Notices respecting New Books. 309 



he had always been an abstainer from drink. After this time the 

 elbow-joint became badly inflamed, and ultimately was anchylosed. 

 Having had to give up his business on account of bad health, 

 he tried engagements with Assurance and other Societies at 

 various towns, and a Temperance Hotel at Blairgowrie; and ulti- 

 mately was engaged on the ' Commonwealth ' newspaper at 

 Glasgow (1858). Of late years he had had some leisure for read- 

 ing, but it brought on pain in the eyes (instead of at the top of 

 the head), and this continued for several years. His principal 

 reading was on questions relating to " liberty " and " necessity ; " 

 and this led to Theology and Metaphysics. His thoughts on the 

 metaphysics of Theism were published in 1857 in his 'Philosophy 

 of Theism.' 



in 1859 James Croll was appointed to the charge of the Ander- 

 sonian College and Museum in Glasgow. He had already suffered 

 from what appeared to be a heart-affection, interfering with active 

 exertion; but in 1865, whilst stooping, a sudden twitch in the 

 upper left side of the head was followed by a dull pain, which 

 became unbearable if mental work was continued for any length 

 of time. Though his general health was good, any overwork was 

 followed by disability for some days. Nor could he ever after- 

 wards concentrate his thoughts to the overcoming of a difficulty 

 at one stretch. 



The free use of scientific books belonging to the Institution itself 

 and to the Glasgow Philosophical Society decided the balance in 

 his mind between the love of physics and the love of philosophy, 

 in favour of the former, at least for a time. Among the modern 

 subjects of physical research, which were then discussed by a 

 goodly band of sympathetic scientists at Glasgow, that relating to 

 the cause of the Glacial Epoch especially attracted Croll's attention. 



Once more settled, and with congenial surroundings, in the old 

 Glasgow college, he was expecting to do some steady work in his 

 favourite lines of thought; but the painful condition of head and 

 eyes sadly checked him. He gave his energies conscientiously to 

 the daily duties of the place (in which his brother helped him) ; 

 and, courageously fighting against difficulties, as he had all his life 

 through, he managed to write several papers, long or short, whilst 

 he remained as keeper at the Andersonian College. The first of 

 these, relating to Ampere's Electrical Experiment, was published 

 in the Philosophical Magazine, April 1861. Other papers followed 

 (many of them in the Phil. Mag.), treating of Electricity, Heat, 

 Gases, Chemical Affinity, Tides, Climate, the Glacial Epoch, Sub- 

 mergence and Emergence of Land, and the Eccentricity of the 

 Earth's Orbit. 



In 1867 Mr. Croll was asked to give his services as Eesident 

 Surveyor and Clerk, or Secretary, in the Office of the Geological 

 Survey of Scotland, at Edinburgh. After some hesitation he 

 allowed himself to be nominated, and submitted to the regular 

 Civil Service examination. Though he did not satisfy the every- 

 day examiner in ordinary " arithmetic " and "English," his great 

 calculations regarding the eccentricity of the earth's orbit and the 



