184 Notices of the Life oj Professor Wilson, 



value put on liis lectures. In his inaugural lecture be considere 

 tte subject, What is Technology ? and he thus writes : "Techno- 

 logy is the sum or complement of all the sciences which either 

 are or may be made applicable to the industrial labours or utilit- 

 arian necessities of man. While the subject has a connection with 

 various subjects already taught in the University, it steers a course 

 distinct from all, has a province of its own, and will not, when 

 properly handled, interfere with the duties of any other professor." 



The full course of technology embraced three sessions, in each 

 of which certain of the industrial arts were made the subject of 

 lecture, which were not discussed in the other two. The course 

 was divided into Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Technology. 

 Under the first were included the relation of the atmosphere, the 

 ocean and tributary waters, and the earth, to technology; and 

 among special subjects, fuel, building material, glass and glass- 

 making, pottery, earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain, metallo- 

 techny, electrotechny, and magnetotechny. Under the second or 

 Vegetable Technology, were considered : saccharoamylaceous sub- 

 stances, sugar-making, albuminous substances and fermentations, 

 distillation, wood and wood-fibres, textile tissues, bleaching, dyeing 

 calico-printing, paper-making, scriptorial or graphic industrial arts, 

 caoutchouc, gutta-percha, and the resins, fats and oils. Under 

 the third section, or Animal Technology, were included the me- 

 chanical application and chemical products of bones, ivory, horns, 

 hoofs, tortoise-shell, shells, and corals; skins, tanning, fish- scales ; 

 hair, fur, wool, bristles, quills and feathers, animal refuse. 



The lectures were fully illustrated by experiments and drawings, 

 and by specimens from the natural history collections and the 

 Industrial Museum. Occasion was taken throughout the course 

 to visit various manufactures. 



Besides occupying these important positions in the University 

 and in the Museum, Wilson was also an active member of many 

 societies, and contributed papers to their Transactions, as will be 

 seen by referring to the list of his publications. He was twice 

 elected a member of Council of the Royal Society of Edinburgh ; 

 he was a member of the Council of the Chemical Society of Lon- 

 don ; a member of the Chemical Committee of the Highland and 

 Agricultural Society, and one of the examiners for the Agricul- 

 tural Diploma ; an honorary member of the Pharmaceutical 

 Society of Great Britain ; and he had been twice president of the 



