Search -
Lives of Illustrious and Distinguished Scotsman, Forming a Complete Scottish Biographic Dictionary
Lives of Illustrious and Distinguished Scotsman Forming a Complete Scottish Biographic Dictionary Author:Robert Chambers Subtitle: Embellished With Splendid and Authentic Portraits. Verstehendes Exemplar Kam Im Juli 1859 an Der Stelle Das Früher Hier Stehender U Ab. D. Titel: "a Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsman. 4 Voll. Gl. 1839 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1841 Original Publisher: Blackie and son Notes: This is a ... more »black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: TO HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY, KING WILLIAM THE FOURTH, THIS WORK, RECORDING THE LIVES OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS BELONGING TO HIS ancient IStngBom of giratlnirtr, WHO, FROM THEIR GENIUS OR VIRTUE, SITUATION OH ENTERPRISE, HAVE DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES IN THE ANNALS OF THEIR COUNTRY, ' BY SPECIAL PERMISSION, MOST HUMBLY AND RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. chapter{Section 4 PREFACE. A Biographical Dictionary of eminent natives of Scotland has been regarded as a desideratum in our national literature, for the greater part of a century. Such a work was successively contemplated by Sir David Dalrymple and Mr William Smellie, each of whom proceeded so far with the design as to write a few of the articles. When the editor of the present work began a few years ago to inquire into the literary and historical antiquities of his country, he found the desire of possessing a dictionary' of this kind not in the least abated, but very little hope entertained that, under the existing prospects of literature, it would be possible to present such a book to the public. He proceeded, nevertheless, perhaps rather under the influence of a peculiar enthusiasm, than any wiser or more considerate motive, to take upon himself a task which at least two of his predecessors had failed to accomplish, and for which he could not but feel himself to be in many respects imperfectly qua...« less