Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 14.djvu/137

 came back to London in 1857, and accepted the professorship of oriental and classical languages in his old college, then newly removed to Regent's Park. His favourite study was Hebrew, and he published translations of Gesenius's Hebrew Grammar and Lexicon, which had a wide circulation. He was a member of the company for revising the translation of the Old Testament. The Paragraph Bible issued by the Religious Tract Society was largely his work, and he edited various publications. Davies was a man of great simplicity of character, and successful as a teacher. He died at Frome of hæmorrhage of the lungs, 19 July 1875.

[Baptist, 30 July 1875; Baptist Handbook for 1876.] 

DAVIES, CATHERINE (1773–1841?), authoress of ‘Eleven Years' Residence in the Family of Murat, King of Naples,’ was born at Beaumaris, Anglesea, in 1773, being one of a family of thirty-three children. After residing at Liverpool, and subsequently in London (where lived her sister, who was ‘married to an eminent artist’), Miss Davies went to France in 1802 as governess in a private family. A few months later she took a similar situation under Madame Murat, the third sister of Bonaparte. Miss Davies retained her post when Napoleon declared Murat and his wife king and queen of Naples. The Countess of Picherno, absurdly described by Miss Davies as a niece of Byron, was at this time second governess. Miss Davies describes the inner life of Murat and his family during their struggles, and her book contains many facts not to be found elsewhere. Miss Davies settled at Beaumaris in 1818; two years later she was summoned to London as a witness in the impending trial of Queen Caroline, but was not called. For some years her health was failing, and in 1841 How & Parsons issued by subscription the ‘Eleven Years' Residence’ (in 12mo, 2s. 6d.) for her sole benefit. The preface is dated London, May 1841, and it is very probable that she died soon after.

[Eleven Years' Residence, &c.; Monthly Review, November 1841, pp. 349–54; Literary Gazette, No. 1290, 8 Oct. 1841, pp. 651–3.] 

DAVIES, CECILIA (1750?–1836), vocalist, the youngest daughter of a musician, was sister to Marianne Davies [q. v.], from whom she received her first instruction. She was probably born about 1750, but Grove's ‘Dictionary,’ relying on a statement by Dr. Rimbault (, History of the Three Choirs, 51), that she was ninety-two in July 1832, gives 1740. A writer in the ‘Musical World’ (i. 30, 47) says that in 1836 she was upwards of eighty, and fixes the date of her birth as 1757, but she must have been a few years older, as she sang before the court at Colorno in 1769, which implies that she was already a finished singer. Similar difficulties occur as to the date of her first appearance. Grove's ‘Dictionary’ (following Rimbault) says she appeared at a concert in Dean Street, Soho, on 28 April 1756, but in contemporary advertisements her name is not mentioned, though those of the vocalists are given. Pohl (Mozart in London, 61, 162) says that her sister accompanied her on the armonica at the concert given at Spring Gardens on 17 Feb. 1762, when that instrument was first introduced; but this statement is not confirmed by the advertisement in the ‘Public Advertiser’ for that date, in which no mention is made of vocal music, nor does her name occur in the announcements of any of the numerous concerts which her sister and father gave during the next few years. It is not until 10 Aug. 1767 that the advertisements state that Marianne Davies' ‘sister will sing some favourite airs from the operas of “Artaxerxes” and “Caractacus.”’ Immediately after this the Davies family went abroad. Burney (Hist. of Music, iv. 499) says that when very young she went to France, but she stayed longest at Vienna, where she and her family lodged in the same house as Hasse, with whom she studied singing. Fétis (Dict. de Musiciens, ii. 441) states that she also learnt from Sacchini; but this was probably at a later date, as that master was at Venice from 1768 to 1771, when he came to London, remaining there until 1782. At Vienna Cecilia Davies and her sister were great favourites, and taught the Archduchesses, Maria Theresa's daughters (one of whom afterwards became Queen Marie Antoinette), to sing and act in the little performances given at court on the emperor's birthdays. On the occasion of the Archduchess Amalia's marriage to Duke Ferdinand of Parma (27 June 1769), Cecilia Davies sang an ode written for her by Metastasio and Hasse, with an accompaniment for the armonica by her sister. After this she sang with great success in Italy, where she was known as ‘L'Inglesina.’ She sang at Milan, Florence, and Naples, and was the first Englishwoman who appeared on the Italian stage. In October, 1773, she was engaged at the King's Theatre in Italian opera. She appeared in Sacchini's ‘Lucio Vero’ on 20 Nov. The general performance was poor, but a contemporary (Middlesex Journal, No. 726) says that she was the support of the whole opera. Her