It ought not to be forgotten, that the General was employed, for many years, in the education of the cadets, at the Royal Military Arsenal, and also at the East India company's academy, at Addiscombe. He was presented with the degree of L.L.D. by the university of Edinburgh; and of late years became a commissioner of the Board of Longitude. His abilities were duly appreciated by foreigners, as he was fellow of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Copenhagen, and corre spondent to the Royal Institution of Paris. The king of Denmark had lately presented him with a magnificent chronometer, and intended to have honoured him with a more distinguished proof of his royal favour. General Mudge has left behind him a widow and daughter, two sons in the engineers, one in the artillery, and a fourth a lieutenant in the royal navy. He died at his house in Holles-street, London, on the 17th of April, 1820. No. XX. EDWARD COOKE, Esq. LATE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE, &c. &c. EDWARD COOKE, one of the oldest servants of the crown, was a native of England, where he was born, in 1755. He was son of the late Dr. Cooke, Dean of Ely, and Provost of King's College, Cambridge. Young Cooke, as may be easily supposed, received a most excellent education. He was accordingly initiated, first at Eton, and then at King's College. Instead of applying either to the church or the bar for a lucrative profession, he sought for and obtained wealth and employment in a different direction. At the age of twenty-three we find him in Ireland, where he acted, for some time, as the chief secretary to the Earl of Buckingham, then Viceroy. During the administration of the Duke of Rutland he obtained the lucrative office of chief clerk of the House of Commons of the sister-kingdom, for which, on the Union, he obtained an ample compensation. To this was soon after appended the sinecure place of customer of the port of Kinsale. Proceeding with progressive prosperity, in 1789, he became secretary to the military department of Ireland; and, nearly at the same time, a seat in parliament was provided for him. On what account we know not precisely, but certain it is, that the subject of the present memoir gave great umbrage to Lord Fitzwilliam, who, soon after his arrival, dispossessed him of the office of secretary at war. But, as the conduct of this nobleman was disavowed at home, on his retreat, which speedily occurred, Mr. Cooke obtained another office of equal if not greater emolument. During the administration of Lord Camden, he was employed in the highest and most confidential situations. As secretary in the civil department, Mr. Cooke became the coadjutor of Lord Castlereagh, during the whole of that unhappy and critical period, when a large portion of the population was in arms against the government. He also assisted greatly, by his pen and his labours, in effecting the great object of an union with Ireland. On that being obtained, he returned, after a long interval, to the place of his nativity, and was nominated under-secretary of state, both in the home and foreign departments, under Lord Castlereagh. So completely did he possess this nobleman's confidence, that he afterwards insisted on his accompanying him to the congress at Vienna. After a period of more than forty years, spent in the public offices, Mr. Cooke at length began to feel the approach of old age, and to suffer the ravage of disease. Accordingly, in 1817, he retired from public business; and, on March 19. 1820, was carried off by a severe attack of fifteen days' duration, at his house in Park-lane, in the 65th year of his age. To distinguished talents and singular predilection for public business, Mr. Cooke united great firmness of mind, much industry, and an unrivalled knowledge of every thing appertaining to his department. He was the author of a tract on the Union, and a periodical paper called the Centinel, both of which were published in Ireland. The subject of this memoir, early in life, married the daughter of Colonel Jones, with whom he obtained a considerable fortune. The following Latin composition is attributed to this gentleman, in the "Musæ Etonenses:" IRRITAT, MULCET. A.D. 1765. Omnigeni regina soni, seu lætior audis Quin ubi viæ magicam grati modulaminis audit Explicat informes mirâ dulcedine rugas, Gaudia festivumque merum. "Deus ipse triumpho" XXI. RIGHT HON. SIR VICARY GIBBS, K. B. LATE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COMMON PLEAS, &c. &c. THIS distinguished lawyer was born about the year 1750, or 1751, either in the city, or immediate vicinity of Exeter, in which his father resided for many years, as a surgeon and apothecary. After being initiated in the principles of grammar, at the place of his birth, it was determined to educate him at a public school. Young Vicary was accordingly sent to Eton. While there, he distinguished himself by his talents and proficiency; but at the same time attained the character of possessing a certain degree of pettishness, which appears to have accompanied him through life. As his family does not appear to have been rich, he obtained some support, from the liberal institutions, so common in this country. Accordingly, in 1770, he was elected to King's College, Cambridge, as a scholar on Lord Craven's foundation. After distinguishing himself, by his attainments in classical literature, particularly in Greek, Mr. Gibbs took the degree of B. A. in 1772, and proceeded M. A. in 1775. On leaving that university, which it was afterwards his singular good fortune to represent in parliament, he repaired to the metropolis, and entered himself of one of the inns of court. After receiving a call to the bar, the subject of this memoir commenced practice in the court of King's Bench; but, although he had attained some business, and acquired the character both of a zealous and an able advocate, yet Mr. Gibbs appears to have remained utterly unknown to the public, at large, until the state-trials in 1794. On this occasion, he was selected as the colleague of a very popular pleader; and it must be allowed, that the judgment of the one was admirably fitted to temper the fire of |