658 
At Hamilton-Palace, his Grace the Duke 
of Hamilton and Brandon. His Grace was 
fon to James Duke of Hamilton by Elizabeth, 
fate Duchefs of Argyle; was born 1756, and 
fucceeded his-brother in 4769. He married 
Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Burrel, efq. and 
fier_to the prefent Lord Gw mae Lord 
Archibald Hamilton, his uncle, fucceeds to 
the title and eftates. 
Lieutenant of Lanarkthire, and Keeper of 
the Palaces of H Saas and Linlithgow. 
- On Sunday, the rith of Auguft, at his 
apartments at Pimlico, in the aoth year of 
his age, Captain William Skinner, of the 
marines, a’ gentleman well known in the 
Fiterary circles of Lendon, Paris and Rome, 
and whole active pen has for feveral years 
interefted the public in a great variety of lite- 
rary compofitions. He jocofely prided him- 
felfin being ‘‘ 2 man of Kent; but having 
entered whoa youth into the marine fervice 
he has refided a very {mall portion of liis life 
in kis native county. During the ‘American 
war he was in aGtive fervice on the coaft of 
‘North America and aifo in the Wei Indies, 
and having been captured by one of the ene- 
my’s cruisers he fuffered a vigorous imprifon- 
ment at Rutlandin New England. His fa- 
tigue and expofure to variety of climate dur- 
ing this war brought on the nervous debility, 
which continued through the remainder of 
his life, and which at length unhappily oc- 
cafioned his premature death. After the 
peace of 1783, he refided -a confiderable time 
at Paris, and having refented fume indecorous 
behaviour, he fuffered the confequence of a 
lettre de eatebet, which was obtained by the 
mfluence of the very perfon from whom he 
had demanded fatisfaftion. Having feen and 
felt the tyranny of the ancient regimes he 
warmly participated in the general feeling 
on the deftru@iion of the Baftile, and natu- 
rally aflociating with many of the leaders of 
the patriotic party he became an object of 
the notice of the Britifh ambaflador, and of 
the watchful fufpicion of the Britifh admini- 
firation. Conceiving, however, that he did 
not overftep the bounds of prudence as long 
as his own government took no oftenfible 
part againf the Revolution, he continued 
in Paris, and without referve aflociated with 
Rianuel, Valadi, Anacharfis Clootz, and other 
leading patricts; became a member of the 
fJacobin Club, and on the day of the Grand 
federation rather indifcreetly marched in the 
famous mock proceffion of the Orator of the 
Human Race, as a reprefentative of the 
Britifh nation! Refpe€ting the popular fol- 
lies of thofe days he has fince declared him- 
felf afhamed of the part he was induced to 
take, he was hurried away at the time by 
the fublime and eternal principles of the firft 
revolution, but he has fince been among the 
foremoft to exprefs his_deteftation and horror 
at the tragical confequences which have arifen 
from a defertion of thofe firft principles, and 
fzom the infincerity of Louis XVJ, and the 
Account of the Duke of Hamilton, Capt. Skinner, Sc. 
His Grace was Lord ~ 
league againfi the republic. He left France 
on the profpect of hoftilities with ‘his own 
country, and would gladly have obeyed the 
call of duty and honour, by. entering into — 
aétive fervice on board of the Britifh fleet. 
He foon found, however, by his being pafied 
over in fubfequent promotions that he had 
incurred the difpleafure of his majefty’s mini- 
fters; and although fuch a feeling on their 
part was what he muit have expeéted, yet he 
-was vifibly chagrined, and after various un- 
fuccefsful attempts to regain the confidence of 
the admiralty, he abandoned himfelf to the 
moft bitter feeling on the injury which he had 
done himfelf in his profeffion. He has fince, 
in a great meafure, devoted himfelf to litera- 
ture, chiefly as a tranflator from the French, 
a taf for which he was eminently qualified 5 
as a writer of effays, and of papers of wit 
and humour. for the neva es and as the 
occafional editor of fome of them. The rea- 
ders of the Monthly Magazine have been oc- 
cafionally indebted to his labours, particularly 
in the French anecdotes*, in fome original. 
articles relative to the ruins of Herculaneum, 
on the Philological Refearches of M. le Bri=> 
gant, on the Fine Arts, &c. &c. As his lite- 
rary labours were various and confiderable, 
fo they were proportionably lucrative, and 
latterly his income from this fource could not 
have been much fhort of 3001. per annum, 
independantly of his half-pay as a captain of 
marines. ‘The preffure of literary bufinefs 
and a fear that he might be ‘ftruck of the 
halfipay lift, at leneshe however, increafed 
his nervous irritability and depreffion, in fo. 
violent a degree, as to alarmthe moft intimate 
of his fens one of whom perfuaded him, 
a few weeks fince, as aremedy, to accompany , 
him in an excurfion into the country.. He 
returned to London on the day which pre- 
ceded his death, and in the evening fuperin- 
tended the publication of a refpé€table newf- 
paper, of which he was the editor. About 
eleven he returned to his lodgings, and hav- 
ing fat up the whole night, at feven in the 
morning he difcharged a piftol through his 
head! The Coroner’s Inqueft were fully juf-_ 
tified in their verdi€&t of infanity, as it was 
Obvious that he had for fome time laboured 
under an hypochondriacal affection. Of the 
cultivated underftanding, goodnefs of heart, 
uprightnefs of conduét, and gentlemanly de- 
meanour of this iene and unfortunate 
man, it is impoffibl e to {peak or conceive too 
highly. His virtues and talents will long live 
in the memory of his numerous friends; and 
his untimely and melancholy_fate will remain 
an impreflive proof how little even the beft 
vand wileft of us are at all times in our own 
power. 
Suddenly, William Champion, efq. Joint 
Sheriff of the city of London, and lately 
ele€ted Alderman of Billingfgate Ward. 
nr re 
* Among thefe the articles of Valadi and 
Manuel are efteemed his happieft compofi- 
tons. 
At 
[Sets a 

