JAMES PER G US ON. 1 65 



and wrote a brief description of them. Unable to subsist 

 without some employment, he was placed with a neighbouring 

 farmer, and was occupied for some years in the care of his sheep. 

 In this situation he commenced the study of astronomy, 

 devoting a great part of the night to the contenjplation of the 

 heavens ; while he amused himself in the day-time with making 

 models of spinning-wheels, and other machines which he had 

 an opportunity of observing. By another farmer, in whose 

 service he was afterwards engaged, he was much encouraged in 

 his astronomical studies, and enabled, by the assistance that 

 was afforded him in his necessary labour, to reserve part of the 

 day for making fair copies of the observations which he roughly 

 sketched out at night. In making these observations, he lay 

 down on his back, with a blanket about him, and by means of 

 a thread strung with small beads, and stretched at arm's length 

 between his eye and the stars, he marked their positions and 

 distances. The master who thus kindly favoured his search 

 after knowledge, recommended him to some neighbouring 

 gentlemen, one of whom took him into his house, where he was 

 instructed by the butler in decimal arithmetic, algebra, and the 

 elements of geometry ! Being afterwards deprived of the 

 assistance of this preceptor, he returned to his father's house, 

 and, availing himself of the information derived from Gordon's 

 Geographical Grammar, constructed a globe of wood, covered 

 it with paper, and delineated upon it a map of the world ; he 

 dlso added the meridian ring and horizon, which he graduated ; 

 and by means of this instrument, which was the first he had 

 •jver seen, he came to solve all the problems in Gordon. His 

 lather's contracted circumstances obliged him again to seek 

 employment ; but the service into which he entered was so 

 laborious as to affect his health. For his amusement in this 



