The detail of the merits of fuch a man cannot be uninterefting, either to the profeffion he adorned, or the country which he ferved; and the remembrance of his virtues must be pleasing to those who were honoured with his esteem. As every hour, and every fituation of his life, afforded fresh opportunities for the exercise of fuch virtues, they were best known to those who faw him moft; but, however ftrong and perfect their impreffion, they can be but inadequately defcribed by one who long enjoyed the happiness of his friendship, and advantage of his example, and muft ever lament the privation of his fociety.

He engaged in the fea fervice before he was ten years old. The quicknefs of his parts, the decifion of his temper, the excellence of his understanding, the activity of his mind, the eagernefs of his ambition, his indefatigable induftry, his unremitting diligence, his correct and extenfive memory, his ready and accurate judgment, the promptitude, clearnefs, and arrangement with which his ideas were formed, and the happy perfpicuity with which they were expreffed, were advantages peculiar to himfelf. His early education under Captain William Hervey and Admiral Byng (two of the beft officers of their time), with his conftant employment in actual fervice, from his firft going to fea till the clofe of the last war, had furnished ample matter for experience, from which his penetrating genius and juft obfervation had deduced that extenfive and fyftematic knowledge of minute circumâances and important principles which is neceffary to form an

expert feaman and a fhining officer. With the moft confummate profeffional fkill, he poffeffed the molt perfect courage that ever fortified a heart, or brightened a character; he loved enterprize, he was cool in danger, collected in diftrefs, decided in difficulties, ready and judicious in his expedients, and perfevering in his determinations; his orders, in the most critical fituations, and for the moft various objects, were delivered with a firmness and precifion which spake a confidence in their propriety, and facility in their execution; that enfured a prompt and fuccessful obedience in thofe to whom they were addreffed.

Such was his character as an officer, which made him deservedly confpicuous in a profeffion, as ho nourable to the individual, as im. portant to the publick. Nor was he without thofe qualifications and abilities which could give full weight to the fituation in which his rank and connections had placed him in civil life. His early entrance into his profeffion had indeed deprived him of the advantages of a claffical education. This defect was, however, more than balanced by the lefs ornamental, but more folid, inftruction of the fchool he ftudied in. As a member of parliament, he was an eloquent, though not a corre&t fpeaker; thofe who differed from him in politicks confeffed the extent of his knowledge, the variety of his information, and the force of his reasoning, at the fame time that they admired the ingenuity with which he applied them to the fupport of his opinions.

Не

He was not more eminent for thofe talents by which a country is ferved, than diftinguished by thofe qualities which render a man ufeful, refpected, efteemed, and beloved in fociety. In the general intercourfe of the world, he was an accomplished gentleman and an agreeable companion; his manners were noble as his birth, and engaging as his difpofition; he was humane, benevolent, compaffionate, and generous: his humanity was confpicuous in his profeffion; when exercifed towards the feamen, the fenfibility and attention of a commander they adored, was the most flattering relief that could be afforded to the fufferings or diftreffes of thofe who ferved with him; when exerted towards her enemies, it did honour to his country, by exemplifying, in the most ftriking manner, that generofity which is the peculiar characteristic, and most diftinguished virtue, of a brave, free, and enlightened people. In other fituations, his liberality was extenfive without oftentation, and generally bestowed where it would be moft felt and leaft feen, upon modeft merit and filent diftrefs. His friendships were warm and permanent beyond the grave, extending their influence to thofe who fhared the affections, or enjoyed the patronage of their ob, jects. His refentment was open, and his forgiveness fincere. It was the effect, perhaps the weaknefs, of an exalted mind, that with him an injury which he had forgiven was as ftrong a claim to his protection as a favour received could be to his gratitude.

This bright picture is not without its fhades; he had faults; the

impetuofity of his nature, and the eagerness with which he pursued his objects, carried him, fometimes, lengths not juftifiable; and the high opinion he justly entertained of his own parts made him too eafily the dupe and prey of interefted and defigning perfons, whom his cooler judgment would have detefted and defpifed, had they not had cunning enough to difcover and flatter his vanity, and fufficient art to avail themselves of abilities which they did not poffefs. But let it be remembered, that his failings were thofe of a warm temper and unguarded difpofition; his virtues those of an heart formed for every thing a miable in private, every thing great in public life.

Extracts from Dr. Foart Sim

mons's Account of the Life and Writings of the late Dr. William Hunter.

W!

ILLIAM Hunter was born

on the 23d of May, 1718, at Kilbride, in the county of La nerk. He was the feventh of ten children of John and Agnes Hunter, who refided on a small estate. in that parish, called Long Calderwood, which had long been in the poffeffion of his family. His great-grandfather, by his father's fide, was a younger fon of Hunter of Hunterston, chief of the family of that name.

At the age of fourteen his father fent him to the college of Glafgow. In this feminary he paffed five years, and by his prudent behaviour and diligence acquired the esteem of the profef

fors,

fors, and the reputation of being a good scholar.

His father had defigned him for the church; but the idea of fubfcribing to articles of faith, was fo repugnant to the liberal mode of thinking he had already adopted, that he felt an infuperable averfion to his theological purfuits. In this flate of mind he happened to become acquainted with Dr. Cullen, the prefent celebrated profeffor at Edinburgh, who was then juft established in practice at Hamilton, under the patronage of the Duke of Hamilton. Dr. Cullen's converfation foon determined him to lay afide all thoughts of the church, and to devote himself to the profeffion of phyfic.

His father's confent having been previously obtained, Mr. Hunter, in 1737, went to refide with Dr. Cullen. In the family of this excellent friend and preceptor he paffed nearly three years, and thefe, as he has been often heard to acknowlege, were the happieft years of his life. It was then agreed, that he fhould go and profecute his medical ftudies at Edinburgh and London, and afterwards return to fettle at Hamilton, in partnership with Dr. Cullen.

Speaking to me of the manners and difpofition of his friend at this period, Dr. Cullen obferved, that his converfation was remarkably lively and agreeable, and his whole conduct at the fame time more ftrictly and fteadily correct than that of any other young perfon he had ever known. The fame chearfulness and the fame regard for prudence accompanied him through life.

He fet out for Edinburgh in No

vember, 1740, and continued there till the following fpring, attending the lectures of the medical profeffors, and amongst others those of the late Dr. Alexander Monro, who many years afterwards, in allufion to this circumftance, ftyled himself his old mafter.

Mr. Hunter arrived in London

in the fummer of 1741, and took up his refidence at Mr. afterwards Dr. Smellie's, who was at that time an apothecary in Pall Mall. He brought with him a letter of recommendation to his countryman Dr. James Douglas, from Mr. Foulis, printer at Glafgow, who had been useful to the doctor in collecting for him different editiens of Horace. Dr. Douglas was then intent on a great anatomical work on the bones, which he did not live to complete, and was looking out for a young man of abilities and induftry whom he might employ as a diffector. This induced him to pay particular attention to Mr. Hunter, and finding him acute and fenfible, he defired him to make him another vifit. A fecond converfation confirmed the doctor in the good opinion he had formed of Mr. Hunter, and without any farther hefitation he invited him into his family to affift in his diffections, and to fuperintend the education of his fon.

Mr. Hunter having accepted Dr. Douglas's invitation, was by his friendly affiftance enabled to enter himself as a furgeon's pupil at St. George's Hofpital, under Mr. James Wilkie, and as a diffecting pupil under Dr. Frank Nichols, who at that time taught anatomy with confiderable reputation, He likewife attended a

courfe

ourfe of lectures on experimental philofophy by Dr. Defaguliers. Of thefe means of improve. ment he did not fail to make a proper ufe. He foon became expert in diffection, and Dr. Douglas was at the expence of having feveral of his preparations engraved. But before many months had elapfed, he had the misfortune to lofe this excellent friend.

The death of Dr. Douglas made no change of his fituation. He continued to refide with the doctor's family, and to purfue his ftudies with the fame diligence as before.

In 1743, he communicated to the Royal Society an effay on the Structure and Difeafes of articulating Cartilages. This ingenious paper, on a fubject which till then had not been fufficiently investigated, affords a ftriking teftimony of the rapid progrefs he had made in his anatomical inquiries.

As he had it in contemplation to teach anatomy, his attention was directed principally to this object; and it deferves to be mentioned as an additional mark of his prudence, that he did not precipitately engage in this attempt, but paffed feveral years in acquiring fuch a degree of knowledge, and fuch a collection of preparations as might infure him fuccefs.

Dr. Nichols, to whom he communicated his fcheme, and who declined giving lectures about that time in favour of the late Dr. Lawrence, did not give him much encouragement to profecute it. But at length an opportunity prefented itself for the difplay of his abilities as a teacher.

A fociety of navy furgeons had

an apartment in Covent Garden, where they engaged the late Mr.. Samuel Sharpe to deliver a courfe of lectures on the operations of furgery. Mr. Sharpe continued to repeat this courfe, till finding that it interfered too much with his other engagements, he declined the task in favour of Mr. Hunter, who gave the fociety fo much fatisfaction, that they requefted him to extend his plan to anatomy, and at first he had the ufe of their room for his lectures. This happened in the winter of 1746.

He is faid to have experienced much folicitude when he began to fpeak in public, but the applaufe he met with foon inspired him with courage; and by degrees he became fo fond of teaching, that for many years before his death he was never happier than when employed in delivering a lecture.

The profits of his two first courfes were confiderable; but by contributing to the wants of different friends, he found himself at the return of the next feafon obliged to defer his lectures for a fortnight, merely because he had not money enough to defray the neceffary expence of advertisements.

In 1747, he was admitted a member of the corporation of furgcons, and in the fpring of the following year, foon after the close of his lectures, he fet out in company with his pupil, Mr. James Douglas, on a tour through Holland to Paris.

His lectures fuffered no interruption by this journey, as he returned to England foon enough to prepare for his winter courfe, which began about the ufual time.

At

At first he practifed both furgery and midwifery, but to the former of thefe he had always an averfion. His patron, Dr. James Douglas, had acquired confiderable reputation in midwifery, and this probably induced Mr. Hunter to direct his views chiefly to the fame line of practice. His being elected one of the furgeon menmidwives first to the Middlefex, and foon afterwards to the British Lying-in Hofpital, affifted in bringing him forward in this branch of his profeffion, in which he was recommended by feveral of the most eminent furgeons of that time, who refpected his anatomical talents, and wished to encourage him,

But these were not the only circumftances that contributed to his fuccefs. He owed much to his abilities, and much to his perfon and manner, which eminently qualified him for the practice of midwifery.

In 1750, he feems to have entirely relinquished his views in furgery, as in that year he obtained the degree of doctor of phyfic from the univerfity of Glasgow, and began to practife as a phyfician. About this time he quitted the family of Mrs. Douglas, and went to refide in Jermyn-street.

In the fummer of 1751 he reyifited his native country, for which he always retained a cordial affection."

Dr. Layard, one of the phyficians of the British Lying-in Hofpital, we find the governors of that inftitution voting their "thanks to Dr. Hunter for the fervices he had done the hofpital, and for his continuing in it as one of the phyficians;" fo that he feems to have been established in this office without the ufual form of an election, The year following he was admitted a licentiate of the royal college of phyficians, and foon afterwards was elected a member of the medical fociety. His history of an Aneurifm of the Aorta appears in the first volume of their Obfervations and Inquiries publifhed in 1757.

His other papers in the second volume are, 1. An account of a diseased Tibia, which fhews that a callus will fupply the place of a bone, and preferve the length and firmnefs of a limb, when the greateft part of the original bone is become ufelefs, or thrown out by exfoliation; and, 2. Remarks on the Symphyfis of the Offa Pubis, which he defcribes as a compofition of two cartilages and a ligament, fomewhat like the connecting fubftance between the bodies of the vertebræ.

In the fourth volume he relates a cafe, which served to confirm his own and M, de Haller's theory concerning the infenfibility of tendons; and in that and the fifth volumes he communicated his Obfervations on the Retroverted Uterus. This disease, although it had been mentioned by M. Gregoire in his lectures at Paris, and M. Peyrlhe, the learned author of a Hiftory of Surgery, thinks he has difcovered fome traces of it in the

writings of the ancients, was cer