CHR ONC LA. 
dozen found Englith kicks, and 
carried him prifoner to the guard- 
houfe. The dragoons are obliged 
to be cautieus; and do not go out 
gly or without arms, as they mn 
ark of being affaffinated. Inquiry 
is making by our court to difcover 
the ringleaders; and every body ac- 
wits the Englifh from the fmalleft 
egree of blame.”’ 
' Diep at Botany Bay, March 16, 
1796, where he had in fome degree 
‘rendered his fituation. comfortable, 
and habituated himfelf to the exile 
into which he had been fo cruelly 
fent by his inhuman perfecutors, 
jofeph Gerald. He lived ina {mall 
houfe, with a garden attached to it, 
at adiftance from the town of Syd- 
ney, to which he retired witha fix- 
ed and deep decline, which brought 
him to his grave in lefs than two 
months. He received the moft li- 
beral attention from governor Hun- 
ter; and his body, at his own de- 
fire, expreffed two days before his 
death, was buried in his own gar- 
den. Three days after Mr. Ge- 
rald (viz. on the 19th of March, 
1796) Mr. Skirving died of a dy- 
fentery:s He had bought a {mall 
farm already cleared, and fet him- 
felf to the improvement of it with 
indefatigable induftry. In getting 
in his harveft he caught this com- 
plaint, which is very common, and 
fell a victim to it. 
5th. At Afton, in Yorkfhire, of a 
mortification, occafioned by break- 
ing his fhin in ftepping out of his 
carriage two days before, the Rev. 
William Mafon, precentor and one 
of the refidentiaries of York cathe- 
dral, prebendary at Drimeld, and 
rector of Afton; author of “ Elfri- 
da,” “ Caraétacus,” “* The Englith 
Garden,” “ Tranflation of Fref- 
poy’s Art of Painting,” and feveral 
255 
other celebrated poems, ‘* The Life 
of Gray,” &c. He was the fon of - 
a clergyman who had the living of. 
Hull; but it is not eafy to fix the 
precife time of his birth. He was 
admitted of St. John’s College, 
Cambridge, where he _rsbeaeo 
B. A. 1745; and whence he remov- 
ed to Pembroke-hall, of which fo- 
ciety he was eleéted a’fellow 1747, 
and took the degree of M. A. 1749. 
In 1754 he entered into holy or- 
ders, and was patronized by the 
then Earl of Holderneffe, who ob- 
tained for him the appointment of 
chaplain to his Majesty, and gave 
him the valuable re&tory of Afton. 
Mr. Mafon was an acknowledged 
{cholar, and pofteffed high claims 
to a confiderable degree of poetical 
reputation. All that could be ga- 
thered from the Greek and Roman 
ftores, certainly contributed to em- 
bellifh his mind; but-it may be 
reafonably queftioned whether it 
was enriched by any great fhare of 
original genius; though it muft be 
admitted that his ‘ Caraétacus’’ 
and “ Elfrida’? abound in paflages 
marked by energy and fpirit. The 
memorable ‘* Heroic Epiftle to Sir 
William Chambers” has been often 
attributed to this gentleman; and 
if he were the author of it, he cer: 
tainly poffeffed no {mall portion of 
fatirical humour, as well as poeti- 
cal ftrength: but the work is fo 
different from the general charac- 
ter of his productions, that it is 
hardly to be confidered as the off- 
{pring of his mind. It is certain 
that he never acknowledged it. 
In private life his character, though 
with fomething in his manners be- 
yond the mere dignity of confcious 
talents and literature, was diftin- 
guifhed by philanthrepy and fervid 
friendfhip. For the latter- quality 
we 
