at Ramsgate, and died 11 Jan. 1864, aged 78.
[Gent. Mag. 3rd ser. xvi. 268-9; Athenæum, 23 Jan. 1864; Classical Journal, xliii. 204; Museum Criticum, vii. 488; British Museum Catalogue; Watt's Biblioth. Brit. (where he is confused with the Rev. George Burges, B.A., of St. John's College, Cambridge, who died in 1853.).]
BURGES, Sir JAMES BLAND (afterwards Lamb) (1752–1824), politician, was born on 8 June 1752. He was the son of Mr. George Burges, whose immediate ancestors were Berkshire gentry. George Burges entered the army, and distinguished himself at Culloden by capturing the standard of Prince Charles's body-guard, borne by the Duke of Athole. He contracted a romantic marriage with Lord Somerville's daughter. After services in Scotland and at Gibraltar, for which he received the thanks of the prime minister, the Duke of Newcastle, he became a commissioner of the Scottish excise, 1761–8, and afterwards comptroller-general of the Scottish customs from 1768 till his death, 16 March 1786, in London.
Burges was educated at Westminster School and University College, Oxford. On leaving Oxford in 1773 he went to Europe, visiting the Low Countries, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy. At Rome he had a private audience of Pope Clement XIV. Returning to England, Burges studied law. On 19 June 1777 he married the Hon. Elizabeth Noel, daughter of Lord Wentworth. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn the same year, and was now appointed a commissioner in bankruptcy. Mrs. Burges dying in childbirth two years after her marriage, in 1780 Burges married Anne, daughter of Colonel Montolieu, baron de Saint Hypolite, by whom he had ten children. He made the acquaintance of Pitt, and at a dinner at Burges's a passage of arms occurred between Pitt and Gibbon, which led to the indignant retirement of the historian. In 1782 Burges was offered the appointment of minister to the court of Warsaw, which he declined. The scheme of the sinking fund, usually associated with the name of Pitt, was actually originated by John Lamb, the friend of Burges, and the latter unfolded the project to the statesman. Pitt warmly expressed the obligation he was under for the financial details furnished him on Lamb's behalf. When the existence of Pitt's ministry was threatened in consequence of the opposition to the mutiny bill, Burges virtually saved it by the discovery that the mutiny bill was not necessarily a money bill, and that many instances had occurred of mutiny bills being first introduced in the House of Lords.
In 1787 Burges was returned to parliament for the borough of Helston in Cornwall. He took a conspicuous part in favour of Warren Hastings during the early days of the impeachment, and while his attitude gained him the lasting friendship of Hastings it lost him for a time the favour of Pitt. At the close of Sheridan's speech Burges was put forward by Pitt to answer him, but the house was impatient. The following day Pitt himself greatly astonished the house and his friends by attacking Hastings. Burges insisted on dividing the house, however, but was defeated by 175 to 68 votes. Burges intervened to prevent a duel between Burke and General Caillaud, whom the former had accused of the deliberate murder of an Indian prince. In May 1788 Burges gave notice of a motion for an account of the money expended on the trial of Warren Hastings, and he was cordially supported by Pitt. Sheridan and Burke were extremely indignant with Burges, but his motion was carried by a majority of sixty to seventeen. Subsequently, when Sheridan made his great speech on the Oude Begums, Burges was unwise enough to obtrude upon the house once more matters of finance, a step for which he was severely and sarcastically rebuked by Burke.
Burges steadily supported Wilberforce in his anti-slavery agitation, and rendered valuable assistance in mitigating the horrors of the Middle Passage. He also prepared a bill for the improvement of the condition of prisoners for debt; but although he twice carried it past the second reading it was on both occasions lost through the opposition of the legal profession. At the time of Pitt's pecuniary embarrassment Burges contributed 1,000l. towards the payment of his debts. In 1789 the Duke of Leeds offered him the post of under-secretary of state in the foreign department, which Burges accepted. In his new office he initiated many useful reforms, and in conjunction with Thurlow succeeded in disposing of delicate questions with Naples and Honduras. On the resignation of the Duke of Leeds, Burges offered to retire with his chief, but Pitt persuaded him to remain. In consequence of a double return for the borough of Helston at the general election of 1790 a parliamentary committee was appointed to inquire into the circumstances, and Burges lost his seat; but he still remained at the foreign office. It appears from the Burges papers that the dagger which Burke used in the House of Commons on a memorable occasion was one supplied to him by Burges. War was at this time believed to be imminent,
