458 ANNltAL REGISTER, 1805. 



of the British museum. He was 

 born Feb. 13, ITSSj-'find married 

 Dec. 31, 1767, Betty Anne, daugh- 

 ter and sole heiress of John Dawson, 

 esq. of Morley, Yorkshire, by 

 whom, ivho died in 1781, he had 

 no issue ; and Sept. 12, 1782, 

 he married Charlotte Courtney, 

 youngest daughter of William vis- 

 count Courtney, and aunt to the 

 present viscount, by whom he had a 

 son, born Oct. 2, 1793, since dead. 

 His lordship had been long subject 

 to the gout, and in a delicate state 

 of health. He resided at his seat at 

 Eaylis for the benefit of the air ; 

 but for some weeks past he was so 

 much recovered as to visit round 

 the neighbourhood ; and, on the 

 preceding night, accompanied the 

 countess to her majesty's fete at 

 Frogmore. Next morning he rode 

 on horse-back to visit several of the 

 neighbouring gentlemen ; and, after 

 his return to Bailis, went in his car- 

 riage to Bulstrode, to visit the duke 

 of Portland, and returned home ap- 

 parently in perfect health. After 

 dinner he complained of a violent 

 pain in his head, and very abruptly 

 arose from table, saying he Mas al- 

 most distracted, and desired imme- 

 diate medical assistance to be sent 

 for. He was put to bed, and ex- 

 presses sent for his physicians ; but 

 at one the ensuing morning he ex- 

 pired in the greatest agony. Sir 

 James Sinclair Erskine, bart. ne- 

 phew to the late earl, succeeds to 

 the titles and estates, and Miss 

 Erskine, sister to the present earl, 

 who lives with the countess of 

 Rosslyn, is, by his majesty's sign 

 manual, to have place, pre-emi- 

 nence, and precedency, 'as the daugh- 

 ter of an earl of the united kingdom 

 of Great Britain and Ireland. 



3d. At his house in Park-street, 



Westminster, aged 67, Charles 

 Townley, esq. of Townley-hall, co, 

 Lancaster, F. R. S. F. S. A. and 

 one of the trustees of the British 

 museum. He was the eldest son 

 of William Townley, esq. and Ce- 

 cilia his wife, daughter and sole 

 heiress of Ralph Standidi, of Stan- 

 dish, esq. by lady Fhilippa Howard, 

 daughter of Henry duke of Norfolk. 

 He has left by his will 40001. to 

 build, at Standish, a museum to re- 

 ceive his valuable collection of an- 

 tique statues, marbles, coins and 

 MSS. ; which, if his bequest is not 

 complied with, are to go to the 

 British museum, which must be 

 deemed the propercst depository for 

 them. His house in Park-street, 

 Westminster, was almost entirely 

 filled with rude and bulky frag- 

 ments of Egyptian architecture, in- 

 termixed with some of the most 

 beautiful specimens of Greek and 

 Roman models. The servants had 

 directions to exhibit the collection 

 to all individuals of respectability 

 who desired to see them. His col- 

 lection of ancient medals was ex- 

 tremely valuable ; and among his 

 MSS. one of Homer was collated in 

 a late edition. His Etruscan anti- 

 quities have been illustrated, in two 

 vols. 4to, by a Frenchman of the 

 name of D'Ancarville, who affixed 

 to the mythological representations 

 a number of metaphisical and hiero- 

 glyphic meanings. 



At Paris, M. Chappc, the in- 

 ventor of the telegraph. Accord- 

 ing to the French journals, he 

 drowned himself in a well, from 

 weariness of life, after having first 

 written the following vfords on a 

 piece of paper : "I kill myself, 

 because 1 am weary of a life that 

 burthens me — I have nothing to re- 

 proach myself with." 



4ik. 



