This was a very considerable man, perhaps few, or none, of his contemporaries could compare with him, either for the extent or the accuracy of his geographical and nautical knowledge. His works on these subjects were very numerous and very important, and his original manuscripts, which, after his death, were deposited in the archives of the Admiralty, contain many valuable treasures. It were to be wished, that as far as good policy and the national interests would justify such a measure, government would allow, under certain restrictions, extracts to be made from these papers, for the public information and satisfaction. The English public have always been zealous and generous encouragers of all undertakings, which have had in view the increase of geographical knowledge. There are no publications more secure of success, than such as profess to detail the discoveries of regions before unknown; which describe the manners of those nations with whom we are less perfectly acquainted, thus combining, at the same time, information with improvement. Such propensities merit, on the part of government, as far as they can consistently make it, an adequate return. Who could possibly be more proper for such an official undertaking, than the gentleman who succeeded Dalrymple in his situation of Hydrographer? It would be exceedingly difficult to point out a collection, without excepting even national repositories, where so great a mass of books and tracts on geography and navigation could be found, as in the library of Mr. Dalrymple. They amounted to many thousands, nor was there perhaps one, in which he had not made some manuscript observation. He had, moreover, the best and most popular works of this kind, in every language. His conversation was lively, interesting, and full of information; he was obviously subject to great irritability, which might partly be constitutional, and partly perhaps induced by those severe fits of the gout, to which he was subject. In the decline of life, his personal appearance was somewhat whimsical. Whenever he visited, he carried with him a small stool, which appeared indispensible to his comfort. He was always ready and willing to communicate what he knew, and it well answered the purposes of those, who wanted information on the subjects of the kingdoms and oceans of the world, to listen with attention to Alexander Dalrymple. The Sexagenarian appears to have been still more familiarly acquainted with Dr. P. R. Dare atque accipere te volo Dei divites sunt—deos decent opulentiæ Et factiones—verum nos homunculi Salillum animæ, qui cum extemplo amisimus Æquo mendicus atque ille opulentissimus Censetur censu, ad acherontem mortuus. CHAPTER VII.