Brcwster. 103 



astronomy with James Veitch, who always called him 

 Davie. They were as much puzzled about the mean- 

 ing of the word parallax as I had been with regard to 

 the word algebra, and only learnt what it meant when 

 Brewster went to study for the kirk in Edinburgh. 

 They were both very devout ; nevertheless, Brewster 

 soon gave up the kirk for science, and he devoted 

 himself especially to optics, in which he made so 

 many discoveries. Sir David was of ordinary 

 height, with fair or sandy-coloured hair and blue 

 eyes. He was by no means good-looking, yet with 

 a very pleasant, amiable expression ; in conversa- 

 tion he was cheerful and agreeable when quite at 

 ease, but of a timid, nervous, and irritable tempera- 

 ment, often at war with his fellow-philosophers 

 upon disputed subjects, and extremely jealous 

 upon priority of discovery. I was much indebted 

 to Sir David, for he reviewed my book on the 

 "Connexion of the Physical Sciences," in the April 

 number of the "Edinburgh Review " for 1834, and 

 the " Physical Geography " in the April number 

 of the " North British Review/' both favourably. 



