L I 
jeant, “as his memory, according to the observation of 
his biographer, is impaired, does not pretend to make, 
an exa< 5 t enumeration of all his offspring; but he 
knows of Sixteen fons now living, fourteen of whom are 
in the army and navy, befides daughters ; the eldeft of 
whom by his prefent wife is a mantua-maker at New- 
caltle. His eldeft fon is now eighty-three years old, 
and the youngeft oniy nine.” In his prime, he did not 
exceed five feet and Seven inches; he had inclined 
through age to five feet five inches. He had an inter- 
etting phyfiognomy, expreflive of Sincerity, fenfibility, 
and manly courage. Memoirs of his Life , 1791, in the 
103d year of his age. 
Mathew Tait, of Auchinlech, Airfhire, died Feb. 19, 
179a, aged 123 : he Served as a private at the taking of 
Gibraltar in 1704. 
Mrs. Sarah Haynes, of Winford, Somerfet, died Dec. 1793, 
aged 103. 
Mrs. Freeman, of Falmouth, died in Dec. 1793, aged 118; 
her fight was not quick, but her intellects were perfect 
to the laft. 
Silvefter Manclarke, of LovreftofF, Suffolk, died Jan. 1794, 
aged 107. 
Edward Collins, of Salifbury, died in Jan. 1794, aged 100. 
Mrs. Lally, of Bradford, Yorklhire, died in the fame 
month, in the noth year of her age. 
There was living in Portsmouth poor-houfe, in May 1793, 
one Elizabeth Bennet, aged 104 years. 
In Feb. 1794, a Soldier, named John Knowle, who was 
then in the 105th year of his age, applied to the lord- 
mayor of London for a walking-pafs to Birmingham ; 
the mayor offered him a riding-pal's, but he laid lie 
could not bear the fhaking and jolting of a carriage.: 
he had Served in the 37th regiment of foot, and was 
discharged at the age of 84; his right eye and hearing 
were well, and he had all his front teeth but one. 
In 1796 died at Berkeley county, Virginia, Charles Ro¬ 
berts, gent, aged 116. 
In 1800 died at Perth, Elfpet Watfon, aged 1x5 ; She was 
a dwarf, being not more than two feet nine inches high, 
and a common beggar for many years. 
In the month of December, 1806, we have an account of 
the deaths of the following aged perfons:—Mrs. Mar¬ 
garet Galley died at Norwich, aged 100.—John Shortall, 
at Kilcooley, Ireland, aged 106 : his widow was ioz at 
his death.—At Kennarth, Caernarvon, aged 100, Samuel 
Griffiths, a fifherman. He w'as father of 25 children, 
all of whom he brought up without parochial affiftance. 
— At Capel Cerrig, fame county, aged 104, Gayner 
Thomas. She had fourteen children, thirty grand¬ 
children, and nineteen great-grand-children. 
Eftnina Diamond, a free black woman, died at Kingfton, 
Jamaica, on the 26th July, 1812, at the advanced age 
of 130 year's. 
In Iffara, a town of the government cf Penfa, in Ruffia, 
there was living, in September 1812, a Bohemian, named 
Woronin, who had reached the great age of 120; his 
eldeft Son 8 1, the eldeft of his grandfons 51. This Bo¬ 
hemian patriarch was of a lively difpofition, and flill So 
aCtive as to be able to dance, which he often does in 
the fafhion of his country. 
In OCtober 1812, there was living in the parifh of Tip- 
permuir, about five miles to the north-welt of Perth, 
John Hay, aged 107 years, in very good health. 
May 4, 1813, died at Whitehaven, Elizabeth Bell, widow, 
in the 106th year of her age. She was remarkably aCtive, 
and pofiefled the full power of her faculties to the laft; 
about a week before, die had a fall, by which fhe broke 
her thigh, and was otherwise bruifed, So as to occafion 
her death. She has left a fon in his 85th year, a daugh¬ 
ter in her 76th, and another in her 71ft; befides feveral 
grand-children, great-grand-children, and great-great- 
grand-children. 
The examples which are exhibited in the above lift 
are abundantly Sufficient to Drove, that longevity, in more 
Vol. XII. No. 859. 
F E. 637 
modern times, does not depend, So much as fome have 
fuppofed, on any particular cljmate, Situation, or occupa¬ 
tion iti life. For we See that it often prevails in places 
where all thefe are extremely diffimilar; and it would, more¬ 
over, be very difficult, in the histories of the Several perfons 
above-mentioned, to find any circumftance common to 
them all, except perhaps that of being born of healthy pa¬ 
rents, and of being inured to daily labour, temperance^ and 
Simplicity of diet. Among the inferior ranks of mankind, 
therefore, rather than amongft the Sons of eafe and luxu¬ 
ry, dial 1 we find the moft numerous inltances of longevity; 
even frequently, when other external circumfiances Seem 
extremely unfavourable; as. in the cafe of Henry Jenkins 
and old Parr, whole livelihood is Said to have confided 
chiefly of the coarfeft fare, as they (or Jenkins at lead) 
depended on precarious alms. The plain diet and invi¬ 
gorating employments of a country life, are acknowledged, 
on all hands, to be highly conducive to health and longe¬ 
vity; while the luxury and refinements of large cities are 
allowed to be equally deftru&ive to the human fpecies; 
and this conlideration alone, perhaps, more than counter¬ 
balances all the beaded privileges of Superior elegance and 
civilization refulting from a city life. 
Among thofe who have led a life of contemplation and 
ftuuy, many have reached a very advanced age. Longe¬ 
vity is frequent among the different orders of religious, 
who by their fiatutes are confined to a moderate diet, and 
obliged to abdain from v.ine and the ufe of meat. Some 
celebrated anchorets have lived to a great age, while they 
fed upon nothing but the wild roots and fruits whicli 
they found in the defert whither they had retired. The 
philofo,pher Xenophilus, who lived to the age of'106, was 
of the Pythagorean Sect. It is well known, that thofe 
philoSophers, who held the transmigration of Souls, denied 
themfelves the ufe of meat, becanfe they imagined that 
killing an animal would be to aliaflinate another felf. A 
country life lias produced many found and vigorous old 
men. It is fuppofed that a happy old age is attained with 
greater difficulty in towns than in the country. Sir Hans 
Sloane, Duverney, and Fontenelle, however, are inltances 
of men whofe lives have been Ipent in cities, and yet ex¬ 
tended to a very greatlength. It has been obferved that men 
deprived of reafon live very long; which is to be imputed 
to their being exempt from thole inquietudes which are 
the molt deadly poifon. Perfons pofteifing a fufficientiy* 
good underltanding, but dellitute of ambition, have been 
found to enjoy very long life. Men who are devoid of 
pretenfions, who are free from thofe cares which a defire 
of Ihining by a difplay of talents, or of acquiring dignity 
and power, necefl'arily brings in its train, who feel no re¬ 
gret for the palt nor anxiety about the future, are Stran¬ 
gers to thofe torments of the mind which vvalfe and con- 
fume the body. To this tranquillity of foul, which is So 
excellent a prerogative of infancy, they add that of being 
long young by phyfical conftitution, on which the moral 
has a Striking and powerful influence. 
Premature wifdom, and early talents, are often fitter to- 
excite aftohilhment than expectation. The rapid unfold¬ 
ing of moral faculties, by (hortening the period of youth, 
feems to diminilh in proportion the total duration of life. 
We have read of a young lady of Seventeen, who could 
Speak very corre fitly Seven languages; lhe tranllated and 
wrote Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanilh, German, Englilh, 
and French; but lhe died at the age of eighteen. The 
young man by whom lhe was alked in marriage, having 
been informed that he could not obtain her hand tiil he had 
made himfelf worthy of her by the fame degree of talents 
and information, died the fame year, and at the lame age. 
The ingenious Dr. Ruffi of Philadelphia, has publiflied 
fome very curious observations on the probable caufes of 
longevity; and which he attributes principally to the fol¬ 
lowing Sources, viz. 
Defccnrfrom long-lived Ancefors .—I have not found a 
Angle initance of a perfon who has lived to be eighty years 
old, in whom this was not the cafe. In fame inltances 
7 Z I found 
