He continued at Christ's College till 1723, when he took a house in Cambridge, and married a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Dickons, Rector of Boxworth, in Cambridgeshire; by whom he had a son and a daughter. In 1728, when King George the first honored the University with a visit, he wished to see so extraordinary a person, and Mr Saunderson waited on His Majesty in the Senate House, when, by the royal favor, he was created Doctor of Laws. Mr. Saunderson had much wit and vivacity in conversation, and was an excellent companion. He had a great regard to truth, and was such an enemy to disguise, that he believed it his duty to speak his thoughts at all times with unrestrained freedom; hence his sentiments on men and manners, friendship or disregard, were ever expressed without reserve; but this since rity raised him many enemies. He, at first, acquired most of his ideas by the sense of feeling; and this he enjoyed in great perfection. Yet he could not distinguish colours by that sense, as some are said to do; for, after many repeated trials, he found it was pretending to impossibilities. He could with the greatest nicety observe the least degree of roughness, or defect of polish on a surface. In a set of Roman Medals he distinguished the genuine from the false, though counterfeited with such exactness, as to deceive a connoisseur, who had judged by the eye. By the sense of feeling, he discovered the least change in the atmosphere, and he has been seen, (when observations have been making on the sun), to take notice of every cloud that intercepted the view, almost as justly as they who could see it. He could tell when any thing was held near him, or when he passed by a tree at no great distance, if the air was calm, merely by the different impulses of the air on his face: his ear was equally exact, he could readily distinguish the fifth part of a note. By the quickness of this sense he could judge of the size of a room, and of his distance from the wall, and if even he walked over a pavement in courts or piazzas, which reflected a sound, and if afterwards conducted thither again, he could exactly tell in what part of the walk he stood, merely by the note it sounded. He had naturally a strong healthy constitution, but too sedulous a life, brought on, at length, a numbness in his limbs, which at last, ended ir a mortification of one of his feet, of which he died April 19th, 1739; and next year was published, by subscription, his Elements of Algebra, in two vols. 4to. which he had left perfect, and transcribed for the press. His Treatise on Fluxions, in one vol. 8vo. was also printed after his death. EMINENT LIVING CHARACTERS. b.་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་་ Rev. Wm. Bingley, A. M. F. L. S. Mr. BINGLEY is a native of Doncaster, where he was born, at the latter and of the year 1773. His father was a Member of the Corporation, but dying when his son was very young, the subject of our notice was placed under the protection and guardianship, of Joseph Johnson, Esq. of Gothorpe, to whom he is, probably, a good deal indebted, for the early opportunity of developing those talents, which add a lustre to himself, and reflect honor on the place of his nativity. After completing his education, at the Grammar School of Doncaster, he was, in 1795, entered by his guardian, as a student of St. Peter's College, Cambridge. While an undergraduate, he made two excursions in Wales; and his observations on that principality, furnished him with matter for a publication, which brought his talents first under the inspection of the public. He left Cambridge after he became Master of Arts, and was soon afterwards chosen a Fellow of the Linnæan Society. At present, he appears to be a regident at Christchurch, in Hampshire, and to be still engaged in enriching the literary stores of his country, by the valuable productions of his classical pen. Mr. Bingley's publications are as follow: 1. A Tour in North Wales, in the summer of 1798, 2 vols. 8vo. 1800. 2. Animal Biography; or Anecdotes of the Lives, Manners, and Economy of the Animal Creation, 3 vols. 8vo. 1802. A fourth edition, published in 1813. 3. Economy of a Christian Life, 2 vols. 12mo. 1808. 4. Memoirs of British Quadrupeds, 1 vol. 8vo. 1809. 5. Biographical Dictionary of the Musical Composers of the three last Centuries, 2 vols. 8vo. 1813. 6. Animated Nature, or Elements of the Natural History of Animals, 8vo. 1814. Mr Bingley is also the Editor of the "Correspondence between the Countesses of Pomfret and Hereford," and has either lately published, or is preparing for publication, a "History of Hampshire ;" for which, he has met with very powerful support and patronage. ABOUT the year 1704, one Jonathan Savil, who had robbed the Doctor's Country houee, lay under sentence of death for a similar offence. In this dreadful situation, he formed the resolution of writing to the Doctor, who received the letter from the criminal, while in company with a party of nobility and gentry, at the Mitre Tavern, in Fleet-street. The letter specified the injury done, expressing great shame for it, and withal intreating for pardon and intercession, with strong promises of restitution, should it ever be in his power. The company were amazed on hearing the contents of the letter, and expected something witty from the person it was addressed to. On the contrary, the Doctor very seriously bid the messenger to call at his house for an answer in two days. Then taking Lord Grenville into another room, he declared, that the letter he had received, had given him great satisfaction, in clearing an innocent man from his suspicion; aud that he must become a petitioner to his Lordship, to use his interest with the Queen in the criminal's behalf. The application was successful; a reprieve was granted, and the culprit was transported to Virginia. The Doctor's humanity did not stop here; he gave him letters to the Governor; and Savil, who was alive in the year 1715, in flourishing circumstances, had actually made the Ductor restitation of £150, the computed amount of the loss. Sheffield, 1817. Original Poetry. To the Editors of the Northern Star. O would some gentle Muse descend, Would now a helping hand extend, The gentle spirit of the Nine, In numbers soft and sweet; Would eloquence in train attend, Congenial spirits kindly join; What sweet effusions then should blend! These pleasing charms should then inspire, Should animate this simple lyre, T'express the wish I feel. Pure virtue's cause may you defend, Her injur'd rights confess; Her wauts, in turns, may you befriend, May prudence be your faithful guide, Her counsels you direct; And smoothly forward may you glide; And innocence protect. Exert your influence in the STAR, Send forth a ray of light; Its radiance then may beam afar, Success may your endeavours crown, All peaceful pleasure give; Your work for ages live! ÍDYLA. TROUBADOUR's SONG. About the time of Richard the First, the southern provinces of France abounded with an itinerant order of Musicians, something similar to the Improvisitori of Italy, or the Minstrels of England, who travelled from house to house, singing their extemporary productions, and entertaining the nobility of the time, with the recital of some great action per formed by their ancestors, or the representation of some national event, in a manner which has since been clumsily imitated by our Christmas mummers. The Troubadours generally travelled in companies, and like the bards, were always welcome at every table, where their songs and their music beguiled away the heavy hours of the family of a feudal Chief tain. The following seems to contain the spirit of their profession :-- Though tempests rift the rugged rock, Though rains descend, and whirlwinde roar, Along the sky, We still can find some friendly door, Where safe from harm, We hear the storm: The merry strolling Troubadour ! May you, my Lord, &c. ་་ཚ་་་་་་་་་་.•。 SPEECH OF THE MOUNTAIN SPIRIT. (From Lord Byron's new Poem of Manfred.) "Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains, They crowned him long ago, On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, Around his waist, are forests brac❜d, The avalanche in his hand; Or with its ice delay. I am the Spirit of the place, Could make the mountain bow; And quiver to its caverned base And what with me would'st Thou?" A. G. J. SONNET. LAND of my birth! to thee again I'll flee, Where roars the cat'ract o'er the rugged steep, Thus shall my years serenely roll along, Blest with content and unalloyed with care; |