1823.] OBITUARY.-Edward Alexander, M.D.-John Aikin, M.D. 85 functions only: rising above every selfish consideration, he carried into his practice the most exalted christian virtues. He was not merely the able physician, but the sympathizing friend and comforter of his patients; he listened to their wants and sorrows, was prompt to aid them by his advice, to pour in the balm of consolation, or to relieve their necessities, as their respective situations and circumstances might require. In the performance of his professional duties he was strictly conscientious. No "respect of persons "did he shew; the rich and the poor partook impartially of bis care and assiduity. To the latter his services were gratuitous; and likewise, in a considerable degree, to others, who could not, without difficulty, afford to make him a suitable remuneration. His bountiful hand was ever open to the claims of the indigent and the oppressed; and in all the relations of life, the same ardour, the same uprightness and integrity, the same unwearied activity, distinguished his conduct. A remarkable sweetness of disposition, and strong intellectual powers, were in him combined with uncommon "singleness of heart." His ruling principle was love to God, displayed in a warm and disin terested love of man, wholly free from party spirit and narrow distinctions. Devotion was his delight, studying the Scriptures his dearest employment, and his hope rested on the mercies of God in Christ. Perhaps Dr. A. did not entirely agree with any denomination of Christians; but serious reflection, and patient investigation, led him to a full conviction of the truth of the leading tenets of Unitarianism; and from the time of his settling in the vicinity of Leicester, he joined the congregation assembling at the "Great Meeting" in that town. In politics he embraced the liberal side of the question, and was always the firm and strenuous advocate of civil and religious freedom. "Every project for the benefit of his country, and the advancement of knowledge, liberty, and truth, obtained his zealous support His judgment of those who differed from him was uniformly candid and generous; and never did he retain the slightest malevolent or unkind sentiment against persons from whom he had experienced undeserved or injurious treatment. The subject of this brief imperfect outline was the younger son of the late John Alexander, M. D. of Halifax, was born Nov. 25, 1767, and received his * See Leicester Chronicle, Nov. 30. classical education at Hipperholm school, which then was, and still is, under the superintendance of the Rev. Richard Hudson, who for more than half a century has officiated as afternoon lecturer at the parish church in Halifax. Dr. A. possessed the advantage of being well initiated in the various branches of his profession during his early youth. At the usual period, he went to London to pursue his anatomical studies, and there became a pupil of Sir William Blizard. Having accomplished his object in the metropolis, he repaired to Edinburgh, and finally took his degree at Leyden, with the highest honour, in October 1791. In the year 1793 he married his first cousin Ellen, the eldest daughter and co-beiress of the late Samuel Waterhouse, Esq. of Halifax, one of the Justices of the Peace for the West Riding of the county of York, and a Deputy Lieutenant for the same district. Dr. A. fixed at Stafford, and was directly appointed physician to the county infirmary. He removed into the neighbourhood of Leicester Oct. 1797, where he continued to reside till his deeply lamented death. All who knew him must regret him, and to his immediate friends his loss is irreparable. DR. JOHN AIKIN. John Aikin, M. D. &c. (whose death was noticed in our last vol. p. 572), was born Jan. 15, 1747, at Kibworth in Leicestershire, being the younger child and only son of T. Aikin, D. D. a dissenting minister, and the master of a respectable and well frequented boarding-school. Till his eleventh year, he received a domestie education, but at that time, his father being appointed theological tutor in the dissenters' academy at Warrington in Lancashire, he was admitted to the benefits of the more extended plan of instruction opened by that institution. In the autumn of his 14th year, having made choice of medicine as a profession, he was apprenticed to Maxwell Garthshore, at that time surgeon and apothecary at Uppingham in Rutlandshire, but who afterwards graduated and settled in London. The three years that he continued at Uppingham were occupied in professional studies, and apparently with more than usual success, since, before their conclusion, he was intrusted with the care of Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Pulteney's business at Leicester, during the absence of that gentleman for a space of two or three months. In November 1764 he became a student at the University of Edinburgh, where 86 OBITUARY.-John Aikin, M. D. where he spent two winters and the intervening summer; but having at that time no intention of graduating, he returned to England in May 1766, and in September of the same year became a pupil of Mr. C. White, of Manchester, at that time rapidly rising to the highest rank as an operating surgeon. With Mr. White he continued for three entire years, advancing in professional knowledge and skill, and in the esteem and confidence of his master, as may be inferred from an essay on the ligature of arteries, written by him at that time, and published by Mr. White in his work entitled "Cases in Surgery." After leaving Manchester he went to London, and employed the winter of 1769-70 in attending the lectures of Dr. Hunter. His professional education being now completed, he settled in Chester as a surgeon, but remained in that city little more than a year, being induced to remove in Nov. 1771 to Warrington, where his parents continued to reside, and where his prospects of success were less obstructed by competition. Here he continued till 1784, and here all his children were born, his marriage having taken place the year after his removal. His first work, entitled "Observations on the external use of preparations of Lead, &c." was published at Chester; and this was succeeded, during his residence at Warrington, by three other professional works, viz. "Thoughts on Hospitals ;""Biographical Memoirs of Medicine in Great Britain to the time of Harvey:" and a very enlarged edition of "Lewis's Materia Medica." His appointment as lecturer on chemistry and physiology at the Academy, induced him to print a "Sketch of the Animal Economy," and "Heads of Chemistry," for the use of his classes; and a translation of "Beaumé's Manual of Chemistry." The intervals of his professional labours were assiduously devoted to elegant literature and to Natural History, sources to him at all times of exquisite delight, and in after years beguiling the languor of sickness, and soothing many an hour of anxiety. The "Essays on Songwriting;"" Miscellaneous Pieces in Prose," consisting of the joint contributions of his sister, Mrs. Barbauld, and himself; "An Essay on the. Application of Natural History to Poetry;" "An Essay on the Plan and Character of Thomson's Seasons ;" and "The Calendar of Nature ;" were all published during this period, and evince at the same time the elegance of his taste, and the activity of his mind. His correct knowledge also of the Latin language [Jan. was shewn in his translation of Tacitus's treatise on the manners of the Germans, and his Life of Agricola, being specimens of a projected translation of the entire works of that historian, which was afterwards abandoned, to the loss probably of the English scholar, from the circumstance of Mr. Murphy being engaged in a similar undertaking. It was at Warrington also that his most valued friendships were formed or consolidated; with Dr. Priestley, Dr. Enfield, Mr. Wakefield, and the Rev. G. Walker, their common connexion with the Academy first brought him acquainted, while the easy distance between Warrington and Manchester allowed him occasional opportunities of supporting the friendships previously formed by him with Mr. White, Dr. Percival, Mr. Henry, and other residents of that town. His acquaintance at Liverpool included Dr. Currie, Mr. Rathbone, Mr. Roscoe, the Rev. J. Yates, and many other cultivated and estimable characters; and his excellent and confidential friend Dr. Haygarth, one of the few who survive him, at that time resided at Chester, and professional or other incidents now and then brought about a meeting. The dissolution of the Academy, which took place not long after the death of his father in 1780, and the inadequate encouragement offered to the practice of surgery as distinct from pharmacy, determined him to take a physician's degree: for this purpose, in the summer of 1784, he proceeded to Leyden, and there graduated; his former residence at Edinburgh during two sessions being not sufficient to entitle him to an examination for a degree. On his return from the Continent he removed with his family to Yarmouth in Norfolk, and early in the succeeding year took up his residence in London. Scarcely, however, had he settled himself in his new situation, before he received an invitation from the inhabitants of Yarmouth and its vicinity to resume his professional duties at that place. Although his stay there had little exceeded a year in duration, yet such had been the effect produced by the few opportunities afforded him of exercising his professional skill, combined with his scientific and literary acquirements, and his amiable and cultivated manners, that the invitation was quite unanimous. He accordingly returned to Yarmouth, not more than two months after he had quitted it, well pleased in having been spared the anxious uncertainty of attempt to establish himself in th tropolis. The three principa men in Yarmouth and ite time, were the Co 1823.] OBITUARY.-John Aikin, M. D. senters, and the Clergy of the Established Church; the two former, inhabiting the town, and not upon any cordial terms with each other, were chiefly devoted to commercial pursuits. The Clergy, liberally educated, and therefore capable of appreciating Dr. Aikin's acquirements, formed the most agreeable part of his society, and the principal acquaintances that he here made were among them. For some time circumstances went on favourably; he enjoyed the moderate emoluments of his profession without rivalry; he instituted a literary society; and in bis library, and in the bosom of his family, he sought and found those gratifications the dearest to his heart. The time for trying the spirits of men was, however, drawing near. The Dissenters, having been repulsed in a former endeavour to obtain from the legislature the repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts, mustered all their strength for a new attempt, vainly trusting, that their acknowledged great inferiority in numbers, wealth, and influence, might be supplied by strength of argument, and by an appeal to the equity of their countrymen. Dr. Aikin, although not agreeing in religious opinions with any class of dissenters, felt strongly the iniquity of excluding from civil duties and offices all those who were not members of the Church of England. Too honest ever to disguise his real sentiments, although sincerely regretting and reprobating the intemperance of each party, he published two pamphlets on the occasion; one, "The Spirit of the Church and of the Constitution compared," the other, "An Address to the Dissidents of Eng land on their late Defeat." the Immediately on the heels of the Test Act controversy, and while the feelings of the nation were yet agitated by that event, occurred the French Revolution, which for a time opened an impassable gulph of separation between parties already exasperated. The declaration made by the National Assembly in favour of the perfect equality of civil rights among the members of every political community, naturally conciliated the good will of those who had been contending without success for this very object, while the merciless and undistinguishing confiscation of church property, and the atrocious massacre of the priests which soon followed, gave the alarm, as might well be expected, to the English clergy, and very naturally induced them to attribute similar intentions of violence and injustice to their political adversaries. Dr. Aikin had decidedly taken his party first as a dis 87 senter, and subsequently as a friend to the French revolution on its first breaking out; and although he never belonged to a political club (not choosing to submit his own reason and sense of equity to be overborne by the clamour and violence of party credulity and party. injustice), was yet made to suffer severely for his political principles. Dr. Girdlestone was encouraged to settle at Yarmouth, and Dr. Aikin escaped from the impending bitterness of a personal controversy, by removing to London in March 1792. During his residence at Yarmouth, Dr. Aikin published (besides the pamphlets already mentioned) an excellent system of English geography, called "England Delineated," which has passed through several editions; a volume of "Poems;" and a "View of the Character and Public Services of J. Howard, esq." No person was perhaps so well qualified to estimate the moral worth and public services of this illustrious individual as Dr. Aikin, both on account of his sound and unprejudiced judgment, and his personal intimacy with Mr. Howard; in consequence of which, the notes and observations collected by Mr. H. during his various journies, had always been placed in the hands of Dr. A. for arrangement and correction. Although the connexions of Dr. A. in London by family and acquaintance were considerable, yet he never obtained much professional employment, being little fitted by temper or habit to engage in the incessant struggle necessary to success; he therefore the more willingly followed the bent of his disposition, and occupied himself chiefly in literary pursuits. The first work which he published after leaving Yarmouth was the two first volumes of "Evenings at Home." To these, though not to the four succeeding ones, Mrs. Barbauld contributed several pieces; the third volume appeared in 1793, the fourth in 1794, and the two last in 1795. The work became immediately very popular, and still continues so, offering a copious and varied store of amusement and instruction to the young, and by its good sense and sound morality commanding the approbation of parents. To those acquainted with its author, it possesses an additional interest, as being highly characteristic of him, exhibiting not only his various acquisitions, but representing his opinions on a variety of topics. The most important and interesting work, however, of which Dr. Aikin was the author, is his "Letters from a Father to a Son on various topics relative to literature and the conduct of life." The 88 OBITUARY.-John Aikin, M. D. first volume was published in 1793, the second was written in 1798 and 1799. The subjects embraced by these Letters are very numerous, critical, and scientific; and discussing some of the most important questions of morals and of general politics. The candid, equitable, and independent spirit which pervades the whole, renders them extremely valuable, not only as materials for thought and rules of moral conduct, but as examples of the temper with which subjects of such high importance ought to be treated. In 1796 he accepted an offer made to him by Mr. Phillips of undertaking the editorship of a periodical work at that time projected by him. This work, the Monthly Magazine, was accordingly superintended by Dr. Aikin from its commencement; and the numerous papers furnished by the Editor and his friends, as well as the general spirit in which the Magazine was conducted, contributed greatly to establish it in the public favour. The connexion of Dr. A. with this work was in May 1806 abruptly and unceremoniously dissolved by the proprietor, from dissatisfaction with an award in a dispute in which he was one of the parties and Dr. Aikin one of the arbitrators. In the same year in which the Monthly Magazine was commenced, Dr. Aikin, in conjunction with his dear friend Dr. Enfield, agreed with Messrs. Kearsley and Hamilton to undertake a general Biographical Dictionary, to be comprized in about ten quarto volumes. He did not engage rashly in so serious an occupation. From his long unreserved intimacy with Dr. Enfield, he felt assured that he possessed a coadjutor of similar views with himself, and of indefatigable industry; and he anticipated great satisfaction in the execution of the work. His own health, however, began to be impaired in 1797 by residence in London, and his indisposition rapidly increasing, and assuming a very serious aspect, obliged him in the ensuing year to quit the Metropolis. He retired for some months to Dorking in Surrey, and in the pure air of that delightful valley, aided by gentle horse-exercise, and an unusually fine summer, made some progress towards recovery. In the winter he took a house at Stoke Newington, in which henceforth he continued to reside. In the mean time he had lost by death his friend and coadjutor in his great work, the first volume of which was published in the spring of 1799. Some time elapsed before a successor to Dr. Enfield could be found, and then commercial difficulties on the part of the [Jan. bookseller interposed, materially impeding the success of the work by retarding its regular progress, so that the 10th and last volume was not published till 1815. It is not necessary farther to detail the literary occupations in which Dr. Aikin was engaged during his residence at Stoke Newington. While the infirmities of age pressed only with a light hand, the greater part of every day was devoted to writing or reading. Painful and trying was the period when the decay of the mind, in consequence of a paralytic attack, began to precede that of the bodily frame, when the memory became less and less capable of recalling the past, and the intellect of receiving the impress of the present; one ray, however, still enlightened the gloom, and when all besides was dark, conjugal love still connected him with the external world. He died Dec. 7, 1822, having nearly completed his 75th year. Dr. Aikin was endowed by nature with a good constitution; and this original advantage he was always careful to preserve by strict temperance and abundant exercise: to this was united an intellect of great activity in acquiring, and facility in communicating ideas; and a temper calm, well-regulated, and cheerful, though far from sanguine. Hence he possessed, in a very eminent degree, the inestimable blessing of a sound mind in a sound body. The abstractions of mathematical investigation and the minute dissection of almost evanescent ideas, which characterizes the metaphysician, either were not adapted to his faculties, or did not agree with his taste, which was strongly attracted to the useful in morals, in politics, and in the general conduct of life, and to the agreeable, the harmonious, and the elegant in objects of amusement. Hence his stores of knowledge were all produceable in the intercourse of society, and this gave him a wide range of subjects for conversation. These were communicated in simple and easy though flowing language, and regulated by a goodness of temper, a decorum and practical politeness not often equalled, never excelled. The ruling principle of his conduct in great as in small affairs was equity, that equity which is best expressed by the Christian maxim of doing to others as we would wish others to do to us. Kind, generous, compassionate, to all with whom he was connected either by ties of kindred or acquaintance, or in the exercise of his profession, he had no personal enemies, and the love and attachment of his friends was in proportion to their intimacy with him; for there was nothing 1823.] OBITUARY.-C. G. Gray, Esq.-M. Delambre.-W. Hey, Esq. 89 in his moral character (using the expression in its widest extent) which required to be managed, to be kept out of view, to be glossed over. Fare thee well, revered and beloved, till we meet in the eternal world! A. A. CHARLES GORDON GRAY, Esq. Dec. 19. At Stratton House, near Chilcompton, Somerset, aged 63, Charles Gordon Gray, Esq. a Vice President of the Bath and West of England Agricultural Society, to which Society his scientific knowledge of stock, and of husbandry in general, is well known. He has left a widow and a family of children. He was of the Grays of Sutherlandsbire. His grandfather, Mr. Hugh Gray, of Helmsdale in that county, was a gentleman farmer, well skilled in farming and farming-stock, whose eldest son, Robert G. went out an adventurer to Jamaica, and became a respectable and successful planter, was particularly famous for his skill of cattle, and for having the best pen of them in that Island; so that their skill in farmingstock and husbandry might be said to be hereditary in the family. He was very much esteemed in Jamaica, and was father of the deceased. All the Grays of Sutherland were descended from a son of Lord Gray, who having killed the constable of Dundee, in revenge for an injury done to his father, fled there and concealed himself. They spread into many branches, obtained large possessions, and were, for the space of about 200 years, among the most respectable families in that county. Of late only they have become nearly extinct, except in the female descendants. William Gray, Esq. late Provost Marshal, was a native of this county. He has left a large family of sons and daughters, none of whom are ever likely to reside in Sutherlandshire. CHEVALIER Delambre. Aug. 18. At Paris, at an advanced age, the Chevalier Delambre, Member and Perpetual Secretary for the Mathematical Sciences of the Royal Academy in Paris. After devoting a long life to the most useful studies, and the practice of the most amiable virtues, the decline of his health was hastened by his intense application. During nearly two months, bis numerous friends, and above all his ever attentive and attached wife, a lady distinguished for every female excellence, and who for five and twenty years had been his constant companion, felt the GENT, MAG. January, 1823. rack of boding fears, while wishing to alleviate his pangs by a cheerful coun tenance. His funeral took place on the 21st of August last, and on the arrival of the procession at the cemetery of the Père de la Chaise, several orations were pronounced by Members of the Scientific Academies in Paris. Mons. Delambre has not only done practical astronomy service for the present and future, by freeing it from the confined limits of arithmetic, and uniting, instead, the various elements which concur in the result of observation, by the laws of their algebraic dependance; thus giving to Mayer's tables a degree of perfection before thought ideal; but be has also placed the past history of the science in a clear point of view, giving to each progressive discovery its due praise. In all intercourse with his contemporaries, his pure love of science, elevated above any prejudice of party or country, has been evinced in a inanner that will ever reflect splendour on his character. This benevolence of mind he extended to the most humble students. The language of Mons. Delambre, both to his numerous disciples, and in general society, was ever that of kind encouragement, and obliging instruction when required. WILLIAM HEY, ESQ. Lately. At Leeds, William Hey, esq. He was an early and zealous supporter of the Church Missionary Society. His earnest desire of the salvation of his fellow creatures excited him to co-operate with various societies, which had for their object the civilizing and evangelizing of the heathen, by a more wide diffusion of the Gospel; but as a member of the Church of England, he regarded it as his more immediate duty to assist and cherish the Church Missionary Association at Leeds. LIEUTENANT GEORGE PACE. Lieut. G. Pace, of the Royal Navy, whose death was noticed in vol. xcu. ii. 475, was an officer of many years standing, and was born in 1767. His father was also in the navy, and served in the American war, under the command of Admiral Lord Shuldham; during which period he was employed in his Lordship's office, in conjunction with the late Right Hon. George Rose, and the late Right Hon. Sir Evan Nepean, Bart.; and although the smiles of Fortune did not accompany him through life so beneficently as the fickle goddess did those gentlemen, yet he obtained, as a reward for |