APPENDIX. 59 



which, in our country, has been fo little frequented by men of 

 genius. 



It was probably alfo at this period of his life, that he culti- 

 vated with the greatefl care the ftudy of languages. The 

 knowledge he pofTefled of thefe, both ancient and modern, was 

 uncommonly extenfive and accurate ; and, in him, was fub- 

 fervient, not to a vain parade of taftelefs erudition, but to a 

 familiar acquaintance with every thing that could illuftrate the 

 inftitutions, the manners and the ideas of different ages and 

 nations. How intimately he had once been converfant with 

 the more ornamental branches of learning ; in particular, with 

 the works of the Roman, Greek, French and Italian poets, ap- 

 peared fufficiently from the hold which they kept of his me- 

 mory, after all the different occupations and enquiries in which 

 his maturer faculties had been employed *. In the Englifh lan- 

 guage, the variety of poetical paflages which he was not only 

 accuftomed to refer to occafionally, but which he was able to 

 repeat with correctnefs, appeared furprifing even to thofe, whofe 

 attention had never been directed to more important acquifi- 

 tions. 



After a refidence at Oxford of feven years, he returned to 

 Kirkaldy, and lived two years with his mother ; engaged in 

 ftudy, but without any fixed plan for his future life. He had 

 been originally deftined for the Church of England, and with 

 that view had been fent to Oxford ; but not finding the eccle- 

 fiaflical profeflion fuitable to his tafte, he chofe to confult, in 

 this inftance, his own inclination, in preference to the wifhes of 

 his friends ; and abandoning at once all the fchemes which 



(H 2) their 



* The uncommon degree in which Mr Smith retained poffeffion, even to the 

 clofe of his life, of different branches of knowledge which he had long ceafed to 

 cultivate, has been often remarked to me by my learned colleague and friend, Mr 

 Dalzel, ProfefTor of Greek in this Univerfity. Mr Dalzel mentioned parti- 

 cularly the readinefs and correclnefs of Mr Smith's memory on philological fub- 

 jefts, and the acutenefs and fkill he difplayed in various converfations with him on 

 fome of the ttiinutue of Greek grammar. 



Account of 

 Dr Smith- 



