Koran, he compiled a general biographical dictionary in ten volumes in folio, including therein a tranflation of that of Bayle, and collected and published Thurloe's state papers, in feven folio volumes, and was the editor of lord Bacon's, Mr. Boyle's, and archbishop Tillotson's works, as alfo of the profe writings of Milton, and the miscellaneous pieces of Sir Walter Raleigh, and the works of Mrs. Elizabeth Cockburn. He was first a fellow of and afterwards fecretary to the royal fociety, and wrote a history thereof. In 1753, the Marifchal college at Aberdeen conferred on him the degree of doctor in divinity, and, the year after, he received the fame honour from archbishop Herring. The above is but a partial enumeration of his publications, for he wrote the lives of Henry prince of Wales, of Bacon, Boyle, Milton, and Tillotfon, and other perfons, and many tracts not here noticed. In the midst of all this employment, Dr. Birch was to be feen, at home, at the Royal and Antiquarian focieties, at Sion college, at the academy of ancient mufic, which had long fubfifted at the Crown and Anchor in the Strand, at Tom's coffee-house in Devereux court; in fhort, in all places where a clergyman might with propriety appear. Nor was this all; he found time for the exercife of walking, before many people were stirring. I have been with him at nine in a winter's morning, and have found him just returned from an excursion of some miles*. He held a converfation on Sunday evenings

I heard him once relate, that he had the curiofity to measure the circuit of London by a perambulation thereof: the account he gave was to this effect: He fet out from his house in the Strand towards

ings with his friends, who were men of the first eminence for learning and intelligence, at his houfe in Norfolk ftreet in the Strandt, in which all, particu

towards Chelsea, and having reached the bridge beyond the waterworks, he directed his courfe to Marybone, from whence pursuing an eastern direction, he skirted the town, and croffed the Iflington road at the Angel. There was at that time no city-road, but paffing through Hoxton, he got to Shoreditch, thence to Bethnal green, and from thence to Stepney, where he recruited his spirits with a glass of brandy. From Stepney he paffed on to Limehouse, and took into his rout the adjacent hamlet of Poplar, when he became fenfible that to complete his defign he must take in Southwark this put him to a ftand; but he foon determined on his courfe, for taking a boat he landed at the red house at Deptford, and made his way to Say's court, where the great wet-dock is, and keeping the houfes along Rotherhithe to the right, he got to Bermondsey, thence by the fouth end of Kent-street to Newington, and over St. George's fields to Lambeth, and croffing over to Millbank continued his way to Charing cross, and along the Strand to Norfolk freet, from whence he had fet out. The whole of this excursion took him up from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon, and, according to his rate of walking, he computed the circuit of London at above twenty miles. With the buildings erected fince, it may be fuppofed to have increafed five miles, and if fo, the prefent circumference of this great metropolis is about half that of ancient Rome.

Formerly the habitation of the famous William Penn the quaker, of whom it is well known that his circumstances at a certain period of his life were fo involved, that it was not fafe for him to go abroad. He chofe this houfe, it being at the south weft corner of the street, as one from whence he might, upon occafion, flip out by water. In the entrance to it he had a peeping-hole, through which he could fee any perfons that came to him. One of thefe who had fent in his name, having been made to wait more than a reasonable time, knocked for the fervant, whom he asked, Will not thy mafter fee me?' Friend,' answered the fervant, he has feen thee, but he does not like thee.' The fact was, that Penn had from his ftation taken a view of him, and found him to be a creditor.

larly

larly the library, was neat and elegant, without litter or diforder.

The mental endowments of Dr. Birch were fingular; he had a great eagernefs after knowledge, and a memory very retentive of facts; but his learning, properly fo called, bore no proportion to his reading; for he was in truth neither a mathematician, a natural philofopher, a claffical scholar, nor a divine; but, in a fmall degree, all, and though lively in converfation, he was but a dull writer. Johnfon was used to speak of him in this manner: Tom is a lively rogue; he re⚫ members a great deal, and can tell many pleasant ftories; but a pen is to Tom a torpedo, the touch of it benumbs his hand and his brain: Tom can talk; but he is no writer.'--And indeed whoever peruses his writings will be much of the fame opinion his life of Tillotfon is a mere detail of unconnected facts, without the intermixture of sentiment or difquifition; and of the style, let this citation ferve as a fpecimen. Speaking of Wilkins, he makes a tranfition to Tillotson, whom he characterizes in these words, and meaner he could not have found: 'He ' went into all the very best things that were in that great man; but fo as he improved every one of ' them.'

In the midst of all his labours and purfuits, Dr. Birch preferved an even temper of mind, and a great chearfulness of spirits. Ever defirous to learn, and willing to communicate, he was uniformly affable, courteous, and difpofed to converfation. His life was spent without reproach, but terminated by an unhappy accident, a fall from his horfe on the Hampstead road, on the 9th day of January, 1766. His preferments

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preferments in the church, though fucceffively nume» rous, were small and never reached to dignities: the laft of them were the rectories of St. Margaret Pattens, London, and of Depden in Effex.

Dr. John Campbell was an eminent writer, and a labourer in a voluminous work undertaken at the expence and rifque of the bookfellers, the Univerfal Hiftory. Befides many other books, he wrote the lives of the English admirals in four octavo volumes. He had a confiderable hand in the Biographia Britannica, and was the author of a valuable work in two quarto volumes intitled, A A political furvey of • Britain;' being a series of reflections on the fituation, lands, inhabitants, revenues, colonies, and commerce of this ifland; intended to fhew that they have not as yet approached to near the fummit of improvement, but that it will afford employment for many ages, before they push to their utmost extent the natural advantages of Great Britain. The reputation of this work extended to the most remote parts of Europe, and induced the emprefs of Ruffia in the year 1774, to honour the author with a prefent of her picture. By the exercise of his pen alone, and a good use of his time, he was for many years enabled to fupport himfelf, and enjoy the comforts of domestic life in the fociety of an excellent wife and a numerous offspring. In 1765, he was appointed his majesty's agent for the province of Georgia in North America, and was thereby raised to a state of comparative affluence. His refidence for fome years before his death, was the large new-built houfe fituate at the north-weft corner of Queen fquare, Bloomsbury, whither, particularly on a Sunday evening, great numbers of perfons of the

first eminence for fcience and literature were accuftomed to refort for the enjoyment of conversation. He died in 1775, having nearly completed the fixtyeighth year of his age, leaving behind him the character of a learned, an ingenious, and a pious man.

Dr. John Hill was originally an apothecary and a student in botany, in which he was encouraged by the late duke of Richmond, and lord Petre; but finding that an unprofitable purfuit, he made two or three attempts as a writer for the stage: a failure in them drove him back to his former ftudy, in the course whereof he got introduced to Mr. Martin Folkes and Mr. Henry Baker, leading members of the royal fociety, who finding him a young man of parts and well skilled in natural hiftory, recommended him among their friends. His firft publication was a tranflation from the Greek of a fmall tract, Theophrastus on gems, which being printed by fubfcrip tion, produced him fome money, and fuch a reputa¬ tion as induced the booksellers to engage him in writing a general natural history in two volumes in folio, and foon after, a supplement to Chambers's dictionary. He had received no academical education; but his ambition prompting him to be a graduate, he obtained, from one of those universities which would scarce refuse a degree to an apothecary's horfe, a diploma for that of doctor of phyfic. After this, he engaged in a variety of works, the greater part whereof were mere compilations, which he fent forth with incredible expedition; and though his character was never in fuch estimation with the bookfellers as to entitle him to an extraordinary price for his writings, he has been P 2

known