272 



SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT. 



is so highly prized by many English fellows, it is certainly 

 more conducive to the progress of studies and of research, 

 and it is the cause why in the early history of recent 

 science the universities of Scotland have played so much 

 more important a part than those of England. Whilst in 

 England modern science was cultivated outside the pale 

 of the universities by Priestley, Davy, Wollaston, Young, 

 Dalton, Faraday, and Joule, to whom we may even add 

 Green and Boole, all eminent Scotch men of science, such 

 as Gregory, Simson, Maclaurin, Playfair, Black, Thomson, 

 Leslie, Brewster, and Forbes, were university professors, 

 many of whom did not confine their labours to one centre, 

 but spread the light of their ideas and researches all over 

 the country. 1 Whilst England has been great in single 

 names, Scotland has certainly in proportion done more 



1 Napier of Merchiston remained 

 outside the pale of the universities. 

 At that time the College of Edin- 

 burgh had no mathematical pro- 

 fessor ; but Glasgow had, and so 

 had Aberdeen. James Gregory was 

 educated at Aberdeen, was then pro- 

 fessor at St Andrews, and subse- 

 quently at Edinburgh. Colin Mac- 

 laurin was educated at Glasgow, 

 then professor at Aberdeen and at 

 Edinburgh. Playfair was educated 

 at St Andrews, and lectured there 

 before coming to Edinburgh. Leslie 

 was trained at St Andrews, and was 

 then professor first of mathematics 

 and afterwards of natural philosophy 

 at Edinburgh. Black was educated 

 at Glasgow and Edinburgh, and was 

 professor at both universities. 

 Brewster studied at Edinburgh, and 

 was subsequently principal of St 

 Andrews and then of Edinburgh. 

 Forbes, as student and professor, be- 

 longs exclusively to Edinburgh, and 

 so did in earlier times Robert Sim- 



son, the great mathematical pro- 

 fessor. Adam Smith belongs exclu- 

 sively to Glasgow, though he had 

 lectured in Edinburgh before he 

 was appointed professor at Glasgow. 

 But the contrast between England 

 and Scotland becomes still more 

 prominent if we look at the medi- 

 cal sciences and note the great 

 array of celebrated professors at 

 Edinburgh, Cullen, Brown, Gregory, 

 Alison, Hamilton, Syme, Simpson, 

 Christison, and Charles Bell, where- 

 as the equally great names of John 

 and William .Hunter, of Jenner, of 

 Astley Cooper and Bright, have no 

 connection with the English univer- 

 sities ; Sydenham was only slightly 

 connected with Oxford and Cam- 

 bridge, and even Harvey never 

 occupied a prominent position at 

 Oxford. Through situation or con- 

 stitution the English universities 

 were unable to open a field of ac- 

 tivity for these celebrated men. 



