A member of the Edinburgh Philosophical Society when it received its royal warrant, Robison (1739-1805) was appointed the first general secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Not only was he the inventor of the siren, but he worked with James Watt on an early steam car. But, like many people, he became disenchanted with the Enlightenment after the French Revolution. His Proofs of a Conspiracy is a polemic accusing the Freemasons of being infiltrated by Weishaupt's secret society, the Order of the Illuminati. His "research" came mainly from the testimony of one man, a monk named Alexander Horn. While many may doubt the validity of this work, it was very popular, had many editions, and was translated into French and German. Note bookplate designed by James Jervis Blomfield (1879-1951), Canadian artist and designer best known for his design of the coat of arms of Vancouver.
