70 ESSAYS BIOGRAPHICAL AND CHEMICAL 



Joseph Black was born on the banks of the Garonne, 

 near Bordeaux, in 1728. His father, John Black, was a 

 native of Belfast, descended from a Scottish family which 

 had settled there; he resided at Bordeaux, where he 

 carried on a business in wine ; he was an intimate friend 

 of President Montesquieu. Joseph was one of thirteen 

 children, of whom eight were sons. In 1740, at the age 

 of twelve, he was sent to school in Belfast ; and like many 

 other boys of the north of Ireland, he crossed to Glasgow to 

 attend its University, for in those days, of course, Queen's 

 College, Belfast, had not been founded. This was in the 

 year 1746. Dr. Robison mentions letters from Mr. Black 

 to his son Joseph, from which it would appear that he was 

 in every respect a satisfactory son and a diligent student. 

 He received a general education ; we find, at least, that he 

 could write good Latin ; and he was taught ethics by 

 Adam Smith. His leanings for natural science, however, 

 were probably encouraged by his intimate friendship with 

 the son of the Professor of Natural Philosophy, Dr. Robert 

 Dick, later successor to his father in the chair, who, un- 

 fortunately, occupied it only a few years, for he was early 

 cut off by death. Black also owed much to Cullen, of whom 

 a very interesting account is given by Thomas Thomson 

 in his History. Cullen was Lecturer in Chemistry in 

 the University of Glasgow from 1746 to 1756 ; and in' 

 1751 he was appointed Professor of Medicine; at that time, 

 and, indeed, until Thomas Thomson taught chemistry, 

 that subject was taught only by a lecturer. Thomson 

 attributes to Cullen a singular talent for arrangement, dis- 

 tinctness of enunciation, vivacity of manner, and profound 

 knowledge of his science in short, enthusiasm qualities 

 which made him adored by his students. He took 

 especial pains to gain their friendship by frequent social 

 intercourse with them, and no doubt early recognised 

 Black's great promise. Cullen's single contribution to 



