James Wilson, M.D. (Vol. v., p. 276.).
—To the numerous list of men whose services to literature our English biographers have injudiciously omitted to record may be added James Wilson, M.D. As editor of the Mathematical tracts of Mr. Benjamin Robins in 1761, he has often been noticed with commendation. Beyond that circumstance, all is obscurity.
He wrote, however, a valuable Dissertation on the rise and progress of the modern art of navigation, which was first published by Mr. John Robertson in his Elements of navigation in 1764, and republished by him in 1772. The authors shall now speak for themselves:—
"This edition [of the Elements of navigation] is also enriched with the history of the art of navigation; for with the author's leave, I have published the following dissertation on that subject, written by Dr. Wilson, believing it would afford the most ample satisfaction on that subject."—John ROBERTSON, 1764.
"My enquiries into these matters [navigation] induced the late learned Dr. James Wilson to review and complete his observations on the subject, and produced his Dissertation on the history of the art of navigation, which he was pleased to give me leave to publish with the second edition of this work.... The second edition of these Elements having also been well received by the public, Dr. Wilson took the pains to revise his Dissertation, which he improved in many particulars."—John ROBERTSON, Nov. 1, 1772.
"This Dissertation, written at first by desire, is now reprinted with alterations. Though I may be thought to have dwelt too long on some particulars, not directly relating to the subject; yet I hope that what is so delivered, will not be altogether unentertaining to the candid reader. As to any apology for having handled a matter quite foreign to my way of life, I shall only plead, that very young, living in a sea-port town, I was eager to be acquainted with an art that could enable the mariner to arrive across the wide and pathless ocean at his desired harbour."
London. James WILSON, 1771?
The united libraries of Henry Pemberton, M.D., F.R.S., and James Wilson, M.D., were sold in 1772. The sale occupied eighteen evenings, and produced 701l. 17s. 6d. The learned writers, who were intimate friends, died within seven months of each other in 1771.
BOLTON CORNEY.