1826.] Biographical Account of Dr» Wilson, 323 



finances, the French philosopher showed what might be done in 

 this way, and with such effect, as to render the famous secret 

 imputed to Archimedes, of setting on fire the Roman galleys, 

 much less apocryphal than it had ever been considered before 

 his time. 



In 1737 Mr. Wilson departed from St. Andrew's, and, by the 

 advice of his friends, went to London, in order to seek for 

 employment as a young person who had been bred to the medical 

 profession. Soon after his arrival there, he engaged himself 

 with a French refugee, a surgeon and apothecary of good cha- 

 racter, who received him into his family, giving him the charge 

 of his shop and of some of his patients, with a small annual 

 salary. About twelve months after he had been fixed in this 

 new situation, Mr. David Greo;ory, Professor of Mathematics at 

 St. Andrew^ coming to London, introduced him to Dr. Charles 

 Stewart, physician to Archibald Duke of Argyle, then Lordlsla. 

 Dr. Stewart received him with great kindness, and, not long 

 after, made him known to Lord Isla, who, very soon, was pleased 

 to bestow upon him marks of his attention and favour. In his 

 interviews with this nobleman, Mr. Wilson had his curiosity much 

 gratified by some valuable astronomical and physical apparatus 

 which his Lordship had got constructed for himself, and had 

 placed in his library. On the other hand, Mr. Wilson was happy 

 m being able to contribute in some degree to the amusement of 

 his patron, by constructing thermometers of different kinds for 

 him and his friends, with more perfection and elegance than had 

 been hitherto done at London. 



Near eighteen months elapsed in this way, during which time 

 he conciHated the good-will and esteem of his master, by a 

 faithful and regular discharge of whatever business was com- 

 mitted to his care ; and, in return, he found himself now and 

 then indulged in opportunities of keeping up his connexions 

 with persons of a philosophical cast, when his attendance upon 

 the shop or patients could be conveniently dispensed with. Mr. 

 Wilson has been often heard to speak of the satisfaction he 

 enjoyed even at this period, and of his perfect contentment 

 with every thing which had then fallen to his lot. But a serenity 

 of temper, and a felicity of disposition, were qualities which 

 eminently distinguished him throughout his whole life. 



While he, thus passed his time in what he considered as a 

 comfortable settlement at his first entering upon the world, a 

 circumstance of a very accidental nature occurred, which gave a 

 new direction to his genius, and which, in the end, led him to an 

 entire change of his profession. This was a transient visit 

 which he happened one day to make to a letter-foundery, along 

 with a friend who wanted to purchase some printing- types. In 

 the course of seeing the common operations of the workmen 

 usually shown to strangers, he was much captivated with the 



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