CHAP. V.] OPENING MANHOOD 1847 TO 1850. 107 



a boy in a round jacket to mount the rostrum there) ; 

 that on the Equilibrium of Elastic Solids in the 

 spring of 1850. 



With regard to his class studies, it appears that 

 he attended Forbes for two sessions as a regular 

 student, and occasionally as an amateur student in 

 his third year ; Kelland for two sessions ; and Sir W. 

 Hamilton for two. In his third session, while par- 

 tially attending Forbes, he was a regular student in 

 the Classes of Chemistry (Professor Gregory), Prac- 

 tical Chemistry (Mr. Kemp), and Moral Philosophy 

 (Professor Wilson). 



Mr. Macfarlan of Lenzie, in the letter already 

 quoted, says : " He was in the Natural Philosophy 

 Class, Edinburgh University, the year before I was, 

 and was spoken of by Forbes and his fellow-students 

 as a discoverer in Natural Philosophy, and a very 

 original worker in Mathematics." 



All scientific theories had an interest for him. It 

 was at some time during these years that in a walk 

 towards Arthur's Seat he discoursed to me of Owen's 

 hypothesis of types of creation, not only with com- 

 plete command of Owen's terminology, but with far- 

 reaching views of the questions to which the theory 

 led. On the same occasion he made some character- 

 istic remarks on the importance of cultivating the 

 senses, adding that he regarded dulness in that respect 

 as a bad sign of any man. 



The lectures in Mental Philosophy, which were a 

 prominent element in the Scottish University curri- 

 culum, interested him greatly ; and from Sir William 



