Biographical Sketch of the late Rev. E. D. Clarke, LL.D., Professor of Mineralogy in the University of Cambridge, &c.

EDWARD DANIEL CLARKE was born June 5, 1769, at Willingdon, in the county of Sussex, and was descended from a line of ancestors, whose learning and abilities reflected, for a long series of years, the highest credit upon the literature of their country. The celebrated Dr. William Wotton was his greatgrandfather. His grandfather, mild William Clarke,' was one of the most accomplished scholars of his age; and his father, the Rev. Edward Clarke, was distinguished in the same honourable career. He is represented to have been from his infancy a most amusing and attractive child; and particularly to have exhibited in the narrow sphere of his father's parish, the same talent for playful conversation and narrative, which ever afterwards distinguished him in the various and extensive circles through which he moved. He showed, when very young, a decided inclination to those objects of science which were the favourite studies of his later years. Having received the rudiments of his education at Uckfield, a small town within his father's parish of Buxted, under Mr. Gerison, who had been his grandfather's curate, and his father's preceptor, he was removed, when somewhat more than ten years old, to the grammar-school of Tunbridge, at that time conducted by Dr. Vicesimus Knox. But his progress here was not very satisfactory : his attention appears to have been engrossed by various attractive subjects, some of a scientific nature, which were altogether inimical to his progress in classical literature. In the year 1786, when only sixteen years of age, he obtained, through the kindness of Dr. Beadon, then Master of Jesus College, and now the venerable Bishop of Bath and Wells, the situation of Chapel Clerk in that Society.

The three years which Edward Clarke spent in College, before he took his Bachelor's Degree, present no incidents of life, or New Series, VOL. VIII.

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points of character, sufficiently important to occupy a place in this brief memoir; nor has there been found a single academical composition written by him at this time, in any department of learning, either in prose or verse, which would be considered worthy of his subsequent fame. Indeed, it is not the least extraordinary circumstance in his history, that this critical period, which generally lays the foundation of other men's fortunes, and exercises the greatest influence upon the conduct of their future lives, was by him suffered to pass, not only without academical honours or distinctions of any kind, but apparently without fixing any character whatever upon his literary views; and evidently without even those moderate advantages which a common mind might have derived from it. The loss itself, however, is much more easy to account for, than the singular vigour of mind, with which he afterwards redeemed it. Mathematical studies formed the principal path to College honours and emolu ments, but for these, unhappily, Edward Clarke had no taste, and therefore made little progress in them; and with respect to classics, in which, as intimated above, he came up with a moderate knowledge, there was nothing at that time, either in the constitution or the practice of his College, calculated to encourage a taste already formed for them, much less to create one where nothing of the kind was felt before. Under these circumstances, with a strong literary passion, and at sea, as it were, without a pilot, upon the great waters of mental speculation, it was natural for him to form his own plans, and to steer his own course. Though he made little progress in the appropriate studies of the place, his literary ardour was not directed to unworthy objects, nor conducted upon a narrow scale. His active mind ranged lightly over a wide and interesting field of literature: history, ancient and modern; medals, antiquities, with all the variety of polite learning which is comprehended under the name of the Belles Lettres, shared by turns his attention and his time. But English Poetry was the natural element in which his youthful and ardent imagination delighted to expatiate. To these pur suits may be added Natural History in some of its branches, particularly Mineralogy; but, as he had few books, and no assistance in these subjects, it was not probable that he could make much progress in them.

About the end of the year 1789, he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts, and within a few months afterwards, through Dr. Beas don's recommendation, he became the tutor of the Hon. Henry Tufton, with whom he made the tour of Great Britain in the summer of 1791. This was undoubtedly a most important epoch in Mr. Clarke's life; it was the first opportunity he had of gratifying a passion which was always uppermost in his mind, but which he had hitherto been unable to indulge; and ite necessarily threw in his way many opportunities of acquiring

information in those branches of natural history, for which he had early shown a decided taste, and to which he afterwards owed so much of his celebrity. It was likewise the cause of his first appearance before the public in the character of an author; he kept a journal of his tour, and at the request of some of his young friends, upon his return, was induced to publish it. The work is now exceedingly scarce, the greater part of the copies having been destroyed or lost within a short period after its publication. Indeed, Mr. Clarke himself soon learnt to have a lower opinion of its merits than others perhaps, more considerate, would be disposed to entertain, when the age and circumstances of the author are taken into the account.

In October, 1791, Mr. Tufton's brother being about to join Lord Thanet in Paris, Mr. Clarke and his pupil seized the oppor tunity of passing over with him to Calais, and thus he who afterwards traversed so large a portion of the globe, first set his foot on foreign ground; a circumstance which imparted to his ardent mind the most delightful sensations. In the spring of the year 1792, his engagement with Mr. Tufton terminated; and Lord Berwick, who had been of the same year with him in College, and was now of age, proposed that Mr. Clarke should accompany him, in the capacity of a friend, to Italy. This proposal was soon agreed to, and about the middle of July, they set out on their intended tour. As it was necessary to avoid the French territory, which was then agitated throughout by the paroxysm of its ferocious revolution, they took the route of the Low Countries to Cologne, and then ascending the Rhine to Schaffhausen, passed from thence through Switzerland, by the way of Lucerne and St. Gothard, to Turin.

To a mind like that possessed by the subject of this memoir, panting for foreign climes, and glowing with all the warmth of poetic imagery, it was no small achievement to have thus passed the barrier of the Alps, and to tread in the paths which had been hallowed in his eyes by the footsteps of Addison and Gray. But this was only a part of his enjoyment while on this tour. The country which he had entered, abounded in scenes and objects calculated, above all others, to awaken every pleasing association connected with his early studies, and to gratify his prevailing taste. The precious remains of antiquity dispersed throughout Italy, the fine specimens of modern art, the living wonders of nature, of which even the descriptions he had read, or the faint resemblances he had seen, had been sufficient to kindle his enthusiasm, were now placed before his eyes, and submitted to his contemplation, and inquiry; nor were the springs and resources of his own mind unequal to the excitement which was thus powerfully acting upon them. At no period, even of his subsequent life, does he seem to have exerted himself with more spirit, or with better effect. He made large and valuable addi

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tions to his stock of historical knowledge, both ancient and modern. He applied himself so effectually to the French and Italian languages, as to be able in a short time to converse fluently, and to obtain all the advantages of acquirement and information in both; and, what was less to be expected, by dint of constant and persevering references to those classical authors, whose writings have contributed, either directly or indirectly, to illustrate the scenery or the antiquities of Italy, he made greater advances in Greek and Latin than he had done before, during the whole period of his education. He studied with great attention the history and progress of the arts, and, more particularly, of the different schools of Painting in Italy; reading carefully the best authors, conversing frequently with the most intelligent natives, and then, with all the advantage of his own good taste and discernment, comparing the results of his inquiries with those of his own actual observation.

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Nor was his attention less powerfully attracted towards those rich treasures of Natural History, which the peculiar resources of the country, or the industry of collectors daily presented to him. Vesuvius, with all its various phænomena and productions, was his particular study and delight. He was the historian and the guide of the mountain, to every intelligent and distinguished Englishman, who came to Naples during his stay; and connecting, as he did, a considerable degree of science and philosophy, with all the accurate local knowledge, and more than the spirit and adroitness of the most experienced of the native guides, his assistance was as eagerly sought after as it was highly appre ciated by his countrymen. He made a large collection of vases and medals, many of which have since found their way into different cabinets of Europe; and besides numerous valuable additions which he made to his own specimens of minerals, he formed several complete collections of Italian marbles and volcanic products for his friends. With his own hands he constructed models o of the most remarkable temples and other interesting objects of art or nature in Italy; and one particularly of Vesuvius, upon a great scale, of the materials of the mountain, with such accuracy of outline and justness of proportion, that Sir William Hamilton pronounced it to be the best ever produced of the kind, either by foreigner or native; it is now at Lord Berwick's seat at Attingham, in Shropshire. These things he did, and much more, within an interrupted space of two years, during which, as it appears from his journal, so many of his hours were placed by his own good nature at the disposal of his countrymen in their literary or philosophical inquiries, so many others were dedicated as a matter of duty to Lord Berwick and his concerns, and so many more were devoted to the pleasures of society, and to those active amusements which our countrymen usually assemble round them whenever they take up their

information in those branches of natural history, for which he had early shown a decided taste, and to which he afterwards owed so much of his celebrity. It was likewise the cause of his first appearance before the public in the character of an author; he kept a journal of his tour, and at the request of some of his young friends, upon his return, was induced to publish it. The work is now exceedingly scarce, the greater part of the copies having been destroyed or lost within a short period after its publication. Indeed, Mr. Clarke himself soon learnt to have a lower opinion of its merits than others perhaps, more considerate, would be disposed to entertain, when the age and circumstances of the author are taken into the account.

In October, 1791, Mr. Tufton's brother being about to join Lord Thanet in Paris, Mr. Clarke and his pupil seized the oppor→ tunity of passing over with him to Calais, and thus he who afterwards traversed so large a portion of the globe, first set his foot on foreign ground; a circumstance which imparted to his ardent mind the most delightful sensations. In the spring of the year 1792, his engagement with Mr. Tufton terminated; and Lord Berwick, who had been of the same year with him in College, and was now of age, proposed that Mr. Clarke should accompany him, in the capacity of a friend, to Italy. This proposal was soon agreed to, and about the middle of July, they set out on their intended tour. As it was necessary to avoid the French terri tory, which was then agitated throughout by the paroxysm of its ferocious revolution, they took the route of the Low Countries to Cologne, and then ascending the Rhine to Schaffhausen, passed from thence through Switzerland, by the way of Lucerne and St. Gothard, to Turin.

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To a mind like that possessed by the subject of this memoir, panting for foreign climes, and glowing with all the warmth of poetic imagery, it was no small achievement to have thus passed the barrier of the Alps, and to tread in the paths which had been hallowed in his eyes by the footsteps of Addison and Gray. But this was only a part of his enjoyment while on this tour. country which he had entered, abounded in scenes and objects calculated, above all others, to awaken every pleasing association connected with his early studies, and to gratify his prevailing taste. The precious remains of antiquity dispersed throughout Italy, the fine specimens of modern art, the living wonders of nature, of which even the descriptions he had read, or the faint resemblances he had seen, had been sufficient to kindle his enthusiasm, were now placed before his eyes, and submitted to his contemplation and inquiry; nor were the springs and resources of his own mind unequal to the excitement which was thus powerfully acting upon them. At no period, even of his subsequent life, does he seem to have exerted himself with more spirit, or with better effect. He made large and valuable addi