202 



Domestic Varieties. 



[Feb. 



built another new square facing the northern 

 side of the Abbey, and corresponding in 

 some degree witii the fine enclosure which 

 runs parallel with the entrance to tlie Ses- 

 sions House. The houses at present in 

 Gardner's Lane, together with many now 

 standing in King-street, are likewise to be 

 pulled down. 



The i)u)ling do\^Tl of the Old Kmg's 

 Mews walls fronting Pall-Mall-east has 

 been completed, and the old houses, sad- 

 dler's shop, public house, &c. are being 

 levelled to the earth. About half the'Mews 

 area, that portion next to St. INIartin's 

 Lane, has been enclosed within wooden 

 fencing, for the temporary accommodation 

 of the military, &c. The improvements 

 preparatory to making the grand opening 

 from the Haymarket to St. Martin's Churcli, 

 will proceed fortliv\ath. 



Citij Lihrcmj, Sec —It is the intention of 

 some liberal members of the Corporation of 

 London, to propose to have a Museum or 

 depository for such antiquities or interest- 

 ing remains as may be found in the City 



added to the Library which the Corporation 

 are-.now forming. Many valuable antiqui- 

 ties, Roman pavements, urns, &c. have 

 been dug up in the course of excavations for 

 the city works, and the new Library will be 

 the most perfect of any relating to the City 

 and its historj-. 



" Grub Street," says Pennant, "has long 

 been proverbial for the residence of authors 

 of the less fortunate tribe, and the trite and 

 illiberal jest of the more favoured." This 

 character it seems to have obtained so far 

 back as during the Protectorate of Crom- 

 well : it then abounded with mean and old 

 houses, which were let out in lodgings at 

 low rents, in many instances to persons 

 whose occupation was publishing anony- 

 mously what were then deemed libellous or 

 treasonable works. It was here that honest 

 John Fox composed the greater part of his 

 IMartyrology ; and it is generally believed 

 that John Speed wTote his Chronicle, and 

 Daniel de Foe several of his publications, in 

 the much abused Grub Street, and Milton 

 himself lived close in its vicinity. 



BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 



StAJOR-GENERAL SIR DAVID OCHTERLONY. 



July 15. — This distinguished officer, 

 born Feb. 12, 1758, was the eldest son of 

 David Ochtcrlony, of Boston, New Eng- 

 land. His paternal great grandfather, 

 Alexander Ochterlony, was Laird of Pet- 

 forthy, in the county of Angus. When 

 eighteen he went to India as a cadet ; was 

 appointed ensign on the Bengal establish- 

 ment in February 1778 ; and became lieu- 

 tenant in September following. — His regi- 

 ment (the 24.th N.I.) formed part of the 

 reinforcement sent from Bengal under 

 Col. Pearse to Madras, in consequence of 

 the irruption of Hyder Ali into the Car- 

 natic, and the total defeat of Col. Baillie, 

 in the Guntoor ciicar. The detachment 

 marched along the sea-coast 1,100 miles, 

 and joined the force assembled under Lieut- 

 Gen. Sir Eyre Coote on the Choultry 

 plain. — The campaigns which succeeded 

 were most arduous. Cuddalore, captured 

 by the French General Duchemin in 1782, 

 was besieged by Major- General Stuart in 

 June 1783. A sally was made by the 

 ■ French troops upon the Bengal sepoys 

 (including the 2-lth regiment) whilst in the 

 trenches, who received the attack on the 

 point of the bayonet, and finally repulsed 

 the assailants. The testimony of Gen. 

 Stuart to the conduct of his troops is of the 

 warmest kind : " Notliing, I believe, in 

 history, ever exceeded the lieroism and 

 coolness of this army in general." Lieut. 

 Ochterlony here was desperately wounded 

 and taken prisoner.— After the death of 

 Hyder, in 1782, he was restored to liberty ; 

 and in January 1783 the Bengal troops 



returned to Calcutta, the detachment 

 liaring been reduced from upwards of 5,000 

 men to less than 2,000. The Governor- 

 General (Hastings) visited these brave 

 troops at their encampment at Ghyretty, 

 and in the order which lie issued on that 

 occasion, dated January 25^1785, he paid the 

 warmest tribute to their courage and conduct. 

 The services of Lieut. Ochterlony were 

 rewarded with the staff appointment of 

 judge advocate general of one of the divi- 

 sions of the army, a post which he retained 

 many years. In January 1796 he rose to 

 the rank of captain, and in April ISOO to 

 that of major. In 1803 he was appointed 

 lieut. -colonel, and with his regiment, the 

 12th N. I., was employed in the operations 

 under General (afterwardy Lord) Lake. 

 In the aiTangemcnts for disconcerting the 

 great Mahratta confederacy to expel tlie 

 British, and acquire an ascendency by the 

 possession of the person of Shah Alum, the 

 nominal sovereign of Delhi, Lieut.-Col. 

 Ochterlony was attached to the grand army 

 under General Lake as adjutant-general. 

 He was consequently present at the aflfair at 

 Coel, 29th August ; the assault of Ally- 

 ghur, 4th September ; and the great battle 

 of Delhi, 11th September; which restored 

 the descendant of the Moghul emperors, 

 and exalted the character and prowess of 

 tlie British army in the estimation of the 

 native powers. — Lieut.-Col- Ochterlony 

 was then nominated resident at the Court 

 of Delhi. Next year he sustained, with 

 Lieut.-Col. Burn, a desperate attempt of 

 the Mahrattas under Holkar to recover 

 possession of Delhi ; and also had to con- 



