SPECTATOR'S LIBRAliY.

BIOGRAPHY,

Lives of Men of Letters and Science, who flourished in the Reign of George III. By Henry Lord Brougham, F.R.S., Member of the National Institute of France. and of the Royal Academy of Naples. With Portraits, engraved on steel. Hiszoar, Charles Knight and Co. History of the Consulate and the Empire of France under Napoleon. Forming a Sequel to " the History of the French Revolution." By M. A. Thiel's, late Prima Minister of France, Member of the French Academy, &c. Translated by D. Forbes Campbell, Esq., with the sanction and approval of the Author. Vol. III. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDANCF., Cabern.

The Bokhara Victims. By Captain Grover, Unatt., F.R.S Chapman and Ilan.

GOSSIP,

Chronicles of Fashion, from the time of Elizabeth to the early part of the Nineteenth Century, in Manners, Amusements, Banquets, Costume, iitc. By Mrs. stone. Authoress of " The Art of Needlework," " The Cotton Lord," kre. In two volumes. Bentley.

LORD BROUGHAM'S MEN OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE. Loan BROUGHAM has not brought to his Lives of Men of Letters and Science who flourished in the Reign of George the Third that personal knowledge and professional observation which he possessed of many statesmen of the same period ; nor has he the advantage that arises from a man's experience in the practice of the same pursuits, when those statesmen were not his immediate contemporaries. Still, the book is equally readable, if not so fresh in its matter and so lifelike in its delinea- tions as when he drew his descriptions from long acquaintance. It is perhaps more equable in its tone, and less obviously onesided. The writer is by nature an advocate, and his training from his youth upwards has confirmed into habit this native bent : but we never saw the peculiarity. so legitimately exhibited before. What he wishes to sink is hidden, what he wishes to display is thrown forward into full relief, whether it be a fault or a merit. But it is done quietly ; we have the effect without having the means thrust into notice; it is like an artist, not like as pleader. Although many names of ,eminence both in letters and science will be missed in the present volume, the persona chosen do not seem to have been arbitrarily selected. To take the originators of what may be called modern literature and opinion, as well as the founders of modern phy-; sical science, so ae to exhibit the rise and growth of the subjects whilst discussing the lives and characters of the authors, seems to have been, consciously or unconsciously, present to Lord Brougham's mind. Whe- ther or not Voltaire and Hume (to the extent which Lord Brougham claims for them) first combined philosophy with history, and rendered history itself attentive to the condition of the people instead of a mere chronicle of great events and public men, may be doubted. There is no doubt but that Hume in this country and Voltaire on the Continent roused the public mind from a prejudiced, supine, and party mode of considering public affairs, to a larger comprehension Of political principles, inciting the people to take a more enlightened interest in public affairs, and lessening (for it is not yet altogether abrogated) that feudal servility to a party bellwether that judges measures by the men who propound them. Rousseau had not so healthy or so enduring an influence; but his effect upon the immediate generation of Frenchmen and possibly of the Ger- mans was greater than that of many more useful but less peculiar authors. The doubt which may hang over the claim to absolute originality in phi- losophical history with respect to Hume and Voltaire does not obtain with regard to Black, Priestley, Cavendish, and Davy in chemistry, or as re- spects the application of science to the purposes of life in the instance of Watt. Were our Dalton and a few Continental chemists added to the list, we should have the whole of the men by whose daring sagacity and patient research the secrets of nature have been unfolded, the so-called science of three thousand years overturned in less than half a century, and the elements of things remodelled. The name of Simson the mathemati- cian has been added to the list, though not possessing the claims of the others ; probably to enable the author to write an account of the analysis of the Greek Geometers ; as his own descent from the family of Robert- son perhaps induced the choice of that historian,—for, however great his literary merits, Robertson did not operate upon the mind of his age and of posterity in the same manner as Voltaire and Hume, nor has he the same claim to philosophical originality. Although a rapid summary of the career of each individual is given in the notice of him, yet his discoveries, his literary, philosophica4 or scientific character, and the effects he produced upon society cr acienoe; are much more dwelt upon than his life properly so called. This, however, is not always the case; Lord Brougham adapting his mode of composi- tion to his materials, or his own bent at the moment. The strange adven- tures of Rousseau induce him to enter rather fully into the career of that singular man ; and in Voltaire he gives an elaborate criticism of hib poetry with specimens, as well as a rather full account of his principal poems and dramas. This general mode of treatment has to a great extent superseded the want of personal knowledge we have already hinted at; for, of whatever use experience of debate or of official life may be in delineating minie- ters, lawyers, or Parliamentary orators, the experiments of the man of science, the views of the moral philosopher, or the composition of the author, cannot in any way be affected by our knowledge of the men themselves, or of others like them. As regards personal delineation, it may be observed that Lord Brougham has some facilities with respect to the later lives. He remembers his grand-uncle Robertsone he attended the last lectures of Black ; he knew as much of Cavendish as any one, excepting his servants, was likely to know of that singular. recluse ; and with Watt and Davy he was familiarly acquainted. Neither of these no- tices, however, are particularly well done. Dirry's lifti is poor, and the personal account of Watt too speechifying in style. • In the scientific) expositions to illustrate the discoveries of individuals, the sense of mas- tery is not often felt; nor have they the impressive lucidity that falai the highest excellence of this kind of writing. Upon these drier lap* however, we shall not dwell, but occupy such space as we can spare with anecdote and description.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ROBERTSON.

lEs manner was not graceful in little matters, though his demeanour was dignified on the whole. In public it was unimpassioned till' some great buret came from him; then it partook of the fire of the moment, and soon relapsed into dignified composure. In private it had some little awkwardnesses, not very perceptible except to a near and minute observer. His language was cor- rect and purely English, avoiding both learned words and foreign phraseology and Scottish expressions; but his speech was strongly tinged with the Scottish accent. Ifis voice I well remember, nor was it easy to forget it; nothing could be more

pleasing. It was full and it was calm; but it had a tone of. * heartiness and sin-

cesity which I hardly ever knew in any other. • The only partienlars of his manners and person which I recollectare, his cocked hat, which he alway6 wore, even in the country; his stately gait, particularly in a walk which he loved to frequent in the woods at Brougham, where I attended him once while he visited there, and in which he slowly recited sometimes Latin verses, sometimes Greek• a very slight guttural accent in his speech, which gave it peculiar fulness; and his retaining some old-fashioned modes of address, as tiling the word "madam" at full length; and when he drank wine with any wouaan, adding "My humble service to you." When in the country, he liked to be left entirely to himself in the morning, either to read, or to walk, or to drive about; and he said that one of his great enjoyments at Lennel was Mr. Brydone and himself doing precisely each as he chose, and being each as if the other were not in the same house. • • • The late Lord Meadowbank, a kinsman of his, and indeed his ward, when pre- paring his Lectures on General History, of which he was Professor, asked him if be had ever remarked how very superficial Mr. Flume's Anglo-Saxon period is, mere- so than the other parts, though the last written, of his History ? , iWhy, yes, I have," said the Principal; " but the truth is, David (so he always called him) had the most unfortunate thing happen to that can befall an author— Ile was paid for it before he wrote it."

LIFE OF CAVENDISH.

In giving the history of his labours, and the character of his intellectual capacity, we have written the life of Cavendish. His personal history cannot be exyeeted to have any striking interest; yet they who have been dwelling on his scientific eminence will not be displeased to know somewhat of his ordinary life. He was of a most reserved disposition, and peculiarly shy habits. This led to some singularity of manner,. Which was further increased by a hesitation or difficult/ of speech, and a thin shrill voice. He entered diffidently into any con- Yersation and seemed to dislike being spoken to. He would often leave the place where he'was addressed, and leave it abruptly, with a kind of cry or ejaculation, as ff scared and disturbed. He lived in a house on Clapham Common; and his library, vast in extent, was at another place, because lie made it accessible to all, and did not wish to be troubled by those who resorted to it. He allowed friends to take books from it, and he himself never took one without giving a receipt for

lt. On the death of his librarian, he be the practice of himself attending one day in the week to give out and take in ...Its. His large income was allowed to aecumulate; and when his bankers, after finding that a very considerable balance was always left in their bands, mentioned the circumstance, suggesting that it i might be invested to some profit, he answered with much simplicity, that if the balance was an inconvenience to them he could go to another banker. Himself a man of no expense, his habits never varied; nor did his style of living at all

O ffer a change on succeeding to his uncle's large fortune. • * * Mr. Cavendish received no one at his residence: he ordered his dinner daily by a note which he left at a certain hour on the hall-table; where the housekeeper was to take it, for he held no communication with his female domestics, from his morbid shyness. It followed, as a matter of course, that his servants thought him strange, and his neighbours deemed him out of his mind. He hardly ever went into society.. The only exceptions I am aware of are an occasional christening at Devonshire or Burlington House, the meetings of the Royal Society, and Sir Joseph Banks' weekly. conversaziones. At hoth.the latter places I have met him andeecollect the shrill cry he uttered as he shuffled quickly froni room to room, 6:timing to be annoyed if looked at, hut sometimes approaching to hear what was Poising 'among others. His face was intelligent and mild; though, from the Dersious irritation which he seemed to'feel, the expression could hardly be called calm. It is not likely that he ever should have been induced to sit for his picture; the result, therefore, of any such experiment is wanting. His dress was of the West fashion—a greyish green coat and waistcoat, with flaps, a small cocked- bat, and his hairrd eased like a wig (which possibly it was) with a thick clubbed trail His walk was quick and uneasy : of course he never appeared in London palms lying back in the corner of his carriage. He probably uttered fewer words pi the course of his life than any man who ever lived to fourscore years, not at all excepting the monks of La Trappe.

In an appendix to Hume, Lord Brougham has printed some exact co- pies of the historian's manuscripts, to show his corrections ; which will be found curious, though they are not so frequent as those of Pope. He has also been favoured with some unpublished letters of Hum; "by the kindness of niy- learned' kinsman Lord Meadowbank, and other friends." Several of these are to Andrew Millar the bookseller. We take one of the shortest ; curious as indicating his sensitiveness upon what are called his in 'ties of style, and his opinion of Mallet—" the only Scot," says Jo ..n, ".whom Scotchmen did not commend." • "TO ANDREW ranman.

" Edinburgh, 22d September 1756. " Mr. Strachan in a few days will have finished the printing this volume; and I hope you will find leisure before the hurry of winter to peruse it, and to write EN your remarks on it. I fancy you will.publish about the middle of November. must desire you to take the trouble of distributing a few copies to my friends in tendon, and of sending me a few copies here; the whole will be fifteen copies. Notwithstanding Mr. Mallet's impertinence in not answering my letter, (for It deserves no better a name,) if you can engage him, from yourself, to mark, on the perusal, such slips of language as he thinks I have fallen into in this volume, it mill be a great obligation to me: I mean that I shall lie under an obligation to you; for I would not willingly owe any to him. " I am, dear Sir, your most humble servant, DAVID Hume. The work does not appear to have been revised, either in manuscript Or proof; for some periods are quite chaotic.