92 HISTORY of the SOCIETT. 



b\it of folid and permanent happinefs. Few fyftems, indeed, were 

 better calculated than his, to entertain their avithor with fuch 

 noble and magnificent profped\s ; and no author was ever more 

 difpofed to confider the enjoyment of them, as the full and ade- 

 quate reward of his labours. 



The great range w^hich he had taken in fcience, has fufficient- 

 ly appeared, from the account already given of his works *. 

 There were indeed hardly any fciences, except the mathe- 

 matical, to which he had not turned his attention, and his 

 neglecl of thefe probably arofe from this, that, at the time 

 when his acquaintance with them fhould have commenced, his 

 love of knowledge had already fixed itfelf on other objefls. The 

 aptitude of his mind for geometrical reafoning, was, however, 

 proved on many occafions. His theory of rain reds on mathe- 

 matical principles, and the conclufions deduced from them are 

 perfecf\ly accurate, though by no means obvious. I may add, that 

 he had an uncommon facility in comprehending the nature of 

 mechanical contrivances ; and, for one who was not a pra(5lical 

 engineer, could form, beforehand, a very found judgment con- 

 cerning their eftedls. 



Notwithstanding atafle for fuch various information, and 

 a mind of fuch conftant acflivity, he read but few fpeculative 

 books, directing his attention chiefly to fuch as furnifhed the ma- 

 terials of fpeculation. Of voyages, travels, and books relating to 



the 



* He had ftudied with great care feveial fubjects of which no mention is made 

 above. One of thefe was the Formation, or, as we may rather call it, the Natu- 

 ral Hiftory of Language. A portion of his metaphyfical work is dedicated 

 to the Theory of Language, vol. I. p. 574, &c. ; and vol. IL p. 624, &c. He read 

 feveral very ingenious papers on the Written Language, in the Royal Society 

 of Edinburgh, fee 1'ranfaBions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. II. Hiji. 

 p. j. &c. The Chinefe language, as an extreme cafe in the invention of writing, 

 had greatly occupied his thoughts, and is the fubjed of feveral of his manufcripts. 



