1S07.] 



Account of Profcjfur Dal'cll. 



ei, 



ta'inly, the mod am'aSle, in the demeanour 

 of a profefl'or hcfuie his pupils. FTis fucccfs 

 has been, by thefe means, nlmoft complete. 

 He communicated among th-' youth at that 

 univerliCy, a large |)ortion ot'his own enthu- 

 fiafm r'ur Greci.m leii'ning. He pciluaiied 

 many of them'to ftudy Greek for twice or 

 thrice the length of time which it was before 

 ufual to devote to that langujgc. It became 

 a tadiion among moft of the ftudents in the 

 univerfity ; whatever their ultimate objefts 

 of purfuit, to ref. rt, with cagtrnefs, to hear 

 his lectures. He accompliilied a fort of rello- 

 ration of clafTical, and even of elegant litera- ■ 

 ture in general at Edinburgh. He gave,' 

 Tvithin his own province, a celebrity Vo the 

 univerfity which was the means oi drawing 

 many ihangers from England and other parts, 

 to purfue their ftjdies in it. He contributed 

 to fill the profefFions of the church, of the 

 law, and of mcdicme throughout Scotland, 

 with men who, after tliey left the univerfity, 

 lud but to continue an eafy attention to Gre- 

 cian learning, amud their neceliliry relaxations 

 from proreliional duties, in order to attain to 

 the mo!t confummate ikill in it. AnJ yet, 

 his fondnefs for his favourite li'erature was 

 not fatisfied. He has frequently complained 

 to the writer of this article ; that the palTion 

 which he infpired for the iludy of Greek, 

 proved, ufually, but tranfient and fugitive. 

 Many of his favourite pupils, when he hap- 

 pened, again, to meet them, a.'ter they had 

 gone but perhaps two or three years from 

 college, would feverely difappoint liis hopes 

 by appearing to have entirely neglefted ckif- 

 Ccal learning from the moment they left the 

 univerfity. With young clergymen in parti- 

 cular, he could not help being particularly o!""- 

 lended, to find, that, from the time of their 

 ol)taining livings, they generally difeontinued 

 all regular ftudy, not only of Greek, but 

 even of every branch of philology and fcience. 

 Many of the ftudents at his clalfe;, were very 

 young. Juft emancipated from the fchool 

 and the rod ; and certain, that, at college, 

 they were not to be beaten ; under any pro- 

 /efli>r but himfelf, fuch boys were in the 

 hours of inftruflion, too often inattentive, 

 tumultuous, full of "<juipsand cranlcs," and 

 unfeafunable glee, more dilpofed to make merry 

 with the teachct's folieitude for their improve- 

 ment, than to profit by it. But, tlie min- 

 gJed dignity and gcntlenefs of his manner had 

 power to charm the giddieft and moft frovvard 

 boy to his book and to his feat. There was 

 a witthcryin liii addrefs v/hich could prevail 

 alike over floth and over levity. Thole who 

 but a moment before, and in a different claff- 

 room, were noifv, reftlefs, negligent, wan- 

 tonly troublefome, no looner came into iVlr. 

 Dalzell's prefenccjthanthey were, for the hour, 

 transformed, as by magic, into the moil mo- 

 deft and quiet young gentlemen, and the moft 

 attentive ftudents, one could defire to fee. 

 Me treated them with- a gracious politenefs 

 and icfpcct winch, ia »■ manner, cgmp elleil 



them to refpeft both h'm and themfelves. 

 He was careful to n)ake a fpirit of piety and 

 viitue pervade tlie whole courfe of his in- 

 ftriiitions. It was gentle, infinuating, and 

 pleahng. It breamed itfelf into young minds 

 without harafhng or difgufting them. His 

 concluding leAure every fcflion was, in par- 

 ticular, a favour'te with the ftudents. To 

 hear it many would defer, even for feveral 

 weeks, their departure for the country. It 

 reviewed the ftudles of the fedion ; exhorted 

 to ardent diligence during the vacation ; 

 poinIe<J out the books the fittell to be then 

 read j indicated the proper exeixifes in com- 

 pofitioii ; dwelt affcc^ingly upon the charms 

 of cLuiical literature, End of virtue ; and, 

 in a ftrain of the fineft Cliriftian and l^latonia 

 enthufiafm, taught the heart to elevare it- 

 felf, through the furvey of the works 

 of nature, up to nature's God. On this 

 occufion, the ProfelFor and his pupils never 

 pnited but in tears. Such was his con- 

 duft as a PiofelVor for a period of, I think, 

 nearly thirty years. His pupils regarded him 

 with the affection due to a parent, and ufually 

 met from him the beneficence of a father's 

 love. Hundreds have been introduced by 

 him into fituations as tutors, and into other 

 honourable connexions, which proved the 

 means of their fubfe.juent advantageous and 

 ufcful eftablilliment in the world. His ad- 

 vice was confided in by parents, in refpect to 

 their children's education, more than {{ be- 

 lieve) that of any other man in any univer- 

 fity, or other feniinary, in the three king- 

 doms. Upon the inftltution of the Royal So- 

 ciety of Edinburgh, he was perl'uaded to 

 undertake the functions of fecretary to its 

 literary clafs. At the death o{ the learned 

 profeli'or of oriental languages. Dr. James 

 Kobertfon, Mr. Dalzell wi.s chofen to fuc- 

 ceed him as keeper of the public library of 

 the univerfity. With an exception in favour 

 of a layraan, which wts, 1 believe, without 

 example, he was chofen to fucceed Dr. John 

 Dryfdale in the liighly refpectable appoint- 

 ment of princip.il clerk to the general affem- 

 bly of the church of Scotland. He difcharg- 

 ed the functions of all thefe offices with a 

 zeal, a fidelity, and a mafterly ability which 

 gave univerfal facisfaotion, and have never, 

 indeed, been exceeded in any one of them. 

 He was, as may well be imagined, the pride 

 and delight of the private fociety in w^hich he 

 chiefly lived. Among his p-irticular friends 

 were, the late Dr. Gilbert Stuart, Dr. Ruifcl, 

 known as the judicious compiler ot the Hil- 

 tory of Modern Europe 5 JVlr. Lifton, who has 

 fo long and with fuch diftinction (erved his 

 country in a diplomatic capacity ; Mr. Por- 

 ter, an eminent Kullia merchant j the late 

 Dr. William Robertlon, the hiftorian ; the 

 late venerable Lord IVlonbpddo, well known 

 as an ami.ible cnthufiaft in Grecian litera- 

 ture ; Mr. DugaW Stuait, th.it moft learned, 

 ingenious, anrt modeft of the members of the 

 Stotti/h univerfititSj Mr. Pruftlibr Chrifti- 



412 



Ion. 



