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Basevi before attended them at St. Paul's. Here he lived for many years, and the story of his life is one of touching simplicity. He began every day by attending the six o'clock prayers; he then attended the poor professionally, prescribing for them gratis, furnishing them with medicines at his own expense, and ‘charitably relieving their other wants.’ The rest of his time he divided between his professional and literary work and the society of his friends, one of the chief of whom was his neighbour, Dr. Busby, of Westminster school. He was censor of the College of Physicians in 1674, 1684, 1687, and ‘elect’ from 26 March 1685 to 6 Nov. 1691. In 1694 his eyesight entirely failed him, and he was obliged to give up his practice; but he lived on for eleven years, ‘giving himself to contemplation and the conversation of a few friends.’ He died 4 Sept. 1705. Dr. Peter Barwick is now chiefly known for his interesting life of his brother, the dean, which he commenced in 1671, writing it in Latin, chiefly, it is said, for the sake of inserting the Latin disputation which his brother wrote for his D.D. degree; the thesis of it was ‘That the method of imposing penance and restoring penitents in the primitive church was a godly discipline, and that it is much to be wished it was restored.’ To the ‘Life’ he added an appendix vindicating the royal authorship of the Εἰκὼν Βασιλική. The ‘Vita Joannis Barwick’ was published in 1721 by Hilkiah Bedford, the nonjuror, who also wrote, and published in 1724, an excellent English translation of the work, and enriched it with copious notes on the various people mentioned therein; these notes are very valuable to the student of the history of the period. The manuscript of the life, with papers used in it, was deposited in the library of St. John's College, Cambridge.

[Life of Peter Barwick, attached to the English Translation of the Life of John Barwick by Hilkiah Bedford; Vita Joannis Barwick; Ellis's Original Letters, 2nd series, vol. iv.; Munk's Roll, i. 352–4.]  BASEVI, GEORGE (1794–1845), architect, was born in London, and educated by Dr. Burney at Greenwich. He was the son of George Basevi, whose sister Maria married Isaac D'Israeli and was the mother of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield. In 1811 Basevi became a pupil of Sir John Soane; in 1816 he made a tour through Italy and Greece, returning three years later to England. In 1821 he was appointed surveyor to the Guardian Assurance Company, and was engaged at the same time upon two christian churches in a pagan style of art, St. Thomas's at Stockport, and St. Mary's at Greenwich. Between 1825 and 1840 he designed and superintended the building of the houses in Belgrave Square, those at the corners excepted. His most important public work is the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge, begun by him in 1837, continued by R. C. Cockerell, completed (1874) by E. M. Barry. During the progress of this building he erected a house of correction at Wisbeach, and enlarged the gaol at Ely. The Conservative Club House was his last important work. In this undertaking he was associated with Sydney Smith, A.R.A. The building was begun in 1843, and finished in 1845. In the latter year the same architects were appointed to rebuild the Carlton Club premises. Basevi died before the commencement of the work. He was engaged in inspecting the western bell-tower of Ely Cathedral, and fell and was killed upon the spot. This accident happened 16 Oct. 1845; he was buried in a chapel at the east end of the cathedral. He was a tasteful architect in the classic styles.

[Architectural Publication Society's Dictionary, 1853; Civil Engineer; Builder; Redgrave's Dictionary of Artists, 1879.]  BASHAM, WILLIAM RICHARD, M.D. (1804–1877), physician, was born at Diss. He was at first placed in a banking house, but, preferring the medical profession, he entered as a student at Westminster Hospital in 1831. In 1833 he went to Edinburgh, and took his M.D. degree in the following year. After this he made a voyage to China, where, in a skirmish on the Canton river, he received a wound in the leg. In 1843 he was appointed physician to the Westminster Hospital, and he devoted himself to the school, giving lectures on medicine until 1871. He directed his attention especially to the study of dropsy and renal disease, and he wrote much that was original and important in connection with these subjects. Of great physical energy and robust frame, he was a physician of much culture, skilled in chemistry and botany, and an excellent artist, the illustrations in his works being furnished by his own pencil.

He was the author of the following works: 1. ‘On Dropsy,’ 1858. 2. ‘On Renal Diseases,’ 1870. 3. ‘Aids to the Diagnosis of Diseases of the Kidney,’ 1872.

[Lancet, October 1877.]  BASING,. [See, 1826–1894.]

BASING or BASINGSTOKE, JOHN (d. 1252), archdeacon of Leicester, takes his name from the town of Basingstoke in