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LEACH, WILLIAM ELFOHD. 



LEAICK, L1EUT.-COL. WILLIAM MARTIN. 



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much local repute. Though not noticed as idle, his inclination was 

 shown at this early period more in the pursuit of external objects 

 than in the attentive study of his school books. Both at Plyinpton, 

 and afterwards at Chudleigh, he was in the constant habit of storing 

 up material of supposed interest, and forming collections of natural 

 objects, in 'which he never failed to secure the co-operation of his 

 schoolmates. These juvenile collections fixed the study of natural 

 science early in his mind, and induced him to choose the profession 

 of medicine as facilitating him in its progress. In pursuauce of this 

 idea he waa apprenticed to the Devon and Exeter Hospital in the 

 year 1807. Here he distinguished himself among his fellow pupils 

 for the skill with which he performed the minor operations in 

 surgery, as also for the general gaiety of his disposition and the 

 energy and determination of purpose he evinced in whatever he 

 undertook. 



In 1808 he went to London, where he entered at St. Bartholomew's 

 Hospital, Abernethy at the time being at the head of its medical 

 school. In 1809, after only a single year's study, he obtained the 

 diploma of the Royal College of Surgeons. He then proceeded to 

 Edinburgh to complete his studies. While there he laid before the 

 Wernerian Society one or two papers on comparative auatomy and 

 zoology, and such was his zeal and reputation as a successful student 

 that the degree of M.D. waa conferred upon him at the comple- 

 tion of his second year, a very remarkable honour, and one rarely 

 granted. But Dr. Leach is known not as a physician but as a 

 naturalist, and as such we must contemplate his history; and in the 

 whole field of science no more zealous or industrious student ever 

 laboured. He was deterred by no difficulty, yielding to neither 

 fatigue of mind or body. From Edinburgh he proceeded to London 

 to take charge of the natural history department of the British 

 Museum ; and here to appreciate Dr. Leach's labours it would be 

 necessary to review the state of the natural sciences, and zoology in 

 particular, at the commencement of thfl present century, at a length 

 which cannot be brought within the space allotted to this notice. 



The artificial ny.-tem of classifying objects invented by Linnaeus was 

 at this time prevalent throughout Europe, but the defects were 

 becoming increasingly perceptible in every ;part of natural history, 

 but mostly so in the lower forms of zoology. It was in France that 

 the first opposition to the artificial system was commenced by 

 Daubenton and Pallas, whose immature labours were speedily followed 

 by those of Lamarck and Cuvier. But while zoology was making 

 rapid strides on the Continent there were few in England who 

 followed up the path thus opened to them, there being a general repug- 

 nance to anything that appeared like an innovation on this system. 

 Leach was among the first who appreciated the natural arrangement 

 which had so long guided the continental zoologists ; and for the 

 introduction of which into this country we are mainly indebted to 

 him. He not only pursued the path which others had opened, but he 

 advanced the subject by his individual researches, and produced the 

 tir.-t movement towards weaning his countrymen from the school to 

 which they had too long adhered. 



He pursued his labours at the British Museum with a zeal scarcely 

 to be surpassed, and won the esteem and confidence of all with whom 

 he was brought into contact. One of the first results after his 

 appointment was the publication of the 'Zoologist's Miscellany,' a 

 continuation of the irregular serial commenced by Mr. Shaw his 

 predecessor, under the name of the ' Naturalist's Miscellany.' This 

 work Leach continued until 1817, and completed three volumes. 

 Although his duties required his attention to be given to the whole 

 of the animal kingdom, yet at this time in particular he laboured 

 chiefly at the Articulata, the results of his residence upon the coast of 

 Devonshire directing his attention more particularly to the Crustacea, 

 to which class of animals ho added many new discoveries. In 1813 

 he published an article 'On Cmstaceology,' the arrangement of which 

 he revised and corrected in a paper in the ' Transactions of the 

 Linnaean Society,' the chief feature in which was the separation of 

 the Myriopoda, Araohnides, and Insecta from the Crustacea, the 

 whole of which previously had been arranged by Linnaeus under 

 Jntfcta, while Latreille and Lamarck had grouped the Myriopoda 

 with the Arachnides. 



In 1815 appeared the first part of the 'History of the British 

 Crustacea' entitled ' Malacostraca Podophthalma Britannica. 1 Seven- 

 teen numbers containing forty-seven plates only appeared. It is to 

 be regretted that any circumstances should have precluded from 

 completion a work that, even in its imperfect state, has become a 

 standard in natural history. At different times Leach was elected 

 Fellow of all the more important societies in Europe and America, 

 and communicated a large number of papers to their various Transac- 

 tions. He was also author of the article on Carcinology in the ' Die- 

 tionnaire des Sciences Naturelles,' and in ' Melanges Zoologiques." 



Independent of the desire of knowledge, a love towards the animals 

 themselves formed a marked feature in his character, which induced a 

 reciprocal feeling in those he petted, exhibited in the power to 

 tame the molt savage beasts or poisonous viper, with either of which 

 be would play with impunity. It was his constant habit at one time 

 to have with him a wolf of very ferocious temper, but which always 

 obeyed and followed him in his walks about the city, and, on one 

 occasion while in Paris it remained waiting for three hours at the 



entrance of the Jardin des Plantes, with the fidelity of a common dog, 

 while its master went into the grounds. 



Leach was of a thin spare figure, and possessed an intelligent 

 and expressive countenance, which was improved by a pair of most 

 piercing black eyes ; his manner was engaging, and his conversation 

 earnest and convincing, aud when on. the subject of his favourite 

 studies, enthusiastic. The result of this temperament was manifest 

 in the unwearied industry at his labours. Late at night and early 

 iu the morning Leach was always to be found at work, aud about the 

 year 1817 he was often not in bed for the night. The consequence 

 of his severe labours exhibited itself first iu the injury the use of the 

 microscope entailed upon his sight, which induced amaurosis. This iu 

 a short time was followed by a more serious illness, which precluded 

 him from pursuing, except at irregular intervals for amusement, what 

 had been the ambition of his life. He therefore retired from the 

 curatorship of the natural history department of the British Museum 

 and with it closed his scientific career. 



He returned to the neighbourhood of Plymouth, where he continued 

 until 1826, when he proceeded to the south of Europe. During his 

 sojourn iu Italy he industriously collected the insects of the localities 

 in which he resided. The collection is preserved in the Museum of 

 the Plymouth Institution and Devon and Cornwall Natural History 

 Society. Although benefited by the warm climate of the south, his 

 health never recovered from the shock his constitution had sustained, 

 and when the cholera visited Europe he was among its early victims. 

 Dr. Leach died August 25th, 1836, at St Sebastiano in Piedmont. 



LEAKE, ADMIRAL SIR JOHN, was born at Rotherhithe in 1656. 

 He was bred to the sea, and from 1677, when he fought iu Sir E. 

 Spragge's action with Van Trouip, to the end of the century, served 

 with high credit in various stations; more especially he distinguished 

 himself iu the battle of La Hogue. Being in command on the Spanish 

 coast during the War of the Succession, he obtained much honour by 

 the skill aud gallantry which he displayed in relieving Gibraltar, first 

 in October 1704, secondly in March 1705. In the same year he bore 

 an active part in the reduction of Barcelona, which again he relieved 

 in April 1706, when besieged by the Spaniards and French, and in 

 great extremity. In the same year he commanded the fleet at the 

 capturing of Alicaut, Carthageua, aud the island of Majorca, aud in 

 1708 of Sardinia and Minorca. After the death of Sir Cloudesley 

 Shovel in 1707, Sir John Leake was made Commander-in-chief of the 

 fleet, and in 1709 rear-adiniral of Great Britain, on which occasion the 

 queen paid him the high compliment that " she was put iu ruiud of it 

 by the voice of the people." In the same year he became a lord of 

 the Admiralty, and continued high in office until the death of Queen 

 Anne. Being superseded on a pension on the accession of George I., 

 he spent the rest of his life in retirement, and died August 1, 1720, 

 leaving a high professional reputation for skill, courage, prudence, aud 

 success. His private character is represented iu a very amiable light. 

 (Life of Admiral Leake, by his grandson, S. M. Leake, 1750.) 



LEAKE, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM MARTIN, a 

 distinguished investigator of the antiquities of Greece, entered the 

 Royal Artillery, and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He resided 

 four years in the Turkish provinces of Greece and Albania, where he 

 was employed by the British government on a special mission. He 

 commenced his travels in Asia Minor iu January 1800. In 1805 and 

 subsequently he travelled iu the Morea, where he made two journeys, 

 and in Northern Greece, where he made four journeys, which were 

 not strictly consecutive to those in the Morea, though his accounts 

 of them were afterwards published as a continuation. He returned to 

 England about 1810, and iu 1314 published 'Researches in Greece, 

 Part I., containing Remarks on the Modern Languages of Greece,' 4to. 

 In 1821 he published 'The Topography of Athens, with some Remarks 

 on its Antiquities," 8vo, with plates in 4to; 2nd edit. 1841. In 1823 

 he retired from the army, but was allowed to retain his military 

 rank. In 1824 he published the ' Journal of a Tour in Asia Minor, 

 with Comparative Remarks on the Ancient and Modern Geography 

 of that Country,' 8vo, accompanied by a Map ; and in 1826 ' An His- 

 torical Outline of the Greek Revolution, with a few remarks on the 

 present state of affairs in that Country,' 12uio. Iu 1827 was published 

 a ' Mdmoire sur les Priucipaux Monumens Egyptiens du Musde 

 Britanniqiie, et quelques autres qui se trouveut en Angleterre, ex- 

 pliquds d'apres le Systfime Phoudtique, par le Tres Hon. Charles Yorke 

 et la Colonel Martin Leake,' 4to, London, with many engravings in 

 outline. In 1829 he read before the Royal Society of Literature an 

 elaborate paper ' On the Demi of Attica.' His ' Travels in the Morea' 

 with a Map and Plans, 2nd edit. 3 vols. 8vo, 1839, was followed by 

 'Travels in Northern Greece,' 4 void. 8vo, 1835. In 1846 he pub- 

 lished 'Peloponuesiaca, a Supplement to the Travels in the Morea,' 

 8vo; in 1851 a pamphlet entitled 'Greece at the End of Twenty- 

 Three Years' Protection,' 8vo; and in 1854 ' Numismata Hellenica : 

 a Catalogue of Greek Coins collected by William Martin Leake, 

 F.K.S., one of the Vicu-Preaideuts of the Royal Society of Literature, 

 with Notes, a Map, aud Index,' a thick vol. in 4to. This very elaborate 

 work is dedicated to his wife, " to whose zual and perseverance," he 

 says, " I am mainly indebted for the completion of the present 

 Catalogue, and whose skill in the most delicate processes of electro- 

 type has enriched the collection with between 500 and 600 of the 

 rarest coins," 



