HE Gentleman who is the fubject

the Annals of Literature, as far back as the year 1750, when his firft Effay, "An Oration on the much lamented Death of His Royal Highnefs Frederick Prince of Wales," the auguft father of our beloved Sovereign, was published. The ftyle of this little piece was much admired at the time, which encouraged our young Author to cultivate the fcience of eloquence, and to improve himself in elocution, with a view to qualify himself for the profeffion of a private Preceptor of the Belles Lettres. For this purpose he attended Mr. Sheridan's Lectures, and made Rollins' Belles Lettres, Dodley's Preceptor, D'Alembert's, and other works of diftinguished reputation, the models and guides of his future ftudies.

To a confiderable proficiency in the Latin tongue, he added, at an early age, 2 competent knowledge in the French and Italian languages, which enabled him to apply clofely to his favourite purfuit, Modern History. The illuftrious hiftorians of our own country were then, comparativelyfpeaking, but few; however, he had the fatisfaction, in his riper years, to find them increafing; and fome of them even excelling the most admired writers of other nations. By an affiduous attention to their works, he strengthened his judgment, and then ventured to compile

A History of England from the Invasion of the Romans, to the Peace of Versailles, A. D. 1763, in 3 vols. folio, humbly infcribed to the Queen." This work was formed on the plan recommended by Lord Bolingbroke in his ce

lebrated Letters on the Study and Ufe of

of great historical facts and public tranfactions, uninterrupted by tedious di greffions, political difcuffions, or private concerns; accordingly, ample differtations on the Religion, Laws, Commerce, Arts, Manufactures, Finances, Manners, and Customs of the Country, form diftinct Chapters at the end of every Centennial period; the first example of the kind, which has fince been followed by other British historians.

But before we proceed to enumerate the literary labours of this veteran, who has kept up a connection with the prefs upwards of forty-eight years, it may be proper to trace him to his birth, and to give fome account of his family, and of his fituations in life, that we may the better afcertain the different periods at which his various writings first appeared, or have been republished.

His

Mr. Mortimer was born on the 9th of December 1730, in Carey-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields, and was the only fon of Thomas Mortimer, Efq. principal Secretary to his relation Sir Jofeph Jekyll, Knt. Mafter of the Rolls. uncle, Dr. Cromwell Mortimer, was many years fenior Secretary to the Royal Society; the Rev. Dr. Birch being the junior. His grandfather was John Mortimer, Efq. F. R. S. of Topingo Hall, near Chelmsford, in the county of Effex; Author of "A Practical Treatise on Hufbandry," 2 vols. 8vo. held in the highest degree of eftimation till of late years, when modern improvements in Agriculture have rendered it lefs ufe

Ff2

ful

ful. The death of his father in 1741, at the premature age of 35, which was followed by that of his mother in 1744, left him in the ftate of orphanage; but, providentially, under the guardianship of the late John Baker, Etq. of Spital. fields, to whofe kind patronage, and to the continued friendship of his family †, he has often been heard to declare, he ftood principally indebted for the future happiness of his life. Mr. Baker was one of thofe worthy guardians, rarely to be met with, who not only carefully preserve, but fedulously improve the property of the Wards entrusted to their care. His benevolent difpofition would never permit him to refufe the important charge of guardianship, bequeathed to him by his deceased friends, fo that other Wards of both fexes were under fimilar obligations to that truly excellent man. Mr. Mortimer's education commenced at Harrow school under the Rev. Dr. Cox, and was continued at a private academy in the North of England; but his progrets in polite literature was the refult of his own affiduity and attachment to ftudy, independent of mafters. His fecond publication was a tranflation from the French of "The Life and Military Exploits of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, by M. Gautier," an octavo volume, which bears date in 1751. From this period to the year 1761, we have no particular account of our Author, except that, having married very young, he became to devoted to a domeitic life, that he refufed the offers made him in that interval by Dr. Goldimith, Mr. Glover, Mr. Kelly, and other literary characters with whom he was perfonally acquainted, to become a member of their focial clubs. In the year above mentioned, he published the first Edition of the well known treatise on the funds, and on the mystery and iniquity of stock-jobbing, intitled "Every Man his own Broker," which was rapidly bought up, and fucceffive Editions were demanded from that period down to the month of July last, when the TWELFTH Edition, with confiderable improvements by the Author, was publifhed.

In November 1762, Mr. Mortimer was appointed his Majesty's Vice-Conful for the Austrian Netherlands, being recommended to the Earl of Sandwich, at that

time Secretary of State for the Northern Department; on the commencement of the following month he repaired to his ftation at Offend, where he had the happinefs to gain the approbation of his Majesty's Minifters at home, and of the British Merchants refiding at Bruges, Oftend, and Nieuport. But the mott important fervice he rendered to his nątive country, in this fituation, was the fending off a packet boat to Dover, with an exprefs to Government, giving notice of a fhip laden with damaged wheat, and destined for the port of Bristol, concerning which the Magiftrates of Oftend had received the following advice from the Flemish Government at Brussels: "That the came from the Levant, actually had the plague on board, and had been refufed admittance into feveral ports of Spain, Portugal, and France." The maler of this veffel made preparations to enter the harbour of Oftend; but pofitive orders were fent out by a pilot, with a fpeaking trumpet, for him to leave the Road directly, or the guns on the ramparts, already loaded for the purpofe, would be fired at the fhip. The ViceConful had the pleasure to receive a letter of thanks, by his Majesty's command, from the late Lord Weymouth, then Secretary of State for the Northern Department, for his timely intelligence, allo informing him, that a Privy Council had been fummoned upon the occafion, and that the neceffary orders had been fent to all the fea-ports of Great Britain and Ireland. The Vice-Conful afterwards learned, that a fhip, anfwering the above defcription, had foundered off the Orkney Ifles, fuppofed for the want of hands to work the pumps; for the maiter, by a trumpet, acknowledged to the Oftend pilot, that the greatest part of the crew had died of a fever.

Yet, notwithstanding this and other public fervices, and the ftrong recommendation of them by Sir James Porter, and by his fucceffor Sir William Gordon, his Majey's Ministers at the Court of Brufiels; and, though he had been promiled the reverfion of the Confulfaip by two Secretaries of State, viz. Lord Sand. wich and the Marquis of Rockingham; the Under-Secretary to Lord Weymouth, by an intrigue of office, contrived to obtain a private refignation of the old

Conful,

work of the kind, in which the usual objections to abridgements are removed by references given to the refpectable authorities that furnished the Author with his epitome.

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Mr. Mortimer, on his return to London in 1768, refumed his literary purfuits and his preceptorship. In 1772 he pub. lithed the first Edition of "Elements of Commerce, Politics, and Finances," a quarto volume, defigned as a fupplement to the fcholaftic education of young Noblemen and Gentlemen of rank, likely to be called to fituations in public life. In the fame year, the late Empress of Ruffia wrote to her Ambaffador M. Moufchin Poufchin, to place under his care, feveral young Ruffian Princes and private Gentlemen; one in particular, a very amiable youth, named Siloff, fup. pofed to be very nearly related to her Imperial Majefty, refided with Mr. Mortimer almost three years. From this period, he had the honour to be Preceptor for the English Language, and a general knowledge of the Political Economy of Great Britain, to different Foreign Minifters.

In 1774 his worthy friend the late Mr. Edward Dilly, bookfeller, published the fecond Edition of "The British Plutarch," in fix volumes, compiled for him by our Author, who new modelled the work; and, by a judicious arrangement of the lives of the Statelinen, Admirals, Generals, and other public characters, made it an abridged hiftory of the kingdom from the reign of Henry the Seventh, to the death of George the Second; feparating likewife, the private lives of Divines, Lawyers, and Poets, in each Volume; to as not to break the thread of civil history connected with the public characters t.

In 1777, he published the first Edition of "The Student's Pocket Dictionary; or, An Epitome of Univerfal History and Biography;" with authorities annexed to each article, two Parts in one Volume octavo. A fecond Edition was called for, and was published in 1789; the only

For the space of five years from this period, we have no information of any literary production of our Author; but we may conjecture that in the year 1791 he was occupied in preparing for and conducting through the prefs the fifth Edition of that most excellent commercial work "Beawes's Lex Mercatoria" (the fecond fince the death of the original Author), enlarged and improved by Mr. Mortimer for the proprietors, fome of the molt refpectable bookfellers in the city of London. The modern revolutions in the foreign commercial concerns of Great Britain with America in particular, and with France and other countries of Europe, and internally with Ireland; alio all the decifions of the Courts of Law in mercantile caufes, including many intri cate new cafes of Ship and Fire Infurances, tried before Lord Kenyon, cited and explained in this laft Edition, conftitute a work of the first confequence to our Merchants, Confuls, and Minifters refiding at foreign courts; to Counfèl retained on commercial caufes at home; to Commiffioners of Bankruptcy; and to private Arbitrators:-it was published in 1792.

We have only to add, that our Author was feveral years Editor of THE LONDON MAGAZINE, to which the late worthy James Bofwell was then a contributor by a feries of excellent Effays under the title of THE HYPOCHONDRIAC: he is likewife at present an occafional writer in THE EUROPEAN.