man, and would in all probability have
continued in retirement, had he not been
overruled by the importunities of friends
to resume his profession.

Some medical practitioners of the first
eminence, among whom were the late
Doctors Pitcairn and Saunders, strongly
urged him to fix in the metropolis. To
this he objected on the ground of health,
and it may be from feeling himself un-
equal to the anxiety and effort required to
a successful London practice. He was
besides increasingly bound to Hackney
by several valuable friendships; and here
accordingly, in compliance with the
wishes of many, he again took up his pro-
fessional character in the year 1804; and
the event proved that his decision was
wisely formed, for his practice soon be-
came considerable, and it was growing
yearly, until the time of his decease.

Dr. Pett cheerfully accepted and
conscientiously fulfilled the duty of
physician to the Refuge for the Desti.
tute in Hackney Road. In the regu-
lar and unambitious practice of his pro-
fession Dr. Pett's life was varied by few
incidents. His studies of later years
were chiefly medical, and few persons
in the profession were better acquainted
with the history of disesae, and with the
discoveries made in the healing art.
His leisure from his increasing medical
duties, was devoted to general literature
and science, and to the enjoyments of
social intercourse, in which he took a
lively pleasure, and to which he largely
contributed. By a liberal education
́he had acquired a great mass of general
knowledge, and no small share of ele-
gant learning; and by a judicious dis-
position of his acquirements appeared
competent to the discussion of any sub-
ject, whether scientific or literary. It

The blessing of them that were ready
to perish came upon him. A great
number of individuals in humble life, to
I whom he had been a benefactor, be-
wailed his death, and still lament bit-
terly their own loss. No man, perhaps,
in his station, was ever followed to the
grave by more or deeper mourners; con-
sisting too of that class of persons whose
mourning is the dictate, not of fashion,
but of the heart. He was, indeed,
worthy, for whom" they "should do
this." He took real pleasure in being
serviceable to his poor neighbours.
Frequently, after a fatiguing day, and
when he was beginning to enjoy the
comforts of his fireside, he has called to
mind some patient of this class who ex-
pected his visit, and, regardless of wea-
ther and every other inconvenience, has
proceeded to the abode of want and dis-
ease, at a considerable distance from his
own habitation. One of the last efforts
of his failing speech, was an explana-
tion to his servant of the residences of
some poor patients, whom he was anxi-
ous to inform of his illness, lest they
should suffer in mind or body from his
non-attendance.

Nothing can more strongly illustrate
the power of Dr. Pett's excellent cha-
racter, than the degree of respect and
esteem which he enjoyed amongst the
members of his own profession, whom
he conciliated, amidst differences of
opinion and interest, by his frank con-
duct and amiable manners. He was
a bond of union to such of them as were
in his own neighbourhood: those that
were at a distance put confidence in
him, on account of his wide-spread
moral reputation. In general society,
Dr. Pett was a universal favourite.
His manners were easy but dignified,
indicating all that is intended by the
word gentleman. He was diffident, but
not reserved. As occasion offered, he
took his share in conversation, and his
remarks displayed a highly cultivated
and well-stored mind. His countenance
bespoke his character: it was manly,
ingenuous and benignant. He had
a peculiarly benevolent smile, which
was irresistibly fascinating. Beyond
the circle of his profession, his charities
were very great. He had, in fact, a
deep sense of the obligation that lies
upon a Christian to do good; and such
was his humility, that he frequently la-
mented the small amount of his useful-
ness. There was scarcely a public ob-

for support, within his own immediate
connexion, to which he was not a sub-
scriber; and many were his contributions
to distressed individuals and decayed
families, known to few besides the re-
cipients of his bounty and Him who
seeth in secret.-To improvements in
the condition of his fellow-creatures
he was eagerly devoted, especially such
as came within the scope of his pro-
fession. Having thoroughly studied
from the beginning, and watched the
operation of Dr. Jenner's discovery, he
was a zealous advocate for vaccination,
which he believed would finally exter-
minate the small-pox, or at least destroy
the malignity of the disease. He therefore
discouraged the variolous inoculation,
and partly as a trustee of the parish of
Hackney, and partly as a physician, he
procured the disuse of the practice
amongst the parochial dependents. He
drew up a paper on the comparative
advantages of the two inoculations, to
which he gained the signatures of the
medical practitioners at Hackney, and
this determined the resolution of the
guardians of the poor.-Without any
ostentation of profession, Dr. Pett was
a decided Christian. He had little
relish for theological and metaphysical
niceties; but he entered with his heart
and soul into those great views of re-
ligion which regard the perfection of
the divine character, and the improve-
'ment and happiness of the human race.
He despised the mummery of super-
stition, and shrunk with abhorrence
from the appearance of bigotry. On the
whole, Dr. Pett was an extraordinary
instance of moral goodness. In any
one good quality he might have many
equals, though few superiors, but in the
aggregate of his character he excelled
most persons. He had his peculiar
place in society, in which his death has
created a total blank. No one can be
expected to be to his friends and neigh-
bours exactly what he was. By all that
knew him, it will be long before he is
thought of without pungent regret, or
spoken of without strong emotion.

from a respectable family in Leicester-
shire, Mr. Philpot received the rudi-
ments of his classical education at the
foundation school at Leicester, whence
he removed to Emanuel College at
Cambridge, where he took the degrees
of B. A. 1780, M. A. 1787; and where
he gained two Seatonian prizes in the
two successive years of 1790 and 1791,
and acquired the valuable friendship of
the late learned Bishop of Cloyne, Dr.
Farmer, and many other literati of the
day. His attaiments as a scholar were
of a very high order, and his love of
letters remained with him through life,
and was the delight and solace of the
retirement in which he chose to pass his
days. His mind was not less stored
with elegant literature, than with the
deeper and more abstruse branches of
learning, and the amusement of his
latter years was writing a History
of the Rise and Progress of the Re-
formed Church in France, embracing
the manners and literature of that in-
teresting period, and not yet printed,
but which it is to be hoped may yet be
given to the public. In 1781, he publish-
ed "Humility, a Night-thought," 4to.
In 1793 he was presented to the living
of Ripple, by C. F. Palmer, Esq.; and
in 1813 to that of St. Margaret at
Cliffe, by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As he had lived respected by his nu-
merous friends, so he died sincerely
lamented by them and his family.
has left by Maria, only daughter of the
late Rev. Peter La Fargue, of Stam-
ford, co. Lincoln, two sons and two
daughters to mourn their irreparable
loss.

He

PLAMPIN, the Rev. John,
May 30, at Chadacre Hall, in Shimp-
ling, Suffolk, aged 68.
This respecta-
ble divine received his academical edu-
cation at Jesus College, Cambridge,
where he proceeded B. A. in 1776; and
being classed the 12th Wrangler on the
Tripos, was in consequence thereof
elected fellow. In 1779 he proceeded
M. A.; in 1794 he was presented by
his society to the rectory of Whatfield;
and 1800, to the rectory of Stanstead.
The Rev. John Clubbe, the witty and
ingenious author of "the History of
Wheatfield," was once rector of What-
field, and to his memory, Mr. Plampin
erected the following elegant and classi-
cal inscription. It is on a small mural
tablet, in a rural temple in the rectorial
garden; and the beauty of the inscription
is much heightened by the bower having

PLAYFAIR, Mr. William, Feb. 11,
in London, in the 64th year of his age.
Mr. Playfair was the son of a clergy,
man in the neighbourhood of Dundee,
and was born in 1759, His father dying
when he was young, his education and
support principally rested on his elder
brother, the late celebrated Professor
John Playfair, who was then a minister
of the church of Scotland. Both bro-
thers were men of strong understandings,
but that of John was better disciplined
by a college life than that of William,
buffeted about as the latter was in the
world, in attempting to realize his nu-
merous projects. Discovering an early
taste for the mechanical arts, Mr. William
Playfair was, when of a sufficient age,
apprenticed for a short period to a mill-
wright of the name of Mickle, where
he had for his fellow apprentice John
Rennie, the celebrated engineer. He
subsequently quitted Scotland for Eng-
land, and proceeding to Birmingham,
was engaged in 1780, as a draughtsman
at Soho, in the employment of Mr.
James Watt.

Had Mr. Playfair cultivated his me-
chanical genius, there is no doubt that
he would not only have obtained consi-
derable eminence, but have rendered no
inconsiderable service to his country.
Unhappily, however, for his own inte-
rests, he had the ambition to become
an author.

Few individuals of the present day
have written so much or so consistently
as Mr. Playfair. Politics and political
economy were his favourite topics, and
there has scarcely been a subject of
public interest, connected with either,
during the last forty years, that has not
elicited a pamphlet from his prolific pen.
Firmly devoted to the interests of his
country, he never suffered any opportu
nity of serving it by his pen to escape
him, though his exertions went unre→
warded, and he often incurred expenses
which his circumstances could very ill
bear. As one instance of the neglect

with which Mr. Playfair was treated, we
may mention, that although he was the
person who furnished the plan and al-
phabet of the telegraph to the British
Government, which enabled it to adopt
a system of communication then so
successfully employed by our great
enemy, yet his services were not only
unrequited, but even very tardily ac-
knowledged. Mr. Playfair happened to
be at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, when a
member of the parliament of Bourdeaux
arrived at the same inn, and described
to him a telegraph, which had been
erected on the mountain of Belville.
Mr. Playfair, of whose mechanical pow-
ers we shall speak hereafter, soon com-
prehended the plan, and, in the course of
the next day, executed two working
models of the instrument, which he
sent to the Duke of York, "and hence,"
says the Encyclopædia Britannica, "the
plan and alphabet of the machine came
to England."

Although from this time, the cacoethes
scribendi became his ruling passion,
yet it was not the only one, and Mr.
Playfair successively obtained five pa-
tents for various inventions, One of
them was for making sashes of metal,
composed of copper, zinc, and iron,
which he called eldorado sashes, and
with which several windows in Carlton
House, and some door sashes in the
British Museum, are fitted up.

Mr. Playfair also invented a machine
to complete the ornamental part or fret
work of silver tea-boards and sugar-
tongs, which had hitherto been executed
by the hand only. The same machine
was applicable to the manufacture of
coach-ornaments, buckles, and even
horse-shoes. Of the latter, it made six
dozen and a half, from the iron bars, in
seven minutes.

After residing some time in London,
where Mr. Playfair opened a silver-
smith's shop for the sale of plate of his
own manufacture, he proceeded to Paris,
and entered into some mechanical spe-
culations, particularly a rolling mill on
a new plan, for which he had obtained
an exclusive privilege from the king.
While residing in that capital, he formed
an acquaintance with Mr. Joel Barlow,
who had been sent agent to Paris for
the sale of lands on the banks of the
Sioto, a river which falls into the Ohio.
These lands, to the extent of three mil-
lions of acres, had been purchased by a
company at New York, of which Mr.
Duer, an eminent merchant, and Mr.

Hamilton, secretary to the United States'
treasury, were leading members. Mr.
Barlow being without connections in
Paris, and unacquainted with the lan-
guage, found some difficulty in carrying
his object into effect, until introduced
to Mr. Playfair, who undertook the dis-
posal of the lands. The French revolu-
tion rendering emigration a matter of
choice to some, and of necessity to more,
Mr. Playfair undertook the agency, to
dispose of the lands, at five shillings per
acre, one half of which was to be paid
on signing the act of sale, and the other
half to remain on mortgage to the United
States, to be paid within two years after
taking possession. The office was open-
ed in a large hotel in the Rue Neuve
des Petits Champs, contiguous to the
Palais Royal, in November 1789, under
the title of the Sioto Company; and, in
less than two months, fifty thousand
acres of land were sold. Two vessels
sailed from Havre de Grace, laden with
emigrants; and the colony of Sioto,
thus formed by Mr. Playfair, though
not a very flourishing, is an improving
settlement.

The political opinions of Mr. Playfair
were not very favourable to the French
Revolution, and happening to express
himself somewhat freely on the subject,
he provoked the enmity of Barrere, who
obtained an order for his arrest; ap-
prised, however, of his danger, he suc-
ceeded in making his escape to Holland,
and thence to England. On his return
to London, Mr. Playfair projected a
bank, to be called the Security Bank,
in which Mr. Hartsinck, formerly in the
celebrated house of the Hopes at Am-
sterdam, and the Rev. Mr. Hutchinson,
became partners. This bank was open-
ed in Cornhill; its object was to divide
large securities into small ones, and
thus to facilitate the negotiation of small
loans. Unfortunately, however, suffi-
cient attention was not paid to the na-
ture of the security, and bankruptcy
ensued. From this period we have only
to consider Mr. Playfair as a literary
man, whose life, like that of most au-
thors, was much chequered. Of his ac-
tivity, the following list of his works
will bear ample evidence :-

1. Joseph and Benjamin.-2. Regula-
tions for the Interest of Money, 1785.-
3. The Statistical Breviary, showing on
a principle entirely new, the Resources
of every State and Kingdom of Europe.
-4. The Commercial and Political At-
las, 1786.-5. On the Asiatic Establish-

ments of Great Britain, 4to.-6. The
inevitable Consequences of a Reform in
Parliament.-7. A general View of the
actual Force and Resources of France,
1793.-8. Better Prospects to the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers of Great-
Britain, 1793.-9. Thoughts upon the
present State of French Politics, 1793.
-10. Peace with the Jacobins impos-
sible, 1794.-11. Letter to Earl Fitz-
william, occasioned by his two Letters
to the Earl of Carlisle, 1794.-12. The
History of Jacobinism, 1795.-13. A
real Statement of the Finances and Re-
sources of Great Britain, 1796.-14.
Statistical Tables, exhibiting a View of
all the States of Europe, 4to. 1800.-
15. Proofs relative to the Falsification,
by the French, of the intercepted Letters
found on board the Admiral Aplin East
Indiaman, 8vo. 1804.-16. An En-
quiry into the Causes of the Decline and
Fall of wealthy and powerful Nations,
4to. 1805, 2nd edit. 1807.-17. Smith's
Wealth of Nations, with notes, supple-
mentary chapters, &c. 11 edit. 3 vols.
8vo. 1806.-18. A Statistical Account of
the United States of America, translated
from the French, 8vo. 1807.-19. Plan
for Establishing the Balance of Power
in Europe, 8vo. 1813.-20. British Fa-
mily Antiquity, 9 vols. 4to.-21. An
Address to the Nobility on the Advan-
tages of Hereditary Rank, 8vo,—22.
A second Address to ditto.-23. On
the Trade of India, by P. O'Hara.-
24. Ecce Iterum. 25. Letter to
Lords and Commons in Support of the
Apprentice Laws.-26. Early Friends
of the Prince Regent.-27. Vindica-
tion of the Reign of George III.-28.
A Letter to the Prince Regent, on the
ultimate Tendency of the Roman Ca-
tholic Claims; containing also a clear
Statement of the Operation of the Sink-
ing Fund, &c. 29. Buonaparte's
Journey to Moscow, in the Manner of
John Gilpin, 1813.-30. Statement to
Earl Bathurst, on the Escape of Napo-
leon from Elba, &c.-31. Letters to
Earl Bathurst, Messrs. Abercromby,
and Morier.-32. An Answer to the Ca-
lumniators of Louis XVIII., 1815.-
33. Political Portraits in this New
Æra, 2 vols. 1814.-34. Supplement
to Political Portraits.-35. France as
it is, not Lady Morgan's France.-36.
On Emigration to France.-37. On
Agricultural Distress.-38. The Toma-
hawk, a periodical, published daily at
2d. during the session of 1795. Of
this work, Mr. Playfair was joint pro-

prietor and editor with the late much-
esteemed Dr. Arnold. Mr. Playfair
wrote the leading article, and some of
our living dramatists contributed to-
wards the poetical department of the
Tomahawk.-39. Anticipation; a weekly
paper, which was for some time ho-
noured with the patronage of the late
Mr. Windham. It was, we believe,
published about the year 1808, and did
not reach more than twenty or thirty
numbers.-40. Montefiore on the Bank-
rupt Laws.-41. European Commerce;
by Jephson Ody, Esq. These two
works, though published under the
names of the gentlemen last mentioned,
were written by Mr. Playfair. The
above list is very imperfect; nor is it
possible to render it otherwise. There
can be no doubt that, including pam-
phlets, Mr. Playfair was the author of
at least a hundred distinct works. Of
the whole of his publications, the "His-
tory of Jacobinism,” and the “ Enquiry
into the Causes of the Decline and Fall
of wealthy and powerful Nations," are
perhaps the best; though the Statistical
Breviary and Atlas display great inge-
nuity in simplifying statistical details,
by means of geometrical lines and
figures. These works were the means of
introducing Mr. Playfair to the friend-
ship of the late Marquis of Lansdown,
and several distinguished members of
the legislature. The notes to Adam
Smith's "Wealth of Nations" exhibit
considerable knowledge of political eco-
nomy.

On the restoration of the Bourbons.
Mr. Playfair went again to Paris; and
there conducted Galignani's English
Newspaper, until driven away by a pro-
secution for some insignificant libel.
From that time he existed in London
by essay-writing and translating. His
constitution, however, being broken up,
and his means having become precarious,
anxiety of mind completed what bodily
indisposition had begun; and on the
11th of Feb. 1823, he died in Covent-
Garden, in the 64th year of his age.

In private life Mr. Playfair was in-
offensive and amiable; not prepossess-
ing in his appearance and address, but
with a strong and decided physiogno-
my, like that of his late brother. With
a thoughtlessness that is too frequently
allied to genius, he neglected to secure
that provision for his family, which,
from his talents, they were justified to
expect; and although he laboured ar-
dently and abundantly for his country,

yet he found it ungrateful, and was left
in age and infirmity to regret that he
had neglected his own interests to pro-
mote those of the public.

He has left a widow and four chil-
dren, two sons and two daughters. One
of his sons was a lieutenant in the 104th
regiment, who, on its being disbanded
in Canada, turned his attention to me-
chanics, and superintended the con-
struction of a saw-mill, though bred
only to the military profession. One of
Mr. Playfair's daughters is blind; as
the child of a person whose life was
devoted to the service of the British
government, she has strong claims on
its bounty, and we trust they will not
be overlooked.

-

PORTMAN, Edward Berkeley,
Esq. M. P. for Dorsetshire, Jan. 19th,
at Rome, aged 51. This family is of
the highest antiquity, being descended
from Sir Maurice Berkeley, son of
Maurice Lord Berkeley, (19 Edw. II.)
the immediate descendant from Sir
Robert Fitzharding, first Lord Berke-
ley, who was the son of Harding, son
of a king of Denmark, who accom-
panied Duke William from Normandy,
and was with him at the battle of
Hastings, when the death of Harold
decided the fate of the kingdom in
favour of the Normans. He resided at
Bristol, of which he was governor, and
possessed great estates in the counties of
Somerset and Gloucester. William
Berkeley, Esq. of Pylle, co. Somerset,
great grandfather of the late Mr. Port-
man, first added to his original name of
Berkeley, the name and arms of Port-
man, by act of parliament, 9 Geo. II.
on succeeding to the Portman estates,
in consequence of the will of Sir Wm.
Portman, K. B. who died in 1689-90.
The late Mr. Portman was the
second son of Henry Wm. Portman,
Esq. of Bryanston, co. Dorset, who
died Jan. 16, 1796, aged 59.
His
eldest brother, Henry Berkeley Port-
man, M. P. for Wells, married in 1793,
Lucy Elizabeth, second daughter of
Lord Dormer, and died March 22,
1803, without issue; when the late
Mr. Portman succeeded to his property
in the West of England, and the im-
mense estates in St. Mary-le-bone, in
which parish, Portman-square, Bryan-
ston-square, Berkeley-street, &c. have
been named after himself, or the place
of his residence. He was a fellow
commoner of St. John's College,,.
Cambridge, where he proceeded B. A

-