"A Seaman's Remarks on the British Ships of the Line, from January 1756 to January 1782." This tract was produced in defence of his father's conduct, while first lord of the admiralty; and was well calculated to remove some invidious aspersions on his character as a marine minister.] WILLIAM PETTY, MARQUIS OF LANSDOWN. [Was born in 1737, and being trained to a military life, had the appointment of aide-du-camp to the king in 1760, with the rank of colonel of foot. In May 1761 he succeeded his father as earl of Shelburne, was made a commissioner of trade and plantations in 1763, and placed on the privy-council. Under the second administration of lord Chatham he became secretary of state, but resigned in consequence of some cavil about Corsica. In the marquis of Rockingham's administration he was secretary of state with Mr. Fox; and on the death of the marquis in 1782 succeeded to the premiership as first lord of the treasury, and introduced Mr. Pitt to the office of chancellor of the exchequer: but this junction soon gave way to the coalition-ministry of lord North and Mr. Fox. In November 1784 he was created earl of Wycombe and marquis of Lansdown, and died on the 7th of May 1805. His lordship filled a large space in society as a statesman, an orator, an accomplished gentleman, an excellent landlord, a liberal patron of the arts, and a most amiable man in private life. He is thought to have possessed more political information than any 2 Gent. Mag. vol. lxxv. p. 402. 3 other man of his time. There was scarcely a principal city on the continent of Europe or in the United States of America, in which he had not one or more correspondents, from whom he collected every local event of importance, and often received intelligence which government had not the means of procuring. To a most accurate knowledge of the history and constitution of his own country, he added very considerable knowledge of the state of other countries. He strenuously opposed the war with revolutionary France, and supported the union with Ireland; a country with whose character he appeared thoroughly acquainted, and therefore recommended that she should be dealt with honourably. The marquis was also a finished scholar, as well as a profound politician; and when the subsequent directors of the state machine ceased to derive benefit from his superior talents, he retired within his valuable library at Shelburne House, which owed so much of its literary attraction to the care and superintendence of that meritorious bibliographer But his lordship's right appropriation of all the political intelligence which he acquired was spoken of as problematical, in the following lines: "He spends half his wealth, for the good of the nation, To procure from all quarters the best information; He candidly then imparts all he knows Impart ly, both to our friends and our foes. In his speech he is open and candid, no doubt, Samuel Paterson, the editor of a catalogue raisonné, entitled, Universalis Selecta; and author of Joineriana, or the Book of Scraps. When Mr. Howard's monument was proposed to be placed in St. Paul's cathedral, lord Lansdown addressed to the committee a paper of Observations on sepulchral ornaments, which opened with the following judicious and well-received suggestions: "In complimenting or commemorating any great character, expense is a secondary consideration. All works of art please in proportion as taste and judgment prevail over them. In architecture, the greatness of the mass sometimes imposes, even where the structure is barbarous: but in sculpture, the mass becomes an intolerable enormity, where it is not highly executed and imagined; which, in a group of figures, implies the arts to have attained the utmost degree of perfection. In the case of monuments, this is the more true, as a mere massy monument, composed of common-place allegory, may be raised to any body whose will or whose posterity may direct the payment for it, without creating any interest, and often without being at all understood. Besides, the public is in general grown cold to allegory, even in painting, where nevertheless it is much more supportable than in statuary. The great object, where a character admits of it, should be to produce those sensations which resemblances of exalted characters never fail to do, even in persons most experienced in the human character; and at the same time create an association of ideas VOL. IV. I I which may tell themselves, in honour of the persons intended to be remembered. "The proposal for erecting a monument to the late Mr. Howard suggests these reflections. If they have any foundation, it will be difficult to find an occasion so proper, and so free from objection, to enforce and carry them into effect; as, besides continuing his likeness to posterity by a single statue, three public points may be obtained; which, combined all together, must reflect the highest honour on his memory: namely, 1st, To reserve St. Paul's, the second building in Europe and the first in Great Britain, from being disfigured or misapplied in the manner of Westminster Abbey. 2dly, To assist the arts most essentially, by advancing statuary; which may be considered as the first, because it is the most durable amongst them. 3dly, To commence a selection of characters, which can alone answer the purpose of rewarding past, or exciting future virtues; and the want of which selection makes a public monument scarcely any complimeht."] END OF THE FOURTH VOLUME. LONDON: Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode, |