in consequence of which she repaired in the autumn to St. Leonard's-on-Sea, in company with her late Royal Highness the Princess Augusta. During her stay at St. Leonard's, which extended from the 13th of October to the 1st of March in the following year, her health was in some measure restored; but in the autumn of the following year, a severe attack of bronchitis compelled her to resort to a more congenial climate for the winter. Accordingly Her Majesty embarked on the 3rd of October at Portsmouth, on board the Hastings, for Malta, attended by the earl Howe, the earl and countess of Denbigh, the earl and countess of Sheffield, and a numerous retinue. Her stay in that island has been immortalized by the erection, at her expense, of the Protestant Church of Valetta, which has since been converted into the cathedral of the newly-founded see of Gibraltar. Shortly after, Her Majesty set out on her return to England, where she arrived towards the close of May, 1839; but her health, which had received a severe shock, never rallied permanently; and the last ten years of her life were divided between various journeys and changes of residence in search of health, and her unceasing endeavours to benefit her fellow-creatures by acts of private charity, and by the encouragement, to the utmost extent of the means at her command, of every undertaking calculated to promote their temporal and spiritual welfare. In the autumn of 1847 it was judged expedient that Her Majesty should winter in Madeira; whither, accordingly, she proceeded in October, accompanied by their Serene Highnesses the duchess Ida, Prince Edward, and the Princesses of Saxe Weimar. In the month of April, in the following year, the Queen returned to England, and spent the succeeding winter at Bentley Priory, near Stanmore. Her Majesty's health now rapidly declined, and it became generally known that Her Majesty's amiable career was drawing to a close. After Monday, November 26, the bulletins issued by Her Majesty's physicians indicated that little, if any, hopes remained of prolonging her life; and on Friday her condition excited the greatest alarm. On the forenoon of that day a distressing change took place, and her immediate relatives were hastily summoned to her chamber. Her Majesty, however,

It

rallied; and on the following morning was apparently more cheerful. At seven o'clock in the evening another serious change took place, which clearly denoted the approach of death. After this Her Majesty passed from life in a calm slumber, with a feeble cough, which occasioned the bursting of one of the vessels of the lungs. It is needless to enter upon any panegyric of Queen Adelaide's character. Though dead she lives, and will long continue to live, in the affections and in the grateful remembrance of the people of her adopted country, and of the countless objects of her ever-ready bounty. is stated, on undoubted authority, that for many years past Her Majesty's donations to charitable institutions alone amounted to upwards of 20,000l. annually, while her private charities were always on a most profuse scale of liberality. Retaining an affectionate interest in the members of the late King's profession, the Queen Dowager was a liberal benefactress of all our naval charities; and chiefly by the aid of her royal munificence a new church, for seamen in the port of London, has recently been erected near St. Katharine's Docks. For the building and endowment of churches and schools in almost every part of the British Empire her munificence was constantly appealed to, and never appealed to in vain. Her Majesty was a contributor to the funds of nearly all the societies engaged in the advancement of religion, and to religious and benevolent undertakings of every kind. It was also Her Majesty's constant practice to subscribe largely to the local charities of every place in which she happened to be resident, though but for a limited time; as well as to those of the parish of St. Martin, in which her town mansion stands, and those of Windsor and Brighton, where she formerly resided. The following directions, given by her late Majesty for her funeral, were published in the

London Gazette" of Tuesday, Dec. 11th, by order of the Queen, at whose desire they were, as far as possible, carried into effect :—

"I die in all humility, knowing well that we are all alike before the throne of God; and I request, therefore, that my mortal remains be conveyed to the grave without any pomp or state. They are to be removed to St. George's Chapel, Windsor, where I request to have as

"November, 1849."

:

To this interesting memorandum, which was contained in her will, the following pious avowal of true faith and hope was appended :-" I shall die in peace with all the world, full of gratitude for all the kindness that was ever shown to me, and in full reliance on the mercy of our Saviour Jesus Christ, into whose hands I commit my soul." Her Majesty's remains were conveyed to Windsor for interment on Thursday, Dec. 13. Handel's exquisite anthem, "Her body is buried in peace," was afterwards sung by the choir with thrilling effect; and at the conclusion of the service, sir Charles Young, garter king of arms, standing near the grave, pronounced these words:"Thus it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life, unto his Divine mercy, the late most high, most mighty, and most excellent Princess Adelaide, the Queen Dowager, relict of His Majesty King William IV., uncle to her most excellent Majesty Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, whom God bless and preserve with long life, health, and honour, and all worldly happiness." The lord chamberlain and vice-chamberlain of her late Majesty's household then advanced to the side of the grave, and, breaking their staves of office, knelt and deposited them in the royal vault. The organ then played the Dead March in Saul, and the mourners retired. See CHRON., p. 174.

4. At Cromwell Cottage, Old Brompton, aged 44, Thomas Stapleton, esq., F.R.S. and F.S.A. Mr. Stapleton was

the next brother to the present lord Beaumont, being the second son of Thomas Stapleton, esq., of Carlton Hall, Yorkshire. Mr. Stapleton was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Jan. 15, 1839, and always took a zealous interest in its operations, and was appointed one of its vice-presidents, on the retirement of Mr. Hudson Gurney, in 1846. In his peculiar field of genealogical research Mr. Stapleton was indefatigable. Though the early period of history to which he chiefly devoted himself was too remote to make his productions popular, and he was of necessity obliged to be an author "contentus paucis lectoribus," yet his perseverance and assiduity seemed fully to prove that the absorbing interest of a favourite subject may in some men become a more powerful incentive to laborious study than any desire of emolument, or even any appetite of fame, can produce in more sordid or more ambitious minds. The copious collections he had made in Normandy, at an early period of his antiquarian pursuits, chiefly from the ecclesiastical chartularies now congregated in the departmental libraries, afforded him a store of new materials for the illustration of the early genealogies of the Anglo-Norman nobility; and enabled him to compile his most valuable production, the prefatory exposition of the rolls of the Norman Exchequer, printed at the expense of the Society of Antiquaries, under the title of "Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniæ sub Regibus Angliæ." Mr. Stapleton communicated many other valuable treatises to the society. Mr. Stapleton was one of the founders of the Camden Society, and always a constant attendant of its council. He undertook one of its earliest works, "The Plumpton Correspondence, 1839," which, as a collection of ancient letters, is only inferior to that of the Pastons; and he prefixed an elaborate memoir of the Plumpton family. He afterwards edited for the same society, in 1846, the Chronicle of London, extending from 1178 to 1274, entitled the "Liber de Antiquis Legibus." Mr. Stapleton's last work for the Camden Society was to edit the Latin Chronicle of the Church of Peterborough, the MS. of which is preserved in the library of the Society of Antiquaries.

6. In Chandos-street, Cavendish-sq., aged 79, Mrs. Morgan, relict of George

Morgan, esq., of Biddlesdon Park, Buckinghamshire.

6. At Clevedon, lady Elton, relict of rev. sir Abraham Elton, bart.

7. At Glenloe, near Galway, aged 82, the dowager lady Ffrench.

At Balan Hill, near Chepstow, aged 70, maj.-gen. sir Edmund Keynton Williams, K.C.B. and K.T.S., colonel of the 8th regiment. In the Peninsular war he was present at the battle of Busaco, where he was wounded; at the siege of Badajos, in 1811; the battle of Salamanca, when he was twice wounded; the siege of Burgos; the battle of Vit toria; the action of Tolosa; the siege of St. Sebastian (including the three assaults); the passage of the Bidassoa; the battle of the Nivelle; the passage of the Adour; and the investment of Bayonne, in which last action he was again wounded. For his services in those battles he received a cross and clasp; was, in 1813, nominated a knight of the Tower and Sword of Portugal; and, in 1815, a knight commander of the Bath. He was appointed major in the Portuguese service, Oct. 25, 1814. In 1842 he was appointed major-general on the staff in the Madras presidency, which important post he held until 1848, when he returned to England. In the October of that year he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 80th regiment.

8. At Cheltenham, aged 81, the lady Cecilia La Touche, widow of col. David La Touche, of Upton, co. Carlow, and daughter of the first earl of Miltown.

At Aberdeen, aged 76, Duncan Davidson, esq., of Tillychetley and Inchmarlo, deputy-lieutenant for Kincardine

shire.

At the Chateau la Colinais, near Dinan, aged 92, John Surtees, esq., late of Newcastle-on-Tyne, the youngest brother of the late countess of Eldon.

9. At Barnes Elms, Louis Henry Shadwell, esq., barrister-at-law, second surviving son of the vice-chancellor of England. See CHRONICLE, p. 171.

At Juniper Hill, Surrey, aged 66, the hon. and rev. sir Henry Leslie, the third baronet (1784), M.A., prebendary of Exeter, rector of Sheephall, Hertfordshire, and of Wetherden, Suffolk, and one of Her Majesty's Chaplains in Ordinary. He was the younger son of sir Lucas Pepys, M.D., the first baronet, by the right hon. Jane Elizabeth, countess of Rothes; and, as the son of a Scottish peeress, he bore the surname of his mo

At Reigate Hill, aged 75, Elizabeth, widow of the rev. J. S. Freeman, D.D., vicar of Chalfont St. Peter's, Bucks. At St. Leonard's-on-Sea, aged 67, sir James Brabazon Urmston, formerly president of supercargoes at Canton, in China.

At Pusey, Berkshire, the seat of his brother-in-law, Mr. Pusey, the member for that county, in his 50th year, the right hon. Henry John George Herbert, third earl of Carnarvon (1793), and baron Porchester, of High Clere, co. Southampton (1783). This highly-accomplished nobleman was born in Grosvenor-square, on the 8th of June, 1800, and was the elder son of Henry George, the second earl of Carnarvon, by Elizabeth Kitty, daughter and heir of col. John DykeAcland, of Killerton, co. Devon. He was educated at Eton, and at Christ Church, Oxford. Soon after he came of age (1822), he made an extensive tour on the Continent, in company with Mr. Pusey, devoting more than ordinary time and attention to the Spanish peninsula, which appears to have had a marked attraction for him in early youth; for during his absence, "Don Pedro," a play written by him, and founded on the story of "Don Pedro the Cruel," was acted at Drury Lane Theatre. In 1827 lord Carnarvon published "The Moor," a poem, with`elaborate notes, manifesting a minute acquaintance with Spanish and Moorish history. This publication marked him at once as a man of taste, cultivation, and accomplishment. In the course of the same year he again visited Portugal and parts of Spain. The result of his observations and researches were given to the public in 1836, in a work entitled "Portugal and Gallicia; the Social and Political State of the Basque Provinces, and Remarks on recent Events in Spain." Having taken an active interest in favour of Don Carlos, he fell into the hands of the opposite party, with whom he remained for some time a prisoner. In 1831 he took his seat as member for

Wootton Basset in the House of Commons, where his career was brief but brilliant. His speech against the Reform Bill was one of the most effective delivered during those protracted discussions. By the death of his father, in 1833, his lordship succeeded to the earldom and to his seat among the peers. In the House of Peers the earl of Carnarvon took an active part in the discussions on the Municipal Reform Act; and he divided their lordships, as he had done the House of Commons, on the question of Parliamentary Reform. His labours were, however, interrupted by almost constant ill-health, and by frequent visits to the Continent, as well as by the manifold duties which devolve on a great landed proprietor. The rebuilding of the family mansion, High Clere Castle, and the collection of a rare and valuable botanical garden, exhibited his lordship's taste and elegant knowledge. In all respects he was, as an earl should be, a country gentleman upon a great scale. As a large landed proprietor he seemed sufficiently jealous of his rights; and in the year 1844 his vindication of them gave rise to one of the most curious actions to be found in the legal history, at all events, of the present century. It was brought to establish the privilege called "free warren." This privilege was introduced by our Norman rulers for the protection of game; and it was one which gave the grantee a sole and exclusive right of killing such game, so far as his warren extended, provided he prevented others from killing it. Lord Carnarvon claimed free warren over the manors of High Clere and Burgh Clere; the action was brought against Mr. Villebois, a copy holder in Burgh Clere, for shooting game on his own copyhold, and it was one of the most extraordinary features of the case that a grant of the time of Henry III. was not deemed sufficiently ancient; but that, from amongst the muniments of the family, Mr. Parker, his lordship's solicitor, found it necessary to produce evidence of a still earlier date for the purpose of showing that the right of free warren passed to lord Carnarvon by ancient prescription, or usage, antecedent to the time of Richard I. In this singular suit the earl succeeded, and it is scarcely less singular that his success caused great gratification in the district, owing to his lordship's great popularity. It may, in

deed, without the least exaggeration, be stated, that very few, even among the most popular members of the Upper House, will close their lives amidst feelings of more general regret than those which attended the death of lord Carnarvon. In private life the earl of Carnarvon was singularly kind, amiable, gentle, and unassuming. He married, at Aldingbourne, Sussex, on the 4th of August, 1830, Henrietta Anne, eldest daughter of the late lord Henry Molyneux Howard, and niece to Bernard Edward, fifteenth duke of Norfolk, K.G., and by that lady, who survives him, he has left issue.

10. At Tunbridge Wells, aged 44, David Jennings Vipan, esq., B.A.

11. At her residence, Green Parkbuildings, Bath, lady Catherine Margaret Keith, third daughter of Anthony Adrian, sixth earl of Kintore.

12. In St. James's Park, aged 80, sir Marc Isambart Brunel, Knight, Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, Vice-President of the Royal Society, and of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a corresponding Member of the Institute of France, &c. &c. Sir M. I. Brunel was a native of Hacqueville, in Normandy, where his family has for many centuries held the estate on which he was born. He was educated for the church, at the seminary of St. Nicain, at Rouen; but he soon evinced so strong a predilection for the physical sciences, and so great a genius for mathematics, that the superiors of the establishment recommended that he should be educated for some other profession. His father therefore determined that he should adopt the naval service, in which he thought his son's proficiency in mathematics might lay the foundation of his advancement. He accordingly entered the French navy, being indebted for his appointment to the mareschal de Castries, then Minister of Marine. During the excesses of the French revolution, being a gentleman by birth and profession, he had nearly perished in the general massacre, and was, like many others, forced to seek safety in flight. He emigrated to the United States, where necessity, as much as inclination, led him to adopt the profession of a civil engineer. He was first engaged to survey a large tract of land near Lake Erie. He was also employed in building the Bowery Theatre, in New York. He furnished plans for canals,