WATSON. 
583 
of a series of essays, which served for many years as the most 
agreeable introduction to the elementary doctrines and the 
ordinary processes of chemistry. He obtained from the 
Government, by proper representations, a salary of 100/. a 
year for himself, and for all future professors; he paid also 
some attention to theoretical and practical anatomy, as 
having some relation to the science of chemistry. In 1767 
he became one of the principal tutors of Trinity College; in 
1769 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 
October, 1771, he unexpectedly obtained the important and 
lucrative appointment of Regius Professor of Divinity, upon 
the premature death of Dr. Rutherford, and in that capacity 
he held the rectory of Somersham, in Huntingdonshire. He 
had been little accustomed to the study of the divinity of the 
schools, or even of the fathers; but his eloquence and in¬ 
genuity supplied the want of theological learning, though he 
gave some offence to his more orthodox colleagues, by con¬ 
fining his arguments more strictly to the text of the scripture 
than they thought perfectly consistent with the duty of a 
champion of the Church of England, which they considered 
to be the description of a professor of divinity in an English 
university. He attracted, however, as long as he officiated 
in person, audiences as numerous, to the exercises in the 
schools at which he presided, as had attended his chemical 
lectures. 
He married, in December, 1773, Miss Wilson, of Dallam 
Tower, in Westmorland; their union continued uninter¬ 
rupted for more than 40 years. In 1774 he obtained a pre¬ 
bend of Ely, in exchange for a rectory in Wales, which the 
Duke of Grafton had procured him; and he became Arch¬ 
deacon of Ely in January, 1780; in the same year Bishop 
Keene presented him with the rectory of Northwold, in Nor¬ 
folk; and, in 1782, his pupil, the Duke of Rutland, gave 
him the rectory of Knaptoft, in Leicestershire ; the same 
interest obtained him also from Lord Shelburne the Bishop- 
rick of Llandaff. Here his episcopal preferment rested : he 
generally joined the politics of the Opposition, and especially 
on the question of the unlimited regency ; but he was too 
independent in his sentiments to become a very useful mem¬ 
ber of any administration; and he retired, before the end of 
the year 1789, without books, and with somewhat more of 
disgust than he ought in justice to have felt, to an estate 
which he had bought, at Calgarth, on the banks of Winan- 
dermere, and occupied himself entirely, besides the education 
of his family, in agricultural improvements, especially in 
planting, for which he received a medal from the Society of 
Arts in 1789- His pupil, Mr. Luther, of Ongar, in Essex, 
had died in 1786, and left him an estate, which he afterwards 
sold for something more than 20 , 000 /. 
He considered as one of the best practical results of his 
chemical studies the suggestion which he made to the Duke 
of Richmond, then Master of the Ordnance, respecting the 
preparation of charcoal for gunpowder, by burning the wood 
in close vessels, which, it seems, very materially improved 
the quality of the powder. 
He had the liberality to confer, in 1804, a small living as 
a reward for literary merit only on Mr. Davies, the author of 
the “ Celtic Researches.” The next year, he applied with suc¬ 
cess to the Duke of York for the promotion of his son, who 
had then the rank of a Major, and his Royal Highness 
speedily complied with his solicitation, as a personal favour 
only, without waiting for any Ministerial influence. 
His health had been seriously impaired by an illness which 
attacked him in 1781, and which his friends attributed, 
though without sufficient reason, to excessive study ; in 
October, 1809, he had a slight paralytic affection, and ano¬ 
ther in 1811; but it was in 1813, that his last illness might 
be said to begin, and he sunk gradually till the 4th of July, 
1816. His writings are as miscellaneous as they are numer¬ 
ous ; but none of them are bulky. “ Institutionum Chemi- 
carum pars Metallurgica,” 8 vo. Cambr. 1768. Repr. Ess. 
vol. v.; “ Experiments and Observations on the Solution of 
Salts.” Phil. Trans. 1770, p. 325, Ess. V.; especially on the 
specific gravities of salts and their solutions; “ Remarks on 
the Effects of Cold in February,” 1771. Phil. Trans. 1771, 
p. 213, Ess. V.; with some experiments on congelation; 
“ Experiment with a Thermometer having its bulb black¬ 
ened.” Phil. Trans. 1773, p. 40, Ess. V. Raised 10°; “ Che¬ 
mical Experiments and Observations on Lead Ore.” Phil. 
Trans. 1778, p. 863, Ess. V.; “ Observations on the Sulphur 
Wells at Harrowgate.” Phil. Trans. 1786, p. 171, Ess. V.; 
“ Essay on the Subjects of Chemistry, and their General 
Division;” “Assize Sermon, preached at Cambridge,” 4to., 
1769 ;” “ Letters to the Members of the House of Commons 
by a Christian Wig,” 1772; “ Two Sermons,” 4to. Cambr. 
1776. On the Revolution, and on the King’s Accession. 
“ A Brief State of the Principles of Church Authority,” 1773, 
reprinted in 1813 as a Charge; “ A Fast Sermon,” Feb. 
1780; “ A Sermon addressed to the Clergy of Ely,” 1780, 
recommending Oriental Literature; “ Apology for Chris¬ 
tianity, in a Series of Letters addressed to Edward Gibbon, 
Esq.,” 12mo., 1776; often) reprinted, and considered as very 
satisfactory, though the author confesses, with more of the 
courtier than of the orthodox divine, in a letter to Mr. Gib¬ 
bon, that the Essay “ derives its chief merit from the elegance 
and importance of the work it attempts to oppose;” “ Che¬ 
mical Essays,” 5 vols. 12mo., 1781-7 ; addressed to his 
pupil, the Duke of Rutland. The work was intended for 
general information, and became extremely popular as a 
first introduction. “ A Letter to Archbishop Cornwallis on 
the Church Revenues,” 1782; a plan for equalising the 
bishoprics; “ A Sermon preached the 30th January, before 
the Lords, 4to., 1784; “ Visitation Articles, for the Diocese 
of Llandaff;” “ Theological Tracts,” 6 vols. 8vo„ 1785 ; 
collected from various authors, not excluding many works of 
dissenters from the church;” “ A Sermon on Wisdom and 
Goodness of God, in having made Rich and Poor,” 1785, 
1793; adapted to allay the discontents which were then pre¬ 
valent among the lower classes; “ Sermons and Tracts,” 8vo., 
1788 ; chiefly republications; “ An Address to Young Per¬ 
sons after Confirmation,” 12mo., 1789; “ Considerations on 
the Expediency of Revising the Liturgy,” 8vo., 1790 ; 
anonymous; “ A Sermon preached for the Westminster Dis¬ 
pensary in 1785, with an Appendix,” 1792; “ A Charge to 
the Clergy of his Diocese,” 4to., 1792; “ Two Sermons 
and a Charge,” 4to., 1795 ; the first sermon is entitled 
“ Atheism Refuted;” the second, “ The Christian Religion 
no Imposture.” “ Apology for the Bible, in a Series of 
Letters addressed to Thomas Paine,” 12mo., 1796; an able 
and judicious answer. 
WATSON (Robert), D.D., a Scotish historian, was 
born at St. Andrew’s about the year 1730, commenced his 
course of education for the ministry at the school and uni- 
versity of St. Andrew’s, and with singular assiduity prosecuted 
his studies at the university of Glasgow, and also in that of 
Edinburgh. He paid particular attention to grammar and 
eloquence, and with the advice of lord Kaimes, delivered a 
course of lectures on these subjects, which gained the appro¬ 
bation of Mr. Hume, and other men of genius and learning. 
Having failed in his endeavours to supply a vacancy in one 
of the churches of St. Andrew’s, he was soon after made 
professor of logic, and by a patent from the crown, pro¬ 
fessor of rhetoric and belles lettres. In his lectures on 
logic and metaphysics, he deviated from the old plan of 
syllogisms, modes, and figures, and introduced substantial 
improvement by furnishing his pupils with an analysis of the 
powers of the mind, and by leading them to investigate the 
various kinds of evidence of knowledge or truth. His history 
of Philip II. advanced his reputation during the period of his 
life; and it was farther enhanced by his history of Philip III., 
which was published after his death; of which latter he only 
wrote the first four books, the other two being supplied by 
Dr. William Thomson, the editor, at the desire of the guar¬ 
dians of his children. He succeeded Tulideph as principal 
of the university. He died in 1780. 
WATSON’S STRAIT, the strait which separates the 
island of New Guinea from the island of Salwaty. 
WATSONIA [so named by Mr. Miller, in honour of his 
learned friend William Watson, M.D. F.R.S.], in Botany, 
a genus of the class triandria, order monogynia, natural 
order 
