Volume 3 > Half-Volume 6

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and humorous nature, by his connection with Dee-
side�a district furnishing excellent specimens of un-
adulterated Scottish individuality, and by his wide
acquaintance with Scottish families, embracing in-
timate friends whose recollection reached as far back
as the Jacobite rebellions of the eighteenth century.
The book aims at photographing, less the humour of
the people, than their ideas and habits as these were
shown in the humour of the various classes of the
old society. Its popular humorous dress had, doubt-
less, much to do with its cosmopolitan success; yet
its essential merit lies in its being a successful picture
of an interesting form of society already in decay.
The idea on which it was undertaken was, "to de-
pict a phase of national manners which was fast
passing away, and thus . . . contribute something
to the materials of history, by exhibiting social customs
and habits of thought which at a particular era were
characteristic of a race." As a mere story-teller
Ramsay does not stand in the first rank; but his
work, judging it by the professed aim of its author,
will be considered one of the best books of its kind
ever written, and retain a permanent place in the
antiquarian literature of Scotland.�The other works
of Dean Ramsay were pretty numerous, but all frag-
mentary and destined soon to become unknown ex-
cept by name. His fine musical taste led him to
the preparation of Lectures on the Genius and Works
of Handel; his philanthropy to the preparation of
an appreciative Memoir of Dr. Chalmers, and of a
book on the Social Influence of Railways; while to
his religious and churchly connections are due his
Manual of Catechetical Instruction, which passed
through eleven editions in its author's lifetime, his
Pulpit Table-talk, and a number of less known
homiletical and ecclesiastical tractates.
Dean Ramsay had a tall, venerable figure, which
commanded respect; while his popular books, his
patriotic spirit, and his genial manner, made him
one of the most famous Scotchmen of his day, and
one of the " objects of interest" in Modern Athens.
RANKINE, WILLIAM JOHN MACQUORN, was
the son of Lieutenant David Rankine of the Rifle
Brigade, younger son of Macorne or Macquorn
Rankine, Esq., of Drumdow in Ayrshire, and thus
of an ancient Scottish family. His mother was the
elder daughter of Archibald Grahame, Esq., of
Drumquhassel. He was born in Edinburgh, 5th
July, 1820. Rankine records of himself, "My
earliest distinct recollection is that of my mother
teaching me the Lord's Prayer, next my father ex-
plaining to me the character of Jesus Christ;" and
further he records, "My early instruction in arith-
metic and elementary mechanics and physics was
mainly obtained from my father." The mutual
dependency thus begun continued through as beauti-
ful a life of mutual self-devotion between parents
and son as can be pictured; for the three were rarely
far separate during the fifty years the parents lived
after his birth.
Rankine went to the Ayr Academy in 1828, and
afterwards to the High School of Glasgow in 1830,
and thence to Edinburgh, where he studied geometry
under Mr. George Lees; but his knowledge of the
higher mathematics was chiefly obtained by private
study. He records that in 1834 "My uncle Archi-
bald Grahame gave me a copy of Newton's Principia,
which I read carefully; this was the foundation of
my knowledge of the higher mathematics and
dynamics and physics." He read the Principia in
the original Latin, and in after life recommended his
pupils so to read this work of paramount authority
and reputation; "for," said he, "modern science
has added no new principle to the dynamics of
Newton; what it has done is to extend the applica-
tion of dynamical principles to phenomena to which
they had not been previously applied; in fact, to the
correlation of the physical sciences�or, in other
words, what is denoted by the convertibility of
energy." Thus, at the early age of fourteen, had
Rankine begun to discipline his mind and train his
analytical powers on Newton's model of unquestion-
able definition and exhaustive demonstration, charac-
teristics of the many works on cognate subjects he
was himself in after years to contribute for the
education of engineers of every class, and for the
advancement of physical science. For two years,
from 1836 to 1838, Rankine was a student in the
University of Edinburgh, and took the courses of
natural philosophy, chemistry, natural history,
and botany. He continued for two sessions under
Professor Forbes; and the first year gained the gold
medal for An Essay on the Undulatory Theory of
Light, and the extra prize (gold medal) for An Essay
on Methods in Physical Investigation. At this period,
too, he read much metaphysics, chiefly Aristotle,
Locke, Hume, Stewart, Degerando. The whole
tendency of his mind was to the digestion and as-
similation of the highest human knowledge. But
the res angusta domi demanded that he should take
a profession; and at this period none was more in
vogue, or apparently more promising of abundant
employment, than that of a civil engineer.
Rankine having for a short time assisted his
father, who was superintendent of the Edinburgh and
Dalkeith Railway, in 1838 became a pupil of Mr.
M'Neil (afterwards Sir John M'Neil), whose practice
in Ireland was varied and extensive. Accordingly,
for four years Rankine was actively employed as a
pupil on various surveys and schemes for river im-
provements, water-works, and harbour works, and
on the Dublin and Drogheda Railway. While on
this work he contrived and practised a method of
'' setting out curves " by chaining and angles at the
circumference, since known as Rankings method.
He was much loved and respected by his numerous
fellow-pupils, several of whom have attained high
professional status. His pupilage ended, Rankine
returned to Edinburgh, and was occupied for some
time in the preparation and publication of an Ex-
perimental Inquiry into the Advantages attending the
Use of Cylindrical Wheels on Railways.
The theoretical investigation, and the deductions
from the results of the experiments, conducted by his
father and himself, are characterized by the same
completeness in every respect as his more important
and more famous writings of maturer years. But
cylindrical wheels never came into use. It was
"too late "to begin an obvious improvement, or
there was no time to think of it; and yet, taking
everything into consideration, the wheels would be
better cylindrical, so formed that they should retain
that shape for the longest time.
In 1842-43 various papers were sent to the Insti-
tution of Civil Engineers, and prizes were granted
for them. There is one on " The Fracture of Axles,"
in which the importance of continuity of form and
fibre was first shown, and the hypothesis of spontane-
ous crystallization disproved. The conclusions of
this paper were generally accepted and acted upon
in the construction of axles.
In 1844-45, and afterwards till 1848, Rankine
was employed under Messrs. Locke & Errington on
various railway projects promoted by the Caledonian
Railway Company, of which his father had become
secretary. But from 1842 onwards his mind had
been much occupied in perfecting himself in the use