1023 



precision. II prit aussi de serieux interets dans une fabrique de glaces, 

 qui furent suivis de grands avantages reciproques. Depuis qu'il fut 

 entre dans cette voie des aifaires, il dut, pour sa consistance meme, 

 desirer d' avoir une place dans les grandes assemblees politique s. 

 II fut nomme membre de la cbambre des deputes en 1831 ; puis, en 

 1839, membre de la chambre des pairs. Mais, heureusement pour 

 lui, il ecbappa aux inconveniens de ces positions perilleuses, parceque, 

 n'y remplissant que le role passif d'un savant considere, il s'arrangeait 

 politiquement a peu pres de tout, et ne faisait obstacle a personne. 

 Cette derniere phase de sa vie fut done honorablement industrielle et 

 sociale, plutot que scientifique. II est mort le 9 Mai 1850, d'une 

 atrophic du coeur, dans sa 72e annee, apres s'etre longtems berce de 

 I'esperance de revenir un jour aux nobles travaux qui avaient fait sa 

 celebrite. 



The Rev. William Kirby, M.A., Rector of Barham, Suffolk, 

 was born at Witnesham Hall in that county, the residence of his 

 father, who was by profession a solicitor, Sept. 18, 1759. His 

 mother was Lucy, daughter of Mr. Daniel Meadows of the same 

 parish. His grandfather, John Kirby (boru 1690), as we learn from 

 a notice by a near relative in the 'Literary Gazette', wrote 'The 

 Suffolk Traveller,' a work of considerable reputation in its day ; 

 and his uncle, Joshua Kirby, was the author of ' Dr. Brook Taylor's 

 Perspective made easy.' This Joshua Kirby was the intimate 

 friend of Gainsborough, who directed by his will that he might be 

 buried by his side — a desire which was carried into effect, — and was 

 appointed to the office of Comptroller of the works at Kew, by His 

 Majesty George III., with whom he was a great favourite. Mrs. 

 Trimmer was his daughter, and consequentlv first cousin to Mr. 

 Kirby. 



Mr. Kirby was educated at the Grammar School at Ipswich, 

 whence he removed in his seventeenth year to Caius College, Cam- 

 bridge. Here he pursued his studies with diligence, and laid so 

 good a foundation, that he subsequently earned the reputation of 

 being a sound and accurate scholar. In the year 1781 he took the 

 degree of B. A. ; in the year 1782 he v/as admitted into holy orders, 

 having been nominated by the Rev. Nicholas Bacon to the joint 

 curacies of Barham and Coddenham. By his exemplary conduct 

 in the discharge of his parochial duties, he so gained the esteem of 

 Mr. Bacon, that he left him by his will the next presentation to the 

 rectory of Barham; to this he was inducted in the year 1796, so 

 that for sixty-eight years he exercised his ministry in the same 

 charge, residing also in the same parsonage-house. 



Mr. Kirby 's first love for natural history was avvakened by his 

 mother occasionally lending hira, when a boy, some of the more 

 showy foreign shells from her cabinet to play with, as a reward for 

 good conduct. He was accustomed to ask for his favourite Shells 

 by their names, which he learned from his mother, and to this 

 early pleasurable association of the nomenclature of objects of na- 

 tural history, with the objects themselves, it is probable that he 



