ROBISON, Jorm, a celebrated Scotch natural philosopher, was b. at Boghall, in the parish of Baldernock, Stirlingshire, in 1739, and after a preliminary training at the gram mar school of Glasgow, entered the university of that city in Nov., 1750, and took his degree in 1756. He was engaged to accompany Edward. duke of York, to sea, as his instructor in mathematics and navigation; but this arrangement being abandoned, Robison accompanied in a similar capacity the son of admiral Knowles (1758 to 1762). He afterward obtained the responsible office of taking charge of the Harrison (q.v.,) chronometer in its trial trip across the Atlantic; and on his return (April 1763) from this expedition, for which he was never remunerated, he returned to Glasgow to commence the curriculum of divinity study. Ile happened, however, at this time to renew his acquaintance with James Watt and Dr. Black, and his former strong predilection for physical science underwent a vigorous revival, and was cultivated with such success that in 1766, when Black was transferred to the university of Edinburgh, Robison succeeded him. In 1770 his old friend, admiral Knowles, having been recommended by the Brit ish government to the czarina Catharino II. as the fittest person to reform the ship-build ing and naval administration of Russia, accepted the appointment of president of the Russian board of admiralty, and persuaded Robison to accompany him as secretary. Robison remained in Russia for several years, and rose high in the opinion of govern-' ment, which conferred upon him various offices, bed' honorable and profitable. lint the chair of natural philosophy in Edinburgh having become vacant in 1773, Robison was unanimously elected, and despite the extremely tempting and flattering offers of the Russian government, he accepted the chair (1774). On leaving Russia a pension was
settled on him, and he agreed to take charge of two or three of the young cadets, his former pupils. To the performance of his professorial duties, Robison brought talents and acquirements of a high order; his knowledge was extensive, and included the latest discoveries of both British and foreign philosophers; his language was precise and fluent; and his views of his subject ingenious.and comprehensive. But, on the other hand, his diction was too rapid, and he unfortunately disapproved of experiments, and employed them as little as possible in illustrating the great principles of natural science. In 1783 Robison joined with principal Robertson and other eminent men in reviving the old literary and scientific society (which had been founded in 1730 under the direction of Mr. Maclaurin, and had been in a languishing state since 1756), which was now incor porated by royal charter, and becanle the philosophical society. The Transactions of this society contain several works from Robison's pen, which are held in high esteem; and his contributions to the Encyclopedia Thita-nnica were the means of elevating that work to the rank of a valuable and trustworthy book of reference. He published Black's Lectures on Chemistry (1803), and also a portion of a work of his own, entitled Elements of Mechanical Philosophy, which, together with some MSS. intended to form part of a second volume, etc., was re-published by sir David Brewster in 4 vols. (1822). with notes. On Jan. 28, 1805, he was seized with a severe recurrence of a former illness, brought on by a cold, and died two days afterward.
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