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The noble family, of which the Earl of Dundonald is the representative, according to * Edmondson, took its surname from the barony of Cochrane, in Renfrewshire, North Britain, where it appears to have been of great antiquity. Although his ancestors did not attain the dignity of the peerage until the reign of Charles I. yet they had been barons of some distinction for many centuries before, and doubtless enjoyed certain feudal rights formerly exercised in Scotland, such as pot and gallows, &c. which, thanks to the better system now prevalent, can no longer be claimed by individuals, however rich, or however powerful.

William Cochrane, a chieftain who possessed some power and renown in his time, left but one child, Elizabeth, who was married to Alexander Blair, which is the proper family name at this day, and by him had seven sons. William, the second of these, was created Baron Cochrane, in 1647, by the first, and advanced to the dignity of Earl Dundonald, in 1669, by the second Charles. From his eldest son descended seven Earls of Dundonald, but that branch became extinct in 1758, by the demise of William, a bachelor, who was killed at the capture of Cape Breton. On this, the honours and estates devolved on Thomas, the father of the present peer, he being descended from John, the younger son of the first Earl.

* See the "Present Peerage," p. 224.

Archibald Cochrane, Earl of Dundonald, was born about the year 1744. As his family was distinguished rather by its honours than its wealth, it was intended that he should be bred in the navy. He accordingly served as a midshipman, on the quarter deck of a ship commanded by one of his countrymen, the late Captain Stair Douglas.* He was afterwards stationed on board a vessel on the coast of Guinea, as an acting Lieutenant, and we have been informed, that even then he displayed a certain degree of talent, and that too of a species not frequently met with on board a man of war. He was also noticed for a peculiarity which we have never witnessed, or indeed heard of, in a warm climate, and that is, the custom of appearing constantly, except on duty, without a hat, which practice, he contended, kept the head cool; but of this we must beg leave to entertain doubts. It is but fair to remark, however, that the death of the late gallant admiral Lord Hugh Seymour, in the West Indies, has been attributed, by many professional men, to the wearing of an enormous gold laced, or as the sailors term it, iron-bound hat, which produced the disease that proved fatal to him.

Be this as it may, Lord Cochrane, for so he was then termed, did not continue many years in the

* He was related to the house of Queensberry, and obtained the rank of post captain, May 29, 1762. Captain Douglas was an officer of the old school, gallant, and brave, but greatly addicted to swearing, notwithstanding which, it is a well known fact, that he would never proceed to sea without a chaplain.

naval sercice, for soon after his return (October 7, 1774), he married Miss Anne Gilchrist, daughter to a captain in the royal navy, by whom he had no less than five sons,* two of whom are now officers in the royal navy, and two in the army.

In 1778, by the demise of his father, his lordship succeeded to the family honours; in 1784, he lost his first wife, and in 1788, he married Mrs. Mayne, a widow lady, by whom he has not had any issue.

While some of the Earl of Dundonald's family were actuated by the laudable motive of augmenting a scanty patrimony in the East, and others were pursuing the road to fortune in the West Indies, he himself determined to strike out a new path to fame.

There are many instances in former times, of men of the highest rank in this country attaching themselves to those pursuits which tend to the glory of a great, and the prosperity of a commercial nation. Prince Rupert, the nephew of Charles I. after conducting himself with ability, both as a general and an admiral, retired to Windsor Castle, of which he was governor, at the conclusion of the third Dutch

* 1. Lord Cochrane, of whom mention will be made hereafter, is a post captain.

2. The Hon. Archibald Cochrane, obtained the same rank in the royal navy.

3. The Hon. Basil Cochrane, has been lieutenant-colonel of the 36th foot, since 1806.

4. The Hon. William Erskine Cochrane, was for many years an officer in the dragoons.

war, and spent a great portion of the remainder of his life in the prosecution of chemical and philosophical experiments, as well as in the practice of the mechanic arts.

He is mentioned by several authors with applause, on account of his skill in painting, and is allowed to have been the discoverer of engraving in mezzotinto. He took great delight in making locks for fire-arms, and was the inventor of the composition called after him Prince's metal. He also communicated to the Royal Society his improvements in the art of making gunpowder, by means of which its force was augmented ten fold.

In addition to these, he contrived an engine for raising water; produced a gun for the discharge of several bullets at the same time, communicated a new method of blowing up subterraneous rocks, and found out a mode, by means of which black lead might be run like a metal in a mould. His Highness was also a great promoter of the commerce to Africa-not the disgraceful traffic in men-but in gold dust and elephants' teeth-and an active member of the Council of Trade. It was in consequence of his solicitations, that the Hudson's Bay company was erected, and a considerable opening at the east side of that coast, was named after him, Rupert's River.

To conclude; a little before his death, which occurred ou the 29th of November, 1682, at his house in Spring Gardens, after he had attained his grand climacteric, the Prince was concerned in the pa

tent for "nealed cannon in a glass-house," which although it does not appear to have succeeded, nevertheless proves that he was eager on all occasions, to contribute to the interest of a country, to the constitution and liberties of which he was greatly attached, towards the latter part of his life.

Still nearer to our own times, George Parker, Earl of Macclesfield, was not only a distinguished mathematician, but to him was reserved the honour of correcting the Julian calendar, and regulating the style. Anterior to this period, the months were not correspondent to the seasons, while every bill of exchange, drawn either in, or upon any other state of Europe, Russia only excepted, carried a gross anachronism on the face of it.

Nor ought the name of John Lord Napier of Marchiston, to be forgotten in this list of men ennobled by nature, and endowed with powers so beneficial to mankind; for it is to him that navigation is indebted for its best aid, and that the Tyro is enabled now to perform, what the veteran practitioner could only achieve, and that too, not without difficulty, anterior to his day.

The subject of the present article also lays claim to consideration, on the score of practical utility. One of the first inventions published by this nobleman, was intimately connected with the safety of the British navy, the extension of our mercantile speculations, and the advantage of the great proprietors of estates in the northern portion of the united kingdom. While on the coast of Africa, he