Publisher's Synopsis
He was born at Ayton Hill, Berwickshire, on 23 August 1818, the son of John Cairns, a shepherd, and his wife, Alison Murray. He was educated at Ayton and Oldcambus, Berwickshire, he was for three years a herd, doing meanwhile private work for his school-master. In 1834, he entered Edinburgh University, and, while diversifying his curriculum with teaching in his native parish and elsewhere, became the most distinguished student of his day. Sir William Hamilton (1788-1856), in some instances, discussed Cairns's metaphysical opinions at considerable length in the class-room, and Professor Wilson highly eulogised his talents and his attainments in literature, philosophy, and science. Speaking to his class of a certain mathematical problem that Cairns had solved, Professor Kelland said that it had been solved by only one other of his thousands of students. Cairns was associated with Alexander Campbell Fraser, David Masson, and other leading students in organising the Metaphysical Society for weekly philosophical discussions. He graduated M.A. in 1841, being facile princeps in classics and philosophy, and equal first in mathematics
