200 Biographical Sketch of the late Dugald Stewart^ Esq. 



Stewart resigned the Ghair of Moral Philosophy, and was suc- 

 ceeded by Professor Wilson, a man of varied and powerful in- 

 tellect, admired as a poet, and distinguished as an orator. 



In October 1810, our eminent countryman, Mr James War- 

 drop, communicated to Mr Stewart an account of a very re- 

 markable youth, James Mitchell, who was born both blind 

 and deaf, and who consequently derived all his knowledge of 

 external objects from the senses of touch, taste, and smell. 

 Mr Stewart was delighted with the prospect which this case 

 afforded of establishing the distinction between the original 

 and the acquired perceptions of sight. This expectation was not 

 realized ; but Mr Stewart collected all the facts regarding this 

 remarkable youth, and embodied them in a highly interesting 

 memoir, which was read before the Royal Society of Edinburgh 

 in the beginning of 1812. It is entitled " Some account of a Boy 

 born Blind and Decif, collected from authentic sources of infor- 

 mation, with a Jew remarks and comments ; and was published 

 in the seventh volume of the Transactions of the Royal Society 

 of Edinburgh. In consequence of the interest which was ex- 

 cited by this communication, Mr Stewart was anxious that Mit- 

 chell should be brought to Edinburgh, and educated under the 

 superintendence of persons capable of studying the develope- 

 ment of his mental powers. He accordingly submitted this 

 idea to the council of the Royal Society, who entered eagerly 

 into the plan, and resolved to apply to Government for a 

 small pension to enable Miss Mitchell and her brother to re- 

 side near Edinburgh. Lord Webb Seymour, one of the Vice- 

 Presidents of the Society, transmitted the wishes of the coun- 

 cil to the Earl of Liverpool, then First Lord of the Treasury. 

 The Prime Minister of Great Britain not only refused to sci- 

 ence and humanity the small pittance which was craved, but 

 ventured to strengthen the ground of his refusal, by expres- 

 sing a doubt whether the object which the Society had in view 

 was likely to add to the comfort of the unfortunate object of 

 their patronage. The writer of these lines was one of the five 

 members of council to whom this answer was read, and he 

 will never forget the impression which it made upon the meet- 

 ing, — the suppressed feeling of mortification and shame which 

 was visible on every countenance. The guardian of the Bri- 

 tish treasury was entitled to refuse the application which had 



