GEORGE, fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies, was born at Stratford, a hamlet belonging to Westham in Essex, on the 3rd of April 1693. After having spent some time at school, he was put as apprentice to a tradesman in Fenchurch Street. His master, who was eminent both for his piety and skill in the languages, treated him with very great kindness; but about the middle of his apprenticeship an accident happened which totally put a stop to the hopes of young Edwards advancing himself in the way of trade. Dr Nicolas, a person of emi- Edwards, hence in the physical world, and a relation of his master's, happened to die. The doctor's books were removed to an apartment occupied by Edwards, who eagerly employed all his leisure hours, both during the day and great part of the night, in perusing those which treated of natural history, sculpture, painting, astronomy, and antiquities. The reading of these books entirely deprived him of any inclination which he might have formerly had for mercantile business, and he resolved to travel into foreign countries.

In 1716 he visited most of the principal towns in Holland, and in about a month returned to England. Two years afterwards he took a voyage to Norway, at the invitation of a gentleman who was disposed to be his friend, and who was nephew to the master of the ship in which he embarked. At this time Charles XII. was besieging Frederickshall, an operation which prevented our young naturalist from making such excursions into the country as he would otherwise have done; for the Swedes were very careful to intercept such strangers as could not give a good account of themselves. But notwithstanding all his precaution he was confined by the Danish guard, who supposed him to be a spy employed by the enemy to procure intelligence of their designs. However, by obtaining testimonials of his innocence, a release was granted.

In 1718 he returned to England, and next year he visited Paris by the way of Dieppe. During his stay in France he made two journeys of one hundred miles each, the first to Châlons in Champagne, in May 1720, and the second on foot to Orleans and Blois; but an edict happening at that time to be issued for securing vagrants, in order to transport them to America, as the banks of the Mississippi wanted population, our author narrowly escaped a western voyage. On his arrival in England, Mr Edwards closely pursued his favourite study of natural history, applying himself to drawing and colouring such animals as fell under his notice. In this pursuit he paid a strict attention to natural rather than to picturesque beauty. Birds first engaged his particular attention; and having purchased some of the best pictures of them, he was induced to make a few drawings of his own, which were admired by the curious, who encouraged the young naturalist to proceed, by paying a good price for his early labours. Amongst his first patrons and benefactors may be mentioned Mr James Theobalds of Lambeth, a gentleman zealous for the promotion of science. Being thus unexpectedly encouraged, he increased in skill and assiduity, and, by application to his favourite pursuit, procured a decent subsistence and a large acquaintance. However, he remitted his industry in 1731, when, in company with two of his relations, he made an excursion to Holland and Brabant, where he collected several scarce books and prints, and had an opportunity of examining the original pictures of several great masters at Antwerp, Brussels, Utrecht, and other cities. In December 1733, by the recommendation of Sir Hans Sloane, then president of the College of Physicians, he was chosen librarian to that body, and had apartments assigned him in the college. This office was peculiarly agreeable to his taste and inclination, as he had the opportunity of a constant recourse to a valuable library filled with scarce and curious books on the subject of natural history, which he so assiduously studied. By degrees he became one of the most eminent ornithologists in this or in any other country. His merit in this respect is too well known to render it necessary to pronounce any eulogium on his performances; but it may be observed, that he never trusted to others what he could perform himself, and he often found it so difficult to satisfy his own mind, that he frequently made three or four drawings in order to delineate the object in its most lively character, attitude, and representation.

In the year 1743, the first volume of the History of Edwards, Birds was published in quarto. As the number of his subscribers exceeded even his most sanguine expectations, a second volume appeared in 1747. The third volume was published in 1750; and in 1751 appeared the fourth volume. This being the last which he intended to publish at that time, he seems to have considered it as the most perfect of his productions in natural history; and therefore devoutly offered it up to the great God of nature, in humble gratitude for all the good things which he had received from Him in this world. Our author, in 1758, continued his labours under a new title, that of Gleanings of Natural History. A second volume of the Gleanings was published in 1760. The third part, which formed the seventh and last volume of his works, appeared in 1764. Thus our author, after a long series of years, the most studious application, and the most extensive correspondence in every quarter of the world, concluded a work which contains engravings and descriptions of more than six hundred subjects in natural history not before described or delineated. He likewise added a general index in French and English, which was afterwards perfected with the Linnean names, by Linnaeus himself, who frequently honoured him with his friendship and correspondence. Some time after Mr Edwards had been appointed librarian to the Royal College of Physicians, he was, on St Andrew's Day, in the year 1750, presented by the president and council of the Royal Society with the gold medal, the donation of Sir Godfrey Copley, annually given on that day to the author of any new discovery in art or nature, in consideration of his natural history just then completed. A copy of this medal he had afterwards engraved, and placed under the title in the first volume of his history. He was a few years afterwards elected fellow of the Royal Society and of the Society of Antiquaries, London, and also a member of many of the academies of sciences and learning in different parts of Europe. In return for these honorary distinctions from learned bodies, he presented elegantly-coloured copies of all his works to the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal Society, the Society of Antiquaries, and to the British Museum; and also to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, from which he received a very polite and obliging letter of thanks by their then secretary M. Defouchy. His collection of drawings, which amounted to upwards of nine hundred, were purchased by the Earl of Bute. They contain a great number of British as well as foreign birds, and other animals hitherto not accurately delineated or described. After the publication of the last work, having arrived at his seventieth year, he found his sight beginning to fail, and his hand losing its wonted steadiness. He retired from public employment to a little house which he had purchased at Plaistow, previously to which he disposed of all the copies as well as plates of his works. The conversation of a few select friends, and the perusal of a few select books, were the amusement of the evening of his life; and now and then he made an excursion to some of the principal cities in England, particularly to Bristol, Bath, Exeter, and Norwich. Some years before his death, the alarming depredate of a cancer, which baffled all the efforts of medical skill, deprived him of the sight of one of his eyes; and he also suffered much from the stone, to which at different periods of his life he had been subject; but in the severest paroxysms of pain he was scarcely known to utter a single complaint. Having completed his eightieth year, emaciated with age and sickness, he died, deservedly lamented, on the 23rd of July 1773.