DIXON, Joshua, Esq. M. D.; Jan. 7; in Lowther Street, Whitehaven ; aged 80. On the evening of his decease, he wrote two letters to his son and daughter; requesting a visit from the latter and certain of his grand-children, whom he had not seen. These letters were sent to the post-office at half-past eight. He was then well. In a short time he was seized with sudden illness -soon sent for Dr. Robinson - but in spite of medical skill, was a corpse before midnight. His long life has been one continued scene of usefulness and benevolence. The town of Whitehaven is indebted to him for many improve. ments necessary to its health and com- fort. The dispensary was the fruit of his exertions; and from its establishment in 1783, up to the day of his death, he acted gratuitously as physician and chief manager. The unfortunate, the poor, the sick, all were ever welcome to coun- sel, pecuniary assistance, and medical skill. There was not a mercenary feeling in his heart. He acquired but to bestow he lived but to aid his fel- low-creatures. From morning till night he unremittingly pursued the heavenly work of charity. Often, latterly, when age had enfeebled his bodily frame (al- ways weak and diminutive, has he been seen climbing to the abodes of misery literally on his hands and knees! What more can be said, when a simple fact pronounces so eloquent a pane- gyric? Independently of these more rare accomplishments the " of the graces soul,' - the doctor was distinguished by medical skill and literary ability of no common order. He was the author of a great many useful tracts and es- says, acknowledged and anonymous, but his principal work was the "Life of William Brownrigg, M. D." 8vo. 1800, in which he incorporated an historical essay on coal mines, particularly those in his neighbourhood. In 1822 he pub- lished a tract, entitled, "The Church 'Catechism Illustrated." Gentleman's Magazine.
DOBREE, the Rev. Peter Paul; at Trinity College, Cambridge; Sept. 24th. Mr. Dobree was a fellow of that college, and professor of the Greek language in the University. He was
born in Guernsey in 1782, and was sent at an early age to Reading School, under the care and direction of Dr. Valpy, who sent him to Trinity Col- lege, Cambridge. There are fellow- ships in Oxford for natives of Guernsey and Jersey; but Mr. Dobree had pro- perty which disqualified him for them. At Cambridge he distinguished himself by a depth and accuracy of classical learning, which raised him to the highest eminence. Without making an asser- tion, which has been too confidently, hazarded of other literary characters that he was the best Greek scholar in England, it may be said without pre- sumption, that he was exceeded by none in extent of knowledge, in sagacity of criticism, in laborious research, and in exquisite taste in the beauties of the Greek and Latin languages. He was intimately acquainted with Porson, who set the highest value on his talents; and at the death of that great man he was considered as his natural successor. But he was at that time out of the king- dom, and the diffidence of his disposi tion would not permit him to become an active competitor for any honour. the promotion of the late professor to the deanery of Peterborough, he was unanimously elected to the professor- ship. He was preparing public lec- tures on the Greek language, in which the rich stores of his learning and genius would have been imparted to the stu- dents of the university had his health been preserved. He has sufficiently established his character by his notes to Porson's Aristophanica, published at the expence of Trinity College in 1820. At the request of the same liberal so- ciety, he edited and corrected in 1822 the Lexicon of Photius. He was the author of several valuable articles in the Classical Journal. He had like- wise collected materials for a new edi- tion of Demosthenes, which would have made a copious accession to the fund of Greek literature. He was no less dis- tinguished for the qualities of the heart than for those of the head. His liberal- ity and his beneficence were displayed on every occasion in full proportion to his ability. His conversation was lively, interesting, and instructive. Although he was said by some to be occasionally fastidious in his criticisms, he was ad- mired by the best and most candid scho- lars at home and abroad; among the latter of whom may be mentioned, Schwaghauser, Schleusner, and Her-
mann in Germany, and Boissonade, Gall, and Hase in France. - Gentle-
DOWNMAN, Lieut. Col. Travies ; at West Malling; August 16; aged 85.
- Col. Downman entered the Royal Artillery in June 1757; in 1758 he was with the army, at that time com- manded by the Duke of Marlborough, at the destruction of the French ship- ping and stores at St. Maloes; he was at the demolition of the works and bat- teries of Cherburg, and afterwards at the unlucky affair at St. Cas, command- ing the only two six-pounders that were on shore. He sailed for the West Indies the same year with the army un- der the old Gen. Hopson; was with the troop that made a landing at Mar- tinique, and was very actively employed in the reduction of Gaudaloupe, where he remained till the peace of 1763, except attending the troops that cap- tured Dominique; he came to England at the end of the year 1763. He went to New York in June 1764, remained there till November of the same year, when he was ordered with a small detachment of artillery to Pensacola, in the Gulf of Mexico, to take possession of that miserable place; he had the misfortune to remain in this province till the end of the year 1777, at which time he was ordered to St. Augustine, in the gulf of Florida, where he re- mained till January 1772. He then sailed to New York, remained there till August, and arrived in England in November of the same year. After some service in Scotland he was ordered to New York: he joined the army un- der Gen. Howe; was constantly em- ployed from the time of landing at the head of Elk till the entrance of the army into Philadelphia, and principally engaged in taking the Delaware frigate, and the destruction and taking of Mud Island in the Delaware. He was the only English officer with the troops under Count Donop, at the unfortunate attack on the works at Red Bank, on the Jersey shore; about this time he was taken extremely ill and was obliged to go to New York in the hospital-ship. He remained at New York till Novem- ber 1778, when he was ordered to sail with the army under Gen. Grant, for the West Indies. He was much em- ployed in the reduction of St. Lucie, where he remained till it was restored to France, except visiting the other is- lands. He sailed from Grenada and
arrived in England the end of the year 1784. Lieut. Col. Downinan, which rank he received 1st of March 1794, was also Captain in the Invalid Battal- lion of the Royal Artilery. - Royal Military Calendar.
D'OYLY, Sir John, Bart.; at Kan- dy; May 25, 1824; of a remittent fever.
Sir John D'Oyly was a member of His Majesty's Council in Ceylon, and Resident and First Commissioner of Government in the Kandyan pro- vinces. He was born in June 1774; and was the second son of the late Rev. Matthias D'Oyly, Archdeacon of Lewes, and Rector of Buxted in Sussex. After receiving the rudiments of his education at a preparatory school, he was sent to Westminster, where he made great proficiency in classical attainments, under the learned Dr. Vin- cent. He was elected on the founda- tion of the school in 1788. In 1792 he removed to Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, where he applied him- self diligently to classical studies es- pecially, and maintained in a more extended sphere the high character which he had already acquired amongst his contemporaries. He easily bore away the principal prizes within the limits of his own college, where the field of competition was small; but in 1795 he succeeded in obtaining, in competition with the whole University, one of Sir Wm. Browne's medals for a Latin Ode on Commerce, and in the following year having obtained the degree of Senior Optime in commenc- ing Bachelor of Arts, he received the honor of the second medal given by the Chancellor for the best proficients in classical knowledge. In conse- quence of these distinctions he was elected into a fellowship of his college in 1798.
His original destination was the church, and to this profession his edu- cation had been directed. But when he arrived at maturity, and was able to exercise his own judgment in the choice of a profession, he felt within him, as he expressed to his friends, a spirit of en- terprize and an ardour of mind, which impelled him to dislike the retirement of the country, and to desire to engage in some active scenes of public life. In consequence of his declining to take holy orders, he was obliged, by the sta- tutes of the college, to resign his fel- lowship after three years; and in 1810 he gladly embraced the offer of a civil
situation in the Island of Ceylon, under the appointment of the Governor, the Hon. F. North, now Earl of Guildford.
brought under the British dominion, Mr. D'Oyly was appointed resident at Kandy, and first commissioner for the government of the provinces. From that period he devoted himself entirely to the business of this station, residing in the palace formerly occupied by the king. He made it his peculiar study to acquire a thorough knowledge of the character and genius of the people committed to his care: and by the kindness of his general demeanour to- wards them, by taking care not to shock their prejudices, and by evincing an unfeigned zeal for their welfare and interests, he succeeded in maintaining an influence over this rude people, and conciliating their confidence, esteem, and affection, in an extraordinary degree. Indeed all, from the highest to the lowest, were ready to acquiesce in all that he recommended; and when- ever any little appearance of turbulence or dissatisfaction was observed, he had generally only to show himself among them, and every thing was quiet.
From the moment of his destination being fixed, he began to apply all the energies of his mind to the studies and pursuits connected with his new situ- ation, and made a rapid acquirement of several oriental languages. He sailed for Ceylon in the autumn of 1801, and arrived there in February 1802. From the period of his arrival he devoted himself to the study of the language and character of the people, their civil and religious institutions, the history, and natural productions of the island. He soon became master of the Cingalese language to a degree in which no Euro- pean was his competitor, and he was in consequence, at an early period of his residence, appointed chief translator to the government. By his ability, integrity, attention to business, and general usefulness, he recommended himself to his superiors in the govern- ment of the island, and was advanced by degrees to different stations. last, under the Government of Sir Robert Brownrigg, in 1815, an oppor- tunity was afforded to him of exerting with great success his talents, and ac- tivity of mind. In consequence of the extraordinary cruelty of the reigning King of Kandy, which induced his first minister and others of his principal sub- jects to implore the assistance of the British government, and of his aggres- sions on British subjects and allies, it was deemed an act of justice to prepare an expedition against his capital. The conduct of the negotiations with the dis- contented chiefs, and the business of procuring intelligence for the guidance of the different detachments of the ar- my, mainly depended on Mr. D'Oyly, whose familiar acquaintance with the language of the country gave him ad- vantages which none other possessed, and whose popularity with the natives added great strength to the cause. And with such skill and ability did he make all the arrangements, that in the course of a very few days the troops reached Kandy, the king was dethroned, and the Kandyan provinces brought under the British dominion. D'Oyly, it should be mentioned, ac- companied the expedition himself, and joining himself to a detachment of the troops, was the person who made cap- tive the flying and fallen king.
On the Kandyan provinces being
The merits and exertions of Sir John D'Oyly as a public servant, and prin- cipally as connected with the addition to His Majesty's dominions of the larger part of Ceylon, were duly appreciated by the highest authorities. His Ma- jesty's approbation was first conveyed in the dispatch from the Secretary of State to Sir Robert Brownrigg, published by the Ceylon Government, June 1, 1816, in the following words :
"I am also commanded particularly to express the sense which his Royal Highness the Prince Regent entertains of the conduct and services of Mr. D'Oyly upon the late occasion. Το his intelligence in conducting the nego- ciations, first with the Kandyan go- vernment, and latterly with the Adikars and others who opposed it, to his inde- fatigable activity in procuring inform- ation and in directing the military detachments, the complete success of the enterpriize is principally owing; and his Royal Highness avails himself with pleasure of this opportunity of ex- pressing how greatly he appreciates not only Mr. D'Oyly's latter services, but those which he has at former periods by his attention to the Kandyan depart- ment, rendered to the colony and his country."
His Majesty's approval was followed by the elevation of the deceased to a Baronetcy of the United Kingdom, 27th July, 1821. This title becomes
extinct, Sir John never having mar- ried.
'The fever, which unfortunately car- ried him off, was caught by him in a visit of official business to one of the Kandyan provinces. It was known beforehand that a malignant fever was raging there, and his friends endeavour- ed to prevent his going; but on this, as on many other occasions of his life, he sacrificed his private good to his feelings of public duty. He amassed but an inconsiderable fortune considering the length of time during which he served in the island, and the sacrifices he had inade. Indeed, his liberality was so dif- fusive that he appeared scarcely to think of providing the means of retiring with that affluence which he deserved to his native country.
During his long residence in the island, he applied, as has been stated, his enquiring mind to diligent researches into its history and antiquities, and na- tural productions, and the customs of the inhabitants. His friends were con- tinually urging him to prepare a history of the island, which no one had the means of executing with such knowledge and truth as himself, and it is hoped that materials may be found amongst his papers which will essentially contribute to the illustration of this singular coun- try. No one was more industrious in collecting materials, and no one was better qualified by judgment and pene- tration to make a proper use of them. At several periods he sent over to his friends partial translations of some Cin- galese manuscripts, which give no mean opinion of the literary acquirements of this rude people.
His loss will long be felt in the island of Ceylon, and the natives especially will long remember him with affectionate re gret, as their best friend, benefactor, and protector.
His remains were removed from his late residence in the palace for inter- ment in the burial-ground of the gar- rison on the 26th of May, at 7 o'clock, the troops of the garrison lining the road, resting on their arms reversed, while minute guns were fired by the royal artillery in the castle, as the pro- cession moved in the following order: The Korales and Aratchies of the Uda- ratte.
The Band of the Ceylon Regiment. THE BODY,
borne by twelve European soldiers of the 45th regiment.
The pall borne by six field-officers and captains of the garrison. Chaplain, the Itev. N. Garstin-Medi- cal attendant, Surgeon Arinstrong. Lieutenant-colonel I. Greenwell, S. Sawers, Esq., H. Wright, Esq., the Commissioners of the Board, as chief- mourners.
Officers of the garrison and gentlemen of Kandy.
The Adikar of the Kandyan Provinces, and Kandyan Chiefs. Modliaars, Mohandirams of the Resi- dency, Clerks of the Public-offices, together with an immense concourse of Natives.
Gentleman's Magazine. DUKENFIELD, Sir Nathaniel, Bart. of Stanlake, Berks, and Du- kenfield Hall, co. Chester, and late Lieutenant-Colonel of the Windsor Fo- resters; at Squerries, near Westerham, the seat of John Warde, Esq., in his 79th year.
He was son of Nathaniel Dukenfield, Esq. of Utkinton, (third son of Sir Robert, first Baronet) by his second wife, Margaret, daughter of Jolly, Esq. On the death of his cousin Sir Samuel, the fourth Baronet, May 15, 1768, he succeeded to the title, and in 1783 married Katherine, sister of John Warde, of Squerries, co. Kent, Esq. who died Sept. 29, 1823; and by whom he had six sons and one daughter. On the 4th of October 1803 he was appoint- ed an Inspecting Field Officer of Yeo- manry and Volunteer Corps, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the army, so long as he continued on the staff, and held the above appointment. He is succeeded by his second son, now Sir John Lloyd Dukenfield, Bart. Samuel, the eldest son, who was Captain in the 7th Light Dragoons, met with his death in a very melancholy manner. He was returning in the Dispatch transport from the campaign in Spain, where he had honourably distinguished himself, when, on the 22d of January 1810, the vessel was wrecked within sight of his native shore, on the Manacle Rocks near Falmouth. Gentleman's Magazine.
EARDLEY, the Right Honourable Sampson Eardley, Lord, Baron Eard- ley of Spalding, a Baronet of Great Britain, D. C.L. F.R S. F.S.A., and
Senior Bailiff of the Bedford Level Corporation; Dec. 25, 1824; at No. 10, Marine Parade, Brighton; in his 80th year.
His Lordship's father, Sampson Gi- deon, Esq. of Spalding, county of Lin- coln, and Belvedere, Kent, was the son of Mr. Rowland Gideon, an eminent West India Merchant, and was born in 1699. Following the pro- fessions of a general merchant and sworn broker, he amassed an immense fortune. He was frequently consulted by the ministers of the day; and he several times delivered schemes for raising supplies; always making him- self answerable for a considerable por- tion of them. In such high estimation was he held by ministers, that in the years 1758 and 1759, he was almost wholly relied on for raising the sup- plies, and the disinterestedness, as well as the ability of his conduct, appears from his correspondence with the Dukes of Newcastle and Devonshire, &c. The principal object of his ambition for some years seems to have been the rank of a baronet, first for himself, and afterwards for his son, the late Lord Eardley, by his wife Jane, daughter of Charles Ermel, Esq. who was born Oct. 10, 1745. His wishes and im- portant services were related to the King in 1757, by the Duke of Devon- shire, who urged the zeal he had shown on all occasions to serve the public. The Duke, in a polite note, thus in- formed Mr. Gideon of His Majesty's answer: "The King seemed very well disposed, spoke very handsomely of you, and said he should have no objec- tion himself to oblige you, but was afraid it would make a noise at this time (June 13, 1757), and, therefore, desired I would inform you in the civilest manner, that it was not conve- nient for him to comply with your request." Though his application met with a denial, he was still the firm friend of the ininistry; and his wishes were in 1759 partly gratified, by the dignity of Baronet being conferred on his son on the 19th of May, in that year; at the early age of fourteen.
In the year 1753, he addressed the following letter to his son, then a scholar at Eton (æt. 13); which showed the amiable qualities of his heart:
a good heart, and a distant prospect of understanding; be steady with the former, to God, to your parents, and to your King; extend the second to those who shall deserve your esteem; the latter will improve as you advance in learning, which may be acquired by application; cherish and cultivate com- mendable talents as your friends, and let impiety, pride, malice, and folly, remain always strangers to your breast.
"Doubtless, by the many Gazettes published since November last, you are acquainted with the many exploits of the great King of Prussia in Germany, The enclosed [Gazette] will inform you of those not less glorious, performed by the brave Colonel Clive in India; com- pare their feats with those of old, and conclude that miracles have not ceased; and that constancy and resolution in an honest cause may still relieve the op- pressed. Rome had its Cæsars, and Macedon an Alexander; Prussia gave birth to a Frederick, and England sent forth her Clive.
"In whatever station Providence may hereafter place you, act with spirit and honour, that you may be acceptable to the people and dear to your father.
"S. G. jun. Eton. SAMPSON Gideon."
This amiable man died of the dropsy, Oct. 1762, aged 65, at his elegant villa at Belvedere, where he had built a noble saloon, and fitted it up with pictures of the first masters. The collection was not large, consisting of between 30 and 40 pictures, but they were all originals. In one of his letters he says, "I would not give a single shilling for the best copy in the universe. As to myself, I had rather throw the money into the sea than employ it in such baubles.
We shall conclude this brief sketch of his Lordship's father by stating that he was a man of the strictest integrity, and punctuality in all his dealings; an ex- cellent husband, father, and master; for liberality and humanity, and for his ob- servance of the rules of the strictest just- ice and honour, he was no less distin- guished. The instances of his humanity were numerous; and his lenity and for- bearance were experienced by many; his severity by none. Though himself of the Jewish persuasion, he educated all his children in the Established Church of England.
On the 5th of December, 1766, the subject of this memoir married Maria- Marow Wilmot, eldest daughter of the Right Hon. Sir John Eardley Wilmot, Knt. Lord Chief Justice of the Common
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