Happening one day to he sent on an errand to the minister of Keith, who had known him from infancy, Ferguson took his "star papers" with him. He found the reverend gentleman poring over a number of maps, which he requested to be allowed to look over. His wish being readily granted, he was delighted with their contents; asked a great many questions with the utmost eagerness; learned for the first time that the earth is round; and finally prevailed on the minister to lend him a map of the world to copy, along with materials for doing so. The enthusiastic youth was now so intent on map-drawing, that he had scarcely patience to continue his wonted labours in the field; but his master, perceiving that he was no ordinary lad, proved extremely indulgent and accommodating.

In fact, he is described by Ferguson as giving him more time than could reasonably have been expected. "He often," says the astronomer, "took the thrashing-flail out of my hands, and worked himself, while I sat by him in the barn, busy with my compasses, ruler, and pen."

Having diligently copied the map, and completed the task, Ferguson obtained his master's permission to take it back to the owner. As he was passing the schoolhouse on his way, the teacher, with whom he had been for a short time, came to the door, and hailed him to inquire about the contents of the parcel he was carrying. Ferguson having explained, the schoolmaster examined the transcript, and asked if he would like to learn to make sun-dials Thereupon a man who was engaged painting one on the wall highly praised the copy and told the schoolmaster that it was a pity the young draughtsman did not meet with notice and encouragement. Ferguson, after having had a good deal of conversation with this man, whom he found most communicative, proceeded to the minis-ter's, and was conversing with him, when in came Mr. Grant of Ackoynamey, a northern esquire, to whom he was immediately introduced. This gentleman was so much pleased with the drawing of the map, and with the answers Ferguson gave to some questions put by him, that he proposed that our young astronomer should go and live at his house, in order that he might receive instructions from his butler. The latter turned out to be the same person whom he had just seen painting the sun-dial on the walls of the schoolhouse, and of whom he had conceived a very high opinion. He therefore told the squire that he should gladly accept his offer, and come to stay at his house, whenever his present engagement had expired. The squire good-naturedly proposed to put another stripling in his place; but his new protege, from motives of gratitude and respect to his kind master, declined this handsome offer.

When the time of his servitude was over, he removed to Mr. Grant's house, where he was handsomely treated, and found a most competent instructor in the butler, under whom he studied, and made himself well acquainted with decimal arithmetic and algebra. As soon as he was tolerably proficient in the latter, he commenced learning the elements of geometry; but just at this time, to his great grief, his teacher left to live with a nobleman at several miles' distance, and Ferguson, declining the pressing invitations he received to stay at Ackoy-namey, returned to his father's house. The butler, at parting, had made him a present of Gordon's "Geographical Grammar," which he regarded as a great treasure. From the description it contained, Ferguson completed a globe in three weeks, having turned the ball out of a piece of wood, and covered it with paper, on which he drew a map of the world. The ring and horizon he formed of wood, covering them with paper, and graduating them; and he was delighted to find that he was able to solve problems with his globe, though it was the first he had ever seen.

But his father's circumstances would not long permit him to occupy his time in this scientific manner, however congenial it might be to his inc-linations. He therefore determined on leaving his parental cottage; and thinking it would be an easy and pleasant business to attend a mill, and that, in such a situation, he should have a great deal of time to read, he engaged himself to the occupier of one in the vicinity. He was somewhat unfortunate in this step. His new master was inclined to be a toper, and spent nearly the whole of his time in the alehouse, leaving Ferguson all the work to do, and frequently nothing to eat. In this harsh service he remained for a year, when he returned home in a very weak state of health.

Having regained his strength under careful treat-ment, he was hired, somewhat against his will, to a farmer in the locality, who practised as a physician. This man promised to initiate him into his profession; but he never did so. On the contrary, Ferguson was kept constantly at hard work; and, far from being taught anything, was never shown a book. His term of servitude was a year; but he found himself so much disabled at the end of three months, that he was obliged to leave, and once more returned to his father's, in a very infirm condition. Here, however, he was not idle, but set himself to make a wooden clock, which kept time with considerable regularity; and, not long after, when he had recovered his health, he gave another and stronger proof of his ingenuity by constructing a time-piece, which moved by a spring. His attention having thus been turned to the mechanism of time-pieces, he was enabled to do a little business in the neighbourhood in cleaning clocks, which brought him some money. After this, having been induced by a lady, to whom he was introduced, to attempt the drawing of patterns for ladies' dresses, he was sent for by others in the country, and speedily found himself growing quite rich by the money earned in this way, which was the more satisfactory that it afforded him the means and pleasure of occasionally supplying the wants of his father. He also began to copy pictures with his pen, and to attempt portrait-painting, in which his success appeared to his rural patrons so striking and real that they took him to Edinburgh to be instructed in the art. He followed his new profession for twenty-six years with considerable success, but not with devotion. His astronomical tastes had not, in the meantime, been neglected; he had still continued to make observations on the stars, and was most zealous in this pursuit. Having discovered the cause of eclipses, he drew up a scheme to show the motions and places of the sun and moon in the ecliptic on each day of the year. This, on being engraved, sold well; and its author's mind became every day more absorbed in astronomical questions. At length, tired of an art for which he had no natural taste, he resolved to go to London, in the hope of finding employment as a teacher of mechanics and astronomy. He was immediately brought into notice by the President of the Royal Society, to whom his paper on the moon's motion had introduced and recommended him. In 1747 he published a disputation on the phenomena of the harvest-moon. Next year he began to give public lectures on his favourite subject, and had King George III., then a boy, frequently among his auditors. He was ere long elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the usual fees being in his case remitted. He died on the 16th of November, 1776, having won and enjoyed distinguished reputation both in England and on the Continent.

No life couki be more fruitful of pleasing and salutary instruction than that of this self-taught man of genius. The eagerness with which he sought, and the industry he displayed in acquiring, knowledge, are worthy of the highest respect and commendation, and will ever furnish a most inciting example to those who would follow in his honourable steps, and gain his well-deserved fame,