514 SIMSON. 



brother was a dissenting minister at Coventry ; and a 

 third, also settled there, had a son, Robert, first in the 

 army, afterwards in the English Church Mr. 

 Pitt, probably from his love of the mathematics, 

 having presented him to a living in the north of Eng- 

 land. He was Dr. Simson's heir-at-law, and to him 

 the estates were left. He sold them in 1789, as well 

 Kirton Hill as Knock Ewart, which had been pur- 

 chased by the Professor's father in 1713. A niece of 

 Dr. Simson was married to Dr. Moore, the well-known 

 novelist, and was mother of the General. That 

 illustrious warrior was therefore great nephew of the 

 mathematician. Mrs. Moore survived to a recent 

 period, and died in extreme old age. 



He bequeathed his mathematical library and manu- 

 scripts to the University of Glasgow, with special direc- 

 tions touching their disposition, custody, and use. 

 They form, it is believed, the most complete collection 

 of books and papers in that department of science any- 

 where to be seen. 



The extraordinary genius of Dr. Simson for mathe- 

 matical pursuits has been fully described in recording his 

 achievements in that difficult branch of science. That 

 he greatly furthered the progress of mathematical 

 knowledge by his excellent publications of the ele- 

 mentary works of Euclid and Apollonius cannot be 

 denied ; nor can it be doubted that to him we owe a 

 revival of the taste for the ancient analysis, the pure 

 geometry, and the means now afforded of gratifying it, 

 At the same time there is some room for lamenting 

 that his great powers of mind and his patient industry 

 of research were not devoted to the pursuit of more 

 useful objects ; and there is good reason to agree in the 



