that time
that he applied himself, with all the ardour of early life, to
the invention of a machine for mechanically copying all sorts of
sculpture and statuary; and distributed among his friends some
of its earliest performances, as the productions of a young
artist just entering on his eighty-third year.

* * * * *

All men of learning and science were his cordial friends; and
such was the influence of his mild character and perfect
fairness and liberality, even upon the pretenders to these
accomplishments, that he lived to disarm even envy itself, and
died, we verily believe, without a single enemy.

Professor Robison, the most intimate friend of his youth, records that:

When to the superiority of knowledge in his own line, which
every man confessed, there was joined the naive simplicity and
candour of his character, it is no wonder that the attachment of
his acquaintances was so strong. I have seen something of the
world and I am obliged to say that I never saw such another
instance of general and cordial attachment to a person whom all
acknowledged to be their superior. But this superiority was
concealed under the most amiable candour, and liberal allowance
of merit to every man. Mr. Watt was the first to ascribe to the
ingenuity of a friend things which were very often nothing but
his own surmises followed out and embodied by another. I am well
entitled to say this, and have often experienced it in my own
case.

This potent commander of the elements, this abridger of time and
space, this magician, whose cloudy machinery has produced a
change in the world, the effects of which, extraordinary as
they are, are perhaps only now beginning to be felt--was not
only the most profound man of science, the most successful
combiner of powers, and combiner of numbers, as adapted to
practical purposes--was not only one of the most generally
well-informed, but one of the best and kindest of human beings.
There he stood, surrounded by the little band of northern
_literati_, men not less tenacious, generally speaking, of their
own opinions, than the national regiments are supposed to be
jealous of the high character they have won upon service.
Methinks I yet see and hear what I shall never see or hear
again. The alert, kind, benevolent old man ha