THE 



EDINBURGH NEW 

 PHILOSOPHICAL JOURNAL, 



Memoir of the late D, F, Gregory, M.A.y Fellow of Trinitt/ 

 College, Cambridge. By R. Leslie Ellis, Esq., Fellow of 

 Trinity College, Cambridge. 



The subject of the following memoir died in his thirty-first 

 year. He had, nevertheless, accomplished enough not only to 

 justify high expectations of his future progress in the science 

 to which he had principally devoted himself, but also to entitle 

 his name to a place in some permanent record. 



Duncan Farquharson Gregory was born at Edinburgh in 

 April 1813. He was the youngest son of Dr James Gregory^ 

 the distinguished professor of Medicine, and was thus of the 

 same family as the two celebrated mathematicians James and 

 David Gregory. The former of these, his direct ancestor, ig 

 familiarly remembered as the inventor of the telescope which 

 bears his name ; he lived in an age of great mathematicians,, 

 and was not unworthy to be their contemporary. 



Of the early years of Mr Gregory's life but little need be 

 said. The peculiar bent of his mind towards mathematical 

 speculations does not appear to have been perceived during 

 his childhood ; but, in the usual course of education, he shewed 

 much facility in the acquisition of knowledge, a remarkably 

 active and inquiring mind, and a very retentive memory. It 

 may, perhaps, be mentioned here, that his father, whom he 

 lost before he was seven years old, used to predict distinction 

 for him ; and was so struck with his accurate information and 



VOL. XXXVII. NO. LXXIV. OCTOBER 1844. P 



