316 



Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. [March, 



I) lit ho was able to ride in his carriage an 

 hour or two every day : lie regularly at- 

 tended public worsliip, and in summer he 

 was frequently drawn about his garden in a 

 chaise made for tliat ijurposc. For many 

 years previous to his decease, however, he 

 was wholly confined to his house. Con- 

 finement was at first a severe trial ; but 

 time and religions considerations perfectly 

 reconciled him to his situation. He turned 

 hisattejition to compose literary works, for 

 the benefit, chiefly, of the rishig generation. 

 His English Grammar, with the Exercises 

 and the Key, have been adopted in most of 

 tlic principal seminaries in Great Britiiin 

 and in America. His French and English 

 Readers; his Abridgment of his Grammar; 

 and his Spelling Book, have also received 

 high encomiums. Having begun his literary 

 career from disinterested motives, he con- 

 stantly devoted all tlie profits of his publi- 

 cations to charitable and benevolent pur- 

 poses : the work which he first published 

 was " The Power of Religion on the 

 Mind." Mr. IMurray was a member of the 

 Society of Friends ; but in his general 

 writings he scrupulously avoided intro- 

 ducing the peculiar tenets of the sect. 



Mr. Murray married, early in life, a very 

 amiable woman, about tlu-cc years younger 

 than himself. They had no children ; but 

 they lived together in uninterrupted har- 

 mony nearly sixty years. Mr. Murray's 

 last illness was of short duration, scarcely 

 exceeding two days -. but almost his whole 

 life had been so constant a preparation for 

 his final change, that death could scarcely 

 at any time have come upon him unawares. 

 We understand that authentic " Memoirs 

 of his Life and Writings" will shortly be 

 published. 



COUNT llOSTOPCHIN. 



This nobleman, who died at Moscow in 

 the month of January, was descended from 

 an ancient Russian family. Entering the 

 army very young, he was a lieutenant in 

 the Imperial Guards at the age of twenty- 

 one, when he left Russia to make the tour 

 of Europe. At Berlin he was distinguished 

 by Count Michael de Romanzow, the Rus- 

 sian Ambassador fit the Prussian Court. 

 During the early part of the reign of the 

 Emperor Paul, his advancement was rapid 

 and brilliant. He was decorated with the 

 Grand Order of Russia ; and, with his 

 father, (living, at the age of eighty-one, on 

 his own estate, at the time of the memo- 

 rable compaign of 1812), raised to the dig- 

 nity of Coimt. Soon afterwards, however, 

 from some unknown cause, both father and 

 son fell into disgrace, and received an order 

 to retire to their estates, on which they 

 lived, as cultivators of the soil, till the 

 death of Paul. The young Count obtained 

 the favour of the Emperor Alexander, and 

 was appointed to the govenunent of Mos- 

 cow. On the Mth of September 1812 the 

 French entered that city ; and on the same 

 day the Russians, according to the 20th 



French bulletin of the campaign, set fire 

 to various public edifices of that ancient 

 capital. Buonaparte accused Count Ros- 

 topchin of the act. Certain it is tliat the 

 Count had set fire to his fine country - 

 house at Voronozof, leaving the following •* 

 placard conspicuously posted near the 

 mansion : — 



" During eight years I have sought to 

 embellish this country residence, where I 

 have lived happily with my family. The 

 inhabitants of this estate, to the number of 

 1720, abandon it at your approach ; and I 

 destroy my house that it may not be sullied 

 by your presence. Frenchmen! I abandon 

 to you my two houses at Moscow. Here, 

 you shall find nothing but ashes." 



The Count remained governor of Mos- 

 cow till tlie month of September 1814, 

 when he resigned the command, and ac- 

 companied his sovereign to Vienna. In 

 the year 1817 he went to Pari.s, and 

 during his stay in that capital he gave the 

 hand of his daughter to the grandson of the 

 Count de Segur. His manners and "con- 

 versation were as polished as those of the 

 most accomplished courtier in Europe. 



COUNT KICHOI.AS ROMANZOW. 



This nobleman, the great patron and 

 encourager of science and literature in 

 Russia, where he very recently died, was 

 a son of the celebrated Field-Marshal 

 Peter Romanzow, whose high military 

 talents and important victories gave splen- 

 dour to the reign of the Empress 

 Catherine II. He was bom at St. Peters- 

 burgh. Meeting the views of the Em- 

 peror Alexander, he contributed greatly 

 to the raising of Odessa into importance, 

 and to the improvement and enriching of 

 its neighbouring coasts. Under him, the 

 administration of the public concerns of 

 that country were confided to the Duke 

 de Riclilieu, afterwards Prime Minister of 

 France. 



The Count Romanzow successively rose 

 to the rank of Privy Counsellor, Senator, 

 Chamberlain to the Emperor, and Chan- 

 cellor of the Russian Empire. Favouring '' 

 the continental system of Buonaparte, he 

 received from that ruler the decoration of 

 the grand eagle of the legion of honour, 

 and several other tokens of distinction. In 

 September 1807, on the retirement from 

 office of the Count de Kotschubey, Mons. 

 de Romanzow was at once made minister 

 of foreign affairs and minister of war. 

 The union of these important offices was 

 thought to have been obtained through the 

 influence of Buonaparte. On the return 

 of the Emperor Alexander to Russia, the 

 Count, after repeated and earnest solici- 

 tations, obtained leave, in the month of 

 August 181 1, to resign his ministerial func- 

 tions. On this occasion he received a 

 most kind and flattering letter from his 

 sovereign, expressing a hope that his love 

 for his country would not permit him, 

 when his health should he restored, to 



