MEMOIR OF SIR THOMAS STAMFORD | highest regard and confidence it was (With an Engraving. ), afterwards his happiness to enjoy, and in whose death he has had to deplore the loss of a most steady and inestimable friend. In 1811, Sir Stamford was induced to visit Calcutta, whence he accompanied Lord Minto in the expedition against Java, in the capacity of private secretary to his lordship, and his agent in the Malay states; and in the month of October in that year, he was appointed to the high station of lieutenant-governor of that island, and its various important dependencies. How he discharged the trust reposed in him by this distinguished appointment, is well known; while the mildness and equity of his administration endeared him to the millions, amongst whom he then dispensed the blessings of the British government, to a degree almost unexampled in our colonial his SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES was During his residence in Java, he lost his first wife, to whom he was united previous to his leaving this country; and his health having materially suffered from the combined influence of domestic affliction, and the severe duties of his station, he was induced to visit England. He arrived at Falmouth in the autumn of 1816, While there, he diligently applied bringing with him the Ráden Rána himself to the study of the Malay, and Dipúra, a Javanese prince, with his other languages of the Eastern Archi- suit; and a more splendid and extenpelago. To these studies he was sive collection of specimens of the incited in no small degree by the late productions, costume, &c. of the lamented Dr. Leyden, with whom he Eastern Archipelago, than had ever formed a friendship the most endear- before been received into a British ing, which was unhappily terminated port. The reception with which he by the death of that eminent scholar, met in England, must have been highwho expired at Batavia in the arms ly gratifying to him. He had the of his friend. Such was the success pleasure to see that his services were with which he cultivated the study of appreciated by the public, while, from these languages, that he was appoint-persons of all ranks and classes of ed Malay translator to the govern- society, he received the most flatterment; and Lord Minto, then gover- ing marks of kind and respectful atnor-general of India, honoured him tention. with especial notice in one of his anniversary discourses to the college of Calcutta. Thus he became known to that truly enlightened nobleman, whose No. 61.-VOL. VI. During his stay in this quarter of the globe, notwithstanding the nume rous engagements by which he was oppressed, he found leisure to accom B plish a tour on the Continent, the details of which have been given to the public by one of the party,-and to publish his History of Java in two large quarto volumes, containing an immense mass of valuable information relative to that interesting country. He also, while in England, had the happiness to form a matrimonial connexion with a most amiable lady, Sophia, the daughter of J. Watson Hull, Esq. late of Great Baddow, in Essex. continued under British patronage, to become the emporium and pride of the East. There is, perhaps, no place in the known world more advantageously situated for the purposes of commerce. It commands the straits of Malacca, places our intercourse with China beyond risk or annoyance, and may become the connecting link and grand entrepôt between Europe, Asia, and China;-it is in fact fast becoming so, for merchants from all parts are resorting to it, and establishing themselves there, while vessels come from China to Singapore in five days, to purchase their goods. As an acknowledgment of his services, and as the best appointment, after the resignation of Java, at their command, the East India Company Amidst these important commercial confirmed his nomination to Bencoo- affairs, Sir Stamford has not been unlen, in Sumatra, which had been mindful of the claims of science. Naheld in reserve for him, in the antici-tural philosophy, in its various depation that such an event might pos- |partments of Botany, Zoology, Entosibly occur. With this appointment, mology, &c. has been greatly enriched the rank and title of lieutenant-go- by his own researches, and those of vernor was conferred upon him. He scientific individuals who have enjoyalso received the honour of knight-ed his patronage. Considerable colhood from his Majesty, then Prince lections from the interior of Sumatra Regent, who graciously permitted the have already reached this country, dedication of his History of Java to and descriptions of some of the most himself. curious and splendid articles have been presented to the public. Nor should we omit to mention the decided protection which he has always extended to the accredited Missionaries of every denomination-promoting their views to the utmost possible extent, and affording them the most efficient aid in the prosecution of their sacred and benevolent designs. Sir Stamford left the shores of England for his new station, in November, 1817, having been detained at Falmouth by contrary winds, long enough to receive the melancholy intelligence of the death of the lamented Princess Charlotte, whose friendship, together with that of her illustrious consort, he had the distinguished gratification to enjoy; and his first public act, on his arrival in his new government, was the forwarding of an address of condolence to his Majesty on that most mournful event. We lament, and every friend of the human race and lover of his country must lament with us, that, in the midst of so much usefulness, the subject of this brief memoir has been awSince the commencement of his ad- fully warned by disease and death to ministration in Sumatra, Sir Stamford quit the scene of his honourable lahas been most laboriously and suc- bours. Three, out of four, of his cessfully employed in resisting the children have been torn from him by unwarrantable aggressions of the a malignant climate; of his personal Dutch-in promoting friendly inter-friends, scarcely one remains; and he course with the natives of that vast himself, with his amiable lady, have island-in improving the moral and been in a state of health the most social condition of the people—and | alarming and critical. Under these advancing, by all the methods which distressing circumstances, Sir Stama liberal and enlightened policy could ford has deemed it an imperious duty suggest, the commercial interests of to forward his resignation to the East Britain in the Eastern seas. Of all India House; and his last movement, his measures, that of establishing the of which we have received intellifree port of Singapore, at the extre- gence, was a voyage to Singapore, to mity of the Malay peninsula, is per- make suitable arrangements there, haps the most important. This set- prior to his final departure from the tlement has already prospered to an Eastern Archipelago. astonishing degree, and promises, if ELUCIDATION OF JOSHUA X. 12. "San, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." MR. EDITOR. SIR,-As you have inserted at col. 129, vol. iv. of your Magazine, an ancient letter transcribed by your correspondent J. S. as a reply to R. C.'s query on the Sun's standing still, Joshua chap. x. 12.; allow me to ask the favour of your inserting the following philosophical extract from the Commentary of Dr. Adam Clarke, on that important verse, which I think cannot fail being acceptable, even to those of your numerous readers who are in possession of that valuable work. Feb. 9, 1822. T. G. nuine; and also to be the system of the universe, laid down in the Mosaic writings-that the SUN is in the centre of what is called the solar system; and that the earth and all the other planets, whether primary or secondary, move round him in certain periodical times, according to the quantity of their matter, and distance from him their centre. "3. I consider the sun to have no revolution round any orbit, but to revolve round his own axis, and round the common centre of gravity in the planetary system, which centre of gravity is included within his own surface, and in all other respects I consider him to be at rest in the sys tem. "4. I consider the earth not only as revolving round the sun, in 365 days, 6 hours, 48 minutes, and 48 seconds, "To account for this miracle, and to but as revolving round its own axis, and ascertain the manner in which it was making this revolution in 23 hours, wrought, has employed the pens of 56 minutes, and 4 seconds; that in the ablest divines and astronomers, the course of 24 hours complete, every especially of the two last centuries. part of its surface is alternately turned By their learned labours, many diffi- to the sun; and that this revolution culties have been removed from the constitutes our day and night, as the account in general; but the very dif- former does our year: that it is day to ferent and contradictory methods pur- all those parts which have the sun sued by several, in their endeavours above the horizon; and night to those to explain the whole, and make the which have the sun below it: and that relation concord with the present ac- this diurnal revolution of the earth, knowledged system of the universe, or revolving round its own axis, in a and the phenomena of nature, tend direction from west to east, occasions greatly to puzzle the plain unphiloso- what is called the rising and setting of phical reader. The subject cannot be the sun, which appearance is occasionwell explained without a dissertation; ed, not by any motion in the sun himand a dissertation is not consistent self, but by this motion of the earth; with the nature of short notes, or a which may be illustrated by a ball or commentary on Scripture. It is, how-globe appended to a thread, and causever, necessary to attempt an explanation; and to bring that as much as possible within the apprehension of common readers: in order to this, I must beg leave to introduce a few preliminary observations, or what the reader may call propositions, if he pleases. ed to turn round. If this be held opposite to a candle, it will appear half enlightened and half dark; but the dark parts will be seen to come successively into the light, and the enlightened parts into the shade; while the candle itself, which gives the light, is fixed, not changing its position. "5. I consider the solar influence to be the cause both of the annual and diurnal motion of the earth; and that while that influence continues to act upon it, according to the law which God originally impressed on both the earth and the sun, the annual and diurnal motions of the earth must continue; and that no power, but the unlimited power of God, can alter this influence, change or suspend the operation of this law; but that He is such an infinitely FREE AGENT, that He can, when his unerring wisdom sees good, alter, suspend, or even annihilate all secondary causes and their effects; for it would be degrading to the perfections of his nature to suppose, that he had so bound himself by the laws which he has given for the preservation and direction of universal nature, that he could not change them, alter their effects, or suspend their operations, when greater and better effects, in a certain time or place, might be produced by such temporary change or suspension. "6. I consider, that the miracle wrought on this occasion, served greatly to confirm the Israelites, not only in the belief of the being and perfections of God, but also in the doctrine of an especial providence, and in the nullity of the whole system of idolatry and superstition. "7. That no evil was done by this miraculous interference, nor any law or property of nature ultimately changed; on the contrary, a most important good was produced, which probably, to this people, could not have been brought about any other way; and that, therefore, the miracle wrought on this occasion, was highly worthy of the wisdom and power of God. "8. I consider, that the terms in the text employed to describe this miracle, are not, when rightly understood, contrary to the well-established notions of the true system of the universe; and are not spoken, as some have contended, ad captum vulgi, to the prejudices of the common people, much less do they favour the Ptolemaic or any other hypothesis, that places the earth in the centre of the solar system. "Having laid down these preliminaries, some short observations on the words of the text may be sufficient. "Joshua's address is in a poetic form in the original, and makes the two following hemistichs : "Sun! upon Gibeon be dumb: And the moon on the vale of Aiyalon.' "The effect of this command is related ver. 13. in the following words: -And the sun was dumb, or silent, and the moon stood still. And in the latter clause of this verse it is added, And the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. "It seems necessary here, to answer the question, At what time of the day did this miracle take place? The expression own bechatsi hashamayim, in the midst of heaven, seems to intimate, that the sun was at that time on the meridian of Gibeon, and consequently had one half of its course to run; and this sense of the place has been strongly contended for, as essential to the miracle, for the greater display of the glory of God: Because,' say its abettors, had the miracle been wrought when the sun was near the going down, it might have been mistaken for some refraction of the rays of light, occasioned by a peculiarly moist state of the atmosphere, in the horizon of that place; or by some such appearance as the Aurora Borealis.' To me, there seems no solidity in this reason: had the sun been arrested in the meridian, the miracle could scarcely have been noticed, and especially in the hurry and confusion of that time; and we may be assured, that among the Canaanites there were neither clocks nor time-keepers, by which the preternatural length of such a day could have been accurately measured: but, on the contrary, had the sun been about the setting, when both the pursuers and the pursued must be apprehensive of its speedy disappearance, its continuance for several hours above the horizon, so near the point when it might be expected to go down, must have been very observable and striking. The enemy must see, feel, and deplore it; as their hope of escape must, in such circumstances, be founded on the speedily entering in of the night, through which alone, they could expect to elude the pursuing Israelites. And the Israelites themselves must behold, with astonishment and wonder, that the setting sun hasted not to go down about a whole day, affording them supernatural time totally to destroy a routed foe, which otherwise might have had time to rally, confederate, chuse a proper station, and attack in their turn with peculiar advantages, and a probability of success. It appears, therefore, much more reasonable, that Joshua should require this miracle to be performed when day-light was about to fail, just as the sun was setting. If we were to consider the sun as being at the meridian of Gibeon, as some understand the midst of heaven, it may |