W I L 
W I L 
669 
for the education, of the Catholic clergy, another for those of 
the Greek church, and an institution for youths of good fami¬ 
ly; 400 miles south-south-west of Petersburg, and 195 east of 
Konigsberg. Lat. 54. 41. 2. N. long. 25.17. 27. E.—3. A 
post township of the United States, in Jefferson county, New 
York. 
WILNE, Great and Little, adjoining townships of 
England, in Derbyshire; miles south-east of Derby. 
WILNECOTE, a parish of England, in Warwickshire; 
2J miles south-east of Tamworth. Population 502. 
W1LNIS, or Willis, a village of the Netherlands, in 
the province of Utrecht, with 800 inhabitants; 7 miles north 
of Woerden. 
W1LPSHIRE, a township of England, in Lancashire, 
near Blackburn. 
WILSDEN, a township of England, West Riding of 
Yorkshire; 4 miles south-east of Keighley. Population 
1121 . 
WILSDORF, a town of Germany, in Saxony; 9 miles 
west of Dresden. Population 1300. 
WILSFORD, or Wivelsford, a parish of England, in 
Lincolnshire; 4 miles west-south-west of Sleaford.—2. A 
parish of Wiltshire; 2 miles south-west of Amesbury. 
WILSICK, a hamlet of England, West Riding of York¬ 
shire ; 6i miles south-by-west of Doncaster. 
WILSNACK, a town of Prussia, in the province of Bran¬ 
denburg; 63 miles west-north-west of Berlin. Population 
1400. 
WI'LSOME, adj. Obstinate; stubborn. A forgotten 
old word, but as proper as humoursome , and the like. It is 
in the Prompt. Parv. which has also wilsotneness or wy Isom- 
nesse for obstinacy. 
WILSON (Richard), the most eminent landscape-painter 
of the English school, was the son of a clergyman, and was 
born at Pineges, in Montgomeryshire, in 1714. 
Having received from his father a good classical education, 
in the course of which he had evinced a decided disposition 
for drawing, he was sent to London at the age of 15, and 
placed as a disciple with an obscure portrait-painter, named 
Wright. After a lapse of six years, he commenced professor, 
and, under the patronage of Dr. Hayter, bishop of Norwich, 
he soon afterwards had the honour to paint portraits of his 
late majesty and his brother, the duke of York; both at that 
time under the tuition of the bishop. He continued to 
practise portrait-painting some time in London, but with no 
great success, and at length went to Italy to cultivate his 
taste. Even there he continued to practise it, still unac¬ 
quainted with the genuine bias of his genius, although occa¬ 
sionally exercising his talents and employing his time in 
studies of landscape. At Venice Wilson painted a portrait 
of the late Mr. Lock, of Norbury-park, one of the most cre¬ 
ditable of his performances in that branch of the art; and it 
was there that accident opened his eyes to his own peculiar 
gratifications, and led him into that path, by pursuing which 
he has obtained a name among the worthiest in art. 
As a matter of relaxation and amusement, he had painted 
a landscape, which being seen by Zuccarelli, so warmly ex¬ 
cited that eminent artist’s admiration, that he advised Wilson 
to pursue that line of art exclusively. From this time it is 
believed that he abandoned portraiture, and followed the ju¬ 
dicious advice of a rival artist; and soon after he left Venice 
in company with Mr. Lock, and travelling slowly to Rome, 
made numerous studies on the way, which are still preserved 
at Norbury-park. On his arrival at Rome, the advice of 
Zuccarelli was confirmed by Vernet and Mengs, both then in 
high repute. So much were they delighted ivith Wilson’s 
landscapes, that they each offered to exchange a picture 
with him; a proposal far too flattering for refusal. This 
liberality, as commendable as it is unusual, was followed by 
Vernet in the handsomest manner, as he hung the picture by 
the Englishman, in his exhibition-room, and recommended 
him to the particular attention of the cognoscenti. 
His progress in landscape-painting must have been very 
rapid ; indeed it must have had the character of being almost 
Vol. XXIV. No. 1664. 
intuitive, since he obtained a very great degree of reputation 
during his stay in Italy, and painted many pictures there of 
known celebrity. He travelled with the late earl of Dart¬ 
mouth to Naples, and made a number of very fine drawings 
for that nobleman, now preserved by his grandson; and for 
him also he painted two pictures, one a very fine one, a view 
of Rome, which has been beautifully engraved by Middi¬ 
man. He was also employed by the late duke of Bridge- 
water to paint a landscape with the story of Niobe; but his 
grace had the bad taste to employ Placido Constanza to re¬ 
paint the figures. To preserve his reputation, Wilson paint¬ 
ed another of the same subject, and both are now in En¬ 
gland. He returned from Italy in 1755, and occupied apart¬ 
ments over the north piazza of Covent-Garden. He had 
merited, and here he also obtained celebrity, and for a while 
employment. Many of his principal performances appear 
to have been painted about this time, most of which are 
known by the fine prints engraved from them by Woollett 
and others; in which the grandeur, breadth, and purity of 
composition in mass and in line, contend for admiration with 
the talents conspicuous in the engravings. 
Hitherto the life of Wilson was honoured as his talents 
deserved ; the remainder of it exhibited a gradual declension, 
not so much of power as of patronage. ’Tis true he was 
often too free in his pencil, and too much mannered in his 
style; repeating himself, perhaps, till it became irksome: 
’tis said, also, that he was not of the most tractable humour, 
and was low in his pursuits and associations. Whenceso¬ 
ever it arose, he was doomed to undergo indifference and 
neglect, and consequently the inconveniences of lowness of 
purse. Sometimes he was employed to paint views of gen¬ 
tlemen’s seats, but probably the occupation suited the artist 
as little as the result gratified the patron. Wilson’s view of 
nature was far too broad for suitable adaptation to such a 
purpose, and consequently there are not many pictures of 
this class to be met with which have proceeded from his 
pencil. The great characteristic of his works is grandeur, 
resulting from breadth, purity, and simplicity, united in full¬ 
ness of colour and mellowness of touch. He was perfectly 
original in feeling and execution, more grand in general 
conception than Claude, though infinitely less perfect in 
detail; and far from travelling through his career in art, with 
so even a pace as his great predecessor and only rival in the 
more exalted style of landscape-painting before our time. 
Now a third shines in the same hemisphere, and Claude and 
Wilson find no ill-suited associate in the name of Turner. 
At the institution of the Royal Academy, Wilson was 
chosen one of the founders ; and after the death of Hayman 
he was made librarian. That station he retained till his 
death, which happened in May, 1782, in the 68th year of 
his age. 
WILSON (Thomas), an English prelate, was born in 
1663, at Burton-in-Wirral, Cheshire, and finished his educa¬ 
tion in Dublin college, where he took his degree of, arts. 
In 1689, he was ordained priest, and in 1692 became do¬ 
mestic chaplain to the Earl of Derby, and attended his son, 
lord Strange, who was his pupil, on a tour to the continent. 
Upon the death of the young gentleman he returned to 
England, and in recompence of his faithful services, was no¬ 
minated to the bishopric of the Isle of Man, by the earl of 
Derby, who then possessed the sovereignty of the island. 
The nomination was approved by king William, and he was 
consecrated in January, 1697-8, having received at Lambeth 
the degree of LL.D. The revenue of the bishopric did not 
amount to more than 300/. a year; but by some collateral 
advantages the bishop was enabled to exercise hospitality and 
charity, to repair his ruined palace, and to found a new 
chapel at Castletown. He also established parochial libra¬ 
ries, which he furnished with religious books, among which 
was a small tract, the first that was ever printed in the Manks 
language. He improved the agriculture of the island by in¬ 
troducing into it corn, horses, cattle, and sheep, from Eng¬ 
land ; and he studied physic with a view of administering to 
the relief and comfort of the islanders. He published eccle- 
7 F siastical 
