THE MARCHIONESS OF DOWNSHIRE,

BARONESS SANDYS.

Aug. 1. At Roehampton, after a protracted illness, the Most Hon. Mary Hill, dowager Marchioness of Downshire, Baroness Sandys, of Ombersley, co. Worcester (1802).

Her ladyship was the only surviving child and heiress of the Hon. Martin Sandys, a Colonel in the army, (younger brother to Edward second and last Lord Sandys, of Ombersley, of the creation of 1743,) by Mary, only daughter and heiress of William Trumbull, of Easthampsted park, co. Bucks, esq. (by the Hon. Mary, Blundell, daughter and coheiress of Montagu Viscount Blundell, of Ireland).

Her ladyship was married, June 29, 1786, to Arthur then Viscount Fairford; afterwards Earl of Hillsborough, on the creation of the marquisate of Downshire in 1789; and, after the death of his father in 1793, the second Marquis of Downshire.

On the death of her uncle Lord San. dys in 1797, the Marchioness became beiress of the estates of that family; and by patent dated June 19, 1802, the barony was renewed in her person, with remainder to her 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, and any other younger sons, and the heirs male of their bodies, and, failing such, to her eldest son. Her ladyship had been left a widow, Sept. 7, 1801, with five sons and two daughters. Both daughters and the fourth son are deceased; but four sons survive her. Her second son, Lord Arthur-Moyses - William Hill, Lieut.Colonel of the 2d dragoons, and one of the knights for the county of Down in the present Parliament, succeeds to the estates and barony of Sandys. He was born in 1792, and is at present unmarried.

VISCOUNT CLIFDEN.

The late Viscount Clifden, who was briefly noticed in our last number, p. 219, was the eldest son of James Agar, the first Viscount, by Lucia, eldest daughter of John Martin, esq. and widow of the Hon. Henry Boyle Walsingham, sixth son of the first Earl of Shannon. Previously to the death of his father, he for several years represented the county of Kilkenny in the Irish Parliament; and subsequently to that event, from 1793 until the death of his great-uncle Lord Mendip in 1802, (when he succeeded to that barony, and took the name of Ellis,) he had a seat in the English House of Commons for the borough of HeytesGENT. MAG. VOL, VI.

bury. He was thus, perhaps, the only person who had sat consecutively in four different Houses of Parliament-the two houses in Ireland and the two in England.

"In his parliamentary life Lord Clifden has taken a prominent part upon all questions affecting the interests of Ireland, and has shown himself to be actuated by a constant love of that country upon every occasion. His Lordship's style in speaking is straight-forward, and to the purpose, without attempting the ornaments of oratory. A patriotic feeling, as pure as it is strong, is the source of his unceasing efforts to promote our national prosperity. On the Roman Catholic question, Lord Clifden was an earnest and indefatigable advocate for the measure. He was charged with the presentation of, we believe, several hundred of the petitions in its favour, and he frequently addressed the House in support of them."- Fisher's National Portrait Gallery, where there is a portrait of his Lordship engraved by Scriven from a painting by G. Hayter, esq.

By his wife, Lady Caroline Spencer, who died Nov. 23, 1813, Lord Clifden had only two children, the Hon. Caroline-Anne, who died in 1814, in her 20th year; and the late accomplished Lord Dover, who died in 1833, leaving issue by Lady Georgiana Howard, second daughter of the Earl of Carlisle, Henry now Viscount Clifden, born in 1825, two other sons, and three daughters.

SIR GEORGE ARMYTAGE, BART. July 15. At Kirklees Hall, Yorkshire, aged 75, Sir George Armytage, the fourth Baronet of that place (1738), for many years an acting Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for the North Riding, D.C.L. &c.

He was the eldest son of Sir George Armytage, the fourth Baronet, M.P. for York from 1761 to 1768, by AnnaMaria, eldest daughter and coheiress of Godfrey Wentworth, of Wadley Park and Hickleton, co. York, esq.

He succeeded his father in 1783; and served the office of High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1791. He was Colonel Commandant of the Huddersfield Volunteers, and continued Colonel when the regiment became the Agbrigg local militia.

He was created D.C.L. at Oxford, July 5, 1793.

Sir George was twice married: first, on the 12th of August 1783, to the Hon. Mary Harbord, eldest daughter of Har2 T

bord first Lord Suffield; she died Aug. 13, 1790, having had several children who died in infancy. Sir George married secondly, in 1791, Mary, daughter of Oldfield Bowles, esq. by whom he had issue three sons: 1. John Armytage, esq. who died on the 24th of May last, having married in 1818, Mary, only daughter of William Asheton, of Downham hall, co. Lanc. esq. and leaving issue; 2. Lieut.-Colonel Henry Armytage, of the Coldstream guards, who married in 1819, Charlotte Legendre, only daughter of the late Legendre Starkie, esq. of Huntroyd, co. Lancaster; 3. another son; and two daughters, Mary, married in 1815 to William. Ponsonby Johnson, of Wolton house, co. Cambridge, esq. and Henrietta, married to Charles-John Brandling, esq.

Sir George is succeeded in his title by his grandson, now in his 18th year. His body was deposited in the family vault at Hartishead Church, Yorkshire.

SIR M. W. RIDLEY, BART. July 14. At Richmond, Surrey, in his 58th year, Sir Matthew White Ridley, the third Baronet, of Blagdon, co. Northumberland (1756) M.P. for Newcastle.

He was horn Aug 18, 1778, the eldest son of Sir Matthew the second Baronet, by Sarah, daughter and sole heiress of Benjamin Colburne, of Bath, esq. He was matriculated of Christ church, Oxford, April 24, 1795, and took his degree of B. A. March 9, 1798.

His father (of whom a brief memoir will be found in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1813, i. 671) was during eight Parliaments one of the members for Newcastle; and the late Sir Matthew, having been first elected upon his father's retirement, at the general election of 1812, had likewise sat during eight Parliaments, and for the space of twenty-four years. At the two last elections he had to encounter a poll; but the result proved the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow townsmen. The numbers were: in 1832,

Sir M. W. Ridley John Hodgson, Esq.

2,112

1,686

E. Attwood, Esq.

1,092

And in 1835:

William Ord, Esq.
Sir M. W. Ridley
John Hodgson, Esq.
James Aytoun, Esq.

His principles were those of the old Whigs, and in his address on the last election he declared himself a sincere and practical Reformer; but in the extreme measures which have characterized the

latter periods of our political annals, they inclined to Conservatism.

Sir Matthew continued the bank of Newcastle, long conducted by his family; and was the owner of extensive collieries as well as large landed estates. In 1818 he presented a large painting by Tintoretto, measuring 17 feet by 7, of our Saviour washing the Apostles' feet, as an altar-piece to St. Nicholas church, Newcastle; in which are the beautiful monuments, by Bacon and Flaxman, of his father and grandfather.

Sir Matthew married, Aug. 13, 1803, Laura, youngest daughter of George Hawkins, esq. by whom he had issue six sons and six daughters. The former were: 1. Sir Matthew White Ridley, who has succeeded to the title, born in 1807, and still unmarried; 2. Nicholas- Henry, who died young; 3. Charles-William; 4. HenryRichard; 5. William-John; and 6. George The daughters: 1. Sarah; 2. Laura, married in 1835 to Charles - Atticus Monck, esq. eldest son of Sir Charles M. L. Monck, of Belsay Castle, Northumberland, Bart.; 3. Louisa, married in 1831 to Martin Tucker Smith, esq. late M.P. for Midhurst; 4. Marianne; 5. Janetta-Maria; and 6. Mary, who died an infant Jan. 1, 1821.

A portrait of Sir M. W. Ridley, painted by James Ramsey, has been published, drawn on stone by Weld Taylor.

SIR FRANCIS FREELING, BART. July 10. In Bryanstone-square, in his 73d year, Sir Francis Freeling, Bart. F.S. A. Secretary to the General Post Office.

Sir Francis was born in Redcliff parish, Bristol, and commenced his official career in the Post Office of that city. On the establishment of the new system of mail coaches by Mr. Palmer in 1785, he was selected by that gentleman on account of his superior ability and intelligence, to assist him in carrying his improvements into effect, and was introduced into the General Post Office in 1787, where he successively filled the offices of Surveyor, Principal and Resident Surveyor, Joint Secretary (with the late Anthony Todd, esq.) and Sole Secretary, for nearly half a century.

Sir Francis Freeling possessed a clear and vigorous understanding, with a singular aptitude to seize upon whatever might be the main point in question-great patience in investigation-correctness of judgment, and the power of expressing his thoughts and opinions, both verbally and in writing, with force and precision. His address and manners were courteous

and affable, and no person was ever more ready than himself to bear testimony to the merits or to promote the just claims of others. The unremitted attention the unwearied devotion which he bestowed upon the duties of his officewere features in his character which claim especial notice. From those duties, no private cares, no pleasurable engagements, could ever divert his attention. Though fond of society, and imparting much to its enjoyments, he never forgot, that, as a servant of the public, his time was not his own, and that the claims of official service

were paramount. He was fortunate in obtaining that which to a faithful public servant must ever be the highest rewardthe just appreciation of his services by those whose good opinion was to be coveted. He possessed the unbounded confidence, and the warm personal friendship of every one of the noble individuals, without distinction of party, who presided over the Post Office throughout his career. The following-the latest tribute to his memory from one of these noble persons, deserves a more permanent record than the columns of a newspaper. In a recent debate (Aug. 13) the Duke of Richmond remarked that, "Sir Francis Freeling had raised himself to an important station by his zeal and assiduity in this branch of the service of his country-by a private character unimpeached and unimpeachable, and with the esteem of every individual."

He was much distinguished by his excellent master King George the Third, and the title he enjoyed was bestowed unsolicited by King George the Fourth, from whom he received other flattering testimonials of approval. The patent of his baronetcy is dated March 11, 1828.

Although an ardent admirer of Mr. Pitt, with whom he was much in communication, and under whose encouragement and approbation those improvements were made in the system which have brought the Post Office to its present state,* Sir F. Freeling inflexibly acted upon the principle that a public servant in his situa tion ought not to be a political partizan. Of this we have a decided proof, as he had the gratification to number amongst bis personal friends, many of the great

and leading men of that period, the most strongly opposed to the measures and policy of Mr. Pitt.

Few of the present generation can recollect what the Posts of the Country were at the time Sir Francis Freeling began to take a prominent share in their administration; some, however, there are, who can do so, and they will bear us out in asserting that their constant and gradual improvement under his management, has been attended with effects, though imperceptible in their operation, yet of the highest importance and value to the interests of Commerce and the prosperity of the Country.

In the intercourse and duties of private life, the qualities of Sir Francis Freeling were known and valued by a large circle of attached friends; the kindness of his heart was unbounded; he loved to do good silently and unobtrusively-the needy, who had seen better days, and the widow and orphan, have to bewail in him a friend and benefactor.

The few intervals which he could command from the labour of his official duties, were improved by his natural taste, aided by great quickness of apprehension, and an unusually retentive memory. He had formed a curious and valuable library, and from this Collection he derived one of his greatest amusements. Many were the hours of weariness and suffering in his latter days which were thus happily soothed. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1801 and he was one of the original members of the Roxburghe Club, founded in 1812.

Sir Francis Freeling had been declining in health and strength for the last two years; and an affection of the heart, together with dropsical symptoms, had occasioned much anxiety in the minds of his family and friends. In the month of October last, he was considered in great danger; but the skill of his medical advisers, and the strength of his constitution, overcame the attack, and he survived some months in a state which, though it held out no hope of permanent recovery, afforded, in the language of Bishop Taylor, some "intervals and spaces of refreshment." But, notwithstanding his enfeebled frame, his mental powers were unimpaired; and scarcely a single day passed, in which he was not for some hours occupied in the duties of his office, whilst others were devoted to those of a more sacred character.

For a great length of time, he had calmly contemplated the great change that awaited him, and to which he looked forward with resignation and pious confi. dence in the mercy of God, with devout aspirations towards his favour, and with

squadron in the Adriatic, co-operating with the Austrians under General Nugent, and eventually expelling the French from Fiume, Trieste, and Venice, and the adjacent coasts), Lieutenant Pocock had much arduous duty to perform, being frequently in actions of boat service on the coasts of Italy, Istria, and Dalmatia. During that period it fell to his lot to command the boats of the Eagle at the attack upon Ragonitza in Dalmatia, and at the capture of Rovigno in Istria. In November 1813, with two boats of the Eagle, he brought part of a convoy of ten sail from off the beach, and from under the guns of a battery and gun boat at Volano on the coast of Italy, which had them so completely within their range, that several of the coasters were destroyed by their own guns to prevent his also carrying them off; and on this occasion he obtained and communicated to bis Commander information that was of considerable use to the subsequent debarcation of General Nugent's army. He also served on shore in Italy; and being left in command of a party of seamen and marines at the mouth of the Po, he (in furtherance of the object specified in his orders) reduced a neighbouring fort of the enemy, making prisoners two superior officers, a serjeant, and sixteen men, and bringing off the guns (two twenty-four pounders and a brass field piece) with all the military stores and all small arms, (which were subsequently applied to the use of General Nugent's army) without losing any of his men, and laying that mouth of the Po open to our squadron for the future. Afterwards, in command of a smaller party, he occupied that post (Po Levante), and, in conjunction with the Austrian officers at Cape Capello, made a reconnaissance within range of the forts of Brondolo, and so conducted himself in an engagement with the French post there as to be mentioned in the dispatches of the Austrian general, He also served on shore as senior Lieutenant of the Eagle at the siege of Trieste, and the subsequent bombardment and capture of that city, his share of the duty there being to get the lower-deck guns into the battery and fight them.

He was also the Senior Lieutenant in the boats that towed the Eagle into the attack of the batteries of Fiume. Being anchored within point blank shot of the middle battery, the Eagle soon silenced it by her fire; Captain Rowley and Lieutenant Pocock landed immediately, and the town surrendered before the boats and men of the other ships in the squadron could get up. In all these operations the squadron in the Adriatic were so success

ful that considerable prize money was afterwards distributed.

Up to the peace of 1814, Lieutenant Pocock's whole life had been devoted to the study and practice of his profession, and his hours of retirement subsequently were much occupied in plans for the advantage of the service. With a thorough knowledge of all the business of a seaman, he possessed also a cultivated mind, much taste, and great talents as a draftsman; his charts being models of accuracy and neatness, and his drawings of the various places he visited being in a very superior style. He was a good linguist; and his knowledge of French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as his ability as a draftsman, was of much service to him in his profession on many occasions. In the leisure hours of his long voyages, he was constantly employed in the cultivation of his mind; and in 1810, whilst on board the St. Alban's in her China voyage, his experience having brought to his notice the great benefit that might accrue to the Navy by adopting the use of Tanks, he drew up a plan for "improving the structure and stowage of the holds of H. M. ships, and affording means of preserving them in many cases of great danger," which he afterwards printed and submitted to the consideration of several distinguished characters, both in and out of the Navy, who approved of his plan, which was partly adopted. He also wrote a paper on the subject of" Impressment of seamen," and a "Sketch of a plan for traversing the Arctic Sea; " and even during the last year of his life, although suffering from ill health, he was engaged in a plan for perfecting steam vessels for action in time of war, in illustration of which he had a model of a steam tug constructed.

Lieut. Pocock was twice married: first to Anne, the only daughter of Thomas Wilson, of Ives-place, near Maidenhead, esq. by whom he had three daughters, Anne, Mary-Innes, and Catherine- Elizabeth; and, secondly, to ElizabethAnne, only daughter of Dr. Richard Pearson, the eminent physician (of whom we published a memoir in our number for April last) by whom he had one son, William-Innes-Moreton, born in Paris the 28th of April 1834, both of whom, as well as his three daughters, survive him. His remains were deposited with those of his first wife, in a vault in Bray Church.

N. M. ROTHSCHILD, ESQ. July 28. At Frankfort on the Maine, in his 60th 'year, Nathan Mayer Rothschild, esq. of London, the greatest mil