I got to
know the names of some of the constellations the Greater Bear,
with 'the pointers' which pointed to the Pole Star, Orion with
his belt, the Twins, the Pleiades, and other prominent objects in
the heavens. It was a source of constant wonder and surprise.
"When I left the Bleachfield Works, I went to Inverury, to the
North of Scotland Railway, which was then in course of formation;
and for many years, being immersed in work, I thought
comparatively little of astronomy. It remained, however, a
pleasant memory. It was only after coming to this neighbourhood
in 1854, when the railway to Blairgowrie was under construction,
that I began to read up a little, during my leisure hours, on the
subject of astronomy. I got married the year after, since which
time I have lived in this house.
"I became a member of a reading-room club, and read all the works
of Dr. Dick that the library contained: his 'Treatise on the
Solar System,' his 'Practical Astronomer,' and other works.
There were also some very good popular works to which I was
indebted for amusement as well as instruction: Chambers's
'Information for the People,' Cassell's ' Popular Educator,' and
a very interesting series of articles in the 'Leisure Hour,' by
Edwin Dunkin of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. These last
papers were accompanied by maps of the chief constellations, so
that I had a renewed opportunity of becoming a little better
acquainted with the geography of the heavens.
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