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, astronomer, geometrician, and mechanic, was the son of a labourer employed in agriculture. He was born Feb. 22, 1723, at Oberperfuss, a village about 12 miles from Inspruck, and died Sept. 1, 1766. While engaged in the menial employments of labourer and shepherd, he felt an irresistible impulse towards astronomy and geometry. Pere Hill, a Jesuit, professor in the university of Inspruck, discovered his talents, and enabled him to cultivate them with such success, that in a short time he became an able astronomer, and one of the best mechanics in Europe. He made a pair of globes for the university of Inspruck, which are acknowledged to be masterpieces in their kind. He constructed and completed a great variety of mathematical instruments, and drew maps and charts of admirable accuracy and neatness. Snatched away in the flower of his age from the arts and sciences, he was deservedly lamented by person’s of real knowledge. The empress-queen, whose subject he was, and who had granted him a pension of 200 florins, which he enjoyed but two months, settled a pension of 50 florins on his sister, to testify her consideration for the deceased. The maps which he left were published at Vienna in 1774, “Tyrolis chorographia delineata e Petro An-ich et BlasioHueber, curante Ign. Weinhart.” His life was published in German, at Munich, 1767, with a portrait.

, son to the preceding, was born Feb. 22, 1722, at Iseste in the valley of Ossan inBearn, and at the age of twenty, for his degree of bachelor in the university of Montpellier, where he was then a student, he held a thesis “De sensu generice considerate,” which contains the ground-work of all the publications he afterwards gave. Such early knowledge determined his professors to dispense with several acts usual before admission to practice. In> 1743, he was created M. D. at Montpellier, and two years after succeeded his father, as inspector of the mineral waters, and professor of anatomy. In 1747, he was made corresponding member of the royal academy of Sciences at Paris, whither he soon after went, and where he acquired great reputation. Having taken out his licence in that city in 1754, he was appointed physician to the hopital de la charite. He died of an apoplexy, Nov. 24, 1776. A deep melancholy, occasioned by the flying gout, was the fore-runner of his end. He was found dead in his bed. One of the faculty, jealous of his fame, and who had tried to ruin him by a prosecution, said on the occasion: “I should never have thought he would have died in a horizontal position.” But a witty lady retorted by observing “that death was so much afraid of him, that he was obliged to catch him napping.” The facility with which he exercised his profession, his reluctance to give medicines, and his great confidence in nature, sometimes drew upon him the reproach that he had not much faith in medicine; but his doubts were so much the less blameable, as he was continually occupied in rendering the resources of his art more certain. He never disputed at all towards the latter end of his life, because probably he had disputed much to no purpose in his youth. Nobody knew better how to doubt, and he had little confidence in his own knowledge, and trusted with difficulty to that of others. Seeing the great number of courses of lectures in all branches of science, advertised every day, he observed once to a friend: “Will no one ever give a course of good sense?” As he expressed himself at times with rather too much acerbity on the merits of others, some of his professional brethren have called his own into question. His works, however, sufficiently attest his abilities. The principal are, 1. “Chylificationis historia,” 1742, reprinted at Paris, 1752, 12mo. with his “Recherches sur les Glandes.” He thought he observed a duct passing from the thyroid gland to the trachaea; an opinion which he repeats in another of his works, but without sufficient ground. 3. “Dissertatio physiologica de sensu generice considerate,” Monspelii, 1743, 8 vo; Paris, 1751, with his “Chylificationis historia.” 4. “Lettres contenant des essais sur l'histoire des Eaux minerales du Beam, &c. 1746, 12mo.” In these he treats of the properties of the waters, and of the geography of Beam. 5. “Recherches anatomiques sur la position des Glandes, et sur leur actions,” Paris, 1751, 8vo. 6. “Recherches sur le pouls par raport aux crises,” Paris, 1756, 12mo; in which he has gone much beyond Solano in his discrimination of pulses, and beyond what can be followed in practice. 7. “Recherches sur le tissu mnqueux, et l'organecellulaire,” Paris, 1766, 12mo. Haller accuses him of disingenuity in attributing to himself the discovery of some properties of the cellular membrane, which had been before described by him and others, but allows the work to have, on the whole, considerable merit.

, an English gentleman of considerable learning and ingenuity, of great personal worth, and at the same time an enthusiast of a singular description, was the third son of Nicholas Ferrar, a merchant in London, and was born Feb. 22, 1592, in the parish of St. Mary Stayning, in Mark-lane, London. His lather traded very extensively to the East and West Indies, and to all the celebrated seats of commerce. He* lived in high repute in the city, where he joined in commercial matters with sir Thomas and sir Hugh Middleton, and Mr. Bateman. He was a man of liberal hospitality, but governed his house with great order. He kept a good table, at which he frequently received persons of the greatest eminence, sir John Hawkins, sir Francis Drake, sir Walter Raleigh, and others with whom he was an adventurer; and in all their expeditions he was ever in the highest degree attentive to the planting the Christian Religion in the New World. At home also he was a zealous friend to the established church, and always ready to supply his prince with what was required of him. He lent 300l. at once upon a privy-seal a sum at that time notinconsiderable. He had the honour of being written Esq. by queen Elizabeth.

, a dissenting clergyman of considerable learning and industry, was born Feb. 22, 1707-8, at Great Torrington, in Devonshire, where his father was a manufacturer. He discovered a very early inclination for the ministry, and such was his proficiency in classical learning, that, at the age of fifteen he was admitted into the academy at Tiverton, under the rev. John Moore, who, on finishing his studies, solicited his assistance in the conduct of that institution. This, however, he declined, and in pursuance of his original intentions, was ordained in 1730 at Modbury, whence he soon removed to Crediton, and afterwards to Chard, and in 1739 to Bradford, Wilts. In 1747 he arrived in the metropolis, and became the pastor of a congregation at Rotherhithe, in which station he continued until his hearers, by death, or otherwise, declined so much in numbers, that he thought proper to resign in 17S3. He continued, however, for time time to preach occasionally at a morning lecture in St. Helen’s, Bishojisgate-street, and eisewh^re; but in his latter years his health and faculties were so much impaired as to render the performance of his public duties no longer possible. He died June 14, 1795, at the very advanced age of eighty-eight.