OF TITE LATE PROFESSOR ROBISON. 535 



The last of Mr PvObison's works was one which he had long 

 projected, though he now set about the completion and ar- 

 rangement of it, for the first time. It was entitled. Elements of 

 Mechanical Philosopliy, being the substance of a course of le^ . 

 tures on that science. " Mechanical Philosophy" was, with 

 him, a favourite expression ; it was understood as synony- 

 mous with Natural Philosophy, and included the same 

 branches. The first volume, the only one he lived to finish, 

 included Dynamics and Astronomy, and was published in 

 1804. It is a work of great merit, and is accessible to those 

 who have no more than an elementary knowledge of the ma- 

 thematics. The short view of the phenomena prefixed to the 

 Pliysical Astronomy is executed in a masterly manner. The 

 same may be said, and perhaps even with more truth, of the 

 Physical Astronomy itself ; for there are very few of the ele- 

 mentary treatises on that branch of science which can be com- 

 pared with it, either for the facility of the demonstration, or 

 the comprehensiveness of the plan. The first part is meant to 

 be popular and historical, and is so at the same time that it is 

 philosophical and precise. The work is indeed highly esti- 

 mable, and is entitled to much more success in the world than 

 Lt has actually had. 



We have already taken notice of Mr Robison's illness, with 

 which he had been now afflicted for the long period of nine- 

 teen years. His sufferings, though not equal, had been often 

 extremely severe. They had occasionally rendered him unable 

 to discharge his duty in the College, and of late his friend, the 

 Reverend Dr Thomas Macknight, had, with great kindness and 

 ability, frequently supplied his place. Against such a conti- 

 nuance of ill health, with so little hopes of recovery as could 

 be entertained for a long time past, hardly any mind could be 



expected 



