348 BLACK. 



having actually stood by him when his victory was 

 gained, we found the exquisite gratification of hear- 

 ing him simply, most gracefully, in the most calm 

 spirit of philosophy, with the most perfect modesty, 

 recount his difficulties, and how they were overcome ; 

 open to us the steps by which he had successfully ad- 

 vanced from one part to another of his brilliant course ; 

 go over the same ground, as it were, in our presence 

 which he had for the first time trod so many long years 

 before ; hold up perhaps the very instruments he had 

 then used, and act over again the same part before our 

 eyes which had laid the deep and broad foundations of 

 his imperishable renown. Not a little of this extreme 

 interest certainly belonged to the accident that he had 

 so long survived the period of his success that we 

 knew there sat in our presence the man now in his old 

 age reposing under the laurels won in his early youth. 

 But take it altogether, the effect was such as cannot 

 well be conceived. I have heard the greatest under- 

 standings of the age giving forth their efforts in its 

 most eloquent tongues have heard the commanding 

 periods of Pitt's majestic oratory the vehemence of 

 Fox's burning declamation have followed the close- 

 compacted chain of Grant's pure reasoning been 

 carried away by the mingled fancy, epigram, and 

 argumentation of Plunket ; but I should without 

 hesitation prefer, for mere intellectual gratification 

 (though aware how much of it is derived from asso- 

 ciation), to be once more allowed the privilege which 

 I in those days enjoyed of being present while the first 

 philosopher of his age was the historian of his own 

 discoveries, and be an eye-witness of those experiments 



