Robison, JOHN

Robison, JOHN, was born at Boghall in Stirlingshire in 1739, and educated at Glasgow grammar-school and university. He devoted himself early to physical science, became acquainted with James Watt and Dr Black, and succeeded to the latter's chair on his transference to Edinburgh in 1766. Four years later he went to Russia as secretary to Admiral Knowles, who had been appointed president of the Russian Board of Admiralty. In 1774 he accepted the chair of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh, but he made an indifferent lecturer, and disliked experiments. He died January 28, 1805. His Elements of Mechanical Philosophy was edited by Sir D. Brewster (4 vols. 1822). His foolish Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe, carried on in the Secret Meetings of Freemasons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies (1797) is a lasting monument of fatuous credulity.