Book Description

Excerpt from Select Speeches of the Right Honourable William Windham, and the Right Honourable William Huskisson: With Preliminary Biograpical Sketches Here he remained about a year, having by diligent application to study laid the foundation of his profound mathematical acquirements. He was then removed to Oxford, where, in September 1767, he was entered a gentleman-commoner of University college, Sir Robert Chambers being his tutor. While at Oxford, he took so little interest in public affairs, that, it was the standing joke of one of his contemporaries, that "Windham would never know who was prime minister." This disinclination to a political life, added to a modest diffidence in his own talents, led him, at the period which is now spoken of, to reject an offer which, by a youth not more than twenty years of age, might have been considered as a splendid one; - that of being named secretary to his father's friend, Lord Townshend, who had been appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. After four years' residence, he left Oxford in 1771. He always retained feelings of gratitude towards Alma Mater, and preserved to the last an intimate acquaintance and correspondence with some of the most distinguished resident members. He did not, however, take his masters degree till 1783. That of doctor of laws was conferred on him in 1793, at the installation of the Duke of Portland. It is related that on this occasion, almost the whole assembly rose from their seats, when he entered the theatre, and received him with acclamations of applause. After leaving Oxford, he passed some time on the continent. In 1773 a voyage of discovery towards the North-Pole having been projected and placed under the command of the late Lord Mulgrave (then Commodore Phipps), Mr. Windham, with his characteristic ardour, joined as a passenger in the expedition. To his great mortification, however, a continued sea-sickness of an unusually severe and debilitating kind, rendered it necessary for him to be landed on the coast of Norway. Here, accompanied by a faithful servant, who had attended him from his childhood, he passed through a series of adventures and "hair-breadth 'scapes," in which his courage and humanity were conspicuous. The recital of them might agreeably occupy a considerable space in a memoir less limited in its nature and extent than the present. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.