274 Josiah Wedgwood CHAP. 



In short, he treated his children, from infancy to 

 manhood, as rational beings. Another important point 

 in his treatment of his boys and girls was to give them 

 habits of inquiring and examining for themselves, thus 

 elucidating the valuable talent of impartial judgment. 

 More happy and respected, and perhaps less restrained 

 at home than elsewhere, they had no inducement to 

 seek further intercourse with the world, until their 

 judgment and habits were fully formed. 



We have already referred to the ardour with which 

 Wedgwood, in the company of his sons, carried on his 

 chemical experiments on gas, on clay, and all manner 

 of materials. In October 1785, Wedgwood sent his 

 eldest son John to the University of Edinburgh. There 

 he was introduced by Dr. Darwin to Dr. Joseph Black, 

 Lecturer on Chemistry, and the discoverer of latent heat, 

 which so much helped James Watt in his development 

 of the condensing steam-engine. Young Wedgwood made 

 many other friends in Edinburgh. He was introduced 

 to the Principal, "who seemed very much pleased with 

 Josiah Wedgwood's bas-reliefs." He also made friends 

 with Drs. Eutherford, Duncan, Hutton, and Eobison, 

 whose lectures he attended. 



After John's session, he went with Mr. Byerley to 

 Paris, in order to perfect himself in the French 

 language, and there he lived with M. Teulierc. Wedg- 

 wood wrote to his son from Etruria that he had been 

 told by Mr. Byerley that there was no good water in 

 Paris to drink, and that he was obliged to depart from 



