located where the mass of stars was to be found.

The Disruption was completed before I left Aberdeen. Among other movements projected by the seceding party, was a grand demonstration in London, in the shape of a meeting in Exeter Hall in the end of June. I went to the meeting, with Robertson. The intention was to enlist the sympathies of English dissent; and speakers were found to hail the movement as a great contribution to the strength of non-conformity. Guthrie, if I remember, was the prominent representative of the Disruption leaders; Cunningham being also present, and Isaac Taylor of Ongar, well known for his series of writings starting with "Natural History of Enthusiasm " (all which had a temporary popularity; the style being vivacious, and the choice of subjects attractive). He was included among the speakers representing English dissent. Very ill adapted physically for giving an oration in Exeter Hall, he was still worse fitted for the present occasion by an utterly misplaced vindication of establishments, to which, by some perverse and paradoxical strain of argument, he considered the Scotch Disruption to have contributed. This was too much for the audience, and he was very soon hooted down. Mill, on his way up from the India House,

MEETING IN EXETER HALL.

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dropped into the hall in time to hear Guthrie, and expressed great admiration of his speech. As Robertson and I left the meeting, we encountered Binney, the well-known Congregationalist, a most commanding personage in every way. He treated us to a bottle of port wine in an adjoining hotel; but the drift of his conversation I have entirely forgotten. On the whole, the meeting must have been considered a success on the part of the Disruption leaders.

I mentioned that I had begun Comte immediately on my arrival in London. I worked at him all through, making a full abstract as I went along. In this way, I finished five volumes, and got the sixth to take with me to Aberdeen. I talked the work steadily over with Mill, discussing both its strong and its weak points. Comte's classification of the sciences was a wonderful advance upon anything known at the time; the three stages being very suggestive. The interpolation of the metaphysical stage between the theological and the positive, helped to express certain phases in all the sciences, although, doubtless, the vital contrast in the progress of knowledge was the theological and the scientific in its most perfect form. When the author came to sociology or history, in the fourth and fifth volumes, the application of the successive stages struck Mill as often wonderfully

happy. All this he expressed afterwards in his review of Comte's entire system, including his additional work on Sociology.

As G. H. Lewes had been reading Comte for the sake of his literary work, we used to discuss him at the Arnott weekly dinners. Arnott's other guests did not readily fall in with his system. Craik, who had had much historical writing to do, saw no virtues in him whatever. Arnott himself knew something of Comte, and, moreover, had classified the sciences upon the same general plan; while, at a future time (1860?), he sketched an exhaustive and detailed classification, very much on Comte's lines, for the science degrees of the University of London.

I had so far expressed concurrence and approbation with regard to the Philosophie Positive, that Mill, in writing to Comte, mentioned my name as one of his assiduous students. The correspondence between the two was still frequent and cordial. For some time, Mill entertained the project of visiting Comte in Paris before the end of the year; but the visit did not take place.

On the 17th of June, I went to a sitting of the House of Commons, which was occupied by an exciting subject the so-called education clauses of the Factory Bill. The Nonconformist wrath over these clauses had reached the boiling

point, and, in the gallery, some of their representatives could hardly contain themselves while Graham was speaking; his speech ending in the withdrawal of the clauses.

I had visits both from Masson and from George Walker in July; Masson being much engaged with Robertson in Church and political talk. This was his first visit to London.

While Cruickshank and Clark were still in London, we went together to Drury Lane, which was then under the management of Macready. The play was "Julius Cæsar," and was the first piece of consummate Shakespearian acting I had witnessed. Helen Faucit had then fully attained her position as an actress.

It must have been this year that the Italian Opera under Lumley had reached that extraordinary eminence which preceded its downfall. I went occasionally to the three-shilling gallery on Saturday evenings, when the entertainment, combining opera and ballet, lasted till midnight. The great Italian singers, Grisi, Mario, Lablache, were then in perfection; some of the solos of Mario exceeded in fascination of voice anything I have ever heard since, and enraptured the entire house, crowded at every point. The ballet represented by Taglioni, Elsler, and Cerito was also unique. I can well remember the effect of

the Queen's interposition to make up a pas de quatre of the four greatest dancers, including those three.

I got back to Aberdeen towards the end of August. I was still reading Comte on the various country excursions in the course of the two months before the opening of the session. I first paid a visit of a fortnight to Shier at Banff; and I can remember working in his house, chiefly upon psychological notes. In another visit of a few days to Donside, I remember mastering the final big volume, which completed Comte's work. A further excursion took me to Dundee, Perth, and Dunkeld. Leaving Dunkeld by coach for Blair Athole in the early morning, I made the foot excursion of thirty miles through Glen Tilt to Braemar, a most perilous adventure to have taken alone. This was in the beginning of October.

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Winter Session, 1843-44.

On finally settling for the winter, I resumed my intercourse with our small society, and reported progress on my summer readings of Comte, and Mill's conversations thereupon. I proposed at once to give an account of Comte to the society. I found that Findlater was also in a state of pre