where invited and careffed, and at laft ene of his patrons procured him the fituation of an Excileman, and an income of fomewhat lefs than gol. per annum. We know not whether any fteps were taken to better this humble income. Probably he was not qualified to fill a fuperior fituation to that which was affigned him. We know that his manners refused to partake the polith of geoteel fociety, that his talents were often obfcured and finally impaired by excels, and that his private circumftances were embittered by pecuniary diftrefs. Such, we believe, is the character of a man who in his compofitions has discovered the force of native humour, the warmth and tendernefs of paffion, and the glowing touches of a defcriptive pencil-a man who was the pupil of nature, the poet of infpiration, and who poffeffed in an extraordinary degree the powers and failings of genius. Of the former, his works will remain a lafting monument; of the latter we are afraid that his conduct and his fate afford but too melancholy proofs. Like his predeceffor Ferguson, though he died at an early age, his mind was previously exhaufted, and the apprehenfions of a diftempered imagination concurred along with indigence and fick nefs to embitter the laft moments of his life. He has left behind a wife with five infant children, and in the hourly expectation of a fixth, without any resource but what he may hope from public fympathy, and the regard due to the memory of her husband. Need we fay any thing more to awaken the feelings of benevolence? Burns, who himself erected a monument to the memory of his unfortunate poetical predeceffor Ferguson, has left, in his diftreffed and helpless family, an opportunity to his admirers and the public, at once to pay atribute of respect to the genius of the poet, and to erect a fubftantial monument of their own beneficence. FUNERAL OF BURNS. Mr. Burns was a foldier as well as a poet; he was a member of the Royal Dumfries Volunteers, and while his brethren in arms determined that his remains fhould be interred with military · honours, every liberal and noble mind concurred in gracing the fad folemnity with every additional respect. The corpfe had been conveyed to the Town hall, and was removed from thence for interment. The military, confifting of the Cinque Port Cavalry, and the Angushire Fencibles, having handfomely tendered their fervices, lined the ftreets on both fides to the burial ground, in the Old Church-yard, about a mile diftant. The Royal Dumfries Volunteers, in uniform, with fcarfs on their left arms, fupported the bier; another party of the corps, appointed to perform the military obfequies, moving in flow folemn time to the Dead March in Saul, which was played by the military band, preceded in mournful array, with arms reverted. The principal part of the gentry and the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood, with a long train of the particular friends of the Bard, from remote parts, all actuated by the regard which is due to the fhade of fo much worth, followed in proceffion, the great bells of the churches tolling at intervals. Arrived at the church-yard gate, the funeral party formed two lines, leaning their heads on their firelocks pointed to the ground. Through this fpace the corpfe was carried, and borne forward to the grave. The party then drew up alongside of it, fired three vollies over the coffin when depofited in the earth. The whole ceremony prefented a folemn, grand, and affecting fpectacle, and accorded with the general forrow and regret for the lofs of a man, "whole like we scarce can fee again.' MEMOIRS AND CHARACTER OF THE LATE ROBERT SHAW, ESQ. . COMPTROLLER OF HIS MAJESTY'S GENERAL POST-OFFICE, DUBLIN. THOUSANDS, who were not perfonally acquainted with the late ROBERT SHAW, will regret his death, because it was a public lofs-because he was the benevolent citizen of the world, whofe mind, unfettered by any felfish, narrow prejudices, ftudied to be ufeful to mankind. Mr. Shaw was defcended from a fefpectable family in the county of Kilkenny, and was born on the 12th of eleven children, of whom fire fons and two daughters are now living. This lady dying in 1790, he married, fecondly, in 1791, Mifs Prifcilla Cecilia Armitage a young lady whofe perfonal charms irrefiftibly attracted his affic tions, independent of her genteel rank, polite education, and handiome fortune; and by whom he has had three children (a fon and two daughters): with thefe dear pledges of their mutual love the furvives, to lament the heft of husbands and moft excellent of fathers. With a clear head, a comprehenfive mind, and perfevering induftry, Mr. Shaw established the firft commercial houfe in Ireland, and acquired a large fortune which few of the Nobility can equal. It was a very uncommon mark of his intrinfic worth, that Envy itself was never heard to fay a word to his prejudice; and whatever can be related in his praife will be allowed to be far within the bounds of modefty and truth. In him there always appeared a conicious dignity, the refult of the virtuous difpofitions of his heart. His fincere and unaffected piety, which never courted obfervation, fpread a luftre over all his other endowments. His charity pervaded the forlorn abodes of deferted merit, imprifoned in their lonely cells and his bounty flowed in with the return of every glimmering light. The throbbing hearts of the widow and fatheriefs by him were compaffionately foothed, and their tears wiped away Every fpecies of human mifery was relieved by him; the indigent and the dif treffed will long mourn their lefs, and retain a grateful fenfe of his truly Chriftian compaffion. From too great an attention to and anxiety about bufinefs (not folely for his own emolument), Mr. Shaw had many months laboured under a complaint which had too natural a tendency to a fudden and fatal issue: Every remedy and every exertion of the Faculty were unavailing to ward it off. He expired the zd of July, full of peace, and in joyful hopes of a glorious immortality. The contemplation of fuch a character, while it affords an inftructive leffon to mankind, is peculiarly foothing in its influence on thofe who are bend ing under the weight of forrow for their lofs. Sweet to them will be the recollection of his virtues; and fweeter fill the pious confidence, that ere long they fhall be bleffed with the uninter rupted enjoyment of heavenly felicity. quis Cornwallis to the Myforean Frinces by Lady Oakley, and received with the greateft fatisfaction. DESCRIPTION OF THE PALANQUINS PRESENTED TO THE SONS OF TIPPOO SULTAUN. [WITH AN ENGRAVING.] THE Drawings reprefent two fuperb State Palanquins, built by Meffrs. Steuarts and Co. Coachmakers in Calcutta, by order of the Marquis Cornwallis, and prefented by the Hon. Eaft India Company to the Sons of his High nefs Tippoo Sultaun at the conclufion of the late war, while they remained at Madras, as hoftages to the British nation. The Palanquins were executed in the moft coftly and magnificent style. All the mouldings round the framing were folid filver (as alfo were the ftays and different other ornaments) highly polifhed, and of the most exquifite workmanship. On the extremities of the bamboos were heads of various animals, elegantly emboffed and engraved, to reprefent life; and the pannels exhibited on the different compartments various trophies of war, to accord with the taste of that warlike Prince. They were lined with rich crimfon velvet, on which trophies of war, and other ornaments, were magnificently embroidered in gold, and richly ona. mented with gold bullion lace. They were prefented in the abfence of Mar When the Princes were escorted to Seringa patam by Captain Doveton, he had two interviews with Tippoo Sultaun, during which he expreffed much gratitude for the kind attention and civilities fhewn his Sons; and on the Pa lanquins being introduced, obferved, "I admire them much; but where true friendship exifts, a prefent is but a form." Meffrs Steuarts, in confequence of thofe having afforded fo much fatisfaction, had foon afterwards orders for State Palanquins from the Nabobs of Lucknow and Arcot, and have fince built fimilar Palanquins for most of the native Princes. It is pleafing to observe, that the fuperior tafte and workmanship of a British artist has fo far triumphed over the frong prejudices of the natives of Hindoftan in favour of their own, of which they have hitherto, on all occas fions, buen fo remarkably tenacious. The Polanquin presented by the Marquis Cornwallis to Prince Abdel Publifhd by J.Sewel, Sep 1796 CHARACTERS, ANECDOTES, &c. OF ILLUSTRIOUS AND CELEBRATES BRITISH CHARACTERS, DURING THE LAST FIFTY YEARS, (MOST OF THEM NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED.) (Continued from Page zo. ) SIR WILLIAM PETTY. (Ancestor to the prefent MARQUIS OF LANSDOWN.) THIS very ingenious and indefatigable character in the various pursuits of literature and mechanics was one of the first formers of the Royal Society, and was one of the members of the firft Council on its establishment. The philofophical meetings likewife which preceded the establishment of the Royal Society were held at his houfe in the city, fince known by the name of Tokenboufe-yard. He likewife prefented to the Royal Society, fome years after its eftablithment, a model of his double-bottom ship, which was calculated to fail against wind and tide, and which actually performed one voyage with fuccefs from Dublin to Holyhead, though upon further experiments it mifcarried. This model is fill to be feen in the repofitory of the Society. It was a maxim of this great man, in all matters of science (and which he inculcated into the Royal Society on its earliest institution)" never to talk of any thing in the general-but always to mention the time and place, the measure or the weight, in precife terms." EARL OF BATH. Two old French Ladies, whole-humanity kept pace with a very extenfive fortune, amongst other liberalities, kept an open table two days in the week for a certain number of reduced perfons of fanion. Lord and Lady Bath, hearing of this, fent a letter to the Ladies, and, after expreffing many compliments on the liberality of the inftitution, faid they hould like to be prefent at fo amiable and praifeworthy a meeting. This honour was very readily accepted of, and they both attended on the appointed day, which answered fo much to their ex pectation, that they begged permiffion to come again. In fhort, they became fuch conftant vifitors to this eleemofynabanquet, that many people of that day (knowing the characters of the noVOL. XXX. AUGUST 1796. When the Dutchefs was in the higheft favour with Queen Anne, her Ma jefty, amongst other valuable prefents, gave her her picture, richly enamelled and fet round with diamonds. When the Dutchefs quarrelled with the Queen and was leaving England, about the year 1712, by way of infulting her Royal Patronefs, he took off the diamonds and gave the picture to a Mrs. Higgins (an old intriguing woman, well known about the Court at that time) to make the most of it. Mrs. Higgins hawked the picture about for fome days, without any body coming up to her price; at laft Lord Oxford heard of it, and, not wishing the picture to fall into improper hands, fent for Mrs. Higgins, and purchased it for one hundred pounds. The impeachment of Lord Oxford was carried on principally by the intrigues of the Dutchefs of Marlborough. The Duke her husband and the Members of the Secret Committee judged they could make little of it, and therefore would have let it go by; but the Dutchefs, tachment to Lady Mafham, and general who mortally hated Oxford for his atoppofition to her interefts, fpirited up the profecution by every fpecies of in trigue. On the day of Lord Oxford's being brought up for trial (after two Duke of Marlborough, Lord Cadegan, years confinement in the Tower), the and Lord Coningsby, feeing that the impeachment would be difcharged, withthe Lords came into Westminster-hall; drew themselves, before the majority of tracted that the fell into fits, and did not upon which the Dutchefs was fo difdine with the Duke for a fortnight afterwards. |