Martin Farqnhar Tupper, an English author, born in London, July 171810. He graduated at Oxford in 1832, and in 1835 was admitted to the bar, but has never practised. His "Proverbial Philosophy, a Book of Thoughts and Arguments originally treated" (1838; 2d series, 1842; 3d series, 1867), brought him into immediate popularity, and, in spite of much contemptuous criticism, has passed through numerous editions, and been translated into several languages. In 1845 he was elected a fellow of the royal society, and he has received the Prussian gold medal for science and art. His numerous succeeding works include "A Modern Pyramid to commemorate a Septuagint of Worthies " (1839), a series of sonnets and essays on 70 celebrated men and women; "An Author's Mind" (1841), containing plans of 30 unpublished works; "The Crock of Gold," " Heart, a Social Novel," and " Twins, a Domestic Novel" (1844); " Probabilities, an Aid to Faith" (1847); "Hactenus, a Budget of Lyrics" (1848); "Surrey, a Rapid Review of its Principal Persons and Places" (1849); "King Alfred's Poems in English Metre " (1850); " Farley Heath " (1851); "Hymns for all Nations, in Thirty Languages" (1851); "Ballads for the Times" (1851); "Heart, a Tale" (1853); "Probabilities" (1854); "Lyrics" (1855); "Stephen Langton " (1858); " Three Hundred Sonnets" (1860); " Rides and Reveries of Mr. Aesop Smith" (1861); " Cithara, a Volume of Lyrics" (1863); "Alfred," a play (1865); " Raleigh," a play (1866); "Our Canadian Dominion; Half a Dozen Ballads about a King for Canada," and "Twenty-one Protestant Ballads" (1868). In 1875 he wrote a play founded upon incidents of the American revolution, and introducing Washington and contemporary characters.

In 1851 Mr. Tupper visited the United States. His life has been spent principally in retirement at his maternal estate, in the parish of Albury, near Guildford, Surrey.