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machines. Tn 1740, he conftrutted a fulling-mill ac¬ 
cording to a theory of his own; and, in 1748, in conjunc¬ 
tion with baron C. Harleman, he went to afcertain the 
pofition of the Swedifh fcSkes. During this excurfion, 
lie determined the fituation of Gottenburgh and the ad¬ 
jacent coaft, of which he conftruffed charts. Much might 
have been expected from the zeal and activity of this 
eminent man, had he not been carried off by a premature 
death, in the thirty-eighth year of his age, on the 27th 
of September, 1749. The academy of fciences caufed.a 
medal to be (truck in honour of his memory, and the 
journal of his laft tour to Trollhatta was publiftied, in 
the Swedifh language, at Stockholm, in 1751. 
ELU'ZAI, [Heb. God my ftrehgth.] A man’s name. 
EL'WAD-AD, a town of Arabia, in the country of 
Yemen : thirty miles louth-fouth-eaft of Chamir. 
ELWAN'GEN, a principality of Germany, bordering 
on the duchy of Wurtemberg, in the circle of Swabia. 
It was firft a Benedidtine convent, founded in 764, after¬ 
wards became an abbey; and, in 1461, fecularifed into 
a provoftfhip and principality ; and is protedted by the 
duke of Wurtemberg. It pays eighty florins for a Ro¬ 
man month, and is taxed 175 rix-dollars and feventy- 
eight kruitzers. The prince lias a regency, an ecclefiaf- 
tical council, and a chamber of finances. 
ELWAN'GEN, a town of Germany, and in a princi¬ 
pality of the fame name, on the river Jaxt: thirty-two 
miles north'of Ulm, and forty two north-north-weft of 
Augfburg. Lat.48.53-N. Ion. 27. 47. E. Ferro. 
EL'WfiS (John), an eccentric genius, admitted to no¬ 
tice in this Encyclopaedia, merely from the Angularity of 
his character as a mifer. He was member for Berklhire 
in three fucceilive parliaments. His family name was 
Meggot; and his father was a brewer of great eminence, 
diftinguiflied by no peculiarity of charadter : but his mo¬ 
ther, though (lie was left nearly ioo,oool. by her huf- 
band, is faid to have ftarved herfelf to death ! At an 
early period of life he was fent to Weftminfter fchool, 
where he remained for ten or twelve years. During that 
time he certainly had not mifapplied his talents ; for he 
was a good claflical fcholar to the laft: and it is a cir- 
cumftance not a little remarkable, though well authen¬ 
ticated, that he never read afterwards, nor had he ever 
any knowledge in accounts; to which may in fome mea- 
fure be attributed the total ignorance he was always in 
as to his affairs. From Weftminfter fchool Mr. Meggot 
removed to Geneva, where he entered upon purfuits 
more agreeable to him than ftudy. The riding-mafter of 
the academy there had then to boaft, perhaps, of three 
of the boldeft riders in Europe, Mr. Worfley, Mr. El- 
wes, and fir Sydney Meadows. Of the three, Elwes was 
reckoned the moft courageous; the young horfes were 
always put into Ins hands, and he was the rough-rider to 
the other two. On his return to England, after an ab- 
fence of three years, he was to be introduced to his un¬ 
cle, fir Harvey Elwes, who was then living at Stoke in 
Suffolk, the moft perfect picture of human penury then 
.exifting. The attempts at faving money w’ere in him fo ex¬ 
traordinary, that Mr. Elwes, perhaps, never quite reached 
them, even at the laft period of his life. Of what tem¬ 
perance can do, fir Harvey was an extraordinary inftance. 
At an early period of life he was given over for a con- 
fumption, and he lived till betwixt eighty and ninety 
years of age. On his death, his fortune, which was at 
leaft 250,000!. fell to his nephew Mr. Meggot, who by 
will was empowered to affume the name and armorial 
bearings of Elwes. To this uncle, and this property, 
Mr. Elwes fucceeded when he had advanced beyond the 
fortieth year of his age. And for fifteen years previous 
to this period, he was known in the moft fafhionable and 
extravagant circles of London. He had always a turn 
for play ; and it was only late in life, and from paying 
always, and not always being paid, that he conceived 
difguft at it. The theory which he profefled, “ that it 
was impoflible tp a(k a gentleman fos- money,” he per- 
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feCtly confirmed by the practice ; and he never violated 
this feeling to the lateft hour of his life. 
The manners of Mr. Elwes were fuch ; fo complacent, 
fo attentive, fo. gentlemanly, and fo engaging, that rude- 
nefs could not ruffle them, nor ftrong ingratitude break 
their obfervance. He retained this peculiar feature of 
the old court to the laft : but he had a praife beyond this ; 
he had the moft gallant difregard of his own perfon, and 
all carecabout himfelf, that can be imagined. The in- 
ftances in younger life, in the moft imminent perfonal 
hazard, are innumerable ; but when age had defpoiled 
him of his atlivity, and might have rendered care and at¬ 
tention about himfelf natural, he knew not what they 
were : He vviftied no one to afiift him : “ He was as young 
as ever; he could walk, he could ride, and he could dance ; 
and he hoped he fhould not give trouble even when he 
was old He was at that time feventy five ! It is curi¬ 
ous to refiedt how he contrived to mingle fmall attempts 
at faving, with objects of the moft unbounded diffipation. 
After fitting up a whole night at play for thoufands with 
the moft fafhionable and profligate men of the time, amidit 
fplendid rooms, gilt fofas, wax lights, and waiters atten¬ 
dant on his call, lie would walk out about four in the 
morning, not towards home, but into Smithfield, to meet 
his own cattle, which were coming to market from Thay- 
don-hall, a farm of his in Effex! There would this fame 
man, forgetful of the feenes he had juft left, ftand in the_ 
cold or rain bartering with a carcafs butcher for a (lul¬ 
ling! Sometimes, when the cattle did not arrive at the 
hour expedled, he would walk on in the mire to meet 
them ; and mqre than once has gone on foot the whole 
way to his farm without flopping, which was feyenteen 
miles from London, after fitting up the whole night. 
Had every man been of the mind of Mr. Elwes, the race 
of innkeepers muft have perifhed, and poftchaife and port¬ 
ing taxes muft have returned unprodudtive to thofe who 
made them; for it was the bufinefs of his life to avoid 
every kind of expence. He always travelled on horfe- 
back or on foot. To fee him fetting out on a journey, 
was a matter truly curious ; his firft care was to put two 
or three eggs, boiled hard, into his great coat pocket, or 
any (craps of bread which he found; baggage he never 
took: then mounting one of his hunters, his next atten¬ 
tion was to get out of London into that road where turn¬ 
pikes were the feweft: then, (lopping under any hedge 
where grafs prefented itfelf for his horfe, and a little water 
for himfelf, he would fit down and refrefti himfelf and 
his horfe together. His chief refidence at this period of 
his life was in Berkfhire, at his feat at Marcham. Here 
he had two natural foils born, who inherit the greateft 
part of his property. The keeping a pack of fox-hounds, 
was the only inftance in the whole life of Mr. Elwes of 
his ever facrificing money to pleafure ; and it may be fe- 
ledted as the only period when he forgot the cares, the 
perplexities, and the regret, which his wealth occafion- 
ed. But even here every thing was done in the moft fru¬ 
gal manner. Scrub, or Mungo, when compared with 
Mr. Elwes’s huntfman, had an idle life of it. This fa¬ 
mous huntfman might h^ve fixed an epoch in the hiftory 
of fervants: for in a morning, getting up at four o’clock, 
he milked the cows; he then prepared breakfaft for Mr. 
Elwes, and any friends he might have with him; then 
(lipping on a green coat, he hurried into the ftable, faddled 
the horfes, unkenneled the hounds, and away they went to 
the coverts. After the fatigues of hunting, he refrelhed 
himfelf by rubbing down the horfes; then running into 
the houfe to lay the cloth, and wait at dinner ; then hur¬ 
rying again into the ftable to feed the horfes, diverlified 
with the cows to milk, the dogs to feed, and the hunters 
to litter down for the night. In the penury of Mr. Elwes 
there was fomething that feerned like a judgment from 
heaven. All earthly comforts he voluntarily denied him¬ 
felf: he would walk home in the rain in London rather 
than pay a (hilling fora coach ; he would (it in wet clothes 
looner than have a fire to dry them 3 he would eat his pro- 
vifions 
