WEBSTER, Noah, the American lexicographer, was born at West Hartford, Connecticut, in 1758. After graduating at Yale college in 1778, he was thrown upon the world with an eight-dollar note presented him by his father. He studied for the bar, supporting himself in the meantime by keeping school; and when he had been called to the bar, he adhered, at first at least, to his prior occupation. In 1783, he published the first part of his "Grammatical Institute," which became the standard spelling-book of the States, being sold by the million, and the copyright-income of one cent per copy derived from it supported him during his long labours on the English dictionary. In 1787 he was principal of an episcopal academy at Philadelphia. In 1789 appeared his "Dissertations on the English Language, with an essay on a reformed mode of spelling," dedicated to Franklin. He proposed a new orthography, in the fond hope of creating "an American tongue," and though the scheme came to nothing, some of his orthographical innovations were introduced into his dictionary. Between 1789 and 1793 he practised law at Stratford, and in the latter year established and edited at New York a journal which supported Washington's administration. In 1798 he removed to Newhaven, where, with the exception of the ten years (1812-22) passed at Amherst, he spent the remainder of his life. In 1806 he published a "Dictionary of the English Language," in octavo, and in 1807 he began to work at his large and well-known "American Dictionary of the English Language." It was published in 1828, in 2 vols. 4to. Twenty-five thousand copies were printed in America, and three thousand in England, where its publication was superintended by Mr. E. H. Barker, the editor of Stephens' Thesaurus. Webster's industry was great, and some of its results were valuable. He added many words and corrected many errors, especially in terms belonging to natural history and modern science. He did much, too, in the way of improving definitions. The main fault of the work was occasioned by his fondness for a fanciful etymology. His philological knowledge did not qualify him to set up for an original etymologist: as he himself confessed, he had "begun his studies too Lite." He died at Newhaven in 1843.—F. E.
* WEBSTER, Thomas, R.A., was born in Pimlico, London, March 20, 1800. He was brought up as a chorister of St. George's chapel, Windsor, but his love for painting was too strong to be gainsayed, and he entered the Royal Academy as a student in 1821. Four years later he carried off the first prize for painting. His earliest subject picture, "Rebels shooting a Prisoner," was exhibited in 1825 at the Suffolk Street gallery. "Gunpowder Plot," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1828, attracted a good deal of notice. Both these pictures were in the manner, at that time a novelty, which Mr. Webster has since rendered so popular, though, of course, deficient in the tact and maturity of power displayed in his later works. With a few unimportant exceptions, Mr. Webster's subsequent pictures have belonged to the same class. Generally they represent the manners, the sports, or the small troubles of children. They are marked by a quiet humour, at times by a touch of pathos, always by genuine sympathy with the little personages. When children are not the chief actors, Mr. Webster's pictures are mostly of rustic subjects, such as the well known "Village Choir." Few painters of our day have enjoyed so great and equable an amount of popularity. The nation possesses eight paintings by him, which seem to be among the greatest favourites with visitors of all classes. Their titles and dates will serve as examples of his general subjects—In the Vernon collection, "Going into School," 1836; and "A Dame's School," 1845; in the Sheepshanks gallery, "Going to the Fair," and "Returning from the Fair," 1837-38; "Contrary Winds," 1843; "Sickness and Health," 1843; "A Village Choir," 1847; and "Reading the Scriptures." Other characteristic pictures are his "Smile" and "Frown," 1841; "The Slide," and "The School Play Ground," 1852. His most recent pictures are, "Autumn" and "Winter," exhibited in 1861; and "Roast Pig," exhibited in 1862. Mr. Webster was elected A.R.A. in 1840, R.A. in 1846.—J. T—e.
WEDDERBURN, Alexander, first earl of Rosslyn, a distinguished lawyer and politician, was born in 1733, at Chesterhall in East Lothian. He was descended from an old and respectable family in Forfarshire, which has produced several men of considerable eminence. His great-grandfather. Sir Peter Wedderburn, an eminent lawyer and judge in the reign of Charles II., was highly eulogized by Sir George M'Kenzie, and his father also was a judge with the designation of Lord Chesterhall. Young Wedderburn was educated for what may be called the hereditary profession of his family; and such was his precocity, both of talents and attainments, that he was called to the bar at the age of nineteen. He had always abundant confidence in his own powers, and was making rapid progress in his profession, when an altercation with a leading member of the bar, against whom he directed his fierce invectives, ended in a quarrel with the court, which led him in a sudden impulse of anger to strip off and fling aside his gown in open court, and to withdraw from Edinburgh and seek another field for his professional exertions. He accordingly removed to London in 1753, and enrolled himself a member of the Inner temple. He was called to the English bar in 1757, and became a bencher of Lincoln's inn in 1763. He made it at the outset an object of his especial care to eradicate his Scottish accent and to avoid provincial solecisms. For this purpose he is said to have studied under an actor, and by great diligence and perseverance he was completely successful in his efforts. At first he had but moderate success at the bar, but he made more rapid progress in politics, which soon became his favourite pursuit. At the accession of George III. Wedderburn attached himself to the royal favourite. Lord Bute, by whose influence he was brought into parliament. He was of course numbered among the adherents of this unpopular minister, and was in consequence bitterly satirized by Churchill as—
" A pert, prim prater of the northern race;
Guilt in his heart, and famine in his face;
Mute at the bar, and in the senate loud."
But after Lord Bute was driven from office Wedderburn abandoned the cause of the government, and took part with the opposition in all the leading questions of the day. He at this time sat for Richmond, and one speech and vote of his in support of Wilkes gave such deep offence to Sir Laurence Dundas, the patron of that close borough, that Wedderburn felt it necessary to resign his seat. This step was cordially eulogized by his new allies, who amidst thunders of applause drank his health at the Thatched House tavern as "the steward of the Chiltern Hundreds," and another seat was immediately procured for him by Lord Clive at Bishops Castle. Meanwhile Wedderburn had attained considerable eminence in his profession. Though far from being a profound lawyer, he possessed sufficient professional learning in ordinary subjects for the common occasions of nisi prius. His powers of public speaking were of a very high order, and he was unrivalled in stating and reasoning upon facts, and was singularly dexterous in marshalling and sifting evidence. His speech at the bar of the house of lords upon the celebrated Douglas case in 1769, gained him the favourable notice of Lords Camden and Mansfield, and was pronounced by Mr. Fox to be the very finest he had ever heard on any subject. On the retirement of Sir Fletcher Norton in 1770, he joined the northern circuit after he had attained the rank of king's counsel—a step which was regarded as so discreditable in itself, as well as a violation of the rules of the profession, that the bar with one exception refused to hold briefs with him. Wedderburn had hitherto been among the fiercest assailants of Lord North's government, but in 1771 the premier having offered him the office of solicitor-general, he at once deserted his party, and closed with the proposal—"one of the most flagrant cases of ratting, says Lord Campbell, "recorded in our party annals." The ministerial supporters had at first but little confidence in their new ally. "There is something about him," said Junius, "which even treachery cannot trust." But he speedily rendered himself highly useful, both by his energy in action and his dexterity in debate. "The minister," says Gibbon, in allusion to Lord North's somnolent habits, "might indulge in a short slumber while he was upholden on either hand by the majestic sense of Thurlow and the skilful eloquence of Wedderburn." In 1773, when a vote of censure was proposed against Lord Clive, and which the prime minister and attorney-general supported, the question being an open one, the solicitor-general conducted the defence with marked ability and success. He was soon after promoted to the office of attorney-general, and in 1778 made his celebrated attack upon Franklin before a committee of the privy council; but his speech, though very able and brilliant, is universally admitted to have been most ill-judged and impolitic, and was long remembered to his disadvantage. During the famous Gordon riots in 1780, he rendered most important services to the cause of order, and by his legal knowledge and firmness contributed greatly to the suppression of the disturbances which, through the disgraceful torpor of the govern-
