Dr. Lyttelton was appointed king's chaplain in December 1747; dean of Exeter in May 1748; and was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle March 21, 1762. In 1754 he caused the ceiling and cornices of the chancel of Hagley church to be ornamented with shields of arms in their proper colours, representing the paternal coats of his antient and respectable family. In Gutch's "Collectanea Curiosa," vol. II. p. 354, is "Dean Lyttelton's Memoir concerning the authenticity of his [copy of] Magna Charta, from the Minutes of the Antiquary Society, June 3, 1761;" and in p.357 of the same work, is "Mr. Blackstone's Memoir in answer to the late Dean of Exeter [Dr. Lyttelton], now Bishop of Carlisle, May 29, 1762." In 1765, on the death of Hugh lord Willoughby of Parham *, Bp. Lyttelton was unanimously elected President of the Society of Antiquaries; a station in from meetings of the Royal Society in 1740 and 1741, and of these we read one memoir at a meeting; and they are very judicious, of variety of matter, and afford much improvement and entertainment, which every letter from our few good correspondents and occasional occurrences sets me in stock, so that our Secretary is sure of something worth the hearing to read to the company, and making mention of in the Minutes of our Society's observations, whereof he is now filling a fifth volume in folio, bound up and indexed. When we have indexed and bound up our literary correspondences, essays, poems, and dissertations, they will make a valuable set of papers, and may be of use to posterity; but we have long staid for a hand, having as yet no binder here; and these are a sort of papers I never thought proper to trust abroad to be bound, as I did the Minutes of our accounts and observations; or they had been bound up ere this, as those are, in vellum, and gratis; but I hope to have a man to do them here under my own care and inspection, for I think them too great a treasure to trust otherwise; and, when bound, not out of the Muscum of the Society, but in the Secretary's hands." * This ingenious and learned Nobleman, who was elected Vice-president of the Royal Society Nov. 30, 1752, accepted the Presidentship of the Society of Antiquaries July 26, 1751. His Lordship was also one of the Trustees of the British Museum; President of the Society for equitable assurance on lives and survivorship, in Nicholas-lane, near Lombard-street, London; and one of the Vice-presidents of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, He died a bachelor, Jan. 21, 1765. which his distinguished abilities were eminently displayed, particularly by his assistance in obtaining their charter. He died unmarried, at his house in Clifford-street, London, Dec. 22, 1768; and was buried in the family vault at Hagley. His merits and good qualities are universally acknowledged; and those parts of his character which more particularly endeared him to the respectable Society over which he so worthily presided, I will point out in the words of his learned Successor *: "The study of antiquity, especially that part of it which relates to the history and constitution of these kingdoms, was one of his earliest and most favourite pursuits; and he acquired great knowledge in it by constant study and application, to which he was led, not only by his natural disposition, but also by his state and situation in life. He took frequent opportunities of improving and enriching this knowledge, by judicious observations in the course of several journeys which he made through every county in England, and through many parts of Scotland and Wales. The Society has reaped the fruits of these observations in the many valuable papers, which his Lordship from time to time has communicated to us; which are more in number, and not inferior either in merit or importance, to those conveyed to us by other hands. Blest with a retentive memory, and happy both in the disposition and facility of communicating his knowledge, he was enabled also to act the part of a judicious commentator and candid critic, explaining, illustrating, and correcting, from his own observations, many of the papers which have been read at this Society. His station and connexions in the world, which necessarily engaged a very considerable part of his time, did not lessen his attention to the busi * See the Speech of Dr. Milles, dean of Exeter, on succeeding to the Presidency, Jan. 12, 1769, prefixed to the Archæolo gia, vol. I. p. xli-xliv. +These are preserved in the Archæologia, vol. I. pp. 9. 140. 213. 228.310. ness ness and interests of the Society. His doors were always open to his friends, amongst whom none were more welcome to him than the friends of literature, which he endeavoured to promote in all its various branches, especially in those which are the more immediate objects of our attention. Even this circumstance proved beneficial to the Society; for, if I may be allowed the expression, he was the centre in which the various informations on points of Antiquity from the different parts of the kingdom united, and the medium through which they were conveyed to us. His literary merit with the Society received an additional lustre from the affability of his temper, the gentleness of his manners, and the benevolence of his heart; which united every member of the Society in esteem to their Head, and in harmony and friendship with each other. A principle so essentially necessary to the prosperity, and even to the existence of all communities, especially those which have arts and literature for their object, that its beneficial effects are visibly to be discerned in the present flourishing state of our Society, which I flatter myself will be long continued under the influence of the same agreeable principles. I shall conclude this imperfect sketch of a most worthy character, by observing, that the warmth of his affection to the Society continued to his latest breath; and he has given a signal proof of it in the last great act which a wise man does with respect to his worldly affairs; for, amongst the many charitable and generous donations contained in his will, he has made a very useful and valuable bequest of manuscripts* and printed books to the Society, as a token of his affection for them, and of his earnest desire to promote those laudable purposes for which they were instituted." The Society expressed their gratitude and respect to his memory by a very fine mezzotinto portrait of him, engraved by James Watson, after Cotes, at their expence, in 1770. * Among these is a MS history of the building of Exeter Cathedral, by himself; and his large collections towards a History of Worcestershire. WILLIAM WILLIAM MAITLAND, whose relations resided at or near the town of Montross, was originally a hair-merchant; and went to Sweden, Denmark, Hamburgh, &c. in that employ. It is uncertain if he followed that branch of business in Edinburgh; but latterly he applied entirely to the antiquities of his native country. His first publication was, "The History of London, from its foundation by the Romans, to the present time; containing a faithful relation of the public transactions of the citizens; accounts of the several parishes; parallels between London and other great cities; its government, civil, ecclesiastical, and military; commerce, state of learning, charitable foundations, &c. With the several accounts of Westminster, Middlesex, Southwark, and other parts within the Bill of Mortality. In nine books. The whole illustrated with a variety of fine cuts. With a complete Index. By William Maitland, F. R. S. 1739," folio*. This was followed by "The History of Edinburgh, from its foundation to the present time: containing a faithful relation of the public transactions of the citizens; accounts of the several parishes; its governments, civil, ecclesiastical, and military; incorporations of trade and manufactures; courts of justice; state of learning; charitable foundations, &c. with the several accounts of the parishes of Canongate, St. Cuthbert, and other districts within the suburbs of Edinburgh. Together with the antient and present state of the town of Leith, and a perambulation of divers miles round the city. With an alphabetical index. In nine books. By William Maitland, F. R. S. author of the History of London. The whole illustrated with a plan of the town, and a great variety of other fine cuts of the principal buildings within the city and suburbs. Edinb. 1753." folio. About the year * A second edition was published in 1765, folio, enlarged to two volumes, continued to the time of publication, and illustrated with plans of the city and wards, views of the former at different times, and of all the churches and public buildings, and a map of the country ten miles round.-The plates of this latter lition are, by purchase, in my possession. 1750 (in the autumn of which year, it appears, he was six weeks at Bath for the recovery of his health) he proposed to write a general description of Scotland; for which purpose he printed a large set of queries, with a general letter, and transmitted both to every clergyman in Scotland. The return fell so very short of his expectation, that he laid, aside his design in disgust; but several years after made a tour over the whole kingdom himself; the result of which has appeared in the first volume of his "History and Antiquities of Scotland," written in a most uncouth style, and printed in two volumes, folio, at London, 1757, after his death. What few descriptions came to his hands are mentioned by Mr. Gough in his "British Topography," under the respective counties." Upon the whole," Mr. Gough observes, "it is very unfortunate that few or no copies of these descriptions were kept by the collectors of them, and what use Maitland made of them is hard to get infor/mation: none such appear amongst his papers now in the hands of his heirs. He was self-conceited, credulous, knew little, and wrote worse *.” * One of his Letters to Mr. Ames, dated "Poultry, July 1, 1740," will justify this assertion: "Sir, In your answer to mine of the 28th ult. I observe, you take notice of your having helped me to divers subscribers: you recommended Messrs. Cotes and Scatliff; which favour I should ever have gratefully acknowledged, had your latter conduct quadrated with your former. But the reason assigned by you to Scatliff for your parting with my book, viz. that it was not worth keeping, is the cause of my late and present writing. However, as my Work has met with the approbation of the most judicious and best judges, I despise what others say of it, considering it is not in their power to do me an injury in the sale thereof, seeing I have not one copy left. How to understand the following sentence in your letter, viz. when you know I helped you to several subscribers, and you had a Greek inscription or two of me, &c.' I know not, unless you mean, that your getting me the aforesaid subscribers was with a view to your own interest. If this be the case, you should have got six subscribers instead of two; whereby, according to my Proposals, in lieu of nine shillings, which you seem to expect, you would have been intitled to a whole book. And as to the hint of your having given me a Greek inscription or two, &c. I acknowledge I received from you a paper, whereon are two Greek inscriptions, together with a print of Admiral Blake, |