Believing, on the evidence above stated, that the sale was after the year 1774, I came to the conclusion that it was in 1777--in which year the 24th February fell on Monday. On further search at home, I met with the catalogue in question. It is in a volume which was successively in the possession of Dent and Heber, and contains the rare Fairfax catalogue; also, _A catalogue of the very valuable library of Phillip Carteret Webb, Esq._, which was sold by _Baker and Leigh_ in 1771. It now became evident that the libraries of Pemberton and Wilson might have been sold by _Baker and Leigh_ in 1772; and on examining the _Public advertiser_ for that year, I found the sale advertised on Thursday the 20th of February. So I was right by _chance_, and in spite of manuscript and printed authorities. Here ends the case.
Another anecdote in connexion with this inquiry deserves to be recorded. I had read the life of Pemberton in the _General biographical dictionary_. Chalmers therein states that his course of lectures on chemistry, "was published in 1771, by his friend Dr. James Wilson." I applied for the volume at the British Museum. By a rare accident the _Scheme for a course of chemistry_ was produced instead of the _Course of chemistry_, and as the day was far advanced, and _copy_ due, I gave up the pursuit. On examination, it turns out that the volume contains a memoir of Pemberton in twenty-three pages. Chalmers cites Hutton and Shaw as his authorities; and _Hutton_, as I conceive, gives the substance of it as his own composition! Wilson, in this important memoir, declares that his intimacy with Pemberton was the _greatest felicity_ of his life. He dates it the 10th Aug. 1771. He died on the 29th of September in the same year.
Wilson remarks, in his previous work, that on the successful practice of navigation "depends, in an especial manner, the flourishing state of our country." To this remark no one can refuse assent. The _Dissertation_ on the history of the art has fallen into oblivion, because it exists only in a work which has been superseded by others; but I venture to express my opinion that a separate edition of it, with such corrections and additions as might be required, and a continuation to the present time, would be a desirable addition to scientific literature; and that no one would perform the task with more ability, or more conscientiously, than professor DE MORGAN.