426 
Stephensiana.—No. Ill, [Dec. 1, 
FIFTEEN Celebrated MEN and WOMEN 
whom I have personally known, 
1. James, Earl of Fife. 
2. Rev. Dr. Geddes, L.L.D. Trans¬ 
lator of the Bible. 
3. Sir James Mackintosh, Recorder 
of Bombay. 
4. George Anderson, writer on 
coins. 
5. John Horne Tooke, esq. 
6. Sir Francis Burdett, bart. 
7. Thomas Paine. 
8. Sir Philip Francis, K.B. 
9. Sir John Macpherson, bart. 
10. Duke of Roxburghe. 
11. Rt. Hon. John Philpot Curran. 
12. John Nicholl, Ex-M.P. for Tre- 
gony. 
13. Earl of Buchan. 
14. Mrs. Wolstonecraft. 
15. Mrs Thicknesse. 
MR. MORTIMER 
Told me one day, after dinner, at 
Mr. Brand Hollis’s, that he had been 
removed from his office of consul, at 
Ostend, in consequence of some civili¬ 
ties whicli he had paid to Mr. and Miss 
Wilkes, while wind bound at that 
port. 
The WITTINAGEMOT of the CHAPTER. 
From 1797 to 1805, I was accus¬ 
tomed to use the Chapter Coffee-house, 
where I always met with intelligent 
company, and enjoyed an interest¬ 
ing conversation. The box in the 
NE. corner used to be called the Wit- 
tinagemot, Early in the morning it 
was occupied by neighbours, who were 
designated the Wet Paper Club , as it 
was their practice to open the papers 
as brought in by the newsmen, and 
read them before they were dried by 
the waiter. A dry paper they viewed 
as a stale commodity. 
In the afternoon another party en¬ 
joyed the wet evening papers, and it 
was these whom 1 met. 
Dr. Buchan, author of the Domestic 
Medicine, generally held a seat in this 
box, and though he was a tory, he heard 
the freest discussions with good hu 
mour, and commonly acted as a mode¬ 
rator. His fine physiognomy and his 
white hairs qualified him for this office. 
But the fixture in the box was a Mr. 
Hammond, a Coventry manufacturer, 
who, evening after evening, for nearly 
45 years, was always to be found, in 
his place, and during the entire period 
was much distinguished for his severe 
and often able strictures on the events 
of the dav. He had thus debated 
through the days of Wilkes, of the 
American war, and of the French wars, 
and being on the side of liberty, was 
constantly in opposition. His mode of 
arguing was Socratic , and he generally 
applied to his adversary the reductio ad 
ibsurdam, often creating bursts of 
laughter. 
The registrar, or chronicle of the box, 
was a Mr. Murray, an episcopal 
Scotch clergyman, who generally sat in 
one place from nine in the morning till 
nine at night, and was famous for hav¬ 
ing read, at least once through, every 
morning and evening paper published 
in London during the last thirty years. 
His memory being good, he was appeal¬ 
ed to whenever any point of fact within 
the memory of man happened to be 
disputed. 11 was often remarked, how¬ 
ever, that such incessant daily reading 
did not tend to clear his views. 
Among those from whom I constantly 
profited, was Dr. Berdmore, Mas¬ 
ter of the Charter House; Walker, 
the rhetorician ; and Dr. Towers, the 
political and historical writer. Dr. B. 
abounded in anecdote ; Walker, to the 
finest enunciation, united the most in¬ 
telligent head I ever met with; and 
Towers, over his half-pint of Lisbon, 
was sarcastic and lively, though never 
deep. 
Among our constant visitors was the 
celebrated Dr. George Fordycb, 
who, having much fashionable practice, 
brought news which had not generally 
transpired. He had not the appear¬ 
ance of a man of genius, nor did he de¬ 
bate, but he possessed sound informa¬ 
tion on all subjects. He came to the 
Chapter after his wine, and staid about 
an hour, or while he sipped a glass of 
brandy and water. It was then his 
habit to take another glass at the Lon¬ 
don, and a third at the Oxford, before 
he went to his house in Essex-street. 
Dr. Gower, the urbane and able 
physician of the Middlesex, was another 
pretty constant visitor, and added much 
to our stock of information. It was 
gratifying to hear such men as Fordyce, 
Gower, and Buchan, in familiar chat. 
On subjects of medicine they seldom 
agreed, and when such were started, 
they generally laughed at one another’s 
opinions. They seemed to consider 
Chapter-punch, or brandy and water, 
as aqua viteB ; and, to the credit of the 
house, better punch is not found in 
London. If any one complained of 
being indisposed, the elder Buchan ex¬ 
claimed, “ Now, let me prescribe for 
you 
