grammar school at Truro, where he remained a little more than two years. Hence he was removed as a commoner to the public school at Winchester, of which Dr. Joseph Warton was then master. From his boyhood (it is the testimony of one of his school-fellows) he was always popular, from his frankness of manner, and kindness of disposition, which particularly manifested itself in an uncommon absence of all selfish feeling. This was remarkably conspicuous in his conduct at every period of his life, and productive of many highly disinterested acts.

He continued at Winchester nearly four years, and in November, 1789, was admitted a pensioner of St. John's College, Cambridge, under Mr. Whitmore, then one of the tutors of that society. He took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in May, 1793, and shortly after quitted the University. If ever he recurred to the period of his life past at College, he always spoke of it with strong expressions of regret and self-condemnation for time wasted, and talents misapplied. Yet, even here, amidst much idleness and neglect of the studies of the place, he laid the foundation of a knowledge of English literature, which, in the leisure afforded in his first curacies, he enlarged to a considerable extent. His information, aided by a retentive memory, a lively fancy, and his frank

and gentlemanly manners, rendered him a very agreeable companion. His company was much courted, and from the period of his settlement in Bath (which is shortly to be noticed) he had free and welcome admission into what is usually styled the best society.

He was ordained deacon at Exeter by Bishop Buller, in November, 1794; and immediately entered on the curacy of Paul, near Penzance. He appears to have relinquished the care of this church at the close of 1795, or early in the following year, when he went to Cambridge and took his Master's degree. In the summer of the same year he undertook the curacy of St. John's, Milbrook, near Plymouth, where he continued till the illness of his father at Bath summoned him to that place. His father died in May, 1798, and his mother, shortly after the death of her husband, had a paralytic stroke from which she never entirely recovered. To give his undivided attention to his surviving parent, he relinquished the charge of St. John's, and was for some time without the care of a church.

In September, 1799, he married Mary, the daughter of J. S. Wynell Mayow, esq. of Bray, in the county of Cornwall, by whom he had nine children, six of whom survived1 him. Early in the

1 Since the first edition was sent to the press, another of his children has been taken. His fourth daughter, Catherine Margaret, died on the 15th of July, 1826, aged 18.

following year he settled in Bath, and commenced his public ministry by assisting Mr. Sibley, the rector of Walcot, as curate of All Saints. He performed the weekly duty at that chapel, and on Sundays he preached and read prayers at the different churches within the rectory of Walcot in turn. He lost his mother in April this year: she was buried in the Abbey in the same vault with her husband; there is a small tablet erected to their memories in the north aisle. With one interruption of no long continuance (during which he assisted Dr. Randolph, at Laura chapel), he remained in his situation at All Saints till Midsummer, 1808.

While he officiated under Mr. Sibley, he had no parochial charge, though he offered to take, without receiving any additional remuneration for his services, a portion of the parish to inspect and visit: this offer was not accepted; but experience has proved, by what has been done in the district of Trinity Church, that the measure proposed was a wise and judicious one. He was not, however, unengaged, even at this period, in works of active benevolence. He saw much distress around him, which he was anxious to relieve; at the same time he could not close his eyes to the imposture that, in such a city as Bath, mingled with it. To relieve the one, and check in some degree the other,

His

the Society for the Suppression of Mendicity and Relief of Occasional Distress was established in January, 1805. Lady Isabella King, Mr. Richards, and Mr. Duncan, were principally concerned in the formation of this institution. "Our first meeting after an interval of nearly twenty years," (says this most intimate and valued friend, with whom his acquaintance had commenced at Winchester,) "was at the house of Lady I. King, where we planned, together with her, the Society for the Relief of Occasional Distress, &c. clear good sense was on that occasion inestimable, and the value of the heavenly motive that impelled all his actions was manifested in the perseverance with which he bore up against the obloquy that prejudice endeavoured to throw on the simple attempt to distinguish between real and fictitious distress." The objects which this Society proposed to itself were, as its title implies, twofold to suppress mendicity, as far as possible, by the institution of an Office where relief was to be granted to vagrants, on examination of their cases; and to relieve occasional distress among the resident poor, by money, cloathing, and food, given after personal inspection and visiting the dwellings of the applicants. This was the first institution of the kind, extending to both objects, and its utility has been proved and exhibited by

the subsequent establishment of similar ones in the Metropolis and other large towns.

Here, then, was a wide field opened for the exercise of Mr. Richards's industry and humanity, and in this school did he, as he often declared, learn some of the most useful lessons of his life. He had never been insensible to the claims of the destitute. Both by principle, and by natural temper, he was ever ready to give; but here was a system to go upon, a plan that delighted him. To the labours of this Society he devoted himself for many years: he was acute, and at the same time patient, in investigation, assiduous in visiting the cases, and judicious and persevering, both in the duties that more peculiarly devolved on him as secretary and subtreasurer, and in conducting the general business of the institution. The members of the Society, at the close of the first year, in the most friendly and liberal manner expressed their sense of his services and their personal regard for him, by presenting him with a very handsome set of books. Of late years, when Mr. Richards's parochial duties, together with the care of the Dispensary, fully occupied his time, he was no longer able to attend to the Society as he had heretofore done: the

1 He resigned the Sub-Treasurership in 1820, when his name was placed on the list of Vice-Presidents.