Gaisford in 1812. Upon presenting a copy of the work to Dr. Clarke, he received a flattering acknowledgment; and some time afterward, in a visit which he made to Cambridge, the Doctor and he became personally acquainted. About the same time he had it in contemplation to republish a Greek and German Dictionary, of great esteem on the continent, with a translation of the German into English; but on being informed that another person was previously engaged in that undertaking, he relinquished all further thoughts of it.

InJuly 1816, he married Johanna, youngest daughter of the late Alexander Anderson Felborg, of Copenhagen. The melancholy termination of this connection by the death of the young lady on the eighth day after her marriage was an event generally known and commiserated at the time, and too remarkable to be soon forgotten. In order to relieve his mind from the shock which it had sustained by this awful and distressing

circumstance, Mr. Nicoll accompanied his brother-in-law Felborg in a voyage to Copenhagen, the residence of his late wife's relations. As he became more tranquil, the various objects which presented themselves during the voyage could not fail to interest his curiosity, and he speaks with much pleasure of the novelty and beauty of the scenery which he witnessed in the Sound and at Elsineur. But that which gave him most satisfaction was his introduction to the Danish literati at Copenhagen. In a letter which he wrote to me from that city, dated August 10, he mentions the names of several of the most eminent. "Since my

arrival here, he says, I have been introduced to several of the most distinguished literary men; among whom are Thorkelin, whom you may have heard of, Nyerup, Rask, all distinguished in the department of northern literature; Foersom, who has translated most of Shakespeare into Danish, and who had just been translating some of

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the speeches when I saw him." On another occasion he speaks of Thorlacius, Magnussen, Moller, Malling, Bronsted who travelled with Lord Byron, Pram the best of the Danish poets, Professor Rosmussen, and Bishop Münter. By some of these literary characters he was received with great kindness, and presented with a copy of their works; and he expresses, as might be expected, no small gratification, in the attentions of so many celebrated scholars and men of genius. "Their manners, he observes, are all decidedly different from those of Englishmen but they all appear to be men whose acquaintance with literature is perfectly free from any supercilious affectation of dignity. The University Library is not very extensive; but it abounds in every thing relating to northern literature. I have free permission to get books from it. The King's Library is the greatest here; but I have not yet seen it."

After making some excursions to dif

ferent parts of Zealand, and passing about two months in the Danish dominions, he returned to England through Germany and Holland, much improved in health and spirits, and extremely delighted with all he had seen. The year following he entered into Deacon's Orders, having for his title the Curacy of St. Martin's, (commonly called Carfax,) in Oxford. It seems to have been at this time also that, in consequence of proposals made to him by the Curators of the Bodleian Library and Delegates of the University Press, he engaged in that laborious undertaking in which he was occupied during the remainder of his life; viz. A Catalogue of all the Oriental MSS. which are not to be found, or are imperfectly described, in the Catalogue of Uri, forming a Supplement or Second Part to that work. For in the same letter, of June 1817, to his brother, in which he announces his Ordination, he signifies his intention of deferring his visit to Scotland to another year; for which the reason he

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assigns is want of leisure. "I still continue my labours," he says, " in the Library, on the boundless subject of Oriental literature. I hope they will soon assume such a form as to be fit for publication. I receive great encouragement from the Professors, who are Curators of the Library." Notwithstanding, however, his apparent resolution to remain in Oxford the whole of this year, he contrived in the course of the long vacation to make an excursion to Paris. Of a letter which he wrote to me soon after his arrival in that city, the following is an extract. "I went, as you may suppose, as soon as possible, to the Royal Library, where I was introduced to Mr. Langles by the Count de Berton. The Library of printed books is, I am pretty confident, nearly three times as large as the Bodleian. The MSS. form a large library by themselves, being reckoned about 80,000 in number. By means of Mr. Langles and the Conservateur of the Greek MSS. I have found that there is a very great number