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A Sketch of the Character of Mr. THOMAS WRIGHT, late of Byer's-Green Lodge, in the County of Durham.

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Oone having hitherto attempted to fave from oblivion the memory of Mr. Thomas Wright, late of Bver'sGreen lodge, in the county of Durham, deceased, we take up the pen, and offer to the publick fome authentic anecdotes of this fingular character, collected from his own note-books and manufcripts. The portrait prefixed to this narrative was engraved in his middle stage of life at his own expence, but we do not find it prefixed to any of his works.

Mr. Wright was born at Byer's-Green, on the 22d of September, 1711; his father, a carpenter, living on a finall eftare of his own. His earliest education was under one Thomas Munday, of Bishop-Auckland, in the county of Durham, where he made fome progrefs in the mathematicks; being obliged to quit his fludy of the languages, on account of a great impediment of fpeech, he was entered an apprentice to a clock maker in 1725, and at leifure-hours applied himtelf clolely to the fudy of aftronomy. On account of fome diffentions in his matter's houfe, in September, 1719, he ran away from his fervitulle, and foon after obtained a difcharge. from his indentures; and then fat down with fingular induftry to study naviga. tion, aftronomy, geometry, and the abfrufe branches of the mathematicks. On having a promife of a fhip from his father, if he would become a scaman, in 1730 he made a trial-voyage from the port of Sunderland to Amfterdam in the hip Fenwick and John, Thomas Port, malier; but, experiencing the diftreffes of a tedious voyage, and the perils of a form, on his return to England he gave up all thoughts of the lea, and opened a fchool for teaching the mathematicks at Sunderland.

Thus fettled, with a mind at ease, he became enamoured of Mifs Eftreland, the daughter of a clergyman; but, not being approved by her father, he made fruitiefs attempts to obtain a clandeftine marriage, which fo unhinged him, that in the end he determined to quit the country. Paling to Londen by fea, he there engaged with the mafter of the Fame galley to carry him to Barbados; but, after every neceffary preparation for the voyage, was induced to quit that purfuit, at the earneft folicitation of his father, and returned to the North. His GENT. MAG. January, 1793.

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employment in the fummer months in London was making mathematical inftruments under Mr. Heath and Mr. Syffon; and, in the latter end of the year, Mr. Wright took up his refidence at Sunderland, again opened a schoolthere, and taught navigation with great fuccefs.

In the fpring of the year 1731, being then with his father, he projected age. neral reprefentation of Euclid's Elements in one large fheet, and the doctrine of plain and fpherical trigonometry, all at one view; wrote a theor cal journal from the Lizard to the island of Barbadoes, and made an almanack, in imitation of that of Oxford, for the year 132, calculated for the meridian of Durham.

Our ingenious mathematician now entered upon fituations which poor and ingenious authors often experience; fruitful of difappointmen: and vexation, he mavelled to London, in hopes of publishing his almanack with profit; but the Company of Stationers blighted his de lufive profpects, by telling him it was then too late for printing it, though only in the month of October; they contrived to keep his anxious hopes of bread, and wishes for public tame, alive, by encouraging him to calculate another almanack for the year following, and promited him a yearly falary, to reward his labours, if he could procure 500 fubfcribers for the first impresion. Thus flattered, and betrayed into fuch labours, with empty pockets, M. Wright left London, and returned to Sunderland to teach navigation.

In the fpring of the year 1732, he defigned an almanack for the following year, and, in the couife of fix weeks,. produced 900 fubfcribers, Vain of this fuccefs, he hafted again to London, perfuading himself on the way, that his fortune was made. Under thofe vifio. nary hopes his steps were light, and with an exulting heart he prefente i nis work to the Company of Stationers, at a general meeting. But they, instead of receiving him with looks of approbation, regarded his fubfcription with a jealous eye; and, pretending they were unwilling to interfere with the Oxford almanack, abfolutely refuted to print for him. Overwhelmed in difappointment and deftrefs, for his cafh was nearly exhaufted before his fentence was paffed, he returned home again on foot, two hundred and fixty miles, with only

three

three or four fhillings in his poffeffion. In his paffage he made himself known to feveral men of fcience, and received great civilities on the road; vifiting Mr. Ireland, at Peterhoufe, Cambridge, and one Mr. Townsend, near Peterborough, his pocket was fupplied; he also met with Mrs. Mary Hargrave, his mother's fifter, at North-cave, where he kept a boarding-fchool *, and who had not been heard of by her relations for feveral years; he received him with great cordiality.

Soon after Mr. Wright returned to his father's, he determined to change the title of his almanack, and have it printed in Scotland; though unknown to any one at Edinburgh, he travelled thither on foot, having obtained a recommendation to Mr. Alan Ramfay. One Richard Cooper contracted with him to engrave and print his work for 15 guineas, and, on the 5th of October, it was begun, and ftamped paper was procured from London. In order to expedite the work, and attend to its correctness, he lodged with the engraver, and spent feveral weeks at his eafe. Mr. Ramfay, who was then manager of the playhoufe, made our traveller known to feveral eminent men †.

In November, Mr. Wright published a correct calculation and type of the total eclipse of the Moon for November 20, 1732, which was received with much applaufe. The engraver being dilatory, very few of the almanacks were published in January, fo that feveral fubfcribers refufed to pay their fubfcription-money, which occafioned Mr. Wright to vifit Sunderland; but not being able, with his utmoft endeavours, to raife a fufficient fum to fatisfy the engraver's demand, he fubmitted to a propofal, that he fhould defign an almanack for the following year, and veft the whole property in him; on which condition the engraver undertook to difcharge Mr. Wright of the debt; he was obliged to comply; and, with his genius only for his confolation, he trudged home on foot.

The Rev, Mr. Newcome, of Sunderland, who had been Mr. Wright's bitter adverfary in former years, now be came his very warm patrón and friend; heretofore he had ufed efforts to prevent

*His note-book fays, he was a great fcholar.

+ Lord vifcunt Elphinston fhewed him great countenance.

this ingenious man's teaching the mathematicks; but, having difcovered the invidious arts that were ufed to give falfe impreffions, and now becoming fully acquainted with his excenfive genius and good difpofition of heart, he invited him to live with him as his familiar companion. During Mr. Wright's flay in this clergyman's hofpitable manfion, he completed his Pannauticon, the Mariner's Univerfal Magazine; and, in April, he published a General Calculation of the Eclipfe of the Sun, which was to happen in May, and propofed a public lecture upon the fubject at Dur ham. During this happy retirement he alfo invented a compofition of dials, and erected his model on the pier, or mole, at the mouth of Sunderland harbour, by order of the commillioners or confervators of the river Wear, ap pointed by act of parliament, from whom he received a gratuity of twenty guineas; a defcription of this work was printed and published at the expence of

the town.

Mr. Wright's better fars were now rifing upon him; and, from this period, his merits began to come forward in public reputation.

Mr. Newcombe in◄ troduced him to the earl of Scarborough, at Lumley-caftle, who invited him to London, and promised his countenance and patronage. Mr. Wright, in a short time after this vifit, took leave of the North, to try a new profpe&, and, in his way, he received from Mr. Rakes, of Northallerton, a recommendatory letter to Roger Gale, efq. commithioner of excife, and then treafurer of the Royal Society, who became his warm friend, and introduced him to the Society, when he communicated the Pannauticon, which was ordered to be booked in their Tranfactions; and he received their public thanks. The earl of Scarborough took the earliest oppor tunity of recommending Mr. Wright to the Admiralty, who gave approbation for his publishing the Pannauticon by fubfcription; and he procured permition for the work to be dedicated to the king. At the earl's inftance the prince of Wales became a fubfcriber; and the earl of Pembroke was added to the number of his friends.

Mr. Wright was engaged, in the fpring of the year 1734, in preparing his publication for the prefs; but, through want of money, was obliged to engrave all the mathematical parts him felf, he having engaged feveral work.

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men on the other parts. The work, when finished, was received with much applaufe, and gained him the attention of feveral perfonages of the firft rank. Lord Baltimore introduced him to the prince, who made him a confiderable prefent. His noble fubfcribers paid him generously; and the produce of this publication afforded much confolation for former difappointments. In the fucceeding fummer he vifited his friends in the North; and, in the clofe of the year, he held a course of aftronomy at Brett's coffee-houfe, in Charles ftreet, London; and communicated mary things to the Royal Society. The earl of Pembroke continued to fhew Mr. Wright great countenance; permitted him to have the ufe of his library, and made him feveral valuable prefents.

In 1735, Mr. Wright invented his Hemifpherium, and made two different defigns of it, one for the cieling of a room, the other for a grand amphitheatre. Of this invention he made a model in brafs for lord Pembroke. He pub. lished the Calculations of two Total Eclipfes of the Moon, for 1736, en. graved on copper, and dedicated to the duke of Cumberland, to whom he was introduced by lord Pembroke. In the winter of this year, Mr. Wright, on the recommendation of Mrs. Holt, was introduced to the honourable Mrs. Townend, and taught her geometry. He drew up, for Mr. Senex, F. R. S. a Calculation and Geometrical Conftruction of the great Eclipfe of the Sun, for

February, 1737, in two long sheets, dedicated to the Prefident and Council of the Roval Society, which was prefented by Dr. Defaguliers.

In 1736, Mr. Wright contracted with Mr. Senex for writing a Treatise on the Ufe of the Globes, and fold his Theorica! Journal, to four proprietors, for 15 guineas. Mr. Senex recommended him to the duke of Kent, and he went this fummer to Wreft, in Bedfordshire, to teach the mathematicks to the ladies of the family. Returning to London in the autumn, he was arrested by Mr. Cooper, the Edinburgh engraver, and fubmitted to pay the pretended debt, with cofts. In the winter he completed his Invention of the Theory of Exiftence, in a Section of the Creation, 16 feet in length; and was at a great expence in copper-plates and printing t.

In 1737, his leifure-hours were eme ployed in drawing many Demonstratory Schemes in Aftronomy, and in projec ting certain Phyfical and Mathematical Elements; for publishing which, by fubfcription, he fet out propofals. In the fummer he went down with the earl

of Pembroke to his feat at Wilton, where he conftructed for his lordship, in brafs, a Syflem of the Planetary Bodies, in due proportions, equal to a radium of 190 feet; alfo invented his Cylindrical Dial, and prefented it to the earl; published the defign, in copperplate, at the command of the duke of Richmond and lord Pembroke, dedi. cared to Dr. Defaguliers; spent fome

* Particularly Lord Scarborough, the Rev. Mr. Newcombe, Mr. Rakes, and the Rev. Mr. Dealtry, near York.

+ Several plates have been rescued from the copper-fmith by falling into the hands of George Allan, efq. of Darlington, who purchated his collection of prints, mathematical inftruments, and other valuable articles.

The conftruction of this Aftronomical Cylinder, or Sun dial (which is engraved at the bottom of our plate I), he thus explained: "1. The perpendicular lines reprefent every five degrees of the fun's longitude in the ecliptic; fix of which making one fign is diftinguifbed by a large black one, and each are marked with their proper characters. 2. The circles parallel to the bafe are the almicanthers, or every degree of the fun's altitude above the horizon, and are numbered from it accordingly on the autumn colure; alfo, if counted from the equinox, as is fhewn on the oppofite or vernal colure, will aufwer his declination. 3. The elliptical diagonal black lines are the hours of the day, and are marked on the fummer folftice, thofe of the morning afcending, and thofe of the evening defcending. Laftly. The contrary broken lines are the fun's azimuths from the South, and they are numbered on the winter folitice.

"The USE. Set the brass index at the top to the day of the month, then place the cylin der perpendicular; afterwards turn it about to the fun, till you find the projecting index or gnomon to have no fhadow, except that of its own thickness, and there will be fhewn to you all at once the things required: viz. 1. The fhadow will cut the horizon, and give you the time of fen-rifing and fetting. 2. It will fhew you his place in the zodiac. 3. The fhadow-point will fhew you the fun's altitude. 4. Amongst the hour-lines, give you the time of the day. Latily. If you turn the index to the oppofite degree (or the earth's place) on the cylinder, you will find, in the fame manner, the fun's amplitude, his azimuth, and, if fought, his declination, all at the same time.”

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days with Mr. Duck, at the Queen's houfe, at Kew. At the approach of winter he was fent for to Bath, at the inftance of the duchess of Kent, where he was introduced to many perfons of distinction; and, in the fpring of the fucceeding year, returned to London in the fuite of lady Portland.

In 1738, Mr. Wright compofed his Aftronomical Secrets, and invented a Difplay of the Universal Viciffitude of Seafons, in folio.

In the fummer he paid a visit to the honourable Mr. Cowper, at Oxford; went into Bedfordshire, and there, being met by the duke of Kent's fervants, made a vifit to Wreft; thence he tra velled to the earl of Briflol's, in Suffolk, to wait upon the honourable Mifs Hervey, and again returned to Wreft. In the winter he was introduced to lord Cornwallis, to teach his daughters gep metry.

Mr. Wright having obtained an introduction to many great families, where a very honourable attention was paid him for his fcientific knowledge, we find feveral of his fucceeding years Alled with a rotation of vifiting and journeys to the houses of illuftrious perfonages; yet even there we see him purfuing his ftudies with unremitting ardour, and teaching the fciences to perfons of the first distinction *... To attend to all his journeyings would be tedious and unprofitable to the reader. The mof remarkable are fhortly mentioned in the notes +.

In 1739, Mr. Wright fulfilled his engagement with Mr. Senex, and finished his Treatife on the Ufe of the Globes.

In 1740, completed his Mathematical

Schemes and Phænomena; invented an Aionomical Fan for the Ladies;

planned a View of the Visible Creation;
and compofed his Representation of the
Universe. In the fummer of this year
he visited the North, and then proved
"A prophet has
the orthodox faying,
no honour in his own country," for,
he published propofals for a Course of
Lectures of Natural Philofophy at
Durham; which exhibition held him
five weeks, but was very thinly attend-
ed §. In 1742, Mr. Wright published
his Aftronoinical Elements. After jour-
neying from place to place in the sum-
mer, he returned to London in No.
vember, where an application was made
to him from the Czarina, by the prince
Parifkin, to become chief profeffor of
navigation in the Imperial academy at
St. Petersburg, with a falary of 300l. a
year, and many other contingent ad-
vantages. Our mathematician thought
this too fmall a recompence for leaving
his native country, and deserting a round
of amufements, together with the en-
joyment of that British hofpitality, to
which he was now eagerly invited; fo
acceptable had Mr. Wright rendered
himself to people of fashion, and fo
much was fcience at that period thought
an object of attention with those of
He de-
high rank, of both fexes.
manded a fixed falary of cool. a year,
and his propofals were reported to the
fovereign, but were not acceded to; lo
that Mr. Wright was again left to a
courfe of life highly pleafing to himself,

(To be continued.)

Thoughts on POETRY, especially modern,.
avab Criticisms on feveral POETS.
Mr. URBAN,
Dec. 17.

THE naufenus mechanifm of the great

body of modern POETRY; the false principles of excellence that are set

Gave private lectures to the earl of Scarborough, 1739.-Projects a large horizontal dial for lord viscount Middleton; went with his lordship to his feat in Surrey; lady Middleton, lady Charlotte and lady Mary Capel, study the ule of the globes.

+ Vifits fir Thomas Samwell, bart. at Upton, near Northampton; hunts with the earl of Halifax; fpent three months at Wreft, to teach the ladies to furvey; the duchefs furveyed al In 1740, with the pleasure-grounds, and made a plan of them, which was engraved. Jord Middleton at Sepperham. When in London, he was honoured with the vifits of the duke of Portland, the earl Strafford, lord Glanorchy, and feveral other great perfonages; dined almost every day with the duke and duchess of Kent; taught the honourable Mifs Cornwallis, Mifs Hervey, Mifs Falbot, and Lady Sophia Grey, afterwards lady of Dr. Mr. Ailan has these plates. Egerton, bishop of Durham.

Tempest,

We find the names of Thomas Allan, Ralph Gowland, Bazil Forcer, and Blake, efquires. 1741, he gave private lectures to the duchess of Kent, lady Sophia Grey, the marchionefs Grey, lady Mary Grey, Mifs Talbot, honourable Mifs Cornwallis, and Mifs Hervey. Vifited lord Middleton, Dr. Carter; the duchefs of Kent at Old Windfor, the earl of Effex at Caffiobury, &c.

Caffiobury; Brook-Green, the feat of lord Limerick; Culford, the feat of lord Cornwallis; Jeckworth, the feat of the earl of Briftel; Old-Windfor and Pepperham, &c.

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