216 



MILLER, HUGH. 



MILLER, WILLIAM ALLEN. 



246 



of a small vessel of his own, in which ho was lost, whilst Hugh Miller 

 was yet a child. In a work entitled ' My Schools and Schoolmasters, 

 or the Story of my Education,' he has given not only an interesting 

 account of his own life, but that of his father, and many of the mem- 

 bers of his family. He received his first education at the pari-h 

 school, where he was early distinguished for his fondness for poetry 

 and poetical composition. At this time he was a large reader, and 

 placed under contribution the libraries of the parish. lu this way he 

 laid the foundation of an extended knowledge of literature, which 

 availed him in after life. But the most important part of his educa- 

 tion consisted in the natural history instruction he received from an 

 ancle who had acquired a taste for the observation of natural pheno- 

 mena. Whatever might have been his aspirations, he was obliged to 

 content himself with learning the trade of a mason. This occupation 

 however unexpectedly fostered the taste he had acquired for the study 

 of natural history ; and whilst hewing blocks of stone in the quarry, 

 he wan diligently studying the traces they exhibited of their past 

 history. It was in this way that he prepared himself to become the 

 historian of the Old Red-Sandstone, amongst the rocks of which he 

 principally worked. His first literary efforts were not however directed 

 to geology. He was early devoted to the muses, and was induced, by 

 the refusal of a newspaper to priut one of his poetical effusion?, to 

 publish a book of poetry. This work, though it failed to give him 

 a position as a poet, drew towards him the attention of friends, which 

 resulted in his giving np hi-* mason's employment and becoming 

 accountant in a bank in his native town. 1 his appointment gave him 

 more leisure for literature. He became a frequent contributor to 

 newspnpere, more especially the 'Inverness Courier;' but his first 

 distinct prose publication was entitled 'Scenes and Legends of the 

 North of Scotland.' Although the subject of this work was only 

 of local interest, the purity of its style and the thought and feeling 

 thrown into the subject discussed, made it a popular work, and several 

 editions have been printed. 



With naturally strong feelings, and a power of writing rapidly and 

 impressively, it might be expected that a man in Mr. Miller's position 

 would enter into the great discussion which terminated in a rupture 

 of the Scotch church. His fin>t publication on the subject was 

 entitled ' Letter from one of the Scotch people to the Right Hon. 

 Lord Brougham and Vaux, on the opinions expressed by his lordship 

 in the Anchterarder case.' This letter, which was referred to by 

 Mr. Gladstone in his ' Church Principles,' as the " elegant and mas- 

 culine production of Hugh Miller," drew at once upon the author the 

 attention of the Free Church party. They had long felt the need of 

 an organ, and the man had at length appeared who was capable of 

 undertaking its conduct. The 'Witness' newspaper was started, 

 and Mr. Miller was invited to accept its editorship. This paper was 



Stiblished twice n week, and conducted with great ability by Mr. 

 iller to the day of his death. Although never failing in the polemical 

 and political departments, he found time to arrange his geological 

 experience, which he first published in a series of papers in the 

 'Witness.' These papers excited the surprise and admiration of the 

 gf olopists who assembled at the first meeting of the British Associa- 

 ti'.m in Glasgow in 1840. Sir Charles Lytll, Sir Roderick Murchison, 

 and Ur. Kuckland, were nmongtt the first to express their astonish- 

 ment at the amount of new matter which was thus for the first time 

 brought before them. Professor Agassiz, who was also present at this 

 meeting, named one of the fishes which had been described by Mr. 

 Miller Plericiliys Milleri, after its discoverer. These papers .were 

 afterwards published in a volume, ' The Old Red Sandstone, or New 

 Walks in an Old Field.' This work is written in a style remarkably 

 pleasing, and treats of the great facts of geology in a peculiarly attractive 

 manner. It has had a very large sale, and still remains one of the 

 most popular works on geology in the English language. Its scientific 

 merit consists in th description of a number of new fossil forms of 

 animals belonging to a formation which had, up to the time of its 

 publication, been regarded as almost destitute of the remains of 

 animal life. 



Hitherto Mr. Miller had never visited England. He now made a 

 journey to London, and with pen in hand made notes of what he saw 

 and felt. These notes he published on his return under the title of 

 ' First Impressions of England and its People." This work has also 

 I very considerable circulation. An anonymous work entitled, 

 ' V-ftiges of the Natural History of Creation,' was published in 

 1844, 'which excited much attention, and not least in the religious 

 world. The discovery of a fish and a plant in the old red gaud- 

 store furnaheil Mr. Miller with arguments against the views of 

 the author of the ' Vestiges.' These he embodied iu a woik entitled 

 ' Footprints of the Creator, or the Asterolepis of Stromness.* It 

 embraced a genei al view of the natural history of creation, and is 

 regarded as nn able exposition of the views of geologists on the 

 interesting points to which it is devoted. Like the author's other 

 works it has had a large circulation. 



Mr. Miller has also published other works and papers on geology. 

 In 1848 he published 'The Geology of the Bass." At the meeting of 

 the British Association at Edinburgh in I860 he read a paper oil 

 'certain peculiarities of structure in *orne ancient Ganoids ' (Fishes). 

 At the meeting of the Association at Glasgow in 1855 he gave an 

 elaborate account of the Fossil Flora of Scotland. He has also 



lectured in Edinburgh and London on geological subjects. Mr. 

 Miller's death was sudden and very startling. On the morning of the 

 24th of December 1856 he was found dead in hia room, shot through 

 t.he body, and under circumstances which left no doubt that he died 

 by his own hand. Ha had been latterly engaged, iu addition to his 

 editorial labours, at a work, to be called ' The Testimony of the 

 Rocks,' and his brain, already diseased, had become strongly excited. 

 An old habit, that of sleep-walking, had returned upon him. He 

 had, through fear of robbers, kept a loaded pistol in hia room ; 

 and with this pistol, in a paroxysm of hia disease, he put au end to 

 his life. 



His death caused a most painful excitement. Few men have 

 occupied a higher position in, the estimation of hia countrymen. He 

 was a noble example of what self-education can do for a mau, and 

 whether regarded as the fearless and independent writer, or the man of 

 literature and science, his character must claim the respect and admi- 

 ration of posterity. 



MILLER, JOHN MARTIN, a novelist, whose productions made a 

 great sensation in Germany in the last century, was born December 2, 

 1 750, at Ulm, where his father was preacher in the cathedral and 

 professor of Oriental languages. At Gottingen, where he went to 

 study theology in 1770, John Martin Miller became acquainted with 

 Voss, Holty, Burger, the two Stolbergs, and other eminent literary 

 characters of the time, and afterwards with Klopstock, whom he 

 accompanied on his return to Hamburg. After taking orders, he 

 was appointed preacher at the cathedral of hi.s native town in 1783, 

 and in 17H7 professor of theology at the Gymnasium. In 1810 the 

 king of Wirttmberg bestowed the deanery of Ulm on him ; but he 

 did not live to enjoy it many years, for he died on the 21st of June 

 1814. 



Although now almost forgotten, his romance of ' Siegwart ' (first 

 published iu 2 vols., 1776, shortly afterwards greatly eularged, and in 

 many parts rewritten) had astonishing success. It called forth a host 

 of imitators, and Lad also the distinction of being parodied. It was 

 translated into French, Polish, Dutch, Danish, and Italian. Like hia 

 'Siegwart,' his 'Karl von Burglieim ' and other novels have little 

 action or interest of story, but are distinguished by pure morality and 

 an amiable though exaggerated sensibility. This excess of sensi- 

 bility and sentiment, which however was merely caricatured by his 

 professed imitators, qualified him well for 'an elegiac and lyric poet ; 

 and his productions of that class are distinguished by the tenderness 

 aud religious feeling which they breathe. His sermons are likewise 

 compositions of no ordinary merit, attractive in style, eloquent, and 

 impressive. 



Iu his personal character he is said to have been rather cold and 

 reserved, and therefore disappointed many who expected to find in 

 the author of ' Siegwart' an impassioned enthusiast. Hia romances 

 may be forgotten, but his poems will preserve his name. 



MILLER, SIR THOMAS, BABONET; second sou of Mr. William 

 Miller, writer to the signet, was born in 1718, and was admitted advo- 

 cate at the Scottish bar in February 1742. In 1748 he was constituted 

 steward (or sheriff) of Kirkcudbright, and the same year elected joint- 

 principal clerk of the city of Glasgow. These offices he resigned in 

 1755, being then appointed solicitor to the excise in Scotland. In 

 March 1759 he was made king's solicitor-general : in April of next 

 year he was advanced to be lord-advocate, soou after which he was 

 returned to parliament. In November 1762 he waa chosen rector of 

 Glasgow College. He continued in the post of lord-advocate till 

 April 17u6, when he was raised to the bench of the court of session, 

 and succeeded Sir Gilbert Elliot, lord-justice-clerk, deceased ; on which 

 occasion he took his seat, by desire of the court, ou the right hand of 

 the lord-president ; and thence, on Dundas's death, he was, in January 

 1788, elevated to the presidency of the court of session, being the first 

 lord-juetice-clerk so promoted. The following month he was created 

 a baronet. He died the 27th of September 1789, leaving behind a 

 high character for legal attainments, judicial worth, and general 

 probity. 



* MILLER, WILLIAM ALLEN, born at Ipswich in Suffolk, on the 

 17th of December 1817, was carefully in.-tructed during his early 

 years by his mother (from whom he gained the rudiments of the Latin 

 tongue, and an early facility in reading and understanding the French 

 language), and wa afterwards sent to Merchant Taylors' School, 

 whence he was transferred at the expiration of a twelvemonth to the 

 school of the Society of Friends at Ackworth iu Yorkshire, where he 

 remained two years. It was at this institution that he first acquired 

 a taste for scientific pursuits, chiefly owing to occasional glimpses 

 through a telescope afforded him by one of the masters, and by a 

 course of elementary lectures on Chemistry given by the same gentle- 

 mun to some of the elder boys. On leaving Ackworth, young Miller 

 pursued his classical and mathematical studies for some time under 

 private tuition. At the ago of fifteen he was apprenticed to hia uncle, 

 who was at that time surgeon to the General Hospital, Birmingham. 

 Here he studied for tlie medical profession during nearly five years, at 

 the expiration of which period he was entered iu the medical depart- 

 ment of King's College, Londou. Bringing with him some previous 

 knowledge of the manipulations of chemistry, he was enabled to a-.sit 

 the late Dr. Daniel!, professor of chemistry at King's College, in pre- 

 paring his experimeuts during the temporary indisposition of his 



