trate for their lively and truthful presentation of New England character.—F. B.
DARLEY, George, a miscellaneous writer of prose and verse, was born in Ireland about the beginning of the present century, and, coming when young to England, formed a connection with the London Magazine. An imperfection in his speech induced a life of retirement, mainly devoted to literature and science. he was an enthusiastic admirer of the Elizabethan poets and dramatists, and so early as 1822 had published "The Errors of Ecstacie, a dramatic poem." The best known of his subsequent poems is his "Thomas à Becket, a dramatic chronicle;" and of his prose writings, the introduction to the late Mr. Moxon's edition of Beaumont and Fletcher, undertaken to supply the place of one commissioned from Southey. Mr. Darley contributed art-notices to the Athenæum, and published several popular manuals of astronomy, geometry, algebra, &c. He died on the 23rd November, 1846.—F. E.
DARLING, Grace, a true heroine in humble life, was born at Ramborough on the 24th November, 1815. Her father, William Darling, was keeper of the Longstone lighthouse on the Farne islands, on the coast of Northumberland, and on this lonely spot the greater part of her quiet unobtrusive life was passed. On the 6th September, 1838, the Forfarshire steamer was wrecked on the Farne islands. A part of the crew made their escape in a boat; another portion were swept away when the ship broke in two; the survivors, nine in number, were descried at daybreak from the Longstone, at nearly a mile's distance, clinging to the wreck. Although the sea still raged fearfully, Grace Darling and her father, at the imminent risk of their own lives, succeeded in rescuing the sufferers, and conveying them to the lighthouse, where, owing to the violence of the storm, they were compelled to remain for three days before they could be conveyed to the mainland. The whole country, and indeed all Europe, rung with the deed Grace had done. But the tokens of public applause which were showered upon her, produced no change in her gentle modest character. She died of consumption on the 20th of October, 1842.—J. T.
DARNLEY, Henry Stewart, Lord, the ill-fated husband of Mary Queen of Scots, was the son of Matthew, earl of Lennox, who was descended from a branch of the royal house of Stewart. His mother was Margaret Douglas, daughter of Margaret Tudor, widow of James IV., by her second husband the earl of Angus, Darnley came to Scotland in 1565, in his nineteenth year, in the midst of the negotiations for the marriage of the Scottish queen to Dudley, earl of Leicester, which were broken off soon after his arrival. Mary, justly indignant at the crooked and selfish policy of Elizabeth, gave her young kinsman a frank and cordial reception, and soon began to turn a favourable ear to his offer of marriage. The match, however, was violently opposed by the protestant party, on account of Darnley's religious opinions, and by the earl of Moray, and the powerful house of Hamilton; and Darnley's youth and inexperience, combined with his weak understanding and passionate temper, rendered him peculiarly unfit for the honour which he so eagerly coveted. But in spite of such prudential considerations, he made rapid progress in the queen's affections, and the passion with which he had inspired her was soon visible to every eye. With her usual impetuosity, she would brook no opposition to her wishes, and in August, 1565, only two months after Darnley's arrival in Scotland, Mary was secretly married to him in the apartment of David Riccio in Stirling castle; and after creating him Duke of Albany, and conferring on him the title of king, their marriage was publicly solemnized in the chapel royal, Holyrood, 29th July, 1566. The imprudence of this step speedily became apparent. Darnley soon showed himself wholly unworthy of the high honour which had been conferred upon him. His combined folly and vice, and his imperious, headstrong, and passionate behaviour, lost him both the affection of the queen and the respect of the people. He was much addicted to drinking and other degrading vices, and not only neglected the queen and forsook her company, but even publicly treated her with disrespect and brutal insult. He had set his heart on obtaining the crown matrimonial, by which the whole of the royal power and dignity would have been vested in him so long as his union with the queen lasted. But after his real character became known to her, Mary naturally hesitated to place supreme power in the hands of one who had shown himself totally unfit to exercise it. The foolish and imperious youth bitterly resented this refusal, and not only became estranged from his wife, but contracted a violent dislike to her secretary, David Riccio, whom he regarded as her adviser in this matter. He had even the folly to allege that Riccio had supplanted him in the affections of the queen; and, infuriated by jealousy and disappointment, he entered into a plot, along with certain of the nobles, for the murder of "the villain David," as he termed him, and signed a formal "band" or agreement for this purpose. The villanous project was carried into effect, with circumstances of shocking barbarity (see David Riccio). Mary, who had herself been placed in imminent danger during the perpetration of the horrid deed, was closely imprisoned in her chamber, and the conspirators adopted prompt measures to carry out their designs. But Darnley, as weak and vacillating as he was unprincipled, was easily gained over by Mary, and induced to co-operate in a project for her deliverance. On the night of the 11th, accompanied by her husband and two or three attendants, she fled from Holyrood, and found refuge in the strong castle of Dunbar. The baffled conspirators were filled with consternation at the queen's escape, and consulted their safety by immediate flight. Darnley not only publicly denied all knowledge of the objects of the conspiracy, but busied himself in bringing his accomplices to justice. His fellow-conspirators, enraged at his conduct, revenged themselves by accusing him as the contriver of the plot, and laid before Mary the proofs of his guilt in the "bands" which he had signed. This discovery completely, and for ever, alienated from him the affections of the queen. Some of the leading nobles sought to effect her deliverance from the miserable position in which she was placed, by obtaining a divorce from her husband. Mary at first gave her consent to this proposal; but for some reason which does not clearly appear, it was ultimately laid aside, and in its stead a plot was formed for the murder of Darnley, and a "band" or covenant for the perpetration of this nefarious deed was drawn up and signed about the close of 1566, by Bothwell, Huntly, Lethington, and other nobles. Shortly after, Darnley, while on a visit to Glasgow, was seized with small-pox, and was for some time dangerously ill. After the lapse of a month, when he had partially recovered from his illness, Mary paid him a visit, professed to believe his expressions of penitence, and treated him with apparent kindness. On the 27th of January, 1567, they quitted Glasgow together, and on reaching Edinburgh, Darnley was placed in a mansion called the Kirk-of-Field, immediately beyond the city wall. Here he remained for ten days, attended by the queen with the most assiduous care, and receiving from her marks of great tenderness and affection. Meanwhile the plot against the life of the unhappy prince was rapidly approaching maturity; and on the night of Sunday, 9th February, while the queen was attending a masque given at Holyrood in honour of the marriage of two of her servants, Darnley and his page were strangled by some of Bothwell's retainers, who were concealed in the queen's bedroom. Their bodies were carried out into an orchard near at hand, where they were found next morning unscathed by fire, and the house was blown up with gunpowder, in order to obliterate all traces of the murder. A number of the inferior agents employed in this affair were tried and executed, but the leading criminals escaped, though in the end the greater part of them died a violent death.—J. T.
DARQUIER DE PELLEPOIX, Augustin, an eminent French astronomer, was born at Toulouse on the 23rd November, 1718, and died on the 18th January, 1802. From his earliest youth he showed a remarkable passion for the study of astronomy, to which science he afterwards devoted his time, his labour, and his fortune. He constructed an observatory in his own house, purchased the best instruments, and endeavoured in every way to advance the interests of his favourite science. His "Uranographie, ou contemplation du ciel, à la portée de tout le monde," is one of the best works on the subject. Some years afterwards appeared "Observations astronomiques faites à Toulouse en 1777," Avignon, 4to; the second volume of which was published at Paris in 1782. Darquier also wrote "Letters on Practical Astronomy," and "Cosmological Letters on the Construction of the Universe;" translated Simpson's Elements of Geometry, and was the author of a considerable number of memoirs which were not separately published. He was a member of most of the learned societies in Europe.—R. M., A.
DARTMOUTH, George Legge, first earl of, was the eldest son of William Legge, who was groom of the bedchamber to Charles I., and took a prominent part on the side of the king
