her inmate, and for many years her correspondent; and Mrs. Carter was, from their youth, her intimate friend, correspondent, and visitor. Since her death four volumes of her epistolary correspondence have been published by her nephew and executor, Matthew Montague, Esq. but in consequence of some violent criticism, he declined to publish the remainder, which has been severely regretted by the literary world; had the whole series been completed, a just idea might have been formed of Mrs. Montague's character, and the result, we may venture to predict, would have been highly favourable.

The Rev. Dr. Alexander Geddes. This learned writer was a native of Arradowl, in the parish of Ruthven, and County of Banff, in Scotland; he was bred a Roman Catholic, and educated at the Scotch College in Paris. Here school divinity and biblical criticism occupied the principal part of his time; and he endeavoured also to make himself master of the Greek and Latin languages, and of the French, Spanish, German, and Low Dutch.

After finishing his education, he was successively priest of several Roman Catholic Congregations in Scotland. In 1780, he quitted his native country in consequence of having been deposed from his office by Bishop Hay for having occasionally attended the ministry of Mr. Buchanan, The same year the University of Aberdeen granted him a diploma for the degree of Doctor of Laws, being the only instance it is said, in which that honour had been conferred on a Roman Catholic; he officiated for twelve years at the Imperial Ambassador's Chapel in London; and after that was shut up, at the Chapel in Duke Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. At an early age, he distinguished himself as an Hebraist, and turned his attention to biblical criticism, and having examined many rare MSS. both at Paris, and after his return from the continent, he began, in 1782, but it is generally said to have arisen from the circumstance of a person excusing himself from going to one of its very early meetings, on account of his being in a deshabille, to which it was replied: "No particular regard to dress is necessary in an assembly devoted to the cultivation of the mind; so little attention, indeed, is paid to the dress of the parties, that a gentleman would not be thought very outré who should appear in blue stockings." This lady was, for many years noticed for the benevolent peculiarity of giving an annual dinner on May-day to all the little climbing boys, apprentices to the chimney-sweepers of the metropolis. Perhaps her attention to these too frequently distressed children, led to those humane regulations, which, through the exertions of Mr. Jonas Hanway, were determined on by Parliament.

a new translation of the Bible, of which he published a prospectus in 1786; in 1792, he brought out the first volume, containing the Pentateuch and the Book of Joshua, under the patronage of Lord Petre, from whom, during several years, and till the death of that nobleman, he_experienced the most generous and active friendship. Previously to the publication of this work, great expectations having been raised by the known learning of the author, a most respectable subscription was obtained for it, graced by the names of the most eminent literary characters, both at home and abroad, from among the different denominations of Christians. On its appearance, however, it was found to abound in passages which were not only deemed exceptionable and disgusting by members of the Church of England, but were so much disapproved by those of his own community, that public censures were passed upon him by the Vicar Apostolic of the London district. Regardless of these censures, Dr. Geddes, in 1797, published a second volume, containing the books of Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles: and in the preface openly avowed opinions hostile to the belief of the inspiration of the Scriptures, as assented to both by his church and our own. His reputation for learning, was very considerable in Scotland, and he was one of the literati who took a very active part in the Institution of the Society of Antiquaries at Edinburgh. In their volume for 1792, he wrote " A Dissertation on the Scoto-Saxon Dialect," and "The first Eklog of Virgil," and "The first Idyllion of Theocritus, translatitt into Scottis vers," in the former of which the Edinburgh dialect is chiefly imitated, and in the latter the Buchan. Besides these Dr. Geddes wrote many fugitive pieces, essays, poems in the Newspapers and Magazines, and was a considerable contributor to the Analytical Review. In the year 1793, Dr. Geddes took a house in Allsop's Buildings, New Road, where he continued to reside till his death, which happened on the 26th of February, 1802. Dr. Geddes's funeral was attended by many eminent divines of very different religious persuasions; he was buried in the church-yard at Paddington, where is a plain upright stone to his memory, put up in 1804, at the expence of Lord Petre, with the following inscription:

"Rev. Alexander Geddes, LL. D. Translator of the Historical Books of the Old Testament, died, Feb. 26, 1802, aged 65."

66

Christian is my name,and Catholic my surname, I grant that you are a Christian as well as I, and embrace you as my fellow disciple of Jesus; and if you were not a disciple

of Jesus, still I would embrace you as my fellow man.”— Extracted from his Works.

"Requiescat in Pace."

There is a life of Dr. Geddes, in 8vo. with his portrait prefixed, written by John Mason Good, M. D. who was his particular friend, and published in 1803.

The Rev. Basil Woodd. This gentleman was born at Richmond, in Surrey, on the 5th of August, 1760._On leaving his paternal roof, he became the pupil of the Rev. Thomas Clarke, Rector of Chesham Bois, and at the age of seventeen, was entered student of Trinity College, Oxford, where he took the degree of Master of Arts. On the 10th of March, 1783, he was ordained deacon, at the Temple Church, London, by Dr. Thurlow, Bishop of Lincoln, and Sept. 19, 1784, was ordained priest, at Westminster Abbey, by Dr. Thomas, Bishop of Rochester; at this time he frequently officiated at St. Paul's, Deptford; but was shortly afterwards chosen Lecturer of St. Peter's Cornhill, which situation he filled for twenty-four years. In February, 1785, Mr. Woodd received the appointment of Morning Preacher at Bentinck Chapel, of which he purchased the lease in 1793, and where he continued his labours with diligence and success up to the time of his death. In the year 1808, he was presented by Lady Robert Manners, to the Rectory of Drayton Beauchamp. In addition to Mr. Wood's ministerial duties, he rendered himself exceedingly active in establishing schools; under his superintendence more than 3000 children have received their education in the schools connected with Bentinck Chapel: he was also the founder of several excellent benevolent institutions, and was particularly instrumental in establishing a fund for the relief of the sick and afflicted within the range of his observations. As an author Mr. Woodd never appeared in any voluminons work, but several Tracts and Discourses from his pen have obtained a considerable circulation.

In 1785, Mr. Woodd introduced public worship on Sunday Evenings, at Bentinck Chapel; this was deemed a novel proceeding and met with great opposition; he however persevered, and such is the effect of laudable example, that opposition was succeeded by imitation i Evening Lectures having been successively established at the Parish Church and the other Chapels.

Mr. Woodd resided at Paddington. where he died sincerely lamented by all who knew him, on the 12th of April, 1831, and was interred in Paddington Churchyard,

where a splendid monument by Rossi, has been erected to his memory.

James Brooke, Esq. This gentleman was well known to the chief wits of his time; and was particularly intimate with Johnson, Garrick, Churchill, Wilkes, Lloyd, Murphy, &c. as well as with most of the Bon Vivants of his early days, though his own habits were very temperate. He possessed considerable literary talents, which were chiefly exercised in numberless political pamphlets, prologues, epilogues, songs, &c. He conducted "The North Briton," after it was relinquished by Wilkes, till the final termination of that once popular work. He was thoroughly acquainted with mankind, and abounded in anecdotes, which he related in a very easy, lively and entertaining manner. A daughter of this gentleman, a most amiable and accomplished lady, who died in the prime of life, was married to the late Philip Champion Crespigny, Esq. King's Proctor, and formerly M. P. for Sudbury and Aldborough. Mr. Brooke retained his faculties, as well as his vivacity and humour, almost to the close of his life; and died after a short illness, at his house in Rathbone Place, Oct. 23, 1807.

Count Simon Woronzow. This distinguished Noble. man was born at Moscow in the year 1744, of a noble family, which in point of rank and antiquity was inferior to none in the Russian Empire. After active service in the army during the war between Russia and the Ottoman Porte in 1770-1-2-3, he retired to Italy, where he remained till 1781. He was appointed Russian Minister at Venice in 1782, and was sent on a special mission to the Court of London in 1789, where he soon after became resident Minister and Ambassador. He, however, retired from the service of the Emperor Paul, when that monarch formed an alliance with the First Consul Buonaparte. The Count was re-appointed Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, on the accession of Alexander. He visited Russia in 1802, but soon returned to England, and, after the marriage of his daughter to the Earl of Pembroke in 1808, he never quitted this country, except for short excursions to France in 1815, and 1819, which he undertook to visit his son Count Michael, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian corps, forming part of the European Army of Observation.

His Excellency was highly esteemed in the elevated circle in which he moved. He died at his house in Mansfield Street, on the 21st of June 1832, in the 88th year of

his age, and his remains were deposited in a vault underneath the Parish Church of St. Mary-le-bone, which also contains the remains of one of his grandsons. By his death, numerous charitable Institutions of this country, have lost a constant and liberal benefactor. He distributed in charity more than £.4700 a year.

This

Sir George Leonard Staunton, Bart. F. R. S. gentleman was Secretary to Lord Macartney in his Embassy to China, and was a Member of the Royal Institution. He was son of a gentleman of small fortune in the County of Galway, in Ireland; and sent early to study physic at Montpelier, whence he proceeded M. D. On his return to London, he translated Dr. Storck's "Treatise on Hemlock," and drew up a "Comparison between the literature of England and France." for the Journal Etranger, in France. He married a daughter of Benjamin Collins, Esq. Banker, at Salisbury; and, before he embarked for the West-Indies, wrote a farewell letter to Dr. Johnson, inserted in his Life by Boswell. He resided there some years; and his fortune increasing by his practice, he purchased an estate in Grenada, where he obtained the friendship of Lord Macartney, the Governor, acting as his Secretary, and as Attorney-General of the Island; having exchanged the medical profession for that of the law, soon after his arrival out; on the capture of that Island by the French he returned to England, and on his Lordship's appointment to the Government of Madras, he accompanied him as his Secretary, and was appointed one of the Commissioners to treat of peace with Tippoo Sultaun. On his return to England, the India Company settled on him a pension of 500l. per annum; the King created him a Baronet, and the University of Oxford conferred on him the degree of LL.D. In the Embassy to China, he was not only appointed Secretary of the Legation, but had the title of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, to be ready in case of accident, to supply the Ambassador's place. He afterwards published an Account of the Embassy, and died at his house in Devonshire Street, Portland Place, Jan. 31, 1801, after long suffering under a paralytic affection.

Richard Brothers. During the years 1792-3-4, the minds of the credulous had been much disturbed by the prophecies of this man, who had been a Lieutenant in the Navy; among other extravagancies promulgated by Mr. Brothers, he styled himself the 'Nephew of God; and predicted the destruction of all Sovereigns, the downfall