M. Arago's Biographical Memoir of James Watt. 281 



of this faculty as possessed by a few privileged individuals. 

 Its extent, however, was its least merit ; for while it made 

 him master of every thing that was of real value, it wholly 

 rejected, and almost instinctively, whatever was superfluous, 

 and not worth the keeping. 



The variety of the knowledge of our associate, would have 

 been absolutely incredible, were it not attested by many emi- 

 nent men. Lord Jeffrey, in his eloquent notice, very happily 

 characterizes the understanding of his friend, at once strong and 

 delicate, by comparing it to the proboscis of the elephant, which 

 serves with equal facility to lift a stx'aw, or uproot the oak. 



The following are the terms in which Sir Walter Scott 

 speaks of his illustrious countryman in the preface to The Mo- 

 nastery. " It was only once my fortune to meet Watt, when 

 there were assembled about half a score of our northern lights.* 

 Amidst this company stood Mr Watt, the man whose genius 

 discovered the means of multiplying our national resources to 

 a degree, perhaps, even beyond his own stupendous powers of 

 calculation and combination ; bringing the treasures of the 

 abyss to the summit of the earth, — giving to the feeble arm of 

 man the momentum of an Afrite, — commanding manufactui'es 

 to arise, — affording means of dispensing with that time and 

 tide which wait for no man, — and of sailing without that wind 

 which defied the commands and threats of Xerxes himself. 

 This potent commander of the elements, — this abridger of 

 time and space, — this magician, whose cloudy machinery has 

 produced a change in the world, the effects of which, extra- 

 ordinary as they are, are perhaps only beginning to be felt, — 

 was not only the most profound man of science, the most suc- 

 cessful combiner of powers, and calculator of numbers, as 

 adapted to practical purposes, — was not only one of the most 

 generally well-infonned, but one of the best and kindest of 

 human beings. There he stood, surrounded by the little 

 band of northern literati. Methinks I yet see and hear what 

 I shall never see or hear again. In his eighty-first year, the 

 alert, kind, benevolent old man, had his attention at every 

 one^s question, his information at every one's command. His 



* At the table of one of the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses. 



Edit. 



