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Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons, 



[MAY, 



RICHARD CHEVENIX, ESQ., F.R.S. 



This gentleman, a member of most of the 

 scientific and literary institutions of Europe, 

 was a native of Ireland. Possessing great 

 versatility of talent, and great variety of in- 

 formation, he had distinguished himself in 

 different paths of polite literature. It was 

 in chemistry, however, that he attained the 

 greatest celebrity ; his name justly ranking 

 as one of the highest among those who have 

 cultivated tha analytical branches of that 

 science. 



Mr. Chevenix was the author of many 

 papers in the Philosophical Transactions, 

 Nicholson's Journal, and the Philosophical 

 Magazine. To him the public were also in- 

 debted for numerous contributions, of great 

 interest, and on various topics, to other emi- 

 nent periodicals of the day. His first dis- 

 tinct publication was Remarks on Chemical 

 Nomenclature, according to the System of 

 the French Neologists, 12mo., 1802. His 

 Observations on Mineralogical Systems ori- 

 ginally appeared in the 65th volume of the 

 Chemical Annals, while he was at Paris. 

 These observations, which constitute a formi- 

 dable attack on the system of Werner, and 

 a truly philosophical defence of the rival 

 system of Hauy, were translated into French 

 under his own superintendance. 



Mr. Chevenix wrote, in the spirit of the 

 dramatic authors of the Elizabethan age, 

 the Mantuan Rivals, a Comedy, and Henry 

 the Seventh, an Historical Tragedy. Much 

 ef his time and fortune was devoted to lite- 

 rary and scientific pursuits ; and, in an exten- 

 sive circle of private friends, he was eminently 

 esteemed and beloved. Mr. Chevenix died 

 at Paris, on the 5th of April, after an indis- 

 position of only a few days. 



JOHN RENNEL, ESQ., F.R.S., &C. 



Tradition ascribes to this celebrated geo- 

 grapher a Norman extraction. One of the 

 Knights who accompanied William the Con- 

 queror in his descent upon England is be- 

 lieved to have been his paternal ancestor. He 

 was born at Chadleigh, in Devonshire, where 

 his father had long been settled on a small 

 estate, yielding sufficient for the enjoyments 

 of private life, in the year 1742. His edu- 

 cation was derived from a free grammar 

 school in the neighbourhood. Family cir- 

 cumstances rendering necessary his early set- 

 tlement in life, he, at the age of fifteen, en- 

 tered the naval service of his country. At 

 the siege of Pondicherry, he gave proof of 

 enterprise and talent. Some sloops of war 

 belonging to the enemy having moored be- 

 yond the reach of our guns, in shallow wa- 

 ter, he requested of his captain the use of a 

 boat. This, as the night was far advanced, 

 was at first refused, but ultimately granted. 

 Accompanied by only one sailor, Mr. Ren- 

 nel accordingly departed, with what object 

 in view no one was acquainted. After a 

 brief interval he returned, with the assur- 



ance of having ascertained that, as the tide 

 was unusually high, there was sufficient 

 depth of water by which to reach the sloops 

 of the enemy. This information was prompt- 

 ly acted upon, and the result was completely 

 successful. 



At the age of twenty-four, Mr. Rennel, 

 on the suggestion of a friend who possessed 

 considerable interest in the India House, left 

 the navy, entered into the army, and was 

 immediately sent upon active service to In- 

 dia as an officer of engineers. There he di- 

 stinguished himself greatly, was favourably 

 noticed by the Government, and speedily 

 promoted to a Majority the highest rank 

 he ever attained. It was about this period 

 that he produced his first work, a Chart of 

 the Bank and Current of Cape Lagullas. 

 This publication, of great local interest and 

 utility, gave to him the reputation of one of 

 the first geographers of the day. He was 

 soon afterwards appointed to the laborious 

 but lucrative office of Surveyor General of 

 Bengal. His next publications were his 

 Bengal Atlas, and an Account of the Ganges 

 and Burrampooter Rivers. The latter, which 

 greatly advanced the reputation of its author, 

 was inserted in the Philosophical Trans- 

 actions. 



While in India, Major Rennel married" 

 one of the daughters of Dr. Thackeray, 

 many years head-master of Harrow School. 

 Soon after his marriage, he returned to Eng- 

 land, where he was received with great dis- 

 tinction, and his acquaintance courted by 

 the mcst eminent men of the day. He was 

 elected, by acclamation, as it were, a mem- 

 ber of the Royal Society. From this period, 

 he maintained an extensive correspondence 

 with many of the most learned men of Eu- 

 rope. Amongst his most intimate friends 

 were I)r. Horsley, Bishop of St. Asaph 

 Dr. Vincent, Dean of Westminster and 

 Sir William Jones. It was the publication 

 of his Memoir of a Map of Hindostan, im- 

 mediately after his return to England, which 

 introduced him to the friendship of the two 

 former. At a subsequent period, he materially 

 assisted Dr. Vincent in his Commentary on 

 Arrian's Voyage of Nearchus. With cha- 

 racteristic ardour, he also aided Sir William 

 Jones in his Oriental Collections, and many 

 of the best articles in the Asiatic Researches 

 and Registers were from his pen. A brief 

 passage from one of these is important in it- 

 selfj and at the same time indicates the cha- 

 racter of the author's belief as a Christian : 

 " With regard to the conformity between 

 some of the Christian and Indian doctrines, 

 I have no hesitation to assert that all exa- 

 mination into Indian history and antiquities 

 most strongly confirms the Mosaic and scrip- 

 tural account." This principle of belief 

 probably operated with his political feelings 

 in causing him to decline the acceptance of 

 an invitation to become a member of the 

 French National Institute. 



In 1708, Major Rennel assisted Mr. Park 



