Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 12.djvu/147

 posed as a candidate for West Kent in 1855, but declined to stand. His great knowledge of jurisprudence and legal antiquities procured him a fellowship of the Royal Society, and the degree of LL.D. of the universities of Louvain and Kiel. He was also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and corresponding member of the royal academies of Lisbon, Munich, Berlin, and Brussels. He enjoyed a leading practice in the court of Vice-chancellor Knight-Bruce, but, having openly quarrelled with that judge, quitted his court and lost his practice. Disappointment and difficulty now overtook him. He endeavoured without success to obtain government assistance for a project for digesting and sifting on a settled scheme all the law reports down to that date. He at length retired to Boulogne, where, after unsuccessfully endeavouring to carry on his projects of legal reform, he at length died of paralysis and bronchitis on 26 March 1873. His activity and industry were very great, and he was a most voluminous writer. In his later years he published a printed list of no less than fifty-two pamphlets, written, edited, or printed by him on political topics between 1850 and 1857. His principal works were: 1. ‘An Account of the Parliamentary Proceedings relating to the Practice in Bankruptcy, Chancery, and the House of Lords,’ 1828. 2. ‘Notes, etc., in French on the Court of Chancery,’ 1828, 2nd edit. 1830. 3. ‘Notes on Registration and forms in Conveyancing,’ 1831. 4. ‘An Account of the Public Records of the United Kingdom,’ 2 vols. 1832. 5. ‘Speech for Rev. C. Wellbeloved in the case of Lady Hewley's Foundation, Attorney-general v. Shore,’ 1834. 6. ‘Notes on the Act for regulating Municipal Corporations,’ 1835. 7. ‘Reports of Cases decided by Lord Brougham in 1833 and 1834 from the original MSS.,’ 1835. 8. ‘Reports of Cases decided by Lords Cottenham and Langdale, and by Vice-chancellor Shadwell in 1837 and 1838,’ with notes 1838–41. 9. ‘Reports of Lord Cottenham's decisions,’ 1846. 10. A letter to the Lord Chancellor on defects in the law as to the custody of lunatics, 1849. 11. A pamphlet on the reform of solicitors' costs, 1850. 12. A letter to Sir George Grey on the sanitary state of St. George's parish, 1850. 13. A pamphlet on the condition of the court of chancery, 1850. 14. A pamphlet on the masters in chancery. 15. A pamphlet on the House of Lords as a court of appeal. 16. Chancery Miscellanies under his editorship, Nos. 1–13, 1850 and 1851. 17. Parliamentary and political Miscellanies under his editorship, Nos. 1–20, 1851. 18. A letter on the pope's Apostolic Letters of 1850, 1851. 19. A pamphlet on the Government and the Irish Roman catholic members, 1851. 20. ‘Reports of Cases and Dicta in Chancery from MSS., with notes,’ Nos. 1–7, 1852. 21. ‘Memorandum of a proposal to classify the Law Reports,’ Boulogne, 1860. 22. A similar proposal for digesting the statute-book, Boulogne, 1860. 23. On Freemasonry, Folkestone, 1868.

 COOPER, DANIEL (1817?–1842), naturalist, was born about 1817, being the second son of John Thomas Cooper, the chemist. He was educated for the medical profession, and while still a lad showed great love of natural history, particularly botany and conchology. He took an active part in establishing the Botanical Society of London, of which he became first curator, his duties being to receive and distribute the dried plants among the members. At this time he was an assistant in the zoological department of the British Museum, but had employed his leisure hours in compiling his ‘Flora Metropolitana,’ much being due to his own observations. This work contains a list of the land and fresh water shells round London, which was also separately issued. The next year, 1837, a supplement to his ‘Flora’ was published, the wrapper containing announcements of his botanical classes and sets of his shells, to be had at his address, 82 Blackfriars Road. In 1840 he exhibited some ferns from Settle, Yorkshire, at the Linnean Society, of which society he was an associate. With Mr. Busk he began the ‘Microscopic Journal,’ and edited a new edition of Bingley's ‘Useful Knowledge.’

Shortly after this he gave up lecturing on botany and entered the army at Chatham; then being attached to the 17th lancers, he joined his regiment at Leeds as assistant-surgeon, but died two months afterwards, 24 Nov. 1842, at the early age of twenty-five. He was buried with military honours at Quarry Hill cemetery, Leeds.

 COOPER, or COWPER, EDWARD (d. 1725?), printseller, carried on the leading business in London from the time of James II to nearly the close of the reign of George I. His name as vendor is to be found on a great number of mezzotints, and this may have led to the belief that he was an actual engraver. He issued many 