respect approaching to veneration. So long will the mention of it recal to our minds the virtues which graced his life: so long will his memory be blessed.'

6

"If ever a long life, marked by those virtues which adorn and exalt the Christain name; if the greatest suavity and benignity of manner; or, if noble descent and noble demeanour could have saved him from death, we should not now mourn his loss. But no. It is appointed unto man once to die;' and, in virtue of this appointment, this venerable and noble man hath come to his 6 grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in its season.' Every day doth it become us to copy in our lives the character which hath now been placed before us. The more we reflect upon it, the more certain must we feel that this noble personage was alike true to God, whom he devoutly worshipped, and to the practice of that faith, which he sincerely professed: that he exercised Christian charity in the most enlarged acceptation of the term; charity for the wants, and charity for the failings of his neighbours and that he was the true friend of all mankind; in private life showing compassion for the unfortunate, and in public life displaying a lively patriotic interest in the prosperity of our Jerusalem.' Finally, it must appear, that his genuine piety, both unassuming and unassumed, 'his moderation,' his integrity, his kindness and elegance, yet simplicity of manner, are 'known unto all men.'"

By his first lady, already mentioned, Earl Fitzwilliam had an only child, whose birth did not take place until nearly sixteen years after their marriage. Charles William, now Earl Fitzwilliam, has been, whilst Lord Milton, a conspicuous public character as M.P. for Yorkshire, and latterly, for Northamptonshire. He married, in 1806, his cousin, the Hon. Mary Dundas, fourth daughter of Thomas first Lord Dundas; and by that lady, whose unexpected death took place in November, 1830, has the numerous surviving family of four sons and six daughters.

Charlotte Countess Fitzwilliam died on the 13th of May, 1822; and the Earl married, secondly, July 21st, 1823, the

Rt. Hon. Louisa dowager Lady Ponsonby, fourth daughter of Richard third Viscount Molesworth, and widow of William Brabazon first Lord Ponsonby (who was first cousin to the former Countess Fitzwilliam), by whom she had been mother of the present Lord Ponsonby, of Major-Gen. the Hon. Sir William Ponsonby, K.C.B., slain at Waterloo, of the present Bishop of Derry, and of the present Countess Grey. Her Ladyship left the Earl a second time a widower, on the 1st of September, 1824.

Earl Fitzwilliam's sister, Charlotte Lady Dundas, survived him only three days, dying in Arlington Street, on the 11th February. She was his senior by nearly two years, having been born on the 24th of May, 1746. She was married May 24th, 1764, and left a widow June 14th, 1820, having had issue seven sons and seven daughters (including the present Lord Dundas and the late Vicountess Milton).

The materials for the foregoing Memoir have been chiefly derived from the "Public Characters," the "Annual Register," and the "Gentleman's Magazine."

107

No. VIII.

SIR HENRY BLACKWOOD.

VICE-ADMIRAL THE HONOURABLE

SIR HENRY BLACKWOOD,

BART. K. C. B. K. G. H., AND K. ST. F., AND M. GROOM OF THE BEDCHAMBER TO HIS MAJESTY.

THIS Island has mainly owed her greatness to her navy; nor in all the revolutions among kingdoms and empires, that may be destined to take place in time, can we imagine a condition of the world in which her greatness will not still have to be guarded by the same power. It represents the national character in its most formidable attributes, and embodies the national might in the most magnificent impersonation. The British navy - these are words of fear to tyrants, and of succour to slaves. All shores have been shaken by that thunder; and usurpation has felt the crown falling from its forehead,

"As patriot hopes arise, and doubts are dumb,

When bold, in Freedom's cause, the Sons of Ocean come."

In none of those great sea-fights with the intrepid and skilful Hollanders were our fleets vanquished; some were doubtful or drawn battles; in most our flag flew in triumph. Previous to their Great Revolution, the French never could cope with us at sea; ever after it, whether engaging our fleets with their own, or in junction with the Spaniard, they sustained signal and total overthrows. As certain was the same issue in all single combats between ship and ship; and our enemies fought not for the glory of victory, but of resistance against inevitable defeat. The glories even of Hawke and

Rodney were eclipsed by those of Jervis and Nelson; and the dominion of the seas was settled at Aboukir and Trafalgar.

Sir Henry Blackwood was the sixth son of Sir John Blackwood, Baronet, and Baroness Dufferin and Clanboye. At the age of eleven years, in April, 1781, he entered his Majesty's service, under the protection of Captain M'Bride, on board the Artois frigate, and was present at the Dogger Bank action under Admiral Parker, as well as at the capture of the Pylades and the Orestes, two Dutch Sloops of war, by that frigate, after a short action; and, on serving the intermediate years under Captain Montgomery, in the Boreas and the Concord frigates, Hawkins Whitshed in the Rose ditto, and Commodore Corby in the Trusty, of 50 guns, he was promoted from Earl Howe's ship to the rank of Lieutenant, in November 1790. In the ensuing year (1791), he was employed on board the Proserpine frigate, under Captain Curzon : and, on the commencement of hostilities with France in January, 1793*, was

* In the year 1792, or end of 1791, being unemployed, Lieutenant Blackwood went to Angoulême to improve himself in the French language, which he acquired with particular facility, and spoke better than most Englishmen. The beginning of the French Revolution, at that time so interesting to the world at large, too strongly excited his mind to allow him to remain at Angoulême, and he left that place for Paris. He was strongly requested to convey a small book addressed to a family who had emigrated, with a positive assurance it contained neither political matter, nor private correspondence, nor danger to him, but was merely on domestic subjects, or he would not have undertaken to deliver it, knowing how the violence of the revolutionary tribunals raged at this time against the emigrants. On his arrival at Paris, the book, which concealed some letters, was discovered among his effects, when he was seized and immediately taken before the Municipal Council, and then committed to a rigid imprisonment as a bearer of treasonable correspondence, and an agent to convey money to the emigrants. His confinement was one of the most frightful suspense, as the contents of the concealed letters were unknown to him, and he had every reason to dread the utmost vengeance that Jacobin ferocity could inflict. In a few days he was again brought forward, when it was fortunately proved the papers were free from political topics, and he was to be admitted to bail if some person of responsibility would answer for his appearance at the bar of the Convention, to which the business was to be referred. His friends at Angoulême had given him an introduction to a respectable merchant at Paris, where he lodged for a few days in this critical situation. M. Lafitteau, the name of this generous friend, came forward; and, when the court demanded, in stern and threatening terms, who would answer for le Citoyen Blackwood, he arose with great energy, and, putting his

appointed to the active frigate, Captain Nagle, from whence he was removed, in July of the same year, by the particular desire and application of the Hon. Captain Pakenham, to become First Lieutenant of the Invincible, of 74 guns. That good judge of merit had formed a high estimate of Blackwood's abilities; and, in a letter to Admiral Cadwell, he had said, a short time before,-"I have sent your letter to Blackwood. I have only to say, that if your knowledge of him was equal to mine, you would esteem yourself fortunate in having as exact, as attentive, as capable an officer as ever I have met with. Having said so much, I do heartily hope that your arrangements will allot him the most distinguished station among your officers, because I know he will, in such a station, give satisfaction. As our First Lieutenant is indisposed, if Blackwood is not to be your first, let me entreat you to send him to me until ours recovers." As First Lieutenant in the In

hand upon his head, exclaimed,—" With my head I will go bail for Mr. Blackwood; I know him, and he is a man of honour!" The president of the court then angrily replied, — -" Your head be that security-you answer with your life for the accused:" his friend, turning to Sir Henry, said, "Sir, my life is in your hands, but your honour is my protection." The case was represented to several leading members of the Convention, and the day the special report of his arrest was laid before it, he heard with surprise a motion made for his discharge; though one of the most furious of the Jacobins declared, in a speech of great length, that, to his knowledge, the prisoner was a spy - an emissary of a hateful faction- the agent of men France disowned, and of those apostates who were then plotting in the cabinet of tyrants the subversion of liberty and their country: -as an amendment, he should move, that the prisoner be remanded and dealt with according to the law. One of the deputies, who had taken a lively interest in favour of Sir Henry, near whom he was seated in the court, arose, and used such strong arguments in favour of his innocence, and the injustice of criminating a stranger from the assertion of a stranger only, that a vote was passed for his enlargement. When he requested to know of M. Lafitteau, his protector, in what way he could evince his gratitude, he said, only "by sending me a pair of jockey (Anglaises) English leather breeches," which was faithfully done.

A singular coincidence occurred some years afterwards. On returning from Egypt, Sir Henry discovered one of his prisoners of war to be a M. Tallien (or some name near it), who had been taken by one of the English cruisers, the most violent of his Jacobin enemies, who had so loudly called for his condemnation in the Assembly.

Sir Henry was in Paris during the massacre in September, from the 2d to the 6th, 1792, and staid till obliged to fly for his life. He attended the Jacobin Clubs several times with Mr. Huskisson.