MR small's biographical SKETCH OF PROF. ADAM FERGUSON. 663 



given a concise but interesting account of Black's discoveries of carbonic acid and 

 latent heat, which entitle him to be regarded as the father of modern chemistry. 



It was his relationship to the family of Joseph Black,* which was probably 

 the indirect means of forming Ferguson's own philosophical views. The father 

 of Dr Black had been a wine merchant at Bourdeaux, and when residing there 

 enjoyed the intimate friendship of the great Montesquieu, who was the president 

 of the parliament or court of justice of that province. The letters and scraps of 

 correspondence which passed between Montesquieu and Mr Black, the descend- 

 ants of the latter preserved as though they had been titles of honour belonging 

 to their race. In his own Philosophy, Ferguson has in many places followed 

 the views of Montesquieu, and his ' Essay on Civil Society ' may be regarded as 

 an eloquent introduction to the immortal work, ' The Spirit of Laws.' 



The infirmities accompanying advanced life now made Ferguson desirous of 

 again residing in a town, where he might have more opportunities of conversing 

 with intelligent friends. 



As St Andrews was the place where he had been educated, his early predilec- 

 tion for that ancient city returned, and in 1808 he retired thither to spend the 

 remainder of his life. 



He there enjoyed the society of the Professors of the University, and that of 

 the patriotic George Dempster of Dunnichen, whose endeavours to extend the 

 manufactures of Scotland are well known. 



Among Ferguson's letters, perhaps not the least curious is the following, 

 addressed to Mr Carlyle Bell, in which he expresses his opinion of the ' Diary' 

 of Dr Carlyle of Inveresk. Carlyle died in 1805, and it was proposed in 1810 

 by his executors to edit this work, which, however, has only recently appeared 

 under the editorial superintendence of Mr J. Hill Burton. Had it been published 

 in 1810, in place of 1860, the Diary would not have excited the same interest : — 



''St Andrews, 2\st July 1810. 

 " My Dear Sir, — I have received your letter acquainting me that trustees 

 whom you do not name, are now deliberating on the publication of my worthy 

 friend and your late uncle's manuscripts. Of this you must be sensible that I 

 cannot give any opinion. The small part I saw, or with my impaired sight could 

 decipher, did not appear to me intended for publication ; but rather the amuse- 

 ment of leisure in the exercise of a talent in which our friend excelled ; the easy 

 and satisfactory detail of familiar occurrences affording a pleasure which his 

 correspondents experienced in every letter he wrote to them. I was so pleased 

 in reading the part you showed me or I could attempt to read, but it related to 

 things and persons most of us so obscure as not to be entitled to public notice, 



* The mother of Ferguson was aunt of the mothers of Joseph Black and James Russell 

 Professor of Natural Philosophy. Ferguson was also married to Dr Black's niece. 



VOL. XXIII. PART III. 8 Q 



