his seat of Pennycuik, a stately obelisk of hewn stone to his memory, with this inscription: Alano Ramsay Poetæ egregio, Qui fatis concessit VII Jan. MDCCLVIII. Anno MDCCLIX.' RAMSAY (ALLAN), son of the preceding, and a distin. guished portrait-painter, was born at Edinburgh in 1709, and having devoted himself to painting, went at an early period to study in Italy, where he received some instruc tions from Solimene, and Imperiali, two artists of great. celebrity there. After his return he practised for some time in Edinburgh, but chiefly in London, and acquired a considerable degree of reputation in his profession, and much esteem from all who knew him, as a scholar and a gentleman. By the interest of lord Bute, he was introduced to his present majesty, when prince of Wales, whose portrait he painted both at whole length, and in profile, and both were engraved, the former by the unhappy Ry, land, and the latter by Woollett. There are also several mezzotinto prints after pictures which he painted of some of the principal personages among his countrymen. He practised with success for many years, and, at the death of Mr. Shakelton, in March 1767 was appointed principal painter to the crown, a situation which he retained till his death, though he retired from practice about eight years after his appointment. He visited Rome at four different times, "smit," as Mr. Fuseli says, "with the love of classic lore, to trace, on dubious vestiges, the haunts of ancient. genius and learning." On his return from his last visit to Italy, in which he was accompanied by his son, the present major-general Ramsay, he died a few days after landing at Dover, August 10, 1784. Mr. Ramsay's portraits possess a calm representation of nature, that much exceeds the mannered affectation of squareness, which prevailed among his contemporary artists; and it may justly be allowed, that he was among the first of those who contributed to improve the degenerate 'style of portrait painting. Walpole says, "Reynolds and Ramsay have wanted subjects, not genius." Mons. Rou From private communication. The reader may also consult a life prefixed to Ramsay's Works, 1800, 2 vols. 8vo. quet, in his pamphlet, entitled "The present state of the Arts in England," published in 1755, mentions Mr. Ramsay as "an able painter, who, acknowledging no other guide than nature, brought a rational taste of resemblance with him from Italy; he shewed even in his portraits, that just, steady spirit, which he so agreeably displays in his conversation.' He was a man of much literary taste, and was the founder of the "Select Society" of Edinburgh in 1754, to which all the eminently learned men of that city belonged. He wrote himself some ingenious pieces on controverted topics of history, politics, and criticism, published under the title of "Investigator." He wrote also a pamphlet on the subject of Elizabeth Canning, which attracted much attention at the time, and was the means of opening the eyes of the public, and even of the judges, to the real truth and explanation of that mysterious event. Mr. Ramsay was a good Latin, French, and Italian scholar, and, like Cato, learned Greek in his old age. He is frequently mentioned by Boswell, as being of Dr. Johnson's parties, who said of him, "You will not find a man in whose conversation there is more instruction, more information, and more elegance than in Ramsay's." RAMSAY (ANDREW MICHAEL), frequently styled the Chevalier Ramsay, a title by which he frequently signed his letters, was a Scotsman of an ancient family, and was born at Ayr in that kingdom, June 9, 1686. He received the first part of his education at Ayr, and was then removed to Edinburgh; where, distinguishing himself by good parts and uncommon proficiency, he was sent for to St. Andrew's, in order to attend a son of the earl of Wemyss in that university. After this, he travelled to Holland, and went to Leyden; where, becoming acquainted with Poiret, the mystic divine, he became tinctured with his doctrines; and resolved, for farther satisfaction, to consult the celebrated Fenelon, archbishop of Cambray, who had long imbibed the fundamental principles of that theology. Before he left Scotland, he had conceived a disgust to all the forms of religion in his native country, and had settled in a species of deism, which became confirmed during his abode in Holland, yet not without leaving him sometimes in a considerable state of perplexity. 1 Edwards's Continuation of Walpole's Anecdotes.-Pilkington, by Fuseli.Tytler's Life of Kames.-Boswell's Life of Johnson. On his arrival at Cambray in 1710, he was received with great kindness by the archbishop, who took him into his family, heard with patience and attention the history of his religious principles, entered heartily with him into a discussion of them, and, in six months' time, is said to have made him as good a catholic as himself. 4 The subsequent course of his life received its direction from his friendship and connections with this prelate. Fenelon had been preceptor to the duke of Burgundy, heirapparent, after the death of his father the dauphin, to the crown of France; yet neither of them came to the possession of it, being survived by Lewis XIV. who was succeeded by his great grandson, son to the duke of Burgundy, and now Lewis XV. Ramsay, having been first governor to the duke de Charteau-Thiery and the prince de Turenne,' was made knight of the order of St. Lazarus; and afterwards was invited to Rome by the chevalier de St. George, styled there James III. king of Great Britain, to take the charge of educating his children. He went accordingly to that court in 1724; but the intrigues and dissentions, which he found on his arrival there, gave him so much uneasiness, that, with the Pretender's leave, he presently returned to Paris. Thence he returned to Scotland, and was kindly received by the duke of Argyle and Greenwich; in whose family he resided some years, and employed his leisure there in writing several of his works. In 1730 he had the degree of doctor of law conferred on him at Oxford, being admitted for this purpose of St. Mary hall in April of that year, and presented to his degree by the celebrated tory Dr. King, the principal of that house. After his return to France, he resided some time at Pontoise, a seat of the prince de Turenne, duke de Bouillon; with whom he continued in the post of intendant till his death, May 6, 1743, at St. Germain-en-Late, where his body was interred; but his heart was deposited in the nunnery of St. Sacrament at Paris. His works are, 1. " Discours sur le Poëme Epique;" prefixed to the later editions of Telemachus 2. La Vie' de Mr. Fenelon," of which there is an English translation. 3. "Essai sur le Gouvernment Civil.” 4. Le Psychometre, ou Reflexions sur les différens characteres de l'essprit, par un Milord Anglois." These are remarks upon Jord Shaftesbury's Characteristics. 5. "Les Voyages de Cyrus," in French and English, the only work of his much known in this country. It is a professed imitation of Telenachus, and we can remember was once a very popular book. 6. "L'Histoire de M. de Turenne, in French and English." 7. "Poems," somewhat in the mystic and inflated style, printed at Edinburgh, 1728, 4to, seemingly without his knowledge. 8. "Two Letters in French, to M. Racine the son, upon the true sentiments of Mr. Pope, in his Essay on Man." These were printed after his decease, in "Les Oeuvres de M. Racine le fils," tom. II. 1747, and form a kind of defence of Pope from the charge of irreligion in the "Essay." This is a subject of which the chevalier was perhaps a better judge than of philosophy; for in one of these letters he calls Locke génie superficiel," a superficial genius." Two posthumous works of bis were also printed at Glasgow: 9. "A plan of education;" and, 10. "Philosophical Principles of natural and revealed Religion, explained and unfolded in a geometrical order," 1749, 2 vols. 4to, neither of which ever attracted much attention. The last, his French, biographers seem to be of opinion, must have been either falsely attributed to him, or much altered by his editors, as he maintains the doctrine of the metempsychosis, and denies the eternity of hell-torments; and not only contends that these were the sentiments of Fenelon, but that they are agreeable to the decisions of the church." RAMSAY (JAMES), justly celebrated for his philanthropy, was born July 25, 1733, at Frasersburgh, a small town in the county of Aberdeen, North Britain, From his earliest years he discovered a serious disposition, and a strong thirst for knowledge, and after his grammatical education, was inclined to pursue the studies necessary for a clergyman; but the narrowness of his circumstances prevented his going to Oxford or Cambridge, where he might be qualified to enter the English church, in the principles of which he had been educated. Yielding therefore to necessity, he resolved to study surgery and pharmacy, and was with this view bound apprentice to Dr. Findlay, a medical practitioner in Frasersburgh. In the mean time, with the approbation of his master, he entered, in 1750, of King's college, Aberdeen, and having obtained one of the highest bursaries or exhibitions belonging to that seminary,. he was enabled to prosecute his studies with comfort, and Biog. Brit.-Swift's Works, -Warton's Essay on Pope." for three years had Dr. Reid, then one of the professors, for his preceptor. To that great and amiable philosopher he so recommended himself by his talents, his industry, and his virtues, that he was honoured with his friendship to the day of his death. In 1755, he went to London, and studied surgery and pharmacy under the auspices of Dr. Macauley; in whose family he lived for two years, much esteemed both by him and his celebrated lady. Afterwards he served in his medical capacity for several years in the royal navy, and by the humane and diligent discharge of his duties, endeared himself to the seamen, and acquired the esteem of his officers. Of his humanity there is indeed one memorable instance, which must not be omitted. Whilst he acted as surgeon of the Arundel, then commanded by captain (afterwards vice-admiral sir Charles) Middleton, a slaveship, on her passage from Africa to the West Indies, fell in with the fleet to which the Arundel belonged. An epidemical distemper, too common in such vessels, had swept away not only a great number of the unfortunate negroes, but also many of the ship's crew, and among others the surgeon. In this distressed situation the commander of the Guinea ship applied to the English commodore for medical assistance; but not a surgeon or surgeon's mate in the whole fleet, except Mr. Ramsay, would expose himself to the contagion of so dangerous a distemper. Prompted, however, by his own innate benevolence, and fully authorized by his no less benevolent commander, the surgeon of the Arundel, regardless of personal danger, went on board the infected ship, visited all the patients, and remained long enough to leave behind him written directions for their future treatment. In this enterprise he escaped the contagion, but in his return to his own ship, just as he had got on the deck, he fell, and broke his thigh bone, by which he was confined to his apartment for ten months, and rendered in a small degree lame through the remainder of his life. The humanity which he displayed on this occasion gained him the friendship and esteem of sir Charles Middleton, which no future action of his life had the smallest tendency to impair; but the fracture of his thigh-bone, and his subsequent lameness, determined him to quit the *Afterwards Lord Barham. " |