Ue Bae 
courfe. His turn for inveftigation had now 
a wider range. ‘Though he always.retained 
‘a decided partiality for mathematics, they 
ceafed to engrofs his whole attention, or 
even, (extept, perhaps, during his firft fef-’ 
fion), tobe confidered as his principal obje€t. 
While engaged in the metaphyfical courfe, 
which formed part of the fecond year’s bu- 
finefs, he read’ Locke’s Effay, and Hartley’s 
_ Odfervations,. Thefe admirable works were 
well ‘calctilated to pleafe his thinking mind. 
Be becamé the difciple of Hartley; and 
‘ though hé fometimes thought he had reafon 
to differ from that profound philofopher, the 
leading ‘principles received in his mind con- 
tinual confirmation from the obfervations 
which occurred*to him in the couife of his 
ufter-reflection. Pofleffing toa confiderable 
extent the means of knowledge—refpected 
and beloved by Mr. Horfey, his family, and 
the fudents—(and the refpect and affe@ion 
‘were reciprocal)—his ‘fituation was highly 
agreeable to him, and he weuld liave been 
happy in retaining it during the remainder 
of his preparatory courfe, The diffolution 
of the academy in 1798 prevented this, and 
threw a temporary gloom over his profpeéts. 
The truftees, conceiving that a defect in his 
pronunciation, which Is allowed to have 
been confiderable, and apparently incurable, 
totally difqualified him for the miniftry, 
refufed to grant him the fame affiftance with 
other ftudents. They fent him, however, 
an exhibition (which they were afterwards 
prevailed upon to encreafe confiderably), 
- and left him to purfue whatever line of life 
he might think moft eligible. Rofs had 
not originally undertaken the preparatory 
ftudies for the miniftry with any dire view 
to the intereft of others: this now regu- 
lated his decifion, The fituationof a Diffent- 
ing-minifter is by no means enviable in a 
“pecuniary view, but he confidered it as af- 
fording the means of more extenfive ufeful- 
‘nefs than any other in his power. This de- 
‘termined his choice; and, at the application 
of his friends, he was admitted an exhibi- 
tioner upon Dr. Williams’s fund, as a ftudent 
in the Univerfity of Glafgow; a feminary 
which, unlike the Englith univerfities, holds 
out all its literary advantages, unfhackled by 
any religious tefs. Thither he rémoved, 
with three of his fellow ftudents, in Oct. 
14798, and continued there till his final de- 
parture laft April. He intended to have en- 
‘tered the Divinity-hali; but his exhibition 
rendered it, neceflary to join the philofophy- 
‘claffes, aS a public ftudent, and. theological 
‘ftudies engaged lefs of his attention than they 
otherwife would have done. His principal 
‘puifuits were, the philofophy of the human 
mind, philofophical philology, hiftory, 
‘fluxions, chemiftry, anatomy, phyfics, fcrip- 
“ture-triticlim, and compofition, partly of 
‘private improvement.’ ‘Lhe clafies he joined 
were. not numerous: byt attendance upon, 
‘ Vorkfbire: 
ie 
f Aug. 1; 
and after ftudy of, the le€tures, were by no 
means the boundary of his exertions. To 
all the purfuits he engaged in, be gave his 
clofe and vigorous attention ; and this was 
uninterrupted, except for very fhort inter- 
_yals, during the long vacations of fix months. 
‘Mot of the fubje&s mentioned! had more or 
lefs come before him previoufly to his atten- 
dance upon the ‘univerfity ; but he eagerly 
feized the excellent opportunities afforded 
lim of extending his knowledge. To phi- 
lology he was directed by attending the pri- 
vate Greek courfe of Profeflor Young. 
Titefe moft interefing letures opened a new 
- ficld of enquity to his philofophic mind 5 
and he entered upon it with ardour and con-- 
fiderable fucceis. He fudied the le@tures he 
attended, and thus rendered himfelf capable 
of purfuing, in private, the plan of invefti- 
gationlaid down. by the Profeffor. Et would 
be unpardonable to omit mentioning, that 
during the laft year of his refidence in Glaf- | 
gow, by a perfeverance of which there will 
be found few examples, he had fo far over~ 
come the impediment inchis fpeech, as to be 
able to pronounce diftinétly every letter, 
and almof every word.—Sheridan’s LeCtures 
cn Elocution, firt fuggeftedtheidea. They 
convinced. him of the great importance of 
propriety in elocution, and furnifhed the 
means of attaining it. He had nearly over- 
come all ‘his difficulties; and, had he lived, 
there is little doubt that he would have beer 
completely fuccefsful in his grand object, 
and, at the fame time, have acquired the 
habit of correct reading. During the lat 
feffion of the college, his diforder was mak~ 
ing a flow but too certain progrefs. He had 
joined only the natural SRiletophyy ‘claffes 5 
and his illnefs prevented him frém giving 
that regular attendance to which his inclina- 
tion ftrongly prompted him. He ftudied 
Helfham and Mc Laurin, however, privately; 
and thus endeavoured to fupply the defici- 
ency. He had uniformly held a high place 
in the public claffes which he had previoufly 
attended, and received the warm approba- 
tion of his clafs-fellows, and of thofe Pro- 
feffors who had 2n opportunity of appreciate - 
ing his merit. During his fhort and trregu- 
lar attendance on the public-natural-philofo- 
phy-clafs, the Profeffor faw enough to con~ 
vince him of his ~abilities—the clafs to af- 
cerfain that, had not illnefs prevented, he 
would have held the fir poft pf honour, 
Little more need be ftated to convince the 
reader that the affertion was perfectly cor- 
re, that Refs was ‘*fecure of a diftin- 
enifned place in the {cale of intelle@ual me- 
rit. "=<He was not, perhaps, peculiarly re= 
markable for great quicknefs of apprehen- 
fon; but he thought deeply, and feldom 
adopted opinions of whofe truth he had not 
convinced himfelf by a rigorous examination. 
clafs éxercifes, and partly of fermons for his 
He read few books ; but thofe were well fe- 
lected, and, what is of the firft importance, 
he reflected om what he read, and made his 
_ OWR 
