iv cl 
The Rev. W. Fitzherbert, fub-dean of St. 
Paul’s. 
Suddenly, whilft attending prayers at Port- 
man chapel, Mrs Ward. “ 
Captain Burgefs, commander of the Ardent,’ 
of 64 euns, killed in the Jate engagement be- 
tween the Rritifh and Dutch fleets. He was 
born at Port Glafgow, in Scotland.. He enter- 
“ed firft into the merchant fervice, from which 
he came ‘into the royal navy. He was brought 
up under the admirals Barrington and Rowley, 
and was wounded in an adticn in the Jaft war, 
in the London. He led the Ardent into ation 
ina very gallant and officer-like manner ; and 
although the fignal was twice made for him to 
engase, he did not think the Ardent clofe 
enough, referving his fire till he was. fo near, 
that every fhot ftruck the enemy. The Ardent 
foon after was engaged and furrounded by five 
Ships of the enemy, emong which was that of 
the Dutch Admiral. Capt. Burgefs unfortu- 
nately was killed while the Ardent was in that 
fituation, By-his deat! the country has loft a 
valuable officer, péffciied of grcat nautical 
knowledge and ab,!ities ;. and his brother of- 
ficers have to'repent a companion, whofe in 
variable rectitude of conduct rendered him uni- 
verfally beloved. ; \ 
{The late Dr. Farmer, whofe death is no- 
ticed in pa.e 320 of this Magazine, under the 
head Cam:bridgethire, was a native of Leicef er, 
where he was born in 173+: Through life he 
may be confidered as a f:veurite -of fortune, 
having attained, without any original influence, 
and with talents not above med ocrity,a feries of 
the moft refpeStable dignities conneéted with 
fhe church of England and with the univerfity 
in’ which he was bred. In 1757, he was ad- 
mitted tothe degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 
170 to that of Mafter of Arts; a Bachelor of 
Divinity in 3767, and a Doctor of Divinity in 
3775, in which year he was alfo elcéted mafter 
of Emanuel, on the deceafe of Dr, Richardfon, 
and principal librarian on the deceafe of Dr. 
Barnardifton. In the fame year he ferved the 
efice of vice-chancellor, and had an opportu- 
nity of evincing his attachment to the ccart ina 
way which is fuppoted to haye led to much of 
his fubfequent preferment: the univerfity had 
voted an Addrefs to the King, approving cf the 
hoftile meatures adopted againit the Colonies, 
which was in courie oppoféd by the gieat 
Jebb, ana the patriotic party ; and a member 
of the CaptTy, fiom -an acaéemical ditpute, 
aCtually refuled his key of the place wh ch 
contained the feal necefiary on thefe occafions, 
The courtly zeai of Farmer, then vice-chan- 
cellor, fupplicd the defect by means of a flecge 
hammer, aud was, in coniequence, foon afte 
rewaided by the then premier, Lord Nort 
with a Prebend-at Canterbury. This has fince 
been exchanged, by Mr. Pitt, for a refidenti- 
aryfhip of St. Paui’s; and as a farther reward 
for his academical influence, a bifhupric is alfo 
{aid to have been offered him, but the folid de- 
‘fights of the pipe and the bottle, in Emaguel 
parlour, outweighed, in his eftimation, ‘the 
(.22..ng tiple. deur of the mitre, His preten- 
Ys 
Deaths. Capt. Burgefs...Rev. Dr. Farmer. 
-formei, be was the determined enem 
35 
fions to literature were confined to the Englith 
drama, and having a ftrong predileétion for old 
Englith writers, he ranked high among the 
eommentaturs upon Shak{pecte... His “¢ Effay 
upon the Learning of Shak{peare,’? dedicated 
to Mr. Cradock, the intellizent refident . of 
Guniley-Hall, in Leicefierthire, has paffed 
through feveral editions. This effay wa¥, in 
faét, the firft foundation of his fame ;*but the 
fame indolence, which prevented him fom 
executing his defign of writing the Hiftory of 
Leicetterfhire *, though announced for {ube 
feriptions, was a. bar to the future exercife’ of 
his jiterary talents. Indolence, and love of 
eafe, were his chicf characteriftics, and: hence 
the want of propriety ins his-extérval-appear- 
ance, and in the ufual forms of behaviour 
belonging to his ftation, » The prevailing feg- 
tures of his character diftingujfhed themfelyes 
by feveral oddities; there were three things, it 
was faid, which the mafter of Emanuel loved 
viz. old port, old clothes, and old books ; ne 
three things which no one could perfuade him 
to perform, viz. to rife in ‘the moming, to c@ 
to bed at night, and to fettle an account 
When in Cambridge, if an old houfe wee pul 
led .down, the mafter of Emanuel] was always 
there, in an eld .blue great coat, and a rig 
hat. When in London, he was. fure-to be 
found in the fame gab, at an cold book-fial} - 
or itanding at the corner of a dirty lane, poring 
through his glafs at an old play bill, The Doce 
tor was no lefs notorious for his violent at. 
tachment to the war with America, than‘ he 
has been to that againft France ; during. the 
y to | 
Jebb—curing the prefent war, he re ae 
confpicuous for his violent effufions againft 
every man whom he choie to call a republican 
and a leveller, He was, in the fulledt fenfe 
of the: word, a Tory, and‘an enemy of every 
plopofition in the univerfity, which had ime 
provement in fludy for its ubje@. With thefe 
fingularit.¢s and blemifhes, Dr. Farmer, not. 
withftanding, poffefled that f{pecies of generos 
fity which refalts rather from: inattention, then 
from a knowledge of the ufe of wealth. As 
he obtained moucy eafily, fo he patted with it 
eafily :—-and to his honour be it fpoken, many 
a perfon in diftrefs has expciienced his libera~ 
lity, and his bounty was frequently beftowed 
in the patronage’ of learned men apd learned 
publications. At the time of his death, he 
was a Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian 
Societies, Mafter of Emanuel college, princi= 
pai Librarian of the public library in the unis 
verity, one of the Canons refidentiary of St, 
Paul's, Chancellor of the diocefe of Lichfel’- 
and Coventry, and Prebendary of Wercefter,] 


* After having printed only four pages, he 
returned the fubfcriptions, and prefented the 
MSS. and plates to Mr. Nicuots, the re- 
{pectable printer of the Gentleman’s Magazine, 
who has fince carried on the Hiltory witha de~ 
grce of {pirit, ability, and induttry, perhaag’ 
unprecedented in this department of literature, 
Noticing 

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