Page:A history of booksellers, the old and the new.djvu/181

147 CONSTABLE, CAD ELL, AND BLACK. 147 liness of disposition, he was hasty in coming to con- clusions, and was always getting into scrapes of one kind or another ; and a duel, in which he and Charles Maclaren, editor of the Scotsman, figured as principals, furnished the Edinburgh gamins with a popular street song. He escaped all duellistic dangers, however, but his unremitting labours brought on a stroke of apoplexy, of which he died in 1841. The great feature of the new edition was the pre- liminary " Dissertations/' which were commenced by Professors Stewart and Playfair, who were both carried off in the midst of their labours. Sir James Mackintosh, who undertook to complete his friend's " History of Ethical and Political Philosophy " (the Metaphysical portion had been completed by Stewart) was also summoned from his labours before the Political division was commenced ; and the " History of the Physical Sciences" was brought down by Pro- fessor Leslie to the commencement of this century. " The ' Dissertations' produced by these four extra- ordinary men are still regarded with peculiar pride in Scotland ; indeed, few nations can boast of such an intellectual group living at the same time, and adorn- ing the same society ; and yet, with powers of mind not far from equality, how various were their gifts, and how diversified their genius !"* The seventh edition was commenced in monthly parts in March, 1830, and finished in January, 1842. Of its success it is almost unnecessary to speak ; with confidence reposed in the proprietors sufficient to com- mand the services of such writers as Young, Malthus, Macculloch, Mill, Roget, Wilson, Empson, De
 * Quarterly Rei'iew, vol, Ixx.