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Memoir of William Scoresby, Jun. Esq.

land. Under the protection of a man of war, and with a crew of six seamen, he left Copenhagen, at the time of its evacuation by our troops: but after sustaining part of a heavy gale of wind, the gun-boat not being seaworthy, filled with water and foundered, immediately after the crew had been taken on board the Alfred. From this ship he was drafted to the Scyeren, a prize line-of-battle ship; in which, having drifted over the Galloper Sand in a storm, he had again a narrow escape from shipwreck.

The following year, while on a passage from Leith to London in a smack, Mr. Scoresby had an opportunity of displaying his presence of mind on a disastrous occasion, and of rendering essential service to 25 passengers on board; who, in all human probability, were indebted to his vigorous exertions for their lives. The vessel in which they sailed grounding on the Maplin Sands, the crew were about to seize the boats, and provide for their own safely, by making for the shore, and leaving the remainder to their fate. If this measure had unhappily been carried into effect, about twenty lives must inevitably have been lost, as this number exceeded what the boats could possibly carry. The confusion which prevailed on board, it is more easy to imagine than to describe. The captain's orders were disregarded; all authority was at an end; and the sailors thought of nothing but providing for themselves.

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water rose above the cabin deck. Influenced by these persuasions, the sailors returned to their duty, and providentially, as the tide advanced, the smack beginning to float, soon got under way; and, by the vigorous exertions of the passengers, who continued working at the pumps, remained above the waves until they had passed the Nore. The water then gaining upon them, they ran the vessel upon a bed of mud, a little after high water, on the bank of the Thames, where she lay while the tide retired, and before its return the leak was overcome.

As soon as Mr. Scoresby could legally take charge of a vessel, namely, at the age of 21, he was appointed to the command of the Resolution, of Whitby, one of the Greenland whalers. He entered on the arduous duties of this station with great diffidence, but with competent ability; and the result was most prosperous, his labours being crowned by one of the largest cargoes that had ever been taken into the port. After this trial, he continued annually to prosecute the whale-fishery as a profession, and, in a general way, his exertions have been very successful.

On returning from this voyage, in which for the first time he had filled the station of commander, Mr. S., in 1811, married Miss Mary Eliza, second daughter of Mr. Lockwood, of Whitby, a gentleman of amiable manners, of honourable character, and of a comprehensive mind. By this lady he has

several children.

At this critical juncture, Mr. Scoresby, who had previously passed for a landsman, authoritatively commanded In the year 1816, he met with one the men to return to their duty, and of those trying adventures to which endeavour to get the vessel afloat; but vessels in the whale-fishery are conto this they replied, that they were de- tinually exposed; the ship being artermined not to perish with the ap-rested in a calm between two improaching wreck, while the boats were within their reach.

Authority having awakened their attention, Mr. S. next proceeded to expostulation, and requested them to await the floating of the vessel to clear her of the anchor, and to set the sails, after which they were at liberty to act as their own judgments might direct. He also urged, that should the vessel happily float, himself and the passengers should be able to take her up the Swin; and as they (the sailors) were in possession of the boats, they could not expose themselves to any real danger, until the

mense flakes of ice, by which, part of the keel was carried away, and one of the lowest planks torn from its bed; the consequence was, that the vessel filled with water, and the captain and crew had to flee to the ice for refuge. The exertions made use of on this occasion, and the successful and unexpected issue, are detailed in his Account of the Arctic Regions, vol. 2, p. 438;-a work which has gained him, as an author, and a scientific observer of nature, a considerable share of renown.

During his numerous voyages to these extraordinary regions, Mr. S. omitted no opportunity of noting

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Interment of Major Andre.

down the various phenomena in na-
tural history and general science,
which came within the range of his
observations. This enabled him to
contribute several important papers
to different philosophical journals and
societies, in which he detected many
errors in the theories that had been
previously received as accurate. His
investigations also extended to several
original and important inquiries.-
Among these may be reckoned, the
temperature of the sea at great
depths; the nature of the polar cur-
rents and ices; the temperature of the
atmosphere in summer; the mean
annual temperature of the arctic seas;
the positions as to latitude and longi-
tude of different parts of Spitzbergen,
Jan Mayer, and other far northern
islands; together with surveys and
delineations of extensive lines of
coast, in which he has corrected sc-
veral important errors found in our
best charts. The cause also of that
peculiar colour by which the Green-
land seas are distinguished, became
an object of his inspection. This, on
examination, he discovered to arise
from innumerable animalcules.
has also furnished accurate drawings
and descriptions of whales, and other
inhabitants of thesc regions, which,
till his day, had been either erroneous-
ly delineated or imperfectly described.
The services thus rendered by Mr.
Scoresby to these branches of science,
procured for him, in the beginning of
the year 1819, the honour of being
elected a fellow of the Royal Society
of Edinburgh. He has also been pre-
sented with the diplomas of several
other scientific and literary institu-
tions.

He

But it is not on diplomas or honourable elections, that Mr. Scoresby founds his claim to literary and scientific fame. His various observations of nature, his philosophical knowledge, and nautical skill, enabled him to present to the world in 1820, his justly celebrated work, in two volumes octavo, on the arctic regions. Of this work an extended review was honourably given in the Literary Gazette, shortly after its appearance; and an analysis of its varied contents, and a delineation of its character, may be found on record, in No. 8, p. 285-294, of the Edinburgh Philosophical Jour

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teresting matter, and animated descriptions of polar phenomena, contain more valuable information respecting these frozen regions, than any other work extant.. Throughout the whole, the depths of scientific research are decorated with the charms of novelty, constantly exhibiting specimens of the marvellous, without transgressing the rules of probability, or infringing upon the empire of truth. Mr. Scoresby and his family now reside in Liverpool, from which port he has latterly sailed on the whalefishery, as commander of the Baffin, a large ship launched about two years since, and purposely fitted out for this arduous employment. In these voyages, he has thus far been preserved from the dangers with which he is annually surrounded, by the protecting care of Divine Providence, which on all occasions he does not blush to acknowledge.

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INTERMENT OE THE REMAINS OF

MAJOR JOHN ANDRE.

AWARE that some measures had been taken to remove from America the remains of this brave but unfortunate British officer, which event, in conjunction with his melancholy fate, had awakened in some degree the public attention, we inserted in col. 1169, some account of the circumstances in which he was placed, and which led to his capture and final execution. Since that sheet was printed, his mouldering ashes have been deposited among those whose exits have been more illustrious, but not more interesting.

The death of Major Andre was of such a complection, as to forbid national honours to accompany him to his final vault. He had violated the laws, which nations, in a state of hostility with one another, have engaged to hold sacred; and although many mitigating circumstances appeared in his favour, the letter of the law was against him, and therefore every effort made to preserve his life was ren-, dered ineffectual.

National honours under such circumstances would indicate a national approval of his conduct, and indirectly sanction a breach of these rules which humanity and honour must preThese volumes, abounding with in-serve from violation. Such a deed

nal.

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Gibbon and Whitaker.

would have been circulated throughout Europe, and perhaps have produced a retaliation in case of any future rupture with foreign powers.

To rescue his name from oblivion, and his bones from the land in which he fell, every thing has been done that prudence, compassion, and honour, could suggest, without a forfeiture of national dignity. The procedure that has been adopted respecting his interment, is included in the following paragraph:

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acquainted both with Macpherson and with Gibbon, and it has fallen to my lot to write against both. Against the former I asserted "the Genuine History of the Britons ;" and the latter I attacked in my Review of his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Gibbon, Sir, was a disingenuous man : and it was owing to a circumstance which I am about to relate, that I entered the field against him. The literary pride of Gibbon knew no bounds. It was the ambition of that man to rival Tacitus ; and justice compels me to confess, that he has succeeded.

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When his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was prepared for the press, as we had always been in habits of intimacy, he politely requested me to examine his manuscripts, marking such places as I thought erroneous in point of historical accuracy, as deficient in interest, or redundant in expression, or as otherwise susceptible of any emendation. This task I most gladly undertook, as an act of friendship, and especially as it referred to a department of history to which I had

The remains of the lamented Major Andre have been lately removed from the spot where they were originally interred in the year 1780, at Tappan, New-York, and brought to England in the Phaeton frigate, by order of his Royal Highness the Duke of York. Yesterday the sarcophagus was deposited in front of the cenotaph in Westminster Abbey, which was erected by his late Majesty to the memory of this gallant officer. The re-interment took place in the most private manner, the Dean of Westminster superintending in person. Major-General Sir Herbert Taylor attending on the part of his Royal Highness the Commander-paid some degree of attention. On in-Chief; and Mr. Locker, Secretary to Greenwich Hospital, on behalf of the three surviving sisters of the deceased.

GIBBON AND WHITAKER.

(Disingenuousness of Mr. Gibbon, the celebrated Historian; with an Extract from Whitaker's Review of his " Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," the latter communicated by Mr. W. Bishop.)

THE Editor of the Imperial Magazine had the honour of being personally acquainted with the late Rev. John Whitaker, rector of Ruan Lanyhorne, in Cornwall, the celebrated historian of Manchester, and of various other valuable works.

perusing this work, I was quite enamoured with his style, with the dignity of his expressions, and with that expansion of mind which he had every where displayed, so that I became at once one of his enthusiastic admirers.

"Pleased with the work, and happy in having an opportunity of congratulating my friend on his successful labour, I wrote him a letter without any reserve, expressing in warm language, the result of my feelings and judgment on the occasion. Of this letter he availed himself, and introduced its contents to the notice of his numerous friends, by whom we were both complimented on the sanction which I had given to his work.

"In this state, things continued with me until his " Decline and Fall" was announced to the public, and acOn one occasion, being in his com-tually made its appearance in the pany, the conversation turned on the writings of Macpherson and Gibbon, with both of whom Mr. Whitaker had been personally acquainted; and he thinks, that both had been his fellow collegians, but of this latter point he is not certain. In this conversation he mentioned the following singular incident:

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"It was my lot to be personally

world. But it was not long after it had been thrown into circulation, before an intimate friend of mine called on me, and asked whether I had really given my sanction to the work? I replied without hesitation in the affirmative, and added verbally to the encomiums I had previously given in writing. My friend listened to me with some degree of astonishment,

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Gibbon and Whitaker.

and at length asked in plain terms, how, as a clergyman of the Church of England, I could recommend a work which directly tended to sap the foundations of Christianity? I repelled the charge, by denying that it had any such tendency. But, rejoined my friend, I think I can speedily convince you of the contrary. Then turning to the obnoxious chapters, and reading a few paragraphs, I plainly saw through the whole affair.

"The truth, Sir, was, that Gibbon, willing to avail himself of my approbation, but well knowing that I should never sanction his attacks on Christianity, kept back those more reprehensible parts, when he submitted the MS. to my inspection; and having obtained my favourable opinion, sent forth the whole into the world as having received my approbation.

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with the usual perfunctoriness of criticism, they consider the wide range of reading in it, the splendour of the sentiments, the depth of the reflections, and the vivacity of the language. But they must lament, when they come to scrutinize it with a stricter eye, to mark the harsh and false language, the distraction occasioned by the parade of reading, the obscurity in the meaning, the contradictoriness of the parts, the endless labyrinth of digressions, and the careless or wilful unfaithfulness in the narrative. The friends of religion also, must grieve with a juster sorrow, over the desperate profligacy of all. But let not one friend to religion be weak enough to fear. There is not a particle of formidableness in the thousand strokes that this blasted arm of infidelity has been laying upon the shield of Christianity. That shield is the immortal ægis of wisdom. Against such a cover, if we are not scared with the glitter, we need not dread the edge, of Mr. G.'s sword. Mr. Gibbon is angry at Christianity, only because Christianity frowns upon him. He has been long endeavouring to shake off the terrors which his Christian education has impressed upon him; but he cannot do so.

"Exasperated at this dishonourable conduct, I resolved immediately to commence a review of his work. My critique had scarcely appeared, before I received from him a letter begging for quarter, and apologizing for what had taken place. He well knew from what source the criticism came, from my style and manner of writing. In this letter he begged me to forbear; stating, that I should ruin the sale of "He scorns them, yet they awe him." his work, and blast his literary repu- "He is therefore acting toward Christation. But I owed more to Christianity like a bull caught in a net; tianity than to Mr. Gibbon; and therefore told him in reply, that I would pursue him through every part, and give him no more quarter than he had given to Christianity.

"Such were the circumstances which led me to review Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. These papers were afterwards collected from the Review, and published in one octavo volume, as they now appear."

Such was the history which the Editor received from the lips of Mr. Whitaker, respecting that work whence the following extract is taken.

"The friends of literature may equally triumph and lament, at a work like this. They may triumph, when,

making every desperate effort to break
the cords that encompass him; and
straining every nerve in an agony of
exertion to burst away into the undis-
and I think I cannot better conclude
quieted wilds of animal enjoyment:
my review of his history, than by ap-
plying to him this character in Milton;
as, equally in the praise and in the
censure, truly descriptive of him.-
On th' other side up rose
Belial, in act more graceful and humane :
A fairer person lost not heaven; he seem'd
For dignity compos'd and high exploit,
But all was false, and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt manna, and could make the worse appear
The better reason, to perplex and dash
To vice industrious, but to noble deeds
Maturest counsels; for his thoughts were low,
Timorous and slothful; yet he pleased the ear,
And with persuasive accent thus began."

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LONDON: PRINTED AT THE CAXTON PRESS, BY H. FISHER.

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