130 INTRODUCTORY NARRA1 iVB. Lesson I, 



place of the celebrated philosopher Sir David Bre\vstv,r, who v Q the llth of 



December, 1781. 



His father, who was a worthy member of the church of Scotland, and rector of the 

 grammar-school of Jedburgh, educated his son toi'ollow iu his footsteps, and therefore, 

 after David had received a thorough preliminary education, he was sent to the uni- 

 versity of Edinburgh, and having completed his studies, became a licentiate of the 

 church of Scotland. 



In the year 1800, when only nineteen years of age, the university conferred the 

 honorary degree of M.A. on him ; and he commenced the study of the science of 

 optics by repeating Sir I. Newton's experiments on the inflection of light, from which 

 he concluded that the phenomena of inflection are not dependent upon the nature of 

 the body by -which they are caused. 



In a few years, ill health obliged him to give up the clerical profession, a circum- 

 stance that caused him much regret. 



In 1807, the university of Aberdeen conferred the honorary degree of LL.l). 

 him ; and in 1808, the Royal Society of Edinburgh elected him Fellow of their body. 



In 1808, he commenced editing the 4i Edinburgh Encyclopaedia," a work that \,ii: 

 ever be a memorial of his indefatigable labours in the cause of science. Bcsiu. 

 tributing the articles on the sciences of electricity, optics, mechanics, hydrodyi 

 astronomy, and expansion, he wrote upon the kaleidoscope, which he invented iu 181G, 

 roicroscrope, anemometer, and other instruments, besides the biographies of many 

 eminent scientific men. When engaged upon this work, he was one day much 

 bothered by an abstruse calculation. Evening had arrived and it was not solved ; he 

 therefore ordered his carriage, and notwithstanding that it was late at night apd 

 he was much exhausted, yet he carried away his papers, and accompanied by his 

 servant, to prevent him going to sleep, drove off to Minto, where he arrived early in 

 the morning, and explained his difficulty to Lord Minto. The noble lord soon saw 

 how it -was to be solved, and whiU: engaged in finishing the calculation, Brewster fell 

 upon the floor quite exhausted, and was soon fast asleep. Few can imagine, the mental 

 and bodily exertion that he endured while editing this work, from the year 1808 to 

 1830, when it was completed. 



In 1810, he married the eldest daughter of J. Macpherson, Esq., of Belleville, 

 Inverness, by whom he has had several children. 



In 1814, he visited France and Switzerland. In 1816, he received half of the 

 physical prize of 3,000 francs of the Institute of France, the other half being adjudged 

 to Dr. Seebeck, of Berlin, for the most important discoveries made in any branch of 

 science in Europe during the two previous years. In 1819, he gained the RumfYrd 

 gold and silver medals of the Royal Society of London, for his discoveries on the 

 polarization of light. 



In 1819, he was elected General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, in 

 consequence of the decease of Professor Play fair. In the same year he established 

 the " Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," conjointly with Professor Jameson. After- 

 wards he conducted the " Edinburgh Journal of Science," and established the Society 

 of Arts for Scotland. 



In 1825, he was elected corresponding member of the Institute of France, ai 

 the Royal Academies of Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark, and many other 

 scientific bodies. 



