(Doctor William), a very celebrated English philosopher and divine, born in 1657. In 1682, he was presented to the vicarage of Wargrave in Berkshire; and, in 1689, to the valuable rectory of Upminster in Essex; which latter lying at a convenient distance from London, afforded him an opportunity of conversing and corresponding with the greatest virtuosos of the nation. Applying himself there with great eagerness to natural and experimental philosophy, he soon became a distinguished member of the Royal Society, whose Philosophical Transactions contain a great variety of curious and valuable pieces, the fruits of his laudable industry. In his younger years he published his Artificial Clockmaker, which has been often printed: and in 1711, 1712, and 1714, he preached those sermons at Boyle's lecture which he afterward digested under the well-known titles of Physico-Theology and Astro-Theology, and enriched with valuable notes and copper-plates. The last thing he published of his own composition was Chirillo-Theology, a demonstration of the divine authority of the Christian religion, being the substance of a sermon preached at Bath in 1729. This great good man, after spending his life in the most agreeable as well as improving study of nature, died at Upminster in 1735; and, beside many other works, left a valuable collection of curiosities, particularly specimens of birds and insects of this island.—It may be necessary just to observe, that Dr Derham was very well skilled in medical as well as in physical knowledge; and was constantly a physician to the bodies as well as the souls of his parishioners.