Sii- William Hainlltou's Fvaymcutsof rivdoiopkij. 7^ 



little of tlic public, arc cutirely occupied witli satisfying the wants of 

 their own mind ; having but little anxiety about the effect of their thoughts 

 on others, their mind dwells only on the intrinsic value of their researches, 

 and thej- create for themselves^ as Maine de Biran said, *' a world in their 

 own brain." By this, however, we do not mean to say that Sir W. Ha- 

 milton is a visionary or a fabricator of fantastical systems ; hitherto, on 

 tlie contrary, his career has been one of remarkable activity ; but the 

 pledges which he has given to science rest almost entirely on the merits 

 of his teaching ; his publications, hitherto few in number, bear the im- 

 press of true and original powers of mind. The four dissertations col- 

 lected in this volume, have been selected from the pieces which the 

 author has laid before the public ; these pieces altogether do not exceed 

 the amount of a dozen articles, but all afford proofs of a rich philosophi- 

 cal erudition, and an excellent method of investigation. Convinced as 

 we are that the Scotch philosophy is not yet truly known in France, \vc 

 do not hesitate to offer a succinct analj'sis of the fragments translated in 

 Mr Peisse's volume ; it will be the means of familiarizing our readers with 

 this philosophy, which ought not to be strange to us, and also of render- 

 ing homage to a modest and laborious philosopher. But, before enter- 

 ing upon the examination of the volume, let us supply some particulars 

 regarding the author. 



Sir William Hamilton belongs to the great family of Hamilton, which 

 has given to France one of its classical writers. He commenced his stu- 

 dies at the University of Glasgow, and concluded them at Oxford. Hav- 

 ing acquitted himself with honour in the examinations requisite for ob- 

 taining University degrees, he entered himself at tlie bar, obtained the 

 chair of Universal History, and subsequently gave up this charge for 

 another more suited to the nature of his talents and the character of his 

 studies. Thomas Brown died in 1820, after having filled, in the capa- 

 city of assistant, the chair of Dugald Stewart, from \vhicli this illustrious 

 professor developed the principles of moral philosophy. Sir ^^'illiam 

 Hamilton was among the candidates, but was unsuccessful, notwithstand- 

 ing the suffrage of Dugald Stewart himself, who had rendered homage to 

 his rising merits. It was not till 1836, in consequence of the retirement 

 of Dr Ritchie, that Sir William Hamilton, now properly appreciated, 

 obtained the vacant chair of logic and metaphysics. It was honourable 

 for France to witness, at this period, one of our professors, ]\I. Cousin, 

 supporting Sir William Hamilton's claims with his influence. Success 

 crowned his wishes ; JM. Cousin had no small influence in the nomination 

 of the Scottish savant, and he deserves the praise of discovering the 

 merit of a stranger whom his fellow-citizens had not alwaj-s judged of 

 with the favour lie deserved. 



Among the remarkable circumstances in Sir William Hamilton's lite- 

 rary life, may be mentioned the discussion between him and the jiartisans 

 of the phrenological doctrine, of which the principal representative was 

 Dr Spur/.hcim. The occasion of it was two memoirs written by SirWil- 



