ly due to his
suggestions and criticisms. His first translation was published in 1824.
He had been during the last twelve months busily engaged for the College
of Physicians on the new edition of the _Pharmacopoeia_,--and
considerable progress had been made in the new translation. For many
years Mr. Phillips had been in the habit of furnishing to the faculty
and the druggists of the United Kingdom a translation of the
_Pharmacopoeia_, with appended notes, the value of which has been
fully appreciated by those for whom it was intended. He was for the last
two years the President of the Chemical Society--by all the members of
which he was regarded with the highest consideration. In his "History of
Chemistry," Dr. Thompson says--"Of modern British analytical chemists,
undoubtedly the first is Mr. Richard Phillips, to whom we are indebted
for not a few analyses conducted with great skill and performed with
great accuracy." All the chemical articles in the _Penny Cyclopoedia_
were by Mr. Phillips:--and scattered through the various scientific
journals will be found papers on various chemical subjects and reviews
of scientific works from his pen.

* * * * *

"OLD DOWTON," the celebrated comedian, is dead. He was born at Exeter in
1763, and consequently was in his eighty-eighth year. At sixteen he was
apprenticed to an architect, but having performed successfully the part
of Carlos, in "The Revenge," at a private theatre, he was induced to
join a travelling company, and after completing a circuit, was engaged
by Mr. Hughes, manager of the Plymouth theatre. His first appearance at
Drury-lane was on the tenth of October, 1796, in the difficult character
of Sheva, in Cumberland's comedy of _The Jew_. This had long been a
favorite part of Bannister's--Elliston had also marked it for his own.
Mr. Dowton stepped into the field, and, without taking the laurel from
either, honorably shared it with both. His first appearance at
Drury-lane was on the tenth of October, 1796, in this difficult
character. He was hailed as a genuine actor, and crowned with applause.
In 1805 he was engaged at the Haymarket, and on the fifteenth of August
in that year revived for his benefit the warm-weather tragedy of the
_Tailors_, which produced a memorable fracas. The principal _roles_ in
the burlesque were sustained by Dowton, Mathews, Liston, and Mrs. Gibbs,
as _Francisco_, _Abrahamides_, _Zachariades_, and _Tittilinda_.