156 The Founders of Geology LECT. 



studies. Though up to the time of his settling in Edin- 

 burgh he had published nothing, he had read extensively. 

 There were hardly any of the sciences, except the mathe- 

 matical, to which he did not turn his attention. He was 

 a diligent reader of voyages, travels and books of natural 

 history, carefully storing up the facts which seemed to 

 him to bear on the problems of the earth's history. He 

 not only prosecuted chemistry and mineralogy, but dis- 

 tinguished himself as a practical meteorologist by his 

 important contribution to the theory of rain. He wrote a 

 general system of physics and metaphysics in one quarto 

 volume, and no fewer than three massive quartos were 

 devoted by him to " An Investigation of the Principles of 

 Knowledge, and of the Progress of Eeason from Sense 

 to Science and Philosophy." At the time of his death 

 he was engaged upon a treatise on the "Elements of 

 Agriculture." 



Hutton was thus no narrow specialist, wrapped up in 

 the pursuit of one circumscribed section of human inquiry. 

 His mind ranged far and wide over all departments of 

 knowledge. He took the keenest interest in them all, and 

 showed the most vivid sympathy in their advancement. 

 His pleasure in every onward step made by science and 

 philosophy showed itself in the most lively demonstra- 

 tions. "He would rejoice," we are told by Playfair, 

 "over Watt's improvements on the steam-engine, or 

 Cook's discoveries in the South Seas, with all the warmth 

 of a man who was to share in the honour or the profit 

 about to accrue from them. The fire of his expression, 

 on such occasions, and the animation of his countenance 

 and manner, are not to be described; they were always 



