1816.] August A Phillips.— T^e late David Williams. 



81 



thority of a bishop. His appearance in 

 those schools, during the fullness of his 

 corporeal and intellectual strength was in- 

 deed so impressive, that strangers came to 

 view him as a venerable spectacle. His 

 person was uncommonly dignified, and his 

 voice distingni<>heJ by the union of a pure, 

 unatfected modulation with a degree of 

 power, which absolutely astonished the 

 bearer, on its first reaching him. With as 

 much fluency as could be consistent with 

 the weight of his subject, and with the au- 

 thority of a professor, he spoke Latin and 

 quoted Greek. A spectator, who knew 

 iiutliing of either, might have seen a tes- 

 timony of his powers in the countenances of 

 his admiring audience. The high esteem 

 ID which Dr. Watson was held by the uni- 

 versity of Cambridge appears from the in- 

 dnlgence granted him during his latter 

 years, of delegating the duties of his profes- 

 sorship to a deputy, which we believe to be 

 the only instance of non-residence ever 

 permitted to the divinity professor. His' 

 principal writings are his Tracts, Apology 

 for the Bible, popular essays on Chemistry, 

 in 3 vols, with a variety of political pam- 

 phlets, which were read with avidity at the 

 time of their publication. 



At Holloway, 6 years and 9 months, 

 Augusta, fifth daughter of Sir Richard 

 Phillips. This lovely and interesting child 

 fell a sacrifice to an accidental scald from 

 boiling water, rendered fatal by the vague 

 ^tate of medical science and practice. 

 The immediate inflammation was reduced 

 by co:d applications of goulard-water, 

 vinegar and water, and water, within three 

 hours; but an irretrievable indiff'ereuce to 

 the state of the stomach and bowels, and 

 erroneous assurances of perfect safety, 

 led, iu a subject of previous florid health, 

 to the commenceiiient of convulsions in 

 ei;;hlecn hours, which, the means applied 

 ■ot conquering, terminated fatally in forty- 

 eight hours from the time of the accident. 

 A hating those solemn considerations which 

 grow out of the profound afflictions of 

 families on the occasion of such domestic 

 tragedies, we cannot avoid an expression 

 of our astonishment, that, althoagh the Col- 

 leges of Physicians and Surgeons have now 

 existed two hundred years, no certain and 

 unquestionable practice ap|ieais yet to be 

 established in regard to a mere atfeclion 

 of the skin from a scald; and no chart of va- 

 rious accidents, explaining those means of 

 prompt and instuntaneous relief which they 

 generally require has >ct been issued by 

 either of those learned bodies, or even by 

 any accredited members ot them. As a 

 tribute to the public, arising out of nnich 

 lubseqiu-nt encjuiry, we feel it our duty to 

 make it known, that, m general, in cases 

 of scalds and burns, renewed applications 

 ef a H|)irituous nature are to be preferred 

 to a(jiieous fluids; thus, ether, npirits of 

 McNTULY Mao. No. 237. 



wine, brandy, liollands, gin, or tnrpen» 

 tine, ought respectively to be preferred 

 to more inert liquids, while the tendency 

 to convulsions, produced by the peculiar 

 effects of a scald or burn on the cuticle, 

 renders it necessary to avoid the use of 

 opiates, and to administer active purga- 

 tives. We feel it more incumbent on u» 

 to make these observations, because, with, 

 in a few days, a fine boy has fallen a victim 

 to a similar accident in the same village. 



At the house of the Literary Fund, in 

 Gerard-street, 78, David Williams, esq. 

 The biography of this celebrated literary 

 character must be exceedingly Interesting ; 

 and it is fortunate that it may be expected 

 from the able pen of Mr. Yates, his exe- 

 cutor, to whom all the papers were left by 

 Mr. Williams. These are, perhaps, nume- 

 rous ; but it is known that the author de- 

 stroyed a considerable number a short 

 time before his death. Of so eventful a 

 life, the public must wait for the full his- 

 tory from the gentleman possessed of the 

 materials. At present it may, however, 

 be some little gratification of curiosity to 

 state, that Mr. Williams was born at a 

 village in Glamorganshire, and was brought 

 up by a dissenting clergyman, who, as he 

 used to say, rendered religion uninviting 

 by unwarrantable austerity. This circum- 

 stance, perhaps, gave a bias, and was the 

 occasion of an attempt by Mr. Williams, 

 after he became a clergyman, to intro- 

 duce (above 40 years ago) a new systera 

 of religious devotion, which was eagerly 

 adopted and adhered to by some very dis- 

 tinguished men, but in a short time was 

 abandoned. The chapel, for this purpose, 

 vie have been informed, still remains iii 

 Margaret-street, Cavendish-square. Mr. 

 W. was the author of many works oa 

 moral, religious, and political subjects- 

 Among these were his Sermons ; Lectures 

 on Education ■, Lptlers to a Prince ; Claims 

 of Literature ; Preparatory Studies for 

 Politicians, and others, which we hope to 

 see duly noticed by the able biographer 

 above mentioned. But the most impor- 

 tant of the works of Mr. W. was the esta- 

 blishment of the Literary Fund. The 

 suffLrings of Otway, and the heart-rendin;^ 

 termination in fatal despair of Chattertoii, 

 had n )t yet excited any person to form aa 

 institution for unfortunate and unsuccess- 

 ful men of letters: — 



— . — " Where suffering talents find relief. 

 From the heart's malady — internal grief."* 

 This benevolent design wa'* executed to 

 its present extent by Mr. W. The Lite- 

 rary Fund has been established, we be- 

 lieve, at least twenty-five years, during 



• Fitzgerald's poem, recited at the last 

 anniversary of the Literaiy Fund, May 

 1816. 



