distinction, even independent of his learning; and he possessed a fund of anecdote, which rendered him acceptable in every society. His table was hospitable; and he valued himself particularly on the possession of the very best wine. His only peculiarity at all troublesome, consisted in a deadly aversion to fresh air,-so that, whenever any one entered his apartment, he mechanically exclaimed, in a tone of authority, "Shut the Door." In the characters of others, learning was the chief object of his veneration; and he viewed it with a respect quite unconnected with envy. Parr and Porson, his great rivals, were always viewed by him with the utmost kindness, and, his respect for them was testified on every possible occasion. He entered into holy orders, but too late in life to obtain any high promotion in the church. For some years before his death, finding his health decline, he resigned his Academy in favour of his son, and retired to his rectory at Deptford. His constitution continued to decay, till, on the 28th December 1817, he was carried off by a stroke of apoplexy. As it appeared important to the public that his magnificent library should not be dispersed, Mr Bankes presented a petition from the trustees of the British Museum, requesting parliamentary aid in order to purchase it entire. The motion being supported by Mr Vansittart, was referred to a committee, whose very interesting report is inserted in the Appendix. The result was, that a sum of 13,500l. was voted by Parliament, to be applied to the pur. chase of the library.

MATTHEW GREGORY LEWIS was the son of Mr Lewis, who officiated for many years as deputy-secretary in the War-Office, where he enjoyed a salary of 16,000l. a-year,-a sum unexampled in the present days of more rigid economy. Young Lewis recei

VOL. XI. PART I.

ved the first elements of his education at Westminster School; after which, he removed to the continent, and spent several years in Germany. Here he applied, with peculiar ardour, to the literature of that country, and imbibed thoroughly the German spirit ;that, at least, which reigns in its tales, romances, and ballads ;-the supernatural and the horrible, all the demonology of the Belles Lettres. In this spirit, while abroad, he composed the Monk, a romance, in three volumes, published in 1795, and which made a very strong impression on the public. While the wild and original genius displayed in it extorted admiration, the indecent freedom of some of the scenes was strongly reprobated. This circumstance, indeed, so much affected the author, that he called in the remaining copies of the first edition, and published a second, in which the exceptionable passages were mostly pruned away. Judging from this last edi tion only, we should be tempted to suspect that the outcry was somewhat exaggerated, the general tone of the work appearing to be much more that of horror, than of voluptuousness,— agitating and appalling, rather than seductive. About this time he obtained a seat in Parliament, and was supposed to aim at distinction as a parliamentary orator; but, when in the House, he never could summon courage to open his lips. He threw up his seat, therefore, and betook himself entirely to the drama and literature. His next performance was the Castle Spectre, a drama, performed with extraordinary success at Drury Lane, in December, 1797, and containing certainly great boldness and pathos. It may be considered as tending to corrupt the stage, by introducing the practice of courting success by the exhibition of splendid scenery. Hence, for a long time, genuine tragedy gave place entirely to mere spectacle,-nor

R

is the same taste yet wholly banished. In 1801, he published two volumes of poems, under the title of Tales of Wonder,-which name their contents fully justified. He now betook himself to romance, and, in 1804, published the Bravo of Venice, in one volume; in 1806, the Feudal Tyrants, in four volumes. He published also, Tales of Terror, in three volumes, and Romantic Tales, in four volumes; but the curiosity of the public in this direction was now worn out. These last works excited less interest, and his publications became less frequent.

Mr Lewis having succeeded, on the death of his father, to a considerable property in the West Indies, determined to visit it. His principal motive is said to have been a desire to meliorate the condition of the slaves employed on the property. If this was the motive, he fell a martyr in the cause of humanity; for, having contracted the disease of the climate, he brought it along with him, and died in the Gulf of Florida, in the spring of 1818.

JOHN GIFFORD, one of the most active political writers of the present day, was born in 1758. His original name was Green, being the son of John Green, who was bred to the profession of the law, but died early. At the age of 17, the death of a relation put him in possession of some landed property, on the strength of which he was entered as a commoner in St John's College, Oxford. This situation, which connected him with many young men of large fortune, was one cause of leading him into ruinous habits of expence, totally inconsistent with his limited prospects. Having removed to London, his extravagance became still more boundless; and as his guardians refused to supply him with the means of supporting it, he had recourse to the ruinous expedient of borrowing at

usurious interest. The consequence was, that the age of 21, instead of putting him in possession of his fortune, was the era of his ruin. The accumulated claims poured in to an extent beyond what his fortune was equal to meet. He was obliged, not only to sell his property, but, that proving insufficient, to go abroad under the changed name of John Gifford. Here, left to solitude and rueful musings, he was fortunately led into habits of study and application, to which he had been hitherto a stranger. Having taken up his abode in the vicinity of Rouen, he applied diligently to the study of the literature of France, and particularly its history. The fruits of these studies appeared on his return to England in 1788, when he applied himself to the composition of a History of France, which appeared in five successive 4to volumes, between 1791 and 1794. During this interval, too, he engaged eagerly in those political discussions, to which the first progress of the French Revolution gave rise. At that time, the periodical press, both in regard to reviews and newspapers, was almost entirely in the hands of the Whig, or rather the republican party. In 1792, he published an Address to the People of England, to which was annexed, an Abstract of Paine's Life and Writings. He translated Lally Tollendal's Vindication of the Emigrants; and circulated widely, an " Address to the Loyal Associations." Mr Cobbet also, who was then at a very different point of the political meridian than now, having emitted "A Bone to gnaw for the Democrats, by Peter Porcupine," Mr Gifford introduced it by a preface, entitled, "A Rod for the Backs of the Critics, by Humphrey Hedgehog." At that time, the passions ran too high to admit of any thing sober or reasonable. Mr Gifford took the loftiest ultra-loyal tone; he held as revolutionists and enemies of

their country, all who, in the state, opposed any of the measures of government; and, in church, all dissenters whatever, whether Presbyterian or Calvinistic on one side, or the disciples of Price and Priestley on the other. He even accused ministers, and the law officers of government, as too tame and supine. He aided in the establishment of the British Critic; and probably thinking it too moderate, afterwards set on foot the Anti-jacobin Review. He edited the Narrative of a "Residence in France, during the years 1792, 3, 4, and 5, by an English Lady," a work which was popular at the time, and passed through several editions. His last and greatest work, was the Life of Mr Pitt, published in 1809, in three volumes 4to, and afterwards in six volumes 8vo.

For these exertions in the service of government, Mr Gifford was reward ed by an appointment in the Police Office, which he exercised, first in Worship Street, Shoreditch, and afterwards in Marlborough Street. As the emolument of this office was moderate, and as duties were attached to it, which he was very well qualified to execute, it cannot be considered as paying a very high price for so much loyalty. Towards the end of his life, he resided chiefly at Bromley, in Kent, where he died on the 6th March, 1818, in the 60th year of his age. He was twice married, and left several children.

THOMAS COGAN, a writer and philanthropist of some eminence, was born at Rowel, in the country of Northampton, on 8th February, 1736. His father was a respectable and diligent apothecary, who gave an excellent education to a numerous family. Thomas was placed at Kibworth, in Leicestershire, in the flourishing academy of the late Dr Aikin, father of the eminent physician and writer of the same name. He was educated for

a dissenting clergyman; a situation for which he was well qualified by morals, character, and learning; but having contracted a passion for controversy on abstruse theological subjects, he was suspected of having imbibed some opinions adverse to those entertained among the class to whom he sought to recommend himself. He was induced to repair to Amsterdam, where he received a temporary situation. He met, however, with a much greater good fortune in the acquaintance of Miss Groen, or Green, who possessed from 8000l. to 10,000l., and was also a very good and agreeable person. Thus made independent, he yielded to a propensity he had long entertained for medicine, and repaired to the celebrated schools of Leyden. By a singular taste, the obstetric branch possessed attractions for him beyond any other. After obtaining considerable reputation as an accoucheur in several of the great Dutch towns, he removed to London, where he attained a very respectable practice, and was for some time in company with Dr Sims. At this time, he had the opportunity of rendering an important service to the public. In consequence of the numerous canals, which intersect the streets of Amsterdam, the drowning of children was a frequent accident, and was submitted to by the citizens with Dutch apathy, as an evil admitting of no remedy. Happily, however, a tender mother having her son brought in lifeless, made such exertions by the use of the warm-bath, friction, and other remedies, that she had the happiness of restoring him. This roused the attention of the citizens; a society for the restoration of drowned persons was immediately formed, and attended with the most beneficial effects. Seven years after, Dr Cogan and Dr Hawes, aided by Dr Lettsome and some other gentlemen, established the Royal Hu.

mane Society for the recovery of drowned persons. The first anniversary of this institution was on 15th April, 1774; and it was celebrated ever since by an annual dinner, at which a prince of the blood has frequently presided. The dinner is preceded by a sermon ; and after it, those restored to life, by the efforts of the society, have frequently walked round the saloon in solemn procession. In the course of less than half a century, 4411 persons have been resuscitated in this manner.

Dr Cogan, possessing a fortune equal to all his wants, and having no family, determined, in 1780, to retire from business. He went to reside in Holland, which his wife probably preferred, and which he himself had almost learned to consider as a native country. He might have remained there for life, had not the entrance of the French into Holland induced him to return to England. From materials collected abroad, he now published a Journey down the Rhine, 8vo, 1794. Returning to the west of Eng land, he took a large farm, and though agriculture was quite a new occupation, soon excelled in it. He was the means of spreading several new and approved practices, and obtained several premiums from an agricultural society to which he belonged. He then applied himself to cultivate with success the department of moral philosophy. He published in 1802 a "Philosophical Treatise on the Passions, in one volume, and afterwards an Ethical Treatise on the same subject, in 2 vols. 8vo. These treatises were chiefly practical, and were well received by the public. In 1817, he published Ethical Questions, or speculations on the principal subjects of controversy in moral philosophy; but in these speculative discussions, he appears to have gone beyond his depth. He supports the theories of Priestley, and attacks, without well understanding,

those of Reid, Beattie, and other Scot. tish philosophers. Some years before his death he had given up all employ. ment, and divided his time between Bath and London. Being affected, however, with asthma and severe cough, his strength gradually gave way, and he died with an uncommon dignity, christian calmness, and resignation, on the 2d February, 1818, in the 82d year of his age.

We had prepared a notice of Mr Brydone, the celebrated traveller, who died during the present year; but having since obtained hopes of a more ample and fully authenticated memoir, we are induced to delay, for the purpose of introducing it into our next volume.

France, this year, lost an eminent antiquary and writer, the Chevalier ANDRE LOUIS MILLIN; he was born at Paris, of a family which had risen to distinction, both in the army and the magistracy. Either of these careers was open to him, but he preferred the pursuits of literature, which his independent fortune enabled him to pursue uninterrupted. Till the age of twenty, he merely indulged a taste for various reading, particularly of foreign works, and the fruits of his studies appeared in "Melanges des Literature Etrangère, 6 vols 12mo, Paris, 1785.” Soon after, an intimacy with a young man of the name of Willemot inspired him with a passion for botany; and imitating the examples of Monteula in mathematics, and Baillie in astronomy, he planned to compose a History of Natural Science. After having exhausted all the means of information in this branch which Paris afforded, he went to Strasburg to visit Professor Hermann. From him he derived a passionate attachment to the Linnæan system, against which there existed then in France a strong prejudice. He prevailed, however, upon six other

naturalists to form with him a Linnæan Society, about the same time that Dr Smith established one under the same title in London. The Academy of Sciences, however, seized with what appears an unworthy jealousy, threat ened to shut their door against the members of this body, which was in consequence dissolved. After the revolution, it again met, under the title of "the Society of Natural History." It experienced now great success; and M. Millin, farther to spread the fame of his master, instituted an annual fête in honour of Linnæus; he translated also "Pultney's General View of the Writings of Linnæus." M. Millin, being secretary to the Society, edited several volumes of its transactions; he also assisted in courses of lectures given by the Society.

These pursuits suffered now a terrible interruption. M. Millin had been an advocate for moderate reform; but this did not prevent him from being included in the proscription of Robespierre. He was immured in a dungeon with 150 of the most illustrious names in France, whom he saw successively depart for the scaffold. His day was fixed for the 11th Thermidor; but on the 9th, the stroke of fate fell on his persecutor; and he was restored to the world. His fortune, however, was gone; but the new government conferred on him several literary appointments, which insured his subsistence. He now also undertook the Magazin Encyclopedique; a continuation, on an enlarged plan, of the Journal des Savans. It enjoyed high favour with the public, and continued long to be the medium, through which many of the first men of science communicated their observations to the public. This publication, in 1816, extended to 130 volumes, when it was discontinued on account of some stamp regulations adopted by the Bourbon government. Soon after, however, it

was resumed under the title of Annales Encyclopediques.

In 1794, on the death of the Abbe Barthelemi, M. Millin was chosen to succeed him as keeper of the Cabinet of Medals in the National Library. From that time he gave up national history, and devoted himself entirely to the duties of this new function. He sold all his cabinets and collections, and with the produce purchased medals and books of antiquities; he gave lectures on the subject; he made journeys to Italy and the south of France, for the purpose of exploring their antiquities, and published valuable narratives of these travels. In the course of them, he suffered one of the greatest calamities which can befall a collector and man of letters. He had left his library in charge of a person who had been long in his service, but whom he had frequent occasion to blame for recent misconduct; notwithstanding which, he still kept him and treated him with kindness. This wretch, impelled either by revenge or frenzy, set fire to the collection; and the whole, consisting of 12,000 volumes, 100 portfolios of engravings, and numerous original MSS. became a prey to the flames. He even took the prints out of the portfolios, and piled them on the floor, to insure their destruction. The neighbours being alarmed, and attempting to enter, he threw out first a false key; and when they at last penetrated to his room, he was found with his throat cut, and weltering in his blood. Before his death, however, M. Millin had in some degree repaired this loss. He died at Paris, on the 14th August, 1818.

Italy, this year, lost an inquirer, almost unrivalled in the exposition of ancient arts and monuments. ENNIUS QUIRINUS VISCONTI was born at Rome in 1753, and was fortunate in a father, who was himself a learned