M. Arago's Biographical Memoir of James Watt. 223 



serious and assiduous study ; that, in more tranquil times, he 

 established himself in Greenock, where he taught mathematics 

 and the elements of navigation ; that he resided in the Burgh 

 of Barony of Crawford's- dyke, of which, for several years, he 

 held the office of baron-bailie, or, in other words, was chief 

 magistrate ; and that, finally, he died in the year 1734, at the 

 age of ninety-two years.* 



Thomas Watt had two sons. The elder, John, followed, in 

 the city of Glasgow, the occupation of his father. He died in 

 the year 1737, at the age of fifty, having executed a chart of 

 the course of the river Clyde, which was subsequently pub- 

 lished imder the direction of his brother James. This last 

 named individual, the father of the celebrated engineer, was, 

 during the quarter of a century, councillor, treasurer, and 

 bailie of Greenock, having declined the office of chief magis- 

 trate, and was celebrated for the ardent zeal, and the enlighten- 

 ed spirit of improvement, with which he discharged his duties. 

 He was a pluralist (and let no one be alarmed at these three 

 syllables, which have now in France become the object of ge- 

 neral anathema ; they injiu'e not the memory of James Watt), 

 — ^he combined three different kinds of occupation ; he fur- 

 nished the several kinds of apparatus, utensils, and instru- 

 ments which are necessary for navigation ; he was also a builder 

 and a merchant ; notwithstanding which, towards the close of 

 life, he imfortimately suff^ered severely from some commercial 

 enterprizes which deprived him of a portion of that honour- 

 able fortune he had previously acquired. He died at the age 

 of eighty-four, in the year 1782. 



James Watt, the subject of this Memoir, was in infancy an 

 exceedingly delicate child. His mother, whose family name 

 was Muirhead, was his first instructor in reading, whilst his 

 father tauglit him writing and arithmetic. He also attended 

 the elementary public school at Greenock ; so that the hum- 

 ble grammar schools of Scotland may boast of having educat- 

 ed the celebrated engineer, in the same way that the College 

 de la Flcche was wont to enumerate Des Cartes ; and Cam- 

 bridge to the present day prides itself on Newton. To be 



• On his gravestone he is designated " Professor of Mathematics." — Edit. 



