FERGUSON, JAMES, was born in 1710, at a short distance from Keith, a village in Banffshire. His father, who was a day-labourer, taught lihn to read and write, and sent him to school for three months at Keith.
When only seven or eight years old, having seen his father use a beam as a lever, with a prop for a fulcrum, in order to raise the roof of their cottage, which had partly fallen in, his curiosity was so much excited by the ease with which what appeared to him so stupendous an effect was accomplished, that he thought about it, and made trials, and constructed models, and drew diagrams, till be became acquainted with the chief properties of the lever, not only in its simple appli cation, but as modified by the wheel and axle. The taste for practical mechanics thus formed continued to distinguish him through life, and, together with an equally decided taste for astronomy, conducted him in his later years to distinction and independence.
His astronomical pursuits commenced soon afterwards. His father sent him to a neighbouring farmer, who employed him in watching his sheep. While thus occupied, he amused himself at night in studying the stars, and during the day in making models of mills, spinning-wheels, and similar things. When a little older, he entered into the service of another farmer, who treated him with great kind ness, and encouraged and assisted him in his astronomical studies. " I used," he says, stretch a thread with small beads ou it at arm's length between my eye and the stars, sliding the beads upon it till they hid such and such stars from my eye, in order to take their apparent distances from one another; and then laying the thread down on a paper, I marked the stars thereon by the beads." "My master," he adds, "that I might make fair copies in the day-time of what I had done in the night, often worked for me himself." Mr. Gilchrist, the minister of Keith, having seen his drawings, gave him a map of the earth to copy, and furnished him with compasses, ruler, pens, ink, and paper.
At the house of Mr. Gilchrist he met Mr. Grant of Achoynaney, with whom, at the termination of his engagement with his present master, he went to reside, being then in his twentieth year. He had learnt vulgar arithmetic from books, and Mr. Grant's butler, Mr. Cantley, taught him decimal arithmetic and the elements of algebra, and was about to commence instructing him iu geometry when he left the employment of that gentleman.
Ferguson soon afterwards entered into the service of a miller in the neighbourhood, where he was overworked, and scarcely supplied with food enough for subsistence. After remaining a year in this situation, he was engaged by Dr. Young, who was a farmer as well as a physician, and who promised to instruct him iu medicine, but broke his promise, and treated him with so much harshness that, though his engagement was for half a year, he left at the quarter, and forfeited the wages which were due to him. A severe hurt of the arm and band, which he had got in the doctor's service, confined him to his bed for two months after his return home. During this time he amused himself with constructing a wooden clock. He afterwards made a wooden watch with a whalebone spring ; and his talents having been turned in this direction, he began to earn a little money in the neighbourhood by cleaniug and mending clocks.
He was about this time invited to reside with Sir James Dunbar of Dunn, and, at the suggestion of Lady Dipple, Sir James's sister, began to draw patterns for ladies' dresses. He says, "I was sent for by other ladies in the country, and began to think myself growing rich by the money I got by such drawings ; out of which I had the pleasure of occasionally supplying the wants of my poor father." His studies in astronomy however were not neglected, and he still continued to use his thread and beads.
Besides drawing patterns, he copied pictures and prints with pen and ink; and having left the residence of Sir James Dunbar for that of Mr. Baird of Auchmcddan, Lady Dipple'e son-in-law, he drew a portrait of that gentleman which was much admired, and now began to draw likenesses from the life in Indian ink. These appeared to his patrons to be so excellent, that they took him to Edinburgh with the intention of having him regularly instructed in drawing, but a premium having been unexpectedly demanded, he boldly commenced the practice of his art at once. The Marchioness of Douglas having assisted him with her patronage, he succeeded so well that ho obtained money enough, not only to defray his own expenses, but to contribute largely to the support of his aged parents.