1886.] on Thomas Young. 559 



his choice whether to proceed leisurely with tlie Duke, or to ride with 

 the ladies and be galloped over. His reply was, that of all things, 

 he liked to be galloped over, and made his choice accordingly. He 

 compares the two daughters of the Duke to Venus and Minerva, both 

 being goddesses. He visited the Cumberland lakes. But here it may 

 be said, once for all, that Young was somewhat stunted in his taste 

 for natural scenery. He was a man of the town, fond of social inter- 

 course, and of intellectual collision. He could not understand the 

 possibility of any man choosing to live in the country if the chance of 

 living in London was open to him. At Liverpool he dined with 

 Roscoe, proceeding afterwards to Coalbrookdale and its ironworks. 

 As previously at Carron, he was greatly impressed by the glare of 

 the furnaces. Mr. W. Eeynolds, who appeared to interest himself in 

 physical experiments on a large scale, told him that he had the inten- 

 tion of making a flute 150 feet long and 2 J feet in diameter, to be 

 blown by a steam engine and played upon by barrels. From Young's 

 letters, it is evident that he then saw the value and necessity of what 

 we now call technical education. 



In October 1795, he went to Germany to pursue his medical studies 

 at the University of Gottingen. He gives an account of his diurnal 

 occupations, embracing attendance at lectures on history, on materia 

 medica, on acute diseases, and on natural history. He is careful to 

 note that he had also lessons twice a week from Blessmen, the 

 academical dancing-master, and the same number of lessons on the 

 clavichord from Forkel. Young's pursuit of " personal accomplish- 

 ments " is considered by his biographer to be somewhat excessive. 

 At Gottingen he had, on Sundays, tea dances or supper dances. The 

 mothers of handsome daughters appear to have been somewhat wary 

 of the students, having reason " to fear a traitor in every young man." 



He made at Gottingen the acquaintance of many famous professors 



of Heyne, Lichtenberg, Blumenbach, and others. He records a joke 

 practised on the professor of geology which had serious consequences. 

 The students were rather bored by the professor's compelling them 

 to go with him to collect " petrifactions ; " and the young roo^ues, 

 says Young, "in revenge, spent a whole winter in counterfeiting 

 specimens and buried them in a hill which the good man meant to 

 explore, and imposed them upon him as the most wonderful lusus 

 naturse." Peacock adds the remark that the unhappy victim of this 

 " roguery " died of mortification when the imposition was made known 

 to him. 



Before taking his degree, it is customary for the student in 

 German Universities to hand in a dissertation written by himself. 

 This is circulated among the professors, and is followed by a public 

 disputation. On the 16th of July, Young did battle in the Auditorium, 

 the subject chosen for discussion being the human voice. He ac- 

 quitted himself creditably, was complimented by those present, and 

 received his degree as doctor of physic, surgery, and midwifery. lu 



Vol. XL (No. 80.) 2 o 



