CHARACTERS. 
early acquisitions, which not only 
added to the splendor of his con- 
Yersation, but enabled him to ex- 
emplify some of his favourite theo- 
ries concerning the natural progress 
of the mind in the investigation of 
truth, by the history of those scien- 
ces in which the connection and 
succession of discoveries may be 
traced with the greatest advantage. 
if I 4m not mistaken too, the in- 
fluence of his early taste for the 
Greek geometry may be remarked 
in the elementary clearness and ful- 
ness, bordering sometimes upon 
prolixity, with which he frequently 
states his political reasonings.—The 
lectures of the profound and elo- 
quent Dr. Hutcheson, which he 
had attended previous to his de- 
parture from Glasgow, and of which 
he always spoke in terms of the 
warmest admiration, had, it may be 
reasonably presumed, a consider- 
able effect in directing his talents 
to their proper objects. 
Lhave not been able to collect 
any information with respect to that 
part of his youth which was spent 
in England. I have heard him say, 
that he employed himself frequently 
in the practice of translation, (par- 
ticularly from the French), with a 
view to the improvement of his own 
style: and he used often to express 
a favourable opinion of the utility 
of such exercises, to all who culti- 
vate the art of composition. It is 
much to be regretted, that none of 
his juvenile attempts in this way 
have been preserved; as the few 
specimens, which his writings con- 
tain of bis skill as a translator, are 
sufficient to shew the eminence he 
had attained in a walk of literature, 
which, in our country, has been so 
little frequented by men of genius. 
‘ 
[*39 
It was probably also at this peri- 
od of his life, that he cultivated with 
the greatest care the study of lan- 
guages. The knowledge he possess- 
ed of these, both ancient and mo- 
dern, was uncommonly extensive 
and accurate; and, in him, was 
Subservient, not to a vain parade 
of tasteless: erudition, but to a fa- 
miliar acquaintance with every thing 
that could illustrate the institutions, 
the manners, and the ideas of differ- 
ent ages and nations. How inti« 
mately he had once been conversant 
with the more ornamental branches 
of learning; in particular, with the 
works of the Roman, Greek, French, 
and Italian poets, appeared suftici- 
ently from the hold which they 
kept of his memory, after all the dif- 
ferent occupations and enquiries in 
which his maturer faculties had 
been employed. In the English 
language, the variety of poetical 
passages which he was not only ac- 
customed to refer to occasionally, 
but which he was able to repeat 
with correctness, appeared surprise 
ing even to those, whose attention 
had never been directed to more 
important acquisitions. 
After a residence at Oxford of 
sever years, he returned to Kirkal- 
dy, and lived two years with his 
mother; engaged in study, but with- 
out any fixed plan for his future 
life. He had been originally des« 
tined for the Church of England, 
and with that view had been sent 
to Oxford ; but not finding the ec- 
clesiastical profession suitable to his 
taste, he chose to consult, in this 
instance, his own inclination, in 
preference to the wishes. of his 
friends; and abandoning at once 
all the schemes which their pru- 
dence had formed for him, he res 
solyed 
[C4] 
