The lute. Dr. Thomas Thomson. 253 



la August, 1812, having finished his history of the Royal Society, and 

 being accidentally detained in Edinburgh without any specific employ- 

 ment, he took advantage of the peace just concluded with Sweden, and 

 sailed for that country in company with his friend Mr. William Ritchie, 

 of the High School of Edinburgh. He collected there much information 

 on the natural and political history of the country, as well as on the 

 state of its science, and published his observations in the following year. 



On his return from Sweden he went to London, and projected the 

 "Annals of Philosophy.'' He conducted that work during the sis years 

 of his residence in London, and for two years more after his removal to 

 Glasgow. He then found himself obliged to resign the editorship in 

 consequence of his distance from the place of publication, which quad- 

 rupled, as he said, the labour of the editor, and diminished almost in the 

 same proportion, its successful exertion. The work was taken up by Wr. 

 Richard Phillips in 1821, and in 1827 it was piu'chased by Mr. Richard 

 Taylor, and merged in the Philosophical Magazine. 



In 1817, on the death of Dr. Cleghorn, and at the recommendation of 

 Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Thomson was appointed lecturer on chemistry in 

 the University of Glasgow, and in the following year, at the instance of 

 the late Duke of Montrose, chancellor of the university, the appointment 

 was made a regius professorship. 



During the long period of twenty-three years, until the year 1841, Dr. 

 Thomson discharged all the duties of his chair without assistance. Being 

 then in his sixty-ninth year, and feeling his strength decline, he associated 

 with him his nephew, Dr. R. D. Thomson, who was then resident in 

 London, continuing himself to deliver the inorganic course till 1846. The 

 dangei-ous illness of his second son, hurried him for the winter of that 

 year to Nice, when his nephew was appointed by the University to dis- 

 charge the entire duties of the chair, which he continued to do until his 

 uncle's death. 



In mentioning the termination of Dr. Robert Thomson's connection 

 with the University of Glasgow, I mention also, I am sorry to say, that of 

 his connection with this city, and with this Society, or at least of that 

 intimate connection which he has had with the Society for so many years. 

 Those who have taken the largest share in administering the afi'airs of 

 the Society, know best its loss. 



One cannot but remark the constant recurrence of evil which pre- 

 vails in the Scottish Universities, from the want of a provision for the 

 retirement of its superannuated Professors. Either is there an un- 

 seemly and injurious bargaining between the incumbent and his suc- 

 cessor, with the connivance, of course, of the patron, preventing an open 

 competition for the place about to become vacant, or the aged professor 

 retains nominal possession of his chair after he is disqualified to dis- 

 charge its duties. In the latter case a substitute is appointed, who 

 may, or may not, act his part well. If, as is too likely to be the case, 

 other than public motives guide the ajipointment, the University n)ay 



