Westminster, organist of that foundation. In 1777 the university of Cambridge bestowed on him the degree of doctor of music, on which occasion his exercise was an anthem—"Behold how good and joyful"—originally written for the installation of the duke of York as a knight of the bath in Henry VII.'s chapel, and which, we believe, continued to be performed at all subsequent installations of that order down to 1812. From an early age Or. Cooke had been subject to frequent attacks of the gout; which, added to an affection of the lungs, brought to a close a life of unsullied integrity and virtue on the 14th of September, 1793. Dr. Cooke's chief printed works are two books of canons, glees, rounds, and duets; Galliard's Morning Hymn, with the addition of choruses and instrumental accompaniments; Collins' Ode on the Passions; and the well-known service in the key of G. Many of his glees and canons obtained prize medals at the Glee club, and are printed in Warren's collection. The "Amen "canon, engraven on his tablet in the cloisters of Westminster abbey, is well known and deservedly admired by the amateurs of that species of composition. Amongst his secular productions, the most popular have been the duets, "Thyrsis when he left me," and "Let Rubinelli charm the ear;" his Spartan chorus, "I have been young;" and his glees, "Deh Dove;" "As now the shades of Eve;" "How sleeps the Brave;" "Hark! the Lark;" "In Paper Case;" and "In the merry month of May "—the last of which is an admirable mixture of the old English madrigal and the modern glee. A list of Dr. Cooke's compositions for the church is given in Novello's Life of Purcell. That enthusiastic musician adds, "It will scarcely be believed that the whole of the above fine collection of church music has been allowed to remain unpublished and neglected; but it is earnestly to be hoped that those who are interested in the preservation and improvement of English sacred music will, without further delay, endeavour to rescue these musical treasures from the oblivion to which they are now hastening." In this appeal we most earnestly join.—E. F. R.

COOK, George, D.D., a historical and theological writer, was the second son of John Cook, professor of moral philosophy in the university of St. Andrews, where he was born in 1773. He entered the university at an early age, and was licensed to preach on the 30th of April, 1795. On the 3rd September of the same year he was ordained minister of Laurencekirk in Kincardineshire. His first work, published in 1808, was entitled "Illustration of the General Evidence establishing Christ's Resurrection." His "History of the Reformation," a work of much authority and value, appeared in 1811 in three volumes, 8vo. It was followed in 1815 by the "History of the Church of Scotland," a work of similar extent. In 1820 he published his "Life of Principal Hill," and in 1822 "A General and Historical View of Christianity." In 1825 he was chosen moderator of the general assembly, and on the 26th of July of the following year, was nominated one of the royal commissioners for visiting the universities of Scotland. In 1828 Dr. Cook was appointed to the chair of moral philosophy in the university of St. Andrews. The duties of this office he discharged with painstaking assiduity and remarkable efficiency. He began early to take a prominent part in the business of church courts, and was for nearly twenty years the acknowledged leader of the moderate party in the general assembly. His death took place suddenly at St. Andrews on the 13th May, 1845. As leader of the moderate party in the Scottish church, during the contest which terminated in the Disruption, Dr. Cook conducted the debates with singular amenity and admirable candour. COOKE, George Frederick, a popular English actor, was born at Westminster in 1755. Upon the death of his father, who had been an officer in the army, young Cooke went with his mother to Berwick-upon-Tweed. He was apprenticed at the usual age to a printer, but ultimately abandoned his trade for the stage, and made his first appearance at Brentford in the character of Dumont, in the tragedy of Jane Shore. His debut in London in 1778 attracted little notice. He then went to Ireland, and after having been twenty-two years the hero of the Dublin stage, returned to London, and became the rival of Kemble. In 1810 he went to New York, where his death, which was hastened by his intemperate habits, occurred two years afterwards.—R. M. A. COOKE, Henry, a musician, was educated at the chapel royal in the reign of Charles I.; but at the commencement of the rebellion, he quitted it and entered the army. About the year 1642 he had interest enough to obtain a captain's commission; and from that time he was always distinguished by the title of Captain Cook. The loyalty and skill of this musical soldier recommended him to the notice and secured him the patronage of Charles II., by whom in 1660 he was appointed master of the children of the royal chapel. In 1661 a hymn in four parts of the captain's composition, was performed instead of the litany in St. George's chapel, Windsor, by order of the sovereign and knights of the garter. None of his church music has hitherto been printed; and if we may judge from his few secular compositions that are to be found dispersed in the collections of the time, he seems to have been by no means qualified for the high office to which he was appointed. A large collection of his church music is preserved in MS. in the celebrated Aldrich collection at Christ church, Oxford. Whatever were his merits as a composer, he is at least entitled to some distinction as the first instructor of the celebrated Henry Purcell. He was also the master of Blow, Wise, and Humphrey; and Wood tells us in the Ashmoleau MS., No. 8568, that he was "the best musician of his time till Mr. Pelham Humphrey, one of the children of the chapel educated by himself, began to rival him, after which he died with great discontent."—E. F. R. COOKE, Henry, an English painter, born in 1642, studied in Italy under Salvator Rosa. In the later part of his life he obtained considerable patronage, and was even employed by King William to repair the cartoons and other pictures in the royal gallery. He completed the equestrian portrait of Charles II., at Chelsea college, and painted the choir of new college chapel, Oxford. He died November, 18th 1700. "I have his own head by him" writes Walpole, "touched with spirit, but too dark, and the colouring not natural.."—W. T COOK, Captain James, the celebrated navigator, was born October 27th, 1728, at the village of Marton, Yorkshire. His father was an agricultural labourer there, and afterwards a farm-bailiff at Great Ayrton, where his famous son received the rudiments of instruction in writing and arithmetic. Before he was thirteen years of age James Cook was apprenticed to a haberdasher at Staiths, near Whitby, but he disliked the employment; and some disagreement having taken place between him and his master he obtained his discharge, and following the strong bent of his mind, he went as an apprentice on board a collier belonging to Whitby, and continued in the employment of its owners until he rose to the situation of mate. In 1755 he entered the royal navy as a volunteer, and soon acquired the character of a skilful and trustworthy seaman. His steadiness and activity attracted the notice of Captain (afterwards Sir Hugh) Palliser, and backed by the influence of Mr. Osbaldiston, M.P. for Scarborough, obtained for him in 1759 the appointment of master to the Mercury, in which he sailed to the St. Lawrence, and was present at the capture of Quebec by General Wolfe. Cook rendered important service to the expedition by taking soundings of the river opposite to the French camp, and on one occasion narrowly escaped being captured by the Indians. He afterwards surveyed and made a chart of the St. Lawrence from Quebec to the sea, which was published in London along with sailing directions for that river. In September, 1759, Cook was appointed master of the Northumberland man-of-war, and spent the following winter at Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he employed his leisure in the diligent study of mathematics and astronomy, and thus qualified himself for the higher situations in his profession. In 1762 he assisted in the recapture of Newfoundland. Towards the close of this year he returned to England, but was not allowed to remain long at home. Early in 1763 he was sent out to survey the whole coast of Newfoundland, and next year he was appointed marine surveyor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The valuable charts which he constructed of these countries, together with his accurate observation of an eclipse of the sun, which he had made at one of the Benger islands, gained for him a high reputation for scientific skill, and pointed him out as a fit person to conduct an expedition that was undertaken in 1767 for the purpose of making observations on the impending transit of Venus over the face of the sun, and prosecuting geographical observations in the South Pacific ocean. With this view he received the commission of a lieutenant, and was appointed to the command of the ship Endeavour, of 370 tons. Accompanied by Sir Joseph Banks and other scientific gentlemen, he set sail on the 26th August, 1768, and on the 13th of April, 1769, reached Otaheite (now Tahiti), which had been selected as the most eligible spot for