350 BLACK. 



shown in his lectures, was also seen in the efforts of 

 his pencil, which Professor Robison compares to that 

 of Woollett. The neatness of his manipulations was 

 not confined to his experiments when investigating or 

 when lecturing. I have heard one who happened to 

 see him at his toilette describe the operations as per- 

 formed with exquisite neatness by a number of 

 contrivances happily adapted to the saving of trouble 

 and avoiding uneasiness. His perfect equanimity has 

 been adverted to, and it did not proceed from coldness 

 of disposition, for he WAS affectionately attached to his 

 friends. Having no family of his own, he may be said 

 to have fallen into those precise and regular habits 

 which sometimes raise, in happier individuals a smile, 

 I stop not to inquire whether of envy or contempt, for 

 the single state. It w r as sometimes said, too, that his 

 habits were penurious. That the expenses of one who 

 had no love of pleasure and no fancy for ostentation 

 to gratify, must have been moderate, is certain ; but he 

 lived in the style and manner suited te one possessing 

 an ample income. The ground of the charge was, I 

 believe, that he was said to have a scale by him when 

 he received the fees of his students. I can answer for 

 the truth of this statement, for I well remember the 

 small brass instrument ; but I also recollect that he 

 said it became necessary from the quantity of light 

 gold which he used at first to receive unsuspected from 

 one class, particularly, of his pupils. There was 

 certainly no reason why he should pay a sum of forty or 

 fifty pounds yearly out of his income on this account. 

 Both Professor Ferguson and Professor Robison have 

 positively denied the charge of avarice, and have given 



