140 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



that you have not in the midst of your professional pur- 

 suits entirely lost sight of the general scientific principles 

 which form its surest foundation. I do not doubt your 

 good- will or the clearness of your views of what befits a 

 liberal and enlightened prosecution of your profession. 

 That I am sure you will never do ; but I rather fear that 

 the very success to which your talents and application 

 so well entitle you, may have already forced you to 

 travel upon the narrow railroad of every-day applica- 

 tions. . . .' 



To the Same. 



'December 6th, 1838. 



' . . . At the very time you were writing I was on a 

 visit to the North of England, by way of a little stretch, 

 before buckling to my winter's work. I had the gratifi- 

 cation of making the acquaintance of your family and of 

 accepting Mr. Harrison's most cordial invitation to spend 

 a day with him. I visited your brother's most splendid 

 viaduct across the Wear Victoria Bridge and was 

 much gratified altogether by my excursion. Indeed, 

 Newcastle and its vicinity affords a great field for persons 

 who have any taste for the arts whatever. I was much 

 pleased too with the Monkwearmouth Bridge ; and I 

 visited Dr. Cowan's school, where your younger brother, 

 and I believe you also, were educated. I cannot suffi- 

 ciently wonder that 1 took no pains to find you out 

 when I was last in London. I took it dreamily for 

 granted that you could not still be there, though it seems 

 you were. I am interested by the honest account you 

 give of your fortunes in London. It is a place of all 

 others to find one's level ; and though, from what I heard 

 from your father, I fancy you state the case rather too 

 strongly against yourself, I doubt not that even in these 

 very reverses you will find the germs of future success. 

 I am sure that the honesty of your character and the 

 strength of your principles must be the foundations of 

 high professional character, and that as you seem to be 

 satisfied that Mr. Brunei means to act justly and favour- 

 ably towards you, your conscientious perseverance in 



