S42 



Memoir of the late Dr. Currk of Liverpool. [0£l." 1, 



mig'it con^l■atu!a^e himfelf witli having 

 been one of the mod cfTecHial fiiendsot 

 departed genius that tlie annals of Britifli 

 poetry record. 



Every plan for promoting liberal ftu- 

 dies and the improvement ot the human 

 mind had in him a zeal'ius and a8ivc hip- 

 porter. In the formation of thole literary 

 inliitutlons which have done fa much ho- 

 nour to the town ol Liverpocl, he, with his 

 jntimate and congenial friend, the diftm- 

 guirtied author cf the Lives of Lorerzo 

 de' Medici and Leo X., ftood among the 

 foiemoll ; ard their natres were always 

 conjoined when mention wa^ made of the 

 worth and taknts which dignified their 

 place of ahcde. No cultivated traveller 

 vifited Liverpool wi'.i-.ont ibliciting Dr. 

 Currie's acquaintance, and his reception 

 of thole introduced to him was eminently 

 polite and hofpitable. 



In his Life of Burns remarking upon 

 that partiality for their o-Jincoimtiy which 

 appears ahnoll univerlnlly in the natives 

 cf Scotland, he has olilerved, that " it 

 differs in its chaia6ier accoiding to the 

 character of the different minds in which 

 it is found ; in feme appearing a fe'filh 

 prejudice, in others a eenerous afleftion." 

 He was himfelf a ftriking exemplificuion 

 of this faft ; for the Icntimcnt in him 

 was principally fliewn in thf kindnels 

 Mvith which he received all his y^ ung 

 countrymen who came recommended to 

 his notice, and the zeal with which he ex- 

 erted himfelf to procure ihem (ituations 

 fu'fed to their qualifications. Indeed, a 

 difjir^Htion in general ti favour the pro- 

 igrejs of delerving yo.un?, psifms was a 

 prominent feature in his chai after. He 

 laved to converfe with them, and mingled 

 vaiuaMe information with cheermg encou- 

 ragemeiit. 



"' Though externally of a vigorous frame 

 cf body, Dr. Curr.e hari a p^edifpolition to 

 thofe complaints which ufuaiiy fliorten 

 life 5 and in the year lyS-j. he had experi- 

 erxed a pulmonary attack a*! an alarming 

 fia'ure, from Vvihich he wa'^ extraordina- 

 jily recovered bv the \ife of horie-exercife, 

 as related by himfelf in his cafe inicrfed in 

 the 2d volume of Dr. Dirwin's Zoono- 

 mia. He v-as, however, feldom long free 

 from threi'niiigs of ■ a return, and his 

 health beganvifihiy "o decline in the early 

 part of 1804.. In the fummer uf that 

 year he took a journey to ScotUnd, wheie 

 ■among- other Irurces of graiilicstitn he 

 had that of witneffing the happy clfefls of 

 kis kindnefs on the family of Burns. 



His letters on this occafion were delighs 

 ful dilplavs of benevolence rejoicing in its 

 work. He returned with fome temporary 

 amendment ; but alarming fymptoms 

 foon returneil, and in November he found 

 it nccefPaiy to quit the climate and bufi- 

 nels of Liverpool. How feverely hi* de- 

 parture was felt by thofe who had been 

 accuftomed to commit their heath and 

 that of thtir fainiliej to his (kill and ten- 

 deinefs, can only be elfimated by thofe 

 who have experienced a fimilar lols. He 

 fpent the winter alternately at Clifmn and 

 Bsth ; and in the month of March appear. 

 ed to himfelf in a (late of convalefcence 

 whichjuftified his taking a houl'e in Bath, 

 and commencing the praitice f h's profef- 

 fion. From the manner in which hi» career 

 opened, there could be no doubt that it 

 would have proved eminently fuccef»ful ; 

 but the concluding fcene was halfily ap- 

 proaching. As a laft refource he went 

 in Augult to Sidmouth, where, after much 

 fuffeiing, which he bnre with manly for- 

 titude and pi lus refignatirn he expired 

 on Aiiguft -^iff, 1805, in the 50th year of 

 his age. His difeafe was afcertained to 

 he a great enlargemtn' and fliccidity of 

 the heart, accompanied with temarkable 

 wailiiip of the left lung, but without ul- 

 cei ation, tubercle, or abcefs. 



Few men have left the world with ^ 

 more amiable and ellimable charaiffer, 

 proved in every relation of life public and 

 domeftic. In his profeffional coiidu£l he 

 was upright, liberal, and honourable ; 

 with much fenlibility for his patients with- 

 out the affeftation of it ; fair and candid 

 towards his brethren of the faculty ; and 

 though ufuslly decided in his opinion, 

 yet entirely free from arrogance or dog. 

 matii'm. His behaviour was (ingularly 

 calculated to convert rivals into friends j 

 a <1 fome of thofe who regarded him with 

 the greateff elfeem and affeif i'm have been 

 the perl'ons who divided praflicewlth him. 

 To hib chara£>er in this point a moft ho- 

 nourable teftiinony has been given in a 

 fhort article infert d in a Bath newfpaper 

 by the worthy and learned D.. Falconer. 

 His powers of mind were of tiie higlielt 

 lank, equally fitted for adtion and fpecula- 

 tion : his morals were pure ; his princi- 

 ples exalted. His hf--, though much too 

 (hort to fatis'^y the wiihes of his friends 

 and funily, was Inoennugli for figiial 

 ufefulnefs and for lalting fame. 



J. AlKlN. 



Slck,--Neivinrtofi, 

 September 19, 1805. 



