LON 
kept psce with the facilities which they granted to go¬ 
vernment. In the purchafe and fale of bullion, (lock, 
tiavy-bills, and exchequer-bills, and in negotiating foreign 
bi-lls of exchange, they alfo annually difpofed of millions; 
till at lad the extent of their fpeculations, the greatnefs 
of their credit, and the liberality of their difpofitions, 
caufed them to be placed, without one diflenting voice, 
at the head of the Stock Exchange. Thus eminently 
railed in the public opinion, they inceflantly laboured, 
not to obtain the applanfe of men,-which they already 
poflefied, but .that of their own hearts. Charity and be¬ 
nevolence marked all their actions, and their munificence 
Was not confined to the deferving objedts of their own na¬ 
tion and belief, but to men of every denomination. They 
fupported every public-fpirited inllitution with their fub- 
fcriptions, and never clofed their hearts or their purfe to 
thole who wanted afiiftance, whatever might be their reli¬ 
gious principles. The unfortunate end of Mr. Benjamin 
Goldfmid, his brother, (April iS, 1808,) greatly affe< 5 led 
him, and perhaps firft awakened the thought of committing 
iuicide in his mind. Mr. Goldfmid was joint contractor 
with the houfe of fir Francis Baring for the loan ; and, 
taking the larged probable range, that he had dealt arnongll 
bis friends one half of the furn allotted to him, the lofs fuf- 
tained by the remainder, at the rate of 65I. per thoufand, 
was more than an}’ individual fortune could be expeiled to 
fultain. Everfince the decline of omnium from par, Mr. 
Goldfmid’s fpirits were progrefiively drooping ; but, when 
it reached five and fix per cent, dilcount, without the pro¬ 
bability of recovering, the unfortunate gentleman appeared 
evidently relllefs in his difpofition and difordered in his 
mind; and, not finding that cheerful afiiftance amongll 
bis moneyed friends which he had experiencedain happier 
times, he was unable to bear up againft the preflure of 
bis misfortunes. Another circumftance that is faid to have 
preffed heavy upon his mind within the laft week was, 
■that he had borrowed of the Eaft-India Company half a 
million ; he had given fecurity for this fum ; but the pe¬ 
riod of redemption had arrived; it was to have been paid 
off on the 28th ; and Mr. Goldfmid, it is reported, felt 
confiderable difficulty in raifing the money. It is faid 
that he had at one time determined, if poilible, to put an 
end to all his dealings in the Stock Exchange, and to re¬ 
tire to private life. But this determination could not be 
executed immediately ; and in the mean time heavy de¬ 
mands would come againft him. His temper, hitherto fo 
equal, became in confequence irritable. He loft all his for¬ 
titude. Defpondency took poffeflion of him, and drove him 
to the commiftion of that fatal aCl which terminated his life. 
Yet he fo far maftered his feelings in company, that his 
friends and family had not the leaft apprehenfion of his 
committing filicide. He came to town on Thurfday, 
September 27, in his carriage, from Morden, accompanied 
by his brothers, Edward and Ii'aac, and his fon Mofes; 
and feveral friends who met him did not obfer.ve any thing 
particular in his manner or appearance. He returned to 
Morden to dinner, and had company. In the eveViing 
lie joined in a party at cards, after walking a good deal 
in his grounds, and giving notice to feveral of the work¬ 
men employed in his large premifes that he fliould foon 
difcharge them. On Friday morning he rofe at his ufual 
early hour; and about half paft Jeven o’clock wasobferved 
to pafs over the bridge to the wildernefs or rookery, in his 
grounds; and there he perpetrated the fatal deed. His 
coachman having, as was ufual, enquired what horfes were 
to go to town, he was referred to Mr. G. being told at 
the time which way he had walked. The coachman went 
in fearch of him, and w:as the firft that found him, wel¬ 
tering in his blood, with the pifiol grafped in his right 
hand. Life was not quite extinft ; but, before the medi¬ 
cal afiiftance which was fent for arrived, he had expired in 
the arms of his afflicted family, but wholly unconlcious 
of being with them. He left a widow and feveral chil¬ 
dren. He was in his 53d year. An inquifition was 
held, on Saturday, on the body, at his houfe at Morden. 
DON. as g 
The proceedings lafted but a few minutes, when the fol¬ 
lowing verdidl was returned : “ Died by his own hand, but 
not in his fenfes at the time.” His remains we-e inter¬ 
red in the Jews’ burial-ground, at Mile-end. The hearfe, 
which conveyed the body, palled over London-bridge, 
followed by the carriage of the deceafed, and thirteen 
mourning-coaches, in which were the high prieft, the 
elders of the fynagogue, and a great part of the family, 
except his brothers, who were too much affefled to attend. 
On their arrival at the ground, a number of poor perfons 
had collected to witnefs.the interment of a man, who had 
proved not only their particular benefaflor, but had ftu- 
died to render himfelf ufeful through life to all clafles of 
mankind. The mourners were fcarcely able to fupport 
themfelves. Mr. Alifon, the brother-in-law of the deceafed, 
fainted over the body twice, and funk on the grafs, la¬ 
menting the difmal event. The high prieft and elders 
paid every diftindlion in their power to the remains of 
their departed friend ; but, in conformity to the Mofaic 
laws, they vvithhheld from him the cuftomary funeral 
rites. 
It is always with pleafure that we return to the tranf- 
aftions of our Guildhall ; but, in the prefent infiance, we 
are forrv to find that the old queftion, about prefcnting 
the addrefles of the livery to the king upon the throne, 
was again unfuccefsfully revived.—A common hall was 
held on the 9th of January, for the purpofe of receiving 
the report of the lord-mayor and (heriffs on the addrels 
voted by the livery to his majefty. The clerk read the 
report, which dated, that the remembrancer had called at 
the fecretary of date’s office with the addrefs, and an in¬ 
timation that it was intended to prefent it on the levee- 
day. Next day he was told, that it mull be left at the fe¬ 
cretary of date’s office, to be prefented (as was ufual with 
all addrefles, except thofe from the two univerfities, and 
th z corporation of London) by him to his majefty. On the 
levee-day the lord-mayor told the fecretary of date, that 
lie then had the addrefs in his pocket, and wifiied to pre¬ 
fent it. The fecretary faid it was belt to give it to him, 
and he would fave the lord-mayor all further trouble; to 
which his lord (hip replied, that lie would not confent to 
prefent it to any one except to the king in perfon ; and that 
it was both the v i fh of himfelf and lheriffs to doit in any¬ 
way which would fave his majefty molt trouble. The fe¬ 
cretary faid, the king’s pleafure had been already taken 
and exprefl'ed as to the mode of prefenting it. Mr. She¬ 
riff Wood then demanded an audience of his majefty ; 
which the fecretary replied could not be granted, except 
upon fome efpecial and'exprefl'ed reafon ; for that no au¬ 
dience could be granted on a (iibject upon which his majefty 
had already exprefl'ed his pleafure. Such was the report, to 
receive which the hall had been called. In conlequence 
of which, the following refolutions, among others, were 
then palled : 
“ Reiolved unanimoufly, That it is the undoubted l ight 
of the lord-mayor, aldermen, and livery, of the city of 
London, to prefent their petitions to the king fitting upon 
the throne. 
“ Reiolved unanimoufly, That it appears, that the fe¬ 
cretary of (late informed the lheriffs, that the petition of 
the livery could be received only through his office ; that 
they have been denied, not only the ufual accefs to his 
majefty by a perlonal audience, but even the undoubted 
right of prelenting the fame when they had aiftual accefs 
to his majefty at the levee, where they attended to prefent, 
and did prefent, a petition from the court of common- 
council. 
“ Reiolved unanimoufly, That fuch denial is not only 
fubverfive of the rights of the livery, but a flagrant vio¬ 
lation of the right of petitioning, claimed, demanded, 
and infilled upon, and confirmed to them by the bill of 
rights. 
“ Refolved, That whoever advifed his majefty not to re¬ 
ceive the petition of the livery in the accultomed and 
ellablifited mode, have committed a fcandalous breach of 
their 
