FERGUSON, ADAM, LL.D., a distinguished philosopher and historian, born June 20, 1723, at Logierait in the Highlands of Perthshire, of which parish his father was minister. This excellent man had a numerous family, of whom Adam was his youngest son, by Mary Gordon, daughter of Mr Gordon of Hallhead, in Aberdeenshire.
It is believed that Adam received the first part of his education at the village school of his native parish, and thence he was removed to Perth, where he is said to have made uncommon progress in classical literature.
Towards the end of 1738 he entered the university of St Andrews. The Greek class in St Leonard's College was at this time taught by Mr Francis Pringle, the ablest Greek scholar Scotland then possessed; and in his class Adam Ferguson was enrolled as a ternar—that is to say, one who pays the lowest rate of fees. It has been alleged that he was admitted one of the foundation bursars, having stood first in the list of successful competitors; but if so, the victory was not very splendid, as, of the twelve who entered the class along with him, not more than eight (being of the denomination of ternars) could have been permitted to share in the contest. Ferguson appears to have acquired little more at this seminary than a high admiration of the Grecian and Roman literature, to the beauties of which he was more nearly introduced than he had hitherto been. He obtained the degree of master of arts May 4, 1742, when he had nearly completed his nineteenth year. In November of the same year he entered the divinity hall; and he studied also a year or two at Edinburgh; but there his attention appears to have been chiefly given to pursuits not immediately connected with his clerical views. In 1745, though he had studied divinity only one-half of the usual period, the General Assembly permitted his ordination by the presbytery of Dunkeld, on the representation that young Ferguson had
Ferguson. been pitched upon as the fittest person, from his knowledge of the Erse language, to fill the office of chaplain to the Highland regiment (the 42d) under the command of Lord John Murray. He continued attached to this regiment till 1757; about the beginning of which year he was elected keeper of the Advocates' Library, on the resignation of the celebrated David Hume; but this office he relinquished in about a year.
In the course of 1757 Ferguson rendered himself conspicuous by the interest he took in the success of the tragedy of Douglas, written by his familiar friend the Rev. John Home, and by his published defence of the morality of stage plays. When Home resigned his living in June of that year, Ferguson and he retired to Braid, in the vicinity of Edinburgh, and there spent several months in study, enlivened by the intercourse of friendship. Ferguson's campaigning experience appears to have given him a relish for a migratory life: he delighted particularly in taking occasional excursions to the Highlands, and rambling amidst the lakes and forests of Rannoch, or among his native hills. It was here that the lofty enthusiasm of his spirit was nursed and matured; and it may be said that the dignity and ease of manner for which he was distinguished above most of the literary men of his country, was acquired not so much in the intercourse of polished society, as in the wilds of Athole. To use his own expressive words:—"If I had not been in the Highlands of Scotland, I might be of their mind who think the inhabitants of Paris and Versailles the only polite people in the world. It is truly wonderful to see persons of every sex and age, who never travelled beyond the nearest mountain, possess themselves perfectly, perform acts of kindness with an aspect of dignity, and a perfect discernment of what is proper to oblige. This is seldom to be seen in our cities or in our capital; but a person among the mountains, who thinks himself nobly born, considers courtesy as the test of his rank."
In 1759 Ferguson succeeded Dr John Stewart as professor of natural philosophy in the university of Edinburgh. He had paid comparatively little attention to physical science; yet with only four months to prepare his course, he acquitted himself to the satisfaction of all.
Ferguson was appointed in 1764 to the chair of moral philosophy, which had long been a favourite object of his ambition. He entered on his new duties with a degree of spirit and activity from which the most splendid results were to be anticipated. In his discourses he seldom had recourse to notes, but trusted to his memory;—a method of lecturing liable to abuse, and generally unsatisfactory to the student, though in his hands happily executed. His class was crowded by great numbers of gentlemen of high rank and official station, as well as by younger students. Within little more than a year after he commenced his labours as a lecturer on morals, he published his Essay on the History of Civil Society, which was received with great approbation. Mr Hume, in a letter, congratulates the author on the success of the book, adding that he had "met with nobody that had read it who did not praise it." About this time Ferguson married Miss Burnet, a young lady nearly connected with his mother's family, and still more nearly related to his intimate friend Dr Black. Soon afterwards he began to cultivate a farm in the parish of Currie, and, at a considerable sacrifice of private interest, gratified his taste for improvement, by transforming a barren heath into a scene which became distinguished for beauty and fertility. All this time, however, he continued to conduct the business of his class with unremitting diligence, but seized every interval of leisure to collect materials for a history of the Roman commonwealth. Whilst thus engaged, he was solicited by the guardians of Charles, Earl of Chesterfield, to superintend that young nobleman's education, which had been much neglected. The negotiation was conducted
through the mediation of Dr Adam Smith; and Ferguson was persuaded to accept the charge, though it necessitated the suspension of his lectures in the university; but having obtained leave of absence for the next session, he joined his young charge at Geneva in May 1774. This connection, however, terminated about twelve months afterwards. In the meantime he had very nearly been deprived of his office in the university, the town-council before the conclusion of the session having thought fit to declare the chair vacant. His friends in the university, particularly Drs Robertson, Blair, and Black, were exceedingly indignant at this decision, and endeavoured to get it reversed. As the council, however, seemed to have determined to fill up the place by a new election, it became necessary to apply to the Court of Session to put a stop to their proceedings.
After his return, he continued, as formerly, to divide his time between his literary and agricultural pursuits, and engaged occasionally in the political controversies which agitated the country during the progress of the American war. Besides his pamphlet in answer to Dr Price's observations on liberty, he communicated his views from time to time to Sir William Pultney, and other members of parliament; and when it was resolved by government to send out commissioners to quiet the disorders in the colonies, he was appointed secretary to the commission. It is well known that the commissioners returned without accomplishing the object of their mission; but they had an opportunity of acquiring more useful information of the state and temper of the country than government had received in all the previous course of the contest. Whilst Dr Ferguson was absent during the session 1778-1779, his place was supplied by Dugald Stewart, who, about five years afterwards, was destined to succeed him in the chair of moral philosophy.
In 1780 Dr Ferguson was seized with an attack of apoplexy, which, though not violent, was nevertheless sufficient to alarm his friends. This formidable affection did not in the slightest degree impair the force of his understanding; and so abstemious did he afterwards become, as not only to secure himself against the recurrence of the disease, but to enjoy almost uninterrupted health for more than thirty years. As he could not now venture to lecture extempore as formerly, he wrote out his course, availing himself of the notes taken by some of the more intelligent of his former pupils. He was now (1783) busy in carrying his great historical work through the press. This was the History of the Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic, 3 vols. 4to; a book which not only delights by the clearness of its narrative and the boldness of its descriptions, but instructs and animates by profound and masterly delineations of character, as well as by the philosophical precision with which it traces the connection of events.
No longer able for the fatigue of public teaching, in the following year he resigned his chair in the university. He was succeeded by Dugald Stewart, then professor of mathematics; and an arrangement was made by which Dr Ferguson retained the salary. He now proceeded to revise the notes of his lectures on ethics and politics; and in 1792 they were published under the title of Principles of Moral and Political Science. Though composed under disadvantageous circumstances, this work contains an admirable view of the systems both of ancient and modern philosophers, particularly respecting the foundations of moral approbation, and the sources of private happiness and public security. Dr Ferguson, now in his seventieth year, resolved to pay a visit to the ancient metropolis of the world. He passed a short time at some of the principal cities of Europe, Berlin, Vienna, Florence, Naples, and Venice, and resided part of the winter of 1793 at Rome, in all of which places his reception was extremely flattering. He was elected a member of the Academy of Berlin, as well as of other learned societies. Upon his return to Britain in 1794, he took up
Ferguson. his residence at Nidpath Castle in Tweeddale, from which he soon removed to Hallyards on Manor Water, and in this agreeable retreat he spent the next fourteen years of his life. At last, however, when his sight and his hearing had in a great measure failed, he took up his abode at St Andrews. Here his strength gradually declined, but the vigour of his mind continued unimpaired to the last hour of his life. He died, after a short illness, Feb. 22, 1816, in the ninety-third year of his age, leaving three sons and three daughters.
In the various situations which it was his lot to occupy, he had uniformly conducted himself with a dignity and decision which bespoke the elevation and force of his mind. In private life his conversation was easy and elegant, and, among his intimate friends, enlivened by a fascinating gaiety and refinement of humour.
Among his writings are—The Morality of Stage Plays seriously considered. Edinb. 1757. A Pamphlet on the Militia. Lond. 1758. The History of the Proceedings in the case of Margaret, commonly called Sister Peg. Three editions. Lond. 1762. Another, 1777. Analysis of Lectures on Mechanics. Edinb. An Essay on the History of Civil Society. Lond. 1767. This book has passed through many editions, and has been translated into almost all the European languages. Analysis of Pneumatics and Moral Philosophy. Edinb. 1765. 12mo. Institute of Moral Philosophy, 1769; 319 pages 12mo. Another edition, 1773; 294 pages. A translation of this edition into French was published at Geneva in 1775, and revised by the author. A third edition, enlarged, was published at Edinb. 1785; 317 pages, 12mo. This elementary work has been used as a text book in several foreign universities. Remarks on a pamphlet published by Dr Price, entitled Observations on the Nature of Civil Liberty, &c. Lond. 1776. The History of the Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic. Lond. 1783. 3 vols. 4to. A translation into German was printed at Leipzig in 1784. It has been translated into several other modern languages, and has passed through a number of English editions. Principles of Moral and Political Science. Lond. 1792, 2 vols. 4to. Minutes of the Life and Character of Joseph Black, M.D., 1801. (Published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.) Biographical Sketch or Memoir of Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Ferguson. Edinb. 1817, printed, but not published for sale. He left behind him many papers; but a great mass of letters and other valuable documents had been indiscriminately destroyed by his direction some years before his death.
Ferguson, James, an eminent experimental philosopher, mechanist, and astronomer, was born at Keith, in Banffshire, in 1714, of parents in very humble circumstances. At an early age his extraordinary genius began to unfold itself. He first learned to read by overhearing his father teach his elder brother; and he had made this acquisition before any one suspected he had done so. He soon discovered a peculiar taste for mechanics, which first indicated itself on seeing his father use a lever; and having pursued this study a considerable time, even when very young, he at length made a watch in wood-work, from having once seen one. As he had no instructor, nor any help from books, everything he learned had all the merit of an original discovery; and such in fact he very naturally believed it to be. As soon as his age permitted he went out to service; but he met with hardships in this humble capacity which rendered his constitution feeble through life. Whilst he was servant to a farmer, whose goodness he acknowledges in the modest account of himself which he prefixed to his Mechanical Exercises, he frequently contemplated the stars; and he began the study of astronomy by constructing, from his own observations alone, a celestial globe. His kind master observing these marks of his ingenuity, procured him the countenance and assistance of some neighbouring gentlemen, by whose help and instructions he went on acquiring further knowledge, and was at length sent to Edinburgh. There, having obtained some notion of drawing, he began to take portraits in miniature, by which means he supported himself and family for several years, both in Scotland and England, whilst engaged in pursuing more serious studies. In London he first published some curious astronomical
tables and calculations, and afterwards gave public lectures on experimental philosophy, which he repeated in most of the principal towns in England with general approbation. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society without paying for admission; and he had a pension of £50 per annum given him, unsolicited, by King George III. on his accession, who had heard his lectures, and who frequently sent for and conversed with him on curious topics. He also received several presents from his majesty, and from other patrons of merit. The degree of consideration which Mr Ferguson attained by the strength of his natural genius alone is in fact known to every one. In astronomy and mechanics he was pre-eminently distinguished, even in this nation of philosophers; and he might justly be styled self-taught, or rather heaven-taught; for in his whole life he had not received above half a year's instruction at school. He was a man of the clearest judgment and the most unwearied application to study; benevolent, gentle, and innocent in his manners as a child; humble, courteous, and communicative; and, instead of pedantry, philosophy seemed to have produced in him only diffidence and urbanity. Altogether his history is in its way one of the most interesting and instructive that has ever been recorded. He died in 1776, at the age of sixty-two.
The following is a list of Mr Ferguson's published works:—1. Astronomical Tables, and Precepts for calculating the true times of New and Full Moon, 1763. 2. Tables and Tracts relative to several Arts and Sciences. 3. An easy Introduction to Astronomy, 1769, 2d edition. 4. Astronomy explained upon Sir Isaac Newton's Principles, 1772, 5th edition. 5. Lectures on Select subjects in Mechanics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, and Optics, 1772, 4th edition. 6. Select Mechanical Exercises, with a short account of the Life of the Author by himself, 1773. 7. The Art of Drawing in Perspective made easy, 1775. 8. An Introduction to Electricity, 1775. 9. Two Letters to the Reverend Mr John Kennedy, 1775. 10. A third Letter to the Reverend Mr John Kennedy, 1775. Mr Ferguson also communicated several papers to the Royal Society, which were printed in their Transactions. In 1803, a valuable edition of his Lectures was published at Edinburgh by Dr. now Sir David Brewster, in two volumes 8vo, with notes and an appendix, intended to adapt the whole to the actual state of science.
Ferguson, Robert, a Scottish poet who acquired a considerable share of celebrity at a very early period of life, was born at Edinburgh on the 5th of September 1750 or 1751. His father, whose name was William, paid court to the muses as well as the son; but he wisely relinquished the study of poetry for the more certain emoluments of trade and commerce, and was employed in different mercantile houses both in Edinburgh and in Aberdeen. He was an accountant in the Linen Hall when he died, but never acquired anything like an independent fortune.
The subject of this notice was of a weak and delicate constitution during infancy; so much so, indeed, that small hopes were entertained of his ever reaching the years of manhood. Yet such were the care and attention of his parents, that he was able to attend an English school by the time he was six years of age, when his progress was considered as very extraordinary; and it proved no less rapid at the High School of Edinburgh, which he attended for four years, acquiring a competent knowledge of the Latin tongue with very little labour or exertion. He then went to the grammar-school of Dundee, and in two years afterwards to the university of St Andrews, which his father preferred to Edinburgh, because a gentleman of the name of Ferguson had left two bursaries for the education of as many boys of the same name.
Ferguson's health was never at any time impaired by severe study; yet he kept alive at the university the opinion which had been entertained of him whilst at school, and he was decidedly the first mathematician of his own standing. He was patronized by Dr Wilkie, professor of natural philosophy, and also known as the author of the Epigoniad, who conceived an attachment for him, as much perhaps for
Feris. his poetical as his mathematical talents. This kindness was repaid by Ferguson, on the death of Dr Wilkie, by a beautiful eclogue to his memory, written in the Scottish dialect.
He returned to Edinburgh when he had finished his studies, without having fixed on any particular employment; for although he was destined for the church by his father, on the death of the latter he paid but little attention to the expostulations of his mother. He was, however, induced to attempt the study of the law, in which, as might have been expected, he made no proficiency. He seems, however, to have turned a wishful eye to some sinecure place, in order to obtain which he paid a visit to a rich uncle who resided at Aberdeen, hoping that, through his influence, he might be settled in a manner suited to his merit. But in this expectation he was completely disappointed; for although his uncle at first showed him every mark of attachment, his fondness decreased by degrees; and in six months he desired his nephew in an abrupt manner to leave his house, without attempting to procure for him any kind of living.
His necessities at this period were so great that he copied papers in the commissary clerk's office for so much per sheet, an employment which he soon left in disgust. His exuberant wit, equalled only by his good nature, thoughtlessness, and social propensities, made all who knew him receive him with affection; but his powers of song and talents for mimicry often led him into the company of the dissipated, whose example could not fail to do him essential injury, and who had neither the power nor the inclination to provide for him through life. The irregularities in which he was thus led to indulge often awakened in him the reproaches of conscience; and the conversation of a minister, who understood his manner of life, appears to have made a deep impression on his mind. His remorse, indeed, soon afterwards assumed the appearance of absolute despair. His sprightliness entirely forsook him; but he gradually recovered from this despondency, and his health was at length fully restored. Soon afterwards his head was cut so severely by a fall, that he became delirious from the loss of blood; and in this condition he remained for some months, till the want of sleep and perpetual delirium put a period to his existence on the 16th of October 1774. He was buried in the Canongate churchyard. Over his grave a monument was erected by Robert Burns, who loved his genius, and naturally sympathized with failings akin to his own. Had Ferguson united prudence with his abilities, he would have no doubt risen to distinguished eminence in the literary world. His poems in the Scottish dialect have been very much admired by his countrymen; and when we reflect that they were composed in the intervals of dissipation, they must be considered as unequivocal evidences of his genius. (J. P. S.)