UOB1JNS. 



periments being published in the Philos. 

 Trans, with a view to invalidate some of 

 Robin's opinions, he thought proper in an 

 account he gave of his book in the same 

 Transactions, to take notice of those ex- 

 periments : and in consequence of this, 

 several dissertations of his, on the resist- 

 ance of the air, were read, and the expe- 

 riments exhibited before the Royal So- 

 ciety, in 1746 and 1747; for which he was 

 presented with the annual gold medal by 

 that society. 



In 1748, came out " Anson's Voyage 

 round the World;" which, though it 

 bears Walter's name in the title page, 

 was, in reality, written by Robins. Of this 

 voyage the public had for some time been 

 in expectation of seeing an account, com- 

 posed under that commander's own in- 

 spection : for which purpose the Reverend 

 Richard Walter was employed, as having 

 been Chaplain on board the Centurion 

 the greatest part of the expedition. Wal- 

 ter had accordingly almost finished his 

 task, having brought it down to his own 

 departure from Macao for England ; when 

 lie proposed to print his work by sub- 

 scription. It was thought proper, how- 

 ever, that an able judge should first re- 

 view and correct it, and Robins was ap- 

 pointed ; when, upon examination, it was 

 resolved that the whole should be writ- 

 ten entirely by Robins, and that what 

 Walter had done being mostly taken, 

 verbatim, from the journals, should serve 

 as materials only. Hence it was that the 

 whole of the introduction, and many dis- 

 sertations in the body of the work, were 

 composed by Robins, without receiving 

 the least hint from Walter's manuscripts, 

 and what he had transcribed from it re- 

 garded chiefly the wind and weather, the 

 currents, courses, bearings, distances, 

 offings, soundings, moorings, the quali- 

 ties of the ground they anchored on, and 

 such particulars as usually fill up a sea- 

 man's account. No production of this kind 

 ever met with a more favourable recep- 

 tion, four large impressions having been 

 sold off vallunra year : it was also transla- 

 ted into most of the European languages; 

 and it still supports its reputation, having 

 been repeatedly reprinted in various sizes. 

 The fifth edition, at London, in 1749, was 

 revised and corrected by Robins himself; 

 and the n.nth edition was printed there in 

 1761. 



Thus becoming famous for his elegant 

 talents in vriting, he was requested to 

 compose an apology for the unfortunate 

 affair at Preston- Pans in Scotland. This 

 was added as a preface to the report of the 



proceedings and opinion of the board of 

 general officers, on their examination into 

 the conduct of Lieutenant General Sir 

 John Cope, &c. printed at London in 

 1749 ; and this preface was esteemed a 

 master-piece of its kind. 



Robins had afterwards, by the favour 

 of Lord Anson, opportunities of making 

 further experiments in gunnery ; which 

 have been published since his deuth, in 

 the edition of his works by his friend Dr. 

 Wilson. He also not a little contributed 

 to the improvements made in the Royal 

 Observatory at Greenwich, by procuring 

 for it, through the interest of the same 

 noble person, a second mural quadrant, 

 and other instruments ; by which it be- 

 came perhaps the completest observatory 

 of any in the world. 



His reputation being now arrived at its 

 full height, he was offered the choice of 

 two very considerable employments. The 

 first was, to go to Paris as one of the com- 

 missaries for adjusting the limits in Aca- 

 dia ; the other to be engineer general to 

 the East India Company, whose forts be- 

 ing in a most ruinous condition, wanted 

 an able person to put them into a proper 

 state of defence. He accepted the lat- 

 ter, as it was suitable to his genius, and 

 as the Company's 'erms were both ad- 

 vantageous and honourable. 



He designed, if he had remained in 

 England, to have written a second part 

 of the voyage round the world, as ap- 

 pears by a letter from Lord Anson, to 

 him, dated Bath, October 22, 1749, as 

 follows. 



" Dear Sir, when I last saw you in 

 town, I forgot to ask you, whether you 

 intended to publish the second volume 

 of my voyage before you leave us ; which 

 I confess I am very sorry for. If you 

 should have laid aside all thoughts of 

 favouring the world with more of your 

 works, it wiD be much disappointed, and 

 no one in it more than your very obliged 

 humble servant, 



" AKSOX." 



Robins was also preparing an enlarged 

 edition of his New Principles of Gunnery; 

 but, having provided himself with a com- 

 plete set of astronomical and other in- 

 struments for making observations and 

 experiments in the Indies, he departed 

 hence at Christmas in 1749 ; and after a 

 voyage, in which the ship was near be- 

 ing 1 cast away, he arrived at India in July 

 following. 'There he immediately set 

 about his proper business with the great- 



