ΤΟ

THE REV. THOMAS GALLAND, A. M.,

WHOSE VIRTUES, TALENTS, AND LEARNING,

WERE HIGHLY APPRECIATED BY THE SUBJECT PORTRAYED,

These Memoirs

ARE RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED,

AS A TOKEN OF PERSONAL ESTEEM,

RY

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

As to personal history, many of the more prominent facts recorded in these Memoirs, were communicated to the biographer by the subject himself, either directly, in the way of information, or incidently, in the course of general conversation. Partly through the accumulation of these facts-which a friendship of nearly twenty eight years continuance might naturally be expected to produce, but still more because of the high value fixed upon moral, religious, and intellectual character, a purpose was formed, in the event of the writer being the survivor, of furnishing a simple narrative of the life of his friend. This design being reserved to himself, he was not a little surprised, soon after the decease of the beloved subject, to be waited upon by the executors,— Messrs. Charles Smith and Edward Phillips, of Leeds, requesting him to undertake the Memoir of their long endeared and venerated friend; stating, at the same

time, that the family united in the request. Something providential appearing in this coalescence of intention, arrangements were immediately made to enter upon the work. The executors, with promptitude and kindness, placed the papers of Mr. Dawson in the hands of the writer; and, combining with his own collections whatever was available for the purpose of biography, he proceeded with all possible care and despatch, to furnish the following pages; which, under these circumstances, are presented to the public, not only with the sanction of the family, but under the authority of the executors.

Though the writer had a valuable collection of Letters in hand, obligingly furnished by different friends, he studiously avoided the introduction of them into the Life; first, because they would have swelled it to an inconvenient size; secondly, he was anxious to introduce as much incident as possible; and thirdly, he foresaw that the Letters themselves would form an excellent volume-running chronologically arranged by the side of the Life, as a kind of companion,-leaving it optional with the reader to take one or both, as inclination or circumstances might lead.

In each of the biographies in which the writer has been engaged, it has been a maxim with him to be

honest-to give both sides. He has never been either afraid or ashamed to look human nature in the face, so far as simple character has been concerned-apart from vice-whether in its strength or weakness, its eccentricities or its regularities; nor has he ever tried to make a man what, in reality, he was not,-so that when his friends and neighbours have seen him in print, they have been unable to recognize him-having been made so much better than he actually was. Religion requires no deception; and happily for the biographer, he undertook a subject that could sustain a scrutiny, — a subject as open as the day,--and, for sincerity, as transparent as the light. That subject the biographer commits to the world, with an ardent wish, that the virtues embodied there, may be exhibited both by himself and his readers. JAMES EVERETT.

YORK, Feb. 12th, 1842.