DERHAM (Doctor William)

, an eminent English philosopher and divine, was born at Stowton, near Worcester, 1657, and educated in Trinity College, Oxford. In 1682, he was presented to the vicarage of Wargrave in Berkshire; and, in 1689, to the valuable rectory of Upminster in Essex; which, lying at a convenient distance from London, afforded him an opportunity of conversing and corresponding with the priucipal literary geniuses of the nation. Applying himself there with great eagerness to the pursuit of his studies in natural and experimental philosophy, he soon became a distinguished and useful member of the Royal Society, whose Philosophical Transactions contain a great variety of curious and valuable pieces, the fruits of his laudable industry, in all or most of the volumes, from the 20th to the 39th, both inclusive; the principal of which are:

1. Experiments on the Motion of Pendulums in vacuo.

2. A Description of an instrument for finding the Meridian.

3. Experiments and Observations on the Motion of Sound.

4. On the Migration of Birds.

5. History of the Spots in the Sun, from 1703 to 1711.

6. Observations on the Northern Lights, Oct. 8, 1726, and Oct. 13, 1728.

7. Tables of the Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites.

8. The difference of Time in the meridian of different places.

9. Of the meteor called Ignis Fatuus.

10. The History of the Death Watch.

11. Meteorological Diaries for several years.

In his younger days he published his Artificial Clockmaker, a very useful little work, that has gone through several editions. In 1711, 1712, 1714, he preached those sermons at Boyle's lecture, which he afterward digested under the well-known titles of Physico-Theology and Astro-Theology, or Demonstrations of the being and | attributes of God, from his works of creation, and a survey of the heavens.

In 1716 he was made a canon of Windsor, being at that time chaplain to the Prince of Wales; and in 1730 received, from the university of Oxford, the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He revised the Miscellanea Curiosa, in 3 vols 8vo, containing many curious papers of Dr. Halley and several other ingenious philosophers. To him also the world is indebted for the publication of the Philosophical Experiments of the late eminent Dr. Hooke, and other ingenious men of his time; as well as notes and illustrations of several other works.

Dr. Derham was very well skilled in medical as well as in physical knowledge; and was constantly a physician to the bodies as well as the souls of his parishioners. This great and good man, after spending his life in the most agreeable and improving study of nature, and the diligent and pious discharge of his duty, died at Upminster in 1735, at 78 years of age.