Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 05.djvu/370

 and comptroller-general in the same office, with a salary of 500l. In the Royal Calendar of 1793 his name appears for the only time as the resident surveyor and comptroller of the inland department of the general post-office, with a salary of 700l. When Palmer vucated his functions (in 1792, according to Rose’s ‘Biographical Diclionary,' in 1795, according to the ‘ Biographia Dramatica’), Bonnor succeeded to the comptrollership of the inland department of the post-office. This he held two years. Changes were then made in the post-office, the comptrollership was abolished, and Bonnor retired on a pension. He published: 1. ‘Mr. Palmer's Case explained. . . 1797.' 2. ‘Letter to  Hobhouse, Esq., M.P., on the subject of Mr. Palmer's Claim. . . 1800.' 3. ‘Vindication against certain Callunnies on the subject of Mr. Palmer’s Claim.' 4to, 1800. In the ‘return of persons now or formerly belonging to the post-ofice department who receive pensions,' contained in the Parliamentary Papers for 1829, xi. 229, the name of Charles Bonnor appears as receiving a pension of 460l., granted him from 1795 ‘for office abolished.' This return is dated 26 March 1827, at which date Bonnor was assumably alive. In the ‘ Gentleman’s Magazine ’ for 1829, i, 651, the death at Gloucester of a Mr. Charles Bonnor is chronicled.

 BONNOR, THOMAS (fl. 1763–1807), topographical draughtsman and engraver, was a native of Gloucestershire. In 1763 he was awarded a premium by the Society of Arts, and he became one of the ablest topographical artists of his time. There are many plates of mansions, churches, and monuments drawn and engraved by him in Nash’s 'Collections for the History of Worcestershire,' published in 1781-2 ; Collinson’s ‘History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset,' 1791; Bigland’s ‘Historical, Monumental, and Genealogical Collections relative to the County of Gloucester,' 1791-2; and Polwhele’s ‘History of Devonshire,' 1793-1806. He also designed some illustrations to the works of Richardson, Smollett, and Fielding, and in 1799 published four numbers of the ‘Copperplate Perspective Itinerary,' containing views of Gloucester Cathedral and Goodrich Castle, for which he also wrote the descriptive text. He exhibited some drawings of architectural remains at the Royal Academy in 1807, and died between that date and the year 1812.

 BONNYCASTLE, JOHN (1750?–1821), author of several works on elementary mathematics, was born (probably about 1750) at Whitchurch, in Buckinghamshire. At an early age he went to London ‘to seek his fortune,' and afterwards ‘kept an academy at Hackney.' On the title-pages of the earlier editions of his first work (‘The Scholar’s Guide to Arithmetic') he is described as ‘private teacher of mathematics.' He was at one time private tutor to the sons of the Earl of Pomfret. Between 1782 and 1785 he became professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He died on 15 May 1821. His chief works are: 1. ‘The Scholar’s Guide to Arithmetic.' The first edition of this book appeared in 1780. In 1851 appeared an eighteenth edition, ‘edited by J. Rowbotham, corrected with additions hy S. Maynard] 2. ‘Introduction to Algebra,' 1782. A thirteenth edition appeared in 1824, ‘with addenda by Charles Bonnycastle,' the author’s son. 3. ‘Introduction to Astronomy,’ 1786. This book is intended as a popular introduction to astronomy rather than as an elementary treatise. An eighth edition appeared in 1822. 4. An edition of Euclid’s ‘Elements,’ with notes, 1789. 5. ‘Introduction to Mensuration and Practical Geometry,' 1782 (thirteenth edition 1823). This book and the last were translated into Turkish. 6. ‘A Treatise on Algebra,' 2 vols., 1813. 7. ‘A Treatise on Plane and Spherical Trigonometry,’ 1806. Besides elementary mathematical books, Bonnycastle was in early life a frequent contributor to the ‘London Magazine.' He wrote also the introduction to a translation (by T. O. Churchill) of Bossut’s ‘Histoire des Mathématiques,’ and a ‘chronological table of the most eminent mathematicians from the earliest times’ at the end of the book (1803). He seems to have been a man of considerable classical and general literary culture. Leigh Hunt, who used to meet him in company with Fuseli, of whom Bonnycastle was a great friend, has left a description of him in his book on ‘Lord Byron and his Contemporaries.' He describes him as ‘a good fellow,' and as ‘passionately fond of quoting Shakespeare and of telling stories.' In conclusion, he suggests that, in common with scientific men in general, Bonnycastle ‘thought a little more highly of his talents than the amount of them strictly warranted;' but, he adds, ‘the delusion was not only pardonable but desirable in a man so zealous in the performance of his duties, and so much