no 



List of Patents. 



QJuLY, 



proved meant to e^ett a saving in the con- 

 stimplion of fuel. 



— John Alanton, London, /o»' Aif »»jprovfme;U 

 in Ihc construction of/ianmcrs and pans to the 

 locks of all k.nds of fuwling-pieeea and fire- 

 arms. , 



'27. William Mailely, of YariUey, Worcester, 

 for his improved drilling machine, for drilling 



beans, turnips, peas, pufse, corn, and seeds of 

 every description. 



— David JMiiskett, of Coleford, Gloucester, /or 

 his improved process for making or manufac- 

 turing iron. 



— Jjhn Lewis, Brinscoinb, Gloucester, /or /ii» 

 improved shearing machine. 



BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF E3IINENT PERSONS. 



pRANfois Joseph Gossec. 



Tliis celebrated composer of the French 

 school, was born on the 17th of January, 

 1733, at Vergniers, a village in Hainault. 

 At the age of seven, he was sent to Ant- 

 werp, where he remained eight years as 

 singing boy in the Cathedral. In 1751 he 

 settled in Paris, where he engaged with INI. 

 De la Poplinierc, whose orchestra he con- 

 ducted under the direction of Rameau. 

 Subsequently he was attached to the suite of 

 the Prince de Condu, as leader of his band, 

 for wJiich he composed several operas. In 

 1770, he founded the Concert of Amateurs, 

 where the ChevaMer de St. George was first 

 violin ; in 1773, he took the management 

 of the Concerts of Sacred Music ; and, in 

 1784, he was appointed Superintendant, or 

 Principal Professor of the Royal School of 

 Singing and Declamation founded at the 

 Menus Plaisirshy M. Le Baron Breteuil. 



At the commencement of the French re- 

 volution, he accepted the situation of JMaster 

 of the Band of the National Guard ; and 

 many of Chenier's Hymns to Liberty, sym- 

 phonies, &.C. were composed by him, for 

 wind instruments, and performed at all the 

 pubMc festivals. In 1795, w-hen a law was 

 passed by the National Convention for esta- 

 blishing a Conservatory of Blusic in Paris, 

 he was chosen, conjointly with Messrs. 

 IMehul and Cherubini, Inspector of Instruc- 

 tion and Professor of Composition to the 

 institution ; his chief pupil, Catel, being at 

 the same time appointed Professor of 

 Harmony. 



During the heat of the Revolution, Gossec 

 composed two operas, which were eminently 

 successfid ; " The Re-taking of Toulon," 

 and " The Camp of Grandpre'." For the 

 composition of the IMarseillois Hymn, w Inch 

 was introduced with superb effect in the 

 latter, Gossec has generally enjoyed the 

 credit ; but, in fact, Rouget de Lisle was 

 the author of the air, which Gossec arranged, 

 with accompaniments, for a full orchestral 

 chorus. 



There is no doubt that Gossec was a 

 warm and enthusiastic revolutionist. He 

 composed the music for the Apotheoses of 

 Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau — for 

 the funeral of Blirabeau — and for the funeral 

 hymn in honour of the French IMinisters 

 who were assassinated at Rastadt. 



Gossec was the author of The Elementary 

 Principles of Music, pubhshed by the Con- 

 servatory, in two volumes folio ; and of 



numerous Solfeggi, which are inserted in 

 the book of instruction for singing, used in 

 that estabhshment. His pupils have gene- 

 rally obtained the great prizes at the 

 Conservatory. 



Gossec's Music is light, pleasing, and 

 spirited ; occasionally evincing fire, and 

 even grandeur in his patriotic compositions. 

 He had never enjoyed the advantage of a 

 regular course of instruction — he had never 

 even been able to avail himself of a journey 

 to Italy ; yet he was intimately conversant 

 witli the style of the Italian and also of the 

 German masters. His productious for the 

 theatre, the church, and the chamber, arc 

 very numerous. Respecting his celebrated 

 O Salutaris, the following anecdote has 

 been related : — " In the year 1780, IMessrs. 

 Lais, Cheron, and Rousseau, three French 

 singers, were in the habit of frequently 

 accompanying Gossec to dine with M. de la 

 Salle, secretary of the opera, at Chenevieres, 

 a village near Paris. The ciu-ate of the 

 parish, who was well known to them, one 

 morning requested the three singers to per- 

 form in Iiis church the same day, on the 

 occasion of some festival, ' W^ith all my 

 heart,' said Lais, ' if Gossec will wTite 

 something for us to sing.' Gossec imme- 

 diately asked for music paper, and, whilst 

 the parties were at breakfast, wrote his 

 O Salutaris, which, two hours afterwards, 

 was sung in the cliurch." It was subse- 

 quently introduced in the Oratorio of Saul, 

 but not with equid effect. It has also been 

 printed in England. 



Gossec was a member of the Institute, and 

 of the Legion of Honour. To a very 

 advanced age he retained, in his conversa- 

 tion, and occasionally in iiis compositions, 

 all the spirit and vivacity of youth. At tiie 

 age of 78, he composed a To Deum, in heu 

 of one which he had produced at an early 

 period of life, but which had been lost in 

 consequence of the manuscripts and plates 

 having been stolen. At eighty-one, he con- 

 tinued to lecture on composition at the Con- 

 servatory ; and, at ninety, he frequently 

 used to spend a part of liis evenings at the 

 Feydeau. He died at Passy on the ICth of 

 February, 1829, having, a month before, 

 completed liis 96th year. 



SIR WILLIAM CURTIS, BART. 



Sir ^Villiam Curtis, Bart., was born about 

 the year 1 752. He was the tliird son of Mr. 

 Joseph Curtis, a respectable biscuit baker 



