602 



LAUDERDALE. 



While this dictionary of Forcellini was in pro- 

 gress, a new Latin lexicon was undertaken in Ger- 

 many, by John Matth. Gesner. His scheme was, 

 to make the London edition of Stephens the basis 

 of his work. In making improvements in this, he 

 professes to have removed many excrescences, to 

 have corrected numerous errors, and to have made 

 large additions. This lexicon was published in 

 1749, and was a most valuable contribution to 

 lexicography. Mot being an independent work, as 

 the author chose to make few alterations in the 

 plan of Stephens, it has less uniformity of execu- 

 tion than the Lexicon of Forcellini. The differ- 

 ent senses of a word are not always philosophically 

 arranged ; and authorities are sometimes furnished 

 in disproportionate numbers. The definitions are 

 in Latin, and generally clear and full. As a store- 

 house of the varieties of Latin phraseology, the 

 Thesaurus of Gesner is of the highest value to 

 the student of Latin literature. 



A work was still wanting in this department, of 

 a more popular character ; and accordingly, in 1783, 

 J. Im. G. Scheller published his copious German- 

 Latin and Latin-German Lexicon, which, as a uni- 

 versal dictionary of the Latin language for the use 

 of students generally, has some advantages over 

 Gesner. The arrangement of words is throughout 

 alphabetical. In the Thesaurus of Gesner, the 

 order of derivation is observed. The definitions 

 are in the German language, and the authorities 

 are selected with admirable judgment, both for 

 confirming the significations assigned to the words, 

 and illustrating the varieties of grammatical con- 

 struction. Many of these passages are translated, 

 especially where any difficulty can be supposed to 

 exist. To the arrangement of the different mean- 

 ings of words, Scheller has paid unusual attention, 

 and the whole work is digested throughout on a 

 uniform plan. This Lexicon was received in Ger- 

 many with great approbation. Two editions of it 

 were published by the author; the third, which 

 appeared in 1804, soon after the death of Scheller, 

 had been revised by him. No stronger proof is 

 needed of its excellence, than the fact, that for 

 more than half a century, as a Thesaurus, it has 

 not been superseded in Germany. An abridgment 

 of it has long been used in schools, and a valuable 

 manual Latin lexicon, chiefly derived from Scheller, 

 has been published by Luenemann. An English 

 translation of Scheller has been lately printed at 

 Oxford ; but, so far as we have had opportunity to 

 examine it, we have not formed a high opinion of 

 its merits. 



In the year 1799, an edition of Scheller was pub- 

 lished in Holland, which had been prepared under 

 the direction of Rhunken. Scheller, in the same 

 manner as Gesner and Forcellini, made his work a 

 general lexicon of the language. The Leyden 

 edition, by the advice of Rhunken, was limited to 

 the proper classic authors, or such as have some 

 reputation for purity in the choice of words. The 

 reasons assigned for this course are not altogether 

 satisfactory. Words used by authors of little note 

 actually occur, and the student needs some expli- 

 cation of them. At least it may be useful to know 

 on what authority such words rest; and, if the 

 writer who has first used them is named and char- 

 acterised, as is done by Forcellini, there is little 

 danger, that a dictionary so constructed will give 

 currency to barbarisms. 



LAUDERDALE. JAMFS, EARL or, a distin- 

 guished public character, was born at Hatton, in 



the county of Edinburgh, on the 26th Jan. 1759. 

 He was early placed under the superintendence of 

 the learned Andrew Dalzel, LL.D. afterwards pro- 

 fessor of Greek in the university of Edinburgh : 

 he also studied at the college of Edinburgh, and at 

 (;lasgow, where he attended the judicial lectures 

 of professor Millar, and he completed his education 

 at Paris. Returning home, his lordship was ad- 

 mitted a member of the faculty of advocates, 1780; 

 was chosen member of parliament for Newport, in 

 Cornwall, at the general election, same year ; and 

 for Malmesbury, 1784; rendering himself conspi- 

 cuous in the House of Commons by his opposition 

 to lord North's administration, and attaching him- 

 self to Mr Fox, the friendship of whom his lord- 

 ghip considered as the honour of his private life, 

 and a steady adherence to his political principles, 

 as the sole merit of his public character.* He was 

 an energetic supporter of Mr Fox's India bill, and 

 one of the managers of Hastings's impeachment. 

 Succeeding his father, 1789, his seat in the House 

 of Commons became vacated ; but, at the general 

 election, 1790, he was chosen one of the sixteen 

 representatives of the Scottish peerage, and fol- 

 lowed the same line of conduct in the House of 

 Lords, taking a frequent share in the debates. The 

 state of his lordship's health rendering a few 

 months' residence in a mild climate expedient, be 

 left England in August 1792, accompanied by Dr 

 Moore, who published a "Journal during a residence 

 in France from the beginning of August to the 

 middle of December 1792." 



His lordship, in 1794, published his " Letters to 

 the Peers of Scotland ;" and 2nd June 1798, moved 

 an address to the king for peace, which was nega- 

 tived by the House of Lords. The same year he 

 warmly exerted himself in opposition to the Habeas 

 Corpus suspension act, the sedition bills, and other 

 measures of administration. His lordship published 

 in 1796, the " Substance of a Speech in the House 

 of Peers on the National Finances;" in 1797, 

 " Thoughts on Finance, suggested by the Measures 

 of the present Session;" in 1798, "Letter on the 

 present Measures of Finance, in which the bill now 

 pending in parliament (for tripling the Assessed 

 Taxes), is particularly considered;" in 1804, his 

 elaborate work, " An Enquiry into the Nature and 

 Origin of Public Wealth, and into the Means and 

 Causes of its Increase," (2nd edit. 1818); and in 

 the same year, " Observations on the Review of 

 his Enquiry into the Nature and Origin of Public 

 Wealth, published in the eighth number of the 

 Edinburgh Review;" and in 1805, " Thoughts on 

 the alarming State of the Circulation, and the 

 means of redressing pecuniary Grievances in Ire- 

 land :" and, " Hints to the Manufacturers of Great 

 Britain on the consequences of the Irish Union, 

 and the System since pursued, of borrowing in 

 England for the service of Ireland." 



On the dissolution of the Pitt administration, 

 1806, the Earl of Lauderdale was created a peer of 

 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 

 15th February, 1806, by the title of baron Lauder- 

 dale, of Thirlestane castle, in the county of Ber- 

 wick, was sworn a privy councillor, and had the 

 Great Seal of Scotland delivered to him, 21st July, 

 1806. On the change of administration, the duke 



* It is a singular coincidence, that Mr Fox and lord I.auder- 

 dale, two of the most intimate friends that ever lived, were 

 born on the same day (24th January) and died on the game day 

 (13th September;. Mr Fox was ten years older than lord 

 Lauderdale, and lord Lauderdale survived Mr Fox thirty-thre 

 years. 



