394 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



before he submitted to the opera- 

 tion, to consult six eminent sur- 

 geons separately, besides Mr, 

 Cline; Dr. Blane having previously 

 given all of them (except one, 

 who, it is believed, was consulted 

 without his knowledge) an ac- 

 curate account of his constitution 

 and habit of body ; and four out 

 of the six thus consulted, were 

 decidedly of the same opinion 

 with Mr. Cline ; that is, five were 

 clearly for the operation, and two 

 against it. Mr. Windham, having 

 taken these precautions, acted as 

 every wise man would have done, 

 and resolved to submit to the 

 operation. And so far was he 

 from rashness or precipitation, 

 which have been most untruly 

 imputed to him, that after these 

 opinions were obtained, Dr. Bailie, 

 whose great anatomical skill is 

 universally acknowledged, was 

 also consulted; and he too agreed 

 in opinion with Dr. Blane, and the 

 five surgeons already alluded to. 

 With manly fortitude he now 

 prepared to submit to the requi- 

 site operation ; and after making 

 a codicil to his will, he visited his 

 friend and contemporary at Ox- 

 ford, the rev. Dr. Fisher, Master 

 of the Charter-House ; and, as 

 appears from one of his diaries, 

 received the sacrament from his 

 hands, Mrs. Fisher being the only 

 other communicant. He bore 

 the operation with the most heroic 

 fortitude ; and even when the pain 

 was most exquisite, exhibited 

 a vivid proof o? the strength of 

 his mind, by a playful allusion 

 to the language of the vulgar in 

 similar situations. With the most 

 kind and anxiouj tenderness he 

 had taken care that Mrs. Wind- 

 ham, who was in the country at 

 this time, should not have the 

 slightest suspicion of what was 



going on; nor was she apprised of 

 the operation, till, on her arrival 

 in town on the 18th of May, she 

 was informed that it had been 

 successfully performed on the pre- 

 ceding day. But, unhappily, very 

 soon afterwards appearances were 

 such as gave very little ground for 

 hope. A morbid ichor appeared, 

 attended with a general inflam- 

 mation, and with two abscesses ; 

 and the wound never suppurated. 

 A fever ensued, of course ; but 

 it was idle to suppose that this 

 was the malady which proved fatal, 

 it being merely symptomatic : and 

 equally unfounded is the current 

 opinion, that Mr. Windham's 

 most valuable life was sacrificed 

 to this operation ; for the tumour 

 itself was found to be of a schir- 

 rous nature, and fully justifies the 

 decision that was made ; and the 

 state of his whole frame shews 

 that his death was owing to a 

 morbid habit, and not to the 

 operation. Had it been deferred 

 for a month longer, it would still 

 have been necessary ; it would 

 have been performed at a less 

 proper time, and have been at- 

 tended, mean while, with the 

 most distressful circumstances. 

 Having never been guilty of ex- 

 cesses in his youth, and having all 

 his life been extremely moderate 

 both in eating and the use of 

 wine, that his constitution should 

 have been thus suddenly under- 

 mined is most extraordinarj'. For 

 several days previous to his death 

 he seemed to entertain little hope 

 of life, submitting to Divine 

 Providence with perfect calmness 

 and resignation. On the night pre- 

 ceding his decease, on the attend- 

 ing surgeon, Mr. Lynn, placing 

 him in themosifavourable situation 

 for sleep, he said, " I thank you ; 

 this is the last trouble I shall give 



