OF ROBERT ANGUS SMITH. 91 



wife^ daughter of James Thomson^ who was an owner of 

 flax and other mills at Strathavon, where he held the office 

 of baron-baillie. Of the brothers^ those who attained to 

 maturity were all men of remarkable intellect. The eldest, 

 John Smith, was for many years a master in the Perth 

 Academy, and paid great attention to optics. A paper by 

 him '^On the Origin of Colour and the Theory of Light ^^ 

 will be found in vol. i. ser. 3 of the Society^s Memoirs. 

 James Smith, a man of highly original character^ was the 

 author of several works on religious and philosophical 

 subjects. Another brother, Michaiah, was a distinguished 

 oriental scholar, while Joseph, the youngest, devoted him- 

 self to science, but unfortunately died early. The father 

 was, by all accounts, a very earnest man, with profound 

 religious convictions, and though not highly successful in 

 worldly pursuits, was able to give his sons a good educa- 

 tion, such as the schools and universities of Scotland were 

 and are presumably still able to offer even to men of 

 moderate means. Two of the sons, James and Michaiah, 

 were ordained ministers in the Scotch Church. At that 

 time, however, the Irvingite schism was exciting the minds 

 and engaging the sympathies of many, especially the 

 young, and it is probable that the father as well as several 

 of the sons felt attracted by the doctrines promulgated by 

 Irving, doctrines which could not possibly find sufficient 

 scope within the somewhat contracted sphere of a Calvi- 

 nistic communion. So far as the subject of this memoir 

 is concerned, it is certain that his sympathies led him 

 more in the direction of Anglicanism, and from the hints 

 he let drop at various times, it seems that it was only 

 through circumstances that he was prevented, when a 

 choice was possible, from taking orders in the English 

 Church. After passing through the usual course at the 

 Glasgow High School, and spending some time at the 



