The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-16 00:00:00

DEATH OF CHARLES MILLS, ESQ.

The celebrate:l historian, whose late " History of Chivalry" his
excited inch an interest in the literary world, died last Monday, at
Southampton, whither he had retired some months since, in order
to recover from tke effects of an illness, partly caused nod nourished
by habits of intense thought, and enthusiastic devotion to literature.
The death of such a Man must not pus without a continent. He
was the youngest son of Samuel OiHam Mills, a surgeor. of
eminence, at Greenwich, and was intended by his father tbr the law,
which he quitted, in consequence of his ardent love foe literature.
His first work, "The History of Maliometanism," was published
about the year 1817, and strongly attracted the attention of Sit-John
Malcolm, who extolled it as the most promising history of the day.
It was brought out by Black, Parbury, and Allan ; but a second
edition being almost immediately called for, it was revised, tied
published by hangman, in whose hands it has (with the other im-
portant works of the same author) since remained. The neat work
by Mr. Mills was the well-known " History of the Cturades,"
which was distinguished beyond most productions of the day
by its deep and enlarged observation—its fearless inquisitive
spirit—and its condensed vivacity of style, founded prime-
pally upon that of Gibbon. Of a work so well known it
will be superfluous to say more, in the way of criticism.
than that immediately on its publication it brought its author for-
ward as the first end most eloquent historian of his time. A few
months after its appearance accident led Mr. Mills to the study of
Italian literature : the result of which was a work of fiction, in two
vols., entitled " The Travels of Theodore Lucas, on the Revival of
Arts and Letters in Italy." The model upon which this book lees
formed was the " Travels of Anachirsis ;" but as the subject was
comparatively uninteresting to the majority of modern readers,
was proportionately unsuccessful. For a year subsequent W iea pub-
lication, Mr. Mills lay quietly on this oars, till invited by his
respectable publishers to undertake a History of Rome, frotn tae
earliest ages down to the reign of Augustus, about which period
Gibbon's History commences. They added, in the most flattering
terms, that he was considered among literary men as the only per-
son competent to the task. From some cause, however, the work
(we believe in consequence of a rival publication having been ad -
wedged) was dropped, and Mr. Mills then directed hit attention
to his last and most popular wink, the " History of Chivalry,"
which created such a general interest from the very first moment of
its announcement, that in a few weeks the whole first edition (en on
usually large one) was disposed of ; and be was called, but a tew
months before his death, to devote his attention to a second. This
work attracted the notice of Sir W. Scott, (previously excited by
the " Crusades," from which work lie partly borrowed the plot of
his novel, called the " Talisman"), and a correspondence passed
between them, which we have seen, and which coming through the
medium of Mr. Constable, from the " Author of Waverley to Mr.
C. Mills"—as contradistinguished from Sir W. Scott—incurious.
Mr. Mills, a few months before his death, was elected one of We
Knigts of Malta (an honour unsought for on his part), now revived
on the Continent, which was conferred on him in couseigseues
his allusions to that celebrated fraternity (the defrosters of the
Christian religon for so many centuries throughout Europe) itt Ins
" History of the Crusades."
In private file Mr. C. Mills was open, generous, and candid. to
a fault; his conversation, in his more cheerful points, was par.
titularly engaging; and the vast and almost unlimited stores of his
information were at the service of every friend. The writer of this
brief notice has spent the most delightful hours of Mt life in cont.
pang with this distinguished friend, whom once to have known was
for ever to have remembered. As a literary man he was, to adopt the
language of the Qruuierhf Retirtu, in its notice of his Thiaslara
Lucas," of "first-rate importance." Alt. Jeffrey Also omitted him out
as one of the most promising writers eif his day ; and, toilet d, he %.is
rapidly rising to the fondest object of his daily and nightly prayers
intellectual suptemecy ; when his constitution, always delicate,
broke thorn.under the severe exertion*, or his mind. and brought
hint to the grave at the early age of lid In person, Mr. Mills was
of middling stature. with a countenance intensely espies:use of
thought and intellect. The bust of him, taken about two years
since, by Sieviet (though rather too gigantic in proportion),elatte
justice to the depth and variety of his expression- Mr. Mills was
in habits of personal intimacy with the must celebrated literary
characters of his day, most of whom will regret hint—but none
more so then the hurubk writer of this notice, who knew him well
and long—who owes every thing to his kind affectionate attention,,
and now feels, that, with the "death of his guide, philosopher, ant
friend," have died also the most sanguine hopes alai happiness or
his Idea—L.o'in'; Papa.