few instances in English genealogy, of families which have preserved their rank and greatness in an uninterrupted line of descent from the Norman Conquest, notwithstanding the internal commotions, in the course of which, houses remarkable for their weight and affluence have been totally annihilated. Its descent is regularly deduced, on unquestionable authority, from Robert, the second son of Eudes, Sovereign Duke of Brittany in France, who settled in Normandy, and became possessed of the lordships of Brehewal and Ivery, in that duchy.-Robert, Lord of Brehewal and Ivery, followed William the Conqueror to England, where his descendants, in the second or third generation, changed the name of Brehewal into that of Perceval, which the family has since borne. Through this long series of years it became allied to many houses of high rank, and retained possession of most of their lordships in England and Ireland. The first ancestor of Mr. Perceval who repaired to the latter kingdom was John Lord Lovel, at the request of Richard II. -Sir John Perceval, grandfather to the late minister, was a privy counsellor to Queen Anne, and was advanced to the peerage of Ireland on the accession of the House of Brunswick, by the title of Baron Perceval of Burton. In 1722, he was created Viscount Perceval of Kanturk, and Earl of Egmont, in the same kingdom, in 1733. He intermarried with the daughter of Sir Philip Parker, Bart. (the representative of the Lords Morley of that name and of sir William Parker, Knight, who married Alice Lovell, the heiress of the houses of Lovel and Holland in the time of Edward the Fourth), and dying in 1748 was succeeded by his eldest son, John, the late Earl of Egmont, who, in 1762, was created an English peer, by the title of Lord Lovel and Holland, in commemoration of his descent from the lords of these names, whose honours would have devolved upon him by right of inheritance, had it not been for the attainder of Sir William Parker, who shared the fate of Richard the Third on Bosworth field. John, the late earl, who died in 1770, was twice married. By his first wife, Catherine, daughter of James Earl of Salisbury, he had John James, the present Earl of Egmont and Lord Lovel and Holland, and several other children, all of whom (except the Earl) are now dead. By the second he had (besides Lord Arden and the late Prime Minister) Mary, married to Andrew Berkely Drummond, esq.; Frances, married to Lord Redesdale; Margaret, the wife of Thomas Walpole, esq. nephew of the Earl of Orford; and another son, and three other daughters, who are dead. The Earl of Egmont, therefore, is his only surviving brother of the half blood, and Lord Arden his only surviving

brother of the whole blood.-Let not our readers imagine that we have brought this heap of genealogical honours to increase the importance, or add lustre to the character, of our lamented Statesman. It derives its greatest splendour from itself. But, however unwilling to revive the unguarded expressions uttered in the heat of political debate, we cannot forget that this descendant of an antient and distinguished ancestry was lately described as 66 an adventurer from the Bar." Such misrepresentations thrive among the ignorant, when they spring from their oracles. The calumnies leveled at first against the origin of a man, soon fasten on his personal virtues, and destroy his public and private character. Like rust, unless quickly removed, they eat away the most polished steel. Hence we have deemed it our duty to enter, at some length, into Mr. Perceval's genealogical descent, that truth might openly refute what party fervour had advanced, and party blindness credited; conscious, at the same time, that his individual merits, instead of borrowing from, add a ray to the glorious sunshine of his ancestry.-Mr. Perceval's infancy was spent at Charlton, the seat of his family, in Kent, where he went through the first rudiments of learning. There he also contracted an early attachment for the youngest daughter of the late Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, Bart. and member for Sussex, an active and spirited Officer, who had distinguished himself at the battle of Minden, where he served as Aide-decamp to General, afterwards Earl of Waldegrave, and who also attained the rank of General before his death. This gentleman held the lordship of the manor of Charlton, where he had also a country residence; and the proximity of the two families occasioned an intimacy and interchange of affection between them, which were afterwards confirmed by a double matrimonial alliance. From Charlton Spencer Perceval removed to Harrow, where he successfully prepared himself for the University. At the proper age he repaired to Trinity College, Cambridge, where the present Bishop of Bristol, Dr. William Lort Mansell, was his tutor. There unwearied application and splendid abilities led him to the highest academical honours. In 1781 he obtained the degree of Master of Arts, and on the 16th of December of the following year was admitted of Lincoln's Inn. His usual attention carried him successfully through the necessary studies, and he was called to the bar in Hilary term 1786. He commenced his professional career in the Court of King's Bench, and accompanied the Judges through the Midland circuit. His chief opponents were then Mr. (now Sir S.) Romilly, Mr. Clarke, and Mr. Serj. Vaughan; and, notwithstanding his excess of modesty,

which,

which, at that period, almost amounted to timidity, he displayed encouraging promises of forensic excellence, which were realized at the trial of George Thomas, of Brackley, Northamptonshire, for forgery. In this case he was retained for the prosecution; and had the honour of contending with Mr. Law, since Lord Chief Just. Ellenborough. This trial excited much public attention, and the ability evinced by Mr. Perceval reatly increased the number of his clients.--Successful in his professional exertions, he was no less fortunate in his search after domestic happiness; and on the 10th of August, 1790, he led to the altar Miss Jane Wilson, whose eldest sister had, four years before, given her hand to his elder brother, Lord Arden. His advancement was now both regular and rapid. In Hilary term 1796, he obtained a silk gown, and became the leading counsel on the Midland circuit, not only in point of rank, but also in quantity of business. He was soon after appointed counsel to the Admiralty; and the University of Cambridge acknowledged its sense of his merits by nominating him one of its two counsel. However, either the bustle and confusion of a court of law did not exactly comport with his gentle and amiable manners, or the attention which he began to pay to the politics of his country induced him to sacrifice a portion of his legal practice, by changing its scene of action. He had attracted the notice of an attentive observer and acute judge of men and talents, the late Mr. Pitt, by a pamphlet which he had written, to prove "that an impeach

now

ment of the House of Commons did not abate by a dissolution of Parliament.". This work became the foundation of his intimacy with the Premier, and his subsequent connexion with the government; and caused a sudden alteration in his prospects. He had long felt the laudable ambition of joining the parliamentary hosts that rallied round the Throne and the Constitution, to repel the attacks of internal faction and foreign enmity. A most propitious opportunity was opened. His first cousin, Lord Compton, succeeded to the Earldom of Northampton in April 1796, on the demise of his maternal uncle, and consequently vacated his seat for the borough of that name. Mr. Perceval immediately offered himself to represent the vacant borough ; and was too well known, and too universally esteemed, to meet with any opposition. He had been previously appointed deputy recorder, and was now elected member for Northampton; and so highly did his constituents approve of his political conduct and private worth, that they gave him flattering and repeated pledges of their esteem and affection, by returning him to serve in three Parliaments. To the national

sorrow for the murder of so excellent a man, and so skilful and energetic a minister, they now join private grief for the loss of a faithful and beloved representative. [These Memoirs shall be continued in our next Magazine.]

May 11. At Clapham Common, in her 74th year, Mrs. Meade.

At Godalming, Surrey, Mrs. Worgan, relict of the late Dr. W. of Gower-street.

At Hambrook, Mrs. Caroline Thornton, widow of Mr. E. T. late of Warmley House. At Clifton, Rev. Thos. James, of Brecon, May 12. Mr. Hector Barnes, of Botolph-lane.

Mr. Jonathan Herne, orchal-maker, of Hoxton-square.

In Sloane-sq. aged 63, Mr. W. Burgess, for upwards of 40 years a highly esteemed portrait-painter and drawing-master.

At Hammersmith, Mr. Devis, brother to the celebrated artist.

He

At Penzance in Cornwall, whither he went for the recovery of his health, aged 16, Sir Wm. Henry Langham, bart. is succeeded in title and estate by his uncle, now Sir James Langham, bart. of Hill-House, Bookham, Surrey.

May 13. In his 66th year, J. Garraway, esq. of Cadogan-place.

In Dover-st. the rt. Rev. Thos. Dampier, Lord Bp. of Ely, official visitor of St. John's, Jesus, and Christ College, Cambridge. His Lordship's demise was extremely sudden, and the cause is supposed to have been the gout, with which he had been long afflicted, having ascended from his limbs to his stomach. This distinguished scholar's death was so little expected, that his lady was at the concert of sacred musick when the melancholy event took place, Dr. Dampier was educated at Eton, and at King's College, Cambridge, B. A. 1771; M. A. 1774; D. D. 1780, per regias literas; tutor to the Earl of Guildford and his brother; vicar of Bexley, in Kent, in 1771. Dr. Egerton, Bp. of Durham, allowed Dr. Dampier, his father, who was dean of Durham, to resign the mastership of Sherborne Hospital in favour of his son, when his health was visibly declining, from his respect for the Dean, and from the deserved estimation in which he was held at Dur ham. He was a prebendary of Canterbury 1765; canon of Windsor 1769; prebendary of Durham 1782; dean of Rochester 1782; bishop of that see 1802; and translated to Ely in 1808.

May 14. In his 19th year, Mr. W. S. Appleyard, of the Transport-office.

At Stobs Castle, co. Roxburgh, Sir Wm. Elliott, bart. of Stobs. He is succeeded in his titles and estates by his eldest son, now Sir Wm. Elliott, bart.

May 15. Aged15,Susanna, daugh. of W. Stanley, esq. of Maryland-point, Stratford. At Dun-house, John Erskine, esq. of

Dun.

Dun. Mr. E. has left two daughters: the Countess of Cassillis, and an elder sister unmarried.

May 16. In Lower Grosvenor-st. sud denly, Sir Frank Standish, bart. He ordered his servant, as he was rising, to prepare his breakfast; and on the latter returning in about ten minutes, he found his master dead; who, it is supposed, expired in an apoplectic fit. Sir F. possessed a fine family estate in Lancashire, and has left also a considerable personal property, but died without a will. Sir F. S. was a breeder of running horses, and sportsman on the turf.

May 17. In Devonshire-place, Matthew Lewis, esq.

May 18. In Sackville-st. James, eldest son of J. Buller, esq. one of the clerks of the Privy Council.

Mr. Eastwood, of Staithwaite, near Huddersfield. This gentleman was the intimate friend of the late Mr. Horsfall, of Marsden; and soon after Mr. H. had received the fatal shots upon Crossland Moor (see p. 479.) he was thrown from his horse near the place where the assassi nation took place, and considerably hurt. Indifferent to his own injury, he ran on foot to Huddersfield, to procure surgical assistance for his friend; and on his return he again mounted his horse, and repaired to Huddersfield a second time, for a supply of medicine, when he was again thrown from his horse at the corner of the churchyard, and so much injured as to occasion a complaint in the abdomen, which terminated in his death.

May 19. At Ardwick, near Manchester, aged 66, Mrs. Harvey, eldest daughter of the late John Markland, esq. of the former place, and relict of Mr. Harvey, surgeon, of Manchester. This excellent and valuable woman was long and justly endeared to her family and friends, by the benevolence of her heart, the attractive sweetness of her disposition, and the uniform cheerfulness and vivacity of her manners. Educated at a period when ornamental accomplishments were less attainable, and less eagerly sought after, than at the present day, she was indebted rather to Nature, and sound sense, than to the assistance of others, for those mental acquirements which she possessed in so

large a degree. Her understanding was matured by reading, society, and reflection; and imparted a charm to her conversation, that rendered it alike acceptable and instructive to the young and old, the lively and the grave. Having, in early life, contracted an infirmity in her limbs, that baffled medical assistance, and proved incurable, Mrs. Harvey was debarred of those delightful pursuits which exercise and strength of constitution perpetually afford; but Providence, which never takes away without adding commensurate blessings, gave to this amiable woman so many intellectual resources, and such a serenity of temper, that the deprivations she endured were scarcely felt by herself, however lamented by her friends. The sufferings it was her fate to undergo during the illness that terminated her life, were extreme, and of long continuance; but they were alleviated by, a conscience void of offence, and by those just and elevated views, which she had ever entertained upon subjects of religious belief. Her faith, firm and unclouded, and unsubdued by the pressure of bodily anguish, disarmed pain of its poignancy, and the grave of its terrors; and she closed a life of piety and virtue, by a death, tranquil, resigned, and holy. Dear to her family, her friends, and society, her memory will long be cherished with feelings of affection and esteem; and the general interest and regret excited by her loss will best evince the truth of this memorial.

May 20. Charles Bowyer, infant son of Mr. J. B. Nichols, of Red Lion Passage.

At Balham, co. Surrey, Mrs. Evans, relict of the late Geo. E. esq. and sister of Sir Charles Price, bart. M. P.

May 21. In Pall Mall, after a few days' illness, aged 36, the wife of Dr. Heberden, one of his Majesty's Physicians.

At Rayner-place, Chelsea, Thos. Pickles, esq. of the Stock Exchange.

May 23. At Havering, Essex, Anne, wife of W. Jacobs, esq. of Great Portland-st. At Herne hill, Camberwell, Mrs. J. S. Winstanley, of Paternoster-row.

May 25. Edmond Malone, esq. the wellknown commentator on Shakspeare. Of this truly polite and accomplished Scholar, we shall speak more fully in our next.

BILL