specting the issue of this transaction, and the matter seems not to have been generally understood. The fact is, the doctor's health would not permit him to undertake the journey to so inhospitable a climate as that of Ruffia; and, agreeable to the advice of his friends, he declined the imperial invitation. This disappointment, however, concurring with his severe indifpofition, and accompanied by a recollection of other failures in his expectations, was succeeded by a dejection of spirits, which caused him to commit an act of suicide, by cutting the jugular vein with a razor, at his apartments in Pall-mall, on the 23d of September, 1766, in the 51st year of his age.

Richard Fawcett, D. D. was inducted to this vicarage, Jan. 3, 1767. He was the son of John Fawcett, esq. recorder of Durham. Dr. Fawcett was bred at Oxford, and had feveral livings previous to his appointment to Newcattle. He was one of his majerty's chaplains in ordinary, and chaplain to the bishop of Durham, by whom he was collated to the rectory of Gateshead, which he held by a dispensation with this vicarage. He was also one of the prebendaries of Durham; at which city he died in 1782. He had no animation in his manner of preaching, but was highly distinguished for a clear, nervous strain of folid reasoning.

Anno

+ The empress of Russia had fent a similar request, about the end of the year 1762, to M. D'Alembert, through the medium of M. De Soltikoff, who then refided at Paris, offering that profound mathematician one hundred thousand livres per year, which he refused; whereupon the empress renewed her folicitation, by a letter under her own hand, inviting him to come "with all his friends:" this the philofopher also withstood, as he did the earneft folicitations of the Great Frederick of Pruffia, through the Lord Mareschal, his ambassador at the fame place.

Anno Dom. 1782, Stephen Lushington, А. М. was inducted into this vicarage. He refided very little at Newcastle, and died in 1801.

His fucceffor, the reverend J. D. Carlyle, B. D. F. R. S. E. chancellor of Carlifle, chaplain to the bi. shop of Durham, and profeffor of Arabic in the university of Cambridge, is a gentleman of polished manners and extensive erudition. In his late journey into Egypt, and his intercourse with the leaders of the contending armies, he has proved to his orthodox brethren, that learning is of no political party:

Tros Tyriusque mihi nullo difcrimine agetur.
Trojans and Tyrians are alike to me.

VIRGIL.

Whilft from these his extenfive and laborious journies in search of that species of knowledge attached to his profefforship, that may be truly applied to him which Homer, from the extent of his travels, says of Ulyffes, the favourite of Minerva :

Wand'ring from clime to clime, observant fstray'd,
Their manners noted, and their states survey'd.

POPE'S HOMER.

But this gentleman having only lately accepted the office of which we now treat, we shall close this account with observing, that as vicar he is alfo one of the trustees for the extensive library of Dr. Thomlinfon, mentioned before; and we do not furely flatter ourselves too much by hoping, that the character of a hero in one of his favourite authors may be also applied to Profeffor Carlyle:

wamokassimin yûthér álájkéirabo bhakkabá
wamogadhmırin libbokúkibá badhámobá

He distributes equal shares: he dispenses justice to the tribes: he is indignant, when their right is diminished: and, to establish their right, often relinquishes his own.

Ii2

POEM OF LEBEID.

AFTER

AFTERNOON LECTURERS AT ST. NICHOLAS.

We will be very short in this enumeration; altho we find among the afternoon lecturers men of great worth and high talents. Upon the first appointment of this office, the town paid for the service of the forenoon, and the parish for that of the afternoon. Some time after, the corporation augmented the falaries of both, upon which the parish withdrew their contributions. In this state is the lectureship at this time.

May 30, 1645, the common-council appointed Mr. William Durant and Mr. Cuthbert Sydenham the former with a salary of eighty, the latter of one hundred pounds per annum.

Mr. Sydenham was afterwards settled fingly, with a falary of one hundred and forty pounds per annum. The biographer Wood, however hoftile to puritans and prefbyterians, yet gives Sydenham an excellent character.

"He was (says that writer) lecturer of St. Nicholas' church in Newcastle, without any orders, unless those of prefbytery; a great statesman, yet a greater divine; and though no commissioner to the Westminster synod, yet he privately drew up the papers that passed in the debates between that vast body of divines and the five dissenting brethren, of the independent perfuafion."

The manufcript Life of Barnes says, that he was of an ancient family in Cornwall, had a genteel and comely perfon. His aqueline nose called to remembrance the description given by Lucian of St. Paul, when he calls him that hawk-nosed Galilean, who mounted up to the third heaven, and thence brought thofe those goodly notions, which he preached to the world."---He published a book, entitled "The Myftery of Godliness."

Anno 1679, Mr. John Rawlett was appointed, with a falary of ninety, which was afterwards raised to one hundred and twenty pounds per annum. He died in 1686, aged 44 years, and was buried in this church.

There is a curious anecdote of this gentlemen in the manufcript Life of Barnes, "Mr. Butler left a daughter, who married Mr. John Rawlett. He was a conformist minister, a devout and laborious lecturer in St. Nicholas' church. They had been some time mutually in love; but he falling fick, married her upon his death-bed, at her own request, that she might bear his name, and left her a maid, a wife, and a widow." He was author of many works, viz. "A Treatise of Sacramental Covenanting with Christ." "An Explication of the Christ," "The Christian Monitor," &c.

In the year 1695, Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Thomlinfon was appointed: the falary one hundred and twenty pounds per annum. He died on the 24th of March, 1747. We have had repeated occafion, (of which fee in particular page 84) and shall have at least another very eminent one, of mentioning this good and great man.

Dr. Dockwray was afterwards appointed, anno 1752, with a falary of one hundred pounds per ann. He died December 18, 1783,

At his death Henry Ridley, A. M. brother to Sir Matthew White Ridley, fucceeded.

On the late resignation of this gentleman, the

Rev. John Forster was appointed.

;

:

1

This, as we shall fee afterwards, is another of those offices that give to the poffeffor the right of a trustee in Dr. Thomlinson's library.

Chapels of Eafe to St. Nicholas.

BRIDGE-END CHAPEL.

We have, already, given some account of this religious foundation, under the title of St. Thomas's Chapel and the Magdalen Hospital. After having been conveniently pewed, it was set apart to be a chapel of ease to St. Nicholas' church, anno 1732, the whole body of magistrates attending in form on the occafion! It is unnecessary to enumerate the names of those appointed to perform divine service at this chapel, for which they receive ten pounds per annum, it being, in general, the lowest step in the clerical climax of preferment; as we have noticed them, and shall afterwards have occafion to do fo, a great many steps higher.

SOUTH GOSFORTH, OR GOSFORD CHAPEL.

This place, is of great antiquity, and is mentioned as far back as the reign of Henry II. The names of the officiating curates we omit, as they generally obtained curacies in the town, where we meet with them in other situations, more comfortable to their feelings.

NORTH GOSFORTH CHAPEL.

This has been pulled down. Nothing remains but a few folitary grave-stones, infcribed with memorials, in the chapel-yard.

CRAM