Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 14.djvu/219

 T. Kidd at Cambridge in 1817 and 1827. It is divided into five parts, and consists of emendations on Terentianus Maurus, criticisms on West and Welsted's ‘Pindar,’ discussions on the true enunciation of the Greek language, on the different use of the subjunctive and optative moods, on the digamma, the ictus or accent used by the Attic poets, notes on Callimachus, and emendations of Aristophanes and the Greek tragedians. In the words of Bishop Monk (Life of Bentley, ii. 369): ‘In perusing Greek writers, but particularly the Attic poets, he closely inspected their peculiarities of construction, metre, and grammar. Being endowed with uncommon penetration and discernment, he hit upon the true method of discovering the laws which they adopted, and by means of comparison and analogy was able to draw up those rules, which threw a new light upon the language, and have contributed in a wonderful degree to ascertain the genuine texts of the ancient writers.’ The book is disfigured by spiteful attacks on Bentley; in the discussion on the digamma he blames Bentley for introducing into Ionic poetry a consonant he considers peculiar to Æolic, and calls the letter to be restored to Homer Vau; and though he had learned so much from Dr. Bentley's writings, he is continually trying to detract from his fame. Bishop Monk thinks that this was due to a disingenuous design to appropriate to himself the praise due to Bentley, and that he hoped to veil it by testifying dislike and contempt for his master.

The ‘Miscellanea Critica’ has been very thoroughly edited and illustrated by Mr. Kidd, who had the advantage of some assistance from Porson, by whom there are many notes scattered through the work. In the appendix will be found most of Dawes's scattered productions, including the letter to Dr. Taylor on the Sigean inscription, published first by Dr. Burney at the end of his collection of Bentley's letters. The ‘Canones Dawesiani’ have been brought together by Mr. J. Tate in the Cambridge ‘Museum Criticum,’ i. 518–35.



DAWES, RICHARD, D.D. (1793–1867), dean of Hereford, son of James Dawes, by his wife Isabella, was baptised at Hawes, Wensleydale in North Riding of Yorkshire, 13 April 1793. He was educated at Mr. Gough's school near Kendal, where Dr. William Whewell was a fellow-pupil. Subsequently entering Trinity College, Cambridge, in October 1813, he graduated B.A. as fourth wrangler in 1817, and M.A. in 1820. He was elected a fellow of Downing College in 1818, and appointed mathematical tutor and bursar. His active stewardship much improved the college estates. On the death of the master of the college, William Frere, in 1836, he became a candidate for the headship, but a vote which he had some time before given for the admission of dissenters into the university was fatal to his success. He was ordained in 1818, and in the following year received the college living of Tadlow, Cambridgeshire. In 1836 he became rector of King's Somborne, Hampshire, on the presentation of Sir John Barker Mill, bart., who had been his pupil, and here he first began to notice the inefficiency of the lower and lower-middle class education in England. In October 1842 he established some very large and well-organised schools, which under his personal management became a great success. King's Somborne school was visited as a model establishment by all who were interested in popular education, and it was the fame acquired in connection with it which caused Lord John Russell to present Dawes to the deanery of Hereford on 15 May 1850. The cathedral was in a sad state of decay, but the new dean at once took steps for its restoration, and, entrusting the work to Sir Gilbert Scott, contrived to overcome the financial difficulties. The cathedral was reopened in 1863.

Dawes took great interest in the foundation schools of Hereford, and especially in the Blue Coat schools. In 1861 he became master of St. Catherine's Hospital, Ledbury, and during his annual statutory residence of four months at St. Catherine's he paid much attention to the Ledbury national schools. He had always felt an interest in physical and chemical science, and in 1864 was vice-president of the British Association at the meeting at Bath. It is stated that in 1856 the queen desired to promote the dean to the see of Carlisle, but that other influences caused Lord Palmerston to appoint Dr. Henry Montagu Villiers. Dawes died of paralysis at the deanery, Hereford, 10 March 1867, and was buried in the Ladye Arbour of the cathedral, upwards of two thousand persons attending his funeral.

He married in 1836 Mary Helen, second daughter of Alexander Gordon of Logie, Aberdeenshire. 