Francis, SIR PHILIP

Francis, SIR PHILIP, son of the Rev. Dr Francis, was born in Dublin on the 22d of October 1740. Leaving Ireland at twelve, he entered St Paul's School in London about the same time as Woodfall, afterwards editor and printer of the Public Advertiser. At sixteen Francis was appointed a junior clerk in the secretary of state's office, of which Henry Fox was the head, to whose family Dr Francis had acted as tutor. In 1758 Francis was secretary to General Bligh on his expedition against Cherbourg; in 1760 he was Lord Kinnoul's secretary during a mission to Portugal; in 1761 he acted as amanuensis to the elder Pitt, and in 1762 he was made first-clerk in the War Office by Welbore Ellis, then secretary at war. In December 1771 Francis was offered the post of deputy-secretary by Lord Barrington, which he declined, resigning his clerkship in the following March. In June 1773 he was nominated by Lord North, on Lord Barrington's recommendation, a member of the Council of Bengal. Always at enmity with Warren Hastings, he fought a duel with him on the 17th of August 1780, and was seriously wounded. In 1781 he returned home with a fortune largely acquired by playing whist with Mr Barwell, his colleague. He entered parliament in 1784 as member for Yarmouth in the Isle of Wight, afterwards sitting for Appleby till 1807. He was energetic in the proceedings against Hastings. He wrote many pamphlets. His ambition was to be governor-general of India; he received a knight-companionship of the Bath. He was devoted to the prince-regent, and a warm supporter of the 'Friends of the People.' In 1816 Mr John Taylor sent forth a book identifying Francis with Junius, but Francis never acknowledged having written the Letters. His young second wife, whom he married when seventy-four, was convinced that he must be Junius. No indisputable proof that Francis was Junius has yet been made public (see JUNIUS, and works there cited). Francis died on the 22d of December 1818. See Memoirs of Sir Philip Francis, by Parkes and Merivale (1867).