180 
hearfe to ie church, by fix of his old fer- 
vants, eech of whom had been more than 
thirty years in his fervice. 
[Sir Robert Chambers, knt. (whofe death was 
announced in our laf} Number but one), ieveral years 
Chief Juftice of the Supreme Court of fudi- 
cature in Ber gal, was born in the year 1737, 
at Newcaftle-upon-Tyne, being the eldeft 
fon of Mr. Robert Chambers, a refpectable 
attorney of that town. He was educated at 
the fchool of Mr. Moffes in Newcaftie, 
which had alfo the honour of training his: 
younger friends, Sir William Scott, and the 
prefent Lord Chancellor; whofe attachment 
to him, thus commenced almof in infancy, 
continued with much increafe, to the very 
end of his life. 
Scotts afterwards, were fent to Oxford with- 
out any other preparation than was afforded 
by the fchool at Newcaftle. He went at an 
early age, but his abilities foon rendered him 
confpicuous ; andin July 1764 he waschofen 
an exhibitioner of Linco!n-college. He af- 
terwards became a Fellow of Univerfity-col- 
lege, where he was again affociated with the 
Scotts, and with other eminent characters, 
among whom it may iuffice to mention Mr, 
Plumer, now King’s counfel, and the late 
Sir William Jones. In January 1762 Mr. 
Chambers was elefted, by the Univerfity, 
Vinerian Profeffor of the Laws of England ; 
a public teftimony to his abilities, of fe 
moft unequivocal nature. In 1766, the Earl 
of Lichticld, then Chancellor oe Oxford, 
gave him the appointment of Principal: Py, 
New Inn Hall; which office, as it required 
no refidence or attendance, he continued to 
hold through life. He was now advancing 
honourably in the praGtice of the law, and 
was employed in many remarkable caufes, 
in which his profefiional abilities were con~- 
fpicuoufly evinced. About the fame. period 
he attracted the notice and friendihip of fe- 
veral of the ableft men of the time, of whofe 
names not a few have fince been abforbed in 
titles of nobility. We may mention the 
Earls of Bathurft, Mansfield, Liverpool, and. 
Rofsiyn, Lords Afhburton, Thurlow, Auck- 
Jand, and Alvanley; to whicly lift we may 
add the names of Jchnfon, Burke,* Gold- 
fmith, Garrick, and others of a mifcellancous 
clafs. At Oxford alfo he enjoyed the inti- 
macy of Thurlow, afterwards Bifhop of 
Durham: and his Vinerian Leétures were 
attended by many pupils, who have fince 
done honour to the profeffion of the law, or 
to public fituations. It is a ftrong proof 
that his talents were highly eftimated at an 
early period, that in 1763 he was offered the 
@ppoiniment of Ando -general i in Jamaica 5 
this however, from various confiderations, 
he thought proper to deeline. His age was 
then only 31. From this time he continued 
in the career of his profefhion, and of his 
academical labours, till, in 1773, another 
fitwation of public truft was propofed to him, 
Account of the late Sur Robert Chambers. 
Mr. Chambers, and the. 
cs ept. YT; 
Brew he was more eafily induced to accepts. 
This was the appointment of Second Judge 
in the Supreme Court of Judicature in Ben- 
gal, ther firft eftablifhed ; Mr. Impey, after- 
wards Sir Elijah, being Chief Jutice On 
this occafion, -he aden and regard of the 
Univerfity of Oxford for their Vinerian Pro- 
feffor was fully evinced; the Convocation 
allowing three years for the chance of his 
return, from ill health or any other ecaufey. 
during which interval his office was held for. 
him, and his le€tures read by a deputy. Im 
India Mr. Chambers had a younger brother, 
Mr. W5lliam Chambers, afterwards highly 
diftinguifhed for his urrivalied knowledge of 
the Malabar language, and other dialeéts of 
Hindooftan; and the profpeé&t ef being re- 
united to this relation certainly was not. fore 
goiten among the attractions of this new of« 
fer. Immediately before his departure fox 
the Eaft Indies, Mr. Chambers married Mifs 
Wilton, the:only daughter of the celebrated 
and now venerable ftatuary of that ndmes 
and his mother, Mrs. Chambers, a woman of 
uncommon virtues and accomplifhments, un+ 
dertuok the. veyage with them, and conti- 
nued an inmate in their family till her death, 
which happened in 1782. Tey failed for 
India in April 1774, and, the climate not 
proving uafriendly, the Vinerian profeffor- 
fhip was in dué time refigned. The honour 
of knighthood was not conferred at the time 
of his appointment, but, within four years 
after, was fent out to him, whfolicited, as a 
mark of royal approbation. How well his 
original nomination, and his fubfequent ‘ad- 
vancement to the office of Chief Juftice, were: 
deferved, it is not neceffary here to demon- 
ftrate. They who aéted with him, or were _ 
prefent in any arduous difcuffions, can bear 
witnefs how often his mild but convincing 
gen ke Bay contributed effentially to the pub- 
lic fervice. Without taking any violent 
part in the contentions cof politics, Sir R. 
Chambers was fteady. in purfuing the courfe 
which his judgment approved; and, in all 
the ftruggles that arofe,. no opponent ever 
ventured to infiiuate a doubt of his integrity. 
The unfortunate lofs of the Grofvenor Eaft 
Indiaman, in the year 1782, is but too well: 
remembered by many families. In this. pub- 
lic calamity, the private fhare of Sir R. Cham- 
bers was difproportionately heavy. He loft 
his eldeft fon, a promifing youth, then going 
to England ae education 3, and the uncertain: 
circumftances.of the cafe left to imagination. 
the moft dreadful materials for conjeéture.. 
In this fituation the firm and truly Chriftian 
piety of Sir Robert afforded a great’ exam- 
ple, and he appeared a worthy fon of that. 
excellent national church, which, on fome 
occafions, he had ftrenuoutly defended white 
he was an advocate, On the refignation of 
Sis. Eu Impey, i in 1791, Sir R. Chambers was 
advanced to the’ office of Chief Juftice; and 
in 1797 he became Prefident of the Afiatic 
Society. 
