tury; no material alteration has taken place in confequence of that bill. Though the value of livings, fince the reign of Queen Anne, has been greatly improved, the expence of every necef fary of life increafed in a wonderful degree, and the accumulation of taxes enormous, twenty pounds per annum is fill the ufual falary paid to a Curate for fingle duty in fome of the Weftern Counties. Can this fum, which is much less than the wages of a very indifferent man fervant, or even the hire of a common day-labourer, be a fit. compenfation to a gentleman of liberal education for the difcharge of the im unpleasant condition of many Curates, in different parts of the kingdom; and fuch it is likely to remain, unless every Curate is required and enjoined by the Bihop not to officiate without a li cence. Having been many years a Curate, I have briefly ftated difficulties, which I have known and fejt. If you think the fubject worthy, the attention of any of the readers of your widely circulated Mifcellany, the infertion of the above remarks will oblige one of your conftant readers, A COUNTRY CURATE. Mr. URBAN, Jan. 19. HOUGH I cannot refer your portant duty of a Parish Prieft, and correspondent D. N. (LXVIII. for rifking the lofs of health, by expofing himself in all, weather, and at all feafons of the year? And it frequently happens, that even of this fmall pittance a confiderable portion is deducted. Many Curates, if married, for the convenience and accommodation of their families, are under the neceffity of refiding at the diftance of a few miles from their parishes; the expence of keeping, or even of hiring a horfe, will, in this cafe, be a very heavy tax upon a small Curacy—at the moft moderate calculation, little lefs than 8., per annum. The prefent tax upon income will alfo be very feverely felt by the inferior Clergy. No body of men in the kingdom, I believe, more fincerely deteft the revolutionary ides of the age, or more heartily contribute, to the utmost of their abilities, to the fupport of government; but a Curate can very ill afford the deduction of two pounds from a ftipend of twenty (even fuppofing no other dedu&ion), when, per. haps, his whole annual income may barely exceed the fum of 200. It has been faid, that the Curates Bill holds forth the means of redrefs, by obliging every incumbent to make an ample allowance to his Curate, proportioned to the value of his living. But, I fear, it is feldom in the power ef a Curate to obtain this relief without the interference of his Diocelan. Moft Rectors or Vicars will be difpofed to employ that perfon who will be willing to officiate in their churches for the fma left ftipend. An application to the Bishop for a licence, or to the Rector or V.car for an increafe of falary, would, in many inftances, be followed by an immediate difcharge from the curacy. Such, Mr. Urban, is, I believe, the 828.) to a copy of the fermon preached at the funeral of Mary Queen of Scots, which be enquires after; it may, pe haps, be not unacceptable to know that a very good portrait remains of that Pelate, in the poffeffion of his lineal defcendant, W. Wickham, efq. under-fecretary of ftate in the home department. If I were not aware that Holbein died in 1554, and that Bp. W. was not tranflated from Lincoln to Winchefter till 1595, I fhould have concluded the picture to be of his hand. The Bishop is habited as Prelate of the order of the Garter.. I know not to whom to attribute the portrait, unlefs to Marc Garrard, who came to England in 1580, and who, 15 years afterwards, was at the fummit of his fame. FALEOPHILUS. Governor Pownall and Mr. Coxe to cor*** The Editor has the authority of rect the statement in vol. LXVIII, roio, that there is ari inaccuracy in Mr. Coxe's Prefice to the Walpole Papers. The late Lord Crford mentioned to Mr. Coxe an ingenious Effay on the Character of Sir Robert Walpole, which deferved to be given to the publick ;-and advised him,to apply for it. Mr. Coxe foon afterwards, meeting Gov. Pownall at Bath, requested the communication. Gov. P. replied, that it was written in 1783, and he had no copy of it; that the original was in the hands of Lord Orford, and a copy had been given to Dr. Kippis for his Biographia Britannica; but that, if Dr. Kippis did not want it, it was much at Mr. C's fervice. In confequence of this permillion, Mr. C. applied to Dr. Kippis, to whom Lord Orford had fent both the original and the copy; who, not wanting the Effay for his Wiik, gave it to Mr. Coxe, who inferted it, as an interesting compofition, among the origi nal papers. MEMOIRS MEMOIRS OF DR. STEPH. HALES. Extraded from Mr. Butler's Memoirs of Bp. Hildefley, and illuf-, trated by an Engraving from an original Portrait; and a Fac-fimile of bis Hand-writing. TH HIS juftly-celebrated philofopher and divine, born in 1677, was grandfon of Sir Robert, and brother of Sir Thomas Hales, bart, of Beaksbourn, in the county of Kent. He entered as a penfioner at Bene't col. lege, Cambridge, in 1696; was admitted a fellow in 1703; appointed to the cure of Teddington in 1706; and there conftantly refided till his deceafe. In 1918, being much noticed in the philofophical world, He was elected F. R. S.; and prefented with a diploma degree, by the University of Oxford, in 1733 t. Dr. Hales was much esteemed by Frederick prince of Wales, father of his prefent Majefty; who took great pleafure in frequently furprifing him with a vifit in his laboratory. After his Royal Highness's death, his great merit did not pafs unnoticed in his retirement at Teddington, her Royal Highnels the Princefs dowager of Wales having been pleafed unfolicited to appoint him to be her clerk of the clofet, very wifely confidering him as a valuable acquifition to any Court; and he had in confequence a fhare in the education of our Sovereign. Soon after, he was nominated for a canonry of Windfor; but, declining to accept it, he immediately waited upon his royal patronefs, and prevailed on her to waive the honour to kindly intended him; preferring his retirement at Teddington to any other fituation, as being more favourable for his philofophical purfuits. "His circumftances, he faid, were fuch as entirely fa To whom, and his brother John Hales, the father of Bp. Hildefley owed his prefentation to the rectory of Mirriton in Kent. Hence originated that intimate acquaintance and friendship between Dr. Hales and the Bishop, which fubfifted through life, and was cherished and kept up by a regular correfpondence; of which, however, an unlucky accident has fwept away all other traces than a fingle letter of Dr. Hales preferved by the Biographer of the Bishop. +He was also a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris. EDIT. GENT. MAG. January, 1799. tisfied his defires, and an ampler income would be only a greater incume brance." Befides his excellent Trearifes on Staticks, in two volumes, 8vo and his book on Ventilators, he' alfo wrote feveral valuable peces; confifl ing of Philofophical Refearches; Experiments on Medicines for diffolving the Stone; a Treatife on Tar Water? Confiderations on the Caufes of Earth quakes; and a Variety of Memoirs, inferted in the Philofophical Traniac tions of the Royal Society. He had ever fome plan or other in view which might tend to the benefit of his fellow-creatures; devifing means to flop, in all poffible cafes, the pro grefs of infection, from foulness of air; and to render gaols, hofpitals, mines, hips, and other clofe or crowded places, more whole fome analyfing mineral waters; and, from the pure love of truth and humanity, detecting the impofitions of thofe, who would have recommended com mon water to the afflicted, as a specifick for all diforders. This he parti cularly exemplified in the Glaftonbury waters; in thofe of a fpring not fat from Godftone in Surrey, called the Iron-pear-tree Water; and in another rival fpring near it; which were all very much extolled in the newspapers of the time for their great virtues, but clearly fhewn by Dr. Hales to poffefs no other properties. than thofe of common fpring-water. In 1736 he published the fecond edition of a Tract, intituled, "Distilled Spirituous Liquors the Bane of the Nation;" 8vo. A new edition fome time afterwards appeared, with additions, and an Appendix; which was called "Friendly Admonition to the Drinkers of Gin, Brandy, and other Spirituous Liquors, which are to deftructive to the Induftry, Morals, Health, and Lives of the People; by Stephen Hales, D. D." This is referred to in his letter to Bp. Hildefley; and it is included in the catalogue of books diftributed by the very liberal Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge. In 1741, he communicated to the world his admirable invention of ventilators, which it was the conftant ftudy of his life to improve; and which, after much uncandid oppofition, was at laft univerfally adopted. About fix or seven years after, one of chose publish a new edition of his book on ventilators; mentions fome experiments that he had lately been making on the different degrees of faltnets in the fea-water brought from different latitudes; and refers to a paper, which he had communicated to the Royal Society, on the benefits to be derived from wetting the boy with falt water. If the trial, fays he, were made in twenty tents, to wet the foldiers' bodies with falt-water in very cold weather, it would probably give fome light into the matter: but I know, by much experience, that the vis inertia, that ftrong power of indolence in mankind, is too great, to at tempt ufeful difcoveries by proper trials; and without them ufeful difcove thofe machines was put up in the Savoy prifon, the benefits of which were foon experienced, and publicly acknowledged. It is afferted, upon the most refpe&table authority, that, previous to this important difcovery, between fifty and a hundred prifoners confined in that place had died annually of the gaol-diftemper; but that, after the machine was elected, four perfons only died in two years, although the number in confinement often exceeded two hundred! And hence the use of ventilators became general, in the king's hips, and vari. ous other places; and will be a lafting memorial what fervices even one man, in private life, may render to the community. In a letter to Dr. Swithen Adee, of Oxford, dated Augustries cannot be made." Experience, 22, 1757, Dr. Hales expreffes great pleafure, that, by feveral preffing letters to the Continent, he had at length fucceeded in causing the fame means to be adopted, for fecuring the health of English prisoners in France, as had been practifed for nearly two years in England, to the great benefit of French prifoners here. On which happy occafion the venerable patriarch of Teddington was heard merrily to fay, "he hoped nobody would inform against him, for correfponding with the enemy.' In another letter, dated Dec. 14, 1760, about a fortnight only before his death, he fpeaks of an intention to however, from extreme trial, has for tunately come in aid, upon this very interefting fubject; and has fully con firmed, by mere accident and sharp neceflity, the truth of our good Doctor's hypothefis. Amidst the peculiar difficulties and diftrefs which Captain William Bligh and his eighteen officers and men fuffered, in April, May, and June, 1789, during their efcape from his mutinous crew of the Bounty, in a fmall open boat*, the wringing of their clothes through the fea-water, after being drenched with continual rains, and then putting them on wet, was found not only a great refreshment, but their beft preferva * Nineteen men, for fix and forty days (April 28 to June 14); crowded together in a boat only 23 feet long, 6 feet inches wide, 2 feet 9 inches deep!-Extracts from Captain Bligh's Narrative.. "1789. May 10. We were miferably wet, with very fqually weather, and fuffered great cold in the night. 11. Our limbs fo cramped that we could scarce move them. 12. Every one had almost lost the ufe of his limbs. The wet weather continued; and in the afternoon, as there was no profpect of getting our clothes dried, I recommended to every man to ftrip, and wring them through the faltwater; by which means they received a warmth, that, while wet with rain, they could not have. 17. Our fituation was miferable; always wet, and fuffering extreme cold in the night, without the leaft fhelter from the weather. Before we began to eat, every perfon ftripped; and, having wrung their clothes through the fea-water, found much warmth and refreshment. 18. In the morning the rain abated; when we stripped, and wrung our clothes through the fea-water, as ufual, which refreshed us greatly. 19, 20. Constant rain; at times a deluge. At dawn of day, fome of my people feemed half dead: our appearances were horrible. Extreme hunger was now too evident; but note fuffered from thirst; nor bad we much inclination to drink, that defire, perhaps, being fatisfied through the skin. The latle fleep we got was in the midit of water, and we conftantly awoke with fevere cramps and pains in our boues; fo covered with rain and falt-water that we could fcarcely fee. We fuffered extreme. cold, and every one dreaded the approach of night. 31. At two in the morning, overwhelmed with a deluge of rain. 23. Served an allowance of two tea-fpoonfuls of num; after drinking whach, having wrung our clothes, and taken our break fait of bread and water, we became a little refrethed. 24. The first time, for 15 days paft, that we experienced comfort.from the warmth of the fun; ftripped, and hung our clothes up to dry; which were by this time become fo threadbare, that they would not keep out either wet or cold." |