Charge of Plagiarifm againft Mr. Leflie Confidered. &; 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, B----d, 16th Fan. 1798. 
Wf AVING confidered theartlefs charge 
of plagiarifm, by Mr. W. A. of 
Newcaftle, againft Mr. Joun Lestie, 
and the attempt of defence of Mr. LESitz 
by the ingenious Mr. JoHN PLAYFAIR, 
‘Profeffor of Mathematics in the College 
of Edinburgh, I muft be of opinion, that 
the charge has not been removed by Mr. 
PLayratir: and, I believe) tew of your 
readers will.entertain a different opinion 
on the fubject, though it fhould turn out, 
perhaps, that the plagiarifm originated 
not from the celebrated M. EuLER, but 
from Mr. VILANT, Profeffor of Mathe- 
matics in the Univerfity of St. Andrews’, 
And Mr. LesLiz’s fame would not fure- 
ly have futfered azy diminution, by a 
candid and honeft acknowledgement. of 
the fource of his firft lights on the fubjeéct. 
According to information, at different 
times, from-ftudents at the College of 
Edinburgh, Mr. PLayF air recommend- 
ed always Mr. VitanT’s Analyfis to his 
ftudents, when on algebra. Mr. PLay- 
FAIR, therefore, cannot be fuppofed to 
be unacquainted with the 19th propofition 
and corollaries of the Analyfis, where 
the very method feized on by Mr. LESig, 
is given and applied to many examples of 
indeterminate equations, and of commen- 
furate affected equations of different de- 
grees, &c. Mr, PLAYFAIR may not, 
perhaps, know that the refolution of in- 
determinate and affected equations, &c. 
according to this proposition and corolla- 
ries, had always been given very fully 
from the year 1765, in the fecond ma- 
thematical clafs, S*. Azdrews; as I learn- 
ed from notes I took in this clafs in the 
year 1779, when I attended the fame, 
along with Mr. JoHN LesLig£, whofe 
attention I called in a particular manner 
to indeterminate equations, when the fame 
was entered upon: and which notes I co- 
pied from a memorandum book in Mr. 
VILANT’s writing, contaming rules and 
examples for all equations, approxima- 
tions, logarithms, &c. and dated at the 
beginning with the year 1765. 
If, therefore, Mr. Lesuie had pre- 
tended only to fome little.attempt at im- 
provement in point of form, he would not 
have expofed himfelf fo plainly to a charge 
of plagiarifm: and if Mr. Puayrair’s 
memory had not failed him fo completely, 
and if he had not been impofed on by his 
- more artful newly acquired difciple, com- 
mon candour would not have allowed him 
to conumit himfelf fo far, as to fpeak of 
Mr. LEsLIE as az inventor, What Mr. 
PLAYFAIR has ftated about putting M. 
Eucer’s Algebra at firft into Mr..Lzs- 
Liz’s hands, requires {ome explanation. 
Upon Mr. Lesuire’s, kaviag St. An- 
drew’s, in 1782 or 1783, he carried with 
him fome examples -of indeterminate 
“equations, &c. as fhere refolved,; and 
fhewed the fame to Mr. PLAYF AIR ; and 
-it was then, and then only, that Mr. 
PLAYFAIR firlt put into his hands the 
algebra of the celebrated Ever, and 
the firft copy, probably, of that work im- 
ported into Scotland; a point of time 
this, long prior to that of drawing up tie 
paper in the ‘* Edinburgh Philofophicat 
Franfactions,” fo juitly animadverted on 
by your correfpoudent Mr. W. A. of 
Newcaftle. av ae | 
And though the method in the Analy-- 
fis be general for every fpecies of indeter- 
minate equations, &c. and for all equa- 
tions that may by fubftitutions be brought 
or reduced to the form prefcribed; as no 
examples of indeterminate equations in- 
volving rational {quares, cubes, &e. are 
there given, this {mall treatife being but 
an abridgement of part of a comprehen-. 
five Syftem of the Elements of Mathema- © © 
tical Analyfis, fome merit, it may be 
faid, isdue to Mr. Lesuie, for giving 
examples of thofe indeterminate equa- 
tions; and this would be granted, as here 
ftated, if the celebrated EULER, by pre- 
occuping the ground, had not, as already 
mentioned, cut off Mr. LeEsLie from 
every pretence to originality, vven in this 
of adding to the examples. 
But too much, perhaps, has been faid 
on a fubjeét, fo eafy and obvious in its 
principles and application, as can attach 
but little merit to the difcufficn thereof. 
And if Mr. PLayFair had not been z#- 
duced to come forward rather incautioufly, 
and with more appearance of oftentation, 
&c. than is natural to his character and 
difpofitions ;, and, if gratitude to an old 
majier, who, with too much art and too 
little candour, has been kept entirely out 
of view by Mr. Lesure, had’ not roufed 
my feelings, &c. your correfpondent Mr. 
W. A. ot Newcattle, as fully able, would. 
have been Jeft to fubftantiate his charge 
compietely on the part of Mr. EULER, 
without any interference, from, 
Sixy 
Your very humble fervant, 
BENONYI, — 
P.S. It thould be obferved, that at St... 
Andrew’s, indeterminate equations were... 
refolved two ways. (1.) by converting 
: the 
