R E 1 



R K I 



tears. " We fought," faid fome of tliem, " againfl; Mr. 

 Reid, when he came ; and would have fought for him, when 

 he went away." 



The greater part of his refidence at New Machar was de- 

 voted to the mod intend- Ihidy ; and by way of amufement, 

 he had recourfe to gardening and botany, of which he was 

 extremely fond, even in old age. In the year 1748 he pub- 

 lifhed a paper in the Tranfaftions of the Royal Society of 

 London, entitled « An Eli'ay on Quantity, occaiioned by 

 reading a Treatife, in which fimple and compound Ratios 

 are applied to Virtue and Merit." Tlie treatife here re- 

 ferred to was Dr. Hutchefon's " Inquiry into the Origin of 

 our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue." 



The profellors of King's college, Aberdeen, m the year 

 1752, appointed Dr. Reid to be profellor of philofophy : 

 the choice origmated wholly from the high opinion they 

 were led to entertain of his talents and erudition. It is not 

 known what particular plan he purfued in the courfe of his 

 leftures ; but his department comprehended mathematics, 

 and phyfics, logic, and ethics. Soon after his removal to 

 this fituation, he projefted, in conjunftion with his friend, 

 Dr. John Gregory, a hterary fociety, winch fubfilled many 

 years, and which, it is believed, had confiderable effeft in 

 exciting and direfting that fpirit of philofophical refearch, 

 which has fince fo particularly dilhnguiihed the north of 

 Scotland. The writings of Reid, Gregory, Campbell, 

 Beattie, and Gerard, evince the numerous advantages which 

 the members derived from this inllitution, as they were in 

 the habit of bringing fuch works as they intended for pub- 

 lication to the teft of friendly criticifm. Among thefe the 

 molt original was that of our author, publidied in 1764, 

 entitled " An Inquiry into the Human Mind, 0.1 the Prin- 

 ciples of Common Senfe ;" intended to refute the philo- 

 fophy of Locke and H.'.rtley, by denying the connettion 

 which they fuppofed to fubfilt between the feveral pheno- 

 mena, powers, and operations of the mind ; and accounting 

 for the foundation of all human knowledge on a fyllem of 

 inftin£live principles. About the time when this " In- 

 quiry" made its appearance, the author received from the 

 college of Aberdeen the degree of doftor of divinity ; and 

 by the univerfity of Glafgow he was invited to the profef- 

 forfhip of moral philofophy. On the duties attached to this 

 office he entered in 1764 ; and he was enabled, by means of 

 a handfome income, to concentrate all his attention to his 

 favourite purfuits, which had hitherto been diftrac^ed by the 

 mifcellantous nature of his academical engagements. The 

 refearches of Dr. Reid concerning the human mind, were 

 extended and methodized in a courfe, which employed five 

 hours every week, during fix months in every year. The 

 fubftance of thefe leftures was afterwards given to the world, 

 in a more improved form, in the laft of his publications. 

 In the year 1773 appeared, in the form of an appendix to 

 the third volume of lord Karnes' " Sketches of the Hiitory 

 of Man," a brief account of Anftotle's logic, with re- 

 marks by Dr. Reid. In the year 1781 Dr. Reid with- 

 drew from his public labours, but he was not inactive : his 

 fubfequent works afford proof of the affiduity with which 

 he availed himfelf of his literary leifure. In 1785 he pub- 

 lifhed his " EfTays on the Intelleftual Powers of Man ;" 

 and in 1 788, thofe " On the Aftive Powers." Thefe vo- 

 lumes complete the fyflem of philofophy, begun in his 

 ♦' Inquiry" many years before. 



Notwithftanding his advanced age, Dr. Reid continued 

 to profecute his itudies with unabated ardour and activity. 

 The modern improvements in chemiftry attrafted his parti- 

 cular notice, and he applied himfelf witli his accuilomed 

 dihgence to tlie ftudy of its theories and normenclature. He 



amufed himfelf alfo, at times, in preparing for a philo- 

 fophical fociety, of which he was a member, (liort eflaye 1,11 

 particular topics, which happened to intereft his curiofity, 

 and on which he thought he might derive or afford ufeful 

 hints in the courfe of friendly dilcuffion. His laft efiay ap- 

 pears to have been written in the 86th year of his age, and 

 was read by the author to his affociates but a (hort time 

 previoully to his death. In the month of September 1796, 

 he was feized with a violent diforder, with which lie for 

 fome time maintained a fevere ftruggle ; but which, to- 

 gether with fome paralytic attacks, put an end to his ufeful 

 life on the 7th of Oftober, in the 87th year of his age. 

 In point of bodily conftitution, few men iuive been more 

 indebted to nature tlian Dr. Reid. His form was vigorous 

 and athletic, and his countenance was ftrongly cxpreflive of 

 deep and coUefted thought ; but when brightened up by 

 the face of a friend, what chiefly caught the attention was 

 a look of good will and of kindnefs. The moll prominent 

 features of his charadler were intrepid and inflexible recli- 

 tude, a pure and devoted attachment to truth, and an entire 

 command over his pafTions. In private life, no man ever 

 maintained, more eminently or more uniformly, the dignity 

 of philofophy ; combining with the moll amiable modelly 

 and gentlenefs, the nobleft fpirit of independence. As a 

 public teacher, he was diftinguifhed by unwearied affiduity 

 in inculcating principles, which he conceived to be of effen- 

 lial importance to human happinefs. In his elocution and 

 mode of inftruftion, there was nothing peculiarly attraftive. 

 Such, however, were the fimplicity and perfpicuity of his 

 llyle ; fuch the gravity and authority of his charafter, that 

 he was always lillened to with profound refptft, and, in his 

 latter years, with a veneration, which age added to great 

 wifdom always infpires. Stewart's Life of Reid. 



REIDEN, m Geography, a town of Switzerland, in the 

 canton of Lucerne; 18 miles N.N. W. of Lucerne. 



REJECTIO, a word uled by medical authors for tha 

 calfing any thing lip preternaturally by the mouth, whether 

 it be by vomiting or bv fpitting. 



REIFF, in Geography. See RivA. 

 REIFFERSCHEID, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Sarre, and cliief place of a canton, in the dif- 

 trift of Prum. The place contains 311, and the canton 3542 

 inhabitants, in 45 communes. A.lo, a town pf France, in 

 the department of the Rhine and Mofelle, capital of a 

 county in the archbifhopric of Cologne ; 42 miles W. of 

 Coblentz. N. lat. 50"" 33'. E. long. 6° 27'. 



REIFFLING, a town of the duchy of Stiria, on the 

 river Eims ; 28 miles N.W. of Pruck. 



REIFFNITZ, a town of Middle Carniola ; 4 miles 

 N. W. of Gottlchee. 



REIFTENBERG, a town of Auftria; 59 miles S.E. 

 of Goritz. 



REIGELSBERG, a lordfhip of the duchy of Wurz- 

 burg. 



REIGNAC, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Gironde ; 9 miles N.E. of Blaye. 



REIGNIER, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Leman, and chief place of a canton, in the diftrift of 

 Geneva. The place contains 1280, and the canton 9046 in- 

 habitants, on a territory of 1025 kiliometres, in 14 com- 

 munes. 



P.EIGNING Winds, in Meteorology, are thofe winds 

 which ufually prevail in any particular coaft or region, the 

 knowledge of which is effentially necefiary to every pilot, 

 v;ho is charged with the navigation in thofe feas. 



REIKENES, in Geography, a cape en the S. coaft of 

 Iceland. N. lat. 63° 43'. 



REIKEVIG, 



