During the later portion of his life, Mr. Hatchett was often called upon committees, whenever points of chemistry or other sciences were to be discussed. In 1818, he formed one of the commission, comprising amongst others Dr. Wollaston, Sir Joseph Banks, Sir William Congreve, Davies Gilbert, &c., appointed to authorize an inquiry into the best means of preventing the forgery of bank notes; he was also one of the chemists (consisting of Brande, Hatchett, Wollaston, and Young) who met at Sir Joseph Banks's house, to decide on the respective merits of Sir Humphry Davy and George Stephenson, in the matter of the safety-lamp. Besides his scientific attainments, Hatchett possessed great conversational powers; he was good-humoured, full of drollery, and never at fault for some jocular or pleasant story, to amuse the company he might be with. At the Royal Society Club, of which he was a member, he was a great favourite, particularly with Sir Joseph Banks, who, after Dr. Johnson, used to call him a clubable man. Sir John Barrow gives the following anecdote:--That "one day, at the club, Hatchett amused us with the story of a dream, which he prefaced by saying that, although it was 'such stuff as dreams are made of,' it still contained a reality in its conclusion, which had very much distressed him. He dreamt that he had lost his way, but came to a dark and dismal-looking building, into which he passed through a forbidding sort of gate, opened by a black-looking porter, who closed it immediately after him. He walked on, and everywhere observed clumps of ill-looking people skirmishing and fighting, while a little beyond were other groups, weeping and in great distress; further on still were flames of fire. Beginning to think he had got into a very bad place, he endeavoured to retrace his steps and get out again; but the black doorkeeper refused to let him pass. A furious fight ensued, and he pummelled the negro-looking rascal, first with one fist and then with another. At length he was brought to his senses by a scream, which, to his dismay, proceeded from his poor wife, and he found that, instead of pummelling the black doorkeeper, he had given Mrs. Hatchett a black eye." In 1809, Mr. Hatchett was elected one of the chosen few of the Literary Club, originally instituted by Dr. Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds; and on the death of Dr. Burney, in 1829, was appointed to the chief official station of treasurer to the club. In 1810 he took up his residence at Belle Vue House, Chelsea, where he continued for the remainder of his life, which terminated in 1847, Mr. Hatchett having then attained the advanced age of eighty-two.--_Sketches of the Royal Society and Royal Society Club, by Sir John Barrow, Bart., F.R.S._ London, 1849. WILLIAM HENRY, M.D., F.R.S., &c. Born December 12, 1774. Died September 2, 1836.