Star.
London, England, 1808-10-07 00:00:00

must either enter into holy orders or surrender hisrel-
lowship, he had after the most grave and deliberate
investigation, to which he had brought all that acute
~ift of examination that his been made so perceptible
'n his letters to Mr. Archdeacon TRAvis, made up his
mind on the subject of subscription. We are sure
that his determination cost him many
.painful and la-
borious days and months of study. His heart and
mind were deeply penetrated by the purest sentiments
of religion; an 1 itw as a memorable and mostestimable
feature of his character, that in no moment, the most
unguarded ( when that ardour of discussion,which alone
led him into indulgence, had elevated his spirits, was he
ever known to utter a single expression of discontent at
the establishment, of derision at those who thought
differently from himself, much less of profanation or
impiety. He was truly and actively pious—but it
was of an order that admitted not of shackles. So
early as 1788, he had made up his mind to surren-
der his Fellowship, though with an enfeebled consti-
tution he had nothing to depend upon but acquire-
ments that are very unprofitable to their owner. A
Lay-fellowship to be sure might have secured his ser-
vices to the cause of letters ; but the disingenuous
conduct of an individual withheld from him that re-
source. In 1791 his Fellowship ceased, and he was
thrown upon the world without a profession, his feel-
ings wounded by the mortifications he had suffered,
and with a constitution little qualified to encounter
the bustle of the world. Some private friends, how-
ever, stept in, and soon after he was elected Greek
Professor of Cambridge, by an unanimous vote of
the seven Electors. The distinction of this appoint-
ment was grateful to him. The salary is but 401. a
year. It was his earnest wish; however, to have made
it as active and efficient office, and it was his determi-
nation to give an annual course of Lectures in the Col-
lege, if rooms had been assigned him for the purpose.
These Lectures, as he designed, and had in truth
made preparations for them, would have been invalu-
able ; for he would have found occasion to elucidate
the languages in general, and to have displayed
their relations, their differences, their near and re-
' mote connections, their changes, their structure,
their principles of etymology, and their causes of
corruption. If any one man was qualified for this
gigantic task, it was Mr. Professor PORSON ; and if
his wishes had not been counteracted, we know that
he would have undertaken the labour.
From this time, instead of lectures, he turned his
thoughts to publication. His letters to Mr. Arch-
deacon Mavis, as has been truly said,. put the con-
troversy on the disputed text to rest ; and indeed it
was the peculiar felicity of his mind, that whatever
he undertook to elucidate he fixed for ever in the light.
In 1795 he married Mrs. LUNAN; the sister of Mr.
PERRY of the Morning Chroale, but who sunk under a
decline in April I 797,and from that time the Professor
himself was so incessantly afflicted with a spasmodic
asthma, as to interrupt in every study to which
he applied himself. Whether his sedentary habits
served to bring it on we know not, but certainly very
few men had accustomed themselves to such patient
and continued toil. He had undertaken to make out
and copy the almost obliterated manuscript of the
invaluable Lexicon of Photius, which he had bor-
rowed front the Library of Trinity College. And
this he had with unparalleled difficulty just cUmpleted,
when the beautiful copy which had cost him ten
months of incessant toil, was burnt in the house of
Mr. PERRY; at Merton. The original being an
unique, entrusted to him by his College, he carried
with him wherever he went ; and he was fortunately
absent from Merton on the morning of the fire. Un-
ruffled by the loss, he sat down without a murmur,
and made a second copy as beautiful as the first. It
is extant in his library, and is quite ready for the
press. Of the plays of Euripides, which he publish-
ed, the learned world has pronounced its judgment,
and we reserve for another occasion, an account of
this and his other literary labours. It may he plea-
sant for our Readers, however, to know, that he has
left an Orestes quite ready for the press.
On the establishment of the London Institution,
the Managers selected him to be their principal Li-
brarian.
With respect to the circumstances of his death; Mr.
PORSON, as we have 'stated before, has, for the last
eleven years, been the incessant victim of spasmodic
asthma, during the agony of which he never went to
bed, and in which he was forced to abstain front all
sustenance. This greatly debilitated his body ; and
about a month ago he was afflicted by an intermit-
tent fever ; he had an unfortunate objection to medi-
cal advice, and he resorted to his usual remedy of
abstinence ; but on Monday, the 19th ult. he suf-
fered an apoplectic stroke, from which he recovered
only to endure a second attack the next day. He
languished to the Sunday night, and expired without
a struggle. The body was opened by his medical
men, and they have given a report, ascribing his
death " to the effused lymph in and upon the brain,
which they believe to have been the effect of recent
inflammation. The heart was sound, and the teri-
cardium contained the usual quantity of lymph. The
left lung had adhesions to the pleura, and bore the
marks of former inflammation. The right lung was
in a perfectly sound state." This is signad by Dr.
BABINGTON, Sir WILLIAM BLIZA.RD, Mr. Nottais,
Mr. BLIZARD; and Mr. UPTON. In refutation of an
idle falsehood about the form of his skull, they add, •
" that it was thinner than usual, and of hard con-
sistence."

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Mr. PORSON has left a sister, the wife of &pair
HAWES, Esq. of coftisball, in Norfolk ; they have five
children ; theii eldest son is entered of St. Ben'ets
College, Cambridge. HENRI', the second brother of
tke Professor, was settled in a farm in Eswx, and
died young, leaving three children. His brother
THOMAS kept a boarding school at Fakenleam, an ex-
cellent scholar, and died in 1792, without issue—and
his father, Mr. HuGGIN PORSON, died in 1805, in his
7•fth year. His mother died in 1784, aged 57.

Last week a melancholy accident happened at
Wample, near Bootle, to Mr. Walters, the owner of a
limekiln, that had been burning for some days ; whilst
attempting to walk across it the chalk gave way be.
neath, when he instantly sunk down, and, notwith.
standing oneof his sons,who accompaniedh m,ran and
al firmed some of the workmen, before they were able
to reach the place to him any assistance, he
was burnt to death.