Sir Stafford Henry Northcote

Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, an English statesman, born in London, Oct. 27,1818. He graduated at Oxford in 1842, and was called to the bar in 1847. He succeeded as eighth baronet on the death of his grandfather in 1851, and in the same year was made a C. B. for his services as a secretary of the crystal palace exhibition. He became a member of parliament in 1855; was private secretary of Mr. Gladstone when the latter was president of the board of trade; financial secretary to the treasury from January to June, 1859; president of the board of trade from July, 1866, to March, 1867, and afterward secretary of state and president of the council for India till December, 1868; governor of the Hudson Bay company in 1869; and a member of the high joint commission at "Washington on the Alabama claims in 1871. In March, 1874, he joined Mr. Disraeli's cabinet as chancellor of the exchequer. He has published "Twenty Years of Financial Policy, 1842-'61" (London, 1862).

Sir William Beechey

Sir William Beechey, an English portrait painter, born at Burford, Oxfordshire, in December, 1753, died at Hampstead, near London, in January, 1839. He was articled to a London attorney, but procured his release at the age of 19, became a student of the royal academy, and closely imitated the style of Sir Joshua Reynolds. For some time he confined himself to portraits, living at Norwich; but having executed some small pieces in the manner of Hogarth, which were very successful, he returned to London, where he obtained numerous commissions for full-length portraits. In 1793 he was elected associate of the royal academy, and appointed portrait painter to Queen Charlotte. In 1797, having painted a good picture of George III., he was knighted, and at the same time made a member of the royal academy.

Sir William Chambers

Sir William Chambers, an English architect, of Scottish descent, horn in Stockholm about 1726, died in London, March 8, 1796. He was educated at Ripon, Yorkshire, went as supercargo to the East Indies, spent some time in China, and brought back many drawings of Chinese buildings and costume, which were published in 1757. He then devoted himself to architecture, and on returning from France and Italy he settled in London in 1744, and was appointed drawing master to the prince of Wales, afterward George III. He laid out the royal gardens at Kew in the Chinese style, and built the villa of the earl of Besborough at Roehampton, and other tine mansions, in the Italian style. His masterpiece was Somerset house in London, which he rebuilt in 1775. He published in 1759 a "Treatise on Civil Architecture," which has been several times reprinted; and in 1772 a "Dissertation on Oriental Gardening."

Sir William Charles Ross

Sir William Charles Ross, an English painter, born in London, June 3, 1794, died there, Jan. 20, 1860. In 1837 he was appointed miniature painter to Queen Victoria, and in 1842 he was knighted. He early abandoned historical for miniature painting, but he prepared in 1842 a fine cartoon for the new houses of parliament. Among his original paintings is "The Judgment of Solomon".