OBITUARIES. 



Cambridge-heath, Hackney, aged 75 years. 

 He was born in London, and being the son of 

 humble trades people, was apprenticed to a 

 business, but having a taste for study, attracted 

 the attention of the Rev. Matthew Wilks, 

 through whose influence he obtained admission 

 to a dissenting college at Hackney. In 1811, 

 he became the minister of Wycliffe Chapel, 

 Stepney, where he preached for fifty years. In 

 1834 the Independents sent a deputation to their 

 brethren in the United States, and Mr. Reed and 

 Mr. Matheson were associated in this tour, upon 

 their return embodying the result of their ob- 

 servations in volumes which made a valuable 

 addition to English knowledge of American 

 institutions and society. In 1813 he founded 

 the London Orphan Asylum; in 1827, the In- 

 fant Orphan Asylum ; and in 1847, the Asylum 

 for Fatherless Children at Croydon. "While en- 

 gaged in these works of mercy his attention 

 was called to the neglect of any provision in 

 England for idiots, and after travelling abroad 

 and spending some time in investigation upon 

 the subject, he returned home and founded the 

 Royal Asylum for Idiots, and subsequently the 

 Royal Hospital for Incurables. In all these 

 objects of benevolence he was himself emphati- 

 cally a worker, and while he freely gave his 

 hundreds to the cause of charity, he made it a 

 principle through life never to receive in any 

 form a recompense for his services. By his 

 will, he bequeathed a certain sum the interest 

 to be applied forever to " the purchase of toys 

 for the Infant Orphans " at Wanstead ; a larger 

 sum- for "Winter Scientific Lectures to the 

 Orphan Children at Chapton," 1,000 to the 

 Asylum for Idiots. 1,000 to the Asylum for 

 Fatherless Children at Reedham; and then 

 bequeathed these institutions and the Royal 

 Hospital, since founded, to the care of his belov- 

 ed country. 



March 1. BARLOW, PETER, F. R. S., died 

 at his residence at Old Chapton, aged 85 years. 

 He was born in Xorwich, and was educated in 

 that city. In 1806 he was appointed one of 

 the mathematical professors at the 'Royal Mili- 

 tary Academy at Woolwich, which office he 

 held until 1847. He was the author of numer- 

 ous works, among which are his well-known 

 treatises on the "Theory of Xumber," the 

 'Strength of Materials," and his "Essay on 

 Magnetism.'' His discovery of the means of 

 correcting the local attractions on the com- 

 passes of ships brought him into great notice. 

 He received the Copley medal, was elected to 

 the Council of the Royal Society, and the 

 Board of Longitude conferred upon him the 

 reward provided for useful nautical discoveries. 

 The Emperor of Russia also presented him with 

 a diploma of the Imperial Academy of Science 

 at St. Petersburg ; he was elected a correspond- 

 ing member of the Institute of France and the 

 Royal Society of Brussels. In 1838 he was ap- 

 pointed one of the Irish Railway Commission- 

 ers, and subsequently served on other royal 

 commissions relating to railways in England. In 



1847 he retired from the Royal Military Acad- 

 emy, when the Government awarded him full 

 pay in consideration of his eminent services. 



<7< :;. (iri:NKY. !: v. JoHB II:.-;. 

 rector of St. Mary's, Bryanstone Square, 

 at his residence in his 60th year. He was the 

 eldest son of Sir John Gurney, one of the 

 Barons of the Exchequer, was a member of 

 Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduat- 

 ed in 1824, his name appearing both in the 

 al and Mathematical Tripos. He was 

 for some time curate of Lutterworth in Leices- 

 tershire, and in 1848 was presented by the 

 Crown with the rectory of St. Mary's in Mary- 

 lebone. He was a most earnest and popular 

 preacher, and among his published sermons are: 

 " A Pastor's Warning- -_d by the death 



of Sir Robert Peel, 1850; "The Lost Chief 

 and a Mourning People." a Sermon on the 

 death of the Duke of Wellington, 1852 ; "The 

 Grand Romish Fallacy, and Dangers and Duties 

 of Protestants," 1854; "Better Times and 

 Worse," 1856 ; and several series of sermons. 

 His lectures were published under the titles of: 

 "Historical Sketches, illustrating some im- 

 portant Epochs from A. D. 1400 to A. D. 

 1546;'' "St. Louis and Henri IV," and "God's 

 Heroes and the World's Heroes," 1858. Mr. 

 Gurney was also the author of several psalm 

 and hymn books, and of " Four letters to the 

 Bishop of Exeter on Scripture Readers." 



JJii.rchQ. DoroLAS. Sir JAMES DAWES.G.C.B., 

 col. of the 42d Royal Highlanders, died at Clif- 

 ton, aged 77 years. He entered the army in 

 1799, accompanied Gen. Crawford's expedition 

 to South America on the quartermaster-gener- 

 al's staff, and was engaged in the attack on 

 Buenos Ayres. He subsequently accompanied 

 the expedition to Portugal und'er Sir Arthur 

 Wellesley, and was present at several important 

 battles. In 1809 he joined the peninsular army 

 in command of a Portuguese regiment, and en- 

 gaged in several battles, in one of which he was 

 wounded. Being promoted to the command of 

 the 7th Portuguese brigade, he served in a num- 

 ber of engagements and in that of Toulouse lost a 

 leg. After the termination of the war. Sir James 

 Douglas was employed on the staff of the army 

 at home first at the head of the quartermas- 

 ter-general's department in Scotland, and after- 

 ward in the same post in Ireland. At the ex- 

 piration of this command he was appointed 

 governor of Guernsey, and received the honor 

 of the Grand Cross of the Bath and the colonelcy 

 of the 42d regiment. 



March 13. SEWELL, Gen. SIR WILLIAM, 

 K. C. B.. col. of the 79th regiment, died at Flor- 

 ence. He commenced his military career in 

 1806, and in the following year, baring been 

 appointed aide-de-camp to Gen. Beresfprd, ac- 

 companied him to the Peninsula, and joined the 

 Duke of Wellington's army in Portugal in 

 He was at the battles of Corunna, Tahr 

 and Busaco, the sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo, 

 Badajos, and St. Sebastian, also the battles of 

 Mve'lle, Mve. Bayonne, Orthes, and Toulouse. 



