Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 26.djvu/258

 was completed in six volumes, 1794–9. In 1798 Heron produced at the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, a comedy, which was hopelessly condemned before the second act. Attributing its failure to a conspiracy against him, he published it under the title ‘St. Kilda in Edinburgh, or News from Camperdown, a Comic Drama in Two Acts, with a Critical Preface, to which is added an Account of a famous Ass Race,’ 1798; the publication attracted no attention. Being returned as a ruling elder for New Galloway, Heron was for several years a member of the general assembly of the church of Scotland, and frequently spoke with fluency and ability. In order to obtain more constant literary occupation, he removed in 1799 to London, where he contributed largely to the periodicals; was for some time editor of the ‘Globe,’ the ‘British Press,’ and other newspapers, and also acted as a parliamentary reporter. In 1806 he commenced a newspaper entitled ‘The Fame,’ which proved unsuccessful. Its failure and Heron's improvident habits led to his confinement by his creditors in Newgate prison, where, according to his own statement, he was reduced ‘to the very extremity of bodily and pecuniary distress.’ From Newgate he, on 2 Feb. 1807, wrote a letter to the Literary Fund, recounting his services to literature, and appealing for aid (printed in DISRAELI, Calamities of Authors), but the appeal met with no response. Being attacked by fever, Heron was removed to the hospital of St. Pancras, where he died 13 April 1807. Besides the works above mentioned, Heron also published: 1. A translation of Niebuhr's ‘Travels through Arabia,’ 1792. 2. ‘Elegant Extracts of Natural History,’ 1792. 3. ‘Arabian Tales, or continuations of Arabian Nights' Entertainments,’ translated from the French, 4 vols. 1792. 4. ‘Observations made in a Journey through the Western Counties of Scotland in 1792,’ 2 vols., Perth, 1792; 2nd ed. 1799. 5. ‘General View of the Natural Circumstances of the Hebrides,’ 1794. 6. ‘Letters which passed between General Dumourier and Pache, Minister of War to the French Republic in 1792,’ translated from the French, 1794. 7. ‘Information concerning the Strength, Views, and Interests of the Powers presently at War,’ 1794. 8. A translation of Fourcroy's ‘Chemistry,’ 1796. 9. ‘An Account of the Life of Muley Liezet, late Emperor of Morocco,’ translated from the French, 1797. 10. ‘Letter to Sir John Sinclair, bart., on the necessity of an instant Change of Ministry,’ published under the name of Ralph Anderson, 1797. 11. ‘Scotland Described,’ Edinburgh, 1797, 12mo. 12. ‘Life of Robert Burns,’ Edinburgh, 1797 (a work of some value, owing to the writer's knowledge of the south-west of Scotland). 13. ‘A New and Complete System of Universal Geography, to which is added a Philosophical View of Universal History,’ 4 vols. 1798. 14. ‘Elements of Chemistry,’ London, 1800. 15. ‘Letter to William Wilberforce, esq., M.P., on the Justice and Expediency of the Slave Trade, and on the best means to improve the Manners and Condition of the Negroes in the West Indies,’ 1806. An edition of the ‘Letters of Junius,’ 1802, in Watt's ‘Bibl. Brit.’ is credited to Pinkerton, but a letter in ‘Notes and Queries,’ 1st ser. vi. 445, clearly shows that Heron and not Pinkerton was the editor. Pinkerton was, however, the author of ‘Letters of Literature,’ published under the pseudonym of ‘Robert Heron’ in 1784. A manuscript ‘Journal of My Conduct,’ by Heron, is in the library of the University of Edinburgh (Laing collection). Heron also contributed to the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica,’ the ‘Edinburgh Magazine,’ and other periodicals; and was employed by Sir John Sinclair in the preparation of the ‘Statistical Account of Scotland.’ 

HERON, ROBERT (1765–1854), politician, born at Newark on 27 Nov. 1765, was only son of Thomas Heron of Chilham Castle, Kent, recorder of Newark (who died 28 April 1794), by his first wife, Anne, elder daughter of Sir Edward Wilmot, bart., M.D. He succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his uncle, Sir Richard Heron [q. v.], in 1805. In childhood he was very feeble, his mother died on 30 April 1767, and he was brought up by strangers. He was educated from the age of eight by the Rev. John Skynner, who lived near Stamford, and proceeded afterwards to St. John's College, Cambridge, but did not stay long enough to take a degree. For two summers he travelled on the continent with an eccentric tutor, Robert Pedley, who was afterwards known as Robert Deverell [q. v.] On the death of another uncle, the Rev. Robert Heron of Grantham, on 19 Jan. 1813, he succeeded to considerable property, which was augmented by the widow's death shortly afterwards. In politics he was a whig. He abandoned an intention to contest the county of Lincoln in 1812 in order to canvass the