in the school for some time, as usher, he was, by his brother's interest, removed to Queen's College, Cambridge, where he entered as a sizer.

Few persons ever came better prepared to the university, or with talents more likely to make a conspicuous figure. Besides his natural assiduity and most excellent faculties, he had the advantage of having been assisted by a person, that had gone through the university before him, and that person also a brother; likely, therefore, to be a more sedulous instructor than any other person.

While an usher at Hull, Isaac Milner had made a considerable progress in classical attainments. His mathematical knowledge shone with extraordinary lustre, where, on the occurrence of any difficulty in algebra or decimals, &c. Joseph would send to him for an explanation; which, though the elder brother could make out himself, yet the readiness of Isaac saved him the time and trouble. In algebra, therefore, and Euclid, he possessed, even before he went to the university, a senior optime's knowledge. Another collateral cause of his success was the circumstance of his spending the vacations at his brother's school, in his original employment of usher. By these means, he was enabled to add considerably, every year, to his earlier, and to his Cambridge acquirements. All the time of his being an under-graduate was spent in indefatigable study. Confident in his abilities, he had fixed his eye upon the first honours of the place, and he had good sense, perseverance, and a fund of intellectual ability sufficient to ensure their attainment. In 1774, he became senior wrangler, with the honourable distinction of incomparabilis, and gained also the first mathematical prize.

This struggle for academical distinction, though crowned with success, was not attended with that charm, which is necessary to render even success pleasant. Intense study had secretly laid the foundation of a nervous disorder, which occasionally oppressed him. The equal distribution of calm contentment seems not less true than philosophical; and, perhaps, the painless days and unbroken slumbers of the peasant may form a counterpoise to the most splendid rewards of science and literature.

This valetudinarian state of Mr. Milner's health may account for some peculiarities of his conduct; such as

residing much at home, and being at church

Parcus cultor deorum et infrequens. His retirement, however, was devoted to scientific, theological, or literary labours, calculated to augment his high character, and eventually benefit the world.

At Cambridge, Mr. Milner became acquainted with that patron of oppressed humanity, William Wilberforce, esq. This gentleman, though he had, from his earliest years the advantage of a strict education (he had been one of the first scholars of Mr. Joseph M.) yet his devotional sentiments received confirmation from the clear reasonings and able deductions of Mr. Isaac. Soon after the commencement of this acquaintance, the parties, in company with Mr. Pitt, went on a continental tour; but they had not proceeded far, before some political changes in this country called them back. A friendship, however, was then cemented between them, which was not likely soon to be dissolved.

Soon after Mr. Milner's return from the continent, which was in 1788, he was chosen President of the College, to which as a student, he had done so much credit. Previous to his election, this venerable asylum of Erasmus had greatly decreased in reputation, but it began then to re-assume its ancient consequence, by the repletion of its numbers, &c. It was always the President's wish that Queen's should not be behind any college, in the means of instruction; he, therefore, introduced men of the best abilities from the other colleges among the fellows, who ever found in him a steady friend and patron. The interior management of the college was also much improved, by the correction of many abuses sanctioned by long prescription. Ad deterius is the tendency of every institution, unless this salutary interference of authority occasionally takes place. Few, however, like Milner, had fortitude enough to support the obloquy which innovation, however laudable, is apt to produce. At the time he was under-graduate, it was the custom for sizers to wait on the fellows, to dine after they had done, and submit to other degrading circumstances. These servile distinctions, with a recollection how repugnant they had been to his former feelings, Mr. Milner also abolished.

A short time after he became pre

sident of Queen's, he took out his doctor's degree, and was presented, through the interest of Mr. Wilberforce, with the deanery of Carlisle. It was his

custom to visit this place regularly every year, for a few months. Hull, before the decease of his brother (for whom he entertained the most profound regard, though called, on account of his methodistical tenets, his strange brother,) was the favourite place of his residence. His lodgings were a complete work-shop, filled with various kinds of chymical, carpenter's, smith's and turner's implements. He was accustomed here to relax his mind from the fatigues of study, by manual labour. His lathe and appendages for turning, which were extremely curious, cost him one hundred and forty guineas. He had also a very singular machine, partly of his own invention, which formed and polished at the same time, with the utmost possible exactness, watch-weels of every description.

A celebrated moralist of the present day maintains, that manual labour becomes one great source of mental solace and felicity. It is evident that we cannot bear, without injury, for any long time, intense and uninterrupted thought; it is equally clear, that, when the mind, without any object of pursuit, is left to its own spontaneous sensibilities, it turns either to the future or the past; and, as our animal spirits are melancholy or gay, so is the prospect before us. The state of sensibility, exercising the mind, not according to the real existence of things, but from their accidental impression is seldom long lived; and, besides, it can yield little relief to a mind wearied with deep thinking. Something is wanted for this purpose, which shall gently exercise our faculties, on some corporeal movement. Manual labour, requiring dexterity enough to abstract the mind from its trammels by its agitation of the whole frame, seems most likely to answer this end. Let it not, therefore, be a matter of surprise, that a man, of enlarged understanding, as in the present instance, should stoop for amusement, to the drudgery of mechanical employment. It is not enough to call Uncle Toby's whims inoffensive; they were really useful, and our hobbies, whatever they may be, if founded in nature, are indispensable to our tranquillity.

The literary productions of Dr. Milner are, alas! but few; but, as they bear

the genuine stamp of genius, they procured him a very high reputation, and a fellowship in the Royal Society. They consist of communications to that respectable body; the first is dated 16th February, 1778, concerning the communication of motion, by impact and gravity. Another paper treats of the limits of algebraical equations, and contains a general demonstration of Des Cartes' rule for finding the number of affirmative and negative roots: this is dated February 26th. In the following June, we find another communication on the precession of the equinoxes.

Dr. Milner frequently turned his researches towards chemistry, and found therein a proper scene for the adventurous expansion of his vast talents. The French are generally thought to have availed themselves of his discovery concerning the composition of nitre, so as to provide, without foreign assistance, the vast consumption of that article, requisite in the manufacture of gunpowder.

On the death of Dr. Waring, Dr. Milner, in 1798, was made Lucasian professor of mathematics, to which is annexed a salary of 1001. a year. Thus we see, with no other advantages, but those of ability, prudence and merit, a person rising from an obscure rank in life, and with all his other honorary distinctions, filling the chair of the immortal Newton. Desert, crowned with success, must, to every generous mind, afford a high degree of satisfaction; while it holds out encouragement to that innate presentiment of genius which otherwise might lie dormant and stagnate in indigence and obscurity. Although the earlier portion of Dr. Milner's life had been employed in laborious and humble occupations, yet, untinctured with former habits, his manners and sentiments eminently displayed the refined taste of the scholar and the gentleman; so that the very disadvantages, under which he once laboured, only the more enhance our admiration of his surprising abilities and attainments.

Urit enim fulgore suo.

On all points of enquiry connected with mechanical ingenuity, Mr. Isaac was an easy and satisfactory authority. Mr. Wallis. gunsmith, of Hull, had taken considerable pains to collect a museum, into which he had introduced every prominent article and subject of mechanism. interesting from its novelty, from the utility of its plan, or the va

rious nature of its composition. Mr. Breslaw's collection was esteemed the best and most valuable of the kind ever seen in this, or perhaps in any other country. Once at Hull, in the exhibition of his deceptions, he had challenged all the company to explain or imitate some of his masterly manœuvres, when

SIR,

THE celebrated M. St. Urbain being Tdead some time, there was found

among his effects the square die, on which is engraved the portrait of the illustrious sir Isaac Newton. Though this piece was begun about eight years since, yet it is far from being brought to perfection. Proposals were often made to me for doing the Reverse, which I refused, upon no other account, but that I knew that Messrs. St. Urbain would never reward me for it.

You know without doubt that the gentlemen of the Royal Society have, since their first resolution, desired to have sir Isaac Newton's head on a bust, in the Roman manner, which has not been executed. Now, I am in a condition to undertake such a work, and in order to convince you, be so good as to cast your eye on Dr. Freind's medal, which I made, though it bears the name of St. Urbain. I send you likewise the reverse of a medal, which I am making for the Prince des Deux Ponts. Monsieur de St. Urbain had kept the design two years in his hands, and then it was put into mine. The work is not yet finished, and consequently not perfect.

If the honour be done me of entrusting me with the work in question, 'twill be necessary to send me a copy of the designs that were given to M. St. Urbain, and which his son has taken with him to Vienna; and he might, by means of the ambassador of England, be compelled to return sir Isaac Newton's head in plaister, the medal, the two puncheons, a print representing the monument of this great man, another of the seven planets (expressed) by children, and a third that represents the sphere of the heavens: all these pieces are

essential. If he does not restore these effects willingly, his royal highness of Lorraine, Great Duke of Tuscany, will, upon being ask'd, oblige him to return them.

further information of my capacity, 'tis Moreover, if it be desired to have but applying to people of judgement in this country and relying on their decision.

I should be highly pleased to be employed in transmitting to posterity, the great actions of so celebrated a person as sir Isaac Newton, and to express my zeal for the English nation. I am not led by interest, and shall be very flexible on this head. I expect a word of anand swer, am, &c. NICOLE, Engraver at Nancy. Bibl. Birch, 4435. TWO LETTERS from SIR ISAAC NEWTON to DR. BRIGGS, on Vision. (From the Original.)

SIR,

I have perused your very ingenious Theory of Vision, in which (to be free with you as a friend should be) there seems to be some things more solid and satisfactory, others more disputable, but yet plausibly suggested, and well deserving ye consideration of ye ingenious. The more satisfactory I take to be your asserting, yt we see with both eyes at once, yor speculation about ye use of ye musculus obliquus inferior, yor assigning every fibre in ye optick nerve of our eye to have its correspondent in yt of ye other, both wch make all things appear to both eyes in one and ye same place, and yor solving hereby ye duplicity of ye object in distorted eyes and confuting ye childish opinion about ye splitting ye optick cone. This more disputable seems yor notion about every pair of fellow fibres being unisons to one another, discords to ye rest, and this consonance making ye object seen with

two

two eyes appear but one for ye same
reason that unison sounds seem but
one sound. I think to have sent you
what I fancy may be objected against
this notion, and so staid for time to
write it down, but upon second thoughts
I had rather reserve it for discourse at
our next meeting, and therefore shall
add only my thanks for yor kind letter
and present.
Sir, I am,

Your much obliged and
Humble Servant,
IS. NEWTON.

Trin. Coll. Cambridge, June 20, 1682.
"For his honoured friend Dr.
Wm. Briggs, at his house in
Suffolk-street, London."

Bibl. Birch, 4237.

For his Hond. friend Dr. Wm. Briggs. (From the Original.)

SIR,

Though I am of all men grown ye most shy setting pen to paper about any thing that may lead into disputes, yet yor friendship overcomes me so far as yt I shall set down my suspicions about yor theory, yet on this condition, that if I can write but plain enough to make you understand me, I may leave all to yor use without pressing it further on, for I design not to confute or convince you, but only to present and submit my thoughts to yor consideration and judgement.

First then, it seems not necessary that the bending of ye nerves in ye Thalanus opticus should cause a differing tension of ye fibres; for those wch have ye further way about, will be apt by nature to grow the longer. If ye arm of a tree he grown bent, it follows not that ye fibres on ye elbow are more stretcht than those on the concave side, but that they are longer. And if a straight arm of a tree be bent by force for some time, the fibres on ye elbow which were at first on ye stretch will by degrees grow longer and longer, till at length the arm stand of its self in the bended figure it was at first by force put into, that is till ye fibres on ye elbow be grown as much longer than ye rest, as they go further about, and so have but the same degree of tension with them. The observation is ordinary in twisted codling hedges, fruit trees nailed up against a wall, &c. And ye younger and more tender a tree is, the sooner will it stand bent. How much more therefore ought it to be so in that most tender substance of ye optick nerves wch grew bent from ye very beginning?

And whether if those nerves were carefully cut out of ye brain and outward coat, and put into brine made as near as could be of the same specific gravity with ye nerves, they would unbend, or exactly keep the same bent they had in ye brain, may be worth considering; for though the strength of a single fibre upon ye stretch be inconsiderably little, yet altogether ought to have as much strength to unbend ye nerve as would suffice by outward application of ye hand to bend a straight nerve of ye same thickness, the dura mater being taken off.

Mr. Sheldrake further suggests willily,* * that an object, whether the axis opticus be directed above it, under it, or directly towards it, appears in all cases alike as to figure and colour, excepting that in ye 3d case 'tis distincter, which proceeds not from ye frame of ye nerves, but from ye distinctness of ye picture made in ye Retina in that case. But in ye first case where ye vision is made by ye fibres above, and second where 'tis made by those below, the object appearing alike, he thinks it argues that the fibres above and below are of ye same constitution and tension, or at least, if they be of a differing tension, that that tension has no effect on ye mode of vision; but I understand you are already made acquainted with his thoughts.

It may be further considered that the cause of an object's appearing one to both eyes is not its appearing of ye same colour, form and bigness to both, but in ye same situation or place. Distort our eyes and you will see ye same coincident images of the object divide from one another, and one of them remove from ye other upwards, downwards or sideways, to a greater or less distance, according as ye distortion is; and when the eyes are let return to their natural posture, the two images advance towards one another till they become coincident, and by that coincidence appear but one. If we would then know why they appear but one, we must inquire why they appear in one and ye same place; and if we would know the cause of that, we must enquire why in other cases they appear in divers places variously situate and distant one from

another: for that wch can make their distance greater or less can make it none at all. Consider what's the cause

* Query.

of

of their being in the same attitude, when one is directly to the right hand, ye other to ye left, and what of their being in ye same coast or point of ye compas, when one is directly over the other; these two causes joined will make them in ye same attitude and coast at once, that is, in ye same place. The cause of situations is therefore to be enquired into. Now for finding out this ye analogy will stand between ye situation of sounds and the situations of visible things, if we will compare these two senses. But the situation of sounds depend not on their tones. I can judge from whence an echo or other sound comes, tho' I see not ye sounding body, and this judgment depends not at all on ye tone. I judge it not from east because acute, from west because grave; but be the tone what it will, I judge it from hence or thence by some other principle. And by that principle I am apt to think a blind man may distinguish unisons one from another, when ye one is on his right hand, ye other on his left. And were our ears as good and accurate at distinguishing ye coasts of audibles, as our eyes are distinguishing the coasts of visibles, I conceive we should judge no two sounds the same for being unisons, unless they came so exactly from the, same coast as not to vary from one another a sensible point in situation to any side. Suppose then you had to do with one of so accurate an ear in distinguishing ye situation of sounds, how would you deal with him? Would you tell him that you heard all unisons as but one sound? He would tell you he had a better ear then so. He accounted no sounds ye same weh differed in situation; and if your eyes were no better at ye situation of things than your ears, you would perhaps think all objects the same weh were of ye same colour. But for his part, he found yt ye like tension of strings and other sounding bodies did not make sounds one, but only of ye same tone; and therefore not allowing the supposition that it does make them one, the inference from thence that the like tension of ye optick fibres made ye objects to ye two eyes appeare one he did not think himself obliged to admit. As he found yt tones depended on those tensions, so perhaps might colours, but the situation of audibles depended not on those tensions, and therefore if the two senses hold analogy with one another, that of visibles does

not, and consequently the union of visibles as well as audibles, which depends on the agreement of situation, as well as of colour or tone, must have

some other cause.

But to leave this imaginary disputant, let us now consider what may the cause of ye various situations of things to ye eyes. If when we look but with one eye, it be asked why objects appear thus and thus situated one to another, the answer would be, because they are really so situated among themselves, and make their coloured pictures in ye retina so situated one to another as they are; and those pictures transmit motional pictures into ye sensorium in ye same situation, and by ye situation of those motional pictures one to another, the soul judges of ye situation of all things without. In like manner when we look with two eyes distorted so as to see ye same object double, if it be asked why those objects appear in this or that situation and distance one from another, the answer should be, because through ye two eyes are transmitted into ye sensorium two motional pictures, by whose situation and distance there from one another, the soul judges she sees two things so situate and distant. And if this be true, then the reason why when the distortion ceases and ye eyes return to their natural posture, the doubled object grows a single one, is, that the two, motional pictures in ye sensorium come together and become coincident.

But you will say how is this coincidence made? I answer, what if I know not? Perhaps in ye sensorium, after some such way as the Cartesians would have believed, or by some other way. Perhaps by ye mixing of ye marrow of ye nerves in their juncture before they enter the brain, the fibres on ye right side of each eye going to ye right side of ye head, those on ye left side to ye left. If you mention the experiment of ye nerve shrunck all ye way on one side ye head, that might be either by some unkind juyce abounding more on one side of ye head than on ye other, or by ye shrinking of the coate of ye nerves, whose fibres and vessels for nourishment perhaps do not cross in ye juncture as ye fibres of ye marrow may do. And it is more probable yt ye stubborn coat being vitiated, or wanting due nourishment, shrunk and made ye tender marrow yield to its capacity, then that ye tender marrow

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