Memoirs of the Life and Actions of the late Sir Charles Saunders.

MR.

R. Saunders entered early into the royal navy, and was so distinguished by that undoubted judge of naval merit, the late Lord Anson, as to be appointed, on his recommendation, first lieutenant of his own ship, the Centurion, when he sailed on the expedition to the South Seas in Sept. 1740. In Feb. following, during their stay at Port St. Julian, on the coast of Patagonia, which was occasioned by an ac-. cident that happened to the Tryal's main-mast, Mr. Saunders was promoted by the Commodore to the command of that sloop, in the room of Capt. Cheap, removed to the Wager. But Capt. Saunders lying dangerously ill of a fever on board the Centurion, and it being the opinion of the surgeons, that the removing him on board his own ship in his present condition might hazard his life, Mr. Anson gave an order to Mr. Saumarez, first lieutenant of the Centurion, to act as master and commander of the Tryal during the illness of her captain.

In the passage round Cape Horn, Capt. Saunders, out of his small complement of 80 men, buried 20; and arriving at the island of Juan Fernandez soon after the Commodore, lest any ships of the squadron should have mistaken the neighbouring island of Massa Fuera for that of Fernandes, all its bays and creeks were, by Mr. Anson's orders, more particularly examined by Capt. Saunders (says Mr. Robins*) than ever had been before, or perhaps ever will be again;" though in this last circumstance he

rs mistaken, as Capt. Carteret, (see Hawkesworth's Voyages) in May, 1767, much more accurately surveyed that island, and has also given a chart of it. It is observable, that the Spaniards taken soon after in a prize, by the Centurion, were astonished on seeing the Tryal sloop at anchor; and that, after all their fatigues, the English could have so soon refitted such a vessel on the spot; and could scarce believe that such a bauble as that could pass round Cape Horn, when the best ships of Spain were obliged to put back. On Sept. 18, 1741. Capt. Saunders, being dispatched on a cruize elf Valparaiso, took a large merchant-man, of 600 tons, bound to that port from Callao. But, to balance this success, the Tryal söen after sprung both her masts, and, besides was so leaky, that on joining the, Commodore he found it necessary to take out her people, and destroy her, and in her stead appointed her prize to be a frigate in his Majesty's service, mounting her with 20 guns, manning her with the Tryal's crew, and giving commissions to the Captain and other officers accordingly. After scuttling and sinking her, Capt. Saunders, with his new frigate (called the Tryal Prize), was dispatched on 2 cruize off the high land of Valparaiso, in company with the Centurion's prize, where, however, they had no success, and so proceeded down the coast to the rendezvous off Nasca, where they joined the Commodore Nov. 2. From that time till the April following, Capt. Saunders kept company with the Commodore; but then the whole numbers on board the squadron not

amount

the command of the fleet; and on Admiral Hawke's return to England, in Jan. 1757, the sole command devolved on him. In Feb. 1759, Mr. Saunders was appointed Vice-Admiral of the Blue, and sailed from Spithead on board the Neptune, of 90 guns, Feb. 17, (with General Wolfe on board) as chief naval commander on the expedition to Quebec, the success of which is too well known to need any farther mention. Returning from that glorious conquest, in November, with General Townshend, they were informed, in the chops of the channel, of the Brest squadron being sailed, on which the Admiral took the gallant resolution of going to join Sir Edward Hawke, though without orders. But that affair was decided before his arrival. Landing at Corke, he arrived at Dublin, Dec. 15, where, going to the play, he was saluted by the audience with the highest demonstrations of applause. Dec. 26, he arrived in London. For this great service Mr. Saunders was appointed LieutenantGeneral of the Marines; and on his taking his seat in the house of Commons, January 23, 1760, the thanks of that House were given to him by the Speaker. May 21, he sailed from St. Helen's, with the Neptune, &c. to take the command in the Mediterranean. On May 26, 1761, he was installed a knight of the Bath in K. Henry the Seventh's chapel; and in the parliament, which met Nov. 3, was re-elected for Heydon. In Oct. 1762, Sir Charles Saunders was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral of the

Sir George Savile and Mr. Burke.

White; and on Sept. 16, 1766, having some time had a seat at the Admiralty-Board, he was sworn of his Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and appointed First Lord of the Admiralty: but this post he held only about two months. In the funeral procession of the Duke of York, Nov. 3, 1767, he was one of the Admirals who supported the canopy. In the new parliament, which met May 10, 1768, he was again chosen for Heydon. In Oct. 1770, he was appointed Admiral of the Blue. In the present parliament, which met Nov. 29, 1774, Sir Charles Saunders was a fourth time chosen for the borough of Heydon; and remarkable it is, and much to his honour, that five hours after his lamented death, which happened at his house in Spring Garden, on Dec. 7, 1775, (of the gout in his stomach) a just eulogium was paid him in that House by two members distinguished for their virtues and abilities. His corpse was privately interred in Westminster Abbey on the 12th, pear the monument of Gen. Wolfe," his brother of the war." To Admiral Keppel (who had been Lieutenant with him in the Centurion) he has left (we hear) 50001. and 1200!, per ann.; to Admiral Sir Hugh Pal. liser 50001.; to Timothy Brett, Esq; 50001.; to his nephew 2001. per ann.; to a young lady that lived with him 400 1. per ann. and all his houshold furniture, except plate and pictures, which are given to his niece, together with the bulk of his fortune.

*

A short

A short Account of Dr. Hartley, Author of "The Theory of the Human Mind, on the Principles of the Association of Ideas."

David

Avid Hartley, M. A. was born at Ilingworth. His father was curate there, and married, May 25, 1707, a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Edward Wilkinson, his predecessor. This curacy Mr. Hartley afterwards resigned for the chapel of Armley, in the parish of Leeds, where he died, and left behind him eight children. His son David was brought up by one Mrs. Brooksbank, near Hallifax, and received bis academical education at Jesus College, Cambridge, of which he was a Fellow. He first began to practise physic at Newark, in Nottinghamshire, from whence he removed to St. Edmund's Bury, in Suffolk. After this, he settled for some time in London, and lastly went to live at Bath, where he died Sep. 30, 1757, aged 53. He left two sons and a daughter. His elder son get a travelling fellowship, and his younger was entered at Oxford in Michaelmas term, 1757. He published "A View of the present Evidence for and against Mrs. Stevens's Medicines as a Solvent for the Stone, containing 155 Cases, with some Experiments and Observations, London, 1739. This book which contains 204 pages in 8vo. is dedicated to the President and Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians, London; whercin the author informs that body, that, about a year before, he published some cases and experiments, which seemed to him sufficient evidences of a dissolving power in the urine of such persons as take Mrs. Stephens's medicines, though he did not then

enter into the discussion of that point, but left the facts to speak for themselves; finding, however, that a quite contrary conclusion had been drawn from those instances, and others of a like nature, as if the medicines did not dissolve, but generate stones; he therefore re-published the same cases and experiments, with all cases favourable or unfavourable, perfect or imperfect, which he had been able to procure, hoping that he had obviated all objections, and even proved a dissolving power in the medicated urine. At p. 175 of this book are proposals for making Mrs. Stephens's medicines public, and a list is annexed of the contributions for this purpose, from April 11, 1738, to Feb. 24 following, the amount of which was 1387 1. 13 s. He was the chief instrument in procuring for Mrs. Stephens the 5000 L granted by parliament. His own case is the 123d in the above book. He is said to have died of the stone, after having taken above two hundred pounds weight of soap. Mrs. Stephens's medicines were made public in the Gazette, from Saturday, June 16, to Tuesday, June 19, 1739.

James Parsons, M. D. F. R. S. published an svo. printed in London, 1742, containing (inter alia) Animadversions on Lithontriptic Medicines, particularly those of Mrs. Stephens, and an account of the dissections of some bodies of persons who died after the use of them. In this book are several cases laid down in Dr. Hartley's own words, and aftewards critically examined, in order to shew (particularly from those in whose bladders stones were found after death) that that celebrated medi

cine

cine had no power of dissolving stones in the kidneys or bladder. And it must be owned, though with regret, that this writer has succeeded in his proofs.

Dr. Hartley is said to have written against Dr. Warren, of St. Edmund's Bury, in defence of inoculation and some letters of his are to be met with in the Philosophical Transactions. He was certainly a man of learning, and a reputed good physician; but too fond of

nostrums.

The Doctor's most considerable literary production is a work, intitled, " Observations on Man, his Frame, his Dufy, and his Expectations, in two parts." London, 1749, 2 vols. 8vo. The first part contains observations on the frame of the human body and mind, and on their mutual connexions and in fluences. The work, it seems, took its rise from the Rev. Mr. Gray's asserting the possibility of deducing all our intellectual pleasures and pains from association, in a dissertation on the fundamental principle of virtue, prefixed to Law's translation of King's Origin of Evil. The sentiments in this piece led our author to enquire into the power of association, and to examine its consequences in respect of morality and religion, and also its physical cause, when by degrees many disquisitions foreign to the doctrine of association, or at least not immediately : connected with it, intermixed themselves; for this reason he has added thereto vibrations, and endcavoured to establish a connexion between these; and has taken a great deal of pains to shew the general use of these two in explaining the nature of our sensations. The so

cond part contains observations of the duty and expectations of man kind, before which is an introduction, in which he says, that the contemplation of our frame and constitution appeared to him to have a peculiar tendency to lessen the difficulties attending natural and revealed religion; and to improve their evidences, as well as to concur with them in their determination of man's duty and expecta tions; with which view he drew up the foregoing observations on the frame and connexion of the body and mind; and; in prosecution of the same design, he goes on in this part, from this foundation, and upon the other phænomena of nature, to deduce the evidences for the general truths of natural reli gion. Secondly, laying down all these as a new foundation whereon to build the evidences-for revealed religion. Thirdly, to enquire into the rule of life, and particular applications of it which result from the frame of our natures, the dictates of natural religion, and the precepts of the scriptures taken to gether, compared with and casting light upon each other. Fourthly, to enquire into the genuine doctrines of natural and revealed reli

gion, thus illustrated, concerning the expectations of mankind here and hereafter, in consequence of their observance, or violation of, the rule of life.

An authentic Account of the very cu rious Researches, and valuable Discoveries, in the Natural History, and Menufactures of China, and other Parts of Asia, made by the

late