234 HUGH MILLERS DEATH. CHAP. xv. 



interpretations of other parts of the same writings, 

 equally full of interpretations, corrections, and amend- 

 ments ? I know what I say." 



The correspondence proceeds at intervals, until the 

 death of Hugh Miller, which took place on the 24th 

 December 1856. He was then preparing the last sheets 

 of the Testimony of the, Rocks, which was published at 

 the beginning of 1857. Dick was of opinion that Hugh 

 Miller published the book quite as much to please the 

 dominant religious party in Scotland, as to satisfy the 

 convictions of his own mind. Indeed, he traced the 

 beginnings of Hugh Miller's insanity to the over-stimula- 

 tion of his brain, for the purpose of meeting the 

 exigencies of his position as a scientific man and a 

 religious journalist. Some time before the sad cata- 

 strophe of Hugh Miller's death, he mentioned to Pro- 

 fessor Shearer a curious symptom, indicative of com- 

 mencing insanity in this gifted man. 



The following are Professor Shearer's words : " I 

 had an interview with Mr. Dick in the inner shrine of 

 his daily labours his bakehouse. This was considered 

 a high mark of his consideration ; and indeed his manner 

 was perfectly cordial and natural. Our conversation 

 naturally turned upon his friend Hugh Miller, then not 

 long dead, and to his books. His powerful and bril- 

 liant effort to reconcile the scriptural account of creation 

 with geological science, Mr. Dick considered a failure. 

 At the same time, he strongly maintained the doctrine 

 of successive creations of animated beings, though he 

 appeared to have no confidence in the Darwinian doc- 



