adopt strong measures, or else the voice of the country would resound like thunder in their ears." The Noble Earl afterwards voted for Lord Grenville's amendment to the address.

On the 7th of May, 1814, Earl St. Vincent succeeded the late Lord Bridport, as General of the Royal Marines; and in 1815 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

During the summer of 1818, Lord St. Vincent visited that stupendous national work, the Breakwater in Plymouth Sound and both his patriotism and curiosity were fully gratified by the sight. A line-of-battle ship, the Bulwark, was lying within it, as quiet and easy as if she had been in Hamoaze, immediately after a smart gale from the southwest. The pleasure of seeing so important a public work in such a rapid state of progress, must have been much increased (as his Lordship confessed was the case), both by the reflection that he himself was its projector, and by the conviction that it answered his most sanguine expectations.

On the 28th February, 1812, Earl St. Vincent met with an accident of a very serious nature. His Lordship was sitting by himself; and, having occasion to reach forward, he unfortunately fell upon the grate. His head came in contact with one of the spikes which were placed on the top of the grate for the security of the wood; and it was with some difficulty that he forced himself back from the fire before he sustained any injury from the heat. His servants, on entering, found him covered with blood, from a severe laceration occasioned by the spike. His present Majesty was particularly attentive in his enquiries on this occasion; and the noble Earl happily recovered from the effects of so alarming an accident.

His Lordship attained the 80th year of his age on the 20th January, 1814, on which occasion he gave an elegant entertainment to a large party at his Essex estate, presiding himself in perfect health and spirits.

On the 19th July, 1821, the day of his present Majesty's coronation, Earl St. Vincent was elevated to the rank of an Admiral of the Fleet. His Lordship had been senior Ad

miral of the Red, for more than five years previous to that

event.

From the period of his quitting the command of the channel fleet to the time of his demise, which occurred on the 15th of March, 1823, Earl St. Vincent resided almost constantly at Rochetts, in Essex, to the improvement of which estate he had paid so much attention, that, according to eminent agriculturists, the value of the land is eight times greater than when his Lordship commenced cleaning, fallowing, draining, and manuring it.

A portrait, by Hoppner, representing this venerable commander in a naval uniform, on the quarter-deck of a man-ofwar, being an admirable likeness of him in his old age, was exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1809. A bust by Chantrey, was exhibited at the same time.

Earl St. Vincent married, June 5, 1783, his cousin Martha, daughter of Chief-baron Parker, before-mentioned. By that lady, who died Feb. 8. 1816, and to whose memory he erected a beautiful monument in Caverswall church, Staffordshire, he had no issue. His Lordship's nephew, Edward Jervis Ricketts, Esq. barrister at law, has succeeded to the Viscounty of St. Vincent.

His Lordship was a man of short stature; his look was replete with intelligence, and he had an eagle's eye. His mind was strong and acute. He was resolute and unbending in his ideas of that steady discipline and subordination which the wisdom of our forefathers, attentive to the public good, ordained in naval regulations, and which a mistaken spirit of kindness in our own time had, on some occasions, unreasonably relaxed. In his parliamentary life he maintained an upright and dignified independence. As a cabinet minister, he was equally inaccessible by interest or adulation. * By

* The following memorandum was found among the MSS. of the late Alexander Stephens of Park House, Chelsea, Esq.:

"I was much pleased this morning (February 21. 1801), at hearing the reply of Earl St. Vincent to a captain in the navy, the eldest son of a baronet, and an admiral of my acquaintance, who solicited a ship from him. His Lordship said that he was determined not to grant any thing to influence or intercession; that

sea he was undoubtedly a great commander, of high gallantry, and ascendant genius, and merited all the honours conferred on him. But the notions imbibed in a naval life are not always perfectly practicable on shore; and it cannot be denied that the Earl was far from being popular while at the head of the Admiralty. Notwithstanding he rendered much good to the state by the correction of abuses in the dock-yards, the violence of many of his proceedings is, by many, thought to require a better defence than it has received; and a very large and intelligent part of the community, who are free from the prejudices of party, seem persuaded that the national benefit was materially impeded by rash and inexpedient attempts at instantaneous reform. Many old and useful officers, and a vast number of artificers, were included in one sweeping discharge from the dock-yards, a great portion of those men being obliged to seek their livelihood abroad, entered into the Russian and United States' service, and were thus for ever lost to their country. The customary supplies of timber, and other important articles of naval stores, were also omitted to be kept up; and some articles, including a large quantity of hemp, was actually sold out of the service. The deficiency of workmen and materials thus occasioned, produced, of course, a suspension in the routine of dock-yard business;

a number of meritorious men, such as the first lieutenants of line-of-battle ships, who had distinguished themselves in action and become commanders, in consequence of extraordinary services under him and other admirals, were best entitled to employment, and that he would prefer them above all others, and in all cases, short of a royal mandate." To the honour of the captain he retired, feeling the full effect and justness of the reply.

N.B. The young man alluded to in the above memorandum was heir to a good fortune, and possessed of wit and humour, and many of the best requisites for a gentleman. One fault he had, but it was a fault that precluded his advancement, ruined his constitution, cut short his days, and destroyed the hopes of his family and acquaintance.

Constant and habitual intoxication having at length endangered his life, a physician belonging to the fleet told him that if he persisted he would actually wear away the coats of his stomach. With a nonchalance that too strongly marked his character, he replied, "I thank you, Doctor, for your information; but in case of such an accident, which I find it difficult to provide against, my stomach must work in its waistcoat,"

new ships could not be built, nor, and a very serious misfortune it was, could old ships be repaired. Many of the ships put into commission at the renewal of war were, consequently, merely patched up, and scarcely in a state to keep the sea. There appears therefore to have been some foundation for the opinion implied by Mr. Pitt, when he said :— "I admire the dauntless valour, I extol the splendid achievements, I acknowledge the vast renown of Lord St. Vincent. To him we are indebted for shedding extraordinary lustre on our national glory. But between His Lordship as a commander at sea, and His Lordship as first lord of the Admiralty, there is a wide difference."

Lord St. Vincent's remains were privately interred on Wednesday, March 26th, in the family vault at Stone; and in the evening of the same day, the House of Commons addressed His Majesty, praying "that he would be graciously pleased to give directions for erecting in the cathedral church of St. Paul a monument to the memory of John Earl of St. Vincent, as a testimony of his distinguished eminence in the naval service of his country, and as a particular memorial of the important victory which he gained over the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, on the 14th of February, 1797." Both Houses of Parliament subsequently concurred with the crown in continuing to the Viscount of St. Vincent the whole pension of 3000l. which had been granted to the Earl and his heirs male; 1000l. of which, having been originally granted by the Irish Parliament, could not be attached to the viscounty in 1801, when His Majesty was pleased to extend that honour collaterally.

275

No. XIII.

JOHN JULIUS ANGERSTEIN, Esq.

To the talents, enterprize, and good faith of her merchants, Great Britain is mainly indebted for her present wealth, prosperity, and grandeur; and in no member of the commercial body were those qualities ever more strikingly exemplified than in the venerable and deeply-lamented subject of the present memoir.

John Julius Angerstein was descended from a respectable Russian family, and was born at St. Petersburgh, in the year 1735. About the year 1749 he came over to England, under the patronage of the late Andrew Thompson, Esq., an eminent Russian merchant.

Young Angerstein was employed during some years in Mr. Thompson's counting-house, and, when of age, was introduced by his worthy patron to Lloyd's. It can scarcely be necessary to add, that this is a coffee-house which derived its appellation from the circumstance of having been originally kept by a person of the name of Lloyd; and that, many years ago, it became the resort of a considerable body of English merchants, and other men of business, especially brokers and underwriters, who assembled, as their successors to this day assemble, to divide among themselves, and to become responsible to one another for, the loss occasioned by ships being either captured, burnt, wrecked, or subjected to any other injury in the course of their voyages. Considering the immense value frequently trusted on the ocean in one bottom, such casualties would be too great for any individual to hazard, however extensive his property and enterprising his spirit.