1817-32. MATERNAL INFLUENCE. 5 



in the home circle; his mother's face was in his eyes the 

 most sweet and beautiful the earth contained ; and the 

 peculiar love of twins for each other was felt by him in all 

 its force. To this last has been attributed " something of 

 that wonderful power of attaching himself, and being per- 

 sonally loved, which was one of his strongest, as it was one 

 of his most winning powers." 1 



His mother is "regarded by all who knew her as a 

 woman of rare natural gifts, who zealously fostered in her 

 children the love of knowledge which they inherited." 2 

 " Any one who has had the privilege to know him, and to 

 enjoy his bright and rich and beautiful mind, will not need 

 to go far to learn where it was that her son George got all 

 of that genius and worth and delightfulness which is trans- 

 missible. She verifies what is so often and so truly said of 

 the mothers of remarkable men. She was his first and best 

 alma mater, and in many senses his last, for her influence 

 over him continued through life." 3 



It was a custom of his mother's to pay a visit each night 

 to the little cot of her twin boys, and to repeat over them 

 Jacob's blessing, " The God which fed me all my life long, 

 unto this day, the Angel that redeemed me from all evil, 

 bless the lads ! " So fascinating was this to George, that, 

 as he long afterwards described to a friend, he used to lie 



1 "Horse Subsecivse," Second Series. Article, "Dr. George 

 Wilson." 



2 Sir David Brewster, in the " North British Review " for February, 

 1856. Article, " Colour Blindness." 



3 "Hora Subsecivse," p.. 104. Subsequent to the appearance of .the 

 first edition of this Memoir, Mrs. Wilson has joined the company of 

 her children, who had preceded her to the world of spirits. She 

 lived to a good old age, surviving her son George nearly five years. 

 This was matter of surprise to herself, and often led to the remark, 

 " I did not think I could have lived so long without him." 



