of importance. Each died a natural death within five months of the other; Hyder towards the end of 1782, and Coote in April 1783.

HOPKINSON, (FRANCIS) was born in Pennsyl vania, in the year 1738, but with respect to the circumstances of his early life, we have no particular infor mation, only that he studied law under BenjaminChew, Esq. then attorney general of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Hopkinson possessed an uncommon share of genius of a peculiar kind. He excelled in music and poetry and had some knowledge in painting. But these arts were far from monopolizing all the powers of his mind. He was well skilled in many practical and useful sciences, particularly in mathematics and natural philosophy, and he had a general acquaintance with the principles of anatomy, chemistry and natural history. But his forte was humour and satire, in both of which, he was not surpassed by Lucian, Swift or Rabellais. These extraordinary pow ers were consecrated to the advancement of the in-terests of patriotism, virtue and science. It would fill many pages to mention his numerous publications during the late revolution, all of which are directed to these important objects. He began in the year 1775, with a small tract, which he entitled "A Pretty History," in which he exposed the tyranny of Great Britain, in America, by a most beautiful Allegory, and he concluded his contributions to his coun-try, in this way, with the history of "The New Roof," a performance, which for wit, humour and good sense, must last as long as the citizens of America continue to admire, and to be happy under the present national government of the United States.

News-paper scandal frequently, for months toge-ther, disappeared or languished, after the publication of several of his irresistible satires upon that disgrace

ful species of writing. He gave a currency to a thought or a phrase, in these effusions from his pen, which never failed to tear down the spirit of the times, and frequently to turn the divided tides of party rage, into one general channel of ridicule and contempt.

Sometimes he employed his formidable powers of humour and satire in exposing the formalities of technical science. He entertained some ideas with respect to the mode of conducting education, which were singular. In particular, he often ridiculed in conversation, the practice of teaching children the English language by means of grammar. He considered most of the years, which are spent in learning the Greek and Latin languages as lost, and he held several of the arts and sciences, which are taught in colleges, in great contempt. His specimen of modern learning in a tedious examination, the only object of which was to describe the properties of a "salt box," published in the American Museum for February 1786, may be relished as a morsel of exquisite humour: we think it probable, however, that if he had bestowed a little more attention on the importance of those sciences which he ridicules, he would have been a little less severe in his satire.

Mr. Hopkinson possessed uncommon talents for pleasing in company. His wit was not of that coarse kind, which was calculated to set the table in a roar, It was mild and elegant, and infused cheerfulness and a species of delicate joy, rather than mirth, into. the hearts of all, who heard it. His empire over the attention and passions of his company was not purchased at the expence of innocence. A person, who has passed many delightful hours in his company, declared, with pleasure, that he never once heard him use a profane expression, nor utter a word, which would have made a lady blush, or have clouded her countenance for a moment with a look of disapprobation. It is this species of wit alone, that indicates

a rich and powerful imagination, while that which is tinctured with profanity, or indelicacy, argues poverty of genius, inasmuch as they have both been very properly considered as the cheapest products of the mind.

Mr. Hopkinson's character for abilities and patriotism procured him the confidence of his countrymen in the most trying exigencies of their affairs. He represented the State of New-Jersey, in the year 1776, and subscribed the ever memorable declaration of American Independence. He held an appointment in the loan office for several years, and afterwards succeeded George Ross Esq. as Judge of the admiralty for the State of Pennsylvania. In this station he continued till the year 1790, when he was appointed Judge in the district court in Pennsylvania, by the illustrious WASHINGTON, then President of the United States, and in each of these judicial offices he conducted himself with the greatest ability and integrity.

He was an active and useful member of three great parties, which at different times divided his native State; he was a whig, a republican and a federalist, and he lived to see the principles and the wish of each of these parties finally and universally successful.Although his labours had been rewarded with many harvests of well earned fame, yet his death to his country and his friends, was premature. He had been subject to frequent attacks of the gout in his head, but for some time before his death, he had enjoyed a considerable respite from them. On the evening of May 8th, 1791, he was somewhat indisposed, and passed a restless night. He rose next morning at his usual hour, and breakfasted with his family, but at 7 o'clock, he was seized with an apoplectic fit, of which he died about two hours after.

JANSEN, (CORNELIUS) bishop of Ypres, and principal of the sect called from his name, Jansenists, was born in Holland of Roman Catholic parents, and educated at the university of Louvain. About the year 1610, he went to Paris, where he met with John du Verger de Hauranne, afterwards abbot of St. Cyran, with whom he had contracted a very strict friendship in Louvain. Sometime after, du Verger removing to Bayonne, he followed him thither; when pursuing their studies with unabated ardour, they were taken notice of by the bishop of that province, who procured du Verger a canonry in his cathedral, and set Jansen at the head of a school or college. He spent five or six years in Bayonne, applying himself with the same vigor to the study of the fathers, St. Austin in particular; and, as he did not appear to be of a strong constitution, du Verger's mother used some times to tell her son that he would prove the death of that worthy young Fleming, by making him overstudy. himself.

At length, the bishop being raised to the archiepiscopal see of Tours, prevailed with du Verger to go to Paris; so that Jansen being thus separated from his friend, and not sure of the protection of the new bishop, left Bayonne; and after twelve years residence in France, returned to Louvain, where he was chosen principal of the college of St. Pulcheria. But this place was not altogether so agreeable, as it did not afford him leisure to pursue his studies so much as he wished, for which reason he refused to teach philosophy. He took his degree of D. D. in 1617, with great reputation, was admitted a professor in ordinary, and grew into so much esteem, that the university sent him to transact some business of great consequence in Spain in 1625; and that monarch made him professor of the holy sepulchres in Louvain, 1630; notwithstanding the Spanish inquisition lodged some information against him in 1627, with Basil de Leon, the principal doctor of the university

of Salamanca, at whose house he lodged. But the complaint was chiefly that he was a Dutchman, and consequently an heretic; and Basil answered them so much to the advantage of Jansen, that his enemies were quite confounded: Mean time his Spanish majesty, viewing with a jealous eye, the intriguing policy of France, engaged him to write a book to ex-. pose the people of that nation to the Pope, as no good catholics, since they made no scruple of forming alliances with protestant states. Jansen performed the task in his "Mars Gallicus," a book replete with invidious exclamations against the services, which France continually did to the protestants of France and Germany, to the great prejudice, of the Romish. religion; in which the Dutch are treated as rebels, who owed their republican liberty to an infamous. usurpation. It was this service, which procured him. the mitre in 1635, when his Spanish majesty promoted him to the see of Ypres.

Jansen was no sooner possessed of the bishopric of Ypres, than he set about reforming the diocese; but before he had completed this good work, he fell a victim to the plague. He had among his other writings maintained a controversy upon the points of grace and predestination; but his "Augustinus" was the principal labour of his life; on which he spent above twenty years. The circumstances, which gave rise to this controversy, were as follow. In the year 1640, the university of Louvain & Douay had thought fit to condemn the opinions of the Jesuits on grace and free will. This having set the controversy on foot, Jansen opposed to the doctrine of the Jesuits the sentiments of St. Augustine, and wrote this book, which he titled "Augustinus." This treatise was attacked by the Jesuits, who accused Jansen of maintaining dangerous and hurtful opinions, and atterwards, in 1642, obtained of Pope Urban VIII, a formal condemnation of the work; when the partizans of Jansen gave out, that this bull was spurious,