who  became  victim  to  the 
ruin  which  ensued. 

Northcote  has  been  described  as  being  a  sordid  man. 
Nothing  than  such  an  aspersion  is  further  from  the  truth.  He 
ever  had  the  greatest  reluctance  to  ask  for  money  where  it 
was  justly  due  to  him ;  and  was  the  most  enduring  of  all  ill- 
used  creditors.  He  lent  money  without  interest ;  and,  never 
asking  for  it,  not  unfrequently  lost  it.  Very  numerous  in- 
stances could  be  adduced  of  his  having  painted  whole-lengths, 
half-lengths,  and  bust  portraits,  which  were  delivered,  and 
never  paid  for;  and  many  remained  on  his  own  premises 
unsettled  for,  and  consequently  unredeemed:  yet  he  never 
worried  the  persons  for  whom  they  were  painted,  or  even 
threatened  the  parties  or  their  families  to  recover  his  right  by 
law.  Had  he  been  worldly-minded,  he  might  have  left  to  his 
successors  a  far  better  estate.  Two  very  large  whole-length 
portraits  of  a  nobleman  and  his  lady,  which  were  never  paid 
for,  remained  in  his  gallery,  to  the  scandal  of  the  parties  whom 
they  represented.  Mr.  Northcote  was  advised  to  compel 
payment,  as  other  creditors  of  his  lordship  had  done ;  but  he 
shook  his  head,  and  observed,  "  I  would  rather  starve  than 
appear  in  the  dirty  character  of  a  plaintiff  in  a  case  of  debt 
against  a  person  of  his  rank,  for  whom  I  had  once  professed 
an  esteem  and  respect." 

It  was  the  prudence  and  foresight  which  enabled  this  vene- 
rable artist  to  provide  for  the  coming  winter  of  life  that 
allowed  him  to  indulge  in  these  noble  sentiments. 

Many,  who  knew  him  not  sufficiently,  judged  unkindly  of 
him,  from  the  unreserved  manner  in  which  he  was  accustomed 
to  speak  of  himself.  Rousseau  wrote  his  own  "  Confessions ;" 
and  might  as  well,  for  the  cause  of  morality,  when  he  had 
written  them,  have  put  his  manuscript  into  the  fire.  Had 
Northcote  felt  alike  disposed  to  pen  his  confessions, —  to  have 
turned  over  the  page  that  contained  his  self-examinations  and 
general  reflections  would  have  been  a  rich  intellectual  treat. 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  3()(J 

That  he  held  truth  in  sacred  regard  may  be  inferred 
generally  from  all  he  said,  and  all  he  did :  hence,  in  express- 
ing the  movements  of  his  own  independent  mind,  he  uttered 
what  he  felt  without  disguise.  Had  he  cared  much  for  the 
opinion  of  the  world,  he  would  of  necessity  have  become  more 
cautious;  for  many,  judging  by  the  letter  rather  than  the 
spirit  of  his  confessions,  and  applying  to  him  the  axiom, 
"  Out  of  thine  own  mouth  will  I  condemn  thee,"  attributed 
to  him  sentiments  which  he  was  the  last  to  entertain. 

Opie  —  his  friend  Opie,  was  painting  a  picture ;  the  subject, 
the  Death  of  David  Rizzio.  It  was  nearly  completed,  when 
Northcote  was  invited  to  come  and  see  it,  and  give  an  opinion 
of  its  merits; — an  exchange  of  friendly  offices  which  was 
common  to  both.  Northcote  attentively  viewed  the  picture, 
acknowledged  its  general  excellence,  and  told  his  friend  that, 
when  finished,  he  thought  it  would  certainly  be  his  chef- 
(Tceuvre.  At  that  period  (forty  years  ago)  these  sworn  friends 
were  successfully  pursuing  the  same  department  of  their 
art,  and  were  considered  by  public  opinion  to  be  rival  can- 
didates for  a  seat  in  the  temple  of  Fame. 

"  When  I  returned  to  my  painting-room,"  said  Northcote, 
"  I  took  up  my  palette  and  pencils  with  an  inveterate  deter- 
mination to  do  something  that  should  raise  me  a  name ;  but 
my  inspiration  was  only  a  momentary  dream. "  The  ghost  of 
Opie's  picture  stood  between  me  and  my  blank  canvass,  and  I 
could  see  nothing  but  the  murderers  of  David  Rizzio.  I  felt 
I  could  have  rejoiced  if  they  had  seized  the  painter,  and  mur- 
dered him  instead.  —  Yes,  I  could!  This  dwelt  upon  my 
fancy,  until  I  laughed  at  the  conceit ;  for,  thought  I,  then  had 
there  been  a  meddling  fiddler  and  a  rival  painter  despatched 
at  the  same  expense;"  adding,  "  and  if  all  the  fiddlers  and  all 
the  painters  were  smothered,  for  aught  I  know,  they  might 
well  be  spared."  Northcote  smiled  as  he  said  this,  and  pro- 
ceeded with  his  work. 

Resuming  the  thread  of  his  discourse,  he  rejoined,  "  I 
dreamed  of  the  picture  when  wide  awake,  and  I  dreamed  of 
the  picture  when  fast  asleep;  how  could  I  help  it? — There 

VOL.  XVI.  B    B 


370  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

was  a  passage  in  the  composition,  wherein  the  torches  (for  the 
scene  was  represented,  as-'e  may  remember,  by  torch-light,) 
produced  the  finest  effect  that  ever  proceeded  from  mortal 
hand.  I  dwelt  upon  it  with  my  mind's  eye  in  sheer  despair. 
To  attempt  any  thing  so  original  —  so  gloriously  fine,  —  I 
might  as  well  have  set  about  creating  another  world.  I  should 
have  died,  but  for  a  fortuitous  circumstance.  The  Fates  I 
suppose  had  decreed  that,  if  I  were  doomed  to  death,  Opie  was 
not  to  be  the  executioner ;  for,  impelled  by  that  fated  curiosity 
which  urges  man  to  persevere  in  courting  the  sight  of  that 
which  has  already  made  him  sufficiently  wretched,  as  though 
we  froward  mortals  were  determined  to  assuage  the  ranklings 
of  jealousy,  by  provoking  stark-staring  madness,  —  impelled 
by  this,  look-'e,  I  called  again  to  see  the  hated  picter." 

"  Well,  my  dear  friend,  and  how  did  you  feel? — for  I  am 
prodigiously  inter  —  " 

"  How  did  I  feel  ?  Gude  God  !  I  would  not  have  had  Opie 
know  what  was  passing  in  my  mind  for  all  the  world — no, 
not  even  to  have  been  the  author  of  the  picter.  Judge  if  'e 
can  what  I  felt ! — why,  some  wretch,  some  demon,  had  per- 
suaded him  to  alter  the  whole  structure  of  the  piece; — he 
had  adopted  the  fatal  advice  —  had  destroyed  that  glory  of 
the  art,  and  ruined,  —  yes,  to  my  solace, — irrecoverably 
ruined  the  piece." 

Characteristics  like  these  may  well  startle  the  generous- 
minded,  and  lead  them  to  despise  the  utterer  of  such  apparent 
malice.  Yet  those  who  know  the  real  character  of  the  man 
must  feel  assured,  that,  had  Opie's  David  Hizzio  been  success- 
fully accomplished  according  to  his  first  intention,  his  friend 
Northcote  would  have  been  foremost  in  proclaiming  with 
honest  zeal  the  entire  honours  due  to  the  achievement. 

To  young  artists  he  was  kind  and  condescending,  and  al- 
ways easily  accessible.  Such  traits  in  the  pictures  or  draw- 
ings which  they  submitted  to  his  acute  judgment  as  happened 
to  display  originality  and  talent  gave  him  delight;  for  he  felt 
a  patriotic  pride  in  the  Arts  of  his  country. 

"  Where,  young  man,  did-'e  get  this  study  from  ?" 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

«  From  Nature,  Sir." 

"  From  Natur,  did-'e  ? — (meanwhile  playing  with  his  finger 
upon  the  under  lip)  —  I  wish-e'  would  introduce  me  to  her ;  for 
you  be  a  favourite !  She  somehow  hides  these  things  from  us 
old  men.  Well,  and  do-'e  find  employment?" 

"  Not  much,  Sir  —  I  am  very  little  known." 

"  Hem  !  can-'e  leave  the  picter  with  me  for  a  day  or  two  ?" 

«  Yes,  Sir." 

"  I  expect  Lord will  call  on  me,  and  Sir ;  they 

are  patrons  of  art ;  I  will  show  it  to  them. —  Call  again  — 
I  shall  be  glad  to  see  thee.  I  will  do  what  I  can  —  I  am 
delighted  with-'e- —  never  mind  the  door — I'll  shut  it  —  can-'e 
find  the  way  down  stairs?  Mind-'e  be  of  good  heart — good 
bye  to-'e,  —  God  bless-'e." 

Such  was  the  colloquy  which  passed  between  the  venerable 
painter  and  an  ingenious  youth  an  entire  stranger  to  him. 

Mr.  Westall,  the  Royal  Academician,  when  quite  a  young 
man,  waited  on  Mr.  Northcote  with  some  of  his  drawings  for 
the  benefit  of  his  opinion  and  advice.  Mr.  Northcote  atten- 
tively examined  one,  then  another ;  and  returning  to  the  first, 
exclaimed,  "  This  is  something  new  in  art.  How  do-'e  do 't  ? 
I  did  not  believe  that  water-colours  could  be  brought  to  this 
perfection.  Why,  young  man,  they  are  the  most  beautiful 
specimens  of  art  that  I  have  ever  seen :  —  I  would  give  the 
world  to  do  such  things.  Hey  !  —  not  find  encouragement, 
say-'e? — Do  not  fear;  it  only  needs  that  they  be  seen,  to 
be  felt ;  —  proceed,  and  be  assured  you  will  soon  be  popular 
— yes,  you'll  cany  all  befor-'e."  Mr.  Northcote  had  the 
satisfaction  soon  to  see  his  opinion  verified  ;  for  never,  perhaps, 
did  a  young  painter  rise  more  rapidly  in  the  estimation  of  the 
encouragers  of  art.  And  certainly  the  encouragement,  though 
unexampled,  was  not  above  the  desert  of  him  who  ob- 
tained it ;  for  many  of  the  finest  drawings  by  Mr.  Westall 
were,  for  several  consecutive  years,  distinguished  amongst  the 
most  attractive  works  of  the  Somerset  House  exhibition.  Mr. 
Northcote,  who  was  a  great  admirer  of  water-colour  art,  always 
maintained,  —  and  his  judgment  upon  this  subject  has  never 

B  B  2 


372  JAMES    NORTH  COTE,    ESQ. 

been  disputed,  —  that  "  Westall  is  as  much  entitled  to  share 
in  the  honour  of  being  one  of  the  founders  of  the  school  of 
painting  in  water-colours,  as  his  highly  gifted  contemporaries 
Girtin  and  Turner." 

Few  studious  men  ever  enjoyed  life  more  than  Mr.  North- 
cote.  He  was,  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  word,  a  philosopher. 
There  is  reason  for  supposing  that  he  commenced  his  career 
whilst  a  young  man  upon  a  philosophical  plan ;  and  the 
system  which  he  prescribed  for  himself  being  founded  on 
sagacity,  his  good  sense  led  him  to  maintain  it  with  constancy. 
Many  have  desired  to  lead  a  philosophical  life,  but  few  are 
constituted  for  it.  It  is  believed  that  Mr.  Northcote  was 
never  in  love.  This  saved  him  a  world  of  trouble.  He  had 
no  time  for  courtship,  and  no  inclination  for  marriage.  Thus 
circumstanced,  he  was  at  liberty  to  choose  his  own  mode  of 
living.  He  was  naturally  just,  temperate,  and  careful.  One 
of  his  numerous  maxims  (though  not  quoted  for  its  originality) 
was,  that  men  might  attain  the  age  of  the  patriarchs  of  old  but 
for  their  gluttony.  Believing  in  the  axiom,  he  determined  not 
to  commit  this  foolish  felo-de-se ;  and  ate  so  sparingly,  that, 
during  the  various  periods  which  occurred  within  the  last 
half  century  of  alarm  of  general  scarcity,  he  participated  no 
more  in  the  universal  panic  than  a  mouse  in  a  granary.  His 
maiden  sister  superintended  his  household  economy ;  and 
being  as  little  inclined  to  self-indulgence  as  himself,  their  table 
was  as  frugally  served  as  table  well  could  be.  This  economy 
was  not  the  result  of  parsimony ;  for  the  servants,  two  in 
number,  and  females,  were  well  supplied  with  all  necessaries 
and  comforts,  and  lived  long  and  happily  under  an  indulgent 
mistress  and  a  kind  master.  Between  Mr.  Northcote  and 
Miss  Northcote  (who  has  survived  him)  the  most  exemplary 
brotherly  and  sisterly  affection  invariably  subsisted. 

As  an  author,  Mr.  Northcote  not  a  little  distinguished  him- 
self. His  earliest  publications  were  some  papers  in  a  period- 
ical work  called  The  Artist;  as,  in  the  first  volume,  No.  2.  On 
Originality  in  Painting;  Imitators  and  Collectors.  4-.  A 
Letter  from  a  disappointed  Genius  ;  and  a  Character  of  John 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  3?3 

Opie,  R.  A.  19.  A  Second  Letter  from  a  disappointed 
Genius.  20.  On  the  Imitat4on  of  the  Stage  in  Painting. 
In  the  second  volume,  No.  7.  The  History  of  the  Slighted 
Beauty,  an  allegory.  He  also  contributed  to  the  "  Fine  Arts 
of  the  English  School "  the  biography  of  Sir  Joshua  Rey- 
nolds ;  which  he  afterwards  expanded  into  a  quarto  volume, 
entitled, '  Memoirs  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  Knt.  comprising 
anecdotes  of  many  distinguished  persons,  his  contemporaries, 
and  a  brief  analysis  of  his  Discourses :  to  which  are  added, 
Varieties  on  Art,"  1813.  A  Supplement  to  the  work  appeared 
in  1815  ;  and  an  octavo  edition,  with  considerable  additions,  in 
1819.  In  1828  he  published,  in  octavo,  "One  Hundred 
Fables,  original  and  selected,"  embellished  with  two  hundred 
and  eighty  engravings  on  wood,  from  his  own  designs.  His  last 
work,  published  at  the  close  of  the  year  1830,  in  two  volumes 
octavo,  is  "  The  Life  of  Titian,  with  anecdotes  of  the  distin^- 
guished  persons  of  his  time  : "  a  work  containing  a  vast  mass 
of  useful  information  and  reflection  on  the  art  of  Painting, 

The  late  Mr.  William  Hazlitt  made  notes  of  his  "  Con- 
versations" with  Mr.  Northcote,  one  series  of  which  he  com- 
municated to  the  New  Monthly  Magazine,  and  a  second  to 
the  Atlas  paper.  A  selection  was  published  in  the  year  1830, 
in  an  octavo  volume,  from  which  we  extract  some  anecdotes 
illustrative  of  Mr.  Northcote's  personal  character;  and  first 
the  following  passages,  containing  his  own  opinions  on  his  con<r 
versational  talents :  — 

"  I  have  had  the  advantage  of  having  lived  in  good  so- 
ciety myself.  I  not  only  passed  a  great  deal  of  my  younger 
days  in  the  company  of  Reynolds,  Johnson,  and  that  circle, 
but  I  was  brought  up  among  the  Mudges,  of  whom  Sir 
Joshua  (who  was  certainly  used  to  the  most  brilliant  society 
in  the  metropolis)  thought  so  highly,  that  he  had  them  at  his 
house  for  weeks,  and  even  sometimes  gave  up  his  own  bed- 
room to  receive  them." — P.  105. 

"  When  W was  here  the  other  day,  he  asked  about 

Mengs  and  his  school ;  and  when  I  told  him  what  I  thought, 
he  said,  *  Is  that  your  own  opinion,  or  did  you  take  it  from 

BBS 


374"  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

Sir  Joshua?'  I  answered  that,  if  I  admired  Sir  Joshua,  it  was 
because  there  was  something  congenial  in  our  tastes,  and  not 
because  I  was  his  pupil.  I  saw  his  faults,  and  differed  from 
him  often  enough.  If  I  have  any  bias,  it  is  the  other  way,  to 
take  fancies  into  my  head,  and  run  into  singularity  and  cavils." 
—  P.  245. 

"  You  did  not  know  Opie  ?  You  would  have  admired  him 
greatly.  I  do  not  speak  of  him  as  an  artist,  but  as  a  man  of 
sense  and  observation.  He  paid  me  the  compliment  of  saying, 
that  we  should  have  been  the  best  friends  in  the  world  if  we 
had  not  been  rivals.  I  think  he  had  more  of  this  feeling  than 
I  had ;  perhaps,  because  I  had  most  vanity.  We  sometimes 
got  into  foolish  altercations.  I  recollect  once  in  particular, 
at  a  banker's  in  the  City,  we  took  up  the  whole  of  a  dinner- 
time with  a  ridiculous  controversy  about  Milton  and  Shak- 
speare, — I  am  sure  we  neither  of  us  had  the  least  notion  which 
was  right ;  and,  when  I  was  heartily  ashamed  of  it,  a  foolish 
citizen  who  was  present  added  to  my  confusion  by  saying, 
*  Lord  !  what  would  I  give  to  hear  two  such  men  as  you  talk 
every  day  ! '  This  quite  humbled  me :  I  was  ready  to  sink 
with  vexation :  I  could  have  resolved  never  to  open  my  mouth 

again.     But  I  can't  help  thinking  W [alluding  to  the 

instance  mentioned  in  the  preceding  quotation]  was  wrong 
in  supposing  I  borrow  every  thing  from  others;  it  is  not 
my  character.  I  never  could  learn  my  lesson  at  school;  my 
copy  was  hardly  legible :  but  if  there  was  a  prize  to  be  ob- 
tained, or  my  father  to  see  it,  then  I  could  write  a  very  fine 
hand,  with  all  the  usual  flourishes.  What  I  know  of  history 
(and  something  about  heraldry)  has  been  gathered  up  when  I 
had  to  enquire  into  the  subject  for  a  picture :  if  it  had  been 
set  me  as  a  task,  I  should  have  forgotten  it  immediately.  In 
the  same  way,  when  Boydell  came  and  proposed  a  subject  for 
a  picture  to  me,  and  pointed  out  the  capabilities,  I  always  said 
I  could  make  nothing  of  it :  but  as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  and 
I  was  left  to  myself,  the  whole  then  seemed  to  unfold  itself 
naturally.  I  never  could  study  the  rules  of  composition,  or 
make  sketches  and  drawings  beforehand ;  in  this,  probably, 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  375 

running  into  the  opposite  error  to  that  of  the  modern  Italian 
painters,  whom  Fuseli  reproaches  with  spending  their  whole 
lives  in  preparation.  I  must  begin  at  once,  or  I  can  do  nothing. 
When  I  set  about  the  Wat  Tyler,  I  was  frightened  at  it :  it 
was  the  largest  work  I  had  ever  undertaken :  there  were  to 
be  horses,  and  armour,  and  buildings,  and  several  groups  in 
it ;  when  I  looked  on  it,  the  canvass  seemed  ready  to  fall  upon 
me.  But  I  had  committed  myself,  and  could  not  escape;  dis- 
grace was  behind  me,  and  every  step  I  made  in  advance  was 
so  much  positively  gained.  If  I  had  stayed  to  make  a  num- 
ber of  designs,  and  try  different  experiments,  I  never  should 
have  had  the  courage  to  go  on.  Half  the  things  that  people 
do  not  succeed  in  are  through  fear  of  making  the  attempt. 
Like  the  recruit  in  Farquhar's  comedy,  you  grow  wondrous 
bold  when  you  have  once  taken  *  list-money.'  When  you 
must  do  a  thing,  you  feel  in  some  measure  that  you  can 
do  it.  You  have  only  to  commit  yourself  beyond  retreat." — 
P.  251. 

On  another  occasion  "  Northcote  spoke  of  old  Alderman 
Boydell  with  great  regret,  and  said,  '  He  was  a  man  of  sense 
and  liberality,  and  a  true  patron  of  the  art.' " — P.  75. 

The  following  may  be  taken  as  Northcote's  apology  for  the 
singularity  of  some  of  his  dicta:— 

"  That  will  never  do,  to  take  things  literally  that  are  ut- 
tered in  a  moment  of  irritation.  You  do  not  express  your 
own  opinion,  but  one  as  opposite  as  possible  to  that  of  the 

person  that  has  provoked  you I  have  often  been 

ashamed  myself  of  speeches  I  have  made  in  that  way,  which 
have  been  repeated  to  me  as  good  things,  when  all  I  meant 
was,  that  I  would  say  any  thing  sooner  than  agree  to  the  non- 
sense or  affectation  I  heard." — P.  6. 

"  Once  when  Burke  called  on  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  North- 
cote,  then  a  young  man,  was  sitting  for  one  of  the  children  in 
the  picture  of  Count  Ugolino.  It  is  the  one  in  profile  with 
the  hand  to  the  face.*  Burke  came  into  the  painting-room, 

*  In  this  figure  the  face  is  entirely  concealed  by  the  hand.  Qu.  Is  it  not  the 
next  face,  which  is  also  in  profile? 

B  B    4 


376  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

and  said,  *  I  see  that  Mr.  Northcote  is  not  only  an  artist,  but 
has  a  head  that  would  do  for  Titian  to  paint." — P.  39. 

"  Northcote  spoke  of  his  journey  to  Rome ;  of  the  beauty  of 
the  climate ;  of  the  manners  of  the  people ;  of  the  imposing 
effect  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion ;  of  its  favourableness  to 
the  fine  arts ;  of  the  churches  full  of  pictures ;  of  the  manner 
in  which  he  passed  his  time,  studying  and  looking  into  all  the 
rooms  in  the  Vatican :  he  had  no  fault  to  find  with  Italy,  and 
no  wish  to  leave  it.  '  Gracious  and  sweet  was  all  he  saw  in 
her.'  As  he  talked,  he  looked  as  if  he  saw  the  different 
objects  pass  before  him,  and  his  eye  glittered  with  familiar 
recollections."— P.  35. 

Mr.  Hazlitt's  book  is  full  of  passages  manifesting  Mr.  North- 
cote's  strong  attachment  to  his  art,  and  his  diffidence  in  his 
own  abilities.  The  following  relates  to  some  of  his  latest  pic- 
torial labours :  — 

"  J •  said  I  might   go   on   painting    yet  —  he   saw  no 

falling  off.  They  are  pleased  with  it.  I  have  painted  the 
whole  family,  and  the  girls  would  let  their  mother  sit  to  no- 
body else.  But  Lord  !  every  thing  one  can  do  seems  to  fall 
so  short  of  nature  :  whether  it  is  the  want  of  skill,  or  the  im- 
perfection of  the  art,  that  cannot  give  the  successive  movements 
of  expression  and  changes  of  countenance,  I  am  always  ready 
to  beg  pardon  of  my  sitters  after  I  have  done,  and  to  say  I 
hope  they'll  excuse  it.  The  more  one  knows  of  the  art,  and 
indeed  the  better  one  can  do,  the  less  one  is  satisfied." — 
P.  314. 

At  length  the  day  approached  that  was  to  terminate  Mr. 
Northcote's  long  and  tranquil  life.  "  On  the  7th  of  July," 
says  a  gentleman  who  had  been  intimately  acquainted  with 
him  for  above  thirty  years,  "  I  paid  my  respects  to  him,  and 
found  him  sitting  at  the  window  of  his  bed-room  alone.  I  had 
not  been  to  see  him  before  for  two  months.  He  said  he  was 
glad  to  see  me,  and  asked  why  I  had  not  come  sooner.  My 
excuse  was,  that  I  knew  he  was  much  surrounded  with  friends, 
and  it  appeared  to  me  necessary  that  some  should  keep  in  the 
back-ground.  He  thought  it  very  considerate;  and  then 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  377 

talked  of  the  death  of  poor  Jackson,  a  man  he  liked  equally 
to  any  one,  living  or  dead.  All  this  time  was  taken  up  in 
seeking  for  his  snuff-box ;  and  as  soon  as  he  got  it  he  gave 
me  a  steady  look,  in  which  I  saw  a  difference  from  that  I  had 
been  accustomed  to  for  thirty  years.  It  was  more  dejected 
than  the  Ugolino  by  Sir  Joshua.  He  said,  '  Well,  now 
you're  come,  what  think 'e  of  me:  do  I  look  like  a  long  in- 
habitant for  this  world,  or  like  a  visiter  for  the  next?'  At 
this  moment  Miss  Northcote,  who  is  nearly  of  the  same  age  as 
her  brother,  came  into  the  room  and  heard  my  answer,  which 
was,  that  I  never  saw  him  so  reduced  in  flesh.  '  Oh  !  but  you 
don't  flatter  me,'  he  cried ;  '  my  friends  say  that  I  look  better.' 
A  knock  was  heard  at  the  street  door ;  it  was  his  doctor,  and 
I  took  my  leave,  my  friend  desiring  I  would  come  again  soon : 
but  I  never  saw  him  more,  or  heard  of  him  until  the  fourth 
day  after  his  decease.  Some  years  since  Mr.  Northcote  said 
to  a  friend,  that  "  he  looked  upon  me  as  a  son."  I  may  in 
return  observe,  that  in  him  I  have  lost  a  father.  He  has  been 
pleased  to  remember  me  in  his  will,  and  I  should  feel  grateful 
for  any  opportunity  of  testifying  my  gratitude. 

"  In  a  conference  with  Mr.  Northcote's  old  and  faithful 
servant  Mrs.  Gilchrist,  I  have  been  given  to  understand  that 
on  the  8th  of  July,  1831,  her  master  became  very  feeble,  and 
required  her  whole  attention  for  his  comfort ;  yet,  although  he 
was  as  helpless  as  an  infant,  he  retained  his  senses,  and  thanked 
her  for  her  kindness,  remarking  that  he  could  not  have  sup- 
posed there  was  a  person  on  earth  with  so  much  feeling.  He 
was  conscious  of  his  rapid  dissolution,  and  desired  her  to  re- 
tire to  rest ;  but  her  feelings  were  too  acute  for  sleep,  and  her 
mind  was  bent  entirely  on  restoring  his  health, — but  all  was 
useless.  In  the  morning  of  the  13th,  Mrs.  Gilchrist  raised  her 
master  to  give  him  some  tea;  but  he  swallowed  little,  and 
the  yoke  of  an  egg  with  difficulty.  For  twelve  hours  he  re- 
mained very  quiet ;  and  expired  at  twenty  minutes  after  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening." 

On  the  20th  of  July,  Mr.  Northcote's  remains  were  depo- 
sited in  the  vault,  under  the  new  church  of  St.  Mary-le-bone. 


378  JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

His  will  has  since  been  proved  in  Doctors'  Commons.  It 
first  directs  that  his  body  shall  be  kept  uninterred  as  long  as  it 
can  be  suffered,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  being  buried  alive, 
and  to  be  inspected  by  some  competent  surgeon.  He  desires 
to  be  buried  either  in  the  vault  under  the  New  St.  Mary-la- 
bonne  Church,  near  to  his  late  friends,  Mr.  Cosway  and  Miss 
Booth,  or  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  near  his  late  lamented 
friend  and  master,  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  He  directs  Francis 
Chantrey,  R.  A.,  and  sculptor,  to  execute  a  fit  and  proper 
monument  to  his  memory,  for  which  he  orders  his  executors 
to  pay  1000£. ;  and  the  same  artist  to  execute  a  monument  for 
the  deceased's  brother,  Samuel  North  cote,  to  be  placed  in 
St.  Andrew's  Church,  Plymouth,  at  an  expense  of  200/.  He 
states,  that  he  has  completed  the  manuscript  and  executed  the 
designs  for  a  second  set  of  One  Hundred  Fables,  in  continu- 
ation of  the  first,  which  he  is  desirous  should  be  published  as 
speedily  after  the  death  of  his  sister  as  may  be ;  and  he  directs 
that  not  less  than  1000/.  nor  more  than  1400/.  shall  be  ex- 
pended [out  of  his  personal  estate  on  engraving  and  publish- 
ing such  Fables  *  ;  and  he  requests  that  Mr.  Edmund  Southey 
Rogers,  one  of  the  King's  messengers,  will  superintend  the 
publication  thereof.  He  desires  his  executors,  William  Hill- 
man,  Joseph  Hawker,  and  Newbold  Kinton,  will  look  over 
his  manuscripts,  and  therefrom  select  such  as,  in  their  judg- 
ment, are  of  importance  to  his  memory  and  character,  and 
destroy  all  the  rest.  He  leaves  his  house  in  Argyle  Place  to 
his  sister  rent  free,  for  her  life ;  and  if  she  should  not  wish  to 
live  there,  his  executors  are  to  let  the  same  for  her  benefit  on 
lease  for  seven  years.  Plate,  linen,  china,  household  goods, 
and  furniture,  and  all  and  singular  the  pictures,  prints,  books, 
and  personal  estate  in  Argyle  Place,  to  his  sister,  Mary  North- 
cote,  for  her  life ;  and  after  her  decease,  furniture,  linen,  and 
china,  or  such  of  them  as  shall  then  remain  (but  not  pictures, 
books,  or  plate),  to  his  servant,  Elizabeth  Gilchrist.  After 

*  It  is  not  to  be  inferred  from  this  paragraph  that  the  firs!  series  was  brought 
out  at  Mr.  Northcote's  expense.  The  fact  is  quite  the  reverse.  Mr.  Lawford, 
the  bookseller,  bought  the  MS.  for  SOI.,  and  paid  every  expense  attending  it. 


JAMES    NORTHCOTE,    ESQ.  379 

the  death  of  his  sister,  he  gives  to  Sir  Stafford  Henry  North- 
cote,  of  Pynes,  in  the  county  of  Devon,  Baronet,  and  his  heirs 
for  ever,  all  the  pictures  of  the  Northcote  family,  his  bust  by 
Bonomi,  the  two  manuscript  volumes  of  the  Account  of  the 
Northcote  Family  ;  the  two  volumes  of  Public  Characters,  by 
Cadell  and  Davies ;  the  Life  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  ;  and  the 
Portfolio,  containing  his  Diplomas  from  the  Royal  Academy ; 
a  volume  of  Birds,  by  his  father  and  brother ;  all  to  be  placed 
in  the  library  at  Pynes.  To  his  friend,  William  Hillman,  of 
Argyle  Street,  fifty  volumes  of  books,  such  as  he  may  please 
to  select  out  of  his  library,  after  the  death  of  his  sister.  To 
Joseph  Hawker,  Esq.,  Richmond,  Herald  of  Arms,  two  pic- 
tures he  may  choose,  except  the  Northcote  family,  and  thirty 
volumes  of  books,  after  Mr.  Hillman  has  chosen  his.  The 
residue  of  his  estate  to  his  executors  in  trust,  to  pay  dividends 
and  annual  proceeds  to  his  said  sister,  for  her  life ;  and  after 
her  death,  to  invest  in  their  own  names  12501.  in  the  three 
per  cent,  annuities  upon  trust,  to  pay  the  interest  to  his  late 
faithful  servant,  Charlotte  Gilbert,  during  her  life,  and  after 
her  death  to  such  persons  as  she  may  appoint.  Thte  said 
trustees,  after  the  death  of  said  sister,  to  retain  to  themselves 
the  following  legacies  ;  viz.  — 

£ 

William  Hillman      "  Y--  *  <;^:  ;<  £'"  ";'i':'i      .  1500 
Joseph  Hawker         .         .         .         .  .100 

Newbold  Kinton          .....     200 
And  to  pay  likewise  the  following  legacies :  — 

Elizabeth  Gilchrist  (duty  free)          ;^~         .   1500 
Mrs.  Hawker,  wife  of  Jos.  Hawker   .  .     500 

Adair  Hawkins  .         .         .      "  ;?.     f  .^100 

Prince  Hoare         .         .         .      r^    <  V*v  v 100 
Sir  William  Knighton,  Bart.         .         .         .100 

Lady  Knighton 100 

James  Carrick  Moore,  of  Caswell,  Scotland  .     100 

Mrs.  Moore,  his  wife 100 

Captain  J.  Raigersfeld,  R.  N.  .         .  100 

Amiabella  Plumtre  100 


380  JAMES    NOHTHCOTE,    ESQ. 

Walter  Roe  .         .         .         ...     100 

William  Godwin     \r;*tfA  .&&$  wm     •  •     100 

Peter  Conde          .     >•.*-.••  &-»w.f  MM     .       .     100 
James  Ward      .       |  ^f  f,p  c  $pN      • , j  •        •     1 00 
John  Jackson,  R.  A.       .       -;.•.'•'  :>.V  r    •- V.--     •     100 
Philip  Rogers,  Landscape  Painter  *^w«      ,.«,    100 
Abraham  Johns  J "y •"''  ,.V~  I «vi  ;«•»*{  -Xv    •     100 
Thomas  Copeland     _^',.?/l     5^' '*-/xfj  ?;»$*    ?r.- ,V100 
J.  Taylor,  late  Editor  of  the  Sun  ^,   fc'tft^iv100 
Nathaniel  Howard     .        >         .,((;     .        .    ...   100 

William  Hazlitt  .         .         ..         .       .100 

,,-.-.  I  ifj/      ».•     .^tr>/«       -.f.vf»     ^jr.flA'-MV-rr-^n 

Abraham  Wyvill,  Artist  {|  .."""  ^.  ^  F^r  .<{£  100 
Edmund  Rogers,  King's  Messenger  ^  f.  f  50 
if  these  persons  be  living  after  the  death  of  his  sister.  To  the 
Minister  and  Churchwardens  for  the  time  being  of  St.  An- 
drew's, Plymouth,  200/.  duty  free,  to  be  invested,  and  the 
interest  to  be  laid  out  in  bread  and  meat,  for  the  poor  of  the 
said  parish.  In  a  second  codicil  he  leaves  Mary  Wilsford, 
wife  of  Peter  Wilsford,  500/.  duty  free.  Thomas  Lister 
Parker,  1057.  and  any  one  picture  he  may  select,  not  before 
chosen.  Thomas  Poynder,  of  Christ's  Hospital,  any  one 
other  picture  not  before  chosen :  residue  to  his  executors. 
The  personal  property  was  sworn  under  25,000/. 


For  by  much  the  larger  and  more  valuable  portion  of  the 
materials  of  which  the  foregoing  memoir  has  been  composed, 
we  are  indebted  to  that  ingenious  and  interesting  periodical 
publication  "  The  Library  of  the  Fine  Arts." 


381   ' 


No.  XXVIII. 


THOMAS  GREATOREX,  ESQ.,  F.R.S.,  F.L.S,, 


ORGANIST     OF     WESTMINSTER      ABBEY;     CONDUCTOR     OF     HIS 

MAJESTY'S  CONCERTS  OF  ANCIENT  MUSIC,  &c. 

THOMAS  GREATOREX  was  born  at  North  Wingfield,  near 
Chesterfield,  Derbyshire,  on  the  5th  of  October,  1758.  His 
father,  Anthony  Greatorex  *,  followed  the  profession  of 
music,  and  was  solely  indebted  for  his  knowledge  of  the  art 
to  his  love  of  it,  aided  by  the  most  indefatigable  perseverance. 
His  family  consisted  of  several  daughters,  and  an  only  son, 
£he  subject  of  this  memoir.  One  of  the  former,  Martha,  was 
educated  for  the  musical  profession ;  and  removed,  at  the  age 
of  thirteen,  to  Leicester,  where  she  was  elected  organist  of 
St.  Martin's  church.  In  that  place,  but  principally  in  its 
neighbourhood,  she  exerted  herself  with  so  much  ability  and 
assiduity,  that  she  retired,  some  years  since,  on  a  moderate 
competence,  and  lately  died  at  an  advanced  age.f  Anthony 
Greatorex,  who,  when  his  daughter  was  established  at  Leices- 
ter, went  to  reside  there,  is  remembered  with  respect  by  many 
now  living,  for  his  simplicity  of  manners,  and  unaffected  un- 
ostentatious piety  :  his  earliest  care  was  to  attend  to  what  he 
considered  the  most  important  part  of  his  son's  education ; 
and  his  exertions  were  crowned  with  extraordinary  success. 
Anxious,  also,  that  his  child  should  receive  the  best  musical 
instruction  that  could  be  procured,  he  placed  him,  in  the  year 

*  This  ingenious  man,  who  died  several  years  since,  in  the  84th  year  of  his 
age,  actually  built  a  chamber  organ  with  his  own  hands,  after  he  had  turned  his 
70th  year,  and  without  any  previous  knowledge  of  the  business,  beyond  what  his 
own  ingenuity  suggested. 

f  See  "  Cradock's  Literary  and  Miscellaneous  Memoirs." 


382  THOMAS    GfREATOREX,    ESQ. 

1772,  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Cooke,  between  whom  and  his 
pupil  a  mutual  attachment  was  formed ;  and  the  latter  never 
mentioned  but  in  the  most  grateful  terms  the  friendship 
evinced  for  him  by  that  truly  amiable  man. 

In  the  year  1774,  on  the  occasion  of  the  opening  of  the 
Leicestershire  Infirmary,  a  performance  of  sacred  music  took 
place  in  the  parish  church  of  St.  Martin's,  Leicester.  Mr. 
Cradock,  in  his  " Miscellaneous  Memoirs"  gives  some  detailed 
and  interesting  particulars  of  this  festival.  Lord  Sandwich, 
who  was  one  of  the  stewards,  selected  the  oratorio  of  Jephtha 
for  performance.  Giardini  was  the  leader ;  Joah  Bates  the 
conductor ;  and,  on  this  occasion,  Miss  Harrop  (afterwards 
Mrs.  Bates)  made  her  first  public  appearance.  At  this  fes- 
tival young  Greatorex  was  present ;  and  hence  may  be  dated 
his  rise  in  his  profession;  for  he  here  became  acquainted  both 
with  Lord  Sandwich  and  Mr.  Bates :  the  one,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished patron  of  the  day ;  the  other,  the  best  amateur. 
In  the  years  1774 — 1776,  Mr.  Greatorex  attended  the  ora- 
torios given  by  Lord  Sandwich  at  Hinchinbrook ;  and  im- 
proved the  opportunity  thus  afforded  him  of  studying  the 
music  of  Handel,  as  executed  by  the  most  perfect  band  that  had 
then  ever  been  brought  together,  and  under  the  conductorship 
of  Mr.  Bates,  who  extended  to  the  young  man  an  affectionate 
friendship  which  he  continued  through  life. 

On  Mr.  Bates's  appointment  as  secretary  to  Lord  Sand- 
wich, and  Commissioner  at  the  Victualling  Office,  Mr^Greato- 
rex  succeeded  him  in  his  Lordship's  family;  and  had  apartments 
assigned  to  him  in  that  nobleman's  residences,  both  in  town 
and  at  Hinchinbrook.  At  the  establishment  of  the  Ancient 
Concerts,  in  1776,  he  assisted  in  the  chorus.  About  this 
period,  the  health  of  the  young  musician  failing,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  the  favourable  prospects  opening  to  his  view ; 
and,  in  1 780,  accepted  the  situation  of  organist  at  Carlisle 
cathedral.  Here  he  had  much  leisure  time,  which  he  well 
employed,  not  only  in  musical  studies,  but  in  storing  his  mind 
with  those  scientific  acquirements  whereby  he  was  afterwards 
distinguished  in  private  life,  and  for  the  improvement  of  which 


THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ.  383 

he  was  much  indebted  to  his  having  been  received  into  a  select 
society  then  established  at  Carlisle,  whereof  Dr.  Percy,  late 
Bishop  of  Droraore,  Dr.  Charles  Law,  late  Bishop  of  Elphin, 
and  Mr.  Archdeacon  Paley  were  members,  and  which  fre- 
quently met  for  philosophical  discussions. 

In  the  year  1786  Mr.  Greatorex  went  to  Italy,  taking  with 
him  letters  of  introduction  from  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
persons  in  this  country  ;  thereby  gaining  access  to  the  highest 
English  society  then  resident  in  Italy,  among  whom  he  was 
admitted  more  on  the  footing  of  an  accomplished,  unas- 
suming gentleman,  than  that  of  the  young  musical  student. 
In  particular,  he  was  much  caressed  by  our  ambassador 
at  Naples,  Sir  William  Hamilton  ;  and  at  Rome,  by  the  Earl 
of  Cawdor,  who  through  life  continued  his  intimacy  and 
patronage. 

The  following  anecdote,  arising  out  of  Mr.  Greatorex's 
residence  in  Italy,  is  worthy  of  preservation.  During  his 
stay  at  Rome,  he  was  introduced  to  the  old  Pretender,  then 
living  with  some  degree  of  splendour  on  an  income  derived 
from  England.  Mr.  Greatorex  being  requested  to  sing  to 
him,  chose  the  simple  air,  "  Farewell  to  Lochaber."  The 
unfortunate  Prince  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  and  squeezed 
the  performer's  hand  with  great  emotion.  The  acquaintance 
thus  commenced  was  continued  during  Mr.  Greatorex' s  stay 
in  Italy.  His  manners  and  conversation,  —  the  former  perfectly 
simple,  the  latter  replete  with  good  sense  and  information,- — 
so  pleased  the  Prince,  that,  whenever  the  young  musician's  card 
was  sent  in,  he  never  was  refused  admittance.  Their  con- 
versation when  alone  generally  turned  on  England ;  and  the 
Prince  made  eager  and  anxious  enquiries  as  to  the  descend- 
ants and  families  of  his  old  friends.  He  entered  freely  into 
the  history  of  his  attempt  to  gain  the  throne  of  these  realms ; 
and  stated  a  number  of  facts  relating  to  his  difficulties,  and 
the  peculiar  situations  in  which  he  was  placed  during  his 
escape  from  Scotland,  after  being  defeated  at  Culloden.  He 
represented  the  cause  of  this  attempt  to  have  been  the  delusive 
promises  of  the  French  government  to  aid  him  with  a  large 


384  THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ. 

army ;  and  complained  bitterly  of  the  deceit  and  bad  faith  of 
that  power.  He  lamented  deeply  and  sincerely  having  been 
the  unhappy  cause  of  so  much  loss  of  life  and  property.  So 
many  interesting  particulars  did  he  relate  to  Mr.  Greatorex, 
in  whose  conversation  he  sought  for  and  seemed  to  find  con- 
solation, that  a  very  curious  volume  might  have  been  formed 
on  the  subject,  a  romance  of  real  life,  throwing  light  on 
points  connected  with  the  history  of  that  period,  which  are 
but  imperfectly  known.  After  Mr.  Greatorex's  return  to 
England,  on  the  death  of  the  Prince,  a  handsome  bequest  of 
many  volumes  of  manuscript  music  sufficiently  testified  the 
kind  remembrance  which  that  unfortunate  personage  had  pre- 
served of  the  young  Englishman. 

Mr.  Greatorex  went  to  Naples,  Florence,  and  Venice ;  at 
each  of  w'  ich  places  he  made  some  stay.     He  afterwards 
visited  most  of  the  other  cities  of  Italy,  likewise  the  Nether- 
lands and  Holland,  and  returned  to  England  at  the  latter  end 
of  the  year  1788.     He  always  possessed  an  enthusiastic  ad- 
miration of  architectural  beauty,  and  had  no  slight  knowledge 
of  the  art.    He  was  much  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  cathe- 
dral at  Strasburg ;  and  his  admiration  led  him  into  an  exploit 
almost  unparalleled  for  daring.     Having  ascended  to  nearly 
the  top  of  the  steeple  by  the  ordinary  means,  he  found,  under 
the  cap-stone,   a   hole   sufficiently  large  for    him   to   creep 
through.     Being  of  a  slender  make,  and  extremely  active,  he 
determined  on  making  the  attempt ;  and  succeeded  in  thrust- 
ing himself  into  the  opening,    then  climbed  up  the  grand 
double  cross  which  surmounts  the  whole,  and  got  upon  the 
upper  cross  beam,  to  the  astonishment  of  those  who  witnessed 
the  achievement, — which,  till  then,  had  been  considered  utterly 
impracticable.    M.  Pleyel  (from  whom  he  took  some  lessons  in 
music)  watched  through  a  telescope  the  whole  progress  of  this 
dangerous  adventure,  little  dreaming  that  his  own  pupil  was 
the  aspirant.     Mr.  Greatorex  had,  before,  been  equally  suc- 
cessful in  a  similar  attempt,  at  St.  Peter's  in  Rome.     When 
he  there  had  reached  the  great  ball,  he  found  a  jointed  ladder 
fastened  to  it,  which,  upon  being  opened,  swung  to  the  per- 


THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ.  385 

pendicular  of  the  outside  of  the  ball;  and  by  means  of  this  he 
ascended  to  the  cross,  and  climbed  to  its  upper  beam. 

Mr.  Greatorex  returned  to  England  the  latter  end  of  1788, 
and  established  himself  in  London,  where  his  time  was  soon 
fully  occupied  as  a  teacher  of  music ;  to  such  a  degree,  in- 
deed, that  for  a  considerable  period  the  income  derived  from 
this  branch  of  his  profession  exceeded  2000/.  per  annum. 
In  1793,  he  received  an  unexpected  honour  in  being  ap- 
pointed, without  any  solicitation,  Conductor  of  his  Majesty's 
Concerts  of  Ancient  Music,  on  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Bates. 
To  enable  him  to  discharge  this  duty,  which  placed  him 
at  once  at  the  head  of  his  profession,  Mr.  Greatorex  re- 
signed a  large  portion  of  the  income  derived  from  his  labours 
as  a  teacher.  ^  He  held  that  distinguished  post  thirty-nine 
years;  and  the  writer  of  this  has  heard  the  late  Earl  of 
Darnley,  who  was  one  of  the  Directors,  mention,  as  a  most 
extraordinary  instance  of  punctuality,  that,  during  the  whole 
period,  Mr.  Greatorex  was  never  once  absent  from  his  duty, 
or  five  minutes  after  his  time  at  any  rehearsal,  performance, 
or  meeting  of  Directors.  He  retained  his  situation  of  Con- 
ductor till  his  death;  and,  while  suffering  from  his  last  long 
and  painful  illness,  his  zeal  tempted  him  to  make  greater  ex- 
ertions than  were  compatible  with  the  state  of  his  health  ;  but 
he  could  not  persuade  himself  to  quit  a  situation  to  which  he 
was  much  attached,  and  which  he  had  filled  in  so  honourable 
a  manner. 

Mr.  Greatorex's  intimacy  with  .the  late  Earl  of  Chesterfield 
is  well  known.  This  was  much  promoted  by  his  having 
built  himself  a  country  retreat  at  Burton-upon-Trent,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  his  Lordship's  seat,  Bretley  Park  ;  and  led 
to  his  acceptance  of  a  Captain's  commission  in  the  St.  George's 
Volunteers,  commanded  by  that  nobleman.  His  acquirements, 
and  great  respectability  of  character,  rendered  him  acceptable 
to  the  highest  society.  He  was  always  one  of  the  party  at 
the  dinners  given  by  the  royal  and  noble  Directors  of  the 
Ancient  Concerts.  At  one  of  these,  his  late  Majesty  (then 
Prince  of  Wales)  endeavoured  to  persuade  him  to  remain 

VOL.  xvi.  c  c 


3&6  THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ. 

longer  at  table  than  his  duties  would  allow  as  conductor  of 
the  performance  to  take  place  that  evening.  Mr.  Greatorex 
pleaded  the  necessity  of  being  punctual  at  all  times,  especially 
when  the  King  and  Queen  were  to  be  present.  "  Oh  !  never 
mind  them,"  said  the  Prince,  jocularly ;  "  my  father  is  Rex, 
I  confess,  but  you  are  a  Greater  Rex" 

In  the  year  1819,  Mr.  Greatorex  succeeded  to  the  situation 
which  his  master  and  friend,  Dr.  Cooke,  had  formerly  filled, 
as  organist  of  Westmister  Abbey ;  and  continued  to  hold  this 
honourable  post  till  his  death. 

Thus  far  the  subject  of  this  memoir  has  been  mentioned 
only  in  his  professional  capacity  :  but  one  of  his  intimate 
friends,  who  possessed  the  best  means  of  judging,  has  very  cor- 
rectly stated,  that  with  Mr.  Greatorex  music  was  only  one  of 
many  pursuits ;  that  his  strong  and  active  mind  was  directed 
to  other  objects,  particularly  mathematics  and  astronomy ;  and 
that,  had  he  devoted  himself  to  music  alone,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  he  would  have  excelled  as  a  composer 
of  the  highest  class ;  for  his  taste  was  excellent,  and  his  judg- 
ment strong.  He,  however,  contented  himself  with  harmo- 
nising various  airs,  and  arranging  parts  for  a  grand  orchestra ; 
which  he  executed  so  well,  and  with  so  much  ease,  that,  had 
he  attempted  more,  his  success  would  most  likely  have  been 
proportionately  great.  His  additional  instrumental  parts  to 
the  compositions  of  the  old  masters  evince  a  just  conception 
of  the  subject ;  and  the  adaptations  of  many  of  Handel's  airs 
have  already  been  published.  His  harmonisations  of  melodies 
abound  in  grace  and  effect :  none  of  these  have  been  printed  ; 
but  it  is  the  intention  of  his  family  shortly  to  publish  them,  in 
pursuance  of  a  recommendation  to  that  effect  found  among  his 
papers. 

He  was  also  well  acquainted  with  chemistry  and  botany : 
papers  remaining  in  his  handwriting  *  show  him  to  have  de- 
voted much  time  to  the  latter  subject ;  and,  with  regard  to 
another  of  his  acquirements,  it  is  but  just  to  both  parties  to 

*  On  the  Classification  of  British  Plants,  with  their  times  of  appearance,  from 
actual  observations,  &c. 


THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ.  387 

state,  that  one  of  his  sons,  now  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Royal 
Engineers,  and  employed  on  the  government  trigonometrical 
survey  of  Ireland,  will  acknowledge  with  gratitude  the  able 
assistance  and  instruction  he  has  received  from  his  father  in 
abstruse  mathematical  calculations. 

Mr.  Greatorex,  in  the  course  of  an  excursion  to  the  British 
Lakes,  in  the  autumn  of  1817,  made  some  important  observ- 
ations on  the  barometer ;  and  put  into  successful  operation  a 
novel  mode  of  measuring  the  altitude  of  mountains,  with  a  view 
to  check  barometrical  measurements.  The  result  of  his  ex- 
periments he  afterwards  communicated  to  the  Royal  Society, 
who  selected  his  communication  for  publication;  and,  shortly 
afterwards,  chose  him  a  fellow  of  that  learned  body,  on  the 
recommendation  of  Dr.  Young,  foreign  secretary  to  the  so- 
ciety/ Mr.  Greatorex  had  for  many  years  previously  been  a 
member  of  the  Linnean  Society.  He  was  remarkable  for  his 
attachment  to  astronomy ;  and  possessed  some  of  the  most 
valuable  instruments  in  Europe,  particularly  a  telescope,  by 
Tully,  which  is  acknowledged  to  be  superior  to  every  thing 
of  the  kind  hitherto  made.  He  was  one  of  those  gifted  beings 
who  appear  to  have  the  power  of  excelling  in  whatever  they 
undertake  :  not  only  was  he  possessed  of  the  more  scientific 
attainments  already  mentioned,  but  he  had  also  considerable 
talent  as  an  artist;  and  his  knowledge  and  good  taste  in 
paintings  were  undoubted.  When  young,  his  skill  in  archery 
placed  him  almost  as  the  first  bowman  in  England ;  in  testi- 
mony whereof,  the  prizes  carried  by  him  from  some  of  those 
spendid  meetings  at  which  royalty  attended,  and  strove  for 
the  palm  of  victory,  are  still  in  existence.  He  belonged  to  the 
club  of  Kentish  Bowmen;  of  which  the  Prince  of  Wales,  after- 
wards George  the  Fourth,  was  also  a  member. 

During  the  autumn  of  1828,  Mr.  Greatorex,  while  attend- 
ing the  Derby  Musical  Festival,  was  attacked  by  violent 
illness,  which  had  much  the  appearance  of  gout.  His  medical 
adviser,  knowing  that  his  patient  had  much  to  go  through  in 
conducting  the  festival,  thought  that  circumstances  justified 
strong  measures.  Mr.  Greatorex  was,  in  consequence, 

c  c  2 


388  THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ. 

reduced  to  the  last  stage  of  weakness,  an'd  with  diffi- 
culty underwent  the  fatigue  of  his  duties  :  and  it  is  with 
regret  we  state,  that  at  such  a  moment  individuals  were  to  be 
found  to  thwart  his  designs,  and  oppose  him  in  a  manner 
which  his  health  did  not  allow  him  to  resist.  The  result  was 
failure  ;  and  a  heavy  loss  to  the  funds  of  the  Infirmary  was 
further  occasioned  by  the  persevering  conduct  of  an  influential 
individual,  who  scorned  to  listen  to  the  reasoning  of  the  con- 
ductor, then  in  no  condition  to  enforce  his  advice.  After  the 
Derby  Festival,  he  executed  the  still  more  laborious  task  of 
conducting  the  York  and  Manchester  Festivals ;  and  returned 
home  in  a  state  of  debility  from  which  he  never  rallied.  For 
three  years  he  suffered  the  severest  and  most  distressing  illness, 
with  exemplary  fortitude  and  patience ;  and,  from  love  of  his 
profession,  resisted  the  entreaties  of  his  family  to  relinquish  his 
arduous  duties,  struggling  hard  against  his  malady.  During 
his  illness  his  mind  lost  none  of  its  vigour;  and  he  employed 
himself  much  in  writing  an  article  on  Music,  for  an  Encyclo- 
paedia now  in  course  of  publication,  arid  in  adapting  parts  to 
various  portions  of  the  old  masters,  for  performance  at  the 
Ancient  Concerts. 

Mr.  Greatorex  was  well  aware  that  his  disorder  must  ter- 
minate fatally;  and  contemplated  it  with  the  calmness  and 
resignation  of  a  Christian  and  a  philosopher.  He  disposed  his 
worldly  affairs  in  the  best  way  for  the  interests  of  his  family, 
and  placidly  awaited  the  event  which  he  saw  approaching.  Still 
his  dissolution  arrived  at  a  time  when  least  expected  by  himself 
or  friends.  He  had  retired  from  London  to  Hampton  for  a  few 
days,  imagining  that  change  of  air  would  afford  him  temporary 
relief.  Feeling  better  in  health  and  spirits  than  usual,  he 
stayed  later  on  the  water  than  was  prudent,  in  pursuit  of  his 
favourite  diversion  of  angling ;  and  a  cold  thus  caught  accele- 
rated the  catastrophe  with  awful  rapidity.  He  breathed  his  last 
on  the  18th  of  July,  1831. 

The  funeral  of  Mr.  Greatorex  took  place  at  Westminster, 
Abbey,  on  the  25th  of  July :  it  was  attended  by  three  of  his 
sons  and  nine  particular  friends  as  mourners,  besides  several 


THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ.  389 

eminent  professors  and  amateurs.  As  a  mark  of  respect  to  his 
memory,  the  Dean  ordered  the  organ  to  be  divested  of  the 
coverings  erected  round  it  in  consequence  of  the  preparations 
for  the  coronation ;  when  the  members  of  the  choir,  and  the 
children  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  sang  Doctor  Greene's  fine 
anthem  of  "  Lord,  let  me  know  my  end."  The  service  was 
performed  by  the  Dean  of  Ripon,  as  Sub-dean,  and  Doctor 
Dakins,  the  Precentor;  and  the  body  was  deposited  near 
that  of  Doctor  Cooke,  in  the  west  cloister. 

Mr.  Greatorex's  surviving  family  are  a  widow,  six  sons,  and 
a  daughter.  The  eldest  son,  though  originally  intended  for 
the  qhurch,  chose  the  profession  of  music;  which  he  now  suc- 
cessfully follows  at  Burton-upon-Trent.  His  second  son  is  a 
lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Engineers.  One  is  a  solicitor;  the 
others  are  young.  He  also  left  a  sister,  the  wife  of  William 
Hey  rick,  Esq.,  of  Shurrnaston  Lodge,  near  Leicester,  a  gen-, 
tleman  of  a  highly  respectable  and  ancient  family.  ^ 

As  a  musician,  good  sense,  Mr.  Greatorex's  inherent  virtue, 
was  his  prominent  feature.  This,  so  absolutely  indispensable 
in  a  teacher,  together  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  art, 
rendered  him  one  of  the  best  masters  of  his  day.  The  same 
mental  quality  was  equally  conspicuous  in  him  as  a  conductor. 
All  agreed  in  praising  the  manner  in  which  music  of  every 
description  was  performed  under  his  direction ;  though,  latterly, 
many  selections  made  for  the  Ancient  Concerts  have  been 
justly  impugned.  But,  in  attaching  blame,  it  ought  to  have 
been  recollected  that  the  conductor  of  a  concert  directed  by 
princes  and  nobles  holds  only  a  ministerial  office ;  that  his 
plans  are  often  frustrated,  and  his  advice  frequently  neglected ; 
while  prudential  motives  may  impose  silence  on  him,  and  in- 
duce him  rather  to  bear  unmerited  censure  on  matters  not 
connected  with  moral  character,  than  risk  offending  those  who 
possess  much  power  to  injure  when  they  have  the  will  to 
resent. 

His  personal  character  may  be  summed  up  in  a  word,  —  he 
was  a  gentleman,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  term.  Benevolent 
in  his  nature,  honourable  in  all  his  dealings,  an  excellent 

c  c  3 


390  THOMAS    GREATOREX,    ESQ. 

husband  and  father,  a  constant,  zealous  friend,  his  memory 
will  be  cherished  and  revered  by  those  who  knew  him,  and  be 
for  ever  free  from  any  thing  in  the  shape  of  reproach.  The 
apparent  reserve  in  his  manner  was  the  effect  of  abstraction, 
not  of  coldness,  and  entirely  vanished  when  his  attention  was 
called  to  any  subject  that  interested  him.  His  opinion  on  all 
points  was  as  uniformly  correct  as  it  was  cautiously  and  tem- 
perately delivered ;  and  the  goodness  of  his  heart  and  excel- 
lence of  his  understanding  were  such,  that  he  who  enjoyed  his 
intimacy  must  have  been  either  less  imperfect  than  the  gene- 
rality of  men,  or  less  observing,  if  he  did  not  become  both 
better  and  wiser  by  his  example  and  conversation. 


For  the  foregoing  memoir  we  are  indebted  to  "  The  Har- 


391 


No.  XXIX. 
THE  RIGHT  HONOURABLE  JOHN  TOLER, 

EARL  OF  NORBURY,  VISCOUNT  GLANDTNE,  AND  BARON  NOR- 
BURY,  OF  BALLYORENODE,  IN  THE  COUNTY  OF  TIPPERARY;  A 
PRIVY  COUNCILLOR  FOR  IRELAND;  AND  LATE  CHIEF  JUSTICE 
OF  THE  COURT  OF  COMMON  PLEAS  IN  THAT  KINGDOM. 

THE  family  of  Toler,  originally  from  Norfolk,  was  established 
in  Ireland  by  a  captain  in  Cromwell's  army ;  and  was  distin- 
guished for  its  attachment  to  the  cause  of  King  William,  in 
1688. 

The  late  Chief  Justice  was  born  December  3.  1 745,  and 
was  the  second  son  of  Daniel  Toler,  of  Beechwood,  in  the 
county  of  Tipperary,  Esq.,  by  Letitia,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Otway,  of  Castle  Otway,  Esq.  He  was  called  to  the  Bar  in 
Michaelmas  term,  1770;  and  in  1776  was  first  returned  to 
the  Irish  House  of  Commons,  as  one  of  the  members  for 
Tralee. 

In  1781  he  was  appointed  a  King's  Counsel;  and  in  1784 
we  find  him  Chairman  of  the  Quarter  Sessions  at  Kilmainham. 
In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  one  of  the  representatives  of 
the  borough  of  Philipstown,  in  the  King's  County ;  his  elder 
brother,  Daniel  Toler,  Esq.,  who  died  in  1796,  then  being 
chosen  one  of  the  county  members  for  Tipperary.*  He  was, 
at  this  period,  a  very  useful  orator  on  the  part  of  the  Govern- 
ment ;  nor  was  his  personal  prowess  unacceptable.  A  violent 
speech,  containing  threats  towards  Mr.  Ponsonby,  is  recorded 
in  the  debates  of  the  Irish  House  of  Commons,  in  February, 
1797;  and  he  challenged  the  notorious  Napper  Tandy,  who 

*  The  estate  of  this  gentleman  is  now  enjoyed  by  his  son-in-law,  Sir  Henry 
Osborne,  Bart. ,  who  married  his  eldest  daughter  and  co-heiress,  Harriet  Toler. 

c  c  4 


THE    EARL    OF    NORBURY. 

declined  the  encounter.  In  1789  he  was  appointed  Solicitor- 
General  of  Ireland  ;  and,  at  the  general  election  of  1790,  he 
was  chosen  Member  of  Parliament  for  Newborough,  in  the 
county  of  Wexford.  On  the  7th  of  November,  1797,  his 
wife  was  created  a  Peeress  of  Ireland,  by  the  title  of  Baroness 
Norwood,  of  Knockalton,  in  the  county  of  Tipperary.  Mr. 
Toler  was  appointed  Attorney- General  of  Ireland,  July  16. 
1 798 ;  and  sworn  of  the  Privy  Council  on  the  2d  of  August. 
He  was,  during  that  year,  actively  engaged  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  Irish  rebels. 

He  was  advanced  to  be  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas,  December  20.  1800  ;  and,  on  the  29th  of  the  same 
month,  was  created  Lord  Norbury.  He  retained  the  Chief 
Justiceship  until  1827;  when,  on  his  retirement,  he  was  re- 
warded with  a  pension  of  3046£,  and  advanced  to  the  titles  of 
Viscount  Glandine  and  Earl  of  Norbury,  with  remainder  to 
his  second  son. 

As  the  recollections  of  the  civil  commotions  in  which  he 
had  played  so  remarkable  a  part  began  to  subside,  Lord 
Norbury  was  chiefly  known  from  his  reputation  for  wit  and 
drollery.  "  Lord  Norbury's  last  joke"  has  been  an  ordinary 
title  to  a  witticism  in  the  newspapers :  it  is  hardly  necessary 
to  add,  that  much  was  attributed  to  him  which  did  not  belong 
to  him;  and  many  a  dealer  in  illegitimate  puns,  who  was 
ashamed  of  owning  his  own  productions,  laid  his  spurious 
offspring  at  his  Lordship's  door.  It  is,  however,  matter  of 
history,  that  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Dublin  was  fre- 
quently thronged  with  idlers,  attracted  by  the  amusement 
which  was  to  be  found  in  the  humorous  conduct  of  its  pro- 
ceedings. The  spirit  of  the  Judge  naturally  extended  itself 
to  the  Counsel ;  his  principal  auxiliaries  were  Messrs.  Grady, 
Wallace,  O'Connell,  and  Gould,  who  played  against  each 
other,  and  occasionally  involved  the  Court  in  such  a  general 
clamour,  that  it  was  difficult  to  determines  whether  the  ex- 
clamations of  the  parties,  the  protestations  of  the  witnesses, 
the  cries  of  the  counsel,  the  laughter  of  the  audience,  or  the 
stentorian  voice  of  the  Chief  Justice,  predominated.  At  length, 


THE   EARL    OP    NORBURY.  393 

however,  his  Lordship's  superiority  of  lungs  prevailed ;  and, 
like  ./Eolus  in  his  cavern,  (of  whom,  with  his  puffed  cheeks  and 
inflamed  visage,  he  would  have  furnished  a  painter  with  a 
model,)  he  shouted  his  stormy  subjects  into  peace.  These 
scenes  repeatedly  occurred  during  a  trial,  until  at  last  both 
parties  had  closed,  and  a  new  exhibition  took  place,  on  his 
Lordship's  delivering  his  charge.  It  was  thought  that  he 
had  an  habitual  leaning  to  the  side  of  the  plaintiff;  but  he 
usually  began  by  pronouncing  high  encomiums  on  the  oppo- 
site party.  For  this  the  audience  were  well  prepared ;  and 
accordingly,  after  he  had  stated  that  the  defendant  was  one  of 
the  most  honourable  men  alive,  and  that  he  knew  his  father, 
and  loved  him,  he  suddenly  came,  with  a  singular  emphasis, 
which  he  accompanied  with  a  strange  shake  of  his  wig,  to  the 
fatal  "  but;"  which  made  the  audience,  who  were  in  expect- 
ation of  it,  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter.  He  then  proceeded  to 
enter  more  deeply,  as  he  said,  into  the  case ;  and  flinging  his 
judicial  robe  half  aside,  and  sometimes  casting  off  his  wig, 
started  from  his  seat,  and  threw  off  a  wild  harangue,  in  which 
but  little  law,  method,  or  argument  could  be  discovered, 
amidst  the  anecdotes  connected  with  the  history  of  his  early 
life,  jests  from  Joe  Miller,  and  others  of  his  own,  and  sarcastic 
allusions  to  any  of  the  counsel  who  had  endeavoured  to  check 
him  during  the  trial.  He  was  exceedingly  fond  of  quotations 
from  Milton  and  Shakspeare;  which,  however  out  of  place, 
were  very  well  delivered,  and  evinced  an  excellent  enunci- 
ation. 

In  the  year  1826,  when  his  Lordship  was  passed  the  age  of 
eighty,  his  incompetency  was  alleged  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, but  denied  by  Mr.  Goulburn  and  Mr.  Peel.  In  the 
following  year  the  charge  was  repeated,  in  a  petition  from  Mr. 
Q'Connell ;  Mr.  Scarlett  presented  it,  but  did  not  make  any 
motion,  in  consequence  of  an  assurance  from  Mr.  Peel  that 
the  subject  would  be  considered  by  government.  Mr.  Goul- 
burn in  consequence  called  on  Lord  Norbury;  and  after  a 
month,  which  was  given  his  Lordship  to  consult  with  his 
friends,  was  told  that  Lord  Combermere  was  his  particular 


394*  THE    EARL    OF    NORBURY. 

friend,  and  that  he  had  written  to  him  at  Calcutta.  Mr. 
Goulburn,  finding  the  matter  was  so  procrastinated,  and 
being  conscious  that  Lord  Norbury  was  as  well  qualified  as 
he  had  ever  been,  was  at  a  loss  how  to  proceed.  But,  on  Mr. 
Canning  soon  after  taking  the  reins  of  government,  Lord 
Norbury,  feeling  that  under  the  new  system  he  could  not  rely 
so  entirely  on  the  support  of  Ministers,  wisely  came  to  terms ; 
and,  having  stipulated  for  an  earldom,  resigned  in  favour  of 
Lord  Plunket. 

During  a  long  enjoyment  of  lucrative  offices,  and  in  the 
practice  of  strict  economy,  Lord  Norbury  accumulated  a  large 
fortune.  At  the  same  time,  he  was  an  excellent  landlord,  and 
a  gentle  and  forbearing  master.  In  his  deportment  towards 
the  Bar  he  was  undeviatingly  polite. 

Those  who  know  the  violence  of  political  feeling  in  Ireland 
are  well  aware  of  the  difficulty,  or  rather  of  the  impossibility, 
of  obtaining  a  temperate  or  a  just  estimate  of  the  qualities  of 
any  public  man  whose  conduct  has  rendered  him  obnoxious 
to  a  party.  But,  whatever  differences  of  opinion  may  exist 
with  respect  to  other  parts  of  Lord  Norbury's  character,  it  is 
acknowledged  by  every  body,  that  in  private  society  he  was 
one  of  the  most  agreeable  and  amusing  companions  that  ever 
lived.  Men,  women,  and  children,  all  delighted  in  him.  His 
animal  spirits  were  unbounded  ;  and,  endowed  by  nature  with 
an  acute  wit,  which  he  cultivated  by  constant  exercise,  it  was 
impossible  to  excel  him  in  the  art  of  setting  and  keeping  the 
table  in  a  roar. 

He  was  always  a  remarkably  good  horseman,  and  to  his 
latter  years  appeared  well  mounted  in  the  streets.  When  he 
rode  to  Court,  as  he  did  every  day  while  a  Judge,  he  exhibited, 
for  his  time  of  life,  great  alacrity  and  spirit ;  and  as  he  passed 
Mr.  Joy,  whom  he  looked  upon  as  his  probable  successor, 
putting  spurs  to  his  horse,  he  cantered  rapidly  along. 

His  death  took  place  at  Dublin,  on  the  27th  of  July,  1831 ; 
in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

The  Earl  of  Norbury  married,  June  2.  1778,  Grace, 
daughter  of  Hector  Graham,  Esq.,  Secondary  of  the  Irish 


THE    EARL    OF    NORBURY. 

Court  of  Common  Pleas,  by  Grace  Maxwell,  niece  to  John 
Lord  Farnham.  By  this  lady,  who  was  created  Baroness 
Norwood  in  1797,  and  died  July  21.  1822,  his  Lordship  had 
two  sons  and  two  daughters:  1.  the  Right  Hon.  Daniel  Lord 
Norwood,  who  succeeded  his  mother  in  that  title  in  1822,  and 
has  now  succeeded  to  his  father's  barony :  2.  the  Right  Hon. 
Hector  John,  now  Earl  of  Norbury  and  Viscount  Glandine, 
having  succeeded  to  those  titles  in  virtue  of  the  special  re- 
mainder before  mentioned;  he  married,  January  1.  1808, 
Elizabeth,  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  William  Brabazon, 
Esq.,  and  niece  to  Sir  Anthony  Brabazon,  of  Newport,  in  the 
county  of  Mayo,  Bart,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  so  that 
neither  brother  has  an  heir  apparent ;  3.  Isabella ;  and,  4. 
Letitia,  who,  in  1813,  became  the  second  wife  of  William 
Browne,  of  Browne's  Hill,  in  the  county  of  Carlow,  Esq. 
brother-in-law,  by  his  first  marriage,  to  the  Earl  of  Mayo. 

The  will  of  Lord  Norbury  has  been  proved,  and  his  per- 
sonal property  sworn  under  138,000/. 


With  the  exception  of  a  single  paragraph,  we  have  ex- 
tracted this  brief  memoir  from  "  The  Gentleman's  Magazine." 


396 


No.  XXX. 
ROBERT  CHESSHER,  ESQ. 

AMONGST  those  distinguished  individuals  whose  loss  the 
public  have  recently  experienced  is  Mr.  Chessher,  whose  skill  in 
medical  science  generally,  but  more  especially  in  the  treatment 
of  curvatures  of  the  spine  and  of  malformation  of  the  limbs,  is 
universally  known.  He  was  a  native  of  Hinckley,  in  Lei- 
cestershire; and  having  lost  his -father  during  his  infancy,  and 
his  mother  having,  whilst  he  was  still  a  child,  married  Mr. 
Whalley,  an  eminent  surgeon  residing  in  Hinckley,  under 
the  care  of  the  latter  the  lamented  subject  of  our  memoir  laid 
the  groundwork  of  that  medical  education  which,  in  maturer 
years,  ranked  him  amongst  the  first  operating  surgeons  of  his 
day.  His  general  education  he  received  in  the  Foundation 
School  at  Bosworth  as  a  private  pupil,  and  there  he  made 
great  proficiency  in  the  classics. 

Mr.  Whalley's  practice  being  very  extensive,  as  at  that 
time  there  were  but  few  medical  practitioners  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, his  step-son  was  taken  from  school  at  an  early 
period,  and  apprenticed  to  him;  and  now  his  mechanical  genius 
began  to  develope  itself.  A  case  occurred  of  a  fracture  of 
radius  and  ulna,  in  a  neighbouring  village,  at  a  small  farm- 
house; and,  during  the  time  Mr.  Whalley  was  making  the 
customary  preparations,  the  young  assistant,  by  means  of  a 
book,  some  pieces  of  pasteboard,  and  such  materials  as  were 
at  hand,  constructed  a  support  for  the  fractured  limb,  which, 
on  being  applied,  according  to  his  own  peculiar  idea  of  placing 
the  fractured  parts,  gave  immediate  relief  to  the  patient ;  and 
it  was  continued  throughout  the  time  of  attendance,  without 
the  possibility  of  improvement  in  its  construction.  A  second 
case  of  the  same  kind  soon  afterwards  occurred,  but  of  a  much 


ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ.  39? 

more  severe  nature;  and  here  a  similar  support  was  of  the 
most  essential  service :  but  the  limb  having  threatened  con- 
traction, a  new  mode  of  treatment  was  adopted ;  and  the  parts 
being  kept  open  until  new  substance  had  formed,  by  the  aid 
of  friction  and  motion,  and  a  simple  but  necessary  improve- 
ment in  the  support,  this  case,  which  was  a  very  bad  one,  was 
in  due  time  perfectly  restored.  In  both  these  instances  Mr. 
Whalley  left  the  management  principally  to  his  step-son;  and 
wholly  so  in  cases  where  the  support  of  his  own  especial  con- 
struction was  adopted. 

What  we  have  stated  will  suffice  to  show  the  early  genius 
of  Mr.  Chessher  in  combining  mechanical  with  medical  know- 
ledge; and  when  it  is  considered  that  the  period  alluded 
to  was  between  sixty  and  seventy  years  since,  both  justice  and 
candour  will  award  him  the  praise  of  originality  in  his  mode 
of  treatment.  All  his  leisure  time  was  now  devoted  to  the 
study  of  such  measures  as  might  obviate  the  contraction  of 
parts  divided  by  fracture.  He  had  met  with  no  treatise  on 
the  subject;  and  therefore  his  own  experience,  consequent 
upon  a  frequent  occurrence  of  such  cases,  was  the  only  guide 
of  his  practice. 

The  early  developement  of  his  talents  determined  his 
parents  to  place  the  youth  in  London ;  previously  to  which  he 
had  been  under  the  tuition  of  a  clergyman  for  two  years,  for 
the  completion  of  his  classical  studies.  At  the  termination  of 
this  period  he  was,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  sent  to  town,  under 
the  auspices  of  Mr.  John  Wyatt,  who  consigned  him  to  the 
care  of  Dr.  Denman ;  and  in  the  family  of  that  gentleman 
were  spent  some  of  the  happiest  years  of  Mr.  Chessher's  life. 
Here  his  superior  talents  had  a  wide  field  in  which  to  display 
themselves.  The  Doctor's  practice  was  at  that  period  so  ex- 
tensive as  to  embrace  all  classes  in  society;  and  his  pupil's 
attendance  was  frequently  required  in  the  houses  of  distin- 
guished persons,  until  the  Doctor,  engaged  elsewhere,  could 
arrive.  Mr.  Chessher's  juvenile  appearance  occasionally  caused 
doubts  to  be  expressed  of  his  capability ;  on  which  his  friend 
would  observe  that,  young  as  he  was,  lie  had  perfect  con- 


398  ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ. 

fidence  in  his  skill  and  judgment :  these  early  introductions 
in  cases  of  midwifery  were  of  essential  service  to  Mr.  Chess- 
her,  and  prepared  him  for  his  future  successful  career  in  his 
native  place. 

His  frequent  attendance  upon  the  poorer  classes  of  Dr. 
Denman's  patients,  who  almost  invariably  requested  to  be 
placed  under  the  care  of  "  the  young  gentleman,"  as  he  was 
called,  gave  him  the  finest  opportunities  of  practical  know- 
ledge. To  his  urbanity  he  probably  owed  the  prepossession 
in  his  favour  of  those  classes;  while  his  firmness  and  patience, 
under  the  most  protracted  cases,  inspired  them  with  perfect 
confidence  in  his  skill  and  judgment. 

The  numerous  cases  of  infants  dying  in  convulsions  led  his 
enquiring  mind  to  a  deep  investigation  of  the  cause ;  and 
having  satisfied  himself  oh  this  subject,  his  ideas  were  com- 
municated to  the  Doctor,  who  entirely  coincided  with  his 
pupil's  suggestions,  which  were  acted  upon  with  all  the  success 
that  could  have  been  anticipated. 

Much  as  Mr.  Chessher's  time  was  thus  occupied,  he  could 
not  forego  his  natural  predisposition  towards  the  union  of 
mechanism  with  the  noble  art  of  which  he  was  a  professor. 
After  two  years  spent  in  hourly  improvement  and  usefulness 
under  his  kind  friend  Dr.  Denman,  he  attended  the  lectures 
of  Drs.  Hunter  and  Fordyce;  from  which  he  took  notes 
generally,  but  more  immediately  from  such  parts  as  had  re- 
ference to  his  own  peculiar  ideas :  and  to  these  lectures  he 
ever  afterwards  acknowledged  himself  indebted  for  much  of 
his  future  reputation.  In  the  evenings  of  the  days  thus  em- 
ployed, Dr.  Denman  was  accustomed  to  lead  his  pupil  into 
conversation,  by  asking  what  had  been  the  subject  of  the  lec- 
ture. The  kind  and  simple  mode  of  this  enquiry  drew  forth 
an  unreserved  communication  of  ideas.  On  this  particular 
point,  and  when  alluding  to  Dr.  Denman  in  after  years,  Mr. 
Chessher  used  to  observe,  that  a  great  portion  of  young  men's 
apprenticeships  is  lost  for  want  of  a  little  judicious  intercourse 
between  them  and  their  masters.  "  When  too  great  a  dis- 
tance is  required  by  the  latter,"  he  was  accustomed  to  say, 


ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ.  399 

"  not  only  is  genius  repressed,  but  objectionable  society  is 
too  frequently  sought."  It  was  after  one  of  these  lectures  of 
Dr.  Hunter  that  Dr.  Denman  enquired  its  subject.  Mr. 
Chessher  replied,  that  Dr.  Hunter  had  introduced  into  the 
theatre  a  person  of  the  name  of  Jones,  a  staymaker,  who 
represented  himself  as  having  invented  an  instrument  cal- 
culated to  afford  relief  in  curvatures  of  the  spine.  Perceiving 
his  pupil  very  earnest  in  his  account,  and  knowing  that  he 
had  adopted  mechanical  aids  in  some  surgical  cases,  the  Doc- 
tor encouraged  him  to  continue  the  conversation ;  and  begged 
to  know  his  opinion  of  Mr.  Jones's  apparatus.  Mr.  Chessher 
replied,  that  if  any  relief  could  be  afforded  by  mechanism,  a 
more  surgeon-like  method  of  treating  such  cases  might  be 
adopted.  "  Then,"  observed  the  Doctor,  "  I  think  sueh  a 
branch  of  the  profession  might  (advantageously  for  the  pa- 
tient) be  taken  up  by  a  lad  of  enquiring  mind  like  yourself." 
This  remark  had  its  due  weight,  entering  as  it  did  so  fully 
into  the  views  and  inclinations  of  the  person  thus  pointedly 
addressed:  and,  although  surgery  continued  principally  to 
occupy  Mr.  Chessher's  time,  his  friend  would  not  hear  of  his 
relaxing  in  his  studies  on  the  application  of  mechanical  aids; 
his  hesitation  having  arisen  simply  from  the  fear  lest  such 
studies  might  be  considered  as  retrograding  in  the  pursuit  of 
a  profession  in  which  he  so  anxiously  wished  to  excel.  This 
objection  obviated,  after  complying  with  Doctor  Denman's 
desire  that  he  would  explain  his  views  with  respect  to  such 
matters  upon  the  human  skeleton,  and  the  result  having  pro- 
duced a  conviction  on  the  Doctor's  mind  of  his  pupil's  perfect 
mastery  over  the  subject,  Mr.  Chessher  determined  to  follow 
his  friend's  advice. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Mr.  Chessher  suggested  the  advan- 
tage of  periodical  times  of  rest  for  the  human  frame  (or  what 
has  since  been  called  the  lying-down  system) ;  with  which  sug- 
gestion, together  with  his  reasons  for  recommending  it,  Dr. 
Hunter  expressed  himself  perfectly  satisfied.  The  Doctor  had 
previously  in  his  lectures  given  his  own  ideas  on  the  utility  of 


400  ROBERT    CHESSHEK,    ESQ. 

relieving  the  tender  spine,  by  taking  off  the  superincumbent 
weight  of  the  head  and  other  parts  from  the  pelvis. 

On  leaving  Dr.  Denman,  whose  friendship  his  pupil  con- 
tinued to  cultivate,  and  from  whom  he  received  an  annual  visit 
so  long  as  health  permitted,  Mr.  Chessher  became  House- 
Surgeon  at  the  Middlesex  hospital.  In  so  populous  a  neigh- 
bourhood, he  had  full  exercise  for  his  skill,  humanity,  and 
perseverance ;  as  accidents  were  of  daily  occurrence,  requiring 
such  aid  as  his  peculiar  mode  of  treating  fractures  enabled 
him  to  give. 

Mr.  Wyatt,  under  whom  Mr.  Chessher  was  at  one  time 
dresser  at  the  hospital,  continually  expressed  his  great  satisfac- 
tion at  the  skilful  and  novel  manner  in  which  he  proceeded  to 
unite  the  parts  after  amputation.  This  mode  required  much 
patience,  watchfulness,  and  attention  ;  but,  as  no  fatigues  ever 
made  him  refax  in  the  improvement  of  his  profession,  his 
efforts  were  unusually  successful ;  and  the  prospect  of  distinc- 
tion as  a  surgeon,  amongst  his  immediate  connections  and 
friends,  would  have  been  constant  incentives  to  his  persever- 
ance, had  such  been  needed. 

In  consequence  of  his  stepfather's  death,  Mr.  Chessher 
returned  to  his  native  place ;  and  immediately  took  upon 
himself  the  charge  of  an  extensive  practice.  Possessing  a  com- 
petency, and  desirous  of  improving  himself  in  practical  know- 
ledge, he  employed  much  of  his  time  in  attending  the  needy 
poor,  of  whom  there  was  a  large  proportion  in  his  town  and 
neighbourhood  ;  and  whenever  a  novel  case  occurred  under 
the  care  of  any  other  practitioner,  he  would  cheerfully  offer 
his  assistance,  in  the  hope  of  suggesting  some  new  remedy  for 
the  sufferer. 

The  retiring  manners  of  Mr.  Chessher  prevented  his  making 
those  close  and  early  friendships  which  are  so  often  formed 
during  the  period  devoted  to  academical  studies  :  but  he  was 
beloved  and  respected  by  the  boys  of  his  own  class ;  and  the 
merit  he  discovered  in  them  became  the  source  of  advantage  to 
several  in  after  years.  Amongst  the  elder  boys  was  one  celer 
brated  for  his  superior  skill  in  the  classics,  to  whom  Mr. 


ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ.  401 

Chessher  looked  up  with  admiration  of  his  splendid  talents. 
The  recollection  of  that  youth's  superiority  in  mental  acquire- 
ments proved  a  stimulus  to  Mr.  Chessher  in  his  ardent  pursuit 
of  professional  eminence;  and  having  never  lost  the  recollection 
of  this  bright  example,  on  returning  to  his  native  place  he 
sought  out  his  highly  gifted  friend.  Time  and  circumstances, 
however,  bring  about  strange  changes.  He  who  had  every 
capacity  and  opportunity  of  becoming  an  ornament  to  society, 
had,  in  consequence  of  dissipation,  sunk  amongst  the  lowest 
dregs  of  mankind.  Shocked  at  his  degraded  situation,  and  de- 
termined to  snatch  from  ruin  one  whom  he  had  formerly  so 
much  admired,  Mr.  Chessher  obtained  the  permission  of  his 
surviving  parent  to  have  this  young  man  admitted  as  an  in- 
mate under  his  maternal  roof;  intending  to  give  him  every 
opportunity  of  making  his  way  in  life.  The  object  of  his  kind- 
ness, however,  did  not  long  survive  this  happy  change;  he 
died  of  an  abscess,  brought  on  by  excessive  drinking.  To  this 
anecdote  Mr.  Chessher  would  occasionally  allude,  in  his  con- 
versation with  young  persons,  in  order  to  impress  on  their 
minds  the  value  of  an  active  and  useful  life. 

After  two  years'  practice  at  home,  Mr.  Chessher  was  intro- 
duced to  the  celebrated  Dr.  Kirkland,  of  Ashby  de  la  Zouch, 
at  a  professional  consultation  ;  on  which  occasion  Mr.  Chess- 
her performed  an  operation  so  skilfully  and  successfully,  as  to 
obtain  for  him  the  future  respect  and  friendship  of  that 
eminent  practitioner,  who  used  jocosely  to  say,  that  ((  a  peck 
of  practice  was  worth  a  bushel  of  theory."  Of  the  former  the 
Doctor  had  plenty;  as  he  resided  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
coal  mines,  where  accidents  were  of  frequent  occurrence. 
Both  he  and  Mr.  Chessher  were  always  tenacious  of  saving  a 
limb  under  the  worst  of  symptoms  ;  and  neither  of  them  gave 
up  the  case  as  hopeless  until  every  possible  means  had  failed. 
In  these  and  other  cases  of  fracture  Mr.  Chessher's  mechan- 
ical inventions  were  of  essential  service.  His  double-inclined 
plane,  of  a  most  simple  construction,  formed  forty  years  since, 
with  very  little  alteration  since  that  time,  afforded  such  incal- 
culable relief  to  the  sufferers,  as  to  aid  materially  in  their 

VOL.  XVI.  D  D 


402  ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ. 

recovery.  This  machine  was  shown  to  some  eminent  practi- 
tioners in  London  many  years  ago,  and  was  afterwards  adopt- 
ed very  generally,  although  the  credit  of  the  invention,  as  is 
frequently  the  case,  was  never  awarded  to  Mr.  Chessher :  but 
this  he  did  not  regard ;  satisfied  with  the  attainment  of  his 
object  in  its  success  and  utility. 

Cases  were  now  becoming  frequent,  requiring  the  union  of 
mechanical  with  surgical  assistance ;  and  neither  time  nor 
expense  was  spared  in  inventing  and  constructing  every  pos- 
sible machine  to  suit  each  particular  case.  Mr.  Chessher's 
original  ideas  were  admirably  brought  into  form  by  a  clever 
working  mechanic  in  his  employ  (Mr.  Reeves);  of  whose 
talents  as  a  smith  he  always  spoke  in  terms  of  the  highest 
praise.  Under  his  workmanship,  Mr.  Chessher's  invention 
for  the  support  of  the  spine  was  matured.  In  this  early  stage 
of  its  application,  Mr.  Chessher's  attendance  was  required  in 
the  family  of  a  neighbouring  gentleman,  whose  daughter  had 
suffered  materially  from  a  violent  rheumatic  attack.  The 
muscles  of  this  young  lady's  neck  had  become  so  greatly  con- 
tracted as  materially  to  distort  the  countenance,  which  was 
one  of  great  beauty ;  and  the  spine  had  become  considerably 
curved.  Shocked  at  this  sad  spectacle,  he  waited  upon  Dr. 
Vaughan  of  Leicester,  the  physician  in  attendance,  to  whom 
he  proposed  the  adoption  of  his  peculiar  mode  of  treatment  in 
such  cases ;  namely,  relaxing  by  means  of  fomentations,  mo- 
tion, and  friction,  as  soon  as  possible ;  and,  lastly,  when  the 
parts  should  be  sufficiently  relaxed,  to  put  on  his  support  for 
the  spine,  —  by  the  continued  use  of  which  the  head  would  be 
restored  to  its  natural  position,  and  the  spine,  being  relieved 
of  the  superincumbent  weight  of  the  head,  would  gradually  re- 
sume its  erect  state.  Dr.  Vaughan  concurred  in  this  mode  of 
treatment ;  and,  in  six  months  from  the  commencement  of  the 
operations,  the  young  lady  was  perfectly  restored.  Shortly 
after  this  Mr.  Chessher  paid  a  visit  to  his  friend  Dr.  Denman, 
in  London;  and  having  given  him  a  history  of  this  case,  the 
Doctor  observed  that,  in  his  professional  attendance  at  a  no- 
bleman's house  in  town,  he  had  seen  a  young  lady  similarly  af- 


ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ.  403 

flicted.  On  his  describing  the  success  of  his  late  pupil  to  Mr.  J. 
Hunter  (who  also  attended  the  family),  that  gentleman,  with 
his  accustomed  liberality,  requested  a  written  account  of  the 
case  ;  to  which,  when  sent  to  him  (not  without  much  diffidence 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Chessher),  he  gave  his  most  serious  con- 
sideration. So  fully  satisfied  was  Mr.  Hunter  with  the  treat- 
ment of  the  former  patient,  that  he  recommended  the  parents 
of  the  young  lady  whose  case  was  then  under  consideration 
to  place  their  daughter  at  Hinckley  ;  as,  her  complaint  being 
of  three  years'  standing,  a  proportionate  time  was  requisite  for 
its  cure.  This  recommendation  having  been  adopted,  nearly 
the  same  remedies  were  used,  with  some  additional  machinery, 
in  aiding  the  action  of  the  head ;  which  produced  a  more 
gentle  and  uniform  motion  than  could  possibly  have  been 
effected  by  the  hand.  In  about  eighteen  months  the  patient 
was  perfectly  recovered.  Many  years  afterwards,  the  same 
lady  again  became  Mr.  Chessher's  patient,  in  consequence  of 
a  fractured  arm,  which  did  not  recover  its  natural  action  from 
having  been  placed  in  a  wrong  position  in  the  splints.  By 
the  aid  of  motion,  friction,  and  the  application  of  a  simple 
support,  the  arm  was  perfectly  restored. 

In  every  case  the  general  health  of  the  patient,  with  proper 
medical  treatment,  was  duly  considered.  Friction  and  mo- 
tion, as  before  observed,  were  Mr.  Chessher's  powerful  aux- 
iliaries, particularly  in  contractions ;  but,  as  the  hand  is  neither 
sufficiently  steady  nor  effective,  his  motioning  machines  (which 
the  patient  might  use  periodically,  without  the  assistance  of 
an  attendant)  were  constructed  as  an  effectual  agent.  Instru- 
ments were  then  applied  adapted  to  each  particular  case,  and 
so  constructed  as  to  give  the  limb  its  true  motion,  keeping  it 
in  its  natural  position.  A  case  may  be  here  specified  which 
exhibited  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Chessher's  skill  as  a  practical 
surgeon,  and  the  confidence  placed  in  him  as  such.  He  was 
called  to  attend  at  a  family  mansion  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Hinckley,  for  the  purpose  of  amputating  the  limb  of  a  young 
lady  who  had  met  wjth  a  serious  accident.  She  was  returning 
from  a  ride  on  horseback,  and  crossing  the  park,  when  a  deer 

D  D  2 


404  ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ. 

sprang  up,  which  caused  the  horse  to  start.  The  suddenness  of 
the  action  threw  her  ;  and  she  fell  upon  the  inner  edge  of  the 
ankle,  the  integuments  of  which  gave  way.  The  foot  being 
forced  from  the  malleolus  internus,  and  the  lower  part  of  the 
tibia  being  fractured,  the  bones  were  driven  out  of  the  joint  ; 
and  a  very  small  portion  of  the  cartilage  of  the  end  of  the 
tibia  remained,  with  little  bone  to  it,  occasioning  a  large 
lacerated  wound  from  the  tendo  achillis  to  nearly  the  fibula, 
more  than  half  round  the  limb.  Mr.  Chessher  was  much 
pressed  to  amputate,  and  the  young  lady  had  perfectly  resigned 
herself  to  what  she  considered  this  inevitable  result ;  but,  de- 
termined if  possible  to  save  the  limb,  he  earnestly  requested 
a  second  examination.  He  now  gained  the  patient's  per- 
mission to  take  off  a  portion  of  the  bone;  which  was  safely 
done  for  more  than  an  inch.  She  requested  three  minutes' 
rest;  and  then  told  her  medical  friend  to  act  as  he  might 
think  best.  The  parts  were  then  carefully  put  together,  and 
placed  on  a  temporary  rest,  until  an  effectual  support  could 
be  prepared.  The  next  object  was  to  take  a  model  of  the 
perfect  limb,  from  which  the  support  for  the  fractured  one  was 
in  part  formed ;  and  the  leg  was  so  adjusted  in  the  support  as 
to  let  in  the  foot :  thus  preserving  the  natural  shape  of  the 
limb,  during  the  time  in  which  improvement  was  going  on. 
The  limb  was  regularly  watched,  so  as  to  guard  against  any 
unnatural  position  ;  a  perfectly  quiescent  state  being  enjoined, 
and  for  a  length  of  time.  Eventually  it  was  restored  to  its 
natural  form,  action,  and  substance.  This  young  lady,  Mr» 
Chessher  observed,  merited  more  commendation  for  patience, 
firmness,  and  resignation  than  he  was  capable  of  expressing. 
The  gratitude  of  the  family  was  unbounded;  and  a  more  than 
common  friendship  for  her  medical  benefactor  continued  to 
the  latest  hour  of  that  lamented  friend's  existence.  In  this 
case  his  double-inclined  plane  was,  as  usual,  particularly 
useful ;  and,  indeed,  absolutely  necessary.  In  all  cases  of 
fracture,  Mr.  Chessher  would  exhort  the  patient  to  abstain 
totally  from  bearing  upon  the  limb  for  a  much  longer  time 
than  is  usually  enjoined  by  practitioners ;  and,  whenever  this 


ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ.  405 

was  complied  with,  a  strong  and  well-shaped  limb  was  gene- 
rally the  result.  Time,  he  would  say,  must  be  given  for  the 
parts  to  acquire  stability  and  simple  ossification  ;  until  which 
no  exertion  whatever  of  the  limb  should  be  used. 

In  the  application  of  his  support  for  the  spine,  no  more 
extension  was  enjoined  or  wished  for  by  Mr.  Chessher  than 
to  relieve  the  spine  of  the  superincumbent  weight  of  the  head, 
or  to  take  off  this  superincumbent  weight  from  the  pelvis ; 
only  employing  extension  according  to  the  growth  or  improve- 
ment of  the  patient.  Those  cases  in  which  this  injunction  of 
moderate  extension  was  obeyed  were  always  the  most  success- 
ful, as  by  these  means  the  parts  had  time  to  acquire  strength. 
There  have  been  cases  in  which  a  young  lady,  over  desirous 
for  recovery,  has  injudiciously  and  unadvisedly  extended  her- 
self,  and  thus  lost  the  advantage  she  would  have  gained  by 
progressive  extension  :  but  force  formed  no  part  of  Mr.  Chess- 
her's  system.  A  large  portion  of  his  patients,  anxious  to 
evince  their  gratitude,  and  to  do  justice  to  his  mode  of  prac- 
tice, requested  him  to  publish  their  cases. 

These  being  very  numerous,  and  in  many  instances  very- 
similar,  might  aid  the  purposes  of  medical  skill  and  science ; 
but,  although  they  would  well  grace  the  pages  of  a.  medical 
treatise,  they  would  not  interest  the  general  reader.  The 
following  may  not,  however,  be  improperly  added  to  the  few 
already  described :  it  is  that  of  a  military  officer,  who  suffered 
from  angular  curvature  with  total  loss  of  limbs.  He  was  per- 
fectly restored  after  a  comparatively  short  time,  and  resumed 
his  military  duties.  It  may  be  here  observed,  that,  in  all 
^ases  of  angular  curvature,  the  support  for  the  spine  was 
employed  principally  to  prevent  pressure  upon  the  diseased 
or  injured  bones,  by  taking  off  the  superincumbent  weight  of 
the  head ;  from  which  support  the  suffering  patient  found  im- 
mediate relief.  All  the  cases  alluded  to  are  now  in  manuscript, 
and  would  in  all  probability  have  been  published;  but  Mr. 
Chessher's  constant  and  arduous  occupations  left  him  little 
time  for  literary  pursuits. 

It  was  for  the  public  good  that  Mr.  Chessher  continued  to 

D  D  3 


406  ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ. 

practise;  for  in  the  manuscript  just  alluded  to  he  says:  — 
u  My  sole  motive  in  making  these  observations  public,  and 
for  continuing  my  practice,  is  from  the  conviction  that  the 
whole  of  the  machinery  now  employed  is  capable  of  affording 
essential  benefit :  for  which  reason  I  will  not  cease  to  carry 
on  the  business ;  nor  will  I  spare  any  expense  or  means  to 
make  it  beneficial  to  posterity." 

At  one  time,  Mr.  Chessher  was  strongly  solicited  by  several 
distinguished  medical  practitioners  in  London  to  settle  there ; 
and  probably  he  would  have  done  so,  but  for  the  wish  to  give 
every  possible  advantage  and  encouragement  to  his  native 
town.  His  conversations  with  young  medical  friends  and 
others,  on  various  interesting  subjects  connected  with  his 
methods,  are  generally  remembered ;  and  they  who  have  to 
bring  the  knowledge  he  imparted  into  practice  will,  it  is  to 
be  hoped,  cause  the  effect  of  these  conversations  to  be  found 
beneficial  to  their  patients. 

It  was  not  until  a  few  months  of  his  decease  that  Mr.  Chess- 
her felt  any  disposition  to  relax  in  his  arduous  occupations. 
For  many  previous  years  he  had,  in  the  month  of  June,  been 
more  or  less  subject  to  a  catarrhous  affection,  from  which 
he  suffered  for  about  a  month ;  that  is,  from  the  middle  of 
June  until  the  same  time  in  July.  At  these  times  his  patients 
were  not  only  deprived  of  his  valuable  services,  but  of  his 
society,  which  his  friends  greatly  regretted ;  and  all  united  in 
welcoming  his  recovery  as  a  renewal  of  cheerful  days.  He 
had  a  particularly  happy  manner  in  attaching  children  to  him, 
and  in  occupying  their  attention  whilst  engaged  in  attending 
to  their  case ;  and,  after  one  visit,  the  little  patient  would  gene- 
rally anticipate  with  pleasure  a  second  to  its  medical  friend. 
Great  love  of  the  profession  could  alone  have  induced  him 
to  give  up  so  many  private  comforts;  for  even  his  times  for 
taking  rest  and  food  were  made  to  give  way  to  an  interesting 
case.  In  his  few  hours  of  leisure,  however,  he  was  particularly 
fond  of  conversing  on  agricultural  subjects;  and,  although  not 
a  practical  agriculturist,  he  would  sometimes  suggest  ideas 
and  improvements,  which  surprised  many  who  had  made 
agriculture  their  sole  pursuit. 


ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ.  407 

He  entertained  great  respect  for  all,  whatever  was  their 
station,  who  steadily  pursued  some  useful  object,  and  whose 
talents  were  directed  for  the  benefit  either  of  themselves  or  of 
others;  but  the  profligate  and  slothful,  however  charitable  he 
might  be  to  their  failings,  had  no  share  of  his  personal  regard : 
from  this  proper  feeling  might  arise  the  very  judicious  way  in 
which  he  left  his  munificent  and  excellent  charity  to  the  poor 
of  his  native  place.  At  three  different  periods  of  the  year,  he 
appointed  certain  articles  of  clothing  to  be  given  to  such  de- 
serving persons  as  were  not  in  the  receipt  of  parochial  relief; 
and  on  its  first  distribution  there  were  some  hundreds  of 
applicants.  Other  charities  will  greatly  benefit  by  his  ample 
legacies ;  but  one  which  he  had  intended  to  found  and  endow 
of  himself,  and  which  was  designed  for  the  reception  of  pa- 
tients, from  all  quarters,  afflicted  with  deformities  of  the  spine 
and  malformation  of  the  limbs,  was  never  carried  into  exe- 
cution. On  this,  his  favourite  wish,  he  had  conversed  with 
many  friends ;  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  lamented  that  his  native 
town  should  be  deprived  of  such  a  benefit,  and  that  his  wishes 
should  have  been  frustrated.  The  very  valuable  collection  of 
anatomical  preparations  which  Mr.  Chessher  had,  from  time 
to  time,  collected,  with  the  greatest  care  and  without  regard  to 
expense,  were  a  source  of  gratification  to  himself,  and  of  ad- 
vantage to  numbers,  even  amongst  his  patients ;  to  whom  he 
would  exhibit  them  with  all  the  fervour  and  animation  of  his 
early  days.  Many  anxious  parents  have  been  convinced  by 
such  demonstrations  of  the  necessity  for  mechanical  means  in 
their  child's  case.  These  preparations,  with  his  medical 
books  and  machinery^  he  bequeathed  to  Mr.  Ridley,  the 
gentleman  whom  he  appointed  to  succeed  him,  and  who  now 
follows  the  profession  at  Hinckley. 

The  fortune  Mr.  Chessher  had  acquired,  by  great  talent 
and  unwearied  industry,  was  considerable ;  but  his  liberality, 
and  the  moderation  of  his  fees,  prevented  an  accumulation  of 
great  riches.  He  had  fixed  charges  for  those  who  had  the 
means  of  remunerating  him :  but  no  sooner  did  he  learn  the 
inability  of  any  one  to  meet  the  expense,  than  he  rendered 

D  D  4 


408  ROBERT    CHESSHER,    ESQ. 

those  charges  as  easy  as  possible ;  and,  in  many  cases,  none 
were  made  except  for  the  machinery.  Many  poor  chil- 
dren received  gratuitous  assistance;  and  several  are  now  ob- 
taining a  livelihood  who,  but  for  the  means  employed  by  this 
friend  of  the  afflicted,  would  have  remained  cripples  for  life. 
In  his  habits  of  living,  Mr.  Chessher  was  very  abstemious, 
although  he  kept  the  most  liberal  establishment;  and  long, 
very  long,  will  his  old  patients  and  friends  remember  the 
cheerful  and  elegant  entertainments  given  under  his  hospitable 
roof.  He  made  it  a  point  to  serve  his  native  place,  by  spend- 
ing his  ample  income  amongst  the  different  tradespeople;  and 
the  good  thus  effected  was  incalculable. 

In  figure,  Mr.  Chessher  was  of  the  middle  size;  and  his  fine 
countenance  had  in  it  all  the  marks  of  great  and  peculiar 
genius.  In  general  conversation  he  was  full  of  anecdote;  and 
to  listen  to  his  recollections  of  early  life  could  not  fail  to 
enlighten  his  hearers.  In  conversing  with  the  friends  of  a 
patient  relative  to  a  case,  he  was  never  betrayed  into  hasty 
observations,  however  tedious  or  minute  might  be  the  details. 

Intentional  injustice  he  would  repel,  but  never  resent ;  and 
in  giving  his  opinions  of  others  he  was  the  most  charitable  of 
human  beings,  always  seeking  to  extenuate  where  he  could  not 
praise,  and  wishing  good  to  all  mankind.  He  was  a  true 
Christian ;  and,  although  making  no  outward  display  of  re- 
ligion, his  heart  was  ever  alive  to  its  hopes  and  consolations. 

Long  will  his  memory  remain  in  the  grateful  remembrance 
of  his  friends,  and  in  the  admiration  of  all  who  can  feel  and 
appreciate  the  excellence  of  genius,  united  with  industry  and 
ennobled  by  virtue. 

Mr.  Chessher  departed  this  life  on  the  31st  of  January, 
1831. 


We  have  been  favoured  with  the  foregoing  memoir  from  an 
authentic  source. 


409 


No.  XXXI. 
THE   REV.   PHILIP   TAYLOR. 

MR.  TAYLOR  was  born  in  the  parish  of  St.  George  Colegatej 
Norwich,  the  llth  May,  1747.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Mr.  Richard  Taylor,  of  that  city,  and  grandson  of  that  justly 
celebrated  divine,  Dr.  John  Taylor;  whose  admirable  tract, 
"  On  the  Value  of  a  Child,"  was  occasioned  by  his  birth. 
Mr.  Taylor's  maternal  ancestors  had  been,  for  two  centuries, 
resident  in  the  parish  in  which  he  was  born. 

From  his  fifth  to  his  seventh  year  Mr.  Taylor  attended 
the  school  of  Isaac  Jarmy,  clerk  of  the  Society  of  Friends  in 
Norwich.  His  first  classical  instructor  was  his  learned  grand- 
father; and,  in  the  year  1757,  he  accompanied  him  to  War- 
rington,  whither  the  Doctor  removed,  to  fill  the  situation  of 
Theological  Professor  in  the  Dissenting  Academy  then  re- 
cently established  there.  For  two  years  after  this  period  he 
was  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Edward  Harwood,  an  able  classical 
teacher  at  Congleton,  and  author  of  the  "  Introduction  to  the 
Classics."  He  then  returned  to  Warrington,  and  passed  a 
year  under  his  grandfather's  roof;  going  daily  to  the  free 
school,  under  the  Rev.  Mr.  Owen.  In  1760,  he  became  a 
pupil,  with  his  cousin,  Dr.  Rigby,  afterwards  of  Norwich,  of 
Dr.  Priestley,  at  Namptwich ;  whom  he  accompanied,  in  the 
autumn  of  1761,  to  Warrington,  in  consequence  of  the  sudden 
death  of  his  grandfather,  in  the  month  of  March  of  that  year, 
and  Dr.  Priestley  having  been  appointed  classical  tutor  in 
the  Academy.  In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1 762  he  lost  his 
excellent  father ;  and,  in  the  following  autumn,  he  was  re- 
moved to  the  Academy  at  Exeter,  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Mi- 
cajah  Towgood,  Messrs.  Merivale,  Hogg,  and  Turner.  There 
he  remained  till  1765,  when  he  again  returned  to  Warrington, 


410  THE    REV.  PHILIP    TAYLOR. 

and  finished  his  theological  course,  under  that  excellent  man, 
and  accomplished  scholar,  Dr.  John  Aikin. 

In  April,  1766,  he  preached  for  the  first  time  in  public, 
at  Blakely,  near  Manchester.  In  September,  1767,  he  was 
chosen  assistant  to  the  Rev.  John  Brekell,  minister  of  Kaye 
Street,  in  Liverpool ;  whom  he  succeeded  as  pastor  of  the 
congregation  upon  his  death,  and  was  ordained  thereto,  July, 
1770,  in  the  presence  of  eighteen  ministers.  In  the  year 
1771  he  paid  his  first  visit  to  Dublin,  a  voyage  having  been 
recommended  for  the  recovery  of  his  health ;  and  from  this 
incident  arose  his  introduction  into  the  family  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Weld,  for  whom  he  preached,  and  to  whose  only  daughter  he 
was  afterwards  married,  in  September,  1774;  a  connection  of 
unalloyed  felicity  to  both  parties.  Never  was  man  more 
highly  blessed  in  a  virtuous  and  sympathising  consort.  Three 
years  after  this  period  he  was  invited  over  to  Dublin  as  assistant 
to  his  father-in-law,  Dr.  Weld,  and  co-pastor  with  his  much 
esteemed  friend  the  Rev.  Samuel  Thomas;  with  whom  he  had 
previously  been  acquainted  in  1 764,  when  on  a  visit  at  Yeovil, 
where  Mr.  Thomas  was  then  minister.  Dr.  Weld  was  the 
immediate  successor  of  the  learned  Dr.  Leland;  and  it  is  a  re- 
markable fact,  that  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Leland,  Dr.  Weld,  and 
Mr.  Taylor  embraced  a  period  of  more  than  150  years. 

Whilst  a  student  at  Exeter,  he  contracted  a  warm  and 
lasting  friendship  with  James  White,  Esq.,  afterwards  a  bar- 
rister, with  whom  he  continued  to  correspond  until  the  death 
of  the  latter,  in  the  year  1825;  and  whose  steady  attachment, 
notwithstanding  their  different  professions  and  pursuits,  was 
a  source  of  high  enjoyment  to  the  pure  and  benevolent  mind 
of  our  venerable  friend.  Drs.  Enfield  and  Estlin,  too,  may 
be  mentioned  as  kindred  minds,  whose  correspondence  often 
delighted  him. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  eminently  fitted  to  give  and  receive  enjoy- 
ment from  society.  His  cheerful  temper,  his  frank  and  cor- 
dial manners,  his  animated  conversation,  enlivened  by  humour 
and  enriched  with  anecdote,  rendered  him  a  delightful  and 
desired  companion.  But  he  never  forgot,  nor  could  any  of 


THE    REV.  PHILIP    TAYLOR.  411 

his  friends  or  associates  be  betrayed  into  forgetting,  the  re- 
spect due  to  the  character  of  a  Christian  minister.  No  one 
ever  felt  under  improper  restraint  in  his  presence;  on  the 
contrary,  he  was  the  promoter  of  innocent  cheerfulness  upon 
all  occasions :  yet  he  was  the  last  man  with  whom  a  scoffer 
or  a  libertine  would  have  ventured  to  take  a  freedom.  His 
musical  acquirements  contributed  their  aid  to  the  charm  of 
his  society.  Nature  had  gifted  him  with  a  voice  of  great 
power  and  excellent  quality ;  and  he  had  cultivated  both  vocal 
and  instrumental  music  with  considerable  success.  His  taste 
was  remarkably  pure ;  and  some  of  his  Psalm-tunes  may  be 
reckoned  among  the  most  perfect  specimens  of  that  description 
of  composition.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  one  of 
the  musical  societies  of  Dublin,  then  adorned  by  the  talents 
of  Stevenson,  Spray,  Smith,  and  T.  Cooke.  His  brethren  in 
the  ministry  were  particularly  attached  to  him,  and  always 
delighted  in  his  cheerful  and  entertaining  society.  With 
these  distinguished  social  habits,  however,  he  neglected  not 
the  domestic  duties.  His  home  to  him  was  always  the  centre 
of  happiness ;  and  from  him  that  happiness  was  diffused  to  the 
humblest  being  within  the  reach  of  his  influence.  He  was 
dearly  loved  by  every  inmate  of  his  house.  In  his  garden  he 
took  great  delight ;  and  few  could  excel  him  in  horticulture. 
Many  an  affectionate  friend  will  remember  the  order  which 
pervaded  it,  and  the  luxuriance  of  its  productions :  but  when 
in  the  evening,  seated  in  the  midst  of  his  happy  circle,  he  de- 
lighted all  hearts  with  the  beauty  of  his  reading,  and  the  excel- 
lence of  his  selections  —  it  was  in  these  hours  he  might  be  said 
to  present  a  perfect  pattern  of  benign  enjoyment  and  domestic 
felicity.  In  all  arrangements  of  life  he  was  remarkably  exact ; 
and  his  pecuniary  engagements  were  fulfilled  with  scrupulous 
punctuality.  To  his  friends  and  connections  he  was  ever 
hospitable,  and  to  his  neighbours  generous  and  kind.  He 
took  with  him  to  the  grave  the  blessings  of  the  poor ;  and  as 
he  never  made  an  enemy  while  he  lived,  so  his  memory  is 
sacred  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  ever  knew  him.  As  a  husband, 
a  father,  and  a  friend,  he  stood  pre-eminent;  and,  as  a  bright 


THE    REV.  PHILIP    TAYLOR. 

pattern  of  Christian  excellence,  he  presented  a  model  which 
well  and  fitly  illustrated  the  doctrines  he  impressed  upon 
others.  He  possessed,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  attachment  to 
all  the  members  of  his  family,  and  also  to  his  native  city ;  and 
though  early  separated  from  his  paternal  roof,  neither  time 
nor  distance  had  the  power  to  weaken  those  bonds  of  affection 
which  united  him  to  them.  Of  his  numerous  relations, 
there  was  not  one  in  whose  welfare  he  did  not  take  the  in- 
terest of  a  father  or  a  brother ;  and,  during  his  long  life,  this 
delightful  union  of  hearts  was  never,  in  a  single  instance, 
broken  or  impaired.  He  was  accustomed,  about  every  seventh 
year,  to  visit  Norfolk,  there  to  assemble  his  relations  around 
him :  and  never  were  the  interchanges  of  family  affection 
more  sincerely  and  conspicuously  manifested.  His  feelings  on 
one  of  these  delightful  occasions  are  thus  described  in  a  letter 
to  his  colleague,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Hutton,  in  the  summer  of 
1796:  "  I  cannot,"  he  says,  "  express  how  much  I  am 
affected  by  the  kind  and  unremitting  attentions  of  all  my  dear 
relatives  to  fill  up  every  hour  in  rational  enjoyment  which 
sleep  does  not  occupy.  We  are  at  my  brother  John's,  where 
we  are  enjoying  the  constant  feast  of  his  company  and  con- 
versation ;  to  which  few  women  could  add  so  much  as  the  very 
uncommon  and  elevated  character  with  which  it  has  been  his 
merited  good  fortune  to  become  united.  This  is  to  be  our 
grand  week  of  family  union.  Our  meeting  will  be  large,  and 
promises  as  much  happiness  as  can  reasonably  be  hoped  for. 
Yet  tell  the  worthy  members  of  our  flock,"  he  adds,  "  that  their 
absent  pastor,  even  amidst  these  scenes  of  abundant  domestic 
gratification,  is  never  forgetful  of  them,  or  indifferent  to  their 
interests.  I  rejoice  to  hear  of  their  general  welfare.  I  beg 
you  will  present  my  affectionate  regards  to  all,  as  you  shall 
happen  to  see  them ;  and  express  the  pleasure  I  have  in  the 
hope  of  returning  to  them,  with  better  health  and  capacity  to 
serve  them  as  I  could  wish."  (Dated  Norwich,  July  19. 
1796.) 

Mr.  Taylor  was  a  Nonconformist  of  the  old  school :  steady, 
conscientious,  unflinching  in  his  attachment  to  the  principles 


THE    REV.  PHILIP    TAYLOR.  413 

of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  though  at  a  period  and  in  a  coun- 
try in  which  such  a  consistent  profession  was  not  easy.  His 
earliest  religious  and  political  impressions  were  formed  at  a 
time  when  the  attempt  of  the  Pretender  to  regain  the  crown 
of  his  ancestors  was  a  comparatively  recent  event;  and  when, 
among  the  Dissenters  in  particular,  popery  and  slavery  were 
terms  seldom  disunited.  Among  his  first  associates  in  the 
ministry,  were  those  who  had  been  actively  engaged  in  op- 
posing that  puny  bantling  of  legitimacy  in  his  march  to  Derby; 
and  his  future  residence  in  Ireland  was  not  likely  to  induce  a 
forgetfulness  of  the  evils  and  errors  of  popery.  Hence  pre~ 
judice  might  have  led  him,  as  it  did  many  of  his  less  con- 
sistent Dissenting  brethren  both  in  Ireland  and  England,  to 
question  the  propriety  of  granting  to  the  Catholics  a  full  en- 
joyment of  their  civil  rights :  but  he  was  governed,  not  by 
prejudice,  but  principle;  and  therefore  he  was  a  decided  advo- 
cate of  Catholic  emancipation.  Firm  and  unbending,  how- 
ever, as  he  was,  in  attachment  to  the  principles  of  noncon- 
formity, he  numbered  among  his  friends  men  of  all  religious 
persuasions.  Among  these  were  Dr.  Law,  the  late  Bishop  of 
Elphin;  and  Dr.  Brinkley,  the  present  Bishop  of  Cloyne. 
With  the  former  of  these  learned  and  accomplished  dig- 
nitaries of  the  established  religion  he  lived  on  terms  of  cordial 
amity. 

Mr.  Taylor's  pulpit  exercises  were  distinguished  by  a  cor- 
rect style  and  chaste  elocution.  His  appearance  and  delivery 
were  so  earnest  and  dignified,  that  no  one  could  listen  to  his 
discourses  without  advantage.  His  devotional  services  were 
always  simple,  pure,  and  impressive :  it  was  in  this  delightful 
part  of  the  public  worship  of  the  sabbath  that  he  peculiarly 
excelled ;  and  flowing,  as  his  prayers  did,  from  a  truly  pious 
heart,  they  seldom  failed  to  engage  the  responsive  Amen  of 
every  hearer. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1820,  after  a  happy  union  of  forty- 
six  years,  Mr.  Taylor  was  deprived  by  death  of  the  faithful 
friend  and  partner  of  his  life.  Possessed  as  she  was  of  a 
mind  highly  cultivated,  of  manners  the  most  refined  and 


414  THE    REV.  PHILIP    TAYLOR. 

amiable,  and  piety  as  warm  as  it  was  sincere  and  deeply 
rooted,  no  wife  or  parent,  no  friend  or  loved  companion,  was 
ever  consigned  to  the  grave  amidst  more  lively  or  general 
regret.  She  possessed  a  heart  which  overflowed  with  charity 
and  benevolence.  It  was  impossible  to  know  her  without 
loving  and  respecting  her  pure  character ;  and  in  every  re- 
lation of  life  she  shone  bright  and  conspicuous  to  the  last. 

We  now  come  to  the  concluding  events  of  Mr.  Taylor's 
life.  On  the  29th  of  April,  1827,  when  he  had  been  sixty  years 
an  officiating  minister,  the  last  fifty  of  which  he  presided  over 
the  congregation  in  Eustace  Street,  Dublin,  his  increasing 
infirmities  suggested  to  him  the  prudence  of  retiring  from  the 
pastoral  office.  In  the  letter  which  announced  his  determin- 
ation, he  says,  "  While  still  allowed  to  retain  some  little  power 
of  body  and  mind,  I  trust  that  I  shall  conclude  my  public 
labours  now  with  a  better  grace  than  if  compelled  to  abandon 
them  by  a  sudden  and  total  incapacity."  After  gratefully  ac- 
knowledging the  kind  indulgence  and  affectionate  regards  of 
his  flock,  during  nearly  fifty  years  of  his  ministry,  he  concludes 
in  this  beautiful  and  impressive  language :  "  It  is  my  fervent 
hope  and  prayer  to  the  Fountain  of  all  Wisdom,  that  He  may 
preside  over  your  deliberations  on  this  important  business, 
and  direct  you  to  the  choice  of  a  successor  to  myself  who  is 
rich  in  spiritual  gifts  and  graces,  and  abounding  in  all  those 
amiable  qualities  of  the  heart  which  can  make  him  to  you  a 
useful  and  acceptable  minister,  and  to  my  ever  and  highly 
esteemed  friend  and  colleague  a  welcome  and  affectionate  as- 
sociate." Notwithstanding  this  letter,  he  continued  to  officiate 
until  the  appointment  of  his  successor,  the  Rev.  James  Mar- 
tineau,  in  whose  ordination  he  bore  a  part,  on  the  26th  of 
October,  1828;  on  the  last  day  of  which  month  he  was  pre- 
sented by  his  affectionate  flock  with  a  most  gratifying  mark  of 
their  esteem  and  love. 

He  continued  for  nearly  three  years  after  this  period  in  the 
enjoyment  of  comparative  health,  and  an  almost  enviable 
cheerfulness  of  mind  and  spirit ;  and  at  length,  by  a  gradual 
and  almost  imperceptible  decline,  sank  to  rest.  "  My  spirit," 


THE    REV.  PHILIP    TAYLOR. 

he  beautifully  says,  in  that  instrument  which,  as  it  were, 
closed  his  earthly  career,  "  I  resign  into  the  hands  of  that 
gracious  God  who  gave  me  being,  and  hath  crowned  a  long 
life  with  innumerable  mercies ;  humbly  hoping  that,  through 
His  continued  goodness,  my  soul  may  be  redeemed  from  the 
power  of  the  grave  to  the  possession  of  complete  and  enduring 
happiness  in  a  better  world  to  come." 

Mr.  Taylor's  death  took  place  at  his  residence,  Harold's 
Cross,  near  Dublin;  on  the  27th  of  September,  1831. 


With  some  very  slight  abridgments,  the  foregoing  memoir 
has  been  extracted  from  "  The  Monthly  Repository." 


416 


LETTER  FROM  SIR  GEORGE  MACKENZIE. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Annual  Biography  and  Obituary. 

SIR, 

A  FEW  days  since  I  accidentally  opened  "  The  Annual 
Biography  and  Obituary;"  and,  turning  to  the  notice  of  the  late 
General  Stewart  of  Garth,  I  was  astonished  to  see  the  perse- 
vering injustice  which  marked  his  own  conduct,  and  that  of 
his  friends,  towards  his  lamented  commander  at  the  battle  of 
Maida,  during  his  life,  and  which  has  been  continued  by  the 
latter  since  his  death,  notwithstanding  many  public  contradic- 
tions. The  'whole  merit  of  the  78th  regiment  is  made  to 
appear  as  if  it  had  centred  in  Major  Stewart,  who  acted  his 
subordinate  part  but  a  very  short  time  during  the  engagement 
at  Maida,  having  been  wounded  early  in  the  battle.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly unpleasant  to  say  any  thing  disrespectful  of  the  dead: 
but  General  Stewart  knew  perfectly  that  the  fulsome  pane- 
gyrics which  were  poured  upon  him  latterly,  in  regard  to  that 
battle,  were  not  merited ;  but  he  did  not  step  forward,  as  a 
generous  man  ought  to  have  done,  to  acknowledge  that  he  did 
not  command  the  regiment.  Lieutenant- Colonel  M'Leod, 
son  of  the  venerable  Sheriff  of  Ross-shire,  and  my  brother-in- 
law,  commanded  the  regiment;  and,  for  his  excellent  conduct, 
received  the  approbation  of  his  General  and  of  his  country. 
Let  those  be  appealed  to  who  were  in  the  battle,  and  who 
may  yet  survive  ;  or  their  friends  to  whom  they  narrated  the 
events  of  the  battle.  I  have  no  desire  to  detract  from  the  real 
merits  of  General  Stewart.  He  did  his  duty;  but  what 
officer  or  man  at  Maida  did  less  ?  He  did  no  more;  nor  do 
I  claim  more  for  my  brother-in-law,  who  fell  afterwards  in  the 
unfortunate  expedition  to  Egypt.  Every  one  knows  that  the 
duty  of  a  British  officer  is  to  distinguish  himself,  in  whatever 
station  he  may  be  placed.  All  I  maintain  is,  that  it  is 


LETTER    FROM    SIR    GEORGE    MACKENZIE.         417 

ungenerous  and  unmanly  to  seek  distinction  at  the  expense  of 
others ;  and  this  I  must  say  has  been  the  case  in  all  that  relates 
to  the  battle  of  Maida  and  General  Stewart. 

I  knew  General  Stewart  personally ;  and  knew  him  to  be  a 
worthy  man,  and  of  considerable  talent.  But  his  failing  was 
an  inordinate  love  of  praise,  and  which  was  furnished  to  him 
in  heaped  measure  with  little  discrimination ;  and  he  had 
not  courage  to  do  justice  to  his  lamented  commander  and 
friend,  lest  he  should  lose  some  portion  of  that  on  which  he 
appeared  to  feed.  With  this  failing,  he  was  a  good  man,  and 
a  good  officer ;  and  it  is  with  sincere  regret  that  the  strain  of 
the  paragraph  at  page  452.  of  your  volume  for  1831,  forces  me 
to  request  that  in  your  next  you  will  give  a  place  to  this  letter, 
and  which  request  your  sense  of  justice  I  trust  will  at  once 
comply  with. 

I  am,  Sir, 
Your  most  obedient,  humble  Servant, 

G.  S.  MACKENZIE. 

Cove,  7th  Sept.  1831. 


VOL.  XVI.  E  E 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


OF  DEATHS, 
FOR  1831. 


,  John  Romaine,  Esq.,  the 
last  relation  of  the  celebrated  Joseph 
Addison ;  at  Strasburg ;  aged  22. 

This  amiable  and  accomplished  young 
gentleman  was  educated  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh,  and  intended  to 
take  out  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine. He  some  time  since  set  out  on  a 
tour  through  the  most  romantic  districts 
of  the  Highlands,  and  subsequently  vi- 
sited the  south  of  England.  He  re- 
mained a  few  days  with  a  relation  at 
Maidstone,  went  over  to  the  Continent, 
and  was  drowned  while  bathing  at 
Strasburg.  —  Gentleman  s  Magazine. 


B. 


BADELEY,  John,  M.D.,  July  24. 
1831 ;  at  Chelmsford,  aged  83. 

He  was  the  youngest  and  last  surviv- 
ing son  of  Samuel  Badeley,  Esq.  of 
Walpole,  in  Suffolk.  He  took  his  de- 
gree of  Doctor  in  Medicine  at  Edin- 
burgh, September  12.  1771,  after  hav- 
ing pursued  the  regular  course  of  studies 
at  that  University;  and  had  practised 
at  Chelmsford  for  the  period  of  fifty- 
nine  years.  So  long  identified  with  that 
town  and  the  county  of  Essex,  it  may 
justly  be  said,  that  he  has  left  a  void  not 
easily  to  be  filled,  whether  we  consider 
him  as  a  man,  physician,  or  friend.  To 
his  profession  he  brought  an  acute  pene- 
tration, a  solid  judgment,  a  benevolent 
care,  great  suavity  of  address,  and  a 


most  persevering  anxiety  for  the  com- 
fort, relief,  and  cure  of  his  patients,  to 
whatever  rank  of  life  they  might  belong. 
In  society  he  uniformly  exhibited  the 
urbanity  and  manners  of  a  gentleman ; 
among  his  friends  he  was  hospitable, 
cheerful,  easy,  and  as  willing  to  be 
pleased  as  he  was  capable  of  pleasing. 
If  he  has  not  added  greatly  to  the  stock 
of  medical  science  by  his  writings  (for 
he  had  no  leisure  for  such  compositions), 
he  displayed  his  knowledge  of  medicine 
by  "a  most  extensive  and  successful 
practice;  and  he  preferred  the  gratifi- 
cation of  having  living  witnesses,  who 
owed  their  health  to  his  judgment  and 
skill,  to  the  publication  of  theories, 
however  ingenious,  and  to  the  com- 
mendation of  professional  critics.  His 
life  was  prolonged  to  a  period  beyond 
the  common  limits  of  mortality ;  and  in 
proportion  to  its  length  were  its  value 
and  utility  demonstrated.  He  lived 
esteemed,  beloved,  and  respected;  he 
died  honoured  and  lamented. 

Dr.  Badeley  married,  in  1790,  Char- 
lotte, daughter  of  Carr  Brackenbury, 
Esq.,  by  whom  he  has  left  two  sons  and 
two  daughters.  The  former  are  John 
Carr  Badeley,  of  Caius  College,  Cam- 
bridge, M.  D.,  who  practises  as  a  phy- 
sician at  Chelmsford;  and  Edward 
Lowth  Badeley,  M.  A.  of  Brazenose 
College,  Oxford.  The  Rev.  Samuel 
Badeley,  LL.B.  Vicar  of  Ubbeston, 
in  Suffolk,  is,  we  believe,  their  cousin. 

The  remains  of  this  venerable  gentle- 
man were  interred  on  the  night  of  Sun- 
day, July  31.,  in  the  family  vault,  which 
is  in  the  churchyard,  nearly  opposite 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


419 


to  Dr.  Badeley's  late  residence.  In 
compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  de- 
ceased, the  funeral  took  place  by  torch- 
light; and  the  mourners,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  extent  of  his  acquaintance, 
were  confined  to  the  family,  his  very  in- 
timate friend  Mr.  Baron  Garrow,  his 
servants  and  tenants,  and  ten  profes- 
sional gentlemen  of  the  town  and 
neighbourhood.  The  service  was  read 
by  the  Rev.  H.  L.  Majendie.  —  Gen- 
tleman's Magazine. 

BATHURST,  the  Right  Hon. 
Charles  Bragge,  D.  C.  L.,  a  Privy 
Councillor,  a  Bencher  of  Lincoln's 
Inn,  and  formerly  Chancellor  of  the 
Duchy  of  Lancaster;  August  20. 
1831  ;  at  his  seat,  Lydney  Park,  Glou- 
cestershire. 

He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Charles 
Bragge,  of  Cleve  Hall,  in  Gloucester- 
shire, Esq.,  by  Anne,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Bathurst,  of  Lydney,  Esq., 
F.  R.  S.,  and  successively  M,  P.  for 
Cirencester,  Gloucester,  and  Mon- 
mouth;  nephew  to  Allen,  first  Earl 
Bathurst. 

Mr.  Bragge  was  educated  at  Win- 
chester, under  Dr.  Warton,  and  then 
elected  to  a  Fellowship  at  New  College, 
Oxford,  as  founder's  kin.  He  took  the 
degree  of  B.C. L.  December  17.  1785; 
and  was  created  D.  C.L.  June  16.  1814. 
Having  been  called  to  the  bar,  he  was 
for  many  years  a  leading  counsel  at  the 
quarter  sessions  at  Gloucester,  where 
his  talents  and  eloquence  were  much 
admired.  His  cousin  Earl  Bathurst, 
whilst  Lord  Chancellor,  presented  him 
with  the  office  of  Clerk  of  the  Pre- 
sentations. At  the  general  election  of 
1796  he  was  elected  M.  P.  for  Bristol; 
and  on  the  14th  of  December  that  year, 
when  Mr.  Fox  moved  a  vote  of  censure 
on  the  ministry,  Mr.  Bragge  moved  the 
amendment,  which  was  carried  on  di- 
vision by  a  majority  of  104.  He  was 
one  of  the  secret  committee  of  fifteen, 
nominated  Nov.  15.  1797,  to  examine 
into  the  situation  of  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land, and  afterwards  brought  up  the 
report  as  Chairman.  In  1799,  we  find 
him  acting  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Supply. 

In  1801,  on  the  formation  of  the 
ministry  headed  by  Mr.  Addington 
(now  Viscount  Sidmouth),  whose  sister 
Mr.  Bragge  had  married  in  1788,  he 
was  appointed  Treasurer  of  the  Navy, 
in  the  room  of  the  Hon.  Dudley  Ryder 
(now  Earl  of  Harrowby),  and  was 
sworn  a  Privy  Councillor.  He  was 


rechosen  for  Bristol  at  the  general 
election  of  1802.  In  June,  1803,  he 
resigned  that  office  in  favour  of  Mr. 
Tierney,  who  was  considered  a  great 
acquisition  to  the  ministry.  On  the 
12th  of  August  following  a  new  writ 
was  ordered  for  Bristol,  Mr.  Bragge 
having  accepted  the  stewardship  of  the 
Chiltern  hundreds ;  he  was  re-elected, 
after  having,  during  the  vacancy,  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  Secretary  of 
War,  the  business  of  which  department 
he  executed  until  Mr.  Pitt's  return  to 
power  in  May,  1 804.  In  the  following 
month  he  divided  against  the  Additional 
Force  Bill,  which  was  the  first  efficient 
measure  of  the  new  administration; 
but  in  April,  1805,  he  voted  in  favour 
of  Mr.  Pitt's  amendment  relative  to  Lord 
Melville,  in  the  measure  of  whose  im- 
peachment he  concurred. 

On  the  death  of  Anne,  widow  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Pool  Bathurst,  Esq., 
May  5.  1804,  Mr.  Bragge  succeeded 
to  Lydney,  and  the  other  estates  of  that 
branch  of  the  family  of  Bathurst ;  and, 
on  the  24th  of  October  following,  re- 
ceived the  royal  licence  to  assume  the 
name. 

After  the  dissolution  of  Parliament 
in  1806,  Mr.  Bathurst  was  appointed 
Master  of  the  Mint;  which  office  he 
retained  until  1810,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  cousin,  the  present  Earl 
Bathurst.  On  the  22d  of  June,  1812,  he 
was  appointed  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy 
of  Lancaster;  in  which  office  he  con- 
tinued until  Jan.  1823.  He  was  re- 
elected  for  Bristol  in  1806  and  1807,  in 
1 812  for  Bodmin,  and  in  1818  for  Har- 
wich. He  had  a  pension  of  350Z.  charged 
on  the  Civil  List,  granted  him  in  1826  ; 
and  his  widow  enjoys  1OOOZ.  per  an- 
num, granted  her  at  three  several  times, 
600/.  in  1823,  300/.  in  1825,  and  100/. 
in  1829. 

Mr.  Bathurst  married,  Aug.  1.  1788, 
Charlotte,  youngest  daughter  of  An- 
thony Addington,  M.D.,  and  had  a  nu- 
merous family. — Gentleman's  Magazine. 

BECKWITH,  his  Excellency 
Lieut.- Gen.  Sir  Thomas  Sydney, 
Knight,  K.  C.  B.,  K.  T.  S.,  Com- 
mander of  the  Forces  at  the  Presidency 
of  Bombay;  Jan.  19.  1831  ;  at  Ma- 
lableshwar  Hills. 

Sir  Thomas  Beckwith  was  a  son  of 
Major- Gen.  John  Beckwith,  who  com- 
manded the  20th  Regiment  at  the 
battle  of  Minden,  and  brother  to  the 
late  Rt.  Hon.  Gen.  Sir  George  Beck- 
with, G.  C.  B.  He  was  appointed 
E  E  2 


I    420 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


Lieutenant  in  the  71st  Foot  in  1791, 
Captain  in  the  army  in  1 795,  in  Man- 
ningham's  corps  of  Riflemen  (after- 
wards the  95th  Foot  and  Rifle  Brigade) 
1800,  Major  1802,  Lieut. -Colonel  1803. 
He  served  in  Spain  and  Portugal,  and 
was  present  at  the  battles  of  Yittoria, 
Corunna,  and  Busaco,  far  which  he 
wore  a  medal  and  two  clasps.  In  1810, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  staff  in  the 
army  in  Spain,  as  Deputy  Assistant 
Quartermaster- General ;  in  1812,  was 
promoted  to  be  Assistant  Quartermas- 
ter-General;.  and  afterwards  served  as 
Quarter  master- General  in  Canada.  He 
was  knighted  May  29.  1812,  on  occa- 
sion of  his  standing  as  proxy  for  his 
brother  at  the  installation  of  the  Bath ; 
on  the  llth  of  Marclv  1813,  he  was 
allowed  to  wear  the  insignia  of  Knight 
Commander  of  the  Tower  and  Sword, 
received  for  his  services  in  the  Penin- 
sula; and  he  was  appointed  a  Knight 
Commander  of  the  Bath,  on  the  exten- 
sion of  the  Order,  Jan.  5.  1815. 

He  attained  the  rank  of  Colonel  in 
1811,  of  Major- Gen.  in  1814,  Colonel- 
commandant  of  the  Rifle  Brigade  in 
1827,  and  Lieut.-Gen.  in  1830.  He 
was  appointed  Commander-in-chief  at 
Bombay  in  the  month  of  May,  1830. 

Sir  Thomas  had  an  only  son,  who 
bore  his  own  names,  and  was  a  Captain 
in  the  Rifle  Brigade  :  he  died  at  Gibral- 
tar, March  21.  1828.  —  Gentleman's 
Magazine. 

BELL,  John,  Esq.  at  Fulham,  in 
the  county  of  Middlesex,,  in  the  86th 
year  of  his  age,  to  the  universal  regret 
of  all  his  family,  friends,  and  a  large 
circle  of  acquaintance.  Mr.  Bell  was 
one  of  the  most  marked  men  of  his 
age ;  he  possessed  a  masculine  under- 
standing, which  a  long  course  of  observ- 
ation, and  a  particular  quickness  and 
facility  in  observing,  had  very  highly 
cultivated  —  so  as  to  have  given  him  a 
judgment  as  just  and  exact  as  his  powers 
of  perception  were  vigorous  and  acute. 
To  the  same  quality  of  mind  he  was 
indebted  for  a  taste  as  elegant  and  re- 
fined  as  ever  belonged  to  any  degree  of 
intellect.  He  had  an  instinctive  per- 
ception of  what  was  suitable  and  beau- 
tiful in  every  possible  combination  of 
the  Arts.  In  the  department  of  the 
Fine  Arts  his  imagination  was  poetical 
in  the  highest  degree.  In  the  em- 
bellished works  which  from  time  to 
time  issued  from  his  press,  every  thing 
that  was  little  was  elegant,  and  every 
thing  that  admitted  ornament  was  im- 


proved to  the  highest  degree  of  beauty 
His  British  Shakspeare  and  Poets  will- 
always,  be  esteemed  as  models  of  ele- 
gance, of  chaste  typography,  and  beau- 
tiful embellishment;  and  though  up- 
wards of  fifty  years  have  elapsed  since 
their  production,  and  though  the  art  of 
typographical  ornament  has  followed 
the  impulse  whreh  his  taste  and  genius 
first  gave  to  it,  the  present  day  very 
seldom  produces  any  thing  equal  to 
some  of  the  early  productions  of  his, 
fancy.  His  manners  were  entitled  to 
a  degree  of  praise  at  least  equal  to  his 
taste  and  genius,  —  they  were  exceed- 
ingly pleasing,  social,  and  manly.  Per- 
haps few  men  were  ever  so  much  la- 
mented by  his  friends  and  acquaintance, 
as  all  his  domestic  qualities  were  suck 
as  greatly  to  endear  him  to  them.  But, 
above  all,  it  would  be  unjust  to  omit 
the  admirable  qualities  of  his  heart* 
He  was  kind-hearted  to  an  excess^ 
which  prudence  could  scarcely  justify  ; 
generous  beyond  the  bounds  of  caution:;: 
and  so  exempt  from  selfishness,  as  to 
find  more  pleasure  in  planning  for 
others  than  for  himself.  His  latter 
years  were  passed  in  much  retirement^ 
and  found  a  refuge  from  the  storms  of 
the  world  in  devout  and  religious 
preparation  for  the  final  close  of  life,, 
in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  gratefully 
attached  to  him,  and  who  lament  his. 
loss  as  the  loss  of  the  kindest  father* 
benefactor,  and  friend. — Bell's  Weekly, 
Messenger. 

BELSON,  Major- Gen.  Sir  Charles. 
Philip,  K.  C.  B. ;  Nov.  5.  1830,  at. 
Blackheath,  aged  56. 

This  officer  entered  the  service  irt 
1794,  in  the  13th  regiment  of  foot;  and 
served  in  the  West  Indies,  in  the  cam- 
paign of  that  and  the  following,  years  at 
St.  Lucie,  Martinique,  and  St.  Vincent;  , 
at  the  attack  of  the  French  redoubts; 
and  in  the  Charib  country,  where  he 
was  wounded.  He  served  also  during 
all  the  operations  of  Sir  Ralph  Aber- 
cromby  in  the  Leeward  Islands.  In 
July,  1795,  he  was  removed  to  a  Lieu- 
tenancy in  a  troop  attached  to  the  6th 
West  India  Regiment,  and  served  in 
St.  Domingo  when  the  British  cavalry 
operations  were  extensive  in  that  settle- 
ment. In  January,  1797,  he  purchased 
a  company  in  the  9th  regiment  of  foot  ;, 
which  was  soon  after  sent  home  from, 
the  West  Indies.  He  continued  to  serve 
in  it  in  various  parts  of  England,  and  in, 
Guernsey,  until  April,  1799,  when  he 
exchanged  into  a  troop  in  the  7th  light 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    ]83l. 


421 


dragoons.  In  1799,  he  embarked  in 
the  expedition  for  the  Helder ;  and  was 
present  at  the  several  actions  of  the 
1 9th  of  September,  the  2d,  3d,  and  6th 
of  October,  &c.  Upon  the  latter  day 
he  commanded  the  cavalry  detached 
under  Col.  Macdonald,  which,  with  the 
reserve  of  the  army,  attacked  the  French 
Jines.  In  this  action  he  was  wounded, 
and  had  his  horse  killed  under  him. 
He  continued  with  the  regiment  until 
1 804,  when  he  purchased  a  Majority ; 
and  on  the  24th  of  November  of  that 
year  the  Lieut. -Colonelcy  of  the  28th 
regiment.  This  distinguished  corps  he 
commanded  for  many  years,  in  the 
various  expeditions  and  campaigns  in 
which  it  has  been  employed,  including 
the  expeditions  to  Walcheren  in  1809, 
and  the  campaigns  in  the  Peninsula. 
He  commanded  the  brigade  in  which 
the  28th  regiment  was  placed  at  Barossa 
and  at  Waterloo.  At  the  former  battle 
Colonel  Wheatley's  brigade,  consisting 
of  the  28th,  67th,  and  87th  regiments, 
(from  that  officer's  horse  being  shot, 
and  himself  unable  to  join),  fell  to  his 
command  :  it  took  the  eagle  from  the 
8th  French  regiment,  and  greatly  dis- 
tinguished itself.  At  Waterloo,  (being 
then  Colonel,  by  brevet  of  June  5. 
1813,)  he  succeeded  early  in  the  day, 
upon  the  fall  of  Sir  Thomas  Picton,  to 
the  command  of  Major- Gen.  Sir  James 
Kempt's  brigade ;  consisting  of  the 
28th,  32d,  and  95th  regiments,  and 
had  two  horses  killed  under  him,  and 
two  wounded  in  three  places.  The 
square  of  the  28th  regiment  maintained 
itself  at  Quatre  Bras  for  an  hour  and  a 
half  against  the  attacks  of  cuirassiers  in 
their  front,  and  bodies  of  lancers  upon 
two  other  faces,  whilst  the  artillery  con- 
tinued to  play  upon  it,  and  other  bodies 
of  the  enemy  were  formed  in  the  stand- 
ing corn,  watching  for  the  effect  made 
by  the  cannon  shot  to  penetrate  the 
square  :  the  latter,  however,  advanced 
upon  them  in  double  quick  time,  and 
repulsed  all  their  attacks.  This  officer 
was  soon  afterwards  placed  upon  the 
staff  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  He 
was  nominated  a  Knight  Commander 
of  the  Bath  on  the  enlargement  of  that 
Order  in  1815;  and  he  received  the 
brevet  of  Major-Gen,  on  the  birth-day 
of  the  Prince  Regent  in  1819.  Sir 
Charles  had  the  honour  of  wearing  a 
cross  and  two  clasps,  for  the  battles  of 
Corunna,  Barossa,  Vittoria,  Pyrenees, 
Nivelle,  and  Nive.  —  Royal  Military 
Calendar. 


BROWN,  Mather,    Esq.,   June  1. 

1831,    at    his   apartments  in   Newman 

Street. 

It  was  wisely  observed  by  the  great 

Lord  Bacon,  "  that  a  love  for  poetry 
did  not  necessarily  imply  a  genius  for 
poetry."  So  with  other  arts  :  for  if  an 
ardent  love  for  painting  joined  to  per- 
severance could  have  mad«  a  man  a 
painter,  Mr.  Mather  Brown  would  in- 
dubitably have  become  as  eminent  as  his 
honoured  master,  Mr.  West,  or  as 
Michael  Angelo  himself ;  for  he  was 
devoted  to  painting,  and  fagged  to  the 
last,  though  arrived  at  a  period  of  life 
beyond  that  allotted  by  the  divine  poet 
to  man  :  and  yet  his  want  of  success 
neither  lessened  the  daily  term  of  his 
labours,  nor  abated  his  enthusiasm, 
even  to  the  measure  of  a  scruple. 
Happily  for  him,  in  his  sunny  days  he 
laid  by  something  in  store  for  the  day 
that  was  to  come;  and  he  could  afford- 
to  purchase  canvasses  and  panels  and 
colours,  and  hire  models,  and  amuse 
himself  in  accumulating  historical  pic- 
tures, and  poetical  pictures,  and  por- 
traits, and  pictures  of  all  sizes  and  on  alt 
subjects,  as  they  rung  the  changes  on  his 
never  flagging  fancy :  and  could  view 
them,  too,  with  that  self-satisfaction  which 
rendered  him  happy  in  his  canvass- crowd- 
ed studio,  in  spite  of  legions  of  surround- 
ingcritics,  numerous  as  Satan's  evil  spirits 
arrayed  by  Field  Marshal  Beelzebub  on 
the  banks  of  the  fiery  lake.  Mather 
Brown  —  was  a  philosopher. 

There  was  a  time,  though,  when  Mr. 
Brown  participated  in  the  public  patron- 
age which,  past  its  dawn,  began  to  warm 
with  its  rays  the  native  school  of  art. 
Boydell  had  commenced  his  Shakspeare 
Gallery,  a  project  in  which  this  painter, 
who  was  a  man  of  discernment,  had  aid- 
ed with  his  counsel ;  and  his  friend  Boy- 
dell  commissioned  him  to  paint  some  of 
the  subjects  for  that  splendid  national 
work.  The  recollection  of  this  proud 
period  of  his  professional  prosperity  was 
dear  to  his  old  age,  as  to  pious  heathens 
of  old  their  household  gods.  The  sphere 
of  his  honours  was  still  widened  by  his 
being  employed  to  paint  portraits  of 
their  Majesties  George  the  Third  and 
Queen  Charlotte,  and  other  members  of 
the  Royal  Family.  Indeed,  towards  the 
latter  end  of  the  last  century  he  enjoyed 
considerable  practice  as  a  portrait- 
painter,  and  for  several  years  occupied 
a  spacious  house  in  Cavendish  Square. 
Here  he  painted  whole-lengths,  half- 
lengths,  kit-cats,  and  three-quarter  pic- 
EE  3 


422 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


tures  of  many  lords  and  ladies ,  and  others, 
people  of  rank,  and  some  of  that  still 
higher  class,  according  to  Sir  Godfrey 
Kneller's  appreciation,  whom  he  denom- 
inated "  God's  own  nobility;"  namely, 
men  highly  gifted  with  genius,  "  archi- 
tects of  their  own  fortune  and  fame." 
He  was,  moreover,  the  painter  of  certain 
subjects  from  which  were  engraven 
some  of  the  most  popular  prints ;  the 
Marquis  Cornwallis  receiving  as  host- 
ages the  sons  of  Tippoo  Saib,  the  tyrant 
of  the  ^  East,  being  of  the  number. 
These  productions,  marking  the  taste  of 
the  times,  at  least  may  serve  to  refer  to, 
as  links  in  the  chronological  chain  of  the 
nrts.  His  works,  which  were  usually 
outside  the  threshold  of  mediocrity, 
pleased  the  public ;  for  they  amounted  in 
talent  to  a  level  with  the  intellect  of  the 
people,  and  were  collected  by  all  but  the 
enlightened  few  —  and  few  they  were 
indeed  compared  with  the  million,  even 
less  than  half  a  century  ago  —  in  this 
then  boasted  "  great  intellectual  na- 
tion." 

A  certain  critic  in  a  slashing  review 
of  a  very  large  historical  picture,  which 
made  an  extraordinary  sensation  some 
ten  or  twelve  years  since,  by  way  of 
salvo  to  the  scourging  inflicted,  consoled 
the  painter  with  —  "  But  we  are  ready  to 
admit  that  it  requires  no  small  exertion 
of  intellect  to  paint  even  an  indifferent 
great  historical  subject."  .So  applying 
this,  which  referred  to  another,  to  the 
labours  of  Mr.  Mather  Brown,  he 
did  —  and,  what  is  more  extraordinary, 
towards  the  very  latter  period  of  his  life 
—  produce  a  picture  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion, in  which  the  carnations  were 
painted  with  a  purity  that  approx- 
imated to  fine  colouring.  He  did, 
moreover,  in  the  prime  and  vigour  of 
his  career,  produce  an  occasional  por- 
trait that  possessed  some  qualities 
which  were  considered  orthodox  even 
by  his  brethren  of  the  palette.  We 
record  these  things  with  satisfaction, 
in  justice  to  the  memory  of  our  old 
friend  Mr.  Brown. 

This  gentleman  was  a  native  of 
America  ;  and,  coming  to  England 
whilst  yet  a  young  man,  he  became  a 
pupil  of  the  late  Mr.  West,  universally 
then  acknowledged  "  the  greatest  histo- 
rical painter  of  the  age."  His  admir- 
ation of  the  talents  of  his  preceptor,  who 
was  ever  kind  to  his  disciple,  amounted 
almost  to  idolatry ;  and  during  the  years 
that  Mr.  West's  gallery  remained  open, 
even  to  the  period  when  his  vast  collec- 


tion was  brought  to  the  hammer  in  the 
spring  of  1829,  scarcely  a  day  passed 
that  he  did  not  proceed  thither  to  his 
devotions  before  his  great  idols,  the 
Scriptural  pictures  painted  for  the  King. 
To  use  his  own  words,  "  he  worshipped 
them  by  day,  and  they  were  even  before 
him  as  delightful  visions  of  the  night." 
Knowing  his  venerable  master  as  he  did, 
and  intimately  acquainted  as  he  was 
with  his  professional  and  social  habits, 
and  being  on  terms  so  familiar  with  the 
many  distinguished  persons  who  from 
year  to  year  were  wont  to  assemble  in 
almost  daily  morning  conclave  in  his 
gallery,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr. 
Brown  had  not  kept  a  diary  of  the  say- 
ings and  doings  of  such  a  coterie.  In- 
deed Mr.  Brown,  had  he  been  so  dis- 
posed, was  well  qualified  to  write  the  life 
of  his  illustrious  master ;  for  he  was  a 
man  of  reading,  had  received  a  liberal 
education,  and  was,  moreover,  a  great 
observer  of  "  men  and  things."  As 
such  a  work  might  have  reasonably  con- 
tained much  artistical  chit-chat,  he 
could  have  rendered  it  rich  in  that 
choice  material ;  for  no  man  was  more 
fully  acquainted  with  the  history  of  all 
that  appertained  to  the  British  School 
than  he. 

Mr.  Brown  of  late  years  lived  much 
alone,  and  hence  it  is  to  be  inferred  ac- 
quired habits  too  frequently  allied  to 
solitude,- — carelessness  of  personal  ap- 
pearance. He  was  remembered  as  a 
fine  personable  man,  who  dressed  well. 
Of  late  his  appearance  was  that  which 
would  imply  poverty  and  wretchedness  ; 
and  so  lost  had  he  become  to  what  the 
customs  of  society  such  as  he  had  formed 
a  part  of  demanded,  that  his  presence 
excited  emotions  of  pity  and  disgust, — 
though  pity  predominated,  as  his  man- 
ners were  still  gentlemanly,  and  his  con- 
versation polite.  He  could  not  be 
r  egarded  latterly  but  as  an  intellectual 
ruin  tottering  on  the  brink  of  the  grave. 
— Library  of  the  Fine  Arts. 

BROWN,  Robert,  Esq.,  well  known 
by  his  excellent  agricultural  writings ; 
Feb.  14.  1831;  at  Drylawhill,  East 
Lothian,  in  his  74th  year. 

He  was  born  in  the  village  of  East 
Linton,  where  he  entered  into  business  : 
but  his  natural  genius  soon  led  him  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  which  he  followed 
with  singular  success.  He  commenced 
his  agricultural  career  at  Weslfortune, 
and  soon  afterwards  removed  to  Markle. 
Mr.  Brown  was  a  contemporary  and  inti- 
mate acquaintance  of  the  late  George 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


423 


Rennie,  Esq.,  of  Phantassie,  and  to  the 
memory  of  them  both  agriculture  owes 
a  tribute  of  gratitude.  Mr.  Rennie 
chiefly  confined  his  attention  to  the 
practice  of  agriculture;  and  his  fine 
estate  furnished  evidence  of  the  skill 
with  which  his  plans  were  devised,  and 
of  the  accuracy  with  which  they  were 
executed.  While  Mr.  Brown  followed 
close  on  Mr.  Rennie  in  the  field,  the 
energies  of  his  mind  were,  however, 
more  particularly  directed  to  the  literary 
department  of  agriculture.  His  "  Trea- 
tise on  Rural  Affairs,"  and  his  articles 
in  the  ««  Edinburgh  Farmer's  Mag- 
azine "  (of  which  he  was  conductor 
during  fifteen  years) ,  evinced  the  sound- 
ness of  his  practical  knowledge,  and  the 
energy  of  his  intellectual  faculties.  His 
best  articles  are  translated  into  the 
French  and  German  languages ;  and 
"  Robert  Brown  of  Markle  "  is  quoted 
by  continental  writers,  as  an  authority 
on  agricultural  subjects.  He  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  public  welfare,  es- 
pecially when  rural  economy  was  con- 
cerned;  and  by  his  death  the  tenantry  of 
Scotland  have  lost  a  no  less  sincere 
friend  than  an  able  and  zealous  advocate. 
— Gardener's  Magazine. 


C. 


CALCRAFT,  the  Right  Hon.  John, 
Knight  in  Parliament  for  the  county  of 
Dorset,  Sept.  11.  1831,  in  Whitehall- 
place  ;  aged  65. 

He  was  the  son  and  heir  of  John  Cal- 
craft,  Esq.,  an  eminent  army  agent,  who 
accumulated  a  great  fortune,  and  be- 
came proprietor  of  large  estates  in  Dor- 
setshire. He  died  in  1772,  being  then 
M.P.  for  Rochester. 

The  late  Mr.  Calcraft  was  first  re- 
turned to  Parliament,  in  1796,  for  the 
borough  of  Wareham,  in  which  he  pos- 
sessed considerable  property  ;  and  was 
rechosen  in  1802.  He  generally  voted 
with  the  Opposition ;  but  for  a  time  at. 
tached  himself  more  particularly  to  the 
interests  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  ;  and  in 
March,  1 803,  was  the  mover  for  a  Select 
Committee  to  enquire  into  the  extent  of 
his  Royal  Highness's  embarrassments, 
with  a  view  to  his  resuming  the  splen- 
dour and  dignity  attached  to  his  exalted 
station.  The  motion  was  supported  by 
139  votes;  but  rejected  by  a  majority 
of  45. 

On  the  formation  of  the  Grenville 
Administration,  Mr.  Calcraft  was  ap- 


pointed Clerk  of  the  Ordnance,  Feb.  15. 
1 806  ;  and  during  the  year  that  he  con- 
tinued in  that  office,  he  was  considered 
to  have  rendered  himself  completely  ac- 
quainted with  the  details  of  the  British 
army. 

In  die  same  year  he  was  returned  to 
Parliament  for  Rochester,  where  he  was 
re-elected  in  1807  and  1812.  In  the 
debate  on  the  Corn  Bill  in  1815,  Mr. 
Calcraft  moved  that  importation  should 
be  permitted  when  the  price  exceeded 
72s.  per  quarter;  but  the  motion  was 
lost,  and  the  importation  permitted  only 
when  the  price  should  exceed  41.  In  the 
same  year  he  endeavoured  to  procure  a 
reduction  of  the  army  and  garrisons; 
but  without  success. 

In  1818,  Mr.  Calcraft  lost  his  elec- 
tion for  Rochester  ;  and  from  that  time 
until  the  year  1 83 1 ,  he  satfor  the  borough 
of  Wareham.  In  June,  1828,  he  ac- 
cepted the  office  of  Paymaster  of  the 
Forces,  and  was  .sworn  of  the  Privy 
Council.  He  retired  from  office  with  the 
other  members  of  the  Wellington  ad- 
ministration, with  whose  views  he  ap- 
peared to  coincide  until  the  great  debate 
on  the  Reform|Bill  on  the  22d  of  March, 
1831,  when,  to  the  astonishment  of  all 
his  acquaintance,  he  voted  with  the  301, 
which  formed  the  majority  of  one,  by 
which  that  measure  first  passed  a  second 
reading.  On  the  credit  of  this  vote, 
Mr.  Calcraft  became  the  Reform  can- 
didate for  Dorsetshire,  in  opposition  to 
the  venerable  Mr.  Bankes;  and  such 
was  the  spirit  then  prevalent  in  that  once 
Tory  county,  that,  after  a  severe  con- 
test,  he  was  successful. 

It  has  been  said  that  his  reception 
after  this  triumph,  from  his  former 
friends  in  the  House  of  Commons,  was 
so  pointedly  cool  as  to  have  materially 
affected  his  health  and  spirits.  Certain 
it  is,  that,  for  the  last  three  or  four 
months  of  his  life,  he  was  observed  to 
have  been  remarkably  low  and  dejected  ; 
and  to  such  a  height  had  this  mental 
disease  advanced  on  the  llth  of  Sept. 
1831,  that  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day, 
whilst  his  youngest  daughter  (the  only 
member  of  his  family  in  town)  was  ab- 
sent at  church,  he  terminated  his  exist- 
ence by  cutting  his  throat.  A  coroner's 
inquest  returned  as  their  verdict,  "  Tem- 
porary mental  derangement." 

Mr.  Calcraft  married,  March  5.  1790, 
Elizabeth,  third  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas 
Pym  Hales,  the  fourth  Baronet,  of 
Beaksbourne,  in  Kent ;  aud  by  that 
lady,  who  died  in  1817,  has  left  two  sons 
E  E  4 


424 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


and  three  daughters:  — 1.  John  Hales 
Calcraft,  Esq. ,  who  married,  in  1828,  the 
Right  Hon.  Lady  Caroline  Catherine 
Montagu,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Man- 
chester ;  2.  Granby,  a  Captain  in  the 
army ;  3.  Mary  Elizabeth,  married  in 
1812,  to  Sir  John  Burke,  Bart.,  M.  P. 
for  the  county  of  Galway  ;  4.  a  daugh- 
ter; and,  5.  Arabella,  both  unmarried. 

His  remains  were  interred,  Sept.  17., 
in  the  chancel  vault  of  St.  James's  Pic- 
cadilly, where  two  of  his  children  have 
been  buried ;  and  were  attended  to  the 
tomb  by  his  two  sons  and  son-in-law.—- 
Gentleman  s  Magazine. 

CARR,  the  Rev.  William  Hoi  well, 
B.  D.,  F.  R.S.,  Vicar  of  Menhenniot, 
Cornwall;  Dec.  24.  1830;  in  Devon- 
shire Place ;  aged  72. 

This  gentleman's  paternal  name  was 
Holwell.  His  father  was  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Holwell,  B.D.,  F.R.S.,  Vicar  of 
Thornbury  in  Gloucestershire,  a  Pre- 
bendary of  Exeter,  and  Chaplain  to  the 
King,  the  editor  of  Selections  from  Di- 
onysius  Halicarnassus,  1766,  and  of  Ex- 
tracts from  Pope's  Homer,  1776.  He 
died  in  1798. 

His  son  was  of  Exeter  College,  Ox- 
ford, M.  A.  1784,  B.D.  1790,  and  was 
presented  to  the  vicarage  of  Menhen- 
niot,  one  of  the  most  valuable  benefices 
in  Cornwall,  by  the  Dean  and  Chapter 
of  Exeter,  who  always  appoint  a  Fellow, 
or  one  who  has  been  a  Fellow,  of  Exeter 
College. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  1797,  Mr.  Hol- 
well was  married,  at  London,  to  Lady 
Charlotte  Hay,  eldest  daughter  of  James 
Earl  of  Errol,  by  Isabella,  daughter  of 
Sir  William  Carr,  of  Etai,  in  Northum- 
berland, Bart.  The  fine  estate  of  Eial 
was  left  to  the  junior  branches  of  the 
Earl  of  Errol's  family ;  and  was  pos- 
sessed by  the  Hon.  William  Hay,  the 
second  son,  who,  in  consequence,  took 
the  name  of  Carr,  in  17*95  ;  but  as,  by 
Sir  William  Carr's  will,  no  person  suc- 
ceeding to  the  earldom  was  to  retain 
possession  of  the  Etal  estate,  when  the 
Hon.  William  Carr,  on  the  death  of  his 
brother  George,  fourteenth  Earl  of  Errol, 
succeeded  to  the  title  in  1798,  the  estate 
devolved  upon  Lady  Charlotte  Holwell.* 


*  It  is  remarkable  that  the  Hon. 
James  Hay,  the  third  and  youngest 
brother,  who  would  have  inherited  the 
Etal  estate,  was  accidentally  drowned 
in  the  Thames  the  day  after  his  sister's 
marriage  to  Mr.  Hplwell. 


On  the  20th  of  November  in  the  same 
year,  she  obtained  the  King's  authority 
to  herself,  her  husband,  and  the  heirs 
male  of  her  body,  to  take  the  name  and 
arms  of  Carr.  To  prevent  litigation 
and  disputes,  her  ladyship  consented  to 
divide  the  rents  of  Etal  with  her  brother 
the  Earl ;  but  as,  on  her  death,  in  little 
more  than  a  twelvemonth  after  (Feb.  9. 
1800),  her  right  devolved  on  an  infant 
son,  his  guardians  considered  that  they 
could  not  with  propriety  continue  to  pay 
any  part  of  the  rents  to  the  Earl  of 
Errol;  who,  in  consequence,  commenced 
an  action  against  Mr.  Carr.  The  cause 
was  given  against  his  Lordship,  first  in 
the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  and,  finally, 
in  Chancery  ;  by  whose  decree,  William 
Holwell  Carr,  the  infant,  was  declared 
to  be  in  immediate  possession,  July  16. 
1806.  The  boy,  however,  remained  in 
undisputed  possession  a  still  shorter 
time  than  his  mother,  dying  at  Rams- 
gate,  Sept.  15.  in  the  same  year,  in  the 
seventh  year  of  his  age;  when,  as  he 
was  the  only  child  of  Lady  Charlotte 
Carr,  the  Etal  estate  devolved  on  his 
aunt  Augusta,  the  late  Countess  of 
Glasgow. 

Mr.  Carr  was  not  again  married.  He 
had  been  for  many  years  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  patrons,  as  well  as  an  ex- 
quisite connoisseur,  of  the  fine  arts ;  and 
was  a  Director  of  the  British  Institu- 
tion. His  own  pictures  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  the  finest  productions  of  the 
Italian  school ;  one  of  which  is  Leonardo 
de  Vinci's  Christ  disputing  with  the 
Doctors,  bought  of  Lord  Northwick,  in 
1824,  it  is  said,  for  2600/.  This  highly 
valuable  collection  Mr.  Carr  has  be- 
queathed to  the  nation,  —  on  this  stipu- 
lation, however,  that  a  gallery  should  be 
provided  where  they  may  be  properly 
seen  and  justly  appreciated.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  completion  of  this  Jong- 
desired  object  may  be  hastened  by  this 
circumstance;  as  the  house  now  occupied 
by  the  National  Gallery  is  not  large 
enough  to  display  even  the  small  collec- 
tion which  has  been  already  formed.  — 
Gentleman  s  Magazine* 

CHRISTIE,  James,  Esq.  ;  Feb.  2. 
1831;  in  King  Street,  St.  James's 
Square,  after  a  long  illness ;  aged  58. 

The  claims  of  Mr.  Christie  on  the 
grateful  recollection  of  posterity  are 
twofold  :  as  a  scholar  of  the  first  emi- 
nence, and  a  valuable  contributor  to  the 
literature  of  his  country  ;  and  as  a  gen- 
tleman whose  private  character  most 
deservedly  secured  to  him  the  friendship 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


425 


and  respect  of  contemporaries,  them- 
selves of  no  ordinary  rank,  and  of  great 
moral  and  intellectual  worth. 

Mr.  Christie  was  the  eldest  son  of 
the  gentleman  of  that  name,  who  was 
.  most  deservedly  at  the  head  of  the  line 
of  business  in  which  he  was  engaged, 
and  who  probably  was  intrusted  with  the 
disposal  of  property  to  a  larger  extent 
and  of  more  importance  than  any  one 
who  ever  preceded  him. 

Mr.  Christie  was  educated  at  Eton, 
and  originally  intended  for  the  church  : 
he  passed  through  that  school  with  a  re- 
putation honourable  alike  to  his  acquire- 
ments and  to  his  correct  principles. 
The  advantages  thus  obtained  were  fol- 
lowed up  with  the  energy  and  persever- 
ance which  belonged  to  his  studious 
habits  and  his  literary  enthusiasm  ;  and 
the  results  of  which  were  seen  in  those 
able  dissertations  which  reflect  so  much 
honour  on  his  classical  talents,  and  dis- 
play the  soundness  of  his  learning,  the 
depth  of  his  researches,  and  the  purity  of 
his  taste.  His  first  production,  in  1802, 
was  an  "  Essay  on  the  ancient  Greek 
Game,  supposed  to  have  been  invented 
by  Palamedes  antecedent  to  the  siege  of 
Troy  : "  it  is  an  attempt  to  prove  that  the 
.game  of  Palamedes  was  known  to  the 
Chinese,  and  was  progressively  im- 
proved by  them  into  the  Chinese,  Indian, 
Persian,  and  European  chess. 

An  intimacy  with  the  late  Charles 
Towneley,  Esq.  (whose  fine  collection  of 
vases  and  marbles  now  forms  a  part  of 
the  treasures  of  the  British  Museum) 
directed  the  attention  of  Mr.  Christie  to 
the  use  and  meaning  of  those  painted 
vases  usually  termed  Etruscan  ;  and,  in 
1806,  he  published  a  truly  classical  and 
beautiful  volume,  entitled  "  A  Disquisi- 
tion upon  Etruscan  Vases."  In  this 
work,  the  originality  of  his  discoveries  is 
not  less  conspicuous  than  the  taste  and 
talent  with  which  he  explains  them. 
Any  attempt  to  exhibit  a  specimen  of 
his  manner,  or  to  illustrate  his  theory, 
would  lead  us  beyond  our  limits ;  it  is 
certain  that,  by  those  best  qualified  to 
estimate  the  merits  of  this  book,  it  is 
held  in  high  and  deserved  regard.  A 
limited  number  of  copies  having  been 
printed,  the  work  soon  became  scarce, 
and  produced  a  very  high  price.  In 
1825,  Mr.  Christie,  —  and,  as  he  very  mo- 
destly states,  "  to  correct  this  unfair  es- 
timate of  its  value," — publisheda  new  and 
enlarged  edition,  adding  an  appendix, 
in  which  some  most  ingenious  reasoning 
is  employed  to  refer  the  shape  and  colour 


of  Greek  vases  to  the  water  lily  of  Egypt; 
and  a  classification  is  given  formed  upon 
this  basis.  The  great  knowledge  of  his 
subject,  in  which  few  are  equal  to  follow 
him,  and  the  extensive  reading  which 
this  volume  exhibits,  place  Mr.  Christie 
most  deservedly  in  the  first  rank  of 
classical  antiquaries.  In  connection 
with  this  his  favourite  enquiry,  it  may 
be  stated  that  the  description  of  the 
Lanti  vase,  in  the  possession  of  the  Duke 
of  Bedford,  was  written  by  Mr.  Christie, 
and  is  printed  in  the  splendid  volume 
which  illustrates  his  Grace's  collection 
of  marbles.  The  catalogue  of  Mr. 
Hope's  vases,  so  much  admired  by 
scholars,  is  also  from  the  same  masterly 
hand. 

A  third  publication  from  the  pen  of 
Mr.  Christie  is  "  An  Essay  on  the  earliest 
Species  of  Idolatry,  the  Worship  of  the 
Elements ;  "  the  purport  of  which  is  to 
show  for  what  purpose  the  elements 
were  referred  to  by  early  nations ;  what 
was  understood  of  the  Deity  by  their 
means,  and  by  what  misconstruction 
they  became  objects  of  worship.  In  this, 
as  in  the  former  work,  the  religious  tex- 
ture of  Mr.  Christie's  mind  is  every 
where  to  be  traced,  amidst  the  great 
learning  in  which  the  discussion  is  in- 
volved. 

In  addition  to  these  publications,  the 
active  mind  of  Mr.  Christie  enriched  the 
best  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  classics 
with  copious  notes  and  illustrations ;  and 
his  biblical  criticisms  are  profound  and 
acute.  To  him  literary  pursuits  formed 
the  most  agreeable  of  all  recreations ; 
yet  there  was  nothing  about  them  of  the 
character  of  undigested  study.  His  taste 
for  poetry  was  refined  and  chaste ;  he 
read  it  with  uncommon  beauty  and  feel- 
ing ;  and  though  he  rarely  indulged  the 
*'  idle  calling,"  he  wrote  it  with  facility 
and  vigour. 

But  with  all  his  literary  acquirements, 
and  the  great  powers  he  possessed  of 
adorning  any  intellectual  society  in 
which  he  might  be  placed,  his  habits 
were  retiring,  his  pleasures  and  enjoy- 
ments simple  and  domestic.  Brought 
into  contact,  as  he  was,  with  the  highest 
and  the  noblest,  his  bearing  was  that  of 
unaffected  dignity;  and  whilst  shrinking 
almost  instinctively  from  honours  that 
were  offered  him,  he  bore  them  when 
accepted  with  graceful  propriety. 

It  will  not  be  surprising,  then,  if  he 
raised  the  business  he  followed  to  the 
dignity  of  a  profession.  In  pictures,  in 
sculpture,  in  vt-rtu,  his  taste  was  undis- 


4-25 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


puted,  and  his  judgment  deferred  to,  as 
founded  on  the  purest  models  and  the 
most  accredited  standard.  If  to  these 
advantages  we  add  that  fine  moral  feel- 
ing, and  that  inherent  love  of  truth, 
which  formed  the  basis  of  his  character, 
and  which  would  never  permit  him,  for 
any  advantage  to  himself  or  others,  to 
violate  their  obligations,  we  may  then 
have  some  means  of  judging  how  in  his 
hands  business  became  an  honourable 
calling,  and  how  that  which  to  many 
is  only  secular,  by  him  was  dignified 
into  a  virtuous  application  of  time  and 
talents. 

But  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
keystone  of  this  arch  of  moral  strength 
and  symmetry,  was  the  religious  prin- 
ciple— that  principle  which,  to  use  the 
language  of  Jeremy  Taylor,  "  intends 
the  honour  of  God  principally  and  sin- 
cerely, and  mingles  not  the  affections 
with  any  creature,  but  in  just  subordin- 
ation to  religion."  The  happiness  that 
springs  from  such  singleness  of  purpose 
and  simplicity  of  heart  was  abundantly 
the  portion  of  Mr.  Christie:  he  was 
singularly  blessed  in  his  domestic  affec- 
tions, in  his  friendships,  and  in  all  his 
engagements ;  and  his  good  name  and 
his  virtuous  example  will  be  long 
cherished  and  piously  remembered. 

Mr.  Christie  was  a  member  of  the 
Dilletante  Society,  which,  it  is  well 
known,  consists  of  a  select  body,  distin- 
guished for  high  rank,  as  well  as  the 
taste  for  learned  and  scientific  pursuits. 
He  was  for  some  years  one  of  the  Re- 
gistrars of  the  Literary  Fund,  which 
was  a  favourite  institution,  and  to  the 
support  of  which  his  exertions  very 
greatly  contributed ;  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Antiquarian  Society  of 
Newcastle.  —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

CLARK,  Richard,  Esq,  F.  S,  A.  ; 
Chamberlain  of  London ;  Treasurer  of 
the  Royal  Hospitals  of  Bridewell  and 
Bethlem  ;  Vice- President  of  the  Hos- 
pital for  Small  Pox  and  Vaccination; 
of  the  London  Dispensary,  Spitalfields ; 
the  City  Dispensary,  Grocers'  Hall 
Court;  the  Rupture  Society;  the  City 
of  London  School,  Aldgate,  &c.  ;  at 
Cbertsey ;  in  his  92d  year. 

Mr.  Clark  was  born  and  baptised  in 
the  parish  of  St.  Botolph  without  Aid- 
gate,  in  March,  1739;  and,  among  his 
earliest  recollections  was  that  of  having 
been  present  at  the  execution  of  the 
Hon.  Mr.  Radcliffe,  in  1746.  He  was 
brought  up  to  the  profession  of  a  soli- 
citor, in  which  he  attained  to  a  very 


considerable  practice.  He  was  elected 
Alderman  of  the  Ward  of  Broad  Street, 
in  1776  (on  the  resignation  of  Benja- 
min Hopkins,  Esq.,  who  had  been 
elected  Chamberlain) ;  and  served  the 
office  of  Sheriff  in  1777.  In  1781  he 
was  a  candidate  for  a  seat  in  Parliament 
for  the  City,  then  vacant  by  the  death 
of  Alderman  Kirkman  ;  he  was  opposed 
by  Sir  Watkin  Lewes,  then  Lord 
Mayor,  who  was  successful  by  a  ma- 
jority of  2685  to  2387.  In  1783,  Mr. 
Alderman  Clark  was  elected  Treasurer 
of  the  Royal  Hospitals  of  Bridewell 
and  Bethlem,  which  office  he  retained 
until  his  death.  In  1784,  he  was  elected 
Lord  Mayor ;  and  on  the  19th  of  May, 
1785,  during  his  Mayoralty,  he  was 
elected  President  of  Christ's  Hospital, 
on  the  resignation  of  Alderman  Alsop. 
This  post  was  resigned  on  his  becoming 
Chamberlain,  and  was  subsequently 
filled  by  the  late  Sir  William  Curtis. 
At  the  close  of  his  mayoralty,  he  received 
the  unanimous  thanks  of  his  brethren, 
"  for  his  constant  attention  to  the  duties 
of  his  office,  and  to  the  rights  of  his 
fellow-citizens ;  for  supporting  the  ho- 
nour and  dignity  of  the  corporation; 
and  for  the  wise,  steady,  and  firm  ad- 
ministration of  public  justice,  during 
the  whole  course  of  his  mayoralty." 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  Mr. 
Clark  was,  by  the  almost  unanimous 
suffrages  of  his  fellow- citizens,  elected 
Chamberlain  of  London,  in  January, 
1798,  and  in  consequence  resigned  his 
scarlet  gown.  On  every  Midsummer- 
day  since  that  period  he  has  had  the  sa- 
tisfaction of  receiving  the  unanimous 
suffrages  of  the  livery  of  London  ;  and 
his  unwearied  attention  to  the  duties  of 
the  office,  his  general  complacency  of 
manners,  and  the  judgment  and  good 
taste  with  which  he  addressed  either  the 
juvenile  freemen  on  their  admission,  or 
the  distinguished  characters  to  whom 
the  City  from  time  to  time  presented 
their  public  thanks,  have  ever  elicited 
the  admiration,  and  conciliated  the  af- 
fection, of  all  the  numerous  individuals 
who  witnessed  his  faithful  and  pro- 
tracted services. 

Mr.  Clark  was  elected  a  Fellow  of 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries  in  1785. 
He  had  a  taste  for  literary  company 
and  literary  anecdotes ;  of  which  we 
have  proof  in  the  following  interesting 
passage,  which  we  have  been  allowed 
to  copy  from  his  own  manuscript  in 
the  invaluable  album  belonging  to  Mr. 
Upcott  of  the  London  Institution  :  — 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


427 


"  It  was  Mr.  Clark's  good  fortune, 
at  about  the  age  of  fifteen,  to  have  been 
introduced  by  Sir  John  Hawkins  to  the 
acquaintance  of  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson, 
whose  friendship  he  enjoyed  to  the  last 
year  of  his  life.  By  the  Doctor's  in- 
vitation, he  attended  his  evening  parties 
at  the  Mitre  Tavern,  in  Fleet  Street, 
where,  among  other  literary  characters, 
were  Dr.  Percy,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
Dromore,  Dr.  Goldsmith,  Dr.  ilawkes- 
worth,  &c.  ;  a  substantial  supper  was 
served  up  at  eight  o'clock,  and  the 
party  seldom  separated  till  a  late  hour ; 
and  Mr.  Clark  recollects  that  at  an 
early  period  of  the  morning  he,  with 
one  of  the  party,  accompanied  the 
Doctor  to  his  house,  where  he  found 
Mrs.  Williams,  then  blind,  who  was 
prepared  to  give  them  tea  —  which  she 
made  and  poured  out  with  a  degree  of 
elegance.  Frequently  has  Mr.  Clark 
visited  this  great  and  good  man  at  his 
house,  and  met  him  often  at  dinner 
parties  ;  and  the  last  time  he  enjoyed 
the  company  of  this  great  and  good 
man  was  at  the  Essex  Head  Club,  of 
which,  by  the  Doctor's  invitation,  he 
became  a  member. 

"  Mr.  Clark's  occasional  retirement, 
when  his  public  duties  will  permit,  is 
the  Porch  House  at  Chertsey,  Surrey, 
the  last  residence  of  that  excellent  poet 
and  good  man  Abraham  Cowley. 

"  R.C.  Feb.  12.  1824." 

Of  Mr.  Clark's  residence  we  find  the 
following  description  in  Manning  and 
Bray's  History  of  Surrey :  —  "  In 
Guildford  Street  (Chertsey)  is  the 
house  which  Cowley  the  poet  made 
his  residence,  and  where  he  died.  It 
is  now  the  property  and  residence  .of 
Richard  Clark,  Esq.,  Chamberlain  of 
London,  who  has  built  some  additional 
rooms,  but  has  religiously  preserved  all 
the  old  ones  and  the  staircase,  the  ba- 
nisters of  which  are  of  solid  oak,  rather 
rudely  ornamented.  One  of  the  bed- 
chambers is  wainscoted  with  oak  in 
pannels.  His  study  was  a  small  closet. 
It  obtained  the  name  of  the  Porch 
House  from  a  porch  which  projected 
considerably  into  the  street,  to  the  in- 
convenience of  the  passengers;  Mr. 
Clark  has  removed  this  porch,  and  on 
the  outside  of  the  room  in  which  Cow- 
ley  died  has  placed  the  following  in- 
scription :  —  The  porch  of  this  house, 
which  projected  ten  feet  into  the  high- 
way, was  taken  down  in  the  year  1786, 
for  the  safety  and  accommodation  of  the 
public.  —  *  Hence  the  last  accents  flowed 


from  Cowley 's  tongue."  A  folio  plate 
of  this  house,  in  its  original  state,  was 
published  by  Barrow.  A  plate  con- 
taining both  back  and  front  views  was 
contributed  by  Mr.  Clark  to  Manning 
and  Bray's  History  of  Surrey,  as  was  a 
folio  engraving,  by  Basire,  of  a  portrait 
of  Cowley  at  the  age  of  twenty,  from 
the  original  in  his  possession,  considered 
curious  as  an  early  specimen  of  crayon 
painting. 

"  At  the  end  of  the  town,  going  to 
the  bridge  (it  is  mentioned  in  another 
page),  were  two  small  alms-houses : 
some  few  years  back  Mr.  Clark  re- 
moved them,  with  consent  of  the  pa- 
rish, to  the  end  of  Guildford  Street, 
where  he  built  two  neat,  substantial 
brick  tenements.  The  parish  has  since 
added  four  more,  two  on  each  side  of 
the  building,  and  which  being  one  story 
high,  form  two  wings." 

In  the  same  work,  under  the  parish 
of  St.  Thomas  in  Southwark,  it  is  re- 
marked, that  "  the  history  of  the  two 
famous  hospitals  will  comprise  that  of 
the  parish,  the  whole  of  which,  except 
what  belongs  to  Richard  Clark,  Esq., 
Chamberlain  of  London,  is  the  property 
of  the  two  foundations." 

The  first  volume  of  "  Anecdotes," 
by  Miss  Laetitia  Matilda  Hawkins,  is 
dedicated  to  Mr.  Clark ;  "  because,"  she 
tells  him,  "  you  are  the  oldest  friend  of 
my  family,  and  because  you  will  be 
found  largely  a  contributor  to  the 
amusement  of  the  reader.  I  flatter 
myself  that  I  shall  deserve  the  reader's 
thanks  for  rescuing  part  of  the  stores  of 
your  retentive  memory  from  waste,  since 
I  find  it  impossible  to  prevail  on  you  to 
commit  them  to  writing." 

We  have  not  been  able  immediately 
to  turn  to  any  other  anecdote  in  which 
Mr.  Clark  is  personally  concerned  ex- 
cept one  (p.  235. ),  of  his  going  to  a  mu- 
sical party,  in  order  to  meet  the  Duke 
of  Leeds,  the  very  night  he  was  to  take 
possession  of  the  Mansion  House,  on 
entering  his  Mayoralty.  His  Grace 
endeavoured  to  detain  "  his  civic  Lord- 
ship" over  the  bottle ; "  but  Mr.  Clark's 
habitual  temperance  remaining  firm,  he 
"  at  length  rose,  and  good-humouredly 
said  — «  Well,  I  see  it  will  not  do  ;  you 
are  too  much  on  your  guard  for  me. 
Do  you  recollect  we  are  sitting  on  the 
identical  spot  where  stood  the  house  of 
Sir  Robert  Viner,  when  he  filled  your 
present  situation,  and  Charles  the  Se- 
cond dined  with  him  ?  I  confess  I  had 
some  ambition  to  reduce  you  to  the 


4-28 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


state  in  which  Sir  Robert  was  when  he 
so  reluctantly  parted  from  his  royal 
guest,  and  to  have  sent  you  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  Mansion  House  as  merry  ; 
but  I  see  you  have  out-manoeuvred  me 
—  so  I  am  at  your  service." 

Mr.  Clark  married,  in  1776,  Marga- 
ret, daughter  of  John  Pistor,  Esq.,  by 
whom  he  has  left  two  sons,  Richard 
Henderson  Clark,  Esq.,  and  the  Rev. 
John  Crosby  Clark.  His  personal 
property  has  been  sworn  under  45,OOO/.; 
but  it  is  understood  that  much  of  his 
property  is  vested  in  trust. 

There  are  several  portraits  of  Mr. 
Clark  :  one  in  the  European  Magazine 
for  May,  1806,  from  a  picture  by  Ma- 
ther Brown,  Esq.  ;  one  in  the  New 
European  Magazine,  for  May,  1823, 
painted  by  Lady  Bell ;  and,  lastly,  a 
picture  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  for 
which  the  corporation  paid  400  guineas, 
and  which  is  now  suspended  in  the 
Chamberlain's  Office.  A  fine  engrav- 
ing of  it  has  also  been  published  at  the 
expense  of  the  City.  A  bust  of  Mr. 
Clark,  by  Sievier,  is  likewise  at  Guild- 
hall. —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

CLOWES,  the  Rev.  John,  M.  A., 
Rector  of  St.  John's  Church,  Manches- 
ter ;  May  29.  1831  ;  at  Warwick, 
aged  87. 

Mr.  Clowes  was  born  in  Manchester, 
Oct.  20.  1743,  O.S.,the  fourth  child  of 
Joseph  Clowes,  Esq.,  barrister,  who  for 
many  years  practised  in  that  town  and  its 
neighbourhood,  and  Katherine,  daughter 
of  a  respectable  clergyman  named  Ed- 
wards, Rector  of  Llanbedar,  near  Ru- 
thin,  in  Wales.  His  excellent  mother 
died  when  he  was  about  eight  years  old  ; 
but  even  at  that  tender  age  her  piety  and 
example  had  made  a  deep  impression  on 
his  mind,  and  up  to  a  very  late  period 
of  his  life  he  had  a  grateful  remem- 
brance of  the  debt  which  he  owed  to  her 
constant  care  and  solicitude  in  implant- 
ing and  cultivating  every  sweet  and 
gentle  affection  ;  and  to  his  father  also, 
for  following  up,  by  an  admirable  course 
of  Christian  education,  the  instruction 
which  she  had  so  happily  begun.  He 
was  educated  at  the  grammar  school 
of  Salford ;  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
his  father  was  persuaded  to  send  him 
to  Cambridge,  though  not  without 
much  entreaty,  as  he  had  already  an 
elder  son,  Richard,  at  that  University. 
He  was  entered  a  pensioner  of  Trinity 
College  ;  and  there  are  sufficient  reasons 
for  concluding  that  he  pursued  his  aca- 
demical studies  with  the  perseverance 


and  ability  which  distinguished  all  that 
he  undertook  in  after  life ;  for  in  the 
year  1766,  when  he  took  his  degree,  he 
was  the  eighth  Wrangler  on  the  Tripos 
paper,  proving  that  he  was  no  ordinary 
proficient  in  mathematical  attainments  : 
and  that  he  was  equally  distinguished  as 
a  classical  scholar,  is  shown  by  his  gain- 
ing one  of  the  two  prizes  given  by  the 
members  of  the  University  to  the  Middle 
Bachelors,  for  the  best  dissertations  in 
Latin  prose ;  and  again,  the  following 
year,  when  he  was  senior  Bachelor,  the 
first  prize  for  a  similar  dissertation. 
About  this  time  he  was  elected  a  Fellow 
of  his  College,  had  many  private  pupils, 
and  was,  besides,  so  highly  thought  of, 
that  it  is  not  surprising  he  should  have 
looked  forward  with  ambitious  hopes  to 
some  station  of  eminence  in  the  profession 
which  he  had  chosen.  In  the  midst  of 
this  career  of  academical  distinction,  the 
church  of  St.  John,  Manchester,  then 
building  at  the  sole  expense  of  Edward 
Byrom,  Esq.,  was  offered  him  by  the 
patron  ;  but  he  actually  felt  hurt,  to  use 
his  own  words,  at  the  idea  of  his  being 
expected  to  accept  an  appointment  so 
unequal  to  his  prospects  and  his  wishes. 
A  severe  illness,  however,  which  com- 
pletely broke  down  his  health,  and  re- 
duced him  to  the  necessity  of  giving  up 
all  study,  brought  him  into  what  he 
thought  a  happy  state  of  humiliation 
before  God  ;  so  that,  upon  its  being  again 
offered  him  by  Mr.  Byrom,  when  it  was 
nearly  ready  for  consecration,  he  ac- 
cepted it  with  cheerfulness  as  a  boon  of 
Providence,  intended  for  the  improve- 
ment and  security  of  his  eternal  good  ; 
and  he  continued  its  Rector,  refusing 
more  than  one  offer  of  high  preferment 
in  the  church,  for  the  term  of  sixty-two 
years. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1773,  he 
became  acquainted  with  the  theological 
writings  of  the  Hon.  Emanuel  Sweden- 
borg.  They  were  put  into  his  hands  by 
the  late  Mr.  Horton,  of  Liverpool,  a 
gentleman  of  great  talents  and  learning, 
who  was  himself  an  admirer  of  the 
system  of  religion  which  they  embrace. 
"  The  delight,"  he  said,  "  produced  in 
his  mind  by  the  first  perusal  of  the  work 
entitled  "  Vera  Christiana  Religio *,"  no 

*  The  whole  title  of  the  London  edi- 
tion runs  thus:  — «  True  Christian  Re- 
ligion, or  the  Universal  Theology  of  the 
New  Church  which  was  foretold  by  the 
Lord.  Dan.  vii.  13,  14.  and  in  the  Apo- 
calypse, xxi.  1,  2."  Svols.  Svo. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


4<29 


language  could  fully  express ;  and  from 
that  hour  he  dedicated  all  his  energies 
to  the  publication  of  these  doctrines, 
both  in  the  pulpit  and  by  the  press.  For 
many  years  he  was  employed  in  trans- 
lating them  from  the  original  Latin  ; 
and  as  each  volume  was  translated,  it 
was  printed  by  a  society  established  in 
Manchester  under  his  auspices.  This 
society  led  to  the  formation  of  another 
in  London,  which  is  still  actively  and 
busily  engaged  in  printing  and  circu- 
lating the  writings  of  the  Hon.  Emanuel 
Swedenborg.  By  persons  unacquainted 
with  the  abstract  principles  of  this  au- 
thor, and  the  nice  discriminations  of 
thought  for  which  he  is  distinguished, 
together  with  the  number  and  variety 
of  the  treatises  which  he  has  published, 
the  immense  labour  of  these  translations 
cannot  be  estimated ;  but  to  those  who 
are,  it  is  the  subject  of  the  highest  ad- 
miration, and  is  only  exceeded  by  the 
author  of  those  writings,  for  whose  la- 
bours and  industry  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  a  parallel. 

The  literary  labours  of  Mr.  Clowes 
were  not,  however,  confined  to  transla- 
tions ;  for  he  published  at  different  times 
many  other  works  on  subjects  connected 
with  religion  and  philosophy,  and  all  of 
them  agreeing  with  the  profound  and 
catholic  views  of  his  favourite  author  ; 
in  whose  sentiments  he,  to  the  last,  en- 
tirely acquiesced.  His  manly  and  ex- 
plicit avowal  of  these  sentiments  pro- 
duced opposite  effects  :  while  in  some  it 
excited  the  spirit  of  persecution,  in 
others  it  was  the  subject  of  approbation 
and  delight.  Such  was  the  opposition 
at  one  time  by  a  few  of  his  parishioners, 
that  secret  attempts  were  made  to  dis- 
possess him  of  his  living :  but  the  ap- 
plications which  were  made  for  this  end 
were  rendered  abortive  by  the  Bishop 
of  his  diocese  (Dr.  Porteus),  from  his 
Lordship's  conviction  of  his  virtues  and 
piety ;  and  his  worst  enemies  in  a  few 
years  were  changed  into  admiring 
friends.  His  correspondence  also  with 
clergymen  and  others  was  numerous 
and  extensive  ;  and  about  the  year  1816, 
it  is  reckoned  "  that  he  had  not  fewer 
than  fifty  clergymen  as  correspondents, 
who  were  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  Swed- 
enborg's  writings."*  Much  obloquy 
was  cast  upon  him  in  consequence  of  his 
retaining  his  living  after  his  adoption  of 


*  See  Adams's  Religious  World  dis- 
played, vol.  ii.  p.  243. 


sentiments  not  in  unison  with  the  articles 
of  the  Established  Church ;  but  all  this 
originated  in  perfect  ignorance  of  the 
man,  and  of  the  motives  of  his  conduct. 
It  was  not  the  emoluments  of  the  church 
that  bound  him  to  the  Establishment, 
but  the  supposition  that  he  could  be 
more  generally  useful  in  the  station 
which  he  was  called  to  fill  in  the  order 
of  Providence.  He  professed  also  a  re- 
markable and  strong  attachment  to  the 
forms  of  the  Establishment.  At  one 
time  he  enjoyed  sanguine  but  delusive 
expectations,  that  these  opinions  would 
be  universally  adopted  in  the  Established 
Church,  and  he  supposed  that  he  should 
be  able  to  bring  in  all  the  stray  sheep 
into  his  fold;  but  he  lived  long  enough 
to  see  that  this  was  a  hasty  and  a  false 
conclusion.  He  certainly  was  the  in- 
strument by  which  this  class  of  Chris- 
tians became  sufficiently  numerous  to 
form  a  separate  denomination.  During 
his  lifetime  they  consisted  of  two  par- 
ties, Separatists  and  Non- Separatists. 
Those  who  attached  themselves  to  the 
Church  of  England,  under  the  title  of 
Non- Separatists,  have  now  lost  their 
centre  and  leader.  To  his  labours  they, 
however,  stand  indebted  for  the  diffu- 
sion of  those  opinions  not  only  in  this 
country,  but  throughout  Europe,  in 
America,  and  in  numerous  parts  of  the 
world  :  so  that  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  travel  to  any  part  of  the  world,  where 
the  English  language  is  known,  but  some 
of  these  writings,  though  widely  scat- 
tered, are  yet  to  be  incidentally  found. 
If  Swedenborg  is  to  be  considered  as  the 
founder  of  the  sect,  Mr.  Clowes,  after 
him,  must  be  considered  as  his  chief 
apostle. 

Whatever  difference  of  opinion  may 
exist  as  to  the  sentiments  of  Mr.  Clowes, 
there  is  but  one  as  to  the  excellence 
and  piety  for  which  he  was  distinguished. 
As  a  minister  of  religion,  no  man  was 
ever  more  profoundly  revered,  or  more 
affectionately  beloved,  than  he  was  by 
his  flock.  In  his  public  life,  they  saw 
and  felt  that  his  whole  heart  and  all 
his  faculties  were  devoted  to  their  eter- 
nal welfare  ;  while,  in  his  private  life, 
they  had  daily  before  their  eyes  a  prac- 
tical illustration  of  the  pure  and  hea- 
venly precepts  which  he  taught.  To 
enumerate  the  virtues  which  adorned 
his  life,  and  to  mark  their  sense  of  the 
signal  benefits  which  they  had  derived 
from  his  ministry,  the  members  of  his 
congregation,  when  he  •  had  been  fifty 
years  their  pastor,  erected  in  his  church 


430 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


a  tablet,  beautifully  sculptured  in  bas- 
relief  by  Flaxman,  in  which  he  is  repre- 
sented as  instructing  the  three  gener- 
ations of  one  family  in  those  lessons  of 
wisdom  which  he  was  accustomed  to 
deliver  with  an  affectionate  earnestness, 
and  an  eloquence  peculiarly  his  own. 
From  the  year  1823,  his  increasing  in- 
firmities of  body  compelled  him  to  give 
up  his  public  duties  ;  and  from  that  time 
until  within  a  few  months  of  his  decease, 
he  was  fully  occupied  in  writing  and 
dictating  fresh  works,  explanatory  of  the 
pure  doctrines  of  Christianity  as  they 
are  unfolded  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he 
resided  wholly  at  Warwick,  blessing,  to 
the  last  moments  of  his  consciousness, 
those  around  him,  and  blessed  by  all 
who  came  within  the  circle  of  his  affec- 
tions. His  funeral  took  place  on  the 
9th  of  June.  The  body,  on  its  way  from 
Warwick,was  met  near  St.  Peter's  by  the 
personal  friends  and  congregation  of  the 
deceased,  in  number  upwards  of  200,  all 
voluntarily  provided  with  funeral  badges. 
At  St.  John's  church  the  Sunday  school 
children  were  ranged  in  line  from  the 
door  to  the  gates.  The  service  was  read 
by  the  Rev.  William  Huntington,  and  a 
hymn  adapted  to  the  occasion  was  sung 
by  the  children.  This  part  of  the  cere- 
mony was  particularly  interesting,  as 
the  venerable  Rector  through  his  life 
had  directed  the  greatest  care  to  the 
younger  branches  of  his  congregation, 
and  to  those  of  the  schools  most  espe- 
cially. The  body  was  afterwards  car- 
ried out  to  the  churchyard,  where  it  was 
deposited  in  a  vault  communicating  with 
the  church. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  Mr.  Clowes' s 
publications: — "An  Affectionate  Ad- 
dress to  the  Clergy  of  the  United  King- 
dom of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  on 
the  Theological  Writings  of  Emanuel 
Swedenborg,"  8vo.  "  Dialogues  on 
the  Nature,  Design,  and  Evidence  of 
the  Writings  of  the  Hon.  Emanuel 
Swedenborg,  with  a  brief  account  of 
some  of  his  Philosophical  Works," 
12mo.  1788.  "  Letters  to  a  Member 
of  Parliament  on  the  Character  and 
Writings  of  Baron  Swedenborg;  con- 
taining a  full  refutation  of  all  the  Abbe* 
Barruel's  calumnies  against  the  Hon. 
Author,"  2d  edition,  8vo.  1799.  "  A 
Dialogue  between  a  Churchman  and 
Methodist  on  the  Writings  and  Opinions 
of  Baron  Swedenborg,"  8vo.  "  A  few 
plain  Answers  to  the  Question,  « Why 
do  you  receive  the  Testimony  of  Baron 


Swedenborg?'"  12mo.  1806.  *  Letter 
to  the  Christian  Observer,"  in  defence 
of  the  same,  8vo.  1807.  "Letters  to  a 
Friend  on  the  Divine  Person  and  Cha- 
racter of  Jesus  Christ,"  8vo.  "  On 
Mediums,  their  Divine  Origin  and  im- 
portant Uses,  especially  in  the  Regener- 
ation and  Salvation  of  Mankind,"  8vo. 
1814.  "Pure  Evangelical  Religion 
Restored,"  8vo.  "  The  Spiritual  Sum  ; 
its  existence  and  operation  proved  from 
Scripture  and  Reason,"  8vo.  "  The 
Parables  of  Jesus  Christ  explained," 
18mo.  1816.  "  The  Miracles  of  Jesus 
Christ  explained,"  18mo.  1816.  "  Scrip- 
ture Histories,  selected  from  the  Old 
Testament,"  18mo.  1817.  "  The  true 
end  and  design  of  the  Holy  Sacrament," 
12mo.  "Letters  to  the  Rev.  John 
Grundy  on  the  Unitarian  Controversy," 
8vo.  1817.  "A  Letter  to  the  Rev. 
W.  Roby  on  some  passages  in  his  Lec- 
tures," 8vo.  1820.  "  A  second  Letter, 
to  the  same,  in  reply  to  his  Pamphlet 
entitled,  «  Anti-Swedenborgianism,' " 
8vo.  1821.  "The  Gospel  according 
to  Matthew,  translated  from  the  original 
Greek,  and  illustrated  by  Extracts  from 
the  Hon.  Emanuel  Swedenborg,  1819; 
St.  John's  Gospel,  on  the  same  plan, 
1819;  St.  Luke's,  1824;  and  St. 
Mark's,  1827."  "  The  two  Heavenly 
Memorialists;  or  Love  and  Truth  stating 
to  the  Christian  World  their  peculiar 
distresses,  and  imploring  relief,"  8vo. 
1818.  "  On  the  two  Worlds,  the  Visible 
and  Invisible,  their  nearness  to  con- 
nection and  operation  on  each  other," 
8vo.  1819.  "A  Treatise  on  Opposites, 
their  nature,  origin,  and  uses,  as  affect- 
ing both  the  Natural  and  Spiritual  Life 
of  Man,"  8vo.  1821.  "Christian  Tem- 
per," 8vo.  1822.  "  The  Twelve  Hours 
of  the  Day,"  8vo.  1823.  "  On  Delights, 
their  Origin,  Variety,  Uses,  and  Ends," 
8vo.  1824.  "Letters  to  a  Friend  on 
the  Human  Soul,  its  Immateriality  and 
Immortality,"  8vo.  1 825.  "  Letters  on 
the  Human  Body,"  8vo.  1827.  "  On 
Science,  its  Divine  Origin,  Operation, 
Use,  and  End,"  8vo.  1828.  "  Sermons 
preached  at  St.  John's  church,  Man- 
chester," 2  vols.  8vo.  "  Sermons  on 
the  Call  and  Deliverance  of  the  Children 
of  Israel  out  of  Egypt,"  8vo.  1803. 
"  Sermons  on.  the  Parable  of  the  Mar- 
riage of  the  King's  Son,"  8vo.  1812. 
"  Short  Dialogues  on  Creation  and  Re- 
demption," 18mo.  1820.  "  Sermons  on 
the  Lord's  Prayer  and  Ten  Command- 
ments," Svo.  1821 ;  on  the  Beatitudes, 
8vo.  1 825 ;  on  the  Parable  of  the  Ten 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


Virgins,"  8vo.  1828.  «  Religious  In- 
struction  for  Youth,"  2  vols.  18mo. 
"  Family  Prayers,"  18mo.  To  which 
might  be  added  a  great  variety  of  single 
sermons ;  a  translation  from  the  Psalms, 
with  notes  and  practical  illustrations; 
and  a  posthumous  work  now  preparing 
for  the  press. —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

CLUTTERBUCK,  Robert,  Esq. 
B.  A.,  F.  S.  A.,  a  Deputy  Lieutenant 
and  Magistrate  for  Hertfordshire,  and 
author  of  the  History  of  that  county; 
May  25.  1831 ;  at  Watford,  in  his  59th 
year. 

The  family  of  Clutterbuck  are  de- 
scended from  Richard  Clutterbuck,  who 
is  supposed  to  have  emigrated  from  the 
Netherlands,  and  died  in  1591.  His 
sons  were  clothiers  at  King's  Stanley, 
in  Hertfordshire.  Sir  Thomas  Clutter- 
buck,  an  Alderman  of  London,  was  the 
grandson  of  one  of  them,  and  was 
knighted  in  1669;  the  grandson  of  an- 
other was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Clutterbuck, 
D.  D.,  Archdeacon  of  Winchester,  from 
whom  Henry  Clutterbuck,  M.  D.,  now 
living,  is  descended.  In  the  third 
volume  of  his  History  (pp.  300 — 302.), 
Mr.  Clutterbuck  has  printed  a  pedigree, 
comprising  several  branches,  but  not  in- 
cluding his  own.  He  was  the  eldest 
surviving  son  of  Thomas  Clutterbuck, 
of  Watford,  Esq.  by  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Robert  Thurgood,Esq.of  Baldock,  from 
whom  he  inherited,  with  other  property 
in  that  neighbourhood,  the  principal 
manor  of  Hinxworth  in  Hertfordshire; 
to  which  Mr.  Clutterbuck  added,  by 
purchase  in  1801,  Pulters,  the  only 
other  manor  in  that  parish.  Thomas 
Clutterbuck,  Esq.  F.  S.  A.  of  Bushey, 
and  Peter  Clutterbuck,  Esq.  of  Stan- 
more,  are  his  younger  brothers. 

Mr.  Clutterbuck  was  born  at  Wat- 
ford, June  2.  1772.  At  an  early  age 
he  was  sent  to  Harrow  School ;  and  he 
continued  there  until  he  was  entered  as  a 
Gentleman  Commoner  of  Exeter  Col- 
lege, Oxford.  At  the  installation  of  the 
Duke  of  Portland,  in  the  year  1792,  as 
Chancellor  of  that  University,  he  was 
amongst  the  number  of  those  who  recited 
in  the  Theatre  Latin  verses  composed 
in  honour  of  the  occasion.  He  sub- 
sequently took  the  degree  of  B.  A. ; 
and  then  entered  at  Lincoln's  Inn,  in- 
tending to  make  the  law  his  profession  : 
but  his  ardour  in  the  pursuit  of  che- 
mistry, and  in  painting  (in  which  he 
took  lessons  of  Barry),  induced  him, 
after  a  residence  of  several  years  in 
London,  to  abandon  his  original  plans. 


In  the  year  1798,  he  married  Marianne, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Colonel  James 
Capper,  of  the  Hon.  East  India  Com- 
pany's service ;  and,  after  a  few  years 
residence  at  the  seat  of  his  father-in-law, 
Cathays,  near  Cardiff  in  Glamorgan- 
shire, he  took  possession  of  his  paternal 
estate  at  Watford,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  his  death.  He  there 
succeeded  his  much  respected  father  as 
a  magistrate ;  and  the  impartiality  and 
integrity  with  which  he  executed  the 
duties  of  that  arduous  office,  will  be 
long  remembered  and  appreciated  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Watford  and  its  vicinity. 

During  the  intervals  of  these  public 
duties,  Mr.  Clutterbuck  employed  his 
active  and  well  arranged  mind  in  col- 
lecting materials  for  a  new  edition  of 
Chauncy's  History  of  Hertfordshire. 
These  intentions  he  publicly  announced 
in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  in  1809; 
but  finding  his  manuscripts  greatly 
accumulated,  and  having  fortunately 
purchased,  in  1 8 1 1 ,  the  genealogical  col- 
lections for  Hertfordshire  made  by  the 
late  Thomas  Blore,  Esq.,  F.  S.  A.,  he 
formed  the  resolution  of  publishing  a 
completely  new  History  of  his  native 
County;  making  such  use  only  of 
Chauncy's  materials  as  was  to  his  pur- 
pose. In  this  object  he  steadily  per- 
severed for  eighteen  years  j  and  the  result 
was  an  elegant  and  complete  History, 
in  three  folio  volumes,  which  will  hand 
down  his  name  in  honourable  connection 
with  his  native  county  to  the  latest  pos- 
terity. The  first  volume  was  published 
iu  1816;  the  second  appeared  in  1821 ; 
and  the  third  was  published  in  1827. 
The  plates  in  this  work  have  never  been 
surpassed  in  any  similar  publication, 
whether  we  consider  the  appropriateness 
of  the  embellishments,  or  the  beauty 
and  fidelity  of  their  execution.  Mr. 
Clutterbuck  himself  possessed,  as  a 
draughtsman,  the  hand  of  a  master;  se- 
veral of  the  plates  were  from  sketches  of 
his  own  :  but  his  knowledge  of  art  also 
enabled  him  to  employ  with  great  judg- 
ment the  very  first  artists  in  their  par- 
ticular lines.  Fortunately,  he  at  that 
time  found  it  possible  to  procure  the 
assistance  of  Edward  Blore, Esq.  F.S.A. 
one  of  our  first  antiquarian  draughts- 
men and  engravers;  but  whose  talents 
have  since  been  devoted  to  that  still 
higher  and  more  creative  department  of 
the  arts,  the  profession  of  architecture. 

In  1823,  Mr.  Clutterbuck  was,  as  a 
magistrate,  called  upon  for  an  unusual 
sacrifice  of  time  to  the  case  of  John 


4-32 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


Thurtell  and  his  accomplices,  the  mur- 
derers of  William  Weare,  which  at  that 
period  attracted  the  interest  of  the  whole 
country. 

From  the  year  1817  to  1830,  at  inter- 
vals, Mr.  Clutterbuck  visited,  in  succes- 
sion, France,  Norway,  Switzerland,  and 
Italy.  Few  persons  were  able  so  highly 
to  enjoy  and  appreciate  such  an  ad- 
vantage. The  numerous  sketches  made 
by  him  during  his  continental  tours, 
would,  it  was  naturally  hoped,  have 
formed  abundant  amusement  during  his 
latter  years ;  but  it  has  pleased  Pro- 
vidence, at  a  comparatively  early  age,  to 
call  him,  quite  suddenly,  from  a  state 
of  usefulness — we  say  of  great  useful- 
ness :  for,  though  disengaged  from  the 
trammels  of  a  profession,  yet  he  was 
always  employed,  either  in  his  magis- 
terial duties,  or  in  private  business  con- 
nected with  his  friends,  or  his  late 
friends,  many  of  whom  had  placed  their 
affairs  in  his  truly  honourable  hands  (as 
executor  or  trustee). 

Mr.  Clutterbuck  was  suddenly  at- 
tacked with  inflammation  in  the  stomach, 
and  expired  before  medical  aid  could 
be  obtained;  but,  upon  a  post-mortem 
examination,  it  was  evident  that  so  rapid 
had  been  the  progress  of  the  disease, 
that  no  human  assistance  could  have 
arrested  its  fatal  termination.  Thus 
died  this  excellent  man.  The  deep  and 
heartfelt  sorrow  of  his  relations  and 
friends  attest  his  private  worth ;  and  the 
unsolicited  attendance  at  his  funeral, 
accompanied  with  every  mark  of  respect 
shown  to  his  memory  by  the  inhabitants 
of  his  native  town,  is  the  best  evidence 
of  his  estimation  as  a  public  character. 

He  has  left  two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter. His  eldest  son,  Robert,  was  married 
Sept.  28.  1821,  to  Elizabeth  Anne, 
youngest  daughter  of  the  late  H.  Hulton, 
Esq.  of  Bevis  Mount,  near  Southamp- 
ton, by  whom  he  has  a  son  and  daugh- 
ter. The  second  son,  the  Rev.  James 
Charles  Clutterbuck,  has  married  a 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Wm. 
Capel,  brother  to  the  Earl  of  Essex. — 
Gentleman's  Magazine. 

CORNEWALL,theRt.  Rev.  Folliott 
Herbert  Walker,  D.  D.,  Lord  Bishop 
of  Worcester;  Sept.  5.  1831  ;  in  his 
palace  at  Worcester  ;  aged  77. 

Dr.  Cornewall  was  the  son  of  Capt. 
Frederick  Cornewall,  R.  N.,  who  was 
M.  P.  for  Leominster  from  1776  to 
1778,  and  on  whose  death  the  Bishop 
succeeded  to  the  estate  of  Delbury 
near  Ludlow,  purchased  by  Capt. 


Cornewall,  (who  was  of  the  family 
seated  at  Berrington  in  Herefordshire,) 
of  Richard  Bawdewin,  Esq.  The 
Bishop's  mother  was  Mary,  daughter 
of  Francis  Herbert,  Esq.  of  Ludlow,  by 
Mary, daughter  of  Rowland  Baugh,  and 
Mary,  sister  and  co-heiress  of  Henry 
Lord  Folliott,  a  Peer  of  the  kingdom 
of  Ireland.  Francis  Herbert,  Esq.  was 
M.  P.  for  Montgomery,  and  was  cousin 
to  Henry  Arthur  Earl  Powis,  in  the 
remainder  to  whose  barony  of  Herbert : 
of  Chirbury  he  was  included  by  the 
patent  of  1749.  This  was  the  fourth 
creation  of  that  title.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  whence  the  late  Bishop  of  Wor- 
cester derived  his  names  of  Folliott  and 
Herbert ;  and  that  of  Walker  also  came 
to  him  from  the  same  connections. 
Francis  Walker,  Esq.  of  Ferney  Hall, 
in  the  parish  of  Clungunford,  Salop, 
was  grandson  of  Rebecca,  another  of 
the  sisters  and  coheirs  of  Henry  Lord 
Folliott ;  and  bequeathed  his  estates  to 
the  Bishop. 

Dr.  Cornewall  was  educated  for  the 
Church  ;  and  having  become  a  member 
of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  was 
elected  a  Fellow  of  that  house,  and 
graduated  B.  A.  1777,  M.  A.  1780. 
In  the  latter  year  he  was  appointed 
Chaplain  to  the  House  of  Commons, 
during  the  Speakership  of  his  kinsman 
the  Rt.  Hon.  Charles  Wolfran  Corne- 
wall ;  in  1784,  he  was  made  a  Canon 
of  Windsor ;  and,  in  1790,  Master  of 
Wigston's  Hospital,  Leicester. 

He  married,  at  this  period,  or  before, 
Anne,  eldest  daughter  of  the  Hon.  and 
Rev.  George  Hamilton,  Canon  of 
Windsor,  cousin  to  the  first  Marquess 
of  Abercorn,  and  sister  to  Cecil  the 
Marquess's  second  wife,  as  also  to  Lady 
George  Seymour. 

In  1792  Dr.  Cornewall  was  appointed 
Dean  of  Canterbury,  in  1797  con- 
secrated Bishop  of  Bristol,  in  1803 
translated  to  Exeter,  and  in  1808  to 
Worcester. 

He  was  possessed  of  fair  scholarship, 
strong  good  sense,  polished  manners, 
and  an  amiable  temper;  and  had  passed 
a  virtuous  and  exemplary  life.  His 
only  publications  consisted  of  a  Sermon 
preached  before  the  House  of  Commons, 
Jan.  30.  1782;  and  a  Fast  Sermon  be- 
fore the  House  of  Lords,  ]  798. 

By  the  lady  before  mentioned,  who 
died  at  Delbury,  Dec.  18.  1795,  he  had 
several  children.  His  eldest  son,  Fre 
derick  Hamilton  Cornewall,  Esq.  mar- 
ried, in  1828,  Frances  Henrietta, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


433 


daughter  of  St.  George  Caulfeild,  of 
Donoraan  Castle,  co.  Roscommon,  Esq. 
(cousin  to  the  Earl  of  Charlemont), 
and  the  Hon.  Frances  Crofton.  Her- 
bert Cornewall,  Esq.,  another  son,  mar- 
ried, in  1822,  Charlotte,  third  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  General  Lord  Charles 
Somerset. 

The  remains  of  the  Bishop  were  in- 
terred  in  the  family  vault  at  Delbury. 
The  strict  privacy  enjoined  by  his  posi- 
tive directions  prevented  the  attendance 
of  many  persons  who  were  anxious  to 
give  this  last  proof  of  their  respect  and 
affection  to  his  memory.  —  Gentleman  s 
Ufagazine. 


D. 


DAVISON,  Thomas,  Esq.,  the  emi- 
nent printer,  of  Lombard  Street,  White- 
friars  ;  in  Bedford  Row,  December  28, 
1830;  aged  65. 

Mr.  Davison  was  a  native  of  Durham, 
and  was  brought  up  as  a  printer.  About 
forty  years  ago  he  commenced  business 
in  the  metropolis ;  and  by  his  talents 
and  perseverance  greatly  contributed  to 
the  rapid  improvement  made  in  the  typo- 
graphic art  during  his  time.  The  beauty 
and  singular  correctness  of  his  works 
soon  obtained  for  him  a  connection  with 
Mr.  Murray,  Messrs.  Longman  and 
Co.,  and  most  of  the  successful  pub- 
lishers of  the  day.  His  skill  in  the 
manufacture,  and  especially  in  the  dry- 
ing of  inks,  a  secret  of  which  he  had 
for  some  time  the  exclusive  possession, 
greatly  aided  him  in  holding  so  distin- 
guished a  rank  among  his  competitors. 
Out  of  many  others,  we  may  select  as 
specimens  of  his  art  Whitaker's  History 
of  Richmondshire,  the  new  edition  of 
Dugdale's  Monasticon,  innumerable 
editions  of  Lord  Byron's  works,  Rogers' 
Italy,  &c.  These  works,  by  their  great 
accuracy  and  elegance,  will  carry  down 
the  name  of  Davison  to  posterity, 
amongst  the  most  elegant  of  the  English 
typographers. 

In  private  life  Mr.  Davison  was  highly 
esteemed  by  a  numerous  circle  of  friends, 
to  whom  his  easy  and  agreeable  man- 
ners made  him  always  welcome;  and 
those  who  have  had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing him  sing  will  never  forget  his  ex- 
quisite taste,  or  the  sweetness  of  a  voice 
which  retained  to  the  last  all  the  com- 
pass and  freshness  of  that  of  a  young 
man.  To  his  social  qualities  was  added 
a  generosity  not  often  exceeded,  careless 
of  self,  and  prompt  in  answering  every 
VOL.  XVf. 


call  of  friendship  or  distress.  His  death 
will,  therefore,  be  truly  lamented,  and 
his  memory  long  fondly  cherished,  not 
only  by  his  family,  but  by  a  wide  and 
respectable  acquaintance. — Gentleman's 
Magazine. 

DELAFITTE,  Rev.  Henry  Francis 
Alexander,  M.  A.,  Foreign  Secretary 
to  the  Royal  Society  of  Literature. — In 
this  excellent  clergyman,  and  modest 
but  accomplished  scholar,  the  Society 
has  been  deprived  of  an  ornament,  and 
the  world  has  lost  an  admirable  man. 
Though  little  known  as  an  author,  Mr. 
Delafitte  has  not  left  the  public  alto- 
gether without  proofs  of  his  scientific 
information  and  extensive  reading. 
Having  lived  on  terms  of  strict  intimacy 
with  the  late  illustrious  geologist  De 
Luc,  during  the  latter  years  of  that  emi- 
nent man's  life,  he,  in  the  year  1812, 
published,  under  the  eye  of  the  author, 
a  translation  of  De  Luc's  "  Elements  of 
Geology  ;"  and,  in  other  respects,  was 
instrumental  in  making  the  English 
public  acquainted  with  the  immortal 
labours  of  the  father  of  that  important 
science.  But  his  most  valuable  service  to 
the  geologic  student  was  the  composition 
of  a  work  which  he  had  just  completed 
at  the  time  of  his  decease,  being  a  new 
edition  of  De  Luc's  "  Letters  on  the 
Physical  History  of  the  Earth  ;  "  to 
which  he  has  prefixed  an  Introduction, 
containing  a  general  view  of  the  labours 
of  that  great  geologist,  and  a  vindication 
of  his  claims  to  original  views  respecting 
the  fundamental  points  in  the  science. 

Such  being  the  limited  extent  of  the 
late  Foreign  Secretary's  labours  for  the 
press,  they  alone  who  enjoyed  his  friend- 
ship are  in  a  condition  to  appreciate  his 
talents  and  acquirements ;  his  various 
erudition ;  his  enlightened  opinions,  at 
once  orthodox  and  liberal ;  and  his  fa- 
miliar acquaintance  with  the  stores  of  an- 
cient and  modern  learning  and  science. 
To  them,  however,  these  were  the  least 
endearing  points  in  his  character ;  since 
all  who  knew  him  are  prepared  to  afford 
heartfelt  testimony  to  his  having  pos- 
sessed, in  an  eminent  degree,  the  still 
more  estimable  qualities  peculiar  to  the 
Christian  and  the  gentleman.  He  was 
distinguished  by  the  absence  of  all  per- 
sonal pretensions,  united  with  the 
warmest  zeal  for  the  honour  and  interests 
of  his  friends;  by  an  almost  excessive 
charity  in  word  and  opinion  ;  and  by  an 
activity  and  efficiency  in  works  of  pri- 
vate beneficence  truly  astonishing,  when 
the  mediocrity  of  his  circumstances  and 
F  F 


4-34. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


his  retired  and  studious  habits  are  con- 
sidered. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Delafitte  was 
among  those  virtuous  and  exemplary 
citizens  who  were  driven  out  of  France 
by  the  revocation  cf  the  edict  of  Nantes. 
His  father,  a  man  of  great  piety  and 
learning,  was  chaplain  to  the  Prince  of 
Orange;  while  the  virtues  and  accom- 
plishments of  his  mother  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  late  Queen  Charlotte,  and, 
on  the  death  of  her  husband,  recom- 
mended her  to  the  office  of  French  go- 
verness to  the  Princesses.  This  appoi nt- 
ment  (which  Madame  Delafitte  filled 
many  years,  with  the  high  esteem  of  the 
illustrious  family  to  whom  she  was  at- 
tached,) led  to  her  son's  receiving  an 
English  education  at  Trinity  College, 
Oxford.  Mr.  Delafitte  was  nearly 
thirty  years  lecturer  of  St.  Paul's,  Co- 
vent  Garden ;  but,  though  not  altogether 
forgotten  by  the  exalted  personages  who 
enjoyed  the  benefit  of  his  mother's  emi- 
nent services,  and  who  originally  directed 
his  choice  of  a  profession,  he  never 
emerged,  even  ta  a  benefice  in  the 
church  in  which  he  was  a  zealous  la- 
bourer, from  hat  humble  station  which 
he  was  satisfied  to  adorn  with  his  intelli- 
gent conversation  and  his  mild  and  be- 
nevolent virtues.  * — Literary  Gazette. 

DEWAR,  the  Hon.  Sir  James, 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Judicature  at  Bombay;  Nov.  25.  1830; 
aged  33. 

The  usual  ceremonies  of  hoisting  the 
flag  at  the  Castle,  half-staff'  high,  and 
firing  minute  guns,  were  duly  observed  ; 
and  in  the  evening  the  remains  of  the 
deceased  were  attended  to  their  final 
deposit,  in  St.  Thomas's  church,  by 
almost  every  member  of  society,  and  a 
large  concourse  of  the  native  inhabitants, 
Henry  Gray,  Esq.  and  John  Mill,  Esq. 
officiated  as  chief  mourners  on  the  occa- 
sion ;  and  the  pall  was  borne  by  the  Hon. 
the  Governor,  his  Excellency  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief, J.  Romer,  Esq.,  W. 
Newnham,  Esq.,  Col.  D.  Barr,and  Sir 
Charles  Malcolm. 

Sir  James  Dewar  arrived  in  India  in 
June,  1827,  with  permission  to  practise 
as  a  barrister  in  the  Supreme  Court. 

*  Mr.  Delafitte  was  formerly  curate 
of  Holyrood  parish,  Southampton  ;  and 
was  author  of  "  A  Guide  to  Heaven, 
addressed  to  all  who  believe  the  Gospel. 
1805."  8vo. ;  "  Sermon  on  the  Duty  of 
Humanity  to  the  Irrational  Part  of  the 
Creation.  1806."  8vo. 


He  had  previously  practised  for  some 
years  in  England,  and  there  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  his  profession,  which, 
joined  to  great  talents,  soonsecured  to  him 
a  proportion  of  the  business  at  Bombay ; 
and  at  the  commencement  of  1828 
scarcely  a  barrister  enjoyed  so  large  a 
share  of  practice.  On  the  departure  for 
England  of  Mr.  Grant,  Sir  James  De- 
war  was  appointed  Clerk  of  the  Crown  ; 
from  which  office  he  was  removed  to 
officiate  as  Advocate- General,  on  the 
transfer  of  Mr  Norton's  services  to 
Madras.  In  this  last  office  Sir  James 
Dewar  was  confirmed  by  the  Court  of 
Directors  ;  and  continued  zealously  to 
execute  its  functions  until  he  was  raised 
to  the  Bench,  in  succession  to  Sir  Ed- 
ward West. 

The  circumstances  attending  Sir 
'James  Dewar's  elevation  to  that  distin- 
guished office,  added  to  a  recollection  of 
the  earnestness  with  which  he  had  per- 
formed the  arduous  duties  of  Advocate- 
General  at  a  perilous  crisis,  had  strongly 
disposed  the  public  to  cast  a  jealous 
eye  on  all  his  official  acts ;  yet  so  firm 
and  unbending  was  he  in  his  judicial  ca- 
pacity, that  long  anterior  to  his  decease 
he  had  "  bought  golden  opinions  of  all 
sorts  of  men." 

In  person,  Sir  James  Dewar  was  tall 
and  well  formed,  and  his  countenance 
was  singularly  pleasing  and  intelligent. 
His  manners  were  particularly  graceful 
and  engaging,  and  his  conversation  was 
remarkable  for  its  brilliancy  ;  while  his 
addresses  from  the  Bench,  and  on  other 
public  occasions,  were  distinguished 
alike  for  their  power,  and  the  fluency 
with  which  they  were  delivered.  To 
the  humblest  individual  he  was  kind 
and  affable.  As  a  husband  and  a  father, 
who  shall  speak  his  loss  ?  — Gentleman's, 
Magazine. 


F. 


FINCH,  the  Rev.  Robert,  A.  M.  of 
Baliol  College,  Oxford,  F.  S.  A. ;  at 
his  residence,  the  Palazzo  del  Re  di 
Prussia,  in  Rome;  Sept.  16.  1830. 

He  was  the  only  son  of  the  late  Tho- 
mas Finch,  Esq.  F.R.S.,  of  Great  Or- 
mond  Street,  and  grandson  of  the  Rev. 
Robert  Pool  Finch,  D  D.,  Prebendary 
of  Westminster,  and  Rector  of  St. 
John  the  Evangelist. 

Mr.  Finch  was  born  in  London,  on 
Dec-  27.  1783;  and  was,  about  the  year 
1795,  for  some  time  at  St.  Paul's 
School,  under  the  care  of  the  late  Rev. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


435 


Dr.  Roberts.  A  natural  weakness  of 
sight,  increased  by  severe  application, 
prevented  his  regular  attendance  to  the 
business  of  the  school :  he  accordingly 
prosecuted  his  studies  at  home,  under  the 
very  able  guidance  of  his  father.  The 
anxiety  of  this  excellent  man  for  his  sqn's 
improvement  was  unwearied,  by  whom 
it  was  always  appreciated  as  it  deserved ; 
for  never  was  he  heard  to  speak  of  it  but 
with  expressions  of  the  warmest  grati- 
tude. At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was 
admitted  a  commoner  of  Baliol  College, 
Oxford,  under  the  tuition  of  the  late 
Rev.  George  Powell,  and  soon  after  be- 
came a  scholar  of  that  house. 

During  the  whole  of  his  residence  at 
the  University,  his  talents,  which  were 
of  a  high  order,  were  successfully  im- 
proved by  constant  and  systematic  read- 
ing ;  and  he  acquired  there  a  well 
founded  reputation  for  sound  and  ele- 
gant scholarship.  He  might  at  that 
time  be  justly  termed  a  hard  student  — 
gifted,  too,  with  very  considerable  powers 
of  conversation,  and  with  nice  taste, 
as  well  as  great  facility  in  composition  ; 
decided  in  his  opinions,  and  somewhat 
singular  in  his  habits,  but  very  much  be- 
Joved  by  the  few  with  whom  he  lived  on 
terms  of  close  intimacy,  and  who  were 
chiefly,  like  himself,  young  men  of  cul- 
tivated minds,  and  warmly  attached  to 
literature. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  degree  of 
A.B.  in  1806  ;  and  tothatof  A.M.  on 
March  8.  1809.  In  1807  he  was  or- 
dained, at  Farnham,  by  Bishop  North  ; 
for  some  years  subsequently  to  which  he 
officiated  at  Maidstone,  and  in  other 
parochial  Cures,  where  his  impressive 
eloquence  as  a  preacher,  and  his  clear 
and  graceful  delivery,  were  much  and 
deservedly  admired.  Upon  the  restor- 
ation of  peace  in  1814,  Mr.  Finch  quit- 
ted England,  to  which,  except  as  an 
occasional  visiter,  he  was  destined 
never  to  return.  Portugal  was  his  first 
object ;  and,  after  a  short  stay  in  that 
country,  he  proceeded  through  France 
to  Switzerland;  and  thence  to  Italy, 
Greece,  and  the  most  interesting  parts  of 
the  Holy  Land.  In  1 827  he  revisited  his 
native  country ;  and,  in  the  autumn  of  the 
following  year,  quitted  itagain  for  Rome, 
which  he  had  for  several  years  made  his 
chief  place  of  residence,  and  in  which  city 
he  expired,  on  the  16th  of  Sept.  183O. 
His  death  was  occasioned  by  an  attack 
of  malaria,  caught  when  returning  in 
the  evening,  and  in  an  open  carriage, 
from  Frascati,  across  tlie  Campagna, 


under  which  he  gradually  sunk,  after  a 
short  but  very  severe  illness.  The  cha- 
racter of  his  disorder  was  violent  fever, 
attended  with  almost  uninterrupted  de- 
lirium, which  quitted  him  only  a  few 
hours  before  his  dissolution.  He  was 
then  for  the  first  time  aware  of  his  ex- 
treme danger ;  and  submitted,  to  borrow 
the  words  of  an  eye-witness,  in  entire 
resignation  to  his  Maker's  will, sanctified 
by  firm  and  Christian  hopes  in  the 
merits  of  his  Redeemer. 

By  his  will,  after  some  legacies  to  old 
and  dear  friends,  he  has  recorded  his 
fondness  for  the  place  of  his  education, 
by  bequeathing  to  his  College  all  his 
plate  for  the  use  of  the  Master  and 
Fellows :  and  to  the  Ashmolean  Mu- 
seum, for  the  use  of  visiters  and  stu- 
dents, his  library,  which  is  of  consider- 
able value  and  extent;  his  pictures, 
some  of  which  are  reputed  to  be  ex- 
tremely fine;  together  with  his  medals, 
coins,  prints,  and  every  other  article  of 
vertu  which  he  had  collected  during  his 
residence  on  the  Continent.  This  whole 
collection  is  vested  in  trustees,  —  is  to 
be  kept  distinct,  and  to  be  called  after 
his  name.  A  provision  is  also  made  fey 
him,  it  is  believed,  of  some  small  annual 
stipend  to  the  person  under  whose 
charge  the  collection  is  to  be  placed. 

Mr.  Finch  was  married  in  the  year 
1820,  during  his  stay  in  Italy,  to  Maria, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Frederick  Thom- 
son, Esq.,  of  Kensington,  by  whom  he 
has  left  no  issue.  He  was  a  man  of 
very  considerable  attainments,  well 
versed  in  classical  literature,  and  fa- 
miliarly acquainted  with  modern  lan- 
guages ;  several  of  which,  and  more 
particularly  Italian,  he  spoke  with  an 
uncommon  degree  of  fluency  and  ele- 
gance. He  was  an  ardent  admirer  of 
the  Fine  Arts;  and  in  statuary  and 
painting,  though  not  practically  a  pro- 
ficient in  either,  bore  the  reputation  of 
being  a  tasteful  and  accurate  judge. 
He  was  likewise  not  only  himself  a 
lover  of  learning,  but  ever  eager  to  en- 
courage its  cultivation  in  others.  An- 
tiquities, and  particularly  topography, 
were,  at  all  times,  very  favourite  objects 
of  his  pursuit :  and  in  the  course  of  his 
travels  abroad  he  had  visited  mostly 
alone,  and  often  on  foot,  many,  if  not 
all,  of  the  celebrated  places  in  Italy; 
and  had  obtained,  in  this  manner,  a 
critical  and  minute  acquaintance  with 
the  local  antiquities  of  that  country, 
such  as  very  few  foreigners  have  been 
known  to  possess.  In  his  friendships 
FF  2 


436 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    183L 


he  was  warm  and  affectionate ;  but,  as 
he  loved  without  reserve,  his  attach- 
ments, if  once  interrupted,  were  seldom 
known  to  revive.  Candid  and  liberal 
in  his  sentiments,  he  was  an  entertain- 
ing and  instructive  companion  ;  a  gen- 
tleman, too,  by  birth,  no  less  than  in 
manners  and  in  spirit;  and  in  private 
life,  generous  and  hosprtabte  to  the  ut- 
most extent  of  his  income.  The  best 
testimony  of  his  numerous  excellences, 
both  of  head  and  of  heart,  will  be  found 
in  the  grief  of  his  surviving  friends  ;  and 
there  are  none,  who  have  ever  known  him, 
such  as  he  really  was,  who  will  not  find 
very  much  in  his  loss  to  regret,  or  who 
will  hear  of  his  fate  with  indifference. 
Mr.  Finch  was  an  occasional  contributor 
to  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  and  other 
miscellanies ;  but,  though  he  is  supposed 
to  have  left  behind  him  materials  for 
more  than  one  work  of  importance,  he 
never  appeared  before  the  world  as  an 
author,  except  of  two  sermons,  pub- 
lished in  the  year  1809.  —  Gentleman's 
Magazine. 

FOSTER,  Commander  Henry,  of 
his  Majesty's  ship  Chanticleer,  F.  R.  S. ; 
drowned  in  the  river  Chagres,  in  the 
isthmus  of  Darien,  Feb.  5.  1831; 
aged  36. 

Captain  Foster  was  one  of  the  com- 
panions of  Sir  Edward  Parry  in  his 
voyages  to  the  Arctic  regions.  In 
1828,  he  was  appointed  to  command 
the  Chanticleer  sloop  of  war,  which  was 
fitted  out  by  the  orders  and  under  the 
auspices  of  his  present  Majesty,  to  pro- 
secute a  scientific  voyage  of  research  in 
the  southern  regions  of  the  globe,  to 
determine  the  specific  ellipticity  of  the 
earth,  ascertain  the  chronometric  differ- 
ence of  meridians  of  the  principal  sta- 
tions in  the  Atlantic,  and  make  observ- 
ations on  magnetism,  meteorology,  &c. 
The  Chanticleer  left  Spithead  in  April, 
1828,  and  has  since  visited  some  of  the 
most  interesting  portions  of  both  hemi- 
spheres. The  first  places  visited  by 
her  were  —  Madeira,  Teneriffe,  St.  An- 
tonio, Fernando  de  Noronha,  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  and  St.  Catharine's.  At  Monte 
Video  the  pendulum  experiments  com- 
menced, with  the  other  objects  of  re- 
search. At  this  place  she  remained 
eight  weeks,  and  took  in  provisions  for 
her  southern  voyage ;  from  thence  she 
proceeded  to  Staten  Land,  and  thence 
to  the  singular  and  remarkable  island 
of  Deception  (one  of  the  South  Shet- 
land group).  This  island  is  of  volcanic 
origin,  and  affords  the  most  striking 


contrarieties  of  character.  After  tlifs  a 
landing  was  effected  on  the  most  south- 
ern tract  of  land  in  the  globe,  viz; 
Prince  William's  Island.  From  thence 
she  went  to  St.  Martin's  Cave,  distance- 
about  eight  miles  from  Cape  Horn, 
where  she  experienced  nothing  but 
hurricanes  and  severe  gales.  Here  the 
pendulum  experiments  and  other  ob- 
servations were  again  made,  which 
will,  when  published,  afford  some  novel 
and  important  deductions,  and  give  a 
different  view  from  that  generally  en- 
tertained of  the  climate  of  the  southern 
hemisphere.  At  this  place  many  Fue- 
gian  families  were  met  with;  the  officers 
supplied  them  with  axes,  knives,  fish- 
hooks, needles,  &c.  In  such  a  state  of 
nature  were  these  people,  that,  when 
those  articles  were  given  them,  they  did 
not  know  the  use  of  them  :  clothing 
they  had  none,  but  what  is  worn  by  the 
most  uncultivated  negro  in  Afric's  clime  j 
and  this  too  at  Cape  Horn  !  From  Cape 
Horn  the  Chanticleer,  in  twenty-eight 
days,  ran  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
after  the  crew  had  lived  nine  months  on 
salt  provisions  (and  a  part  of  that  time 
on  two  thirds'  allowance).  She  remained 
there  four  months,  during  which  period 
Commander  Foster  was  sedulously  em- 
ployed in  the  splendid  observatory 
erected  by  Government  in  this  colony, 
and  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  Chanti- 
cleer equally  so  in  their  observations  on 
magnetism,  meteorology,  &c.  St.  He- 
lena was  the  next  place  visited;  for 
which  she  left  on  the  9th  of  February, 
and  arrived  at  that  most  barren  and 
desert  of  isles  that  was  ever  sheltered 
by  the  British  flag  on  the  14th.  After 
a  stay  of  upwards  of  three  months,  Cap- 
tain  Foster  having  completed  his  observ- 
ations, the  Chanticleer  quitted  for  Fer- 
nando Noronha,  a  small  but  fertile  island 
on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Brazilians.  It  is  used  as 
a  place  of  exile  for  political  delinquents 
and  criminals.  Maranham  was  the 
place  next  visited.  Leaving  this,  the 
Chanticleer  ascended  a  branch  of  the 
river  Amazon,  to  the  city  of  Grand 
Para,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  that 
name,  which  is  considered  by  some  as 
the  paradise  of  the  Brazils,  and  the 
Indies  of  America — such  are  its  pre- 
sumed wealth,  extent  of  resources, 
beauty  and  fertility  of  soil,  and  nature 
appearing  to  have  no  end  to  its  produc- 
tions. The  apathy,  however,  of  the  in- 
habitants, conjoined  with  a  system  of 
misrule,  counteracts  in  some  degree 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


4-37 


this  boon  of  nature.     The  heat  of  the 
climate   was   intense   (it  being  on  the 
Equator) ;  and,  although  there  was  much 
swamp  and  marshy  ground,  little  or  no 
disease   was   contracted.       From    Para 
the    Chanticleer    returned    down    the 
Amazon   (or    Maranon),  surveying  by 
the  way.      The  place  next  visited  was 
Trinidad,  in  the  tranquil  Gulf  of  Paria, 
where  she  remained  six  weeks.      Leav- 
ing Trinidad,  she  touched  at  La  Guayra, 
and  proceeded  to   Porto  Bello,  where, 
in   addition  to  the   usual   experiments 
and    observations   to    be   made   at   this 
place,   Captain  Foster  had  to  ascertain 
the    difference   of   meridians    between 
Panama,  on  the  Pacific  side,  and  Porto 
Bello,  or  some  fixed  point  on  the  At- 
lantic, by  rockets.    Soon  after  the  Chan- 
ticleer's arrival  at  Porto  Bello,  a  party, 
under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Austin, 
was    despatched    on    foot    across    the 
isthmus,  to  explore  and  ascertain  the 
nature  of  the  country,  and  fix  upon  the 
mountains   most   eligible   for   the    ex- 
plosion of  rockets.     On  their  return,  a 
party  of  sixteen  men  and  officers  were 
detached  into  the  interior,  and  stationed 
on  the  highest  hills ;  a  party  were  also 
placed  at  Porto  Bello ;  and  the  Captain 
was  at  Panama,  to  observe  the  explosion 
of  the  rockets.     These  parties  slept  many 
nights  in  the  woods,  and  in  the  open 
country;  yet  escaped  without  any  dis- 
ease, though  their  risk  was  great,  and 
danger    imminent.      With    a   view   to 
effect  to  a  certainty  the  purpose  of  a 
mission  to  this  place,    Captain   Foster 
ascended  the  river  Chagres  in  a  canoe, 
and  proceeded  to  Panama,  to  ascertain 
chronometrically  their  relative  positions 
on  the  globe.     This  he  did  a  second 
time,  and  was  returning  down  the  river 
Chagres  in  a  canoe,  on  the  eve  of  the 
5th  of  February,  1831,  when  he  slipped 
from  off  the  covering  of  the  canoe,  on 
which  he  was  incautiously  resting,  and 
was  unfortunately  drowned.     After  this 
melancholy  occurrence,  the  command  of 
the  Chanticleer  devolved  upon  the  First 
Lieutenant,    Horatio    Thomas  Austin. 
She   returned   to    Porto   Bello,   where 
having,  on   the  12th  of  February,  ob- 
tained the  necessary  sights  for  the  rates 
of  the  numerous  chronometers  on  board, 
she  quitted  it,  and  beat   up   to  Santa 
Martha ;    from    whence   she   stretched 
across   for   the   east   end    of  Jamaica, 
where  the    commander   having   landed 
and   made  the  necessary  observations, 
she  proceeded  to  Cape  Maysi,  the  east 
end  of  Cuba ;  thence  to  Crooked  Island. 


Her  instructions  being  fulfilled,  the 
Chanticleer  left  for  Bermuda,  and  ar- 
rived at  Fal mouth  on  the  6th  of  May. 
Thus,  it  will  be  perceived  that  the 
Chanticleer  completed  a  voyage  of  three 
years'  duration,  without  the  occurrence 
of  a  single  death,  save  that  of  her  highly 
gifted  commander. 

By  his  zeal,  efficiency,  and  persever- 
ance, Captain  Foster  had  attained,  within 
a  comparatively  short  period,  a  proud 
eminence  among  the  scientific  members 
of  his  profession.  His  body  having 
been  found  by  the  Indians,  was  interred 
at  Chagres ;  and  an  inscription  to  his 
memory  by  the  First  Lieutenant  and 
officers  of  the  Chanticleer  was  placed 
on  a  brass  plate  in  Fort  St.  Lorenzo. 
—  Gentleman's  Magazine. 


G. 


G  A  BELL,  die  Rev.  Henry  Dison, 
D.D.,  Rector  of  Binfield,  Berkshire,  of 
Ashow,  Warwickshire,  and  of  St.  Lau- 
rence, Winchester  ;  and  formerly  Head 
Master  of  Winchester  College;  April 
18.  1831  ;  aged  67. 

We  believe  the  father  of  this  gentle- 
man to  have  been  the  Rev.  Henry 
Gabell,  who,  having  been  a  Fellow  of 
Magdalen  College,  Oxford,  was  Rector 
of  Stanlake,  Oxfordshire,  and  a  magis- 
trate of  that  county.  He  died  Jan.  4, 
1802;  and  his  widow,  Oct.  7.  1810. 
Another  of  the  family,  the  Rev.  T. 
Gabell,  was  Rector  of  St.  Peter's  and 
St.  John's  in  Winchester  :  he  died  in 
1803. 

He  was  educated  at  Winchester 
School,  and  thence  elected  a  Fellow  of 
New  College,  Oxford,  where  he  pro- 
ceeded only  to  the  degree  of  B.  A.  before 
he  was  elected  master  of  Warminster 
School.  In  1788,  he  was  presented  to 
the  rectory  of  St.  Laurence  in  Winches- 
ter, by  Lord  Chancellor  Thurlow  ;  and, 
in  1793,  he  came  to  make  his  permanent 
residence  in  that  city  on  being  appointed 
second  master  of  the  school. 

In  1796,  he  published  a  pamphlet 
"  On  the  expediency  of  altering  and 
amending  the  Regulations  recommended 
by  Parliament  for  reducing  the  high 
price  of  Corn  ; "  and  in  1 802,  a  Fast 
Sermon,  preached  at  St.  Laurence, 
Winchester.  He  proceeded  to  the  de- 
gree of  M.  A.,  as  a  member  of  St.  John's 
College,  Cambridge,  in  1807;  and  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Head  Mastership  of  the 
School  on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  God- 
F  F  3 


438 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


dard,  in  1810.  In  1812  be  was  pre- 
sented, by  Chandos  Leigh,  Esq.,  to  the 
rectory  of  Ashow,  in  Warwickshire ; 
and  in  1820,  by  Lord  Chancellor  Eldon, 
to  that  of  Binfield,  in  Berkshire, 

He  resigned  the  Mastership  of  Win- 
chester at  the  close  of  1 823  ;  when  the 
scholars  presented  him  with  a  magni- 
ficent present  of  plate  ;  consisting  of  a 
candelabrum,  weighing  200  ounces,  and 
two  massy  tureens. 

The  only  two  occasions  on  which  Dr. 
Gabell  appeared  as  an  author,  are  those 
already  named.  In  the  "  Works  "  of 
Dr.  Parr,  vol.  vii.  pp.  469—500.,  is 
printed  some  correspondence  between 
that  great  scholar  and  Dr.  Gabell ;  to 
which  the  editor,  Dr.  John  Johnstone, 
has  prefixed  the  following  remarks :  — 
"  In  bringing  the  correspondence  of  Dr. 
Parr  and  Dr.  Gabell  before  the  reader, 
I  have  to  rejoice  that  the  whole  is  com- 
mitted to  me  by  the  kindness  and  liber- 
ality of  Dr.  Gabell.  To  this  distinguished 
divine  and  preceptor's  acuteness,  erudi- 
tion, judgment,  and  taste,  Dr.  Parr's 
testimony  is  unbounded ;  and,  indeed, 
the  critical  discussions  contained  in  their 
letters  could  only  take  place  between 
real  scholars.  There  are  no  less  than  ten 
elaborate  letters  on  one  of  Bentley's 
Canons,  and.other  metrical  and  philolo- 
gical subjects,  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Parr ; 
and  these  are  answered  and  discussed  by 
Dr.  Gabell.  What,  then,  must  the 
reader's  regret  be,  that  there  is  no  room 
to  insert  them  all !  I  fully  sympathise 
with  it,  not  without  a  gleam  of  hope 
springing  up  in  my  mind  that  all  will 
yet  appear." 

Dr.  Gabell  married  Jan.  11.  1790, 
Miss  Gage,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Gage,  of  Holton,  in  Oxfordshire.  Ma- 
ria, his  third  daughter,  was  married 
July  18.  1818,  to  the  Rev.  William 
Scott,  second  son  of  Sir  Joseph  Scott, 
of  Great  Barr  Hall,  in  Staffordshire, 
Bart.  —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

GRANT,  Lieut.-Gen.  Malcolm,  of 
the  East  India  Company's  service ; 
Sept.  28.  1831,  in  Upper  Wimpole 
Street ;  aged  69. 

In  1776,  at  a  very  early  age,  this 
officer  was  appointed  a  Cadet  on  the 
Bombay  establishment,  and  left  England 
for  India  in  Jan.  1777.  His  first  com- 
mission as  Ensign  is  dated  Nov.  20.  in 
that  year.  In  1 779,  he  served  with  a  corps 
opposed  to  the  Mahrattas  during  the  war 
in  support  of  Ragonath  Rao;  and  in 
1780,  obtained  the  rank  of  Lieutenant. 
In  that  year,  and  the  next,  lie  served  at 


the  siege  of  Bassien,  and  with  the  Bengal 
army  under  Gen.  Goddard.  From  1781, 
to  the  conclusion  of  the  Mahratta  war, 
he  was  employed  in  the  enemy's  districts 
of  Bassien,  and  at  Terrapore,  Maug- 
liaum,  Mandeire,  Danoo,  Omerghaum, 
Bellalghur,  Underghur,  &c. ;  and  after- 
wards under  Gen.  Macleod  in  Malabar. 
In  1788,  he  repaired  on  furlough  to 
England. 

On  his  return  to  India  he  obtained  a 
company  in  179O,  and  a  Majority  in 
1796:  he  was  employed  from  1792  to 
1 798  in  Malabar,  at  that  period  in  a  very 
disturbed  and  unsettled  state.  In  1799, 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with 
Tippoo  Sultan,  he  commanded  the  Bom- 
bay grenadier  battalion,  forming  part  of 
the  force  sent  from  Bombay,  under  Col. 
Little,  to  co-operate  with  the  Mahrattas. 
This  force  being  ultimately  obliged  to 
retire  from  the  Mahratta  territories,  Ma- 
jor Grant's  corps  embarked  at  Jayghur, 
and  pushed  forward  by  sea,by  way  of  Can- 
nanore  and  the  Poodycherum  Ghauts,  to 
join  the  grand  army  under  Gen.  the  late 
Lord  Harris  ;  and  having  reached  Sida- 
poor  on  the  river  Cavary  in  the  Coorgah 
country,  returned,  on  the  capture  of  Se- 
ringapatam,  to  Malabar,  with  the  army 
underGen.  James  Stuart,  and  was  imme- 
diately employed  in  taking  possession  of 
Mangalore,  and  the  province  of  Kana- 
rah,  and  at  the  siege  of  the  fortress  of 
Jemaulabad.  In  1800,  he  returned  to 
Malabar,  then  in  rebellion.  In  the  same 
year  he  attained  the  rank  of  Lieut. -Col- 
onel. In  1804,  he  succeeded  Col.  John 
Montresor  in  the  command  of  Malabar 
and  Kanarah ;  the  former  province  being 
still  in  open  rebellion.  In  Dec.  1804, 
Madras  troops  from  Mysore  were 
ordered  to  relieve  the  Bombay  troops  in 
Malabar  and  Kanarah.  This  relief 
having  taken  place,  Col.  Grant,  on  his 
passage  to  Bombay,  having  received  re- 
inforcements of  a  detachment  of  artillery, 
&c.  from  the  Presidency,  landed  on  the 
coast  of  Concan,  with  about  3000  men 
under  his  immediate  command ;  and,  in 
pursuance  to  orders  from  Government, 
reduced  the  important  fortress  of  Severn- 
droog  and  its  dependencies,  then  held, 
as  Gen.  Sir  Barry  Close  expressed  him- 
self, by  "  the  wily  and  atrocious  rebel 
Hurry  Belial."  For  this  service  Gen. 
Grant  had  the  entire  approbation  of 
Government,  of  Lieut.- Gen.  Oliver  Ni- 
cholls,  Commander-in-chief,  of  the  late 
Gen.  Sir  Barry  Close,  British  Minister 
at  the  Court  of  Poonah,  and  of  his 
Highness  the  Peishwa.  In  1807,  Gen. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


439 


Grant,  being  in  extreme  ill  health,  and 
his  constitution  greatly  impaired,  re- 
turned to  England.  He  was  appointed 
Lieut.-Colonel  Commandant  of  a  regi- 
ment of  Native  Infantry  in  1809,  Col- 
onel 1810,  Major- General  1813,  and 
Lieut. -General  1825.  —  East  India  Mi- 
litary Calendar. 

GREEN,  Sir  Charles,  Knight  and 
Baronet,  of  Milnrow  in  Yorkshire,  a 
General  in  the  army,  and  Colonel  of 
the  37th  regiment,  a  member  of  the 
Consolidated  Board  of  General  Officers, 
and  a  Commissioner  of  the  Royal  Mili- 
tary College;  at  Cheltenham  ;  aged  81. 

He  was  born  at  Gibraltar,  Dec.  18. 
1749,  the  second  son  of  Christopher 
Green,  Esq.  a  captain  in  the  army,  by 
Britannia,  daughter  of  Charles  Hamil- 
ton, of  Monaghan,  in  Ireland,  Esq. 
He  was  appointed  Gentleman  Cadet  in 
the  Royal  Artillery  1760,  Ensign  in  the 
31st  foot  1765,  and  joined  that  regiment 
in  the  following  year  at  Pensacola  in 
West  Florida.  In  1768  he  was  employ- 
ed under  Brig.- Gen.  Haldimand  in  a 
particular  service  to  New  Orleans  and 
the  Natches,  on  the  Mississippi ;  and  in 
176 9  removed  with  the  regiment  to  St. 
Augustine  in  East  Florida.  He  was 
promoted  to  a  Lieutenancy  Nov.  23. 
that  year.  In  1771,  he  was  employed 
as  an  engineer  in  the  Bahama  islands  ; 
and  having  rejoined  the  31st  regiment 
at  the  latter  end  of  1772,  in  the  island 
of  St.  Vincent,  served  in  the  campaign 
against  the  revolted  Charibs.  He  re- 
turned to  England  with  the  regiment  in 
May,  1773;  was  appointed  Adjutant  soon 
after;  purchased  the  Captain-Lieute- 
nancy in  1774;  and  succeeded  to  a  com- 
pany in  1775, 

In  1776  he  again  accompanied  the 
regiment  across  the  Atlantic  ;  and  was 
present  at  the  action  of  Trois  Rivieres 
on  the  8th  of  June.  At  the  opening  of 
the  campaign  of  1777,  he  was  appointed 
Aid-de-camp  to  Major- Gen.  Phillips, 
the  second  in  command ;  and  was  wound- 
ed at  the  action  of  Freeman's  Farm  in 
September. 

Having  returned  to  England  in 
March,  1778,  Capt.  Green  was  appoint- 
ed Aid-de-camp  to  Lieut.- Gen.  Sir  A. 
Oughton,  Commander-in-chief  in  North 
Britain ;  after  whose  death,  in  May, 
1780,  he  rejoined  the  31st  regiment; 
and  in  1781  was  appointed  Major  of 
brigade  to  the  Montreal  district.  He 
was  included  in  the  brevet  of  majors  in 
1783,  and  purchased  the  majority  of  the 
31st  in  1788. 


On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in 
1793,  he,  being  then  nearly  at  the  head 
of  the  list  of  majors  in  the  army,  was 
appointed  Lieut.-Colonel  of  one  of  the 
battalions  formed  from  the  independent 
companies;  whence,  in  Feb.  1794,  he 
exchanged  to  the  command  of  the  30th 
regiment,  with  which  he  proceeded  to 
Corsica  in  May  following,  and  remained 
there  until  1796,  having  for  the  greater 
part  of  that  time  acted  as  Inspector- 
General  of  Corsican  troops  raised  for  the 
British  service. 

In  1796  Lieut.-Col.  Green  was  ap- 
pointed Civil  Governor  of  Grenada  ;  in 
which  office  he  continued  until  1801, 
when,  his  sight  being  much  injured  by 
the  climate,  he  received  permission  to 
return.  He  had  in  the  mean  time  been 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Colonel,  in  Jan. 
1797;  and  Brigadier- General  Oct. 
1798. 

Early  in  1 803  he  was  appointed  Bri- 
gadier-General on  the  staff  in  Ireland, 
and  commanded  in  the  counties  of  Tip- 
perary  and  Kilkenny;  and  was  after- 
wards removed  to  the  staff  in  England, 
and  to  command  at  Dover  and  Deal. 
He  received  the  honour  of  knighthood 
May  3.  that  year.  In  Jan.  1804,  he 
was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  York  light 
infantry  volunteers.  In  the  same  month 
he  received  orders  to  proceed  imme- 
diately to  Barbadoes,  to  take  the  tem- 
porary command  of  the  troops  in  the 
Leeward  Islands.  He  arrived  there  in 
March;  and,  in  pursuance  of  his  instruc- 
tions, sailed  in  April,  in  command  of  an 
expedition  against  the  Dutch  settle- 
ment of  Surinam,  which,  after  an  ac- 
tive series  of  operations  for  about 
nine  days,  capitulated  to  the  British 
arms.  He  remained  at  Surinam  about 
a  year  in  administration  of  the  civil 
government ;  and,  having  obtained 
leave  to  return  home  on  account  of  ill 
health,  was  honoured  on  his  arrival 
with  a  patent  of  Baronetcy,  dated  Dec.  5. 
1805. 

In  May,  1807,  Sir  Charles  Green 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
garrison  at  Malta ;  which  he  retained 
until  the  May  following.  In  August, 
1808,  he  was  removed  to  the  16th  regi- 
ment ;  in  1 809  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Lieut. -General;  in  March,  1812,  placed 
on  the  Staff,  to  command  the  Northern 
district;  in  Nov.  1813,  removed  to  the 
London  district;  in  1814,  appointed 
Colonel  of  the  37th  foot;  and  in  1819, 
advanced  to  the  rank  of  General. 

Sir  Charles  Green  was  never  married, 
F  F  i 


440 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831- 


and  his  Baronetcy  has  expired  with 
him.  —  Royal  Military  Calendar. 

GUTCH,  the  Rev.  John,  M.  A.  and 
F.  S.  A.,  sixty- two  years  Chaplain  of 
All  Souls'  College  in  the  University  of 
Oxford ;  Rector  of  St.  Clement  near 
Oxford,  and  of  Kirkby  Underwood  in 
the  diocese  and  county  of  Lincoln;  on 
the  1st  of  July,  1831,  at  Oxford,  aged 
86. 

To  the  former  benefice  he  was  pre- 
sented by  the  Lord  Chancellor  Lough- 
borough  in  the  year  1795;  and  to  the 
latter  by  Dr.  Thomas  Thurlow,  then 
Bishop  of  Lincoln,  in  the  year  1786. 
He  was  also  many  years  Chaplain  of 
Corpus  Christi  College.  He  took  his 
degree  of  M.  A.June  8.  1771.  Mr. 
Gutch  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Re- 
gistrar of  the  University,  and  also  Re- 
gistrar of  the  Courts,  &c.  of  the  Chan- 
cellor, in  the  year  1797,  on  the  decease 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Foster.  The 
former  office  is  in  the  gift  of  the  mem- 
bers of  Convocation ;  to  the  latter  he 
was  presented  by  the  then  Chancellor, 
his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Portland.  The 
duties  of  the  important  situation  of  Re- 
gistrar of  the  University  Mr.  Gutch 
fulfilled  until  the  year  1824;  and  there 
are  few  members  who  were  presented  to 
their  degrees  during  the  time  he  held  the 
office,  who  \vill  forget  the  urbanity  and 
attention  with  which  he  officiated  on 
those  occasions.  At  the  close  of  that 
year,  having,  on  account  of  his  advanced 
age  and  infirmities,  expressed  a  wish  to 
be  relieved  from  its  duties,  a  proposal  to 
the  following  effect  was  unanimously 
passed  in  convocation  : — "  That,  in  con- 
sideration of  his  long  and  faithful  ser- 
vices to  the  University,  an  annuity  of 
200/.,  to  commence  on  the  21st  Dec. 
next,  be  granted  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gutch, 
on  the  resignation  of  the  office  of  Regis- 
trar in  the  course  of  the  present  term." 
On  the  next  day,  after  several  degrees 
had  been  conferred,  he  resigned  the 
office  into  the  hands  of  the  Vice-Chan- 
cellor; and  the  Rev  Philip  Bliss, D.C.L. 
was  unanimously  elected  his  successor. 
Mr.  Gutch  retained  the  office  of  Actu- 
ary or  Registrar  of  the  Chancellor's 
Court  to  the  day  of  his  decease. 

The  following  may  be  recorded  as  an 
instance  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  by  his  friends,  the  members  of  All 
Souls'  College,  where  he  entered  as  clerk 
on  his  first  admission  into  the  University. 
As  senior  Chaplain  of  the  Society,  it 
was  his  duty  to  preach  before  the  mem- 
bers on  three  different  festival  days  in 


the  course  of  the  year ;  and  on  Christmas 
Day  1819  he  commenced  his  sermon  as 
follows  :  — "  On  the  suggestion  of  one 
of  my  friends  and  well-wishers,  I  beg 
leave  to  preface  my  discourse  on  this 
holy  and  joyful  season,  by  mentioning  a 
circumstance  relating  to  myself.  But 
here,  before  this  audience,  I  humbly 
trust  it  will  not  be  imputed  to  any  vanity 
or  boasting  of  my  abilities  in  the  dis- 
charge of  my  duty  as  a  humble  preacher 
of  the  Word  of  God  ;  but  as  I  hope  and 
intend  it  to  be  —  a  tribute  of  thanks- 
giving to  the  Almighty  Preserver  of  my 
life.  This,  I  may  say  with  truth,  is  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  that  I  have  had  the 
honour  and  happiness  of  performing  my 
official  duty  from  this  place ;  nay  more, 
to  speak  the  whole  truth,  as  1  make  my 
appearance  here  at  three  seasons  of  the 
year,  it  is  really  the  one  hundred  and 
forty-eighth  time,  without  any  intermis- 
sion, by  indisposition  or  otherwise,  as 
far  as  my  recollection  will  carry  me. 
And  having  through  God's  providence 
lately  recovered  from  an  alarming  at- 
tack of  illness,  I  beg  leave  thus  publicly 
to  return  thanks  to  the  Almighty  for  the 
preservation  of  my  health  during  this 
long  period ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
express  my  acknowledgment  for  the 
kind  exertions  of  my  friends  in  contri- 
buting their  assistance  for  my  comfort 
and  welfare.  And  thus,  having  per- 
formed my  vows  of  praise  to  the  great 
God  and  Preserver  of  my  life,  and  ful- 
filled my  promise  to  my  worthy  friend 
who  first  suggested  the  thought,  but 
whose  name  I  forbear  at  present  to  men- 
tion, because  I  observe  he  is  at  this  mo- 
ment one  of  my  attentive  auditors,  I 
proceed  with  my  discourse  on  this  holy 
solemnity,  and  hope  the  season  of  the 
year  and  my  late  indisposition  will  be  a 
sufficient  apology  for  its  brevity."  — 
Shortly  afterwards,  his  very  kind  and 
excellent  friend  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Legge,  then  Bishop  of  Oxford,  and 
Warden  of  All  Souls'  College,  com- 
municated to  him  the  unexpected  and 
gratifying  intelligence,  that  a  subscrip- 
tion had  been  set  on  foot  by  the  then 
members  of  the  Society,  and  several 
others  who  had  formerly  belonged  to  it, 
to  purchase  and  present  to  him  a  piece 
of  plate,  as  a  testimony  of  the  regard  in 
which  he  was  held,  and  of  his  long  and 
faithful  services  ;  which  was  accordingly 
done  in  the  shape  of  a  superb  silver  ink- 
stand, elegantly  chased  and  gilt,  in- 
scribed with  the  college  arms,  together 
with  his  own.  That  the  same  regard 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


was  continued  to  Mr.  Gutch  to  the  day 
of  his  decease  by  this  Society,  appears 
by  the  following  quotation  from  a  letter 
written  by  the  Rev.  Lewis  Sneyd,  the 
present  Warden,  addressed  to  a  member 
of  his  family  the  morning  after  the  me- 
lancholy event  had  taken  place: — "  I 
am  aware  I  ought  not  to  intrude  upon 
you  and  the  family  at  such  a  season  of 
affliction;  but  I  am  unwilling  that  a 
single  day  should  pass  without  my  as- 
suring you  of  the  sincerity  with  which 

1  lament  the  death  of  your  venerable 
and  respected  father.      The  punctuality 
with  which  he  performed  the  duties  of 
his  office  as  Chaplain,  his  amiable  and 
gentlemanly  manners,  his  kind  and  be- 
coming deportment,  endeared  him  to  us 
all ;  and,  from  the  many  years  he  had 
been  a  member  of  this  College,  we  had 
become  so  accustomed  to  him  as  a  friend 
and  as  a  member  of  our  Society,  that  I 
am  sure  I  am  expressing  the  sentiments 
of  every  one  connected  with  it,  as  well 
as  my  own,  when  I  say  that  his  loss  will 
be  long  felt  and  deplored  in  All  Souls." 

In    1781    Mr.  Gutch   published,   in 

2  vols.    8vo.,    "  Collectanea   Curiosa; 
or    Miscellaneous    Tracts    relating    to 
the  History  and   Antiquities  of   Eng- 
land and   Ireland,   the   Universities  of 
Oxford  and  Cambridge,  and  a  variety 
of  other  subjects  ;  chiefly  collected  from 
the    MSS.     of     Archbishop    Sancroft, 
given  to  the   Bodleian  Library  by  the 
late  Bishop  Tanner;"  and  in  1786  he 
published,  in  4to.,  the  first  volume  of 
"  The  History  and  Antiquities  of  the 
Colleges  and  Halls  in  the   University 
of  Oxford,  now  first  published  from  the 
original   manuscripts  in   the    Bodleian 
Library;   written  by   Anthony   Wood; 
with  a  continuation  to  the  present  time." 
This  voluminous  work  was  commenced 
at  the  suggestion  of  his  warm  friend, 
Thomas  Warton,  B.D.,  Fellow  of  Tri- 
nity  College,   Poetry   Professor,   Cam- 
den's  Reader  in  Ancient  History,  &c. 
&c.  ;  and   was   afterwards  followed,  at 
intervals,    by    the   publication    of   the 
"  Fasti  Oxonienses,  or  a  Commentary 
ou  the  supreme  Magistrates  of  the  Uni- 
versity; with  a  Continuation,  and  Ad- 
ditions and  Corrections  to  each  College 
and  Hall,  1790."     And  also  in   1792, 
1794,  and  1796,  by  "  The  Antiquities 
and  Annals  of  the  University,"  in  3  vols. 
On  the  appearance  of  the  second  volume 
of  the   work  containing   the    Fasti,    it 
would  seem,  by  the  following  preface, 
that  Mr.  Gutch  had  just  lost  his  valu- 
able friend  Mr.  Warton  :  — 


"  The  death  of  the  late  learned  and 
ingenious  Mr.  Warton  happening  on  the 
very  moment  of  this  publication,  the 
editor  hopes  he  shall  not  be  accused  of 
presumption  in  embracing  the  opportu- 
nity of  acknowledging  the  honour  of 
his  friendship.  By  Mr.  Warton 's judg- 
ment of  the  work  he  was  first-induced 
to  undertake  it ;  by  his  friendly  opinions 
encouraged  in  the  prosecution  of  it ;  and 
by  his  kind  admonitions  assisted  in  its 
completion.  He  leaves  it  to  abler  hands 
to  describe  those  various  merits,  the  loss 
of  which  are  powerfully  felt  and  ex- 
pressed in  the  affectionate  regrets  and 
respect  of  his  friends  and  the  public. 
To  his  friends  he  was  endeared  by  his 
simple,  open,  and  friendly  manners  ;  to 
this  University  by  a  long  residence  and 
many  services  ;  and  to  the  public  by  the 
valuable  additions  which  have  been  made 
by  his  talents  to  English  poetry,  anti- 
quities, and  criticism." 

After  the  decease  of  his  friend,  Mr. 
Gutch  met  with  every  encouragement 
that  he  could  desire  to  proceed  in  the 
completion  of  the  work,  from  that  cele- 
brated antiquary  Richard  Gough,  Esq. 
the  Hon.  Daines  Barrington,  the  Rev. 
John  Price,  keeper  of  the  Bodleian 
Library,  the  Rev.  Ralph  Churton,  Mr. 
Brian  Richards,  and  other  eminent  an- 
tiquaries of  the  day,  as  well  as  from  a 
numerous  list  of  subscribers  among  ths 
different  colleges  and  their  members,  by 
whose  assistance  and  liberality  he  was 
enabled  to  complete  it.  From  Mr. 
Gutch's  long  residence  in  the  Univer- 
sity, he  had  become  known  to  most  gen- 
tlemen engaged  in  antiquarian  and 
topographical  pursuits ;  and  from  the 
opportunities  he  enjoyed  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  own  studies  in  these 
branches  of  knowledge,  he  possessed 
peculiar  advantages  in  facilitating  simi- 
lar enquiries  and  the  researches  of  his 
friends, — to  whom  he  was  ever  as  ready 
to  lend  his  personal  services,  as  he  was 
to  extract  and  transcribe  for  them  what- 
ever they  required  from  those  vast  stores 
of  historical  information,  the  libraries 
and  archives  of  this  celebrated  Univer- 
sity. Numerous  are  the  testimonials 
in  the  hands  of  his  family,  acknowledg- 
ing the  services  he  had  rendered  to  his 
friends  and  acquaintance;  none  of  whom 
ever  became  such,  without  expressing 
the  sense  they  entertained  of  the  suavity 
of  his  manners,  the  courtesy  of  his  con- 
duct, and  the  sweetness  and  cheerfulness 
of  his  disposition.  At  the  period  of  his 
decease  he  was  the  oldest  resident  mem- 


442 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


ber  of  the  University  ;  and,  till  within  a 
very  few  days  of  the  close  of  a  life  of 
peculiar  serenity  and  content,  he  en- 
joyed his  usual  good  health  and  spirits, 
falling  at  last  a  victim  to  the  influenza 
which  has  lately  been  so  prevalent,  and 
against  the  debilitating  effects  of  which 
his  great  age  did  not  enable  him  effec- 
tually to  struggle.  His  surviving  family 
will  long  deplore  the  loss  of  a  most 
affectionate  and  indulgent  parent,  who 
was  the  pattern  of  a  humble  and  sincere 
Christian. —  Gentleman'1  s  Magazine. 

H. 

HATHAWAY,  Matthias,  Esq.,  at 
Cheltenham;  Aug.  12.  1831  ;  aged  85. 

Mr.  Hathaway  for  many  years  occu- 
pied the  most  important  post  of  Steward 
in  Christ's  Hospital,  with  great  advan- 
tage to  the  whole  of  that  noble  esta- 
blishment. The  duties  of  his  office  are 
not  only  to  direct  the  internal  economy 
of  the  institution,  but  to  act  as  master 
over  the  boys  during  the  time  that  they 
are  not  engaged  with  their  studies  in 
school.  This  placed  under  his  super- 
intendence six  or  seven  hundred  scholars, 
varying  in  age  from  seven  to  eighteen  ; 
and  never  did  any  man  acquit  himself 
in  this  difficult  situation  with  more  ex- 
quisite judgment  and  address.  There 
was  a  mild  dignity  of  manner  about  him, 
and  a  steady  exercise  of  discipline,  which 
checked  insubordination  ;  and  often  has 
he  been  known,  by  his  mere  presence 
among  them,  to  quiet  the  disturbed  spi- 
rits of  his  youthful  subjects,  when  they 
were  ready  to  break  out  into  commo- 
tion. Those  who  have  seen  him  presid- 
ing in  the  Great  Hall  of  Christ's  Hos- 
pital, or  making  his  domiciliary  visits  to 
the  different  chambers,  will  recollect  the 
mingled  feelings  of  respect  and  affection 
which  he  commanded  while  he  adminis- 
tered justice  among  delinquents  with  an 
equal  hand,  and  heard  complaints,  and 
adjusted  differences  with  the  patience 
and  discernment  of  one  who  was  quali- 
fied to  fill  a  much  higher  station  of  au- 
thority with  equal  distinction.  Mr. 
Hathaway  was  a  rare  example  of  what 
temper  and  integrity  can  achieve  by  the 
very  reputation  of  possessing  those  quali- 
ties ;  and  when  he  retired  from  his 
official  situation,  he  carried  with  him 
the  regrets  of  every  person,  young  and 
old,  connected  with  an  institution  which 
is  mainly  indebted  to  him  for  some  of  its 
best  regulations.  —  Gentleman's  Ma- 
gaxine. 


HAYWARD,  Francis,  M.  D.,  at 
Bath  ;  April  18.  1831  ;  aged  92. 

He  was  born  at  Warrington,  in  Lan- 
cashire, one  of  at  least  sixteen  children 
of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hay  ward,  M.A., 
who  was  also  a  native  of  Warrington, 
the  son  of  Thomas  Hay  ward*  of  that 
town,  by  Dorothy  his  wife,  a  daughter 
of  Ralph  Markland,  Esq.  of  the  Mea- 
dows, to  whom  he  was  married  Nov.  25. 
1682.  He  was  born  Feb.  5.  1695-6  ; 
entered  Brazenose  College,  Oxford, 
March  3.  1712-13;  took  the  degree  of 
B.  A.  Oct.  10.  1716,  and  of  M.  A. 
July  9.  1719.  On  March  4.  1722,  he 
was  instituted  to  the  vicarage  of  Gar- 
stang,  in  his  native  county.  This  pre- 
ferment he  resigned  in  1731,  and  about 
that  time  removed  to  Warrington,  where 
he  was  Master  of  the  Grammar-school, 
and  Curate  of  the  Chapel  of  Sankey, 
till  his  death  in  1757.  His  burial  is 
registered  at  Warrington,  Sept.  2.  in 
that  year.  The  biographer  of  one  of  his 
pupils  who  attained  to  a  distinguished 
eminence,  Dr.  Percival  of  Manchester, 
has  described  him  as  an  able  but  severe 
master.  He  was  an  admirable  scholar, 
and  a  very  useful  man. 

The^Rev.  Thomas  Hay  ward  married, 
at  the  church  of  St.  Sepulchre,  North- 
ampton, Nov.  28.  1717,  Elizabeth,  the 
only  child  of  Jarrett  Lestock,  Esq.  of 
Ashton  near  Northampton,  the  son  of 
Richard  Lestock,  who  was  a  Captain  in 
the  Navy  in  King  William's  wars,  and 
brother  of  Richard  Lestock,  Vice- Admi- 
ral of  the  Blue,  whose  suspension  in 
1745  by  Admiral  Matthews,  and  subse- 
quent acquittal  by  a  Court- Martial, 
created  at  the  time  a  very  extraordinary 
sensation. 

*  In  the  pedigree  of  the  Marklands, 
inserted  in  Mr.  Nichols's  Literary 
Anecdotes  of  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
vol.  iv.  p.  657.,  toillustrate  the  biography 
of  Jeremiah  Markland,  the  eminent 
scholar  and  critic,  the  husband  of  Doro- 
thy Markland  is  incorrectly  described 
as  « the  Rev.  William  Hay  ward,  M.  A.' 
His  name  was  certainly  Thomas ;  he 
was  never  "  M.  A.,"  nor  was  he  in  the 
Church.  It  is  not  certainly  known  in 
what  profession  he  was,  but  there  is  rea- 
son to  think  that  he  was  an  Attorney. 
The  tradition  is,  that  he  was  born  at 
Daresbury  in  Cheshire.  The  time  of 
his  death  is  also  unknown;  but  he  sur- 
vived his  wife,  who  died  in  1707,  as 
appears  by  acquittances  given  to  the 
Marklands  for  his  wife's  fortune. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOU    1831. 


The  late  Dr.  Hay  ward  was  one  of  the 
younger  children  of  this  marriage.  He 
was  born  Jan.  25.  1738-9,  and  baptized 
at  Warrington,  Feb.  21.  following;  when 
the  name  of  Francis  was  given  to  him 
by  his  godfather,  Dr.  Francis  Annesley, 
the  Rector  of  Winwick.  To  the  in- 
struction of  his  accomplished  father 
was  to  be  attributed  the  purity  of  taste 
in  elegant  literature  by  which  he  was 
distinguished,  as  well  as  those  attain- 
ments, which  were  considerable,  in 
science  and  classical  literature.  The 
profession  of  Medicine  was  his  own 
choice;  and  he  seems  to  have  had,  from 
his  sixteenth  or  seventeenth  year,  the 
direction  of  himself  to  the  acquirement 
of  the  means  by  which  it  wau  to  be 
prosecuted  with  success.  But  he  fell 
in  London  into  very  able  hands ;  and 
the  admirable  skill,  the  sound  sense, 
and  the  eminent  success  and  high  reput- 
ation which  he  enjoyed,  while  in  the 
practice  of  it,  showed  at  once  how  ably 
his  studies  had  been  directed,  and  the 
eminent  powers  of  his  own  mind.  He 
settled  at  Hackney  about  the  year  1760, 
and  there  he  continued  till  1805,  v/hen 
he  abandoned  a  very  extensive  practice, 
and  left  a  numerous  circle  of  friends, 
many  of  whom  were  eminent  for  their 
literary  and  scientific  attainments,  for 
the  enjoyment  of  that  honourable  repose 
which  was  looked  for  rather  through  a 
natural  inclination,  than  from  any  sense 
and  feeling  of  failure  in  the  corporeal 
or  intellectual  powers. 

It  was  at  this  period  of  his  life  that 
his  friend  Dr.  Tate  obtained  for  him  the 
diploma  of  M.  D.  from  one  of  the  Scotch 
Universities.  With  the  world  before 
him,  he  first  selected  Taunton  as  the 
place  of  his  residence  ;  but  he  soon  dis- 
covered, what  so  many  others  have 
found,  that  England  presents  no  place 
which  is  equally  eligible  with  Bath,  as 
a  retirement  in  the  period  between  the 
hurry  and  the  end  of  life.  He  removed 
thither  in  1 806  ;  and  at  Bath  the  whole 
evening  of  his  long  day  of  life  was 
passed,  in  the  enjoyment  of  many  intel- 
lectual pleasures,  for  which  his  well- 
stored  and  well -exercised  mind  had  pre- 
pared him,  with  fewer  infirmities,  except 
that  great  one  of  the  loss  of  sight,  than 
usually  falls  to  the  share  of  persons  of 
such  very  advanced  years,  and  in  the 
frequent  serious  but  unostentatious 
meditation  on  his  end. 

Dr.  Hayward  married  a  sister  of  the 
late  Nathaniel  Green,  Esq.,  who  was 
many  years  the  British  Consul  at  Nice ; 


by  whom   he   had   nine  children,  four 
sons  and  five  daughters  : —  1.    Thomas, 
who  was  trained  under  Mr.  Wales,  an 
eminent   nautical    mathematician,    and 
was  sent  early  in  life  to  sea.     He  was  a 
midshipman   on   board  the  Bounty,   in 
Captain  Bligh's  unfortunate  voyage  to 
Otaheite;  and  when,  on  the  return,  the 
mutineers  seized  the  ship,  he  was  the 
first  person  put  down  by  them  into  the 
launch.      He  bore  all  the  hardships  of 
the  long  exposure  in  the  open  boat,  and 
returned   with   Captain   Bligh.     When 
the  Pandora  was  sent  out  to  bring  home 
the  mutineers,  under  the  command  of 
Captain    Edwards,    he   went   as  Third 
Lieutenant,  with  the  charge  of  the  ma- 
thematical instruments,  and  of  making 
astronomical   observations   and   a  chart 
of  the  voyage.      On  its  return  the  vessel 
struck  on  a  reef  of  rocks  on  the  north 
of    New    Holland,    and  was   wrecked. 
Most  of  the  crew  were  saved  ;  and  after 
nineteen  days  of  suffering,  which  he  was 
accustomed  to  describe  as  severer  than 
those  which  he  sustained  in  the  launch 
of  the   Bounty,   they  reached  Timor  in 
the  ship's  boats.      At  the  beginning  of 
the  war  of  the  French    Revolution,  he 
served   on  board  the   Inconstant,  from 
which  ship  he  removed  to  the  Diomede, 
then  on  the  East  India  station ;  when  he 
again  suffered  shipwreck,  the  Diomede 
having  struck  upon  a  rock  not  laid  down 
in  any  chart,  at  the  entrance  of  the  har- 
bour of  Trincomalee.     In  December, 
1796,  he  was  appointed  Commander  of 
the  Swift;  and  in  July,  1797,  Captain  of 
the  Resistance  of  44  guns;  and  in  a  few 
days  after  to  the  Trident  of  60  guns. 
But,   before   the   commission    reached 
him  in  the  Indian  seas,  this  scientific 
and  gallant,  but  unfortunate  officer,  had 
perished  in  the  Swift,  which  had  gone 
down  in  consequence   of  being   over- 
laden through  an  act  of  humanity  to 
the  crew  of  another  vessel.       Captain 
Hay  ward's  Charts  of  the  Voyage  of  the 
Pandora,  and  of  the  Banda  Seas,  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Dalrymple,  are  proofs  of 
great  industry  and  eminent  talent,  at  a 
very  early  age. — 2.    Francis,  formerly 
Keeper  of  Naval  Stores  at  Martinique, 
and  afterwards  at  Barbadoes. —  3.  Wil- 
liam, now  Commissary  of  Accompts  at 
the  Cape. — 4.  Henry,  of  the  Navy  Pay 
Office,  Somerset  House,  lately  deceased. 
The  daughters  were:    1.    Ann,  wife  of 
Cornwall  Reynolds;  2.  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried,  1.  Joachim   Christian  Stocqueler, 
and   2.  Henry  Till,   both   deceased.— 
3.  Henrietta,  married  to   Charles  An- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831 


gustus  Hayes. — 4.  Mary,  married  in 
1815  to  the  Rev.  Joseph  Hunter  of  Bath, 
F.  S.  A. ;  and,  5.  Charlotte. 

Dr.  Haywardwas  interred  in  the  bu- 
rial ground  of  the  parish  of  Walcot ;  and 
the  following  words  are  on  his  tomb:  — 
Franciscus  Hay  ward,  M.  D. 
obiit  Aprilis  18.  A.D.  1831, 

anno  aetatis  93. 
—  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

HILL,  the  Rev.  Brian,  M.  A., uncle 
to  General  Lord  Hill,  G.C.B.,  and 
great  uncle  to  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  of 
Hawkstone,  Bart.,  April  14.  1831;  at 
Wem,  county  of  Salop  ;  aged  75. 

He  was  the  eighth  and  youngest  son 
of  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  the  first  Baronet, 
by  Jane,  daughter  of  Sir  Brian  Brough- 
ton,  Bart.;  and  younger  brother  to  the 
celebrated  Rev.  Rowland  Hill,  of  Lon- 
don, who  is  now  the  only  surviving  bro- 
ther ;  the  Rev.  Robert  Hill,  a  third 
clergyman  of  the  family,  having  deceased 
in  January,  1831.  The  Rev.  Brian  Hill 
was  of  Queen's  College,  Oxford,  where 
he  attained  the  degree  of  M.  A.  in  1781. 
Soon  after  taking  orders  he  was  ap- 
pointed chaplain  to  the  Earl  of  Leven 
and  Melville,  and  held  for  some  time 
the  living  of  Loppington,  county  of  Sa- 
lop ;  subsequently  officiating  at  the  neat 
chapel  of  Weston,  in  which  village  he 
resided,  respected  and  honoured  by  every 
one  for  the  depth  of  his  piety,  the  un- 
affected simplicity  of  his  mind,  and  for 
the  beneficence  of  his  disposition  ;  en- 
deavouring at  all  times  to  render  his 
best  services  to  the  temporal  and  spi- 
ritual necessities  of  his  fellow-creatures, 
which  the  various  act  of  charity  he  was 
accustomed  to  perform,  especially  in  his 
own  neighbourhood,  amply  testify,  being 
truly  a  father  to  the  poor,  and  generally 
devoting  to  their  necessities  the  over- 
plus of  his  regular  income. 

Mr.  Hill  was  a  warm  advocate  of  the 
Bible  Society,  considering  it,  as  he  as- 
serted at  the  Anniversary  Meeting  of 
the  Shropshire  Auxiliary  in  1829,  "  to 
be  the  noblest  institution  that  was  ever 
suggested  to  the  mind  of  man  ;  "  he  was 
likewise  particularly  attentive  to  the  in- 
struction of  the  young,  and  founded  the 
schools  at  Weston. 

As  a  preacher,  although  he  was  not 
gifted  with  much  eloquence  of  delivery, 
yet  his  sermons  always  commanded  at- 
tention from  the  force  and  manner  of 
his  reasoning.  He  was  no  zealot  or 
enthusiast,  but  examined  with  an  un- 
biassed mind  the  Scripture  testimony  on 
which  his  religion  was  founded ;  and 


whilst  he  steered  clear  from  an  over- 
heated zeal  and  enthusiasm  on  one  hand, 
he  was  equally  free  from  negligence  or 
lukewarmness  on  the  other.  He  was 
the  author  of  the  following  publications  : 
"  Christian  Zeal  recommended  and  en- 
forced," a  sermon  preached  in  St.  Chad's 
Church,  Shrewsbury,  at  the  Anniversary 
Meeting  of  the  Salop  Infirmary,  1780. 
—  "  Henry  and  Acasto,"  a  moral  tale, 
with  a  preface  by  his  brother,  the  late  Sir 
Richard  Hill,  1790.  — "  Observations 
and  Remarks  in  a  Journey  through  Si- 
cily and  Calabria  in  the  year  1791."  To 
this  octavo  volume  is  appended  a  post- 
script containing  some  account  of  the 
"  Ceremonies  of  the  Holy  Week  at 
Rome ; "  and  of  "  A  Short  Excursion  to 
Tivoli."  The  work  is  dedicated  to  the 
Earl  and  Countess  of  Leven  and  Melville, 
and  written  in  the  form  of  a  diary. — 
A  Funeral  Sermon,  preached  in  St.  Alk- 
mund's,  Shrewsbury,  on  the  death  of  the 
Rev.  Richard  De  Courcy,  vicar  of  that 
parish,  1803.  In  1805,  Mr.  Hill  edited 
a  volume  of  Sermons  of  Mr.  De  Cour- 
cy's,  —  to  which  he  affixed  a  long  pre- 
face. It  may  be  remarked,  however, 
that  the  opinions  of  the  editor  did  not 
agree  with  the  doctrinal  sentiments  con- 
tained in  the  body  of  the  Sermons,  which 
are  high  Calvinistic.  Mr.  Hill's  theolo- 
gical views  were  of  the  Arminian  persua- 
sion, tinctured  with  a  belief  in  universal 
restoration.  In  1822  Mr.  Hill  printed 
a  volume  of  twenty-four  sermons  on 
practical  subjects,  published  for  the 
benefit  of  a  charity  school  in  the  village 
of  Weston,  where  they  were  occasionally 
peached;  in  1826,"  A  Sermon  preached 
in  the  parish  church  of  Shrewsbury,  on 
the  death  of  the  Rev.  John  Major,  Vicar 
of  that  Parish  ;  "  and  in  1828  he  edited 
a  small  pamphlet,  entitled  "  Cursory 
Thoughts  on  Education." 

The  remains  of  Mr.  Hill  were  interred 
in  the  peaceful  churchyard  of  the  vil- 
lage where  he  had  so  long  earnestly  la- 
boured. —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

HOBHOUSE,  Sir  Benjamin,  of 
Westbury  College,  county  of  Glouces- 
ter, and  Chantry  House,  Wilts,  Bart. 
M.A.  F.R.S.  and  S.A.,  First  Com- 
missioner for  investigating  the  Debts  of 
the  Carnatic,  a  banker  at  Bath,  Vice- 
President  of  the  Literary  Fund,&c.&c., 
August  14.  1831  ;  in  Berkeley  Square; 
aged  74. 

This  excellent  man  was  the  younger 
son  of  John  Hobhouse,  of  Westbury 
College,  Esq.  He  was  educated  at  Braze- 
nose  College,  Oxford,  where  he  attained 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


445 


the  degree  of  M.  A.  June  26.  1 781 ;  and 
was  afterwards  called  to  the  bar.  At 
the  general  election  in  1796,  he  stood 
on  the  independent  interest  for  Bristol ; 
but,  after  polling  102  votes,  declined  at 
the  close  of  the  first  day.  In  the  fol- 
lowing February  he  was  returned  on  a 
vacancy  for  Blechingley  ;  and  on  the 
1  st  of  May  that  year  he  was  one  of  those 
who  voted  in  favour  of  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Grey's  motion  for  a  Reform  in  Parlia- 
ment. In  1802  he  was  returned  for 
Grampound  ;  in  1806  for  Hindon  :  and 
he  sat  for  that  borough  until  compelled 
by  ill  health  to  retire  from  public  life  in 
1818.  He  first  came  into  office  in  1803, 
as  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Control, 
during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Addington  ; 
he  resigned  that  post  in  May,  1 804  ;  and 
in  1805  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittees for  Supplies.  In  180  ,  he  was 
appointed  First  Commissioner  for  inves- 
tigating the  debts  of  the  Nabobs  of  the 
Carnatic,  which  office  he  retained  until 
his  decease.  He  was  created  a  Baronet 
by  patent  dated  Dec.  22.  1812. 

During  a  long  and  active  career  of 
public  service  in  the  Senate,  and  in 
many  important  situations,  he  was  dis- 
tinguished by  talents  which  eminently 
qualified  him  for  the  responsibility  and 
trust  which,  upon  many  occasions,  were 
reposed  in  him.  The  Bath  and  West 
of  England  Society,  of  which,  during 
twelve  years  (1805 — 1817)  he  was  the 
President,  have  had  frequent  opportuni- 
ties of  appreciating  his  merits,  and  ac- 
knowledging the  value  of  his  services, 
and  the  extent  of  his  liberality.  In 
1817  they  confirmed  their  warm  appro- 
bation, by  the  vote  of  a  marble  bust  by 
Chantrey,  now  in  the  society's  rooms. 
In  a  similar  manner,  several  members 
of  the  Literary  Fund  subscribed  for  a 
portrait  of  Sir  Benjamin,  to  mark  their 
high  sense  of  his  eminent  services  as 
Chairman  of  the  committee  of  that  in- 
valuable institution.  This  was  admir- 
ably executed  by  J.Jackson,  Esq.  II.  A.; 
was  exhibited  at  Somerset  House  in 
1824;  and  now  hangs  in  the  meeting 
room  of  the  society.  About  the  same 
time  another  portrait  was  painted  of  him, 
by  T.  Phillips,  Esq.  R.A.  This  por- 
trait, which  is  very  admirable  for  its 
depth  of  tone,  has  been  well  engraved 
by  Mr.  P.  Audinet. 

Sir  Benjamin  Hobhouse  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  united  in  Sept.  1785,  was  Charlotte, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Cam,  of  Chantry 


House,  near  Bradford,  in  Wiltshire,  Esq. 
by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  :  1 .  Sir  John  Cam  Hobhouse, 
who  has  succeeded  to  the  title,  and  is 
M.  P.  for  Westminster,  and  F.  R.  S.  ;  he 
married  in  1828  Lady  Julia  Hay,  sister 
to  the  Marquess  of  Tweeddale;  2.  Ben- 
jamin, a  Captain  in  the  69th  foot,  killed 
at  Waterloo ;  3.  Henry  William  Hob- 
house,  Esq.  in  the  Civil  Service  of  the 
East  India  Company,  and  a  partner  in 
the  bank  at  Bath ;  he  married  at  Cal- 
cutta some  years  since,  and  has  issue ; 
4.  Charlotte;  5.  Mary,  who  died  young. 
Having  lost  his  first  wife,  Nov.  25. 
1791,  Sir  Benjamin  married,  secondly, 
in  April,  1793,  Amelia,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Joshua  Parry,  of  Cirencester,  and 
had  four  other  sons  and  ten  daughters ; 
6.  Amelia ;  7.  Isaac,  who  died  an  infant 
in  1797;  8.  Mary,  who  died  in  18O4, 
aged  eight ;  9.  Sophia  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried in  1828  to  Boyd  Alexander,  Esq. 
the  third  son  of  Claud  Alexander,  of 
Ballochmyle,  county  of  Ayr,  Esq.  ;  10. 
Harriet  Theodora,  married  in  1823  to 
the  Rev.  George  Trevor  Spencer,  grand- 
son of  the  late  Lord  Charles  Spencer; 
11.  Julia,  married  in  1830  to  the  Rev. 
C.  F.  Moore;  12.  Sarah  Matilda,  mar- 
ried at  Rome  in  1827  to  Count  Ran- 
ghiaschi  Biancaleone ;  13.  Catherine, 
married  in  1826  to  John  William  Fane, 
Esq.,  eldest  son  of  John  Fane,  Esq. 
M.  P.  for  Oxfordshire,  and  died  in  1828 ; 
14.  Isaac;  15.  Joanna;  16.  Thomas 
Benjamin,  B.  A.  of  Baliol  College, 
Oxford;  17.  Elizabeth  Mary;  18.  Hen- 
rietta Amelia  ;  and,  1 9.  Frederick  Ben- 
jamin. The  last  three  died  in  infancy. 
—  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

HUNT,  Thomas  F.,  Esq.,  one  of 
the  Labourers  in  Trust  attached  to  the 
Board  of  Works ;  at  Kensington  Pa- 
lace ;  aged  40. 

This  ingenious  architect  was  the  au- 
thor of  the  following  excellent  profes- 
sional publications,  all  printed  in  4to. : — 

"  Half  a  dozen  Hints  on  Picturesque 
Domestic  Architecture,  in  a  series  of 
designs  for  gate-houses,  gamekeepers' 
cottagers,  and  other  rural  residences." 
Two  Editions. 

"  Designs  for  Parsonage  Houses, 
Alms  Houses,  &c.  &c.  with  examples 
of  gables,  and  other  curious  remains  of 
old  English  architecture,  1827 ;"  con- 
taining 21  Plates. 

"  Architettura  Campestre;  displayed 
in  lodges,  gardeners'  houses,  and  other 
buildings,  composed  of  simple  and  eco- 


446 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


nomical  forms,  in  die  modern  or  Italian 
style  ;  introducing  a  picturesque  mode 
of  Roofing  ;"  with  12  Plates. 

"  Exemplars  of  Tudor  Architecture, 
adapted  to  modern  habitations,  with 
illustrative  details  selected  from  ancient 
edifices,  and  Observations  on  the  Fur- 
niture of  the  Tudor  period,  1829;" 
with  37  Plates.  —  Gentleman's  Maga- 


JODRELL,  Richard  Paul,  Esq. 
D.  C.  L.,  F.  R.  S.,  and  F.  S.  A. ;  De- 
puty Lieutenant  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  the  counties  of  Oxford, 
Derby,  Norfolk,  and  Middlesex  ;  father 
of  Sir  Richard  Paul  Jodrell,  Bart.  ; 
January  26.  1831 ;  at  his  house  in 
Portland  Place ;  aged  85. 

Mr.  Jodrell  was  descended  from  an 
ancient  family,  originally  of  Derbyshire, 
and  afterwards  of  Staffordshire.  His 
great-grandfather,  Paul  Jodrell,  Esq., 
who  died  in  1728,  was  for  43  years 
Clerk  of  the  House  of  Commons.  His 
father,  of  the  same  name,  was  Solicitor- 
General  to  Frederick  Prince  of  Wales  ; 
and  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Richard  Warner,  of  North  Elmham,  in 
Norfolk,  Esq.  They  had  three  sons  : 
the  subject  of  this  memoir;  Sir  Paul 
Jodrell,  M.  D.,  who  was  knighted  in 
1787,  and  having  been  physician  to  the 
Nabob  of  Arcot,  died  at  Madras  in  1 803 ; 
and  Henry  Jodrell,  Esq.  a  Commis- 
sioner of  Bankrupts,  and  M.  P.,  who 
died  in  1*814. 

Mr.  Jodrell  was  born  Nov.  \  :3.  1745 ; 
arid,  having  lost  his  father  in  1751,  had 
lived  in  possession  of  his  paternal  es- 
tates for  nearly  80  years.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Eton  and  at  Hertford  College, 
Oxford  ;  and  his  attachment  to  his  clas- 
sical studies  was  evinced  by  his  compo- 
sitions in  the  Musae  Etonenses,  and  by 
subsequent  more  laborious  publications. 
To  the  supplementary  Notes  of  Potter's 
JEschylus,  printed  in  1778,  he  was  a 
contributor;  in  1781  he  published,  in  two 
volumes  8vo.,  "  Illustrations  of  Euri- 
pides, on  the  Ion  and  Bacchae ; "  and  in 
1790  another  volume,  "  On  the  Alces- 
tis,"  (see  Nichols's  Literary  Anecdotes 
of  the  Eighteenth  Century,  vol.  viii. 
p.  102. ;  vol.  ix.  p.  68.  ;  and  a  Review 
in  vol.  Ix  of  the  Gentleman's  Magazine, 
p.  547.  ;  and  also  in  Cradock's  Me- 
moirs, vol.  iv.,  will  be  found  four  let- 
ters of  Mr.  Jodrell  relating  to  the  copy 
of  Euripides,  formerly  belonging  to 


Milton,  which  was  in  Mr.  Cradock's 
possession).  The  modern  drama,  also, 
as  well  as  the  ancient,  shared  Mr.  Jod- 
rell's  attention.  "  A  Widow  and  no 
Widow,"  a  dramatic  piece  of  three  acts 
by  him,  was  acted  at  the  Haymarket  in 
1779,  and  printed  in  1780,  8vo.  It 
appears,  from  the  Monthly  Review  (vol. 
Ixv.  p.  233.),  that  living  characters  were 
depicted  among  the  dramatis  personee ; 
"  the  artist  is  a  coarse  painter,  but  com- 
monly hits  off  a  striking  likeness."  At 
the  same  theatre,  in  1783,  was  performed 
with  success  his  "  Seeing  is  Believing," 
in  one  act,  printed  in  1786.  His  tra- 
gedy, called  "  The  Persian  Heroine," 
having  been  rejected  by  the  managers  of 
the  two  great  theatres  (the  particulars 
of  which  transactions  are  given  in  the 
Literary  Anecdotes,  vol.  ix.  p.  2.),  was 
printed  in  1786,  8vp.  and  4to.  In  the 
following  year  he  published  "  Select 
Dramatic  Pieces;  some  of  which  have 
been  acted  on  provincial  theatres,  others 
have  been  written  for  private  perform- 
ance and  country  amusement;"  and  con- 
sisting of,  "  Who's  Afraid?"  a  farce; 
the  "  Boarding  School  Miss,"  a  co- 
medy; "  One  and  All,"  a  farce;  "  The 
Disguise,"  a  comedy ;  "  The  Musico," 
a  farce ;  and  "  The  Bulse,"  a  dramatic 
piece.  *  He  also  published  in  4to.  1785, 
"  The  Knight  and  Friars,"  an  historic 
tale,  from  Hey  wood's  TweiKfiov, — "  the 
work  of  three  mornings  in  the  Christmas 
holidays." 

In  1784  Mr.  Jodrell  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  club  founded  at  the  Essex 
Head,  for  the  purpose  of  cheering  the 
declining  days  of  Dr.  Johnson  ;  and,  it 
is  believed,  that  he  and  the  late  Mr. 
Chamberlain  Clark,  who  died  a  few 
days  before  him,  were  "  positively  the 
last "  survivors  of  that  celebrated  literary 
fraternity.  Mr.  Jodrell  was  elected  a 
Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society  in  1772, 
and  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  in 


*  In  the  Biographia  Dramatica,edited 
by  Stephen  Jones,  there  is  very  great 
confusion  respecting  Mr.  Jodrell.  He 
is  divided  into  two ;  and  yet  under  both 
heads  it  is  his  brother  who  is  described 
instead  of  himself.  This  arose  in  some 
measure  from  his  bearing  the  name  of 
Paul  and  his  brother  being  known  as 
Sir  Paul  Jodrell.  His  brother,  how- 
ever (as  we  learn  from  a  private  letter), 
was  author  of  a  farce  acted  at  Col- 
man's  Theatre ;  but  the  title  does  not 
appear. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


4-1-7 


1784.      He  was  created  D.C.L.  at  Ox- 
ford, July  4.  1793. 

At  the  general  election  1790,  Mr. 
Jodrell  was  returned  one  of  the  barons 
in  Parliament  for  Seaford ;  but  by  the 
decision  of  a  committee,  which  was  not 
given  until  the  second  session,  he  was 
declared  not  duly  elected  on  the  19th 
of  March,  1 792.  However,  when  Mr. 
Sargent  was  made  Clerk  of  the  Ord- 
nance, in  Jan.  1794,  he  was  re-elected 
for  the  same  place ;  but  after  the  disso- 
lution in  1796  he  did  not  again  sit  in 
the  House. 

With  advancing  years,  the  mind  of 
Mr.  Jodrell  had  become  obscured,  and 
from  the  year  1822  he  gradually  sunk, 
until  he  reached  total  and  absolute  in- 
capacity. It  became  necessary  to  throw 
legal  protection  over  his  person  and 
property,  which  was  effected,  after  the 
proper  investigation,  before  a  commis- 
sion de  lunatico  inqmrendo. 

Mr.  Jodrell  married  May  19.  1772, 
his  second  cousin,  Vertue,  eldest  daugh- 
ter and  co-heiress  of  Edward  Hase,  of 
Sail,  in  Norfolk,  Esq.,  who  was  the 
second  son  of  John  Hase,  of  Great 
Melton,  in  Norfolk,  Esq.,  by  Mary, 
daughter  of  Edward  Lombe,  of  Weston, 
Esq. ,  and  aunt  to  Mr.  Jodrell's  mother. 
By  this  lady,  who  died  May  23.  1806, 
he  had  five  sons  and  two  daughters  : 
1.  Paul,  and  2.  Paul,  who  both  died  in 
infancy;  3.  Sir  Richard  Paul  Jodrell, 
Bart.,  of  Magdalen  Hall,  Oxford,  M.A. 
1806,  who  succeeded  to  his  baronetcy 
in  1817,  on  the  death  of  his  great  uncle 
Sir  John  Lombe,  who  took  that  name 
instead  of  Hase  in  1762,  and  was 
created  a  Baronet  in  1784;  he  married, 
in  1814,  Amelia  Caroline  King,  daugh- 
ter of  the  Earl  of  Kingston,  and  has 
several  children;  4.  Edward  Jodrell, 
Esq.,  of  Trinity  College,  Cvcford,  M.A. 
1811  ;  he  married,  in  1812,  Mary,  fourth 
daughter  of  W.  Lowndes  Stone,  of 
Brightwell,  in  Oxfordshire,  Esq.,  and 
has  issue ;  5.  the  Rev.  Sheldon  Jodrell, 
of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  M.A. 
1815,  Rector  of  Saxlingham  in  Nor- 
folk; 6.  Sophia;  and,  7.  Louisa  (twin 
with  Sophia),  who  was  married  to 
Richard  Jennings,  Esq.,  and  died  in 
1826.  —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

JONES,  Captain  George  Matthew, 
of  the  Royal  Navy,  author  of  Travels  in 
Russia  and  the  north-eastern  countries 
of  Europe. 

This  gentleman  was  brother  to  Col. 
J.  T.  Jones,  of  the  Royal  Engineers, 
the  constructor  of  the  lines  of  Torres 


Vedras,  and  the  officer  who  led  the 
attack  upon  Bergen-op-Zoom.  Capt. 
J.  commenced  his  naval  career  under 
the  late  Sir  J.  S.  Yorke.  He  received 
his  first  commission  in  1802;  and  was 
junior  Lieutenant  of  the  Amphion  32 
when  that  frigate  conveyed  Lord  Nel- 
son from  off  Brest  to  the  Mediterranean, 
on  the  renewal  of  hostilities  with  France, 
in  1803.  He  subsequently  assisted  at 
the  capture  of  a  Spanish  squadron, 
laden  with  treasure,  from  South  Ame- 
rica bound  to  Cadiz.  On  the  8th  Nov. 
1808,  he  was  severely  wounded  in  a 
gallant  but  unsuccessful  boat  attack  on 
the  coast  of  Istria.  On  the  27th  Aug. 
1809,.  he  again  highly  distinguished 
himself,  at  the  capture  and  destruction 
of  six  heavy  gun  vessels,  seven  traba- 
colas,  and  a  land  battery  of  four  long 
24-pounders,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Piavie, 
and  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  squadron  at 
Venice.  In  Sir  William  Hoste's  offi- 
cial letter  on  that  occasion,  "  the  prompt 
manner  in  which  Lieut.  Jones  turned 
the  guns  of  the  battery  on  the  enemy's 
vessels"  was  noticed  as  highly  praise- 
worthy. He  afterwards  commanded  the 
Tuscan  brig,  and  was  employed  in  co- 
operation with  the  defenders  of  Cadiz, 
during  the  siege  of  1'Isla  de  Leon,  in 
the  year  1811.  His  last  appointment 
was,  Jan.  23.  1817,  to  the  Pandora  of 
18  guns,  on  the  Irish  station,  where  he 
remained  for  a  period  of  nearly  two 
years.  He  obtained  post  rank,  Dec.  7. 
1818. 

In  1827,  Capt.  Jones  published 
"  Travels  in  Norway,  Sweden,  Fin- 
land, Russia,  and  Turkey  ;  also  on  the 
coast  of  the  Sea  of  Azof  and  of  the 
Black  Sea,  &c.  &c."  in  2  vols.  8vo. 
Previously  to  these  travels,  which  were 
undertaken  by  him  with  a  view  to  the 
acquisition  of  professional  knowledge, 
he  had  already  inspected  all  the  naval 
arsenals  and  ports  of  France  and  Hol- 
land ;  and  in  this  publication  he  relates 
the  result  of  his  examination  of  them,  as 
well  as  of  those  of  Russia,  Sweden, 
and  Denmark;  thereby  presenting  his 
readers  with  a  great  store  of  accurate 
information,  and  much  acute  remark, 
on  the  amount  and  condition  of  the 
maritime  force  of  most  of  the  European 
powers.  He  received  the  greatest  at- 
tention  from  the  late  and  present  Em- 
perors of  Russia,  and  from  the  Empress 
Mother. 

Shortly  after  his  travels,  Capt.  Jones 
was  attacked  by  a  paralysis  of  the  limbs  ; 
and  repaired  to  Italy  for  the  recovery  of 


448 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOIt    1831. 


his  health.  In  a  stale  of  great  debility, 
he  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  down  a 
flight  of  steep  stone  steps  at  Malta : 
three  of  his  ribs  were  broken,  and  his 
shoulder  dislocated ;  and  on  the  third 
day  he  expired.  By  this  accident  the 
naval  service  has  lost  a  brave,  skilful, 
and  zealous  officer;  and  his  friends  a 
man  of  enlightened  mind,  honourable 
conduct,  and  amiable  manners.  —  Mar- 
shall's Royal  Naval  Biography,  and 
Gentleman's  Magazine. 

JONES,  William,  Esq.,  of  Isling- 
ton, and  of  the  firm  of  W.  and  S.  Jones, 
opticians,  Holborn ;  Feb.  17.  1831; 
at  his  house  in  Brighton  ;  aged  68. 

He  was  brought  forward  under  his 
father  John  Jones,  an  optician  of  some 
eminence,  and  early  discovered  an  ex- 
traordinary force  of  understanding,  with 
a  disposition  to  cultivate  it  to  the  utmost, 
in  mathematical  and  philosophical  re- 
search, which  was  much  assisted  by  his 
frequent  intercourse  with  that  very  emi- 
nent optician  and  voluminous  writer 
Mr.  Benjamin  Martin,  of  Fleet  Street. 
He  also  employed  his  leisure  hours  in 
privately  teaching  Astronomy,  Mathe- 
matics, and  Practical  Surveying  ;  and  in 
a  few  instances  gave  public  lectures  on 
Astronomy. 

These  circumstances  introduced  him 
to  the  society  of  the  most  eminent  ma- 
thematical and  astronomical  professors 
of  the  time,  Drs.  Priestley,  Hutton, 
Maskelyne,  Professor  Vince,  and  others. 
But  during  these  pursuits,  his  industry 
and  attention,  in  conjunction  with  his 
brother  and  surviving  partner  Samuel 
Jones,  were  constantly  exercised  in  an 
extensive  practical  execution  of  his  pro- 
fession, which  proved  the  means  of  in- 
troducing many  skilful  workmen  as 
manufacturers  of  optical  and  mathe- 
matical instruments. 

Mr.  W.  Jones  published  Descriptions 
of  the  Orrery ;  of  a  Case  of  Mathe- 
matical Instruments;  and  of  Hadley's 
Quadrant.  The  whole  of  the  late  Gecrge 
Adams's  works  were  re-published  by 
him,  with  additions  and  improvements. 
To  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  and 
Rees's  Cyclopaedia,  he  was  a  consider- 
able contributor. 

In  the  latter  period  of  his  life  he  was 
obliged  by  illness  to  withdraw  from  the 
anxiety  of  business,  and  chiefly  resided 
at  Brighton,  where  he  was  never  so 
pleasingly  engaged  as  in  imparting  his 
knowledge  to  his  young  and  scientific 
friends.  In  society  he  was  cheerful  and 
interesting,  full  of  philosophical  and 


literary  anecdotes,  which  he  often  dealt 
out  with  great  good  humour.  He  has 
left  the  entire  of  his  property  (except 
a  few  legacies),  including  an  extensive 
library  of  scarce  mathematical  books,  to 
his  brother  Samuel  Jones. — Gentleman's 
Magazine. 


K. 


KERR,  Alexander  Robert,  Esq.,  a 
Captain  in  the  Royal  Navy,  and  C.  B. ; 
at  Stonehouse,  near  Plymouth  ;  Aug.  4. 
1831. 

Captain  Kerr  was  a  son  of  Lieut.  Ro- 
bert Kerr,  R.  N.,  who  died  at  Green- 
wich Hospital  in  1805.  He  entered 
the  navy  as  Midshipman  on  board  the 
Endymion,  Capt.  Gambler,  in  Nov. 
1781  ;  and  served  in  various  ships,  one 
of  which  was  the  Boreas  frigate,  Capt. 
Horatio  Nelson,  on  the  Leeward  Islands, 
North  American,  Jamaica,  and  Channel 
stations,  until  his  promotion  to  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant  in  1790.  From  April  to 
October,  1791,  he  was  senior  Lieutenant 
of  the  Narcissus,  Capt.  Minchin  ;  and  he 
subsequently  joined  the  Boston  32,  Capt. 
George  W.  A.  Courtenay,  in  the  engage- 
ment of  which  ship  with  L' Ambuscade 
near  New  York,  Aug.  1793,  when  Capt. 
Courtenay  was  slain,  Mr.  Kerr  received 
a  grape-shot  wound  in  the  shoulder,  and 
lost  the  sight  of  his  right  eye  by  splin- 
ters. The  action  terminated  as  a  drawn 
battle  ;  and  the  Boston,  after  repairing 
its  extensive  injuries  at  Newfoundland, 
returned  to  England  in  1795. 

Lieut.  Kerr  afterwards  served  in  the 
Repulse  64  ;  and  about  April,  1796,  was 
appointed  First  Lieutenant  of  the  Clyde 
46,  commanded  by  the  present  Rear- 
Admiral  Cunningham,  who,  on  report- 
ing the  capture  of  La  Vestale  frigate  in 
1799,  declared  that  he  had  "  received 
that  support  from  Lieut.  Kerr  which  he 
was  prepared  to  expect  by  his  animated 
conduct  in  former  critical  and  more 
trying  occasions." 

After  six  years'  active  service  in  that 
frigate,  Mr.  Kerr  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Commander,  April  29.  1802. 
From  that  period  to  1 806  he  commanded 
the  Diligence  and  Combatant  sloops, 
both  employed  in  watching  the  enemy's 
flotilla  at  Boulogne ;  and  in  the  latter 
vessel  he  assisted  at  the  capture  of  a 
lugger  privateer  near  Cape  Grisnez.  His 
post  commission  was  dated  Jan.  22. 
1806. 

Between  Aug.  1808  and  June,  1809, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


449 


Capt.  Kerr  was  successively  appointed, 
pro  tempore,  to  the  Tigre,  Valiant,  and 
Revenge,  third  rates,  employed  off  Brest, 
L'Orient,  and  Rochefort.  At  the  memo- 
rable affair  in  Aix  Roads,  April  12. 
1809,  the  Revenge  was  one  of  the  ad- 
vanced squadron  under  the  orders  of 
Capt.  (afterwards  Rear-Adm.)  Bligh, 
who,  on  the  trial  of  Lord  Gambier,  gave 
his  opinion  that  it  was  "  impossible  a 
ship  could  be  better  placed  than  the  Re- 
venge ;  and  indeed  the  general  conduct 
of  the  Revenge  on  that  day  reflects  the 
highest  credit  on  the  zeal  and  bravery  of 
her  Captain."  She  sustained  consider- 
able loss  from  the  batteries  on  the 
island. 

Capt.  Kcrr  was  next  appointed  to  the 
Ganymede  26,  and  then  to  the  Unicorn 
82 ;  in  which  frigate  he  captured  le  Gas- 
con French  privateer  of  16  guns  and 
113  men;  and  L'Esperance  (formerly 
H.  M.'s  22-gun  ship  Laurel),  armed  en 
flute,  with  a  valuable  cargo  of  East  In- 
dia produce."  In  April,  1811,  he  assumed 
the  command  of  the  Acasta  48,  in  which 
he  captured  the  American  privateer  Cur- 
lew of  16  guns,  and  several  other  vessels 
of  minor  importance.  On  his  return  to 
England  in  July,  1815,  Captain  Kerr 
was  nominated  a  C.  B.  for  his  long  and 
arduous  services. 

He  married,  in  Jan.  1805,  Charlotte, 
youngest  daughter  of  Charles  Maule, 
M.  D.,  formerly  a  physician  in  India, 
and  by  that  lady  had  seven  children. 
His  eldest  son  is  an  officer  in  the  navy. 
— Abridged  from  Marshall's  Royal  JVa- 
val  Biography, 

KNIGHT,  Sir  John,  K.  C.  B., 
Admiral  of  the  Red;  June  16.  1831, 
at  his  seat,  Woodend,  Hampshire,  a  fter 
a  very  short  illness,  aged  83. 

This  officer  was  the  son  of  Rear- Ad- 
miral John  Knight,  with  whom  he  em- 
barked at  an  early  period  of  life,  and 
served  in  the  Tartar  frigate  on  the  expe- 
ditions against  Cancalle,  Cherbourg, 
&c.  ;  and  was  with  the  squadron  under 
Lord  Anson,  which  escorted  her  Ma- 
jesty Queen  Charlotte  to  England,  in 
September,  1761.  During  the  long 
calm  that  preceded  the  war  with  the 
colonies,  w«  find  him  assisting  in  the 
maritime  survey  of  the  coast  of  North 
America. 

In  1775,  Mr.  Knight  was  Second 
Lieutenant  of  the  Falcon,  Captain  John 
Linzee,  which  was  one  of  the  vessels 
that  covered  the  attack  on  Bunker's 
Hill.  Some  time  after,  Lieut.  Knight 
had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  the 

VOI«  XVI. 


hands  of  the  enemy,  when  attempting 
to  bring  off  an  American  vessel  that  had 
been  driven  on  shore.  After  a  residence 
of  several  months  on  parole,  at  .North- 
ampton and  South  Hadley,  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Massachusetts,  an  exchange 
of  prisoners  took  place,  about  Decem- 
ber, 1776;  and  our  officer  returned  to 
the  duties  of  his  profession.  In  Feb. 
1777,  he  was  appointed  by  Lord  Howe 
to  the  command  of  the  Haerlem,  of 
12  guns;  and  his  judicious  and  spirited 
conduct  in  entering  an  enemy's  port, 
and  taking  from  thence  several  small 
vessels,  was  so  much  approved,  that  that 
nobleman  directed  his  personal  share  of 
•the  prize-money  to  be  distributed  among 
the  immediate  captors. 

In  July,  1778,  the  Haerlem  fell  in 
with  the  French  fleet  under  Count 
d'Estaing,  and  narrowly  escaped  cap- 
ture, having  received  several  shot  from  a 
50-gun  ship,  then  in  chase  of  a  British 
frigate.  Lieut.  Knight  immediately 
gave  intelligence  of  his  falling  in  with 
the  enemy  to  the  Commander-in-chief; 
and  was  thereupon  removed  into  the 
Eagle,  of  64  guns,  bearing  the  flag  of 
Lord  Howe,  with  whom  he  returned  to 
England  in  the  ensuing  October. 

Towards  the  conclusion  of  the  Ameri- 
can war,  Mr.  Knight  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  be  appointed  First  Lieutenant  of 
the  Barfleur,  of  98  guns,  the  flag-ship  of 
Rear-Adm.  Sir  S.  Hood,  on  the  Leeward 
Island  station;  and  to  that  excellent 
officer  he  owed  his  advancement  to  the 
rank  of  Post- Captain,  Sept.  21.  1781, 
when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Shrews- 
bury 74.  He  remained  with  Sir  Samuel 
Hood,  and  was  present  at  all  his  bril- 
liant achievements  in  1781  and  1782; 
and  in  such  estimation  were  his  abilities 
held,  that,  in  the  hour  of  battle  with  M. 
de  Grasse's  superior  fleet  at  St.  Kitt's, 
the  Rear- Admiral  removed  him  from  the 
Shrewsbury,  to  command  his  own  flag- 
ship the  Barfleur.  On  the  evening  of 
the  memorable  12th  April,  1782,  Capt. 
Knight  received  and  presented  to  his 
Admiral  the  sword  of  Count  de  Grasse, 
and  those  of  all  the  surviving  officers  of 
the  Ville  de  Paris.  A  few  days  after  the 
action,  Sir  Samuel  Hood  was  detached 
in  pursuit  of  the  beaten  enemy  ;  and  on 
the  19th  came  up  with,  and  captured, 
two  ships  of  64  guns  each,  together  with 
a  frigate  and  a  sloop. 

For  six  months  preceding  the  peace  of 
1783,  Prince  William  Henry,  the  pre- 
sent sovereign  of  this  country,  performed 
the  duty  of  a  midshipman  in  the  Bar- 
G  G 


450 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


fleur,  a  portion  of  each  day  being  allot- 
ted, by  the  Admiral's  desire,  for  a  par- 
ticular part  of  naval  education  and 
study  under  Capt.  Knight ;  from  whose 
tuition  his  Royal  Highness4  derived  ac- 
knowledged advantage.  When  the  ac- 
count of  a  cessation  of  hostilities  had 
reached  Jamaica,  in  March,  1783,  Lord 
Hood  permitted  the  Prince  to  visit  Cape 
Frai^ois,  and  the  Havannah  ;  after  which 
his  Lordship  returned  to  England  with 
the  squadron  under  his  command,  and 
arrived  at  Spithead  on  the  26th  June.  It 
being  a  period  of  profound  peace,  Capt. 
Knight  remained  without  any  appoint- 
ment until  the  year  1790;  when,  on  the 
appearance  of  a  rupture  with  Spain,  Lord 
Hood  again  hoisted  his  flag,  and  Capt. 
Knight  was  again  appointed  his  Lord- 
ship's Captain,  in  the  Victory  of  10O 
guns  ;  which  he  continued  to  command 
until  the  final  adjustment  of  the  dispute 
with  Spain,  and  that  which  subsequently 
took  place  between  Great  Britain  and 
Russia,  in  1791. 

On  the  commencement  of  the  war 
with  the  French  Republic,  Lord  Hood 
was  immediately  called  forth  to  com- 
mand a  powerful  fleet,  destined  for  the 
Mediterranean  ;  and  Capt.  Knight  was 
again  selected  to  accompany  him.  In 
the  fatigues  of  service  at  Toulon  and 
Corsica  he  bore  his  full  share,  and  re- 
eeived  due  encomiums  from  his  noble 
patron,  with  whom  he  returned  to  EngT 
land  in  December,  1794.  He  continued, 
however,  to  command  the  Victory  as  a 
private  ship ;  and  on  the  25th  May  sailed 
from  St.  Helen's  in  company  with  a 
squadron  commanded  by  Rear-Adm. 
Mann,  and  the  trade  for  the  Mediter- 
ranean. In  the  partial  action  which 
took  place  between  the  British  and 
French  fleets,  July  13.  1795,  the  Victory 
particularly  distinguished  herself,  Rear- 
Adm.  Mann  having  shifted  his  flag  to 
that  ship. 

In  December  following,  Sir  John  Jer- 
vis  having  hoisted  his  flag  on  board  the 
Victory,  Capt.  Knight  returned  to  Eng- 
land across  the  Continent ;  and,  on  his 
arrival,  was  appointed  to  command  the 
Montague,  of  74  guns,  belonging  to  the 
North  Sea  fleet.  Nothing  material  oc- 
curred until  the  spring  of  1797,  when  it 
was  discovered  that  the  mutiny  at  Spit- 
head  had  spread  its  contagion  through 
the  ships  employed  under  the  orders  of 
Adm.  Duncan ;  for,  on  that  officer  put- 
ting to  sea,  to  cruise  off  the  back  of  Yar- 
mouth Sands,  the  Montague  and  Nassau 
refused  to  weigh  their  anchor,  under 


pretence  of  being  in  the  course  of  pay- 
ment. The  firmness  evinced  by  the 
constituted  authorities  at  length  re- 
moved the  impending  evil ;  and  the 
spirited  and  glorious  conduct  of  these 
misguided  men,  in  the  action  with  the 
Dutch  fleet  off  Camperdown,  Oct.  11. 
that  year,  completely  wiped  away  the 
disgrace  incurred  by  their  late  proceed- 
ings. Subsequently  to  that  victory, 
Capt.  Knight  held  a  separate  command 
on  the  coast  of  Ireland  ;  after  which  he 
served  in  the  Channel  fleet,  and  on  the 
Mediterranean  station,  under  Lords  St. 
Vincent,  Bridport,  and  Keith.  In  Aug. 
1799,  he  returned  from  the  latter  sta- 
tion, and  for  some  time  commanded  the 
advanced  squadron  before  Brest.  On 
this  service  the  Montague's  boats  made 
more  than  one  successful  attack  on  the 
enemy's  coasting  vessels.  Knight's 
Island,  in  lat.  48°  S.  long.  166°  44'  was 
named,  after  Sir  John  Knight,  by  his 
friend  Capt.  W.  R.  Broughton,who  was 
taken  prisoner  with  him  in  the  Falcon, 
in  1775,  and  who  died  in  1821.  Capt. 
Knight  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of 
Rear- Admiral  of  the  Blue,  Jan.  1.  1801 ; 
but  did  not  serve  again  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  war.  In  April,  1805, 
his  flag  was  flying  on  board  the  Queen, 
of  98  guns,  under  orders  for  the  Medi- 
terranean ;  and  in  the  summer  of  that 
year  he  succeeded  to  the  command  of 
Gibraltar,  and  hoisted  his  flag  on  board 
the  Guerrier  guard-ship,  at  that  place, 
He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Vice- 
Admiral,  in  1805;  Admiral,  in  1813; 
and  nominated  a  K.  C.  B.  Jan.  2.  1815., 
He  married  a  daughter  of  the  late  Hon. 
Col.  Peter  Foy,  Judge  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  Massachusetts,  previously  to  the 
revolt  of  the  Colonies.  By  that  lady  he 
had  a  numerous  family ;  two  of  his  sons 
are  officers  in  the  navy ;  and  several  of 
his  daughters  are  married. 

To  Sir  John  Knight's  peculiarabilities, 
in  addition  to  his  professional  talents, 
the  Admiralty  was  indebted  for  his  nau- 
tical observations,  in  many  valuable 
charts  of  America,  the  Mediterranean, 
British  Channel,  &c.  A  portrait  of  him 
was  published  in  the  Naval  Chronicle 
for  1 804.  —  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Bio- 
graphy. 

KNOX,  the  Hon.  and  Right  Rev, 
William,  D.  D.  Lord  Bishop  of  Deny, 
a  Trustee  of  the  Irish  Linen  Manufac- 
ture, &c.  ;  brother  to  Lord  Viscount 
Northland;  July  9.  1831  ;  at  Iris  house 
in  George  Street,  Hanover  Square. 

His    Lordship   was   born    June    L4- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


451 


17G2,  the  fourth  son  of  Thomas  first 
Viscount  Northland,  by  the  Hon.  Anne 
Vesey,  second  daughter  of  John  Lord 
Knapton.  He  was  educated  at  Trinity 
College,  Dublin,  where]  he  obtained  a 
Fellowship.  Having  been  for  some 
time  Chaplain  to  the  Irish  House  of 
Commons,  he  was,  in  1794,  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Killaloe  and  Kilfenora ;  from 
which  see  he  was  translated  to  that  of 
Deny  in  1803.  The  great  revenue  of 
the  bishopric  of  Derry  has  naturally, 
owing  to  the  prevalent  odium  of  church 
property  in  Ireland,  made  Bishop  Knox 
an  object  of  reproach  and  vituperation. 
A  more  satisfactory  answer  than  could 
be  given  by  any  of  his  friends  or  any 
supporter  of  the  Protestant  church,  will 
be  found  in  the  following  extracts  from 
an  address  signed  by  the  titular  Bishop 
of  Derry  and  the  Romish  clergy  of  that 
city,  as  well  as  by  one  hundred  and 
eighty-four  citizens  and  other  inhabit- 
ants, on  the  9th  of  May,  1824  : — 

"  When  the  characters  of  men  of  in- 
tegrity and  honour  are  falsely  and  slan- 
derously assailed,  it  becomes  the  bounden 
duty  of  every  honourable  man  to  detect 
the  falsehood  and  rebut  the  slander. 
Purity  cannot  shield  a  character  from 
calumny — even  your  Lordship  has  not 
escaped  defamation.  The  malevolence 
of  a  public  print  lately  depicted  you  as 
you  are  not ;  and  we  owe  it  to  your  Lord- 
ship to  depict  you  as  you  are.  When 
you  became  our  dio<5esan,  you  found  a 
cathedral  within  whose  walls  divine  ser- 
vice had  not  for  a  long  time  been  per- 
formed. On  your  arrival  a  tower  was 
building  for  the  re-erection  of  a  spire ; 
and  you  aided  the  object  by  a  contribu- 
tion of  nearly  one  thousand  pounds. 
Our  numberless  public  institutions  — 
our  daily  craving  charities,  bear  ample 
testimony,  that  the  funds  with  which 
Providence  has  intrusted  you  are  neither 
withheld  nor  misapplied.  You  founded 
our  Charitable  Loan  by  your  energies. 
By  a  powerful  appeal  from  the  pulpit 
you  explained  its  object,  convinced  us  of 
its  utility,  and  obtained  for  it  the  means 
which  gave  it  formation  and  impulse. 
You  formed  the  present  Free  School. 
With  indefatigable  anxiety  for  the  edu- 
cation of  our  youth,  you  solicited  and 
obtained  grants  for  its  support.  You 
bestowed  upon  it  of  your  means  one 
thousand  pounds  ;  and  you  further  en- 
dowed it  with  one  hundred  pounds  a 
year.  When  you  came  among  us  there 
was  no  public  institution  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  poor.  You  have  since  caused 


one  to  be  erected  on  the  foundation  of 
Erasmus  Smith.  At  its  formation  you 
bestowed  upon  it  four  hundred  pounds, 
and  endowed  it  with  twenty  guineas  a 
year.  Under  the  direction  of  the  females 
of  your  family  another  school  has  been 
established,  in  which,  at  their  exclusive 
expense,  twenty  unprotected  girls  receive 
food,  clothing,  and  education.  We 
enumerate  only  some  of  our  public  cha- 
rities which  feel  your  Lordship's  humane 
and  liberal  interference  ;  but,  in  fact, 
there  is  not  one  established  amongst  us 
that  has  not  excited  your  interest  and 
received  your  support.  We,  who  know 
you  best,  can  best  appreciate  the  vileness 
of  that  article  which  anxiously,  but  im- 
potently,  attempts  to  wound  your  reput- 
ation and  disturb  your  peace.  Within 
the  walls  of  that  building  (the  Cathedral 
of  Londonderry},  for  the  neglect  of  which 
slander  has  exhibited  you  as  the  object 
of  censure  and  reproach,  your  character 
has  been  unanimously  and  triumphantly 
justified." 

About  six  months  before  this  address 
was  presented  to  the  Bishop  of  Derry,  it 
had  been  found,  upon  the  investigation  of 
a  Vestry  Committee,  that  no  less  a  sum 
than  four  thousand  pounds  would  be 
necessary  to  complete  the  repairs  of  the 
Cathedral.  The  Bishop  offered  to  take 
on  himself  the  expense  of  erecting  a 
spire,  amounting  to  eight  hundred  and 
sixty-three  pounds  ;  but  he  declined,  on 
the  principle  of  avoiding  an  injurious 
precedent,  which  might  in  time  be  ex- 
tended to  the  severe  loss  of  the  inferior 
Clergy,  to  contribute  to  repairs  which 
the  law  required  to  be  done  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  parish,  the  Cathedral  being 
the  parish  church  of  Templemore.  His 
Lordship  expended,  on  the  whole,  near- 
ly three  thousand  pounds  in  adorning 
this  sacred  edifice,  which  is  now,  per- 
haps, the  most  splendid  of  its  kind  in 
Ireland. 

Notwithstanding  the  free  and  volun- 
tary acknowledgment  of  the  becoming 
manner  in  which  the  Bishop  of  Derry 
distributed  his  income,  which  has  been 
above  quoted,  it  would  have  been  con- 
trary to  all  nature  and  experience  to 
suppose  that  the  disaffected  and  revolu- 
tionary party  would  abstain  from  their 
abuse  of  the  incumbent  of  so  rich  a  piece 
of  Church  preferment.  The  foul  libels 
have  been  perpetuated  to  the  present 
hour  ;  and  in  defiance  of  all  reason  and 
fact,  he  has  continued  to  be  called  the 
"  rich  bishop  of  the  ruined  Cathedral !  " 

In  brief,  Bishop  Knox  was  the  patron 
G  G  2 


452 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


of  very  numerous  charitable  institutions 
throughout  Ulster,  a  zealous  promoter 
of  agricultural  establishments,  an  en- 
courager  of  literature,  hospitable  to 
strangers,  and  a  sincere  friend  to  the 
poor. 

He  published,  in  1799,  "  Two  Ser- 
mons preached  in  Trinity  College  Cha- 
ple  ;  "  in  1800  "  A  Thanksgiving  Ser- 
mon on  Lord  Nelson's  Victory ;  "  and 
in  1802,  "  Revelation  indispensable  to 
Morality,  a  Sermon." 

His  Lordship  married,  Sept.  10.  1785, 
Anne,  daughter  of  James  Spencer,  Esq. 
of  Rathangan,  co.  Kildare,  and  had  by 
that  lady,  who  survives  him,  five  sons 
and  ten  daughters:  1.  Jean  j  2.  Thomas, 
who  died  in  1804,  aged  sixteen ;  3.  the 
Rev.  James  Spencer  Knox,  Rector  of 
Maghera,  co.  Londonderry ;  he  married, 
in  1813,  Clara,  eleventh  and  younger 
daughter  of  the  Rt.  Hon.  John  Beres- 
ford,  sister  to  the  Bishop  of  Kilmore, 
and  second  cousin  to  the  Marquis  of 
Waterford,  by  whom  he  has  several 
children ;  4.  the  Rev.  William  Knox, 
Rector  of  Ballynascreen,  co.  London- 
derry, who  married,  first,  in  1811,  Sarah, 
sister  to  Sir  Robert  Ferguson,  of  Lon- 
donderry, Bart.  ;  and  secondly,  in  1821, 
his  first  cousin  Louisa,  second  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  Sir  John  Robinson,  of 
Rokeby  Hall,  co.  Louth,  Bart,  and 
Mary- Anne  Spencer,  sister  to  Mrs. 
Knox ;  he  has  children  by  both  marri  ages ; 
5.  Anne  Elizabeth;  6.  Mary,  who  died 
an  infant ;  7.  Isabella  Charlotte,  mar- 
ried in  1824  to  Octavius  Wigram,  Esq. 
brcth  r  to  the  present  Sir  Robt.  Wigram, 
Knt.  and  Bart.  ;  8.  Elizabeth  Selina, 
married  in  1816  to  William  Ponsonby, 
Esq.  the  eldest  son  of  Chambre  Brabazon 
Ponsonby  Barker,  Esq.  and  Lady  Hen- 
rietta  Taylour  ;  9.  George  ;  10.  Louisa- 
Catherine,  who  died  in  1810,  in  her 
twelfth  year;  11.  Frances  Laetitia  ;  12. 
Henrietta  Maria  Octavia  ;  13.  Charles- 
Henry;  14.  Emily- Lavinia  ;  and  15. 
Helen  Adelaide.  —  Gentleman's  Masa- 


L  A  TTON,  the  Rev.  William,  A.  M. 
Fek  19.  1831,  at  his  residence  in  St. 
Mary,  at  Elms,  Ipswich,  in  his  81st 
year. 

He  was  the  only  surviving  son  of  the 
Rev.  Andrew  Lay  ton,  A.  M.  for 
twenty- eight  years  rector  of  St.  Mat- 
thew, in  Ipswich,  descended  from  a  very 


ancient  and  highly  respectable  famiT/ 
in  Yorkshire,  a  pedigree  of  which  is 
given  in  Thoresby's  "  Ducatus  Leodt- 
nensis." 

He  was  born  in  the  rectory  house  of 
Sproughton,  in  Suffolk ;  and  was  placed 
at  a  very  early  age  under  the  care  and 
tuition  of  his  uncle,  the  Rev.  Anthony 
Temple,' A.  M.,  the  learned  and  eminent 
Master  of  the  free  Grammar  School  at 
Richmond  in  Yorkshire.  From  thence, 
after  having  reaped  the  benefit  of  his 
uncle's  instruction  for  a  period  of  nine 
years,  he  was  removed  to  St.  Paul's 
School,  London,  then  under  the  judi- 
cious superintendence  of  that  able  and 
accomplished  scholar,  George  Thick- 
nesse,  Esq.  With  an  exhibition  from 
this  school,  he  was  entered  a  pensioner 
of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  where  he 
proceeded  to  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1 773> 
and  to  that  of  A.  M.  in  177fc  In  1774 
he  was  licensed,  on  the  nomination  of 
George  William  Earl  of  Bristol,  to  the 
Perpetual  Curacy  of  Playford  in  Suf- 
folk ;  and  in  the  following  year  was 
presented  by  the  Crown  to  the  Rectory 
of  Helmley  in  the  same  eounty,  and  to 
that  of  St.  Matthew  in  Ipswich.  In 
1826  he  resigned,  at  the  solicitation  of 
the  present  Marquis  of  Bristol,  the  cu- 
racy of  Playford. 

In  his  public  as  well  as  in  his  private 
character,  Mr.  Layton  was  most  highly 
valued  and  most  deservedly  respected  ; 
and  his  loss  will  be  long  felt  and  lament- 
ed by  a  numerous  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintance.  Few  persons  ever  passed 
a  more  active  and  useful  life ;  and  no 
one  was  more  frequently  consulted  or 
more  ready  to  give  advice,  and  render 
assistance  in  matters  of  doubt  and  dif- 
ficulty, and  in  seasons  of  affliction  and 
distress.  On  all  subjects  connected  with 
ecclesiastical  affairs,  his  knowledge  and; 
information  were  most  correct  and  ex- 
tensive :  these,  therefore,  were  constantly 
sought  after  by  his  clerical  brethren,  and 
as  freely  and  kindly  imparted  to  them. 
A  zealous  advocate  for  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  and  firmly  attached  to  those 
constitutional  principles  which  were  es- 
tablished at  the  Revolution,  his  senti- 
ments were  liberal  and  enlarged  ;  and, 
although  such  sentiments  at  one  time 
exposed  him  to  obloquy  and  censure, 
yet  on  every  occasion  he  fearlessly 
maintained  them,  and  boldly  acted  up 
to  those  principles  with  firmness  and 
consistency.  In  disposition  he  was  kind 
and  benevolent ;  and  his  contributions 
to  charitable  institutions,  more  espe- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


453 


dally  to  those  of  Ipswich  and  his  native 
county,  were  liberal  and  extensive,  and 
exceeded  only  by  his  more  numerous  acts 
of  private  beneficence.  But  his  real  per- 
sonal character  could  be  justly  appre- 
ciated only  by  those  who  were  most  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  him.  They  well 
know  that,  as  a  brother,  he  was  most  in- 
dulgent and  affectionate ;  as  a  friend, 
most  kind  and  sincere ;  and  as  a  master, 
most  generous  and  considerate.  For 
about  a  year  previously  to  his  decease, 
Mr.  Lay  ton's  health  had  been  visibly 
declining,  although  his  faculties  con- 
tinued unimpaired  to  the  last ;  but  the 
natural  vigour  of  his  constitution  en- 
abled him  frequently  to  rally  in  such  a 
manner,  as  to  excite  the  most  lively 
hopes  in  the  breasts  of  his  friends  that 
his  life  might  be  spared  to  them  for  some 
time  longer.  These  hopes,  however, 
proved  unfounded ;  and  that  trying 
scene  was  now  rapidly  approaching,  in 
which  he  was  to  bid  an  eternal  adieu  to 
every  thing  here  below,  and  to  com- 
mence his  journey  to  "  that  better  coun- 
try " — that "  undiscovered  bourne,  from 
whence  no  traveller  returns."  But  he 
was  prepared  for  its  approach.  The 
hope  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  conscience 
void  of  offence  both  towards  God  and 
man,  supported  him  under  the  awful 
trial ;  and,  by  his  firm  reliance  on  the 
merits  and  mediation  of  a  Saviour,  his 
end  was  peace  and  joy.  On  the  25th 
his  remains  were  deposited  in  the  family 
vault,  in  the  churchyard  of  St.  Matthew, 
in  Ipswich. 

Mr.  Layton  was  never  married,  but 
has  left  two  sisters,  viz.  Elizabeth,  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Lowthian,  M.  A. 
Vicar  of  Thatcham,  Berks,  and  Mrs. 
Marianne  Layton,  of  Ipswich. 

In  1815,  Mr.  Layton  was  presented 
by  the  members  of  the  Ipswich  Book 
Club  with  a  handsome  gold  medal,  com- 
memorative of  his  services ;  and  at  the 
time  of  his  decease  he  was  one  of  the 
oldest  surrogates  and  incumbents  in  the 
county  of  Suffolk,  as  well  as  members 
of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian 
Knowledge,  of  which  he  was  for  many 
years  the  valuable  and  active  secretary 
to  the  District  Committee  of  the  town 
of  Ipswich. 

Mr.  Layton  possessed  a  very  valuable 
and  extensive  library,  rich  in  works  of 
topography,  antiquities,  and  genealogy, 
to  which  branches  of  literature  he  was 
«arly  and  ardently  attached ;  and  in 
which  not  a  book  is  to  be  found  that 
eloes  not  contain  some  marks  of  his  cor- 


rective hand.  But  his  attention  was 
chiefly  directed  to  the  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory of  his  native  county  ;  and  in  this, 
his  favourite  department,  his  manuscript 
collections  were  most  ample,  and  of  the 
highest  value  from  their  extreme  accu- 
racy and  minuteness  of  research.  The 
writer  of  this  memoir  has  often  heard 
him  remark,  that  "  for  fear  of  error  he 
dared  not  put  pen  to  paper  ;"  but  when 
the  pen  was  once  put,  the  fact  or  date 
was  then  unquestionable. 

The  pages  of  the  Gentleman's  Ma- 
gazine were  frequently  indebted  to  him 
for  many  useful  corrections,  and  various 
short  biographical  notices;  and  those  of 
the  "  Literary  Anecdotes,"  as  well  as 
the  "  Illustrations  of  Literature,"  are 
enriched  with  many  of  his  valuable  and 
judicious  remarks.  Mr.  Layton 's  name 
is  honourably  recorded  by  the  late  Mr. 
Nichols,  in  his  advertisement  to  the 
eighth  volume  of  the  "  Anecdotes  ;"and 
in  his  preface  to  the  fourth  of  the  "  Il- 
lustrations," as  one  of  those  "  friends 
and  excellent  correspondents,  to  whom 
he  returns  his  sincere  acknowledgments 
for  continual  assistance,  and  to  whom 
his  warmest  thanks  are  particularly  of- 
fered." 

In  the  advertisement  to  the  first  vo- 
lume of  the  "  Illustrations,"  the  editor 
acknowledgeshis  "  having  been  favoured 
by  his  worthy  and  intelligent  friend  th« 
Rev.  William  Layton  with  the  Memoirs 
of  Mr.  Midgley  and  Mr.  Archdeacon 
Pearson,  and  the  Portrait  of  Mr.  Midg- 
ley," which  appeared  in  that  volume. 

To  the  sixth  volume  of  the  same 
work,  recently  published,  is  prefixed  the 
following  "  Dedication  —  to  the  Rev. 
William  Layton,  M.  A.  Rector  of  St. 
Matthew,  Ipswich,  a  gentleman  to  whom 
the  late  Mr.  Nichols  was  indebted,  dur- 
ing a  friendship  of  more  than  forty  years, 
for  much  valuable  literary  assistance, 
this  volume  is  respectfully  dedicated,  by 
his  faithful  humble  servants,  J.  B. 
Nichols  and  Son." 

The  writerof  this  brief  memoir,  who 
was  for  many  years  both  honoured  and 
gratified  by  his  esteem  and  friendship, 
and  in  whose  society  he  has  spent  many 
and  many  an  agreeable  hour,  now  pays 
this  last  humble,  but  well-merited  tri- 
bute of  respect  to  the  memory  of  a  sin- 
cere and  highly  valued  FRIEND. 

Vale !  [sari, 

Ah  !  quanto  minus  est  cum  reliquis  ver- 
Q,uam  Tui  meminisse  ! 

Gentleman's  Magazine. 
•  LETHBRIDGE,    Lieut. -General 
G  G   3 


454 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


Robert ;  brother  to  the  late  Chancellor 
Lethbridge,  Esq.  of  Launceston;  Janu- 
ary 5.  1831  ;  aged  71. 

This  officer  entered  the  service  in 
1776,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  as  an  Ensign 
in  the  60th  regiment,  which  he  joined 
at  St.  Augustine,  in  East  Florida ;  and 
served  in  that  garrison  until  Nov.  1778, 
when  he  marched  with  the  expedition 
into  Georgia,  under  Major. General 
Prevost,  and  was  present  at  the  siege  of 
Sunbury.  He  returned  to  England,  in 
the  latter  end  of  1779,  in  consequence 
of  promotion  in  a  battalion  of  the  regi- 
ment serving  in  Jamaica.  He  arrived 
there  in  the  following  August,  and  re- 
mained until  Dec.  1781,  when  he  came 
home  in  consequence  of  ill  health.  In 
Nov.  1783,  he  embarked  to  rejoin  his 
regiment  in  Jamaica,  served  with  it  until 
December,  1785,  when  he  again  re- 
turned to  England.  In  1786,  his  corps 
was  removed  to  Nova  Scotia;  and  in 
July,  1787,  he  embarked  from  England 
for  the  island,  of  St.  John's,  with  the 
view  of  joining  his  regiment  at  Halifax. 
On  reaching  that  island,  in  September, 
he  found  that  his  regiment  had  been  re- 
moved to  Quebec,  for  which  place  he 
could  find  no  opportunity  of  proceeding 
until  the  spring ;  and  when  that  period 
had  arrived,  he  received  information  of 
his  having  been  appointed  to  a  company 
in  the  newly  raised  fourth  battalion  of  the 
60th  regiment  in  England,  so  long  before 
as  the  previous  September.  Instead  of 
proceeding  for  Quebec,  he  of  course  em- 
barked for  England,  which  he  reached 
in  July,  and.  lost  no  time  in  joining  his 
corps  at  Chatham,  where  he  raised  his 
company,  principally  at  his  own  expense, 
according  to  the  conditions  whereon  he 
had  been  appointed.  In  the  following 
year  he  exchanged  back  into  the  first 
battalion  60th  regiment,  then  in  Ca- 
nada; where  he  continued  to  serve  till 
July,  1793,  when  he  was  again  obliged 
to  ask  permission  to  return  to  England 
in  consequence  of  ill  health.  In  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  he  was  nominated  by 
Lord  Amherst,  the  then  Commander- 
in-chief  of  his  Majesty's  forces,  one  of 
his  Aides-de-camp,  which  situation  he 
held  until  his  Lordship  resigned  that 
post  to  the  Duke  of  York,  in  February, 
1795.  He  was  then  appointed  by  the 
late  Marquis  of  Townshend  one  of  his 
Aides-de-camp ;  and  continued  as  such 
until  his  promotion  to  the  majority  of 
the  3d  battalion  60th  regiment,  in  De- 
cember, 1795. 

In  May,  1 796,  he  joined  his  regiment, 


then  on  actual  service  in  St.  Vincent's, 
and  was  sent  to  command  a  post  in  the 
Charib  country.  On  the  termination 
of  hostilities  he  returned  home,  and  ex- 
changed into  the  2d  battalion  of  the  re- 
giment serving  in  Canada  ;  for  which  he 
embarked  in  the  August  packet,  and 
joined  his  regiment  in  Montreal,  in  Nov. 
1798.  He  returned  to  England,  by  way 
of  Lake  Champlain  and  New  York,  in 
Feb.  1800.  In  Feb.  1802,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Lieut. -Colonel  of  the  fourth  bat- 
talion 60th  regiment,  serving  in  Jamaica, 
where  he  continued  until  June,  1804. 
In  October  of  the  same  year,  having  then 
been  more  than  twenty-eight  years  a  re- 
gimental officer,  he  applied  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-chief for  a  recruiting  district, 
and  was  nominated  to  a  district  in  Ire- 
land. He  attained  the  brevet  rank  of 
Colonel  in  1810,  and  continued  In- 
specting Field  Officer  of  the  Enniskillen 
district,  and  subsequently  of  the  Shrews- 
bury district,  until  Feb.  1812;  when  he 
exchanged  with  an  inspecting  field 
officer  of  Militia  in  Canada ;  and  he 
was  fortunate  enough  to  reach  Quebec 
iu  June,  seven  days  before  the  declar- 
ation of  war  by  the  Government  of  the 
United  States.  He  continued  to  serve 
in  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  until  Oct. 
1813,  when,  having  been  included  in 
the  promotion  of  Major- Generals  of 
June  of  that  year  (which  removed  him 
from  his  situation  as  Inspector),  he 
finally  returned  to  England.  He  at- 
tained the  rank  of  Lieut. -General  in 
1825.  — Royal  Military  Calendar. 

LOPES,  Sir  Manasseh  Masseh, 
Bart.,  a  magistrate  for  the  counties  of 
Devonshire  and  Wiltshire,  and  Recorder 
of  Westbury ;  at  his  seat,  Maristow 
House,  in  Devonshire,  March  26. 1831 ; 
aged  76. 

The  ancestors  of  this  gentleman  were 
Spanish  Jews  :  he  was  born  in  Jamaica, 
Jan.  27.  1755;  the  only  son  of  Mordecai 
Rodrigues  Lopes,  of  Clapham,  in  Surrey, 
Esq,,  by  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Ma- 
nasseh Perera,  of  Jamaica.  He  was 
first  returned  to  Parliament  at  the  gene- 
ral election  in  1802,  as  member  for 
New  Romney;  and,  during  that  Par- 
liament, was  createda  Baronet  by  patent, 
dated  Nov.  1.  1805,  with  remainder  to 
his  nephew,  Ralph  Franco,  Esq.,  only 
son  of  his  late  sister  Esther,  wife  of 
Abraham  Franco.  In  the  same  year  he 
obtained  the  royal  sign  manual  to  take 
the  name  of  Masseh  before  his  own. 

At  the  general  election  of  1812,  Sir 
Manasseh  was  returned  to  Parliament 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


for  Barnstaple ;  and  be  was  re-elected  in 
1818  :  but  it  was  on  the  latter  occasion 
that  the  transactions  took  place  which 
led  to  the  disfranchisement  of  the  bo- 
rough of  Grampound.  On  the  18th  of 
March,  1819,  he  was  found  guilty  at  the 
Exeter  Assizes  of  having  corrupted  and 
bribed  the  electors  of  that  borough,  in 
order  to  get  himself  returned,  having 
given  the  voters  351.  each.  On  the  2d 
of  April,  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Wynn, 
the  House  of  Commons  ordered  that  the 
Attorney- General  should  prosecute  Sir 
M.  M.  Lopes  for  bribery.  On  the  13th 
of  November  he  received  sentence  in 
the  Court  of  King's  Bench,  "  That  for 
Sir  Manasseh  Masseh  Lopes's  first  of- 
fence, of  which  he  had  been  convicted  in 
Cornwall,  he  should  pay  to  the  King  a 
fine  of  8000/.,  and  be  imprisoned  in 
Exeter  gaol  for  21  months;  and  for 
his  second  offence  in  Devonshire,  that 
be  should  pay  to  the  King  a  fine  of 
2000/. ,  and  be  further  imprisoned  in 
the  same  gaol  for  three  months." 

In  1823,  Sir  Manasseh  again  came 
into  Parliament  for  his  own  borough  of 
Westbury ;  and  was  re-elected  in  1826; 
but  retired  in  1829,  to  make  room  for 
the  Right  Hon.  Robert  Peel. 

Sir  M.  M.  Lopes  married  Charlotte, 
daughter  of  John  Yeates,  of  Monmouth- 
shire, Esq.  His  daughter  Esther  died 
July  1 .  1819,  aged  24.  He  is  succeeded 
in  his  title,  according  to  the  patent,  by 
his  nephew,  now  Sir  Ralph  Lopes,  hav- 
ing taken  that  name  since  his  uncle's 
decease.  He  married,  in  1817,  Su- 
sannah Gaisford  Gibbs,  elder  daughter 
of  Abraham  Ludow,  of  Westbury,  Esq  , 
and  has  two  sons.  The  value  of  the 
landed  and  personal  effects  of  the  late 
Baronet  is  estimated  to  exceed  800,000/. 
A  great  portion  consists  of  India  and 
Government  stock;  but  the  land  is  also 
considerable,  and  is  principally  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Plymouth.  Lady 
Lopes  has  3000/.  a  year,  Roborough 
House,  and  the  town  residence  on  St. 
Andrew's  Terrace,  with  the  furniture, 
&c.  of  both  establishments,  for  life. 
The  mansion  and  estate  of  Maristow 
have  devolved  on  Sir  Ralph  Lopes. 
Large  legacies  are  also  left  to  all  the 
other  children  of  Sir  M.'s  sister;  among 
•whom  are  Mrs*  Radcliffe,  wife  of  the 
Rev.  Walter  Radcliffe,  of  Warleigh  ; 
Mrs.  Barton,  of  St.  Andrew's  Terrace ; 
and  Mrs.  Basden,  wife  of  Capt.  Basden, 
R.  N.  Sir  Ralph  Lopes, the  Rev.  Walter 
Radcliffe,  and  Mr.  Tritton,  of  the  firm  of 
Barclay,  Tritton,  and  Co.,  bankers,  are 


the  executors  in  trust  for  the  disposal  of 
this  princely  fortune.  The  remains  of 
Sir  Manasseh  were  interred  at  Bickleigh. 
—  Gentleman  s  Magazine* 


M. 

M'DERMOTT,  Colonel  James,  late 
of  the  Royal  Military  College  ;  July  2. 
1831,  in  Windsor  Castle  ;  aged  72. 

This  estimable  character  was  a  native 
of  Edinburgh,  where  he  inherited  a 
small  patrimony,  and  was  designed  for 
business ;  but,  indulging  his  propensity 
for  a  military  life,  he  entered  his  Ma- 
jesty's service  in  the  year  1775,  at  the 
early  age  of  sixteen. 

In  the  following  spring  he  embarked 
for  America,  and  in  May  was  present  at 
the  raising  of  the  siege  of  Quebec,  and 
followed  the  enemy  up  the  river  Saint 
Lawrence.  He  was  in  the  engagement 
of  Trois  Rivieres,  and  participated  in  the 
defeat  of  the  Americans  on  the  lakes  on. 
the  llth  and  13th  October.  On  every 
occasion  he  was  distinguished  for  his 
zeal  and  gallantry,  which,  added  to  the 
suavity  of  his  manners,  attracted  and 
conciliated  the  esteem  of  all  his  superior 
officers.  He  was  ever  actively  employed 
on  the  expeditions  and  scouts,  and 
always  discharged  his  duties  with  honour 
to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  service. 

He  returned  to  England  in  1 787 ;  and 
in  1793  the  militia  being  embodied,  the 
Duke  of  Grafton,  then  Lord  Euston, 
being  anxious  that  his  regiment,  "  The 
West  Suffolk,"  should  excel,  was  pleased 
to  appoint  him  on  strong  recommend- 
ation to  discipline  that  corps.  He  elicited 
strong  approbation  from  all  for  the 
manner  in  which  his  duties  were  per- 
formed; and  to  the  end  of  his  life  en- 
joyed the  esteem,  friendship,  and  con- 
fidence of  his  Grace.  In  the  year  1794, 
his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales 
appointed  him  Adjutant  of  the  10th 
Light  Dragoons  (his  Royal  Highness's 
Regiment) ;  shortly  after,  Cornet  and 
Paymaster.  In  1795  he  was  appointed 
to  a  Lieutenancy,  and  in  1798  pur- 
chased his  troop. 

During  the  period  of  his  serving  in 
ths  10th  Light  Dragoons,  he  was  on  the 
staff  of  the  Earls  of  Harrington,  Cath- 
cart,and  Bridgewater,as  also  of  Generals 
Goldsworthy,  Gwynn,  and  Cartwright, 
as  well  as  of  most  of  the  Cavalry  Gene- 
ral officers  of  the  day,  from  all  of  whom 
he  received  the  very  highest  testimonials 
of  his  merits  and  activity. 
G  G  4 


456 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


Whilst  Brigade-Major  and  senior 
Captain  of  the  10th  Light  Dragoons, 
and  assured  of  a  continuation  of  promo- 
tion in  his  corps,  an  officer  of  experience, 
talent,  and  abilities  being  required  for 
the  Royal  Military  College,  then  in  its 
infancy,  he  was  selected  as  the  fittest 
person  to  fill  the  vacant  situation.  On 
this  being  communicated  to  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  it  drew  from  him  the  hand- 
some eulogy,  "  that  nothing  should  in- 
duce him  to  part  with  Captain  M'Der- 
ihott's  valuable  services,  save  their  be- 
ing required  at  a  public  institution  of 
this  description."  Yielding  to  this 
strong  claim  from  his  country,  his 
Royal  Highness  presented  Capt.M'Der- 
mott  with  an  elegant  sword,  the  in- 
scription on  which  was  expressive  of  the 
personal  esteem  his  Royal  Highness  felt 
for  him,  and  as  a  testimonial  of  his  long 
and  meritorious  services  in  the  10th 
Light  Dragoons.  He  joined  the  Royal 
Military  College  in  1803,  where  he 
entered  upon  the  arduous  duties  of  his 
situation  in  a  manner  that  will  ever 
reflect  the  highest  honour  upon  his  me- 
mory. In  1807  he  was  appointed  Major 
and  Superintendant  of  the  Junior  De- 
partment, in  1813  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Lieutenant- Colon  el,  and  in  1830  to 
that  of  Colonel. 

By  those  numerous  officers  brought 
up  under  his  care  at  this  institution,  and 
many  of  them  filling  most  distinguished 
situations,  will  be  gratefully  recollected 
the  high  principles  of  honour,  coupled 
with  the  punctilious  deportment  of  a 
gentleman,  he  so  strictly  inculcated  as 
essential  to  the  military  character.  He 
retired  from  the  Military  College  in 
1829. 

His  remains  were  conveyed  to  that 
establishment  for  interment,  where  they 
•were  attended  to  the  grave  by  those  of 
his  compatriots  at  that  place,  officers 
and  professors.  Of  Col.  M'Dermott  it 
may  be  safely  said,  "  He  has  not  left 
an  enemy  behind  him." —  Gentleman's 
Magazine. 

MAGEE,  the  Most  Rev.  William, 
D.D.,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  Bishop  of 
Glandelagh,  and  Primate  of  Ireland; 
Chancellor  of  the  Illustrious  Order  of 
St.  Patrick,  Visitor  of  Trinity  College, 
Dublin,  and  M.  R.  LA.;  August  18. 
1881 ;  at  Redesdale  House,  near  Stil- 
lorgar ;  aged  66. 

This  prelate  was  unquestionably  one 
of  the  most  illustrious  divines  in  Europe ; 
and,  by  his  union  of  the  most  exact  and 
profound  learning  with  a  right  and 


powerful  judgment,  reminds  us  at  once 
of  the  characters  of  Horsley  and  War- 
burton.  Dr.  Magee  was  in  early  life  a 
Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and, 
like  most  of  the  eminent  scholars  of  the 
last  hundred  years  who  have  issued 
from  that  University,  owes  nothing  to 
the  advantages  of  fortune  or  family,  but 
every  thing  (under  the  blessing  of  Pro- 
vidence) to  his  own  talents  and  industry, 
encouraged  and  fostered  by  the  generous 
aid  of  that  collegiate  body.  He  was  the 
son  of  parents  very  humble  in  life,  and 
was  a  sizer  in  the  University  of  which  he 
was  afterwards  the  distinguished  orna- 
ment. He  was  for  some  time  Assistant 
Professor  of  Oriental  Tongues ;  about 
1806  he  became  a  Senior  Fellow,  and 
Professor  of  Mathematics.  Minutely 
acquainted  with  every  branch  of  that 
abstruse  science,  he  selected  for  the  use 
of  the  candidates  for  fellowships  a  course 
both  concise  and  elementary,  observing, 
that,  on  account  of  the  extent  and  diver- 
sity of  their  studies,  relative  merit  could 
not  otherwise  be  ascertained  during  the 
limited  period  allotted  to  a  viva  voce 
examination.  The  fellowship  was  usu- 
ally decided  during  the  two  hours  that 
he  acted  as  examiner  :  since  his  time 
the  course  has  been  much,  and  for  other 
purposes  usefully,  extended  ;  but  mathe- 
matics have  ceased  to  be  decisive  as  a 
test  for  determining  a  fellowship. 

It  was,  however,  to  his  splendid  ser- 
vices in  the  cause  of  religion  that  Dr. 
Magee  was  indebted  for  his  promotion. 
His  celebrated  "  Discourses  on  the  Scrip- 
tural Doctrines  of  the  Atonement  and 
Sacrifice,"  were  first  published  in  1801, 
in  two  volumes  8vo.,  and  were  dedicated 
to  the  present  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ire- 
land (Lord  Plunket).  The  work  con- 
sists of  two  sermons,  with  notes ;  and  it 
obtained  a  degree  of  popularity  on  its 
first  publication,  which  has  never  been 
exceeded  by  any  theological  production 
of  modern  times.  Its  object  was  to 
arrest  the  further  spreading  of  the  Uni- 
tarian heresy,  and  particularly  to  ex- 
pose that  qualification  of  the  opinions  of 
Arius,  by  which  Socinus  and  his  modern 
followers  have  endeavoured  to  conciliate 
the  conscience  and  judgment  of  honest 
minds.  The  style  is  peculiarly  striking  ; 
and  the  notes  are  somewhat  in  the  style 
of  "  The  Pursuits  of  Literature."  They 
are  lively,  terse,  and  elegant,  at  once 
appealing  to  the  imagination  and  the 
understanding. 

In  consequence  of  the  great  and  me- 
rited reputation  which  followed  the  pub 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


457 


lication  of  this  book,  Dr.  Magee  was 
advanced,  in  1813,  to  the  Deanery  of 
Cork.  In  1819  he  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Raphoe;  and  in  1822  was 
translated  to  the  see  of  Dublin,  by  the 
late  Lord  Liverpool. 

Dr.  Magee's  other  publications  con- 
sist of  "  A  Thanksgiving  Sermon  on  the 
Delivery  of  this  Kingdom  from  Inva- 
sion," 1797  ;  «<  A  Sermon  occasioned 
by  the  Death  of  the  Earl  of  Clare," 
1802  ;  and  a  "  Memoirof  Thomas  Per- 
cival,  M.D.  F.R.S.  and  S.A." 

As  with  the  late  Bishop  of  Deny  (and 
even  more  than  him),  the  character  of 
Dr.  Magee  was  a  constant  mark  of  at- 
tack with  the  discontented  in  Ireland. 
So  long  as  those  unfounded  charges 
were  confined  to  pamphlets,  newspapers, 
and  handbills,  no  notice  was  taken  of 
them;  but  when,  in  1824,  the  subject 
was  brought  before  Parliament,  in  the 
shape  of  a  petition  from  certain  indivi- 
duals, in  which  the  conduct  of  his  Grace, 
in  relation  to  burials,  was  most  unjustly 
complained  of,  the  Archbishop  (who  was 
not  then  in  his  turn  of  attendance  in 
Parliament)  requested  the  Bishop  of 
Limerick,  Dr.  Jebb,  to  lay  the  contents 
of  a  letter  before  the  House,  stating  that 
the  charges  made  against  him  were 
utterly  without  foundation.  Having  per- 
formed this  duty,  Bishop  Jebb  proceeded 
to  comment  on  the  letter,  and  the  high 
character  which  the  Archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin preserved  both  in  public  and  in  pri- 
vate life.  "  He  had  himself  seen  in  the 
streets  of  Dublin  the  most  libellous 
placards  posted  in  different  parts  of  that 
city,  and  had  had  handbills  and  pam- 
phlets thrust  into  his  hands  in  the  course 
of  his  walks,  and  even  at  the  very  gate 
of  the  University,  which  contained  the 
most  grossTalsehoods  ;  one  pamphlet  in 
particular,  which  pretended  to  give  a 
life  of  his  Grace,  was  a  most  vile  and 
libellous  publication.  It  was  kncwn  to 
every  one  that  had  the  pleasure  of  being 
acquainted  with  his  Grace,  that  from  his 
earliest  years  his  conduct  in  private  life 
had  kept  pace  with  his  superior  profes- 
sional abilities  :  as  a  son,  he  had  shown 
the  tenderest  attachment  to  his  parents ; 
as  a  brother,  he  was  the  kindest  of 
friends  ;  and,  as  a  friend,  his  attachment 
was  unchangeable.  As  a  controversial 
writer,  one  of  the  profoundest  of  the 
age,  his  Grace  was  entirely  free  from 
that  odium  theologicum  which  had  been 
so  invidiously  charged  on  ecclesiastical 
writers  in  general  j  for  in  all  contro- 


versies he  was  an  open  and  a  generous 
adversary." 

Dr.  Magee  was,  during  his  entire 
life,  the  uncompromising  upholder  of 
Christianity,  whether  assailed  by  the 
Unitarian  or  the  Papist.  With  an  ac- 
curacy of  anticipation  rarely  exemplified, 
he  expressed  his  opinion  that  Catholic 
emancipation  would  place  at  the  beck 
of  the  minister  a  consolidated  faction, 
ready  to  pledge  themselves  to  the  sup» 
port  of  any  political  measure,  provided 
he  would  succumb  to  their  dictation 
with  respect  to  the  government  of  Ire- 
land ;  a  principle  which,  he  said,  would 
terminate  in  the  destruction  of  the 
Established  Church,  and  a  separation 
from  British  connexion. 

His  Grace  suffered,  on  the  2d  of  Au- 
gust, 1831,  a  recurrence  of  one  of  those 
paralytic  affections  to  which  he  had 
occasionally  been  subject  for  the  last 
year  and  a  half.  His  strict  seclusion 
from  public  observation  rendered  an 
unfounded  report  prevalent  that  he 
laboured  under  a  mental  malady.  His 
enemies  have  exulted  that  his  powerful 
mind  was  reduced,  in  the  close  of  his 
life,  to  a  state  of  feebleness  and  childish- 
ness !  and  have  stigmatised  the  lowness 
of  his  birth  !  The  true  Radical  has  no 
objection,  with  all  his  love  of  the  lower 
orders,  to  abuse  his  enemies  for  being 
low-born.  So  little  was  Archbishop 
Magee  ashamed  of  his  low  descent,  that 
in  the  days  of  his  prosperity  he  took  a 
house  for  his  aged  father  next  to  his 
own,  where  all  his  friends  saw  him.  It 
is  also  false  that  he  owed  his  rise  to 
Lord  Plunket,  though  they  were  friends. 
He  owed  his  elevation  to  his  own  great 
talents.  He  was  not  without  his  faults, 
for  he  was  irritable  and  impetuous ;  but 
he  was  a  dutiful  son,  a  warm  unfailing 
friend,  and  a  man  of  extraordinary 
powers  and  acquirements. 

His  Grace's  funeral  took  place  at 
Rathfarnam  Church,  near  Dublin,  on 
the  20th  of  August.  According  to  his 
directions,  it  was  strictly  private,  and 
was  attended  only  by  the  Lord  Chan- 
cellor's family,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Pomeroy, 
the  Messrs.  Stack,  Dr.  Lendrick,  Mr. 
Nicholls,  and  the  persons  immediately 
connected  with  the  archiepiscopal  esta- 
blishment. 

Archbishop  Magee  has  left  three 
sons,  in  the  church,  the  Rev.  Thomas 
P.  Magee,  D.  C.  L.,  Archdeacon  of 
Dublin,  and  Rector  of  the  Union  of 
Wicklowj  the  Rev.  John  Magee,  M.  A.; 


458 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


and  the  Rev.  William  Magee,  Treasurer 
of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  Dublin. — 
Gentleman's  Magazine. 

MONTAGU,  Robert,  Esq., Admiral 
of  the  Red ;  at  Cheltenham,  Nov.  27. 
1830. 

The  noble  house  of  Sandwich,  of 
•which  this  officer  was  a  member,  claims 
for  its  founder  Admiral  Montagu,  who 
induced  the  fleet  to  declare  for  Charles 
II.,  and  who  for  that  timely  service  was 
rewarded  with  an  earldom. 

In  1778,  Mr.  Montagu  accompanied 
Rear-Admiral  Sir  Edward  Hughes  to 
the  East  Indies,  in  the  Superb ;  and, 
on  the  death  of  Capt.  Panton,  was  pro- 
moted from  Third  Lieutenant  of  that 
ship  to  the  command  of  the  Seahorse, 
of  twenty  guns ;  which  appointment 
was  confirmed  by  a  Post-commission, 
dated  March  3.  1781,  when  the  Earl 
of  Sandwich  presided  at  the  Admiralty. 

Capt.  Montagu  commanded  the  Exe- 
ter, of  64  guns,  in  the  action  between 
Sir  Edward  Hughes  and  M.  de  Suffrein, 
off  Negapatnam,  July  6.  1782.  This 
engagement,  like  those  which  had  pre- 
ceded it,  proved  indecisive.  On  this  oc- 
casion the  Exeter  appears  to  have  been 
warmly  engaged,  having  had  eleven 
killed,  and  twenty-four  wounded. 

Capt.  Montagu  soon  after  returned 
to  England,  and  was  appointed  to  the 
Flora,  of  38  guns,  in  which  he  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Jamaica  station.  In  1789 
and  1790,  we  find  him  commanding 
the  Aquilon  frigate,  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean. At  the  commencement  of  the 
war  with  republican  France,  he  sailed 
from  England  in  the  Sampson,  of  64 
guns,  to  escort  the  trade  bound  to  the 
East  Indies ;  and  in  the  autumn  of  the 
following  year  returned  from  thence, 
with  nineteen  of  the  Hon.  Company's 
ships  under  his  convoy,  and  in  company 
with  the  Lion  64,  which  had  on  board 
Lord  Macartney,  then  returning  from 
his  embassy  to  China.  Subsequently 
to  his  arrival  in  England,  Capt.  Mon- 
tagu had  the  satisfaction  of  receiving 
the  thanks  of  the  Court  of  Directors, 
together  with  a  present  of  350  guineas, 
for  the  care  and  protection  which  he  had 
afforded  to  their  property. 

His  next  appointment  was  to  the 
Hector,  of  74  guns,  stationed  for  some 
time  in  the  Mediterranean,  but  after- 
wards attached  to  the  Channel  fleet. 
This  ship  formed  part  of  the  force  under 
Adm.  Hotham,  in  the  partial  action  of 
July  13.  1795.  In  1797  he  removed 
into  the  Cumberland,  a  ship  of  the  same 


force;  in  which  he  continued  on  the 
home  station  until  his  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  Rear- Admiral,  Feb.  14.  1799. 

In  the  summer  of  1801  he  was 
ordered  to  hoist  his  flag  in  the  Carnatic 
of  74  guns,  at  Jamaica  ;  and  proceeded 
thither  in  the  Garland  frigate.  On  the 
16th  of  September,  in  the  same  year, 
he  succeeded  to  the  command  on  that 
station,  vacant  by  the  death  of  Lord 
Hugh  Seymour;  on  which  occasion 
he  removed  into  the  Sans  Pareil,  of 
84  guns.  ,»: 

Rear- Adm.  Montagu  returned  to 
England  in  the  course  of  the  following 
year ;  and,  soon  after  the  re-commence- 
ment of  hostilities  against  France,  was 
appointed  to  a  command  in  the  North 
Sea  Fleet,  under  the  orders  of  Lord 
Keith.  He  was  advanced  to  the  rank 
of  Vice- Admiral  in  1805,  and  became 
a  full  Admiral  in  1810.—  Marshall's 
Royal  Nctval  Biography* 

MONTALEMBERT,  the  Comte 
de,  Peer  of  France ;  at  Paris,  on  the 
21st  June,  1831,  after  a  protracted  and 
severe  illness,  to  the  great  grief  of  his 
family  and  friends;  in  the  54th  year  of 
his  age.  Connected  as  he  was  for  many 
years  with  the  military  service  of  this 
country,  we  feel  it  due  to  his  memory 
to  give  a  short  sketch  of  his  career,  — 
which  was  marked,  on  the  one  hand,  by 
high  professional  acquirements  and  great 
talents,  and  on  the  other  by  accomplish- 
ments which  fall  to  the  share  of  few. 
His  father,  the  Baron  de  Montalembert, 
whose  high  principles  of  honour  and 
fidelity  had  led  him  to  emigrate,  and  to 
seek  an  asylum  in  England,  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  chivalrous  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  his  legitimate  king.  He 
raised  the  Legion  de  Montalembert ;  and 
served  with  great  bravery  in  St.  Do- 
mingo. His  only  son,  the  late  Count, 
received  his  military  education  under 
the  able  direction  of  General  Jarry,  at 
High  Wycomb.  In  1799,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  Cornet  in  the  First  Dragoon 
Guards ;  afterwards  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
29th  Light  Dragoons ;  was  sent  out  to 
Egypt  on  the  Staff,  in  1801 ;  and  after- 
wards proceeded  with  his  regiment  (the 
69th)  to  India,  where  his  merits  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  General  Lord 
Howden,  then  commander-in-chief  at 
Madras,  who  appointed  him  his  aide- 
de-camp.  On  his  return  to  England 
be  was  appointed  to  the  Permanent  Staff 
of  the  Quartermaster- General's  depart- 
ment; and  accompanied  Sir  John 
Moore's  expedition  to  Spain,  in  1808. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


459 


He  afterwards  served  under  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  and  was  present  at  the 
battle  of  Vimiera.  He  accompanied 
the  expedition  to  Walcheren  in  1810, 
and  had  nearly  fallen  a  victim  to  the 
fever.  He  was  afterwards  employed  in 
the  Quartermaster- General's  department, 
in  various  parts  of  England,  till  the 
downfall  of  Bonaparte's  government, 
in  1814,  when  he  was  specially  sent  by 
the  Prince  Regent  to  announce  to  Louis 

tVIIL,  then  residing  at  Hartwell,  the 
joyful  news  of  his  restoration  to  the 
throne  of  his  ancestors.  A  high  sense 
of  honour  led  him  to  resign,  with  very 
great  regret,  his  commission  in  the 
British  army,  and  to  quit  the  service  of 
a  country  in  which  he  and  his  family 
had  received  protection  and  favour.  He 
returned  to  his  native  country  in  1814, 
and  met  with  that  reception  from  his 
own  Sovereign  which  his  devotion,  and 
that  of  his  father,  so  well  merited.  He 
got  the  rank  of  a  Colonel  in  the  French 
army ;  obtained  the  Cross  of  St.  Louis, 
that  of  Officer  of  the  Legion  of  Ho- 
nour ;  and  was  appointed  second  Secre- 
tary of  Embassy  to  the  Court  of  St. 
James.  At  the  period  of  the  Hundred 
Days  he  was  sent  to  Bordeaux  twice : 
the  first  time,  to  watch  over  and  direct 
the  departure  of  Madame,  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme ;  the  second,  with  three 
frigates  and  several  transports,  to  assist 
in  putting  down  Bonaparte's  partisans 
in  the  south  of  France.  On  his  return 
to  London  he  was  appointed  first  Secre- 
tary of  Embassy;  and  Louis  XVIII., 
who  appreciated  his  talents  highly,  ap- 
pointed him,  in  1816,  his  Minister  Pleni- 
potentiary to  the  Court  of  Stutgard  ; 
and  in  1 8 1 9  he  was  raised  to  the  dignity 
of  a  Peer  of  France.  In  1820,  he  was 
appointed  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to 
the  Court  of  Denmark  ;  but  an  inde- 
pendent vote  which  he  gave  in  the 
House  of  Peers  against  the  Duke  de 
Richelieu's  administration  led  to  his 
removal.  During  six  years  he  re- 
mained without  employment,  but  took 
an  active  part  in  the  House  of  Peers. 
In  1826  he  was  appointed  Minister  to 
the  Court  of  Stockholm,  where  he 
evinced  those  talents  and  other  amiable 
qualities  which  had  distinguished  him 
throughout  the  whole  course  of  his  life. 
The  death  of  a  beloved  daughter,  at  the 
close  of  1829,  afflicted  him  deeply,  and 
induced  him  to  solicit  a  leave  of  absence, 
which  led  to  his  being  present  at  Paris 
during  the  struggle  between  Charles  X. 
and  the  Parisians.  The  talents  which 


(he  Comte  de  Montalembert  displayed 
as  a  speaker  raised  him  high  in  the  esti- 
mation of  his  countrymen.  His  prin- 
ciples—  those  which  he  had  naturally 
imbibed  during  a  long  residence  in 
England,  —  were  those  of  a  firm  consti- 
tional  supporter  of  the  monarchy,  and 
of  an  uncompromising  defender  of  the 
just  rights  and  liberties  of  the  people. 
He  married  an  English  lady,  Eliza,  the 
only  daughter  and  heiress  of  the  late 
James  Forbes,  Esq.,  of  Stanmore  Hill ; 
by  whom  he  had  three  children —  Charles, 
the  present  Count,  Arthur,  and  Eliza, 
whose  lamented  death  we  have  just  had 
occasion  to  allude  to.  He  was  buried 
in  the  ««  Cimetiere  du  Sud,  or  du  Mont 
Pamasse."  His  funeral  was  attended 
by  his  sons,  a  few  of  his  colleagues,  and 
by  many  unknown  persons,  who  came  to 
render  that  last  homage  to  a  man  whose 
independent  and  eloquent  efforts  during 
the  whole  of  last  Session  had  rendered 
deservedly  popular.  —  Private  commu- 
nication. 

MULGRAVE,  the  Right  Hon. 
Henry  Phipps,  Earl  of,  Viscount  Nor- 
manby,  Baron  Mulgrave,  G.  C.B.,  an 
Elder  Brother  of  the  Trinity  House, 
Lord  Lieutenant  and  Custos  Rotu- 
lorum,  and  Vice- Admiral  of  the  East 
Riding  of  the  county  of  York,  a  General 
in  the  Army,  Colonel  of  the  3 1st  regi- 
ment of  foot,  and  Governor  of  Scar- 
borough Castle,  F.  R.  S.,  and  F.  S.  A. ; 
April  7th,  1831;  in  the  77th  year  of 
his  age. 

This  nobleman  was  a  descendant 
from  Sir  William  Phipps,  Knt.,  a  naval 
officer,  who  invented  the  diving-bell, 
by  which  he  was  enabled  to  recover 
immense  treasure  from  the  wreck  of  a 
Spanish  galleon,  which  had  lain  buried 
in  water  forty-four  years,  near  the  banks 
of  Bahama.  His  son,  Sir  Constantine 
Phipps  (great-grandfather  of  the  earl), 
was  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ireland,  in 
17 10,  and  father  of  Constantine,  created 
Baron  Mulgrave,  in  the  Irish  peerage, 
1 757.  It  was  his  son,  the  second  baron, 
a  captain  in  the  navy,  who  made  an 
attempt  to  discover  a  dorth-east  passage 
—  held  several  high  official  stations  — 
married  the  Hon.  Lepell  Hervey,  eldest 
daughter  of  Lord  Hervey,  son  of  the 
Earl  of  Bristol  —  and  was  raised  to  the 
English  peerage  in  1790.  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother  Henry,  the 
late  Earl. 

His  Lordship  was  born  on  the  14th  of 
February,  1755;  he  was  educated  at 
Eton,  and  originally  intended  for  the 


460 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


law,  but  he  changed  his  views,  and  en- 
tered the  army  in  1775,  and  distin- 
guished himself  in  the  American  war. 
In  1776,  he  served  in  America,  as  aide- 
de-camp  to  General  Knyphausen.  By 
purchase  and  otherwise,  he  attained  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant-colonel.  On  the 
peace  with  America  he  returned  to 
England ;  and,  m  1781,  he  was  elected 
M.P.  for  Totness,  in  Devonshire.  As 
a  member  of  the  legislature,  he  entered 
fully  into  Mr.  Pitt's  system  of  politics. 
On  the  death  of  his  elder  brother,  Oc- 
tober 10th,  1792,  he  succeeded  to  the 
title  and  family  estate.  On  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  French  war,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  government  in  a  confidential 
mission  :  he  succeeded;  and  having  now 
the  rank  of  Colonel,  he,  in  1 793,  repaired 
to  Toulon,  which  had  been  surrendered 
to  the  English,  and  he  served  there  un- 
til the  place  was  evacuated.  After  his 
return,  he  was  created  (August  13th, 
1794,)  an  English  baron,  and  appointed 
Governor  of  Scarborough  Castle.  Abou  t 
the  same  time,  he  was  appointed  Colonel 
of  the  31st,  or  Huntingdonshire  regi- 
ment of  foot;  which  he  commanded  until 
bis  death.  He  afterwards  served  in 
Holland.  Subsequently  to  that  period, 
he  devoted  himself  to  apolitical  life,  and 
became  a  principal  member  of  the  Pitt, 
Perceval,  and  Liverpool  administra- 
tions. In  1804,  Mr.  Pitt  made  him 
Chancellor  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster ; 
and,  in  1807,  he  was  nominated  First 
Lord  of  the  Admiralty.  These  appoint- 
ments gave  him  admission  into  the  privy 
council,  and  the  latter  into  the  cabinet. 
Soon  afterwards,  he  was  appointed  Lord 
Lientenant  of  the  East  Riding  of  York- 
shire. In  1812  he  was  removed  from 
the  Admiralty,  to  be  Master- General 
of  the  Ordnance;  and,  on  the  7th  of 
September,  in  that  year,  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  dignity  of  Viscount  Nor- 
manby,  of  Normanby,  in  the  county  of 
York,  and  Earl  of  Mulgrave. 

In  1818  his  Lordship  resigned  the 
office  of  Master- General  of  the  Ord- 
nance to  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ;  but, 
by  special  agreement,  he  retained  a  seat 
in  the  cabinet. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1795,  Earl 
Mulgrave  married  Sophia,  daughter  of 
Christopher  Thomas  Mailing,  of  West 
Hennington,  in  the  county  of  Durham, 
Esq.  By  that  lady  he  had  a  son,  Henry 
Constantino,  Viscount  Normanby,  his 
successor  —  three  other  sons,  and  five 
daughters,  all  of  whom,  we  believe,  with 
the  exception  of  one  daughter,  survive. 


From  the  time  of  his  retirement  from 
office,  in  1818,  his  Lordship  had  been  in 
a  declining  state  of  health.  He  died 
at  his  seat,  Mulgrave  Castle,  Yorkshire, 
the  7th  of  April,  his  son,  Lord  Nor- 
manby, having  arrived  from  the  Conti- 
nent two  days  before.  By  the  Earl's 
death,  the  Colonelcy  of  the  31st  regi- 
ment of  foot,  and  the  Governorship  of 
Scarborough  Castle,  became  vacant.  — 
Monthly  Magazine. 


N. 


NASMYTH,  Peter,  Esq.;  August 
17th,  1831  ;  at  his  lodgings  in  South 
Lambeth,  in  the  46th  year  of  his  age. 

The  death  of  this  extraordinary  and 
distinguished  painter  was  occasioned  by 
his  ruling  passion.  Not  recovered  from 
the  influenza,  under  which  he  had  been 
some  time  suffering,  he  went  to  Nor- 
wood, to  make  a  study  of  one  of  those 
scenes  on  which  he  especially  delighted 
to  exercise  his  pencil,  and  in  the  execu- 
tion of  which  he  stood  alone.  A  severe 
cold  was  the  effect  of  this  exposure. 
He  was  thrown  back  upon  his  bed  in  a 
state  of  weakness  that  nothing  could 
restore.  The  most  skilful  professional 
aid,  in  the  kind  attentions  of  Mr. 
Wardrop,  and  the  affectionate  care  of 
his  relatives,  were  of  no  avail. 

Peter  Nasmyth  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Alexander  Nasmyth,  of  Edinburgh, 
whose  talents  as  a  painter  of  landscape 
have  been  known  and  estimated  through 
half  a  century,  and  who  still  lives  in  the 
vigorous  exercise  of  his  powers,  sur- 
rounded by  a  numerous  and  gifted 
family.  The  earliest  recollections  of 
Peter  tell  of  his  devoted  attachment  to 
nature.  Nature  was,  in  truth,  his  school ; 
for  this  the  schoolmaster  was  neglected, 
— and  the  truant  boy  was  found,  not 
robbing  orchards,  nor  indulging  in  sen- 
sual gratifications,  but  with  a  pencil  in 
his  hand,  drawing  some  old  tree,  or 
making  out  the  anatomy  of  a  hedge- 
flower.  To  lash  him  into  the  study  of 
books  was  impossible  —  the  attempt 
was  given  up  in  despair.  He  was 
allowed  to  take  his  own  course,  and  to 
follow  out  in  his  own  way  the  dictates 
of  .his  powerful  genius.  A  remarkable 
circumstance  occurred,  at  a  very  early 
age,  which  proves  how  strongly  his  ima- 
gination was  impressed  with  the  objects 
of  his  study.  He  was  going  on  a 
sketching  excursion  with  his  father.  I  u 
making  some  preparations  the  evening 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


461 


previously,  his  right  hand  was  disabled ; 
and  it  was  thought  his  part  of  the  under- 
taking would  be  abortive.  His  friends 
did  not  know  his  powers.  Peter  set 
off — his  right  hand  was  disabled,  but 
he  had  another ;  and  with  this  left  hand 
he  made  sketches  which  are  sought  after 
now  by  collectors  for  their  truth  and 
fidelity.  His  ingenuity  suggested  many 
contrivances  to  facilitate  the  study  of 
nature  in  the  stormy  atmosphere  of  his 
native  mountains.  One  of  these  was  a 
travelling  tent,  which  may  be  recol- 
lected by  his  companions  as  more  cre- 
ditable to  his  enthusiasm  than  to  his 
mechanical  skill. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  he  came  t> 
London,  where  his  talents  were  soon 
appreciated ;  and  he  got  the  name  of 
the  English  Hobbima.  Hobbima  and 
Ruysdael  seem -to  have  been  his  fa- 
vourite masters.  Without  being  a 
copyist  of  their  manner,  he  may  be 
said  to  have  infused  their  spirit  into 
his  works;  but  Peter  was  still  original, 
His  pictures  have  been  sought  after,  and 
will  continue  to  be  collected,  for  their 
own  intrinsic  excellence.  The  most 
distinguished  amateurs  of  the  day  may 
be  ranked  amongst  his  patrons ;  and 
there  is  scarcely  a  collection  in  Eng- 
land that  does  not  boast  the  possession 
of  some  of  his  works.  Sickness  found 
him  in  the  midst  of  employment ;  and 
he  may,  indeed,  be  said  to  have  "  felt 
the  ruling  passion  strong  in  death." 
In  the  late  thunderstorm,  when  too 
weak  to  support  himself  upright,  he 
wished  the  curtains  to  be  drawn  aside, 
and  begged  his  sisters  to  lift  him  up, 
that  he  might  register  in  his  memory 
the  splendour  of  the  passing  effects. 
In  these  breathings  after  his  favourite 
art  his  life  passed  away  :  death  seemed 
mere  exhaustion,  without  pain  or  vi- 
sible disease. 

In  his  habits  Peter  Nasmyth  was 
peculiar.  Deafness,  which  had  come 
upon  him  from  sleeping  in  a  damp 
bed,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  robbed 
him  of  many  of  those  advantages  which 
others  enjoy.  Shut  out,  in  some  mea- 
sure, from  society  by  this  affliction,  he 
was  too  apt  to  indulge,  in  his  solitude, 
in  excesses,  from  which  many  of  his 
most  distinguished  countrymen  have 
not  been  entirely  free.  It  must  not 
be  disguised  that  his  constitution  was 
undermined  by  these  habits.  Illness, 
when  it  came,  found  a  frame  unpre- 
pared to  resist  it.  Happily  for  mankind, 
these  habits  are  no  longer  considered 


necessary  to  talent;  and  let  us  hope 
that  Peter  Nasmyth  may  be  the  last 
man  of  genius  who  shall  be  named  as 
having  followed  Burns  in  other  things 
besides  his  enthusiasm  for  poetry  and 
his  love  of  nature.  —  Literary  Ga- 
zette. 

NORTH,  John  Henry,  Esq.,  Judge 
of  the  Court  of  Admiralty  in  Ireland, 
and  M.  P.  for  Drogheda;  Sept.  29. 
1831  ;  after  a  very  few  days'  illness,  at 
the  house  of  his  wife's  sister,  the  Coun- 
tess de  Sails,  in  Carlton  Gardens; 
aged  42. 

Mr.  North's  father  was  a  military  offi- 
cer, who  died  while  his  son  was  still  an 
infant.  The  education  of  the  orphan 
was,  however,  tenderly  conducted  by  his 
mother's  brother,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Goulds- 
bury,  a  wealthy  and  exemplary  clergy- 
man, who  died  during  the  last  year  at  an 
advanced  age.  Mr.  North  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and 
obtained  the  first  distinctions  in  that 
University  :  no  one,  indeed,  for  a  cen- 
tury, had  a  collegiate  reputation  higher 
than  he  enjoyed.  He  was  called  to 
the  bar  at  an  unusually  early  period, 
in  1810;  and  stood  in  high  estimation 
as  an  eloquent  pleader. 

He  was  brought  into  Parliament  in 
1825  (as  a  member  for  Milbourne  Port), 
under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Canning,  of 
whose  policy  he  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter. He  was  first  elected  for  Drog- 
heda at  the  general  election  in  1830; 
and  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Irish 
Admiralty  Court  by  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington, on  the  removal  of  Sir  Jonah 
Barrington. 

Short,  and  frequently  interrupted  by 
professional  calls,  as  his  parliamentary 
career  has  been,  he  was  still  enough 
before  the  public  during  the  last  year, 
to  give  proof  of  what  his  splendid  ta- 
lents might  have  effected  had  ho  been 
longer  spared. 

From  whatever  cause,  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was 
not  favourable  to  the  display  of  the 
powers  of  the  subordinate  supporters 
of  the  administration.  Mr.  Croker, 
now  the  facile  princeps  of  that  admin- 
istration's party  in  Parliament,  though 
known  as  an  elegant  poet,  an  accom- 
plished critic,  and  a  most  able  and  dili- 
gent secretary,  was  scarcely  heard  in 
the  House  of  Commons;  the  years  1829 
and  1830,  therefore,  gave  Mr.  North 
fe>v  opportunities  to  distinguish  himself. 
The  last  year,  however,  brought  his 
talents  into  play,  and  gave  to  every 


4-62 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


lover  of  his  country,  in  the  evidence  of 
their  power,  full  cause  to  grieve  that 
they  have  been  so  early  lost. 

His  oratory  was  copious,  brilliant, and, 
best  of  all,  correct;  his  speeches  resem- 
bled high-wrought  academic  effusions, 
stately,  orderly,  and  chaste ;  with  little 
of  that  ardour  and  impetuosity  of  pas- 
sion characteristic  of  the  Irish  school. 
His  intellect  was  singularly  sound  and 
clear;  vigorous,  cautious,  and  compre- 
hensive. The  power  of  attention  was 
under  his  absolute  control ;  and  what- 
ever was  capable  of  demonstration  was 
within  his  grasp. 

Great  as  these  talents  were,  they  were 
yet  far  less  prized  by  the  friends  of  this 
lamented  gentleman  than  his  private 
virtues.  Amiable  in  all  the  relations  of 
life,  as  relative,  master,  friend,  husband, 
Mr.  North  was,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
add,  a  sincere  and  zealous  Christian;  for 
rarely  are  these  virtues  found  separated 
from  that  character.  Mr.  North  mar- 
ried at  Dublin.  Dec.  2.  1818,  Dorothea, 
youngest  daughter  of  the  Right  Rev. 
William  Foster,  Lord  Bishop  of  Clog- 
her,  sister  to  the  Hon.  John  Leslie  Fos- 
ter, Baron  of  the  Exchequer  in  Ireland, 
and  cousin  to  Lord  Viscount  Ferrard. 
This  lady  survives  him,  we  believe  with- 
out children.  —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 


P. 


PAYNE,  Thomas,  Esq. ;  March  15. 
1831;  in  his  79th  year. 

Mr.  Payne  was  for  many  years  an 
eminent  bookseller  in  Pall  Mall,  and  so 
highly  respected  in  the  literary  world, 
that,  perhaps,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
mention  a  gentleman  of  his  profession 
whose  loss  will  be  more  generally  and 
deeply  regretted.  He  inherited  the  cha- 
racter as  well  as  the  name  of  his  excel- 
lent father.  The  epithet  of  honest,  it 
has  been  observed,  was  so  entirely  here- 
ditary, as  to  be  allowed,  not  by  common, 
but  by  universal  consent,  to  descend, 
without  any  bar,  from  father  to  son. 

Mr.  Payne,  senior,  died  in  1799,  after 
having  been,  for  more  than  forty  years, 
a  bookseller  of  the  highest  reputation, 
at  the  Mews'  Gate.  He  was  a  native  of 
Brackley  in  Northamptonshire,  and  be- 
gan his  career  in  Round  Court,  in  the 
Strand.  Here,  after  being  for  some 
time  an  assistant  to  his  elder  brother, 
Olive  Payne  (with  whom  the  scheme  of 
printing  catalogues  is  said  to  have  ori- 


ginated), he  commenced  bookseller  on 
his  own  account ;  and  issued  a  miscella- 
neous catalogue,  dated  Feb.  29,  1740, 
which  was  almost  the  first  of  its  kind. 

From  this  situation  he  removed  to  the 
Mews' Gate,  in  1750,  whence  he  issued 
an  almost  annual  succession  of  cata- 
logues, beginning  in  1755,  and  con- 
tinued till  the  year  1790,  when  he  re- 
signed business  to  his  eldest  son,  the 
more  immediate  subject  of  this  memoir, 
who  had  for  nearly  twenty  years  been 
his  partner,  and  now  opened  a  new  lite- 
rary channel  by  a  correspondence  with 
Paris ;  whence  he  brought,  in  1793,  the 
library  of  the  celebrated  Lamoignon. 
Before  his  time,  the  little  shop  at  the 
Mews'  Gate,  had  become  the  constant 
resort  of  men  of  rank  and  literature, 
and  is  often  mentioned  in  the  corre- 
spondence of  scholars  and  antiquaries  as 
their  daily  resort  for  conversation,  and 
their  daily  resource  when  in  quest  of 
books  of  rarity  and  value.  Mr.  Payne, 
senior,  died  February  9.  1799,  in  his 
eighty-second  year ;  and  was  buried  at 
Finchley,  near  the  remains  of  his  wife 
and  brother.  Of  his  family,  the  only 
survivor  is  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Burney, 
widow  of  the  late  Adm.  Burney. 

Mr.  Payne,  his  eldest  son,  was  born 
Oct.  10.  1752,  and  was  educated  at 
M.  Metayer's,  a  classical  school  of  re- 
putation in  Charterhouse  Square.  His 
father  was  anxious  that  he  should  be 
instructed  in  every  branch  of  education 
necessary  to  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  .the  contents  and  reputation  of 
books  in  foreign  languages.  This  ini- 
tiation into  the  history  of  books,  the 
late  Mr.  Payne  augmented,  even  to  a 
high  degree  of  critical  knowledge,  by 
frequent  tours  on  the  Continent,  and 
particularly  by  an  amicable  intercourse 
with  the  eminent  scholars  and  collect- 
ors, whose  conversation  for  many  years 
formed  the  attraction  of  his  well-fre- 
quented premises;  and,  perhaps,  there 
is  no  public  or  private  library  now  ex- 
isting that  has  not  been  indebted  to  the 
extensive  purchases  which  his  judgment 
enabled  him  to  make  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  —  We  need  only  appeal  to  the 
Roxburgh,  Borromeo,  Larcher,  and 
Macarthy  Collections ;  and  to  the  very 
copious,  correct,  and,  we  may  add, 
scientific  Catalogues  which  have  issued 
from  his  Establishment  for  some  years 
past  —  catalogues  not  only  requisite  for 
the  immediate  purposes  of  sale,  but  as 
books  of  reference  for  the  completion  of 
every  library,  and  as  highly  promoting 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1$31. 


463 


that  taste  for  bibliography  which  began 
and  was  perfected  in  his  time. 

Confidence  was  uniformly  placed  in 
his  judgment  and  opinion  by  the  most 
eminent  and  curious  collectors,  which 
themselves,  or  their  survivors,  are  now 
eager  to  acknowledge  by  every  expres- 
sion of  esteem,  and  every  testimony  of 
regret.  Another  trait  of  his  character 
has  frequently  been  brought  forward,  and 
can  never  be  forgotten — the  readiness 
with  which  he  assisted  literary  men  in 
their  pursuits,  by  furnishing  them  with 
books  not  easily  procured,  and  by  point- 
ing out  sources  of  information  to  which 
retired  scholars  seldom  have  access. 

After  carrying  on  business  at  the 
Mews'  Gate,  almost  from  his  infancy, 
Mr.  Payne  removed,  in  1806,  to  Pall 
Mall,  where  his  stock,  now  amazingly 
•  increased  and  increasing,  could  be  seen 
to  the  greatest  advantage,  and  where 
his  learned  friends  had  a  place  of  as- 
sembling more  commodious  than  any 
in  London.  In  1813  he  took  into  part- 
nership Mr.  Henry  FOSSJ  who  had  been 
his  apprentice. 

Mr.  Payne  enjoyed,  for  many  years, 
an  excellent  state  of  health  ;  but  in  1825 
became  sensible  of  much  weakness,  and 
was  obliged  to  desist  from  his  favourite 
relaxation  of  travelling.  He  had  occa- 
sional returns  of  apparent  strength  ;  but 
on  Tuesday  evening  the  8th  of  March, 
1831,  he  experienced  an  apoplectic  at- 
tack, under  which  he  languished  until 
the  15th,  when  he  breathed  his  last;  and 
it  is  a  source  of  consolation  to  all  his 
friends,  that  during  the  whole  week  it 
did  not  appear  that  his  sufferings  had 
been  acute. 

In  point  of  integrity  Mr.  Payne  was 
the  legitimate  successor  of  his  father ; 
but  it  yet  remains  to  be  added,  that  his 
personal  excellence  was  kindness  of  tem- 
per, and  a  gentleman-like  suavity  of 
manners.  He  was  not,  indeed,  exempt 
from  the  provocations  of  pertness  and 
ingratitude  ;  but  resentment  did  not  en- 
ter into  his  composition.  When  angry, 
which  was  but  seldom,  he  seemed  rather 
to  be  acting  a  part ;  and  he  acted  it  ill, 
and  gave  it  up  soon,  to  return  to  what 
formed  the  charm  of  his  company,  the 
natural  equability  and  calmness  of  his 
temper. 

His  friendships,  many  of  long  stand- 
ing, were  inviolable.  In  conversation, 
as  may  be  expected,  he  discovered  much 
acquaintance  with  literary  history  and 
anecdote  ;  and  his  communications  were 
the  more  interesting,  as  he  had  survived 


all  bis  brethren,  and  was  at  the  time  of 
his  death  the  father  of  the  booksellers. 
But  such  was  his  modest  deference  to 
his  friends,  that  he  was,  especially  of 
late  years,  far  oftener  a  hearer  than  a 
speaker,  and  willingly  gave  way  to  the 
vivacity  of  youth.  It  was  this  happy 
temper  which  endeared  him  to  all  who 
lived  with  him  in  intimacy ;  and  with 
these  we  have  more  than  once  heard  it 
as  a  question,  whether  Mr.  Payne  could 
possibly  have  an  enemy. 

Mr.  Payne  was  interred  in  the  parish 
church  of  St.  Martin's  in  the  Fields,  on 
Thursday  the  24th Gentleman's  Ma- 
gazine. 


QUICK,  Mr.  John,  the  celebrated 
comedian,  April  4.  1831;  at  Islington, 
aged  83. 

He  was  born  in  1748,  and  left  his  fa- 
ther, a  brewer  in  Whitechapel,  when 
only  fourteen  years  of  age,  to  become 
an  actor.  He  commenced  his  career  at 
Fulham,  where  he  performed  the  cha- 
racter of  Altamont  in  "  The  Fair  Peni- 
tent;"  which  he  personified  so  much  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  manager,  that  he 
desired  his  wife  to  set  young  Quick 
down  a  whole  share,  which,  at  the  close 
of  the  farce,  amounted  to  three  shillings. 
In  the  counties  of  Kent  and  Surrey  he 
figured  away  with  great  success ;  and, 
before  he  was  eighteen,  performed  Ham- 
let, Romeo,  Richard,  George  Barnwell, 
Jafficr,  Tancred,  and  many  other  cha- 
racters in  the  higher  walk  of  tragedy. 
In  a  few  years  he  sufficiently  distin- 
guished himself  as  an  actor  of  such  ver- 
satile talents,  that  he  was  engaged  by 
Mr.  Foote,  at  the  Haymarket  Theatre, 
in  the  year  1769,  where  he  became  a 
great  favourite  of  King  George  the 
Third;  and  upon  all  occasions  Quick 
was  expected  to  appear  in  a  prominent 
character.  He  was  the  original  Tony 
Lumpkin,  Acres,  and  Isaac  Mendosa ; 
and,  after  his  appearance  in  these  cha- 
racters, he  stood  before  the  public  as  the 
Liston  of  the  day.  Mr.  Quick  may  be 
considered  one  of  the  last  of  the  Gar- 
rick  school. 

In  1798  he  quitted  the  stage,  after 
thirty-six  years  of  its  toils;  and  except 
a  few  nights  at  the  Lyceum,  after  the 
destruction  of  Covent  Garden  Thea- 
tre, he  did  not  act  afterwards.  The 
evening  of  his  life  was  calm  domestic 
sunshine;  he  retired  with  10,000/., 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


which  served  him,  and  left  something 
for  his  son  and  daughter.  Up  to  the 
last  day  of  his  life  almost,  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  joining  a  respectable  company 
who  frequent  the  King's  Head,  opposite 
Islington  church,  by  whom  he  was 
recognised  as  president.  Forty  years 
aopo  he  was  told  by  the  physicians  that 
punch  would  be  the  death  of  him.  He 
had  then  drunk  it  twenty  years,  and  he 
continued  the  practice  till  the  day  of 
his  death,  which  it  did  not  appear  to 
have  hastened. 

The  will  of  Mr.  Quick  (which,  from 
constant  wear  in  his  pocket,  was  in  a 
very  tattered  condition)  has  been  proved 
at  Doctors'  Commons.  His  personal 
property  was  sworn  to  be  under  6000/. ; 
and,  with  the  exception  of  201.  to  an 
old  servant,  and  one  other  small  bequest, 
is  divided  between  his  son,  Mr.  William 
Quick,  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary 
Anne  Davenport. — Gentleman's  Maga- 


II. 


RAINE,  Jonathan,  ESQ.,  M.  P. 
May  14.  1831  j  in  Bedford  Square,  in 
his  68th  year.  Mr.  Raine  was  a  King's 
counsel,  and  a  bencher  of  Lincoln's 
Inn  ;  and  a  fortnight  prior  to  his  disso- 
lution he  was  returned  for  the  Duke  of 
Northumberland's  borough  of  Newport 
(Cornwall),  which  the  honourable  gen- 
tleman had  represented  since  1812.  In 
1816,  Mr.  Raine  was  appointed  one  of 
the  Welsh  judges,  and  he  continued  to 
discharge  the  functions  of  that  judicial 
office  until  the  recent  alterations  in  the 
judicature  of  the  principality,  when  he 
retired  on  the  superannuation  allowance 
of  1000£.  per  annum.  Mr.  Raine  voted 
against  the  measure  of  reform  proposed 
by  his  Majesty's  ministers.  He  had  re- 
tired from  practice  at  the  common  law 
bar  for  several  years  previously  to  his 
death,, —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

RICHARDS,  John,  Esq.,  K.  C.,  a 
Captain  in  the  Royal  Navy,  Dec.  27. 
1830;  in  Paddington  Street,  Mary-le- 
Bone,  aged  70. 

Capt.  Richards  entered  the  navy  in 
Oct.  1775,  under  the  patronage  of  Capt. 
(afterwards  Sir  Charles)  Thompson  ; 
and  was  a  Midshipman  on  board  the 
Alcide  74,  commanded  by  that  gallant 
officer,  in  the  several  actions  with  the 
Comtede  Grasae,  off  Martinique,  the 
Chesapeake,  and  St.  Kitt's,in  1781  and 
1782.  He  wa*  also  present  at  the  defeat 


and  capture  of  the  same  celebrated 
French  admiral,  on  the  memorable  12th 
April,  1782.  The  Alcide  returned  to 
England  in  June,  1783  ;  and  from  that 
time  until  February,  1786,  Mr.  Ri- 
chards was  attached  to  the  Triumph  74, 
the  guard-ship  at  Portsmouth.  Dur- 
ing the  Spanish  armament  he  again 
served  with  Capt.  Thompson,  in  the 
Elephant  74.  His  commission  as  a 
Lieutenant  was  dated  Nov.  15.  1790. 

Lieutenant  Richards  was  appointed 
to  the  Barfleur  98,  Hearing  the  flag  of 
Rear- Admiral  Faulkner,  April  2.  1791. 
After  the  breaking  up  of  the  fleet  which 
had  been  equipped  in  consequence  of 
the  dispute  with  Russia,  he  successively 
joined  the  Falcon  sloop  and  Assurance 
44,  Captains  Jas.  Bissett  and  V.  C. 
Berkeley,  under  whom  he  was  princi- 
pally employed  at  the  Lseward  Islands ; 
he  thence  returned  home  in  the  summer 
of  1794,  as  first  of  the  Asia  64,  Capt. 
John  Brown.  He  had  previously  shared 
the  severe  duty  required  in  operations 
against  Martinique,  during  which  he 
served  on  shore,  in  the  seamen's  battery, 
with  100  of  his  crew  under  his  com- 
mand. 

His  next  appointments  were  to  the 
Fury  sloop,  employed  in  Channel  ser- 
vice; and  May  15.  1795,  to  the  Alfred 
74.  The  latter  formed  one  of  the  fleet 
which  sailed  from  St.  Helen's,  under 
Rear- Adm,  Christian,  in  Nov.  1 795 ;  but 
she  was  twice  obliged  to  put  back  in  stress 
of  weather,  the  latter  time  dismasted. 
After  refitting  at  Portsmouth,  she  was 
placed  under  the  orders  of  Vice- Adm. 
Cornwallis,  with  whom  she  finally  took 
her  departure  for  the  West  Indies,  Feb. 
29.  1796;  and  within  a  few  days  she 
captured  La  Favorite,  n  French  national 
ship  of  22  guns,  and  retook  two  »of  the 
convoy,  which  had  been  dispersed  by  a 
heavy  gale. 

On  her  arrival  at  Barbadoes,  the  Al- 
fred joined  the  expedition  then  about  to 
sail  against  St.  Lucia  ,•  and  after  assist- 
ing at  the  reduction  of  that  island,  she 
proceeded  to  Jamaica.  On  her  way 
thither  she  captured  la  Renomme'e, 
French  frigate,  of  44  guns  and  320  men; 
of  which  Lieut.  Richards  was  appointed 
acting  Captain  by  Captain  Drury,  who 
accompanied  his  report  to  Commodore 
Duckworth  with  very  strong  recommen- 
dations for  his  further  advancement. 
He  was,  notwithstanding,  ordered  to 
resume  his  former  station  ;  in  which  he 
continued  for  two  years  longer  ;  acting 
as  Captain  during  the  absence  of  Capt. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


465 


Drury,  in  June,  1796;  assisting  at  the 
reduction  of  Trinidad,  in  Feb.  1797; 
and  again  acting  as  Captain  for  Capt. 
Totty,  in  April  that  year. 

On  the  16th  Feb.  1798,  Lieut.  Rich- 
ards  volunteered  to  head  the  Alfred's 
boats  in  an  attack  upon  a  French  cor- 
vette, which  had  been  sent  to  recon- 
noitre the  Saintes;  and  when  chased 
from  thence  had  succeeded  in  getting 
within  range  of  the  batteries  at  Basse- 
terre, leaving  the  British  ship  becalmed 
some  distance  in  the  offing.  Observing 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  enemy's  crew 
were  employed  in  towing,  he  shoved 
off  in  a  fast  rowing  gig,  dashed  along- 
side, and  boarded  her  without  waiting 
for  any  support.  The  Frenchmen  who 
remained  on  board  were  fortunately  so 
surprised  at  his  audacity,  and  intimi- 
dated by  the  approach  of  other  boats, 
that  they  ran  below,  and  were  secured 
under  hatches  without  making  any  re- 
sistance. The  prize  proved  to  be  le 
Scipio,  of  20  guns. 

We  next  find  Lieut.  Richards  in  the 
Queen  Charlotte,  a  first  rate,  bearing 
the  flag  of  his  early  patron,  Sir  Charles 
Thompson  ;  after  whose  demise  (March 
17.  1799),  he  proceeded  with  Rear-Adm. 
Whitshed  to  the  Mediterranean  station, 
and  was  there  promoted  into  la  Cou- 
rageuse  sloop,  stationed  as  a  receiving 
ship  at  Port  Mahon.  This  appointment 
was  confirmed  by  the  Admiralty,  Dec. 
26.  1799. 

On  the  20th  June,  1800,  Capt.  Rich- 
ards received  an  order  to  act  as  Captain 
of  the  Culloden  74,  which  he  brought 
home  in  a  very  leaky  condition.  His 
next  appointment  was  to  la  Victorieuse 
of  12  guns  ;  and  in  that  vessel  he  went 
back  to  the  Mediterranean  with  de- 
spatches for  the  Commander-in-chief, 
whom  he  rejoined  in  Marmorice  Bay, 
Jan  7.  1801.  During  the  Egyptian 
campaign  la  Victorieuse  was  principally 
employed  in  blockading  Alexandria,  off 
which  port  she  captured  several  vessels 
laden  with  supplies  for  the  French  army. 
Capt.  Richards  likewise  assisted  at  the 
reduction  of  Marabout  Castle,  which  was 
situated  about  seven  or  eight  miles  from 
that  place,  and  protected  one  of  the 
entrances  of  the  western  harbour.  For 
his  gallantry  on  this  occasion  he  was 
presented  with  a  gold  snuff-box  and 
shawl  by  the  Capitan  Pacha,  and  several 
other  articles  of  value  by  different  Turk- 
ish commanders. 

About  the  same  period,  the  Peterel 
sloop  and  la  Victorieuse  having  driven 

VOL.  XVI. 


a  French  transport  brig  on  shore,  their 
boats,  which  were  sent  to  save  the 
enemy  from  being  murdered  by  the 
Arabs,  were,  with  one  exception,  stove 
during  a  sudden  gale,  and  their  crews 
consequently  exposed  to  very  great 
danger.  At  this  trying  moment  the 
commander  of  la  Victorieuse  ordered 
two  spare  topmasts  to  be  battened  to- 
gether, and  boats'  masts  stepped  in  the 
fid-holes;  by  which  means  the  raft, 
having  one  man  on  it,  was  sailed  on 
shore,  and  every  person,  both  English 
and  French,  rescued  from  destruction. 
On  the  21st  August,  1801,  the  western 
bogaze  having  been  discovered  and  ac- 
curately surveyed,  la  Victorieuse  enter- 
ed the  port  of  Alexandria,  in  company 
with  three  other  British  and  the  same 
number  of  Ottoman  sloops,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  supporting  the  left  flank  of  the 
troops  under  Major- Gen.  Coote,  in  an 
attack  upon  the  French  posts.  On  this 
occasion  the  combined  squadron  was  led 
by  Capt.  Richards,  under  the  immediate 
orders  of  Capt.  the  Hon.  Alex.  Coch- 
rane,  then  on  board  la  Victorieuse.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  campaign,  Capt. 
Richards  was  presented  with  a  Turkish 
gold  medal,  in  common  with  his  brother 
officers.  He  afterwards  visited  Cyprus, 
Smyrna,  and  Constantinople,  where  he 
was  invested  with  a  pelisse  by  order  of 
the  Grand  Seignor.  He  subsequently 
proceeded  to  Athens,  Zante,  Malta,  Pa- 
lermo, Cagliara,  Marseilles,  Lisbon, 
Ceuta,  and  Tangiers. 

In  Nov.  1802,  la  Victorieuse  made  a 
second  trip  to  the  Bosphorus,  for  the 
purpose  of  landing  Mirza  Aboo  Talib 
Khan,  a  distinguished  Persian  traveller, 
who  had  long  been  resident  in  London, 
and  a  narrative  of  whose  travels,  written 
by  himself  and  translated  by  the  Hon. 
East  India  Company's  Professor  of 
Oriental  Languages,  was  published  in 
1810. 

Capt.  Richards's  next  appointment 
was,  July  1.  1804,  to  the  Broaderscarp 
sloop,  stationed  as  a  guard-ship  in  Whit- 
stable  Bay,  where  he  continued  until 
Oct.  1805.  During  that  period  he  de- 
tained and  made  prize  of  a  neutral  ship, 
with  a  valuable  cargo  of  hemp  and  tal- 
low, bound  to  a  French  port.  On  the 
18th  Sept.  1806,  he  commissioned  the 
Forester,  a  new  brig  of  the  largest  class, 
in  which  he  was  employed  escorting  the 
trade  to  and  from  the  Baltic,  and  occa- 
sionally cruising  on  the  coast  of  Hol- 
land. 

In  June,  1808,  he  was  intrusted  with 
H    II 


466 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX  FOR    1831. 


the  command  of  a  small  squadron  sta- 
tioned off  Gorec ;  and  soon  after  sa'iled 
from  Spithead,  with  500,000  dollars  on 
board  for  the  use  of  the  Spanish  patriots, 
and  seven  sail  of  transports :  two,  laden 
with  ordnance  stores,  he  left  at  Corunna; 
and  the  others,  with  provisions,  he  con- 
ducted to  the  West  Indies.  At  Bar- 
badoes  he  joined  Sir  Alex.  Cochrane,  by 
whom  he  was  successively  employed  in 
the  blockade  of  Martinique  and  Guada- 
loupe.  In  June,  1809,  he  removed,  at 
Antigua,  to  the  Abercrombie  74 ;  but 
on  Aug.  31.  following,  he  left  her  in 
consequence  of  having  been  promoted 
to  post-rank,  and  appointed  by  the  Ad- 
miralty to  the  Cyclops  28.  He  returned 
home  by  Halifax,  and  was  allowed  the 
expenses  of  his  passage  from  thence  to 
England  in  a  packet. — Marshall's  Royal 
Naval  Biography. 

RIVINGTON,  Charles,  Esq.,  of 
Waterloo  Place  and  Brunswick  Square, 
the  senior  member  of  the  respectable 
firm  of  Messrs.  Rivington,  booksellers, 
of  St.  Paul's  Churchyard  and  Waterloo 
Place;  May  26.  1831 ;  in  his  77th  year. 

He  was  one  of  the  sons  of  John  Ri- 
vington, Esq.  who  carried  on  consider- 
able business  as  a  bookseller  in  St.  Paul's 
Churchyard,  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury, where  he  died  Jan.  16.  1792.  He 
was  succeeded  in  business  by  his  sons, 
Messrs.  Francis  and  Charles  Rivington. 
Mr.  Francis  Rivington  died  Oct.  1822; 
aged  77;  leaving  his  eldest  son,  Mr.  John 
Rivington,  as  his  representative  in  the 
firm.  The  various  members  of  the  house 
of  Rivington  have  now,  we  believe,  for 
upwards  of  a  century  continued  book- 
sellers to  the  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge;  and  been  uni- 
formly patronised  by  the  Episcopal 
Bench,  and  the  higher  order  of  the 
Clergy  :  innumerable,  therefore,  are  the 
valuable  works  on  theology  and  ecclesi- 
astical affairs  that  have  been  published 
at  their  expense,  or  under  their  auspices. 
The  family  of  Mr.  Charles  Rivington 
have  also  been  always  much  connected 
with  the  Company  of  Stationers.  At 
one  time  his  father,  two  uncles,  and 
three  brothers  were,  with  himself,  li- 
verymen of  the  Company.  His  youngest 
brother,  Henry  Rivington,  Esq.,  died 
Clerk  of  the  Company,  June  9.  1829; 
when  he  was  succeeded  in  that  office  by 
Mr.  Charles  Rivington,  a  son  of  Mr. 
Charles  Rivington.  His  father  served 
the  office  of  Master  of  the  Company  in 
1775  ;  his  brother  Francis  in  1805;  and 
he  himself  in  1 8 1 9.  He  had  previously 


assiduously  served  the  Company  for 
many  years  in  the  arduous  office  of  one 
of  the  Stock-keepers.  He  has  left  a 
nephew  and  four  sons,  liverymen  of  the 
Company,  and  four  daughters.  His 
death  was  awfully  sudden ;  but  his  friends 
have  the  satisfaction  of  believing  he  was 
always  prepared.  He  was  on  the  point 
of  removal  from  his  late  residence  in 
Waterloo  Place  to  a  house  he  had  taken 
in  Brunswick  Square;  and  in  the  in- 
terval had  accepted  the  invitation  of  his 
sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Curling,  to  sleep  at 
her  house  in  the  King's  Road.  As  he 
did  not  come  down  to  breakfast,  one  of 
his  nephews  entered  his  bedroom,  and 
found  him  on  the  floor  quite  dead.  It 
is  supposed  that  he  died  whilst  dressing 
himself. 

The  character  of  Mr.  Rivington, 
through  a  long  and  very  active  life,  has 
left  the  warmest  sentiments  of  regret 
among  his  numerous  friends  and  con- 
nections. This,  of  course,  has  been  felt 
with  most  poignancy  by  his  family,  to 
whom  he  was  a  most  affectionate  parent. 
It  was  invariably  his  object  to  exhibit 
an  example  of  strict  moral  conduct, 
founded  on  the  soundest  religious  prin- 
ciples ;  and  he  had  the  happiness  to 
contemplate,  to  the  very  last,  and  with- 
out a  single  exception,  the  salutary  in- 
fluences of  a  mode  of  domestic  education 
too  much  neglected  in  the  present  day, 
and  too  much  interrupted  by  the  love  of 
pleasure,  and  the  infatuation  which  in- 
clines the  young  to  seek  comfort  every 
where  but  at  home.  It  might,  perhaps, 
appear  rather  personal  to  advert  to  the 
happy  effects  of  Mr.  JRivington's  affec- 
tionate temper  and  paternal  care  on  a 
numerous  family,  the  conduct  of  all  of 
whom  formed  the  great  consolation  of 
his  life ;  especially  when,  a  few  years 
ago,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  the 
mother  who  had  so  long,  with  a  corre- 
sponding attachment,  borne  her  share  in 
domestic  education.  It  may  be  suffi- 
cient to  add,  that  the  harmony  which 
prevailed  in  his  family,  and  the  united 
affections  of  his  sons  and  daughters, 
were  the  admiration  of  every  visiter 
at  his  hospitable  table.  In  social  life, 
Mr.  Rivington  was  equally  distinguished 
for  mildness  and  composure  of  temper; 
and  his  conversation  was  enlivened  by 
the  memory  ofliterary  history  and  anec- 
dote, improved  by  his  long  continuance 
in  business,  and  friendly  intercourse  with 
men  of  learning,  and  in  particular  with 
many  of  the  highest  ornaments  of  our 
church.  —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


4-67 


s. 


SAYER,  George,  Esq.,  Rear-Ad- 
miral of  the  Blue,  and  C.B.,  April 
29.  1831;  in  Craven  Street,  Strand; 
aged  57. 

Admiral  Sayer  was  a  native  of  tDeal, 
where  his  father  resided  as  Collector  of 
the  Customs  for  upwards  of  thirty  years. 
He  entered  the  navy  as  a  Midshipman, 
in  the  Phoenix  frigate,  commanded  by 
Capt.  Geo.  An  son  Byron,  with  whom  he 
proceeded  to  the  East  Indies.  In  1790 
and  1791,  Mr.  Sayer  served  on  shore 
with  a  body  of  seamen  and  marines,  at 
the  reduction  of  Tippoo  Saib's  posts  and 
other  possessions  on  the  Malabar  coast. 
He  was  also  employed  on  various  boat 
services,  in  co-operation  with  the  army  ; 
and  bore  a  part  in  the  action  between 
the  Phojm'x  and  La  Re>olu,  in  Nov. 
1791. 

The  Phoenix  returned  to  England  in 
July,  1793,  andMr.  Sayer  was  soon  after 
made  a  Lieutenant  into  the  Carysfort 
28,  commanded  by  the  present  Sir  Fran- 
cis Laforey;  in  which  he  assisted  at  the 
capture  of  the  Castor  frigate,  after  a 
close  action  of  an  hour  and  a  quarter, 
off  Brest,  May  29.  1794.  From  that 
period  he  served  as  Capt.  L.'s  first 
Lieutenant  in  the  Carysfort,  Beaufort 
frigate,  and  Ganges  74,  until  March, 
1796;  when  he  was  promoted  by  that 
officer's  father  to  the  rank  of  Com- 
mander, and  appointed  to  the  Lacedae- 
monian sloop  of  war,  on  the  Leeward 
Islands'  station,  in  which  he  was  present 
at  the  capture  of  St.  Lucia. 

Capt.  Sayer  subsequently  commanded 
for  a  short  time  the  Albicore  sloop,  on 
the  Jamaica  station  ;  and,  in  1797,  was 
attached  to  the  flotilla  equipped  for  the 
purpose  of  acting  against  the  mutinous 
ships  in  the  Nore.  During  the  two  en- 
suing years,  and  part  of  1800,  he  com- 
manded the  Xenophon  sloop  of  war, 
stationed  in  the  North  Sea.  In  1 799  he 
brought  the  notorious  Irish  rebel,  Nap- 
per  Tandy,  and  his  principal  associates, 
as  state  prisoners  from  Hamburgh  to 
London.  His  next  appointment  was  to 
the  Inspector  of  16  guns,  in  which  he 
conveyed  the  Prince  of  Orange  and  suite 
from  England  to  the  Continent.  In  con- 
sequence of  a  representation  by  the  mer- 
cantile community  of  Capt.  Sayer's  zeal 
and  activity  in  affording  protection  to 
the  trade  of  his  country,  he  was  at 
length  advanced  to  post  rank,  Feb.  14. 
1801. 


Capt.  Sayer  was  not  again  called  into 
service  until  the  latter  end  of  1804, 
when  he  was  appointed  to  the  Proselyte 
28,  in  which  he  sailed  in  the  following 
year  to  the  West  Indies,  with  150  mer- 
chant vessels  and  three  regiments  of  in- 
fantry under  his  protection.  In  1805, 
he  was  removed  to  the  Galatea  32,  in 
which  he  assisted  in  the  capture  of  the 
Danish  islands,  in  Dec.  1 807.  During 
the  year  1 808,  he  was  intrusted  with  the 
command  of  a  detached  naval  force,  em- 
ployed at  the  Virgin  Isles,  and  off  the 
Spanish  Main.  He  returned  to  Eng- 
land in  the  spring  of  1809,  when  the 
Galatea,  being  found  very  defective,  was 
put  out  of  commission  and  taken  to 
pieces  at  Woolwich. 

In  November  following,  Capt.  Sayer 
was  appointed  to  the  Leda,  a  new  fri- 
gate of  42  guns ;  and  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  ensuing  year  was  ordered 
to  convoy  a  number  of  transports  to 
Cadiz,  whence  he  returned  with  the  flag 
of  Vice-Adm.  Purvis.  He  subsequently 
escorted  a  fleet  of  Indiamen  to  Bengal ; 
and  joining  Vice-Adm.  Drury  at  Madras, 
in  Jan.  181 1,  was  directed  by  that  officer 
to  assume  the  command  of  a  squadron, 
having  on  board  500  men,  part  of  the 
expedition  against  Java.  For  his  exer- 
tions on  this  important  service,  Captain 
Sayer  received  the  thanks  of  the  Su- 
preme Government  of  India,  and  all  the 
other  authorities  ;  and,  on  the  10th  Jan. 
1812,  the  thanks  of  both  houses  of  Par- 
liament were  voted  to  him,  in  common 
with  the  other  naval  and  military  officers 
employed  in  the  capture  of  Batavia  and 
its  dependencies,  "  for  their  skilful,  gal- 
lant, and  meritorious  exertions."  Capt. 
Sayer  also  received  a  gold  medal,  and 
in  1815  was  nominated  a  C.  B.  He 
remained  as  senior  officer  of  a  squadron 
for  several  months  after  the  subjugation 
of  the  island. 

In  Jan.  1813,  Capt.  Sayer  was  de- 
tained in  command  of  an  expedition  to 
the  island  of  Borneo,  where,  in  con- 
junction with  Col.  James  Watson,  he 
succeeded  in  taking  the  town,  and  sub- 
duing the  whole  province  of  Sambas. 

On  the  death  of  Vice-Adm.  Sir  Sa- 
muel Hood,  at  Madras,  Dec.  24.  1814, 
the  command  devolved  on  Capt.  Sayer. 
He  accordingly  hoisted  a  broad  pendant 
on  the  Leda;  and  made  so  judicious  a 
disposition  of  the  force  under  his  orders, 
that  Rear-Adm.  Sir  George  Burlton, 
on  his  arrival  from  England,  in  June, 
1815,  to  assume  the  chief  command, 
sent  him  from  Madras  to  the  straits  of 
H  H  2 


468 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


Sunda  and  the  China  Sea,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  directing  the  movements  of  the 
ships  he  had  already  despatched  thither. 
On  his  voyage  he  heard,  at  Java,  of  the 
ratification  of  peace  with  the  United 
States;  and  having  proceeded  to  the 
China  Sea,  was  returning  thence,  when 
he  experienced  a  ty-foong,  in  which  the 
Leda  was  nearly  lost.  Thus  retarded 
in  his  progress,  Capt.  Sayer  did  not 
enter  the  Straits  of  Malacca  until  Nov. 
19.  1815,  when  he  received  intelligence 
of  the  Rear- Admiral's  death  at  Madras, 
on  the  21st  Sept.  ;  by  which  event  he 
again  found  himself  authorised  to  hoist 
the  broad  pendant,  and  assume  the  de- 
nomination of  Commodore.  On  the 
arrival  of  Rear- Adm.  Sir  Richard  King, 
at  the  close  of  1816,  he  resigned  the 
command  to  that  officer,  and  returned 
to  England  after  an  absence  of  nearly 
seven  years.  —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 

SEYER,  the  Rev.  Samuel,  M.  A., 
Rector  of  Felton,  Gloucestershire;  Vice- 
President  of  the  Bristol  Literary  Society, 
cVc.  ;  at  Bristol ;  August  25.  1831  ;  af- 
ter a  very  long  illness. 

Mr.  Seyer  was  a  native  of  Bristol, 
and  for  many  years  past  bore  a  distin- 
guished character  amongst  its  learned 
and  literary  members.  His  father,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Seyer,  was  Rector  of  St. 
Michael,  and  Master  of  the  Grammar 
School  in  that  city. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  entered 
as  a  scholar  of  Corpus  Christ!  College, 
Oxford,  in  1774  ;  and  graduated  B.  A, 
1778,  and  M.  A.  1781.  For  many 
years  afterwards  he  conducted  a  large 
school  in  the  Fort  on  St.  Michael's 
Hill,  Bristol;  and  under  his  guidance 
the  sons  of  some  of  the  most  respectable 
inhabitants  of  that  city  were  instructed, 
as  well  as  those  of  numerous  families  in 
the  West  of  England,  from  whom,  in 
after  periods  of  his  life,  he  received  the 
most  marked  respect  and  testimonies  of 
gratitude.  He  retired  from  that  esta- 
blishment in  1810,  high  in  reputation, 
and  with  such  a  competent  reward  for 
his  labours  as  enabled  him,  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  to  enjoy  that  otium 
cum  dignitate  which  he  had  so  ably  and 
honourably  earned.  The  only  church 
preferment  he  enjoyed  was  the  small 
living  of  Horfield,  near  Bristol,  to  which 
he  was  presented,  in  1813,  by  Bishop 
Mansel ;  holding  also,  in  the  seven  last 
years  of  his  life,  the  adjoining  rectory 
of  Felton.  In  1828,  when  his  health 
began  to  decline,  he  resigned  the  former 
living :  having,  partly  through  Queen 


Anne's  bounty,  and  partly  at  his  own 
expense,  built  a  comfortable  parsonage- 
house  for  its  incumbents. 

In  classical  and  scholastic  attainments 
there  were  few  who  stood  higher,  whose 
tastes  were  more  refined,"  or  who  were 
more  ready  to  communicate  the  know- 
ledge they  had  acquired.  His  anti- 
quarian talents  and  research  were  also 
no  less  deep,  varied,  and  pre-eminent, 
whether  as  they  regarded  the  laws  and 
constitution  of  his  country  generally,  or 
more  particularly  as  they  related  to  the 
history,  institutions,  and  municipal  go- 
vernment of  his  native  city.  In  1812, 
he  published  in  a  quarto  volume,  "  The 
Charters  and  Letters  Patent  granted  by 
the  Kings  and  Queens  of  England  to 
the  town  and  city  of  Bristol,  newly 
translated  and  accompanied  by  the  ori- 
ginal Latin  ;"  in  the  preface  to  which  he 
first  announced  an  "  intended  History 
of  Bristol:  "  the  publication  of  the  latter 
he  commenced  in  the  year  1821,  when 
appeared  the  first  part  of  volume  I.  of 
what  he  entitled,  "  Memoirs  Historical 
and  Topographical  of  Bristol  and  its 
Neighbourhood,  from  the  earliest  period 
down  to  the  present  time."  This  por- 
tion of  his  intended  history  he  completed 
in  three  more  parts,  making  two  thick 
quarto  volumes,  illustrated  with  nume- 
rous plates,  drawn  and  en  graved  by  able 
artists.  These  volumes  principally  re- 
late to  the  general  history  and  antiquities 
of  the  city.  He  has  left  behind  him  a 
large  mass  of  materials  nearly  ready  for 
publication,  containing  what,  perhaps, 
may  be  more  interesting  to  the  super- 
ficial reader —  the  topography  and  bio- 
graphy of  the  city,  additions  to  which  he 
was  constantly  making,  and  the  print- 
ing whereof  he  always  anxiously  con- 
templated —  but  to  the  delay  of  which, 
there  is  reason  to  think,  he  was  led  by  the 
apprehension  of  the  probable  expense: 
for,  though  the  subscribers  to  "  the  Me- 
moirs" were  numerous  and  liberal,  the 
unavoidable  cost  of  bringing  out  pub- 
lications of  this  kind  left  him  barely 
repaid ;  and  he  was,  consequently,  reluct- 
ant again  to  incur  the  risk  and  anxiety 
he  had  before  experienced.  Mr.  Seyer 
was  the  author  also  of  a  popular  Latin 
Grammar,  which  has  gone  through  se- 
veral editions.  He  translated  likewise 
into  English  verse  the  Latin  poem  of 
Vida  on  Chess  ;  and,  in  1 808,  he  pub- 
lished  "  Latinum  Redivivum  ;  or,  A 
Treatise  on  the  modern  use  of  the  La- 
tin Language,  and  the  prevalence  of  the 
French  ;  to  which  is  added  a  specimen 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


469 


of  the  Latin  Language,  accommodated 
to  modern  use."  This  curious  treatise 
is  as  replete  with  learning  and  research, 
as  it  is  glowing  with  the  amor  patrite  of 
its  author.  One  object  of  the  tract  was 
to  expose  the  mischiefs  which  had  be- 
fallen Europe  by  the  dissemination  of 
the  revolutionary  principles  of  France, 
which,  in  his  opinion,  were  greatly  in- 
creased by  the  universal  prevalence  of 
its  language;  in  Hen  of  which,  more 
particularly  in  diplomatic  correspond- 
ence, he  was  anxious  to  substitute  the 
Latin.  Mr.  Seyer  also  published,  by 
request  of  the  Mayor  and  Corporation  of 
Bristol,  an  assize  sermon,  preached  be- 
fore Sir  Robert  Giffbrd,  then  Recorder, 
His  other  literary  productions  are, 
"  A  Treatise  on  the  Syntax  of  the  Latin 
Verb,"  8vo.,  1798;  «  Principles  of 
Christianity,"  12mo.,  often  reprinted  ; 
and  "  Clerical  Non  residence."  He  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Bristol  Literary  Society  ;  and  for  thirty 
years  was  annually  and  unanimously 
elected  its  Vice- President.  As  a  mem- 
ber of  a  well  known  club  of  literary 
gentlemen,  who  for  many  years  during 
the  winter  months  assembled  by  the 
sound  of  the  mail-horn  at  the  Bush 
Tavern,  he  will  not  readily  be  forgotten, 
for  the  originality  and  extensiveness  of 
his  information,  and  the  clearness  and 
acuteness  which  he  exhibited  upon  every 
subject  which  came  under  discussion. 
In  his  character  there  was  a  high-toned 
independence  of  mind,  an  upright  de- 
meanour, and  a  sincere  attachment  to 
his  profession.  In  conclusion,  in  the 
common  concerns  of  life  he  was  the 
able  adviser,  the  instructive  and  enter- 
taining companion,  and  the  steady  and 
sincere  friend.—  Gentleman's  Magazine. 
SHANK,  Lieut. -General  David;  at 
Glasgow,  Oct.  16.  1831.  On  the  4th 
June,  1776,  this  officer  was  appointed 
Lieutenant  in  the  Loyalists,  under  the 
Earl  of  Dunmore,  in  Virginia.  He 
was  present  at  the  defence  of  Guyns 
Island,  and  other  skirmishes  ;  and  served 
as  a  volunteer  in  the  battle  of  Long 
Island,  Aug.  27.  1776.  In  March, 
1777,  he  received  a  Lieutenancy  in  the 
Queen's  Rangers.  He  accompanied 
Gen.  Howe's  army  into  New  Jersey  ; 
and  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Bran- 
dywine,  Sept.  11.  1777,  when  out  of 
twenty-one  officers  of  that  corps  fourteen 
were  killed  and  wounded.  Lieut.  Shank 
commanded  the  piquet  of  the  regiment 
at  the  battle  of  Germantown,  near  Phi- 
ladelphia, on  the  4th  October,  and  had 


the  good  fortune  to  check  the  column  of 
the  enemy  that  attacked  the  right  of  the 
army ;  for  which  he  received  the  thanks 
of  Major  Wemyss,  .who  at  that  time 
commanded  the  regiment.  Lieut.  Shank 
continued  with  the  army  on  its  retreat 
from  Philadelphia,  and  was  present  at 
the  battle  of  Monmouth.  In  October, 
1778,  he  succeeded  to  a  company.  After 
the  siege  of  Charlestown  he  returned  to 
New  York  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  skirmish  at  Spring- 
field. 

In  August,  1779,  Capt.  Shank  was 
selected  by  Lieut. -Col.  Simcoe  to  com- 
mand a  troop  of  Dragoons  ;  and  he  after- 
wards commanded  the  cavalry  of  the 
Queen's  Rangers  in  the  expedition  to 
Virginia,  during  which  he  was  most 
actively  employed,  particularly  in  a  se- 
vere action  at  Spencer's  Ordinary. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Capt.  Shank 
returned  home,  and  in  Oct.  1783,  the 
corps  being  disbanded,  was  placed  on 
half-pay,  on  which  he  continued  till 
1791.  His  friend  Col.  Simcoe  being 
then  appointed  Lieut. -Governor  of  Up- 
per Canada,  with  leave  to  raise  a  small 
corps  of  400  rank  and  file,  he  was  ap- 
pointed senior  officer,  and  left,  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Marquis  of  Buck- 
ingham, to  raise  the  men  in  England  ; 
which  having  accomplished,  this  corps 
had  leave  to  take  again  the  name  of  the 
Queen's  Rangers,  were  equipped  as  a 
light  infantry  corps,  and  embarked  for 
Canada  in  April,  J  792.  He  received  the 
brevet  of  Major  1st  March,  1 7  94.  Major- 
Gen.  Simcoe,  on  his  return  to  Europe, 
left  Major  Shank  in  command  of  the 
troops  in  Upper  Canada,  in  the  summer 
of  1796.  He  received  the  rank  of  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Jan.  1.  1798,  and  in  April  the 
Lieut. -Colonelcy  of  his  regiment.  He 
returned  to  England  in  1799. 

From  that  time  he  continued  at  home, 
in  the  expectation  of  employment  under 
Gen.  Simcoe,  until,  at  the  peace  of 
Amiens,  the  Queen's  Rangers  were  re- 
duced. On  the  3d  Sept.  1803,  he  was 
appointed  Lieut.-Colonel  in  the  Cana- 
dian Fencibles.  He  received  the  rank 
of  Colonel  in  1808,  of  Major- General 
1811,  and  Lieut.-General  1821. —  The 
Royal  Military  Calendar. 

SHERWOOD,  Thomas,  Esq., 
M.D.  ;  Feb.  28.  1830;  at  Snow  Hall, 
near  Darlington  ;  in  his  60th  year. 

For  thirty  years  Dr.  Sherwood  en- 
gaged himself  in  the  active  duties  of  his 
profession,  with  zeal  and  ability  rarely 
surpassed  even  at  this  day,  when  liberal 
H  H  3 


4-70 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1831. 


feeling,  enlarged  understanding,  and 
cultivated  taste,  form  so  general  and  so 
prominent  features  in  the  character  of 
an  English  medical  practitioner.  Not 
content  with  the  ordinary  routine  of 
professional  education,  he  had,  during 
the  early  years  of  his  active  life,  applied 
himself  with  ardour  to  the  study  of 
Cullen,  Gregory,  and  other  eminent 
authors,  until  his  theory  and  his  practice 
thus  combining  and  lending  mutual  aid 
to  each  other,  he  gradually  acquired  that 
confidence  in  himself  which  was  ever 
after  so  fine  a  trait  in  his  character,  and 
by  which  he  was  enabled  instinctively, 
as  it  were,  to  recognise  latent  disease, 
and  to  administer  promptly  either  to  its 
prevention  or  its  cure.  In  cases  of 
fracture  of  the  skull,  or  other  accidental 
or  natural  derangement  of  the  head,  he 
was  eminently  successful.  One  of  these, 
in  particular,  deserves  to  be  recorded. 
During  his  residence  at  Bishop's  Auck- 
land, a  boy  fell  from  a  high  wall,  and 
beat  upon  his  head.  Dr.  Sherwood, 
though  altogether  in  despair  of  saving 
him,  trepanned  the  boy,  prolonged  his 
life  to  this  day;  and  was  consulted  on 
the  extraordinary  operation  he  had  per- 
formed by  almost  every  eminent  practi- 
tioner in  the  kingdom. 

His  classical  education  had  been  from 
circumstances  limited,  but  he  gave  sig- 
nal proof,  when  in  the  society  of  those 
who  had  approached  nearer  to  the  "  in- 
tegros  f  antes  "  than  himself,  that  he  had 
afterwards  traced  them  to  their  source, 
had  tasted,  and  had  drunk  deeply  too, 
of  the  thousand  delightful  rills  which 
fall  into  the  grand  stream  of  Poetry. 
Amid  his  other  active  employments,  he 
stole  many  an  hour  which  he  consecrated 
to  the  history,  the  poetry,  the  biography 
of  his  own  dbuntry.*  Thence  he  in- 
formed his  understanding  and  cultivated 
his  taste  :  thence,  also,  he  drew  those 
stores  which,  ever  beaming  as  they  did 
within  the  breast  of  their  possessor,  shed 
too  their  benign  and  delightful  influence 
on  his  companions  and  his  friends. 
Who  ever  heard  him  give,  with  that  dis- 
tinct and  manly  intonation,  that  ener- 
getical expression,  so  peculiar  to  himself, 
Gray's  Ode  to  Adversity,  or  Johnson's 
critique  on  Milton's  plan  of  initiating 


*  See  Surtees's  «  History  of  Durham," 
vol.  i.  p.  10.  Introduction;  and  judge 
of  the  man  "  without  the  early  and 
valued  assistance  of  whom  that  work 
would  never  have  been  undertaken." 


his  pupils  into  Latin,  without  being 
awakened  to  the  most  lively  sense  of  the 
stern  simplicity  of  the  one,  or  the  com- 
prehensive and  grasping  vigour  of  the 
other  ? 

But  troubles  came  thick  and  throng 
upon  him.  The  first  shaft  was  aimed 
at  him  by  the  perfidiousness  of  friends  : 
the  next  by  a  higher  and  more  awful 
Power.  His  daughter  and  his  favourite 
son  were  taken  from  him  within  a  few 
weeks  of  each  other. 

His  eldest  daughter  died  on  the  25th 
of  October,  1 829,  aged  22.  Elizabeth 
Sarah  Sherwood  was  kind  and  affection- 
ate upon  the  truest  principle  of  filial 
duty  ;  and  those  who  witnessed  her  many 
and  painful  days  upon  her  death-bed, 
can  well  answer  for  those  intense  feel- 
ings of  unfeigned  religion,  which  awed 
and  at  the  same  time  cheered  her  sink- 
ing mind. 

The  history  of  Ralph  Sherwood,  who 
died  a  few  weeks  after  his  sister,  is  soon 
told.  He  was  destined  for  the  meclical 
profession ;  and  with  this  view  he  studied 
for  a  while  in  London,  and  was  after- 
wards removed  to  Edinburgh,  where  his 
quickness  and  talent,  his  great  attention 
to  anatomical  and  surgical  pursuits,  and 
the  accuracy  of  his  pencil  and  pen  in 
sketching  off-hand,  in  the  hospitals  to 
which  he  had  access,  those  various  mor- 
bid or  other  appearances  produced  by 
nature,  or  the  hand  of  the  operator,  soon 
gained  for  him  the  notice  and  approba- 
tion of  men  whose  lightest  word  was 
praise.  During  his  abode  in  Edinburgh, 
Mr.  Sherwood  became  possessed  of  five 
very  amusing  letters  written  by  Mr.  Rit- 
son  to  Mr.  Laing,  which,  with  a  portrait 
of  their  eccentric  author  etched  by  him- 
self, he  communicated  to  Mr.  Nichols, 
who  inserted  them  in  the  third  volume  of 
"  Literary  Illustrations  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,"  p.  775,  &c.  But  here  begins 
the  sad  tale  :  under  a  mistaken  idea  of 
the  high  theatrical  powers  which  persons 
into  whose  company  it  was  his  misfor- 
tune to  fall  persuaded  him  that  he  pos- 
sessed, in  connection  with  the  fact  that 
his  expensive  habits  had  made  him  afraid 
of  meeting  his  justly-irritated  father,  he 
at  once  quitted  the  profession  in  which 
he  was  so  well  qualified  to  excel,  and 
betook  himself  to  the  stage.  He  had, 
however,  the  grace  to  drop  his  paternal 
sirname  —  but  the  name  of  RALPH 
SHERWIN  will  not  soon  be  forgotten,  not 
only  in  most  of  the  provincial  theatres, 
but  even  at  Drury  Lane,  where,  in  Dandle 
Dinmont,  and  similar  characters,  which 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


471 


require  a  man  well  read  in  provincial 
phraseology,  he  particularly  excelled.  To 
follow  this  misguided  youth  through  the 
various  chances  and  changes  of  his  sub- 
sequent history  is  unnecessary,  if  even  it 
were  possible.  He  was  at  length,  how- 
ever, freely  forgiven  by  his  offended 
father,  and  without  one  single  murmur 
of  displeasure  was  welcomed  to  his  home ; 
but,  after  a  very  short  ^time,  with- 
out any  apparent  reason,  he  abruptly 
quitted  his  father's  house,  attached  him- 
self to  the  stage  once  more,  slept  in  a 
damp  bed,  in  Cambridge,  early  in  the 
year  1 830,  and  came  home  to  die.  The 
full  and  free  condonation  of  what  was 
past,  and  the  pleasurable  intercourse  and 
conversation  between  father  and  son, — 
as  far  as  the  grief  of  the  former  for  the 
death  of  his  daughter,  and  the  deeply 
rooted  disease  of  the  latter,  would  per- 
mit,— will  not  be  soon  forgotten  by  those 
who  witnessed  them  both. 

Amid  the  gloom  which,  from  all  sides, 
lowered  around  him,  the  father  recog- 
nised not  the  Arm  which,  in  chastening, 
was  correcting  and  purifying  his  heart : 
he  would  talk  incoherently  of  his  lost 
daughter  from  morning  till  night ;  and 
he  would  sit  gazing,  with  a  vacant, 
glassy  eye,  upon  a  picture  of  his  son  in 
one  of  his  characters.  He  was  forlorn 
and  blighted  —  reason  reeled  on  her  seat 
—  she  received  not  from  him  that  "  sweet 
oblivious  antidote  "  so  often  administered 
to  others — the  conflict  was  over,  and  he 
hurried  into  eternity.  His  body  wa^ 
found  in  the  Tees,  at  the  distance  of  a 
field  from  his  house,  and  was  afterwards 
buried,  with  his  father  and  mother  and 
children,  in  Staindrop  churchyard.  — 
Abridged  from  The  Gentleman's  Maga- 
zine. 

SMITH,  John  Hope,  Esq.,  late 
Governor-in-Chiefof  the  British  Settle- 
ments on  the  Gold  Coast;  on  the  15th 
of  March,  1831 ;  in  Baker  Street.  It  is 
alike  impossible  for  those  who  knew 
Mr,  Smith  as  a  private  individual,  or 
those  who  were  acquainted  with  his 
public  career,  to  suffer  him  to  sink  into 
the  grave  without  some  tribute  to  the 
noble  qualities  by  which  he  was  distin- 
guished in  each  capacity.  Respectably 
born  and  educated,  he  followed  the 
golden  illusions  which  tempted  so  many 
to  the  coast  of  Africa ;  and  was  placed  at 
Cape  Coast  Castle  by  his  father,  as  a 
writer  in  the  service  of  the  African  Com- 
mittee, at  the  early  age  of  fourteen. 
Thus  left  to  his  own  guidance,  with 
only  the  years  of  a  child  over  his  head 


ruin  might  have  been  predicted  ;  but  to 
an  enterprising  and  energetic  mind  like 
Mr.  Smith's,  it  at  once  raised  him  to 
manhood ;  and,  two  years  after,  we  find 
him  selected  for  a  dangerous  service  in 
the  first  Ashantee  war.  The  enemy  sur- 
rounded the  fortress  of  Annamaboo,  and 
its  inhabitants  were  reduced  to  the  last 
hope  of  defence,  when  Mr.  Smith  was 
sent  to  demand  a  truce ;  and  he  after- 
wards assisted  in  securi  ng  one  of  the  rebel 
chiefs  who  formed  the  subject  of  the 
war,  and  who  had  been  protected  by  the 
nation  in  which  our  settlements  stood. 
This  man  was  taken,  at  the  imminent 
risk  of  all  engaged  in  the  task  ;  and  Mr. 
Smith  was  ordered  to  conduct  him  by 
sea  from  head-quarters  to  Annamaboo. 
Bound  to  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  he 
yet  attempted,  by  means  of  a  knife  con- 
cealed about  him,  to  scuttle  her,  and  in 
one  moment  all  would  have  sunk  with 
her;  but  the  vigilant  eye  of  the  young 
officer  detected  the  scheme,  and  saved 
himself  and  soldiers  from  destruction. 
In  consequence  of  his  excellent  con- 
duct, Mr.  Smith  was  made  the  bearer  of 
the  despatches  to  England,  where  he 
received  the  most  flattering  marks  of 
approbation  from  his  employers.  Shortly 
after  his  return  to  Africa,  he  succeeded 
to  the  command  of  a  fortress ;  and  he 
who  had  so  suddenly  sprung  from  boy  to 
man,  now  as  suddenly  became  the  dig- 
nified superior,  whose  commands  were 
law,  and  whose  words  were  never  ut- 
tered in  vain.  Wherever  he  assumed  the 
reins  of  government,  order  and  disci- 
pline followed  ;  human  sacrifices  disap- 
peared; the  natives  were  kept  in  awe 
by  a  handful  of  soldiers,  and  the 
British  name  was  respected.  At  the 
age  of  thirty  he  was  appointed  Governor- 
in- Chief,  being  promoted  to  that  station 
out  of  the  usual  routine,  in  consequence 
of  his  merits ;  and,  from  that  moment, 
the  settlements  managed  for  govern- 
ment by  the  African  Committee  assumed 
a  respectability  and  importance  to  which 
they  had  long  been  strangers. 

The  mission  to  Ashantee,  the  first 
successful  travel  in  the  west  of  Africa, 
took  place  during  Mr.  Smith's  com- 
mand, when  the  uncle  and  nephew*,  of 
kindred  spirits,  formed  a  treaty  of  peace 
and  commerce  with  these  barbarians; 
which  would  have  been  of  lasting  advan- 
tage to  England,  had  it  not  been  over- 
thrown by  subsequent  interference ;  and 
which  was  so  well  recognised  as  benefi- 

Mr.  T.  Edward  Bowditch. 


472 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    183L 


cial,  that  the  English  gave  2000J.  to  the 
Ashantee  monarch  to  restore  that  which 
cowardice  and  inexperience  had  de- 
stroyed. On  the  resignation  of  the 
settlements  into  the  immediate  hands 
of  government,  Mr.  Smith  was  offered 
either  a  pension  of  7001.  per  annum,  or 
a  regiment  and  the  continuance  of  his 
command  at  Cape  Coast,  subject  to  the 
control  of  the  staff  at  Sierra  Leone. 
Mr.  Smith's  views  but  ill  accorded  with 
those  of  the  late  Sir  Charles  McCarthy ; 
and,  accepting  the  usual  pension,  he 
withdrew  from  public  service.  A  life 
of  tranquillity  and  retirement  was  but 
little  suited  to  his  habits  and  feelings  ; 
and  he  by  turns  resided  in  the  different 
countries  of  Europe. 

A  severe  cold,  caught  and  neglected 
in  Paris,  prompted  his  return  to  Eng- 
land ;  and,  after  five  weeks  of  dreadful 
suffering,  he  expired  in  a  rapid  con- 
sumption, at  the  age  of  forty-four.  The 
following  anecdote  speaks  so  loudly  in 
Mr.  Smith's  praise,  that  it  is  better  to 
relate  it  than  to  employ  the  multi- 
tude of  measured  phrases  which  are  so 
often  lavished  on  departed  excellence  : 
the  fortress  of  Whydah  was  the  most 
distant  of  the  posts  occupied  by  the 
servants  of  the  Committee,  and  was 
commanded  by  Mr.  Henry  Meredith, 
who  was  supposed  to  have  realised  a 
considerable  property  by  his  commercial 
intercourse  with  the  natives.  His  iso- 
lated position,  and  the  small  force  con- 
tained within  the  fortress,  made  him  an 
easy  prey  to  the  Whydahs,  who  were 
desirous  of  stripping  him  of  his  wealth  ; 
though  cupidity  was  their  sole  motive, 
as  they  had  not  a  single  act  to  com- 
plain of  that  could  have  excited  their 
revenge.  They  contrived  to  quarrel 
with  him,  and  demanded  a  sum  of 
money  in  order  to  settle  the  palaver 
(as  they  term  all  sorts  of  disputes). 
Mr.  Meredith  resisted;  and  was  one 
night  seized  by  the  savage  wretches, 
and  led  by  them  into  the  bush  or  forest. 
A  faithful  servant  contrived  to  escape 
unnoticed  in  a  canoe,  and  made  the 
greatest  haste  to  Mr.  Smith's  fortress, 
which  was  the  nearest.  He  arrived  there 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  alarming 
the  sentinels,  he  was  suffered  to  enter, 
even  as  far  as  the  Governor's  bedroom, 
where  he  told  his  story.  There  was  no 
time  to  lose —  Mr.  Meredith  might  have 
perished  before  assistance  could  have 
reached  him  from  head-quarters,  and 
Mr.  Smith's  soldiers  were  too  few  to 
allow  of  his  marching  a  detachment  of 


them  against  several  hundreds  of  the 
Whydahs ;  but  his  resolution  was  soon 
taken.  Calling  the  captain  of  the  guard, 
he  desired  him  to  lock  the  gate  after 
him  and  assume  the  command,  and  went 
alone  in  the  canoe  with  Mr.  Meredith's 
servant.  On  his  arrival  at  Whydah, 
one  of  the  barbarians,  more  humane 
than  the  rest,  motioned  him  away,  and 
gave  him  to  understand,  by  signs,  that 
he  would  be  destroyed  if  he  landed. 
Mr.  Smith,  however,  persevered,  and 
placed  himself  in  the  hands  of  the  Why- 
dahs, as  a  pledge  for  the  settlement  of 
the  palaver.  But  the  monsters  were 
too  much  excited  to  hear  reason  :  they 
deprived  Mr.  Smith  of  clothing,  and 
marched  him  naked,  under  a  burning 
mid-day  sun,  with  his  unhappy  friend, 
in  the  like  condition,  for  miles ;  and 
finding  that  this  failed  to  exhaust  them, 
they  cut  the  stiff  grass  of  that  country 
into  a  slanting  stubble,  that  it  might 
lacerate  their  feet ;  nor  was  this  enough 
—  the  wretches  set  fire  to  it,  in  order  to 
scorch  their  legs  as  they  walked  over  it ! 
All  day  were  the  victims  exposed  to 
these  sufferings,  when  at  length  Mr. 
Smith  obtained  a  hearing ;  and  when  he 
had  reduced  the  demand  of  many  hun- 
dreds to  two,  he  was  detained  till  the 
return  of  messengers  from  his  fortress, 
where  he  had  sent  them  for  the  amount, 
Mr.  Meredith  having  some  time  before 
transmitted  his  property  to  England. 
It  is  grievous  to  tell,  that  the  devotion 
and  heroism  of  Mr.  Smith  only  short- 
ened the  torments  of  his  friend  for  a  few 
hours ;  for  he  died  of  exhaustion  that 
same  night.  The  fortress  of  Whydah 
was  afterwards  rased  to  the  ground  by 
a  British  frigate. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  expatiate  on 
the  affliction  caused  by  losing  such  a 
man  from  a  circle  of  friends  and  rela- 
tions ;  for  with  these  sorrows  the  world 
has  little  to  do :  one  who  loved  and 
respected  him  for  his  private  virtues  — 
one  who  was  an  incessant  object  of  his 
kindest  cares  —  one  who  was  an  eye- 
witness of  his  exalted  worth  as  a  public 
character,  now  closes  this  brief  allusion 
to  his  excellences,  with  the  sincere  hope 
that  they  have  met  with  their  heavenly 
reward.  —  New  Monthly  Magazine. 

SPENCER,  the  Right  Hon.  Lord 
Robert,  a  Privy  Councillor,  andD.  C.L. ; 
uncle  to  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  and 
Lord  Churchill;  June  23.  1831  ;  at  his 
house  in  Arlington  Street,  Piccadilly; 
aged  84. 

His  Lordship  was  born  May  3.  1747; 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


473 


the  third  eon  and  youngest  child  of 
Charles,  second  Duke  of  Marlborough, 
and  the  Hon.  Elizabeth  Trevor,  daugh- 
ter and  heiress  of  Thomas,  second  Lord 
Trevor.  He  was  educated  with  his  bro- 
ther the  late  Duke,  at  Blenheim,  under 
the  care  of  the  late  Archbishop  Moore, 
and  at  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  where  he 
was  created  M.  A.,  May  6.  1765,  and 
D.C.L.,  July  7.  1773.  His  Lordship 
was,  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Commons. 
He  was  first  returned  for  Woodstock  at 
the  general  election  of  1768  ;  and,  hav- 
ing been  made  a  Commissioner  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  was  re-elected  pursuant 
to  a  new  writ  issued  April  24.  1773. 
In  January,  1744,  he  again  vacated  his 
seat  by  accepting  the  stewardship  of  the 
manor  of  East  Hendred,  and  was  elected 
Member  for  the  city  of  Oxford;  for 
which  he  was  re-chosen  at  the  general 
elections  of  that  year  and  1780;  in  1782, 
after  having  been  appointed  one  of  the 
Vice-Treasurers  for  Ireland;  and  at  the 
general  election  of  1784.  At  those  of 
1790  and  1796,  he  was  returned  for 
Wareham  ;  for  which  he  resigned  his 
seat,  by  again  accepting  the  stewardship 
of  East  Hendred,  Feb.  22.  1799.  He 
re-entered  the  House  during  that  par- 
liament for  Tavistock  ;  was  re-chosen  in 
1802;  accepted  the  Chiltern  Hundreds, 
Feb.  10.  1806  ;  and,  having  during  the 
vacancy  been  appointed  Surveyor  of  his 
Majesty's  Woods  and  Parks,  was  re- 
elected,  and  again  at  the  general  election 
in  that  year.  Of  the  parliament  which 
sat  from  1807  to  1812,  his  Lordship 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  member ; 
but  in  the  latter  year  he  was  again  elected 
for  Tavistock;  and  in  1818  again  for 
Woodstock.  In  1820,  we  believe,  he 
finally  retired  from  the  duties  of  a  sena- 
tor ;  having  been  a  member  of  ten  parli- 
aments, extending  through  a  period  of 
upwards  of  fifty  years.  He  was  a  steady 
supporter  of  Mr.  Fox  and  the  Whig 
party. 

•  Lord  Robert  Spencer  was  married  at 
Woolbeding  in  Sussex,  Oct.  2.  1811,  to 
Henrietta,  only  daughter  of  Sir  Everard 
Fawkener,  K.B.,  and  widow  of  the 
Hon.  Edward  Bouverie,  uncle  to  the 
late  Earl  of  Radnor,  by  whom  she  was 
mother  of  the  late  Countess  of  Rosslyn, 
of  Major-Gen.  Sir  H.  F.  Bouverie, 
K.  C.  B.,  and  several  other  children. 
Her  Ladyship  died  Nov.  17.  1825,  hav- 
ing had  no  family  by  her  second  mar- 
riage. —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 


T. 


THURLOW,  the  Right  Hon.  Mary 
Katherine,  Lady;  Sept.  28,  1830;  at 
Southampton ;  aged  40. 

This  lady,  who  was  for  some  years  an 
actress,  of  no  mean  celebrity,  at  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  was  the  eldest  daughter 
of  Mr.  James  Richard  Bolton,an  attor- 
ney in  Long  Acre.  Having  received  a 
musical  education  under  Mr.  Lanza,  she 
sang  with  much  success  at  the  Hanover 
Square  and  Willis's  Rooms'  concerts.  It 
is  said  that  when,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, she  made  her  first  appearance  on 
the  stage  (October  8.  1806),  she  had 
witnessed  only  five  dramatic  perform- 
ances,— three  during  her  childhood,  and 
two  in  the  winter  of  1805.  Mr.  Lanza 
introduced  her  to  Mr.  Kemble  and  Mr. 
Harris;  and  the  character  selected  for 
her  debut  was  Polly,  in  the  "  Beggars' 
Opera. "  In  this  she  was  brilliantly  suc- 
cessful ;  the  piece  was  repeated  many 
times  during  the  season.  "  Love  in  a 
Village  "  was  revived  specially  for  the 
purpose  of  introducing  her  to  the  public 
in  that  opera  ;  and  in  many  other  pieces 
she  was  received  with  equal  favour. 

Miss  Bolton  retained  her  station  with 
eclat  for  seven  years ;  when,  after  a 
courtship  of  some  length,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Lord  Thurlow,  at  the  church  of 
St.  Martin's  in  the  Fields,  Nov.  1 3. 1 8 1 3. 
It  has  been  stated  that,  previously  to 
her  marriage,  she  obtained  from  Lord 
Thurlow  an  annuity  for  her  father  and 
mother,  to  whom  she  was  deeply  and 
affectionately  attached.  Lady  Thurlow 
appears  to  have  been  one  of  the  very 
few  actresses  who,  having  by  marriage 
been  elevated  to  the  peerage,  have 
proved  capable  of  sustaining  a  high 
character  in  private  equally  as  in  public 
life.  We  have  never  heard  her  men- 
tioned but  in  terms  of  respect  —  as  a 
pattern  of  conjugal  duty  and  domestic 
happiness.  Her  ladyship  has  left  three 
sons,  of  whom  Edward  Thomas,  the 
eldest,  succeeded  to  the  family  title  and 
estates,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  June 
4.  1829. —  Gentleman's  Magazine. 


V. 


VINCENT,  Richard  Budd,  Esq., 
a  Captain  in  the  Royal  Navy,  and 
C»B. ;  at  Deal,  August  18.  1831. 

This  officer  was  born  at  Newbury, 
where  his  father  was  a  banker.  He 


4-74 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1831. 


entered  the  navy  under  the  protection 
of  Vice- Admiral  Barrington,  whom  he 
accompanied  in  the  Britannia,  a  first- 
rate,  to  the  relief  of  Gibraltar  in  1782. 
He  then  served  in  the  Salisbury  50, 
bearing  the  flag  of  Vice- Admiral  Camp- 
bell, at  Newfoundland,  the  Trimmer 
sloop,  P^gase  and  Carnatic  third  rates, 
and  Prince  98,  the  flag-ship  of  Sir  John 
Jervis.  In  Nov.  1790,  he  was  appointed 
Lieutenant  in  the  Wasp  sloop  of  war, 
employed  in  the  Channel.  He  subse- 
quently served  in  the  Terrible  74,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Skeffington  Lut- 
widge,  which  was  one  of  the  squadron 
employed  at  Toulon  in  1793,  and  during 
the  siege  of  Corsica;  and  then  for  a 
short  time  joined  the  Victory,  Lord 
Hood's  flag-ship,  in  the  Mediterranean. 
In  1795  he  was  present  in  the  Triumph 
74,  at  the  action  off  Belleisle ;  and  in 
1797,  when  First  Lieutenant  of  that 
ship,  he  was  left  in  command  of  her  on 
the  North  Sea  station,  during  the  mu- 
tiny at  the  Nore,  and,  by  his  firm  and  ju- 
dicious conduct,  considerably  repressed 
the  spirit  of  insubordination  that  pre- 
vailed amongst  her  crew.  A  few  days 
before  the  battle  of  Copenhagen,  he  was 
removed  to  the  Zealand  74,  at  the  par- 
ticular request  of  his  friend  Adm.  Lut- 
widge,  under  whose  flag  he  served  in  the 
different  ships  to  which  it  was  removed 
between  that  period  and  the  peace  of 
Amiens,  when  he  obtained  the  rank  of 
Commander  by  commission,  dated  April 
29.  1802. 

In  the  following  month,  Capt.  Vincent 
was  appointed  to  the  Arrow,  a  singu- 
larly constructed  sloop  of  war  mounting 
twenty-eight  32  pounders,  with  a  com- 
plement of  121  men.  In  this  vessel  he 
cruised  for  some  time  against  the  smug- 
glers on  the  Devonshire  coast ;  but,  the 
Arrow  being  too  easily  recognised  at  a 
distance  by  those  illicit  traders,  she  was 
paid  of  in  Feb.  1803.  Capt.  Vincent 
was,  however,  immediately  re-appointed 
to  her ;  and  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year,  was  employed  in  escorting  the  trade 
to  Portugal,  Gibraltar,  Malta,  &c.  In 
1804,  he  visited  most  of  the  countries 
and  capitals  of  the  south  of  Europe,  in- 
cluding Constantinople,  where  the  Ca- 
pitan  Pacha,  during  an  interchange  of 
civilities  and  visits,  presented  him  with  an 
elegant  sabre.  At  the  close  of  that  year 
he  received  orders  to  take  charge  of  the 
homeward  bound  trade  collected  at 
Malta ;  on  which  occasion  Lord  Nelson 
conveyed  to  him  his  Lordship's  "  full 
approbation"  of  his  "  zealous  activity" 


in  the  various  services  performed  by  the- 
sloop.  Capt.  Vincent  was  proceeding  on 
his  voyage  with  the  Acheron  bomb  under 
his  orders,  when,  on  the  4th  Feb.  1 805, 
the  fleet  was  intercepted  by  two  powerful 
French  frigates ;  and,  after  a  severe  action 
of  an  hour  and  twenty  minutes,  Capt.  Vin- 
cent was  reduced  to  strike  his  colours  to 
1' Incorruptible  of  42  guns,  and  650  men, 
including  troops.  The  Acheron,  after 
having  drawn  the  other  frigate  to  a  con- 
siderable distance,  was  also  captured: 
but  such  were  the  good  results  of  the 
prolonged  contest,  that  only  three  ves- 
sels were  captured  out  of  a  fleet  of  32 
sail.  Captain  Vincent  and  the  crew  of 
the  Arrow  were  detained  prisoners  at 
Carthagena  for  about  three  months, 
when  they  were  allowed  to  embark  in  a 
cartel  brig  sent  by  Lord  Nelson.  A 
Court  Martial,  assembled  at  Portsmouth 
on  the  7th  of  June  following,  recorded 
its  opinion,  "  that  the  loss  of  his  Majes- 
ty's sloop  Arrow  was  occasioned  by  her 
falling  in  with  a  very  superior  force  of 
the  enemy,  and  being  under  the  neces- 
sity of  surrendering  her,  after  a  brave, 
determined,  and  well-fought  action  of 
nearly  an  hour  and  a  half,  soon  after 
which  she  sunk  from  the  injuries  she  re- 
ceived in  the  action. "  Capt.  Vincent  was 
in  consequence  "  most  honourably  ac- 
quitted ;"  and  immediately  received  his 
post  commission  ;  as  did  Capt.  Farquhar, 
who  commanded  the  Acheron.  They 
were  also  each  presented  by  the  Patriotic 
Fund  at  Lloyd's  with  a  sword  of  1001. 
value ;  by  the  Committee  of  the  Mer- 
chants trading  to  the  Mediterranean 
with  a  recompence  for  their  losses,  of 
which  Capt.  Vincent's  share  was  50J. ; 
and  some  years  after  by  the  merchants 
resident  at  Malta  with  a  service  of  plate 
valued  at  a  hundred  guineas. 

For  some  months  in  1 806,  Capt.  Vin- 
cent commanded  the  B.rilliant  28,  on 
the  Irish  station;  but  at  the  close  of 
the  year  was  obliged  to.  resign  from  ill 
health,  which  prevented  his  return  to 
service  until  1808.  He  was  then  com- 
missioned to  act  as  Captain  of  the  Cam- 
brian frigate,  in  convoying  a  fleet  to  the 
Mediterranean,  and  there  to  exchange  to 
the  Hind  28.  After  he  had  twice  visited 
the  Regency  of  Algiers  in  a  diplomatic 
character,  Captain  Vincent  was  refitting 
his  ship  at  Malta,  when  Sir  Alexander 
Ball,  the  Governor  and  Port  Admiral, 
induced  him  to  assume  the  command  of 
the  Trident  64,  then  vacant  by  the  death 
of  Capt.  Robt.  Bell  Campbell;  and  he 
continued  to  conduct  the  various  duties 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


4-75 


of  that  port,  under  several  successive 
Admirals,  until  the  termination  of  hosti- 
lities in -18 14,  and  afterwards  as  senior 
officer,  until  the  commencement  of  1 8 1 6. 
He  was  then  removed  into  the  Aquilon 
32,  and  proceeded  to  Naples  and  Leg- 
horn to  join  the  squadron  under  Lord 
Exmouth,  by  whom  he  was  sent  to  Eng- 
land with  despatches;  and  was  paid  off  at 
Deptford,  in  April  of  the  same  year. 
During  a  residence  of  nearly  eight  years 
at  Malta,  he  preserved  the  greatest  una- 
nimity wilh  the  Governors,  and  invari- 
ably obtained  their  approbation.  He  was 
appointed  a  Companion  of  the  Bath,  on 
the  foundation  of  that  class  of  the  order 
in  June,  181.5.  —  Abridged  from  Mar- 
shall's Royal  Naval  Biography. 

WIG II  AM,  Sir  Robert,  of  Waltham- 
stow  House,  Bart.  Nov.  G.  1830;  at 
Walthamstow,  Essex  ;  aged  8G. 

Sir  Robert  VVigram  uas  born  at  Wex- 
ford,  Jan.  30.  1744,  the  only  son  of  John 
Wigrarn,  merchant,  of  Bristol,  by  Mary, 
daughter  of  Robert  Clifford,  of  Wexford, 
Esq.  Following,  and  extending,  the 
mercantile  pursuits  of  his  forefathers,  he 
made  several  voyages  to  India  in  the 
service  of  the  Company,  and  became  one 
of  the  most  eminent  "  ship's  husbands ' ' 
in  the  port  of  London  ;  as  well  as  sole, 
or  at  least  principal  owner,  of  several 
vessels  trading  to  Bengal,  Madras,  and 
Bombay ;  and  one  of  the  greatest  im- 
porters of  drugs  in  England.  He  was 
Chairman  of  the  meeting  of  the  mer- 
chants and  bankers  during  the  alarming 
period  of  the  French  Revolution ;  and 
became  Lieutenant- Colonel  of  the  6th 
London  regiment  of  volunteers,  con- 
sisting of  715  rank  and  file. 

He  was  returned  to  Parliament  in 
1802  as  Member  for  Fowey;  and  created 
a  Baronet  by  patent,  dated  Oct.  20. 
1805.  At  the  general  election  in  1806, 
he  was  chosen  for  the  town  of  Wexford  ; 
but  after  the  dissolution  in  1807  he  re- 
tired from  public  life,  having,  with  his 
sons,  given  an  uniform  support  to  Mr. 
Pitt.  Sir  Robert  was  a  Vice- President 
of  the  Pitt  Club. 

Sir  Robert  Wigram  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  had  the  large  family  of  twenty- 
one  children.  His  first  wife  was  Cathe- 
rine, daughter  of  Francis  Broadburst,  of 
Manslield,  in  Nottinghamshire,  Esq.,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children:  1.  Sir 
Robert  Wigram,  who  was  knighted  May 
7.  1818,  and  has  now  succeeded  to  the 
Baronetcy  ;  he  is  a  director  of  the  Bank 
of  England,  and  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal 
Society ;  he  has  sat  in  the  House  of 


Commons  for  many  years,  and  in  the 
last  Parliament  but  one  represented 
Wexford;  he  married,  in  1812,  Selina, 
youngest  daughter  of  the  late  Sir  John 
Macnamara  Hayes,  Bart,  and  M.D., 
and  sister  to  the  present  Sir  Thomas 
Pel  ham  Hayes,  and  has  issue ;  2.  Cathe- 
rine, married,  Oct.  21.  1803,  to  Charles 
Tottenham,  of  Ballycurry,  Esq.,  then 
M.P.  for  New  Ross,  cousin  to  the 
Marquis  of  Ely ;  3-  John  Wigram, 
Esq.  a  Director  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany ;  4.  William  Wigram,  Esq.  a  Di- 
rector of  the  East  India  Company,  late 
M.P.  for  Wexford;  5.  Maria,  and  6. 
another  child,  who  died  young.  Sir 
Robert's  first  wife  dying,  Jan.  23.  1786, 
he  married,  secondly,  Eleanor,  daughter 
of  John  Watts,  Esq.  Secretary  at  the 
Victualling  Office,  and  afterwards  of 
Southampton,  by  whom  he  had  twelve 
sons  and  three  daughters:  7.  Eleanor, 
married  to  Unwin  Heathcote,  of  Shep- 
halbury,  in  Hertfordshire,  Esq.  ;  8. 
Money  Wigram,  Esq.  a  Director  of  the 
Bank  of  England  ;  he  married  in  1822, 
Mary,  daughter  of  C.  Hampden  Turner, 
Esq.  and  has  issue ;  9.  Henry  Loftus  ; 
10.  Harriet,  who  died  July  16.  1823,  in 
her  21st  year  ;  11.  James  Wigram,  Esq. 
M.A.  formerly  Fellow  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege,  Cambridge ;  he  married  in  1818, 
Anne,  daughter  of  Richard  Arkwright, 
Esq.  ;  12.  Octavius  Wigram,  Esq.  who 
married  in  1824,  Isabella  Charlotte, 
daughter  of  the  Right  Rev.  William 
Knox,  D.D.  Bishop  of  Derry,  and 
niece  to  Lord  Viscount  Northland,  and 
has  issue;  13.  Anne,  married,  on  the 
day  following  the  marriage  of  her 
brother  James,  to  his  brother-in-law  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Arkwright,  M.  A.  now 
Vicar  of  Latton  in  Essex  ;  14.  Charles 
Laird;  15.  the  Rev.  Joseph  Cotton 
Wigram,  M.A.  of  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge;  16.  Richard;  17.  Ely 
Duodecimus,  in  the  Coldstream  Guards; 
18.  Edward,  married  to  Catherine, 
daughter  of  George  Smith,  Esq.  M.P. 
and  niece  to  Lord  Carrington  ;  19. 
Loftus  Tottenham,  also  M.A.  of  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge  ;  20.  George  Vice- 
simus,  a  Commoner  of  Queen's  Col- 
lege, Oxford,  married  to  Fanny,  daughter 
of  the  late  Colonel  Thomas  Cherbury 
Bligh,  and  his  cousin.  Lady  Theodosia 
Bligh,  niece  to  the  Earl  of  Darnley  ; 
and,  21.  William  Pitt,  B.A.  of  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge. 

Sir  Robert  Wigram's  will  has  been 
proved  in  Doctors'  Commons,  and  pro- 
bate granted  for  four  hundred  thousand 


476 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1831. 


pounds  personal  property,  besides  free- 
hold estates.  This  enormous  amount 
is  in  addition  to  the  large  fortunes 
given  during  his  lifetime  to  his  nume- 
rous children.  —  Gentleman  s  Magazine. 

WOODD,  the  Rev.  Basil,  M.  A.,  for 
thirty-eight  years  Minister  of  Bentinck 
Chapel,  Mary-le-bone,  and  Rector  of 
Drayton  Beauchamp,  Bucks  ;  April  12. 
1831  ;  at  Paddington  Green,  aged  70. 

He  was  born  at  Richmond,  in  Surrey, 
August  5.  1760,  and  educated  by  the 
Rev.  Thos.  Clarke,'*'Rector  of  Chesham 
Bois.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  be- 
came a  student  at  Trinity  College,  Ox- 
ford, where  he  obtained  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  in  1785,  and  of  which 
college  he  remained  a  member  to  the  day 
of  his  death.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  he  was  ordained  Deacon,  at  the 
Temple  Church,  by  Dr.  Thurlow,  Bi- 
shop of  Lincoln  ;  and  in  1784  Priest,  at 
Westminster  Abbey,  by  Dr.  Thomas, 
Bishop  of  Rochester.  He  frequently 
assisted  the  late  Dr.  Conyers,  rector  of 
St.  Paul's,  Deptford.  Shortly  after- 
wards he  was  chosen  Lecturer  of  St. 
Peter's,  Cornhill;  in  which  situation  he 
continued  his  services  for  twenty  four 
years.  In  Feb.  1785,  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  morning  preacher  at  Ben- 
tinck Chapel.  Soon  after  entering  on 
the  labours  of  that  place,  he  introduced 
evening  preaching,  which  was  at  first 
opposed  by  many,  as  a  strange  and  novel 
proceeding  ;  but  he  withstood  the  oppo- 
sition, and  saw  his  perseverance  crowned 
with  success,  and  his  example  followed 
by  many  other  ministers.  In  1808, 
Lady  Robert  Manners  presented  him  to 
the  rectory  of  Drayton  Beauchamp,  to 
which  place  he  was  accustomed  to  repair 
for  a  few  months  of  every  year. 

Mr.  Woodd  exerted  himself  very 
greatly  and  successfully  in  establishing 
schools.  It  is  supposed  that,  under  his 
superintendence,  not  less  than  3COO 
children  have  passed  through  the  schools 
connected  with  Bentinck  Chapel,  from 


among  whom  have  risen  four  Mission- 
aries who  have  long  filled  posts  of  use- 
fulness in  foreign  stations.  He  was  for 
years  an  active  member  of  the  Society 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  the  London 
Society  for  promoting  Christianity  among 
the  Jews,  the  Prayer-Book  and  Homily 
Society,  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  and  an  Association  for  supply- 
ing the  bargemen  and  boatmen  on  the 
Grand  junction  Canal  with  Bibles,  Tes- 
taments, and  Common  Prayer  Books, 
and  making  provision  for  the  instruction 
of  their  children. 

As  an  author,  Mr.  Woodd  confined 
his  labours  chiefly  to  tracts  and  to  sin- 
gle discourses.  The  Memoir  of  Mrs. 
Hannah  Wood,  his  excellent  mother, 
was  one  of  his  earliest  productions, 
which  afterwards  found  a  permanent 
residence  in  Dr.  Jerment's  Memoirs  of 
PiousWomen. — The  Church  Catechism, 
with  explanations. — The  Faith  and  Duty 
of  a  Christian,  expressed  under  proper 
heads  in  the  words  of  Scripture.  — Ad- 
vice to  Youth.  —  The  Duties  of  the  Mar- 
ried State.  —  The  Day  of  Adversity.  — 
The  Rod  of  the  Assyrian,  a  Fast  Day 
Sermon. — Memoir  of  Mowhee,  a  New 
Zealand  Youth,  who  died  at  Padding- 
ton. — A  Memoir  of  Bowyer  Smith,  a 
pious  child.  —  The  Harmony  of  Divine 
Truth. — The  Excellence  of  the  Litur- 
gy, a  Sermon A  missionary  Sermon. 

—  Selections  from  Versions  of  the 
Psalms  of  David,  and  other  portions  of 
the  Sacred  Writings;  in  which  are  some 
original  compositions. 

Mr.  Woodd  was  warmly  attached  to 
all  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  He 
rarely  led  his  hearers  into  the  labyrinths 
of  controversy;  but  chose  rather  to 
dwell  on  those  topics  which  are  best 
calculated  to  reach  the  heart,  and  to 
regulate  the  life.  He  was  zealously 
attached  to  the  Established  Church.  — 
Gentleman  s  Magazine. 


END    OF    THE    SIXTEENTH    VOLUME. 


LONDON : 

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New-Street-Square. 


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