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In a second letter, in answer to one partly instigated by Robertson, he talked further of his scheme of Logic, and made the earliest reference to Comte that I had yet seen: "Have you

ever looked into Comte's Cours de Philosophie Positive? He makes some mistakes, but on the whole, I think it very nearly the grandest work of this age.

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In a further letter, of 5th November, he offered to send me, and he did send, a copy of his father's Analysis, which I perused with close attention, and often went back upon. He also promised to introduce to the editor of the Edinburgh Review any article of mine that might be deemed suitable. Robertson had made the same offer; but I doubt whether his recommendation at the time would have had weight. Robertson further suggested the idea of my taking a clerkship in a Government office, which he considered he had sufficient influence to obtain. I gave him no encouragement to make the application.

Robertson, although making considerable pretensions as a thinker, was undoubtedly stronger in literary style. The intercourse we had with him (Masson and myself) was eminently stimulating and valuable in this respect. I can remember his taking up a number of the Edinburgh Review, containing Macaulay's article on Ranke, and

CORRESPONDENCE WITH J. S. MILL.

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reading with admiration the "New Zealander " paragraph. That, he said, was the style which made a literary name, and he used to couple Macaulay and Bulwer Lytton as the great literary successes of the day, and as his special envy in his own very unsuccessful career. In point of fact, if he had only possessed their industry, he might have been a success too.

Winter Session, 1841-42.

It was in autumn of this year that I made a further proposal to Hickson, giving him the subject of "Toys". On the 16th October, I got his acceptance, in which he expressed the hope that the topic might be so treated as to attract readers whom the previous articles might have repelled. He gave me very little time for its composition, only till the last week of November; thus covering the first weeks of my Assistantship in Moral Philosophy. I had Mechanics' Class this winter, and gave the Natural Philosophy notes into the hands of a member of the Institution, who made use of them for the winter.

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The article appeared in the January number of the review (1842). It was an ambitious attempt to unfold the psychology, not merely of

toys, but of many other interests that seemed to be closely associated with them. The centre and turning-point of the whole treatment was the Law of Similarity, which was for the first time developed on the scale given to it in subsequent psychological compositions. The applications were so far legitimate, but overdone; the facts to be explained as occurring in the life, not merely of the child, but of the grown-up individual, requiring sources of emotional interest beyond what could be properly referred to this intellectual principle. As may be seen from more recent attempts to expiscate the mental workings of childhood, there is still much to be done for this portion of psychological inquiry.

While there was no want of endeavour to make the paper intelligible and interesting by the illustrations adduced throughout, it laid itself open to the criticism of being a somewhat incongruous union of lightness in the end, with gravity in the means; a criticism freely applied to it, as I learned both from Robertson and from Mill, as well as from the editor himself. Its real interest now lies in the point reached in the enunciation of the two great intellectual laws.

It appears that I had read to the Theological Society, in the course of this winter, an essay

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on "Faith," and another on "Moral Greatness". These must have been my last contributions to the Society. A substitute was soon found in a different quarter.

A small knot of class-fellows, including, besides myself, John D. Milne, George Walker, John Christie, David Mackinnon, Alexander Cruickshank and his brother John, Alexander Cromar, and John Ogilvie, formed into a society or club to meet weekly in Duguid Milne's office, for the reading of papers and discussions. We came to the task with the utmost zeal, and the studious co-operation of a certain number lasted for several years, and led to important results. There is no remaining minute that would show the several contributions of the first winter. One I can remember was by John Christie, who gave an abstract from Gregory's lectures, of the animal chemistry of Liebig; Gregory having the same winter given portions to the Philosophical Society, of which I was not yet a member. Christie soon left for London, where he had a chequered and unfortunate career. He made himself useful to me, in my successive visits to London, by finding lodgings, and otherwise; and I was the means of securing for him openings and assistance, when he had completely failed in obtaining a medical practice.

We received a dreadful shock by the sudden death of John Cruickshank, which took place, from scarlet fever, in the beginning of February, after a week's illness. To his father the blow was severe, and the loss irreparable. It sensibly told upon him, although he was still in the full vigour of middle age.

It so happened that I was disengaged during the hours of his two chief classes, ten to eleven, and twelve to one. I offered at once to take charge of these classes, until after the funeral. He accepted my offer; and I got through the work, although the strain was severe.

In the beginning of this year, Andrew Findlater was appointed head master of Gordon's Hospital, which was the commencement of my acquaintance with him. I frequently visited him at his residence in the Hospital, and found him highly sympathetic with my own with my own views and opinions at the time. He was a hard student, already knew French, and soon applied himself to German. We two were pretty much in the same theological stage, as well as being in sympathy on philosophy and education. The following year, which saw the publication of Mill's Logic, and the introduction of Comte's Philosophie Positive to the English public, found him prepared to take the full benefit of both works.

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