given of his works. * There were indeed hardly any sciences, except the mathematical, to which he had not turned his attention; and his neglect of these probably arose from this, that, at the time when his acquaintance with them should have commenced, his love of knowledge had already fixed itself on other objects. The aptitude of his mind for geometrical reasoning was, however, proved on many occasions. His theory of rain rests on mathematical principles, and the conclusions deduced from them are perfectly accurate, though by no means obvious. I may add, that he had an uncommon facility in comprehending the nature of mechanical contrivances; and, for one who was not a practical engineer, could form, beforehand, a very sound judgment concerning their effects.

Notwithstanding a taste for such various infor

* He had studied with great care several subjects of which no mention is made above. One of these was the Formation, or, as we may rather call it, the Natural History of Language. A portion of his metaphysical work is dedicated to the Theory of Language, Vol. I. p. 574, &c.; and Vol. II. p. 624, &c. He read several very ingenious papers on the Written Language, in the Royal Society of Edinburgh. (See Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vol. II. Hist. p. 5, &c. The Chinese language, as an extreme case in the invention of writing, had greatly occupied his thoughts, and is the subject of several of his manuscripts.

mation, and a mind of such constant activity, he read but few speculative books, directing his attention chiefly to such as furnished the materials of speculation. Of voyages, travels, and books relating to the natural history of the earth, he had an extensive knowledge: he had studied them with that critical discussion which such books require above all others; carefully collecting from them the facts that appeared accurate, and correcting the narratives that were imperfect, either by a comparison with one another, or by applying to them the standard of probability which his own observation and judgment had furnished him with. On the other hand, he bestowed but little attention on books of opinion and theory; and while he trusted to the efforts of his mind for digesting the facts he had obtained from reading or experience, into a system of his own, he was not very anxious, at least till that was accomplished, to be informed of the views which other philosophers had taken of the same subject. He was but little disposed to concede any thing to mere authority; and to his indifference about the opinions of former theorists, it is probable that his own speculations owed some part, both of their excellencies and their defects.

As he was indefatigable in study, and was in the habit of using his pen continually as an instrument of thought, he wrote a great deal, and has left behind him an incredible quantity of manuscript,

though imperfect, and never intended for the press. Indeed, his manner of life, at least after he left off the occupations of husbandry, gave him such a command of his time, as is enjoyed by very few. Though he used to rise late, he began immediately to study, and generally continued busy till dinner. He dined early, almost always at home, and passed very little time at table; for he ate sparingly, and drank no wine. After dinner he resumed his studies, or, if the weather was fine, walked for two or three hours, when he could not be said to give up study, though he might, perhaps, change the object of it. The evening he always spent in the society of his friends. No professional, and rarely any domestic arrangements, interrupted this uniform course of life, so that his time was wholly divided between the pursuits of science and the conversation of his friends, unless when he travelled from home on some excursion, from which he never failed to return furnished with new materials for geological investigation.

To his friends his conversation was inestimable; as great talents, the most perfect candour, and the utmost simplicity of character and manners, all united to stamp a value upon it. He had, indeed, that genuine simplicity, originating in the absence of all selfishness and vanity, by which a man loses sight of himself altogether, and neither conceals what is, nor affects what is not.

This simplicity

pervaded his whole conduct; while his manner, which was peculiar, but highly pleasing, displayed a degree of vivacity hardly ever to be found among men of profound and abstract speculation. His great liveliness, added to this aptness to lose sight of himself, would sometimes lead him into little eccentricities, that formed an amusing contrast with the graver habits of a philosophic life.

Though extreme simplicity of manner does not unfrequently impart a degree of feebleness to the expression of thought, the contrary was true of Dr Hutton. His conversation was extremely animated and forcible, and, whether serious or gay, full of ingenious and original observation. Great information, and an excellent memory, supplied an inexhaustible fund of illustration, always happily introduced, and in which, when the subject admitted of it, the witty and the ludicrous never failed to occupy a considerable place. But it is impossible, by words, to convey any idea of the effect of his conversation, and of the impression made by so much philosophy, gaiety, and humour, accompanied by a manner at once so animated and so simple. Things are made known only by comparison, and that which is unique admits of no description.

The whole exterior of Dr Hutton was calculated to heighten the effect which his conversation produced. His figure was slender, but indicated activity; while a thin countenance, a high forehead,

and a nose somewhat aquiline, bespoke extraordinary acuteness and vigour of mind. His eye was penetrating and keen, but full of gentleness and benignity; and even his dress, plain, and all of one colour, was in perfect harmony with the rest of the picture, and seemed to give a fuller relief to its characteristic features. *

The friendship that subsisted between him and Dr Black has been already mentioned, and was indeed a distinguishing circumstance in the life and character of both. There was in these two excellent men that similarity of disposition which must be the foundation of all friendship, and, at the same time, that degree of diversity, which seems neces sary to give to friends the highest relish for the society of one another.

They both cultivated nearly the same branches of physics, and entertained concerning them nearly the same opinions. They were both formed with a taste for what is beautiful and great in science; with minds inventive, and fertile in new combinations. Both possessed manners of the most genuine simplicity, and in every action discovered the sincerity and candour of their dispositions; yet they

* A portrait of Dr Hutton, by Raeburn, painted for the late John Davidson, Esq. of Stewartfield, one of his old and intimate friends, conveys a good idea of a physiognomy and character of face to which it was difficult to do complete justice.