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A few words must be added on other matters, in which Mr. Key's ac- 

 tive mind and great abilities enabled him to do much service to his coun- 

 try in other ways. He was like the Soman in one respect of whom C. 

 Caesar said, "Whatever this man wills, he wills it with all his might." He 

 was a zealous and efficient supporter of the Reform. Bill for the improve- 

 ment of the constitution of the House of Commons, of the Bill for the repeal 

 of the Corn Laws, and of the Bill for the repeal of the duty on paper; and 

 he also took an active part in the elections for Marylebone when Admiral 

 Charles Napier was elected. Mr. Key was one of the founders of the 

 London Library in St. James's Square and a member of the Committee, 

 and also a member of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. 

 He was until a few years before his death a regular attendant at the meet- 

 ings of the Philological Society of London, and for some years President 

 of the Society. His contributions to the Proceedings of this Society were 

 numerous : there is a list of them in the preface to his Philological Essays 

 (1868). He was one of those who assisted in originating the formation 

 of the body of Volunteers ; but he lived long enough to think that the 

 country was trusting too much to the Volunteers, and that it required 

 other and more complete defence. 



Mr. Key was an acute observer of facts, and he possessed in a remark- 

 able degree the power of judging of evidence and of character, as he 

 showed in the case of Lord Cochrane, afterwards Earl of Dundonald, one 

 of the greatest seamen that this country has produced. Lord Cochrane, 

 with his uncle Cochrane Johnston, was tried in 1814 for conspiracy and 

 fraud, unjustly convicted, and disgraced. In 1847, when Lord Dundonald 

 was not yet fully restored, Mr. Key was led to read the report of the trial, 

 and from a careful examination of the evidence, he was convinced of Lord 

 Dundonald's innocence. At this time he became acquainted with Lord 

 Dundonald, and he has left many papers which he received from him. 

 Mr. Key had the satisfaction at last of seeing the veteran seaman restored 

 to all his honours and his great name cleared from an unmerited stain. 



In 1856 Mr. Key wrote an excellent pamphlet on the division of profits 

 in the London Life Association, in which he was one of the insured. He 

 showed here his capacity to deal with problems of life insurance, and 

 powers which would certainly have raised him to eminence as a lawyer. 

 The changes which he recommended were not made at the time, but they 

 have since been substantially adopted, to the great benefit of the members 

 of the Association. 



Mr. Key's literary labours will be briefly noticed. He made a good 

 map of ancient Prance (Grallia) for the Useful Knowledge Society's Atlas. 

 This map was accompanied by a map of France in Provinces, as they ex- 

 isted before the Bevolution of 1789. He was very fond of geography, and 

 taught it well in the school of University College. He wrote several articles 

 in the Journal of Education of the Useful Knowledge Society, among which 

 was a review of an English translation of Zumpt's Latin Grammar, and of 



