Page:Men of the Time, eleventh edition.djvu/1013

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996

SIMPSON— SIMS.

philosophical works of Descartes^ Bossuet, Malebranche, and Antoine Amauld; and has contributed to the Remie des Deux Mondes and other periodicals.

SIMPSON, John Palobave, born in Norfolk early in the century, received his education under a private tutor and at Ck>rpu8 Christi College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of B.A., and proceeded M.A. in due course. He was intended for the Church, but entertaining a great ob- jection to taking orders, he teavelled for many years on the Continent, residing at several foreign courts. A severe reverse of fortune caused him to devote his attention to litera- ture, and for many years he con- tributed to Blackwood and Fraser's Magazines and Bentley*$ Miscellany. He wrote ** Second Love, and other Tales," published in 18-46 ; " Gisella : a Novel,** and " Letters from the Danube," in 1847 ; " Lily of Paris, or the King's Nurse," and " Pictures from Eevolutionary Paris," in 1848. Mr. Simpson returned definitely to this country in 1850, and com- menced writing for the stage with considerable success. He has pro- duced about forty pieces of different kinds. His best-^own dramas are " The World and the Stage ; " " Second Love," which is very popular in the United States, and has been translated into several foreign languages ; and " Sybilla, or Step by Step." His latest work is a life of Karl Maria von Weber, compiled from materials collected by the son of the great composer, published in 1865.

SIMPSON, William, was born at Glasgow, Oct. 28, 1823. He began life as an architect, and then took to art. He went through the war in the Crimea as an artist, and pub- lished sketches in two volumes, entitled "Campaign in the East," 1856-6. Mr. Simpson travelled in India from 1859 to 1862. The result was published in a work enti- tled, " India, Ancient and Modern," 1867. Since 1866 he has travelled

to Bussia, Palestine, Abyssinia, China, Japan, America, India, Af- ghanistan , and other places as special artist of the Illustrated London Ncics. In addition to the works already men- tioned, he has published, '* Meeting the Sun, a Journey all round the World," 1873; " Shikare and Ta- masha," 1876 ; " Photographs from Drawings of the Prince of Wales's Visit to India," and Hcturesque People," 1876. Mr. Simpson is a member of the Institute of Painters in Water Colours.

SIMS, Gboboe Bobert, was born in London Sept. 2, 1847, and edu- cated at Han well College, and after- wards at Bonn. He first joined the staflf of Fun on the death of Tom Hood the younger in 1874 ; and the Weekly IHspaich the same year. Since 1877 he has been a contributor to the Referee under the pseudonym of *• Dagonet." In that newspaper his Dagonet Ballads" first ap- peared. To the Dispatch Mr. Sims contributed " Social Kaleidoscope," "Three Brass BaUs," and "Theatre of Life." These have been trans- lated into German, French, and Danish. He edited One and All in 1879. He produced his first play, "Cmtch and Toothpick," at the Royalty Theatre in April, 1879; " Mother-in-Law," 1881 ; "Member for Slocum," 1881. These were followed by " The Gay City," and " Half- Way House," " The Lights o' London" (Princess's, Sept. 10, 1882), which ran nearly 250 nights. It was followed by " The Romany Eye," and " The Merry Duchess," a comic opera.

SIMS, BiCHABD, born at Oxford, in 1816, was educated at New College School in that university, and, at the recommendation of the late Bev. Dr. Bliss, of Oxford, entered the public service in 1841 as an attendant in the Manuscript De- partment at the British Museum. In 1859, he became a Transcriber, and subsequently a Junior Assistant. On the accession of Mr. Bond to the Keepership of Manuscripts^ in