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 that time his life was divided between politics and science. His most interesting, but least scientific, work was his 'History of the Five Indian Nations of Canada,' published in 1727, which passed through several editions. Of his medical works the best known are his 'Account of Diseases prevalent in America,' 1736, and his 'Essay on the Cause and Remedy of the Yellow Fever so fatal at New York in 1743;' and his devotion to pure science is shown by his 'Treatise on Gravitation' (1745), subsequently enlarged and republished as 'Principles of Action in Matter, with a Treatise annexed on the Elements of Fluxions or Differential Calculus.' But his favourite study was botany; he introduced the Linnæan system into America only a few months after its publication in Europe, and he sent a description of between three hundred and four hundred American plants to Linnæus, who published it in the 'Acta Upsaliensia' (1743), and who in recognition of his correspondent's energy called a new genus of plants the Coldenia. Besides writing to Linnæus, Golden regularly corresponded with the most eminent men of science, both in Europe and America, such as Lord Macclesfield, Gronovius, and Benjamin Franklin, and enjoyed a great reputation among his contemporaries. Golden rose to the rank of senior member of council, and in that capacity administered the government before the arrival of Governor George Clinton, whom he received and inducted into office in July 1748. About 1755 he received a large grant of lands some nine miles from Newburgh on the Hudson, where he was exposed to Indian attacks, and from that time he only lived at New York for part of the year. In politics he was a strong royalist and partisan of prerogative; he was never tired of inveighing against the democratic lawyers, and he even went so far as to propose the establishment of an hereditary council of landholders in the colony of New York, who should have similar legislative powers to the English House of Lords. His principles naturally made him popular with the English authorities, and after administering the government as president in 1760 he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the colony of New York in 1761. As lieutenant-governor he had to administer the government upon the death or during the absence of a governor, and during one of these periods, in October 1765, the stamped paper made necessary by Grenville's Stamp Act reached New York. The official distributor of stamps refused to receive it, so Golden swore to issue it himself, and retired with it to Fort George, where he strengthened himself with a garrison of marines. The people of New York assembled to protest against it, and Golden ordered the marines to fire upon them, but in vain. The people, however, satisfied themselves with seizing his carriages, dragging them in torchlight procession through the town, and finally burning them with effigies of Golden himself and the devil on the bowling-green of New York (, History of the United States of America, iii. 521). The old man once or twice administered the government again, but in 1775, after the Declaration of Independence and the return of Governor Tryon, he retired to his seat on Long Island, where he died on 28 Sept. 1776. Golden left many manuscripts behind him, including a series of meteorological observations, a daily register of the barometer and thermometer during the greater part of his residence in America, and memoirs on vital movement, the properties of light, the intelligence of animals, and the phenomena attaching to the mixture of metals. A. Garden describes him as 'a truly great philosopher and very great and ingenious botanist.' Colden's son was a distinguished mathematician and natural philosopher, and his grandson, a well-known lawyer, was for some time a senator for the state of New York in the congress of the United States.

 COLDINGHAM, GEOFFREY (fl. 1214), historian of the church of Durham, was, according to the heading prefixed to the manuscripts of his book, sacrist of Coldingham priory, a ' cell ' or dependent establishment of the priory of Durham. Of his life nothing is known. His history begins with the death of Bishop William de St. Barbara in 1152, and ends abruptly with the election of Morgan (an alleged natural son of Henry II) to the bishopric in 1214. From this point the work was continued by Robert de Graystanes, afterwards himself bishop of Durham. Two manuscripts of Geoffrey's work are known to exist, one of them in the possession of the dean and chapter of York, and the other in the British Museum (Cotton Tit. A 2). The book was first edited, from the Cotton MS., by Wharton, in his 'Anglia Sacra' (1691); but the edition swarms with the grossest blunders, besides many important omissions. A satisfactory edition of Geoffrey is included in the volume 'Historiæ Dunelmensis Scriptores Tres,' edited by the Rev. J. Raine, and published by the Surtees Society in 1839. 