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The Society has lost another distinguished member in GEORQB 

 NEWPORT, who died in April last. 



The earlier incidents of Mr. Newport's personal history, although 

 simple in themselves, are well deserving of record, as important 

 passages in the life of one who, through inborn love of knowledge, 

 just confidence in his own powers, indomitable energy and rigorous 

 self-denial, raised himself to eminence from a humble walk of life, 

 in spite of the difficulties he had to encounter from the want of 

 early training and other aids which a more advantageous social 

 position supplies. 



George Newport was born on the 4th July 1803, in the city of 

 Canterbury, where his father was a wheelwright, and at that time 

 in comfortable worldly circumstances. The son gave early indica- 

 tions of mental activity, showing, as soon as he could read, a great 

 fondness for books, and also a taste for drawing. This latter taste, 

 though never aided by external cultivation, abode by him through 

 life, and proved of great use to him in his subsequent studies by 

 enabling him to represent accurately, and at the moment, the sub- 

 jects of his investigation. 



At the usual age he was sent to a day-school in Canterbury, where 

 he received the ordinary English education obtainable by boys in his 

 station of life. When he had reached his 14th year he was removed 

 from school, and, very much, it is said, against his will, was bound 

 apprentice to his father. Although he soon became an expert work- 

 man in the lighter branches of the trade, he never got the better of 

 his dislike to the occupation, and often avowed his purpose of aban- 

 doning it at the expiration of his apprenticeship. 



Before this period arrived, however, his future prospects, humble 

 as they were at best, became still more clouded. His father, it is 

 said from no fault of his own, but from unavoidable circumstances, 

 became involved in pecuniary difficulties, and the whole of his little 

 property had to be sacrificed for the benefit of his creditors. 

 Under this change of circumstances, the son, instead of seeking, 

 as he had hoped to do, for some more intellectual employment, was 

 compelled to continue at his father's trade, and by working hard for 

 three or four days in the week, he earned sufficient to enable him to 

 devote the remaining days to pursuits more congenial to his mind. 

 These were chiefly reading on general subjects both literary and 



