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47 53

30- 3

rainy

27

42 44

30-0

28

44 47

30- 1

29

49 50

29-13

30

37 48

29-16

31

39 47

29-17

cloudy, foggy

cloudy, evening very thick fog

foggy, evening clear

cloudy

moftly cloudy, evening very light rain

moftly clear, fome rain

mifty moft of the day, tempeftuous

moftly cloudy, frequent rain, tempeftuous

moftly cloudy, fhowery, a heavy hail ftorm
cloudy, fome very light rain.

In the above account of the ftate of the thermometer, it will be feen, that on the 23d the mercury flood at 16°, which is 16' below the freezing point, and is the loweft point it has been at, according to the observations I have made, for the last five years.

METEOROLOGICAL TABLE for January 1808.
Height of Fahrenheit's Thermometer.

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THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE,

For JANUARY,

1808.

"THE HONOURABLE AND ANTIENT COURT OF THE MINSTRELS, ASSEMBLED AT TUTBURY, AUGUST THE 17th, 1772.

"To the Duke of DEVONSHIRE.

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May it pleafe your Grace, "WE the Jury of this Court moft humbly petition your Grace, that the Writings concerning this Court may be laid open before the King and Stewards of this Court, that we may understand our right. We apprehend we have a right to a piece of ground called the Piper's Meadow, formerly in the hands of Pratt of Tutbury, now Thomas Tatler of Etwel, who lets it to Samuel Salt of Rolfton. This rent has been publicly demanded at the Cattle, but without any redrefs. Therefore, for the want of the reft of perquifites, we receive our Dinners for twenty-five men; viz. twelve Jurymen for Staffordshire, and twelve Jurymen for Derbyshire, and beer to the aforefaid dinners; and twelve fhillings acknowledgement for the rent of this piece of ground; which faid twelve fhillings we expect to be made whole rent of the faid Piper's Meadow, as it is now let for the yearly rent of... Likewife the perquifites of the amerciaments, which ufed to be 3s. 4d. for every Minstrel that doth not appear if enrolled; and 6s. 8d. for playing upon am Iuftrument, and not appearing in this Court. Moft Gracious Duke, we cannot maintain the rights of ftraining for thefe mifdemeanours of the Minfirels of Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leiceftershire, and Warwickshire, without the protection of your Grace. It hath been therefore concluded, and believe Derbyshire ftands to the conclufion, that, without the rent of the faid Piper's Meadow be paid to the King of the Minstrels, the faid Juriors do not appear. There is want of Members, want of Juriors, want of Stewards; aud, in confequence, muft in a fhort time be a want of a Bull-running. If

* See Plott's Staffordshire.

the rent was paid, and the members came into their office according to order, there would not be fo many Minftrels abfent. They would be willing to come at the profit of 201. a year, as well as the honour of being King. Much ado there has been for feveral years to get to the honour of being King; and when they only find honour, and no profit, they directly leave the Court; which faid Court cannot be upheld without its Members; which faid Members being met there, then upon Juries pannelled, and not before that fame day, for the perquifites will not pay extra expence. We therefore, knowingly and wittingly, confidering the want of our Members, with the reafon of their abfence, most humbly petition your Grace, that a writing proper to this affair be tranfmitted to the King of this Minftrel Court; and that the faid writing be ordered to be delivered from King to King. There might be a voluminous fubject on this affair; but this is enough to let your Grace underfland the reafon of the decay of this Court; which we do not doubt but your Grace will timely remedy. Done at Tutbury, according to the tenour of our oath.

HENRY COXON, King. Henry Coxon, Jofeph Conway, Thomus Ault, Jeremiah Heath, John Hill, John Burton, Robert Tunecliff, George Authorbourgh, Cornelius Duffield, Thomas Launder, William Walles, John Adams: Juriors.

Jofeph Conway, Thomas Ault : Stewards.

Copy of a Letter from Dr. HOUGH

(the late Bishop of Worcefler) a few days before his death, aged ninely

three.

To Lord Digby, tranfmitted by Mr. Cotes, his Lordship's Nephew, who had been to wait upon the Bishop to be ordained.

"My LORD, April, 1743. "I think my felf obliged to your Nephew for his kind vifit, whereby I

have a more authentic account of your Lordfhip's health than is ufually brought to me by report, and an opportunity of informing myself in many particulars relating to your nobleHoufe, and the good family at Woodcote; which I hear with the uncommon plea fare of one who has been no ftranger to them. Mr. Cotes is remarkably bleffed in his children, all whofe fons are not only deferving, but profperous; and I am glad to fee one of them devoted to the fervice of God; he may not perhaps have chofen the most likely employment to thrive by, but he depends upon a Mafier, who never fails to recompenfe thofe who truft in Him, above their hopes. The young Gentle man will account to you for Hartlebury; but I fancy you will expect me to fay fomewhat of myfelf: and therefore I prefume to tell you that my hearing has long failed; I am weak and forgetful, having as little inclination to bufinefs as ability to perform it. In other refpects I have eafe; if it may not more properly be called indolence, to a degree beyond what I durft have thought on, when years began to multiply upon me. I wait contented for a deliverance out of this life into a better, in humble confidence that, by the mercy of God, through the merits of his Son, I hall fland at the refurrection at his right hand. And when you, my good Lord, have ended, thofe days that are to come, which I pray be many and comfortable, as innocently and exemplarily as thofe that are paffed, I doubt not of our meeting in that ftate where joys are unspeakable, and will always endure. I am, my Lord,

Your Lordship's moft obedient and
ever affectionate fervant,
J. WORCESTER."

Mr. URBAN,

TH

Jan. 2. HE enquirer after Mr. Kirby, vol. LXXVII. p. 499, and others of your Readers, will be gratified by the following genuine Memoir, extracted from the Eighth Number of the "Biographical Anecdotes of Hogarth," now publishing by Mefirs. Longinan and Co. Yours, &c. M. GREEN. "JOSHUA KIRBY was the eldest of the five fons of Mr. John Kirby; who was originally a school-mafter at Orford; afterward occupied a mill at Wickham Market; took an actual furvey of the whole county of Suffolk in the years 1782, 1738, and 1784; and

published a fmall Map of the county; and "The Suffolk Traveller, 1735," 12mo; a new edition of which, with many alterations, and large additions, by feveral hands, was published by fubfcription in 1764, in which the name of "Jofhua Kirby, Efq. Defigner in Perfpective to his Majefty," occurs for "fifty copies.' Mr. John Kirby died at Ipfwich, of a mortification in his leg, Dec. 13, 1759, aged 63.-Joshua was born, in 1716, at Parham, near Wickham Market; and fettled as a houfe-painter at Ipfwich about the year 1738. He had a genius for drawing; but was a very young Artift when he drew, for an engraving that was made from it, the famous fign of the White Hart, at Scole Inn, Norfolk, with its incongruous ornaments, the carving of which, at the expence of John Peck, Efq. cof 1057 1. Mr. Kirby alfo publifhed Twelve Prins of Cafiles, Antient Churches, and Monuments, in Suffolk, with a small Pamphlet, containing farther illuftrations of them. He afterwards made acquaintance with that celebrated painter Mr. Gainfborough, the contemplation of whofe works increafed his tafte for painting, but he had very little leifure to cultivate it. There are, however, a few very refpectable landfcapes of his in the poffeffion of his family; one of which, a view of the old Kitchen at Glaftonbury Abbey, was exhibited in Spring Gardens in 1770. Being of a very ferious and ftudious turn of mind, he in his early years, from his very childhood, emploved every leiture hour, and even abridged his natural reft, for the acquifition of ufeful knowledge; and, by his great affiduity, made a confiderable progicfs, not only in fcientific knowledge, but in the most valuable of all fciences, Religion; whofe divine precepts were the conftant rules of his life. But the ftudy which led him to eminence was that of the art of PERSPECTIVE, in his improvement of which he may almoft be faid to have invented a new Art; fo fimple was his method, in comparison with the fyftems at that time in general ufe. He had made a very confiderable progrefs in his Treatife, when he accidentally met with Dr. Brook Taylor's book (a work at that time but little known), which furnished him with additional hints, and certainly contributed to the perfecting of thofe rules, by which he rendered this (formerly abftrufe and complicated)

complicated) Art fo ealy, that on the publication of his work he was requefied by the Society of Artifts to read Lectures; for which he received the unanimous thanks of its members, in the public papers. But, though his work was for the molt part original, his modefty and candour would not fuffer him to take the whole merit to himfelf; in the title of his book he transferred a greater fhare of it than was actually due to Dr. Taylor, by calling it his method made eafy." On being admitted to the friendship and intimacy of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mr. Hogarth, and most of the other eminent Artits in the kingdom, he quitted Ipfwich, and removed to London. He was patronized by the Earl of Bute, who introduced him to his prefent Majefty when Prince of Wales, by whom he was ever after highly and defervedly efteemed. By his Majefty's fpecial appointment he was made Clerk of the Works at Kew; and under his Majefty's patronage, and by his munificent aid, he publifhed in 1761, his very fplendid work, intituled "The Perfpective of Architecture, intwo Parts. A Work entirely new; deduced from the Principles of Dr. Brook Taylor, and performed by two Rules only of univerfal Application. Part the First contains the Defcription and Ufe of a new Inftrument, called the Architectonic Sector * Part the Second, a new Method of drawing the Five Orders, elegant Structures, &c. in Perfpective. Drawn by command of his prefent Majefty when Prince of Wales. By Joshua Kirby, Defigner in Perfpective to his Majefty;" two volumes, folio. In this work Mr. Kirby wholly confined himself to architectural reprefentations; and gave a variety of defigns, elegantly drawn and engraved; which he fubmitted as new principles for a complete fyftem of the Perfpective of Architecture, both as it relates to the true delineation of objects, and the doctrine of light and fhadow." The whole is a malierly performance, and the elegant defigns with which it is illuftrated reflect honour on the Artifts of our Country ." In 1766, in conjunction with his brother William,

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then of Witnelham, in the county of Suffolk, attorney at law (who died Sept. 25, 1791, aged 72), he published an improved edition of their Father's Map of Suffolk, on a larger scale, with engravings of the arms of the principal families in the county. He was a Member both of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies; and at the first forming of the Royal Academy he was Prefident of the Society for Artifs, from which that Infiitution emanated. In the year 1768 he publifhed a third edition of his Treatife on Perfpective; with a Dedication to the Earl of Bute.

"Mr.K. married Sarah Bull of Framlingham; by whom he had two children; William (a very promising Artift, who, intending to practife as an Architect, went to Italy, to purfue his ftudies, under the immediate patronage of his Majefty; but he died in 1771, foon after his return, leaving no iffue); and Sarah, who married Mr. James Trimmer, of Old Brentford, jufily celebrated for her numerous works for the religious inftruction and education of young people, and the poor; who now furvives, furrounded by anumerous family of children and grandchildren.

Mr. Kirby died June 20, 1774, æt,

58; and his widow, Aug. 1, 1775, æt. 57; and were both buried in Kew church-yard. Near them lies the celebrated painter Gainsborough, who was a native of Sudbury; but he particularly requefied that he might be buried by his old and faithful friend Mr. Kirby. From a painting by Gainsborough (who died in 1738) there is a portrait of Mr. Kirby in mezzotinto by J. Dixon; and an engraving by D. Parifet from a painting by P. Falconet."

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AS the Legiflature appears deter

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mined to enforce ftrictly Clerical Retidence, and, as I truft most of the Parochial Clergy are defirous of dif charging their duty faithfully; I beg leave to obferve, that every encouragement to Refidence ought to be afforded by the Patrons of livings, whether Lay Proprietors, Heads of Colleges, Deans and Chapters. At prefent it is a notorious fact that the interefts of the Parochial Clergy are too generally difregarded. I allude more particularly to the fituation of Vicars where the great tithes are let on leafe for three lives, or a term of years, to men of large fortune frequently abfent from the parish; or who, if conftantly refident

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