Who was Mr. Charles King?

AMONG the ingenious in many considerable parts of the world, of whose undertakings, studies, and labours the Philosophical Transactions of the years 1700 sqq. gave some account, an able microscopist suddenly appears, of whose life and work one would like to have more accurate information than seems to be current. Perhaps a member of the Royal, or the Royal Microscopical, Society may be able to supply some particulars about this ``Anglois anonyme,'' as Trembley calls him, and willing to assist in rescuing his name from an undeserved oblivion. His first contribution to the Philosophical Transactions-of very little importance indeed-is to be found in No. 266, for September and October 1700, pp. 672-673, under the title, ``A Letter from Mr. Charles King to Mr. Sam. Doudy, F.R.S., concerning Crabs Eyes'' it is dated, ``Little Wirley, Decemb. 14,'' and subscribed, ``Ch. King.'' In the copy of the Transactions I have before me, a contemporary, who seems to have been tolerably well informed, has inserted divers MS. notes, remarks, and corrections; he added here the words, ``Staffordsh<sup>e</sup>.'' to the locality, and ``Student of Ch.Ch. Oxon.'' to the subscription, which, as far as I know, does not recur in any of the subsequent Transactions. But under the title, ``Two Letters from a Gentleman in the Country, relating to Mr. Leuwenhoeck's Letter in Transaction, No. 283, Communicated by Mr. C.'' (in No. 288, for November and December 1703, pp. 1494-1501, with eight figures, text and illustrations being both equally remarkable for the period), the same hand has again inscribed the name of ``Mr. Charles King,'' and filled up the blanks left on pages 1494 and 1495 by the initials ``W.'' and ``W. Ch. Esq.'' with the additions of ``irley par. Com. Stafford.'' and ``Walter Chetw... of Ingestry Staffords.'' (the rest has been cut off by the binder of the volume), so that there remains no reasonable doubt as to the truth of the identification. Now we read in the second of these letters from the country, dated ``July 5, 1703,'' p. 1501, ``But of those'' (viz. animalcula) ``(among other things) I last year gave an account to Sir Ch. Holt, which I hear will shortly be publish'd in the Transactions.'' I don't think it is bold to conjecture that the account here alluded to liad already been published, and is, in fact, the article printed in No. 284, for March and April 1703, pp. 1357(bis)-1372 (with excellent figures on the plate accompanying that number), under the title of ``An Extract of some Letters sent to Sir C. H. relating to some Microspocal'' (sic) ``Observations. Communicated by Sir C. H. to the Publisher'' (H. Sloane); and no doubt these epistles may also be ascribed to the same anonymous gentleman.