129 



MARTOS, IVAN PETROVICH. 



MARVELL, ANDREW. 



130 



illustrations in folio of the tribe of palms. It also includes a separate 

 part on the structure of the palm tribe by Hugo von Mohl. This 

 work is not a mere dry description of the genera and species of palms, 

 but is accompanied by descriptions of the districts in which they 

 grow, and the plants and scenery with which they are associated. 



Von Martins has not however neglected the mass of other plants he 

 found in the Brazils. The palms were the central group around 

 which he has described the vegetation which accompanies them in 

 nature. Assisted by other botanists he has published in three volumes 

 folio, with 300 engravings, the new genera and species of plants col- 

 lected in his Brazilian travels. These appeared from 1823 to 1829 

 under the title of ' Nova Genera et Species Plantarum,' &c. Another 

 work of smaller size entitled ' Flora Brasiliensis,' and containing 

 descriptions of all the plants collected in his travels in Brazil, was 

 commenced in 1829. These works have established for Von Martius 

 the highest reputation as a descriptive and systematic botanist. In 

 the course of his observations on plants he was led to regard the fruit 

 as the organ of most importance in the plant, and proposed to classify 

 the vegetable kingdom according to its variations in structure. He 

 published his views in 1835 in a work entitled 'Conspectus Regni 

 Vegetabilis secundum characteres morphologic-OS prfesertim carpicos,' 

 &c. Although it contains a great amount of valuable observation on 

 the structure of plants, the system has never been adopted. It is in 

 fact too artificial. 



On his return from the Brazils he was appointed Professor of Botany 

 at Munich, and Director of the Botanic Garden. His lectures are clear 

 expositions of the state of botanical science, and delivered in a very 

 attractive manner. He has published many papers on the physiology 

 of plants, but some of these are very speculative. In one of his works 

 he advocates the doctrine that plants are possessed of a consciousness 

 independent of their structure, and that with animals they have pro- 

 bably, although a lower, a similar existence, independent of their 

 corporeal structure. Von Martius is a Fellow of the Royal and 

 Linnsean Societies of London, and of many other learned bodies 

 on the continent of Europe. 



MAKTOS, IVAN PETROVICH, director of the Academy of 

 Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, born about 1775, was not only the most 

 eminent .-culptor that Russia has yet produced, but one who would 

 have ranked high in almost any age or country. The number of bis 

 works is very considerable, and among the more important are the 

 following public monuments: the bronze colossal group of the 

 patriot Minin and Pozharsky, at Moscow ; the monument to the Em- 

 peror Alexander, at Taganrog ; the statue of the Duke of Richelieu, 

 at Odessa ; Potemkin's monument, at Cherson ; and that erected in 

 honour of Lomonosov, at Arkhangel. Martos has been styled the 

 Canova of Russia; and while some have admitted that his works are 

 inferior to those of the great Italian artist in point of refined elegance 

 and high finish, they assert them to be free from that mannerism and 

 over-studied gracefulness which were Canova' s defects. Their charac- 

 teristics are nobleness of conception, truth of expression, and freedom 

 without negligence of execution. His skill in the draping of his 

 figures has been much praised ; he had a particular talent for bas- 

 relii-f subject*. One of the most admired of these is that which 

 adorns the monument of the grand-duchess Helena Paulovna, and 

 which represents Hymen extinguishing a torch. Martos died April 

 17th, 1835. 



MARTYN, HENRY, known as the ' Missionary,' was born in 1781. 

 The short life of this amiable and zealous man may thus in brief be 

 delineated. His birth was obscure. He was the son of a person who 

 had been a labourer in the mines at Gwennap in Cornwall, but who 

 was probably a person of talent and virtue, as he raised himself to the 

 situation of clerk to a merchunt at Truro, in which town Henry Martyn 

 was born. He had his education in the grammar-school of Truro, and 

 having acquired a considerable share of grammar learning, he tried 

 for a scholarship in Corpus Christi College, Oxford ; but failing in 

 this, he in 17'.'7 entered St John's College, Cambridge. Here he 

 pursued his studies with such energy, that in 1801 he came out senior 

 wrangler. During this period also his mind became directed with 

 more than common earnestness to the truths of revelation. The death 

 of his father is thought to have affected him at this period of his life 

 so deeply as to have had no small share in turning his thoughts into 

 the channel in which from this time they continued to now ; and not 

 less the intimacy which be had formed with the Rev. Charles Simeon, 

 the celebrated evangelical preacher in the University of Cambridge. 

 He was chosen Fellow of St John's in March 1802 ; but out of zeal in 

 the cause of religion, he finally determined to devote himself to the 

 work in which many of his countrymen had by that time begun to 

 engage themselves, of propagating Christianity in nations which had 

 not received it There had been, it is true, a Society in England 

 associated for the purpose of propagating the Gospel in foreign parts; 

 but a new impul-e and a new energy were given to such operations by 

 the establishment of missionary societies, supported by the Methodists, 

 the Independent Dissenters, and by the Evangelical party in the 

 Church. Mr. Martyn offered himself to the African and Eastern 

 Missionary Society as a person willing to undertake the duties of a 

 missionary in the East, and finally embarked for India in 1805. 



It now became necessary that he should make himself master of the 

 languages of the countries which he was about to visit ; and with what 



BIOO. DIT. VOL. IV. 



success he studied them ia evidenced by the fact that he had the 

 superintendence of the translations of the New Testament made under 

 the instructions of the Missionary Society, both into Persian and 

 Hindustanee. He made also some progress in an Arabic translation. 

 In bis capacity of missionary he traversed large tracts both of India 

 and Persia. After above five years' labour in these countries hia 

 health began to decline, and it soon became manifest that he would see 

 his native shores no more. He did however make the attempt to 

 return; but his strength wholly failing him, he was obliged to halt at 

 Tokat, in Asia Minor, about 250 miles from Constantinople, where in, 

 a few days he died, October 16, 1812. The regrets in England which 

 this event occasioned were great. Much was expected from him, and 

 much would probably have been done by him in the cause to which 

 he had devoted himself. As it was, he brought not a few both Hindoos 

 and Mohammedans to make profession of the Christian faith, and he 

 caused the Scriptures to be extensively dispersed among a people who 

 had not previously known them. 



An interesting account of his life, compiled from various journals 

 left by him, was published by the Rev. John Sargent, 1819. 



MARVELL, ANDREW, was born on the 15th of November 1620 

 at Kingston-upon-Hull, where his father was master of the grammar- 

 school and lecturer of Trinity church. At the age of fifteen he was 

 sent to Trinity College, Cambridge. All that is known of Marvell's 

 career through the university is what may be gathered, and that is 

 not much certainly, from the following entry in the Conclusion Book 

 of his college, under date September 24th, 1641 : "It is agreed by 

 the master and eight seniors that Mr. Carter, Dominus Wakefield, 

 Dominus Marvell, Dominus Waterhouse, and Dominus Maye, in regard 

 that some of them are reported to be married, and the others looko 

 not after their dayes nor acts, shall receave no more benefitt of the 

 college, and shall be out of their places, unless they show just cause 

 to the college for the contrary in three mouths." 



For the ten following years there is little information respecting 

 Marvell, though some notion of his occupations during that time 

 may be gathered from the following passage of a letter from Milton to 

 Bradshawe, dated February 21, 1652 : " He (Marvell) hath spent four 

 years abroad in Holland, France, Italy, and Spain, to very good pur- 

 pose, as I believe, and the gaining of those four languages ; besides he 

 is a scholar, and well read in the Latin and Greek authors, and no 

 doubt of an approved conversation, for he comes now lately out of the 

 house of the Lord Fairfax, who was general, where he was intrusted to 

 give some instructions in the languages to the lady his daughter." 



In 1660 Andrew Marvel! commenced his parliamentary career. We 

 may judge of the manner in which he acted in that course from an 

 anecdote which has been often related, varying somewhat as to details, 

 though the same in the main circumstances. The following version 

 of it is extracted from a pamphlet printed in Ireland about 1754 : 

 " The borough of Hull,) in the reign of Charles II., chose Andrew 

 Marvell, a young gentleman of little or no fortune, and maintained 

 him in London for the service of the public. His understanding, 

 integrity, and spirit were dreadful to the then infamous administration. 

 Persuaded that he would be theirs for properly asking, they sent his 

 old schoolfellow, the Lord-Treasurer Danby, to renew acquaintance 

 with him in his garret. At parting the lord- treasurer, out of pure 

 affection, slipped into his hand an order upon the treasury for 10002., 

 and then went to his chariot. Marvell, looking at the paper, calls after 

 the treasurer, 'My lord, I request another moment.' They went up 

 again to the garret, and Jack, the servant boy, was called. ' Jack, 

 child, what had 1 for dinner yesterday ?' ' Don't you remember, sir ? 

 You had the little shoulder of mutton that you ordered me to bring 

 from a woman in the market.' ' Very right, child. What have I for 

 dinner to-day?' 'Don't you know, sir, that you bid me lay by the 

 bladebone to broil?" '"Tis so; very right, ohild; go away.' 'My 

 lord, do you hear that ? Andrew Marvell's dinner is provided ; there's 

 your piece of paper. I want it not. I know the sort of kindness you 

 intended. I live here to serve my constituents : the ministry may 

 seek men for their purpose ; I am not one.' " This story may serve 

 to show the current notion of his incorruptibility, and it may have 

 bad some foundation in fact, but it has plainly too melodramatic an 

 air to be strictly accurate : it seems however, from the numerous 

 pictures which have been painted of it, to have caught the fancy of 

 many of our younger painters. 



Marvell was twice elected member for Hull in 1660. In April 1661 

 he thus writes to his constituents : " I perceive you have again (as if 

 it were grown a thing of course) made choice of me, now the third 

 time, to serve you in parliament ; which as I cannot attribute to any- 

 thing but your constancy, so God willing, as in gratitude obliged, with 

 no less constancy and vigour I shall continue to execute your com- 

 mands and study your service." Marvell really had cause to be grateful 

 for their constancy. They were undeviating in their support of a man 

 who had neither wealth, not power, nor rank, nor even brilliant repu- 

 tation to strike the vulgar eye and dazzle the vulgar imagination ; and 

 who had in fact nothing to recommend him but his unostentatious 

 adherence to what he considered to be the line of his duty. Through- 

 out the whole of Marvell's parliamentary career the electors are no 

 less deserving of praise than the elected. In the first parliament in 

 which Marvell served, he and his colleague, Mr. Ramsden, used to 

 write jointly; but afterwards Colonel Gilley was elected in the room 



