, J O N E S. 
256 
and evening cathedral-fervice, ten church-pieces for the 
organ, with four anthems in fcore for the ufe of the church 
of Nayland, which are faid to be greatly admired, as of 
the old fchool, and in the true claffical ftyle. Orthodox 
Churchman's Mag. 1801. Gent. Mag. 1800. 
JONES (Rev. Thomas), a very eminent lefturer at 
Trinity-college, Cambridge, was born at Berriew, in 
Montgomeryfhire, on the 23d of June, 1756. The parti¬ 
culars of the life of this gentleman have been furnifhed 
by the reverend and learned Herbert Marfh, who had been 
his pupil. His education till he entered his twelfth year, was 
confined to the inftruftion of a common country fchool, 
firft at Berriew, and afterwards in the neighbouring parifh 
of Kerry. During the time that he frequented the latter 
fchool, the vicar of the parifh, difeovering in him thofe 
talents which he afterwards fo eminently difplayed, ad- 
vifed his mother (for he loll his father at an early age) to 
fend him to the grammar-fehool at Shrewfbury. Here he 
continued nearly feven years, and was inferior to none of 
his fchool-fellows, either in attention to fludy, or in re¬ 
gularity of conduct. 
On the 28th of May, 1774, he was admitted at St. John’s 
college, Cambridge, and came to relide there in the Octo¬ 
ber following. From that time the excellence of his ge¬ 
nius became more particularly confpicuous. He had ac¬ 
quired, indeed, at fchool, a competent fhare of claffical 
learning ; but his mind was lefs adapted to Greek and 
Latin compolition than to the inveftigation of philofophical 
truths. At the public examinations of St. John’s college, 
he not only was always in the firft clafs, but was without 
comparifon the belt mathematician of his year. His full 
fummer vacation was devoted entirely to his favourite 
purfuit 5 and at that early period he became acquainted 
with mathematical works which are feldom attempted be¬ 
fore the third year of academical lludy. He remained at 
St.John’s college till after the public examination in June 
1776; and on the 27th of that month he removed to 
Trinity-college. To this ftep he was induced by the fame 
unfortunate caufe which has deprived St. John’s college 
of many other very diftinguilhed members, the limitation 
in the election to fellowships. By this limitation, (which, 
when the college-ftatutes were framed, was intended to 
obviate a then-exiftingevil,) there can be only one fellow 
at a time from each diocele in Wales ; and, there being 
then a fellow from the diocefe of St. Afaph who was not 
expetfed very foon to make a vacancy, Mr. Jones, who 
was of the fame diocefe, had no prol'pecl of obtaining the 
reward to which his talents and conduct entitled him. 
When he removed to Trinity-college, he determined (ac¬ 
cording to the academical phrafe) to degrade a year; he 
became a member of the year below him, and thus defer¬ 
red the taking of his bachelor-of-arts degree till January 
1779. His motive for fo doing was not any defign of 
more effectually fecuring to himfelf the firft rank in aca¬ 
demical honours, (for there are few years in which he 
would not have obtained the fame diftinguilhed place,) 
but folely to obviate the objection, which might otherwife 
have been made to him when candidate for a fellowfhip in 
Trinity-college, that he had refided little more than a 
year in that fociety when he took his bachelor’s degree. 
His fuperiority at that time was fo decided, that no one 
ventured to contend with him. The honour of fenior 
wrangler was conceded before the examination began ; 
and the fecond place became the higheft object of compe¬ 
tition. If any thing was wanting to (how his fuperiority, 
it would be rendered fufficipntly confpicuous by the cir- 
cumftance, that he was tutor to the fecond wrangler : 
and the writer of this memoir gladly embraces the oppor¬ 
tunity of publicly acknowledging, that for the honour 
which he then obtained he was indebted to the inftruClion 
of his friend. 
The fame year in which Mr. Jones took his bachelor’s 
degree he was appointed alliftant-tutor at Trinity-college. 
On the ill of Oftober, 1781, he was eledled fellow ; and, 
in October 1787, on the resignation of Mr. Cranke, he 
was appointed to the office of head-tutor, which he held 
to the day of his death. In 1786 and 1787 he prefided as 
moderator in the philofophical fchools, where his acute- 
nefs and impartiality were equally confpicuous. It was 
about this time that he introduced a grace, by which fel¬ 
low-commoners, who ufed to obtain the degree of bache¬ 
lor of arts with little or no examination, were fubjefted 
to the fame academical exercifes as other under-graduates. 
During many years he continued to take an active part 
in the fenate-houfe examinations; but latterly he confined 
himfelf to the duties of college-tutor. Thefe, indeed, 
were fufficiently numerous to engage his whole attention ; 
and he difplayed in them an ability which was rarely 
equalled, with an integrity which never was furpalfed. 
They only who have had the benefit of attending his lec¬ 
tures are able to ellimate their value. Being perfect maf- 
ter of his fubjedls, he always placed them in the cleared 
point of view ; and, by his manner of treating them, he 
made them interefting even to thofe who had otherwife no 
reliih for mathematical inquiries. His leflures on aftro- 
nomy attrafled more than ufual attention, fince that 
branch of philofophy afforded the moft ample fcope for 
inculcating (what, indeed, he never neglefled in other 
branches) his favourite doftrine of final caufes, for argu¬ 
ing from the contrivance to the Contriver, from the flruc- 
ture of the univerfe to the being and attributes of God. 
And this doftrine he enforced, not merely by explaining 
the harmony which refults from the eftablifhed laws of 
nature, but by fhowing the confufion which would have 
arifen from the adoption of other laws. His leflures oil 
the principles of fluxions were delivered with unufual 
clearnefs; and there was fo much originality in them, that 
his pupils have often exprefled a wifli that they might be 
printed. If thefe, as well as his leflures on altronomy, 
had been publifhed, the wmrld would certainly have de¬ 
rived from them material benefit. But fuch was his mo- 
defly, that, though frequently urged, he never would 
content; and when he figned his will, a fhort time before 
his death, he made the moft earneft requeft to the writer of 
this memoir, that none of his manuferipts lhould be 
printed. But it is a confolation to know, that his leflures 
on philofophy will not be buried in oblivion : all his 
writings on thofe fubjects have been delivered to his fuc- 
cefior in the tuition, and, though lefs amply than by pub¬ 
lication, will continue to benefit mankind. 
The only things he ever publifhed were a Sermon on 
Duelling, and an Addrefs to the Volunteers of Montgo¬ 
meryfhire. The former was publifhed as a warning to the 
young men of the univerlity, foon after a fatal duel had 
taken place in the neighbourhood. The letter, which he 
wrote with great animation (for he was a zealous advo¬ 
cate of trie volunteer fyltem), was calculated to roufe the 
volunteers to a righteous defence of their country. 
As the admiflions under him as tutor were numerous 
beyond example, the labour and anxiety attendant on the 
difeharge of his duties gradually impaired a conftitution 
which was naturally feeble. During many years he fuf- 
fered from an infirmity of the bread: and it was his conllant 
belief that this infirmity would be the occafion of his 
death. But he feemed to have recovered from this com¬ 
plaint, when he was attacked by another of ftill more 
dangerous tendency. He was latterly fubjefl to internal 
inflammations, which at length produced one of the moft 
Angular and diftreffing ulcerations in the annals of medi¬ 
cine. He went immediately to London, to confult Dr. 
Baillie and Mr. Cline; but the diftafe was foon found to 
be incurable. His friends, indeed, at one time flattered 
themfelves with the hope of his recovery ; for, when he 
had been in London about fix weeks, he was fo f’arceftored, 
after a confinement to his bed, attended with exceffive 
pain, that he was not only enabled to remove to a lodg¬ 
ing in the Edgeware-road for the benefit of the air, but 
to walk feveral miles without any apparent fatigue. The 
former fymptoms of his complaint gradually abated, and 
at length totally ceafed. But this ceffation was only the 
prelude 
