fevere, trials, not forgetting, however, his wonted fubaniffion, on all occafions, to the will of God." I have lived," fays he, " almoft 74 years, and enjoyed many,

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any comforts in this life, fo that I may now thank"fully rife from table as a gueft fully fatisfied with my en166 tertainment. Indeed, in the laft three years I have fuffered what the generality of the world call great af"flictions, in my health and in my family. In the year 77, I loft my beloved daughter, whom you are pleafed to lament. In the year 78, my eldeft fon, who was a "lieutenant, fell at Rhode Ifland. And, already, in 79, "I have received an account of the death of my other daughter in Dublin. But I have been fo accustomed "to the death of my children, that at last I fee nothing 46 ftrange in it. I only wonder that I have ftayed fo long behind them. I think my cafe is extraordinary, "that of twenty-one children, which my wife brought I have out-lived them all but one. So that I have me, "often occafion to fay with Job,-the Lord gave, and the

Lord hath taken away, bleffed be the name of the "Lord."-It was, however, the will of God, that his family afflictions fhould not have their end even here, for he lived to bury that one and only furviving child out of fo great a number.

But, while he was tried in the lofs of his children, the benevolence of others was exerted to affift him; and he found filial piety in the hearts of strangers. In 1773, Dr. Robertfon received, from an unknown hand, a moft acceptable and moft liberal prefent of 500l. The name of the donor it would only be a prefumptive conjecture in us to mention. Nor were others wanting generously to affift him according to their ability. The munificence of another eminently diftinguished character, who adminiftered to his neceffities to the laft hour of his life, muft alfo be forborne to be mentioned at prefent, left offence fhould be given to that greatnefs and generofity of mind, which only, like itfelf, barely fuffers the left hand to know what the right hand doeth,

tical TraЯs

ROBINS (BENJAMIN), an English mathematician Preface to of great genius and eminence, was born at Bath in Somer- Mathemafethire, 1707. His parents were of low condition, and of the late Quakers; and confequently neither able from their cir- Benjamin cumftances, nor willing from their religious profeffion, to Robins, efq have him much inftructed in that kind of learning which the Royal they Society and

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fellow of

honourable

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engineer ge- they are taught to defpife as human. Nevertheless, he neral to the made an early and furprifing progrefs in various branches the Eaft In- of fcience and literature, in the mathematics particularly; dia com- and his friends being defirous, that he might continue his Puhed purfuits, and that his merit might not be buried in obby James fcurity, wifhed that he could be properly recommended to Willon, teach this fcience in London. Accordingly, a fpecimen M.D. Lond of his abilities in this way was fent up thither, and fhewn 1761, 2 vols. 8yo. to Dr. Pemberton, the author of the " View of Sir Ifaac "Newton's Philofophy;" who, thence conceiving a good opinion of the writer, for a farther trial of his proficiency fent him fome problems, which Robins folved very much to his fatisfaction. He then came to London, where he confirmed the opinion which had been pre-conceived of his abilities and knowledge.

But though Robins was poffeffed of much more skill than is ufually required in a common teacher; yet being very young, it was thought proper that he fhould employ fome time in perufing the beft writers upon the fublimer parts of the mathematics, before he undertook publicly. the inftruction of others. In this interval, befides improving himself in the modern languages, he had oppor. tunities of reading in particular the works of Apollonius, Archimedes, Fermat, Huygens, De Witt, Slufius, James Gregory, Dr. Barrow, Sir Ifaac Newton, Dr. Taylor, and Mr. Cotes. These authors he readily understood without any affiftance, of which he gave frequent proofs to his friends one was, a demonftration of the laft propofition of Sir Ifaac Newton's treatife on quadratures, which was thought not underferving a place in the "Philofophical

Tranfactions," N° 397, for 1727. Not long after, an opportunity offered him of exhibiting to the public a fpecimen alfo of his knowledge in natural philofophy. The royal academy of fciences at Paris had propofed, among their prize queftions in 1724 and 1726, to demonftrate the laws of motion in bodies impinging on one another. John Bernoulli here condefcended to be a candidate; and, though his differtation loft the reward, he appealed to the learned world by printing it in 1727; he therein endea vouring to establish Leibnitz's opinion of the force of bodies in motion from the effects of their striking againft fpringing materials; as fignor Poleni had before attempted to evince the fame thing from experiments of bodies falling on foft and yielding fubftances. But as the infufficiency of Poleni's arguments had been demonftrated

in the "Philofophical Tranfactions," N° 371, for 1722; fo Robins publifhed in the "Prefent State of the Republic "of Letters," for May 1728, a confutation of Bernoulli's performance, which was allowed to be unanfwerable.

Robins now began to take fcholars, and about this time quitted the garb and profeffion of a Quaker; fór, having neither enthufiafm nor fuperftition in his nature, as became a mathematician, he foon got over the prejudices of education. But, though he profeffed to teach the mathematics only, he would frequently affift particular friends in other matters; for he was a man of univerfal knowledge: and, the confinement of this way of life not fuiting his difpofition, which was active, he gradually declined it, and went into other courfes, that required more exercife. Hence he tried many laborious experiments in gunnery; believing, that the refiftance of the air had a much greater influence on fwift projectiles, than was generally fuppofed. Hence he was led to confider those mechanic arts, that depended on mathematical principles, in which he might employ his invention; as, the conftructing of mills, the building of bridges, draining of fens, rendering of rivers navigable, and making of harbours. Among other arts of this kind, fortification very much engaged his attention; wherein he met with opportunities of perfecting himself, by a view of the principal ftrong places of Flanders, in fome journeys he made abroad with perfons of diftinction.

On his return home from one of thefe excurfions, he found the learned here amufed with Dr. Berkeley's treatife, printed in 1734, intituled, "The Analyft" in which an examination was made into the grounds of the fluxionary method, and occafion taken thence to explode that method. Robins therefore was advifed to clear up this affair, by giving a full and diftinct account of Sir Ifaac Newton's doctrines in fuch a manner, as to obviate all the objections, without naming them, which had been advanced by the author of "The Analyft;" and accordingly he published, in 1735, "A Difcourfe concerning the na"ture and certainty of Sir Ifaac Newton's method of "Fluxions, and of prime and ultimate ratios." Some even of thofe, who had written against "The Analyft," taking exception at Robins's manner of defending Sir Ifaac Newton's doctrine, he afterwards wrote two or three additional difcourfes. In 1738, he defended Sir Ifaac Newton against an objection, contained in a note at the end of a Latin

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a Latin piece, called "Matho, five Cofmotheoria puerilis," written by Baxter, author of the "Inquiry into the Na"ture of the human Soul :" and, the year after, printed "Remarks" on Euler's "Treatife of Motion," on Smith's

Syftem of Optics," and on Jurin's "Difcourfe of dif"tinct and indiftin&t Vifion," annexed to Dr. Smith's work. In the mean time Robins's performances were not confined to mathematical fubjects: for, in 1739, there came out three pamphlets upon political affairs, which did him great honour. The firft was intituled, "Obferva"tions on the prefent Convention with Spain:" the fecond, "A Narrative of what paffed in the Common Hall "of the citizens of London, affembled for the election of "a lord mayor :" the third, "An Addrefs to the Elec"tors and other free fubjects of Great Britain, occafion"ed by the late fucceffion; in which is contained a par"ticular account of all our negotiations with Spain, and "their treatment of us for above ten years paft.' Thefe were all published without his name; and the firft and laft were fo univerfally efteemed, that they were generally reputed to have been the production of the great man himself, who was at the head of the oppofition to Sir Robert Walpole. They proved of fuch confequence to Mr. Robins, as to occafion his being employed in a very honourable poft; for, the patriots at length gaining ground against Sir Robert, and a committee of the houfe of commons being appointed to examine into his paft conduct, Robins was chofen their fecretary. But after a committee had prefented two reports of their proceedings, a fudden ftop was put to their farther progrefs, by a compromife between the contending parties.

In 1742, being again at leifure, he publifhed a fmall treatife, intituled, "New Principles of Gunnery;" containing the refult of many experiments he had made, by which are difcovered the force of gun-powder, and the difference in the refifting power of the air to fwift and flow motion. This treatife was preceded by an account of the progrefs which modern fortification had made from its firft rife; as alfo of the invention of gun-powder, and of what had already been performed in the theory of gunnery. Upon a difcourfe containing certain experiments being publifhed in the "Philofophical Tranfactions," in order to invalidate fome opinions of Robins, he thought proper, in an account he gave of his book in the fame Tranfactions, to take notice of thofe experiments: and in confequence

confequence of this, feveral differtations of his on the refiftance of the air were read, and the experiments exhibited before the Royal Society, in 1746 and 1747; for which he was prefented with a gold medal by that fociety. In 1748, came out lord Anfon's "Voyage round the "World,"

thech, though it carries Walter's name in

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the title-page, was in reality written by Robins. Of this. voyage the public had for fome time been in expectation of feeing an account, compofed under his lordship's own infpection for which purpofe the Rev. Richard Walter was employed, as having been chaplain a-board the Centurion the greateft part of the expedition. Walter had accordingly almoft finifhed his tafk, having brought it down to his own departure from Macao for England; when he propofed to print his work by fubfcription. It was thought proper, however, that an able judge fhould firft review and correct it, and Robins was appointed; when, upon examination, it was refolved, that the whole fhould be written entirely by Robins, and that what Walter had done, being almoft all taken verbatim from the journals, fhould ferve as materials only. Hence the introduction entire, and many differtations in the body of the book, were compofed by Robins, without receiving the least hint from Walter's manufcript; and what he had thence tranfcribed regarded chiefly the wind and the weather, the currents, courfes, bearings, diftances, offings, foundings, moorings, the qualities of the ground they anchored on, and fuch particulars as generally fill up a failor's account. No production of this kind ever met with a more favourable reception, four large impref fions being fold off within a twelvemonth: it has been tranflated into moft of the European languages; and it ftill fupports its reputation, having been repeatedly reprinted in various fizes. The fifth edition at London in 1749 was revifed and corrected by Robins himself.

Thus becoming famous for his ability in writing, he was requested to compofe an apology for the unfortunate affair at Prefton Pans in Scotland. This was prefixed as a preface to "The Report of the Proceedings and Opi"nion of the Board of General Officers on their exami"nation into the conduct of Lieutenant General Sir John "Cope, &c." printed at London in 1749; and this preface was esteemed a mafter-piece in its kind. Afterwards Robins had, by the favour of lord Anfon, opportunities of making farther experiments in gunnery; which have

been