23. At Glasgow, Mrs Belfill, who was engaged to perform at the theatre-royal, Edinburgh, in a principal line. Efq; 24. Mifs Bell Wight, daughter of the late Rev. Mr Robert Wight of Dumfries. 24. At Edinburgh, Thomas Bruce, of the ifland of St Vincent's, fon of the deceafed David Bruce of Kinnaird, Etq; 24. At Muffelburgh, John Smith, Efq; late of his Majesty's customhouse in Phila delphia. 24. At Edinburgh, Mifs Anne Hamilton, daughter of the late Mr Gavin Hamilton, bookfeller in Edinburgh. 25. James Young, Efq; Admiral of the White. 26. At Edinburgh, Mifs Joanna Spence, daughter of James Spence, Eiq; late Treafurer of the Bank of Scotland. 26. At Tranent, Mr Matthew Haldane. 28. At Bath, aged 66, James Gambier, Efq; Vice Admiral of the Red. 28. At Eaft Sheen, Surrey, the Hon. Mrs Temple, mother of Vifcount Palmeriton. Lately, at his houfe in Redpath, Mr Patrick Neil, late printer in Edinburgh. Lately, in Ireland, Agar, Lord Viscount Clifden, created a Peer in 1780, joint poftmafter of Ireland, in conjunction with Brabazen Ponsonby, Efq; He is fucceeded in title and eftate by his eldeft fon, Henry William Agar, Efq; M. P. for the county of Kilkenny. PREFERMENTS. Dublin Cafile, Jan. 14. 1789. Letters patent have been pailed under the great feal of this kingdom, conftituting and appointing the Rt Hon. William Brabazon Ponfonby, and the Rt Hon. Charles Lord Loftus, to be his Majesty's Poftmasters-General of Ireland. From other Papers. Dec. 4. 1788. The University of St Andrew's conferred the degree of Doctor of Medicine upon Mr George Moncrieff, Perth. Jan. 6. 1789 The Duke of Bedford was elected Recorder of the borough of Bedford, in the room of Sir Robert Bernard, deceafed. Jan. 22. James Fergufon of Pitfour, Efq; was unanimoufly elected member of parliament for the county of Banff, in the room of Sir James Duff. BANK R UPT S. Jan. 3. 1789. James White, merchant in Aberdeen. 3. Alexander Birnie, tanner in Aberdeen. 16. John White, baker and corn-merchant in Pleafance of Edinburgh. 21. Robert Birkinyre, merchant in Paiflev. 23. Jolin Thon:fon, drover or cattle-dealer in Auchengrouch. 24. John Conning of Kilterfan, joiner and cabinet-maker. Prices of Grain at Haddington, Feb. 6. Second. Beft. Third. THE CONTENTS. Account of JOHN CASPAR LAVATER 53. Minutes of the KING'S INDISPOSITION 60. Memoirs of T. SHERIDAN concluded 61. On the paffionate love and genius of the SCOTCH HIGHLANDERS for Music and Hiftory of the COMETS, EARTHQUAKES, &c. State of MATRIMONY among the nobility 71. PARLIAMENT. On appointing the Regent 71. Divifion on that question in the Houfe of Peers 75. 76. Proteft, &c. 78. The Speaker's death intimated by the clerk, First Examination of his MAJESTY'S PHYSI- Anecdote of CONGREVE and Rowe 84. New Books. Opinions of the Duchefs of nour of calling the very acute and ingenious fubject of our prefent attention one of her children, and the felicity to boast of him as one of her diftinguished ornaments. To acknow. ledged originality of genius he has fu- peradded qualities which genius does not always poffefs, but without which wit is feather, and great acquirements fcarce fufficient to preferve the owner from con- Our author was born at Zurich on Nov. 15. 1741. In his infancy he was more devoted to the polite arts than to abftrufe fpeculations. Bodmer and Brei- and from their example he firft began to think for himself. His love of truth, and his moral perception, drew him fre- quently from the abyfs of metaphyfics, into which the daringness of his genius often prompted him to explore. He joined to much meditation a very active scene of life, during the progress of which many inftances might be produced of an enthufiaftic devotion to the true intereft of patriotifm. At this period it was much the fashion for young people to ftudy the works of Rousseau, and much zeal was expended both by the oppo- fers and defenders of that remarkable man. Among other circumftances which H blishment of an excellent periodical work, in which our author had a very diftin guished share, inculcating againft fome adverfaries the interefts of good manners and practical religion. The Helvetic Society of Schingnack alfo engaged him to celebrate the most memorable of his coun trymen, the Swifs, which he executed with fuccefs. In 1761 he entered into orders, and two years afterwards travelled with M. Heffe and Fufeli the painter. With them he went to Berlin. At this place Spalding, with whom he refided, formed bis genius and his ftyle. His letters, addreffed to Bahrdt, and published in 1763 at Breflaw, prove that he had caught the Spirit of liberty which the theologians of Berlin poffeffed, without adepting their fyftem. He continued to write on various fubjects, and engaged in several controverfies, fome folid, fome vifionary; in a few inftances combating errors with fuccefs, in others defending opinions which can scarce be ranked higher than mere chimerical reveries. The work, however, by which he has rendered himself the moft remarkable, is that on Phyfiognomy, which if not folid is at leaft highly ingenious; perhaps poffeffes more folidity than will readily ap pear to a careless reader. The hiftory of this work is well worthy of notice, and we shall therefore relate it in his own words. "I had attained my twenty-fifth year before I thought of writing a word of phyfiognomy, or even reading any book that treats of that science. I had made fcarcely any observations relating to the fubject; much lefs had I formed the defign of collecting and methodizing my remarks. Sometimes, however, at first fight of certain faces, I felt an emotion which did not fubfide for a few moments after the object was removed; but I knew not the caufe, and did not even attend to the phyfiognomy which produced it. These fudden impreffions, frequently repeated infenfibly, led me to form a judgement of characters; but my decifions were turned into ridicule; I blufhed at my own prefumption, and be came more circumfpect. Years elapfed before I ventured again to exprefs any of those inftinctive judgements which the impreffion of the moment dictated. But I amufed myself occafionally with fketching the features of a friend, after having fixed him in a particular attitude, and ftudied it attentively. I have felt from a child an irre fiftible propenfity for drawing, and especially for portrait painting; but without either patience or a bility to execute any thing of importance. In the profecution of my favou. rite amusement, my confused sensations became gradually more clear and diftin&; I grew more and more fenfible of proportion, difference of feature, refemblance and diffimilitude. Happening one day to draw two faces immediately af ter each other, I was aftonished to find that certain features in both were perfectly alike; and my aftonishment was the greater, as I knew, beyond the poffibility of doubting, that the characters were effentially different. May I be indulged with going into a more particular detail of one of my firft obfervations of this fort? About fixteen years ago the celebrated Lambert paid a vifit to Zurich, where I saw him, I have fince had the pleature of meeting that gentleman at Berlin. His phyfiog. nomy, from the fingular conformation of the features, ftruck me exceedingly; the emotion was quick and powerful, and produced in me a fentiment of venera. tion which I am unable to describe. The emotion which I have juft mentioned, was, through the intervention of other objects, imperceptibly ‹ffaced : Lambert and his features were remembered no more. About three years after, I sketched the face of a dying friend, to preferve at least that memorial of a man whom I loved. A thousand times had I contemplated the face of my friend, without once thinking of a resemblance between his features and thofe of Lambert. I have feen them in company, and heard them converse together; an inconteftible proof that my phyfiognomical difcernment was not at that time very acute. I did not observe a single trace of likeness. But as I proceeded in my drawing, the prominency of Lambert's profile recurred to my memory; his image feemed to ftart up before me, and I faid to my friend, Your nofe is exactly that of Lambert; and ftili as I advanced, the fimilarity of this feature became more perceptible. I pretend not to compare my friend to Lambert. It becomes not me to fay what he might have been, had it pleased God to prolong his life. He poffetfed not undoubtedly the tranfcendent genius of that extraordinary man; there was, befides, as little conformity in their tempere tempers as in the character of their eyes and foreheads; but they greatly refembled each other in the shape and delicate turn of the nofe; and I beg leave to fub join, they both poffeffed, though in different degrees, a capacious and enlightened mind. The refemblance of their nofes, how. ever, seemed to me sufficiently striking, to ferve as an inducement to become more attentive in drawing to fimilar relations. Those which appeared oftener than once, between particular features of different faces, which I happened to sketch on the fame day, I carefully noted. I was at pains to mark, together with this, the moral fimilitude of the perfons concerned, at least in certain views of their character; and the discovery of such relations fixed my attention ftill more clofely on the fubject. I was nevertheless very far from having reached the depths of the fcience, and from giving myself up to the ftudy of phyfiognomies, I took care to make a very fparing ufe even of the term. Being on a vifit one day to Mr Zimmerman, now phyfician to his Britan nic Majefty at Hanover, and who then lived at Brougg, we ftepped together to the window to look at a military proceffion which paffed along. A face with which I was abfolutely unacquainted Bruck me fo forcibly, notwithstanding my near fightednefs and diftance from the street, that I inftantly formed a decided judgement upon the cafe. Reflec tion had no thare in it; I did not imagine what I had faid deferved any notice. Mr Zimmerman immediately afked me, with figes of furprize, on what I founded this judgement? On the turn of the neck, replied I.—And this, properly speaking, is the æra of my phyliognomical researches. on the fubject, and drew imaginary fa. ces, to which I fubjoined my remarks, I became tired, however, of this employment, and abandoned it for years to gether. I fmiled at my own effays, and neither read nor wrote on phyfiognomy. My turn came to produce a piece for the Phyfical Society of Zurich; and being embarraffed about the choice of a topic, I fixed, after a lile deliberation, on that which I had fo long renounced, and began to compofe my eflay, God knows how fuperficially, and with what preci. pitation. Mr Klokenbring, of Hanover, requested the favour of my papers for the infpection of Mr Zimmerman. I intrufted him with them, imperfect as they were. Mr Zimmerman put them to the prefs without my knowledge; and thus I was fuddenly and undefignedly brought forward the avowed champion of the science of phyfiognomies. The publication of a fecond effay accordingly fol. lowed; after which I confidered myfelf as relieved from the necessity of any further appearance in this caufe, at leaft for a feafon. Two very different motives foon concurred to change my intention, and induce me to refume the fubject. I heard very abfurd opinions pronounced, not againft my effays; I was abundantly fenfible of their imperfection, and need. ed no critic to point it out to me, but againft the fcience itfelf; while my own perfuafion of its reality and importance daily acquired ftrength, as I continued to reap new truths impreffed on the phyfiognomy. Thefe rafh decifions on the one hand, and on the other pref fing folicitations addreffed to me from every quarter, by men endued with wif dom, probity, and religion, joined to the pleasure of making fresh difcoveries, determined me to expofe to the public eye what is now before the reader, and which he may denominate, if he will, the ravings and reveries of a visionary. Mr Zimmerman attempted down right impoffibilites, in order to encourage me to proceed: he obliged me to furnish him with my judgement of certain propofed cafes. I fometimes hazarded an opinion; but my conjectures were for the moft part wretchedly erroneous, being no longer dictated by a fudden im pulfe, and, as it may be called, a kind of infpiration. To this hour I cannot conceive how a gentleman of his genius could perfift in his folicitations, nay, make a point of my committing my obfervations to writing. From that time I entered into a correfpondence with him Above feven years have elapfed fince I formed this refolution; and every step I advance in the execution, I meet with obftacles as numerous as unexpected, which, however, prevent not my col lecting new observations fufficient to enable me to promise somewhat interesting. I have procured a great number of drawings relating to my plan. I have examined and compared a variety of human figures of every class; and I have had recourfe to my friends for affiftance, H 2 The preferment at the Revolution on account of the oaths then imposed) was rector. He received a good education, fuperintended by his father, and at a proper time was fent to Cambridge, and was entered of Pembroke College, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1714. As no other degree was conferred on him at the university, it is probable he left it early. It is faid that he afterwards ftudied phyfic fome time under Sir Benjamin Wrench, at Norwich, from whence he removed to Bury, and prac tised there as a physician. The endless blunders committed by thofe whom I employed to draw and engrave have become a plentiful fource of enquiry and inftruction for me. I was under the neceffity of carefully studying myself, in order to make a proper choice of expreffions; I was led to inveftigate and compare many objects to which I had hitherto paid very flight attention. The exercife of my eccle aftical function had brought me into connection with fome very fingular and remarkable characters. A journey which I was induced to undertake, partly for the fake of health, partly to obtain the pleasure of perfonal acquaintance with diftinguished friends and ftrangers whom I had not yet seen, prefented to my eye, inexperienced but at tentive, a diverfity of new and interefting objects. Thus my intelligence, fuch as 'it is, fixed, extended, and improved itfelf. Oftener than once I began to ftudy the authors who have written on phyfiognomy, but was foon difgufted with their verbose jargon; and 1 discovered that most of them only pilfered from Ariftotle. I then gave up books, and applied myself as formerly to the ftudy of nature herself, and the images which reprefent her; making it my principal aim to discover the beautiful, the noble, the perfect; to define them, to familiarize them to my eye, and to give fresh ener gy to the fenfations which they excited. New difficulties every day arofe, but refources multiplied as faft. Every day I fell into mistakes; and every day I ac quired knowledge and conviction. was praised and cenfured, ridiculed and extolled. I could not refrain from fmi. ling at this, well affured that I merited neither the one nor the other. But my inward fatisfaction encreased, while I anticipated the pleafure which my work might communicate, and the benefits. it might confer. This fupports and con foles me under the weight of my enter prize. And, at the moment I write, my progrefs is fuch, that upon fome phyfiognomies it is imp ffible for me to pronounce any judgement, while at the fame time on many other faces and figures I am able to decide with a certainty equal to that which I have of my own exiftence. [To be continued.] Anecdotes of Dr MESSENGER MONSEY. DR I R Meffenger Monfey was born in the year 1693, at a vill ge in Norfolk, of which his father (who forfeited his From this outfet in life it feemed probable that his deftiny would have fixed him within the narrow limits of a country town, and the district around it; but accident, which frequently determines more important matters than the fate of a country phyfician, ordered it other. wife. By one of thofe lucky incidents, which chance alone could bring about, he had the good fortune to be introdu ced to the notice of the late Earl of Godolphin, who took him under his protection, patronised him, and provided for him. The incident which introduced him to that nobleman is faid to be as follows: The Earl, being in his way to Newmarket, was feized with a fit while by himself; but his fervant hearing him fall, came time enough to prevent the confequences that might have attended the accident. The neareft phyfician was fent for, who happened to be Dr Monsey. The Earl's fituation requiring much care and attention, the Doctor continued with him until he entirely recovered, and during the term of his attendance rendered himself so acceptable to his future patron, that when he had completed the cure, he received a propofal from the Earl to become his domeftic phyfician, with a falary of 500l. a-year. After some short deliberation the offer was accepted, the Doctor removed to the Earl's house in London, where he was introduced to all thofe who were eminent for rank, talents, or literature. From this period his character as a man, as a phyfician, and as a humourift, became more extensively known, and the knowledge of it produced the usual returns which eminence in any way generally occafions. For his fkill and humanity he was applauded; for his caprices cenfured. It has been faid by one who is no inattentive obferver of mankind, that |