1826.] 



Biographical Memoin of Eminent Persons. 



547 



ancient, and to criticise some of the best of 

 our modern writers. In tliis work lie ulso 

 recoinineiided a new system of orthography, 

 more ridiculous even tlian tliat of his coun- 

 tryman, Elpliinstone. Unfortunately, too, 

 it happened that the odium of the perform- 

 ance actually alighted upon a countryman 

 of his, whose name was, in reality, llohert 

 Heron, and who was just then coming be- 

 fore the public as an author.* However, 

 this book obtained for him an introduction 

 to Horace Walpole, through \\hom he be- 

 came acquainted with Gibbon the histo- 

 rian, who recommended him to the book- 

 sellers as a fit person to translate the " Eng- 

 lish Monkish Historians," a work which, 

 had the proposal been approved, would have 

 formed a valuable acquisition to our know- 

 ledge of tlie middle ages. On the death of 

 his father, Horace Walpole, who died Earl 

 of Orford, Mr. Pinkerton sold to the pro- 

 prietors of this Magazine a collection of his 

 lordship's remarks, witticisms, and letters, 

 afterwards published under the title of 

 "Walpoliana." 



Mr. Pinkerton subsequently published, 

 in succession, " Ancient Scottish Poems, 

 from the [pretended] MS. of Sir Richard 

 Maitland," two vols. 8vo., 1786 ; " The 

 Bruce ; or, the History of llobert. King of 

 Scotland," in verse, by John Barbour ; 

 " Dissertation on the Origin and Progress 

 of the Scythians and Goths," 8vo. 1789; 

 " Vitae Antique Sanctorum," 1789; " The 

 Medallic History of England to the Revo- 

 lution," 4to. 1790; " Scottish Poems," 

 reprinted from scarce editions, 17<)2, tliree 

 vols., 8vo. ; " An Inquiry into the History 

 of Scotland, preceding the Reign of Mal- 

 colm," 1789; " The History of Scotland, 

 from the Accession of the House of Stuart," 

 two vols, ito., 1797; " Ichnographia Sco- 

 tia," two vols. ; and " The Scottish Gal- 

 lery of Portraits, witli Characters," 1789. 



For some time Mr. Pinkerton was the 

 unsuccessful editor of that unsuccessful 

 and talentless publication, the Critical 

 Review. In 1806, he made a journey 

 to the French capital, and on his re- 

 turn published his observations, under the 

 title of " Recollections of Paris," in two 

 vols. 8vo. Subsequently he was employed 

 to compile "Modern Geography," three 

 vols. 4to., 1809— a most ponderous and ill- 

 arranged production; and a " General Col- 

 lection of Voyages and Travels," which 

 he extended to nineteen volumes quarto ; 

 he also superintended the pubUcation of an 

 Atlas ; his last work was " Petralogy ; or, 

 a Treatise on Rocks.* 



Mr. Pinkerton married, many years ago, 

 a sister of Dr. Burgess, Bishop of St. Da- 

 vid's ; but the parties separated, and the 

 lady is since dead. Mr. Pinkerton died at 



• Poor Heron was a man of extensive information, 

 but little judgment ; a respectable parliamentary re- 

 porter, but a bad writer. He was reduced, chiefly by 

 improvidence, to great distress, and closed Iiis life, 

 about fifteen or sixteen years ago, within the walls of 

 th» Fever Institution. 



Parjj, where he bad been a resident for 

 some years. 



BEAR- ADMIRAL .MACNAMARA. 



January 15. — .\t Clifton, James Macna- 

 mara, Esq., senior Rear-admirul of the 

 Red, a distinguished oflicerinhis Majesty's 

 naval service, which he entered 44 years 

 ago. He was made Post-captain into his 

 Majesty's ship Southampton, in 1795, in 

 which he frequently signalized himself, 

 under the orders of the then Sir John Jervis, 

 and Commodore Nelson. In the memo- 

 rable battle of Cape St. Vincent, February 

 14, 1797, the Southampton was one of the 

 repeating frigates to the centre division of 

 Sir John Jervis's fleet. He was afterwards 

 appointed to the Cerberus, and served in the 

 West-Indies. On the 6th of April, 1803, 

 Captain Macnamara being in Hyde-park 

 with his Newfoundland dog, the latter be- 

 gan to fight with one belonging to a Colonel 

 Montgomery, who alighted from his horse 

 to separate them. High words ensued 

 between their respective owners, which led 

 to a duel the same evening, at Chalk-farm. 

 The parties were both wounded, the colonel 

 mortally. A verdict of manslaughter hav- 

 ing been returned by the coroner's inqui- 

 sition. Captain Macnamara was taken into 

 custody, and on the 22d of the same month 

 tried at the Old Bailey. His defence, 

 which be read himself to the Court, formed 

 an eloquent appeal to the feelings and pas- 

 sions of a jury. 



" Gentlemen," said he, in one part, " I 

 am a captain of the British VAvy. My cha- 

 racter you can only hear from others ; but 

 to maintain any character in tliat station I 

 must be respected. When called upon to 

 lead others into honourable dangers, I must 

 not be supposed to be a man who had 

 sought safety by submitting to what custom 

 has taught others to consider as a disgrace* 

 I am not presuming to urge anything against 

 the laws of God, or of this land. I know 

 that, in the eye of religion and reason, obe- 

 dience to the law, though against the gene- 

 ral feelings of the world, is the first duty, 

 end ought to the rule of action; but in put- 

 ting a construction upon my motives, so as 

 to ascertain the quality of my actions, you 

 will make allowances for my situation. It 

 is impossible to define in terms the proper 

 feelings of a gentleman ; but their existence 

 has supported this happy country for many 

 ages, and she might perish if they were 

 lost. Gentlemen, I will detain you no 

 longer ; I hope to obtain my liberty through 

 your verdict, and to employ it with honour 

 in defence of the liberties of my country." 

 The Jury, after retiring for about ten mi- 

 nutes, returned a verdict of not guilty. — 

 Captain Macnamara subsequently obtained 

 the command of the Dictator and Berwick. 

 He was advanced to the rank of Admiral 

 June 14, 1814. He married Jan. 26, 1818, 

 the widow of the Hon. Lieut- Col. Carleton. 

 4 A 2 



