Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 56.djvu/277

 since undergone,’ Edinburgh, 1839; ‘A Collection of Inventories and other Records of the Royal Wardrobe and Jewel House, and of the Artillery and Munition in some of the Royal Castles, 1488–1606,’ Edinburgh, 1815; and the ‘Chamberlain Rolls,’ vols. i.–ii. 1326–1406 (1817), vol. iii. 1406–1459–(1845, in the Bannatyne Club).

Thomson also edited the ‘Memoirs’ of Sir George Mackenzie, Edinburgh, 1821; and ‘Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of the Right Honourable George Baillie of Jerviswood, and of Lady Grissell, by their Daughter, Lady Murray,’ Edinburgh, 1822; and further he published ‘Inventory of Work done for the State by [Evan Tyler] his Majesty's Printer in Scotland, December 1642–October 1647,’ Edinburgh, 1815; ‘Ane Addicioun of Scottis Cronikles and Deidis. A Short Chronicle of the Reign of James the Second, King of Scots. From Asloan's Manuscript in the Auchinleck Library,’ Edinburgh, 1819; and ‘Menu de la Maison de la Royne faict par Mons. de Pinguillon, MDLXII,’ Edinburgh, 1824. For the Bannatyne Club he edited, in addition to the ‘Chamberlain Rolls’ above mentioned, the following: ‘Alexander Myln. Vitæ Dunkeldensis Ecclesiæ Episcoporum,’ 1823; ‘Discours particulier d'Escosse, escrit en 1559,’ 1824; ‘The History and Life of King James the Sext,’ 1825; ‘Memoirs of his own Life by Sir James Melville of Halhill,’ 1827; ‘Memoirs of his own Life and Times by Sir James Turner,’ 1829; ‘The History of Scotland,’ by John Lesley, bishop of Ross, 1830; ‘Collection of Ancient Scottish Prophecies in Alliterative Verse,’ 1833; ‘Diurnal of Remarkable Occurrents from the Pollok MS.,’ 1833; ‘The Ragman Rolls, 1291–1296,’ 1834; ‘The Book of the Universal Kirk of Scotland, 1560–1618,’ 3 vols. 1839, 1840, 1845; ‘A Diary of the Public Correspondence of Sir Thomas Hope of Craighall,’ 1843; and ‘Munimenta Vetustiora Comitatus de Mortoun,’ and ‘Original Letters and Papers in the Archives of the Earls of Morton,’ 1852.



THOMSON, THOMAS (1773–1852), chemist, born on 12 April 1773 at Crieff, was son of John Thomson by his wife, Elizabeth Ewan. He received his early education at the parish school of Crieff and at the borough school of Stirling, and in 1787 obtained a bursary at St. Andrews, where he remained for three years. In 1790 he became tutor in the family of Mr. Kerr of Blackshields. In 1795 he commenced to study medicine at Edinburgh, attending the chemistry lectures of [q. v.], and graduated doctor of medicine in 1799. During this period he contributed the article ‘Sea’ to the third edition of the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica,’ and edited the supplement to that edition, writing the articles on ‘Chemistry,’ ‘Mineralogy,’ and ‘Vegetable, Animal and Dyeing Substances.’ These formed the basis of his ‘System of Chemistry,’ 1802; 7th edit. 1831. The first edition is largely drawn from pre-existing works, but later issues contain many of his own discoveries besides those of contemporaries. The work helped to improve the system of classification adopted in chemical science. In 1800 he instituted in Edinburgh a course of lectures on chemistry and, having opened a laboratory for the practical instruction of pupils, continued to teach this subject in Edinburgh until 1811. This is stated to have been the first chemical laboratory opened in the United Kingdom for purposes of instruction. At the same time he made investigations on behalf of the Scottish excise board upon the subjects of brewing and distillation, and invented the instrument known as Allan's ‘Saccharometer.’ On 28 March 1811 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London, and in 1812 he published a history of the society containing an account of the most important papers in each branch of science which had appeared in the ‘Philosophical Transactions.’ In the autumn of the same year he visited Sweden, and in the following year published an account of his travels, paying special attention to the mineralogy and geology of the country. On his return from Sweden he resided in London and edited the ‘Annals of Philosophy,’ a monthly journal of science. He was succeeded in 1821 by [q. v.], and in 1827 the journal was purchased by [q. v.] and merged in the ‘Philosophical Magazine.’ In 1817 he was appointed lecturer in chemistry at the university of Glasgow, and in 1818 was made regius professor at the instance of the Duke of Montrose. His career as professor was one of great scientific activity. He continued to perform the whole duties of his chair until 1841, and then associated with himself his nephew, [q. v.] His bodily powers were now failing, and after 1846 his nephew discharged the entire duties of the professorship. Thomson was president of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow from 1834, and in November 1850 made his last communication to this society in the form of a biographical account