Lord Camelford replied, "Best, this is child's play; the thing must go on."

Accordingly, his lordship and Mr. Best, on horseback, took the road to Kensington, followed by a post-chaise in which were the two seconds; on their arrival at the Horse and Groom about a quarter before eight, the parties dismounted, and proceeded along the path leading to the fields behind Holland House. The seconds measured the ground, and they took their stations at the distance of thirty paces, which measured exactly twenty-nine yards; Lord Camelford fired first, but without effect; a space of several seconds intervened, and, from the manner and attitude of Mr. Best, the people who viewed the transaction at a distance imagined that he was asking whether his lordship was satisfied; Mr. Best then fired, and his lordship instantly fell at full length. The seconds, together with Mr. Best, immediately ran to his assistance, when he is said to have seized the latter by the hand, and to have exclaimed, "Best, I am a dead man; you have killed me, but I freely forgive you." The report of the pistols had alarmed several persons who were at work near the spot, and who hastened towards the spot, when Mr. Best and his second thought it prudent to provide for their own safety. Meanwhile a chair was procured, and his lordship was carried to Little Holland House, the residence of Mr. Ottey. Lord Camelford continued in agonies of

pain the first day; towards the evening his sufferings somewhat abated; and, during the second day, his hopes revived considerably; yet the surgeons, who were unremitting in their attentions, would not give his friends the slightest hopes; to the Rev. Mr. Cockburne, who remained with him till he expired, his lordship expressed his confidence in the mercy of God; he said, he received much comfort in reflecting that however he might have acted, he had never really felt ill-will towards any man; in the moments of his greatest pain he cried out, that he sincerely hoped the agonies he then endured might expiate the sins he had committed.

He lingered free from acute pain from Thursday till Saturday evening about half past eight, when, a mortification having taken place, he expired, apparently without sense of pain.

On the morning after his decease, an inquest was taken at the White Horse, Kensington, before George Hodgson, Esq., the coroner for Middlesex, when the jury, after viewing the body, unanimously returned a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown; a bill of indictment was consequently preferred against Mr. Best and the seconds, but it was thrown out by the grand jury.

His lordship bequeathed the principal part of his fortune to his sister Lady Grenville, who

was the sole executrix, together with the family estates, producing near £20,000 per annum; and afterwards, in default of issue, to the earl of Chatham's family, who are next in the entail; the title is extinct. Exclusive of bequests to Captain Barrie and Mr. Accum, the chemist, who assisted him in his laboratory, his lordship left considerable sums to be devoted to charitable purposes.

JONATHAN SWIFT.

THE celebrated dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin, was the son of an attorney, and born in 1667. He was an illustrious poetical, political, satirical, and miscellaneous writer. He was a posthumous child, and his mother had but a scanty provision left her to provide for herself and two children. He was first educated at Kilkenny school, from whence he was taken to Trinity college, Dublin, where, from a natural dulness in the early part of life, or from neglecting the usual studies of the university, he did not obtain his degree of A. B. without much difficulty. On the death of his uncle, by. whom he had been principally supported, he was left destitute; he, therefore, paid a visit to Sir William Temple, in England, who roceived

him very kindly, and employed him in correcting his works. In 1692, he was admitted to his degree of A. M. at Oxford; but, in 1694, on a disagreement between him and his patron, they parted. Entering into orders, he obtained the prebend of Kilroot, in the diocese of Connor, of the annual value of about 100l. But Sir William Temple, having been much used to his company, was uneasy in his absence, and made overtures of concession to him. A reconciliation immediately took place, and Swift returned to England. Sir William Temple was so well pleased with his conduct on this occasion, that when he died, he left him his posthumous works and a legacy in money. Having lost his friend, Mr. Swift endeavored to procure some preferment in England, but was disappointed: he was, however, appointed chaplain and private secretary to Lord Berkeley, one of the lords justices of Ireland; but was soon after dismissed with the livings of Laracor and Rathbeggin. He fixed his residence at the first of these places, and decorously performed the duties of a parish priest. To this habitation he invited over the celebrated Stella from England. This lady was daughter of Sir William Temple's steward, to whom Sir William had bequeathed 1000l. in consideration of her father's service. She accepted Swift's invitation, and resided with a female friend, who accompanied her at his house when he was absent, but when he came home,

they removed to another in the neighborhood. In 1701, he took his doctor's degree, and, on the accession of queen Anne, commenced political writer, by which he became a conspicuous character. In 1713, he was appointed dean of St. Patrick's, which was a great disappointment to him, as he thought it inadequate to his deserts; he looked higher, and thought himself entitled to a bishopric. On the death of the queen, the tories lost their in · fluence, and the dean became unpopular in Ireland; but he afterwards became the idol of the nation, by zealously opposing the introduction of Wood's halfpence. In 1716, he was privately married to Stella, but they continued to live as they had done before. The dean's conduct, in this respect, is supposed to have preyed upon that lady's spirits, and eventually to have broken her heart. His treatment of another lady, on whom he bestows the name of Vanessa in his works, was also extremely ungenerous. She was the daughter of a Dutch merchant in Dublin, whose affections he had gained by his promises and caresses; but, when she pressed him to marry or refuse her, he disclosed his real situation; which had such an effect upon her, that she survived the shock only a few weeks. The dean was subject, through life, to a giddiness in the head, which increased toward the close of it, and brought on a total privation of reason, in which condition he died in 1745. In his