508 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
advocated, can hardly be said to have recommended itself to practical 
financiers. Of late, for many months before his death, Mr Coventry 
suffered from a painful and excruciating disorder, which he bore 
with manly fortitude and pious resignation. To the end he continued 
to solace himself as far as possible with his old pursuits. He was 
one of those who take a pride in always having read and being able 
to talk about the last new book. His conversation was always genial 
and interesting, and his loss has been felt in many circles, as it 
must also be in the Royal Society. 
The next name in the obituary for this year is that of Sir David 
Dundas, Baronet, a gentleman of that class who, without what has 
been called a “ professional” acquaintance with science, art, or 
literature, are still acceptable members of a Society like this, if 
they show (as they must do by applying for admission) a sympathy 
for and interest in our pursuits. By their admission to be Fellows, 
a mutual compliment is at all events implied. Sir David Dundas 
was born in 1803. He was admitted an advocate at the Scottish 
bar in 1824, but never practised. He was a Deputy-Lieutenant for 
Perthshire, and lived the life of an active country gentleman, chiefly 
engaged in managing and improving his beautiful estate of Dunira. 
And he was respected by those who knew him as a most kind and 
honourable man. 
By the death of Mr John Lothrop Motley the Society has lost 
one of the most celebrated of its Honorary Fellows. 
Mr Motley was born at Dorchester, Massachusetts, on the 15 th of 
April 1814. He was educated at Harvard Unversity, where he 
graduated in 1831, at a very early age; after which he spent two 
years in Germany, residing successively in Gottingen and Berlin, and 
some additional time in travel in Italy and other parts of Southern 
Europe. On his return to America, he studied for the profession of 
the law ; but, though he was called to the bar in 1837, he does not 
seem to have sought for practice. He had resolved rather that 
literature was his vocation. In 1839, at the age of five and twenty, 
he published a novel, called “ Morton’s Hope, or the Memoirs of a 
Provincial,” which had little or no success, and is remembered now 
but slightly. In 1840 he was appointed Secretary to the American 
