Paul Henry Maty
Encyclopedia
Paul Henry Maty was an English
librarian
.
He was born in London, the son of the librarian Matthew Maty
(1718-1786) and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
. He vacated a Trinity fellowship to marry in 1775. In 1777 he published his religious doubts about the 39 articles in the Gentleman's Magazine. With his Ecclesiastical advancement thus impeded, he became an assistant librarian, and then under-librarian, at the British Museum
.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1771. He also obtained the job of foreign secretary, and subsequently general secretary, to the Society - although taking Charles Hutton
's side in his dispute with the president Joseph Banks
forced Maty's resignation in 1784.
From 1782 to 1786 Maty founded, edited and was primary author of a review journal, A New Review: with Literary Curiosities and Literary Intelligence. He indexed the Philosophical Transactions
, collaborated with Samuel Ayscough
on a catalogue of the British Museum's printed books, and translated the Travels through Germany of Johann Kaspar Riesbeck (1754-1786). Some of his sermons were posthumously published by Samuel Horsley
.
On his death he was buried in Bunhill Fields
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
.
He was born in London, the son of the librarian Matthew Maty
Matthew Maty
Matthew Maty , originally Matthieu Maty, was a Dutch physician and writer of Huguenot background, and after migration to England secretary of the Royal Society and the second principal librarian of the British Museum.-Early life:...
(1718-1786) and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He vacated a Trinity fellowship to marry in 1775. In 1777 he published his religious doubts about the 39 articles in the Gentleman's Magazine. With his Ecclesiastical advancement thus impeded, he became an assistant librarian, and then under-librarian, at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1771. He also obtained the job of foreign secretary, and subsequently general secretary, to the Society - although taking Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton was an English mathematician.Hutton was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne. He was educated in a school at Jesmond, kept by Mr Ivison, a clergyman of the Church of England...
's side in his dispute with the president Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
forced Maty's resignation in 1784.
From 1782 to 1786 Maty founded, edited and was primary author of a review journal, A New Review: with Literary Curiosities and Literary Intelligence. He indexed the Philosophical Transactions
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of London. It was established in 1665, making it the first journal in the world exclusively devoted to science, and it has remained in continuous publication ever since, making it the world's...
, collaborated with Samuel Ayscough
Samuel Ayscough
Samuel Ayscough was a librarian and indexer, known as 'The Prince of Indexers'.Ayscough was a cataloguer in the British Museum in the late 18th century, and spent two years working on a catalogue of the manuscript collection...
on a catalogue of the British Museum's printed books, and translated the Travels through Germany of Johann Kaspar Riesbeck (1754-1786). Some of his sermons were posthumously published by Samuel Horsley
Samuel Horsley
Samuel Horsley was a British churchman, bishop of Rochester from 1792.Entering Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1751, he became LL.B. in 1758 without graduating in arts. In the following year he succeeded his father in the living of Newington Butts in Surrey...
.
On his death he was buried in Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a cemetery in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares in extent, although historically was much larger....
Works
- An history of the instances of exclusion from the Royal Society … with strictures on the formation of the council and other instances of the despotism of Sir Joseph Banks, the present president, 1784
- A General Index to the Philosophical Transactions, vols. i–lxx, 1787
- (with Samuel Ayscough & S. Harper) Librorum impressorum qui in Museo britannico, adservantur catalogus, 1787
- (transl.) Travels through Germany, in a series of letters, 1787
- Sermons preached in the British Ambassador's Chapel, at Paris, in the years 1774, 1775, 1776, 1788