JAMES BRUCE.
Born 1730.—Died 1794.
James Bruce, one of the most illustrious travellers
whom any age or country has produced, was born
on the 14th of December, 1730, at Kinnaird, in the
county of Stirling, in Scotland. His mother, who
died of consumption when he was only three years
old, seemed to have bequeathed to him the same
fatal disorder; for during childhood his health was
bad, and his constitution, which afterward acquired
an iron firmness, appeared to be particularly feeble.
His father, who had married a second wife, by
whom he had a large family, sent James at the age
of eight years to London, where he remained under
the care of his uncle, counsellor Hamilton, until 1742,
when he was placed at Harrow school. Here he
remained four years, during which he made considerable
progress in his classical studies; and while
he commanded the enthusiastic approbation of his
teachers (one of whom observed, that for his years
he had never seen his fellow), he laid the foundations
of many valuable friendships which endured
through life.
On leaving school at the early age of sixteen, Bruce, who at that time could of course understand nothing of his own character, imagined himself admirably adapted for the study of divinity and the tranquil life of a clergyman; but his inclination not receiving the approbation of his father, he necessarily abandoned it, and prepared, in obedience to paternal authority, to study for the Scottish bar. He returned to Scotland in 1747, and, having spent the
