Nothing further appears to be known respecting Mr. North, except that,
through the “Gentleman’s Magazine” for July, 1734, he proposed, and was
the anonymous donor of fifty pounds, “as a prize for the poets,” to
encourage them “to _make_ the best poem, Latin or English, on Life,
Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell, viz. all the said subjects jointly,
and not any single one independent of the rest:” and, that the poets
might not be discouraged “upon suspicion of _incapacity_ in their
judges,” he entirely resigned the decision of the best poem to
“universal suffrage” and election by “vote;” or, as he is pleased to
call it, in the Magazine for August, “the public vote of kingdoms.” He
presumes that this scheme “will probably be most agreeable to _the
poets_ themselves, because they will be tried by such a number as is not
capable of being bribed, and because this method of determination will,
as he conceives, tend most to the honour of that poet who shall
succeed.” In October he prescribes that the voters shall sign a
declaration, disclaiming undue influence; and he suggests, that if the
majority of candidates prefer a determinate number of judges to the
public at large, he will accord to that arrangement, provided they
express their desires with their poems. Accordingly, the Gentleman’s
Magazine of May, 1735, “informs the candidates, that as the majority of
them are for a decision by a _select_ number of judges, the donor is
desirous that Mr. _Urban_ should apply to _three_ particular gentlemen
of unexceptionable merit, to undertake this office;” and it is
announced, that the poems will be published in “an entire _Magazine
Extraordinary_,” to render which “acceptable, to those who have no great
taste for poetry,” there will be added “something of general use.” In
the following July the poems appeared in the promised “Gentleman’s
_Magazine Extraordinary_, printed by E. Cave, at St. John’s Gate, for
the _benefit of the poets_;” whereto was added, as of “general use,”
agreeably to the above promise, and for those “who have no great taste
in poetry,” the Debates in the first session of parliament for 1735.
What gratification Mr. North derived from his encouragement of “the
poets,” is to be inferred from this--that, in the supplement to the
Gentleman’s Magazine of the same year, 1735, he announced, that other
prizes thereafter mentioned would be given to persons who should “_make_
and send” to Mr. Urban, before the 11th of June, 1736, the four best
poems, entitled “The Christian Hero”--viz.
“1. To the person who shall make the best will be given a gold medal,
(intrinsic value about ten pounds,) which shall have the head of the
right hon. the lady Elizabeth Hastings on one side, and that of James
Oglethorpe, Esq. on the other, with this motto--‘England may
challenge the world, 1736.’
“2. To the author of the second, a complete set of Archbishop
Tillotson’s Sermons.
“3. To the author of the third, a complete set of Archbishop Sharpe’s
Sermons. And,
“4. To the author of the fourth, a set of Cooke’s Sermons.”
In the Magazine of February, 1736, Mr. North begs pardon of the lady
Elizabeth Hastings, (a female of distinguished piety,) for the
uneasiness he had occasioned her by proposing to engrave her portrait on
his prize medal: being, “however, desirous that _the poets_ should
exercise their pens,” he proposes to substitute the head of archbishop
Tillotson, and “hopes that Mr. Oglethorpe will be prevailed upon to
consent that the medal shall bear his effigies.” Several of the poems
_made_ by “the poets” for this second prize appear in the Magazine of
the same year, to which readers, desirous of perusing the effusions
elicited by Mr. North’s liberality, are referred.
* * * * *
The “James Oglethorpe, Esq.” whose head Mr. North coveted for his prize
medal, was the late general Oglethorpe, who died in 1785, at the
advanced age of ninety-seven, the oldest general in the service. Besides
his military employments, first as secretary and aide-de-camp to prince
Eugene, and afterwards in America, and at home during the rebellion in
1745, he was distinguished as a useful member of the House of Commons,
by proposing several regulations for the benefit of trade and the reform
of prisons. In 1732 he settled the colony of Georgia, and erected the
town of Savannah, and arrived in England in June, 1734, with several
Indian chiefs. This gentleman’s public services at that time, and his
eminent philanthropy, were inducements to Mr. North to do him honour.
The following is an interesting account of the presentation of the
Indians at court.
On the 1st of August, 1734, Tomo Chachi, the king, Senauki his wife,
with Tooanakowki, their son, Hillispilli, the war captain, and the other
Cherokee Indians, brought over by Mr. Oglethorpe from Georgia, were
introduced to his majesty at Kensington, who received them seated on his
throne; when Tomo Chachi, micho, or king, made the following speech, at
the same time presenting several eagles’ feathers, trophies of their
country.
“This day I see the majesty of your face, the greatness of your house,
and the number of your people. I am come for the good of the whole
nation, called the Creeks, to renew the peace which was long ago had
with the English. I am come over in my old days, though I cannot live to
see any advantage to myself; I am come for the good of the children of
all the nations of the Upper and of the Lower Creeks, that they may be
instructed in the knowledge of the English.
“These are the feathers of the eagle, which is the swiftest of birds,
and who flieth all round our nations. These feathers are a sign of peace
in our land, and have been carried from town to town there; and we have
brought them over to leave with you, O great king, as a sign of
everlasting peace.
“O great king, whatsoever words you shall say unto me, I will tell them
faithfully to all the kings of the Creek nations.”
To which his majesty graciously answered,
“I am glad of this opportunity of assuring you of my regard for the
people from whom you come, and am extremely well pleased with the
assurances you have brought me from them, and accept very gratefully
this present, as an indication of their good disposition to me and my
people. I shall always be ready to cultivate a good correspondence
between them and my own subjects, and shall be glad of any occasion to
show you a mark of my particular friendship and esteem.”
Tomo Chachi afterwards made the following speech to the queen.
“I am glad to see this day, and to have the opportunity of seeing, the
mother of this great people.
“As our people are joined with your majesty’s, we do humbly hope to find
you the common mother and protectress of us and all our children.”
Her majesty returned a suitably gracious answer.
The war captain, and other attendants of Tomo Chachi, were very
importunate to appear at court in the costume of their own country,
merely a covering round the waist, the rest of the body being naked, but
were dissuaded from it by Mr. Oglethorpe. But their faces were variously
painted after their country manner, some half black, others triangular,
and others with bearded arrows instead of whiskers, Tomo Chachi, and
Senauki, his wife, were dressed in scarlet, trimmed with gold.
On the 17th of the same month Tomo Chachi, and the rest of the Indians,
dined with the lady Dutry at Putney; and then waited on the archbishop
of Canterbury, (Potter,) who received them with the utmost kindness and
tenderness, and expressed his fatherly concern for their ignorance with
respect to Christianity, and his strong desire for their instruction.
His grace, though very weak, would not sit down, the micho therefore
omitted speaking to him what he intended, and only desired his blessing;
adding, that what he had further to say he would speak to Dr. Lynch, his
grace’s son-in-law, and then withdrew. He was afterwards entertained at
a noble collation, and had a conference with Dr. Lynch, expressing his
joy, as believing some good persons would be sent amongst them to
instruct their youth.
On the 30th of October the Indian king, queen, prince, &c. set out from
the Georgia office, in the king’s coaches, for Gravesend, to embark on
their return home. During their stay in England, which had been about
four months, his majesty allowed them 20_l._ a week for their
subsistence. Whatever was curious and worthy observation in and about
London and Westminster had been carefully shown them; and nothing had
been wanting to contribute to their diversion and amusement, and to give
them a just idea of English politeness and respect. In return, they
expressed themselves heartily attached to the British nation. They had
about the value of 400_l._ in presents. Prince William presented the
young micho, John Towanohowi, with a gold watch, with an admonition to
call upon Jesus Christ every morning when he looked on it, which he
promised. They appeared particularly delighted with seeing his highness
perform his exercise of riding the managed horse, the Horse Guards pass
in review, and the agreeable appearance of the barges, &c. on the Thames
on lord mayor’s day. In the same ship embarked several relations of the
English settled in Georgia, with sir Francis Bathurst, his son, three
daughters, and servants; together with fifty-six Saltzburghers, newly
arrived from Rotterdam. These people had been at the German church in
Trinity-lane, where 47_l._ was collected for them.[485]
[482] The Whole Works of the Rev. Thomas Adam have been lately first
collected in three vols. by the Rev. W. Smith.
[483] A brave man thinks no one his superior who does him an injury,
for he has it then in his power to make himself superior to the other
by forgiving it.
_Testator_.
[484] Besides these bequests, Mr. North desired that two
manuscript-books, consisting of miscellaneous pieces, and particularly
a discourse, the first and last parts whereof were composed with a
view of their being preached instead of a sermon at his funeral,
should be printed in one volume after his decease, at an expense of
one hundred pounds, and directed the profits of the books sold to be
expended in causing an impression to be made of four sermons by
archbishop Sharp and bishop Beveridge, containing a description of the
Joys of Heaven and the Torments of the Damned; together with some
directions how men may obtain the one, and escape the other; the said
four sermons to be printed on good paper, and in a fair character,
bound or stitched in strong covers, and given _gratis_ among soldiers,
sailors, poor persons, and common labourers. He further gave to the
archbishop of York two hundred pounds, in trust, to be applied towards
the building or other uses and services of another church, or a chapel
of ease in Scarborough aforesaid, provided any such church or chapel
should be erected within ten years after his decease. He also gave
fifty pounds to the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge; and
fifty pounds to the Society for propagating the Gospel in foreign
parts. “I desire the lord archbishop of York (Hutton) will do me the
honour to accept the picture of Pope Gregory I., which has been
commended, and was a legacy to me from the painter, Mr. John
Settrington. I desire the lord bishop of Carlisle (Osbaldeston) will
do me the honour to accept my own picture, drawn by the same hand.”
These particulars, and those preceding, are contained in “A
Biographical Sketch” of Mr. North, printed at Scarborough by and for
John Cole, 1823. 8vo. pp. 16.
[485] Gentleman’s Magazine, 1734.
* * * * *