Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 35.djvu/204

Maclaurin  by Patrick Murdoch for the benefit of Maclaurin's children, and prefaced by a memoir of the author. The first draft of this work had been prepared for publication soon after Newton's death in 1728, by way of supplement to an account of Newton's life which was to have been prepared by his nephew, Conduitt; but the nephew's death prevented the execution of this plan. Besides the above works, he published in 1745 a revised and augmented edition of David Gregory's 'Practical Geometry,' which he translated into English. He had also in contemplation at the time of his death a complete course of practical mathematics.

The following papers by him appeared in the 'Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society:' 1. 'Of the Construction and Measure of Curves,' No. 366. 2. 'A New Method of Describing all kinds of Curves,' No. 859. 3. 'A Letter to M. Folkes on Equations with impossible Roots' (May 1726), No. 894. 4. A second letter on the same subject (March 1729), No. 408. 5. 'On the Description of Curves, with an Account of further Improvements, and a Paper dated Nancy, 27 Nov. 1722,' No. 489. 6. 'An Account of the Treatise of Fluxions,' No. 467. 7. The same continued, No. 469. 8. 'A Rule for Finding the Meridional Parts of a Spheroid with the same Exactness as of a Sphere,' No. 461. 9. 'Of the Basis of the Cells wherein the Bees deposit their Honey,' No. 471.

 MACLAURIN, JOHN (1693–1754), presbyterian divine, born in October 1693 at Glendaruel, Argyllshire, was eldest son of John Maclaurin, minister at Kilmodan, and brother of Colin Maclaurin [q. v.] the mathematician. The family is said to have been at one time chiefs of Tiree. His parents died while he was still young, and Maclaurin was brought up by his uncle, Daniel Maclaurin, minister of Kilfinan, Argyllshire. He studied at Glasgow University, where he graduated in 1712, and afterwards studied divinity at Leyden. Returning to Scotland he was ordained, 7 May 1719, to the parish of Luss, Dumbartonshire. Here he remained until January 1723, when he went to the northwest parish of Glasgow. In Glasgow he had special charge of the highlanders, and took a leading part in the attempts then being made all over the country to reform the poor laws and improve social conditions. He was active in the establishment of the Glasgow Town Hospital, which, built in 1733, became a model asylum for the poor and insane. He corresponded with Jonathan Edwards, the American metaphysician, and the help which Edwards obtained from Scotland, while living in poverty after his dismissal from his church at Northampton, Connecticut, was largely owing to Maclaurin's exertions.

In his later years Maclaurin took a keen interest in the affairs of the church, which were disturbed by disputes regarding the appointment of ministers. He was one of the leaders of the party which gradually became the non-intrusionists, and wrote, and engaged others to write, on the controversy. He died in Glasgow on 8 Sept. 1?54.

Maclaurin was twice married: first in 1712 to Lilias, daughter of John Rae, Little Govan, by whom he had nine children, and secondly in 1749 to Margaret, daughter of Patrick Bell, Cowcaddens, who survived him.

He was a famous preacher in his day. Dr. John Brown (1784–1858) [q. v.] calls him 'the most profound and eloquent Scottish theologian of the last century.' After his death some of his manuscripts disappeared, but sermons and essays have been published, including: 1. 'Sermons and Essays,' Glasgow, 1755. Edited and prefixed by a memoir of Maclaurin by his son-in-law, Dr. John Gillies, several times reprinted and enlarged, latest edit. 1860, Edinburgh, 2 vols. 2. 'An Essay on the Prophecies relating to the Messiah,' &c, Edinburgh, 1773, which is said to have suggested to Bishop Hurd his 'Introduction to the Study of the Prophecies,' His sermons were also collected by Dr. John Brown, Glasgow, 1824.

 MACLAURIN, JOHN, (1734–1796), Scottish judge, eldest son of Colin Maclaurin [q. v.], was born 15 Dec. 1734. He was educated at the high school and university of Edinburgh, and was admitted advocate 3 Aug. 1756. After some years of good practice he was appointed, a senator of the College of Justice, 17 Jan. 1788, took the title of Lord Dreghorn, and held the post till he died at Edinburgh, 24 Dec. 1796. Besides being a learned and able lawyer he was a man of considerable literary attainments, with a turn for satirical verse, and was author of 'The Philosopher's Opera,' 1757, a satire on David Hume and John Home, author of 'Douglas;' an '