42 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. CHAP. III. 



through the streets of a city which delighted his artist-eye, 

 and had a strange fascination for him." 1 



Immediately on his return from the trip spoken of at the 

 close of the preceding chapter, George entered upon the 

 duties of assistant in Dr. Christison's laboratory. This was 

 a position entirely after his own mind, for it necessitated 

 pursuits dearer to him than any other ; and doubtless it 

 greatly tended to the fostering of those tastes by which he 

 was mainly distinguished in his after life. It was all the more 

 pleasant for him that he loved and respected the dis- 

 tinguished professor under whom he laboured ; a love and 

 respect which nowise diminished as the years advanced. 

 The following letter is characteristic. It was addressed to 

 the lady who afterwards became the wife of his much-loved 

 brother Daniel. 



" October 6tk, 1837. 



" MY DEAR Miss MACKAY, Having finished the perusal 

 of some tomes treating of certain recondite philosophical 

 and literary subjects, I gladly sit down to dispel all your 

 anxious fears regarding my safe arrival from your most 

 hospitable city. Some foolish people would at once have 

 called for pen and paper, and before their boots were fairly 

 pulled off, have indited a scanty unreadable scroll, pur- 

 porting to tell that the steamboat had not blown up, nor its 

 engine gone wrong, nor itself come in collision with 

 another, nor the writer fallen overboard, &c. Then revert- 

 ing to travels by land, the scrawl would go on to say, that 

 the horses did not run off, nor the coach tumble over a 

 cliff, nor the traces break, nor the wheels suffer any mishap, 

 and so on. But I am far too much of a philosopher to 

 write any such nonsense, nor am I about to bore you to 



1 "Life of Edward Forbes," chap. iv. 



