CHAP. V.] OPENING MANHOOD 1847 TO 1850. 109 



of the effect produced by Sir William Hamilton on 

 powerful young minds, an effect which, unless the 

 best metaphysicians of the subsequent age are mis- 

 taken, must have been out of all proportion to the 

 independent value of his philosophy. 



It was impossible that young Maxwell should 

 listen to speculations about the first principles of 

 things, speculations, too, which, like all the Scottish 

 philosophy, turned largely on the reality of the ex- 

 ternal world, without eagerly working out each 

 problem for himself. Besides various exercises done 

 by him for the Logic Class, and, like all his youthful 

 work, preserved by him with pious care, there is 

 one which seems to have attracted special attention, 

 and was found by Professor Baynes, when he came to 

 assist Sir William, in the Professor's private drawer. 

 This is so significant, and is so closely related to 

 Maxwell's after studies, as to deserve insertion here. 



ON THE PEOPERTIES OF MATTER. J&. 17. 



These properties are all relative to the three abstract 

 entities connected with matter, namely, space, time, and 

 force. 



1. Since matter must be in some part of space, and in 

 one part only at a time, it possesses the property of locality 

 or position. 



2. But matter has not only position but magnitude ; this 

 property is called extension. 



3. And since it is not infinite it must have bounds, and 

 therefore it must possess figure. 



These three properties belong both to matter and to 

 imaginary geometrical figures, and may be called the 



