tached to his own notions and his own party-looking with infinite disdain upon all who hold opinions incompatible with his-and disposed to allow no merit to any character that is not marked by the same device which he himself has assumed. We may allow something for the fictitious character under which the author wrote; but we never can be satisfied that a man of gentle habits, and of a forbearing mind, could by any management have assumed the appearance of the temper which these Letters disclose. On this subject we shall permit Sir Philip to speak for himself. In reference to his quarrel with Mr Hastings, he observes, 'We are both, I believe, men of a temper too warm to be capable of lasting resentments.' In a speech delivered by him on another occasion, he observes, that it was his purpose on this occasion to say "things strong, severe, and personal;" and if he should be thought to exceed the bounds of moderation, he desired it might not be imputed to a hasty impatience of temper, to which he was supposed to be more subject than other men; for he said them coolly and deliberately, and after having maturely reflected on their cause and on their consequences.' Again, when he was accused of placing himself on an equality with the lawyers in matters of legal opinion, he rebuts the charge in the following manner :- Much has been said of my character, much of my temper. I have, by one learned gentleman, not now present, (the master of the rolls,) been accused of comparing myself with him and with others of his profession. Such a comparison I never presumed to make. Arrogance is one thing, passion is another. Passion I have ever conceived to be an honest, open, and manly emotion of the mind; arrogance, on the contrary, I take to be a cold, deliberate, thoughtful thing. I may have made use of warm or passionate language, perhaps, but I was never guilty of the presumption and arrogance which have been imputed to me.'

"To all these arguments," continues this essayist, "it may be added that Sir Philip, during almost the whole of his long life, continued that plan of writing by which, as Junius, he is so well known. Scarcely any public event of moment occurred without drawing from him a letter or short pamphlet; and the fact seems to be, that, invisible as Junius has long been supposed to have been, he has yet, till within the last four years, been almost regularly addressing the public. At first it may seem wonderful, that while all the youth of Britain are early taught to admire and to study the writings of this author, he should have so long existed, as a living writer, without being detected. But a little reflection will abate our wonder; for it is to be remarked, in the first place, that Sir Philip was withdrawn from this country to the government of India almost immediately after the publication of the Letters of Junius -that he was thus lost to the public eye during a series of years, and at the very time when a desire to find out the author of the Letters was most intense that his youth prevented him from being at all suspected -and that when he returned to this country, it was in circumstances of disappointment and disgrace. In the second place, it ought to be remarked, that the subjects upon which Sir Philip, after his return, employed his pen, were not of a kind to draw the attention of men of all ranks. When he wrote as Junius, he attacked the ministry in general-the premier in particular-great lords and dukes personally-the king himself and both houses of parliament-and the public attention

was drawn to his writings by the circumstance of Sir William Draper and other opponents having endeavoured to combat his reasonings. But when he continued his lucubrations in his own name, it was either the affairs of India on which he wrote, or some other of the particular measures of government, without the introduction of personalities. His dissertations were, therefore, read by but a few; and personal abuse being out of the question when the author appeared in his own character, there was not the same opportunity for the introduction of that sarcasm which forms so remarkable a feature of the Letters of Junius. To all these considerations it is to be added, that the style of Junius is not of that obvious kind which strikes a superficial or hasty reader. Johnson would infallibly have been recognised under whatever name he had written, and even Burke could not long have lain concealed; but the style of Junius requires to be more carefully weighed; and when it appeared as the production of Sir Philip Francis, it is not to be wondered that it should not have been recognised, coming, as it then did, from a person to whom no suspicion of his being Junius had ever attached."

Notwithstanding all this weight of evidence, however, Sir Philip maintained his denial of the authorship of these Letters' to the last. In a note to the editor of the Monthly Magazine,' on the subject of Busby's pamphlet, of which a review was about to appear in that periodical, Sir Philip said, "whether you will assist in giving currency to a silly malignant falsehood, is a question for your own discretion." So lately as December, 1817, he positively denied that he was the author of the letters in question; and in a conversation with a friend, at a period when an avowal of having written them would not have been attended with the least danger, he stated, that he had denied being Junius until he was weary, and would answer no more ouestions on the subject.

John Palmer.

BORN A. D. 1742.-DIED A. D. 1818.

GREAT BRITAIN is chiefly indebted to the subject of this hasty and imperfect notice for that admirable system of mails by which communication is kept up with such rapidity and unerring accuracy between every part of the three kingdoms. John Palmer was born at Bath in the year 1742. His father was a brewer in that city, and wished him to follow his own humble but lucrative profession. John, however, had more ambitious ideas in his head; and persuaded his father to hand over to him the entire management of the Bath theatre, of which he had become, by some unexpected turn of fortune, the principal proprietor. In the sphere of manager he succeeded beyond even his own expectations, and the Bath stage, under the guidance of a young man scarcely out of his teens, became the cradle of dramatic genius. He soon after extended his efforts to Bristol, and raised the provincial stage there to a respectable eminence.

In 1782 Mr Palmer presented a memorial to the lords of the treasury, in which he pointed out various improvements of which he deemed

the post-office arrangements susceptible. The minister of the day was favourable to his proposals, and the scheme, so far as it was put in operation, succeeded beyond even what its projector had anticipated from it. On the 5th of May, 1785, we find Mr Palmer addressing the premier in a letter of which the following is an extract: "The success of the plan, Sir, I believe, has exceeded both yours and the public's expectation. I am sure it has my own in some points, though not in others, but has not fallen short in one. A circumstance, I believe, almost as new to administration in the various plans that are submitted to them, as a popular tax, which the post-tax really is, where the accommodation has been given with it. It incurred no new expense, or inconvenience in the old establishment, even in the trial, but what was

occasioned by the opposition from the general office. It conveys the mails in half the time they used to be, and guarded under regulations that will in a great measure enforce themselves; and where it has been carried into execution, has immediately occasioned an increase of revenue to the post-office. It having been proved, that it is scarce possible for greater neglect or abuses to prevail than in the conduct of the old post; that in consequence of it, a great share of the correspondence was carried on by coaches, to the detriment of the post revenue; that the new tax, coupled with the old plan, would have increased such defalcation, which, by the statements given in to the treasury, comparing the great improvement in the revenue from the tax upon the new opposed to the old establishment, has been very fully proved. It was promised in the plan to give the improved expedition and security to the great roads from London, and some of the cross roads, for the payment of threepence per mile, the allowance for guards, and the exemption from turnpike tolls. The contracts are now made for the greater part of the kingdom for the allowance of guards and the exemption from turnpike tolls only. Likewise, for all the cross posts, six times a-week, instead of three, so as to make those posts as regular and perfect as the general one. This accommodation will be given to the public, and the arrival and departure of the mails all over the country will now be regular, expeditious, and safe, on plain, certain, and simple principles, instead of the reverse. It will not only save many thousands a-year, in the expense of the riding work, &c., but in consequence of the superior mode of conveyance to any other, add greatly to the revenue, by the increase of correspondence through the post-office. In the progress of the business, I have had every possible opposition from the office; I have neither spared trouble nor expense to inform myself in every department of it, so that I may carry my plan completely into execution, and defeat their repeated attempts to ruin it. I have been perfectly open, and kept no one secret from government, or desired one shilling advantage from any contract, but acted in every respect to the best of my judgment for the benefit of the public; nor can I gain the least advantage from my agreement till I have completed the plan over the whole kingdom, as my per centage from the increased revenue by the tax, without the accommodation, will not pay the very great expenses I am obliged to incur in the establishing it."

Mr Palmer was now appointed surveyor and comptroller-general of the post-office. In this situation he had to encounter the determined hostility of Lord Walsingham, the post-master-general, and all his sub

ordinates; and even the government appeared unwilling to fulfil its original engagement with him. "On this" says the writer of the notice of his life in the Annual Obituary,' vol. iv.—" in 1797, Mr Palmer applied, by petition, to the house of commons, and a committee was nominated to report on the causes of his suspension, and also on the nature of his agreement. Mr Pierrepoint, in a very able speech, pointed out the merits and success of Mr Palmer's plan, which was attended with this peculiarity, that in case of failure, he was to receive no pecuniary indemnification, and no reimbursement for his expenses. During the forty years preceding his intervention, notwithstanding the great increase of trade and manufactures, the nett revenue of the post-office had experienced no increase whatever, except what was necessarily derived by the enhancement of the rate of postage, and restriction of franks; on the contrary, indeed, taking an average of the nine years preceding the new plan, it had actually experienced a decrease of £13,198 13s. per annum. After the first gleam of success, the projector was obliged to submit to a new agreement, by which he lost £750 per annum, but this was to be followed by every possible facility in the furtherance of his ultimate designs. And yet, the commissioners appointed by the house of commons to inquire into this very subject, reported, that Mr Palmer had experienced 'opposition from the oldest and ablest officers in the service, who represented his plan not only to be impracticable, but dangerous to commerce and the revenue;' and it was nevertheless added, that he has exceeded the expectations which he held forth in his first proposal, both with regard to despatch and expense.' They further state, that the country has derived great advantage by the new scheme; while the post-office revenue had increased, since 1783, to the amount of nearly half a million! Mr Sheridan, on this occasion, supported the pretensions of the claimant in a very brilliant speech; in the course of which he expressed himself as follows: None but an enthusiast could have imagined or formed such a plan; none but an enthusiast could have made such an agreement; none but an enthusiast could have carried it into execution: and I am confident,' adds he, that no man in this country, or any other, could have performed such an undertaking, but that very individual John Palmer.' Dr Lawrence also observed, in the course of a very energetic harangue, which, like the former, proved ineffectual, That it was to be apprehended, from what he had heard and what he knew, that men of talents, who might hereafter be willing to employ their genius and their industry in the service of the public, would discover, that Mr Palmer had one fault greater than any which had been pressed against him. This was the fault of an over-hasty and improvident zeal, to do, without regard to his own interests, whatever good it was in his power to achieve for his country.' Nor ought it to be here omitted, that the joint postmasters-general, with whom he had many disputes and contentions, on being required to deliver their opinion as to his motives, readily exhibited the most ample testimony on behalf of his character and integrity. At length Mr Palmer, after an interval of some years, determined, undismayed by his former defeat, to apply once more to parliament for redress; and it must be allowed, that he never displayed greater perseverance and abilities than upon this occasion. He had taken care to make his pretensions known from one end of the kingdom

His

to another; he canvassed almost every member of parliament, either by himself or others, and as his cause was good, and his friends full of enthusiasm, the best founded hopes were entertained of success. eldest son, Major (now Lieutenant-colonel) Palmer, who had succeeded him as M. P. for Bath, was intrusted with the management of this delicate and interesting business. Accordingly, on May 12th, 1808, in a committee of the whole house, after a short introductory speech, it was moved by him, That this house is of opinion, that Mr Palmer is entitled to £2 10s. per cent. on the nett revenue of the post-office, exceeding the sum of £240,000, to be paid up from the 5th of April, 1793, and during his life, according to the provisions of his appointment of 1789; deducting the sum of £3000 a-year, received subsequently to the 5th of April, 1793.' This proposition was opposed by Messrs Long and Rose, the chancellor of the exchequer, and the attorney-general; but supported by Lord Henry Petty, Sir Francis Burdett, Mr Windham, &c.; and, after a long debate, carried against ministers by a majority of 86. In a committee of supply, leave was soon after given to bring in a bill to secure to the subject of this memoir the benefits of the late vote; and it was soon after moved and carried, that a sum not exceeding £54,702 Os. 7d. be granted to his majesty, to be paid to John Palmer, Esq., being the balance of the per centage due to him on the nett revenue of the post-office, from the 5th of April, 1793, to the 5th of January, 1808. "

Mr Palmer died in 1818. A higher eulogium cannot possibly be paid than what occurs in the minutes of the evidence of Mr Francis Freeling, who now so worthily presides over the post-office department: "I always conceived I was best serving the interests of the public, by following the plans laid down by Mr Palmer."

Sir Richard Musgrave.

BORN A. D. 1757.-DIED A.D. 1818..

THE Musgraves are of English, or rather Norman descent, but a branch of them early settled in Ireland, of whom the subject of the present notice was descended. We find Mr Musgrave in early life an active member of the Irish parliament, in which he uniformly supported government. His exertions were rewarded by an appointment to a very lucrative office, the collectorship of the Dublin city excise, and with a title. On the 2d of December, 1782, he was created a baronet by the style and title of Sir Richard Musgrave of Lismore in the county of Wexford. While sheriff of his county he evinced great vigour and determination in following up the plans of government and enforcing a strict execution of the laws. There is a strange story told of his having on one occasion actually officiated as hangman when no one could be found to undertake the odious office! On the breaking out of the Irish rebellion, Sir Richard's zeal outstripped his prudence, and the government was obliged to disclaim him on account of the obnoxious sentiments which he introduced into his 'Memoirs of the Rebellion,' at the very moment when the English ministry were putting forth all their energies to promote a union betwixt the two countries. Sir Richard. died in 1818.