1806.] On a late Election of a Profcjfor at Edinburgh, 451 



had entered into a tacit compact, ac- 

 cording to the advice <>f Lord liacon, to 

 give to reafbii what belongs to reaion, 

 and to vicid to faitli vvliat is due to faith : 

 for otherwiCe, by intermixing religious 

 tenets with pliilofophical fpeculations, 

 Ihey would run into tiie danger of bc- 

 coniini; either bad divines or bad jjhilo- 

 Ibpliers. 



It IS not uni-eafonablc to prer^nne, tiiat 

 fince tlie time when prefuvtery was ef- 

 tabjillied in Scotland, philofophy, in its 

 progrcfs, has diverged into Ibnie paths 

 into which the prelbytery, tliough com- 

 pofed of lay brethren as well as ecclefi- 

 allics, is not fufticiently prepared to ac- 

 company tlieni. 



What has happened itl the prefbytery 

 and univerlity of Edinburgh, recalls to 

 my imagination a fccne in phyliolo4y, 

 that is often witiicilcd. If the eggs ot a 

 duck be put under a brooding heu, Ihe 

 Aiever dreams but they are her own, and 

 tends and provides for the young witli 

 maternal care and fondncfs, as long as 

 thev are on dry ground. But no fooner 

 do the young ducklings come to a piece 

 of water, tliaii they ruili into it, and 

 r|uil, at leaft for a time, the vexed, alarm- 

 ed, and tlutteriug mother, who culls them 

 back by incetfant cries, in vain : for her- 

 lelf, however, (he is too wife to venture 

 teyond her depth. 



Mr. Stewart's Short Statement branches 

 forth into general quellions in philolophy, 

 ns well as into the intriguing fpirit wliich 

 is incident to all bodies of men, even 

 theologians not excepted; and into feveral 

 particulars which ferve to contrail the 

 prefent fpiritof Scotland with that of the 

 times of the Covenant and the Lords of the 

 Congreaation. Of this lalt ijiint, a fmall 

 faction in the church endeavoured to af- 

 funie, for a particular purpofe, the air 

 and manner. They found, and put on, 

 an old cloak of Calvin's : but it was too 

 fliort for a grown-up philofopher of the 

 nineteenth century; it did not reacli the 

 length of their own cloven feet. 



On the 30th of January, 1805, a va- 

 cancy took placft in the mathematical 

 chair of the univerfity of Edinburgh. 

 The right of eleClion is veiled in the 

 lord piovoft, niagilirates, and town-coun- 

 cil of that city. The tirft candidate that 

 appeared was the llcv. Thomas i\Iac- 

 knight, one of the niinillers of F.din- 

 lurgh, who had been occafionally em- 

 ployed by the defimft piofeflbr of natural 

 philofopiiy, Mr. Roljinfon, as an aliilt- 

 ant. iVlr. Mac knight's aim vvas, to hold 

 fcoih his paio'iiinl charge and ^<i pro- 



MOiMiaY Mac. No. liO, 



feflorfliip. Mr. Stewart, alarmed, a$ 

 well as many others of his colleagues, at 

 theie circumftanccs, refoJ\ed to addrefs 

 hiuifeif directly by a letter to the chief 

 magillrate. A zeal for the interells of 

 the univcrfity of Edinburgh was natural 

 to Mr. Stewart, asid in him peculiarlj^ 

 gracctul : it was horeditary, and con- 

 lirmed by the habits and piu-fuits of liis 

 life. Nor was his oppoiition to a plu- 

 rality of benefices in the univerlity, \i\ 

 iiim, Icfs peculiarly becomins. He had 

 taught in difterent fchools in the college, 

 at the lame period, Avith. great fuccefs 

 and applaufe : yet he never dreamt of 

 holding two dirt'ercnt j^rut^^^ff )rlhips. Af- 

 ter mentioning fome circumllances, tend- 

 ing with great force to imprefs the lord 

 pj'ovoft's ir.ind v%'ith a peculiar concern 

 for the profperily of the univerfity, h« 

 demonllrates the difadvantageous and 

 pernicious confcqueuces to be appre- 

 hended from uniting profedorlliips with 

 eccleiiaftical livings. At the iiulie time, 

 he was far from having any with to ex- 

 clude from the Scotch univerfities thofe 

 niinillers of the church of Scotland, 

 whole literary attainments or taftc for 

 the fciencts might lead them to prefer 

 tliq duties of an academical lite to thofe 

 connected with the exercife of the do 

 rical fun(^tion. 



The conliderations briefly ftated by 

 Profeflbr Stew art were feconded at great- 

 er length, arid with very great ability, hj 

 Profeilbr Playfair, who, in a Letter alio 

 to the I'rovoll, among a variety of re- 

 marks very clofe to the purpofe, obferves 

 " That a profeilor of mathematics in 

 the univerlity will have a great deal more 

 to do, than merely to gi^ e lectures. He 

 will dedicate a large portion of his time 

 to his ow-n improvement, to the ftudy of 

 thofe improvements that have been made, 

 and that are continually making over all 

 Europe; and he will feck to extend the 

 bounds of fciei'ce by new and original 

 invefiigations. This is th j only way of 

 difcharg'ug his duty, fo as to impi'ova 

 knowledge, and do credit to the univer- 

 fity and iiimfelf The profeffor who tai^es 

 this view of the matter,, and is a real 

 lover of fciencc, v\ili not feel much de- 

 fire to have more work put into his 

 hands, or to have the number of his 

 avocations increafed. Indeed it is the 

 man who is bell qualified to be a pro- 

 ffli'or of mathematics, who will find the 

 duties of his otKco the fuUdt occupation 

 for liiin ; and the more he is fitted to 

 difcharsie them well, the lefi ieiiure he 

 v.iil lind f r other ourfuits." 



s -^I Tl*» 



