MECHANICS AND CHEMISTRY. 15 



eventually imbibed a love of art almost as strong as 

 his love of natural science, and this too at a very early 

 age. 



His self-education went along with his academical, 

 and received every encouragement at home ; and, as 

 his brother writes, " this self-education, which after- 

 wards developed itself fully in his professional and 

 scientific walk, proceeded in three directions : — 1st, 

 in observations of the works of nature and art ; 2d, in 

 the acquisition of knowledge from books ; 3d, in an 

 almost instinctive tendency to employ his admirable 

 hands in observing what struck him, or in constructing 

 various mechanical and other objects according to their 

 true principles, as he had learned them, or latterly 

 in experimenting or anatomising." A camera lucida 

 excited his curiosity, and made him turn to the Ency- 

 clopaedia Britanrtica, which ever afterwards became 

 his reference on all matters of doubt pertaining to his 

 youthful efforts. The work belonged to his grandfather, 

 and had been well thumbed by a lad of the name of John 

 Leslie of Largo. Its careful perusal probably helped 

 to make that lad the Rumford medallist of the Royal 

 Society in 1803 for his Researches on Heat, and, at a 

 later date, the celebrated Edinburgh professor, now best 

 known in history as Sir John Leslie the philosopher. 



Though so favourably situated for the study of 

 medicine and the natural sciences, John Goodsir 

 seems t<» have had a greater desire for mechanics; 

 In- used to say in after years that had his family 

 given him free scope lie would have turned his 



