Botleys was sold by his trustees in 1822. Several members of the family of Pratt were buried at Lambeth, and a monument was erected by Mawbey to their memory in 1779. His portrait by R. E. Pine, a three-quarter length, with table covered with 'votes' and with a book in his left hand lettered 'Sidney' and opened at 'On Government,' was engraved by John Dixon. An engraving of him by T. Holloway appeared in the 'European Magazine,' March 1787.
Mawbey, though leaning for many years to the side of the whigs, professed to be above party, and so was ridiculed by the wits of either side. Walpole calls him 'vain, noisy, and foolish.' Among the best-known lines in the 'Rolliad' are those referring to Speaker Cornwall's 'unhappy fate' who hears
Fox, North, and Burke, but hears Sir Joseph too.
Other passages in the same poem allude to his voice, his knowledge 'in grain,' and to the fact that
Sir Joseph is as witty as he's good.
The last of the translations of Lord Belgrave's quotation in the 'Political Miscellanies' at the end of the 'Rolliad' is assigned to him, and he is introduced by Gillray into his caricatures of ancient music (10 May 1787) and 'A Pig in a Poke' (10 Dec. 1788). On 14 Nov. 1768 Wilkes presented a petition through him, and numerous speeches by him on the proceedings against Wilkes are reported in Sir Henry Cavendish's 'Debates.' He was author of 'The Battle of Epsom. A New Ballad' [anon.], 1763, on a meeting convened to return an address of thanks for the recent peace; the first production printed by Wilkes at his private press, and it was reprinted for sale at Guildford and in London in the same year. He is also credited with some 'Reflections on the French Revolution.' For many years he was a contributor in prose and verse to the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' the chief of his communications being 'Account of Elections for Surrey,' 1788, pt. ii. pp. 975, 1052-3, and 'Account of Thomas, or “Hesiod” Cooke,' 1791, pt, ii. and 1792, pt. i. A road-certificate which he had given when late in life caused him so much trouble that he printed 'A Letter to the Magistrates of Surrey' in vindication of his conduct, which is given in the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' 1797, pt. i. pp. 379-80, and an account of an unfortunate altercation with Richard Wyatt is in the 'Westminster Magazine,' February 1773, p. 157. A volume of 'Miscellaneous Pieces, by Leonard Howard, Rector of St. George's, Southwark,' 1765, was dedicated to Mawbey, who wrote a letter to Howard, which is inserted in the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' 1797, pt. ii. pp. 742-3. Several letters by him belong to the Marquis of Lansdowne (Hist. MSS. Comm. 6th Rep. App. p. 240).
[Gent. Mag. 1790 pt. ii. pp. 649, 748, 769, 1798 pt. i. p. 543, pt. ii. p. 622; European Mag. 1787, pt. i. pp. 139-40; Leicestershire Collections in Bibl. Topogr. Britannica, viii. 1397-1408 (by himself); Nichols's Leicestershire, vol. iii. pt. ii. pp. 931-9; Manning and Bray's Surrey, iii. 222-223, 234-5, 488-9, 513; Admiral Keppel's Life, ii. 286-8; Wright and Evans on Gillray's Caricatures, pp. 20, 27; J. C. Smith's Portraits, i. 212-213; Walpole's George III, iii. 260-1, 275-6, 281, 318, 400, iv. 293; Notes and Queries, 2nd ser. ix. 342, 452, 4th ser. i. 581, xi. 485, xii. 119, 458, 513.]
MAWE, JOHN (1764–1829), mineralogist, was born in Derbyshire in 1764. In early life he appears to have spent fifteen years at sea. About the end of the century he made a tour of most of the mines in England and Scotland, collecting minerals for the cabinet of the king of Spain.
In August 1804 he started on a voyage to Rio de la Plata. He had reached Cadiz when war broke out between England and Spain, and he was blockaded in the town where he was taken ill and nearly died. He sailed from Cadiz in March 1805 for Montevideo, and on reaching that town was imprisoned as an English spy. He procured his liberty soon after, but was interned, and did not obtain his release till the capture of Montevideo by General Beresford in 1806. He accompanied the expedition under General Whitelocke to Buenos Ayres, and on his return to Montevideo purchased a schooner and sailed to Brazil, putting in at various ports on the way. He was well received in Brazil by the prince regent, Dom Pedro, who gave him permission to visit the diamond mines of Minas Geraes and other parts of the interior during 1809-10, and also granted him access to the government archives.
Mawe returned to London in 1811, and opening a shop in the Strand, close to Somerset House, became well known as a practical mineralogist. He died in London on 26 Oct. 1829. A tablet to his memory is in Castleton church, Derbyshire. The business was afterwards carried on by James Tennant [q. v.] the mineralogist.
Mawe's principal work was the account of his South American voyage, 'Travels in the Interior of Brazil,' 4to, London, 1812; Philadelphia, 1816; 2nd edit. 8vo, 1823. He also wrote:
- 'The Mineralogy of Derbyshire,' 8vo, London, 1802.
- 'A Treatise on Diamonds and Precious Stones,' 8vo,
