MUDGE MEMOIRS. 
 
MUDGE MEMOIRS: 
 
 BEING A RECORD OF 
 
 ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 AND SOME MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY; TOGETHER WITH A GENEALOGICAL 
 
 LIST OF THE SAME. 
 
 COMPILED FROM FAMILY PAPERS & OTHER SOURCES. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH PORTRAITS. 
 
 EDITED AND ARRANGED BY 
 
 STAMFORD RAFFLES FLINT, 
 
 B.A. UNIV. COLL., OXON. 
 
 TRURO: PRINTED BY NETHERTON & WORTH. 
 1883. 
 
Only One Hundred Copies Printed. 
 
 ■TRURO : PRINTED BY NETHERTON AND WORTH, LEMON STREET. 
 
TO MY MOTHER 
 
 THIS RECORD 
 OF HER 
 
 ANCESTORS. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 HE notes in the handwriting, for the most part, of Mr. 
 Richard Rosdew of Beechwood, from which I have 
 gained much information, have been placed at my 
 disposal by my father. 
 
 I have confined myself, as far as possible, to arrang- 
 ing and transcribing the matter before me; hence the 
 
 archaisms in phraseology, which occur on the earlier pages. 
 
 As the sources of information relative to the subjects of these 
 memoirs are limited and scanty, the following lines do not profess to be 
 more than sketches. 
 
 Such as they are I commit them to the press, and I do so respectfully, 
 ever mindful of the memory of those whom they record. 
 
 I beg to express my thanks to Dr. Ginsburg for his seasonable 
 advice, and for the loan of some valuable mezzotint proofs, and to all 
 those from whom I have received assistance ; and I beg further to acknow- 
 ledge my obligations to the late Mr. Alfred Mudge, for the pains he took 
 with the proof of the genealogical table. 
 
 In conclusion, I must add that it is with deference I put forward this 
 book, so unskilfully handled, and intended originally for those to whom it 
 would be of family or personal interest, trusting that whoever takes it up 
 will treat it with leniency and consideration. 
 
 Nansawsan, 
 
 1883. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Introduction xiii 
 
 Zachariah Mudge I 
 
 Thomas Mudge ..... . . . . . 33 
 
 Richard Mudge 67 
 
 John Mudge 79 
 
 William Mudge 121 
 
 Zachariah Mudge 157 
 
 Richard Zachariah Mudge 177 
 
 Genealogical List 241 
 
 Index 255 
 
 Table of Portraits .259 
 
 Pedigree 26a 
 
PORTRAITS. 
 
 ZACHARIAH MUDGE, Prebendary of Exeter to face page i 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., 1766. 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE „ 33 
 
 Nathaniel Dance, R.A., 1772. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE, M.D „ 79 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., 1753. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE, M.D „ 107 
 
 James Northcote, R.A., 1787. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE „ 116 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A,, 1758. 
 
 WILLIAM MUDGE, Major-General, R.A „ 121 
 
 James Northcote, R.A., 1804. 
 
 ZACHARIAH MUDGE, Vice- Admiral „ 157 
 
 John Opie, R.A,, 180-. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 HE name of Mudge was originally Mugge; 
 both spellings occur in a pedigree of the 
 15th century, which is recorded in one of 
 the early Visitations of Surrey, to be found 
 in the Harleian MSS. 1561, fol. 7, and 
 143 1 1, fol. 139, in the British Museum. 
 
 additional MSS 
 
 The pedigree is as follows : — 
 
 John Mugge = 
 Mudge ( 
 
 Stephen Mugge - 
 
 Thomas Mugge = Johanna fil et 
 coheres Walter 
 Broke, 
 
 I 
 
 "Walter Mugger Johanne 
 (of Guildford, co. Surrey. 
 
 Galfridus Mugge 
 
 Michael Mugge = , 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 Agne 
 
 Daniel Mudge=Isabell dau. and 
 ob. s.p. heir, of John Hill, 
 alias Hull of 
 Spridelston, and 
 widow of Thomas 
 Engler. 
 
 Margaret, ux Sir 
 Christopher More, 
 of Losely, co. Surrey, 
 Knight, Remembran- 
 cer of the Exchequer 
 temp. Henry viii, 
 (issue). 
 
 Anne, 
 ux John 
 AUen. 
 
 Jane, 
 
 ux^^Jonea. 
 Thomas Jonea, 
 
xiv 
 
 INTR OD UCTION. 
 
 The will of the Walter Mugge mentioned in this 
 pedigree, made on the 9th of February in the year 1494- 
 95, was proved on the ist of April following. In it he 
 bequeaths his lands in Surrey to his wife Johanna for life, 
 wath remainder to his son Daniel. His lands in Devon- 
 shire he leaves to his executors on trust. The will is 
 specially interesting, on account of the description it con- 
 tains of the Mudge Arms. He directs his executors to 
 erect within the Church at Guildford, where he desired to 
 be buried, two stones of marble over the graves of Thomas 
 Mugge, his father, Geffrey Mugge, and Walter Broke and 
 Alice his wife. On these stones pictures of these persons 
 were to be engraven, and also their arms, which he particu- 
 larly describes. Those to be engraven on the Broke monu- 
 ment were to be ' three red lions with a chevron sable, the 
 field silver;' the arms to be cut on the Mudge stone were to 
 be 'three cockatrices in sable and the field silver.' In the 
 pedigree of Sir Christopher More, in ' Le Neve's Baronets,' 
 the alliance with Mudge, as above, is stated, and the arms 
 of the family are given, also 'Argent, a chevron between 
 three cockatrices sable,' which agree with those described 
 in the will. 
 
 I am indebted to Mr. Alfred Mudge^ for bringing 
 these facts under my notice, which I have however verified 
 for myself. 
 
 ^ Memorials, being a genealogical, biographical, and historical account of the name 
 of Mudge in America from 1638 to 1868, by Alfred Mudge. Boston : printed by Alfred 
 Mudge & Son, for the family. 1868. 
 
INTROD UCTION. 
 
 XV 
 
 Other wills bearing the name of Mudge are as follows: 
 WALTER MUGGE, Clerk, dated November 2nd, 
 
 1565, proved 4th of May, 1566. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE, of Thorn Falcon, in the county of 
 
 Somerset, dated the 6th of April, proved the 3rd of May, 
 
 1571- 
 
 ROBERT MUDGE, citizen and ^ clothworker ' of 
 London, dated the 12th, and proved the 17th of September, 
 
 EDMUND MUDGE, citizen and wax chandler of 
 London, dated 21st of November, proved the 14th of 
 December, 1603. 
 
 HAMLET MUDGE, of Milton near Gravesend, 
 dated loth of March, 1630-31, proved 3rd of April, 1632. 
 
 WILLIAM MUDGE, of Badbury, in the parish of 
 Chiseldon, Wilts, dated loth of May, 1604, proved 9th 
 of February, 1604-5. 
 
 ANTONY MUDGE, of Kingsteignton, in the county 
 of Devon, letters of administration dated 8th of October, 
 1630. 
 
 THOMAS MOUDGE, of Alborne, in Wiltshire, 
 dated the 13th of March, 1632-33, proved the 6th of July, 
 1633. 
 
 ELIZABETH MUDGE, of Stroud, in the county 
 of Kent, dated loth of June, 1639, proved 12th of March, 
 1640-41. 
 
xvi 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 JOANE MUDGE, of the parish of St. Nicholas, in 
 the county of Devon, widow, dated the 29th of January, 
 1650-51, proved the 13th of May, 1654. 
 
 WALTER MUDGE, of North Curry, in the county 
 of Somerset, dated the 30th of November, 1659, and proved 
 the 4th of December, 1660. 
 
 GILBERT MUDGE, of Shad well, in the county of 
 Middlesex, i8th of March, 1679--80. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE, of Radcliffe, county of Middlesex, 
 20th of December, 1692. 
 
 Wills proved in the City of Exeter : — 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE, of Little Walsingham, county 
 of Norfolk, dated June 4th, 1527, proved June 26th, 1527. 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE, of Paignton, dated March 4th, 
 1598-99, proved July 6th, 1599. 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE, of Blackdon, in the parish of 
 Paignton, dated December 28th, 1595, proved January 
 6th, 1592-96. 
 
 SIMON MUDGE, of Deane, dated April 14th, 1605, 
 proved May i6th, 1605. 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE, of Morvale, dated May 29th, 
 1613, proved May 31st, 16 13. 
 
 ROBERT MUDGE, of Instow, dated August 19th, 
 16 16, proved September 7th, 16 16. 
 
INTROD UCTION. 
 
 xvii 
 
 JOHN MUDGE, of Bishop's Blagdon, in the parish 
 of Paignton, dated April 17th, 1628, proved October 21st, 
 1628. 
 
 The name of Mudge is to be found in the register 
 books of many a Devonshire parish, and is still common in 
 the west of England. 
 
 Of the derivation of the name, there have been many 
 conjectures ; it may come from the Anglo-Saxon Mod, 
 courage; though the ancient spelling of the name Mugge, 
 would suggest rather its affinity to the name Mugge, which 
 is often met with in Germany, and points more certainly to 
 a Teutonic origin; or it may be derived from the Old 
 English Mugge, Mug, to hide or conceal. 
 
 A word or two with regard to the following pages. 
 
 They are the records, not of men who have risen to 
 any special distinction in the history of their times, but of 
 men who have made the most of small means and common 
 opportunities. Opportunities all men have ; but it is those 
 who make full use of them in the line of their calling and 
 according to the natural bent of their genius, who are 
 enabled to rise above the common level of mankind. It is 
 the glory of our country that men such as these should have 
 in all periods abounded, not all equally distinguished, but men 
 
xviii 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 penetrated with the spirit of excelling- in the sphere of life 
 in which they found themselves. With the subjects of our 
 memoirs, these spheres were those of a clergyman, a 
 physician, a mechanician, a soldier who had little to do with 
 the din of battles, and a sailor. It may be said that there 
 have been many such characters; I trust there have been, 
 but all such records are interesting and useful, and bring 
 with them lessons of encouragement for those who follow 
 after them. One without any social advantages made for 
 himself his position by his own ability, a man of powerful 
 intellect, who is acknowledged to have exercised a per- 
 manent influence on the mind of Sir Joshua Reynolds. 
 Another devoted his long life to the course his genius 
 directed ; and his perseverance enabled him to overcome the 
 obstacles which prevented his inventions receiving for a 
 long period their just acknowledgment. A third showed 
 the superiority of a mind, attuned by discipline, over bodily 
 pain; and though for many years a martyr to disease, made 
 such use of the hours of relaxation from the duties of his 
 profession, as to be able to complete an invention, requiring 
 laborious experiments, which received the approval of the 
 scientific world. Again another by steady application to his 
 work, brought topographic and geodesic art to an excellence 
 hitherto unattained in this country, and prepared the way 
 for the further improvements which later years have 
 developed. To say no more on what will be gathered 
 better from the Records themselves, all 1 would here say 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xix 
 
 is this, that each little (and in many cases it may be very 
 little) of what is good and noble, that a man does, in any 
 way making use of the great and varied qualities bestowed 
 upon him, developing his talents, or benefiting his fellow- 
 men — each little helps to bring us nearer that perfection 
 which is the true destiny of man. 
 
 " I too rest in faith, 
 That man's perfection is the crowning flower 
 Toward which the urgent sap ip life's great tree 
 Is pressing, — seen in Uving blossoms now, 
 But in the world's great morrows to expand 
 With broadest petal and with deepest glow... 
 The faith that life on earth is being shaped 
 To glorious ends ; that order, justice, love, 
 Mean man's completeness, mean effect as sure 
 As roundness in the dew-drop — that great faith 
 Is but the rushing and expanding stream 
 Of thought, of feeling, fed by all the past." 
 
 George Eliot. 
 
*' Old times, old. friends, and old events recalling, 
 With many a circumstance of trivial note, 
 To memory dear, and of importance grown." 
 
 Charles Lamb. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 Prebendary of Exeter: Vicar of St. Andrew s, Plymouth, 
 
 Not propp'd by ancestry . . 
 
 "The force of his own merits makes his way." 
 
 Henry viii. 
 
 ACHARIAH MUDGE was a native of 
 Exeter, in the county of Devon, and was 
 born in the year 1694. Nothing is known 
 of his origin, except that his parents were 
 in humble circumstances, and were prob- 
 ably of the artisan class. He received his early education 
 at the Grammar School in Exeter, where he shewed himself 
 then, even at that early age, a boy of remarkable ability. 
 He remained there till the age of 13 or 14, when in 1710 
 he was sent to Mr. Hallett's Academy in the same city, 
 that he might be trained for the non-conformist ministry, 
 
 1 
 
2 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 his family being Presbyterians. Here also he maintained 
 his character for intelligence, and shewed considerable apti- 
 tude for learning. In early life, out of school, he shewed 
 also the same enquiring disposition, and thirst for know- 
 ledge. On one occasion, during the holidays, he set out 
 and walked to London with only a few pence in his pocket. 
 The immediate cause of this expedition was that he had the 
 misfortune, while still a lad, to fall in love with a certain 
 Mary Fox, whom, a few years later, he married. She was 
 older than he was and declined his attentions: this drove 
 him to desperation. Acccordingly,'' I quote from Mr. 
 Fox's account, ''one day he marches off, without any 
 money in his pocket, any linen to change, or any recom- 
 mendation to any one person in the world to supply his 
 necessities, and very heroically takes the road to London ; 
 I have forgot what particular passages befell him in his 
 journey thither, though I have heard the story from himself, 
 but I remember he told me that when he came there he had 
 not one farthing to get a lodging, or to buy a piece of bread, 
 till by accident he found a half-penny as he was crossing 
 St. James' Park; with this he bought a brick, ^ and then pro- 
 ceeded to the Tower Wharf to try if he could get on board 
 a ship that was bound to the East or West Indies. But 
 in this he was disappointed, for he could find no master 
 or voyage, and it now growing towards night, and hunger, 
 weariness, and grief pressing upon him, he knew not 
 
 ^ A small, loaf of bread. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 a 
 
 where to go, or what to do ; at length observing some 
 empty sugar hogsheads upon the wharf, he thought it 
 would be better lodging in one of them, than in the 
 street, and accordingly got into one of them, and took up 
 his lodging there for that night. He slept soundly, and got 
 out early next morning without being taken notice of, and 
 then went in pursuit of his favourite scheme again to enter 
 aboard some vessel bound abroad, but this absolutely 
 failing, and being reduced to begging or starving, he began 
 to entertain some thoughts of returning home, and accord- 
 ingly he pursued his journey with all that expedition, which 
 his affairs required. His first night's lodging was under a 
 hedge, he having nothing to purchase a little straw, much 
 less a bed, but he slept well, and should have been much 
 refreshed, had he not fallen into a dream, which much dis- 
 composed him ; what the dream was I know not, but it had 
 a great effect on him, for he travelled a vast way in his 
 sleep, and crossed many a hedge in the night, and at last 
 awoke in a terrible surprise, not knowing where he was, or 
 how he got there ; at length he met a person, who told him 
 where he was, and by whose direction he found the way to 
 Salisbury, where providence directed him to an old school- 
 fellow, who relieved his hunger, and gave him lodging. 
 
 From thence he came directly to Exeter, to the great 
 joy of his mother, who after all the inquiry she could make 
 about him, had given him up for lost, and expected to hear 
 
4 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 that he was either hanged or drowned."^ On his return, his 
 only distress was, that he had worn out his shoes by his 
 long tramp. He used often in after Hfe to refer to his 
 juvenile excursion, which he always mentioned with much 
 pleasure. 
 
 His schooling was paid for by a Mr. George Trosse, 
 who thought highly of his abilities, and in his will, dated 
 November 23rd, 171 1, when he was 81 years of age, left all 
 his Hebrew, Greek, Latin and French books, to be divided 
 between his cousin John Trosse and Zachary Mudge, ''to 
 be equally divided, but the said Zachary Mudge to have 
 the choice of each division." This legacy no doubt gave 
 him the first incentive to the Study of Hebrew, in which he 
 became so great a proficient. 
 
 When he had completed his education at Mr. Hallett's, 
 he became second Master in the School of Mr. John 
 Reynolds, Vicar of St. Thomas the Apostle in Exeter. 
 
 This was an important step in his life. 
 
 It was doubtless under Mr. Reynolds' influence that he 
 first turned his thoughts to a comparison of the doctrines of 
 the Established Church, and those of the non-conformist 
 body to which he belonged. And it was doubtless more- 
 over at this time, that the seeds of that friendship were 
 sown, which bore fruit in a life-long intimacy with his son 
 
 ^ MS. entitled " Worthies of Devon," by Mr. J. Fox, formerly belonging to James 
 Northcote, now in the Proprietary Library, Plymouth. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 5 
 
 Samuel Reynolds, Master of the Grammar School at 
 Plympton, and his celebrated grandson Sir Joshua. 
 
 Zachariah Mudge must have married Mary Fox soon 
 after he joined Mr. Reynolds' School, in the year 1713, by 
 whom he had three children, Zachariah, Mary, and Thomas, 
 while residing in Exeter. 
 
 In 1 71 7 after the birth of his son Thomas, or early in 
 1 718, he left Exeter, and went to reside at Bideford, where 
 he undertook the charge of the Grammar School. He was 
 nominated to the Mastership of the School by Miss Sarah 
 Stucley, a lady in the neighbourhood ; she was the daugh- 
 ter of the celebrated Lewis Stucley, Chaplain to Oliver 
 Cromwell, and married George Buck, Mayor of Bideford. 
 Here Mr. Mudge took boarders into his house, and the 
 School became, under his successful management, in a more 
 flourishing condition, than it had been for many years. 
 Amongst the scholars he produced, may be mentioned Dr. 
 John Shebhare, who was pensioned at the commencement 
 of the reign of George HI, at the same time with Johnson, 
 which occasioned the pun, that the King had bestowed 
 his favours on a he-bear and a she-bear." 
 
 In 1 718 his son Richard was born, and in 1 721 his 
 youngest son, John. 
 
 During 'this period of his life he entered into a long 
 correspondence with Bishop Weston of Exeter, on the 
 Doctrines of the Established Church, and in this corres- 
 pondence he was joined by his friend Samuel Reynolds. 
 
6 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 This correspondence, which has unfortunately been lost, 
 resulted in Mr. Mudge joining the Church of England. 
 
 It is much to his credit, that when he became a 
 member of the Church of England, he sent to the West of 
 England Branch of the Non-Conformist Association to 
 which he belonged, the sum of ^50, a sum which he con- 
 sidered would repay them for any expenses his education 
 might have cost them. 
 
 In 1729 he decided on taking Holy Orders, and 
 applied to the Bishop. Bishop Weston very carefully 
 examined him, an unusual thing in those days, being 
 scrupulous of granting Orders to one, who had not had a 
 University Education ; but when he had examined him, and 
 found what a master he was of the learned languages, he 
 was astonished, and not only ordained him, but ever after- 
 wards treated him with very particular respect. 
 
 Mr. Mudge was ordained Deacon on September 21st, 
 1729, St. Matthew's Day, and Priest on the following 
 Sunday, September 27th. 
 
 In December of the same year he was instituted to the 
 living of Abbotsham near Bideford, on the presentation of 
 Lord Chancellor King. He owed this preferment to a 
 Mr. John Atkins of Exeter, in whose house his wife had 
 formerly resided. In 1732 he became a candidate for the 
 Church of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, being induced to do so 
 by a Mr. Herrings who for some time was Churchwarden 
 of that Church. Mr. Mudge was introduced to Mr. Tolcher 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 7 
 
 one of the Aldermen of Plymouth, with whom lay the 
 Election of a Vicar, by a Mr. Thomas Jan, a gentleman of 
 considerable fortune near Bideford, in the following terms : 
 
 This accompanies my worthy friend Mr. Mudge, who 
 I hear is well recommended, and hath your interest to 
 be your Vicar, so I need say nothing to induce you to 
 be hearty, and to exert yourself for his succeeding therein, 
 which if he doth, I am very sure your Parish and Town 
 will be happy in a virtuous good man, and an ornament 
 to his Profession. I have known him long, and have so 
 great a value for him that his leaving this town will make 
 me like, and be much less at, it, than hitherto, yet I can't but 
 wish him in a place where he'll shine, and be better known 
 than in the small Parish he hath at present. 
 
 The candidates preached before the election at St. 
 Andrew's, that the Mayor, Corporation, and Inhabitants 
 might judge of their respective abilities. Mr. Mudge was 
 so eloquent and impressive, that he obtained the suffrages 
 of the majority of the Electors. 
 
 The account of his election and induction is recorded 
 in an old Diary : 
 
 ''August 23rd. This day came on the election for a 
 Vicar for St. Andrew's Church wheare one Dr. Burnett and 
 Mr. Zachariah Mudge was put up as candidates, and 
 Mr. Wadon, Mayor, after all the Government had struck, 
 
 ^ Extract from a letter dated Bideford 20th May, 1732. 
 
8 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 said there was fourteen for Dr. Burnett, and fifteen for 
 Mr. Zachariah Mudge, but then Mr. Mayor said that all the 
 Government was not theare and talks of adjourning to the 
 houses of two, which weare then sick in theare beds, and 
 one of them almost dying, but the opposite party said there 
 was never any such custom, but only those that did meet to 
 the Guildhall, which caused a great dispute, and the Black 
 Book was sent for, and thare it appeared very plain it was 
 to be decided by them only which appeared at the Guild- 
 hall, and had most strokes of the Electors theare, and 
 then Mr. Mayor declared Mr. Zachariah Mudge, Vicar of 
 St. Andrew's Parish. A man admired by most of the town, 
 but only a sett of men used all the arts, and base tricks, to 
 set him aside ; theare weare severall other candidates sett 
 up, but those trickers got them all to give up theare pre- 
 tentions purely to put aside the said Mr. Mudge, though a 
 a very deserving man both in lerning, and moralls. For 
 Mr. Mudge, was 7 aldermen and 8 common counsell. For 
 the Doctor, 4 aldermen and 9 others. The said Mr. Mudge 
 was inducted the 15th day of September, being Friday, just 
 after the morning prayers, which was after this manner. 
 Mr. Bowden y^ Vicar of Charles' Parish, and Mr. Foster 
 Elector (Lecturer) of St. Andrew's and Mr. Cocke and Mr. 
 Hering, the two Churchwardens with a few others with 
 Mr. Mudge stood at the chancell doore, every body beings 
 com out of church, they lockt the doore and then they 
 unlockt itt and let y^ said Mr. Mudge walk in, then lock the 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 9 
 
 doore upon him, then he goes and made sum short prayer, 
 as is supos'd to himself, itt being usuall att such tyme, then 
 he went in the tower and struck severall strokes on one of 
 the bells, and came out to the aforesaid gentlemen, and ask 
 them to walk into his church, when they walked in and 
 signed the instrument, hee brought from the Bishop's Court, 
 and then all that weare there wish't him long life and happi- 
 ness, then he invited them to drink a glass of wine to 
 Morgans after evening prayers, having noe place of his 
 own. — Mark, none signed it but they who let him in." 
 
 Such is the account of Mr. Mudge's induction into the 
 Living of St. Andrew's, worth it is said at that time ^2000 
 a year. Thus, notwithstanding the obstacles of birth and 
 education, by his own abilities and perseverance he found 
 himself before the age of forty appointed to one of the most 
 valuable and important preferments in the west of England. 
 
 The Bishop still maintained his regard for him, for on 
 December i8th, 1736, Mr. Mudge was made Prebendary 
 of Exeter. 
 
 In 1739 he published a volume of Sermons, dedi- 
 cated to the Bishop of Exeter. Those sermons have 
 always been held in high estimation for the strength of their 
 reasoning, and the hard matter they embodied in them, 
 particularly those On the Evils of Anarchy,'' and " On 
 the Origin and Obligation of Government."^ One of these 
 
 * Sermons on different subjects. London, Printed for S. Birt, at the Bible and 
 Ball, in Ave-Mary-Lane ; E. Score, over against the Guildhall, Exeter ; and B. 
 Smithurst, at Plymouth, 1739. 
 
 2 
 
10 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 two, the last most probably, was reprinted by his friend 
 Edmund Burke in the form of a pamphlet, who considered 
 it, as he said, the best Antidote to the Jacobin principles of 
 the day, and referred to it in the House of Commons. 
 Lord Chatham also used to speak very highly of these 
 sermons, the volume was a favourite work with him. It is 
 not fifty years ago since this volume was recommended, 
 amongst other standard works of English Divines, by 
 Bishops for the study of Candidates for Holy Orders. Sir 
 Joshua talked of republishing the whole of these sermons, 
 but he did not carry his intentions into effect. Sir Joshua 
 on one occasion praising Mr. Mudge's sermons, Johnson 
 answered, " Mudge's sermons are good, but not practical. 
 He grasps more sense than he can hold, he takes more corn 
 than he can make into a meal, he opens a wide prospect, 
 but it is distant, it is indistinct." 
 
 Dr. Watken's in an account of Mr. Mudge, says that, 
 besides the book of Sermons, he printed a single sermon 
 preached at the visitation of Bishop Lavington. This dis- 
 course according to Dr. Watkens is a well reasoned discuss- 
 ion of the arguments in favour of an establishment ; he 
 never saw but one copy of it, which he gave, with the 
 volume of serm.ons, to Bishop Horsley, who expressed a 
 desire to keep them with a strong approbation of their 
 merit. 
 
 In 1744, Mr. Mudge published a translation of the 
 Psalms with notes, from the original Hebrew, which he 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 11 
 
 calls ** An Essay towards a new English version of the 
 Book of Psalms, from the Original Hebrew." ^ Of this 
 book Orme remarks, ''His Hebrew criticisms are not always 
 sound, though his version of particular Psalms are fre- 
 quently elegant and happy;'' and of his notes Horne says, 
 "Some of his notes are more ingenious than solid/' He 
 gave up much time for many years to the translation of the 
 Bible from the Hebrew, a considerable portion of which he 
 lived to accomplish, but it has never been published. Mr, 
 Gandy alludes to this work of his life in a sermon which he 
 preached after Mr. Mudge's death at St. Andrew's. 
 
 His character was indeed rendered truly amiable 
 and respectable by an union of the best qualities of the head 
 and heart. His understanding, naturally vigorous and com- 
 prehensive, was enlarged and disciplined by study and 
 contemplation ; well versed in every branch of learning, and 
 nicely skilled in the original languages of the sacred 
 writings, he bent himself almost wholly to the work he was 
 so well fitted to undertake, and to which the obligations of 
 his profession very happily led him ; the testimonies of God 
 were indeed his delight and his councillors, and in the latter 
 years of his life were scarcely ever out of his hands. 
 Hence his profound knowledge in the doctrines, as well as 
 the duties of Religion, which in these matters made his 
 authority almost decisive. The public already enjoy some 
 fruit of his learned labours, in the elucidation of the Holy 
 
 ^ The MS. in possession of Rev. W. C. Raffles Flint. 
 
12 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Scriptures, and it were much to be lamented by all that 
 wish well to the interests of Piety and good learning, if any 
 production of so much genius should be lost to the world." 
 
 Mr. Fox who at times speaks somewhat disparagingly 
 of Mr. Mudge, however bears testimony to his ability and 
 learning. His character is so well known in the places 
 where he had lived, that I need say but little about it. 
 He was without dispute what we call a genius, and had it 
 been his fortune ever to have been known at the Temple, 
 the Rolls, or at Boyle's Lectures, he would certainly have 
 passed for a great man. 
 
 " How far his own scheme of Christianity would have 
 passed upon the world I know not, for it was very 
 metaphysical, and fit only for the perusal of deeply ab- 
 stracted minds. • 
 
 He always thought, or pretended to think, that all 
 other schemes were defective, which I suppose might be 
 the reason why in the first place he was a thorough Deist. 
 He once talked it over with Dr. Clarke, who I was told had 
 little to say against it, though I never heard, that he ever 
 said anything for it. He had a good measure of contempt 
 for all our great men, both divines and philosophers, he 
 allowed them indeed to be honest, but then he said, they 
 saw but a little way."^ 
 
 ^ If a like tendency to depreciate were not noticeable in other lives contained in 
 the MS, the fact that Mr. Mudge left the non-conformist body in which Mr. Fox was a 
 minister, and he never seems quite to have forgiven his friend for so doing, might suggest 
 a cause. Moreover Northcote well says that it is very easy to make any one appear 
 ridiculous with whom one lives on terms of intimacy. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 13 
 
 Mr. Mudge was very particular in the discharge of his 
 parochial and religious duties, and whilst he was able he 
 always took part in the Church services. For some years 
 he had a Curate to assist him in his work, the Rev. John 
 Gandy, for whom he conceived great regard ; he was most 
 anxious for him to succeed him at his death, in the Vicarage^ 
 which he did ; and these two, so attached to each other, 
 presided over the Parish of St. Andrew's for 92 years. 
 
 In society Mr. Mudge was extremely affable and 
 cheerful, and was particularly fond of the company of 
 children, and young people, but, as he advanced in years, 
 afraid that his age might be a restraint on their mirth, he 
 would after a while steal away, and then rub his hands and 
 say he had gained a victory over himself. 
 
 In conversation he showed himself a man of much 
 thought, never content with taking a superficial view of any 
 subject, but was accustomed to look deeply into things and 
 thus judge of their effects. 
 
 One of his sayings used to be If you take too much 
 care of yourself, nature will cease to take care of you.'* 
 On one occasion being asked what he considered to be the 
 first quality of style in writing, he replied, " unmistakeable 
 perspicuity." 
 
 His son. Dr. Mudge, relates the following anecdote of 
 
 him : 
 
 I was accustomed to hasten to my father with any 
 great news that arrived, but was often mortified by his not 
 
14 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 receiving it with the warmth that animated myself. When 
 the news of Wolfe's victory at Quebec arrived, I hastened 
 to him with the Gazette, and after reading it to him with 
 much glee, I could not avoid remarking to him that he did 
 not seem elated with this great success ; on which he said, 
 'Son, son, it will do very well, whilst the Americans have 
 the sea one side, and the French on the other; but take 
 away the French, and they will not want our protection.' 
 He clearly saw at the moment in the capture of Quebec, 
 the expulsion of the French from Canada, and the con- 
 sequent independence of America." 
 
 Dr. Johnson made Mr. Mudge's acquaintance when on 
 a visit to Plymouth in 1762. Boswell speaks of this visit 
 in his life of Johnson. ''Reynolds and he (Dr. Johnson) 
 were at this time the guests of Dr. Mudge, the celebrated 
 surgeon and physician of that place, not more distinguished 
 for quickness of parts and variety of knowledge, than loved 
 and esteemed for his amiable manners ; and here Dr. 
 Johnson formed an acquaintance with Dr. Mudge's father, 
 that very eminent divine the Reverend Zachariah Mudge, 
 Prebendary of Exeter, who was idolized in the west, both 
 for his excellence as a preacher, and the uniform perfect 
 propriety of his private conduct. He preached a sermon 
 purposely that Dr. Johnson might hear him, and we shall 
 see afterwards that Johnson honoured his memory by 
 drawing his character." ^ On one occasion, during his visit 
 
 ^ Vol. I, p. 347. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 15 
 
 to Plymouth, the following little incident occurred. One of 
 the civic authorities, an old man, did himself the honour to 
 call on Dr. Johnson on a Sunday morning and conduct him 
 to the Alderman's seat in St. Andrew's Church. Very 
 proud of his companion he tried to make the most of him, 
 and not being quite so religiously minded as the Doctor, he 
 interrupted him during the service by several trifling 
 remarks ; the Doctor at last became indignant, and rising up 
 thundered out, I am surprised that an old man, and a 
 magistrate, does not know how to conduct himself in the 
 house of God." 
 
 While at Plymouth, Johnson saw a great many of its 
 inhabitants, and was not sparing of his entertaining con- 
 versation. It was here that a lady asked him one day 
 how he came to define in his Dictionary, Pastern the knee 
 of a horse ; instead of making an elaborate defence as she 
 expected, he at once answered, " Ignorance, madam, pure 
 ignorance."^ 
 
 No doubt more than once Johnson partook of the 
 hospitality of the Vicarage. On one occasion when dining 
 there, Johnson, whose * inextinguishable thirst for tea' is 
 well known, after having disposed of seventeen cups of tea, 
 presented his cup to Mrs. Mudge for another, ''what"! 
 said the lady, whose skill in tea making had been no doubt 
 tried by this unusual demand on her teapot, ''what ! another, 
 Dr. Johnson'' " Madam, you are rude/' 
 
 Boswell's Life of Johnson, vol. i, 266, 348. 
 
16 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 This reminds us of an occurrence at a Mrs. Cumber- 
 land's, where both Johnson and Reynolds were dining. Sir 
 Joshua ventured to remind Johnson that he had had eleven 
 cups of tea, which drew down on himself the reprimand, 
 " Sir I did not count your glasses of wine, why should you 
 number up my cups of tea ? and then laughing in perfect 
 good humour, he added, " Sir — I should have released the 
 lady from any further trouble, if it had not been for your 
 remark ; but you have reminded me that I want one of the 
 dozen, and I must request Mrs. Cumberland to round up 
 my number." When he saw the readiness and complacency, 
 with which that lady obeyed his call, he turned a kind and 
 cheerful look upon her and said, Madam I must tell you, 
 for your comfort, you have escaped much better than a 
 certain lady did awhile ago, upon whose patience I intruded 
 greatly more than I have done upon yours ; but the lady 
 asked me for no other purpose but to make a zany of me, 
 and set me gabbling to a parcel of people I knew nothing 
 of So Madam I had my revenge of her, for I swallowed 
 five and twenty cups of tea, and did not treat her with as 
 many words.''^ 
 
 Whether the lady here referred to is Mrs. Mudge we 
 do not know, though it is quite probable that it is. She was 
 of a careful and economical disposition, and it must have 
 sorely gone against the grain with her, thus to minister to 
 Johnson's insatiable thirst. Dr. Mudge, her son, used to- 
 
 'Leslie's Life of Sir J. Reynolds, I. 387. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 17 
 
 say she was specially parsimonious in little things, and 
 instances the fact that when he was a child, if he asked her 
 for an apple, she could not bear to give him a good one, 
 and always contrived to pick out the worst. 
 
 We leave Johnson and his teacups with the lines he 
 made one day at Miss Reynolds tea table. 
 
 " Oh ! hear it then my Renny dear, 
 Nor hear it with a frown — 
 You cannot make the tea so fast, 
 As I can gulp it down.''^ 
 
 Mr. Mudge generally made, in his later years, an 
 excursion to London annually with his wife to visit his 
 friends Dr. Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds, accompanied 
 by a female servant. Travelling at that time was not very 
 rapid, they took their time about the journey, and the 
 same chaise and horses with an old postilion called Pinchy, 
 took them from Plymouth to London and back. 
 
 It was on these visits that he formed and maintained 
 his acquaintance with Burke, whom he met with many 
 other distinguished men, Garrick, Goldsmith, and others at 
 his friends' houses. Burke refers to his acquaintance with 
 Mr. Mudge, and the influence Mr. Mudge had over Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds' character, in a letter writen to Mr. M alone 
 in 1797. 
 
 " Though Johnson had done much to enlarge and 
 
 ^Northcote's Life of Reynolds, p. 47. 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Strengthen his habit of thinking, Sir Joshua did not owe his 
 first rudiments of speculation to him. He has always told 
 me, that he owed his first disposition to generalize, and to 
 view things in the abstract, to old Mr. Mudge, Prebendary 
 of Exeter, and father of the celebrated mechanic of that 
 name. I have myself seen Mr. Mudge the clergyman at 
 Sir Joshua's house. He was a learned and venerable old 
 man ; and, as I thought very conversant in the Platonic 
 philosophy, and very fond of that method of philosophizing. 
 He had been originally a dissenting minister, a description 
 which at that time bred very considerable men, both among 
 those who adhered to it, and those who left it. He had 
 entirely cured himself of the unpleasant narrowness, which 
 in the early part of his life had distinguished those gentle- 
 men, and perfectly free from the ten times more dangerous 
 enlargement, which has been since then their general char- 
 acteristic. 
 
 "Sir Joshua had always a great love for the whole of 
 that family, and took a great interest in whatever related to 
 them. 
 
 His acquaintance with the Mudges ought to be 
 reckoned among the earliest of his literary connections. If 
 the work (the 2nd edition of Malone's book) should come 
 to a second edition, I hope you will not omit this very 
 material circumstance, in the institution of a mind like that 
 of our friend. It was from him that I first got a view of 
 the few that have been published of Mr. Mudge s sermons. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 19 
 
 and on conversing afterwards with Mr. Mudge I found great 
 traces of Sir Joshua Reynolds in him, and, if I may say so, 
 much of the manner of the Master 
 
 Burke wrote this letter, on receipt of the first edition 
 of Malone s book, he was then dying. 
 
 Malone had requested him to throw his thoughts on 
 paper relative to Sir Joshua Reynolds, while he was em- 
 ployed in drawing up his account of Sir Joshua. Burke, 
 being very ill at the time, could do no more than put down 
 a few hints, which after his death were transmitted to him. 
 
 "He was a great generalizer, and was fond of reducing 
 everything to one system ; more perhaps than the variety 
 of principles, which operate in the human mind and in every 
 human work, will properly endure. But this disposition to 
 abstractions, generalizations, and classifications, is the great 
 glory of the human mind ; that, indeed, which most distin- 
 guishes man from other animals, and is the source of 
 everything that can be called science. I believe his early 
 acquaintance with Mr. Mudge of Exeter, a very learned 
 and thinking man, much inclined to philosophize in the 
 spirit of the Platonists, disposed him to this habit. He 
 certainly by that means liberalized in a high degree the 
 theory of his own art, and if he had been more methodically 
 instituted in the early part of his life, and had possessed 
 
 ^ Leslie's Life of Reynolds, vol. II, p. 638. cf. Account of Life of Reynolds by- 
 Edmund Malone, p. xxxiii, xcviii Ed. v. 
 
20 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 more leisure for study and reflection, he would, in my 
 opinion, have pursued this method with great success." 
 
 Mr. Mudge seems to have exercised a remarkable 
 influence over the minds of those who came in contact with 
 him ; according to Northcote, by Johnson and many others, 
 he was * esteemed an idol ' ; Burke ^ always bowed to his 
 opinion, and Sir Joshua used to say that he was the wisest 
 man he had ever met with in his life. Mr. Mudge's word 
 was with Reynolds a suflicient answer to any arguments. 
 On one occasion, when conversing with Northcote, he 
 expressed his impatience of some innovations, at which the 
 other said, At that rate the Christian Religion could 
 never have been established." Oh ! " replied Reynolds, 
 Mr. Mudge has answered that,"^ which seemed to satisfy 
 him perfectly. 
 
 In 1769 Mr. Mudge set out from Plymouth on his 
 usual excursion to London, and slept the first night at 
 Coffleet, the seat of Thomas Veale, Esquire, about 8 miles 
 from Plymouth. Here he was seized with an attack of 
 gout, which proved fatal on the 2nd of April. He always 
 had a great sense of humour ; on the night of his death as 
 a servant of Mr. Veale, Betty Miller, was rubbing his back, 
 he said to her, " Betty, do you know your right hand from 
 your left " t " Lor ! yes sir/' she answered, " I hope I do,'^ 
 
 ^ Burke on having a grandson of Mr. Mudge introduced to him by Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, said, " I have lived in intimacy with two generations of Mudges, and have 
 much pleasure in making the acquaintance of a third." 
 
 ^ Northcote's Conversations, 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 21 
 
 on which he kindly replied, " 'Tis more than I do, for they 
 appear both right hands to me.'' These were his last 
 words. 
 
 The Body was brought back to Plymouth, and was 
 interred by the Communion Table in his own Church, and 
 on the next Sunday, Mr. Gandy preached the sermon before 
 alluded to, taking for his text, " Let me die the death of the 
 righteous, and let my last end be like his." 
 
 Once has his form been seen since, though but for a 
 moment. Some few years ago during some alterations in 
 the Church, the vault was opened. The coffin was 
 decayed, but Mr. Bone the builder, who was present, saw 
 as distinctly as possible the form of the old Vicar. Every 
 feature was perfect, and on the head was a scarlet nightcap : 
 but in an instant the whole had disappeared, and a little 
 dust only remained. 
 
 In the London Chronicle of May 2nd appeared his 
 character drawn by Dr. Johnson. 
 
 He was a man equally eminent for his virtues and 
 abilities, and at once beloved as a companion and rever- 
 enced as a pastor. He had that general curiosity to which 
 no kind of knowledge is indifferent or superfluous, and that 
 general benevolence by which no order of men is hated 
 or despised. 
 
 "His principles both of thought and action were great 
 and comprehensive. By a solicitous examination of object- 
 ions, and judicious comparison of opposite arguments, he 
 
22 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 attained, what enquiry never gives but to industry and 
 perspicuity; a firm and unshaken settlement of conviction, 
 but his firmness was without asperity, for knowing with 
 how much difficulty truth was sometimes found, he did not 
 wonder that many missed it. The general course of his 
 life was determined by his profession ; he studied the sacred 
 volumes in the original languages ; with what diligence and 
 success, his notes upon the Psalms give sufficient evidence. 
 He once endeavoured to add the knowledge of Arabic to 
 that of Hebrew ; but finding his thoughts too much 
 diverted from other studies, after some time desisted from 
 his purpose. 
 
 " His discharge of parochial duties was exemplary. 
 
 " How his sermons were composed may be learned from 
 the excellent volume he has given to the public ; but how 
 they were delivered can be known only to those who heard 
 him. His delivery though unconstrained, was not negligent, 
 and though forcible, was not turbulent. Disdaining any 
 anxious nicety of emphasis and laboured artifice of action, 
 it captivated the hearer by its natural dignity, it roused the 
 sluggish and fixed the volatile, and detained the mind upon 
 the subject without directing it to the speaker. 
 
 The grandeur and solemnity of the preacher did not 
 intrude upon his general behaviour. At the table of his 
 friends he was a companion, communicative and attentive, 
 of unaffected manners, of manly cheerfulness, willing to 
 please and easy to be pleased. His acquaintance was 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 23 
 
 universally solicited, and his presence obstructed no enjoy- 
 ment which religion did not forbid. 
 
 Though studious, he was popular ; though argumen- 
 tative, he was modest ; though inflexible, he was candid ; 
 and though metaphysical, he was orthodox/'^ 
 
 Mr. Mudge married, as we have previously said, Mary 
 Fox ; the date of her death is not ascertained. 
 
 In 1764 he married Elizabeth Neell, who survived 
 him. She died June 12th, 1782. 
 
 His features have been handed down to us in the 
 portraits, which were painted of him by Hudson and 
 Reynolds.2 
 
 Sir Joshua painted Mr. Mudge three times. For the 
 first two pictures he sat in May 1761 and in May 1762. 
 They are both nearly full face portraits. They have lost a 
 good deal of their original colouring; and the second one 
 has been cleaned, having been partly damaged by having 
 a jug of boiling water thrown over it accidentally, when 
 lying on a table. The third picture was painted in 1766, 
 when Mr. Mudge was in his 72nd year. 
 
 In Sir Joshua s note book is this entry : 
 " 1766 May — Mr. Mudge." 
 
 ^ Vide Boswell's Life, vol. iv, p. 82. 
 
 ^ There is another portrait of Mr. Mudge by R. E. Pine, painted for his friend 
 Mr, Heath, Town Clerk of Exeter, who in return presented Mr. Mudge with his portrait 
 by the same artist. This latter hangs now in the Town Hall, Exeter. 
 
24 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 and Dr. Mudge's notes in his pocket book confirm it. 
 
 "1766 Tuesday, April 8th. My father set out for London at noon." 
 ^'Thursday June 5th. My father and Mrs. Mudge returned from 
 London." 
 
 "1767 Monday March 9th. Received my Father's picture from 
 London." 
 
 Of this last mentioned portrait, which represents Mr. 
 Mudge in deep thought, and which is well known by the 
 excellent Mezzo-tinto engraving of it, Leslie in his life of 
 Sir Joshua says: 
 
 The admiration of Reynolds for Dr. Mudge seems 
 to have inspired him to surpass himself (if possible) in the 
 Doctor's portrait. It is a noble head painted with great 
 grandeur, and the most perfect truth of effect. The chin 
 rests on the hand ; and Chantrey, who carved the whole 
 composition in full relief, told me that when the marble was 
 placed in the right light and shadow, the shape of the light, 
 that falls behind the hand, and on the band and gown, was 
 exactly the same in his bust as in the picture."^ 
 
 Chantrey's fine representation in marble of the picture, 
 
 stands at the East End of the South Aisle of St. Andrew's 
 
 Church. It was executed at the instance of Mr. Rosdew 
 
 at the cost of ^500, and bears the following inscription : 
 
 " Zachariah Mudge, Prebendary of Exeter, and Vicar of St. Andrew's, 
 Plymouth. Born 1694; died 1769. In private Ufe he was amiable and 
 benevolent ; In his ministry faithful, eloquent and persuasive. Distin- 
 guished for knowledge among the learned, and for talent among men of 
 Science." 
 
 ' Vol. i, p. 270. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 25 
 
 The following letter is interesting, it is from Mr. 
 Edmund Bastard, of Kitley, to Mr. Richard Rosdew, and 
 refers to the bust which Chantrey was executing at the time. 
 
 "April 23rd, 1829, 
 
 My dear Rosdew, 
 
 I have seen Chantrey this morning as well as the Bust, 
 with which the Archdeacon was exceedingly struck, as 
 indeed every one must be. It is entirely finished, except 
 smoothing off a little of the rough part of the block below 
 the Bust, and making the place for the inscription, and 
 engraving the inscription. All this may be done in a few 
 days and by any of the workmen. Chantrey's part of the 
 work is completed. 
 
 With regard to the place, he is exceedingly anxious to 
 see and select it himself, as the whole effect of the work 
 must depend on the situation of the light, etc. For this 
 purpose he has almost promised me to come down in the 
 early part of the summer, but I am to see him again in a 
 few days, when I hope to settle that point decidedly. 
 
 ''At present he is very busy, as the works for the 
 exhibition at Somerset House must be sent in on Monday 
 and Tuesday. I think he will certainly come, if he possibly 
 can, as he is very anxious about the matter. With regard 
 to the inscription, he shewed me what you had sent him, 
 viz :— a copy of the inscription on the grave stone. I told 
 him I concluded that was what you wished to have, particu- 
 
 4 
 
26 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 larly as I believed it was from the pen of Dr. Johnson. 
 If I am not correct in this, pray let me know. The original 
 inscription is 
 
 *Here lieth the Body of Zachariah Mudge.' 
 
 " I observe a pencil suggestion you have made to 
 substitute for those words, 'Sacred to the Memory of Z. M.' 
 which is quite correct. It occurred to me however, that it 
 ' might be still better to omit the words altogether, and to 
 have the inscription commenced simply with the words 
 * Zachariah Mudge.' 
 
 " I mentioned this to Chantrey, and he agreed with me. 
 
 " I am however anxious to have your opinion about it, 
 which I will communicate to him as soon as I receive it. I 
 am happy to tell you that he will send off your picture in a 
 few days, as he has quite done with it. Jackson has copied 
 it for him in a manner quite satisfactory. He showed us 
 the copy, and I think it the best copy I ever saw of any 
 picture 
 
 Your sincere friend 
 
 Edmund P. Bastard." 
 
 So great was Chantrey's admiration of the portrait of 
 Z. Mudge, that he offered to execute the bust without 
 charge, if he might be allowed to retain the picture. As 
 naturally he was not allowed to make such an arrangement, 
 he was permitted to have the picture copied. This copy by 
 Jackson is alluded to in this letter. At the sale after Lady 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 27 
 
 Chantrey's death in 1853, it was put up as the portrait by- 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds. Evidently the public did not agree 
 with the auctioneer in their opinion of the value and 
 authenticity of the picture, as it was knocked down to a 
 picture dealer named Farrar for ;^39 i8s. 
 
 S. W. Reynolds, who has engraved this copy by 
 Jackson, has perpetuated the mistake, by ascribing the 
 picture to Reynolds, and saying further, " In possession of 
 Sir Francis Chantrey.'^ In May 1829, Mr. Bastard again 
 refers to Chan trey and the bust. *'With regard to their 
 visit to Devonshire, they are at present in such a state of 
 uncertainty, whether to move altogether from their residence, 
 or to alter and enlarge their present premises, that we can- 
 not press them to fix the time. 
 
 ''I have very little doubt however of their coming, par- 
 ticularly as Mr. Cunningham tells me, that Chantrey is sure 
 to come to fix on the spot, as the work is so great a 
 favourite ; so that when we have got the statue off he will 
 be sure to follow/' 
 
 Chantrey eventually did select the site for the bust. 
 On his coming to see the statue after it was in its place, 
 he was much struck with a light grey vein in the marble, 
 which he said he had not noticed before, corresponding in 
 its position on the hand, to one of the veins on the back 
 of the human hand. This little accident he said was worth 
 tjie whole of the statue. 
 
 On the 14th May, Mr. Bastard writes, I wrote to 
 
28 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 you in haste yesterday, being anxious to tell you of my 
 
 last visit to Chantrey with respect to the bust he is 
 
 more than ever pleased with it ; he has been so much 
 abused by his friends, and particularly those who are artists, 
 for not having sent it to the exhibition." 
 
 Mr. J. Brooking Rowe in his Ecclesiastical History of 
 Old Plymouth, has with much care and judgment, ex- 
 tracted from the well kept volumes of accounts of St. 
 Andrew's Church, all that is most important in them. 
 From this book I have selected those items, which are of 
 interest, that occur during the time of Mr. Mudge's Incum- 
 bency. First as to the bells. "In 1709, Colonel Jory 
 presented the Church with a peal of six new bells. In 
 1733, there is a charge paid Mr. John Pennington for 
 casting the fifth bell, as per agreement, £\\ i6s. Towards 
 the cost of this bell ^54 i8s. 6d. was collected from the 
 parishioners. Recasting a bell ought not to have cost this 
 sum. Colonel Jory's peal was a heavy one, and in 1749 in 
 consequence of the tenor having been cracked, it was cast 
 into a peal of eight, the cost being defrayed by voluntary 
 contributions. Of these bells the seventh and tenor fell 
 while in full swing in 1752, doing a great deal of damage 
 to the belfry and Church, falling through all the floors of 
 the tower. I do not find that any of the ringers were injured ; 
 but the necessary repairs amounted to a considerable sum. 
 With the exception of the tenor, and new first and second, 
 the bells now in the tower are those cast in 1 749 by 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 Thomas Bilbie, and his name and initials are on all except 
 
 the fifth. The sixth and seventh give us the information 
 
 Thomas Bilbie cast us all, 
 Thomas Bilbie cast all wee. 
 
 Bilbie's Tenor cracked in December 1839 and was 
 recast by Messrs. Mears in 1840."^ It bore the following- 
 inscription : 
 
 "Ego sum vox clamantis Parate. Zach. Mudge, Vic. Georg. 
 Marshall, Rich. Hicks, Eccles. Guard; Conflabat Stipe Publice Collata 
 Tho. Bilbie 1749.'' 
 
 A tablet in St. Andrew's Church states that the clock 
 in the tower of this Church was made by Mr. Thomas 
 Mudge of London 1706. This is evidently wrong. Thomas 
 Mudge was not born till 171 7, and ''I do not think he 
 did any work except for private individuals and the trade, 
 until he entered into partnership with William Button in 
 1750. Under any circumstances the St. Andrew's clock 
 could not have been made until after 1736, at which time 
 Thomas Mudge finished his apprenticeship with Mr. 
 Graham. Of course there may be a question as to whether 
 it was made by Mudge or not; but Mr. Jeffery, who has 
 now the charge of the clock, says that the workmanship is 
 very excellent, and he has no doubt but that it is rightly 
 ascribed to Mudge. If so it must have been made at least 
 thirty years later than the date mentioned on the tablet — 
 I736."2 The first account we have of an organ in St. 
 
 ^ The Church of St. Andrew, p. 37. 
 = p. 93- 
 
30 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Andrew's is in 1735, three years after Mr. Mudge's appoint- 
 ment to the Church, when one built by James Parsons was 
 opened on the 7th of December in that year.^ The choir 
 or singing men, as they are called, of Exeter Cathedral 
 attended on the occasion, and the Vicar, Mr. Mudge, 
 preached. 2 There is no notice of what was paid for the 
 organ, but the money was raised by subscriptions, and so 
 was the salary of the organist, John Evans." In 1748 
 James Parsons cleaned it, charging 8s. for the work, and in 
 1 749 the subscriptions for the organist's salary fell off, and 
 the Vicar made up the required sum. This was repeated 
 several years; but at last the salary of ^14 is regularly 
 entered by the Churchwardens in their accounts, and it was 
 increased by an endowment, and an annual payment from 
 the town. The organ renovated and improved remains 
 still in the Church. 
 
 In 1737 Samuel Addis bequeathed ^400, the interest 
 of which was to be applied towards the salary of the 
 organist. 
 
 In 1737-38 there is reference made in the Church- 
 wardens books to chorister boys. 
 
 In the Churchwardens accounts, there are during Mr. 
 Mudge's incumbency one or two curious entries, which are 
 worth transcribing. 
 
 ^ The Church of St. Andrew, p. 44. 
 
 = On the Nature of Divine Worship, No. 8 in the volume of Sermons. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 31 
 
 In 1740-41 the accounts were kept with particular neatness and 
 enquiries appear to have been made with some care in order to ascertain 
 the actual income of the Church. The Churchwarden was probably John 
 Facey, linen-draper and alderman, whose portrait is in the Athenaeum, 
 Plymouth. His comments on some of the charges made by the sexton, 
 Samuel Rhodes, are amusing. He objects to some items, and gives the 
 reason. The sexton charges 4s. 6d. for a flasket to carry the plate in. 
 Mr. Facey remarks that John Jenkin offered to sell him one for 2 s. 6d. 
 "For three bottles of oyle at is. 4d. each, which he could not buy under 
 IS. yd. each, and therefore I presume there was none used, 4s." Rhodes 
 took care not to make this mistake in subsequent years; the charge in 
 after years is always higher. 
 
 " For two hair brushes, for each of which he could not pay above 
 IS. 8d. and charges 4s. 
 
 " For a dozen brooms for which he did not pay above gd. or lod, is. 
 is charged. 
 
 "1745. — N. B. — The green velvet cloth, with fringe much worn, 
 was stolen from the communion table the evening that Lieut. Woolley was 
 buried, being the 27th day of February, 1745. Cash paid for crying the 
 green velvet communion table cloth stole from the table, 6d." Happily it 
 was afterwards recovered. 
 
 "1749. To a large umbrella for ye use of ye ministers at burial, 
 ^i 1 6s." This seems a large price. 
 
 ''175 1. Fees to Bishop's Courtt for getting off the presentment of 
 not having a hood, 12s. 3d. This doubtless refers to Mr. Mudge not 
 being a graduate of a University." 
 
 "1752. Occurs a payment for killing vermin. To two badgers, 
 four hedgehogs, 4d. each, and one fitch, 3s. 6d." ^ 
 
 ZACHARIAH, the eldest son of the Reverend 
 Zachariah Mudge, was born at Exeter 17 14. He was a 
 
 ^ The Church of St. Andrew, p. 48, 49. 
 
32 
 
 ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 surgeon and practised for some time at Tiverton. He was 
 a man of superior talents. 
 
 He died at the age of 39, on board an Indiaman at 
 Canton in 1753. 
 
 MARY was the only daughter of the Reverend 
 Zachariah Mudge, she was born at Exeter in 1715. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 *' A man that fortune's buffets and rewards 
 " Hast ta'en with equal thanks.'' 
 
 Hamlet. 
 
 HOMAS MUDGE/ the second son of 
 the Rev. Zachariah Mudge, was born in 
 Exeter, in the month of September, 171 7. 
 Soon after his birth his father rem.oved 
 to the Grammar School at Bideford, in 
 North Devon, where under his immediate care, he received 
 his education. At a very early period of his life, Mr. T. 
 Mudge gave strong indications of that mechanical genius, 
 by which he afterwards became so eminently distinguished; 
 for while he was yet a school boy, he could with ease take 
 to pieces a watch, and put it together again, without any 
 previous instructions. At the age of fourteen he was 
 
 ^ Vide Universal Magazine, 1795, p. 31 1. 
 
 5 
 
MEMOIR OF 
 
 bound apprentice to Mr. George Graham, watchmaker, 
 opposite Water-lane, Fleet-Street, a distinguished philo- 
 sopher as well as the most celebrated mechanic of his time. 
 
 He afterwards succeeded to Graham, as Graham 
 succeeded Tompion, making, as it was said, the grandfather, 
 father, and son, of watchmaking. Mr. Mudge soon attracted 
 the particular attention of his master, who so highly 
 estimated his mechanical powers, that upon all occasions he 
 afterwards assigned to him the nicest and most difficult 
 work ; and once in particular, having been applied to by one 
 of his friends, to construct a machine new in its mechanical 
 operation, his friend, some time after it had been sent home, 
 complained that it did not perform its office. Mr. Graham 
 answered, that he was very certain the complaint could not 
 be well founded, the work having been executed by his 
 apprentice, Thomas, and it appeared upon examination that 
 Mr. Graham was fully justified in this implicit confidence in 
 his apprentice, the work having been executed in a very 
 masterly manner, and the supposed defect arising entirely 
 from the unskilful management of the owner. 
 
 On the expiration of his apprenticeship, Mr. Mudge 
 took lodgings, and continued to work privately for some 
 years. About the year 1757, he married Miss Abigail 
 Hopkins, the daughter of a gentleman at Oxford. 
 
 The circumstance which, as it were, first rescued him 
 from obscurity is somewhat remarkable ; Mr. Ellicot, who 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 35 
 
 was one of the most distinguished watchmakers of his time, 
 and who had been often employed by Ferdinand vi, King of 
 Spain, was desired by that prince to make him an equation 
 watch. Mr. Ellicot, not being able to accomplish the under- 
 taking, applied to Mr. Shovel, an ingenious workman, to 
 assist him ; but he also being unequal to the task, mentioned 
 it to Mr. Mudge, with whom he was very intimate, and who 
 readily undertook to make such a watch. He not only 
 succeeded to his own satisfaction, but to the admiration of 
 all who had the opportunity of inspecting it. This watch 
 having been made for Mr. Ellicot, his name was affixed to 
 it, as is always the custom in such cases, and he assumed 
 the whole merit of the construction. An unfortunate 
 accident, however, did justice to the real inventor, and 
 stripped Mr. Ellicot of his borrowed plumes. Being en- 
 gaged one day in explaining his watch to some men of 
 science, it happened to receive an injury, by which its action 
 was entirely destroyed ; and he had the mortification to find, 
 moreover, upon inspecting the watch, that he himself could 
 not repair the mischief. This compelled him to acknow- 
 ledge that Mr. Mudge was the real inventor of the watch, 
 and that to him it must be sent to be repaired. This trans- 
 action having, in some way or other, come to the knowledge 
 of his Catholic Majesty, who was passionately fond of all 
 mechanical productions, and particularly of watches, that 
 monarch immediately employed his agents in England to 
 engage Mr. Mudge to work for him; and such was his 
 
36 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 approbation of his new artist's performances, that he hon- 
 oured him with an unhmited commission, to make for him, 
 at his own price, whatever he might judge worthy of his 
 attention. 
 
 Among the several productions of Mr. Mudge's genius, 
 which thus became the property of the king of Spain, was 
 an equation watch, which not only shewed the sun's time, 
 and mean time, but was also a striking watch, and a 
 repeater, and what was very singular, and had hitherto been 
 unattempted, it struck and repeated by solar, or apparent 
 time. As a repeater moreover, it struck the hours, quarters, 
 and minutes. From a whim of the king, this watch was 
 made in the crutch end of a cane; in the sides of which 
 were glasses covered with sliders, on the removal of which 
 the works might be seen at any time ; and his Majesty 
 being very fond of observing the motions of the wheels 
 at the time the watch struck, it was his practice, as he 
 walked, to stop for that purpose. Those who saw him on 
 these occasions observed that he shewed signs of the most 
 lively satisfaction. The price of this watch was 480 
 guineas, which from the expensive materials and nature of 
 the work, afforded Mr. Mudge but a moderate profit for 
 his ingenuity, and he was strongly urged by several of his 
 friends to charge 500 guineas for it, which the king would 
 readily have paid. To this Mr. Mudge replied, that as 480 
 guineas gave him the profit to which he was fairly entitled, 
 as an honest man, he could not think of increasing it, and 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 37 
 
 he saw no reason why a king should be charged more than 
 a private gentleman. 
 
 Indeed, the king of Spain had such a high opinion of 
 his integrity, that he not only used to speak of him as 
 by far the most ingenious artist, as a watchmaker, he had 
 ever employed, but excelling also in his sense of honor and 
 justice. Mr. Townsend, then secretary to the Embassy at 
 Madrid, once told Mr. Mudge, that his Catholic Majesty 
 had often expressed to him his great admiration of his 
 character, and would frequently ask his assistance to enable 
 him to express the name of " Mudge." 
 
 In 1750, Mr. Miidge entered into partnership with 
 Mr. William Dutton, who had also been an apprentice of 
 Mr. Graham. They took a house in Fleet Street, ^ and till 
 Mr. Mudge's retirement from business, worked together 
 with perfect harmony, and good understanding. In 1760, 
 an event happened, which Mr. Mudge ever after considered 
 as the most fortunate in his life. This was his introduction 
 to his Excellency the Count Bruhl, who first came to 
 England that year, as Envoy Extraordinary from the 
 Court of Saxony. This nobleman, who to many other 
 valuable qualities united great knowledge of mechanical 
 operations, and an attachment for such pursuits, ever after 
 
 ^"In Fleet Street at No. 67 (Corner of Whitefriars St.), once lived that famous 
 watchmaker of Queen Anne's reign, Thomas Tompion, who is said in 1700 to have begun 
 a clock for St. Paul's, which was to go 100 years without winding up. He died in 1 7 13. 
 His apprentice, George Graham, invented, as Mr. Noble tells us, the horizontal escapement 
 in 1724 He was succeeded by Mudge and Dutton, who in 1768 made Dr. Johnson his 
 first watch. The old shop was (1850) one of the last in Fleet St. to be modernised." 
 
38 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 treated Mr. Mudge with the most generous friendship ; 
 evincing on every occasion, the most ardent zeal for his 
 fame and fortune by the most active services. 
 
 About this time Mr. Mudge appears to have first 
 turned his thoughts to the improvement of time-keepers ; 
 for in the year 1765, he pubKshed a small pamphlet entitled 
 Thoughts on the means of improving Watches, and partic- 
 ularly those for the Use of the sea." In this publication, 
 says Mr. Ludlam, the true principles upon which all time- 
 keepers must be constructed, are clearly laid down, and the 
 means of improvement fully pointed out. Mr. Mudge had 
 formed the plan of his time-keeper in his mind sometime 
 previously, even before Harrison obtained his rewards. 
 Several years after, when Mudge had carried his invention 
 into effect, and the excellence of it was shewn by the 
 performance of his time-keeper, he was asked why he had 
 not made it before the reward was granted to Mr. Harrison, 
 and publicly disputed the prize with him. He answered, 
 that he thought Mr. Harrison a great and deserving 
 character, and that after having spent almost the whole of 
 his life in the laborious pursuit of an object, for which his 
 genius so well qualified him, he could not prevail upon 
 himself, to attempt the production of anything, by which 
 Mr. Harrison might be deprived of the reward to which he 
 was so well entitled. It is in allusion to this, that Mr. 
 Mudge, in his preface to "Thoughts on improving watches," 
 says, as Mr. Harrison has now made his discovery, and in 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 39 
 
 consequence of it will soon receive his reward, it cannot be 
 supposed to be done with a view to prejudice him." 
 
 In 1 77 1, Mr. Thomas Mudge quitted business and 
 retired to Plymouth, that he might devote his whole time 
 and attention, to the improvement and perfection of time- 
 keepers, especially for the purpose of discovering longitude 
 at sea. It will doubtless not be considered out of place by 
 those, who are unacquainted with the nature of the attempt 
 to ascertain the longitude by time-keepers, to insert a clear 
 and easy explanation of it by Harrison, in a pamphlet that 
 he wrote in 1767, which will help them to estimate more 
 truly the value of Mr. Mudge's labours. 
 
 " The Longitude of any place, is its distance, east or west, from any 
 other given place ; and what we want is a method of finding out at sea 
 how far we have got to the east-ward or west-ward of the place we sailed 
 from. The application of a time keeper to this discovery is founded upon 
 the following principles : — the earth's surface is divided into 360 equal 
 parts, (by imaginary lines drawn from north to south) which are called 
 degrees of longitude : and its daily revolution east-ward round its own axis 
 is performed in twenty four hours ; consequently, in that period, each of 
 these imaginary lines, or degrees, becomes successively opposite the sun, 
 which makes the noon, or precise middle of the day, at each of those 
 degrees; and it must follow, that from the time any of these lines passes 
 the sun, till the next passes, must be just four minutes, for twenty four 
 hours being divided by 360 must give just that quantity; so that for every 
 degree of longitude we sail west-ward, it will be noon with us four minutes 
 the later; and for every degree east-ward, four minutes the sooner, and so in 
 proportion for any greater or less quantity. Now, the exact time of the 
 day, at the place where we are, can be ascertained by well known and 
 easy observations of the sun, if visible for a few minutes, at any time from 
 his being ten degrees high, till within an hour of noon, or from an hour 
 after noon, till he is only ten degrees high in the afternoon ; if therefore at 
 
40 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 any time, when such observation is made, a timekeeper tells us at the same 
 moment what o'clock it is at the place we sailed from, our longitude is 
 clearly discovered. To do this it is not necessary that a watch should per- 
 form its revolutions precisely in that space of time which the earth takes 
 to perform hers ; it is only required, that it should invariably perform it in 
 some known time^ and then the constant difference between the length of 
 one revolution and the other, will appear to be so much daily gained or 
 lost by the watch, which constant gain or loss is called the rate of its 
 going, and which being added to, or deducted from, the time shewn by the 
 watch, will give the true time, and consequently the difference of longi- 
 tude." 
 
 The improvement of time-keepers for nautical pur- 
 poses had long been an object of public attention, and in 
 the reign of Queen Anne an Act of Parliament was passed, 
 offering the following rewards to any person, who should 
 either by the invention of a time-keeper or other methods 
 therein stated, determine the longitude within the following 
 limits : namely ^10,000 if such method should determine 
 the longitude to one degree of a great circle, or sixty 
 geographical miles; ^15,000 if to two thirds of the dis- 
 tance ; and ^20,000 if to half the distance. Under this 
 Act of Parliament, John Harrison, the celebrated mechanic, 
 after prosecuting his labours with great assiduity during a 
 considerable part of a very long life, and contending, it is 
 asserted, with great personal opposition from an official 
 quarter, obtained the reward of ^10,000; and upon his 
 petitioning Parliament for a further recompense, in con- 
 sideration of the services he had rendered the public, such 
 an additional sum was granted him, as, together with what 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 41 
 
 he had received previously from time to time from the 
 Board of Longitude, to enable him to continue the under- 
 taking, made in the whole ^20,000. 
 
 Mr. Harrison's time-keepers, however, though very- 
 ingenious machines, were not found after some time to 
 answer the purpose of determining the longitude with so 
 much certainty and exactness, as to render no further 
 improvements necessary; and another Act of Parliament 
 was passed in the 14th year of George III, offering other 
 rewards for a more perfect method. But although the 
 degree of exactness required by this Act, was four times as 
 great as by the former, yet the rewards were lessened to 
 one half. 
 
 Mr. Mudge retired to Plymouth as we have already 
 stated, in 1771, and a few years later^ he was honoured by 
 the king appointing him his watchmaker, which gratified 
 him much, for, as he said, it was an office voluntarily given 
 to him, when there was no prospect of his being enabled to 
 execute any further work for their Majesties. 
 
 He began to prosecute at once what he had meditated 
 long before, the improvement of time-keepers for dis- 
 covering longitude at sea ; after some years of labour he 
 completed one time-keeper which he put into the hands of 
 Dr. Hornby, Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford. 
 After this gentleman had tried it for four months, during 
 
 ^ 1776. 
 
 6 
 
42 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 which time it went with great accuracy, it was then com- 
 mitted to the care of Dr. Maskelyne, as Astronomer Royal, 
 to be tried by him at the observatory at Greenwich, 
 in the course of the years 1776 and 1777. After it had 
 been under his care a considerable time, the Board of 
 Longitude, by way of encouraging Mr. Mudge to make 
 another, so as to become properly a candidate for the 
 specific rewards of the Act of Parliament, thought proper 
 to give him 500 ; for it was expressly required by the Act, 
 that two time-keepers should be made upon the same 
 principles, and both tried at the same time, that if each 
 should go with the required degree of exactness, it might 
 with the more certainty appear to result from the perfection 
 of the principles upon which they were constructed and 
 not from accident. 
 
 It was asserted at the time, that this resolution of the 
 Board of Longitude was not made in conformity to the 
 wishes and representations of the Astronomer Royal, whose 
 treatment of Mr. Mudge's time-keepers while under his 
 care, it was further said, was neither fair nor proper. Be 
 this as it may, Mr. Mudge was much annoyed at the treat- 
 ment he received from Dr. Maskelyne, both at this time 
 arid on later occasions, though from the natural modesty 
 and integrity of his character, and his high sense of honour, 
 he refrained from taking any practical steps, to defend 
 himself and the soundness of his inventions. One day, 
 Dr. Maskelyne asked him, whether he intended to follow 
 
THOMAS MUJDGE. 
 
 43 
 
 the example of Mr. Harrison, and write against him, Mr. 
 Mudge assured him that, whatever might be the ultimate 
 fate of his time-keepers, he certainly would not' 
 
 Though unwilling to defend himself he found, however, 
 an active champion of his cause, in his son, who brought 
 the charge above mentioned against the Astronomer Royal 
 in A Narrative of facts relative to the time-keepers con- 
 structed by Mr. Thomas Mudge." Dr. Maskelyne published 
 a vindication of himself in " An Answer to the Narrative 
 of Facts," and Mr. Thomas Mudge, jun., published " A 
 Reply." ^ The first time-keeper, after it had been tried by 
 the Astronomer Royal, was in possession of M. de Zach, 
 Astronomer to the Duke of Saxe Gotha, from May 1786, to 
 July 1788, during which time he carried it from London to 
 Gorha, thence to Hyeres, thence by sea to Genoa, thence by 
 land to Pisa, Milan, and back to Hyeres. At the end of 
 about a year's absence from Gotha, to which place he 
 returned by Genoa, after having travelled over several 
 thousand miles, he found that it had preserved the same 
 regularity of going, which it had when it first came into his 
 possession ; and by its very great accuracy, he was enabled 
 to ascertain the longitude of several places, with a greater 
 degree of precision, than ever had been done before. 
 
 In the years 1784 and 1785, this time-keeper was 
 carried on two voyages to Newfoundland by Admiral 
 
 ^ Reply to Dr. Maskelyne, p. 17. 
 1792. 
 
44 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Campbell, and in each voyage went so well, as to determine 
 the longitude within one mile and a quarter, on the first 
 voyage, and to six miles and an eighth on the second. In 
 consequence of this, the Admiral, a man of great scientific 
 knowledge, and accuracy of observation, repeatedly declared 
 that in his opinion, such time-keepers were capable of 
 answering every nautical purpose that could be required of 
 them. 
 
 After Mr. Mudge had received the ;^500, instead of 
 making only one more time-keeper, which would have been 
 sufficient to answer the purpose of the Act, he immediately 
 set about making two ; the more fully, if they went well, to 
 shew by the number made, that it was to the principle of 
 their construction, and not to chance, that they were in- 
 debted to the accuracy of their going. When these were 
 completed, they likewise in pursuance of the requirements 
 of the Act, underwent a trial at the hands of the Astron- 
 omer Royal. 
 
 These two time-keepers are known by the names of 
 the Green and Blue ^ Chronometers, and were tested in 
 1779-80, 1783-84, and finally in 1789-90. While they were 
 in the hands of Dr. Maskelyne for the first trial, those 
 interested in their success, evidently suspected some mis- 
 management or unfair treatment of them. In a letter of 
 Mr. Mudge to his friend, Mr. Button, dated Dec. 28th, 
 
 * In possession of the Rev. William Mallock. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 45 
 
 1779, he says: "You give me but a bad account of the 
 watches at Greenwich. I am resolved not to suspect the 
 integrity of those under whose care they are, till I have 
 some glaring proof of unfair dealing ; though I assure you, 
 that which I have here (meaning the first time-keeper) 
 though nothing has been done to it except putting some oil 
 to it, when you sent it down two years ago, goes incom- 
 parably better. I have been obliged to make use of it as 
 my regulator for eight weeks past, and I found by a transit 
 of the sun two days ago, that the observed error differed 
 only about ten seconds, from the error computed from its 
 rate of going/' 
 
 In July 1790, the year's trial required by the Act 
 expired, about a fortnight previous to which a Board of 
 Longitude was held, when Dr. Maskelyne's report of the 
 going of the time-keepers was so favourable, that it was 
 declared, that directions should be given at the next board, 
 to apply to the Admiralty for a ship, in which they might 
 be sent to sea in further compliance with the Act. At the 
 meeting of the next Board, however, Dr. Maskelyne pro- 
 duced certain calculations, in order to prove that neither of 
 them had gone within any of the limits of the Act; and 
 therefore, at the Board, held towards the close of 1790, in 
 consequence of the Doctor's Report, it was determined that 
 no further trial of them should take place. 
 
 It is a somewhat remarkable fact however, that in 
 the face of this official censure on the instruments, these 
 
46 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 time-keepers went, even under the most unfavourable cir- 
 cumstances, so very much better, both before, and after 
 Dr. Maskelyne's trial of them, with Dr. Hornby and Mr. 
 Dutton, than they did while in possession of the Astronomer 
 Royal. Dr. Maskelyne also, is stated to have said, after 
 the year's trial had closed, that both the time-keepers had 
 gone within the limits of the Act, that one of them had gone 
 within the strictest limits appointed, and the other within 
 the most extended limits. 
 
 This was the immediate cause of the controversy before 
 mentioned, and one or two extracts are introduced here, 
 from the " Reply to the Answer of Dr. Maskelyne." 
 
 Speaking of the excellence of his fathers work, Mr. 
 Mudge, junr., says : "There are no time-keepers in existence 
 made by Mr. Arnold, Mr. Earnshaw, and Mr. Emery, or by 
 any other person which have been in use for several years, 
 and still preserve so great a degree of perfection as to go 
 generally within half a second a day; a degree of excellence 
 which not only the two time-keepers that were last rejected, 
 and are now with Mr. Dutton, continue to possess; but also 
 the first, which was made about eighteen years since, and 
 is now going in the hands of his excellency Count Bruhl. 
 As I am at present speaking of the actual merit of my 
 father, in comparison with that of other watchmakers, I will 
 mention one proof of his superiority, which to my mind is 
 incontrovertible, which is, that the natural vigour of his 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 47 
 
 genius enabled him to strike out at once those principles of 
 construction of his time-keepers which were calculated to 
 impart the greatest excellence to them ; and it is a fact that 
 though Mr. Arnold and other time-keeper makers, have 
 been continually altering the construction upon which they 
 have made their time-keepers, because they found from time 
 to time, that they v/ere not to be depended upon, my 
 father has never made any alteration in the construction or 
 invention of his, but they are exactly the same now as they 
 were in the year 1774, when he finished the first he made; 
 and in consequence of this certainty in their principles, they 
 have not gone, some well and some ill, but all the three 
 successively, which he has made, have invariably arrived at 
 a great degree of perfection."^ In another place he says, 
 I have always been led to consider my father's case, and 
 Mr. Harrison's, to be similar ones, from an opinion that 
 they were both men of genius, whose abilities have been en- 
 gaged in the pursuit of the same object, in which pursuit, 
 both have met with the same opposition from a prejudiced 
 individual (Dr. Maskelyne), with this only difference, that 
 in the end Mr. Harrison, when he was near eighty years of 
 age, got ^20,000 as a reward for his labours ; though my 
 father, whose genius and merits, may by his friends be 
 thought equal to Mr. Harrison's (for he does not pretend to 
 superiority) who has made time-keepers which have been 
 
 » Reply, p. 73. 
 
48 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 found to possess a degree of perfection many times greater 
 than those of Mr. Harrison, and who Hke Mr. Harrison, has 
 spent the greater part of a long Hfe in the pursuit of objects 
 of pubHc utiHty, after having attained the same age, has, 
 for his labours, received as yet but ^500, and is now by 
 increasing age and infirmities at last deprived of the power, 
 however strong his inclinations may be, to attend to them 
 any longer."^ 
 
 "In referring to the comparative rate of going between 
 my father's time-keepers and that made by Mr. Harrison 
 himself, it will be found that one of them has gone with 
 seven times, and the other with nine times the perfection, 
 Mr. Harrison's did."^ 
 
 The following passage shows the simplicity and in- 
 tegrity of Mr. Mudge's character. 
 
 ''When Mr. Harrison's time-keeper was tested at the 
 Observatory, precautions were taken that one of the two 
 keys of the case in which the watch was, should be kept by 
 one of the officers of Greenwich Hospital, who had to 
 attend the daily observation, and see the watch wound up. 
 Mr. Mudge, however, took no such precautions with regard 
 to his, and was frequently condemned by Admiral Campbell, 
 for his imprudence in leaving his time-keepers so entirely to 
 the Doctor's mercy, without check or control whatever. The 
 
 ^ Reply, p. 77- 
 - p. 87. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 49 
 
 •case was this that Mr. Mudge felt the influence of a con- 
 scious pride, which is not unfrequently found to attend the 
 minds of men of true genius, and in contradiction to what 
 the world would reckon proper attention to the dictates of 
 prudence, and a due regard to his own interest, was deter- 
 mined, that, if, when he had done what he was satisfied 
 was of considerable benefit to the public, the public would 
 not take care, that fair and proper measures were pursued 
 to determine the merit of his labours, he would not take 
 it upon himself, to describe the restrictions necessary for 
 the purpose."^ 
 
 Mr. Mudge s case seems specially a hard one, for, when 
 he set to work to make the improvements he so well carried 
 out, the Act of Queen Anne was still in force, and in view 
 of the rewards, offered in this, he devoted his time and 
 labour, but when however, the first time-keeper was com- 
 pleted and ready for trial, the new Act was passed with its 
 more stringent regulations under which it had to be tested. 
 And whatever doubts there may be about his being entitled 
 to the rewards under the last Act, there can be no doubt 
 entertained, but that he would have gained the highest 
 rewards offered under the Act of Queen Anne. 
 
 One more passage must be inserted, in which his son 
 speaks of the assiduity and skill with which Mr. Mudge 
 carried out his work, even when advanced in years. 
 
 ^ Reply, p. 100. 
 
 7 
 
50 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " The first of my father's time-keepers was completed 
 in somewhat less than three years, and as it was then quite 
 a new invention, much time must have been necessarily 
 employed in making a variety of experiments, in order to 
 ascertain the precise effect of the principles intended to be 
 made use of, and the most proper method of applying 
 them ; added to which it is likewise to be recollected, that 
 my father was even then sixty years of age. The two 
 last were made in about two years, and of the time that 
 since elapsed, much has been taken up in various public and 
 private trials ; my father also lost a considerable time by 
 sickness, and other unavoidable interruptions of different 
 kinds. Indeed old age had at last so entirely disqualified 
 him for employments of this kind, that I have frequently 
 heard him and his friends speak of his having finished some 
 nice part of his work, merely by the touch, his eyes having 
 so far failed him, that even with the assistance of glasses, 
 they were not in this instance of any service to him."^ 
 
 In June 1791 Mr. Thomas Mudge, junr., presented 
 from his father, a memorial to the Board of Longitude, 
 stating, that although his time-keepers, during the time of 
 their public trial, had not been adjudged to go within the 
 limits prescribed by the Act of Parliament, yet, as the Board 
 were of opinion, that they were superior to any that had 
 been hitherto invented, and were constructed on such prin- 
 
 ^ Reply, p. 157- 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 51 
 
 ciples as would render them permanently useful ; as the 
 memorialist moreover had employed near twenty years to 
 bring them to the perfection they possessed; and as the first 
 time-keeper made by him, had been going upwards of sixteen 
 years, with such an uniform degree of excellence, as 
 evidently to prove, that the principles upon which his time- 
 keepers were constructed, were permanent in their nature ; 
 therefore the memorialist trusted that the Board would 
 exercise the powers vested in them by Parliament, and give 
 to him, on his making a discovery of the principles upon 
 which his time-keepers were constructed, such a sum of 
 money as his invention and great labours should appear to 
 deserve. 
 
 This memorial being unsuccessful, Mr. Mudge in 1792 
 presented a petition to the same effect to the House of 
 Commons. Nothing could be done that year, on account 
 of the lateness of the session ; but in the next, a committee 
 of the House was appointed to consider the value of the 
 invention, of which Mr. Windham was chairman, and Mr. 
 Pitt, Mr. Elliott, afterwards Lord Minto, Mr. Bragg, Mr. 
 Bathurst and others were members, and these were assisted 
 by a committee of men of science, philosophical instrument 
 makers, and watchmakers, including among their number, 
 Atwood, Ramsden, Troughton, and De Luc. The com- 
 mittee reported so highly on Mr. Mudge's work, and ad- 
 mitted on all hands, that he was one of the first watchmakers 
 which this country had produced, that notwithstanding all 
 
52 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 the opposition of the Board of Longitude, the merits of Mr. 
 Mudge, from the testimony of so many men, of high rank 
 in talents and science, appeared so conspicuously to the 
 House, that it was pleased to vote him in the most honour- 
 able manner, and by a great majority, the sum of ^2,500, 
 which, with ^500 given him before by the Board of Longi- 
 tude, made in all ^3000. ^ Although this sum was con- 
 fessedly inadequate to the just claims of Mr. Mudge, and 
 far inferior to what Harrison had received, yet the grant in 
 itself was a great public recognition of his labours, when 
 it is considered, what a strong official opposition he had 
 to contend with, and also, that the application to the House 
 was made at a period, when the expensive demands of 
 war caused all private applications for grants of money 
 to be ill timed, however just the claim of the petitioners 
 might be. 
 
 ^ The Report of the Committee was presented to the House of Commons by 
 Mr. Windham, June ii, 1793. 
 
 June 17, "It was resolved: "That an address be presented to His Majesty; 
 humbly representing to His Majesty, that Thomas Mudge, Watchmaker, having em- 
 ployed many years and much pain and labour in endeavouring to improve the principles 
 of his art, had succeeded so far in his said endeavours as to be the author of an invention 
 likely to be of the greatest advantage in the construction of time-keepers ; and humbly 
 beseeching His Majesty that, in consideration of the merit of the said invention such as 
 it now appears upon examination to this House, and without precluding the said Thomas- 
 Mudge from any further reward, which from future experience of the value of his in- 
 vention, he may appear to be entitled to, His Majesty will be graciously pleased to grant 
 to the said Thomas Mudge upon his making a discovery of the principles of his inven- 
 tion to such persons as His Majesty may think proper to appoint, a sum not exceeding 
 ;^2,5oo; and to assure His Majesty that this House will make good the same." 
 
 His Majesty's answer was received by the House, June 19, 1793. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 53- 
 
 Mr. Mudge did not long survive this honourable, though 
 tardy testimony to the utility of his mechanical labours. 
 In the year 1789, on the death of his wife, he had given up 
 housekeeping, and resided sometimes with his eldest son ia 
 London, and sometimes in the country, with his other son, 
 John Mudge, Vicar of Brampford Speke, near Exeter. 
 
 He died on the 14th of November 1794, in the 
 seventy eighth year of his age, at the house of his eldest 
 son Thomas, in Newington Place, Surrey. 
 
 A few days after this sad event his son wrote to Mr, 
 Richard Rosdew of Beechwood, 
 
 Dear Rosdew, 
 
 "You will have learnt by my brother's letter, that oa 
 Friday last, we lost our father ; as it related to him, it was 
 an event, that had long been desirable, for, having survived 
 his powers of enjoyment, and suffering much infirmity both 
 of mind and body, he had been accustomed to look forward 
 to death, as a friend that would release him from his 
 sufferings. In this state, I was very far from wishing the 
 continuance of his existence; nevertheless, death is in itself 
 so very serious an event, that it cannot take place without 
 affecting our feelings, and it has now given to my mind 
 a melancholy regret, as being separated from a parent, for 
 whom I had the most lively affection. I would most readily 
 have buried my father in the spot you mention, had he 
 not expressed a wish to me, about 6 weeks ago, to be 
 
54 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 buried at St. Dunstan's, and I am sure you will think with 
 me, that such a desire supersedes every other consideration. 
 
 "To you my good friend I am persuaded, any memorial 
 of my father will be considered as possessing some value, 
 and as the only work of his, which remained in his pos- 
 session at his death, was his striking clock, ^ (which indeed 
 is the last of his performances) my brother and myself 
 request it as a favour that you will accept it, and that you 
 will consider it as a token, as well of the sense we both 
 have of the many kindnesses for which we are indebted to 
 you, as for the high estimation in which you were held 
 by my father. 
 
 As it wants cleaning, I will not send it to you, until I 
 have got it cleaned, and then unless you would wish it 
 conveyed in any other manner, I will have it packed in a 
 box, and send it to Plymouth by the waggon. I am much 
 concerned to hear of the illness of Mrs. Rosdew, but I 
 hope it will soon be got the better of; and your brother who 
 dined with me on Sunday, has given me much satisfaction 
 in informing me, that he thinks there is nothing serious to 
 be apprehended. 
 
 All my family unite in best wishes for you and Mrs. 
 Rosdew, 
 
 Dear Rosdew, 
 
 Your sincere friend, 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 New Inn, i8 Nov., 1794. 
 
 ^ In possession of the Rev. W. C. Raffles Flint. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 55 
 
 The allusion in this letter to the place of burial 
 selected for Mr. Mudge, refers to a suggestion made by Mr. 
 Rosdew, that his remains would most fittingly be laid by 
 the side of those of his great predecessors in the study of 
 watchmaking, Tompion and Graham, in Westminster Abbey. 
 
 He was buried, according to his desire, in St. Dunstan's. 
 To speak of Mr. Thomas Mudge in general terms only, as 
 the first watchmaker of his age, would be unjust. He 
 excelled not only in scientific ability, but also in practical 
 -workmanship, so much so, that few men have since been 
 found equal to the construction of his time-pieces with the 
 same degree of perfection; for his inventions were fully 
 equalled, if not surpassed, by the execution of his work. 
 
 Besides his superior merits, in bringing time-keepers 
 to a greater degree of perfection than had been hitherto 
 attained, he did the mechanical world no small service, by 
 the invention of a scapement for pocket watches ; which 
 was one of the most considerable improvements that had 
 been made upon them for a great number of years. 
 
 We cannot bring to a close this sketch of Mr. Mudge's 
 life, more suitably than in the words of Count Bruhl. "Dr. 
 Maskelyne speaks of my great attachment to Mr. Mudge. 
 To that charge I must plead guilty, and bear with resig- 
 nation any blame or reproach, arising from my partiality for 
 a man, whose superior genius as an artist, united with the 
 liberality of a mind replete with candour, simplicity, mo- 
 desty, and integrity, deserves the highest admiration, and 
 
56 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 respect ; whose name will be handed down, to the remotest 
 posterity, with the same veneration, which attends the 
 names of his predecessors in the same line, Tompion, 
 Graham, and Harrison, who, while living were admired by 
 their contemporaries, and whose fame adds to the splendour 
 and glory of this great nation." ^ 
 
 Two anecdotes still remain to be recorded as striking 
 proofs of Mr. Mudge's great mental powers. Count Bruhl, 
 when he first came to England in his diplomatic capacity, 
 brought an ingenious watch from Paris, made by the cele- 
 brated Bertoud, intending it as a present to the king. This 
 watch, however, not performing its offices, was sent back to 
 to the inventor in order to be rectified. After its return, it 
 still continued imperfect, and on further applications to M. 
 Bertoud, that artist acknowledged with great candour, that 
 although he thought the principles on which his watch was 
 constructed were good, he was himself unable to carry them 
 into effect. The Count then applied to Mr. Mudge, re- 
 questing him to undertake the task; but deeming it an 
 indelicate circumstance, to interfere with the inventions of 
 another artist, Mr. Mudge expressed his reluctance on the 
 occasion. The importunity of the Count, however, added 
 to the regard he had for his esteem, induced Mr. Mudge 
 at last, to waive his objections ; and he had the satisfaction 
 to be completely successful in setting the watch to rights. 
 
 ^ A short explanation of the most proper methods of calculating a Mean Daily 
 Rate by the Count de Bruhl, p. 15. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 57 
 
 The other anecdote relates to a large and complicated 
 watch belonging to his Majesty the King, which had long 
 gone so ill, that it had been repeatedly put into the hands 
 of the most distinguished watchmakers; all of whom, though 
 confident in their own abilities to give it the requisite 
 perfection, had been obliged to abandon the watch as 
 incapable of amendment. It was then put into the hands 
 of Mr. Mudge, who happily succeeded. This circumstance 
 gave His Majesty a very high opinion of his superiority 
 over every other watchmaker. In 1777, as has been already 
 mentioned, he' appointed him his watchmaker, and often 
 honoured him with conferences on mechanical subjects. 
 Her Majesty Queen Charlotte likewise expressed a great 
 esteem, not only for his talents as an artist, but his character 
 as a man. At one time, she presented him with 50 guineas, 
 for only cleaning a watch ; and it was through her recom- 
 mendation to the Lord Chancellor, that his second son 
 obtained the living of Brampford Speke. 
 
 We conclude this short life of Mr. Mudge by append- 
 ing one or two letters addressed by him to Count Bruhl. 
 
 Plymouth, April 17, 1772. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I received the letter your excellency did me the honour 
 to write me, and it flatters me not a little, that you should 
 think anything of mine, so much worth your trouble. 
 
 The reason of my troubling you now is, to acquaint 
 
 8 
 
5'8 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 you that the bearer (Mr. Townley) has applied to me (he 
 says at the request of several friends of mine) for my con- 
 sent, to his taking a copper plate^ from the picture you did 
 me the honour to have done of me, by Mr. Dance. I am 
 myself entirely indifferent about it, and leave it therefore 
 wholly to you, to do what you think proper. The gentle- 
 man, Mr. Townley, I know very well, but am an entire 
 stranger to his ability as an engraver; that you will be able 
 to judge of by the specimens he will bring with him, when 
 he delivers you this, which he desired as an introduction to 
 you. I have enclosed to you the letter he wrote to me 
 upon this occasion. 
 
 I know not well how to express the sense I have of 
 the honour their Majesties do me, in condescending to 
 remember and inquire after me. I assure you, it sits warm 
 at my heart, and I do not know two (independent of their 
 station) that I would sooner wish to be remembered by. 
 To your excellency I owe that pleasure. 
 
 I am, Sir, your most obliged — obedient servant, 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE.'^ 
 
 Plymouth, March i, 1776. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 I write a line or two, rather because I have been long 
 in your excellency's debt, than that I have anything in 
 
 ^ For description of the engraving see Smith's British Mezzotint Portraits, pt. i, 
 p. 189, No. 50. 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 particular to say. The observations you were so kind as to 
 make of my watch, I have mentioned to Mr. Button, with 
 my reasoning upon them ; which, I find he has communi- 
 cated to you, as I intended he should. 
 
 I now begin to wish to know, how it has behaved since 
 it has been in his Majesty's possession, which is near a 
 month. I must confess, what Mr. Button told me, gives no 
 great hopes. He says, that except the first day or two, it 
 has gone very well ; but that exception destroys all the rest, 
 as I do not see if it goes ill a day or two, what security 
 there is against its going ill for a longer time, unless that 
 going ill arises from apparent causes, and such as may be 
 remedied. 
 
 I did not know with certainty who the Mr. Pitt was, 
 that was so kind as to offer to lend a helping hand to the 
 further prosecution of it, if it should be found right to do so, 
 till Mr. Button told me, it was the Mr. Pitt of this country; 
 for I cannot boast the honour of being acquainted with him, 
 although my brother is intimately so ; nor did I know that 
 he had ever been acquainted with my having made such a 
 watch, or that he was at all curious, or interested himself, in 
 any branch of mechanism. 
 
 I am 
 
 THOMAS MUBGE." 
 
 Mr. Pitt, afterwards Lord Camelford, proposed to Count 
 
60 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Bruhl, that they should jointly be at the expenses of Mr. 
 T. Mudge's machine, in order that he might be properly 
 qualified to be a candidate for the public rewards. 
 
 Plymouth, December 15th, 1776. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 To day I was honoured with your excellency's favour 
 of the 1 2th instant, to acquaint me that I was appointed 
 watchmaker to his Majesty, in the room of the late Mr. 
 Lindley. To you. Sir, I entirely owe it, and am sorry I 
 cannot make a better return for your good offices, than by 
 barely acknowledging, and most gratefully thanking you for 
 them, which I very sincerely do. I must confess my 
 pleasure was much heightened by the warmth with which 
 my Lady Egremont interested herself in my behalf, I have 
 it from Mr. Dutton, for which her Ladyship will please to 
 accept my sincere and hearty thanks. I have a letter also 
 from my friend Mr. Dutton, to whom I am under the 
 greatest obligations, acquainting me with the same circum- 
 stance, and to tell me, as you do, that it is necessary for 
 me to come to town, either immediately, or at the meeting 
 of Parliament, after the holidays, the sooner he says the 
 better, to be sworn into the office, a ceremony that I did 
 not before know was necessary. I shall certainly comply 
 with your injunctions, but must confess should wish it to 
 be postponed till after Christmas, for many reasons. If I 
 am so far indulged, I will certainly be in town, by the time 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 61 
 
 the Parliament meets ; but this shall depend upon the 
 instructions I shall receive from you or Mr. Button, which, 
 if necessary, you will be so good as to give, as soon as you 
 conveniently can. 
 
 Mr. Maskelyne, Mr. Button tells me, has changed his 
 tone much of late, whether he has any end in it, I know not ; 
 however, as so much depends upon him, it is more encour- 
 agement to go on, than to be constantly upon the hunt for 
 something to depreciate my watch, which has been, I think 
 pretty evidently the case. If I am permitted to put off my 
 coming to town till after Christmas, I shall bring your 
 excellency's little clock with me, I hope with the satisfaction 
 of having done everything that can be done to better it, 
 and indeed everything that is necessary ; the going of it 
 since the last alteration seeming to promise so much. 
 
 I am ...... 
 
 THOMAS MUBGE." 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE, eldest son of Mr. Thomas 
 Mudge, whose life we have just recorded, was born Bee. 
 6th, 1760. 
 
 He practised as a Barrister in London for some years. 
 
 As the advocate of his father s cause, with regard to 
 the excellence of the Chronometers sent by the elder Mr. 
 Mudge to the Observatory at Greenwich, he was engaged 
 in a controversy, with Br. Maskelyne, the Astronomer 
 
62 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Royal, and published two books on the subject, entitled 
 "A narrative of facts, relative to the time-keepers con- 
 structed by Mn Thomas Mudge," and, "A reply to the 
 answer of Dr. Maskelyne." 
 
 His advocacy, as we have seen, was successful in pro- 
 curing for his father some public recognition of his labours, 
 in the vote of the House of Commons. 
 
 As soon as the reward was voted, Mr. T. Mudge, 
 junr. started a manufactory of the time-keepers on Mr. 
 Mudge's plan. He accordingly employed two workmen, 
 and was able to complete one instrument under the advice 
 of his father, who lived just long enough to see it finished, 
 ten months after the manufactory was opened. He applied 
 to the Admiralty for a contract, and eventually supplied six 
 time-keepers for the use of the Navy. He sold also some 
 chronometers to the Spanish and Danish Governments. 
 The cost however of the time-keepers was greater than he 
 expected, as they took a longer time to construct than was 
 anticipated; the consequence was, that Mr. T. Mudge in a 
 few years determined lo abandon the scheme. He gives an 
 account of this in a book he published in 1799. ''A des- 
 cription with plates of the time-keepers invented by the 
 late Mr. Thomas Mudge, to which is prefixed a narrative 
 by Thomas Mudge, his son, of measures taken to give effect 
 to the invention, since the Reward bestowed upon it by the 
 House of Commons." To this is added Mr. Mudge's Tract, 
 and a series of letters addressed to Count Bruhl between 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 6S 
 
 1773 and 1787. After this Mr. Mudge seems to have gone 
 to Jersey, where he resided for many years. He returned 
 to England in 1830, and resided at Chelcompton, near 
 Bath, where he died Nov. loth, 1843. 
 
 He married Elizabeth Kingdon, by whom he had 
 several children.^ 
 
 There are two or three letters of Thomas Mudge 
 extant, written from Battersea and addressed to James 
 Northcote, R. A. In one dated Dec. 17, 18 13, after alluding 
 to the proposed sale of the portraits of John (Master) 
 Mudge, and Tom Mudge, he concludes, " As you wished to 
 have my lines written on the High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells, 
 I send them to you. 
 
 "The works of man their feeble powers display, 
 Which mark their weakness and their quick decay ; 
 But this great work of Nature proudly shows 
 The Power supreme, whence all its greatness flows \ 
 Whose High Behest creation's wonders framed, 
 And thus in mighty deeds His Name proclaimed. 
 
 " For your amusement I add my Epigram on Brunei's 
 Block Invention. 
 
 "A symbol oft a Block is made 
 To show an empty brainless head : 
 But here a block, with little pains 
 Displays a head that's full of brains." 
 
 In a letter dated Sep. 28, 1815, in which he regrets 
 
 Her sister Sophia, married Sir Mark Isambard Brunei, and was mother of 
 Isambard Kingdon Brunei the celebrated Engineer. 
 
€4 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Northcote's inability to paint a portrait of his son, he adds 
 some further verses. I send you at the foot of my letter, 
 my lines on the death of poor Hodge, and as I last night 
 made use of the blank part of your note, to scribble off a 
 few more lines, that I mean to give my godmother on the 
 5th of next month, on her attaining her 84th birthday." 
 
 " On the death of Major Hodge of the 7th Hussars, 
 one of the Waterloo Heroes. 
 
 In Natures bloom, in Natures pride 
 The Hero fought, the Hero 'died 
 Devoted to his Country's cause, 
 A grateful nation sighs applause, 
 While every friend, with tearful eyes 
 Droops o'er the mournful sacrifice." 
 
 " Lines on the birthday of Mrs. Spriggs, on attaining 
 the age of 84. 
 
 " The Sands of life thus roll away, 
 And bring again that Natal day 
 On which we meet to celebrate 
 The entrance on this mortal state, 
 Of one, whose virtues all benign. 
 With bright unvarying lustre shine. 
 And give a fortaste here below, 
 Of joys which angels only know." 
 
 Of his children we will only mention here, ROBER 7) 
 who was born September, 14, 1792. 
 
 He entered the Nav}^ July 1806, as midshipman, on 
 board the Phoenix, Captain Zachary Mudge, in which 
 
THOMAS MUDGE. 
 
 65 
 
 frigate (with the exception of 5 months, from October, i8o8> 
 to March, 1809, passed on board the Naiad), he served on 
 the Channel and Cork Stations until May, 18 12. He then 
 sailed in the Bucephalus for the East Indies, where he was, 
 until the summer of 18 14, employed in the Illustrious y 
 Theban, and Procris, 
 
 After having served at Sheerness in the Namur and 
 Queen Charlotte, he took up a Commission bearing the 
 date February 21st, 1820. His appointments afterwards 
 were to the Office of Agent of Transports Afloat, and to 
 the continuous Command of the Beaver, Ariel, and Onyx 
 steampackets on the Dover Station, where he remained 
 until his death in 187 1. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE, second son of Mr. Thomas Mudge, 
 senior, was born January 7, 1763. He took Holy Orders, 
 and in 1 79 1 was appointed by the Lord Chancellor, on the 
 recommendation of her Majesty Queen Charlotte, to the 
 Vicarage of Brampford Speke and the Rectory of Lust- 
 leigh, which Preferments be held for 54 years. His name 
 appears as having been present at a Meeting of the Clergy 
 of the Archdeaconry of Exeter held 17th June, 18 19. He 
 also joined in a requisition to the Archdeacon in May, 182 
 
 He married Agnes Rosdew, sister of Mr. Richard 
 Rosdew of Beechwood, by whom he had 4 children, 
 Charlotte, John, Richard Rosdew, and Maria Janetta. 
 Mr. Mudge died May 3, 1847, at the age of 84. 
 
 9 
 
RICHARD MUDGE, 
 
 M.A., Pern. Coll. Oxon. : Rector of Bedworth, 
 
 ICHARD MUDGE, third son of the Rev. 
 Zachariah Mudge, was born at Bideford in 
 1 718, and baptized on December 26th of 
 the same year. He was educated with his 
 brother Thomas, under the care of his 
 father, at the free Grammar School at Bideford. He went 
 afterwards to Pembroke College, Oxford, and took his 
 degree in 1739 or 40. In 1741, he was ordained to the 
 Curacy of Great Packington, in the neighbourhood of Bir- 
 mingham. There is a very little known of his life, which 
 has been left on record, from the fact no doubt, that the 
 part of the country in which he settled down, was far 
 removed from the west of England and the members of his 
 family. 
 
 Mr. Mudge was promoted after a time to a chapel in 
 
68 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Birmingham, where he became a popular preacher, and 
 was highly distinguished moreover as a musician. 
 
 In 1756, he was presented to the valuable living of 
 Bedworth by Lord Aylesford and was inducted October 
 28th; here he resided till his death, April 5th, 1773. He 
 died at Bedworth, and was buried by the Communion 
 Table, in Bedworth Church. 
 
 He was a man eminently skilled both in metaphysics 
 and theology. He acquired also considerable proficiency 
 both in the science and art of music, and published some 
 sonatas. He was a friend of Handel. An anecdote is 
 related of Handel coming into the room on one occasion 
 where Mr. Mudge was playing one of his compositions, he 
 immediately exclaimed, ''that must be Mudge for no other 
 man could play my pieces so." 
 
 There are two of his letters preserved, which he wrote 
 to his father, one while he was an undergraduate at Oxford, 
 the other soon after he had taken Orders. They shew 
 him to have been a man of considerable thought and talent, 
 who had caught somewhat of the philosophy of his father; 
 and they give us moreover an insight into his character. 
 They are introduced at length. 
 
 April loth, 1739, Pem. Coll. Oxon. 
 
 Honoured Fr: 
 
 I take the pleasure to tell you by Mr. Baker, that your 
 compliments on my last letters are all my own. The notion 
 
RICHARD MUDGE. 
 
 69 
 
 of the Divine Nature consisting in Being, and the de- 
 duction of the Attributes from that Idea, I had of you ; 
 more than that I am obHged to no one for. For I did not 
 borrow the least tittle or hint, either in thought or ex- 
 pression, from Dr. Chadworth or the Archbishop, one of 
 whom I never saw, and had but just begun the other. I'll 
 just tell you an observation of mine own on that notion, 
 that is apt to sound odd enough at first. While I was th' 
 other day looking over Dr. Clarke's attributes, I accidently 
 turned to that page, where he quotes the Proposition, upon 
 which he founds the Aphorism of Spinoza; which seems 
 to me to be so very much the same with some thing I 
 asserted in my last, that Dr. Clarke probably would, nay 
 must, have condemned me, for as rank an Atheist as the 
 other. The Proposition I mean is this, "Praeter Deum 
 nulla dari neque concipi potest substantia,^' which, I think 
 expresses, not one jot more than. Being is absolutely 
 everything, which really is, in opposition to mere privation, 
 and negation of entity. In what sense Spinoza meant that 
 proposition, I can't say; but, I think, taken and explained 
 rightly, 'tis a necessary demonstrable truth. For consider 
 it thus. The Divine Nature, i.e. (according to me) Being, 
 is infinite reality; according to those who choose to conceive 
 it, under the notion of absolute perfection, is infinite or all 
 perfection. This, Dr. Clarke and everybody else must 
 allow. Now I would only ask any one, what he means by 
 infinite Reality or Perfection ? For Dr. Clarke seems to 
 
70 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 think there may be infinite Perfection or Reality, (which 
 are the equivalent at the bottom, for degrees of Perfection, 
 and can mean nothing more than degrees of positivity or 
 reality, in opposition to privation,) and quite distinct from 
 other little finite Perfections or Realities not comprehended 
 in it, indeed, created by that Infinite, but however quite 
 distinct from it; this to me is absolutely inconceivable. I 
 can no more conceive little finite perfections quite outside 
 and distinct from Infinite Reality and Perfection, than I 
 could little spaces or durations, outside and distinct from, 
 those comprehended in Infinite Space and Duration. I 
 conclude therefore, that no reality, or, which is the same, 
 Substance, (for the Idea of Substance includes reality) can 
 be conceived, but God ; i.e. but what, as it were, belongs 
 to and is inside infinite Reality, or God. But here Dr. 
 Clarke cries out ; what then ? Matter, for it is a Substance, 
 according to you, is God ; senseless, stupid, passive, ex- 
 tended solidity ! But Matter, as senseless, stupid, passive, 
 extended, and solid, is far from having anything of Per- 
 fection or Reality, and consequently of substantiality in it. 
 The three first qualities are totally privations of reality; 
 the two last are nothing outside us, but entirely relative to 
 our sense. So that matter is really Being, variously ex- 
 hibited to sense ; and those qualities rather owe their being 
 to man, than God. I have not time to prove what I've 
 asserted, nor indeed, to express myself clearly, tho' I hope 
 I have not done it so ill, but you will see my meaning. 
 
RICHARD MUDGE. 
 
 71 
 
 What Spinoza meant, I said before, I could not tell ; but if 
 Dr. Clarke is arguing against the Proposition, as a false one 
 in itself; I think he did not understand it. I will only add 
 that upon the same principle, our Pow'r, our Wisdom &c., 
 are the Pow'r and the Wisdom &c. of God, so far partici- 
 pated. This seems to open a fine scene of things, which I 
 have neither leisure, nor capacity to enlarge upon, tho' I 
 apprehend it. Tho' what I've said, and the whole system 
 of Metaphysicks, which goes upon the same first found- 
 ations of Nature, (which I have a confused notion of now 
 in my head) be perfectly the truth of things ; yet 'twill be 
 a very difficult matter, to make proselytes to it ; for it 
 requires a true metaphysical head, than which nothing is 
 more rare. There are many here in Oxford who are 
 thought, and think themselves to have very good heads 
 that way, who in my opinion are perfect blunderers, and 
 have never had one peep through the curtain, into the first 
 Principles of Nature. So that a true Philosopher, is like 
 one placed in the most delicious spot of all nature, with the 
 noblest and most beautiful prospect about him, attended 
 with this misfortune, that the air is too thin and fine for the 
 constitution of any one besides himself, excepting perhaps 
 two or three. The notion of the Divine Essence consisting 
 in Being, will turn into a demonstrable truth, what Dr. 
 Clarke has been pleased to reject with disdain as a contra- 
 diction, and a mere unintelligible absurdity ; viz., that the 
 Eternity of God is not to be conceived by a successive 
 
72 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 duration without beginning or end ; which I thus demonstrate. 
 Duration is not appHcable to the Essence of things, but 
 only to the Existence of anything, as distinct from its 
 Essence. Those things are therefore, the only subjects of 
 duration, whose Existences and Essences are distinct, which 
 is true of ev^ry Nature but the Divine, whose Existence is 
 his Essence, to which therefore duration cannot be with any 
 sense applied. And if men can't help attributing duration 
 to God, and imagining Him older this moment than He was 
 a thousand years ago, 'tis because they have not at that time 
 a true conception of the Deity, and consider His Existence 
 like that of other things, distinct from his Essence, which 
 it is not. For if this was not the case, they must immedi- 
 ately see the absurdity of it. For who would bear to hear 
 himself say, that the Essence of a square is older now, or 
 has dured longer than a thousand years ago ? Successive 
 duration therefore is absurdly applied to God, because His 
 Essence and Existence are individually the same. Dr. 
 Butler is not received so cordially here as you would 
 imagine ; which I take to be a reflection on the metaphy- 
 sical heads of this place, rather than on the book. As for 
 the young fellows of my own acquaintance, I have had 
 hard struggles with them ; but finding it to no purpose to 
 argue with them, who think that must be obscure and unin- 
 telligible which they don't easily undersand, I content myself 
 with desiring 'em not to judge without apprehending, or 
 censure without judging. You must know that the fault 
 
RICHARD MUDGE. 
 
 73 
 
 they charge him with is obscurity almost impenetrable, 
 Indeed it is not very strange, if one considers that metaphy- 
 sicians have left the world this good while, and, soaring 
 above the sphere of men and things, have look'd for the 
 supports of natural, and revealed religion in the abstract 
 world. For which reason, when they are brought down 
 here among us, and desir'd to look before 'em, they are in 
 the utmost confusion, can t distinguish the tendencies of 
 Nature, from the perversions of it, nor the general rule 
 from the exception, without which it will be no easy matter 
 to understand Dr. Butler. They seem to be pretty much 
 in the same case with those in Plato's Republick, who were 
 brought down from the upper light of the sun into the 
 subterraneous cave, or the Philosophers that descended from 
 the empyreal sphere, where they had been contemplating 
 the good and fair, to find it out in the administrations of 
 men. Besides, Dr. Butler argues with a view to a whole 
 system of things, which is very uncommon, and out of the 
 way to the generality of reasoning heads. There are two 
 different species of reasoning metaphysical heads, one 
 which divides things, the other which compounds 'em ; or, 
 in other words, the first reasons by minutely considering 
 particular things, and nicely distinguishing : the last by 
 taking in, in one comprehensive view, a whole scheme of 
 things. That has sharp discerning eyes, but is close- 
 sighted ; This requires eyes that are strong, and can take 
 in objects all around at a great distance, and is by far, I 
 
 10 
 
74 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 think, the finest, and most noble way of thinking, and very 
 rare ; one may, for distinction's sake, call the former micro- 
 scopick, the latter telescopick Philosophers. There is too a 
 way of talking, which results from a fine sense of things, 
 which very few are capable of fully relishing, and seeing the 
 whole beauty and strength of. For this reason you hear a 
 thousand panegyricks upon Cicero's Philosophy, and scarce 
 ever a hearty commendation of Plato ; this sets Woollaston 
 far above Butler, for this reason too the whole force of your 
 sermons, which are full of that way of thinking, will fully 
 be possessed but by a few. 
 
 My duty to my mother, to whom my hearty thanks for 
 her present. My love to my brother, and service to Mr. 
 Herring. I have been expecting your letter, which I hope 
 will not be now long a coming. 
 
 I am. 
 
 Your most dutifull son, 
 
 RD. MUDGE. 
 
 Honoured Sir, 
 
 I find by your last that I have offended the Bishop by 
 drinking the Church's prosperity, as you did last election 
 by voting. You'll excuse my putting together two cases so 
 unparallel. But methinks there is some pleasure in the 
 
RICHARD MUDGE. 
 
 75 
 
 reflection that the matter of the crime is somewhat aUke, 
 tho' not the manner of it. I was gay, and in high spirits 
 indeed, when I committed that misdemeanour, but since 'tis 
 carried to his Lordship, and I have lost my interest by it, 
 it is some satisfaction to me to think it was not without a 
 mixture of indignation, an indignation certainly very justifi- 
 able and right in the heart, tho' possibly it was imprudent to 
 express it. I am not eager for preferment on my own 
 account, and therefore if I had only myself to consider, 
 should not be at all disturbed at this accident ; at present I 
 am but little ; at least I am sure of this, I had rather lose 
 the Bishop's best living by the offence, than gain it by the 
 
 information. I doubt not P was the sycophant, the 
 
 smiling villain that betrayed me ; I wish I could be sure of 
 it, that I might have the pleasure to let him know how 
 much I despise him and his malice. But I will say no more 
 of the matter : I'll endeavour to be contented and wish the 
 best ; I shall still however drink the Church, and let those 
 who expect to find their account in it TrpoirivErijjaav. I have 
 expressed myself pretty warmly, you see ; and it is with 
 some restlessness and impatience that I look upon the mean 
 usage I have met with from the informer, whoever he be; 
 and at the same time 'tis with a kind of indignant concern, 
 that I reflect on the badness of the times, which could 
 afford any opportunity for a Bishop to be affronted with me 
 drinking the Church. However, I would not have you 
 
76 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 think it a principle with me, that as nothing but the Truth 
 should be spoke, so that should never be suppressed. I 
 know very well, times will never be so perfect, but there will 
 be always need in some proportion for the wisdom of the 
 serpent, some share of which I will endeavour to be master 
 of, for I am apt naturally to be imprudently warm. I have 
 received your bill (which I return you my thanks for) and 
 my box safe. As to your question as to how my ministerial 
 function sits upon me, I find nothing wanting, so much as a 
 voice ; I am told that it is low. I deliver the Prayers and 
 my Sermons pretty handsomely, I think, considering how 
 few there are who perform that part tolerably. I pronounce 
 with better spirit, than I thought I could have done in so 
 short a time ; but I cannot raise assurance enough to attempt 
 action. IVe often endeavoured it, but I feel my hands de- 
 pressed with a weight, that I cannot remove. How faithful 
 my courage would be to me, were I to mount a pulpit in a 
 more numerous and better mix'd audience I don't know ; for 
 I have not try'd. I have no acquaintance yet, that can 
 furnish me with an opportunity ; nor indeed am like to have. 
 When we look'd at Packington and the neighbouring great 
 towns from so great a distance as Plymouth, nothing seem'd 
 easier than to contract a familiarity with some persons in 
 each : which I fancy, was owing to this, that the remoteness 
 of the point, from whence we viewed, brought the objects 
 nearer together to the mind, than they really are, and so 
 
RICHARD MUDGE. 
 
 17 
 
 facilitated in our conception that which depends upon near- 
 ness. But now I am here, five long miles appear so much, 
 and is a vast chasm between me and a town, to which I 
 have not the least thing to call me. Besides I live in a 
 single house, which therefore allows no other opportunity of 
 getting acquaintance than thro' Lord Guernsey, who dislikes 
 most of the clergy about him, either as bad men, or opposers 
 of his party and its interest. At Birmingham, 9 miles off, 
 I know one or two of the clergymen, where I will endeavour 
 one day or other to see how I can behave in a large assembly. 
 I am obliged to send you this letter unfranked, for Lord 
 Guernsey is from home. We expected him to night (for he 
 is this day 25 years of age) or to-morrow at farthest; which 
 made me defer writing so long. But news came from him 
 to day, that he should not be here till some time next week, 
 and I thought you had rather pay for a letter, than be ex- 
 pecting one so long. I am sorry to hear that my brother's 
 affairs are like to be more expensive than you expected. I 
 can say I was entirely without suspicion. I know his temper 
 well. He is too much in a hurry, hasting away to the end, 
 if he likes it, without considering much the means : and, I 
 think, Sir, he is more solicitous to appear a man in the 
 world than to be one. I know him the better, because I 
 have known myself I hope time will correct that puerility 
 of temper, that emptiness of mind, emptiness, considering 
 him as one that is to act, and bear a part in the world. I 
 wish my apprehensions were false, but, I fear, they are in 
 
78 
 
 RICHARD MUDGE. 
 
 part at least true. I have but just time to send him my 
 affectionate love, and hearty wishes he may go on with suc- 
 cess any where out of the Hospital. My best services wait 
 on Mr. Herring. 
 
 I am yr s and my mother's most dutiful son, 
 
 R. MUDGE. 
 
 November 26th, 1741, Great Packington. 
 
 My services, if you please, to all who ask for me. 
 
JOHN MUDGE M, 
 
JOHN MUDGE, 
 
 M.D., F.R.S. 
 
 " Whose powers shed round him in the common strife, 
 Or mild concerns of ordinary Hfe, 
 A constant influence, a peculiar grace." 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 OHN MUDGE, the fourth and youngest 
 son of the Rev. Zachariah Mudge, was 
 born at Bideford in 1721, and baptized the 
 same year. He received his education in 
 early years at the Grammar School, Bide- 
 ford, till his father removed to Plymouth in 1732. He then 
 went to the Plympton Grammar School, where his father's 
 friend, the Rev. Samuel Reynolds, rector of Plympton St. 
 Maurice, was master. When he left school, he determined 
 to enter the medical profession, and at the age of 20 we 
 find him as a student in the Hospital at Plymouth, not 
 
so 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 altogether with the full approval of his father, who calculated 
 the expenses entailed in the training and education of a 
 medical student. Mr. Mudge, however, must have con- 
 sidered himself well repaid in later years, by the successful 
 career his son enjoyed in the profession, which he chose for 
 himself, and which was evidently the one in which he was 
 most fitted to shine. 
 
 His progress in his profession was somewhat impeded 
 at first by an early marriage with a Miss Bulteel, when he 
 was entering on life. The consequence was that, as she had 
 no fortune, and he but little practice at that time, he found 
 himself in straitened circumstances, though his wife proved 
 to be a careful and prudent person. She died after the 
 birth of the eighth child. 
 
 John Mudge spent the whole of his life at Plymouth, 
 and for many years had an extensive practice there, as a 
 surgeon, and afterwards as a physician. " Had he been," 
 says Fox, " in the great theatre of the Metropolis, he most 
 undoubtedly would have surpassed every competitor ; for the 
 greatness of his natural capacity, together with the extent of 
 his acquired knowledge, and the exquisite beauty of his 
 disposition and manners, must have rendered him invincible, 
 wherever he was once known." 
 
 In 1777 he published a short treatise on inoculated 
 smallpox. 
 
 About this time he was elected a Fellow of the Royal 
 Society. In 1777, the Royal Society published his directions 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 81 
 
 for making the best composition for the metals for reflecting 
 telescopes, with a description of the process for grinding, 
 polishing, and giving the great speculum the true parabolic 
 curve ; for which the Society, the same year presented him 
 with Sir Godfrey Copleys Gold Medal. 
 
 Sir John Pringle, the President, in his address on pre- 
 senting the medal, says, 
 
 " Mr. Mudge hath truly realized the expectation of Sir 
 Isaac Newton, who about lOO years ago presaged, that the 
 public would one day possess a parabolic speculum, not 
 accomplished by mathematical rules, but by mechanical 
 devices. 
 
 ''What acknowledgement then, gentlemen, do we not 
 owe to our worthy brother, who for above 20 years past in 
 the uncertain intervals of a toilsome and anxious profession, 
 hath unbent his mind, not in the perishing recreations of 
 the world, but in investigating with unremitting diligence, 
 what hath been done, but concealed, by others ; and in 
 making many successful experiments towards perfecting this 
 unimitable instrument ! A liberal account of these leisure 
 hours he hath laid before you in his instructive paper ; a 
 communication I am persuaded, that will not only preserve, 
 but signalize his name in your records, among the very 
 intelligent and ingenious promoters of the great ends of 
 your institution.'^ 
 
 In 1778 he published "A radical and expeditious cure 
 for recent catarrhous cough," with a drawing of an Inhaler, 
 
 11 
 
82 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 which became afterwards in much repute; he also pubHshed 
 a treatise on The vis vitae." Dr. Mudge moreover bene- 
 fited the medical world by several little publications, and 
 was the inventor of several excellent surgical instruments, 
 being a mechanic in practice, as well as in theory. He 
 made several reflecting telescopes, two large ones of the 
 power of 200, one of which he gave to Count Bruhl, from 
 whom it passed to the Observatory at Gotha; the other 
 belonged to his son, General Mudge. 
 
 In 1784 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine, 
 at King's College, Aberdeen. 
 
 He was a man of great amiability of character, genial 
 and pleasant in his manner, idolized by his family, and 
 beloved and respected by all who knew him. His society 
 was much sought after ; and the varied powers of his mind 
 attracted to his house the leading people of the town and 
 neighbourhood. There seems to have been very good 
 society in Plymouth in those days ; Northcote speaks in the 
 highest terms of it. 
 
 'T not only passed, he says, ''a great deal of my younger 
 days in the company of Reynolds, Johnson, and that circle, 
 but I was brought up among the Mudges, of whom Sir 
 Joshua (who was certainly used to the most brilliant society 
 of the Metropolis) thought so highly, that he had them at 
 his house for weeks, and even gave up his own bedroom to 
 receive them. Yet these were not thought superior to 
 several other persons at Plymouth, who were distinguished, 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 8S 
 
 some for their satirical wit, others for their delightful fancy, 
 others for their information, or sound sense, and with all of 
 whom my father was familiar, when I was a boy." ^ 
 
 Amongst Dr. Mudge's friends we must mention, first, 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, an intimacy with whom sprang up 
 from his earliest years, and which was but a continuation of 
 that, which existed between their respective fathers. North- 
 cote remarks, that Mr. Reynold's friendship for the whole 
 family, and the interest he took in whatever related to them, 
 were of the liveliest kind. This acquaintance with the 
 Mudges, both father and son, ought to be reckoned amongst 
 the earliest of his literary connections." 
 
 ''In the Autumn of the year 1762, Reynolds having 
 impaired his health, by incessant application to his pro- 
 fession, paid a visit to his native county, accompanied by 
 his friend. Dr. Johnson, with whom he was entertained at 
 the seats of several noblemen and gentlemen, in the West 
 of England. During their stay at Plymouth they were 
 the guests of Dr. Mudge ; a man whose virtues and vari- 
 ous powers of mind, if described, would occupy a much 
 larger space than I shall presume to give in this short 
 memoir," says Northcote in his life of Sir Joshua.^ 
 
 Dr. Johnson spent many weeks in his house, and learnt 
 to value him as a friend and appreciate his talents. To this 
 visit we have already referred, in the life of Dr. Mudge's 
 
 ^ Northcote's Conversations by Hazlitt. 
 2 p. 62. 
 
Si MEMOIR OF 
 
 father. In after years, in 1783, when afflicted with a com- 
 plaint that required superior skill, Dr. Johnson travelled as 
 far as SaHsbury, to meet him and seek his advice. Some 
 ■extracts from Johnson's letters to Dr. Mudge, when he ex- 
 pected that relief for the complaint, under which he was 
 suffering, would only be found in the use of the surgical 
 knife, are given by Boswell.^ 
 
 Dr. Mudge used to relate one or two anecdotes of 
 Dr. Johnson, relative to incidents which occurred during his 
 stay in Plymouth: one of these is as follows. A Mr. Cook- 
 worthy, a quaker, an eminent chemist, and a disciple of 
 Swedenborg, was anxious to shew Dr. Johnson his power 
 •of discovering hidden metals by a divining rod. Accord- 
 ingly a deposit was made in a garden and buried, and 
 Cookworthy, a venerable old man with white locks, carefully 
 and anxiously perambulated the garden with his rod, while 
 Dr. Johnson was seen intently watching his progress. At 
 last Cookworthy felt the power of the rod, and determined 
 the spot where the vessel had been deposited ; but unfortun- 
 ately it had been placed in a different part of the garden, 
 from whence they took up a large mortar, used by druggists. 
 The quickness of the quaker at once endeavoured to 
 account for the failure, and turning to his friend said ''Thou 
 seest friend Mudge how this is." " I only see," replied 
 Mudge, "you are mistaken, friend Cookworthy, in the 
 supposed power of the rod." "Nay!" says Cookworthy, 
 
 ^ Life of Johnson, vol. iv, p. 254. 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 85 
 
 it is bell metal, the mixture has destroyed the native 
 metal; and therefore it would not assimilate." 
 
 On another occasion Dr. Mudge, in conversation with 
 Johnson, mentioned a circumstance of a most curious mode 
 of trial, to which a friend of his, a man of undoubted 
 veracity, had been an eye-witness. Dr. Johnson desired 
 to have it related to him by the person who saw it; oa 
 which the gentleman, being introduced to the Doctor, 
 repeated the circumstances, which were these ; In some part 
 of the East Indies, a man, one of the natives, was suspected 
 of murder, and the mode taken to prove either his guilt or 
 innocence was this. The suspected criminal was brought, 
 guarded, and his hands bound, to a public place prepared 
 for the trial, where was a large fire, over which was a 
 cauldron of melted lead ; into this vessel of melted lead, he 
 was forced to dip his naked hand, which, if he was innocent 
 of the supposed crime, it was concluded would receive no 
 injury from the burning metal, but if guilty, would be 
 destroyed. All the officers of the English man-of-war, 
 then in the harbour, and of which the gentleman who 
 related it was the purser, were present at this extraordinary 
 manner of trial, and the gentleman averred that he dis- 
 tinctly saw the prisoner dip his hand into the melted lead, 
 taking up some in his palm, and leisurely spilling it on the 
 ground at his feet, without any apparent injury or even pain 
 to his hand. One of the English officers present had the 
 curiosity to put a small stick, which he held in his hand, 
 
86 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 into the cauldron, and taking it out again, found the part, 
 which had been immersed in the metal, nearly consumed. ^ 
 
 Dr. Johnson heard this narrative with much attention, 
 and declared he would willingly take a voyage to the East 
 Indies, if he could be insured to be witness of such a sight. 
 Johnson's credulity and superstition made him a fit subject 
 to whom to relate such a story. 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, according to Boswell, used to 
 relate the following anecdote of Johnson while at Plymouth. 
 " Having observed, that in consequence of the Dock-yard, 
 a new town had arisen about two miles off as a rival to the 
 old ; and knowing, from his sagacity and just observation of 
 human nature, that it is certain if a man hates at all, he will 
 hate his next neighbour ; he concluded that this new and 
 rising town could not but excite the envy and jealousy of 
 the old, in which conjecture he was very soon confirmed ; 
 he therefore set himself resolutely on the side of the old 
 town, the established town, in which his lot was cast, con- 
 sidering it as a kind of duty to stand by it. He accordingly 
 entered warmly into its interests, and upon every occasion 
 talked of the dockers, as the inhabitants of the new town 
 were called, as upstarts and aliens. Plymouth is very 
 plentifully supplied with water by a river brought into it 
 from a great distance, which is so abundant that it runs to 
 waste in the town. The Dock, or Newtown, being totally 
 
 ' Northcote's Life of Reynolds p. 66 . 
 
JOHN MUDGE, 
 
 87 
 
 destitute of water, petitioned Plymouth that a small portion 
 of the conduit might be permitted to go to them, and this 
 was now under consideration. Johnson, affecting to enter- 
 tain the passions of the place, was violent in his opposition ; 
 and half laughing at himself for his pretended zeal, where 
 he had no concern, exclaimed, No, no ! I am against the 
 dockers ; I am a Plymouth man. Rogues ! let them die of 
 thirst. They shall not have a drop."^ 
 
 After the destruction of Rudyard's lighthouse by fire, 
 John Smeaton was called upon, to erect upon the Edystone 
 Rock, a building at once more substantial and permanent. 
 For that purpose he came to Plymouth in 1 756. Dr. Mudge, 
 who always associated himself with all matters of scientific 
 interest, at once sought out Smeaton; and the Engineer 
 became a guest in his house during his residence in Ply- 
 mouth. This was the commencement of a friendship which 
 lasted through their lives. 
 
 It is not needful to follow Smeaton through the three 
 years, during which he was employed in the erection of his 
 lighthouse. He personally superintended the construction 
 of the entire building. If there was any post of danger 
 from which the men shrank back, he immediately stood 
 forward and took the front place, " the post of honour," as 
 he called it, making it a rule never to require another to 
 undertake what he was afraid to do himself. Whilst working 
 at the rock on one occasion, an accident occurred to him, 
 
 ^ Life of Johnson, vol. i, p. 348. 
 
88 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 which might have been attended with serious consequences^ 
 but in which he displayed his usual cheerful courage. He 
 was walking on some new work that had been erected^, 
 when he made a false step, and, unable to recover his 
 balance, fell down amongst the rocks below. He found 
 shortly afterwards that he had put his thumb out of joint;:, 
 knowing that he was unable to obtain the aid of a surgeon^ 
 he determined to reduce the dislocation by himself; and 
 giving his thumb a violent pull, he snapped it into its place 
 again, after which he proceeded to fix the centre stone of 
 his building. I 
 
 Dr. Mudge used to relate the following anecdote of 
 Smeaton while engaged about the lighthouse. He had con- 
 tracted for certain requirements for his work with a man, who 
 made a great profession of religion, but who did not always 
 consider strict honesty an essential. Smeaton remonstrated 
 with him on one occasion, and finding he could get, what he 
 wanted, made better in other quarters, refused to take any 
 more of the material supplied by the Contractor. The man 
 pressed hard, but Smeaton was positive. The Contractor,, 
 assuming a religious expression and tone of voice, said in a 
 solemn manner, Then surely the Lord will not prosper the 
 work you have in hand." This was too much for Smeaton ;.. 
 his rage, which no doubt had been pent up for some time,, 
 boiled over at these words ; he rose from his chair, ex- 
 
 ' Smiles' Lives of the Engineers, vol. II, pp. 39-40. 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 89 
 
 claiming, "You puritanical scoundrel, do you pretend to be 
 in the secrets of the Almighty and taking him by the 
 shoulders threw him over the stairs. When living at Ply- 
 mouth, Smeaton used to go out upon the Hoe with his 
 telescope, in the early grey of the morning, and stand gazing 
 through it in the direction of the rock. After a rough night 
 at sea, his sole thought was of his lighthouse, and he would 
 sweep the horizon with his telescope ; sometimes he would 
 have to wait long until he could see a tall pillar of spray 
 shoot up into the air. Then as the light grew, he could dis- 
 cern the building standing firm amidst the waters, and thus 
 far satisfied, he could proceed to his workshops, his mind 
 relieved for that day. 
 
 In 1759 the work reached its completion, Smeaton 
 fixing with his own hands the last screws of the gilt ball 
 above the cupola, at great risk balancing himself on a few 
 boards at the height of a hundred and twenty feet above 
 the sea. He had caused the last mason's work to be the 
 cutting out of the words Laus Deo'' upon the last stone 
 set over the door of the lantern, while round the storeroom 
 had been engraved Except the Lord build the house, they 
 labour is in vain that build it." When all was completed, 
 and a great load, the anxiety of three years, had been taken 
 off his mind, we are not surprised therefore to find him full 
 of gratitude to God. The same motive, which led him to 
 place the above words, caused him to take Mr. Mudge, the 
 Vicar of St. Andrew's, to the new work. When they had 
 
 12 
 
90 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 alighted on the rock, he made the old man ascend to the 
 very top of the building, and within the lantern they raised 
 their voices in praise to God, and joined together in singing 
 the grand Old Hundredth Psalm, as a thanksgiving for the 
 successful conclusion of this arduous undertaking. 
 
 The stability of the new lighthouse had to be proved, 
 for though its strength was acknowledged, it had still to be 
 shown whether, if such a storm as had destroyed Winstan- 
 ley's Lighthouse in 1 703 again occurred, it would share the 
 same fate or not. The year 1762 was ushered in with 
 stormy weather, and produced a tempest, which put the 
 tower to the extremest test. Smeaton in his narrative of 
 the building says, my very valuable and ingenious friend, 
 Dr. John Mudge, gave me two letters upon the subject of 
 this storm, which coming warm from the heart, so much ex- 
 ceed anything I can compose, that I cannot do so well as to 
 insert them." 
 
 Plymouth, Friday, 15th January, 1762. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Accept my most sincere congratulations on the safety 
 of the Edystone ; as well from the danger that has threat- 
 ened it, as that I think the dreadful storm it has withstood, 
 will for ever remove any anxiety about its being injured in 
 the future, by the united force of the wind and sea. It blew 
 very hard the beginning of Monday night, but increased 
 with incredible fury towards Tuesday morning ; when about 
 
JOHN MUDGE, 
 
 SI 
 
 six, partly from the long southerly winds, but principally by 
 its concurring with the spring-tides, it afforded the most 
 horrible scene of devastation. The tide rose full two feet 
 higher, than when the Victory was lost, and when the Fish- 
 house was carried away ; or than was ever known in the 
 memory of the oldest man living. The seas came in boldly 
 over the Barbican wall, but one wave with such irresistible 
 violence, that it swept away the parapet, below its founda- 
 tion ; and in its return carried off five people then upon it, 
 all of whom were drowned. The new Lammy pier was 
 swept clean away. Prodigious losses have been sustained 
 by the shopkeepers on the quays ; as in some of their shops 
 near the Barbican, the water was as high as their counters ; 
 and the quays themselves are in so ruinous a condition, and 
 so much of them carried away, that had the gale continued 
 till the next tide, it is highly probable some of them would 
 have been wholly swept away, and the houses with them. 
 
 In the midst of this confusion there was no less than 
 six large merchant ships wrecked in the very harbour, some 
 of them were beat to pieces and but all lost ; and this in the 
 short space of 300 yards betwixt Teatshill and Bearhead. 
 There were nine men of war in the sound ; several of which 
 were constantly firing signals of distress. Some cut away 
 one, others two, another three, and one lost, all her masts 
 and her bowsprit. Three of them only escaped with all 
 their masts standing ; one of which, to avoid immediate des- 
 truction on the. south side of Mount Batten, was, by the 
 
92 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 great dexterity of the pilot, brought in within the Fisher's 
 Nose, and run ashore under the Lammy : but this was when 
 the ebb had made considerably ; so that she was safely got 
 off the next tide. But it exhibited a very uncommon 
 appearance ; as I believe it was the first time that ever a 
 man of war was seen in that place. In the Hamoaze the 
 men of war were all this while firing signals of distress ; and 
 some of them ran foul of each other. The sea came over 
 the dock gates, into the dock where the Magnanime was ; 
 but as there did not come in enough to float her, it did no 
 considerable damage. The new dock was likewise filled. 
 I will only mention one circumstance more, to give you 
 some idea of the extreme agitation of the sea ; the froth of 
 it flew clean over the walls of the garrison ; and in such 
 quantities, that in one situation a sentinel was obliged to 
 quit his post. 
 
 "In the midst of all this horror and confusion, my 
 friend may be assured, that I was not insensible to his 
 honour and credit ; yet in spite of the high opinion and con- 
 fidence I had of his judgment and abilities, I could not 
 but feel the utmost anxiety for the fate of the Edystone, 
 and I believe poor Richardson was not a little uneasy. 
 Several times in the day, I swept with my telescope from 
 the garrison, as near as I could imagine, the line of the 
 horizon ; but it was so extremely black, fretful, and hazy, 
 that nothing could be seen ; and I was obliged to go to bed 
 that night, with a mortifying uncertainty. But the next 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 93 
 
 morning- early, I had great joy to see that the Gilded Ball 
 had triumphed over the fury of the storm ; and such a one 
 as before I had not a conception of. I saw the whole so 
 distinctly from the bottom to the top, that I could be very 
 sure the lantern has suffered nothing. It is now my most 
 steady belief, as well as everybody's here, that its inhabi- 
 tants are rather more secure in a storm, under the united 
 force of wind and water, than we are in our houses from the 
 former only." 
 
 Smeaton continues : I wrote in return, desiring he 
 would send me a circumstantial account of the damages, 
 after the house had been visited." 
 
 The following is an extract from Dr. Mudge's second 
 letter, dated Plymouth, the 24th January, 1762. 
 
 " The boat went off, with an intention to land, on 
 Friday sennight ; but there was so great a sea, and the 
 wind being too much to the south, they desisted till the 
 next day ; when the wind being a point to the north of the 
 west, and better weather, they got near the house, landed 
 their things, and had a long conversation with the people. 
 
 Smart tells me, that the ladder was carried away ; 
 and some small matter of putty, which was cracked by the 
 last summer's heat, was washed off from the lantern. This 
 was all that the violence of the sea had effected ; that there 
 was not so much as a single pane of glass broke. That 
 the lantern was secured by (that perfection of ornament) 
 the Cornice ; which, when the sea rose to the top of the 
 
94 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 house, blanched it off Hke a sheet. They insisted on it, 
 that the sea went bodily over the top, for that it came in 
 through the vents of the ball, and filled the sockets of the 
 candlesticks. They were asked whether they had been 
 under any uneasiness ; they said, not in the least, as the 
 house had not been affected by it, in any other way than 
 they had before experienced. The storm in the evenings 
 of Monday began at the south-east, and they felt very 
 sensibly a tremor from every stroke of the sea ; so that 
 while it continued there to act upon the natural cavern of 
 the rock, it gave them some uneasiness ; which though they 
 now believed unnecessary, yet they could not help wishing 
 it was filled up. Now, though I look upon this as a proof, 
 that no storm will ever affect the house, as it is a plain 
 smooth surface ; and though a less sea has a greater in- 
 fluence on the rock at low water, than a mighty one has 
 upon the house itself; yet I must say, that I concur with 
 them in wishing it was done ; and that for two reasons ; one 
 is, I should be glad to see every, the least, appearance of 
 defect removed ; and the other, that I should hope it would 
 give me a chance of seeing my dear friend, once more, here. 
 In earnest, I wish you'd complete the rock too, as well as 
 the house ; for so many vibratory strokes can do it no 
 service. 
 
 You seem to have been greatly affected by the little I 
 have said of the horror of this storm ; but believe me, it 
 cannot give you even a tolerable idea of it. It has, upon 
 
JOHN MUDGE, 
 
 95 
 
 a moderate computation, done above ^80,000 worth of 
 damage, in the harbour and sound ; and I cannot help 
 repeating again, that I am very sure you may for ever rid 
 yourself of an uneasy thought of the house, as to its danger 
 from wind and sea." 
 
 P.S. — I broke open this letter to mention a whimsical 
 circumstance, that comes in my head : one of the articles, 
 besides sugar, some flour, &c., which they landed at the 
 house, was a gallipot of putty, to repair, as I said, the only 
 derangement the house had suffered."^ 
 
 Dr. Mudge's hospitality extended also to Ferguson, the 
 Astronomer,^ who was an inmate of his house for some 
 months. James Ferguson's career was shortly this. He 
 was born in Banffshire in 17 10. His father, a day labourer, 
 taught him to read and write. His early taste for practical 
 mechanics and for astronomy, which he studied while herd- 
 ing sheep, was extraordinary. It attracted the notice of 
 Mr. Gilchrist, the minister of Keith, who gave him much 
 assistance in the pursuit of his studies. When about twenty 
 he entered into the service of Mr. Grant, whose butler 
 taught him decimals and the elements of algebra. After 
 being in the service of one or two other persons, he went to 
 reside with Sir James Dunbar of Durn; and at the sugges- 
 tion of Lady Dipple, Sir James Dunbar's sister, he began to 
 
 ^ A Narrative of the building of the Edystone Lighthouse, Edit. 2nd, p. 77. 
 2 Portrait of J. Ferguson by Northcote, belonging to Dr. Mudge in possession of 
 Rev. W. C. R. Flint. 
 
96 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 draw patterns for ladies' dresses, and copied pictures and 
 prints with pen and ink. Having drawn a portrait, which 
 was much admired, he began to draw likenesses from 
 life in Indian ink : these appeared to his patrons so ex- 
 cellent, that they took him to Edinburgh, where he com- 
 menced the practice of his art at once. He succeeded so 
 well, that he obtained money enough, not only to defray his 
 own expenses, but to contribute largely to the support of his 
 aged parents. 
 
 Though he continued to follow his profession for about 
 twenty-six years, he seems never to have given his mind to 
 it. He continued his attention to Astronomy, and drew an 
 Astronomical Rotula, for exhibiting the eclipses of the sun, 
 which ran through several impressions. 
 
 In 1743 he resolved to go to London, where he con- 
 tinued his profession of drawing portraits, but devoted his 
 leisure to astronomical pursuits. 
 
 In 1747 he published his first work, A dissertation 
 on the Phenomena of the Harvest Moon." In 1748 he read 
 lectures on the eclipse of the sun, which happened in that 
 year. From this time to the end of his life he continued 
 his lectures. 
 
 Soon after the accession of George III, a pension of 
 £^0 was granted him. He was elected a Fellow of the 
 Royal Society; and died in 1776. 
 
 *' March 1768 Sterne died," is an extract I find from 
 Dr. Mudge's note book; perhaps he had met the author of 
 
JOHN MUDGE, 
 
 97 
 
 Tristram Shandy at Sir Joshua's house. His was a sad 
 end, and I cannot refrain from narrating it. Early in 
 March he lay dying in his lodging in the silk-bag shop, in 
 Old Bond Street, without a friend to close his eyes. 
 None but a hired nurse was in the room, when a footman, 
 sent from a dinner-table, where was gathered a gay and 
 brilliant party — the Dukes of Roxburgh and Grafton, the 
 Earls of March and Ossory, David Garrick, and David 
 Hume, — to inquire how Dr. Sterne did, was bid to go up- 
 stairs by the woman in the shop. He found Sterne "just 
 a dying." In ten minutes, Now it is come" ! he said, put 
 up his hand as if to stop a blow, and died in a minute. 
 
 "His laurels, such as they were, were still green. 
 The town was ringing with the success of the ' Sentimental 
 Journey' just published. The great and gay, we see, were 
 concerned about him. He did not choose, perhaps, that his 
 brilliant London acquaintance should be with him at that 
 encounter with the grim summoner, whom he had laughed 
 at in his time, as at most things awful and venerable. 
 Sterne's funeral was as friendless as his death-bed. Becket, 
 his publisher, was the only one who followed the body to its 
 undistinguished grave, in the parish-burial ground of Mary- 
 lebone, near Tyburn gallows-stand. Nor was this ungraced 
 funeral the last indignity of that poor body, over whose 
 infirmities Sterne had alternately puled and jested. The 
 grave-yard lay far from houses : no watch was kept after 
 dark; all shunned the ill famed neighbourhood. Sterne's 
 
 13 
 
98 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 body was marked down by the body snatchers, the corpse 
 dug up and sold to the professor of anatomy at Cambridge. 
 A student, present at the dissection, recognised under the 
 scalpel the face — not one easily to be forgotten, as we know 
 from Reynold's picture — of the brilliant wit and London 
 lion of a few seasons before.'^ ^ 
 
 James Northcote, as w^e have already seen, was also 
 intimately acquainted with Dr. Mudge. It was through 
 a letter of introduction from Dr. Mudge, that Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds took the chemist's apprentice as his pupil. 
 Northcote was then a youth, and with the letter started to- 
 London, with only his hard earned savings in his pocket. 
 His successful career, as a painter, was an evidence of the 
 discrimination of Dr. Mudge in thus bringing him under 
 the notice of Reynolds. ^ Northcote always entertained a 
 great regard for him, and they constantly corresponded 
 with one another for many years. Some of the letters 
 addressed by Dr. Mudge to Northcote, are here introduced. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 1 have intended for several posts past to assure you 
 of my best wishes, and at the same time to thank you 
 for both your letters; but by some means or other I have 
 been constantly prevented. I was rather uneasy, when I 
 received your last, to find that by a misapprehension of Mr. 
 
 ^Leslie's Life of Reynolds, vol. i, p. 293. 
 
 2 A portrait of J. Northcote painted by himself, formerly belonging to Dr. Mudger 
 in possession of Rev. W. C. R. Flint. 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 99 
 
 Elford, you had been informed that I was displeased with 
 your silence ; I know you will give me credit, when I assure 
 you it was a mistake. I own, I wished much to hear from 
 you before your brother came down, and to know what 
 kind of prospect was placed before you ; but since I 
 received your first letter, I entirely depended for my further 
 information on your occasional correspondence with your 
 own house. I am much pleased to find that your father 
 seems prepared for, and perfectly reconciled to, any schemes 
 in the painting way, whether your encouragements should 
 turn out sufficient to induce you to settle in London, or 
 otherwise to tarry so long as pecuniary considerations will 
 permit you, so as to lay in such a fund of knowledge, and 
 make those acquirements, which will at least turn out advan- 
 tageous. If upon the whole you should find that there is 
 no prospect of setting up in London, and yet should wish 
 to stay some considerable time longer, I must insist on the 
 promise you gave me, that you will not suffer the scantiness 
 of your finances to discourage your schemes, but you will 
 candidly give me a hint, and I will with great pleasure send 
 you a remittance immediately. As I know you are inter- 
 ested in everything which concerns my happiness, I am sure 
 it will give you pleasure to hear, that I am emerging from 
 the most oppressed and unhappy state of spirits I ever 
 experienced, though, God knows, I have felt severe and 
 awful dispensations of providence. I have reason to hope 
 that my wife's illness will have a happy termination, for 
 though she is far from well, she intends to go to Mr. 
 
100 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Morley's country house for her perfect recovery to-morrow. 
 I do not know that I have anything further to add, but my 
 thanks for the trouble you took to forward my glasses, 
 which were exactly the thing ; and my assurances that you 
 have the most ardent wishes of your sincere friend, 
 
 JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 Plymouth, July 19, 1771." 
 
 ''Plymouth, nth April, 1772. 
 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 A very severe fit of the gout, from which I am not 
 yet recovered, will only allow me at present to thank you 
 very heartily for your obliging present of the picture, which 
 is exceedingly well done, and I shall highly value it ; and to 
 request the favour of you to procure for Mr. Charles Fox 
 (my neighbour James Fox's nephew), who will call on you 
 soon, a sight of Sir Joshua's Pictures. I would have 
 written Sir Joshua himself, but as I know he is soon to be 
 with us, was not sure whether a letter would find him in 
 town. All your family are well, and I am ever, my dear 
 Sir, 
 
 Your most faithful friend, 
 
 JOHN MUDGE.'^ 
 
 Dear Friend, 
 
 I intended to have wrote you last post to have re- 
 turned you my thanks for your kind attention to my dear 
 Tom ; I was then prevented, but now do it most sincerely, 
 for, without a compliment, I am sure the countenance of so 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 101 
 
 worthy a friend must have been a very great comfort to 
 him ; and I do not know that anything would give me more 
 real satisfaction, than to see the acquaintance subsisting 
 between you, cultivated into the warmest friendship. 
 
 I find you have a brace of Pictures in the Exhibition, 
 a young lady, and an old man ; the former, I daresay, will do 
 you credit; but the latter, as the original will be known to a 
 number of spectators, will do you, I daresay, infinite honour ; 
 as the excellences of drawing and manner will be united. 
 I much want to know the fate of the west country Land- 
 scape, for, entre notis, though I think it well enough con- 
 sidering, yet considering where it is gone, I wish it had 
 tarried at home; for if Sir Joshua gives it a place in the 
 Exhibition, I think it the strongest proof of his partial 
 attachment to the place of his birth, that he can well give. 
 Everybody knows how far application and industry will go 
 with little genius ; and the merit of the picture consists in 
 showing how far the latter will extend without the assistance 
 of the former ; but few, that view the picture in the Exhi- 
 bition, will make those allowances. 
 
 Is Comte Ugolino finished, the engraving I mean ? 
 do let me know, when you write. Be so good as to give my 
 compliments to Sir Joshua and Miss Reynolds. 
 
 Your very faithful friend, 
 
 JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 Plymouth, April 26th, 1774." 
 
102 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " Boconnoc, Jan. 29th, 1775. 
 
 My dear Friend, 
 
 I daresay you have considered, by my long silence, that 
 you should hear no more from me ; and, if so, must have 
 formed conclusions, not very favourable to my gratitude or 
 even friendship. I hope, however, you will give me credit, 
 when I assure you that it has not arisen from want of 
 either; for I have in truth stood self-condemned, ever since 
 the last obliging present you made me of the excellent copy 
 of my friend Mr. Smelt's picture ^ ; so very good a one, 
 that, if you had pleased, you might have kept the original, 
 and palmed off the copy upon me ; for, except the advantage 
 the former has from the mellowness of tone, which is only 
 discoverable when the two are by the side of each other, 
 I protest I should not have known your's from the original. 
 The same cause or causes, which have delayed my very 
 hearty thanks to you for it, have hitherto delayed my 
 sending it to the family; which I shall however do now very 
 soon. 
 
 My mind has, for a great while past, been so much 
 oppressed by the melancholy incident in my own family, 
 and at the same time so embarassed, particularly of late, by 
 business, that I really have scarcely had resolution to do 
 anything, but what necessity has forced upon me. I hope, 
 therefore, you will be so good to accept this as an apology 
 
 ^ The original by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in possession of Mrs. Bogue. 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 103 
 
 for this apparent neglect, and believe me, when I assure you 
 that I ever had, and shall ever cherish, the most cordial 
 friendship and affection for you. I write this from Mr. 
 Pitt's in Cornwall. You will be so good as to give my 
 compliments to Sir Joshua, and tell him that I believe he 
 has forgot his promise, which I have with great impatience 
 expected, the etching of Comte Ugolino ; he was so good 
 as to say he would give me one of the first impressions, as 
 soon as they came to his hands ; do be so good as to 
 put him in mind of it. I hope you see my dear Tom 
 frequently; I wish he may be as close a copyist of your 
 virtues, as you have been with regard to my friend ; which I 
 do not despair of, as I am happy in believing him well 
 disposed to it. My time and paper are at an end, so I 
 shall only add that I am ever, my dear FViend, 
 
 Yours most faithfully, 
 
 JOHN MUDGE." 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 If I have not given myself too much credit with you, 
 you will believe me, when I assure you that I have, for some 
 time past, suffered under self-condemnation, for not giving 
 you earlier thanks for your very kind letter; but I have 
 an excuse to offer, that you cannot feel the force of, nor will, 
 till seventy years have gone over your head ; and then you 
 will be sensible of the rigidity and stiffness of mind accom- 
 panying them. When I received your letter, I had not 
 
104 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 read Mr. Burke's book. I have done so since, and read it 
 with wonder and rapture. It is certainly full of principle, 
 and most admirably written ; but I fear it is the beauty 
 of the diction, which principally pleases this waterish age. 
 Though the manner and method is not the best, perhaps it 
 is almost the worst, the French could have chosen to 
 establish their new Constitution ; I am inclined to believe, 
 when this crisis is complete, which however is at a vast 
 distance, and the Fever of the Mind is subsided, it will 
 settle into a better state than could have been procured by 
 attempts to amend the old one. There is a strong analogy 
 between the Political world and the Animal Economy ; 
 physicians have their distant and proximate causes, both 
 which are essential to the production of disease, or that 
 bustle in the constitution, which is necessary to the rein- 
 statement of health in the animal ; and those are so far 
 correlates to each other, that the cause can no more subsist 
 without the effect, than the effect without the cause. Now 
 the alteration in the mode of thinking, which has been 
 gradually growing in the French Nation, for above an age 
 past, renders them intolerant of their late Government ; 
 nor is it possible to reinstate it, unless the general mind and 
 feelings were to return to the state they were formerly in. 
 Brutus was much mistaken, when he thought by the assassin- 
 ation of Caesar he could recover the original greatness of 
 the Commonwealth ; the Romans had by degrees lost their 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 105 
 
 virtues, and they were incapable of any Government, but a 
 despotic one. So much for poHticks. 
 
 Mrs. Mudge and my family join in kindest remem- 
 brance to yourself and Miss Northcote, and I am always, 
 my dear Sir, 
 
 Yours most affectionately, 
 
 JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 Pray present my kindest remembrance to Sir Joshua. 
 Plymouth, March 25th, 1791." 
 
 The following- is a short note addressed to Samuel 
 Northcote, James Northcote's brother. 
 
 Dr. Mudge belonged for many years to a Club in 
 Plymouth, called the Otter Club ; it was instituted by some 
 young men, who used to meet in the mornings for the pur- 
 pose of sea bathing, and once a fortnight in the evenings at 
 a tavern for each other's society, where they supped 
 together. Dr. Mudge was one of the founders of this Club, 
 which was composed of 12 members, each of whom had a 
 silver medal, which they wore at their breasts on the even- 
 ing of their meetings. 
 
 Some few months before his death Dr. Mudge wrote 
 this letter, and with it sent his medal. 
 
 14 
 
106 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 '*To Mr. Northcote, with a medal: 
 My dear Friend, will you have the goodness to return 
 my medal to the Club, with my most affectionate wishes for 
 its happiness and permanence. 
 
 There is a time of life, when sensual pleasures grow 
 vapid and cease to please. That period I have arrived at : 
 but juvenile ones entangle themselves around the heart, and 
 are the last to quit their hold ; among these, this necessary 
 sacrifice of my medal to fatal necessity I make with the 
 greatest reluctance. I have worn it full half a century near 
 my heart. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 Between 2 and 3 in the morning after a sleepless night, 
 Oct. I St, 1792.'' 
 
 Dr. Mudge seems to have had a happy knack of pleas- 
 ing everyone who was thrown in his way ; he was never 
 known to mortify any person by an illiberal remark, and he 
 would even appear pleased and give commendation, when 
 one of his own stories was related to him, and never shew 
 his previous knowledge of it. 
 
 His patients, who found a friend in their physician, 
 were always fascinated by his conversation ; on one occasion 
 Dr. Warren, an eminent London physician, in sending a 
 patient to the mild air of Stonehouse, told the lady that 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 107 
 
 he sent her to Dr. Mudge, and that if his physic did not 
 cure her, his conversation would. 
 
 Northcote, in one of his " Conversations " with Hazlitt, 
 speaks too of the beauty of his character. Dr. Mudge," 
 he says, was one of the most deHghtful persons I ever 
 knew. Every one was enchanted with his society. It was 
 not wit that he possessed, but such perfect cheerfulness and 
 good humour, that it was like health coming into the room. 
 He was a most agreeable companion, quite natural and un- 
 affected. His reading was the most beautiful I have ever 
 heard. I remember him once reading Moore's fable of the 
 Female Seducers'^ with such feeling and sweetness, that 
 every one was delighted, and Dr. Mudge himself was so 
 much affected, that he burst into tears in the middle of it."' 
 
 This brightness and gentleness of character is the more 
 remarkable from the fact, that for many years he suffered 
 greatly from the gout. He had the talent however of ex- 
 tracting good from all that presented itself to him, and in 
 the midst of severe pain, he would brighten up at the en- 
 trance of a friend, and cheerfully answer the inquiry for his 
 health, by saying, " nearly gone; the thread is drawn as fine 
 as it can be." This serenity of mind never forsook him, and 
 it appeared from an Epitaph written with his own hand, and 
 found amongst his papers after his death, as if he had de- 
 termined, that his last hour should be placid and resigned. 
 
 ^ Conversations p, 89. 
 
108 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 The Epitaph is as follows : — 
 
 " Janua vitae sepulchrum est. 
 Hie juxta sitae sunt exuviae 
 Joannis Mudge, 
 Medicinae Doctoris, 
 Societatis Regiae Socii. 
 Ipse ille, 
 Spe certa in Christo resurgendi, 
 pie placideque animam, 
 
 Deo reddidit 
 Anno Domini 17 — 
 
 His family had, in the 72nd year of his age, to fill in 
 the blank which was left for the date, with the 26th of 
 March, 1793. On that morning he ceased to live. He was 
 found as if quietly sleeping, his face calm and peaceful, the 
 book he had been reading was lying on the bed, face down- 
 wards, and not moved by the least struggle. His spirit, so 
 gentle in life, had gently passed away to a brighter existence. 
 
 His death was felt at Plymouth, and throughout the 
 West, as a public calamity. 
 
 He was buried near to his father in St. Andrew's 
 Church, I where a monument by Banks was erected by his 
 family, with the above inscription, in the South East Corner 
 of the North Aisle. The following is the character of Dr. 
 Mudge, written by Mr. Gandy on the morning of his death. 
 
 I Monday, April 1st. Pall bearers Lord Eliot, Mr, Elford, Mr. Samuel Northcote, 
 Mr. Leach, Mr. Dunsterville, Mr. Bastard of Kitley, and Mr. Heywood of Merristow. 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 109 
 
 Plymouth, March 26th. 
 
 This morning in the 72nd year of his age, died Dr. 
 Mudge, an eminent Physician of this place, as universally 
 lamented, as he had lived beloved and esteemed. In this 
 excellent man were combined the best qualities of the head 
 and the heart. His admirable genius, which signalized him, 
 not only in the various departments of his own Profession, 
 but in many other walks both of Art and Science, was 
 tempered with the most engaging benevolence, and conde- 
 scension ; and his medical practice was combined with so 
 unaffected a sympathy with the miseries he was called to 
 relieve, that his patients felt he was their friend, as well as 
 their physician. In domestick scenes, his affectionate at- 
 tentions inexpressibly endeared him to his family ; at the 
 same time that the vigour, and brilliancy of his conversation, 
 rendered him a very instructive and delightful companion. 
 His cup of life was but too largely dashed with the bitterness 
 of pain and sorrow ; yet through the natural cheerfulness of 
 his temper, and the affecting sense he entertained of the 
 truths and duties of Religion, he had the happy talent of 
 alleviating his own burdens, and those of his sympathizing 
 friends, by extracting and enjoying whatever portion of good 
 he found mingled with the evils of life. This sunshine of 
 the breast never forsook him, and would no doubt have shed 
 a lustre on his last moments, had he been called to the task 
 of patience and resignation, by a lingering and laborious 
 
110 MEMOIR OF 
 
 change. But he was spared this trial, by a sudden and easy 
 passage from this life to that better state, which is perfectly 
 congenial to the piety and the philanthropy that distinguished 
 him." 
 
 A few days after Dr. Mudge's death, Mr. Richard 
 Rosdew, of Beechwood, received a letter from Mr. Thomas 
 Mudge, which we here subjoin. 
 
 " Dear Rosdew, 
 
 The melancholy tidings of the death of my poor uncle 
 has given us much concern. As to my father, as he is ex- 
 ceedingly low, and is, as Robinson tells me, going very fast 
 himself, I have not yet told him that his brother is actually 
 dead ; tho' I have said he was in such a state that it was 
 impossible for him to recover ; I mean, when I return to 
 day, to say I have heard of his death. 
 
 The moment I received your letter yesterday, with the 
 character written by Mr. Gandy (which I think a most 
 excellent one) I set to work and made three copies, which 
 Bayly and myself put into the letter boxes of the Star, the 
 Oracle, and the London Chronicle ; upon enquiring since, I 
 am not quite certain whether the publishers will insert it 
 without being paid as an advertisement, but if I don't find 
 it in the Star or the London Chronicle this evening, I will 
 pay for the insertion of it in the Star on Monday. Before 
 Mr. G. had written his character, I had made an attempt at 
 the description of my uncle, which I did when I heard 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 from you some time since, that from the state of his lungs, 
 he had given himself over, and you were in constant expec- 
 tation of his death. What I have said I send you a copy 
 of, on the other side, tho' I beg at the same time to have it 
 understood, that I consider my sketch but a faint shade in 
 comparison of what Mr. G. has done. 
 
 Remember us all most affectionately to Jane, who will, 
 I trust, by the time you receive this, have been somewhat 
 recovered from the shock she has received. 
 
 Adieu, and believe me very affectionately yours, 
 
 THOS. MUDGE." 
 
 Mr. Thomas Mudge's character of his uncle we add, as 
 it is interesting to know how Dr. Mudge was esteemed by 
 his own relations. 
 
 ''On the 26th day of March, died at Plymouth at the 
 advanced age of 72, Dr. John Mudge, an eminent Physician 
 of that place. To those who were not acquainted with him, 
 the just description of his virtues and abilities might appear 
 like the exaggerated painting of an affectionate but partial 
 friend ; but by those who had the happiness of knowing 
 'him intimately, it will be allowed hardly too much, to say 
 that no character ever existed, in whom was more eminently 
 combined all the valuable qualities of the Head and Heart. 
 Extensively connected with mankind, he received, from the 
 distinguished and worthy part of them, the most flattering 
 
112 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 testimonies of affection and esteem. Naturally of a tender 
 constitution, and greatly afflicted from an early period of 
 life with gout, he had frequent opportunities to manifest his 
 cheerfulness and fortitude under the most severe pressure of 
 pain and disease. His genius, which shone conspicuous in 
 his professional character, did not confine itself to his 
 medical abilities; but the energy of his mind was apparent 
 in everything, that at any time became an object of his 
 attention. Of the truth of this assertion one instance may 
 be mentioned which is an extraordinary one. Several years 
 ago amidst the fatigues of business, and the frequent in- 
 terruptions of sickness, he amused himself by making 
 reflecting telescopes ; and these he brought to such a degree 
 of perfection, that in the year 1777, on presenting to the 
 Royal Society a paper describing the best methods of 
 making the specula for them, he had conferred upon him 
 the Gold Medal, as a reward for his communication. 
 
 A Christian in practice as well as in principle, when, 
 worn out by accumulated infirmities, he saw the approaches 
 of death to be inevitable, he calmly breathed his last, and 
 expired with the animating hope, that his virtues and 
 labours would be rewarded with that happiness, which a 
 conviction of the truth of the religion which he professed, 
 led him to expect in a future and better state." 
 
 The following notice of Dr. Mudge's death appeared 
 in the London papers. 
 
 ** Died at Plymouth on the 26th of March, 1793, after 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 113 
 
 having been subject for many years to severe and repeated 
 attacks of the gout, which he bore with the greatest forti- 
 tude, John Mudge, M.D., F.R.S., who for his skill in the 
 Science of Mechanics was no less eminent, than in that of 
 Medicine, of which his improvements in the formation of 
 Reflecting Telescopes, his excellent Medical Treatises, long 
 and extensive practice, bear ample testimony ; but to his 
 private virtues, his social talents, the quickness and pene- 
 tration of his judgment, the warmth of his friendship, and 
 the goodness of his heart, those who had the happiness of 
 knowing him best can speak, and long will have reason to 
 lament his loss." 
 
 These verses, written by Mr. Andrew Sanders of Ply- 
 mouth, were published in one of the London papers about 
 the same time. 
 
 " Reader, if vice or folly mark thy life, 
 If guilty passions rage with baleful strife, 
 If aught malignant in thy mind be found, 
 Let not thy step profane this hallowed ground, 
 But if benevolence thy bosom warm, 
 If genius fire thee, or if science charm. 
 If virtue to thy soul were ever dear, 
 On Mudge's ashes drop the kindred tear." 
 
 The following lines also appeared in the newspapers, 
 entitled, An Elegy. To the memory of the late Dr. 
 Mudge of Plymouth." 
 
 15 
 
114 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " With skill to cure, or soften human ills, 
 And temper e'en the malady that kills ; 
 With worth to dignify what science grac'd, 
 With knowledge, learning, polished wit and taste, 
 We saw thee blest, and whilst we viewed, admired 
 What Heaven bestowed, and studious toil acquired j 
 Daily enriched, thy ample mind was fraught 
 With brilliance, fire, and energy of thought ; 
 The heart, which felt each soft affection's power, 
 Seemed formed by nature in her happiest hour ; 
 Thy talents shewed what blessings Heaven can give ; 
 Thy manners charmed, and taught us how to live. 
 
 " The tears, which nature and affection shed 
 O'er the lost friend, the tribute of the dead. 
 For thee, oh ! frequent fell ; no common woe 
 Bade the full stream of heart-felt sorrow flow : 
 All who the gift of thy affection shared. 
 Enjoyed thy friendship, favour, or regard. 
 Who prized thy talents, or thy worth revered, 
 By whom respected, and to whom endeared. 
 All wept thy loss, with grief and pain severe, 
 Great as thy worth, and as their love sincere. 
 
 " While sad reflection all the past reviews, 
 And scenes now closed in retrospect renews, 
 Affection sees thee all thyself appear. 
 So great, so good, so honoured, and so dear. 
 And midst the sketches, memory's power displays, 
 Which gild the picture with its brighter rays, 
 The deepened traits, which meet the eye, disclose 
 That even thou hast tasted human woes : 
 That health, which followed where thy skill was tried, 
 Was to thyself, ah ! long and oft denied : 
 That all the ties which round the heart entwine. 
 And which with added strength encircled shine, 
 Were in severe succession burst in twain ; 
 Sad fruitful source of misery and pain. 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 115 
 
 " E'en midst those sorrows, and those scenes of grief, 
 Where the full aching heart finds no relief, 
 Those powers, which minds like thine alone can know, 
 Softened thy pangs and dignified thy woe : 
 And in that hour, whose sad event we weep, 
 When tired Nature sank to peaceful sleep. 
 Thy soul its proud pre-eminence displayed. 
 Seemed from its native Heaven too long delayed, 
 And, e'en on earth from human dross refined, 
 With scarce one struggle left the world behind, 
 Shook off mortality, and winged its flight 
 To realms celestial, and the seat of light." 
 
 Dr. Mudge was married three times, and had twenty 
 children. The name, Mary Bulteel, is all that is on record 
 of his first wife. His second wife was called Jane. She 
 died in 1766 and was buried at St. Andrews.^ He married 
 29th May, 1767, thirdly, Elizabeth Garrett, who survived 
 him, and continued to reside in Plymouth after his decease. 
 She died in 1808. Her death is recorded on the tablet 
 erected in memory of her husband. 
 
 "Elizabeth Mudge, 
 optimi hujus viri vidua 
 obiit 6 Aug: A.D. 1808, 
 set: suae 72. 
 
 By his first wife he had a numerous family, of whom 
 three sons and three daughters died of consumption after 
 having passed the age of 20. Of his children we shall 
 have to speak very shortly. There is a very fine portrait of 
 
 ^ Extract from Register. "Jane Mudge, buried Feb. 3, 1766. No charge." 
 
116 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Dr. Mudge, painted when he was a young man, by his 
 friend Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first picture Reynolds 
 painted after his return from Italy. It is particularly 
 described in Leslie's Life of Reynolds. 
 
 Northcote tells us, that on his return (from Italy) 
 he found his health in such an indifferent state, as to judge 
 it prudent to pay a visit to his native air, but this he 
 would naturally do whether well or ill. He remained three 
 months in Devonshire, and while at Plymouth painted a 
 portrait of Dr. John Mudge, an eminent physician, a man^ 
 of great abilites, and not more esteemed for the variety of 
 his knowledge, than loved for his amiable manners. 
 
 ''This portrait of Dr. Mudge is now at the residence of 
 Mr. Mudge at Sydney, Plympton. It represents Dr. Mudge 
 almost in profile ; he wears a reading cap, and is turning 
 over the leaves of a folio. The head is a very noble one, 
 with marked and regular features. But owing, I have no 
 doubt, to an injudicious removal of the varnish which locked 
 up the glazing colours, the carnations have utterly disap- 
 peared, leaving the head as modelled in the first stage of 
 painting, in little more than tones of black and white. Both 
 the doctor's portrait and two of his father, have been en- 
 graved ; the former by Grozier, Dickenson, ^ and S. W. 
 Reynolds, the latter by Watson. 
 
 This picture was painted in 1753. 
 
 ^ Smiths British Mezzotint Portraits Pt. III. p. 1388, No. 16. 
 ^ Leslie Life of Reynolds, Vol. I. p. 89. 
 
JOHN MUDGE, 
 
 117 
 
 Northcote has left us two very good copies of this 
 picture. 
 
 The mezzotints of this picture were never sold during 
 his lifetime, as Dr. Mudge expressed a dislike to seeing 
 himself put up in the printshops. 
 
 There is another portrait of Dr. Mudge, taken in later 
 life by J. Northcote, bearing the date 1787. 
 
 The mezzotints of this were allowed to be sold. 
 
 CHILDREN OF Dr. MUDGE. 
 
 JOHN MUDGE was born at Plymouth in 1742 and 
 baptized at St. Andrews Oct. 4th, 1743. He was the 
 eldest son of Dr. Mudge by Mary his first wife. Though 
 there is nothing known of his life, and he died early, his 
 features at the age of 15 have been handed down to us 
 by Sir Joshua : in connection with the painting of this 
 portrait there is an interesting story. 
 
 I quote from Leslie's life of Reynolds. 
 
 " A young lad, the son of Dr. Mudge the physician, 
 then employed in the Navy Office in London, was very 
 anxious to visit his father on his birthday, (his sixteenth) ; 
 but unfortunately he was confined to his room by illness. 
 He expressed his disappointment to Reynolds, who said, 
 'Never mind, I will send you to your father,' and accordingly 
 sent a portrait of the youth, in which he represented him as 
 peeping from behind a curtain. 
 
118 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 This portrait was of course a gift ; though the painter 
 was somewhat chary of making presents of his pictures. 
 He used to say he found they were seldom highly valued, 
 unless paid for. 
 
 Mr. Cotton points out the probability that the arrange- 
 ment of the picture was suggested by a mezzotint by B. 
 Lens.''i 
 
 The portrait of Master Mudge, as the picture is 
 known, was painted in Feb., 1758. 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE, 2nd son of Dr. Mudge, was 
 born in 1743. His portrait, as his brother's, was, according 
 to Leslie, also painted by Sir Joshua in 1758. This picture, 
 when hanging over a mantelpiece in a bedroom, un- 
 fortunately caught fire and was burnt. There was sufficient 
 of the features remaining, in what was rescued from the 
 flames, for James Northcote to make an excellent copy of 
 the picture, which is extant. 
 
 Thomas Mudge, died at Lineham, Mar. 4th, 1782. 
 His father says, he died with the same sweet composed 
 countenance, he ever possessed in health, and I trust enjoys 
 the happiness promised to the innocent and simple in heart." 
 
 MARY MUDGE, baptized at St. Andrew's, Plymouth, 
 Mar. 1 8th, 1746. 
 
 CHARLES MUDGE, third surviving son of Dr. 
 Mudge. He served in the Royal Navy, and died at St. 
 Helena in 1775. 
 
 ^ Vol. I, p. 148. 
 
JOHN MUDGE. 
 
 119 
 
 ANN MUDGE, baptized at St. Andrew's, Ply- 
 mouth, Feb. 22nd, 1748. 
 
 She married in 1782 the Reverend James Yonge of 
 Puslinch. 
 
 The following year, 1783, she died, after the birth of a 
 daughter. 
 
 My dearest Nancy,'' Dr. Mudge writes, '*was relieved 
 from her sufferings this morning between one and two, and 
 with the greatest calmness left the world with a thorough 
 trust in the next." 
 
 She was buried in Newton Ferrers Church. 
 
 Mr. Yonge married afterwards, Anne Granger, sister of 
 Mrs. Zachariah Mudge. Of the second family, James 
 married Jane Mallock; Elizabeth married Field Marshal 
 Lord Seaton; and Jane married the Reverend Joseph 
 Harris, Vicar of Torre. 
 
 ELIZABETH MUDGE ^ baptized at St. Andrew's, 
 Plymouth, April 3rd, 1751. 
 
 KITTY MUDGE was born in 1758, May i6th. 
 She was married the same year as her sister in 1782, to 
 Mr. William Rosdew. 
 
 There are two portraits, miniatures, of her extant, 
 shewing her to have been a person of great beauty, painted 
 by Nixon in 1780 and 1782. The last painted represents 
 her as Ophelia. She died in 1789, May ist, and was buried 
 at Yealmpton, in which Church there is a tablet to her 
 memory. 
 
120 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 JANE (Jenny) MUDGE, daughter of Dr. Mudge 
 by his second wife, was born on Oct 29th, 1761. 
 
 She married in 1783, Mr. Richard Rosdew of Beech- 
 wood near Plympton. Of this event Dr. Mudge has a 
 record in his note book, ''Jenny was this day married, dined 
 at Beechwood, and gave Jenny the watch." 
 
 Her portrait was painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence. 
 
 She died in June, 18 18, at Beechwood. 
 
 There is a monumental tablet, representing a kneeling 
 figure, to her memory, by Sir F. Chantrey, in the South 
 Aisle of St Andrew's Church. 
 
MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM MUDGE 
 
 ROYAL ARTILLERY. 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE, 
 
 Major General R.A., RRS., LL.D., F.S.A., F,R.A„ 
 CM. of the Royal Institute of Paris, etc, 
 
 " A geographic Labourer." 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 ILLIAM MUDGE was born in Plymouth, 
 December ist, 1762. He was the son of 
 Dr. John Mudge by his second wife, Jane. 
 His mother died soon after his birth. 
 Shewing a desire to enter the Army, he 
 was sent in 1777 to Woolwich as a Cadet, where he dis- 
 tinguished himself by his abilities. While he was there his 
 godfather, Dr. Johnson, paid him a visit and gave him a 
 guinea and a book. 
 
 Of his time at Woolwich Dr. Hutton said, he was a 
 sharp boy, but not particularly attentive. There were at 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 that time only two Academies, the Senior and the Junior; 
 over the first Dr. Hutton presided, and in the Junior a Mr. 
 Charles Green, who was rather remarkable for his slowness 
 in teaching. In consequence of this, the friends of a lad 
 named Hislop, (afterwards Sir Thomas Hislop), applied to 
 the Master General for permission to qualify him for ex- 
 mination for the Senior Academy, that he might not lose 
 time under Mr. Green. On this permission being granted, 
 Mr. Green determined, if possible, to thwart the execution of 
 its object, by sending a Cadet for examination from his 
 Academy, in opposition to young Hislop, and selected 
 William Mudge, though he had not nearly completed the 
 course, but he judged from his quickness and ability that he 
 would be likely to succeed. In this however, as might be 
 expected, he failed, and it is to be noted that Mudge did not 
 succeed in getting into the Senior Academy until his third 
 examination. In 1779, he became 2nd Lieutenant in the 
 Royal Artillery, and was sent out almost immediately to 
 South Carolina, where he served in Lord Cornwallis' Army. 
 During this time there is mention made in his fathers 
 pocket book of his writing home from Charlestown. 
 
 In 1 78 1, he was made ist Lieutenant. 
 
 Soon after his return from Carolina, he was put on 
 duty in the Tower, where he began studying mathematics 
 and mechanics, which latter he practically applied to the 
 construction of some clocks for his private amusement. He 
 found that Shrapnel, afterwards Major General Shrapnel, to 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 123 
 
 whom he was senior in the Corps, had made considerable 
 progress in mathematics; unwilHng to be outdone in any- 
 thing, and perceiving the advantage of this branch of science, 
 hs set to work sedulously at mathematics, applying to Dr. 
 Hutton for assistance, when he found himself in any diffi- 
 culty, and thus by perseverance became at last a first rate 
 mathematician. When the Duke of Richmond, as Master 
 General of the Ordnance, purchased the three feet theod- 
 olite, intended for the East India Company, for the purpose 
 of carrying out the general survey of Great Britain, com- 
 menced by General Roy, he applied to Dr. Hutton to know 
 what officers of the Artillery and Engineers were best 
 qualified for the management of this part of the under- 
 taking. Dr. Hutton, after deliberation on the matter, recom- 
 mended Lieut. Colonel Williams and Lieut. Mudge, as the 
 best qualified officers; and Dr. Hutton said, that in doing 
 so he sincerely believed he had named the best mathe- 
 maticians in the two corps, and the fittest officers for this 
 duty. Indeed, he added, it would have been very difficult 
 to have found persons better qualified anywhere. This 
 was in 1791. Under Colonel Williams he continued to 
 work, till Colonel Williams' death in 1798, when he was 
 appointed head of the Survey in the following terms : — 
 
 *'SlR, 
 
 I have the commands of the Master General to acquaint you that, 
 sensible of the zeal and ability you have shewn in that part of the Trigo- 
 nometrical Survey, which it has fallen to your lot to execute on the death 
 of Lieut. Col. Williams, it was his Lordship's intention to have intrusted 
 
124 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 to you the conduct of its continuation; and it is with additional satisfaction 
 and confidence that Lord Cornwallis now appoints you to that situation, 
 assured of its coinciding with the wishes of his Grace the Duke of 
 Richmond. 
 
 His Lordship desires that you will accordingly take on yourself the 
 charge, as it has hitherto been held by Colonel Williams. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 R. APSLEY." 
 
 In March of the same year, he received a letter from 
 Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, informing 
 him that he had no doubt, as the members of the Society 
 were well aware of the zeal, diligence and ability, he had 
 shewn in executing the interesting duty in which he was 
 engaged, he would be elected a Fellow of the Royal 
 Society. 
 
 This work of the Survey of England he carried on 
 with great success for many years, and always received the 
 highest commendation from the heads of the Department, 
 to which he belonged. With reference to this part of his 
 work, which was the work of his life, the following remarks 
 may very well be inserted in this place. 
 
 Major General Mudge is best known to the world by 
 his labours upon the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain, on 
 which he was employed for nearly thirty years. The at- 
 tention he had paid early in life to the mathematical 
 sciences, and the habit of accuracy as well as the necessary 
 previous information, which their study afforded, qualified 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 125 
 
 him peculiarly for that task, which he proceeded in the 
 execution of, so much to his own credit and the advantage 
 of the country. 
 
 ''Major General Roy had measured a base line on 
 Hounslow Heath, and conducted a series of triangles from 
 it, (verified by another base line measured on Romney 
 Marsh) through Kent and Sussex, to the French Coast, for 
 the purpose of connecting the Observatories of Greenwich 
 and Paris. The skill and ingenuity of General Roy, and 
 of the French Academicians who performed the portion of 
 that work, which lay on their side of the channel, had done 
 much towards the development of the best methods and 
 precautions, requisite in conducting surveys of large tracts 
 of land, and in ascertaining such data as might be applied 
 to the discovery of the figure of the earth. But what they 
 had done, far from exhausting the field of science, and 
 leaving merely the labour of following prescribed rules to 
 their successors in it, tended to shew the excessive imper- 
 fections of all that had preceded them, and pointed to a 
 road, where mathematical and philosophical genius might 
 find ample exercise, and be rewarded by new discoveries. 
 
 '' The measurements of Picard, Capini, Bougner, Mau- 
 pertius, Lacaille, Boscovich, Liesgaing, Mason and Dixon, 
 &c., had been executed with instruments far inferior to 
 those employed in the new measures; and as those very 
 able men were also unacquainted with the aberration of 
 light, and various other matters, which the progress of 
 
126 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 science had made known since their time, of course their 
 works had lost much of their original value, and required 
 repetition. The very eminent members of the Academy 
 of Sciences at Paris have since pursued this subject, during 
 all the discouragement which the political revolutions of 
 France must have thrown in their way, with a degree of 
 ardour which does them the highest honour. And it is not 
 to be wondered at, that a young man of an aspiring genius, 
 like Lieutenant Mudge, should avail himself of the oppor- 
 tunity afforded by Dr. Hutton's recommendation of being 
 employed on the Survey of Great Britain, which commenced 
 under the most favourable auspices. The Duke of Rich- 
 mond, then Master General of the Ordnance, took a most 
 decided interest in its progress, and was never deficient in 
 attention to the suggestions of its superintendent. Thus 
 encouraged, the conductors of the survey proceeded with 
 unremitting alacrity, and Mudge soon distinguished himself 
 as a prominent character in it's execution. The Duke took 
 notice of him, treated him with the greatest kindness, and 
 gave, what he most valued, every facility to the progress 
 of the Survey. Mudge was in communication with most of 
 those scientific men in this country, who had devoted their 
 attention to the pursuit of natural philosophy and mathe- 
 matics, and he used every exertion to render the work, in 
 which he was engaged, as perfect as the state of science 
 would admit. From Dr. Hutton, Dr. Maskelyne, etc., he 
 derived some valuable assistance in the theoretical part of 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 the undertaking. However, the Survey of a country Hke 
 Great Britain required much time for its execution, and it 
 could hardly be expected, that the Duke of Richmond, 
 whose love of science and desire to promote the internal 
 improvement of the country had led him to direct its 
 commencement, should remain in power, long enough to 
 preside during the progress of any very considerable por- 
 tion. A political change put a new Master General into 
 the Ordnance ; and though the utility of an accurate Survey 
 was too obvious, and the qualifications of Mudge were too 
 well known, to escape the observation of the noblemen, who 
 successively held that office, yet they did not possess that 
 degree of information, respecting the mode of conducting 
 the Survey, and feel that lively interest in its progress, 
 which it's founder had done. The Survey still proceeded 
 under Mudge's direction, with great accuracy and consequent 
 credit, but it had lost its patron, and become a work of 
 labor. General Mudge was a man of the nicest feelings of 
 honor, of the strictest integrity, and almost penuriously 
 careful of the public money. With such sentiments, he was 
 fearful lest his character should suffer by making applications 
 for assistance, that might be deemed superfluous to those 
 who were unacquainted with the necessities of his depart- 
 ment, and who might, in the hurry of business, neglect to 
 give him opportunity of affording full explanations. This 
 disposition deprived him of those means which would, had 
 he possessed them, have enabled him to display his abilities 
 
128 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 to much greater advantage, both for his own fame, and the 
 progress of the work. The public expected much more 
 from the conductors of the Trigonometrical part of the 
 Survey, than it was possible for the number of individuals 
 employed to perform ; and whilst a continual arrear of busi- 
 ness was unavoidably accumulating, the ardour of Science 
 could not but suffer an abatement. Before General Mudge 
 could make up his mind to apply for any new assistant, the 
 aid of that assistant had been long required; and as an 
 assistant in the Trigonometrical department had always 
 much to learn, and could be of little use till long after his 
 initiation had commenced, the arrears of computation and 
 other business could never be entirely removed. However, 
 General Mudge had a facility in obtaining the utmost 
 exertions of those under his directions ; the uniform kindness 
 with which he treated them always endeared him to their 
 affections, and they on his account willingly submitted to 
 privations and labours, which few other persons in his 
 situation could have induced them to undergo." 
 
 In 1799, Captain Mudge, with the assistance of Mr. 
 Dalby, published Volume I of the Account of the Survey 
 revised from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal 
 Society, and in 1801 he issued, unaided. Volume II. The 
 same year Thomas Colby obtained his commission, as 2nd 
 Lieutenant in the Engineers. His diligence and success in 
 scientific study were such, that in January of the following 
 year, at the special request of Captain Mudge, he was 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 12^ 
 
 appointed one of the assistants in the great work of the 
 Survey. Entering at once on his duties, he justified the 
 expectations formed of him, by the intelligence and con- 
 scientious activity, which he brought to the work of sur- 
 veying. He was on a tour of inspection in Cornwall in 
 1803, when he lost his left hand by the bursting of an old 
 pistol, and suffered at the same time such a fracture of the 
 skull from a fragment of the barrel, that he felt the effects 
 of the accident for the rest of his life, whenever he at- 
 tempted any long continued mental exertion. Though the 
 loss of his hand was a hindrance to the active discharge of 
 his duties. Colonel Mudge was so well satisfied of his 
 merits, that he kept the young Lieutenant permanently 
 attached to the Survey. Colonel Mudge, who himself 
 united energy of character, mathematical talent and culture, 
 had the valuable faculty of readily observing and appre- 
 ciating the existence of corresponding qualities in others; 
 he recognized a kindred spirit in Colby, and by attaching 
 him to himself as his chief personal assistant, conferred an 
 inestimable benefit upon the national work which he con- 
 ducted. ^ 
 
 In 1803, he published An account of the measure- 
 ment of the Arc of the Meridian; extending from Dunnose 
 in the Isle of Wight to Clifton in Yorkshire. 
 
 During this period of his life, Colonel Mudge, as he 
 became in 1804, resided at the Tower, from which are 
 
 * Vide English Cyclopoedia Biography, vol. ii, p. 31 1. 
 
 17 
 
130 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 dated one or two letters here inserted; they are interesting, 
 as they shew us how he entered into the passing events of 
 the day, and they give us moreover an insight into his 
 personal character. 
 
 Nov. 2oth, 1804. 
 
 My dear Rosdew, 
 
 Your letters and your present are at variance with 
 each other, and I am very glad they are so, for I should be 
 very sorry ever to receive from you an unequivocal testi- 
 mony of your being seriously offended with me. Time 
 and the run of things will shew you, that I value your 
 friendship at too high a rate, lightly to sport with it ; and I 
 am sure if I advert to the present occasion, you will have 
 too much goodness to retain the sentiments with which you 
 penned your letter. Northcote has had two sittings from 
 me and has near finished the face. He has put two much 
 brains in it or behind it. But I perceive the likeness to be 
 extremely strong, and I think the portrait is likely to turn 
 out a very fine one, for he is evidently trying his best. He 
 shall not want the necessary sittings. 
 
 My boy, thank God, is getting much better, but as 
 usual at the expense of the Mother, who is but very 
 indifferent. Richard continues to improve in his studies 
 and in his appearance. Nature has written a letter of 
 recommendation in his countenance, of the most flattering 
 kind. He is grown very tall, and discovers no symptoms 
 of a weakly constitution. Woolcot is hard at work at 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 Blackheath, preparing work for the surveyors. The moment 
 he has done, he goes into the West, first to you for his 
 horse. The survey of Dorset is to be taken up, and all 
 hands doubled. You will say upon this, that surely I have 
 enough on mine ! 
 
 My Map goes on well and will soon be out ; I trust it 
 will afford the world some proofs that I deserve the mite I 
 get. But if I keep my timbers stout and my planks tight, 
 I shall never complain if I ever continue as I am. 
 
 I am glad to hear Jane is well ; give our love to her, 
 and say we send no such angry messages as she sends to 
 me. 
 
 Yrs ever, 
 
 W. MUDGE. 
 
 P.S. — Neville has a couple of the cocks. Haddon I 
 have not sent any to. Dick ate a whole one himself." 
 
 Blackheath, Dec. 20th, 1804. 
 
 My dear Rosdew, 
 
 Seven parts of the New Encyclopaedia, two numbers 
 of my last paper, and one of that which preceded it, were 
 yesterday sent off by the Plymouth wagon, directed for you. 
 
 As to the first, I apprize you of their backs being a 
 little soiled, and of their having been mine. I send them 
 to you because they are proofs; and proofs for love or 
 money cannot be had, but by those whose names were first 
 put down. Such was the case with me, and as every day's 
 
132 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 •experience tells me, that I shall every future day have less 
 leisure for amusement, I part with them willingly, trusting- 
 you will receive them as willingly yourself. The future 
 numbers shall be regularly sent to you. Colonel Archer is 
 to have one of my last papers and the previous publication, 
 if you have got it yourself, but if you have not, that single 
 paper may be kept by you. The country all around us 
 here is one white sheet, so much the better. You, I imagine, 
 are the most destructive of Nimrods, and I wish you as 
 much luck, health and happiness, as you can wish yourself. 
 Our Hive begins to swarm, for all are at home except Janets 
 image. Little Zach has got well. On Saturday all the 
 Nevilles came down for the Christmas. Beechwood, I 
 imagine, will be gay and full. I should be very glad to sit 
 down to your sirloin ; but when I hear that a thousand 
 Artillery are going on the Expedition now fitting out, and 
 also recollect, that, but for Triangles and Maps, I might 
 very soon winter elsewhere, I may think myself very well 
 off, although I cannot have that wish gratified. 
 
 My head is on canvass, but not my coat; but I think of 
 doing myself the honor of sitting, you remember the French 
 cant, sometime next week. 
 
 I trust Jane is very well, give my love to her, and 
 believe me, dear Rosdew, 
 
 Your sincere friend 
 
 W. MUDGE." 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 133 
 
 " Tower, January 8th, 1805. 
 
 My dear Rosdew, 
 
 I thank you for your New Year's gift, your letter ; and 
 I answer it by an early post, that the value of my reply 
 may not be diminished by delay or apparent tardiness. I 
 should however, if your letter had not been written, still 
 have wrote to you, for I did not send you a line by Mr. 
 Woolcot, and it would have been right to have told you 
 why I had not done so. 
 
 The Philosopher left me on Saturday, and I imagine 
 will call on you at Beechwood sometime about to-morrow. 
 He has seen much of us of late, and can tell you, or has told 
 you, viva voce, how we all are and go on. On that score, I 
 shall not for this reason enlarge or say more of my family, 
 than what may engage your attention on the part of your 
 namesake, Dick. Jane's letter, with its enclosure, bright- 
 ened up the eyes of our favourite boy, and he will in a 
 day or two thank her for her donation. He has so well 
 rewarded my care of him, in making the best of his time at 
 Mr. Bonnycastle's, that I have thought it right to continue 
 his old master through the holidays. He is grown very 
 tall and personable ; has become a very good Frenchman ; 
 and has attained great excellence in the art of drawing. 
 Of his military efforts in this way I send you a small 
 specimen ; and he will very shortly send two landscapes to 
 his Aunt, which will, I believe, not disgrace her walls. 
 Early in February he will go to Mario w. 
 
134 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Mr. Woolcot will very probably have told you, that I 
 am not yet settled in a house, my own, either by year, or 
 lease ; very difficult it is to find anything hereabouts to be 
 had at hand, but, having- two or three kind friends looking 
 out, I hope soon to be covered with a roof of my own. 
 Your letter holds out the hope of your visiting Town ; may 
 you not disappoint me in that hope ! 
 
 The year of 1805 has begun, and I trust the conclusion 
 of it will bring us, or see us possessed of, political health ; 
 quietness in the shape of peace I do not reckon upon. 
 Far indeed is such a prospect from us ; but yet I hear 
 from people of no mean capacity or sources of information, 
 and I have heard it to-day, that a general congress is to be 
 held, for settling the disputes between France on the one 
 part, and the Northern Powers with Britain on the other. 
 I cannot tell, but I persuade myself, that an Imperial 
 Bourbon would follow the steps of an Imperial Buonaparte, 
 and that we should not gain much by a change of monarchs. 
 I verily think in my own mind, that let matters be as they 
 will, or let them be accomodated as we wish to our own 
 contrivances, that peace between this country and France 
 will not, for 50 years to come, ever occupy a space of four 
 years. Holland and Brabant give to our natural enemy 
 such advantages, that, restless as she is, we shall know 
 little or no rest from her, let her be governed by whom- 
 soever she may. A change, a mutual exchange, of prisoners 
 is decided and agreed on, between us and our belligerent 
 neighbour. 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 135 
 
 I heard from Mr. Dawson some few days ago, on the 
 score of Dick Holberton's progress, and I shall write him 
 forthwith giving him further instructions. His commission 
 will be given him soon I hope, and nothing shall be wanting 
 on my part to procure it for him ; but I must possess his 
 drawings and plans to present them to General Morse, and 
 he must not be disappointed in waiting the arrival of his 
 hour. I shall desire Mr. Dawson to detain him at Liskeard 
 after his drawings are sent up, and employ him in further 
 matters of drawing, for I do not wish him to come up till 
 he has his commission. It is but fair he should be re- 
 warded for his diligence, yet it may be useful to tell Dick, 
 that it is far more easy to get a company in the Guards 
 than a commission in the Engineers. 
 
 At Woolwich all is bustle and confusion. To what 
 place the troops composing the expedition will ultimately 
 receive a destination, I know not, but I have a very shrewd 
 guess, that I know where they are going to, in the first 
 instance— Ferol ; — but silence on this point. 
 
 Dick and his brothers, with Jane, are all bent on 
 drinking a glass of sweet wine in aid of his cake, to the 
 health, the happiness, and the prosperity of yourself and 
 Jane in the year 1805. Farewell! 
 
 Yrs truly 
 
 W. MUDGE. 
 
136 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "Drawing-room, Tower, Nov. nth, 1805. 
 
 My dear Rosdew, 
 
 The colours of victory are again waving on the battle- 
 ments of the White Tower. The occasion by an extra 
 Gazette tells us of four French ships, belonging to the 
 ruined combined squadron, being taken by Sir Richard 
 Strahan. Good news has so long been a stranger to the 
 British Land, that I doubted whether our ensign, triumph- 
 antly floating at this time close to me, had not forgot it's 
 way up the staff. Be that as it might, it has now refreshed 
 its memory again, and God grant it may soon wear out 
 the stick by its repeated use ! 
 
 This intelligence of the capture of the four ships you 
 may have heard perhaps, before this reaches you. But 
 there is a chance, that you may first know it by this 
 communication, provided you call, as you were wont to 
 do, at the Post Office in Plympton for letters. If however 
 the news be stale, my letter will serve the purpose of 
 renewing my correspondence with you. 
 
 I cannot yet enter on any matter with you. I must 
 first tell you, how sincerely I grieve for the loss of our 
 country's Darling, the brave — no doubt the immortal, Nel- 
 son. The sure way to Heaven is dying in defence of that 
 order which is necessary for our happiness, and the furthering 
 the designs of its Architect. In Heaven then is poor 
 Nelson ! That man had indeed a soul, formed neither by 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 137 
 
 common materials, nor stamped in a common manner. It 
 had been well for us, had he not been Caesar ; but Caesar, 
 and nothing else, would he be in the presence of his 
 enemies. The star omitted on his coat perhaps rendering 
 him less distinguished, he might have survived the Battle; 
 had such been the case, it might have been well for us. But 
 as to himself ! could he have sealed his life in any other way 
 so gloriously, as in the hour of that victory which saved his 
 country ? For the loss of this benefactor of the whole 
 European race, we are all here internally mourning ; and it 
 is imagined a general wear of black will soon take place. 
 Can any one be acceptable to you, who is insensible to the 
 feelings of gratitude and justice on this occasion ? I am 
 sure not. I shall therefore offer no excuse for writing so 
 much about this Man. 
 
 Tell Zach that I trust there are many men yet in store, 
 to give perpetuity to the reputation of our Naval Flag, and 
 tell him too, that I think he is one of them ; convey with 
 this message my earnest good wishes for his future welfare. 
 Let him make a perfect Phoenix of his ship. Tell Zach 
 that John is put, according to his desire, to a school proper 
 for the purpose, not to his old one. 
 
 I am very well ; much better than I have been for 
 some years past. I may patch up into a strong vessel yet; 
 so much the better. Thank God you are got into good 
 order : but why ride that horse ? I am very glad I did 
 
 18 
 
138 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 not know your accident was a serious one, till I found you 
 were out of danger. Keep yourself free from the chance of 
 its recurrence. 
 
 Tell my sister I hold her in sincere Jove, and estimation, 
 and believe me, that I am, your most affectionate friend, 
 
 W. MUDGE. 
 
 P.S.' — ^You may expect to hear soon of something 
 being done at Boulogne.'' 
 
 In January 1806, after referring to Lord Nelsons 
 funeral, Colonel Mudge adds, " How retrograde seem to 
 run the affairs of France from the channel in which we all 
 wish them to steer. It is not for mortal man to unravel 
 the intricacies of Providence ; doubtless the changes making 
 in the affairs of the civilized world are the work of God 
 himself. I cannot but believe so. For what end, as we 
 cannot unravel the web, we cannot see ; the general welfare 
 of future society may be the end, and I doubt not it is ; but 
 I am greatly mistaken, if you and I do not live to see such 
 a game played on this side of the water, as shall put all to 
 the hazard. I believe the great question, aut Ccesar aut 
 melius, must be tried on English ground. I shall have my 
 share of it when the period arrives, and so will you ; for no 
 man would go further in the defence of his country than 
 yourself." 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 139 
 
 In 1808, Col. Mudge purchased a house in Holies 
 Street, No. 4, which became his residence for the remainder 
 of his life. 
 
 While engaged in the work of the Survey, he was 
 appointed unexpectedly in 1809, Lieutenant Governor of 
 the Military Academy at Woolwich, which office he held 
 for some years. This appointment was the last of Lord 
 Chatham's official acts. He found the Academy, as he said, 
 in ruins ; to remedy the state of things he at once struck at 
 the root of the evil, and set to work to bring about better 
 discipline, and management, among the Cadets. 
 
 Of his success in the management of the Cadets, Lord 
 Chatham speaks in the following terms. In a letter ad- 
 dressed by Lord Chatham to him in the year 18 17, in 
 which he thanks him for some maps. Colonel Mudge had 
 sent him, and expresses his high satisfaction at the success 
 with which the Survey continued to be prosecuted. Lord 
 Chatham adds, that it is no less gratifying to him to learn 
 that the Royal Military Academy has so fully answered 
 all that was expected from it, and that :t has attained that 
 degree of perfection, the accomplishment of which was, he 
 was confident, best insured, when it was placed under 
 Colonel Mudge's auspices. 
 
 Since the year 1798, the Cadets of the East India 
 Company, destined for the service of the Artillery and 
 Engineers, had been sent to the Royal Military Academy 
 at Woolwich, where they continued to be educated until 
 
140 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 the commencement of 1810, when they were removed to a 
 similar institution at Addiscombe, established by the Com- 
 pany for the education of their own Cadets, but still to 
 remain under the superintendence of General Mudge, who 
 was appointed public examiner. In the discharge of this 
 duty, General Mudge was ever anxious and assiduous to 
 ascertain, by private and repeated examinations, the res- 
 pective qualifications of the youths placed under his super- 
 intendence, and the efficacy of the mode adopted for their 
 instruction. At public examinations, he was actuated by no 
 petty view of displaying his own attainments ; his efforts 
 were directed to encourage and assist the modest and 
 apprehensive candidate, and to obtain for merit, that prize, 
 which in public displays is too frequently borne away by 
 superior confidence. To render their education yet more 
 complete, he availed himself of his situation, as superin- 
 tendent of the General Survey of Great Britain, to give 
 the Cadets that experience and information, which might 
 qualify them to conduct similar operations, for military or 
 commercial purposes, in the hitherto imperfectly described 
 districts of India. He committed this branch of their 
 education to Mr. Dawson, who had, early in life, been 
 selected to instruct the officers intended for the Quarter 
 Master General's staff, and had subsequently been employed 
 under himself, in executing the General Survey, and in- 
 structing the Candidates for the Engineer Corps. Besides 
 his other qualifications, Mr. Dawson had the merit of 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 Ul 
 
 bringing topographical drawing to a degree of perfection, 
 that had given to his plans a beauty and accuracy of ex- 
 pression, which some of our eminent artists had previously 
 supposed unattainable. The propriety of General Mudge's 
 selection was evinced by the improvement of the pupils, 
 which corresponded to the unwearied diligence of their 
 master, and in countries so extensive, and in many parts so 
 imperfectly known, as our Indian territories, such attain- 
 ments have been found eminently useful and valuable. In 
 such an Institution as Addiscombe, the merit due to the 
 individual, who presided and watched over it, from its 
 origin and in its infancy, can be best estimated by the 
 conduct and qualifications of those, who there received their 
 education, and it must have been peculiarly gratifying to 
 learn the high rank and character which both the Corps of 
 Artillery and Engineers, attained in India ; they not only 
 shewed themselves gallant and skilful officers, but many of 
 their number became known as men of education and science. 
 In the same year as his appointment to Addiscombe — ^1810 
 — Colonel Mudge published his Map of Devon, over which 
 he had taken special care, and for which he claimed the 
 prize of originality. 
 
 During the early part of this year he was in much anx- 
 iety about the health of his son, Richard, *T trust however," 
 he writes on one occasion, ''in the Benevolence of that Being, 
 without whose express permission not a sparrow falls to the 
 ground, that my son will live to let me prove to him how 
 
142 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 sensible I am of his value;" and throughout the year he 
 constantly alludes to the same subject. 
 
 In May 1811, he says in a letter, " Lord Wellington 
 writes, 'the Frenchmen say this is not a manoeuvering 
 army; for my part I desire no better sport than to meet their 
 column with our line. Shrapnel's spherical case shot did 
 wonders at Barrosa, several of the French were found with 
 3, 4, or 5 shots which had cut through their sides.'... My 
 labors are great and I am without strength to carry my 
 chains. I can assure you that I am a slave, and not wearing 
 golden chains." In June speaking of the King being in 
 danger, he says, Thank God we have a 7nan to succeed 
 him, for it has been given us by Providence to know that it 
 is not every Prince that can call himself a man. Buona- 
 parte's Guards in Spain begin to discover the faculty of 
 hanging their tails between their legs. General Beresford's 
 letter is a capital one. Master Soult will be thanking him 
 less for degrading his abilities, and speaking contemptibly 
 of him, than for thrashing his troops ; may he have another 
 licking soon." 
 
 He further writes the same year. I have more busi- 
 ness on my hands than I have strength for, or if I had 
 strength, even time to perform, and this has always been 
 the case." He says in the same letter that he has been 
 before the Board of Commissioners, and that the total ex- 
 pense of the Survey in the 21 years, during which it had 
 been carried on, was 3,000. He doubts, he says, his con- 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 143 
 
 tinuance in both offices, that is, as Head of the Survey and 
 Lt. Governor of Woolwich, but hopes to have his salary for 
 life, and he adds, I shall have shortly to look back on the 
 long dream of 20 years, and at the time I exclaim, in truth 
 how has it flown, with the mortification to know that I have 
 toiled to every purpose but that of growing rich." 
 
 By Lord Mulgrave's order he sent him 12 copies of 
 the Map of the Isle of Wight, which produced the following 
 letter from Colonel Gordon. 
 
 " Horse Guards, Tuesday. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 In thanking you for the 12 copies of the map of the Isle of Wight,' 
 which accompanies your note of yesterday, I cannot with such beautiful 
 specimens of Topography before me, refrain from expressing my sense 
 of those exertions and talents, by which that art has in elegance and ac- 
 curacy been brought in this country, to a degree of perfection surpassing 
 that of any other country in Europe. I have the honor to be 
 
 Your most obedient Servant, 
 
 J. W. GORDON." 
 
 Immediately on receipt of this letter, an order came 
 from the Master General to withhold every map from the 
 public. 
 
 As a mark of want of confidence in him, he resented 
 the restriction placed upon him against publishing maps, and 
 the order that maps for correction were to be kept with the 
 utmost privacy, and when corrected to be returned to the 
 Tower. 
 
144 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Referring to the excellence of his maps, Colonel Mudge 
 on one occasion mentions a conversation between Lord 
 Mulgrave and Mr. Percival, in which the former said he 
 was present when General Andreas told the Duke of York, 
 that the Map of Kent was by much the finest piece of 
 Topography in Europe. 
 
 Towards the end of 1811, Colonel Mudge was ex- 
 pecting the Report of the Military Enquiry into his work ; 
 and in a letter he alludes to the way in which he had been 
 treated. " I certainly can fear nothing by the effects of 
 anonymous information, by a set of worthless people whom 
 I have hunted out of the service." " I believe I have built 
 my house upon a rock; if I have. Hall and Mr. Glennie 
 cannot prevail against it." 
 
 About this time the surveys of Dorsetshire and Hamp- 
 shire were published, and also the 3rd vol. of the Trigono- 
 metrical Survey of England, and conjointly with Colonel 
 Mudge's name appeared on the title-page, that of Capt. 
 Colby, shewing how highly his services were appreciated 
 by his chief. 
 
 In 18 13, it was determined to extend the meridian line 
 into Scotland, a task which called out in a special manner 
 the energies of Colby, as Colonel Mudge was not able 
 personally to superintend the whole of the work. The 
 persevering labour and activity required for a season of 
 observation on the hills, would appear incredible to one 
 unacquainted with the nature of the work. Besides the 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 145 
 
 mental exercise of keeping all the subordinates to their 
 duty, so as to produce harmony in the results, there was 
 much personal fatigue to be endured, in long walks over 
 the country, together with storms and wearisome delays on 
 the mountain tops. Major Dawson in his account of 'A 
 season on the hills,' gives a striking picture of the toils and 
 hardships experienced. 
 
 It was not an uncommon occurrence," he remarks, 
 " for the camp to be enveloped in clouds for several weeks 
 together, without affording even a glimpse of the sun, or 
 the clear sky during the whole period. And then in a 
 moment the clouds would break away, or subside into the 
 valleys, leaving the tops of the mountains clear and bright 
 above an ocean of mist, and the atmosphere calm and 
 steady, so as to admit of the observations for which the 
 party had waited days and weeks, to be taken in a few 
 hours. At times the tents would be blown down by the 
 storms, or the camps be whitened by a fall of hail or snow, 
 in July: or the Captain taking two or three junior officers, 
 and a few men with him, would start on a station hunt, 
 steering a course direct by compass for the peaks that 
 seemed most suitable, regardless of the nature of the inter- 
 vening country. In these explorations they walked from 
 thirty to forty miles a day, wading streams, crossing bogs, 
 scaling cliffs, and sliding down into rocky valleys, (Captain 
 Colby ever the foremost) and when they came to a summit, 
 which his experience told him was suitable for a station, he 
 
 19 
 
146 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 would help with his own hand in building up the great pile 
 of stones, by which it was to be distinguished and observed 
 from distant points."^ Their resting places were often 
 miserable hovels, and their only food the porridge of the 
 country. 
 
 The following poem of Wordsworth, written in 1813 on 
 Black Comb, gives a fine and graphic description of a scene, 
 which no doubt more than once presented itself on the 
 mountain tops to the explorers ; it has reference to Colonel 
 Mudge. Black Comb stands at the southern extremity of 
 Cumberland; its base covers a much greater extent of 
 ground than any other mountain in those parts ; and from 
 its situation, the summit commands a more extensive view, 
 than any other point in Britain. 
 
 Written with a slate pencil on a stone, on the side of 
 the Mountain of Black Comb. 
 
 Stay, bold Adventurer ; rest awhile thy limbs 
 On this commodious Seat ! for much remains 
 Of hard ascent before thou reach the top 
 Of this huge Eminence, — from blackness named, 
 And, to far travelled storms of sea and land, 
 A favourite spot of tournament and war ! 
 But thee may no such boisterous visitants 
 Molest ; may gentle breezes fan thy brow ; 
 And neither cloud conceal, nor misty air 
 Bedim, the grand terraqueous spectacle, 
 From centre to circumference unveiled ! 
 Know, if thou grudge not to prolong thy rest, 
 
 ^ English Cyclopoedia, Biography, vol. ii, p. 311. 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 147 
 
 That on the summit whither thou art bound, 
 
 A geographic Labourer pitched his tent, 
 
 With books suppUed and instruments of art, 
 
 To measure height and distance ; lonely task. 
 
 Week after week pursued ! — To him was given 
 
 Full many a glimpse (but sparingly bestowed 
 
 On timid man) of Nature's processes 
 
 Upon the exalted hills. He made report 
 
 That once while there he plied his studious work 
 
 Within that canvas Dwelling, colours, lines. 
 
 And the whole surface of the outspread map. 
 
 Became invisible : for all around 
 
 Had darkness fallen — unthreatened, unproclaimed — 
 
 As if the golden day itself had been 
 
 Extinguished in a moment ; total gloom, 
 
 In which he sate alone, with unclosed eyes, 
 
 Upon the blinded mountain's silent top !"i 
 
 In the early part of the century the French Arc of the 
 Meridian had been extended into Spain, and to the Island 
 of Formentera; Jean Baptiste Biot took part in this work. 
 The completion of the triangulation in the peninsula led to 
 a wish for its extension to the North. The English Arc 
 had been carried to the extremity of Scotland by Colonel 
 Mudge; and the Bureau des Longitudes wished to have 
 observations made along its line by Biot. " To desire a 
 thing useful to science," he says, was to anticipate the 
 assent of the savants of England, and of the Government 
 of that enlightened Country." It was decided that Biot 
 should make his observations under the conduct of Colonel 
 Mudge. 
 
 ^ Wordsworth, vol. iii, p. 280. 
 
148 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 To prepare for the expedition gave Colonel Mudge 
 much extra work. 
 
 In April 1817, he writes, ''I am overwhelmed with 
 business, going again to turn myself to the stars ; 26 years 
 ago I commenced my career with a strong constitution, and 
 with a good supply of bodily health, but I am now perhaps 
 going to close my campaigning service, with the performance 
 of as arduous a task as can be given to the execution of any 
 man. I mean to be present at the measurement of our 
 Base at Aberdeen, and then go to the Orkney Islands, from 
 which I shall return to Blackdown in Dorsetshire some time 
 in August." 
 
 Early in May he- was preparing for his start for the 
 north, and on the 6th he writes " what may be in the womb 
 of time, who can tell ? but I think this will be the wind up 
 of all my campaigns, as after it there will be nothing left to 
 do but the matter of common surveying. It is a very 
 great pleasure to me to think that the wind up will be res- 
 pectable, and what could be wished. From Aberdeen we 
 shall go to Sanda, one of the Orkney Islands, and from 
 thence Southward passing through Edinburgh. I received 
 a few days since notice from that place, that the University 
 has granted me a Diploma of LL.D., so you see that if I 
 choose to sink the Colonel, there will be another Doctor 
 Mudge ; joking however on this point out of the question, 
 this mark of respect from such an University; is a matter 
 extremely pleasing to my feelings. 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 149 
 
 On Biot's arrival in England he was received with 
 abundant cordiality by Sir Joseph Banks, and other philos- 
 ophers. His instruments were passed at Dover under seal 
 of the customs without search or delay, and conveyed 
 without charge to Banks' residence, and every facility was 
 rendered to Biot towards the accomplishment of his task. 
 Colonel Mudge accompanied him to Scotland ; on the 20th 
 he writes, " I have been travelling in a chaise with M. Biot, 
 who speaks English as imperfectly as I do French.'' The 
 first station being chosen at the fort of Leith, the com- 
 mandant, Col. Elphinstone, had a portable observatory built, 
 and a base of heavy blocks of stones laid for the support 
 of the instruments. "If my observations were bad," said 
 Biot, grateful for the ready aid, " I had no excuse ; it was 
 entirely my own fault." While these observations were in 
 progress, the opportunity was thought to be favourable for 
 an extension of the Arc to the Shetland Isles, 2 degrees 
 more to the North, than it had yet been carried. Biot was 
 ready to assist ; and all the materials and instruments 
 having been shipped on board the Investigator, brig of 
 war, he sailed with Captain Richard Mudge, Col. Mudge's 
 son, for Lerwick, on the 9th of July. Col. Mudge with 
 much regret was obliged to return on acgount of illness, I 
 shall however soon get well, and then my vexation will not, 
 like the moon, always have the same face directed to its 
 centre." The little island of Unst was ultimately chosen 
 as the station. By the beginning of August the pendulum 
 
150 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 apparatus was set up within the solid projecting walls of a 
 vacant sheepfold, and the observatory, with its repeating 
 circle, in the garden of a resident proprietor, Mr. Edmonton, 
 whose warm hospitalities made up for a chilly climate. 
 What a change for the foreigner from the sunny islands of 
 the Mediterranean ! no trees, little vegetation besides grass 
 and mosses, seldom free from fogs, hoarse winds, and 
 angry seas. Captain Mudge had to leave in consequence 
 of the ill effects of the climate on his health, and Biot 
 remained to carry on the work. A young native carpenter 
 was trained into a competent assistant, and for two months 
 such a series of observations was made, as fully satisfied all 
 requirements.^ 
 
 On September loth in the same year his son Richard 
 was married. 
 
 In 1818, he found himself in bad health, and went 
 abroad and travelled in France for two months for change 
 of air, during his tour he was much pleased with the atten- 
 tion that was shewn him. On his return home he was 
 appointed a commissioner of the new Board of Longitude, 
 and in the end of the year he mentions that he had had his 
 first reception by the Duke of Wellington, who had lately 
 been appointed Master General of the Ordnance. 
 
 In 18 19, the King of Denmark came to England and 
 visited the Survey on Bagshot Heath. General Mudge had 
 
 ' Eng. Cyclop. Bio., vol. i, 700. 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 151 
 
 the honor of shewing his Majesty the great TheodoHte made 
 by Ramsden. The King asked many questions about the 
 several adjustments, and method of using that instrument, 
 and so completely did his Majesty make himself master of 
 the subject, that General Mudge was afterwards heard to 
 say, that the instrument had been examined by many 
 scientific men in various parts of the kingdom, but he never 
 saw any person who learnt so much about it at a single view ; 
 and if he had been ignorant of who it was, and had been 
 asked he would have replied, "one of Ramsden's own work- 
 men," for he added "I should have thought no other person 
 could have asked such questions or so well understood 
 the instrument without a previous examination of it." 
 
 The King afterwards presented General Mudge with 
 a gold Chronometer, as a mark of his esteem. And in the 
 following year Professor Schumacher wrote to inform him, 
 that the King of Denmark had made a second application 
 to the British Ministry to permit the General to bear the 
 title of Knight of Daneburg, which His Majesty was 
 desirous of conferring on him. After the receipt of Schum- 
 achers letter, he remarks, Macbeth says, There had been 
 a time for this," so say I with the same reason perhaps as 
 weighed with the Thane. 
 
 His sister, Mrs. Richard Rosdew, died in the previous 
 year, 1818; he refers to the fact in one of his letters, My 
 daughter (Jane) is especially dear to me ; a more meritorious, 
 sensible and affectionate woman does not live, dear to me 
 
152 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 from this, but still more dear by the likeness and perfect 
 resemblance in person, mind, and merit, to that woman who 
 is gone for ever." 
 
 He had been anxious at his sister's death to have a 
 copy of her portrait by Sir T. Lawrence, and he was much 
 pleased in the autumn of 1819 to receive it from Mr. 
 Rosdew. 
 
 In May of that year we find him busy in commencing 
 the Survey of Scotland, which added greater responsibility 
 to his work. He refers to the Comet that appeared that 
 year, remarking, The fire engine in the clouds^ and the 
 steam engine at Liverpool from America, are interesting 
 objects of consideration." 
 
 In July he pays a visit to Mr. Richard Rosdew at 
 Beechwood; soon after his return to London he is gazetted 
 Major General, and as he says, there is an end to the 
 Colonel. His Map of Plymouth being completed, he sent 
 special copies of it to the Duke of Wellington fitted for 
 carrying in the pocket. 
 
 He was anxious to go to the first Levee of the winter, 
 and made up his mind to have a wen removed from his face 
 previously. He accordingly put himself into the hands of 
 Astley Cooper. The painful operation he made light of, 
 and said he had found much relief from it. His brother 
 Zachary said it had made him look ten years younger. In 
 November accordingly he attended the Levee and kissed 
 the Regent's hand. " I am quite glad" he says afterwards 
 " to have tesified my loyalty, and shall go often now." 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 153 
 
 In December he writes, that he intends leaving town 
 for the house at Croydon, which he had taken through 
 the Hberality of the East India Company. "Taxes are" 
 he says to Mr. Rosdew, " extremely high, so I am in 
 doubt about the prudence of my settling there, but as I in- 
 tend to shew the Company that I am the man they take me 
 for, I mean to possess it if the thing is practicable.'' On 
 this Mr. Rosdew remarks, This shews that he did not 
 consider the ^200 additional given for the purpose, but 
 that he burdened himself with the house to repay their 
 liberality; that ceased in 6 months, though the house con- 
 tinued an expense to his family for 3 years afterwards. 
 
 The Christmas of 18 19 General Mudge had intended 
 spending at Beechwood, but was disappointed in doing so 
 by being detained on business by the Duke. It was well 
 perhaps that he did not set out on his journey westward, 
 for early in January he was laid up, while at Addiscombe, 
 with a violent attack arising from internal inflammation. 
 In February he became much worse, and Mrs. Baynes, his 
 daughter, wrote an alarming account of him to Mr. Rosdew, 
 telling him that he considered himself very ill, and was 
 anxious to arrange all his accounts, and pressing Mr. 
 Rosdew to come up to Town at once. 
 
 By the next month however he had rallied greatly, and 
 his brother Zachary wrote that he was mending fast, and 
 that he was anxious to write to several people informing 
 them of his recovery. He felt so much better, that he 
 
 20 
 
154 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 hoped to assume his duties again, and even to take the 
 examination at Addiscombe the following week. 
 
 This recovery however was but for a short time, on 
 the 29th he had a relapse, he rapidly became worse, and 
 succumbed at last to the weakness that ensued, on the 1 7th 
 of April. 
 
 Thus closes the life of William Mudge, who may cer- 
 tainly be said to have inherited largely the abilities, which 
 distinguished his father and grandfather. 
 
 He left behind him a widow, Margaret Jane, third 
 daughter of Major General Williamson, R. A., (who survived 
 her husband four years,) and a daughter, two sons in the 
 Engineers, one in the Artillery, and a fourth a Lieutenant 
 in the Royal Navy. 
 
 The character of General Mudge is especially marked 
 by a perfect amiability of disposition and evenness of temper. 
 He was devoted to his family, as we have seen in the affec- 
 tionate way in which he so constantly refers to his children, 
 especially to his eldest son Richard, and his daughter. 
 His subordinates in his office he always treated with uni- 
 form kindness and consideration. Integrity and straight- 
 forwardness marked the manner in which he carried out 
 every matter connected with public business; and he was 
 specially careful of all the public money, which passed 
 through his hands. In 1799 the year after he had been 
 appointed head of the Ordnance, he received a letter from 
 the Board expressing their thanks to him for the zeal he 
 had shewn in reducing the expense of the survey. 
 
WILLIAM MUDGE. 
 
 155 
 
 Previous to the introduction of official franks in the 
 Government Offices, it was customary annually to make 
 out a return of the postage of those letters which had been 
 received in the several departments. So scrupulous was 
 General Mudge in this matter, that he retained the cover of 
 every letter charged for by him ; and he could from them 
 easily have proved, that from his entrance into office until 
 the day of his decease, he had never placed the postage of 
 a single private letter to the public account. 
 
 "The Annual Biography and Obituary" for the year 1820 contains a short memoir of 
 Major General Mudge. 
 
t 
 
\ 
 
VICE ADMIRAL ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 Vice- Admiral. 
 
 ACHARIAH MUDGE was the sixth Sur- 
 viving son of Dr. John Mudge, and the 
 second child by his third wife EHzabeth. 
 He was born at Plymouth, January 22nd, 
 1770, and was baptized at St. Andrew's, 
 when the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe stood as his God- 
 father. 
 
 He entered the Royal Navy Nov. i, 1780, as Captain's 
 servant on board the Foudroyant, Captain John Jervis. 
 The ratings of Captains' servants and Lieutenants' servants, 
 &c., were often during the war nominally given to the sons 
 of gentlemen on entering the* service, owing to there not 
 being at the time vacancies for them among volunteers and 
 midshipmen. On April 21st, 1782, he assisted at the cap- 
 ture, after a gallant action of nearly an hour, attended 
 however with no casualty of the British, of the French 
 
158 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 ship Pegase, whole loss, besides being seriously damaged, 
 amounted out of a crew of 700 men to 80 killed and 
 wounded. 
 
 During the next seven years we find him serving on 
 the Home and American Stations, chiefly in the capacity of 
 a midshipman on board the Pegase. He was then pro- 
 moted in 1789 to Lieutenant in the Centurion. As senior 
 Lieutenant in 1790, he served on board the Discovery, and 
 afterwards on the Providence, in which he was 6 years 
 employed on voyages of discovery. When at Nootka 
 Sound in the Discovery, Mr. Mudge was dispatched in an 
 open vessel to India with a crew of 14 men. 
 
 In 1797, when still on board the Discovery, he con- 
 sidered that there was too great a delay in his promotion, 
 which caused Mr. Richard Rosdew, his brother-in-law, to 
 interest himself in his favour, and to write the following 
 letter to Lady Camelford.^ 
 
 ''Weymouth, July 30th, 1797. 
 
 Madam, It is with much diffidence I take the Uberty of addressing 
 myself to your ladyship on behalf of my brother-in-law, Lieutenant Zachary 
 Mudge. About Christmas last, I was informed that my Lord Camelford 
 had withdrawn his friendship from him; the reason was concealed, but our 
 concern was in some measure lessened by being assured that nothing was 
 lain unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman. 
 
 Mrs. Rosdew had meant to address your Ladyship on the subject, 
 but her feelings would not permit her to doubt her brother acting as 
 became the son of a man, whose virtues and talents gained him and for 
 many years continued to him, the friendship and esteem of that great 
 character, to whom her brother was indebted for his first promotion. She 
 
 * Anne, Lady Camelford, wife of first Lord Camelford, of Boconnoc. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 159 
 
 knew her brother went out from England impressed with the strongest 
 sense of your Ladyship's kindness to him, and anxious to evince his 
 gratitude by endeavouring to be the happy instrument of bringing Lord 
 Camelford home to your Ladyship. Had he been conscious of having 
 offended Lord Camelford, would he have been eager to have undertaken 
 this last voyage? or would he ever have desired me to write to your 
 Ladyship, if he should miss the Chatham'^ Thus considering the matter, 
 Mrs. Rosdew was certain there must have been some misconception or 
 misrepresentation made to his Lordship, and therefore thought it better to 
 wait her brother's return, which was then expected to have been before this 
 time, that he might himself explain it. I am sorry however now to add 
 that I have a letter from him dated Tyfer Harbour, off Macao, Jan. 3, 1797, 
 wherein he mentions Captain Broughton having just informed him, that it 
 was not his intention to return for two years; he found that he had been 
 passed over, and that Mr. Paget, his junior Lieutenant on the first voyage, 
 was made Captain before him, and that he had missed the Chatham^ with 
 all this, and being told the ship was not to return till 1799, your Ladyship 
 will suppose his spirits were much depressed. He however again turns his 
 thoughts to your Ladyship, and desires me to mention his situation. 
 
 Captain Broughton has been made to understand since they last 
 sailed, that junior officers might not get rank of him; surely a Lieutenant, 
 who has been now more than 2 years on a second voyage, and altogether 
 has been five years employed as a first Lieutenant on voyages of discovery, 
 has some claim on the Admiralty, that he should not have Captains over 
 him, who were not even in the Navy when he was first Lieutenant of the 
 Discovery^ and I doubt not, if your Ladyship will have the goodness to 
 mention his case to Lord Spencer, that your influence will immediately get 
 him put on the list of Naval Commanders. 
 
 I could enumerate a long list of difficulties and dangers he has lately 
 met with, added to a long and painful illness at Nootka Sound, which would 
 interest your Ladyship, but I have already trespassed too much on your 
 patience and I will therefore only request the honour of being favoured 
 with your Ladyship's determination, as I mean to write to him at China, 
 and to subscribe myself, &c., &c., 
 
 RICHARD ROSDEW. 
 I take the liberty of enclosing it under cover to Lord Grenville." 
 
160 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Lady Camelford wrote in reply : 
 
 " Holywell House, 9th Aug. '97. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I should not have neglected answering your letter the day I 
 received it, if I had not thought it would be more satisfactory, that I 
 should be able to assure you the business, you and Mrs. Rosdew have so 
 much at heart, is put in the best train possible. I have received a letter 
 from Mr. Mudge to the same purport with the one from you. Foreseeing 
 my friendship might be of use to him, I have refused many solicitations to 
 apply for favours to Lord Spencer, reserving any interest, I may flatter 
 myself I have with his Lordship, that I might exert it in Mr. Mudge's 
 favor. As soon as I shall know — which cannot be immediately — the 
 success of my application to Lord Spencer, I will not fail to inform you of 
 it; in the meantime I can give you the satisfaction of knowing that Mr. 
 Nepean is well disposed to Mr. Mudge, and I have engaged, if it should be 
 necessary, his good offices with Lord Spencer. Without dwelling on sub- 
 jects which too deeply wound my mind, I will simply say that I have a 
 perfect recollection of past friendship, and of the virtues and talents on 
 which that friendship was founded; if anything should have arisen to 
 estrange the sons of such friends from each other, it will be my wish, as far 
 as may depend upon me, to remove any obstacle in the way of reconcili- 
 ation, without knowing or desiring to know any particulars. I can easily 
 suppose that the unexampled species of tyranny and cruel oppression, 
 exercised during several years by my son's wretched commander, might 
 drive a temper naturally ardent into a state of irritability and suspicion 
 that does not belong to it; but a temper, as generous as his, is not likely to 
 entertain lasting resentments where high sense of honor can admit of 
 forgiveness. I beg you to assure Mrs. Rosdew of my sincere wishes to 
 serve her brother, and that you will beUeve me, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 ANNE CAMELFORD." 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 161 
 
 A few months later Lady Camelford again writes, 
 **Lady Camelford, with her compliments, has great pleasure 
 in informing Mr. and Mrs. Rosdew that she has just 
 received assurances from Lord Spencer, that he will im- 
 mediately send out a Commission to Mr. Mudge ; she begs 
 to congratulate them on this intelligence, which she knows 
 will give them much pleasure." 
 
 Mr. Mudge accordingly was awarded a second promotal 
 commission, and obtained command of the Fly in 1798; 
 and, while on that sloop, he effected the capture of the 
 French privateers Le Glaneur, and Le Trompmr, and was 
 all but lost on an immense island of ice during his passage 
 home from Halifax with despatches from H.R.. H. Duke 
 of Kent. His subsequent appointments were April 1801 
 to La Constance, Sept. 1802 to La Blanche, Nov. 1805 to 
 the Phoenix, and in 18 10 to the Valiant. 
 
 In La Constance Captain Mudge, in the spring of 
 1 80 1, received the thanks of the British Merchants and 
 Consuls at Lisbon and Oporto, for the service he had 
 rendered them in safely conveying a fleet from Falmouth 
 to Portugal, and also for the activity he had exerted for 
 them in collecting some vessels at Viana laden with brandy, 
 which could not otherwise have been got ready to go home 
 under his protection. About the same period he captured 
 the Spanish national cutter El Duides, and a privateer, 
 Venture. In July 1801, with the assistance of the Stork 
 and the boats of the two ships, we find him making prize. 
 
 21 
 
162 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 near Cape Ortegal, of two Spanish privateers. La Constance 
 was subsequently engaged in conveying a number of dis- 
 banded foreign soldiers from Lymington to the Elbe. At 
 the close of 1803 Captain Mudge, now in the Blanche, was 
 employed in the blockade of St. Domingo, where in less 
 than a month he captured and destroyed 24 of the enemy's 
 vessels ! A very gallant incident is connected with the 
 capture of one ship. In November, when the Blanche was 
 cruising off San Domingo, Lieutenant Edward Nicolls 
 volunteered with thirteen men to cut off the Albion^ armed 
 cutter, which lay moored under the guns of Monte Christo, 
 a town situated on a bay of that island, and having a good 
 roadstead. 
 
 The attack was to be made in the night with only one 
 boat. His offer was accepted; and in the evening of the 
 4th of November, the red cutter, with thirteen men and 
 himself, pushed of from the Blanche. A doubt respecting 
 the sufficiency of this force induced Captain Mudge to 
 dispatch the barge with twenty-two men, under the orders 
 of Lieutenant Lake, to follow the red cutter and supersede 
 Nicolls in command of the little expedition. The second 
 boat joined the first; and as soon as the two were abreast of 
 the French Cutter, Lieut. Nicolls hailed Lieut. Lake, and 
 pointed out to him the exact position of the A Ibion. The 
 latter professed to disbelieve that the vessel, they saw so 
 close under the lee of the land, was that of which they were 
 in search. He asserted that she lay on the opposite or 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 163 
 
 north east side of the bay, and with the barge he proceeded 
 in that direction, leaving the cutter to watch the motions of 
 that vessel which Nicolls still maintained was the Albion, 
 the object of their joint search. When the boats separated, 
 it was half-past two in the morning of the 5th, and the 
 Monte Christo mountains, a lofty range which runs along 
 the coast, were towering darkly into the sky. The wind 
 was blowing freshly out of the bay, which they over- 
 shadowed; and in an hour or two more day would be 
 brightening their summits ; and then probably the breeze 
 would slacken, if not wholly subside, and render it im- 
 possible to make sail on the cutter if she was taken. 
 
 The men in the boat were few, but their hearts were 
 stout; cautiously and silently they stretched upon their oars 
 towards the French vessel, whose crew expecting an attack 
 were quite prepared for it. As soon as the boat came 
 within pistol-range the cutter hailed. The hail was replied 
 to by three hearty British cheers, and the little boat swept 
 on, receiving in succession two volleys of musketry. The 
 first whistled harmlessly over their heads, and fell into the 
 water ; but the second severely wounded the coxswain, the 
 man at the bow-oar, and a marine. Before the cutter could 
 fire a third time, Lieut. Nicolls had sprung on board of her 
 at the head of his little band. The French Captain was at 
 his post, and flashed his pistol at Nicolls, just as the latter 
 was within a yard of him. The ball passed round the 
 Lieutenant's body under the skin, and escaping through 
 
164 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 his side, lodged in the fleshy part of his sword arm. 
 Almost at the same moment a shot, either from the pistol 
 of Nicolls, or from the musket of a marine near him, killed 
 the French Captain. After this some cutting and slashing 
 with cutlasses, and stabbing with the bayonet and boarding- 
 spike ensued ; but the resistance was trifling, and the re- 
 maining officers and crew of the cutter, in the dark, being 
 ignorant probably of the real strength of the attacking force, 
 permitted themselves to be driven below, after five men 
 were wounded, one mortally. 
 
 As yet not a shot had been fired from the battery on 
 shore, though it was scarcely one hundred yards from the 
 cutter, and the explosion of the musketry and pistols must 
 have been distinctly seen and heard. Justly judging that 
 the best way to keep the guns of the battery quiet, would 
 be to make it appear that the Albion was still resisting, and 
 in possession of the French, Nicolls ordered the marines 
 of his slender party to keep blazing away their ammunition, 
 while the seamen made sail on the cutter. A spring having 
 been run out from her quarter to the cable, and the jib 
 cleared, the cable was then cut, and the jib hoisted to cast 
 her. At that moment just as she got underweigh, the 
 barge came alongside, and Lieutenant Lake as superior 
 officer took command of the prize. Scarcely had he done 
 so, and the musketry had by his orders been discontinued, 
 when the guns of Monte Christo opened fire with round 
 and grape shot, and two seamen of the Blanche were 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 165 
 
 killed. However, the breeze was fair for the offing, and 
 moderately strong ; and the captured cutter, with the two 
 boats towing ahead, soon ran out of range of gunshot, and 
 joined the frigate. 
 
 Cutting out a vessel," says James in his Naval History, 
 is usually a desperate service, and the prize seldom repays 
 the loss which is sustained in capturing her. The spirit 
 engendered by such acts is, however, of the noblest, and in a 
 national point of view, of the most useful kind ; its emulative 
 influence spreads from man to man, and from ship to ship, 
 until the ardour for engaging in services of danger— services 
 the repeated success of which has stamped a lasting char- 
 acter upon the British Navy — requires more frequently to 
 be checked than to be incited. An attack by boats on an 
 armed sailing vessel, as respects the first foothold on her 
 deck especially, may be likened to the forlorn hope of a 
 besieging army ; great is the peril, and great ought to be 
 the reward." 
 
 In the course of 1804-5 Captain Mudge had the 
 increased good fortune to take, independently of a large 
 number of merchantmen, the Glacieuse and Amitid, French 
 National vessels, the Dutch Schooner Nimrod^ and the 
 French privateer La Hazard. On the 19th of July of the 
 latter year however, the Blanche was herself, after an action 
 of 45 minutes and a loss out of 215 men of 8 killed and 
 15 wounded, and when on the verge of sinking, captured 
 by a powerful French Squadron, consisting of La Topaze, 
 
166 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 a frigate of 44 guns, a sloop of 22, a corvette of 18, and a 
 brig of 16 guns. Under such circumstances Captain Mudge 
 was honourably acquitted by Court-martial of all blame in 
 the loss of his ship, and not only acquitted, but eulogized 
 for his very able and gallant conduct. 
 
 The following letter addressed to W. Marsden, Esq. 
 gives Captain Mudge's account of this brilliant engagement. 
 
 "French National Ship, Topaze, 29 July, 1805. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 •I am sorry to inform you of the loss of His Majesty's 
 Ship Blanche, which was captured by a French Squadron ; 
 but thank God, she was not destined to bear French colours, 
 or to assist the fleet of the enemy. On Friday morning 
 July 19th, in lat. 20° 20° N., long. 66° 440 W., (weather 
 hazy) at eight, four sail were seen off weather cat head, three 
 Ships and a Brig on the opposite tack, under easy sail. I 
 kept to the wind, until we were near enough to distinguish 
 colours. I then made the necessary signals to ascertain 
 whether they were enemies. At ten, when abreast about 
 three miles distant, they all bore up, and hoisted English 
 Ensigns; but, from the make of the Union, and colour of the 
 bunting, with other circumstances, I concluded they were 
 French, and therefore determined to sell the ship as dearly 
 as possible (for sailing was out of the question, the Blanche 
 having little or no copper on, these last nine months, and 
 sailed very heavy.) Having brought to with the mainsail 
 in the brails, at eleven the Commodore ranged up within two 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 167 
 
 cables' length, shifted his colours, and gave us broadside. 
 When within pistol shot she received our s ; the action 
 became warm and steady, the ships never without hail of 
 each other, running large and under easy sail ; le Departe- 
 ment des Landes on the Starboard quarter, and the two 
 Corvettes close astern. 
 
 At forty-five minutes past eleven the ship became 
 ungovernable, and was reduced to a perfect wreck ; the 
 sails totally destroyed, ten shot in the foremast (expecting 
 it to fall every minute), the mainmast and rigging cut to 
 pieces, seven guns dismounted, and the crew reduced to 
 one hundred and ninety, and the rest falling fast with no 
 probability of escape. I called a council of officers for 
 their opinion, who deemed it only sacrificing the lives of 
 the remainder of as brave a crew as ever fought to hold 
 out longer, as there was not the smallest prospect of suc- 
 cess ; I therefore at twelve ordered the colours to be struck, 
 and was immediately hurried on board to the Commodore. 
 
 At six the officers who had charge of the Blanche 
 returned, and reported the ship to be sinking fast, on which 
 she was fired, and in about an hour after she sank, for the 
 magazine had been some time under water. 
 
 Thus, Sir, fell the BlanckCy and I trust the defence 
 made by her officers and gallant crew will meet with their 
 Lordship's approbation. 
 
 I have the honor to be, &c., 
 
 ZACHARY MUDGE.'' 
 
168 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Captain Mudge also wrote an account of the loss of 
 his ship to his brother-in-law, Major (afterwards Sir Richard) 
 Fletcher, which appeared in the columns of the London 
 Gazette, August 24th ,* and of which a contemporary re- 
 marks, "his letter breathes the true spirit of a British 
 seaman, and the action he describes adds another bright 
 star to the constellation of glory that emblazons the annals 
 of the British Navy." 
 
 French National Ship, La Topaze, 
 
 Aug. loth, 1805. 
 
 On my way from Jamaica to Barbadoes, I fell in with 
 Mons. Baudin s squadron, cruising for our homeward-bound 
 convoy : I fought the ship till she was cut to pieces, and 
 then sunk. I cannot say what our loss is, as there have 
 been no returns, the crew being all divided between the two 
 Frigates and two Corvettes which engaged us. Twenty-one 
 fell nobly within my own knowledge — I am afraid many 
 more. I thank God, the Blanche never wore French Colours, 
 Lieutenant Thomas Peebles of the Marines was the only 
 officer materially wounded; his legs were broken by a 
 splinter. During the severe contest the squadron was never 
 without hail. I have the consolation of knowing they were 
 so much damaged as to spoil their cruise ; they all stood to 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 169 
 
 the Northward as soon as repaired, leaving the passage 
 open to the convoy under a 20 gun ship." 
 
 Captain Mudge was not detained prisoner by the 
 French very long. In the month of September he was 
 unconditionally released, and at the same time Napoleon 
 handed back to him his sword, to mark his appreciation of 
 the gallant defence of the British sailor against such over- 
 powering odds. 
 
 The Court Martial consequent on the disaster took 
 place at Plymouth, on board the Salvador del Mundo, and 
 was concluded October 14th. Captain Sutton, President of 
 the Court, on presenting his sword to Captain Mudge, 
 addressed him in the following terms : I feel the greatest 
 satisfaction and pleasure in the discharge of this part of my 
 duty, having to convey to you the first sentiments, which the 
 members of this Court entertain of your able and gallant 
 conduct, in the defence made by you of His Majesty's late 
 ship Blanche against a very superior force of the enemy's 
 ships ; and likewise of the spirited support afforded you by 
 the Officers of every description, as well as the Seamen and 
 Royal Marines, under your command, in the discharge of 
 their duty ; and which reflects upon you and them, on that 
 occasion, the highest degree of merit and approbation. 
 
 JOHN SUTTON, 
 
 President of the Court Martial.'' 
 
 22 
 
170 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 The following lines appeared in the Royal Cornwall 
 Gazette, Sep. 14, 1805. 
 
 ^' Impromptu 
 
 Upon the Blanche sinking soon after she was compelled 
 
 to strike to numbers. 
 
 " When honor met her fullest, brightest due, 
 " And numbers triumphed o'er the Blanches crew, 
 " The gallant vessel could not bear her doom, 
 " But sunk indignant in the wat'ry tomb ; 
 " And there beneath the blood-discoloured wave, 
 " In trophied ruins sought her Faulkner's grave, ^ 
 "When deep engulph'd her valiant Captain cries, 
 " The Hero's vessel with the Hero lies." 
 
 Captain Faulkner, here alluded to, was killed when 
 the Blanche was taken from the French. Captain Mudge 
 was in November of this same year appointed to the Didon, 
 a French ship which had been captured by Captain Baker 
 of the PhcEnix in a brilliant encounter, and had been brought 
 into Plymouth Sound September 3rd. Her name was to 
 have been changed to the Blanche, but after a few com- 
 missions had been made, she was found not to be sea- worthy, 
 and was condemned. Captain Mudge was then appointed 
 to the P hcBnix command he held till 18 10. During 
 
 this command his seamanship and skill enabled him, on one 
 occasion, to save his ship, which probably would otherwise 
 
 ^ Captain Faulkner who captured the Blanche from the French, was killed in the 
 engagement. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 171 
 
 have been lost; his officers, to commemorate the event, 
 presented him with a cornelian slab on which is engraven a 
 Phoenix rising out of the flames. 
 
 From 1810 to 18 15 he was on board the Valiant, In 
 1830 he became Rear- Admiral, and Vice- Admiral in 1841. 
 He was awarded also the Distinguished Service Pension. 
 
 Admiral Mudge died at Sydney, Plympton, in 1852, 
 and was buried at Newton Ferrers. 
 
 In the South Aisle of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, is a 
 remarkably fine and beautiful memorial window to Admiral 
 Mudge, erected in 1855, bearing the following inscription — 
 
 *'This window, dedicated to the honor of God and to the memories of 
 Zachary Mudge, Esquire, Admiral of the White, and Jane Granger, his wife. 
 Their bodies he interred in the churchyard of Newton Ferrers." At the 
 top are the arms of Mudge — "Argent, a chevron gules, between three 
 cockatrices vert, wattled gules. Motto, 'All's well.' " 
 
 In the two side lights at the top are the words, They 
 that go down to the sea in ships and do business in great 
 waters." ''These see the works of the Lord, and His 
 wonders in the deep." In the four principal lights are 
 figures of the four Evangelists ; over the first are the arms 
 of Mudge impaling Granger, " Az. a fess or, charged with 
 two portcullis, side by side sable, between two pomegranates 
 seeded or;" over the second Rosdew, '' Az. a chevron sable 
 between three hound's heads couped," impaling Mudge; over 
 the third Fletcher, " Or, a cross engrailed ermine between 
 four plates, each charged with a pheon az., on a canton or, 
 
172 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 a wreath of laurel vert, impaling Mudge; and over the 
 fourth MallaCy Gules, a chevron argent, between three 
 fleurs-de-lis or, impaling Mudge." 
 
 Beneath the figures of the Evangelists are respectively 
 the arms of Mudge impaling Dickson, Mudge impaling Yonge 
 and Granger ; Seaton impaling Yonge ; and Burrel impaling 
 Prowse. The arms of Dickson are, " Az. three mullets 
 argent, a chief paly of seven, or and gules." 
 
 Yonge I. Quarterly: or., a fess of six roundels between 
 three lions rampant, gules. 2. Sa., a cross moline ar. 3. Or, 
 a cross engrailed sable. 4. Party per fess argent and az., 
 three wreaths counterchanged. 
 
 Seaton. Az., on a chevron sable between three bugle- 
 horns, stringed sa., as many mullets of the first.'^ 
 
 Burr ell. Barry of eleven, az., and argent, in chief 
 gules, three leopards heads or." 
 
 Prowse. Sable ; three lions rampant argent." 
 
 ELIZABETH MUDGE, daughter of Dr. John 
 Mudge, by his wife Elizabeth, was born Feb. 8th, 1771; 
 she married in 1797, Lieut. Col. Richard Fletcher, Royal 
 Engineers, who distinguished himself as Chief Engineer 
 during the Peninsular war. He was created a Baronet in 
 18 1 2, and the following year terminated his gallant career 
 before San Sebastian. 
 
 She died in 1808 leaving three daughters and two 
 
 sons. 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 173 
 
 MARY MUDGE, daughter of Dr. John Mudge, 
 was born October 13th, 1772. 
 
 She married the Reverend Roger Mallock of Cocking- 
 ton, near Torquay. 
 
 She had a family of twelve children. 
 
 CHARLES PA UL MUDGE, youngest son of Dr. 
 Mudge. He was born on Oct. 25th, 1775, and was evidently 
 called Charles after his elder brother of that name who had 
 died previously in the same year. He served as an Ensign 
 under the East India Company, and was killed in an attack 
 on the natives near Pellicherry in 1797. It may be inter- 
 esting to insert the last letter that Charles Paul Mudge 
 wrote; it is addressed to a friend who could not have 
 received it till after his death. 
 Dear Eastwick, 
 
 With hardly anything to tell you, I yet cannot resist 
 the inclination I have to begin a correspondence with you 
 as soon as possible, lest I should by mischance be cut off 
 from doing it at all, if I neglect the opportunity my present 
 leisure gives me. The ist Battalion of the Regiment I 
 am in marched to camp this morning, and will I believe 
 penetrate the jungle as soon as they can; the 2nd, that's 
 mine, will march to-morrow at gun fire, and by what I can 
 make out of the plan on which the Regiment goes, it seems 
 to be quite like ferreting rabbits from a furze brake; the 
 I St Battalion are to worry the Nairs if they can, and 2nd are 
 
174 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 to invest the back of the Jungle, and dispatch them as they 
 come out. The ist will consequently have the shortest 
 march, having to scour the wood in as straight a line as 
 they can, while the 2nd will have to circumvent it in order 
 to attain their situation at the base of the Ghauts. I am, 
 though at present only on parade duty, so near the scene of 
 action, that the firing of the field pieces and musquetry is 
 very distinctly heard from hence. By the last account from 
 the camp, which ^rrived yesterday, we hear that the ad- 
 vanced detachment had taken up new ground, and had 
 driven the enemy from two posts of some consequence, that 
 four Nairs fell and one Seapoy in the business of yesterday 
 morning. I am at present very full of work, having to 
 prepare for to-morrow's march, to adjust several matters^ 
 and write letters to my friends in England that call for more 
 attention than I can well bestow upon them, as it is very 
 possible they may be the last I shall ever write. The work 
 we are about in this part of the world is, by Jove, no more 
 or less than sniping, for we have to oppose an enemy that 
 are secure in ambush, and pick us off one after another 
 through their peepholes, like so many birds ; if we drop, we 
 leave no credit behind, as it is the common luck of men 
 who do not run away only because they see no opposition, 
 and of others who would face the devil. 
 
 I can tell you very little about Pellicherry, beside that 
 it is full of wood, very picturesque, very expensive, very 
 inconvenient, and without regular streets or regular houses, 
 
ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 175 
 
 the only tenements being bungaloes, and those scattered 
 without order among the cocoa trees, like boys playing 
 blind-man's buff among tables and chairs, or the huts at 
 Dungorie. 
 
 I shall now take leave of you with a benedicite. If I 
 should happen to fall this time, you will find I have been 
 confident enough in our friendship to trouble you with the 
 arrangement of the little matters I may die possessed of. 
 I trust, should such accident befal me, you will not refuse 
 what cannot give you much difficulty. 
 
 Once more God bless you and believe me. 
 Dear Eastwick, yours truly, 
 
 CHARLES P. MUDGE." 
 
 He was killed the next day. 
 
 On the news of his death reaching England, Lady 
 Camelford wrote to Mr. Rosdew, 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 I have this day heard of the death of Ensign Mudge in the East 
 Indies, I cannot help fearing he may be a son of the late Dr. Mudge and 
 consequently a brother to Mr. Zachary Mudge. I wish it may be in your 
 power to tell me my fears are groundless." 
 
RICHARD Z. MUDGE, 
 
 Lieut.- Colonel R.E., F.R,S, 
 
 ICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE, the 
 eldest son of Major General Miidge, was 
 born in 1789. He was educated first 
 at Blackheath, and after having passed 
 through the Academy at Woolwich, he 
 entered the Royal Engineers in 1807, and served for some 
 years in the Peninsula. Like his father he was employed 
 as one of the directors of geodesical operations, connected 
 with the Trigonometrical Survey of Great Britain, and the 
 production of the Ordnance maps, and for some years was 
 entrusted with the important charge of the drawing depart- 
 ment in the Tower of London. In 18 18, then Captain 
 Mudge, he visited Lincolnshire in order to superintend the 
 survey in that part of the country, furnished with a letter 
 of introduction from Sir Joseph Banks, 
 
 23 
 
178 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 About 1830, the question of the boundary Hne between 
 Maine and New Brunswick came prominently to the front. 
 The United States claim of certain highlands, running from 
 the heads of the Connecticut River to within 20 miles of 
 the River St. Lawrence, thereby cutting off the direct 
 routes from Quebec to New Brunswick, and occupying 
 positions which commanded Quebec itself, was felt by Great 
 Britain to be incompatible with the terms of the Treaty of 
 1783. The question was referred to the arbitration of the 
 King of the Netherlands ; but the United States would not 
 abide by the compromise he proposed, and the subject 
 assumed a more serious aspect. The States declared that 
 they would maintain their extreme claim, and the Govern- 
 ment, wishing to bring the matter to a final and satisfactory 
 issue, appointed two commissioners, Mr. Featherstonehaugh, 
 who was well acquainted with America, and Colonel Mudge, 
 to examine the physical character of the territory in dispute, 
 and bring home such information as might enable the 
 British Government to understand clearly, whether the 
 boundary claimed by America was, or was not, in accor- 
 dance with the language and intentions of the Treaty of 
 1783. In the spring of 1839 the commissioners prepared 
 their expedition, and reached New York in July of that 
 year. A letter written by Colonel Mudge from this place 
 gives all the incidents of his journey from England, a few 
 extracts from which will be sufficient. It is dated July 
 30th, 1839. " I intend this as a sort of journal of our pro- 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 179 
 
 ceedings after quitting London, or rather reaching England 
 from Paris. Having to see to the embarkation of our men 
 and instruments, which occupied me until late on Tuesday 
 evening, I found it impossible to go to High wood. I wrote 
 to Sophia^ in the evening to tell her how I was circum- 
 stanced. 
 
 Sir Robert Inglis had written me many letters, inviting 
 me to breakfast, and appointing Sir Francis Head to meet 
 me; some arrived while I was in Paris, and others when I 
 could not accept them, but on the morning I left London 
 I breakfasted there unexpectedly ; as soon as I arrived Sir 
 Robert sent off a servant to Sir Francis Head, but he was 
 unluckily absent from home, and I missed seeing him. He 
 had been very anxious of meeting me, and wrote some 
 hints which he thought would be useful. After dinner I 
 went in a coach with Thomas, and the three corporals 
 attached to me, in another conveyance, and met Mr. 
 Featherstonehaugh at the Southampton Railway, on which 
 we went about 30 miles, and then took a coach to Ports- 
 mouth. I stopped at Guildford to sleep, and Mr. Feather- 
 stonehaugh at Petersfield a few miles further on, that he 
 might go early in the morning to Up-Park, a fine place 
 belonging to Sir H. Featherstonehaugh his relative. I 
 called for him at Up-Park and we went on to Portsmouth. 
 When we got there, no news of the British Queen; we had 
 not been there many minutes before we met Mr. Edward 
 
 ^ Lady Raffles. 
 
180 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Ellice, the member who advised Lord Melbourne not to 
 resign, and his brother Captain ElHce, Flag Captain, who 
 invited us to dinner. The party was Lord Yarborough, the 
 two Ellices, and the Flag Lieutenant, and the ladies. At six 
 next morning I got up, and from the Point saw the British 
 Queen just come in, and fire a gun as a signal for sailing ; 
 a small steamer took us on board in about half an hour, 
 amidst all the discomfort of confusion and bad weather. 
 The Port Admiral, and the party of the day before, came 
 to see us off; and at one o'clock we were outside the Isle of 
 Wight, not venturing by the needles on account of the 
 heavy sea. Amongst the passengers I made some pleasant 
 acquaintances. Mr. Ellice introduced me to Mr. Grattan, 
 the author of Highways and Byeways," going out as 
 Consul to Boston, Mr. Tancred, M.P., and Mr. Kinnaird, 
 who has contracted with the Government to build 4 great 
 steamers, larger than the Great Western, to carry out the 
 mails next year to Halifax. We formed a little party 
 amongst ourselves; but in a cabin where 150 sat down 
 to breakfast and dinner, you may suppose there was a good 
 deal of mixture. We had in fact people from all parts of 
 the world, Russians, the Neapolitan Consul to New York, 
 Germans, Austrians and Prussians, French, English, many 
 Americans and one Turk. Such a confusion as our cabin 
 was at dinner nobody can conceive ; the wine, champagne, 
 claret, and ale, ad libitum ; the champagne corks flying 
 about were like a fusillade of light infantry. Imagine the 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 181 
 
 vast consumption on board, 400 dozen of soda water were 
 
 expended before we had been ten days at sea! The 
 
 incidents of the voyage were few, until the 20th, when in 
 the morning of a tolerably fine day, we saw a vessel in the 
 midst of the great Atlantic, without any sails set, as if at 
 anchor ; that being impossible, our speculations were great, 
 until we came up to her ; there she lay a beautiful brig the 
 Bethel of Bideford, abandoned to the mercy of the waves. 
 Our boat went on board, and found her completely stripped 
 of everything, sails, cordage, furniture, papers, without a 
 vestige of property of any sort, except some railroad iron 
 on board and a little water in the hold ; the hatches were 
 off and with every prospect of foundering should a gale 
 come on. After losing an hour in deliberation, it was 
 determined to abandon her ; we had no men to spare to put 
 on board of her, and to have pumped out the water and 
 got some rigging up would have taken six hours at least ; 
 so we had nothing else to do, but to leave the poor ship to 
 her fate, uncertain whether she had been robbed by pirates, 
 or abandoned purposely by the crew to defraud the under- 
 writers ; the latter supposition would hardly account for the 
 plundered state of the ship ; and the thing is a mystery, and 
 will probably never be cleared up, as a gale came on that 
 night, and no doubt she filled and went down. This cir- 
 cumstance threw a damp on the spirits of many of the 
 party. The night following was that of the fire, of which 
 I have already written ; taken altogether, you may imagine 
 
182 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 that my dislike to the sea has not diminished. We made 
 the lights at the mouth of this harbour on Saturday or 
 rather Sunday morning at 1.30; we kept on firing guns, 
 letting off rockets, blue lights, &c., all night, and at 8 in 
 the morning a Pilot came off ; if it had blown hard, we 
 should have been in an awkward situation ; we ought to 
 have had with us a pilot from Portsmouth. Everything in 
 the British Queen betrayed overhaste, want of foresight 
 and precaution, notwithstanding the obvious danger from 
 fire by carrying about naked lights, there was but one 
 
 lantern on board, and that broken! The entrance 
 
 from the harbour to the city is beautifully dotted with 
 green islands ; it is a magnificent harbour, large enough for 
 all the vessels in the world to lie in perfect safety. I know 
 little of New York yet; it is evidently a commerciality, and 
 inhabited solely by commercial people ; the houses are good, 
 not fine. The heat is intense, for which I was not pre- 
 pared, night and day alike, all yesterday 88^ in the shade. 
 The people are always drinking some rubbish or other, 
 Sling, Bang, or Sherry Cobbler, compounds suited to the 
 heat. The hottest day I ever remember in England was 
 nothing in comparison with the heat of to-day, all my wax 
 fire lighters, warranted to keep in any climate, are no good 
 here. We have arranged with Sir John Harvey to be at 
 Frederickton on the 8th of August. I do not know 
 whether we go to Boston or to Washington in the first 
 instance." 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 183 
 
 From Frederickton commenced the journey, which 
 was the object of the Expedition ; the incidents of it are 
 recorded in Colonel Mudge's Private Journal, which he 
 kept separate and distinct from his scientific and official 
 memoranda. 
 
 Tuesday, 24th Sep., 1839. Still water at the head of 
 the stream running into the lake at the head of the Mana- 
 sagan River. 
 
 " Our voyage was commenced from Frederickton on 
 the 24th of August, in a horse boat, in company with Mr. 
 Featherstonehaugh and his son. The boat was drawn by 
 two horses, one ridden by a mulatto, who seemed indifferent 
 to danger and depth of water, as well as seasoned against 
 cold. One boat was provided with a covered tent in the 
 middle, and was comfortable enough. Our instruments 
 were carefully suspended in it by hooks and nails. 
 
 The first day, as we started late, we got but a few miles. 
 The first ferry occurred in the St. John's, from whence we 
 walked to a public house about a mile distant, where we got 
 a tolerable supper. The next morning, starting at six, we 
 got about 20 miles to another public house where we slept, 
 and started again the next morning. 
 
 The third day we reached Woodstock, an unpleasant 
 town, full of lumberers, and slept at a house dignified by 
 the name of the Woodstock Hotel, noisy and full of people, 
 all engaged, or interested, in the lumbering trade. We 
 started the next morning at five, in heavy rain, by a small 
 
184 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 wagon, holding F. and myself, to the boat 2 miles up the 
 river ; and after two more days' voyage, arrived early in the 
 morning of the 30th at a small house near the river, where 
 we breakfasted, and afterwards ascended the neighbouring 
 hill on horseback for about 2 miles, walking the remainder. 
 The ascent was difficult over swamps, and then climbing to 
 the summit, from whence we had an extensive view over 
 the disputed territory. This hill is apparently unconnected 
 with any of the highlands; but Featherstonehaugh is of 
 opinion, that it belongs to the Ridge, extending from the 
 head of the Chaudiere River, and forming part of the great 
 chain of the Allegany Mountains. We returned to house 
 from whence we started about 4 ; and after a hearty dinner 
 embarked again, and arrived at a miserable house at the 
 Riviere de la Chute after 6 in the evening. Our bedroom 
 was a miserable loft, scarcely water-tight, and containing 
 besides ourselves numerous children of the family. Pur- 
 suing our journey as usual next morning, we reached the 
 Tobique River, where we hired two wagons, and after 
 crossing the Roostook River in a horse boat, and stopping 
 for an hour at a small town by the way in the woods, reached 
 the Grand Falls at 6.30 in the evening, the distance, 20 
 miles, having been performed in 6 and a half hours. Our 
 miserable, wagon in which I drove young Featherstonehaugh, 
 broke down two or three times by the way, and we had 
 great difficulty in reaching the end of our journey. We 
 were received in the kindest manner by Sir John Said well, 
 
 I 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 185 
 
 who has an extensive saw-mill at the Falls, and remained 
 with him under his hospitable roof for a fortnight. Feather- 
 stonehaugh made his arrangements for our further pro- 
 ceedings ; and his expectations of proving the highlands 
 being entirely geological, I have agreed to act entirely 
 according to his views, supposing his knowledge of the 
 geology of America to form the best guide for our further 
 proceeding. He despatched persons from hence for the 
 purpose of procuring the assistance of Canadians, and 
 Indians, and a canoe. I also directed Mr. Wilkinson, the 
 quartermaster of our expedition, to secure me an Indian and 
 a canoe at the Tobique. 
 
 "The Falls of the St. John's are not so striking as I 
 had expected. The river falls over rocks about 70 feet, and 
 thence downward about 50 feet into a small basin. What 
 interest or grandeur might have attached to the Falls has 
 been injured or destroyed by the erection of Sir John's 
 saw-mills and railroad. The view is quite confined, and 
 limited to the banks on both sides, which are covered with 
 wood, as are all the summits in this country. The only 
 clearings are on the banks of the river. Sir Johns cottage 
 is very small, built entirely of wood, and comfortable enough. 
 My bedroom was under the roof, pannelled with wood, as 
 was also the ceiling. During our stay Colonel Ashburnham 
 of the Guards arrived on his way to Quebec ; and being 
 unwell, remained two days at the Falls. 
 
 24 
 
186 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Having started our party for the Allegash River, 
 under Mr. Hansard, to form a deposit of provisions there, 
 and to wait our arrival about the 23rd of September, we 
 left the grand Falls on the 9th, Featherstonehaugh in his 
 canoe with his Indian, young F., with Thomas, in a wagon 
 of the roughest description drawn by two horses, while I 
 rode on horseback, as there was not room for more than two 
 in the wagon. We reached the Tobique Ferry at dark. 
 The whole day it rained with great violence, but my coat 
 and trowsers were waterproof We found our party in camp 
 at the mouth of the Roostook River, and proceeded to the 
 Inn opposite to the Tobique, where we slept. An attack 
 having been made on the American Fort, Fairfield, by a 
 party of lumberers, two nights before, we were apprehen- 
 sive that our voyage up the river might be interrupted in 
 consequence. Featherstonehaugh therefore rode to the 
 Fort on the following day to visit the Commandant ; and we 
 were glad to find that a complete discomfiture of the lum- 
 berers had put the Commandant in such good humour, that 
 he made no objection to our going up the river. 
 
 "After breakfast on the loth, young Featherstonehaugh 
 and I walked by the portage road 6 miles to meet our party, 
 to the spot intended for our camp. The weather was hot, 
 and we arrived much fatigued at the River. Unfortunately 
 I missed my footing in crossing a wooden bridge made of a 
 tree, barked on the upper side to form a footing, and fell 
 into the water, wetting myself thoroughly, and worst of all, 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 187 
 
 my chronometer given by the king of Denmark to my 
 father. I had to remain for two hours in my wet clothes 
 till the baggage came from the St. John's River. Happily 
 I did not take cold in consequence, feeling more severely 
 the want of good and wholesome food than anything else, 
 our provisions being slices of very salt pork and biscuit, 
 without bread or vegetables. Our tent, in which we slept 
 for the first time, was comfortable enough, with a good fire in 
 front, and plenty of spruce boughs to lay our beds upon. 
 Our breakfast, like our dinner, consisted of the same fried 
 pork and biscuit; and we remained waiting for Featherstone- 
 haugh till past one o'clock. When he arrived, we went down 
 the river to carry the barometers and other necessary articles 
 to an elevation, which he considered belonged to the Ridge. 
 This occupied us till 4 o'clock, when we started to proceed 
 up the river. On an exploring expedition in the morning, I 
 paid a visit to the Commandant at the Fort, to whom I had 
 previously sent my card, and was received by him with 
 much civility. His apartment was the upper story of his 
 log house, forming the living and sleeping apartment of 
 himself and several others. I remained half-an-hour talking 
 on indifferent subjects, and carefully avoiding the Boundary 
 question altogether. Shortly before leaving our camp, a 
 young Indian arrived in this canoe for my use. Unfort- 
 unately I had left the selection to others, and" regretted 
 when too late, that I had not taken the advice of Sir John 
 Harvey to send from Frederickton to secure a good and 
 
188 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 experienced Indian, as Featherstonehaugh had done for 
 himself. After passing the Fort, it began to rain violently, 
 and we arrived at our second camp very wet and uncomfort- 
 able. Our tent was erected in the rain, we soon however 
 had a good fire. I was glad to get under it, have some 
 supper, and go to bed. 
 
 The next morning we started at 6 without breakfast, 
 to which the men had not been accustomed, and there was 
 much grumbling in consequence. My Indian stopped, and 
 took all my things out of the canoe, refusing to go any 
 further, but after some time he came round, on the promise 
 of a good breakfast and the assurance that another morning 
 he should have his breakfast before starting. The following 
 morning Featherstonehaugh and I went to a neighbouring 
 eminence with the barometers, and returned to breakfast 
 at 8 o'clock. The weather was fine, and during the day I 
 killed three partridges on the trees, near the river, and, on 
 the following day, one. Proceeding in this manner without 
 much interest or variety, we arrived on the 19th instant at 
 the Forks of the Aroostook, where we camped. The 
 River here loses its name, and the two streams which form 
 it are called the Millekenaak and the Minnesagan. On the 
 20th Featherstonehaugh and I started up the former river, 
 he in his canoe, and I in a log one, to trace the river to its 
 source. We took 4 other canoes with us to hold the Tent 
 and baggage, and with great difficulty forced them up a 
 rapid and shallow stream to a large lake, forming the head 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 189 
 
 of the river ; from whence we had a view of a distant range 
 of hills of some height. The following morning Feather- 
 stonehaugh went on the lake, and I went with a party down 
 the stream to the commencement of a run of still water, 
 where we fished for three or four hours. I caught a great 
 many fine trout and some chub. One trout was about 3lbs., 
 the finest and most beautiful I ever saw, spotted in the 
 most lovely manner with gold and crimson, scarlet belly 
 and fins, and most beautifully variegated, surpassing any- 
 thing of the fish tribe I had ever seen. When Feather- 
 stonehaugh arrived, we proceeded down the river ; and at the 
 very first rapid we came to, my canoe was swamped, and we 
 just contrived to get her to the shore without sinking quite, 
 though full of water. All my kit was in her, bed, clothes, 
 bag, fishing tackle ; all my spare shoes and boots were full 
 of water, but my clothes and bedding happily escaped, being 
 well wrapped up in my mackintosh hammock, which is 
 invaluable. The injury otherwise sustained was however 
 considerable. We reached the camp in the evening at near 
 six o'clock, instead of performing the voyage as Feather- 
 stonehaugh had calculated upon in an hour and a half; I 
 found F. had arrived some time before me. My fish made 
 a capital supper, which with the addition of Irish stew, 
 made of pork, potatoes, and soaked biscuit and butter, 
 enabled us to make a good meal. The Irish stew and 
 soaked biscuit were introduced by myself, and are a very 
 agreeable alteration of the usual fare of fried pork and 
 biscuit. 
 
190 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " The next morning, Sunday, we started as usual and 
 arrived at one o'clock at a chain of lakes, three in number, 
 on the shore of the longest of which we dined. During 
 the day we caught several large fish of the trout species, 
 weighing from 2 to 6 lbs. and one or two much larger. 
 They are rather dry and inferior to river trout, though very 
 acceptable in our condition, not finding moose, deer or game 
 of any kind, or birds either of any sort, with the exception 
 of a few ducks and crows, which are the sum of all the birds 
 we have seen since we left Frederickton. Featherstone- 
 haugh's Indian Peter has been out looking for moose deer 
 without success, though the traces and footmarks have been 
 very frequent. 
 
 "Wednesday, 25th September. Yesterday we suc- 
 ceeded only in cutting through a portage of one mile and a 
 half and camped at the end of it. Towards the afternoon 
 two guns were heard and answered ; they proved to be the 
 signal of the arrival of Mr. Hansard and his party at the 
 Fourth Lake, about ten miles distant, after ascending the 
 St. John's River and the Allegash to meet us. The signal 
 was fired by Louis, the Indian guide, who had conducted a 
 party of eight men to meet us, leaving Mr. Hansard at the 
 Fourth Lake with the remainder of the men of his party. 
 
 " Feathers tonehaugh is dissatisfied with our progress. 
 
 " This day we started, F., I and his son, our birch 
 canoes in advance of the party with four other canoes, and 
 our tent and baggage. After cutting through the first 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 191 
 
 portage of half a mile, and passing through some still 
 waters, we came to another small portage, and then a lake 
 of a mile in length. The wind was high and the navigation 
 unpleasant, but the weather was otherwise fine and dry. 
 After exploring this lake, which did not appear to contain 
 many fish, we came to another portage of two miles and a 
 half, about a half of which we cut through, and camped near 
 the cutting. The method of cutting and passing through 
 these portages, which are all through woods, is to have from 
 four to five axemen in front cutting down the trees and 
 bushes, to make way for the people and canoes to pass. 
 The woods are not only full of timber of the largest size, 
 but are covered also with undergrowth of timber of all sizes, 
 forming a complete obstacle to anything but wild animals. 
 
 " On our arrival at the termination of this day's labours, 
 we were gratified by the arrival of Mr. Hansard with the 
 intelligence of two moose^ having been killed on the Fourth 
 Lake by himself and his party. The moose were heard 
 bellowing in the woods, and were surprised late at night, as 
 they were feeding on the margin of the lake. The party 
 fired three shots at the old moose bull, who fell into the lake 
 and in its struggles nearly upset the canoe; the other, a 
 small one, was easily killed, and the cow was wounded but 
 escaped. 
 
 The moose are expected to be plentiful ; this addition 
 
 ' Cervus alces, the elk. 
 
192 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 to our stores is very acceptable, as great inroads have been 
 already made into the depot of provisions brought up by 
 Mr. Hansard for the remainder of our journey. 
 
 " After completing as much of the portage as the time 
 of day would allow, we formed our camp as usual, by 
 selecting as dry a spot as could be found, cutting away the 
 trees for room for our tent, and building a large fire in 
 front with the trunks of large trees. The best trees to 
 burn are the maple, birch, and beech. For all encamp- 
 ments the choice depends on the quantity and quality of the 
 timber for fuel. What is called hard wood are best fit for 
 the purpose, while cedars and pines, which are the wood of 
 the country, are not suitable for burning. The bark of the 
 cedar is however invaluable for some purposes ; smouldering 
 slowly away when set on fire, it keeps off the black flies 
 most effectually ; the frost has however completely dispersed 
 them for the season, or nearly so, but the mosquitoes are 
 still a little troublesome. 
 
 After pitching our tent, our dinner or supper was pre- 
 pared as usual by our servants, of salt pork, soaked biscuit, 
 a few potatoes, which latter are almost expended, and some 
 tea. I slept comfortably during the night, hearing the rain 
 pattering on the roof of our sleeping tent, and within a few 
 inches of my head : but the tent is happily water-proof. 
 
 Thursday 26th. Rain with a prospect of its continu- 
 ance. Breakfasted as usual about 7. As for dressing I 
 have not changed since leaving the St. John's, or had an 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 193 
 
 opportunity of drying my clothes, boots, and shoes ; shaving 
 is out of the question. I have now a beard, growing since 
 we left the Falls on the 9th instant; my razors have been 
 wetted so often that they will hardly perform their office 
 when called upon. My watch I am glad to find goes 
 tolerably, and has not stopped for some days. 
 
 "Friday 27th. Our camp is on the North side of the 
 Fourth or Windy Lake. Yesterday was a terrible day 
 indeed, but by the mercy of God we are none of us the 
 worse for it. We started from our last camp soon after 
 breakfast, the rain pouring down and continuing without 
 intermission during the whole day. We crossed three lakes 
 and five portages, before reaching the south shore of this 
 lake in the evening, the rain blowing from the North East, 
 very cold and stormy. I crossed the largest lake in a birch 
 canoe with Mr. Hansard and Louis an Indian, leaving mine 
 to follow; happily we all got over safe. Between this and 
 the Fourth Lake we had portages of a mile and more, to 
 carry the canoes and baggage. We were so wet in landing, 
 that we were forced to build large fires to dry ourselves, a 
 practice in this country indispensible to supply heat, propor- 
 tionate to that carried off by wet, and cold, and exhaustion. 
 
 " We reached the last portage about 4, and arrived at 
 our camping ground on the other side of the lake wet and 
 cold, without a change of clothes, or a tent to cover us till 
 long after dark, the bearers of the camp equipage and bag- 
 gage not having been able to find their way through the 
 
 25 
 
194 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 woods. We fortunately possessed a lantern which I had 
 brought from London ; this we despatched to their aid, and 
 soon afterwards we had the comfort of Queen Victoria " 
 over our heads again, (Her Majesty's cypher and crown 
 surmount the entrance of our tent), and with a large fire 
 blazing in front we were soon comfortable and warm. Our 
 supper was ready at 8 o'clock, which consisted of five part- 
 ridges, three I killed, and the other two were knocked 
 down by the men with a stone ; they were stewed with a 
 few potatoes, and a little pork, to make an Irish stew, the 
 favourite dish of my invention. As soon as the men had 
 finished their supper, we set to work to make our comfort- 
 able beds of spruce branches and mattresses laid on them ; 
 most thankful was I to lie down, and I slept soundly till 
 daylight this morning. 
 
 " The opening of the day had an unpropitious aspect ; 
 but a happy termination of the rain enabled me after break- 
 fast to spread out my clothes, baggage, and instruments in 
 the wind and sun to dry, after having been wet and damp 
 for a fortnight, swamped in canoes, tumbled into the river, 
 and dragged in the rain through wet leaves and cedar 
 swamps. Our camp was close to the lake, and we were 
 soon on board, Featherstonehaugh, and I in our canoes, 
 Thomas and F's servant following. We crossed the lake, 
 which we had been unable to do yesterday on account of 
 the wind, in half an hour. Shortly after reaching the beach 
 where our depot was placed by Mr. Hansard, we heard a 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 195 
 
 doleful cry from whence we had come ; my glass was in a 
 moment to my eye, and I saw that of two canoes containing 
 our servants and the sappers, only one remained on the 
 water. Soon after I perceived two men hanging on to the 
 canoe that still preserved its position ; and instantly one of 
 our canoes was pushed off from the beach with men to 
 render assistance ; we remained in suspense and alarm for 
 more than half an hour. 
 
 ''When the boats, as they returned, approached near 
 enough for me to distinguish who was in them with my 
 telescope, I was gratified to perceive Thomas and Feather- 
 stonehaugh's servant, and the two sappers, and to find 
 afterwards that nothing was lost by the upsetting of the 
 canoe, but my fishing rod and umbrella, which are now 
 deposited at the bottom of the lake. Another of our 
 canoes was missing until within the last half hour, and we 
 were apprehensive that the boatman, Michel Carran, one 
 of our best men, was lost. I had long perceived with my 
 glass what I thought to be a canoe with a man in it, on a 
 bend of the lake opposite; and it turned out that I was 
 right, though all the others declared it was only a piece of 
 timber. The poor fellow had been driven by the force of 
 the wind and swell, and was only rescued by our men, when 
 at last perceived by them, attempting ineffectually to make 
 his way to the shore. So end our day's disasters. 
 
 We are encamped at our depot with plenty of pro- 
 visions, and waiting for Mr. Wilkinson's party, whom we 
 
196 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 left the day before yesterday; they will probably not be 
 here till to-morrow at least. We have however sent them 
 provisions, which were nearly all expended when we left 
 them. Feathers tonehaugh proposes to discharge a number 
 of men, so as to augment the means of supporting the 
 remainder. 
 
 " There are plenty of fish in the lake, which are taken 
 with a spear and by angling. Two are this instant brought 
 to me to look at, weighing 8 pounds a piece. What a loss 
 is my fishing rod ! But I scarcely regret it, as no loss of 
 life occurred. My umbrella, which I had taken out from 
 the inside of my mosquito tent, and which was a comfort to 
 me many a rainy day, will prove a more serious loss. I 
 am so thankful however, under all circumstances, for un- 
 looked for health and strength, after all the hardship and 
 bad weather I have endured, that I have not a wish to 
 repine at anything. 
 
 " Saturday 28th. A day's rest is a joyous thing after 
 such long fatigue, and without an opportunity of changing 
 anything, or even drying our wet clothes and shoes, which- 
 were effectually displayed yesterday to the sun's rays for 3 or 
 4 hours, while I employed my morning in cleaning my 
 instruments, keeping a watchful eye, that the high wind did 
 not disperse them over the beach. In the afternoon, we 
 prepared our tent in a very superior manner, the usual 
 covering of birch boughs being laid over the whole, and 
 round the sides, to keep out the wind. Our dinner was 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 197 
 
 served in a much better style, and consisted entirely of 
 hunter's fare. Fish from the lake, boiled, and fried in fat 
 pork, moose meat fried in the same, and a brace of 
 partridges with soaked biscuit for bread, and a couple of 
 potatoes apiece. We were all in bed by eight. The wind 
 blew very hard during the night, with rain; I rather appre- 
 hended that some of our neighbouring tall pines might fall 
 upon us, like those at Beech wood some years ago under 
 similar circumstances; our men however had cut down a 
 good many for firewood. I enjoyed the rest much, listened 
 for some time to the wind and rain, thought of my dear 
 home, and of those who I trust are well there, and recom- 
 mended us all to the protection of God, with the hope of a 
 happy and early meeting. 
 
 This morning we were rather later than usual, break- 
 fasting at eight o'clock. After breakfast I walked to the 
 beach to look after my line, which I set last night, but found 
 nothing on it. On returning, I saw a small fleet of birch 
 canoes on our little beach, which turned out to belong to a 
 party of Indians on a hunting expedition from the Penob- 
 scot River, a wild set, but most of them speaking a little 
 English ; they had killed one moose two days since and two 
 ducks; they were provided with good guns, and two dogs, 
 one of which I tried ineffectually to purchase. They had 
 been to our tent to give information as to our future route, 
 which appears perfectly satisfactory. 
 
 The winter is now evidently approaching, and I look 
 
198 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 forward to get to the end of our journey with much antici- 
 pation of pleasure. This morning on rising, I found the 
 thermometer below freezing point; and a little snow fell 
 for the first time. The air seems to have had full effect on 
 the appetites of our people, who have been stuffing on the 
 heads of the two moose lately killed, stuck on a pole, 
 roasting before the fire, cutting out the favourite bit with 
 their knives, without ceasing, nearly the whole of yesterday 
 and to-day. 
 
 Sunday 29th. Yesterday was another delightful day of 
 rest waiting for Mr. Wilkinson and his party, and this day 
 we hope to enjoy another, with the comfort of prayers. 
 Yesterday produced another incident, not less alarming than 
 that of the day preceding. Hearing a moose bellowing on 
 the opposite side of the lake, about a mile distant, Mr. 
 Hansard went over with my Indian, John Michel, in his 
 canoe, wanting me to accompany them, and proceeded with 
 two muskets to shoot the unfortunate cow, supposed to be 
 crying for her calf. I declined going in the canoe, and 
 walked round the shore of the lake to meet them on the 
 opposite side. Going through the wood by the lake, I was 
 tempted to amuse myself with trying to catch a very young 
 squirrel, smaller and more beautiful than the English 
 species ; and I had almost frightened the little thing into my 
 hands, when I heard a gun fired ; thinking it was the signal 
 of the death of the unfortunate moose, I waited still to catch 
 the squirrel for nearly half an hour more ; then a loud crying 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 199 
 
 and shouting alarmed me, which I still thought announced 
 the death of the animal, and walked to the shore to see 
 what was going on. I put up my glass to my eye, and 
 perceived to my surprise, and alarm, the canoe upset, and 
 the men hanging on to it, at some distance from the shore. 
 My first impulse was to fire both barrels of my gun to 
 encourage them, and alarm the camp, and then to run as 
 fast as I could to procure assistance. The gun brought out 
 several men, and I shouted as loud as possible to tell them 
 what was the matter. Shortly two canoes put off, but with 
 little appearance of arriving in time to do any good. How- 
 ever we soon had the comfort of seeing Mr. Hansard and 
 the Indian arrive at the shore, half dead with cold and 
 exhaustion. The gun, I heard fired, was the cause of the 
 accident, being overcharged ; in firing at some ducks Mr. 
 Hansard overturned the canoe. He could swim, but the 
 Indian could not, and after swimming a little way towards 
 the shore, the Indian cried so much for help, that Mr. 
 Hansard returned and encouraged him to hold on, whilst 
 he got on the top of the canoe and by slow degrees paddled 
 to the shore, which they reached at last, rejoicing at their 
 happy escape, which indeed was a most narrow one. From 
 the time I heard the gun when the canoe upset, to seeing 
 them holding on by its bottom, must have been at least half 
 an hour, during the whole of which time, and for half an 
 hour after, they were in the water. A little rum and water 
 hot soon restored them. The Indian complained sadly of 
 
200 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Mr. Hansard upsetting the canoe. This has for a time put 
 an end to our canoe shooting; but the Indians went out last 
 night and saw a moose, to which they could not get near 
 enough for a shot. 
 
 '*The night air was very cold, and this morning the 
 thermometer was 29°, we have therefore no expectation of 
 any more fine weather. This morning we had the prayers 
 after breakfast, Featherstonehaugh reading the prayers, 
 and I the responses. No one attended but our servants 
 and the sappers. About one o'clock I descried our party 
 under Mr. Wilkinson approaching from the other side of 
 the lake. They arrived in eleven canoes, an hour after, 
 bringing the rest of our provisions, and some potatoes which 
 we have missed much these last two days. 
 
 Monday 30th. It rained much yesterday evening, 
 and all night, but to-day is fine and tolerably mild for the 
 season. We had a little snow on Saturday, but not enough 
 to lie on the ground. The ice has been as much as two 
 inches thick in the morning, after having been drawn in 
 shore during the night. To-day our party has been num- 
 bered, and twenty men discharged. Featherstonehaugh 
 has determined to go to the north with a small party, with 
 the best men and all the birch canoes. I go down the 
 Alegash River to the St. John's River with another party; 
 then ascend the St. John's to Baker's Lake, where we meet 
 again. 
 
 My canoe unfortunately is the worst of the whole lot, 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 201 
 
 unfit for lakes ; and my Indian boy again refused to proceed, 
 fearing, as he said, to be upset ; threats and promises from 
 Feathers tonehaugh, and a little additional coaxing from me, 
 have at last induced him to proceed. The men thought it 
 was unfair. I, however, made no remark and suffered the 
 matter to be so arranged, though certainly the boy had 
 cause for apprehension, as this canoe was the one which was 
 upset two days ago, and nearly drowned Mr. Hansard and 
 my Indian. We left our camp, which has been a home to 
 us for some days, at one o'clock, Featherstonehaugh to the 
 north, and I to the south, with the provisions and discharged 
 men, who are bound for Frederickton and the Great Falls. 
 The day has been uncommonly fine and calm, so that we 
 have passed happily the Windy Lake, which I hope never 
 to see again, in safety and comfort; but I had my swimming 
 belt close at hand, and saw that Thomas had his on. If he 
 had put it on before being upset on Friday, he would have 
 been in comparatively little danger. I am now in my canoe, 
 waiting for the signal to make the portage into the Allegash 
 River. 
 
 Thursday, October 3rd. After receiving the signal, 
 we began to descend the river, and disembark the heavier 
 baggage, to be carried through the portage by land. We 
 encamped at the end of it. I amused myself with my 
 iishing rod some time, and in the space of an hour or better 
 I caught a quantity of trout and chub, the former most 
 beautiful fish, especially two of about 2^ lbs. each, like 
 
 26 
 
202 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 those I caught at the end of the lakes on the Aroostook 
 River, scarlet fins and belly, speckled on the body with 
 green, gold and carmine, black mouth and lips as a Blen- 
 heim spaniel, and the flesh as red as that of a salmon. 
 The comfort of the quiet which we now have is indescri- 
 bable; and everything is arranged quietly by Mr. Hansard 
 to my entire satisfaction. The fire placed properly at half 
 the usual distance makes the tent most comfortably warm, 
 and avoids the necessity of our going so close to the fire to 
 get warm, according to Featherstonehaugh's system and 
 practice; thanks to which I have already destroyed both 
 pairs of my waterproof shoes, and a pair of waterproof 
 trowsers, so that unless our campaign draws to a close soon, 
 I shall be without clothing to encounter the cold and wet. 
 We passed a most comfortable night, and I enjoyed my 
 breakfast as much next morning. 
 
 " We started about 9 o'clock, and ascended the river 
 Allegash by several rapids. My Indian boy, who was im- 
 prudently selected for me, became alarmed, and was obliged 
 to be removed to another and a larger canoe. His place 
 was supplied by an old and experienced Indian, called Ber- 
 nard, but rendered feeble by age and recent sickness, and 
 unable to sustain much fatigue in crossing the portages. 
 After ascending the rapids, we got into still water, and 
 passed down a succession of lakes. In the first lake we 
 were caught by a storm, but happily we got over in safety 
 with a good deal of tossing though, and a heavy swell. 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 203 
 
 After passing through the chain of lakes, one of which was 
 six miles long, we got again into the River Allegash, a fine 
 broad stream, with a few rapids not dangerous, and landed 
 on the left bank at 3 o'clock. Our supper was as comfort- 
 able and nicely arranged as that of yesterday. No incident 
 of any interest occurred during the day, no game or birds 
 were to be seen, except a baldheaded eagle, at which I fired, 
 of course without effect, and should not have wasted powder 
 and shot, but in the faint hope of getting some quills. The 
 scenery is everywhere similar, and one description might 
 serve for all. Cedars and pines grow to the edge of the 
 water, and nothing is to be seen beyond them, either on the 
 lakes or the rivers. Of course there is no want of good 
 fuel, though the men are careful about that in the selection 
 of a place for camping ; they prefer the hard woods, as birch, 
 or beech, to the pines and cedars. It is curious, and would 
 be interesting to our friends at home, to see our prepara- 
 tions for camping. Immediately the word is given, my canoe 
 pushes to the shore, and all the men jump out of their canoes 
 with the greatest alacrity. The ground is so encumbered 
 with growth, that many a noble tree measures its length on 
 the earth in a few minutes, to afford room for our tent, and 
 ' a, fire beyond it. The first thing is a fire, which is soon made 
 with birch bark, sticks and thin trunks of trees; and in half 
 an hour we have fire enough to roast an ox, which is kept 
 continually burning by additional fuel throughout the night. 
 1 amused myself till dinner time in fishing, and pulled 
 
204 
 
 . MEMOIR OF 
 
 out the chub as fast as my line was put in. One of the 
 Indians took my canoe in the evening, and caught a trout, 
 and a grayHng, the first I have seen. 
 
 *' We arrived at the last of the lakes about 1 2. Beauti- 
 ful water, gentle, still, and calm. Our party, who were 
 dismissed from the North Lake, were here waiting for us, as 
 desired by a special message sent in advance ; and we took 
 from them a canoe to replace one which was injured in the 
 rapids yesterday. We left her alone in the midst of the 
 waters to swim as long as she could ; nearly full of water she 
 was then. If I had known what we had to encounter 
 immediately afterwards, I would certainly have taken her 
 on, to see her go alone down the rapid. After crossing the 
 lake, we came to a rapid about half a mile, and then to 
 another stile on the water two miles long. The mode of 
 navigating these rapids is by one or two boatmen standing 
 up and guiding the canoe with their long poles, to prevent 
 it from touching the rocks, which would demolish it in a 
 moment. As soon as the boatmen come near the rapid, 
 they lay aside the paddles, and lay hold of the long poles 
 they have ; which are about 20 feet long, and as thick as a 
 man's wrist. We came down these hills in the water in a 
 very fine manner, and the men stopped at the bottom to 
 dine. Here comes another Fall, but I am now almost 
 accustomed to it, and see without concern the huge rocks, 
 rising on either side, with the water apparently ready to 
 tumble into the canoe, knowing too that, in case of an upset. 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 205 
 
 it would roll over the occupants to the bottom, if nothing 
 worse came of it. 
 
 "Saturday, Oct. 5th. We left our camp yesterday 
 after breakfast, the morning was cold with snow and hail. 
 The distance from the camp to the Falls was about five 
 miles ; at the Falls we overtook our party who had en- 
 camped there all night. After leaving the Falls it began to 
 blow a heavy gale of wind, with some showers and hail ; so 
 intensely cold was it, that to write in a canoe was impossible. 
 My corporal, an active able bodied man, complained of 
 being colder than he ever was in his life. Added to this, 
 the wind was north east, directly in our faces, making so 
 much swell that we could not see the rocks ; the consequence 
 was we had a perilous time of it, especially as from the 
 Falls to the junction of the Allegash and the St. John's 
 River, it was one continued rapid, so bad in some places 
 that the Indians and Frenchmen called out, " Bien mauvaise 
 cette rapide la." This was about a mile long, full of rocks, 
 and breaking water, and the velocity very great. The 
 danger perhaps appeared greater than it really was, though 
 at the bottom we found the party before us had lost one 
 canoe, and upset others, the men belonging to which had 
 made a fire on the bank to dry themselves. Our party were 
 also suffering so much from the cold, that we were obliged 
 to stop for half an hour to get warm by a fire also. After 
 entering the St. John's River, we turned our heads up the 
 stream, and encamped a little inside the woods, near the 
 
206 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 river about half a mile above the Allegash, on the same 
 side. Our fires were lighted in a few minutes, and we were 
 all comfortably under shelter from the rain and wind in 
 about half an hour. Our dinner consisted of the beautiful 
 trout, and moose meat made into Irish stew. 
 
 ''This morning my Indian, John Michel, was dismissed. 
 We purchased his canoe, in which I am now writing, going 
 up the St. John's with a cold north wind, but the sun shining 
 bright. Last night was cold, the thermometer this morning 
 was at 17° at seven o'clock. The walls of the tent were 
 covered with snow, within a few inches of my head, yet, 
 thank God, I have not yet suffered from the severe work of 
 yesterday, which the Indians pronounced to be the first day 
 of winter. I have made a different arrangement to-day: 
 sitting with my back to the head of the canoe, the wind 
 having also turned, and with the sun before me, I am 
 enabled to hold a pencil. 
 
 "Saturday, Oct. 6th. Yesterday was a charming day, 
 though a cold wind, the sun was shining bright all day. 
 The snow afforded the means of walking the rapid, which I 
 did, along the shore, where it was so warm as to heat me a 
 good deal. I measured the height of the rapid, but it was 
 nothing like that we descended on the Allegash the day 
 before. 
 
 "We encamped as usual about 5 o'clock; we had a 
 trout for dinner, the fellow to that of yesterday, and one 
 which I caught before dinner, cleaned it myself, and actually 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 207 
 
 put it warm out of the river into the boiHng water ; it was 
 delicious. This life is not unpleasant; its only drawback is 
 it is the wrong side of the Atlantic, which separates me 
 from those I never wish to leave again. 
 
 " This morning I arose fresh and hungry, and enjoyed 
 my breakfast of soaked biscuit and moose meat. It froze 
 very sharply in the night, the thermometer when I arose at 
 half past 6 being under 22°. It was cold certainly, but 
 much less than might have been imagined ; we had however, 
 it must be confessed, a fire large enough to roast a sheep. 
 After despatching our breakfast, which was over by half 
 past seven, Thomas came running to me with the intelli- 
 gence that a herd of carriboos^ were on the other side of 
 river. I quickly got rid of the shot in my gun, and put in 
 two balls, and ran down to the side of the river. The 
 carriboos had taken alarm, I found, at some stupid French- 
 men, who instead of hiding themselves in the bushes, had 
 crowded down to look at them; the animals however strode 
 away, quietly feeding within 200 yards directly opposite our 
 camp. Before I could get into the canoe to run over to 
 them, they began to move off, and I was obliged to fire 
 twice ineffectually at the bull, after which they started off, 
 but not very fast. The herd consisted of a male, female, 
 and a young one. The bull as big as a two year old heifer, 
 with magnificent antlers, it was marked white on the side. 
 
 ^ Cervus farandus, the reindeer. 
 
208 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "I wrote this journal in my canoe, with the thermometer 
 32°, without gloves, and my fingers scarcely cold! My 
 journal has been interrupted by a chase after wild ducks; I 
 longed to have killed two, but the motion of the canoe 
 shakes my hand dreadfully ; as it was, I had one, but it 
 saved itself by diving and sliding under the rocks. We 
 stopped to dine just before 12, which gave me an oppor- 
 tunity of taking an observation to ascertain the time, as we 
 have no watch, which goes even decently, including my 
 chronometer which stops when exposed to the cold. I am 
 obliged to put it under my head at night. We dined where 
 old Louis encamped on a hunting expedition two years 
 since; his wigwam was still standing, and the old fellow 
 cooked his dinner before me in his former home. The 
 wigwam was constructed by a forked stick in a leaning 
 position, with others resting upon the fork, forming about 
 three-fourths of a circle, with flat layers of birch bark 
 covering all from top to bottom, just as he had lived in it 
 with his squaw two years ago, by no means an uncom- 
 fortable dwelling. Louis told me it did not take more than 
 half an hour to make ! How easily are our actual wants 
 supplied! I could have slept in the wigwam with comfort, 
 and would much rather do so than in a tent. 
 
 We continue as pleasant a party as ever ; there is but 
 one Englishman besides myself ; amongst the rest are 
 Canadians, and my old Indian. The Canadians are a 
 cheerful set, always singing French songs and laughing, 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 209 
 
 far better company than the blue-noses we have dismissed. 
 
 ''Sunday, October 7th. Ahhough the subsistence of 
 the party, we expect to meet at the lake at the end of this 
 river (Bathurst Lake), depends on our meeting them at the 
 eadiest possible time, I have not forgotten that this is a 
 day which ought to be kept sacred, and trust that the 
 urgency of the case will justify our proceeding as usual 
 this day. It is a comfort to me, that having lost our 
 lumbering friends, the Irish blue-noses of Frederickton, 
 we are no longer annoyed with their swearing and noise, 
 which continued without the slightest provocation or cess- 
 ation from morning till night. My Indian, who left us 
 yesterday, was sensible of the disregard paid to the Sab- 
 bath ; he amused himself and pleased me, by singing a 
 hymn in Indian, which he had learnt at the chapel, all the 
 Mohawks being Catholics in this part of America. An 
 Irishman began to abuse him one day for singing on 
 Sunday ; his reply was, " Indian sing song he learn in 
 chapel ; Englishman swear, swear, all day Sunday ; this no 
 good." This lad was only 18. 
 
 We encamped yesterday at the head of a rapid early, 
 to allow the heavy canoes to come up before dark. I 
 ventured, for the first time, to choose the camping place, 
 which was approved of, as the most comfortable place we 
 have met with during all our long journey. It was situated 
 on the left bank of the river, looking down it, about 10 feet 
 above the river on a level bank, covered with wood fit for 
 
 27 
 
210 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 fuel and bedding. A beautiful clear brook ran close to it 
 from the hills behind, and immediately beneath our feet a 
 rising hill in the wood, covered with silver and spruce firs. 
 As soon as the camp was fixed, I took my fishing rod, a 
 very rough piece of work, manufactured to supply the place 
 of the one now at the bottom of the Fourth Lake, and in 
 an hour caught a number of beautiful trout, which came in 
 very well for breakfast next morning ; the servants had 
 their share of them. Our Indians are lazy, having plenty 
 to eat. It is a characteristic of the North American 
 Indians to eat as long as anything is left, and only to hunt 
 when hunger presses, or when everything eatable is gone, 
 even to a lump of sugar. 
 
 ''Accordingly, although the river is full of trout, I 
 cannot get anybody to go and catch them, though an hour's 
 fishing by torchlight would probably supply us with enough 
 for some days. I must trust to my own rod, I believe, for 
 so acceptable an addition to our dinner. Yesterday we 
 opened a case of haricots, but which we found to be 
 indifferent French beans, and a case of ox-tail soup, pretty 
 good, which we deal out a spoonful at a time to put into 
 the Irish stew. 
 
 "My scientific journal contains all matters of a scientific 
 nature, not included here, but I cannot refrain from re- 
 marking that, from my own observation, I am more than 
 ever convinced that my friend Featherstonehaugh's theory 
 will never settle the question. Louis and I get on very 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 211 
 
 well together jabbering French; he speaks English a little, 
 but prefers French. In talking to me, some of the French- 
 men speak a little English, but I have to act as general 
 intrepreter ; as Mr. Hansard, to whom I commit the entire 
 management of the expedition, does not speak French. 
 This day has been indifferent, but on the whole we have 
 nothing to complain of, and everything to be thankful for. 
 Good health beyond my most sanguine expectations, and 
 plenty of good food, which I suspect however, may become 
 scarce before we reach Quebec, so that I consider it neces- 
 sary to fish as much as possible to save our moose, pork, 
 and biscuit. If I had brought down the bull carriboo 
 yesterday, we should have had a fine feast and abundance. 
 But we are in a fine hunting country, and approaching a 
 better both for moose meat and fish. 
 
 " I have had some pleasant exercise to day in walking 
 up the rapids, it rained a little at times but not much, a 
 little however, is nearly as bad as a good deal, on account 
 of the long grass and trees by the side of the river, through 
 which we have to pass. This part of the country is all 
 under water in the spring ; and the roads, such as they are, 
 are then close to the river s edge, and I expect it would be 
 a matter of great difficulty to get through them, as trees 
 upon trees lie in every direction one upon another, which 
 have fallen unnoted from the earliest ages. The cedar 
 forms the great majority of these; it is a wood which takes 
 many years to rot; it may be called the wood of the 
 
212 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 country. The Indians use it much to make canoes, the 
 one I am now writing in is made of it, except the outside 
 covering which is of birch bark. 
 
 " Tuesday, October 8th. By a mistake in our reck- 
 oning, very possible in our present mode of Hfe, I made 
 yesterday Sunday, instead of the day before; but I shall 
 keep my almanack now always at hand, and shall guard 
 against a similar error in future. We proceeded, as usual, 
 yesterday till five, when we camped in a pleasant spot in 
 the woods near the river, but no beautiful brook to supply 
 us with delicious cold water. The river water is not un- 
 wholesome, but it has a flavour. Our dinner, as usual, of 
 beautiful trout, and a hotch potch of pork potatoes and part 
 of the contents of a can of mock turtle; but we voted my 
 old mixture, the Irish stew, more simple and preferable. 
 The trout are certainly a great luxury, and far finer flavoured 
 than any I have ever met with in Europe, except in Loch 
 Leven, where they are as good. When caught I give them 
 a blow on the head, saw them immediately into three or 
 four pieces, afterwards clean them, and hang them on a 
 forked stick ready for cooking. 
 
 We have not seen any cariboos or game of any kind, 
 yesterday or to-day ; but moose abound, as is evident, on 
 the banks of the river, and by the sides of the rapids. 
 
 ''We stopped for the men to dine, and to get the 
 latitude at half-past one. Notice was given of partridges 
 drumming in the woods, and I went with Louis to look for 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 213 
 
 them, but without success. The drumming of the partridges 
 is the noise made by the cock, who sits on a stone or the 
 branch of a tree, something Hke the faint tapping of a 
 muffled drum; he does it most probably to give warning to 
 the brood of danger. The Canadians and the Indians 
 consider the drumming of the partridges to be the prelude 
 of a fine autumn. This country seems to be an exception 
 to the general character of North America, as regards the 
 animal creation. The aquatic and other migratory birds, 
 which periodically visit all the rest of the continent in vast 
 numbers, appear to avoid this district, either because it is 
 out of the track towards their southern destination, or from 
 the unfavourable nature of the climate. I do not believe 
 we have even seen 20 pigeons altogether, and above half as 
 many ducks. No rabbits we have met with, and but a few 
 hares, which are white in the winter. There are a few 
 squirrels also, which are shot, as well as the rats, for food. 
 These rats are of a large species, as large nearly as a cat, 
 which frequent the banks of the rivers and are distinguished 
 from the common rat, not only by their size, but by the 
 form of the tail, which is vertically flattened, like that of the 
 beaver, but not so broad. The rats build themselves houses 
 in the water, much in the same manner as the beaver, where 
 rushes abound, as large (and not unlike also in appearance) 
 as a large potato cave in Devonshire. Twenty or thirty 
 are sometimes killed by the Indians in one of these houses. 
 Almost the only bird which frequently disturbs the stillness 
 
214 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 of the woods, is the large woodpecker, whose tap sounds 
 like the blow of a large hammer. Whilst in the woods 
 looking for the partridges, I observed frequent tracks of the 
 moose and bear; the latter is very fond of the bark of the 
 spruce fir, and from the number of trees barked it would 
 appear to be a very favourite food. 
 
 " Our little fleet of canoes goes merrily up the river, 
 all in good humour, good spirits, and good health. Some 
 of the boats are heavily laden still, with barrels of pork 
 and biscuit to last us during the remainder of the expe- 
 dition. My canoe is the only one not laden with provisions, 
 being the only birch one ; I carry in it only my bag and 
 bundle of clothes ; my bag holds little more than a pair of 
 shoes and the remnants of my burnt boots, which Thomas 
 is now converting into a case for a hunting knife, to hang 
 at my side, like Louis the Indian, and which I need much 
 for many purposes, particularly for preparing my fish din- 
 ners. My bundle, containing all my clothes and a few silk 
 handkerchiefs, is enclosed in a macintosh hammock, and 
 covered with an oil cloth ; my bedding is in another canoe, 
 and consists of a buffalo skin, hair mattress, and blankets. 
 Besides this my canoe contains my fishing rod, of native 
 manufacture, my gun by my side in an india-rubber case, 
 and a barometer fastened to the front of the canoe, that it 
 may not be lost like the former by an upset. I sit with my 
 face to the head, and Louis stands up behind me with a 
 long pole, pushing it forward up the river, and paddling in 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 215 
 
 Still water, sitting down. Louis' figure is very good, with 
 an old red night cap on his head, his long black locks 
 hanging below it, and a sort of Indian frock with leggings, 
 made of deerskin ; his costume and his marked expression 
 of countenance, and skin of darkest yellow brown, give 
 him a picturesque and striking appearance. All his bag- 
 gage is likewise in the canoe ; it consists of a small iron pot 
 for cooking, a little flask holding gum for mending the 
 canoe, and a blue bundle containing gunpowder, balls, 
 tobacco, charms, in short the whole of his campaigning kit. 
 I sit in considerable comfort at the bottom of the canoe, 
 with thin planks spread under me on the bottom, then 
 spruce boughs, then a tarpaulin, and on the top a cushion ; 
 pretty well taken care of, it might be said, yet I have had 
 the water over all, more than once. It is a curious sensa- 
 tion going up hills in the water, though not such nervous 
 work as going down. Pushing up against the hill, passing 
 the huge rocks, which you may often touch with one finger, 
 and which I have often done, to keep the canoe off, is 
 startling enough ; and though writing with considerable ease 
 and ^security, I am often reminded that I am not in a mail 
 coach in England. The most difficult thing to maintain in 
 canoeing is the balance, to keep exactly in the centre, 
 and happen what may, never to lay hold of the sides, which 
 would infallibly upset it. I am as knowing as an Indian 
 now in finding out a good camping place. The first thing 
 is the choice of a place with plenty of wood, birch, maple 
 
216 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 and beech, the next to select a level spot, shelter from the 
 winds and near the river, and the last to have a brook or a 
 spring near; which, though not so needful as the other 
 requisites, is a pleasing luxury. With attention paid to 
 these particulars, one is free from cold even in severe 
 weather. Last night the tent was too warm, and this 
 morning I sat at breakfast without my coat at 8 o'clock. 
 Thomas has made an admirable job of my burnt boots ; the 
 hole is capitally cobbled up with a piece of the other. 
 
 " Nothing but rapids — up, up, up all day long ; but 
 to-morrow I am comforted with the promise of 'I'eau 
 moste,' which means still water. 
 
 ''Wednesday, October 9th. We stopped as usual at 
 five o'clock; our camping ground is a tolerable place, but 
 there is no spring water. The afternoon and night were 
 very warm, the thermometer 58^, 30^ degrees higher than 
 it was three days ago. Breakfasted again with our coats 
 off, on soaked biscuit and moose meat. The old bull 
 moose, which was killed at the Fourth Lake, is now 
 brought into consumption for the first time ; as the calf of 
 which we have hitherto eaten is nearly expended. The 
 steak of the bull is like very coarse beef, that of the calf 
 somewhat like veal, but both have a decided flavour. 
 
 This morning we started about nine o'clock, and 
 soon after arrived at an open expanse of the river, con- 
 taining eight large islands. This is a favourite hunting 
 ground of the Indians ; and the fresh marks of moose and 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 217 
 
 Other wild animals, were all along the banks. We found a 
 party of Indians hunting amongst these islands, the same 
 we met on the Fourth Lake. They had just caught a 
 beaver, which we found scarcely dead in the canoe, and 
 quite warm. I purchased the tail to take home, and also 
 the tail of a musk-quash.^ The bargain was made with a 
 little maple sugar, and some gun-powder, with one of my 
 flasks. 
 
 Our Indian friends are again come up to us hunting 
 for a beaver trap. One, lost when last we met, has since 
 been found with a beaver in it. I am trying through my 
 interpreter Louis to get a bit of the animal for dinner ; but 
 it seems that they have left it on shore as they came up, or 
 we might have had some. While writing I am watching 
 them hunting in the long grass and rushes by the side of 
 river for the unfortunate beaver and trap. This is an 
 incident which may not occur again in the journal of an 
 European in these parts of North America. The distance 
 of the beaver lakes from the settlements is so great that 
 few persons are likely to undertake the journey; and the 
 animal is also nearly exterminated, and will be entirely so 
 before long, owing to the avidity with which it is pursued 
 by the Indians, who do little besides hunting, not even 
 taking the trouble to fish, although great quantities of fish 
 might be taken in any of the rivers. In all the rivers of 
 
 ' Mus zibethicus, the musk-rat. 
 
 28 
 
218 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 this country there is not a single net, except at one or two 
 places on the St. John's and the Aroostock. 
 
 The tribes are diminishing rapidly without apparent 
 reason ; those at least of this part of the country are evi- 
 dently well off, always able to maintain themselves, and 
 universally trusted by the whites. My Indian has five 
 children, an unusual number. 
 
 *'No rapids to day up to half-past eleven, when we 
 stopped for the men to dine, while I spent my time in 
 catching a fine dish of trout for supper. My hunting knife 
 came into great requisition for cleaning the fish. It would 
 also serve to put an end to a poor moose, if we were to 
 meet with one, and I should be glad to take a pair of 
 horns home, of my own killing, they are great weight and 
 size. 
 
 Thursday, October loth. We camped last night 
 about half way up a long rapid, at least two miles long; no 
 incident occurred beyond the usual routine. 
 
 ''Friday, October nth. The journey yesterday pro- 
 duced nothing interesting, except that we did not catch any 
 trout and felt the loss of them at dinner. In the morning 
 Louis pointed out a spot in the woods near the river, 
 where a couple of years since he buried two of his children, 
 who died of the small-pox. The weather cleared up in 
 the afternoon and the sun shone out, but there was a cold 
 wind, and this morning the thermometer was down again 
 to 22° at 7 o'clock. 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 219 
 
 "We arrived at the forks of the St John's, where the 
 river divides into two branches, at 9 o'clock. The south- 
 west branch leads directly to Quebec, a two days journey 
 by portage and canoe. We are now penetrating the in- 
 terior by the other branch, in order to reach the source of 
 the Chaudiere. 
 
 Louis has just called out to the Canadian boatmen. 
 Si on vent manger du regnal (moose) il ne faut pas 
 chanter pour le jour," so on we push. The wind is so cold, 
 though the sun shines, that 1 can write no longer, and must 
 put on my gloves. Our canoe leaks most abominably from 
 the numerous thumps the fragile surface of the bark has 
 sustained, against the sharp rocks. I have delighted my 
 Indian, by producing my large sponge, which at this season, 
 alas indeed any season in these parts, is of no use; for 
 it's original purpose of cold water sponging from head 
 to foot, is not practicable in the woods during the summer 
 on account of the mosquitos and flies, which would soon 
 make one blister from head to foot, and in the autumn and 
 winter the cold renders it out of the question ; my sponge is 
 therefore applied to emptying the canoe to Louis' great 
 delight, who never saw such a thing in his life before. 
 
 I hear the partridges drumming again. What a 
 bore it is to be without a dog ; this comes of trusting to 
 others. Instead of an old experienced Indian, and an 
 active young dog, I found myself with an old dog half 
 blind, and quite deaf, which was useless and soon lost, and 
 
220 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 a young boy of eighteen. I had plenty of exercise yester- 
 day by walking along the shore. If it was not for the 
 numerous moose, it would be extremely difficult to make 
 ones way. These animals have cleared a path everywhere 
 through the bushes and long grass; and the tracks and foot 
 marks by the side of the river on the sand are like those of 
 so many oxen constantly passing and repassing. 
 
 Saturday, October 12th. Here I am, thank God, in 
 my canoe again, a result I had much reason to doubt two 
 hours ago. We camped as usual last night, our progress 
 during the day having been much impeded by bad rapids, 
 which obliged us to walk through the woods, and the men 
 to carry the canoes up the stream by going into the water. 
 This morning we started early, anxious to reach the lake 
 about five miles before us. I walked for some time, guided 
 by Mr. Hansard, who having been accustomed to the 
 business of exploring, I considered was a safe pioneer. 
 After a time I fancied that we seemed to be going away 
 from the river, and accordingly insisted on gaining the bank 
 to ascertain the position of our party, who are always 
 making noise enough to be heard a mile off. When we 
 arrived at the river, we saw or heard nothing of them; I 
 fired off my gun several times, and then we became alarmed, 
 and uncertain whether we had not fallen on the course of 
 some tributary stream, the least of the consequences of 
 which would have been perhaps, a night or two in the 
 woods, without food or shelter; and I confess, I never was 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 221 
 
 more seriously alarmed. In this dilemma I asked Mr. 
 Hansard if there was no way of ascertaining by signs on 
 the stream or rocks, whether the party had gone up or not. 
 He shook his head, and I agreed to remain on the spot 
 with my corporal, a capital fellow, whilst Hansard should 
 return on our steps to where the party was last seen, and 
 trace the river upwards, to ascertain whether we were on 
 the right river or not. After he left us, I tried to light a 
 cigar, to pass away the time till his return, with a piece of 
 bark taken from a birch tree, not to use one of the five 
 matches I had left, which might be needed for lighting a 
 solitary fire at night. It then occurred to me, that as the 
 river was remarkably still, without any ripple or current, 
 that in passing up, if the canoes were before us, the agita- 
 tion of the water must have wetted the rocks far above the 
 water mark. On examination I found this to be the case ; 
 and the discovery, which I communicated to my com- 
 panions, was a great relief to us, as we were now certain 
 that the canoes were before us on the same river. Again 
 I fired off my gun twice, and we all shouted as long and as 
 loud as we could. 
 
 In about half an hour, we thought we heard a shout 
 coming down the stream, and to that answered by another 
 ^un and shouting ; we soon became certain that we were 
 heard, and shortly after one of the men joined us with the 
 information that the rest of the party were about a mile 
 ahead. I despatched him after Mr. Hansard, and waited 
 
222 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 on the spot for the return of Hansard, who came back to us 
 in about half an hour afterwards, without ascertaining 
 further than that we were on the right stream. No one, 
 who has never been under similar circumstances, can ever 
 estimate the extent of mental distress we endured at the 
 thought of being lost in a wilderness with the prospect of 
 ultimate starvation. But thanks to God, who has preserved 
 us hitherto, we overtook our party soon after, who received 
 a severe rebuke for leaving us, though perhaps we only 
 were in fault for losing sight of the river. 
 
 ''Sunday, October 13th. Sunday again in the canoe, 
 where to-day I must offer up my prayers, heartily, as I 
 trust, thanking God for his past mercies, and praying for a 
 continuance of them, and blessings on those I so dearly 
 love at home. 
 
 " Yesterday our progress was so much impeded by the 
 rapids, that we made but little way, and are now at least 
 three miles from the lake, with a very bad rapid of a mile 
 and a half before us. Yesterday I killed a beautiful 
 partridge,^ nearly as large as a pheasant, different from any 
 I have ever seen. The back was like that of the Azores 
 partridge, and altogether with the exception of the eyes 
 very similar in appearance to it. The legs feathered like a 
 grouse, with two black plumes on each side of the head. 
 I mean to have it stuffed when we get to Quebec. 
 
 ^ Tetrao Canadensis* 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 223 
 
 "In the afternoon we observed a stick, stuck up on 
 the side of the river, with a piece of burnt bark folded, and 
 black on the inside. On examination I made out an 
 Indian inscription, well written and perfectly legible, pur- 
 porting that, Andre Thomas, an Indian chief, had there 
 killed a moose, whose remains and bones we found lying on 
 a frame and dried. Shortly afterwards a boat, which had 
 advanced in front of mine, made a sign to approach, as the 
 men had seen two moose just before the head of the boat ; 
 my gun, in which I keep neither shot or balls, both of 
 which are kept in my waistcoat pocket, was ready with 
 balls in both barrels in a moment, but Louis not being quite 
 so quick, detained us for a minute or two, which gave them 
 time to go off ; this they did very quietly however, staring 
 some time at the Indians. 
 
 " They were both cows, in fact the banks of the river 
 are trodden by them, like cows in a farm yard, and if the 
 Frenchmen can be made to hold their tongues, we cannot 
 fail to get one. This morning Hansard whilst washing by 
 the side of the river before breakfast, heard one lowing 
 very near, Louis went after it, but unsuccessfully. We 
 have already passed the carcases of three, hung up by the 
 Indians, since we left the camp this morning. I had a 
 great inclination to take the skins, but property in these 
 wild regions is more respected by the Indians, than by us 
 whites. 
 
224 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "Monday, October 14th. We toiled all yesterday till 
 near one o'clock, pulling the canoes up the rapids by main 
 force, my canoe being almost torn to pieces ; we despaired 
 almost of ever reaching the lake. About two or half past 
 a party was descried on the river, which proved to be a 
 party of Indians with Featherstonehaugh and his party. 
 The Indians had killed a large moose the day before, and 
 Featherstonehaugh's Indian one also, left about three miles 
 off This occurred very fortunately, and relieved them 
 from the apprehension of being without food, they having 
 nearly expended all their stock. 
 
 This journey had taken them the same time to 
 perform forty miles, that had taken us two hundred. In 
 coming up the rapids this morning, in as short a time as 
 possible with provisions for the maintenance of our new 
 party, my canoe got so much injured that it would not 
 swim; and my Indian was obliged to search for gum to 
 patch it up. The consequence was that the party had two 
 or three hours start of me; happily I detained the canoes 
 containing my tent and provisions, and I had reason after- 
 wards to rejoice at my determination to do so, for when the 
 canoe was mended, it began in half an hour to leak again, 
 and was completely swamped, so that Louis had to return 
 to his patching. Featherstonehaugh is now four hours 
 ahead, and we may not overtake him, till he reaches the 
 lakes, where we meet to go to Quebec. The Indian 
 hunters left us this morning and returned again this after- 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 225 
 
 noon ; they overtook us as we came down the river bringing 
 with them a fine pair of moose horns and head, which I 
 intend to present to the Natural History Society of Ply- 
 mouth. 
 
 By a curious coincidence our camp is pitched on the 
 very spot, where we were lost on Saturday; if Featherstone- 
 haugh had carried off my tent and provisions, we should 
 have had to camp on this spot with nothing but the sky 
 over us. 
 
 "Tuesday, October 15th. The damaged state of my 
 canoe which obliged us to leave the carcass of a moose, at 
 the head of one of the rapids, prevented our moving to-day 
 till near one o'clock. We were obliged to engage our 
 Indian friends, who camped with us last night, to assist in 
 putting on a sheathing to the birch canoes. We dined in 
 comfort last night, with our usual allowance of trout caught 
 by me, in about an hour, whilst the men stopped to get 
 the canoes patched, and delicious moose meat, of the best 
 flavour, and tender as a chicken. Our Indian friends 
 supplied us with some game, amongst them six wild ducks 
 very large and fine, (a drake and a duck of a rare species 
 I intend for the Natural History Museum at Plymouth), in 
 return I gave them a pound of gunpowder and some shot, 
 for which they said, Thank you," a very unusual thing for 
 an Indian, who usually gives and receives without the least 
 sign or expression of emotion or pleasure. This indiffer- 
 ence, which is real and not affected, is the most striking 
 
 29 
 
226 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 mark in their character. A friend told me he went to a 
 wig- warn with a hunter after a long absence to witness his 
 meeting with his family. He scarcely noticed his squaw; 
 and the only notice she took of him was to cook sufficient 
 meat for the food of both. 
 
 We are now supplied with abundance of provisions, 
 so that I would not kill a poor moose if it were to cross my 
 path, which is very probable. The dogs have just put up 
 some partridges, which are settling on the trees close to me ; 
 but I have no pleasure in killing, when we do not want for 
 food, though I have a loaded gun by my side, and ammu- 
 nition in abundance. 
 
 We are now out of the rapids; for about six miles we 
 have been going steadily down the stream ; warm as 
 summer it is, yet to-morrow may bring ice, so uncertain 
 and variable is the climate. This is the only time of the 
 year when the woods are endurable, the flies in the warm 
 weather destroy all comfort. Cedar bark is the only pro- 
 tection. 
 
 ''In the fly season those who enter the woods, carry a 
 small switch, smouldering away like a slow match, giving a 
 good deal of smoke and a most agreeable aromatic odour, 
 which the flies cannot bear. 
 
 *' I am now looking forward to reach Quebec in about a 
 week, trusting that the most diflicult part of our arduous 
 undertaking is at an end, and perfectly satisfied that the 
 British claim is founded upon truth and justice, but equally 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 227 
 
 certain that the Americans will never allow it. In fact the 
 present generation of Americans have been led by their 
 parents to think their cause a good one; and such impress- 
 ions are not likely to be erased by the most indisputable 
 arguments. A compromise is all that can be effected with- 
 out going to war, which would be ruinous to all, and more 
 especially to the people of New Brunswick, who would soon 
 be overrun by swarms of vagabonds from all parts of the 
 States, if even they were capable of coping with the popu- 
 lation of Maine, the hardiest and best set of people in 
 America. 
 
 Wednesday, October 14th. Yesterday shortly after 
 three we overtook Featherstonehaugh and his party; and 
 are now encamped at the forks of the river, preparing to 
 ascend the river Dougnen, being the nearest road to 
 Quebec, 
 
 " Praise and thanks to God, that he has given me 
 health and strength to arrive thus far, and to have suc- 
 ceeded in almost completing our expedition, which the 
 most healthy and robust might occasionally have looked at 
 with apprehension, not so much from personal fear on the 
 score of health or strength, but from the certainty, that a 
 failure in either must interrupt and impede the operations 
 in which I have been engaged. I have had a most satis- 
 factory conversation with Featherstonehaugh, and we are 
 quite agreed as to the mode of proceeding, and of our 
 report, which has given me more pleasure than anything 
 
228 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 else. He is so heartily tired of the expedition, that he 
 declares no temptations of any kind, shall induce him to 
 undertake another; and if I can reasonably and honourably 
 get off, I shall feel inclined the same way. Not that any 
 future expedition would be attended with one half the 
 hardship and expense that this has been. We have ar- 
 ranged that I go from Quebec to New York and meet him 
 there on November 20th ; he returns first of all to Fred- 
 erickton to settle some affairs. I propose to remain a day 
 or two at Quebec to rest and go to Church, and then to 
 proceed to Montreal and Niagara. We are now proceeding 
 up the River Dougnen, I in my canoe as usual ; some of the 
 party are walking by the portage to meet the canoes at a 
 fork, about five miles up. I have had much praise from 
 my Indian Louis, for finding by the marks of the water on 
 the rocks, that the canoes had passed up, when we were 
 lost the other day. This morning it threatened to rain, but 
 it cleared off, and the fine weather continues. The river is 
 tolerably free from rocks and shoals. We stopped for the 
 men's dinner at a point terminating a portage, it was the 
 site of an Indian camp, the walls on two sides of which 
 were left standing and complete. It is the most complete 
 thing that could be imagined or contrived, composed of 
 upright stakes driven into the ground, with rafters on them, 
 tied with cedar thongs stripped from the bark, and covered, 
 front, top, and sides with bark from the spruce fir, tied on 
 neatly and firmly with cedar thongs. The whole had a 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 229 
 
 symmetrical and comfortable appearance. The door-way 
 was cut in a semi-circular form. These wig-wams were 1 2 
 feet long, by 10 feet wide, and about 7 feet high in the 
 middle, with a hole in the top to let out the smoke. The 
 fire is placed in the centre, and a door at each end. A 
 sort of rail-work was arranged in the roof over the fire, of 
 sticks, and skins placed there to dry; many of which still 
 remained, as those of the musk-rat and the moose ; there 
 were remains also of a deer and a moose, long strips of 
 the flesh of each being hung up to the roof; in this way 
 the Indians cure by smoke only, without salt, moose and 
 other meat, which will keep a year or more. Two rough 
 canoes also remained, one made of the light branches of 
 cedar, covered with bark, and tied together with thongs, 
 and the other hollowed out from the trunk of a large tree, 
 both apparently made for mere secondary purposes to cross 
 the river; from which it appears, according to Louis' infer- 
 ence, that these Indians came without canoes of their own, 
 and made them somewhere up the river, that they came 
 down the river in these canoes, and afterwards when they 
 left the spot started off on their journey by land. There 
 were some wooden stools in the building, and numerous 
 contrivances for drying various skins of value, such as 
 beaver and others, which showed that the hunt had been 
 successful, and a small sieve, which, notwithstanding the 
 prohibition, I took the liberty of carrying away as a relic 
 of the camp. The prohibition alluded to was written on 
 
230 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 a tree near, on a large piece of bark sliced off for the 
 purpose ; the crown above was well drawn, and the letters 
 remarkably well formed, the matter used in writing was 
 apparently red chalk. Here are two interesting proofs of 
 a considerable advance of education amongst the Indians. 
 The language has the appearance of some identity with 
 that of the South Sea Islanders. It appears from Louis 
 account that the Indians were first taught to write by the 
 French, and that subsequently this most useful acquirement 
 has been carefully transmitted, amongst some of the tribes, 
 from father to son. The Indians of this country are cer- 
 tainly a most respectable class, honest, always holding 
 property in the utmost respect ; the mere claim, as the 
 inscription shews, being a sufficient security except from 
 white thieves, such as myself ; I believe, however, that my 
 character stands sufficiently high amongst them, to make 
 me welcome to what I may take away. A very remarkable 
 instance of Indian honesty occurred the other day. One 
 of our Indian hunters, Andre Thomas, the same who wrote 
 and left the inscription over the remains of the moose,, 
 which we found when ascending the lakes last week, and 
 who has subsequently been employed by us, had killed in a 
 short time six fine ducks, which I purchased from him for 
 about four shillings. During the negotiation he caught 
 sight of a telescope which belonged to Hansard, of superior 
 make, and was anxious to purchase it at any price ; but I 
 explained to him, as he very well knew, that it was one of 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE, 
 
 231 
 
 the most useful articles we had. On leaving the camp next 
 morning Hansard left it behind, and did not miss it till the 
 evening, when Andre Thomas brought it to him. Andre 
 had remained in the camp after we had left, and found 
 what he most coveted. I did not know this till afterwards, 
 or he should have had at least another pound of gunpowder, 
 which next to the telescope would have pleased him most. 
 
 " Old Louis will make quite a fortune by his journey 
 with us ; already he has amassed riches in abundance, 
 empty bottles, jars full of oil, pots and pans, all of which 
 he has placed in a cache by the side of the river, like our 
 dog Pucksey hiding a bone! I intend to send him a 
 present of blankets with some other little things, from 
 Quebec. 
 
 Although the weather is so fine, the Indians were 
 right, that the cold we had so severely nearly a fortnight 
 ago, was the first day of winter. It has frozen more or 
 less every night since ; and almost all the leaves are gone 
 from the trees, the first change after this Indian summer, 
 as it is termed, and ice and snow will soon be in abundance. 
 Moose tracks still continue as frequent as ever, with those 
 of the deer and the bear. Yesterday I am sure there was 
 a bear concealed on an island, where I was, from the tracks 
 and the freshness of the peeling of the bark from the trees. 
 I did not have my gun in my hand, and did not care to 
 examine the cover too closely. A man with presence of 
 mind, and a knife, may almost always kill a bear, by suffer- 
 
232 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 iiig the animal to take him into his paws without struggling. 
 It is their habit to convey off their prey to their haunt 
 without injury, except in case of resistance. The young 
 Indians are taught never to struggle in such cases, if a bear 
 should surprise them, which is not an uncommon occurrence, 
 but to use the knife, which they always carry about in a 
 sheath by their side, firmly and vigorously on the first 
 favourable moment, against the soft part of the belly, cutting 
 up to the heart; they are also frequently killed by the 
 tomahawk. 
 
 " I could have caught any quantity of trout to-day, if I 
 had had proper tackle ; all my hooks are gone, except some 
 small ones, which would not hold the fish. I am only sur- 
 prised that this country has never been visited by English- 
 men — a party from Quebec or Frederickton, with their 
 canoes, three officers for instance — with two servants, one for 
 cooking, and another to look after the camping ; provisions 
 for two months, three Indians for the three birch canoes, 
 and two Canadians for the two log ones. In about a fort- 
 night such a party might reach the hunting grounds on the 
 Allegash or the St. John's, where they could subsist entirely 
 on game and fish. Any number of trout might be taken 
 with the spear, used for the purpose in these parts ; it is 
 made of two pieces of wood, tied together so as to form a 
 spring, and opening to admit the fish, and having a spike in 
 the middle which goes through the back and gills of it 
 immediately. The spear handle is usually about ten or 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 233 
 
 twelve feet long. This is a much better contrivance than 
 anything we have in England. The size of the spear is 
 regulated by the size of the fish intended to be taken, so 
 that the body of the fish should be enclosed in the opening, 
 and tighdy compressed. 
 
 We have again met with another production of Andre 
 Thomas ; three canoeing poles were left standing up, by the 
 side of the river, with a birch bark letter stuck on a cleft 
 stick as before, intimating that they were to be left alone. 
 I am afraid our people have not respected his injunctions 
 this time. 
 
 "Quebec, October 22nd. This journey concluded, as 
 regards our voyage by boats. We proceeded up the river 
 to its source nearly, and then twelve miles through the 
 woods to the Lake Echemin, which was fifty miles from 
 Quebec ; from thence we walked a greater part of the way, 
 and arrived here safe and well, through God's protecting 
 Providence, yesterday at two o'clock." 
 
 Colonel Mudge did not continue his journey any further. 
 From Quebec he went to Niagara, and thence to New York, 
 where he met the remainder of the expedition, who returned 
 together to England at the end of the year. The Commis- 
 sioners possessed of the required geographical information, 
 proceeded to examine the whole history of the boundary 
 question, and reported to Her Majesty's government in 
 1840, that the line claimed by America was entirely incon- 
 sistent with the physical geography of the country, and the 
 
 30 
 
234 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 intentions of the treaty of 1783, whilst they had discovered 
 a line of highlands south of the one claimed, which was in 
 accordance with the language of the treaty. The report 
 was accepted by the government, and was laid before par- 
 liament in 1840. The result was a compromise, such as 
 Colonel Mudge suggested in his journal, which was effected 
 in the Treaty of Washington in 1842. In consequence of 
 the feeling in the country against the concessions made to 
 America, Mr. Featherstonehaugh took the opportunity of ex- 
 plaining the circumstances, which had led to the completion 
 of the treaty, at a meeting of the Cornwall Polytechnic Society 
 held at Falmouth in October of the same year. He pointed 
 out that the Ministry had to choose between three lines of 
 conduct, first, to adhere to the extreme right of Great 
 Britain, at the certain risk of endangering the peace between 
 the two countries ; secondly, to enter upon a second negoti- 
 ation with the United States, which would necessitate a 
 considerable delay and extra expense ; or lastly to attempt 
 to settle the question by compromise. This was done by 
 America withdrawing her claim, and Great Britain ceding 
 that portion of the disputed territory south of the St. John's 
 River. 
 
 The government approved of Mr. Featherstonehaugh's 
 exposition of the principles of the treaty ; and in a letter to 
 Colonel Mudge, he refers to the good opinion they enter- 
 tained of the work of the Commissioners. 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 235 
 
 Foreign Office, 
 
 October 17th, 1842. 
 
 My dear Mudge, 
 
 I deferred answering your letter of the 4th in the hope that some 
 decision would be come to here, about ulterior measures; but although 
 there has been a great deal of stir at the Foreign Office, I cannot yet 
 speak positively. You may have seen a speech I delivered at Falmouth 
 in vindication of the Treaty. It produced a salutary effect in Cornwall, 
 for Sir Charles Lemon, and all the Whigs at the dinner, declared them- 
 selves satisfied, and that they would support the Government in the par- 
 ticular matter of the Treaty. Indeed I had a letter from Lemon yesterday, 
 saying it was the general opinion and wish, that that course should be 
 taken by Lord John Russell. I now regret I did not go to see Lord John, 
 but really I was afraid of reaching London too late. This speech got into 
 the Times, with commendations, and the Standard came out largely in 
 praise of it. The Globe sneered at it, and on the nth of October the 
 Chronicle, that had been fighting the Times with our Report of 1840, 
 came out with an exceedingly clever, but rather too long an Article, taking 
 what I said to task, in a courteous manner however, although exceedingly 
 unfair, drawing conclusions from arguments I had never used, and reproving 
 me for not saying, what I had said, but which it had suppressed. The gist 
 of the paper was, that I had greatly disappointed my friends, by consenting 
 to go down to Cornwall at the instance of the Government, to vindicate 
 them, and unsay my own opinions. Every line of this Article was written 
 by Lord Palmerston, which is well known to everyone. I thought of 
 answering that article ; I could have smashed it, for it was very disingenious, 
 and indeed I did draw up an answer, but I suppressed it for various 
 reasons. I thought it was best to let well alone, and although the 
 article would have told amazingly against Lord Palmerston, with those who 
 were up in the subject, yet with the mass it would have appeared a contest 
 between myself and the Chronicle, and I would not stoop to that. I had 
 too many kind recollections of Lord Palmerston to wish to annoy him ; I 
 therefore preferred to let him have his shot at me, and to return it in a 
 friendly manner, when we should meet again. But I was also governed by 
 .another reason, whilst all this newspaper work was going on, and every- 
 body talking about it, Lord Aberdeen sent for me ; and I went to the inter- 
 
236 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 view not without some apprehension, that he might think I had transcended 
 the precise line of my duty. He received me, with a most agreeable smile 
 and a hearty shake of the hand, "I have read your speech, "said he," and 
 if we really had, as the Chronicle says, sent anybody down to Cornwall to 
 justify us, we never should have expected it to have been so well done, as 
 you have done it. It would do an immense deal of good, coming from 
 such an authority, as you are, in the case. You say in the speech, that you 
 had the confidence of two Administrations ; and I have great pleasure in 
 telling you, that you enjoy our confidence perfectly." I remained an hour 
 with him, during which time I had most interesting conversation with him. 
 He desired me to prepare everything for the execution of the Treaty in 
 the spring, still without saying anything about my going out as Com- 
 missioner. Nothing is more clear however, than that it will be left to 
 me to do as I please, nor can I desire to be on better terms with the 
 Government, for on Saturday evening, Lord Aberdeen told me he had just 
 received a letter from Sir Robert Peel, saying he had read my speech; that 
 he approved of every part of it, and that it deserved more praise than he 
 could give it. Lord Ashburton, I am sorry to say, has rather suffered by the 
 publication of the correspondence with Webster. He is not thought to 
 have sustained a proper tone, and all see that he began by showing his 
 hand too soon. Hugh Mildmay, his Secretary, has written me a very compli- 
 mentary letter about my ' able and eloquent speech,' and I have answered 
 it saying, that whilst I could sincerely congratulate the public on the 
 termination of the Boundary dispute, I would not call upon them to be 
 proud of the Treaty, after having seen the correspondence. Lord Ash- 
 burton has shown talent in his letters, but he appears to have sunk the 
 EngUshman as soon as he got into American waters. I am satisfied. 
 
 And now let me tell you with how much pleasure I remember my 
 visit to Beechwood. 
 
 Very faithfully your's, 
 
 G. W. FEATHERSTONEHAUGH. 
 
 During his visit at Falmouth, Mr. Featherstonehaugh 
 was the guest of Sir Charles Lemon ; from Carclew he wrote 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 2sr 
 
 to Colonel Mudge, " I wish you had accompanied me. This 
 is a magnificent place, very much in the style of Up- Park. 
 The deer run about in every direction, and nothing can be 
 more perfect in the way of a country residence on a grand 
 scale. Everything too inside corresponds, ceilings eighteen 
 feet high, and a most sumptuous table, — of rich, and good, 
 and excellent things, the greatest profusion. You would 
 have been made very welcome, and would have found 
 agreeable people here, who laugh and talk, and are exceed- 
 ingly obliged to you, if you talk nonsense to them, now and 
 then, in an agreeable manner. Certainly there is no cere- 
 mony here ; everyone does as he pleases, and Sir Charles 
 Lemon, who is one of the best bred men, is full of kind and 
 unobtrusive attentions. Amongst others Captain Ellis and 
 his wife, and Mrs. Greville are here ; we dined with them, 
 you know, at Portsmouth ; they made very kind enquiries 
 after you. Delightful as all this is, yet society upon so 
 busding a scale rather oppresses me, and I feel a great want 
 of the quiet enjoyment, and the, to me, all sufficient society 
 I left at Beechwood, where the hours passed in so noiseless 
 and satisfactory a manner, that I still feel as if I had 
 awakened from a pleasant dream, not easily forgotten, and 
 not easily renewed. Although everything is so inviting, I 
 shall leave it without regret, so insufficient are the luxuries 
 of Carclew to produce those true feelings which are akin to 
 perfect content. I rejoice to have had a peep at your 
 domestic happiness." 
 
238 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Mr. Richard Rosdew, of Beech wood, had died in 
 September 1837, and Colonel Mudge, who had married in 
 18 1 7 Alice Watson, daughter of J. W. Hull, Esq., took up 
 his permanent residence there, previous to his joining the 
 New Brunswick Expedition. On his return he resided 
 continually at Beechwood, till he removed to Teignmouth, 
 where he died September 25th, 1854, at the age of 66. 
 
 He was buried in the Churchyard at Denbury. 
 
 JOHN, the second son of Major General Mudge, 
 was in the Royal Engineers ; he was born in 1 794, and died 
 while in service at the Cape in 1825. 
 
 There is a tablet in St. Paul's Church, Halifax, N.S., 
 to the memory of Sarah Jessy Henrietta Mudge, wife of 
 John Mudge, Esq., of H.M. Ordnance Department. 
 
 "It pleased God to remove her from this world, on the 26th of 
 November, 1818, when she closed a virtuous life, in the 24th year of 
 her age." 
 
 WILLIAM, the third son of Major General Mudge, 
 born 1796, was a Captain in the Royal Navy, and lost his 
 life in 1837, while surveying the coast of Ireland. 
 
 His eldest son William Tertius, who was also in the 
 Navy, was likewise drowned at sea. He was lost in the 
 wreck of H.M.S. Orpheus, of which ship he was Flag 
 Lieutenant, on the Mainakan Bar, New Zealand, the 7th 
 of February, 1863. 
 
RICHARD ZACHARIAH MUDGE. 
 
 239 
 
 ZACHARIAH, the youngest son of Major General 
 Mudge, was born in 1800. He followed in the steps of his 
 father, and passed from Woolwich into the Royal Artillery. 
 He served in Canada, where he was private Secretary to 
 Sir John Colborne, afterwards Lord Seaton, the Lieut- 
 Governor of the Province, and died at Toronto on June 
 loth, 183 1, aged 31. 
 
GENEALOGICAL TABLE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MUDGE FAMILY. 
 
 ZACHARIAH MUDGE b. 1694; d. April 3rd, 
 1769; Preb. Exon., Vicar of St. Andrew's, Plymouth. 
 Married ist Mary Fox. Zachary b. 17 14; d. 1753 ; a Sur- 
 geon. Mary b. 1715. Thomas b. 171 7; d. 1794. Richard 
 b. 1718; d. 1773. John b. 1721; d. 1793. Married 2ndly, 
 Elizabeth Neell in 1762 ; she died 1782. 
 
 THOMAS, son of Rev. Zachariah and Mary Mudge, 
 b. 1 71 7; d. November 14th, 1794. Watchmaker. Married 
 Abigail Hopkins in 1757, daughter of a gentleman in 
 Oxford; she died in 1789. Thomas b. 1760; d. 1843. 
 John b. January 7th, 1763; d. May 3rd, 1847. 
 
 THOMAS, son of Thomas and Abigail Mudge, b. 
 December 6th, 1760; d. November loth, 1843; married 
 
 31 
 
242 ' GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF 
 
 Elizabeth Kingdon b. June i6th, 1761 ; d. December 15th, 
 1856, (her sister Sophia married Sir Mark Isambard Brunei, 
 and was mother of Isambard Kingdon Brunei). Elizabeth 
 b. January 29th, 1787; d. 1788. Sarah b. 1788; d. 1859. 
 Thomas b. February 20th, 1789; d. 1839. Eliza b. March 
 6th, 1791; d. March 23rd, 1862. Robert b. September 
 14th, 1792; d. 1871. Anne b. 1794; d. 1812. William b. 
 1795; died an infant. William b. 1796. Mary Sophia b. 
 1798. Zachary b. 1799; d. 1852. John b. 1801; d. 1872. 
 
 SARAH, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Mudge, 
 b. 1788; d. 1859; married William Marchant, residing near 
 Chippenham. 
 
 THOMAS, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Mudge, b. 
 1789 ; d. 1839. In the Navy Office, m. Anna Robson, d. 
 1857; Charlotte b. 182-. 
 
 ROBERT, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Mudge, b. 
 September 14th, 1792; d. 1871 at Dover. Captain R.N. 
 m. 1824 Catherine Husband Jell, daughter of Richard Jell, 
 Esq., of Dover; b. 1788; d. 1872. Elizabeth b. April 6th, 
 1825 ; d. February 14th, 1861. Robert Elias b. September 
 :22nd, 1826; d. October 26th, 1876. Christian John b. May 
 Sth, 1828; d. April, 1829. William Henry b. May 17th, 
 1829; d. July 7th, 1856. Maria b. April 15th, 1830. 
 
 ZACHARY, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Mudge. 
 b. 1799 ; d. 1852 ; m. Sarah Rider, daughter of J. Rider of 
 St. Heliers, Jersey. Sarah b. 1831. 
 
THE MUDGE FAMILY. 
 
 24a 
 
 CHARLOTTE, daughter of Thomas and Anna 
 Mudge, b. 182- ; m. 1866 John Walcott, Esq. 
 
 ELIZABETH, daughter of Robert and Catherine 
 H. Mudge, b. April 6th, 1825; d. February 14th, 1861 ; 
 m. 1847, Rev. P. H. Jennings, youngest son of Geo» 
 Jennings Esq., of The Shubbery, Dover, b. October ist, 
 18 16. Harnett ElHson b. 1848. Katherine Bessie b. 1849, 
 Ellen Dumergue b. 1850. Charles Pollexfen b. 1852; d. 
 1873. Ada b. 1854; d. 1879. William Henry Mudge b. 
 1856; d. 1881. Courtenay Balderston b. i860. 
 
 ROBERT ELIAS, son of Robert and Catherine 
 Mudge b. September 22nd, 1826; d. October 26th, 1876; 
 m. 1852, Susan dau. of George Birch, M.D. ; b. October 
 8th, 1826; ni. January 8th, 1852. Charles Robert b. 1853. 
 Frances Mary b. 1854. William Henry b. 1857. Frederick 
 Ernest b. 1859. Arthur Brunei b. i860. Edward Alexander 
 b. 1862. 
 
 HARNETT ELLISON, son of Elizabeth and P. 
 H. Jennings, b. 1848; m. Agnes M. Jeken. John Harnett 
 b. 1872. Agnes Irene b. 1874. Catherine Mary b. 1876. 
 Helen Elizabeth b. 1878; d. 1880. Charles b. 1881. 
 
 ELLEN DUMERGUE, daughter of Elizabeth and 
 P. H. Jennings, b. 1850; m. 1881, Rev. J. H. Sedgwick. 
 
 CHARLES ROBERT, son of Robert and Susan 
 Mudge, b. 1853; m. 1881, Susan Parry. 
 
244 
 
 GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF 
 
 JOHN, son of Thomas and Abigail Mudge, b. Jany. 
 1763 ; d. May 3rd, 1847. Vicar of Brampford Speke, and 
 Rector of Lustleigh in the County of Devon, for 56 years, 
 m. Agnes Rosdew (sister of Richard and William Rosdew, 
 who both married daughters of Dr. John Mudge), b. 1766 ; 
 d. 1844. Charlotte b. 1790; d. 1836. John b. 1792; d. 
 1872. Richard Rosdew b. 1794. Maria Janetta b. 1801. 
 
 CHARLOTTE, daughter of John and Agnes Mudge, 
 b. 17.90; d. 1836; m. William Butterfield Colton ; b. 1787; 
 d. 1868. William Butterfield b. 1815 ; d. 1819. Agnes 
 Charlotte b. 18 16. Anna Caroline b. 18 17; d. 1840. John 
 Casper b. 1819 ; d. 1874. William Coupland b. 1820. Jessie 
 Eleanor b. 182 1. Richard Rosdew b. 1823 ; d. 1869. Mary 
 Jane b. 1825; d. 1861. Edward Butterfield b. 1827. 
 Thomas Mudge b. 1829; d. 1867. Emily b. 1832; d. 1832. 
 
 JOHN, son of John and Agnes Mudge, b. 1792; d. 
 1872; married ist, Sarah Jessie Henrietta Colton b. 1796; 
 d. 18 18. John William b. 18 17. Married 2nd, Jane Eliza- 
 beth Noyce b. 1804. Frederick Spicer b. 1827; d. 1857. 
 Richard Rosdew b. 1828 ; d. 1870. Henry Colton b. 1829; 
 d. 1873. Jessie b. 183 1. Charles b. 1833 ; d. 1858. Ellen 
 b. 1835. Charlotte b. 1837. 
 
 MARIA JANETTA, dau of John and Agnes Mudge, 
 b. 1801; m. Sir John Mouatt, Bart., R.N. 
 
 AGNES CHARLOTTE, dau. of Charlotte and 
 William B. Colton, b. 1816; m. J. G. Howard, d. 1865. 
 Charlotte Martha b. 1840. 
 
THE MUDGE FAMILY. 
 
 245 
 
 JOHN CASPER, son of Charlotte and William 
 Colton, b. 1819; d. 1874; m. Mary Ingham. Edward 
 Gardner b. 1856. William Butterfield b. 1859. Charles 
 Herbert b. 1862. Edith Mary b. 1864; d. 1866. Henrietta 
 Louise b. 1870. 
 
 WILLIAM COUPLAND, son of Charlotte and 
 William B. Colton, b. 1820; m. Louise Santierson. Char- 
 lotte b. 1852. Fanny Louise b. 1853. 
 
 RICHARD ROSDEW, son of Charlotte and William 
 B. Colton, b. 1823; d. 1869; m. Sarah Hodgson. 12 
 children, 7 dead. 
 
 MARY JANE, daughter of Charlotte and William 
 B. Colton, b. 1825; d. 1861; m. Peter Conrad Petrie. 
 Charlotte Anne Mary b. 1851; d. 1869. Jessie Maria 
 Butterfield b. 1858. Christian Agnes b. i860; d. 1861. 
 
 THOMAS MUDGE, son of Charlotte and William 
 B. Colton, b. 1829; d. 1867; m. Anne Hughes. William 
 Mudge b. 1855. Charlotte b. 1857; d. 1874. Eleanor b. 
 1862. 
 
 JOHN WILLIAM, son of John and Sarah Jessie 
 Henrietta Mudge, b. 1817; m. ist, Emma Christian Daniell 
 (widow of E. C. Johnstone, Esq.), b. 1826 ; d. 1858. Jessie 
 Frances b. 1856. Alice Mary Emma*b. 1857. m. 2nd, 
 Julia Vallance b. 183 1, (widow of Thomas Little, Capt. 
 Hussars, whose grandmother Mrs. Holberton, was a sister 
 of Richard Rosdew). 
 
246 
 
 GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF 
 
 RICHARD ROSDEW, son of John and Jane Eliza- 
 beth Mudge, b. 1828; d. 1870; m. Ellen Eldridge. Rosie 
 b. 1862. 
 
 HENRY CO ETON, son of John and Jane Elizabeth 
 Mudge, b. 1829 ; d. 1873 ; m. Frances Anne Denison. 
 
 JESSIE, dau. of John and Jane Elizabeth Mudge, 
 b. 1831; m. jShes Pearson, b. 1820. 
 
 ELLEN, dau. of John and Jane Elizabeth Mudge, 
 b. 1835 ; m. Charles Denison, d. 1874. Jessie Mary b. 
 1871. 
 
 CHARL O TTE MAR THA, dau. of Agnes Charlotte 
 and J. G. Howard, b. 1840; m. Eddowes J.Wilson, d. 
 1864. 
 
 CHARLOTTE, dau. of William Coupland and Louise 
 Colton, b. 1852; m. J. Mc. Hardy. 
 
 RICHARD, son of Zachariah and Mary Mudge, k 
 1 71 8; d. 1773. Rector of Bedworth. Descendants not 
 known. 
 
 JOHN, son of Zachariah and Mary Mudge, b. 1721; 
 d. 1793; ni. 1st, Mary Bulteel, d. 1760. John b. 1742. 
 
 Thomas b. 1743 ; d. 1782. Mary b. 1746. Charles 
 
 d. 1775. Ann bap. 1748; d. 1783. Elizabeth bap. 1751. 
 Kitty bap. 1758; d. 1789. m. 2nd, Jane d. 1766. Jane b. 
 1 761 ; d. 18 1 8. William b. 1762 ; d. 1820. m. 3rd, Elizabeth 
 Garrett d. 1808. John b. 1768 ; d. 1793. Zachariah b. 1770; 
 
THE MUDGE FAMILY. 
 
 247 
 
 d. 1852. Elizabeth b. 1 771; d. 1808. Mary b. 1772. Charles 
 Paul b. 1775 ; d. 1797. 
 
 ANN (Nancy) daughter of John and Mary Mudge, 
 bap. 1748; d. 1783; m. 1782, Reverend James Yonge. Ann 
 b. 1782; d. 1800. 
 
 KITTY, dau. of John and Mary Mudge, bap. 1758; 
 d. 1789; m. 1782, William Rosdew. William. 
 
 JANE (Jenny) daughter of John and Jane Mudge, 
 b. 1761; d. 1818; m. 1783, Richard Rosdew, b. 1758; d. 
 1837. 
 
 WILLIAM, son of John and Jane Mudge, b. 1762; 
 d. 1820; m. Margaret Jane Williamson, b. 1758, d. 1824, 
 daughter of Major General Williamson, R.A. (her eldest 
 sister Anne Colden married General Neville, R.A.) Richard 
 Zachariah b. 1789 ; d. 1854. Jane b. 1792 ; d. 1861. John 
 b. 1794; d. 1825. William b. 1796; d. 1837. Zachariah b. 
 1800; d. 183 1. 
 
 ZACHARIAH, son of John and Elizabeth Mudge, 
 b. 1770; d. 1852; m. Jane Granger, d. 1834. Zachary b. 
 1813 ; d. 1866. 
 
 ELIZABETH, dau. of John and Elizabeth Mudge, 
 b. 1 771; d. 1808; m. General Sir Richard Fletcher, Bart., 
 d. 1813. Elizabeth Mallock b. 1798; d. 1882. Harriett b. 
 1799. Jane Mudge b. 1803; d. 1879. Richard John b. 
 1805 ; d. 1877. Charles Orlando b. 1806. 
 
248 
 
 GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF 
 
 MARY, dau. of John and Elizabeth Mudge, b. 1772; 
 m. Reverend Roger Mallock, of Cockington. Roger b. 
 1796. Mary b. 1797; d. 1877. John Jervis b. 1798. Jane 
 b. 1799. Rawlin b. 1800; d. 1883. Charles Herbert b. 
 1802 ; d. 1873. Augusta b. 1803. Samuel b. 1 806. Zachary 
 b. 1808. William b. 1810. Anna b. 1818 ; d. 186-. Emily 
 b. 1814; d. 1883. 
 
 RICHARD ZACHARIAH, son of William and 
 Margaret Jane Mudge, b. 1789 ; d. 1854 ; m. Alice Watson 
 Hull, b. 1787; d. 1862 (She was dau. of J. W. Hull, Esq., 
 of Co. Down, Ireland, and sister of Sophia Lady Raffles, 
 2nd wife of Sir T. Stamford Raffles, Lieut. Governor of 
 Java). Jenny Rosdew b. May 21st, 1818; d. June 2nd, 
 1883. Sophia Elizabeth b. Aug. 21st, 18 19. 
 
 JANE, dau. of William and Margaret Jane Mudge, 
 b. 1792; d. 186 1 ; m. O'Hara Baynes, R.A., b. 1789; d. 
 1859. Margaret b. 1816; d. 1839. Ann b. 1816; d. 1827. 
 Katharine b. 1826. Mary b. 1829; d. 1861. 
 
 WILLIAM, son of William and Margaret Jane 
 Mudge, b. 1796; d. 1837; Captain R.N., F.R.S.; m. Mary 
 Marinda Rea, b. 1800; d. 1864. Rosdew Mary Marinda 
 b. 1828. William Tertius Fitzwilliam b. 1831; d. 1863; 
 Lieut. R.N. Jane Isabella b. 1832. Katharine Mary b. 
 1833; d. 1866. William b. 1834. Williamina Caroline b. 
 
 1837. 
 
THE MUDGE FAMILY. 249 
 
 ZACHARY, son of Zachariah and Jane Mudge, b. 
 1813; d. 1866; m. Jane Dickson, d. 1853. Zachary b. 1842 ; 
 d. 1856. Frederick b. 1843; d. 1856. Arthur Thomas b. 
 1846. 
 
 HARRIET, dau. of Elizabeth and Sir Richard 
 Fletcher, Bart, b. 1799; d. 183-; m. Reverend W. Darwin 
 Fox. Samuel William Darwin b. 
 
 JANE MUDGE, dau. of Elizabeth and Sir Richard 
 Fletcher, b. 1803 ; d. 1879; m. George Broadrick, Esq., of 
 
 Hamphall Stubbs. Jane b. Harriet b. Richard 
 
 Fletcher d. 1879. Edward. 
 
 MARY, dau. of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1797; 
 d. 1877; m. Belfield Louis. Jacquetta Elizabeth b. 1826. 
 Jane Mary b. 1827. Clementina Augusta b. 1834. Ellen 
 Anne Eleanor b. 1835. 
 
 JANE, dau. of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1799; 
 m. I St, Rev. James Yonge ; m. 2nd, Rev. Robert Gee. 
 Alathea b. 1834. Robert b. 1837. John b. 1840. Walter 
 b. 1845. 
 
 RAW LIN, son of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1800; 
 d. 1883; Magd. Coll., Cam., Rector of Barwick; m. ist, 
 
 Harriet Cocker. William b. . Jessie b. . m. 2nd, 
 
 Fanny Dyke. 
 
 CHARLES HERBERT, son of Mary and Roger 
 Mallock, b. 1802; d. 1873; of Cockington Court, Co. Devon; 
 
 32 
 
250 
 
 GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF 
 
 m. Maria Champernowne, dau. of J. Champernowne, Esq., 
 of Dartington. Mary b. 1836; d. 1857. Charlotte Sophia 
 b. 1838. Charles Herbert b. 1839; d. 1871. Harriet b. 
 1842. Richard b. 1843. Fanny b. 1846. Elizabeth b. 1848. 
 Gertrude b. 1850. Katharine b. 1853. Johnjervisb. 1856. 
 
 AUGUSTA, dau. of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 
 1803 5 i^- George Rimington Harris. 
 
 ZACHARY, son of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 
 1808; d. i860; m. Laura Lynn. Lucy b. 1844. Mary b. 
 1845. Cecilia b. 1847. Constance b. 1849. Arthur b. 
 1855. 
 
 WILLIAM, son of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 
 1 8 10; B.D. Balliol Coll., Oxon., Rector of Cheriton Bishop, 
 of Brampford Speke ; m. Margaret Froude, dau. of Rev. 
 Hurrell Froude, Archdeacon of Totness, b. 1808 ; d. 1883. 
 Mary Margaret b. 1846. William b. 1848. Arnulph b. 
 1851. 
 
 JENNY ROSDEW, dau. of Richard Zachariah and 
 Alice Watson Mudge, b. 1818; d. 1883; m. 1845, Rev. 
 William Charles Raffles Flint, M.A. Trinity Coll., Cam., b. 
 18 19, son of William Flint, Capt. R.N., Nephew of Sir T. 
 Stamford Raffles. Alice Jane b. 1845 ; d. 1847. Stamford 
 Raffles b. Feb. 6th, 1847. Ella Sophia b. Apr. 8th, 1848; 
 d. Jan. 29th, 1863. Gertrude Elizabeth b. July 9th, 1849. 
 Edward Montagu b. December i8th, 1850. Bertha Mary 
 b. December 5th, 1852. Constance b. May 24th, 1854. 
 
THE MUDGE FAMILY, 
 
 251 
 
 Jane b. December 9th, 1855 ; d. 1855. William Raffles b. 
 December 9th, 1855. Charles Walter b. December 9th, 
 1855. Annette Beatrice b. June 9th, 1859. 
 
 SOPHIA ELIZABETH, dau. of Richard Zachariah 
 and Alice Watson Mudge, b. 18 19; m. Rev. John Richard 
 Bogue, M.A., Vicar of Denbury, b. 1808; d. 1857 (he 
 married previously Mary, dau. of Rev. Hurrell Froude, 
 Archdeacon of Totness). Alice Sophia b. 1841. Richard 
 b. 1843 ; d. 1846. Charles Barter b. 1844. Mary Isabella 
 b. 1845. Margaret b. 1847. Richard b. 1849 ; d. 1867. 
 Frances Jane b. 185 1. Helen b. 1852. Francis Reginald 
 b. 1855 ; d. 1863. Edith Elizabeth b. 1857; d. 1863. 
 
 KATHARINE, dau. of Jane and O'Hara Baynes, 
 b. 1826; m. York Steward, d. 1867. 
 
 MARY, dau. of Jane and O'Hara Baynes, b. 1829; 
 d. 1874; m. J. Tobin, d. 1874. 
 
 JANE ISABELLA, dau. of William and Mary 
 Marinda Mudge, b. 1832; m. Robert Martin, b. 1822; d. 
 1871. Robert Campbell Mudge b. 1867. Jane Marinda 
 Philippina Oscara b. 1868. 
 
 WILLIAMINA CAROLINE, dau. of William and 
 Mary M. Mudge, b. 1837; m. Edwin Selby, b. 1824; d. 
 1879. 
 
 ARTHUR THOMAS, son of Zachary and Jane 
 Mudge, b. 1846, of Sydney, Plympton ; m. Jane Elizabeth 
 
252 
 
 GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF 
 
 Dickson (her sister Mary married Richard Mallock, of 
 Cockington Court). Arthur b. 187 1. John Granger b. 1872. 
 Jenny b. 1874. Henry Burrell b. 1877. b. 1881. 
 
 SAMUEL WILLIAM DARWIN, son of Harriet 
 and W. Darwin Fox, M.A. Wadham Coll., Oxon. 
 
 HARRIET, dau. of Jane and George Broadrick, 
 m. Viscount Mountmorres, b. 1832 ; d. 1880; assassinated 
 during the agitation in Ireland. Harvey Raymond b. 1865; 
 d. 1865. Victoria De Montmorency. Harriet Evelyn. 
 William Geoffery Bouchard b. 1872. Arthur Alberic b. 
 1874. 
 
 JACQUETTA ELIZABETH, dau. of Mary and 
 Belfield Louis, b. 1826; m. Rev. Henry Woollcombe, M.A. 
 Ch. Ch., Oxon,, of Ash bury near Oakhampton, Canon of 
 Exeter, Archdeacon of Barnstaple. Mary b. 1847. Henry 
 b.1848; d. 1883. Charles Belfield b. 1 85 1. Walter George 
 b. 1856. Herbert Louis b. 1862. Thomas Clement b. 1865. 
 Jacquetta Frances b. 1868. 
 
 CLEMENTINA AUGUSTA, dau. of Mary and 
 Belfield Louis, b. 1^*34; m. Rev. George Lambe. Henry 
 Edward b. 1858. Mary Beatrice b. 1859. Clementina 
 Maude b. 1861. Jacquetta Edith b. 1862. Charlotte Louisa 
 b. 1864. Alice Mabel b. 1865 ; d. 1870. George Belfield 
 Louis b. 1868. Roger Francis b. 1872. 
 
 ELLEN ANNE ELEANOR, dau. of Mary and 
 Belfield Louis, b. 1835 ; m. Rev. N, T. Every, B.A. Clare 
 Coll., Cam., Vicar of St. Kew, Cornwall. 
 
THE MUDGE FAMILY. 
 
 253 
 
 ALETHEA, dau. of Jane and Robert Gee, b. 1834; 
 m. 1st, Charles Collins ; m. 2nd, C. Lightfoot. 
 
 JOHN, son of Jane and Robert Gee, b. 1840; m. 
 Lucy Mallock. 
 
 WALTER, son of Jane and Robert Gee, b. 1845 ; m. 
 I St, Fanny \ m. 2nd, Gertrude . 
 
 RICHARD, son of Charles Herbert and Maria 
 Mallock, b. 1843; of Cockington Court; m. ist, Mary 
 Dickson, d. 1878. Helen Mary b. 1877; Charles Herbert 
 b. 1878 ; m. 2nd, Emily Maconchy. 
 
 FANNY, dau. of Charles Herbert and Maria Mallock, 
 b. 1846 ; m. Rev. Josiah Newman, M.A. Magd. Coll., Cam., 
 Rector of West Buckland. 
 
 LUCY, dau. of Zachary and Laura Mallock, b. 1844; 
 m. John Gee. Muriel. 
 
 MARY, dau. of Zachary and Laura Mallock, b. 1845 ; 
 m. I. de Saumarez. 
 
 EDWARD MONTAGU, son of Jenny Rosdew 
 and W. C. Raffles Flint, b. 1850; m. 1883, Mildred Salome 
 daughter of Trehawke Kekewich, Esq., of Peamore. 
 
 CHARLES BARTER, son of Sophia Elizabeth and 
 John Richard Bogue, b. 1844 ; Captain 49th Regiment; m. 
 Sarah Jane Luttrell Bailey. Edith Mary Sophia b. 1872. 
 Arthur Charles b. 1875. 
 
254 
 
 GENEALOGICAL TABLE. 
 
 MARY ISABELLA, dau. of Sophia Elizabeth and 
 John Richard Bogue, b. 1845 ; m. Walter Barrington, son 
 of the Hon Percy Barrington. Maude Louisa b. 1871. 
 Violet Mary b. 1872. William Reginald Shute b. 1873. 
 Hilda Margaret b. 1874. Bernard Louis Walter b. 1876. 
 Rupert Edward b. 1878. 
 
 MARGARET, dau. of Sophia Elizabeth and John 
 Richard Bogue, b. 1847; m. Augustus Booth, Commander 
 R.N. 
 
 HENRY, son of Jacquetta and Henry Woollcombe, 
 b.1848; d.1883; m. Mary Jordan. Henry Morth. Jacquetta 
 Radegunde. Marcella Josaphine. Louis Douglas. 
 
 MARY BEATRICE, dau. of Clementina A. and 
 George Lambe, b. 1859; m. Thomas Graham. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ABERDEEN. 
 
 Aberdeen University confers degree on Dr. 
 
 Mudge, 82. 
 Addiscombe Academy, 140. 
 Adventures, travelling, 195, 198, 220. 
 Allegash River, 186-201. 
 Aroostook River, 188. 
 Authenticity, mistaken, of a picture, 27, 
 
 B 
 
 Banks, Sir J., 124, 149, 177. 
 
 Bastard, Mr. Edmund, letters of, 25-27. 
 
 Bedworth, R. Mudge, rector of, 68. 
 
 Bideford Grammar School, 5, 32, 79. 
 
 Biot, M., Survey in Scotland, 147, 149. 
 
 Blanche, capture of the, 165. 
 
 Brunei, 63, 242, 
 
 Bulteel, Mary, 80, 115. 
 
 Burke, Edmund, opinion of Zachariah 
 Mudge. 18, 20; republishes a sermon of 
 Mr. Mudge, 10 ; traces Mr, Mudge's in- 
 fluence on Reynolds, 18. 
 
 Burrell, Arms of, 172. 
 
 Bruhl, Count, 37 ; opinions of Thomas 
 Mudge, 55, 82. 
 
 DICKSON. 
 
 C 
 
 Campbell, Admiral, 44. 
 
 Camelford, Lady, letters to Mr. Rosdew, 
 
 160, 175. 
 Carclew, 237. 
 
 Chantrey, Sir F., bust of Zachariah Mudge, 
 24; has portrait copied, 26; copy sold 
 as original, 27; selects site for bust, 27; 
 tablet to Mrs. Rosdew, 120. 
 
 Chatham, Earl of, 139. 
 
 Chronometer, Thomas Mudge's, 41, 44; a 
 gift from King of Denmark, 151, 187, 
 208. 
 
 Colby, Thomas, assistant in survey, 128; 
 accident, 129; associated with Colonel 
 Mudge, 144; Survey of Scotland, 145. 
 
 Cookworthy, Mr., storv of a divining rod, 
 84. 
 
 Copley, medal, 81. 
 
 D 
 
 Denmark, King of, 150; presents chrono- 
 meter to Major Gen. Mudge, 151. 
 Dickson, arms of, 172. 
 
256 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 BUTTON. 
 
 Dutton, William, 37. 
 
 E 
 
 Eddystone Lighthouse, 87-90; severe storm, 
 90-95- 
 
 Edinburgh, University of, confers degree on 
 
 William Mudge, 148. 
 Ellicot, Mr., 35. 
 
 F 
 
 Featherstonehaugh, Mr., Boundary Com- 
 missioner, 178; exploration party divide, 
 200; agreement of commissioners, 227; 
 at Falmouth; letters to Col. Mudge, 
 235-237- 
 
 Ferdinand VI, King of Spain, 35-37. 
 
 Ferguson, James, 95. 
 
 Fletcher, arms of, 171. 
 
 Fletcher, Sir R., 172, 
 
 Fox, Mary, 2, 23. 
 
 Frederickton, 183. 
 
 G 
 
 Gandy, Rev. J., 11, 13, 108, 110. 
 Garrett, Elizabeth, 115. 
 Graham, Mr. George, 34. 
 Granger, arms of, 171. 
 
 H 
 
 Handel, 68. 
 
 Harrison, John, 38-41, 48. 
 Honesty, Indian, 223, 230. 
 
 I 
 
 Indians, American, 209, 215, 228, 230. 
 Inglis, Sir R., 179. 
 
 J 
 
 Jan, Mr. T., 7. 
 
 Johnson, Dr., onMudge's sermons, 10; visit 
 to Plymouth, 14, 83 ; heard Mr. Mudge 
 preach, 15; anecdotes connected with 
 
 MUDGE. 
 
 his visit, 15, 16, 84, 87; opinion of Mr. 
 Mudge, 21, 26; visits his godson, 121. 
 
 L 
 
 Lemon, Sir Charles, 237. 
 
 M 
 
 Mallock, arms of, 171. 
 
 Maskelyne. Dr., 42. 
 
 Moore's Female Seducers, 107. 
 
 Mudge, arms of, xiv, 171. 
 
 Mudge, Charles P., letter, 173; death, 175. 
 
 Mudge, derivation of name, xvii. 
 
 Mudge, Elizabeth, 172. 
 
 Mudge, Jenny, 120. 
 
 Mudge, John, early life, 79; Fellow of Royal 
 Society, 80; Copley Medal, 81; Rey- 
 nolds and Johnson, 83; Anecdotes of 
 Dr. Johnson, 84; Smeaton, 87; letters to 
 Smeaton, 90-95 ; Sterne, 96 ; Ferguson 
 95 ; letters to Northcote, 98-106 ; charm 
 of character, 82, 107; epitaph, 108; death. 
 108; obituary notices, 109-115. 
 
 Mudge, John, 65. 
 
 Mudge, John, story of portrait, 1 17. 
 
 Mudge, Kitty, portrait, 119; Mudge, mem- 
 orial window, 171. 
 
 Mudge, Richard, letters to his father, 68-78. 
 
 Mudge, Richard Zachary, Peninsular war, 
 178; Boundary Commissioner, 178; voy- 
 age, 180; Journal in Canada, 183-233; 
 Treaty, 234 ; Letters from Mr. Feather- 
 stonehaugh, 235 ; death, 238. 
 
 Mudge, Robert, 64. 
 
 Mudge, Thomas, apprenticeship, 34 ; early 
 talent, 34 ; King of Spain, 35 ; integrity, 
 36; Mr. Dutton, 37; pamphlet, 38; re- 
 tires to Plymouth, 39 ; improvement of 
 chronometers, 40 ; watchmaker to the 
 king, 41 ; first chronometer, 41 ; tested at 
 Royal Observatory, 42 ; by M. deZach, 
 43 ; by Admiral Campbell, 44; blue and 
 
INDEX. 
 
 257 
 
 MUDGE. 
 
 green chronometers, 44 ; tested, 45 ; Dr. 
 Maskelyne, 46 ; simplicity of character, 
 49; skill, 50; memorial to Board of 
 Longitude, 50 ; petition to Parliament, 
 51; vote of House of Commons, 52; 
 death, 53 ; character, 55 ; anecdotes, 56 ; 
 letters to Count Bruhl, 57. 
 
 Mudge, Thomas, advocate of his father, 61 ; 
 death, 62 ; letters and verses, 63, 64. 
 
 Mudge, Thomas, portrait, 118. 
 
 Mudge, William, Woolwich, 122; appointed 
 to survey, 123; character of his work, 
 124; publishes account of survey, 128; 
 Colby, 129; letters, 130-138; Lieut. 
 Governor of Woolwich, 139; Addis - 
 combe, 140 ; Map of Isle of Wight, 143; 
 survey of Scotland, 144 ; Biot, 147, 149 ; 
 degree at Edinburgh, 148 ; King of Den- 
 mark, 150; illness, 153; death, 154; 
 character, 154. 
 
 Mudge, William, 238. 
 
 Mudge, Zachariah, journey to London, 2 ; 
 Mr. John Reynolds, 4; Bideford, 5; takes 
 orders, 6 ; Vicar of Abbotsham, 6 ; elected 
 to St. Andrew's, Plymouth, 7; Induc- 
 tion, 8 ; sermons, 9 ; translation of 
 Psalms, 10; ability, 12; visit of Johnson, 
 14 ; influence on Reynolds, 18-20; death, 
 20; character drawn by Johnson, 21 ; 
 Portraits by Reynolds, 23 ; Bust, 24. 
 
 Mudge, Zachariah, enters navy, 157; dis- 
 covery, 158 ; La Constance, 161 ; La 
 Blanche, 162 ; gallant incident, 163; cap- 
 ture of the Blanche, 165; letters, 166; 
 court martial and acquittal, 169; Phoe- 
 nix, 170; Vice-admiral, 171. 
 
 Mudge, Zachariah, 239. 
 
 Museum, Nat. Hist., Plymouth, 225. 
 
 N 
 
 Neell, Elizabeth, 23. 
 Nelson's death, news of, 136. 
 
 ST. ANDREW'S. 
 
 New York, 182. 
 
 Northcote, James, 98; opinion of the 
 Mudges, 82; friendship with Dr. Mudge, 
 98, 99. 
 
 Northcote, Samuel, 105, 108. 
 
 O 
 
 Otter Club, 105. 
 
 P 
 
 Phoenix, 170. 
 
 Pitt, Mr, Thomas, 59. 
 
 Plymouth, 6, 14, 41, 82, 86. 
 
 Portraits by Reynolds, 24, 116, 117. 
 
 Pringle, Sir J., 81. 
 
 Prowse, arms of, 172. 
 
 Q 
 
 Quebec, news of taking of, 14; Col. Mudge 
 at, 233. 
 
 R 
 
 Rat Musk, 213. 
 
 Registers of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, 28, 31. 
 Richmond, Duke, of 123, 126. 
 Reynolds, John, 4. 
 
 Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 5, 10, 14, 17, 19,20, 
 
 24, 83, 86, 98, loi, 116, 117. 
 Reynolds, Samuel, 5. 
 
 Rosdew, Richard, letters from Thomas 
 Mudge, 53, 1 10 ; from Maj. Gen. Mudge 
 130-138; from Lady Camelford, 158- 
 161, 175. 
 
 Rosdew, William, 119. 
 
 Rowe, Mr. Brooking, book on Old Ply- 
 mouth, 28. 
 
 Royal Society, Fellow of. Dr. Mudge, 80 ; 
 Maj. Gen. Mudge, 124. 
 
 S 
 
 St. Andrew's Church, Plymouth, 6, 13, 21 ; 
 register books, 28-31. 
 
258 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 SEATON. 
 Seaton, arms of, 172. 
 Seaton, Lord, 119, 239. 
 Shebhare, Dr., 5. 
 Shrapnel, Maj. Gen., 122. 
 Smeaton, James, 87; building of lighthouse, 
 
 87; takes Mr. Mudge, 89; severe storm, 
 
 90-95- 
 
 Smelt, Leonard, portrait of, 102. 
 Specula of telescopes, 81 . 
 Sterne, death of, 96. 
 Stuckley, Miss Sarah, 5. 
 
 T 
 
 Trosse, Mr,, 9; his will, 4. 
 Telescopes made by Dr. Mudge, 82. 
 
 ZACH. 
 
 U 
 
 Ugolino, Comte, picture of, by Reynolds, 
 
 loi, 103. 
 Unst, Island of, 149. 
 
 W 
 
 Watch, a singular, 36. 
 Wellington, Duke of, 150, 
 Williamson, Margaret, 154, 247. 
 Woolwich, Royal Academy, 121, 139. 
 Wordsworth, lines on Black Comb, 146, 
 
 Y 
 
 Yonge, arms of, 172. 
 
 Z 
 
 Zach, M. de, 43. 
 
PORTRAITS OF MEMBERS OF THE MUJKIE PAMILY. 
 
 Zacliaiiali Mudge 
 
 Zachaiiah Mudge 
 Zachariali Miulgo 
 Zachariali Jlmlgo 
 
 Zachai-iah Mudge . 
 Tliomas Mudge . . . 
 
 Jolm Jfudgo, M.D. 
 
 John Mudge, M.D. 
 
 Mi-s. Mudge 
 
 Mrs. j\hulge 
 Jiihu Mudge 
 
 2r.9 
 
 Kitty Mudge 
 
 Jemiey Mxulge 
 
 Ann Mu<lge 
 
 William Mu.lge 
 
 Zacliaiiali Mudge 
 
 Cha-.Ies Paul Mudge 
 
 Richard Zacliariah Mudge 
 
 Sir Joshua Koyuolds, T.R.A 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.Il.A 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.U.A 
 Nathaniel Dance, R.A 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolils, P.R.A 
 
 James Noi-thcote, K.A 
 
 Sir Joshua Roynoltls, P.R.A 
 
 James Northcote, R.A. 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A 
 
 1 Northcote, R.A. 
 
 James Nixoii 
 
 James Nixon 
 
 Sir Thomas Xjawrencc, R.A. 
 
 James Northcote, R.A. . . . 
 James Northcote, R.A. . . . 
 
 John Opie, R.A. 
 James Nortlicotc, R.A. 
 
 James Northcote, R.A, 
 
 ENQBAVEK. 
 
 J. Grozer... 
 W. Dickinson 
 S. W. Reynold 
 
 Miss Dr\uy 
 
 Mrs. Walcott 
 
 llicliard R. Mudge, Esq. 
 Uuv. W. C. RaffleJi Flint 
 
 MiTi. J. R. Gwatkin 
 Mrs. Robert Mudge 
 
 Mrs. Duke Yonge .... 
 
 Ber. W. C. Raffles Flint 
 
 Arthur- Mudge, Esq, . . 
 Rev. S. Darwin Fox.... 
 
 Rev. W. C. l!.-ifiles Flint 
 
 Rev. W. C. Raffles Flint 
 
 Rev. W. C. Raffles Flint 
 Mis. Bogiie 
 
 Mrs. Dulce Yongo . 
 Mrs. Bogue 
 
 Artliur Mudge, Esq. 
 George Eroadrick, Esi 
 
 Formerly in possession of Mr. Herring, and Mr. Thomas Mudge. 
 
 Foi-merly i„ poMession of Mr. Veale, and Reverend John Mudge. 
 
 ^ FThTwt possession of Mr. Rosdew, and Colonel Mudge. 
 1878 ^''^ters, Burlington Hmlse 
 
 ^~hLn"*''"°"' '^,"'1**®'!, ^^'r'^''' '''•'""^'s Chantroy, which has 
 hee , o.iwaved by S. W. Reynolds. 2-in possession of 
 Kichanl SlaUock, Esq. ^ 
 
 A sketch e.xl,ibited at Leeds, ISfiS. 
 
 Painted for Hiii ExceUeucy Count Bruhl. 
 
 Formerly in [uaseesion of Admiral Zachariali Mudge. 
 
 Northcote. in jicsstssion of Rev. W. C. R. Flint. 
 -—HI yiossession nf Kii li.ud .M.dlock, Esq. 
 
 '•'"I"! i" possession of Rui . P. 
 picture to Sir J. Keyn..l,U 
 
 Formerly in nossession of Mr 
 Mudge. 
 
 Roade' 
 
 ngs. Dawe .oscrihes the 
 Lieut. Colonel 
 
 Miss Elizabetli GaiTett, 3rd wife of Dr. John Mudge. 
 
 Sou of Dr. JohQ Mudge. Formerly in possession of Mr. Rosde 
 Picture kuora as Master John Mudge. 
 
 Foimerl; 
 Mudge. This pictui. 
 painted in irS8, which 
 
 posse-ision of Mr. Rosd 
 
 id Lieut. Colonel 
 .V Sir J. Reynolds, 
 ir. John Mudge. 
 
 W. Rosdew, Esq. 
 
 iiiatuie representing her as Ophelia. 
 
 Daughter of Dr. John Mudge. She married Rev. James Y'onge, 
 
 1 of Dr. John Mudg 
 
 I.E. Sou of Major General Mudge. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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