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ne hundred pages of the first volume. his octavo edition of the Grammar apcared in 1808. It was favourably reeived, and a new edition was demandd in the course of a few months. Soon after this period, Mr Murray xperienced a considerable increase of lebility and indisposition, from which e did not think he should recover. fill this time, he was able to go out laily in his carriage; and, in summer, he was frequently drawn about his garlen in a chair, conveniently made for hat purpose. But he was at length nduced, though reluctantly, to relinquish all the little exercise which he ad been accustomed to take. The last ime he went out in his carriage was in utumn, 1809. The total want of exrcise appears to have brought on a ainful disorder, which, in June, 1810, erminated in the discharge of a small stone. His sufferings for some days vere severe, and, for a few hours, acute; out his mind was, as usual, calm and resigned.

For several succeeding years he was much afflicted with oppressive languor, and with very uncomfortable sensations in his head and stomach. But, upon the whole, his health was not so much impaired as might have been expected from his total confinement to the house, his advanced age, and enfeebled constitution. His spirits were, with very slight exceptions, uniformly good; his demeanour was at all times gentle; and his disposition mild, cheerful, and obliging. When his health would allow, he found, till the close of life, much useful occupation, and even amusement, in revising and improving his works.

He was induced, also, to prepare some new publications, which he conceived would be useful. Having himself derived much benefit and satisfaction from the frequent perusal of Bishop Horne's Commentary on the Psalms, and being desirous of extending that benefit to others, he made and published " A Se

lection" from that invaluable work. It was well received, and has been appro-ved and recommended by several very respectable public critics.

He wrote also a little piece, published in 1817, "On the Duty and Benefit of a daily Perusal of the Holy Scriptures." It is well composed, and no doubt has promoted, in no small degree, the important object which the author had in view.

Mr Murray, from his retired life and unassuming character, did not receive any of those academical honours, to which the publication of his grammatical works, no doubt, fully entitled him. A tribute of respect was, however, paid to him by two literary societies at New York. In 1810, he was elected an honorary member of the Historical Society; and, in 1816, of the Literary and Philosophical Society. But he was not covetous of honour. The high approbation which his works received was gratifying to him, chiefly because it was an earnest and a proof of their usefulness.

His acquaintance and society, particularly after his works had obtained celebrity, were much courted by respectable and literary persons. But there was a genuine humility, and even a diffidence, in his nature, which seemed to shrink from the idea of personally attracting any share of public curiosity or observation. Indeed, the calls and applications for introduction, which he received, were so numerous, that had he encouraged them, the early and regular hours which he kept would have been much broken in upon, and the leisure which he enjoyed for literary pursuits greatly interrupted.

Mr Murray was much respected by many of his most distinguished contemporaries in America. When his works had procured for him a high degree of celebrity, the testimony of their approbation, especially of those with whom he had been personally acquaint

ed, was peculiarly acceptable to him. From his fellow-student, Mr Jay, and from many other highly respectable persons, he received, on various occasions, letters replete with expressions of esteem, regard, and warm congratulation. Mr Murray was exceedingly fortunate in his marriage. Mrs Murray, though not what is called a "showy," or a "literary" woman, possesses a solid understanding, great firmness of mind, and a kind disposition. To the poor and afflicted, she is, in a high degree, liberal and compassionate. By her skill and prudence in the management of her household affairs, she relieved her husband from all care or anxiety on those subjects. She was most tenderly attached, and even devoted to him; always preferring his gratification to her own. Her aged and beloved father, and a large circle of relations and friends, she freely left, to accompany her husband into England. For many years after she came into this country, she still called New York her home; but she never requested or wished Mr Murray to return. She encouraged and assisted him as far as she was able, in every good word and work; and often expressed her solicitous desire, that both she and her "precious husband," as she frequently called him, "might so pass through this life as not to fail of future and everlasting bliss." During the latter years of her husband's life, she scarcely ever quitted the house, and very rarely the two rooms occupied by him. She said she was most comfortable with him, and that if he were taken ill suddenly, as was sometimes the case, she could never forgive herself, if she were absent.

In the full enjoyment of life, and in the discharge of all its varied and important duties, Mr Murray attained his eighty-first year; which, considering his long confinement, and his general debility, was a remarkable circumstance, a kind of jubilee in his exist

ence. On his birth-day he appeared so well and cheerful, and so bright in his mental faculties, that the prospect of losing him seemed as remote as on any similar occasion, during many preceding years, Persons who were stran gers to him might suppose from his age and long confinement, that, at this period, he must have been fairly worn out, both in body and mind. But this was by no means the case. His health, towards the close of life, seemed rather to improve. In the autumn and win ter immediately preceding his decease, he appeared unusually free from indisposition. His sight and hearing were good. With spectacles, he could read the finest print. His memory, even for recent events, was remarkably retentive. He appeared as sensible, wellinformed, and cheerful as at any former period. His vigour of mind was unimpaired. He was, indeed, incapable of long-continued attention to any subject; but this seemed the effect of bodily, rather than of mental decay. His hair had become entirely white; his countenance bespoke age and feebleness, but still retained an expression of mingled intelligence and sweetness.

On the 10th of January, 1826, Mr Murray, being at dinner, was seized with a

slight paralytic affection in his left hand; it was, however, of short duration, and was attended with no visible ill effect. On Monday morning, the 13th of February, he had a return of numbness in the same hand, but it soon yielded to friction, and wholly disappeared. Soon after, he conversed very cheerfully, and even pleasantly. Du ring the day he was a good deal enga ged, and much interested, in having the newspaper read to him, containing the debates on the commercial embarrassments of the country.

In the evening he was seized with acute pain in his groin, accompanied with violent sickness. Medical assist ance was procured; but the means used

to afford relief proved ineffectual. Du ring the night he had an alarming fainting fit, of long continuance. On recovering, he spoke most tenderly to his wife, and urged her to go to bed. On the following morning he seemed rather better, but said the pain was not removed. In the evening he was conveyed, in his rolling chair, to a bed prepared for him in his sitting-room. He spent a restless night, and in the morning he was in a state of extreme exhaustion. In the afternoon he again appeared better; but about half past eight on the morning of Thursday the 16th of February, 1826, he expired in peace, without a struggle, or even a sigh or a groan, in the eighty-first year of his age, and in the full possession of all his mental faculties.

On Wednesday morning, the 22d of February, Mr Murray's remains were interred in the burying ground of the Friends, or Quakers, in the city of York; amidst a large assemblage of individuals, many of whom had come from a considerable distance. From the stillness which prevailed, one might have thought only few persons were present. All were silent and serious; many deeply affected.

Good sense and sound judgment, were the predominating qualities of Mr Murray's mind. He took a large, comprehensive, and accurate view of the objects presented to his mental eye; and he discerned, clearly and readily, which of those objects were to be preferred and pursued. His apprehension was quick, his memory retentive, and his taste delicate and refined. There did not appear in any of the faculties of his mind either exuberance or deficiency. Their general harmony, as well as strength, constituted the distinguishing excellence of his intellectual character. The power of his intellect, and the habit of close, vigorous application, which be acquired early in life, enabled him, at will, to collect his thoughts, and to fix them wholly, and for a sufficient

length of time, on any subject under his consideration. Hence, whatever he did was well done, and with comparative ease. His grammatical works have obtained so much celebrity, and they exhibit so high a degree of excellence, that it might not unreasonably be supposed grammar was the principal study of his life; but it did not particularly engage his attention, until a short time previous to the publication of his first work on that subject.

He composed, and wrote, with quickness and accuracy. His Grammar, as it appeared in the first edition, was completed in rather less than a year. It was begun in the spring of 1794, and it was published in the spring of 1795; though he had an intervening illness, which, for several weeks, stopped the progress of his work. The Exercises and Key were also composed in about a year; and none of his succeeding publications engrossed, in the first instance, a larger portion of time.

Mr Murray's sentiments were elevated and refined; his ideas and opinions just and well founded, and always expressed in delicate and appropriate language. They often attracted attention by their novelty; accompanied with a conviction of their propriety, in the minds of those to whom they were communicated; together with some degree of surprise that they had not previously occurred, or at least not with so strong an evidence of their justness. Both in writing and speaking, his manner of expression was simple and pleasing, but correct and accurate, clear and concise: no one could be at a loss to understand his meaning, or to apprehend its force. He had a happy choice of words, and a clear arrangement of his thoughts; avoiding all useless repetition, or awkward, unnecessary explanation, and all contradiction or inconsistency. The current of his expressions and thoughts was easy and natural, smooth and regular.

Mr Murray had a considerable ac

pies. For many years past, every edition of the Grammar has consisted of ten thousand copies; of the Exercises, ten thousand; of the Key, six thousand; of the Abridgement of the Grammar, twelve thousand; of the Spelling Book, and of the First Book for Children, ten thousand. Each edition of the English Reader, and of the Introduction to the English Reader, consists of ten thousand copies; of the Sequel to the English Reader, six thousand; of the Lecteur François, and the Introduction au Lecteur François, each three thousand.

In the United States of North America, the sale of Mr Murray's works is rapid; and the editions are numerous. The success of his publications in his native land afforded him much satisfaction, and was peculiarly grateful to his feelings. The high approbation which his grammatical works have received, and their extensive circulation in the United States of North America, as well as in Great Britain, is a very pleasing consideration. They will doubtless tend in no small degree, to preserve the Anglo-American language from corruption; and to stop the progress of useless innovation. The advantages likely to accrue to both countries, from a common standard of grammatical purity and propriety, are incalculable. The extended use of the English language is a distinguishing feature of the times in which we live it may, perhaps, be one of the means in the hands of a wise and merciful Providence, for conveying the benefit of civilization, and the knowledge of Christianity, to the whole world.

a living held at that time by his father. From his childhood he gave promise of those Christian graces with which he was afterwards so richly endowed, and of those talents, which eventually set him high amongst the literary characters of his day. All however that we will say of this period of his life is, that the Bible was the book which he read with the most avidity, whether from that spirit of early piety, of which we hear so much more frequently than we see it; or whether (which is more probable) from the beautiful pictures of primitive manners which the historical parts of Holy Writ display, and which are singularly attractive to a child." However it was, this first application of his powers laid the foundation of that masterly knowledge of Scripture which he afterwards attained, and to the perfecting of which almost all his future reading was made directly or indirectly to contribute. From the Grammar School of Whitchurch, where he received more than the rudiments of his classical education, he was sent to Dr Bristowe, a gentleman who took pupils near town; and in the year 1800, was admitted of Brazen-nose College, Oxford. He came to the university not an accurate Greek or Latin scholar; but with a very extensive range of information, and an insatiable thirst after knowledge. His mind was of that superior class that it could attain whatever its powers were applied to. for instance, he knew very little of the art of writing Latin verses; yet as this was the only mode of distinguishing himself, in his first year at college, he applied his mind to Latin hexameters, and on his first attempt, in 1802, ob

As,

D. D. LORD BISHOP OF CALCUTTA.

REGINALD HEBER was the son of the Rev. Reginald Heber, of Marton, in Yorkshire. He was born on the 21st of April, 1783, at Malpas, in Cheshire,

ject, "The Carmen Seculare."

He subsequently directed his attention to English poetry, which he composed at first with great difficulty. In 1803 the subject given for English verse was "Palestine." Upon this theme Mr