104 THE LIFE OF JAMES I). FORBES. [CHAP. 



auguries of his future career. To Forbes J s first ap- 

 pearance circumstances added something more than 

 common interest. He was succeeding to one distin- 

 guished man ; he had been preferred to another equally 

 or more distinguished. His youth, reckoned by some a 

 fault, was to all an attraction ; his promise was high, 

 greater than that of any other young Scotsman of the 

 time. He was sprung from a race well known and 

 highly esteemed in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland ; 

 he was of a tall commanding figure, of a fine and impivs- 

 sive countenance, his delivery was clear and resolute, 

 yet conciliatory. Altogether, it is not often that a man, 

 who combines with so many inward gifts such outward 

 attractiveness, addresses an audience from a Professor's 

 chair. The impression left on all who heard that first 

 lecture was, I believe, that he was in the place where he 

 had a right to be. 



The following is the short notice of it in his own diary : 



'November. Delivered my first lecture. Owing to 

 the struggle about the election, considerable excitement, 

 excessive crowd. Passed off well. The attendance ,-ij 

 my subsequent Monday lectures was also distinguished. 

 Well pleased with my success/ 



A friend of his, the venerable Archdeacon Sinclair, 

 who heard that first lecture, still survives to write of it 

 thus: 'I remember well his appointment to the chair, 

 and I attended his inaugural lecture. My expectations 

 were high, but he surpassed them. I can still with 

 pleasure call to mind his tall, thin, elastic figure, with a 

 long wand in his hand, pointing to various diagrams, and 

 pouring forth interesting information in clear language 

 and in a condensed form, with as much facility as if he 

 had been lecturing for years/ 



Within a fortnight from the beginning of this his first 

 course, we find him writing thus to Dr. Whewell : 



'November 15th, 1833. 



*I am giving weekly lectures, besides the usual 

 ones, on the study of Natural Philosophy, in relation 



