
759 
[Douglas Duke of Hamilton, whofe death 
was mentioned in page 653, was grandfon of 
James Duke of Hamilton, who died'in 1743, 
aged 41 years, and {on of James Duke of Hamil- 
ton, who died in 1758, aged 33 years, and 
brother of George James Duke of Hamilton, 
who died in 1769, in the 15th year of his 
age. His mother was the celebrated Mifs 
Gunning, afterwards Duchefs of Argyle. He 
fucceeded to the title when only 13 years of 
age; and, after finishing his education, he 
entered into the army. . But, as his neble 
fortune made the emoluments of that profef- 
| fion unworthy his notice, he only rofe to the 
yank of captain. The Duke made the tour 
of Europe under the care of the ingenious Dr. 
IVioore, and foon after his return he married 
(in 1778) Mifs Elizabeth Burrel, fitter to the 
_ Duchefs of Northumberland and Lord Gwydir. 
While a minor, he was, by his guardians, one 
of the claimants of the Douglas eftate, againft 
the prefent Lord Douglas, then alfo a minor. 
This conte, well known by the appellation 
of the great Douglas caufe, afforded ample 
feope fer the exertion of the abilities of fome 
of the’firft lawyers of England and Scotland ; 
and gave room for the rife of feveral others, 
who may be faid to owe their promotions to 
the opportunity afforded them for a difplay of 
their talents in this caufe. It is well known 
that the Duke of Hamilton loft the fuit. The 
Duke, however, ettablifhed, in his perfon, 
the right claimed by his anceftors to a feat in 
the Houfe of Peers of Great ‘Britain, which 
had been denied to them fince the creation by 
Queen Année in 1711. ‘The Dukedom of 
Brandon being beftowed on a Peex of Scotland, 
was held to be contrary to the articles of the 
; 
Marriages and Deaths in and ngar London. f O&tober,. 
Union. But this exclufion, though fan@ioned 
by the opinion of the firft lawyers ofthis cen-—— 
tury, has, during the prefent adminiftration, - 
been conceived. to b¢ erroneous; and, on ar, 
application to the Houfc, the Duke was ad- 
mitted to his feat. This decifion was highly 
pleafing to the Peers of Scotland, as it has 
opened to them an accefs to a permanent and 
hereditary feat in the Britifh Senate. As 
this young nobleman came into life with the 
advantage of an exalted rank, and an ample 
fortune, it might have been expected that he 
would have rendered effential fervice to his 
country: but thefe advantages were negiected 
and facrificed to the degrading and wretched 
ambition of being one of the firft boxers of the 
age. ‘This vitiated tafte naturally led him 
into bad company: he contraéted, of courfe, 
the habits of his affociates, which, in the 
end, brought him to his grave at the early 
age of forty-three. Yet to his credit it muft 
be faid, that, in an age of diflipation and ex~ - 
travagance, he had the refolution to keep his 
fortune not only ynincumbered, but even in 
a ftate of improvement. An attachment. 
which his Grace had formed with acelebrated 
vactrefs, and the very incorreé& life which he’ 
otherwife led, induced his Duchefs to fue for 
a divorce, which fhe obtained in 179435 and, 
as he had no children by her, his title and 
the entailed eftate defcend to his uncle Lord 
Archibald Hamilton, His Grace was 2 
Knight of the moft ancient order of the Thif- 
tle, heritable keeper of the royal palaces of 
Holy-rood-houfe and Linlithgow, Lord Lieu- 
tenant of the County of Lanerk, and Colonel 
of a regiment of Fencibles lately raifed.] 

TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
H. D.’s Letter ia Defence of a late celebrated Femaie is received; but we cannot 
thik it judicious to revive the fubjed; at leaft, it does net fuit our Mifcellany. 
The Writer of Remarks on the principal Italian Poets is refpetifully informed, that 
the Omiffion of a Part of bis Sridiures on Ariofio, and particularly of his Tranflation of 
along Pafjage from that elegant, though certainly unequal and extravagant, Poet, was 
an exercife of judgment on our parts, and intended to ferve beth bis reputation and ours. 
We foall wait his permiffion to continue his paper. 
A Serious Obferver’s axzfwer to Simplicius would certainly have been inferted had 
jp only related to him; but as it involves a controverfy which we have had reafon to 
determine abfolutely to difcontinue, wwe muf? decline it. 

' 
meads ; for lea, line 24, read lea. 
| ERRATA. 
In Mr. Lytton’ s Verfes to Sir WW. Fones, page 480, Vol. wii. for reeds, line 10, read 

\ 
* 
In Mr. Dyer’s Letter, at pase 624, infiead of ‘* Drama as Pizarro,” if ought to be 
¢¢ Dramatift as Kotzebue.’’ 
Ai page 665; colunin 1, Rutland, for Mr. read Mrs. Loakes. 
PROVINCIAL 
