550 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tics, stereoscope, voltaic electricity, etc. In 1819 lie assisted in estab- 

 lishing the " Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," afterward the " Edin- 

 burgh Journal of Science," which took the place of the "Edinburgh 

 Magazine," and subsequently became its sole editor. He also had a 

 part in founding the " North British Review," and was a regular con- 

 tributor to it, having been the author of seventy-five articles that ap- 

 peared in it. In 1838 he was appointed Principal of the United Col- 

 leges of St. Salvator and St. Leonard, St. Andrews, and in 1859 became 

 Principal of the University of Edinburgh. His life at St. Andrews 

 was checkered by transient difficulties that grew out of his excessively 

 nervous temperament. At Edinburgh, a minute recorded by the Uni- 

 versity Court after his death described him as " one whose warm inter- 

 est in the university never abated to the last, and who, on the many 

 occasions on which he presided over their deliberations, or was associ- 

 ated with them in business, evinced the sagacity of a clear and disci- 

 plined intellect and the courtesy of a kind and Chi-istian gentleman, 

 while each member of it feels that by his death he has lost a valued 

 and respected friend," 



In 1825 Brewster was made a corresponding member of the French 

 Institute. From this time, says Mrs. Gordon, " honors cro-wded in eo 

 rapidly ujDon him that, except any of special interest, it would be 

 tedious to enumerate them in their order and succession. Suffice it to 

 say that the large book in which the letters, diplomas, burgess-tickets, 

 announcements of medals, etc., are collected is a remarkable one for 

 size and value. The large towns of Switzerland, France, Germany, 

 Holland, Italy, Russia, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, Sweden and Nor- 

 way, South Africa, Antigua, the various States of America, besides the 

 towns and universities of England, Scotland, and Ireland, all contrib- 

 uted their quota of honors to this man of research and industry. A 

 cape received his name in the Arctic regions, a river in the Antarctic, 

 and a new plant discovered by Dr. Muellin in Australia was named 

 Cassia Brewsteri. He received, besides the Copley, Rumford, and 

 Royal medals, two Keith medals from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 

 two from the French Institute, one from Denmark, one from the Soci- 

 ete Fran5aise de Photographic, and various others ; of some of the 

 most valuable of these, duplicates were sent to him, one of gold, which 

 he turned into plate, and a fac-simile of frosted silver — all being pre- 

 served as heirlooms. He was knighted in 1831, the year of the first 

 meeting of the British Association, and also received the Hanoverian 

 Order of the Guelph." 



In examining Mrs. Gordon's most interesting work we have been 

 struck with the variety of subjects in which Sir David Brewster was 

 interested, and of the discussions in which he took part. We can only 

 mention some of them, as we find them laid down in the table of con- 

 tents. Connected with his researches on light were all matters relating 

 to photography and color-blindness, which was strikingly exemplified 



