ensued, and it was resolved that twice at least in a year he should visit the metropolis, and pass a month with his friend, while Mr. Prince was to return this act of good neighbourhood by a journey to Worting, as often as his arduous duties would permit. This friendly intercourse proceeded without intermission till about the end of 1800, when declining health obliged Mr. Waldo to make a tour to the lakes; and here he again found an entertaining companion in Bishop Watson, who almost prevailed with him to take up his constant residence in that delightful part of England. At the close of the year 1802, the debility of his frame increased with accumulated rapidity, and in January 1803, having then completed his 72d

year,

and leaving no issue, he expired at Worting.

Mr. Waldo was in his person tall, with a countenance indicative of the goodness of his heart; and in his dress so neat, that (like Jonas Hanway) “ he was at all times fit to appear in the drawing-room." He has been confounded by several writers with Peter Waldo of the 17th century, who wrote some books on commerce. Dr. Mant, in the index to his useful Family Bible, has also fallen into this error.

His death was to many, both in a physical and moral sense, a severe loss. The poor who felt his bounty were extremely numerous; for besides those who knew the hand which administered to their necessities, there were many from whom his name was scrupulously concealed. He, however, bequeathed a handsome sum, to be yearly distributed by his surviving partner. In his dealings with the world he was punctuality itself; he possessed a meekness of manners, and a diffidence truly Mosaic: in his habits temperate; in his religion zealous without fanaticism, pious without gloom. In a word, it was the study of his life

“ To point to heaven, and lead himself the way."

.

а

452

No. II.

a

ROBERT WATSON, LL.D. Of this writer, no regular biography, we believe, has as yet appeared : the annexed documents therefore, cannot fail to prove highly interesting to the Public.

It may be here necessary to premise, that Dr. Watson, a divine and historian, was born at St. Andrew's, in Scotland, in 1730. After receiving the elements of a good education at the grammar school, he was matriculated as a meinber of the university of his native city; whence he removed in succession to the colleges of Edinburgh and Glasgow, for the express purpose of completing his studies under some of the most famous professors of that day.

Being designed for the church, Mr. Watson entered into holy orders and after a short absence, returned to the place which had given him birth, where he was received with open arms. To the degree of LL.D. the professorship of logic, rhetoric, and belles lettres, quickly succeeded; in short, such was his estimation, that he attained the rank of principal of the united colleges, while still a very young man.

He now married a daughter of Professor Shaw, by whom he had several children ; and appears to have lived with great credit at St. Andrew's, where he possessed considerable influence, and was exceedingly respected.

At his leisure hours, Dr. Watson addicted himself to literary pursuits, and at length fixed on that memorable period of the history of Europe, which comprehends the revolt of Holland and Flanders from the Spanish yoke. To this subject his attention was perhaps directed, by occurrences of a recent and important nature: for our American colonies had now taken up arms, proclaimed their independence, and contended in the « tented field," with the mother country.

To obtain the necessary information, Dr. Watson immediately commenced a correspondence with Dr. Maclean, a Scottish divine of distinguished reputation, settled in the United Provinces. An intercourse also took place with Dr. Peirson, minister of the English Church at Amsterdam. The latter gentleman must have proved eminently useful, for he was at this period collecting that noble library, which he afterwards brought into this country under the most disadvantageous circumstances, having sacrificed his church preferment, and a considerable portion of his private fortune to his attachment to the House of Orange.

Unfortunately, Dr. Watson was cut off prematurely, before he had accomplished his literary labours, leaving behind him several orphan daughters, very scantily provided for. On this his executors, the Drs. Robertson and Blair, George Dempster, Esq. M.P., and Mr. Shaw, a near relation of the family, selected the late Dr. William Thomson, to continue and complete the original plan.* This task was achieved with peculiar felicity and success; and it not only produced fame and employment for the gentleman who undertook it, but also. obtained for him the unsolicited degree of LL.D., from the University of Glasgow.

Copy of a Letter from the Rev. Thomas Peirson, D.D., to the

Editor, “Dear Sir,

Chelsea, Feb. 13, 1818. “ Herewith I send you the two letters, from my late friend, Principal Watson of the University of St. Andrew's, which you expressed a wish to see.

“ In his original situation in the united colleges of St. Salvador and St. Leonard in that university, Mr. Robert Watson held the professorship of logic, rhetoric, and belles lettres, in which capacity, he was my master. Upon the death of the principal, Mr. Thomas Tullideph, Mr. Watson, through the good offices of his worthy friend, Mr. George Dempster, his fellow student, I believe, at St. Andrew's, and whose political,

. See Ann. Biog. vol. ii, p. 92.

or rather I should say, electioneering concerns in that burgh, he had always most assiduously managed, he obtained the principality, together with the small clerical charge, the college living, as an Englishman would call it, of St. Leonard's, usually annexed to that office; and upon the publication of his history of the reign of Philip the Second of Spain, got the degree of L.U.D. or LL.D.

“ The two letters from him to me, of February 12th and November 21st, 1779, you will see from the first in order, were in answer to one from me to him, wherein, having occasion to apply to him, for obtaining a St. Andrew's degree of D.D., for a Dutch friend of mine, residing at St. Eustatius, I made him an offer of furnishing him with any continental publications which he might wish to consult respecting the subject of his historical researches.

“ Regard to my quondam master, who had patronised me at college, prompted me to inform him of the character his History of Philip the Second bore upon the Continent : and, of course, to mention to him some defects which Dutch and German readers complained of in that work. These, not having kept copies of mine to the Principal, I pretend not, at this distance of time, as I write from memory, exactly to state, though you may easily collect them from his answers, espe. cially the last of his letters. I well remember they were three in number, the principal of which was, that exclusively of his long and barbarous struggle for retaining his dominion, rather I should say, domination over the Seven Provinces, the fairest part of his hereditary possessions, there is little or no mention of any occurrences in any other regions of the vast empire over which Philip bore sway; so that it cannot properly be styled the History of his Reign.

« The second defect is, that nothing is said concerning the constitution of the Provinces, their commerce, manufactures, productions, arts, &c. &c.

66 The third, That wherever he had occasion to mention pecuniary matters, he always uses the general indefinite word, florins or gilders, without specifying whether Dutch or French

money is meant, which leaves room for a gross mistake, as to any exact calculation or estimate; the French florin, not quite 9d. sterling, being thus less than the Dutch florin, (value about 1s. 9d.) or more than the one-half; and for finding the true sum stated in any of the authors he followed, his surest, though not infallible rule would have been, to suppose that, if they were Dutch writers, they most probably meant Dutch currency or gilders; and if French writers, that the florin might be supposed to be French, or nearly 9d. of our money.

"A proper statement of the foregoing particulars, especially the first-mentioned, would go a good way to raise the character of that historian very considerably above the degree which has ever been allowed him by the reviewers or other readers; by vindicating his work from one of the objections especially, to which it is reckoned liable, and which has been thrown out against it. On that account, it was long my intention to give Watson's two letters to me, to Dr. William Thomson, my class-fellow at St. Andrew's, and continuator of Watson, thinking thereby to do him a kindness, by furnishing him with a pretext for giving a new edition of Philip, with my two letters prefixed, by way of an important prefatory addition, and thus putting some money into his pocket, which was often ill replenished with this first necessity. But his death prevented the accomplishment of my benevolent design. I should feel a pleasure in seeing my letters used for the purpose of increasing the historian's posthumous fame; and his last letter to me, along with what he says in it, of a proposed review he meant to take of the whole, if he had lived, is fully sufficient for that purpose.

"I need not tell you, Sir, that Watson's vindication of the character of William I. of Orange, one of the greatest statesmen that ever lived, one of the most beautiful narratives I ever read, and which is subjoined to the History, is not Watson's, he being only the translator of the text of a French chaplain belonging to His Highness, who is known to have written it, but whose name I do not remember.

"Believe me your's, with much sincere regard,

"THOMAS PEIRSON."