1 ., 



BURXET, THOMAS. 



BURNEY, CHARLKa 



principles of rt, tin- work form* a useful introduction to its conventional 

 raid. Hit other work* we 'Au Ky uu t! i of tho Eye 



with Reference to Painting,' 4to, 1S37 ; 'I'reetiaal Euays on Various 

 Branches of the Kino Arts,' 12tno, 184S; Landscape PaiutiuK i<> ml 

 Colours,' 4U>. 1649 ; ' Rembrandt and his Work*,' 4to. !"('.'; ' 1'raetioal 

 HinU on Portrait Painting, 1 4to, 1850 ; ' Life and Works of J. M. W. 

 Turner.' 4to, 1862, written in conjunction with Mr. P. Cunningham ; 

 and ' The Progress of a Painter, 8vo, 1854. All these works are 

 illustrated by numerous engravings drawn and executed by himself. 



Ill i:\r.T. TlliiMAS, wa born nt Croft, in Yorkshire, about tho 

 year 1635. AfUr having been instructed at the free school of 

 Northallcrton he wag onterod nt Clare Hall, Cambridge, under the 

 tuition of I >r. Tillotion. On the promotion of Dr. Cud worth in 1054 

 from the mastership of Clare Hall to that of Christ's College, Unmet 

 removed thither with him. He was elected fellow of Christ's College 

 in 1657, and four yejirs afterwards filled the office of senior proctor. 

 On leaving the university he became travelling tutor to tho Karl of 

 WilMiiro, eldest son of the Marquis of Winchester (soon after the 

 revolution created Duke of Bolton), and gave so much satisfaction that 

 he was afterwards invited to accompany tho Earl of Ossory, grandson 

 of the first Duke of Ormond, in a similar capacity. 



Burnet's first publication after his return, and the work on which his 

 fame slmoat exclusively rests, was in Latin, ' Telluris Theoria Sacra,' 

 l-'ive years after iu appearance he was elected master of the 

 Charterhouse. The first opposition to the dispensing power which 

 James II. thought fit to assume was made by Dr. Bui-net about eighteen 

 months after his election to the mastership of the Charterhouse. The 

 king addressed a letter to tho governors, ordering them to admit one 

 Andrew Popham as pensioner whenever such n place should become 

 vacant in their hospital, without tendering to him any oath, or 

 requiring of him any subscription or recognition, in conformity with 

 the doctrine and tho discipline of tho Church of England; and this 

 was to be done notwithstanding any statute, order, or constitution of 

 the said hospital to the contrary, with which the king was graciously 

 pleased to dispense. Lord Chancellor Jeffries was present, and moved 

 that they should proceed to vote without any debate; but Buruct, 

 who as junior governor was called upon to vote first, delivered his 

 opinion that by express Act of Parliament, 3 Car. I., no officer could 

 be admitted into that hospital without taking the oaths of allegiance 

 and supremacy. An attempt was made, but without effect, to overrule 

 this opinion. The Duke of Ormond supported But-net, and on the 

 vote being put Popham was rejected ; and notwithstanding the threats 

 of the king and of the Romanist party, no member of that communion 

 was ever .admitted into the Charterhouse. 



Thus barred from the hope of court preferment during the remainder 

 of the reign of James IL, Burnct employed himself in writing in Latin 

 the second part of his theory ' De ConQngratione Mundi,' which appeared 

 iu quarto in 16S9. He had already iu 16S4 translated the first part 

 iuto English, and he added the second part in the course of the year 

 in which it appeared in Latin ; if indeed those may be called trans- 

 lations which he himself terms " new compositions upon the same 

 ground, there being several additional chapters, and several new 

 moulded." 



i >n the promotion of Archbishop Tillotson, and by special recom- 

 mendation of that prelate, Burnet succeeded him as clerk of the closet 

 to King William III,, and was considered to be on the sure road to 

 preferment These prospects however were marred by n work which 

 he put forth in 1 692, under the title of ' Archxuloguc Philosophies), 

 sive Doctrina Antiqua de Kerum Originibus.' The work was replete 

 with learning, but the Mosaic account of the Fall was treated as an 

 allegory, with an appearance of levity which gave offence to serious men, 

 and of which Burnet afterwards repented. It contains an imaginary 

 dialogue between Eve and the serpent The cry raised against him 

 was much increased by the unseasonable praise bestowed by CharU * 

 Blount, a profrssed infidel, and it was thought expedient that Burnet 

 should retire from the clerkship of the king's closet The remainder 

 of his days was passed in retirement at the Charter-house, where he 

 ptembcr 7th, 1716, and was buried in the chapel of that insti- 

 tution, over which he bad presided 'luring thirty years. 



Few works have called forth higher contemporary eulogy than ' The 

 Sacred Throry of the Earth.' It will not indeed stand the test of 

 beingconfronted with the known facta of the history of the earth ; 

 and Fhunsteed observed of it that he " could overthrow its doctrine 

 -n on.- sheet of paper, and that there went more to the making of the 

 . than a fine-turned period." Its mistakes arise from too close 

 adherence to the philosophy of De Cartes, and an ignorance of those 

 facts without a knowledge of which such an attempt, however ingenious, 

 can only be comidered as a visionary system of cosmogony ; but what- 

 ever may be its failure as a work of science, it has rarely been exceeded 

 in splendour of imagination, or in high poetical conception. Bunu-t 

 printed during his lifetime a few copies of a tract in Latin, ' 1 ' 

 Mortuorum t Ihnurgentium,' one of which having fallen into the 

 hands of Dr. Mead was handsomely reprinted by that great patron of 

 letters, who did not know the name of its author, as a present to some 

 few select friends. Only twenty-five copies were printed in quarto ; 

 Maittaire reriaed the text, and made many blunders by inserting 

 at improper place* manuscript notes and additions from the author's 

 own interleaved copy. Upon this the executor of Burnet lent Mead a 



corrected copy, from which fifty were printed. It was afterwards 

 surreptitiously published, as well as another in Latin. 'Ho Kide et 

 (ifliciis Chriitianornm,' in consequence of which Mr. Wilkinson, a 

 friend of tho deceased author to whom his |apers had coma, rupub- 

 lished them in 1 7-7 from Burnet's own corrected copies. To a second 

 edition of tho first tract, in 1733, is added an api 

 Judnorum Restoratione,' which it appeared that Burnet had deaigucd 

 so to place. 



BURNETT, GILBERT THOMAS, wss born iu Marylebene, on the 

 15th of April, 1800. He was educated for the medical profession, ami 

 paid particular attention to botany. He co: 

 botany at the Hunterian theatr in Windmill-street, ami 

 lectured at the St George's School of Medicine. On the foundation 

 of King's College ho was appointed to the Chair of Botany, and iu 

 1SS3 he became lecturer to the Society of Apothecaries, and delivered 

 two courses at their gardens at Chelsea. In the same year he pub- 

 lished his ' Outlines of Botany,' in 2 vol. 8vo. 'I hi. wu: 

 an outline of the author's lectures on botany in King's College. It 

 displays great research; is a valuable depositary relating to the 

 history and uses of plants ; and it contains a very extended intro- 

 duction to the study of cryptogamic plants. The author howev. r 

 was too fond of mere verbal classification, and has overlaid the whole 

 work with divibions and subdivisions that rather confuse the ntu>l>'iit 

 than enable him to discover th \,.i ;<!! mutter !.! h the 

 wise contains. Mr. Burnett waa Utterly too much occupied with the 

 bringing out this great work to devote himself to 

 That he was capable of this in however proved by his papers, published 

 from time to time in the 'Journal of Science and AH,' on v. 

 branches of natural history, comparative anatomy, ami y.ool-- 

 well as botany. Tho most important are those devoted to phyxiologic.il 

 botany. He also contributed several papers on medical subjects to 

 the ' Lancet ' and ' Medical Gazette,' and was an active member of the 

 Westminster Medical and the Medico-botanical Societies. 



As a lecturer, Professor Burnett was remarkable for his fluent ami 

 graceful style, and his amiable manners won for him the respect and 

 esteem of his pupils. He died in the summer of 1S35, of pulmonary 

 consumption. He continued his lectures till within a few days of his 

 death. A bust, subscribed for by his pupils, and executed by Behuex, 

 was erected to his memory at King's College. 



BURNETT, JAMES. [MoxuoDDO.J 



BURNETT, JOHN, was admitted advocate at the Scots bar on tho 

 10th of December, 17SS, in the twenty-first year of his age. Iu 1 7'.' J 

 he was made one of the deputies to the lord advocate of Scotland, 

 and BO continued till October 1S03, when, on the resignation of 1, i\v 

 oi Klvingstone, ho was appointed sheriff of the shire of Hnddington. 

 In this place he remained till April 1810, when he was promoted to 

 be judge admiral of Scotland. He was also some time standing 

 counsel to the city of Aberdeen. Mr. Burnett is known as the author 

 of a valuable treatise on various branches of the criminal law of 

 Scotland, which was passing through the press at the time of his 

 death, the 8th of December 1810. 



BURNEY, CHARLES, Mus. D., was born at Shrewsbury in 172H. 

 He received his earliest education at the free-school of Shrewsbury, 

 but soon removed to the public school at Chest r ; in which city he 

 commenced his musical studies, under Mr. Baker, organist of the 

 cathedral, and a disciple of the famous Dr. I: -..-. WsMO 

 attained his fifteenth year he returned to his native place, ami r < 

 further instructions in the art of music, from an elder i 

 the organist of St Mary's, Shrewsbury. He then went to London, 

 and was placed for a term of three years under IJr. Arne, but owing 

 to tho irregular habits of that distinguished composer, Burney learnt 

 much less from him than from the many opportunity in the 



metropolis of hearing the best music, especially that of ll:m>> 

 formed under the direction of the great master himself. 



In 1749 Mr. Burney was elected organist of a church in the city; 

 and about the same period ho engaged to take the harpsichord at a 

 subscription concert, held at the King's Arms, Cornhill. He was now 

 introduced to the great nctress, the idol of tho theatre, Mrs. < 

 sister of Dr. Arne, at whose bouse in Scotland-yard he ! 

 acquainted with most of the wits, poets, and men of letters of the 

 day ; uud by his courteous manners, lively conversation, 

 of plea -in.', hud tin' foumlatiou of that intimacy with persons cmim lit 

 for talent or elevated by birth and fortune, which proved of the utmost 

 importance to him iu after-life. This also led to his compoaii; 

 music of three pieces for Drury-Lane theatre Mallet's tragedy of 

 ' Alfred,' Mendoz's burletti, ' Kobin Hood,' and Woodward's i 

 mime, ' Queen Mab.' The success of the latter was remarkable ; ''it 

 was taught to all young ladies, set to all barrel-organs, and play <1 at 

 all familiar mimic-parties." Nevertheless the young composer pre- 

 served a strict incognito, wh Madame D'A: 

 accounts for by supposing that as he was still under articles to Dr. 

 Arm-, he " wa . disfraiichi'od from the liberty of publishing in hi 

 name." But frm this tlnaMom he was emancipated by on 

 whoso favour he bad ingratiated himself, the accompli-heil Fulko 

 (!r villu, Esq., then considered "the finest gentleman about town," 

 who proposed terms to Dr. Arne for the release of his pupil, which 

 were accepted, and Mr. Burney became an inmate in tho house 

 patron. His residence at Mr. Oreville's scat, Wilbury llou.- 



