BOOKS.

PEACOCK'S LIFE OF DR. YOUNG.* TEE name of Thomas Young is most generally known as a discoverer of the art of reading the ancient Egyptian writing. But he was a man of great acquirements in other branches of learning. A distinguished Grecian, and a master more or less of many languages modern as well as ancient, he was also versed in mechanical and natural science ; he had given the attention of a philosopher to the vocation of an actuary as regards the " value " of life, or in other words its expected duration ; his profession was that of physic, with which he combined an exten- sive knowledge of chemistry. It may be doubted whether he did not excel in most things rather than in his own trade ; though his cool temperament and cautious habits made him a safe practi- tioner. His inquiries into and writings upon the Egyptian re- cords undoubtedly led the way to the present state of the art of deciphering; his discoveries in optics, assailed by the Edinburgh Review and opposed or neglected by others, received a more oon- siderate attention on the Continent than at home, and are now finally allowed to rank among the most remarkable discoveries in physical science. His article on Bridges in the Supplement to the EncyclTeedia Britannica, independently of the exposi- tion itself, drew scientific attention to the great importance of the materials of which structures were to be erected, as regards cohe- sion, elasticity, and strength. His publications on classical lite- rature or languages not only exhibited the learning of the scholar, but threw out hints or more than hints as to the proper modes of dealing with the ancient Herculaneum manuscripts,—a source of in- formation which has not realized the hopes entertained of it forty or fifty years ago. His various contributions to scientific journals or transactions, and_ his lectures at the Royal Institution, if not always correct, aided the progress of natural and mathematical science. With the exception of a few experiments on topics of subordinate importance, his medical works were compilations, able possibly, but not original or the result of actual observation.

The cause of this seeming singularity is to be sought in the nature of Young's mind, which was speculative rather than prac- tical. He preferred to read and write, (his Greek penmanship was of remarkable excellence,) to calculate, and what is called invent, rather than undergo the uncertain labour of observing nature. In fact, he seemed to undervalue the task. He had an idea that more could be done in physio by what must be called compilation—examining and combining the recorded observations of others—than by any original efforts of his own. He writes to a friend—" In many other departments of science I have been enabled to draw conclusions from a comparison of the experiments of others, which I should have been much longer in discovering by investigations of my own ; and why not in physic?" Within somewhat narrow limits this observation is true. No one should set up for a discoverer till he knows what has been discovered before. Discoveries, however, according to their value and theii age, are embodied in the grammar or general literature of the particular science. The written letter gives us not nature, but somebody's perception of nature, which is possibly erroneous, and at best second-hand. In addition to the freshness of living na- ture, there is in medicine the interest not to say the anxiety for the patient's fate, to sharpen the practitioner's perception. It is possible that Young had not a great deal of this. He was a man of pure morals, of excellent private and public character, but he wanted sympathy in life, as imagination in intellectual pursuits. With his nature therefore, his method of procedure might be the best he could adopt, though not to be recommended as the best in itself.

Dr. Young's friends and his biographer complain of the *slowness with which his fame made its way in the world, and assign various causes for it. Having been self-educated, he was comparatively deficient in the highest branches of mathe- matics, and in the abstruse subjects of optical science he had re- course to common language instead of the received mathematical formula to express his ideas. He was also deficient in the clear- ness of diction requisite to convey complex and, new ideas to the mind ; be did not resort to any of the usual methods of obtain- ing publicity ; and the attack of the Edinburgh Review already mentioned had the effect of prejudicing the English world against him. Something may be allowed to these reasons; but the fact is that Young's discoveries were not of a broad cast; neither were they perfected by himself. Fresnel completed his optics; Cham- pollion the Egyptian writing, so far as there is any completion. Besides, popular fame is not the meed of great learning or of scientific discovery, unless it be of a kind to effect a revolution in popular belief, or lead to some tangible improvement in the useful arts. Copernicus, Geniis'°, Newton, Watt, Davy, and other men of science popularly famous fall under this category. They become known to the people by being in some way realized to the mind and business of the people. Except to scholars Bent- ley's name is not preserved for his learning ; his strength of • Life of Thomas Younf, M.D., P.M., Ac., and one of the eight Foreign Asso- ciates of the National Inatituae of France. By George Peacock, D.D., F.R.S., &c., Dean of Ely, Lowndean Professor of Astronomy in the University of Cambridge, and formerly Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College. Published by Murray. Miscellaneous Works of the late Thomas Young, M.D., F.R.S., &c. Volumes I. and Ii.; including his Scientific Memoirs, &e. Edited by George Peacock, D.D.. F.R.S., &a., Dean of Ely, Sta. Published by Murray. Miscellaneous Works of the late Thomas Young, M.D., F.R.S., &o. Volume III., Hieroglyphical Essays and Correspondence, &c. Edited by John Leitch. Pub- lished by Murray. character, his pungent retort, his perpetual quarrels, nay, even the satire of which he was the subject, have contributed to his fame. Porson might have been a greater Grecian than he was, but his name would not have been familiarly known were it not for his racy English, his caustic wit., his more than anti-humbug clferegard of appearances and pretence, and last, not least, his cele- brated cent ivutlity. Parr had neither the learning nor the charac- ter of these two great men ; but he had what answers the purpose equally well for a time, the genius of the charlatan strong in his composition. That Dr. Young could ever have attained this popular celebrity in his life, is a question ; or whether he has attained it now. If the true cause of fame be steadily borne in mind—that no man is really famous except among classes of men whose minds he touches in some way or other, Young may not only be considered famous but fortunate. He was elected a member of the Royal So- ciety in June 1794, a few days after he was of age. The memoir he submitted the year before, and which was considered meritorious enough to lead to the membership, involved him in a controversy with no less a man than John Hunter, and (on his early death) with Sir Everard Ho-me; though the controversy really turned on a charge of plagiarism against Young. He was early introduced into high society, through the influence of his maternal uncle Dr. Brocklesby and the patronage of Burke. In 1794 he was offered the post of private secretary to the Duke of Richmond, with the prospect of further advantages ; but was dissuaded from accepting it by Burke and Wyndham. When he went to Edinburgh in the autumn of the same year, he had access to the first society in the capital and in the provinces. On his return in 1797 from Gottingen, where he also studied, he entered himself as a Cambridge stu- dent, to qualify himself to practise legally; and such were the regulations in those days that it was five years before he could take a bachelor's degree. In spite of that want, Young was elected Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution in 1801, and became joint editor of the Journal with Davy. In 1802 he was appointed Foreign Secretary to the Royal Society. In the following year he went to Paris during the peace of Amiens, and was introduced to Bonaparte. Though his manners were not well adapted to the me- dical profession, his practice, with the property left him by his uncle, enabled him to live in a style proportioned to the society he mixed with; and in 1811 he was elected physician to St. George's Hospi- tal,—a position for which he certainly was indebted to something other than his medical standing. He was applied to for contributions both to the Quarterly _Review and the Supplement to the Encyclo- pedia Britannica. The Admiralty referred to him the question of Seppings's improvements in shipbuilding; and he produced a me- moir on the subject in 1814. In 1818 he was appointed Secretary to the Board of Longitude and Superintendent of the Nautical Almanaek, at a salary of 400/. a year. In 1824 he was nominated a sort of advising actuary to the Palladium Life Office, with a salary of 500/. a year. In 1827 he received one of the highest honours awarded to science, being elected a Foreign Associate of the Academy of Sciences at Paris. All these various and indeed opposite appointments were obtained before he had passed the prime of life, and that in spite of the distrust generally inspired by a man who dabbles in many pursuits. Thomas Young was born in 1773, and died in 1829, when only fifty-six. His immediate disease was "ossification of the aorta, which must have been in progress for many years, and every appearance indicated an ad- vance of age, not brought on probably by the natural course of time nor even by constitutional formation, but by unwearied and incessant labour of the mind from the earliest days of infancy." This "incessant and unwearied labour" was the obvious means by which he acquired so many languages and mastered so many pursuits. He had, however, great natural aptitude, made visible at a much earlier period than usual. His parents were Quakers, living at Milverton in Somersetshire. He says himself, that he was taught reading by a village schoolmistress and his aunt; could read fluently at two years old ; and by the time he was four, Tinder the instructions of his two teachers, he had twice read the Bible through, as also Watts's Hymns,—but the Bible must surely be taken with a limitation.. He was placed at several schools till be was fourteen, and his maternal grandfather, a man of some classical learning, partially directed his studies ; but in reality, Young may be called self-educated, for he not only outstripped his teachers, but mastered studies of which they knew nothing. Com- pendiums of arts and sciences made him acquainted with natural philosophy; an ingenious person he occasionally fell in with in- troduced him to practical mechanics ; languages he acquired for himself. The following were the extra school, studies of thirteen, and the home studies of fourteen.

"In mathematics I read Walkinghame'a Tutor's Assistant, Ewines Ma- thematics, omitting Gunnery, and Dilworth's Book-keeping. The usher of the school was a very ingenious young man of the name of Josiah Jeffrey, who was in the habit of lending use books, and amongst them Benjamin Martin's Lectures on Natural Philosophy, and Ey land's Introduction to the Newtonian Philosophy. I was particularly delighted with the optical part of Martin's book, which contains many detailed rules for the practical con- struction of optical instruments. I also learnt the first elements of algebra front Vyse and Ward. "Mr. Jeffrey was a good mechanic, and it was from him that I acquired my fondness for turning and for making telescopes. He had made also an electrical machine, which I very frequently used. I was in the habit of grinding and preparing various kinds of colours for him, which he used to sell to the boys and to others ; from him likewise I learnt the first prin- ciples of drawing, and copied under his direotions several specimens from the copperplates of a book entitled the Principles of Design. He was also a bookbinder, an occupation in which I assisted him. After he left the echool, I succeeded to some of his employments and perquisites ; and I used to sell paper, copperplates, copy-books, and colours, to my schoolfellows ; by which means I contrived to collect in 1786 as much as 6a., which, added to , 10s. 6d. given me by my parents, enabled me to buy some Greek and Latin books which were sold to me by Mr. Thompson at extremely low prices, and likewise Montanna's Hebrew Bible, for which I gave 5s.; for I was at that time enamoured of Oriental literature, and I had already read through Bux- torf'e Compendium, and Taylor's Tract at the end of his Concordance; and before I left Compton School, I had succeeded in getting through six chapters ,

of the Hebrew Bible. i • * * • • • , "Upon my return home, after finally leaving Compton School, I devoted myself almost entirely to the study of Hebrew, and to the practice of turning and telescope-making. I read through thirty chapters of the Book of Genesis without points. That most excellent man Mr. TonImin, who had heard of the nature of my studies, though perfectly unknown to me lent me Muscles Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and Samaritan Grammars, and also some works of Gregory Sharp and Mr. Bayley, which I studied with great diligence. Mr. John Fry lent me Robertson on Reading Hebrew without Points. Mr. Tout- min also lent me the Lord's Prayer in more than a hundred languages; the examination of which gave me extraordinary pleasure. I had also read through the greatest part of Sir William Jones's Persian Grammar."

From his fourteenth to his nineteenth year Young lived with Mr. Barclay of Youngsbury, as a companion and assistant tutor to that gentleman's grandson Hudson Gurney. Here Young continued , the same course of severe application and varied study which seemed a part of his very nature. Up to this time it does not appear that his uncle Brocklesby took much notice of him ; but some Greek verses and his beautiful Greek penmanship attracted the attention of Burke, who expressed himself very favourably of the young scholar. His uncle consequently began to regard him as a genius who would do credit to the family. On Young's leaving Mr. Barclay the Doctor received him into his house in London; and gave him every assistance in the pursuit of his medical studies, ' which indeed were undertaken at Brockleeby's suggestion. He had previously, on casual visits, been made acquainted with the men of learning, literature, and rank, who often assembled at the house.

Dr. Young inspired his friends with a warm attachment; but it would seem to have arisen from his merits and sterling qualities, not from his manners, which were cold and unattractive if not repelling. He was not an effective or pleasing lecturer ; his Classes at the hospital were scantily attended; and his manners towards his patients were not winning. A sketch of him at Cambridge, by the gentleman who succeeded Young's nominal I tutor at that University, presents the most lifelike picture of him that we have met. He probably did not show to the best ad- vantage at Cambridge. A young man who had discussed Greek with Burney and Porson—had sustained public controversy with I John Hunter, mixed with the eminent in London and Edinbargh, ' visited the Dukes of Atholl and Gordon, danced with their dough- I ters, and was just fresh from Gottingen and foreign travel— a rarity at that time—could hardly have been satisfied with an inferior ' position, to which the Dons generally seem to have doomed him. I There is, however, truth we suspect in the sketch ; especially touch- ing Vince's opinion. It would be wonderful if in such varied pur- suits Young was always correct. " 'When the Master,' says the writer, introduced Young: to his tutors, he jocularly said, "I have 'brought you a pupil qualified to read lectures to his tutors." This, however, as might be concluded, he diclnot attempt : and the forbearance was mutual ; he was never required to attend the common duties of the College.

" 'He had a high character for classical learning before he came to Cam- bridge ; but I believe he did nob pursue his classical studies in the latter part of his life—he seldom spoke of them : but I remember his meeting Dr. -Parr in the College Combination-room, and when the Doctor had made, as was not unusual with him, some dogmatical observation on a point of scho- larship, Young said, firmly, Bentley, sir, was of a different opinion ' ; im- mediately quoting his authority, and showing his intimate knowledge of the subject. Parr said nothing ; but when Dr. Young retired, asked who he was; and, though he did not seem to have heard his name before, he said,

4 A_smart young man that.'

• S * * C •

"'The views, objects, character, and acquirements of our mathematicians were very different then to what they are now ; and Young, who was cer- tainly beforehand with the world, perceived their defects. Certain it le, that be looked down upon the science, and would not cultivate the acquaint- ance of say of our philosophers. Wood's books I have heard him speak of with approbation, but Vince he treated with contempt, and he afterwards returned the compliment. I recollect once asking Vince his opinion of Young : he said be knew nothing correctly. "What can you think," says be, "of a man writing upon mechanics who does not know the principle of a coach-wheel." This alludes to a mistake of Dr. Young's on this subject in his Natural Philosophy.

"'He did not seem even to have heard the names of most of our poets or literary characters in the last century, and hardly_ever spoke of English literature. • • • • • •

"'He never obtruded his various learning in conversation; but if appealed tO on the most difficult subject, he answered in a quick, flippant, decisive way, as if he was speaking of the most easy ; and in this mode of talking he differed from all the clever men that I ever saw. His reply never seemed to cost him an effort, and he did not appear to think there was any credit in being able to make it. He did not assert any superiority, or seem to suppose that he possessed it ; but spoke as if he took it for granted that we all under- stood the matter as well as he did. He never spoke ha praise of any of the writers of the day even in his own peculiar department, and could not be persuaded to discuss their merits. He was never personal : he would speak of knowledge in itself, of what was known or what might be known, but never of himself or any other as having discovered anything, or as likely to do so.

" Ills language was correct, his utterance rapid, and his sentences, though without any affectation, never left unfinished. But his words were not those in familiar use, and the arrangement of his ideas seldom the same as those he conversed with. He was therefore worse calculated than any man I ever knew for the communication of knowledge. I remember our once asking him to answer an objection to Haygen's theory of light, which he preferred to Newton's; and, though there were many very competent per- sons present, he attempted in vain." Yet he was indebted to Huygen for his own undulatory theory. " 'In his manners he had something of the stiffness of the Quaker re- maining ; and though he never said or did a rude thing he never made use of any of the forms of politeness. Not that he avoided them through affec- tation; his behaviour was natural without timidity and easy without bold- ness. He rarely associated with the young men of the College, who called him, with a mixture of derision and respect, " Phenomenon Young " ; but he lived on familiar terms with the Fellows in the Common-room. He had few friends of his own age or pursuits in the University, and not having been introduced to many of those who were distinguished either by their situation or talent, he did not seek their society, nor did they seek him : they did not like to admit the superiority of any one in stain pupillari, and he would not converse with any one but as an equal. ", It was difficult to say how he employed himself: he read little, and though he had access to the College and University libraries, he was seldom seen in them. There were no books piled on his floor' no papers scattered on his table, and his room had all the appearance of belonging to an idle man. I once found him blowing smoke through long tubes, and I afterwards saw a representation of the effect in the Transactions of the Royal Society to illustrate one of his papers upon sound; but he was not in the habit of making experiments. He walked little, and rode less, but having learnt to ride the great horse abroad, he used to pace round Parker's Piece on a hack- ney: he once made an attempt to follow the hounds, but a severe fall pre- vented any future exhibition.

"'He seldom gave an opinion, and never volunteered one. He never laid down the law like other learned doctors, or uttered apothegms or say- ings to be remembered. Indeed, like most mathematicians, (though we hear of abstract mathematics,) he never seemed to think abstractedly. A. philo- sophical fact, a difficult calculation, an ingenious instrument, or a new in- vention, would engage his attention ; but he never spoke of morals, of meta- physics, or of religion. Of the last I never heard him say a word, nothing in favour of any sect, or in opposition to any doctrine; at the same time, no sceptical doubt, no loose assertion, no idle scoff ever escaped him.'"

Young aimed at the appearance of a man of the world and of accomplishments. When he abandoned the habit of the Friends, he learned dancing and music; which studies, as well as drawing, he continued in Germany. The judgment of his masters upon his efforts in the fine arts was—" accurate, but stiff." At another time, he writes in reference to a thesis—" It seems a fatality that al- most everything I do or produce should be termed stiff." His German musical friends told him that he had no ear; but he nevertheless stuck to music. From correspondence of a much later date, it would seem that he continued to amuse himself by joining in musical parties; what amusement he afforded the com- pany does not appear. Dr. Peacock's Life of Young is the result of an undertaking "rashly "made more than twenty years ago; but of which ill-health or pressing avocations have suspended the execution till now. Extensive stores of correspondence and family papers have been placed in the biographer's hands. He is well qualified for giving an account of Young's scientific labours and fixing his position as a philosopher. Both the career of the man and the discoveries of the scholar and natural philosopher are clearly told. Optics, Egypt, and the principal miscellaneous memoirs, are separately introduced, with a relation to the chronology of the life, though they are not broken off for a mere pedantic reference to dates. This causes a little confusion, but probably that could hardly have been avoided, except by the greater confusion of intermingling_ the

discoveries with the successive stages of the life.

the mass of Dr. Young's journals correspondence, and so forth, is considered, Dr. Peacock is entitled to the credit of having exer- cised a rare discretion in their sparing use ; but the memoirs, though clear, are somewhat deficient as a picture of the living man.

Three volumes of the collected Works of Young accompany his Life : they may be said to consist of philosophical papers, the writings connected with the Egyptian controversies and discoveries, and fugitive pieces. With the exception of some papers on lan- guage, and four lives of critics and scholars—namely, Horne Tooke, Bryant, Wakefield, and Porson— contributed to the .Encyclopaidia Britannia' the third volume is wholly devoted to Egypt. It eon- talus the various works written by Young, and his extensive cor- respondence on the subject, in chronological order ; to which Mr. Leitch the editor has added frequent annotations, bearing hard upon Champollion for his dishonest plagiarisms, and equally hard upon the Chevalier Bunsen for his partiality and unfairness. The wide is a very complete collection of materials for any one de- sirous of mastering the history of the subject; but it is rather a memorial to the memory of Young, than a volume likely to possess much attraction now, except to devoted Egyptologists. The first and second volumes of the Works. consist of lives of philosophers, likewise contributed to the Encyclopedia, and a great number of papers from Transactions and scientific periodicals. A glance at the table of contents shows the variety of subjects handled by the author. For example—

An Essay on Cycloidal Curves.

An Essay on Music.

A Letter to Mr. Nicholson respecting Sound and Light. The article "Chromatics."

Remarks on the measurement of Minute Particles, especially those of the Blood and Pus.

Theoretical Investigations intended to illustrate the Phenomena of Polarization.

The article "Cohesion."

Hydraulic Investigations. On the Functions of the Heart and Arteries.

Remarks on the Employment of Oblique Riders and on other alter- ations in the construction of Ships. Simple determination on the most ancient Epoch of Astronomical Chronology. Some propositions on Waves and Sounds. Remarks on the structure of Covered Ways. A portion of the article " Carpentry."

A Theory of Tides. An Algebraical expression for the Value of Lives. Remarks on the principle of Compound Interest. On Weights and Measures.

On the Habits of Spiders.

The sixty-seven papers of which the above form a part consti- tute a monument to the industry and various capacity of their author. They are probably less attractive than the volume on Egyptian antiquities. The original discoveries they may contain have long since mingled with the received truths of science ; the -knowledge which at the time of its promulgation was rare has been popularized since Young's death, still more since he wrote. Perhaps the collection as a whole is rather a friendly and con- jugal tribute to the writer's memory, than a necessary contribu- tion to philosophical literature.