A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen, Volume 3 |
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Aberdeen Aberdeenshire afterwards appeared appointed Argyle army assembly British brother castle celebrated character church Church of Scotland circumstances College Colonel command commenced continued course court Covenanters daughter death died distinguished Duke Duke of Hamilton duties Earl Edinburgh eminent England English father favour Fergusson Forbes formed Fraserdale friends Glasgow Gordon Graham Gregory Guthrie Haldane Hamilton Highland honour horse Inverness James Gregory John king king's labour lady land learned letter literary London Lord Lord Ilay Lovat manner Marischal College Marquis ment mind minister Montrose native occasion parish parliament party period person Perth philosophy poet presbytery principles profession professor published received regiment remarkable returned Robert Robert Haldane Royal Scotland Scots Scottish sent Sir William Sir William Hamilton Society soon spirit talents tion took university of Edinburgh whole writing young
Popular passages
Page 114 - For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of : for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel...
Page 9 - They will, therefore, be ready to enter upon the consideration of a treaty of peace and commerce not inconsistent with treaties already subsisting, when the king of Great Britain shall demonstrate a sincere disposition for that purpose.
Page 29 - For, to say nothing of half the birds, and some quadrupeds which are almost entirely supported by them, worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them, by boring, perforating, and loosening the soil, and rendering it pervious to rains and the fibres of plants, by drawing straws and stalks of leaves and twigs into it ; and, most of all, by throwing up such infinite numbers of lumps of earth called worm-casts, which, being their excrement, is a fine...
Page 10 - I went into a field with a blanket about me, lay down on my back, and stretched a thread with small beads upon it, at arm's-length, between my eye and the stars, sliding the beads upon it till they hid such and such stars from my eye, in order to take their apparent distances from one another, and then, laying the thread down on a paper, I marked the stars thereon by the beads, according to their respective positions, having a candle by me.
Page 12 - I asked how a spring within a box could turn the box so often round as to wind all the chain upon it. He answered, that the spring was long and thin ; that one end of it was fastened to the axis of the box, and the other end to the inside of the box ; that the axis was fixed, and the box was loose upon it. I told him that I did not yet thoroughly understand the matter. "Well, my lad...
Page 248 - I wish I could transport myself to London to review him for the Monthly. A fire there, and in the Critical, would perfectly annihilate him. Could you do nothing in the latter ? To the former I suppose David Hume has transcribed the criticism he intended for us. It is precious, and would divert you. I keep a proof of it in my cabinet for the amusement of friends. This great philosopher begins to dote."t * It may be curious to present Stuart's idea of the literary talents of Henry.
Page 256 - I take heaven and earth to witness, that I abhor and detest this marriage, as odious and slanderous to the world; and I would exhort the faithful to pray earnestly, that a union against all reason and good conscience may yet be overruled by God, to the comfort of this unhappy realm.
Page 126 - I say, by God, that man is a ruffian who shall, after this, presume to build upon such honest, artless conduct as an evidence of guilt.
Page 29 - Earth-worms, though in appearance a small and despicable link in the chain of Nature, yet, if lost, would make a lamentable chasm.
Page 25 - I have not heard a word since you said so and so" — being sure to mention a circumstance behind that at which he had really halted. He then took up the thread with his habitual smile of courtesy — as if forgetting his case entirely in the consideration of the lady's infirmity.