102 HISTORY of the SOCIETY. 



brother, greatly encumbered by ^he debts of thofe who had pof- 

 feffed it for fome generations preceding. The mother of Jo- 

 seph Black, and the mother of James Russel, late Profeffor 

 of Natural Philofophy in the Univerfity of Edinburgh, were fif- 

 ters ; and the mother of Adam Ferguson, Profeffor of Moral 

 Philofophy, was their aunt ; a circumftance which was the origin, 

 though not the cement, of a friendfliip fubfifting between them 

 through life. 



While Mr Black, the father, lived at Bourdeaux, the great 



Montesquieu, being Prefident of the Parliament or Court of 



Juflice in that province, honoured Mr Black with a friendfhip 



■and intimacy, of which his defcendants, to this hour, are juftly 



proud. They preferve letters, or fcraps of correfpondence, that 



paffed between the Prefident Montesquieu and their anceftor, 



as they would titles of honour defcending in their race. On a 



paper wrapped round a bundle of fuch letters, the following 



note is found in the handwriting of Joseph Black. " My fa- 



*' therwas honovired with Prefident Montesquieu's friendfhip, 



" on account of his good charadler and virtues. He had no 



" ambition to be very rich ; but was chearful and contented, 



" benevolent and liberal-minded. He was induflrious and pru- 



" dent in bufinefs, of the ftridleft probity and honour, very 



" temperate and regular in his manner of life. He and my 



" mother, who was equally domeflic, educated thirteen of their 



" children, eight fous and five daughters, who all grew up to 



" men and women, and were fettled in different places. My 



" mother taught her children to read Englifli, ther-e being no 



" fchool for that purpofe at Bourdeaux." 



So much may fuffice for an account of Joseph Black's pa- 

 rentage. No words, added to thofe iifed by his fon, to delineate 

 the father's charadler, can improve it ; and nothing more is 

 wanting, to account for the regard with which he was honour- 

 ed by the Prefident Montesquieu. This illuftrious perlonage, 



together 



