Leonard Euler, Professor of Mathematics, Member of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg, Director of the Royal Academy of Berlin, Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences, Paris.

This celebrated analyst was the son of a Protestant minister, and was born near Basle in Switzerland in 1707, the same year as that in which Saunderson commenced lecturing at Cambridge.

Euler did not lose his sight until comparatively late in life; he however, showed so much Christian resignation, and indomitable perseverance during the seventeen years of his blindness, that his memory should not be forgotten by those interested in the subject of which this work treats. After having obtained many literary honours, Euler, when twentyeight years of age, lost the sight of one eye from having devoted himself too ardently to study in solving a problem in three days, which eminent mathematicians maintained could not be done under several months. In 1766, when in his fifty-ninth year, he lost the use of the other eye, and became totally blind; after the lapse of twelve years, however, he regained his sight in consequence of a skilful operation by Wentzell. But this advantage was of short duration, as owing to want of care in using the newly acquired sense, the malady returned, and he soon became hopelessly blind. Notwithstanding this heavy calamity and his advanced age, Euler did not despair of still being useful in the world. He set about writing a book on algebra, which, by the aid of a tailor's apprentice for an amanuensis, he completed with entire success; and it is said that about this time his memory became stronger.

In 1771, our blind philosopher nearly fell a victim to a fire which destroyed his house, but his life was saved by the courage of his countryman M. Grimm, who bore

him from the premises. Euler after his blindness wrote several works on the moon, and other subjects connected with astronomical and mathematical science. He also furnished to the Academy of St. Petersburg for their annual memoirs, papers sufficiently numerous to extend over a period of twenty years. In these labours he had the assistance of his son and of Messrs. Kraft and Lexell, without the use of whose eyes the observance of the heavenly bodies of which he wrote would have been impossible. The accuracy of the minute calculations, and the soundness of the deductions made by Euler during his blindness, have won the admiration of the learned of his own day, and of succeeding generations. We have confined our observations in this notice chiefly to matters connected with Euler's life during his want of sight, as anything like a history of his entire labours in the cause of science would be foreign to the object of this work. On the 7th of September, 1783, after some calculations on the motions of balloons (then just invented in France by MM. Montgolfier), Euler dined with Lexell, and conversed on the newly discovered planet Herschel, and while playing with his grandchild, who was taking tea, he expired suddenly, and without pain, at the age of seventy-six.

Euler's habits of life were strictly religious, the labours of each day being closed by a chapter from the Bible, and family prayer.

Thomas Blacklock, D.D.

This widely-known scholar and poet was a native of Scotland, being born at Annan in Dumfriesshire, November 10th, 1721.

He was of English descent, his parents being natives of Cumberland. His father was by trade a bricklayer, but possessed more than the average education of his class.

Before the age of six months, Blacklock became blind from smallpox, and a few years later we find his

father and friends reading to him the works of Milton, Spenser, Pope, Addison, and Ramsay. He very early acquired some knowledge of Latin, and about the age of twelve, wrote his first poem, which was addressed to a little girl. When he was about nineteen, his sister was united in marriage to a person of superior social position, which circumstance was eventually of great service to our young author in procuring for him introductions to the learned and influential, but although the ultimate results of the marriage were beneficial, its early history was clouded by a disaster which our blind poet never ceased to lament. The elder Blacklock being informed that a malt-kiln, belonging to his daughter's husband, was giving way, and being animated with a desire to preserve his relative's property, he ventured into the kiln below the ribs to ascertain the nature and extent of the evil, . when suddenly the principal beam and eighty bushels of malt fell upon him, and in one moment he was crushed to death. This sad occurrence made a lasting impression on the blind son's mind; as he possessed an exceedingly sensitive nature, and as his father ever evinced the most lively anxiety for his welfare, that such a calamity should have plunged him into the deepest gloom, which returned at intervals during his whole life, can be easily imagined. There is one point, however, in which the father's care was injurious. Blacklock was never allowed to walk abroad without a guide, and this had much to do in producing that timidity of manner and bodily weakness which characterized him in later years. The fond affection that Blacklock bore through life for his father is beautifully shown in the following lines:

"Where now, ah! where is that supporting arm
Which to my weak unequal infant steps
Its kind assistance lent? Ah! where that love,
That strong assiduous tenderness, which watch'd
My wishes, yet scarce formed, and to my view
Unimportun'd, like kind indulgent heav'n,

Their objects brought? Ah! where that gentle voice,

Which, with instruction, soft as summer dews
Or fleecy snows, descending on my soul,
Distinguish'd every hour with new delight?
Ah! where that virtue, which, amid the storms,
The mingled horrors of tumultuous life,
Untainted, unsubdu'd, the shock sustain❜d?
So firm, the oak, which, in eternal night,
As deep its root extends, as high to heaven
Its top majestic rises: such the smile
Of some benignant angel, from the throne
Of God dispatch'd, ambassador of peace;
Who, on his look impress'd, his message bears,
And, pleas'd, from earth averts impending ill.”

Soon after the loss of his father, our poet attracted the notice of Dr. Stevenson, of Edinburgh, then visiting at Dumfries. This kind-hearted physician took young Blacklock to the Scottish capital, and in 1741 placed him in a grammar school, where he prosecuted his studies in the learned languages with zeal and success. By the kindness of some of his newlymade friends, the blind student was introduced to the family of the Lord Provost Alexander. The wife of this chief magistrate was a native of France, and it was Blacklock's good fortune to obtain a knowledge of the French language from the instruction given to him by that lady.

When in 1745 the temporary success of Charles Stuart spread alarm through the kingdom, Blacklock, in common with his fellow-students, forsook the halls of learning and returned to his home. Here, however, he was not idle, for in addition to reading various authors he wrote several pieces and made a collection of his poems, which was published at Glasgow in 1746. When the battle of Culloden had trailed the Stuart flag in the dust, and blasted for ever the hopes of despotism in Britain, our poet returned to Edinburgh, and for six years pursued his studies with unwearied assiduity in the celebrated university of that city. He made himself master of the Greek, Latin, and Italian languages, and was also thoroughly skilled in divinity, philosophy, and music. A second edition of his

poems was published in Edinburgh, in 1754, and an edition appeared in London in the same year, with a biographical notice of the author, by Mr. Spence, the Oxford professor of poetry, who also published further editions in 1756 and 1796. An edition was also issued, edited by Mackenzie, in 1793.

The Presbytery of Dumfries in 1759 licensed Blacklock as a preacher of the Gospel in the national church of Scotland, and many sermons were preached by him which received great commendation. In 1762, he married Sarah, the daughter of Joseph Johnson, a surgeon of Dumfries, and a short time after he was ordained minister at Kirkcudbright, to which benefice he was presented by the Crown, at the instance of the Earl of Selkirk. This nomination, which appeared so promising, was attended with unfortunate results. The parishioners disliked Crown nominations; they had also an aversion to Lord Selkirk, and they vented all their indignation on the nominee, poor Blacklock. They complained of his preaching, tried to show that blindness disqualified him for his office, and carried on the contest so bitterly, that at the end of two years our poet was glad to compromise the matter by consenting to receive a small annuity in consideration of his resigning all claim with regard to the parish. Blacklock now returned to Edinburgh, and opened his house for the reception of a few young gentlemen as scholars and boarders. The success which attended him as an instructor of youth is shown by the circumstance that he continued the management of his academy for upwards of twenty-three years. By the interest of Dr. Beattie, Blacklock received, in 1766 or 1767, the degree of D.D. from Marischal College, Aberdeen; and here it may be observed that our poet seems to have been very fortunate in making friends, who were able and willing to promote his interests, and that to the names belonging to this category must be added the important one of Hume, the historian; but