ever known. He was in opposition during the Grafton Ministry (1769), but
was afterwards drawn to Fox by the debates on the taxation of the
American colonies, especially on tea, against which Burke made a famous
speech (1771). He also supported Fox with all the splendour of his
oratory under the Duke of Portland (1783). The grandest of all his
speeches was said to be that against Warren Hastings, in whose
impeachment he took a great part. He also spoke in the strongest way
against the French Revolution, and by so doing separated himself from Fox
(1791). Burke died in 1797. His writings are voluminous; the best known
are his _Reflections upon the French Revolution_ and his _Discourse on
the Sublime and Beautiful_. He lived (when in the country), died, and
was buried at Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshire, where “Burke’s Grove” is
well known.
WILLIAM COWPER.
Born 1731.—Died 1800.—George II.—George III.
A poet, born at Berkhampstead, whose writings are full of the best and
highest teaching. He is best known by _The Task_, _The Castaway_, and
_Table Talk_; but his smaller poems, _On My Mother’s Picture_, _The Three
Hares_, _John Gilpin_, etc., more fully show his sensibility, general
kindness, and playful wit. He also translated the _Iliad_. Cowper’s
blameless and useful life was darkened by fits of despondency and
depression, which in the end nearly destroyed his mind; but the light of
religion never failed him.
SIR RALPH ABERCROMBIE
Born 1738.—Died 1801.—George II.—George III.
This brave General was engaged against Napoleon I. in Holland and Egypt,
and always maintained the fame of English arms. He won two battles at
Aboukir, in Egypt, the last of which cost him his life. He fought on,
though desperately wounded, till the battle was over.
LORD CORNWALLIS.
Born 1738.—Died 1805.—George II.—George III.
A soldier who first served under the Marquis of Granby in the Seven
Years’ War in Germany. On the breaking out of the American war he was
sent there, and at first was very successful, but in 1781 was obliged to
surrender at York Town to the United American and French armies. In 1786
he was sent to India, where he took Bangalore and defeated Tippoo Sahib;
on returning to England he was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and was
instrumental in carrying out the Union of England and Ireland. He died
of fever in India, whither he was sent as Governor General, on his way to
join the army at Ghazepore.
HORATIO, LORD NELSON.
Born 1758.—Died 1805.—George II.—George III.
This most famous of all the English admirals was the son of the rector of
Burnham Thorpe, in Norfolk, where he was born, and went to sea first as a
midshipman in the _Raisonable_, 64 guns, then in a West Indiaman. He
afterwards returned to the Royal Navy, and saw service in the Arctic
Ocean, the West Indies, and South America. He was a Commodore at the
battle of St. Vincent, when he first boarded the _San Nicholas_, jumping
through the cabin window, and then sprang on to the _San Joseph_, crying,
“Victory or Westminster Abbey!” In 1798 Nelson fought the battle of
Aboukir near Alexandria, in Egypt. The French admiral’s ship,
_L’Orient_, blew up, and only two French ships escaped. Nelson was
immediately created ‘Lord Nelson of the Nile.’ In 1805 he hoisted his
flag on board the _Victory_, and fought the battle of Trafalgar, between
Cadiz and Gibraltar. When grappled to the _Redoutable_, whose rigging
was full of sharpshooters, a shot was fired through Nelson’s shoulder and
spine, and he died three hours afterwards, cheered by the news that the
French were totally defeated.
WILLIAM PITT,
Born 1752.—Died 1806.—George II.—George III.
The second son of Lord Chatham, born at Hayes, in Kent, was a greater
statesman even than his father. At the age of twenty-three he became
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and was Prime Minister almost till his
death. His eloquence was brilliant and startling, and in spite of
opposition sneers, and the ridicule which nicknamed him “the ambitious
young man,” and of being often in a minority, the support of the king
(George III.) and of the country, who enthusiastically seconded his
opposition to Napoleon Buonaparte and the First Empire, steadily
maintained him in power, and he held his ground against Fox and the
Coalition ministries. War was declared with France, against all that
Fox, Sheridan, and Grey could advance. The battle of Trafalgar raised
his hopes of peace, which the news of Austerlitz quenched; and being worn
out with gout, toil, and anxieties, the great minister, as has been well
said, “died of old age at forty-six,” after nineteen years of public
service. He was so thoroughly beloved that the nation voted him a
magnificent funeral, burial in Westminster Abbey, and £40,000 to pay his
debts.
CHARLES JAMES FOX.
Born 1749.—Died 1806.—George II.—George III.
This great orator and statesman, the third son of the first Lord Holland,
belonged to the opposite party in politics to Pitt, and they were
continually at war throughout their public career,—Pitt representing the
Tory, Fox the Whig party. Fox made his first speech in Parliament
against John Wilkes, who at that time was always stirring up sedition and
spreading his infidel opinions. The Fox and North coalitions broke up on
an Indian Bill, and the one hundred and sixty supporters of Fox who lost
their seats in the election that followed, were known as “Fox’s Martyrs.”
Fox estranged Burke from him by his opposing the war with France, and
thus tacitly supporting the French Revolution. After the death of Pitt,
Fox again came into power under Lord Grenville, and his last acts were
striving to put an end to slavery in the British dependencies, and
bringing about peace with France. He was attacked with dropsy about
seven months after the death of Pitt, at whose funeral he had spoken a
noble eulogium on his great public rival.
MUNGO PARK.
Born 1771.—Died 1806.—George III.
Born near Selkirk, was the first modern traveller who penetrated into the
heart of Africa. He went down the Niger, and after passing through a
great variety of adventures and hardships, he was killed near Boussa.
SIR JOHN MOORE,
Born 1761.—Died 1809.—George II.—George III.
The son of a Dr. Moore, born at Glasgow, became a brave general. He was
at the taking of St. Lucia with Abercrombie, was employed in the Irish
rising, and fought in Egypt and Holland. While commanding an English
army in Spain during the Peninsular war, he made his famous retreat on
and was killed at Corunna.
RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN.
Born 1751.—Died 1816.—George II.—George III.
An Irishman, born in Dublin, whose wit, oratory, and parliamentary
eloquence won him a dazzling reputation. He was the personal friend of
Fox, and the companion of George IV. as Prince of Wales, but was always
in debt and many difficulties. He was also celebrated as a dramatist,
and wrote the comedies of _The Rivals_, _The School for Scandal_, the
_Duenna_, and a play called _Pizarro_. But he is chiefly known by what
are called his _bon mots_, or witty sayings, which are unrivalled. He
died in London in extreme want.
WARREN HASTINGS.
Born 1732.—Died 1818.—George II.—George III.
This remarkable man, born in Worcestershire, went to India at seventeen,
and after filling several important posts was made Governor General of
India in 1773. His administration was famous for the submission of the
formidable enemies of England, Hyder Ali and Tippoo Sahib; but his
cruelties to the Begums (princesses) of Oude and in the Rohilla war were
the subject of his impeachment and trial before the House of Lords in
Westminster Hall. Sheridan pleaded the cause of the Begums in what has
been reckoned the finest speech ever heard in modern times. Warren
Hastings was acquitted, but he was a ruined man until the East India
Company nobly pensioned him for life with £4,000 a-year, paid his debts,
arid lent him £50,000 without interest. He died in retirement at the age
of eighty-six.
JAMES WATT.
Born 1736.—Died 1819.—George II.—George III.
This celebrated mechanic and natural philosopher began life as a
mathematical instrument maker, but having his attention very early called
to the nature and power of steam, he directed all his energies to
improvements in steam engines, and made important experiments and
discoveries. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
JOHN KEATS.
Born 1796.—Died 1820.—George III.
A poet who, if he had lived a little later, would have been admired,
praised, and had a school of imitators. As it was his sensibilities were
so wounded by the severe criticisms made upon his poems that he fell into
ill-health and died. His _Endymion_ is the poem by which he is best
known, but his volume shows that he had the merit of being beforehand
with the “Lake School” in freeing English poetry from artificial trammels
and opening for it a wider and more natural spirit. He was a native of
London.
SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL.
Born 1738.—Died 1822.—George II.—George III.—George IV.
This great astronomer discovered a new planet, which he called _Georgium
Sidus_, but which is now called _Herschel_. He erected an enormous
telescope at Slough. His son, Sir John Herschel, continued his
discoveries, and became one of the greatest astronomers yet known.
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY,
Born 1792.—Died 1822.—George III.—George IV.
A poet of the most extraordinary genius and imagination, was born in
Sussex. Some of his writings are unfortunately tinged with infidelity
and false beliefs. His translations from the Greek and longer poems are
very beautiful, especially the _Prometheus Unbound_. Shelley was drowned
in the Bay of Spezzia in Italy.
DR. JENNER.
Born 1749.—Died 1823.—George II.—George III.—George IV.
An English physician, celebrated as the discoverer of vaccination as a
preventive of small-pox. Born at Berkeley, in Gloucestershire, he was
educated at Cirencester school, and was for several years a pupil of the
celebrated John Hunter. He was rewarded with several pensions as a
recompense for his discoveries and disinterested labours.
JOHN KEMBLE.
Born 1757.—Died 1823.—George II.—George III.—George IV.
The greatest of a family of actors—John Philip, Stephen, Charles, and
Mrs. Siddons,—whose father was proprietor of a provincial theatre.
Kemble’s fine figure and splendid face were of great service in his
personation of such characters as Coriolanus, Brutus, and Julius Cæsar;
Hamlet was one of his favourite parts, which particularly suited his
somewhat sad and severe features. The Kemble family raised the English
stage to a perfection and dignity it has never since attained.
GEORGE GORDON, LORD BYRON.
Born 1788.—Died 1824.—George III.—George IV.
A poet, whose magnificent and musical language and passionate power
conceal the want of principle and poverty of heart of most of his poems.
_Childe Harold_ is the most celebrated of his works, _The Prisoner of
Chillon_ and _The Bride of Abydos_, the best in aim. Lord Byron’s life
was a bad one. He died at Missolonghi, in Greece.
MRS. BARBAULD.
B. 1743—D. 1825.—George II.—George III.—George IV.
Anna Letitia Aikin, daughter of Dr. Aikin, a writer and literary man.
Mrs. Barbauld was the first writer of really appropriate stories for very
young children, and her _Children’s Hymns in Prose_ will probably be
known as long as the English language lasts.
JOHN FLAXMAN.
Born 1755.—Died 1826.—George III.—George IV.
An eminent sculptor. He represented in marble the tragedies of Æschylus,
Homer, and Dante. He executed two celebrated works,—“The Fury of
Athamas,” and the “Cephalus and Aurora,”—and is well known by his
monuments, one of the finest of which is that to Lord Mansfield, in
Westminster Abbey.
SIR HUMPHREY DAVY.
Born 1778.—Died 1829.—George III.—George IV.
A celebrated natural philosopher, chiefly noted for his discoveries in
chemistry and galvanism. He was the inventor of the safety-lamp for use
in mines. His lectures at the Royal Institution were models of the
narrative of scientific enquiry, and his general reading and information
were extraordinary.
SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE.
Born 1769.—Died 1830.—George III.—George IV.
A well-known portrait painter, and President of the Royal Academy. He
drew good likenesses in pencil and ink at five years old, and received a
prize from the Society of Arts at thirteen for a copy in chalk of
Raphael’s Transfiguration. His portraits in the Waterloo Gallery at
Windsor are very celebrated. He painted exquisite pictures of children.
GEORGE CRABBE.
Born 1754.—Died 1832.—George III.—George IV.
A poet, born at Aldborough, in Suffolk, who perhaps first opened men’s
eyes in England to the poetry of common things. His tales in verse are
admirable pictures of everyday life, full of pathos. Crabbe went to
London to try to make his fortune by literature, but would have perished
of want had it not been for Edmund Burke, who generously befriended him
in every possible way.
SIR WALTER SCOTT.
Born 1771.—Died 1832.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.
One of the most extraordinary literary men on record. He was born in
Edinburgh, and intended for the law, and practised for a short time in
Edinburgh; but his literary genius asserted itself too strongly to allow
of any other pursuit. His _Border Minstrelsy_ was succeeded by longer
poems—the _Lay of the Last Minstrel_, the _Lady of the Lake_, _Lord of
the Isles_, _Marmion_, and others; and these again by a succession of
novels, all differing in their rich abundance of character and incident,
and all possessing a charm which few other works of fiction can even now
present. He bought a property called Abbotsford, on the Tweed, and
having fallen into difficulties through the failure of one of his
publishers, he ruined his health by excessive work to pay his debts.
Scott is often called, from the enchantment of his genius, “The Wizard of
the North.”
WILLIAM WILBERFORCE,
Born 1759.—Died 1833.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.
Was a native of Hull. After many years’ active labour to obtain the
emancipation of slaves in the English dependencies, in which his chief
coadjutors were Clarkson, Granville Sharpe, and Lord Brougham,
Wilberforce lived to see the Act of Emancipation passed under William IV.
HANNAH MORE.
Born 1745.—Died 1833.—George II.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.
This excellent and remarkable woman, born at Stapleton, near Bristol, who
lived through four English reigns, was a well-known moral writer. In her
early life she was distinguished for her brilliant social qualities, and
was well known in the circles which Johnson, Burke, Reynolds, and Garrick
frequented. Afterwards she withdrew from the world and devoted her time
to active good works and writing. Her tracts on many useful subjects
have been much read.
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE.
Born 1772.—Died 1834.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.
A native of Devonshire. This original and profound thinker was a moral
philosopher, a most eloquent writer, and a poet. He was also remarkable
for his singular conversational powers. His translation of Schiller’s
_Wallenstein_, his _Ancient Mariner_, _Remorse_, _Christabel_, etc., and
his essays called _The Friend_, stamp him as a true poet and philosopher.
SIR DAVID WILKIE.
Born 1785.—Died 1841.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
A powerful and careful painter of common subjects, was born near Cupar,
in Fifeshire. The _Blind Fiddler_ first established his reputation. His
portraits in the National Gallery at Edinburgh are well worth seeing.
SIR FRANCIS CHANTREY.
Born 1781.—Died 1841.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
An eminent sculptor, born near Sheffield, well known for his busts and
memorial figures. His monument of the Sleeping Children with the broken
snow-drops in Lichfield Cathedral, his figure of Watt in Westminster
Abbey, and his bust of Scott, are perhaps some of the best and most
remembered of his works.
ROBERT SOUTHEY.
Born 1774.—Died 1843.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
Poet Laureate, born at Bristol. His numerous works embrace many
varieties of literature. In poetry the _Curse of Kehama_, _Thalaba_, and
_Vision of Don Roderick_; in prose his _History of Brazil_, _The Doctor_,
and the _Life of Nelson_, show his great learning and research, power of
language, and variety of attainments.
THOMAS CAMPBELL.
Born 1777.—Died 1844.—George II.—George III.—William IV.—Victoria.
A poet and essayist. The _Pleasures of Hope_, _Gertrude of Wyoming_,
_Exile of Erin_, and _Mariners of England_, are universally known and
admired.
MRS. ELIZABETH FRY,
Born 1780.—Died 1845.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
Was the third daughter of Mr. John Gurney of Norwich. She is well known
for her life devoted to works of philanthropy, and chiefly for her
memorable labours for the reformation of female prisoners. Her earliest
endeavours were made in Newgate prison, and the reforms introduced there
under her influence were extended to all the other prisons in the
kingdom. In the pursuit of her object she visited the chief cities of
Europe, where she met with warm sympathy and encouragement. Her energies
were always at the service of the sufferers and the wretched of every
class.
DANIEL O’CONNELL.
Born 1775.—Died 1845.—George III.—George IV. William IV.—Victoria.
This famous Irish political agitator was born in Kerry, and educated at
St. Omer’s, in France. He was called to the bar in 1798, and elected
member for Clare in 1828. In spite of the continued opposition of George
IV., Irish agitation through O’Connell urged the Government to pass the
Catholic Relief Bill, which was done in 1829, and one of the king’s last
reluctant acts was to sign it. O’Connell supported the Government in the
passing of the Reform Bill, but came into collision with Earl Grey upon
the Irish Coercion Bill (1837). He foolishly began an “agitation” for
the Repeal of the Union (1843), and was arrested on a charge of sedition,
found guilty, and condemned to pay a fine of £2,000 and suffer two years’
imprisonment. The House of Lords, however, guided by the discernment and
firmness of Lord Lyndhurst, reversed the decision and set O’Connell free.
He went abroad in broken health, and died at Genoa in 1847.
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
Born 1786.—Died 1847.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
When Captain Franklin this brave and persevering explorer went out to
discover the north-west passage, and after several expeditions to the
North and Polar seas, he started on a last Polar voyage, from which he
never returned. In 1859 Captain Maclure went out on the same track, and
found that Sir John Franklin had preceded him by five years in his
discoveries, and been lost in the attempt.
MARIA EDGEWORTH.
Born 1767.—Died 1849.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
This accomplished woman wrote a number of useful and educational tales,
for which the children of many generations owe her a debt of gratitude.
Her _Frank_, _Rosamond_, _Harry and Lucy_, _Moral_, _Popular_, _and
Fashionable Tales_, _Patronage_, _Belinda_, _Harrington and Ormond_,
etc., are all written with a purpose of instruction that is admirably
carried out. Her last and most beautiful story, _Helen_, shows the
wretched consequences of departing from truth.
SIR ROBERT PEEL.
Born 1788.—Died 1850.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
This celebrated statesman (sprung from the class of artizans) raised
himself to the highest station by his great talents and their careful and
refined cultivation. His love of literature and general knowledge were
considerable, and he was a most accomplished leader of the House of
Commons. His political life was marked by the passing of the Roman
Catholic Relief and the Reform Bills, and his administration by the
measures passed for repealing the Corn Laws and General Free Trade. He
died from injuries sustained by a fall from his horse, in London.
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.
Born 1770.—Died 1850.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
This eminent poet is the chief founder of what is called the “Lake
School” of poetry. Throwing off the fetters of conventional and “fine”
language, and clothing the reality of thought in the simplest words,
Wordsworth, as a poet, is the greatest moral teacher of modern times, and
no one can make a study of his works without finding himself the better
for it. _The Excursion_, _the White Doe of Rylstone_, _The Brothers_,
and a multitude of smaller poems, are well known. Wordsworth, Coleridge,
and Southey were all strict and intimate friends; but the former outlived
most of his early companions, dying at Rydal at eighty years of age. It
is much to be regretted that his poems are not spread in cheap forms.
DUKE OF WELLINGTON.
Born 1769.—Died 1852.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
Arthur Wellesley, the third son of the Earl of Mornington, went into the
army as an ensign in the 73rd Foot, and became a very great general and
afterwards a statesman. He went to India in 1797, where his wonderful
military career may be said to have begun. From India he passed to the
command of the English armies in the Peninsular war against Buonaparte,
where he steadily overcame the best French generals, and at Waterloo
broke the whole strength of France, and obliged Buonaparte to surrender
to the allies. The Duke of Wellington was a man of the loftiest
character as a commander and statesman, with no thought of himself, or
love of praise or gain. He lived in an unassuming way, with great
simplicity, and died at Walmer Castle in 1852.
THOMAS MOORE.
Born 1779.—Died 1852.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
An Irish gentleman and poet who spent much of his time with Lord Byron
and the literary men of his time. He wrote several satirical poems, but
is best known by his _Lalla Rookh_, and the _Irish and National
Melodies_.
SAMUEL ROGERS.
Born 1763.—Died 1855.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
A poet, whose reputation was perhaps greater than his works. His
_Pleasures of Memory_ and _Italy_ are those chiefly known, but he wrote a
variety of smaller poems of great beauty and finish. His knowledge of
literature and conversational powers were extraordinary.
ROBERT STEPHENSON.
Born 1803.—Died 1859.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
The son of George Stephenson, the great engineer and mechanic, who was
one of the most extraordinary instances on record of the benefits of
self-education and “self-help.” He placed the first locomotive engine on
the line between Liverpool and Manchester in 1814. Robert Stephenson
succeeded his father in all his works, and carried out several gigantic
undertakings, especially the tubular bridge over the Menai Straits and
the Victoria bridge over the river St. Lawrence in Canada. He was
employed in making railways throughout Europe, and in America, Canada,
Egypt, and India.
SIR ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL.
Born 1806.—Died 1859.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
The son of Sir Mark Isambard Brunel, the engineer of the Thames Tunnel.
Sir Isambard, the son, first laid down the broad gauge system of
railways, and also built the _Great Eastern_ steamship. His railway
bridges were planned with extraordinary boldness, and that at Saltash, in
Devonshire, is well known.
WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY.
Born 1811.—Died 1863.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
This celebrated writer was a Charterhouse boy. His career began by his
lectures upon the English Humorists and the Four Georges (the kings of
that name), upon whom he discanted in terms of the most pungent and
biting satire. His novels, _Esmond_, _The Newcomes_, _Vanity Fair_, _The
Virginians_, have become English classics. Thackeray’s knowledge of life
and character was wonderful, but he indulged in too bitter and censorious
views of society.
VISCOUNT PALMERSTON,
Born 1784.—Died 1865.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.
Henry John Temple. This eminent politician sat in Parliament at an early
age, and spent his entire life in various ministerial offices, ending
with the highest. Through many changes of ministry he was Secretary of
War for twenty years, and then became Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary,
and Prime Minister. His firmness, tact, and consummate knowledge of men
and foreign affairs maintained the reputation of England on the Continent
as it has never since been upheld. Lord Palmerston was not only
respected as English Premier, but was also one of the most popular
ministers ever known.
JOHN KEBLE.
Born 1792—Died 1866.—George III.—George IV.—William IV.—Victoria.