phical Society, and we know that many distinguished characters are desirous of see ing such a pian carried into effect. We feel, no doubt, but that a few years will witness an institution of this nature flourishing amongst us, for we notice with pleasure, that, at least in one large town, means have been had recourse to that can hardly fail of drawing the attention of our

youth to philosophical and scientific pursuits; we allude to the course of Lectures lately delivered by Mr. Abraham, of Sheffield, for the purpose of grounding young people in the knowledge of Chemistry, Astronomy, Electricity, &c.-aplan which has been much approved of, and is worthy of imitation.

The Rev. THOMAS ASTLEY was born at Whitehaven, in Cumberland, September 5, 1738, O. S. and was son of the Rev. Ralph Astley, dissenting minister of that place. He received the early part of his education under the Rev. James Day, of Lancaster, in whose family he resided till his 17th or 18th year, when he was entered as a divinity-student at the Daventry Academy. There he remained under the tuition of Dr. Ashworth till the year 1758, when, at the suggestion of Dr. Benson, he removed to the Academy which had been recently established at Warrington, and finished his education there under Drs. Taylor and Aikin, and Mr. Holt. After three years spent in this seminary, during which his conduct had been most exemplary and diligent, he was ordained to the ministry with Mr. Joseph Priestley, (afterwards Dr. Priestley,) and two of his fellow-students, Mr. Holland and Mr. Wilding, on May 18, 1762. The high estimation in which his talents and acquirements were held during his residence at the Academy appears from his having been invited some time afterwards to fill the Classical Professor's chair- an honour which, however flattering to him as a scholar, his modesty induced him more than once to decline. His first settlement as a minister was at Congleton, in Cheshire, whence he removed to Preston, in Lancashire, before the expiration of a year. At Preston he remained till the beginning of 1773, when he received an invitation from the dissenting congregation at Chesterfield, to be come their minister. Shortly after his settlement at this place, he was married te Miss Wilkinson, daughter of Jos. Wilkinson, Esq. of Birmingham, who in the early part of his life officiated as a dis

senting minister; but quitted this pro fession in the course of a few years, on the ground of ill health, and exchanged it for that of a foreign merchant. Mr. Astley had not resided at Chesterfield more than twelve months before he opened a boarding school for the education of young gentlemen. In the character of an instructor of youth he was eminently calculated to shine, from the mildness of his disposition, and the gentleness of his manners, no less than from the extent and variety of his attainments. During a period of ten years, the last seven of which he resided at Dronfield, his school maintained a deservedly high reputation, and his pupils were supplied from some of the best families in Yorkshire. Many who received their education under him, and are now filling important situations in the world, retained during his life a grateful sense of the obligations under which they_lay to his unwearied attention, and the affectionate solicitude which he displayed for their welfare; and now that he is dead, his memory is cherished by them with mingled feelings of veneration and love.

In the year 1784, the cares attendant upon an increasing family, united to the discharge of his ministerial duties, rendered it necessary for him to relinquish the troubles and emoluments of a boarding-school. Accordingly he quitted Dronfield, and came to reside once more at Chesterfield, that he might be within the more immediate sphere of his ministerial usefulness. Here he would have devoted his attention exclusively to the education of his own children, if he had been left to follow the bent of his inclination; but was prevailed upon by the urgent solicitations of his friends to take a limited number of

young gentlemen as day-scholars. Thus employed, he spent the most interesting period of his life, till, about the year 1800, he relinquished the occupation of teaching altogether, and confined himself entirely to the discharge of his professional duties. In the summer of 1813, he resigned his situation in the ministry, on account of increasing age and infirmities, after having sustained it for upwards of fifty years with undiminished lustre and reputation. From that period his active day of usefulness ceased; and, after a gradual and silent decay of the powers of nature, he died October 15th, 1817, universally respected and beloved, in the seventy-ninth year of his age.

WILLIAM WILSON, who lately died at Beverley, was a singular character, though strictly speaking not a miser: he was a compound of benevolence and meanness, of generosity and avarice; but towards the latter part of his life, this vice of age appeared to absorb every generous principle. About ten years before his death he used regularly to attend sacrament at the established church, and frequently put a guinea into the box for the poor: he contributed 58. yearly to the Poor and Strangers' Friend Society, and for some years together he used to give weekly to the poor what he spared out of sixteen pennyloaves, which he bought for one shilling; but these generous actions were discontinued some time before his decease. He was born at Etton, a village near Beverley, where his father lived on a farm of his own when young he used to ride to Beverley market on the bare back of his horse, and was never known to use that expensive article, a saddle.

After the death of his father, Wilson and his mother removed to Beverley' (about the year 1793), and the farm was let. After his mother died he soon parted with the maid-servant, which she kept during her life, because she was so extravagant as to wash her hands with soap; after this he seldom had a female come near him till a few years before his death, when his infirmities obliged him to keep a housekeeper. He rented a small house for £3. 3s. per annum, and generally laid in bed till day-light in winter, and went to bed when it began to be dark, for candles were too expensive to be used.

"During his residence in my neighbourhood for many years, (saysa neighbour of his,) the gleam of a candle was never seen in his house." He was equally careful of soap; he thought it shameful extra

vagance to waste such an expensive article; butter was also a luxury with which he never indulged his appetite; he would sometimes buy a breast of mutton by way of a treat, and broil it in his tin-oven, but durst not trust the butcher to bring it home, after he had purchased it, nor the baker to bake it: he generally went supperless to bed. He was so careful of his clothes, that one old white wig had been his companion for many years; and being caught in the rain one evening on his return from paying a visit to a neighbour, he immediately pulled off his new greatcoat, which he carefully wrapped up and carried under his arm, preferring to expose himself to the wet rather than to risk the injury which his coat might receive.

He had a horse-shoe nailed on the threshold of his door, supposed to preserve him from witchcraft. He made his own fire, and generally employed himself after his frugal breakfast in rubbing his chair, and tables, and making his bed, after which he prepared for church, for he was a regular attendant at the prayers till his last ill

ness.

He was a tall, lank, meagre-looking figure; his dress usually a broad-brimmed low-crowned shabby hat, light-coloured coat and worsted stockings, and his general appearance more like a parish-pauper than that of a man of property.

He left his paternal estate at Etton to his housekeeper- the interest of £400 to each of the churches in Beverley, to be laid out in bread weekly- he interest of £200. to Etton church for the same purpose the interest of £400 to Bishop Green's charity-school in Beverley-several legacies to individuals-and the residue to the corporation of Beverley, in trust to be laid out in charitable purposes at their discretion. M. T.

MARRIAGES.

Oct. 14. At Pocklington, Mr. E. Stocks to Miss Holtby. Mr. B. Hollingshead to Miss Green, of Horncastle.

16. Mr. Wm. Walker, printer and stationer, to Miss Mounsey, both of Otley. At the Friends' Meeting-house, Sunderland, Mr. S. Grimshaw, of Rawdon, near Leeds, to Miss H. Holmes.

17. At Whitby, David, son of David Veasey, Esq. of Huntingdon, to Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late I. Chapman, Esq.

20. At York, Mr. Wm. Fryer, watchmaker, to Miss Buttle.

21. Right Hon. Lord Selsey to the Hon. A. M. L. Irby, youngest daughter of Lord

Boston.-At Hull, Mr. G. Hall to Miss Williamson, At Skipton, Mr. J. Robinson to Miss Harrison.

23. At Limehouse, Middlesex, D. Fairchild, Esq. to Martha, second daughter of the late Thos. Middleton, Esq. of Hull.-Mr. M. Sykes, solicitor, of Milnsbridge, to Mary, second daughter of James Gratrix, Esq. of Altrincham.-- At the Friends' Meeting-house, in Leeds, Mr. Joseph Whalley, of Lockwood, near Huddersfield, to Margaret, daughter of Mr. F. Shield, late of Seacroft.

25. Mr. James Hutchinson, of Denby Grange, to Miss Turner, of Huddersfield. Mr. Heslop, surgeon, of Masham, to Miss Durham.

27. At Ripon, Mr. J. Kennedy, of Knaresbrongh, to Miss E. Atkinson, of Winkslay. 28. Mr.Geo. Field, of Lobster-house, near York, to Miss E. Taylor.

31. Mr. T. Marshall, jun. merchant, of Hull, to Sarab, eldest daughter of Mr. T. Pickering, of the same place. Michael Hardy, Esq. of Bridlington, to Miss Parrott, of Bridlington Quay.

Nov. 1. At Sheffield, Mr. Henry Elder, of Edinburgh, bookseller, to Jane, only daughter of the late Mr. Alexander Todd. At Searbro', Mr F. Shaw to Miss M. Otterbura.

3. At Manchester, Mr. J. Ellam, of Dalton, to Miss Ann Peacock. Mr. Robert Wainhouse, of Halifax, to Mrs. Slater, formerly of Wakefield.—At Huddersfield, Mr. Geo. Calvert to Miss Bottomley. Mr. T. Hirst to Miss P. Lassey, both of Northowram, near Halifax.

5. Rev. Hugh Hart, minister at the Independent chapel at Wortley, near Leeds, to Miss Stead.

9. At York, Mr. Thomas Peters to Miss Masterman.

13. At Rillington, the Rev. Edmd. Day to Miss Gilbert, of Settrington. Mr. B. Clarkson, of Scarbrough, to Mrs. E. Wilson, of Beaston, near Leeds.

20. At Sheffield, Mr. Joseph Hartley, merchant, to Miss Rhodes.-At the Friends' Meeting-house, Sheffield, Mr. Wm. Chapman, engraver, to Tabitha, eldest daughter of Mr. Robt. Wright.-Mr. G. Skelton, paper maker, to Miss Anne Brownbill, both of Sheffield.

DEATHS.

Jan. 4. died at Columbo, in the Isle of Ceylon, W. Tolfrey, Esq. in the full vigour of a learned life (being not quite 40) and diligently occupied, with the assistance of the natives, in the translation of the Scriptures into the Cingalese. He was

attacked by a violent disorder, which proved fatal in a fortnight. His remains were followed to the grave by the Governor and all the Civil and Military Officers of Columbo, He was a most sincere and ardent friend to the cause of Missions and Bibles.

At Montreal, in America, Capt. John Setters, of the brig Peace, of Hull. In going on shore, his foot slipped, and he fell betwixt two vessels and was drowned.

Sept. 12. died at the Cape of Good Hope, where he was appointed to an office, Mr. Thomas Sheridan, son of the late R. B. Sheridan, Esq. by his first wife, the daughter of Mr. Linley. He was a pupil of Dr. Parr. and served in the army as aide-de-camp to the Earl of Moira in Scotland, where he married the daughter of a Scotch gentlemen of the name of Calender, and who, with several children, now survives him at the Cape. Thus in little more than twelve months have fallen three members of the same family--the orator, his widow, and his son.

Oct. 6 At an advanced age, the Rev, Thos. Grove, many years the laborious and respected pastor of a congregation af Walsall. He was, we are informed, "the last survivor of the six students expelled from Edmund College, Oxford, in 1768, for praying, reading, expounding the Scriptures, and singing hymns in a private house."

10. At Bow Wood, the seat of the Marquis of Landsdowne, Mr. Broad, for nearly 40 years steward in the Marquis's family, His death was occasioned by the following singular circumstance: Being out in the park on the day preceding, with a party of ladies and gentlemen, he found a dead adder, which he took up in his hand, and opened its mouth to shew the party where the poison of the creature lay; in doing which, however, the subtile matter communicated to a cut in one of his fingers. On the next morning Mr. B. was found dead in his bed, with every indication of having died from the effects of the poison.

Oct. 15. died, at Soleure, in Switzerland, the patriotic hero of Poland, Gen. KOSCIUSKO, who crowned a life of military glory with a peaceful end. When Poland lost her independence, Kosciusko lost his home-as she sunk, be rose, but not upon her ruins. The Court of Russia would have allured this illustrious defender of the people whom she had subjugated, by temptations irresistible to vulgar minds. Buonaparte would have made him the flattered instrument of a spurious liberality to his countrymen; but Kosciusko saw that their

lot was irretrievable, and his own he refused to change. He had lived some time in a tranquil retreat, where he had become an interesting object of respect and veneration, surrounded by his own sweet remembrances, some faithful friends, and the poor, of whom he was the constant benefactor.

15. In the 58th year of his age, at his seat, Melchburn, in Bedfordshire, Andrew Lord St. John.

17. Mr. Thomas Sherwood of Beverley. -Mrs. Deacon, of York, who suddenly dropped down in the street near her own house, and instantly expired.

18. At Waterville, near North Shields, in his 60th year, Wm. Ripon, Esq.-Mr. C. Wood, corn dealer, of Kirkstall.- Mr. G. Walker, of Halifax, wire-manufacturer.

19. At Hawk-nest, near Northallerton, Matthew Crowe, Esq. aged 58.

20. Mr. Edwd. Clarkson, of Ripon, surgeon, aged 41: his abilities in his profession, and the philanthropy of his disposition, have seldom been equalled.

21. The Rev. R. Latham, Vicar of Dean church, near Bolton, aged 71: he was returning from the performance of his duty in the evening, was taken ill, and died on the road. At Hull, aged 77, Mrs. Smyth, relict of the late James Smyth, Esq. of Holbeck.-At Bradford, aged 68, Mr. John Senior.

23. At Hull, Mr. Robt. Ingham, aged 75, formerly of Wakefield.

24. Dr. Donald M’Askill, of Eigg; he was proceeding from Arisaig to Eigg, in a boat, along with the Rev. Mr. Fraser, minister of the Small Isles, and two other persons, when, by the starting of a plank, the boat instantly sunk, and they were all drowned. Edwd. Kenton, son of Charles Walker, Esq. of Thirske.

25. At her house in Ripon, in the 80th year of her age, Mrs. Reynard, relict of W. Reynard, Esq. of Hob Green.-At York, aged 87, Mrs. Croft, relict of the late Sherif Croft.

26. Mrs. Boultbee, wife of W. Boultbee, Esq. of Sutton Bonnington, Nottinghamshire. She had been engaged the hour preceding her decease in lecturing a number of young people, belonging to the Sunday School, and previous to dismissing them, was in the act of praying with them, when on a sudden she fell on the floor, and expired immediately.-The Rev. G. Hutton, D. D. Vicar of Sutterton and Rector of Alderchurch-cum-Fosdike: after having performed a portion of the duty at both the former churches on that day, he was seized with a violent pain in the lower ex

tremity of the body, and died in about an hour. At his house in Newcastle, Ralph Waters, Esq. aged 68: a man endowed with many virtues, a lover and encourager of literature, and an artist, in private life, of great respectability. At Maryport, Cumberland, Sarah Hustler, of Bradford, aged 53 she was a much-esteemed minister in the Society of Friends, and had, just previous to the solemn event, been engaged on a religious visit. At Frogmore, Mrs. Sheridan, relict of the late Ř. B. Sheridan, Esq. and youngest daughter of the late Dr. Ogle, Dean of Winchester.

Mrs. Dobby, wife of Mr. C. Dobby, of Bedale, - At Whitby, Robt. and Jane Miller, an aged and industrious couple, the former 78, and the latter 80 years of age; the husband surviving the wife about five hours.

27. At Doncaster, aged 38, Mary Ann, second daughter of the late Rev. S, Moore.

Mrs. Halfpenny, relict of Mr. W. Halfpenny, of York. At Dacres Bank, near Patley Bridge, in the 73d year of his age, Mr. Michael Benson. This gentleman's life affords a striking instance of the lucrative effects consequent upon a life of persevering industry and frugal habits. He is said to have commenced his career in business with a sum inferior to the value of the smallest paper currency in the kingdom; yet by an unwearied application to his business of a cattle-jobber, died possessed of a sum exceeding £40,000.

28. Mrs. Childers, relict of C. W. Childers, Esq. of Cantley, near Doncaster, aged 72.- At his seat at Wallingwells, near Worksop, Sir Thos. Wollaston White, Bart. He had been attending the sale of the late Col. Mellish's effects, at Hodsack Priory, and on his way home he complained of a slight pain in his arms and breast, to which he had been occasionally subject; on his alighting from his horse, his steward, and a gentleman who was in the house, attended him to his bed-room, and after he had been in bed a short time he said he was much easier; however, in a few minutes he was again seized, and almost instantly expired. — At Campfield, T. Rhodes, Esq. of Leeds, banker, aged 27.

30. Mrs. Spyvee, relict of the late Saml. Spyvee, Esq. of Hull. James, the only son of Mr. Wm. Sutton, of Leeds. In Montagu Place, London, Anna, the eldest daughter of the Rev. John Fox, of Etton, Beverley.

31. At Hull, aged 64, Mrs. Moxon.- In London, a few hours after the birth of a son, the Lady of the Hon. H. F. C. Cavendish, M. P. for the borough of Derby.--At