37^ Account of John Courtenay^ esq,— Mr. Justice Hardingc. [Nov. T, 



fifteen flisseiitients, still adhered to and 

 lield coiiinuinion witli him, embracinc the 

 same common Creed. This circumstance, 

 in regard to Mr. V. led to an acquaintance 

 with' the late Mr. Whincliester, (with 

 whom he had corresponded before ;) and, 

 Vhen i^o 'atter left Enahind, Mr. V. was 

 call'd npon to supply his place at Parlia- 

 ment Cunrt, Artillery-lane, where lie con- 

 tinued to la'ionr till an interruption was 

 pnt to his useful services by the illness 

 vhich ha- brought him to the uravc. Gra- 

 dually be< omini; a conscientious convert 

 to oih' r views than those which pass cur- 

 rent tor ortiiodox, he exploded the doc- 

 trioc ot the Trinity as irrational and un- 

 scriiitii -al, and i)ecame a zealous asserter 

 hud' able defender of that of the Divine 

 tJnitv, illu-tratiiv.' the " moral tendency" 

 of Mici a (ait)i in his life and at his death. 

 As a preacher, to a sonorous voice, he 

 united an address as deasing as it was 

 peculiar, and as inteliiu'ible as it was in- 

 «trr.ctive: while his discourses, whatever 

 ■was the subject, had, in general, a strong 

 bearing on Christian practice. In his 

 publications, which were chiefly of a po- 

 lemical description, he %\as (accordin;; to 

 the motto on one of them,) invariably 

 found "spiaking the truth in Ijve." 

 Thus, in this, as well as in other respects, 

 *' all his works were done with charity." 

 Those to whom his ministrations were 

 more especially confined bore testimony to 

 his, worth while he remained among them ; 

 as appears from a printed Report (at the 

 'bei;inniMg of the last year,) of the com- 

 mittee of the managers of the chapel, on 

 the subject of addint; to his pecuniary 

 comforts, in which they say, " much has 

 been given us in such an instructor,'' — an 

 instructor, wiiose loss they now deeply 

 regret. At his own express desire he was 

 interrtd in the cemetery of the Gravel-pit 

 meeting. Hackney, where a numerous as- 

 sembly of sorrowing friends attended ; 

 when Mr. Asplijnd, appointed to the 

 office, delivered an appropriate ami im- 

 pressive oration ; and, on the next Lord's 

 dav eveninc, preached a Fiineial .Sermon 

 at Farliameiit-cnurt. The Hev. JoliiiEvan*;, 

 the wortliy pastor at Woi ship street, also, 

 on the Sunday succeeding, delivered an 

 eiilos;inm on "his departed friend in his 

 usual fascinating style, and which has 

 since been published" in the Monthly Re- 

 positary— " They that be wise shall shine 

 a; the l>ri-.:htiiess of the tiiniament, and 

 llicy that turn many to riyliteousuess, as 

 the"stais, for ever and ever." 



[The late witty Jukn Couiima;/, esq. of 

 patriotic celebrity, was a native of Ire- 

 laud, dfsceiuied from a hi am h of the noble 

 tnniily of that name, and nephew by his 

 mother to the late Earl of Bute. He was 

 oriijinallv patronized by Marquis Towus- 

 Ii.'i^d, w"hen Lord-lienienaiit of Ireland; 

 and at the geyeiai elestions ia 1760, 178i, 



and 1790, lie was chosen member for Tam- 

 w'orth; in 1796, 180?, 180u, and 1812, for 

 Appleby, but afterwards vacated his seat. 

 Mr. Com tciiay, during his whole political 

 life, continued stedfastly attached to the 

 oM opposition; and on the trimnph of that 

 party, in tr83, he was appointed surveyor 

 of the ordnance, and secretary to the mas- 

 ter-general ; and again, in 1806, to the 

 office of commissioner of the treasury. 

 His speeches, as a member of the legis- 

 lature, were distinguished by wit and sa- 

 tire, the brilliancy and poignancy of which 

 were acknowledged even by those who 

 ditfered from him in political opinion, 

 while they were justly ftdmired by those 

 who agieed with him. He was the author 

 of " A Poetical Review of the Literary 

 and Moral Character of Dr. Samuel John- 

 son, 1786," 4to. '' Pliilosophical Reflec- 

 tions on the late Revolutioii in francc, &c. 

 in a Letter to Dr. Priestley, 1790," 8vo. 

 "A Poetical and Philosophical Essay on 

 tli(^ French Revolution, addressed to 3Ir, 

 Burke, 179:5," 8vo. "The present .State 

 of Manners, Arts, and Politics, of Frapce 

 and Italy, in a Seiiis of Poetical Epistles 

 from Paris, Rome, and Naples, in 1793 

 and 1793; 1791." 8vo.] 



[The late Mr. Justice Htirdinge was a 

 representative in parliament for Old Sarnni 

 from 17ti4 to i?AYi. He was appointed «<?- 

 ntor justice for the counties of Glamorgan, 

 iSic. in 1787, and attorney general to the 

 queen in \79i. He was also a vice presi- 

 dent of the Philanthropic Society. His 

 correspondence was most extensive. Of 

 his various compositions, his letters were 

 pre-eminent. They were extraordinarj', 

 from their wit, fancy, and gaiety. Tlicy 

 seemed to be the productions of a youth of 

 20, rather than of a man upwards of 7() 

 years of age. In conversation he had few 

 equals; as he had an astonishing flow and 

 choice of words, and an animated delivery 

 of tiieiii, such as very few persons possess. 

 ■Whatever were his talents they were 

 greatly surpassed in value by his active be- 

 nevolence. By ardent zeal and perscve. 

 Vance in the service of those persons whom 

 he thought worthy of protection, he wa« 

 able to obtain immense sums by siibscrip* 

 tion. INIaiiy arc \v*\\ alive to bless his 

 niciiiory. The sums he collected for such 

 persons amounted to near ID.OOOI. ; and he' 

 was ill a situation to command success. No 

 rebuff's checked him: no obstacles pre. 

 vented his coustaot pursuit of his meiito- 

 lious oI)jfCt. This activity of friendship, 

 almost always successful, was the princi- 

 pal feature in his character. To the 'id 

 edition of Mr. Hardinge's " Letters to Mr. 

 Burke" was added, "An Appendix, con- 

 taining a short Answer to Major .Scott'g 

 Charge of Inconsistency against Mr. Harp 

 dmge's Sentiments respecting Mr. Has- 

 imjLS, and of liliberality in his Treatment 

 of that GcDtlemaii." A spcond editioi;, 

 e^larget^ 



