to the palatine schools at Milan, and resided with those of his order at the college of Brera, where he furnished, mostly at his own expence, an observatory, of which' he got the direction. But he was still doomed to experience mortification. Some young Jesuits, who acted as his assistants, formed a conspiracy, and, by their artful representations, prevailed with the Government to exclude his favourite pupil and friend from holding a charge of trust. This intelligence was conimunicated to him at the baths of Albano, and filled him with grief and indignation. He complained to Prince Kaunitz, but implored his protection in vain. To the governor of Milan he wrote, that he would not return, unless things were restored to their former footing. He retired to Venice, where, having staid ten months in fruitless expectation of redress, he meditated spending the remainder of his days in honourable retirement, at his native city of Ragusa. But, while he waited for the opportunity of a vessel to convey him thither, he re ceived the afilicting news of the suppression of his order in Italy; he renounced his scheme, and seemed quite uncertain what step he should take. Having come into the Tuscan territory, he listened to the counsels and solicitation of Fabroni, who held forth the prospect of a handsome appointment in the Lyceum of Pisa. In the mean time he accepted the invitation of La Bord, Chan.berlain to Louis XV. and accompanied him to Paris. Through the influence of that favourite, he obtained the most liberal patronage from the French monarch; he was naturalized, received two pensions, amounting to 8,000 2 livres, or 3331. and had an office expressly created for him, with the title of Director of Optics for the Marine." Boscovich might now appear to have attained the pinnacle of fortune and glory; but Paris was no longer for him the theatre of applause, and his ardent temper became soured by the malign breath of jealousy and neglect. Such extraordinary favour bestowed on a foreigner, could not fail to excite the envy of the sçavans, who considered him as rewarded greatly beyond his true merit. The freedom of his language gave offence, his perpetual egotism became disgusting, and his repetition of barbarous Latin epigrams, was most grating to Parisian ears. Besides, the name of a priest and a jesuit did not now command respect; and the sentiments of austere devotion, which he publicly professed, had grown unfashionable, and were regarded as scarcely befitting the character of a philosopher. Mirabeau, in his letters from Prussia, mentions Boscovich with a degree of slight, bordering on contempt, and warmly recommends it to his court, to invite from Berlin the celebrated Lagrange, a mathematician of the very highest order, and blessed with the mildest disposition. But the geometer of Ragusa was not idle. He applied assiduously to the improvement of astronomy and optics, and his diligence was evinced by a series of valuable memoirs. He revised and extended his former ideas, and struck out new paths of discovery. His solution of the problem to determine the orbit of a comet from three observations, is remarkable for its elegant simplicity; being derived from the mere elementary principles of of this sublime genius, whom nometry. Not less beautiful are the heat of delirium, he frequently his Memoirs on the Micrometer, exclaimed that he would die poor and on achromatic telescopes. But and inglorious. His religious feelings his situation had become extremely acquired new force, and he seemed irksome, and in 1783 he desired and to look forward with anxious hope obtained leave of absence. Two for that distinction in a future years he spent at Bassano, in the world, which he thought was unVenetian States, where he published justly denied him in this clouded his Opuscules, in five volumes, 4to state of existence. In his short lucomposed in Latin, Italian and cid moments, or fits of exhaustion French, and containing a variety of that intervened, he regretted having elegant and ingenious disquisitions spent his time in curious speculaconnected with astronomical and tion, and considered the calamity optical science. During that time with which he was visited, as a kind he lived with his editor, Remondini, of chastisement of Heaven for negand occupied himself in superin- lecting the spiritual duties of his tending the press. After finishing profession. In this temper of resig his task, he came to Tuscany, and nation his imposthume burst, and passed some months at the convent he expired on the 13th of February, of Valombrosa; thence he went to 1787. He was interred decently, Milan, and issued a Latin Prospec- but without pomp, in the parochial tus, in which he proposed to re- church of St. Mary Pedone.print the philosophical poem of "Such was the exit," says Fabroni, Stay, enriched with his annotations, and extended to ten books. But very few subscribers appeared: his Opuscules experienced a slow sale, and the imperial minister neither consulted nor employed him, in some mathematical operations which were carrying on. Every thing but too keenly reminded him that he was no more a favourite of the Italian public. The visions of glory melted away. This mortifying reflection preyed upon his spirits, and made the deeper impression, as his health was much disordered by an inflammation of the lungs. He sunk into a stupid, listless melancholy, and, after brooding many days, he emerged into a childish insanity, and at last became furiously mad. It was truly pitiable to behold a man of his eminent talents, reduced to such a humiliating condition. The Milanese government provided for his custody. During Rome honoured as her master, "whom all Italy regarded as her ornament, and to whom Greece would have crected a statue, had "she for want of space been obliged even to throw down some of her heroes." The Abbe Boscovich was tall in stature, of a robust constitution, with a long pale visage. His tem. per was open and friendly, but irritable, vehement, and impatient of contradiction. James Boswell, in his amusing Life of Dr. Johnson, incidentally mentions, that the English moralist, chancing to meet Bos'covich in London, had a very keen dispute with him in Latin, on some metaphysical topic. There was much heat on both sides, and the Goliath of literature treated the mathematician in his usual bearish manner. Boscovich was more distinguished by by the elegance of his mathematical genius, than for talents of invention. The predeliction he entertained for the geometry of the Greeks, led him, perhaps, to undervalue the modern analysis, and rather to neg. lect the cultivation of the integral calculus, that astonishing instrument of discovery, which is indispensible in making any great progress in the deeper parts of physical and astronomical science. His example, with similar ones in this country, shews the danger of indulging a taste so laudable in itself, but which has a tendency to circumscribe the powers of human intellect. The only work of Boscovich that has appeared in English, is his "Elements of the Conic Sections," which was, within these few years, translated, abridged, and somewhat altered, by the Rev. Mr. Newton, of Cambridge. This little treatise, we are sorry to observe, has not yet received such attention from the public as it well merits. For a view of his theory of matter, see the article-Corpuscular Philosophy. than 1735, when the Viscountess (his mother) returned a dowager to England. In his fourteenth year he left Eton also, to enter into the naval service. Mr. Richard Howe was initiated into his professional line, by sailing for the South Seas, in the Severn, of 50 guns, commanded by the Honourable Captain Edward Legge. This ship (one of Commodore Anson's squadron) was driven by stress of weather into Rio Janeiro, and thence navigated back to Europe. Mr. Howe served next on board the Burfurd, Capt. Lushington, in a squadron under the command of Commodore Sir Francis Knowles, who was detached from Sir Challoner Ogle's fleet, in February, 1743, to make an attack upon the town of La Guitta, upon the coast of Curacoa. The attack was made; the. Burford suffered considerably, and the Captain was killed in the action, This attempt having failed, a courtmartial was held, relative to the conduct of the Burford. Young Howe was particularly called upon for his evidence. He gave it in a clear and collected manner, till he Brief Memoirs of the late Earl came to relate the death of his cap Howe. The Honourable Richard Howe, second son of Emanuel Scrope, Viscount Howe, of the kingdom of Ireland, was born in the parish of St. George, Hanover-square, March Sth, 1725-6, O. S.-by the change of style, March 19th, 1726. He was sent for education first to Westminster-school, when his father went to Barbadoes as Governor of that island, having been appointed to his government in May, 1732. From this school Richard was removed to that of Eton, not later tain; he could then proceed no further, but burst into tears, and retired. There subsists a more intimate alliance between steady courage and sensibility, than the generality of men are aware of. Mr. Howe was soon afterwards appointed acting-lieutenant, by Commodore Knowles, and in a short time came to England with his ship. His commission not being confirmed by the Admiralty, he returned to his station in the West Indies, where he was made lieutenant of a sloop of war. An English merchantman had been been captured at the Dutch settlement of Eustatia, by a French privateer, under the guns and protection of the governor. Lieutenant Howe, at his own earnest request, was sent with orders to claim her for the owners. This demand not being complied with, he desired leave to go with the boats, and at. tempt cutting her out of the harbour. The captain represented the danger of so adventurous a step, and added, that he had not sufficient interest to support him in England, on a representation of the breach of neutrality. The lientenant then requested he would for a short time quit the ship, and leave the command with him. This being done, the Lieutenant went with the boats, cut out the vessel, and restored it to the proprietors. In the autumn of 1745, lieutenant Howe, having served previously with admiral Vernon in the Downs, was raised to the rank of commander in the Baltimore sloop of war, which joined the rest of the squadron on the coast of Scotland, under Admiral Smith, During this cruize, the Baltimore and another armed vessel fell in with two French frigates, of 30 guns each, full of troops and ammunition. Capt. Howe immediately ran the Baltimore between them, and almost on board one of the ships. A desperate action commenced, in which Capt. Howe was severely wounded in the head by a musket-ball, and carried off the deck to all appearance dead; but, by medical assistance he soon recovered signs of life, and, after the dressing of his wound flew again to his post. The action continued till the French ships sheered off, leaving the Baltimore in too shattered a condition to pursue them. For his behaviour in this action, properly represented to the worthy admiral Smith, our young hero was advanced to the rank of post-captain, and on April 10, 1746, appointed to the Triton frigate. With the Triton he was ordered to Lisbon, there found the Rippou, captain Holbourne, with whom he changed ships, and visited the coast of Guinea. He af. terwards went to admiral Knowles, at Jamaica, was appointed his first captain, on board the Cornwall, of 80 guns, in which ship he returned to England at the peace in 1748. During the time of captain Howe's continuance with Sir Edward Knowles, in the West Indies, he did his patron a particular piece of service in the domestic way. By an infinite deal of pains he prevented that very skilful, but over-amorous, naval officer, from degrading himself excessively through a most improper marriage. anecdote (lately communicated to me from a most respectable and undeniable authority) proves that an early and sincere desire of rendering his friendship effectually useful, was remarkably prevalent in capt. Richard Howe. This private A state of total inactivity could be little suited to the genies of an enterprising youth. We may rea sonably conclude, then, that his interval at this time, of about three years, between his actual services, was chiefly taken up by an attention to the study of mathematics and naval tactics; in the know. ledge of which he was universally allowed to have been singularly eminent, when of maturer years. March, 1751, proved the recom mencement of his nautical under. takings. IIc was then appointed to to command his majesty's ships on the coast of Guinea, in La Gloire, of 41 guns. He had already gained such a commendable reputation among the seamen in general, that his ship was immediately manned with volunteers. On his arrival at Cape Coast, the governor and council represented to him the series of ill-treatment they had received from the Dutch governor general, at Elmina Castle, who had interrupted their inland trade, imprisoned their free negroes, and had brought the credit of the African company to be held in contempt by the natives. Fired with indignation at these recitals, the commander of the squadron immediately prepared his own ship and the Swan sloop for action, and proceeded to Elmina, anchoring as near the Dutch castle, as the depth of water would permit. He then sent capt. Digges on shore, with a letter to the governor-general, demanding justice for the English merchants without delay, and an immediate release for all the free negroes. To the first demand the Dutchman sent an evasive answer; to the last an absolute refusal. Upon this a blockade for a day or two brought the governor-general to reason. All the free negroes being first sent off as a peace offering, the other demands were promised to be complied with, and the business soon adjusted and ratified. La Gloire went the usual tour down the coast; thence proceeded to Barbadoes; the chief merchants of which place displayed their feelings at seeing a son of their old governor the ship was quite crowded with refreshments from the shore. La Gloire proceeded next to Jamaica, thence, according to the VOL. XLVII. usual course, with the merchants' remittances to England. At the close of this same year (1751) capt. Howe was appointed to the Mary yacht. This was not the kind of command that accorded with his active spirit: he was glad to quit it in June, 1752, on being commissioned to the Dolphin frigate. The Dolphin was one of the squadron that sailed to the Mediter ranean, under commodore Edgecumbe; who, during his station there, dispatched capt. Howe to the coast of Barbary, on a very critical service. The inhabitants of Sallee were fitting out a cruizer of about 20 guns, avowedly to plunder vessels of all the Christian nations, particularly of the English. On arriving in their road, the captain sent a letter to the bashaw and alcaide, acquainting them with the nature of the service to which he was appointed, and requesting an explanation of their intentions. The Moors invited the captain on shore to treat with them. He was strongly advised not to put himself in the power of such a faithless people; but, considering it as a duty belonging to his employment, he went on shore next morning, accompanied by two or three friends only; leaving his ship to the care of the lieutenant, with orders how to proceed in case of any accident. On his approach near the beach he perceived a concourse of people ready to receive him, and, upon landing, was immediately conducted to the bashaw and alcaide; who had prepared a repast for his entertainment (a sheep roasted whole, &c.) and behaved with the greatest civility, and even politeness. They then proceeded to the business of the in3 C tended |