own behoof, not yours. By lucid questioning you could get lucidity from him on any topic. Nowhere did he give you the least notion of his not understanding the thing himself; but it lay like an unwinnowed threshing-floor, the corngrains, the natural chaff, and somewhat even of the straw, still unseparated there. This sometimes would befall, not only when the meaning itself was delicate or abstruse, but also if several were listening, and he doubted whether they could understand. On solid realistic points he was abundantly luminous; promptitude, solid sense, free-flowing intel

too, when this was first pointed out to me; and cannot recollect even when I first came to speech with him, which must have been by accident and his own voluntary favour, on some slight occasion, probably at the Advocates' Library, which was my principal or almost sole literary resource (lasting thanks to it, alone of Scottish institutions!) in those obstructed, neglectful, and grimly-forbidding years. Perhaps it was in 1824 or 1825. I recollect right well the bright, affable manners of Sir William, radiant with frank kindliness, honest bumanity, and intelligence ready to help; and how completely prepossessing they were. A fine, firmligibility always the characteristics. The tones figure of middle height; one of the finest cheer- of his voice were themselves attractive, phyfully-serious human faces, of square, solid, and siognomic of the man: a strong, carelesslyyet rather aquiline type, and a pair of the melodious, tenor voice, the sound of it bebeautifullest kindly-beaming hazel eyes, well tokening seriousness and cheerfulness; occaopen, and every now and then with a lambency sionally something of slightly remonstrative of smiling fire in them, which I always remem- was in the undertones, indicating, well in the ber as if with trust and gratitude. I re-background, possibilities of virtuous wrath and collect hearing much more of him in 1826 and fire; seldom anything of laughter, of levity onward, than formerly: to what depths he had never anything: thoroughly a serious, cheerful, gone in study and philosophy; of his simple, sincere, and kindly voice, with looks corresindependent, meditative habits, ruggedly athle- ponding. In dialogue, face to face, with one tic modes of exercise, fondness for his big dog, he trusted, his speech, both voice and words, etc. etc. everybody seemed to speak of him was still more engaging; lucid, free, persuasive, with favour, those of his immediate acquain- with a bell-like harmony, and from time to tance uniformly with affectionate respect. I time, in the bright eyes, a beaming smile, did not witness, much less share in, any of the which was the crown and seal of all to you. swimming or other athletic prowesses. I have once or twice been on long walks with him in the Edinburgh environs, oftenest with some other companion, or, perhaps, even two, whom he had found vigorous and worthy; pleasant walks, and abundantly enlivened with speech from Sir William. He was willing to talk of any humanly-interesting, subject; and threw out sound observations upon any topic started: if left to his own choice, he circled and gravitated, naturally, into subjects that were his own, and were habitually occupying him—of which I can still remember animal magnetism and the German revival of it, not yet known of in England, was one that frequently turned up. On German bibliography and authors, especially of the learned kind-Erasmus, Ruhnken, Ulrich von Hutten-he could descant copiously, and liked to be inquired. of. On Kant, Reid, and the metaphysicians, German and other, though there was such abundance to have said, he did not often speak; but politely abstained rather, when not expressly called on.

"He was finely social and human, in these walks or interviews. Honesty, frankness, friendly veracity, courageous trust in humanity, and in you, were charmingly visible. His talk was forcible, copious, discursive, careless rather than otherwise; and, on abstruse topics, I observed, was apt to become embroiled and revelly, much less perspicuous and elucidative than with a little deliberation he could have made it. The fact is,' he would often say; and then plunging into new circuitous depths and distinctions, again on a new grand, 'The fact is,' and still again-till what the essential

'fact' might be was not a little obscure to you. He evidently had not been engaged in speaking these things, but only in thinking them, for his

"In the winter 1832-33, Captain Hamilton, Sir William's brother, was likewise resident in Edinburgh; a pleasant, very courteous, and intelligently talking man, enduring, in a cheery military humour, his old Peninsular hurts, and printing his Peninsular and other books, At his house I have been of literary parties--of one, at least, which I still remember in an indistinct but agreeable way. Of a similar party at Sir William's I have a still brighter recollection, and of his fine nobly simple ways there; especially of one little radiancy (his look and his smile the now memorable part of it) privately addressed to myself on the mode of supping I had selected; supper of one excellent and excellently-boiled potato, of fair size, with salt for seasoning-at an epoch when excellent potatoes yet were.

After his marriage Sir William removed to Manor Place, where he resided till 1839, when he went back to his former house, 16 Great King Street, in which he spent the remainder of his life. The time had come at last for him to justify to the world, in the form of published writing, his reputation among a limited circle as a thinker and scholar. The editorship of the Edinburgh Review came, in 1829, into the hands of Mr. Macvey Napier, who was a great friend of Sir William's, and took much interest in metaphysical studies. He was determined to have a philosophical contribution from his friend in his first number, and the subject he proposed was the recently published Introduction to Cousin's Cours de Philosophie, which was then making a sensation in the

found learning. His last contribution was in 1839. These were collected in a volume in 1852, with large appendices, and speedily reached a second edition. The most important of the philosophical articles, after the first, were those on Perception and on Logic. The former was the natural sequel and com.

positive side of the philosophy which he professed, of which the basis was the authority of Consciousness, as the other had presented its negative aspect, in a denial of the possibility of any knowledge beyond that of phenome. nal reality. The article on Logic may be called the first really scientific exposition of the province and principles of that science in this country, and displayed an extraordinary range and minuteness of knowledge of the subject and its literature. It contained a somewhat severe criticism of Whately's work, and as a specimen of the author's powers in that line may be read with enjoyment by persons ignorant of Logic. Speaking of these three articles as related, though apparently isolated, contributions to Philoso phy, and embodying in a real unity the author's fundamental doctrines, his biographer well remarks:

intellectual world of Paris. Sir William was very reluctant to undertake the task, for two reasons. He felt assured that a thorough discussion of the subject could not be made intelligible to British readers, and he had the highest admiration for M. Cousin, of whose philosophy it would be necessary for him to demonstrate the radical unsound-plement of his first article, expounding the ness. The editor's persistency, however, fortunately prevailed, and the criticism, hastily written, made its appearance in October 1829, under the title "On the philosophy of the Unconditioned, in reference to Cousin's Infinite-Absolute." Mr. Veitch correctly says, that, with the exception of the fragmentary utterances of Coleridge, this famous review was the first indication that any one in Britain had become aware of the true import of the highest philosophical thought of this century. It formed a new landmark in the history of speculation, and though in this country at first considered incomprehensible, it was the beginning of that strong revival of interest in the higher questions of philosophy, which Hamilton's subsequent writings and teaching contributed so powerfully to stimulate. On the Continent its merits were at once recognised, and by no one with such chivalrous enthusiasm as by the philosopher whose fundamental doctrine it so vigorously attacked. M. Cousin pronounced it "a masterpiece," so excellent that he thought "there could not be fifty persons in England competent to understand it." He naturally considered his critic wrong in his objections, but added, "I must do him the justice to say that he has profoundly studied and perfectly understood me." A warm friendship between the two philosophers was the result of this criticism, and though they never met, they kept up a pretty regular correspondence, and took the deepest mutual interest in each other's labours and personal welfare. M. Cousin's letters to his "très cher confrère" are very interesting, and full of the kindliest sympathy. One winds up with this naïve little outburst apropos of Brown's Lec

tures:

"Je reçois en ce moment la 7ime édition de Brown. Mon Dieu! Luttez, mon cher Monsieur, luttez sans cesse contre cette funeste popularité. En vous sont toutes mes espérances pour la philosophie en Angleterre. Dieu donc vous soit en aide, et vous donne ce que je souhaite à tous mes amis et à moi-même: courage et constance. C'est mon perpétuel refrain."

Sir William was now fairly enlisted as a contributor to the Review, and during the next seven years contributed fourteen articles, all full of the most solid thought and pro

they give of power and learning, it is melan"Yet impressive as is the suggestion which they give of power and learning, it is melancholy to think that those accomplishments appeared so late in the lifetime of their possessorappeared, too, almost by accident; and that even after they were revealed, they were kept by him in a reserve, which stayed his hand from completing the edifice designed-one so rare in conception, so grand in its ideal proportions, that even the tracings of its first lines stir the soul which ponders them with emotions akin to those inspired by the fragments of the stateliest architecture, or by the partly-shrouded form of a far-reaching, undefined, mountain height."

His articles on University Reform, espe cially with reference to Oxford, excited much attention, and also much hostility, which they were eminently calculated to provoke. For, with a knowledge of the subject probably beyond that of any other man fashioned strength and outspokenness of lanin Britain, they combined a somewhat oldguage in denouncing what he considered to be abuses. They produced a powerful effect, and bore fruit after many days, both in England and in Scotland. Of his other articles the most notable are the one on the Epistolæ Obscurorum Virorum, which displayed prodigious learning and research, and for the first time settled conclusively the authorship of that famous satire, and that on the study of Mathematics, which, among other results, called forth an irrepressible protest from the

much-tried editor, on the score of its extrava- | incomparably better calculated to secure their gant length, and the writer's intolerable dis- favour than those wonderful discussions on regard of the ordinary necessities of periodi- the Absolute and the theory of Perception, cal publication. The spirit which animated which M. Cousin had said there were not all his discussions is expressed in the favour- fifty persons in Britain capable of understandite motto which he put on the title-page, ing. One of his supporters laid great stress "Truth, like a torch, the more it's shook, it on the assurance they had, that, in electing shines." him, "the interests of pure and undefiled religion" would be advanced. Sir William, on the other hand, produced no certificates of religious character, and in the absence of any such evidence of his personal piety, the opposite conclusion, if it could not be openly asserted, was at least strongly insinuated. If nobody testified to his being a good Christian, was it not natural to infer that he was "little better than one of the wicked"? He was not only a valued contributor to the Edinburgh Review, which was the next thing to being an "infidel" publication, but he was known to be profoundly, dangerously intimate with German Philosophy, and did not every one know that Germany was the hotbed of all heresy, and its philosophers generally mere Pagans?

In 1834, Professor Mylne, who had for thirty-seven years held the Chair of Moral Philosophy in Glasgow, proposed to Sir William that he should become his assistant, with the assurance, so far as the Professor's influence could go, of being appointed his successor. The appointment lay with the Senatus Academicus, and Sir William declined the proposal. A more congenial prospect was within his view. The Professor of Logic and Metaphysics in Edinburgh, Dr. David Ritchie, was now a very old man. He resigned his chair in April, 1836, and the usual struggle for the office began. The candidates were Sir William Hamilton, Mr. Isaac Taylor, Mr. George Combe, and Mr. P. C. Macdougall (afterwards Professor Wil---Q. E. D. This is no caricature. We have son's successor), besides some others whose names are forgotten. To intelligent spectators at a distance it seemed that the author of the articles which were recognised in France and Germany as the one proof existing that Britain had a philosopher, required only to announce that he was a candidate, in order to secure the appointment. The electors, however, consisted of those thirty-three persons composing the Town Council of Edinburgh, of whom Sir William, in his article on University Patronage, had said that it was only in a country far behind in all that regards the theory and practice of education, that the notion of intrusting a body like a municipal magistracy with such a trust would not be treated with derision.' It may be supposed that his chances were not improved by his indignant refusal to canvass the electors, a proceeding which he considered equally insulting to them and humiliating to the candidate. It is unnecessary to go minutely into the history of the contest,-suffice it, that Sir William was appointed, by a small majority over Mr. Isaac Taylor, the final numbers being 18 to 14. The principal ground on which the minority supported their favourite was not his eminence as a philosopher, his sole title to recognition in that respect consisting of a little manual called Elements of Thought, explaining the meanings of certain philosophical terms. But he was considered, truly enough, to be a man of great religious earnestness, and his recently published Natural History of Enthusiasm, though in some respects rather beyond the reach of ordinary municipal intelligence, was N-18

VOL. L.

heard something similar over and over again in Edinburgh, in analogous cases, and though the Teutophobia, in particular, is happily much on the decline, any one who occasionally attends to the utterances of certain theologians, clerical and lay, on the subject, must be aware that it is by no means to be reckoned among extinct maladies. In the case of Sir William Hamilton the suspicion was peculiarly unfounded, and showed a hopeless ignorance of the scope and meaning of his writings, it being obvious to the meanest capacity that, so far as there was anything distinctive in his philosophy, it was characteristically Scottish in its character, and antagonistic to the doctrines most peculiarly identified with German speculation. This was very forcibly stated by M. Cousin in a letter to Professor Pillans, in which he expressed himself in regard to Sir William's claims with an emphasis which, combined with the similar testimony of other high authorities, had considerable influence in determining the result of the contest. After referring to Sir William's antagonism to his own views, he said :

"Now on this question Sir W. Hamilton is the man who, before all Europe, has, in the Edinburgh Review, defended the Scottish philosophy, and posted himself its representative. In this relation the different articles which he has written in that journal are of infinite value ; and it is not I who ought to solicit Scotland for Sir W. Hamilton; it is Scotland herself who ought to honor by her suffrage him who, since Dugald Stewart, is her sole representative in Europe.

"In truth, what characterizes Sir W. Hamil

Sir

ton is precisely the Scottish intellect; and he
is only attached to the philosophy of Reid and
Stewart because their philosophy is the Scot-
tish intellect itself applied to metaphysics.
W. Hamilton never deviates from the highway
of common sense, and at the same time he
sesses great ingenuity (esprit) and sagacity;
and I assure you (I know it from experience) that
his dialectic is by no means comfortable to his
adversary.

pos

"Inferior to Reid in invention and originality, and to Stewart in grace and delicacy, he is perhaps superior to both, and certainly to the latter, by the vigour of his dialectic; I add, and by the extent of his erudition.

"Sir W. Hamilton knows all systems, ancient and modern, and he examines them by the criticism of the Scottish intellect. His independence is equal to his knowledge. He is, above all, eminent in logic. I would speak to you here as a philosopher by profession.

ance were not less memorable, perhaps even
more deeply impressive. "Fortunate," it
has been said, "beyond expression or com-
listened" to these two men.
parison, were the students who saw and
Sir William's
manly figure, the look of clear decision that
marked his keen and handsome features,
and, above all, the wonderfully piercing
glance of his eye, at once arrested attention
and commanded respect. That impression
was heightened by the manner and matter of
his delivery. His calm and dignified earn-
estness, the stately procession of his
thoughts, descending in clear and orderly
array, as if from lofty and untrodden
heights, clad in a style of exquisite fitness,
with few but noble ornaments, carried the
hearer away into new and wide fields of
thought, making him feel how little he
knew, how much was to be known, how ele-

"Be assured that Sir W. Hamilton is the one of all your countrymen who knows Aristotle the best; and were there in all the three king-vating was the quest which he was invited doms of his Britannic Majesty a Chair of Logic vacant, do not hesitate-make haste-give it to Sir W. Hamilton."

The election took place on the 15th of till July 1836, and the class did not open the 21st of November. This gave the new Professor some time for the work of preparation; but so far as the composition of his lectures was concerned, it does not appear to have made much progress in the interval. His materials were of course familiar to him, but the task of putting them in a form suited to a class composed chiefly of very young men, was new and difficult. Hitherto he had employed himself chiefly in discussing the most abstruse questions of Philosophy, and now, at the mature age of fortyeight, the moulding of his style to the requirements of his new audience seemed in anticipation a more serious problem than it really proved to be. In short, the preparation of his lectures was put off to the very last moment, and it seems in point of fact that the commencement of the session found him no further advanced in composition than his introductory lecture, the subject of which he more than once changed. The lecture at once stamped the new Professor as a man born for the work of educating, in the highest sense of the term, and the impression it produced was perfectly sustained all through the course. On those who heard him for the first time, both then and in after years, especially the young and ardent, the effect was singularly inspiring. Professor Wilson was grand, and his looks, tones, and words, had a mighty fascination. Sir William Hamilton had not so extraordinary and majestic a presence, nor the same gift of thrilling eloquence, but his aspect and utter

to join, how glorious the company to which he was being introduced, the seekers for truth, the hierarchy of the sages, the lovers of wisdom,

"the great of old! The dead but sceptred sovrans who still rule Our spirits from their urns."

The lectures were delivered three times a week, the other two days being devoted to examinations. During the first session the course was on Psychology, and each lecture was composed on the night preceding its de livery, Sir William writing out the rough draft, which Lady Hamilton copied sheet after sheet as it was ready. As already mentioned, this labour went on all through the winter nights, and on some occasions, "Sir William would be Mr. Veitch says, found writing as late as nine o'clock of a morning, while his faithful but wearied amanuensis had fallen asleep on a sofa." The same thing happened in the following session, when the Logic lectures were composed. These lectures, it seems, were never substantially changed afterwards. though later in date than Sir William's Discussions, his biographer is quite justified in protesting against Mr. Mill's assumption that they contain "the fullest and only consecutive exposition of his philosophy. He shows very satisfactorily that for the fullest and most authoritative statement of Sir William's special doctrines, both in Logic and in Metaphysics, we must look to his supplementary dissertations to Reid, and the appendices to his Discussions, while unfortu nately "a consecutive exposition of his phi losophy" the author has nowhere given. The mere fact that the lectures were com posed in the circumstances above mentioned,