ROBISON ROB-ROY. 



885 



Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, being the 

 second and last Part of his Life, &c. It was with 

 difficulty that the author could at first get any of 

 tiie trade to undertake the publication of this work, 

 which lias since appeared under an almost endless 

 variety of forms, and in almost all languages, 

 and lias been the delight of childhood no less than 

 the amusement of those of mature years. " Was 

 there ever any thing written by mere man," says 

 doctor Johnson, " that was wished longer by its 

 readers, excepting Don Quixote, Robinson Crusoe, 

 and the Pilgrim's Progress ?" " There is one book," 

 says Rousseau, "which shall long form the whole 

 library of Emile, and which shall preserve a high 

 rank to the last : it is not Aristotle, nor Pliny, nor 

 Builbn : it is Robinson Crusoe." Its fine sentiments, 

 its pure morality, its practical good sense, and its 

 religious character, united with its simplicity, truth 

 of description, and natural and lively delineations 

 of the passions, combine to give it the charm of fic- 

 tion and the air and weight of reality. A third part, 

 intended as a vehicle for fuller moral and religious 

 instruction, appeared under the title Serious Reflec- 

 tions during the Life and surprising Adventures of 

 Robinson Crusoe, by himself (1722). The work 

 was immediately translated into French, and, soon 

 after, into other languages ; and various imitations 

 appeared, both in English and in other languages. 

 The rifacimento of Campe, in German, is much 

 used on the continent (translated into Spanish, 

 French, Italian, Latin, &c.), and has been turned 

 into English. The best English editions are those 

 of Chalmers, with a life of Defoe (1790, 2 vols., 

 8vo.) ; the academic edition of Mawman (1815), 

 with geographical and nautical notes ; and the edi- 

 tion of Cadell and Davies (1820, 2 vois.), with en- 

 gravings by Heath. The story of Defoe's fraudu- 

 lently using the papers of a Scotch mariner, by the 

 name of Selkirk, in the composition of his book, is 

 without foundation. He took the hint, doubtless, 

 from Selkirk's adventures, as Shakspeare borrowed 

 Hamlet, Macbeth, or Romeo and Juliet, from Scotch 

 and Danish chronicles or Italian ballads. The real 

 story of Selkirk is as follows : He was a Scottish 

 sailor, who passed some years alone on the island of 

 Juan Fernandez, and was a native of Largo, in Fife- 

 shire. In 1703, he sailed as master in the Cinque 

 Ports privateer, under captain Stradling. In con- 

 sequence of some difference with his commander, 

 he went ashore at Juan Fernandez, and remained 

 in his solitude till he was taken away by captain 

 Woods Rogers, in January, 1709. Some account 

 of his residence was published by Steele in the Eng- 

 lishman (No. 26), and in Roger's Voyage round the 

 World (1712) ; but there is no reason to believe 

 that he had any papers, or journal of any sort. See 

 Howell's Life and Adventures of Alexander Selkirk 

 (Edinburgh, 1829); and Wilson's Life of Defoe (3 

 vols., 8vo., 1830). 



ROBISON, DR JOHN, a distinguished mechanical 

 philosopher and professor, was born at Boghall, 

 the seat of his father, in the parish of Baldernock 

 and county of Stirling, in 1739. He was originally 

 destined for the church, and after attending the 

 ijranimar school of Glasgow, was entered a student 

 of that university in 1750. There he studied 

 Greek under Moore, ethics under Adam Smith, 

 and mathematics under Simson ; but it does not 

 appear that his genius for tins last science, which 

 was afterwards so conspicuous in his lectures and 

 writings, had then displayed itself. Having either 

 no preili lection for the clerical profession, or some 

 scruples as to entering the ministry, he was anxious 

 to provide himself with a situation more congenial 

 to hu taste, and, in 1758, accepted the office of 



private tutor to Mr Knowles, son of Admiral 

 Knowles, who, as a midshipman, was then about 

 to accompany the expedition, under general Wolfe, 

 for the reduction of Canada. In Unit situation, 

 besides instructing his pupil in mathematics and 

 navigation, he was employed in making surveys of 

 the coasts and harbours on the river St Lawrence, 

 having been rated as a midshipman on board the 

 Royal William, in which his pupil was soon made 

 a lieutenant. This naval career continued for 

 about two years, in the course of which he saw 

 much active service, and made himself well ac- 

 quainted with seamanship. In 1762, he was ap- 

 pointed by the Board of Longitude, to accompany 

 young Harrison, son of the celebrated horologist, 

 to take charge of the time-keeper lately completed 

 by the elder Harrison, in a voyage to the West 

 Indies. In 1703, he returned to Glasgow, and 

 renewed with ardour his academical studies, de- 

 voting himself more particularly to mechanical 

 philosophy, to which he was influenced by his ac- 

 quaintance with Mr Watt, then employed in per- 

 fecting the steam-engine. 



His friend, admiral Knowles, having been recom- 

 mended by the British government to the empress 

 Catharine of Russia, to superintend the improve- 

 ment of her navy, Mr Robison was induced to 

 accompany him in the capacity of private secre- 

 tary, in 1770. After remaining in this situation for 

 nearly two years, he was appointed, by the empress, 

 inspector-general of the trc.ops of Marine cadets 

 at Cronstadt, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. 

 But he soon relinquished that respectable office, on 

 being invited, in 1773, to accept the vacant chair 

 of natural philosophy at Edinburgh, which he con- 

 tinued to fill with distinguished reputation till his 

 death, in 1805. 



Dr Robison was a man of elegant person, digni- 

 fied deportment, and polished manners. As a lec- 

 turer, he was conspicuous rather for the extent and 

 value of the information which he communicated, 

 than for the perspicuity with which that informa- 

 tion was conveyed. His pupils have generally 

 complained, that his lectures were too abstruse 

 and mathematical, and not sufficiently enlivened by 

 experiments, and that his delivery was too rapid. 

 His writings are numerous and important, and 

 extend through nearly the whole circle of physical 

 science. They were first published in the third 

 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and the 

 Supplement to that edition, and have lately been 

 collected into one uniform work, with many addi- 

 tions and annotations, and published in 4 vols. 8vo. 

 with a volume of plates, by Dr Brewster. 



ROB-ROY (that is, Robert the Red) ; e, celebra- 

 ted Highland freebooter, whose true name was 

 Robert Macgregor, but who assumed that of Camp- 

 bell, on account of the outlawry of the clan Mao 

 gregor by the Scotch parliament, in 1662. He was 

 born about 1660. He was the younger son of Donald 

 Macgregor of Glengyle, said to have been a lieu- 

 tenant-colonel in the service of James II., by his 

 wife, a daughter of Campbell of Glenfalloch. His 

 own designation was of Inversnaid, but he seems to 

 have acquired a right to the property of Craig 

 Royston, a domain of rock and forest lying on the 

 east side of Loch Lomond. Like other Highland 

 gentlemen, Rob-Roy was a trader in cattle previous 

 to the rebellion of 1715, in which he joined the ad- 

 herents of the pretender. (See Stuart, James Ed- 

 ward.) On the suppression of the rebellion, the 

 duke of Montrose, with whom Rob-Hoy had pre- 

 viously had a quarrel, took the opportunity to de- 

 prive him of his estates ; and the latter began to 

 indemnify himself by a war of reprisals upon the 



