[*34 
“He cannot deny himself the 
vanity of finishing with the encomi- 
um of Dr. Johnson, whose friendly 
partiality to the companion of this 
tour represents him as one ‘ whose 
acuteness would help any inquiry, 
and whose gaiety of conversation, 
and civility of manners, are sufficient 
to counteract the inconveniences of 
travel, in countries less hospitable 
than we have passed.* : 
Few of Mr. Boswell’s friends can, 
I believe, add much to this honest 
and candid confession. His ene- 
mies are welcome, if they please, to 
dwell upon his failings. Of these 
he had not many, and they were in- 
jurious to no person. Good-nature 
was highly predominant in his cha- 
racter. He appeared to entertain 
sentiments of benevolence to all 
mankind; and ‘it does not seem 
that he ever did, or could, in- 
jure any human being iztentionally. 
His conversation-talents were al- 
ways pleasing, and often fascinating. 
But can we wonder at this in him 
who, with a capacity to learn, had 
been the companion of Jobnson for 
more than twenty years? He was a 
Johnsonian in every thing but the 
manner ; and there were few of Dr, 
Johnson's friends that were not very 
ready to dispense with that. His 
attachment to the doctor for so long 
a period was a meritorious perse- 
verance in the desire of knowledge. 
To it the world is indebted for the 
most finished picture of an eminent 
man that ever was executed. | 
Vanity has been imputed to our 
author. But let it be remembered 
that he enjoyed adyautages which 
rendered that conspicuous in him 
from which no man can claim an ex- 
emption. There is never a man who 
would not have been vain to possess 
so much of Dr. Johnson’s conversa- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
tion, and proud to give it to the 
world, in hopes that he who vene- 
rated Johnson would not be unthank- 
ful to his biographer. 
From the doctor, however, he ap- 
pears to have imbibed a portion of 
constitutional melancholy, Of late 
years, he has often complained of 
this ; and he flew for relief where, 
perhaps, it is best to be found, to 
the society of the learned and the’ 
gay. Here, as he confesses, “* he 
bad rather too little than too much 
prudence;” and, with more attach- 
ment to the activity of rural life, he 
might, probably, have lengthened 
his days. But, as his * belief in 
Revelation was unshaken,’’ and his 
religious impressions deep and re- 
curring frequently, let us hope that 
he has now attained that state from 
which imperfection and calamity are 
alike excluded. 
The Life of Patrick Browne, M. D. 
Author of the History of Jamaica ; 
from the European Magazine. 
R. BROWNE was the fourth 
D son of Edward Browne, esq.’ 
a gentleman of respectable family 
and handsome estate. He was born 
at Woodstock, the paternal inheri- 
tance, in the parish of Crossboyne, 
and county of Mayo, about the 
year 1720. After receiving the 
best education that country could 
afford, he was sent to a near relation 
in the island of Antigua, in 1737; 
but the climate at that time dis- 
agreeing very much with his consti- 
tution, he returned in about a year 
to Europe, and landing in France, 
went directly to Paris, where he 
speedily recovered his health; and 
with the approbation of his parents, 
applied 
