Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 17.djvu/318

 and in 'Inglish Orthoggraphy epittomized, and Propriety's Pocket Diccionary' (8vo, 1790). The spelling adopted in these works is purely arbitrary; 'the,' for example, appears as 'dhe,' 'whole' as 'hoal,' 'which' as 'hwich,' 'single' as 'singuel,' 'portion' as 'poartion,' and 'occasion' as 'occazzion,' In 1791 there further appeared 'Forty years' Correspondence between Geniusses ov boath Sexes and James Elphinston, in 6 pocket volumes, foar ov oridginal letters, two ov poetry,' in which all the letters of himself and his friends appeared with the spelling altered in accordance with the new system. Two further volumes of correspondence appeared in 1794. Elphinston died at Hammersmith on 8 Oct. 1809. His first wife having died in 1778, he re-married, 6 Oct. 1785, Mary Clementina Charlotte Falconer, a niece of the bishop of that name, by whom he had a son. Johnson said of him: 'He has a great deal of good about him, but he is also very defective in some respects; his inner part is good, but his outward part is mighty awkward' (, ii. 171). Of his eccentric manner Dallas, his biographer in the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' gives the following instance: 'When any ladies were in company whose sleeves were at a distance from their elbows, or whose bosoms were at all exposed, he would fidget from place to place, look askance with a slight convulsion of his left eye, and never rest till he approached some of them, and, pointing to their arms, say, "Oh, yes, indeed! it is very pretty, but it betrays more fashion than modesty!" or some similar phrase; after which he became very good humoured.' Elphinston was also probably the 'old acquaintance' of whom Johnson said: 'He is fit for a travelling governor. He knows French very well. He is a man of good principles, and there should be no danger that a young gentleman should catch his manner, for it is so very bad that it must be avoided;' and of whom he remarked on another occasion: 'He has the most inverted understanding of any man whom I have ever known.' Besides the works mentioned above, Elphinston published 'A Collection of Poems from the best Authors,' 1764; 'Animadversions upon [Lord Kames's] Elements of Criticism,' 1771; and 'Verses, English, French, and Latin, presented to the King of Denmark,' 1768; and Bossuet's 'Universal History,' 1778.

[Anderson's Scottish Nation, ii. 139; Boswell's Life of S. Johnson, ed. Hill, as above, and i. 210, ii. 226, iii. 364; Elphinston's Works and Correspondence; Gent. Mag. 1809, pt. ii., containing life and specimens of his letters; Nichols's Literary Illustrations, vii. 657.]  ELPHINSTON, JOHN (1722–1785), captain in the royal navy, rear-admiral in the Russian service, on passing his examination for the rank of lieutenant, on 11 July 1745, was certified to have 'been to sea upwards of six years, part whereof in merchants' service to the Mediterranean.' He was promoted to be lieutenant 23 Aug. 1746; and in May 1757 to be commander of the Salamander fireship, in which, in the summer of 1758, he served under Commodore Howe in the expeditions against St. Malo, Cherbourg, and St. Cas; in which last unfortunate affair, while assisting at the re-embarking of the troops, he was taken prisoner. On being ex- changed he was advanced to post rank, and appointed to command the Eurus of 20 guns 1 Feb. 1759, in which he accompanied the fleet under Sir Charles Saunders to North America, and was present during the operations which resulted in the capture of Quebec. In April 1760 he was transferred to the Richmond of 32 guns, in which, towards the close of the year, he returned to England, and in February 1761 drove ashore near the Hague and destroved the Félicité, a French frigate of 32 guns, but apparently in private service. In the beginning of 1762 the Richmond carried out orders to Rear-admiral Rodney in the West Indies, warning him of the contemplated expedition against Havana (, li. 532), and directing him to make his arrangements accordingly. The fleet under Sir George Pocock assembled at Martinique and sailed thence on 6 May. On the 26th it was off the east end of Cuba, when Sir George determined on taking the northern route through the Old Straits of Bahama, which, though hazardous and difficult navigation, is much shorter than that by the south coast. 'Luckily,' he wrote, 'the next day the Richmond joined us. She had been down the Old Straits to Cayo-Sal, and Captain Elphinston had been very diligent and careful in his remarks going through and returning back, having taken sketches of the land and Cayos on both sides. He kept ahead of the fleet, and led us through very well' (ib. 540). During the siege of Havana Elphinston was actively employed as superintendent of the transport service; and after the capitulation was appointed to the Infante of 70 guns, one of the prizes, which he commanded till the conclusion of peace (ibiii. 432). He afterwards commanded the Firm of 60 guns as a guardship at Plymouth for three years (1764-7), and in 1769 accepted a commission as rear-admiral in the Russian navy. In that capacity he sailed from Cronstadt for the Mediterranean, in the latter end of the year, in command of a squadron of