Notes and Queries | Page 3

his brother, the great mechanist, Sir Samuel Bentham. In passing,
it may be remarked that the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, is
constructed on the same principle, and, as was stated in the
_Mechanics' Magazine_, on authority, a year or two ago, by the same

engineer. General rumour has, however, attributed the design to his
gracious Majesty George III; and its being so closely in keeping with
the known spirit of espionage of that monarch certainly gave
countenance to the rumour. It may be as well to state, however, that, so
designed and so built, it has never yet been so used.
P. 428.--_Benbow_, not a native of Wapping, but of Shrewsbury. A life
of him was published nearly forty years ago, by that veteran of local
and county history, Mr. Charles Hulbert, in the Salopian Magazine.
P. 499. _Whitfield._--Certainly not the founder of the Methodists, in
the ordinary or recognised acceptation of the term. John Wesley was at
the head of that movement from the very first, and George Whitfield
and Charles Wesley were altogether subordinate to him. Wesley and
Whitfield parted company on the ground of Arminianism versus
Calvinism. For a while the two sects kept the titles of "Arminian
Methodists" and "Calvinistic Methodists." The latter made but little
ground afterwards, and the distinctive adjective was dropped by the
Wesleyans when the Whitfieldites had ceased to be a prominent body.
P. 515. _Doctor Dodd._--The great interest excited in favour of a
commutation of his sentence, led to the belief at the time, that his life
had not been really sacrificed. Many plausible stories respecting the
Doctor having been subsequently seen alive, were current; and as they
may possibly in some future age be revived, and again pass into general
currency, it may be as well to state that the most positive evidence to
the contrary exists, in a letter of Dr. Hutton's before referred to. The
_attempt to resuscitate him was actually made_, by a no less
distinguished surgeon than John Hunter. He seemed then to attribute
the failure to his having received the body too late. Wonderful effects
were at that time expected to result from the discovery of galvanism;
but it would have been wonderful indeed if any restoration had taken
place after more than two hours of suspended animation. John Hunter,
according to the account, does not seem to have been very
communicative on the subject, even to his philosophical friends at
Slaughter's Oyster Rooms.
T.S.D.
Shooter's Hill.
[Footnote 1: It may not be out of place here to mention one fine feature
in the character of "Tom Hurst;" his deep reverence for men of ability,

whether in literature, science, or art. Take one instance:
Fourteen or fifteen years ago, I called one morning at his place of
business (then 65. St. Paul's Church Yard, which has been subsequently
absorbed into the "Religious Tract Depository"); and, as was my
custom, I walked through the shop to his private room. He was "not in;"
but a gentleman, who first looked at me and then at a portrait of me on
the wall, accosted me by my surname as familiarly as an intimate
acquaintance of twenty years would have done. He and Hurst, it
appeared, had been speaking of me, suggested by the picture, before
Hurst went out. The familiar stranger did not keep me long in
suspense--he intimated that I had "probably heard our friend speak of
Ben Haydon." Of course I had; and we soon got into an easy chat.
Hurst was naturally a common subject with us. Amongst the remarks
he made were the following, and in almost the words:--
"When my troubles came on, I owed Hurst a large sum of money; and
the circumstances under which I became his debtor rendered this
peculiarly a debt of honour. He lent it me when he could ill spare it; yet
he is the only one of all my creditors who has not in one way or other
persecuted me to the present hour. When he first knew of my wreck, he
called upon me--_not to reproach but to encourage me_--and he would
not leave me till he felt sure that he had changed the moody current of
my thoughts. If there be any change in him since then, it is in his
increased kindness of manner and his assiduity to serve me. He is now
gone out to try to sell 'a bit of daub' for me."
Hurst came in, and this conversation dropped; but it had been well had
Hurst been by his side on the day his last picture was opened to view at
the Egyptian Hall. The catastrophe of that night might have been
averted, notwithstanding Mr. Barnum and his Tom Thumb show in the
adjoining room.]
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