The History of Dundee,
1874 History by James Thomson

James Thomson's 1874 work

INTRODUCTION

This work has been transcribed - verbatim - from the 1874 edition. Much about the history of Dundee has been changed, revised and updated by Historians over the years - So please refer to those new histories of Dundee for a more modern understanding of the History of Dundee.
This exercise is to just to make available the original source material from the 1875 Book.

Iain D. McIntosh, Friends of Dundee City Archives

Part II Section 8

Eminent Men

It has been remarked that the history of a country may be written in the biography of its great men, and to some extent the same might be said of a town. In the ease of Dundee there is no difficulty in iden­tifying its progress, as a municipality, with a succession of able rulers from Halyburton, in the sixteenth century, to Riddoch, in the nine­teenth. But of such localised services, honourable as they were to them, and beneficial as they have been to the community, it is hardly necessary now to speak. We may, however, present some biographi­cal notices of Dundee men whose talents were employed in a wider sphere than their native town, and whose names therefore claim an honourable, if not a conspicuous place, in the annals of their country. We shall first refer to the family of

THE SCRYMSEOURS.

The family of Scrimgeour or Scrymseour is undoubtedly of great antiquity; but it will be sufficient to take up the line when authentic history lends its aid. According to Buchanan and other authors, the surname was first bestowed by Alexander I. on one of his knights, Sir Alexander Carron, who, discovering a plot against the King's life while residing at Invergowrie, got the Sovereign conveyed across the Tay to Fife, and thereafter proceeded with him to quell a rebellion in the north. It is related that, in this campaign, the King's forces had to cross the Spey to attack the enemy on the opposite bank, and the bearer of the royal standard shrinking from the task, it was successfully undertaken by Carron, on whom the King bestowed the name of Scrymseour (skirmisher, or hardy fighter), at the same time creating him and his heirs hereditary standard-bearers. As such the family had the privilege of displaying part of the royal arms as their armorial bearings. In the time of Sir "William Wallace, a lineal descendant held the same honourable office, and enjoyed the confidence of that hero, who, by a charter still extant, conferred on him the office of Constable of Dundee, together with a portion of the lands of Dudhope. "A special lustre," says Mr Burton, in reference to this family," was always conceded' by the popular voice to that race which held a hereditary title conferred by Wallace."2 The fourth Constable, Sir James, carried the royal banner at Harlaw in 1411, and met a soldier's death on that fatal field. From "that period down to 1661, sixteen descendants of the first Constable successively held the office, of whom we have already given some particulars in our account of the Barony, and of the contentions which arose out of the arbitrary exer­cise of the Constable's jurisdiction until its abolition in 1748. The Scrymseours are now represented by Frederick Lewis Scrymseour-Wedderburn of Birkhill, Hereditary Royal Standard-bearer of Scotland.

HECTOR BOECE.

This well-known historian was born at Dundee about the year 1465, or, according to some accounts, 1470. He was descended from an ancient stock, and his family, at the period named, possessed the barony of Balbride (anciently Ballinbride), now Panbride, acquired in the reign of David II. Hector Boece, or more properly Boyce, was known in the learned circles of Europe by the Latin form of his-name, Boethius, and had the appellation of Deidonanus from the place of his birth, being so designated in the edition of his history published by Ferrerius. He appears to have received the rudiments of his education in Dundee, after which he studied for a time at Aberdeen, and then took up his abode in Paris, at which university he took the degree of bachelor of divinity. He succeeded so well in the study of divinity and philosophy that, in 1497, we find him appointed to a professor's chair in Montague College at Paris. In this sphere, he made the acquaintance of many learned men, among others of Erasmus, who, in one of his epistles, describes his friend as "a man of an extraordinary happy genius, and of great eloquence." In 1500, Bishop Elphinstone of Aberdeen had founded King's College in that city; and, on his invitation, Boece returned to Scotland, and was appointed the first Principal and Professor of Divinity in the new University. It is worthy of note that his sub-principal, William Hay, was likewise an Angus man, and fellow-student with. Boece at Dundee, becoming afterwards his successor as head of the College. Hector's brother, Arthur Boece, at one time Chancellor of the Cathedral of Brechin, filled the Chair of Canon Law in King's College, and afterwards, in 1535, became a judge of the Court of Session.

The talents and reputation of the Principal, together with the effi­ciency of the coadjutors with whom he was associated, secured a high measure of success for the northern University. Here Boece compiled his first book, a life of Elphinstone, who died in 1514, and of his pre­decessors in the See of Aberdeen. It was in Latin, entitled “Episcoporum Murthlacensium et Aberdonensium," and was published at Paris in 1522. He next wrote his celebrated, work, the History of Scotland, which appeared, also in Latin and at Paris, in 1526, under the title of "Scotorum Historia ab illius Gentis Origine." The first edition contained seventeen books: it was prefaced by a copious geo­graphical description of the country, and brought down the narrative to the death of James I. In 1574, Joannes Ferrerius, a Piedmontese scholar, once resident in Scotland, published another edition at Paris, containing the nineteenth chapter, which continued the history to the reign of James III. The first translation into the Scottish vernacular was made by John Bellenden, for the use, it is said, of James V.; and a metrical version, author unknown, is preserved in the University of Cambridge. The first English translation was a folio, by Hollinshed, London, 1587, which, it is well known, furnished Shakspeare with the historical data on which his tragedy of Macbeth is founded.

In 1527, King James V. granted to Boec.e a yearly pension of fifty pounds Scots, and shortly after substituted for it the rectory of Tyrie, which he held till his death. In 1528, Boece took the degree of D.D., on which occasion, as we learn from the burgh records of Aber­deen, the magistrates voted him the present of a tun of wine or twenty pounds Scots, at his option, and resolved—"the said counsall to convein this day efternowne, in the prowest innis, to se and devise quhar this money sail be esiast gotten."

Boece died at Aberdeen in 1536, and was buried in the chapel of King's College, near the tomb of his patron, Bishop Elphinstone. Before his death, it appears that Boece succeeded to the family property of Panbride, and it is traditionally related that he joined the barons of Panmure and Carmylie in constructing a road from that quarter to join the old road from Dundee to Montrose and the north. An old road, still discernible in the Moor of Arbirlot, bears to this day the name of "Heckenboce Path;" while the farm of Hunter's Path, in the same district, is said to have been formerly known as Hector's Path.

In his private-character, Boece is described as having been generous, courteous, and discreet, while his learning, for the age in which he lived, was extensive, if not profound. All critics are agreed as to the purity and elegance of his style; but it must be owned that equal unanimity prevails as to his credulity. "His History of Scotland, considering the age in which he wrote, is remarkable for its elegance and purity of style; but his credulity and fondness for the marvellous detract from its value, and deprive him of all title to be considered an authority. He adopted, without enquiry, and without even seeming to have any doubt of their authenticity, the fables of the monastic chroniclers that preceded him, as well as the no less absurd fictions and traditions of his own age. Some writers (This charge is broadly made, in a learned and now scarce work, Father Innes' Critical Essays, 2 vols., London, 1779.) accuse him of having invented many details in the earlier part of his history; but from this charge of fabrication he has been vindicated by Mr Maitland, in his biographical introduction to Bellenden's translation. It is enough that he has to bear the imputation of having been the great stumbling block to a truthful history of his own times; for his falsehoods, after having been once and again disproved, come up again fresh as if un-contradicted, to garnish the pages of the novelist, the tale-writer, and the would-be historian."

SIR GEORGE MACKENZIE.

This celebrated lawyer was born at Dundee in 1636, being the eldest son of Simon Mackenzie of Lochslin, a brother of the Earl of Seaforth. He studied at St Andrews, and afterwards at Bourges in France. Returning to Scotland, he was admitted to the bar in 1659, and soon acquired reputation as an advocate, being one of the counsel for the Marquis of Argyle, at his trial for high treason. He after­wards had a judgeship, and represented Rosshire in Parliament; in which capacity he signalised himself by strenuous opposition to the Union, and his advocacy of popular measures. Up to this period, his career was altogether marked by a progressive and patriotic spirit. His policy changed, however, after receiving knighthood in 1674; and, becoming King's Advocate, he put the law in force with great severity to compel submission to the Government. So odious did he become, by stretching the laws to answer party purposes, that he received the unenviable title of "the blood-thirsty advocate," and "bloody Mackenzie." Nor did "A Vindication of the Government of Charles II.," which he published in 1691, to justify his policy, tend to allay the popular hatred of the oppressive measures with which he identified himself. Apart from these, his abilities as a jurist were conspicuous; and, during Ms tenure of office, as Lord-Advocate, he introduced various improvements into the criminal law. In 1689, he founded the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, and, retiring into England the same year, died at London, May 2, 1691. His works are numerous, and evince great taste and versatility, ranging from poetry to Insti­tutes of the laws of Scotland. He was among the first Scotchmen who wrote the English language with elegance and purity, so that Dryden was led to style him "that noble wit of Scotland;" but, in spite of all this, his fame must ever be tarnished for lending himself as a willing instrument of despotism in the persecution of the Co­venanters.

DR PATRICK BLAIR.

This eminent physician and botanist was born in Dundee about 1680, and practised physic and surgery in the town. In 1706, a travelling menagerie having lost its elephant by death, the doctor took possession of the bulky subject, and, after careful dissection, com­piled an account of its anatomy and osteology, which appeared in the "Philosophical Transactions" for 1710. This attracted the attention of scientific men, and led to the separate publication of the essay with figures. In 1715, Dr Blair fell under suspicion for his avowed Jacobite principles, and was for a short time under imprisonment. Displeasure at this treatment probably led to his removing from Dundee to London, where he acquired some distinction for lectures on the sexes of plants, read before the Royal Society. In 1718, he brought out a work on medical and botanical science; and two years later, his "Bo­tanical Essays," the work by which he is best known, though it is now of course left far behind in the progress of that science. Removing again to Boston in Lincolnshire, he practised there during the remainder of his life, publishing at intervals another work entitled "Pharmaco-Botanologia," which he left unfinished at his death, that event occurring soon after 1728.

SIR JAMES IVORY.

This eminent mathematician was the son of a watchmaker, and born at Dundee in 1765. Intended for the Church, he was, after receiving the rudiments of education in his native place, sent to St Andrews, where he passed the usual curriculum for theology. Mathematical science, however, engrossed his attention, and ids natural inclination being fostered by his instructors, he was enabled to accompany his fellow-student, Mr (afterwards Sir John) Leslie to Edinburgh, where his university studies were concluded in 1786. Instead of entering the Church, however, he returned to Dundee, and took the appoint­ment of assistant in the Academy then started in the town, which post, however, he only occupied for a short time. While officiating in the Academy, he introduced the study of Algebra, and the story goes that, the Provost for the time, at the conclusion of the first annual examination of the school, expressed his strong disapproval of this " new way of teaching the A B C;" and, at a subsequent meeting of the Town Council, proposed " to put Jamie Ivory awa', as they had a gude enough teacher of the ABC already" In 1789, Ivory entered upon the project for establishing flax-spinning at Douglastown, near Forfar, and of which he continued to be managing-partner for fifteen years. During this period, of what might be supposed uncongenial labour for a man of his tastes, Mr Ivory devoted his leisure hours to scientific study and research, and contributed frequently to the Royal Society memoirs on mathematical and astronomical subjects, which evinced great skill and originality.

On the breaking up of the Douglastown concern in 1804, Mr Ivory obtained the professorship of mathematics in the Military College, then at Great Marlow, afterwards removed to Sandhurst. His services in this congenial sphere were valuable and fully appreciated, and the conscientious character of the man is apparent from his preparing an edition of Euclid, for the use of his students, without taking even the credit of placing his name on its title-page. In 1809, the theory of gravitation received an important elucidation from Ivory's discovery, that the attraction of a spheroid upon a point without it is immedia­tely derived from its attraction upon a point within it—a theorem which was pronounced by scientific men to be the most important contribution made to mechanical science since the days of Maclaurin. He afterwards investigated the theory of refraction and other pheno­mena in astronomical science, and, according to Herschell, "supported alone for many years the mathematical reputation of Great Britain; and aroused a taste for the higher methods of analysis, the study of which had reached its lowest point at the beginning of the present century, when his earliest memoirs were composed." In 1819, failing health, induced by constant study, necessitated Mr Ivory's retirement, upon a pension; but he continued, with more or less frequency, to enrich the scientific literature of the day by his contributions. In 1831, at the suggestion of Lord Chancellor Brougham, the order of knighthood was conferred on Mr Ivory by William IV., along with other distinguished men, among whom were Herschell, Brewster, and Leslie. In 1839, the University of St Andrews elected him LL.D. Besides being a Fellow of the Royal Society, Sir James was an ho­norary member of several learned bodies, and of the Institute of France. A pension of £300 from the Crown rendered the close of his life free from pecuniary care. He died at Hampstead, near London, Sept. 21, 1842, in his 77th year.

LORD IVORY.

James Ivory, a nephew of Sir James Ivory the mathematician, was born at Dundee in 1792, and, after attending the academy there, passed to St Andrews, where he displayed the family aptitude for mathema­tics. Having resolved to follow the legal profession, he was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in1816, appointed Sheriff of Caithness in 18"32, and Solicitor-General in 1839. A year after, he succeeded Lord Glenlee on the bench of the Court of Session. In 1849, he was promoted to a judgeship in the Court of Justiciary; and, for several years before his retirement, in 1862, he was senior judge of both Courts. He died Oct. 18, 1866.
As a pleader, Lord Ivory was regarded as learned, subtle, and thorough-going, but deficient in forensic skill and the graces of oratory; so that Lord Eldin is said to have designated him "the worst speaker, and the best writer he ever knew at the bar." As a judge, however, he was characterised by breadth of intellect, uprightness, and an almost chivalrous love of justice. In politics, he was a steady and consistent Liberal; in private life, genial and unaffected, and the affairs of his native town ever commanded his interest. His uncle, Sir James Ivory, having destined a portion of his mathematical library for Dundee, which circumstances at the time prevented from being secured, the books passed into the custody of Lord Ivory, by whose directions they were, at his death, transmitted to the Free Library.

REV. JOHN WILLISON.

This eminent divine and religious author was born in 1680. Destined from an early age for the Church by his parents, he entered on the study of divinity after completing his academical education; and, being duly licensed, was inducted minister of Brechin in 1703. Here his abilities as a preacher, combined with the simplicity of his manners and benevolent disposition, soon gained him wide popularity, and led to his being called to the Second Charge in Dundee, which he accepted. He was admitted on 6th Sept., 1716, and there spent the remainder of his long and laborious life. In his new sphere, Mr Willison took a prominent part in ecclesiastical affairs, notably in the controversy with his co-presbyter, Mr Glas, and in zealous opposition to the patronage party in the Church. On the latter question his superior attainments and zeal made him the recognised leader of the evangelical party; so that, when the General Assembly, in 1734, resolved to apply to Parliament for the repeal of the oppressive act of Queen Anne, Willison was one of three members deputed to proceed to London on this mission, which, it is unnecessary to say, proved unsuccessful, as have been many like assaults on the citadel of patronage.

In the discharge of his duties as a minister of the Gospel, Mr Wil­lison was as conspicuous as he was energetic in the Church Courts. The impression still survives of his devotion to the poor and distressed; and he has left "a name of fame behind him, for consistency of prin­ciple and purity of motives, which fall to the lot of few." His writings were numerous, chief among which may be mentioned his Catechisms, The Afflicted Man's Companion, and Balm of Gilead— treatises which acquired a household fame second only to The Pil­grim's Progress of Bunyan. His death occurred, May 3, 1750, in the seventieth year of his age, and forty-seventh of his ministry. His son, Dr Willison, was a physician of repute and extensive practice in the town.

GEORGE DEMPSTER, M.P.,

Was the grandson of a wealthy merchant and burgess of Dundee, (son of the last Episcopal incumbent of Monifieth,) who purchased, about 1700, the estates of Dunnichen, near Forfar; and those of Newbigging, Laws, Omachie, and Ethiebeaton, near Monifieth. The family was an ancient one, deriving its surname from doomster, or executioner, an office which certainly would not now-a days imply high pedigree. The subject of this notice, afterwards so eminent as a poli­tician and agriculturist, was born at Dundee, in December 1732, and educated at Leuchars and St Andrews; after which he removed to Edinburgh to qualify himself for the bar, to which he was admitted in 1755. At this period, he enjoyed the friendship of many eminent men, including Hume and Robertson, the historians; Home, the dramatist; Dr Carlyle, Adam Ferguson, and other literary celebrities, with whom he was associated in "the Poker Club." The death of his father, in 1754, gave him considerable means; and, aspiring to a seat in Parliament, he stood, in 1762, for the Forfar and Fife district of burghs, (Dundee, Perth, Forfar, Cupar, and St Andrews,) and was returned after a severe contest, which cost him about £10,000, and led to the sale of his Monifieth estates. In public affairs, he was an indefatigable worker, and devoted special attention to what related to Scotland and India. He supported the financial policy of the Pitt Administration; but was opposed to the continuance of the East India Company's oligarchy—of which board he was for some time a director.

Ever alive to the commercial interests of his native country, he devoted himself with zeal to the encouragement of the linen trade, then in its infancy, and gave great attention, and part of his fortune, to the introduction of the cotton manufacture, which was not so successful, although assisted by the Arkwrights, and the Dales and Macintoshes of Glasgow. Chiefly through his exertions; an Act was obtained organising a Board for the encouragement of Fisheries in Scotland; and in this department of industry he may be regarded as first introduc­ing the packing of salmon in ice. By this method, what had previously been an insignificant local source of food, expanded into a considerable trade, which, under the railway system, has continued to grow in importance. In 1763, he was one of three gentlemen who started the first local bank in Dundee, under the firm of George Dempster & Co., and the Dundee Banking Co.

In 1786, Mr Dempster's public services were recognised by the Convention of Royal Burghs presenting him with a service of plate; while his native town acknowledged its obligations by having his portrait painted by Gainsborough—a fine example of that master's art, which still graces the walls of our Council Chamber.

In the domain of agriculture, and the social improvement of the working classes, Mr Dempster was far ahead of the landed gentry of his day; nor did his philanthropy content itself with empty theories. Mainly to give practical effect to his ideas, he purchased the property of Skibo, in Sutherland; and, while other Highland lairds were depo­pulating their estates, he granted long leases, abolished the remnants of feudalism by exempting his tenants from all personal services, drained, enclosed, and otherwise improved their lands, with great spirit and liberality. He even attempted the introduction of cotton spinning, which, from the natural disadvantages of the locality, was not successful. At Dunnichen, again, Mr Dempster, in 1788, laid out the village of Letham, and gave it off in small lots in perpetuity, at £2 per acre; and, so long as handloom weaving provided employ­ment to the villagers, it was a thriving place, though now suffering, like others of its kind, from the introduction of power-looms, and the centralising effect of large towns. It is worth noting, however, that Mr Dempster's enterprise in this instance was as remunerative to himself as it was beneficial to the community; since the ground, before he commenced, was so worthless as to yield only £5 of rent, while, in 1813, it yielded £200 per annum. By draining mosses and bogs, planting, and other improvements, he largely increased the extent and value of his property, and raised the character of the whole district, so that, in the words of the Edinburgh Review, “It may be said that, in George Dempster, we have a noble instance of the indi­vidual influence of a man of ability, education, and public spirit, seconded, and made more than ordinarily acceptable, by genial and happy temperament, and a grace of manner which commended every scheme and enforced every suggestion.” His character was such as Burns might be expected to appreciate, and accordingly we find "honest George" honourably noticed in the “Poetical Address to Scottish Eepresentatives,” along with his attached friend, Sir Adam Ferguson of Kilkerran—

“Dempster, a true-blue Scot, I'se warran'
Thee! aith-detesting, chaste Kilkerran!"

The genuine, hearty, and sagacious nature of the man appears in all his writings; in evidence of which we give a quotation from a letter of his in the Scots Magazine, in which it will be seen his ideas of agricultural progress quite anticipate those of the advanced economists of the present day:—

"For these last forty years of my life, I have acted, in the management of my little rural concerns, on the principles you so strenuously inculcate. I found my few tenants without leases, subject to the blacksmith of the barony, thirled to its mills, wedded to the wretched system of out-field and in, bound to pay kain, and to perform personal services; clothed in hodden, and lodged in hovels. You have enriched the Magazine with the result of your farming excursions. Pray direct one of them to the county I write from. Peep in upon Dunnichen; and if you find one of the evils I have enumerated existing—if you can trace a question at ray instance in a court of law with any tenant as to how he labours his farm—or find one of them not secured by a lease of nineteen years, at least, and his life— the barony shall be yours. . . . The Highland Society's being silent on the subject of the emigration of the Highlanders who are gone, going, and preparing to go in whole clans, can only be accounted for by those who are more minutely acquainted with the state of the Highlands than I pretend to be. One could think the Society were disciples of Pinkerton, who says—‘The best thing we can do would be to get rid entirely of the Celtic race, and people their country with inhabitants from the low country.’ How little does he know the valour, the frugality, the industry of these inestimable people, or their attachment to their friends and country! I would not give a little Highland child for ten of the highest mountains in all Lochaber. With proper encouragement to its present inhabitants, the next century might see the Highlands of Scotland cultivated to its summits, like Wales or Switzerland—its valleys teeming with soldiers for our army, and its bays, lakes, and firths with seamen for our navy. .... I was pleased with your recommending married farm-servants: I don't value mine a rush till they marry the lass they like. On one farm of 120 acres (Scots), I can show such a crop of human thriving stock as delights me. From five to seven years of age, they gather my potatoes, at 1d., 2d., or 3d. per day; and the sight of such a busy, joyous, field of industrious happy creatures revives my old age. Our dairy fattens them like pigs; our cupboard is their apothecary's shop; and the old “casten clothes” of the family, by the industry of their mothers, look like birthday suits on them. Some of them attend the groom to water his horses, some the carpenter's shop, and all go to the school in the winter time whenever they can crawl the length."

Withdrawing from Parliament in 1790, Mr Dempster devoted the closing years of his life chiefly to agricultural improvements; but he retained a lively interest in. public affairs until his death, which took place at Dunnichen on Feb. 13, 1818, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. In politics, Mr Dempster was a staunch Whig; but, while his political allegiance was with Lord Rockingham, his nature was singularly free from the party rancour but too prevalent in those days. He numbered amongst his numerous friends Viscount Melville, Lord Loughborough, and many others whose political principles he opposed in the House of Commons. Living in the era of the French Revolution of 1792, he hailed it as a hopeful augury for liberal opinions, and was one of those who signed the congratulatory address forwarded by our local Whig Club to the President of the French National Assem­bly, although subsequent events modified considerably the sympathy thus extended. Mr Dempster held, for fifty-three years, the patent office of Secretary to the Order of the Thistle—a post which brought him more honour than profit. His literary fame would rank high if we could accept the curious suggestion which has been made, that he was probably the author of the Letters of Junius(In a letter by Dr Rogers, in "Notes and Queries," March 1867.)

This is based on the circumstance that he was known to be on intimate terms with Woodfall the printer, whom he assisted with money in his misfor­tunes; and because Mr Dempster evinced great reticence on his parliamentary life, and, to prevent his biography being written, carefully destroyed all his political correspondence a few years before his death. Such of his political letters as are extant are claimed to resemble the style of Junius; but it is needless to add that the theory is not enter­tained with favour by those who have closely studied this questio vexata, and may be supposed to be best able to judge.

ADMIRAL LORD DUNCAN.

Of all the distinguished natives of Dundee, the name of Admiral Duncan is perhaps the most widely recognised, identified as it is with the long roll of victories upon which the British navy rests its fame. The Duncan family is of Norwegian origin, and held the barony of Lundie before 1678, together with the estate of Gourdie. The old house of Lundie stood towards the south-west of the park of Camperdown, and was probably erected by a Sir John Campbell, a cadet of the Argyle family, and Lord High Treasurer in the reign of James V. The remains of this edifice were not wholly removed until about 1823, and showed it to have been originally an imposing edifice, both in extent and position. It is uncertain at what period the Duncans came into possession of Lundie; but it is known to have been the family residence down to 1745, about which time it became ruinous, and the Admiral's father then removed to Gourdie House (afterwards called Lundie House), which continued to be occupied until Camperdown House was built. The grandfather of Admiral Duncan married a daughter of Sir P. Murray of Ochtertyre; and their eldest son, Alex­ander Duncan of Lundie, married Helena Haldane, whose brother was proprietor of Gleneagles, and likewise of the Airthrey estate, at Bridge of Allan, now the romantic seat of Lord Abercromby. The Gleneagles estate and barony of Haldane being entailed in the female line, thus descended to the Camperdown family; and Captain Haldane of Airthrey having espoused his cousin-german, Catherine Duncan, sister of the first Viscount, the two families became more closely allied, and represented the line of the ancient Earls of Levenax or Lennox. Adam Duncan was the second son of the Alexander Duncan above mentioned, and was born at Dundee, July 1, 1731, his father being then Provost of the town. After receiving his early education here, Adam entered the navy in 1746, under his relative, Captain Haldane, on board the Shoreham frigate, where he remained about three years.

Thereafter he became a Midshipman in the Centurion, flagship of Commodore (afterwards Admiral) Keppel; from which he was promoted, in 1755, to the Norwich, with the rank of Lieutenant, in which vessel he served on the North American Station. Returning to England, he was appointed Second Lieutenant of the Torbay, seventy-four, which joined the expedition sent against the French settlement of Goree, on the African coast, where he was slightly wounded. On his return, he became successively Commander and Post-Captain, and was transferred to the Valiant, the flag-ship of Kep­pel, in the expedition against Belleisle. In 1762, he assisted, under Admiral Pococke, at the siege of Havannah, and subsequently accom­panied Admiral Keppel to the Jamaica Station, where he remained till the conclusion of the war. In 1779, we find him steadily rising in his profession, being then in command of the Monarch, seventy-four, which formed one of Rodney's squadron, sent to relieve Gibraltar, then closely blockaded by the Spaniards. In the action off Cape St Vincent, 16th January, 1780, Captain Duncan's ship was the first to dash in among the Spanish squadron, and his answer, on being warned against the probable rashness of this movement, was the characteristic one—"Just what I want; I wish to be among them." Laying his vessel alongside the San Augustin, a Spaniard much larger than the Monarch, and with two others of the enemy within musket-shot to leeward of him, Captain Duncan, after a short engagement, so riddled his opponent that she surrendered.

In 1782, the Blenheim, of ninety guns, was placed under Duncan's command, in which he led the larboard division of the Channel Squadron, under Lord Howe, in an engagement off Gibraltar. Transferred thereafter to the Edgar, he was promoted successively to be Rear-Admiral of the blue, and Vice-Admiral in the white squadron; but these were regarded as barren honours, since his frequent applications for a post of active duty had been so coldly received by those in power, that he was on the point of retiring from the service in disgust. At last, however, the turning point in his career came, with his appointment to the Venerable, seventy-four, in which he hoisted his flag as Admiral of the blue, in command of the North Sea Fleet, on the 1st June, 1796.

At this juncture, the French were meditating a descent upon Ire­land, with forty thousand men; and a large Dutch fleet was assembled in the Texel to co-operate in that movement. After upwards of a year spent in the harassing duty of watching this formidable armament, and-rendering the enterprise abortive, Duncan had the mortification to find the mutiny in the British fleet, which began at the Nore, spreading over almost all the ships under his command, thus placing him in the most painful position in which a brave and patriotic commander could find himself—deserted by his crews in the face of the enemy. His conduct on this occasion was equal to the emergency, and was happily successful. Assembling the crew of the Venerable, he addressed them in the following simple and touching words:—

"My lads, I once more call you together, with a sorrowful heart, from what I have lately seen of the disaffection of the fleet; I call it disaffection, for they have no grievances. To be deserted by my fleet, in the face of an enemy, is a disgrace which never before happened to a British Admiral, nor could I have supposed it possible. My greatest comfort, under God, is that I have been supported by the officers and seamen of this ship, for which, with a heart overflowing with gra­titude, I request you to accept my sincere thanks. I flatter myself much good may result from your example, by bringing these deluded people to a sense of the duty which they owe, not only to their king and country, but to themselves. The British Navy has ever been the support of that liberty which has been handed down to us by our ancestors, and which, I trust, we shall maintain to the latest posterity; and that can be done only by unanimity and obedience. The ship's company, and others who have distinguished themselves by their loyalty and good order, deserve to be, and doubtless will be, the favourites of a grateful country. They will also have, from their inward feelings, a comfort "which will be lasting, and not like the fleeting and false confidence of those who have swerved from their duty. It has often been my pride to look into the Texel, and see a foe which decided on coming out to meet us. My pride is now humbled indeed. My feelings are not easily to be repressed. Our cup has overflowed, and has made us wanton. The all-wise Providence has given us this check as a warning, and I hope we shall improve by it. On Him then let us trust, where our only security can be found. I find there are many good men among us; for my own part, I have had full confidence of all in this ship, and once more beg to express my approbation of your conduct. May God, who has thus far conducted you, continue to do so; and may the British Navy, the glory and support of our country, be restored to its wonted splendour, and be not only the bulwark of Britain, but the terror of the world! But this can only be effected by a spirit of adherence to our duty and obedience; and let us pray that the Almighty God may keep us in the right way of thinking. God bless you all."

This appeal to the nobler instincts of British seamen was irresist­ible: many of them were melted to tears, and all declared their resolution to be faithful to their duty. With his own ship and the Adamant, he boldly risked the blockade of the passage from the Texel, deceiving the enemy, by making signals as if the rest of his fleet were at hand to support him, instead of holding aloof in the power of the mutineers. His decision, and the prevalence of wiser counsels, soon brought others of the disaffected ships to share his enterprise, until, shortly afterwards, all had returned to their duty; and their com­mander was in a position to give them, an opportunity of retrieving their honour. 

Finding himself compelled to refit and revictual several of his ships, Admiral Duncan left a squadron to watch the enemy while he made a run into Yarmouth roads. He had only been there a few days when information was brought to him that the enemy had at last come out. Weighing anchor immediately, he had the satisfaction of falling in with them off Camperdown, on the 11th October, 1797. The action that followed is thus described in Admiral Duncan's despatch:— "Finding there was no time to be lost in making the attack, I made the signal to bear up, break the enemy's line, and engage them to leeward, each ship her opponent, by which I got between them and the land, whither they were fast approaching. My signals Were obeyed with promptitude; and Vice-Admiral Onslow, in the Monarch, Bore down on the enemy's rear in the most gallant manner, his division following his example, and the action commenced about forty minutes past twelve. The Venerable soon got through the enemy's line, and began a close action, with my division on their van, which lasted two hours and a-half." The result was one of the most splendid victories in the annals of naval heroism. Of the fifteen sail of the line and eleven frigates which formed the Dutch fleet, nine of the former and two frigates were captured, including Admiral de Winter and the Vice-Admiral. The killed and wounded amounted, on our side, to 825 men; and, on the enemy's side, to 1160.

On his return to the Nore, on the 16th of October, the victorious Admiral was raised to the Peerage by the title of Viscount Duncan of Camperdown and Baron of Lundie. He afterwards received the thanks of Parliament, with an annual allowance of £2000 to himself and his two next heirs. The city of London presented him with the freedom, and a sword of 200 guineas value. Nor was his native place backward in conferring what honours it had to bestow. On his arrival in Dundee, Lord Duncan, in full uniform, and bearing his valuable sword, was conducted by the Magistrates in procession along the High Street to the Town Hall, where he received the congratulations of his townsmen. A service of plate was subscribed for, and his portrait hung up in the Town Hall, where it still remains, bearing the follow­ing commemorative inscription:—

"The Right Honourable Viscount Duncan, Commander of the British Fleet in the North Seas, in the glorious engagement with the Dutch near Camperdown, on the 11th of October, 1797, when the enemy were completely defeated, with the loss of nine ships of the line, among which were those of the Admiral and Vice-Admiral.

The portrait of the gallant Admiral was here placed at the request of a general meet­ing of the noblemen and gentlemen of Angus, who were justly proud that their county had given birth to so distinguished an officer. And as a further testimony of their satisfaction, they at the same time resolved that a piece of plate, of 200 guineas value, should be presented to him by the county, in memory of that great and important victory."

In the year 1800, Lord Duncan retired from the command of the North Sea Meet into private life; but, four years later, he proceeded to London again to offer his services to his country; but, being stricken by apoplexy while attending at the Admiralty, he hastened back to Scotland, dying on his way home, at Cornhill, near Kelso, August 4, 1804. His remains were interred in the family vault of Lundie Churchyard, where a modest tablet records the fact His Lordship was married in 1777, to a daughter of Lord-President Dundas, and niece of Viscount Melville, by whom he had several children. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, who was, at the Coronation of William IV., in 1831, created Earl of Camperdown, and whose grandson, the next Earl, inherited the title and estates. "Admiral Duncan's character," says Alison the historian," both in professional daring and domestic suavity, closely resembled that of Collingwood. He had the same rapid eye and intrepid decision in action, the same boldness in danger, the same vigour in command, the same gentleness in disposition. Tall, majestic in figure, with an athletic form and noble countenance, he recalled the image of those heroes in whom the imagination of the poets has loved to embody the combination of vigour and courage, with strength and beauty. The rapidity of his decision, the justice of his glance, was equal to that of Nelson himself."

ARCHBISHOP GLADSTANES.

In our list of eminent natives, we are able to place one who rose to the highest dignity in the Episcopal Church, and who belonged to a family from which the Gladstones of the present day claim their descent. About the middle of the 16th century, there lived one Halbert Gledstanis, who is designed "Clerk of Dundee," and probably held some clerical office. He had a son, George, who was born here, and, after receiving his education at the Grammar School, took his degree at the University. Thereafter he taught languages in Montrose, where he was reader in 1585-6. In 1587, he was admitted to the charge of Ecelesgreig or St Cyrus, where he remained until his translation to Arbirlot in May 1592. During his ministry there, he took an active part in the General Assemblies. In 1597, he was again translated to St Andrews, and two years later was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University. His Presbyterianism appears to have become so pliant as to commend him to the favour of the king, James VI., who, in 1600, appointed him Bishop of Caithness. Among other projects favoured by the king, which the bishop strove to further, was that of the Union of the two countries; but his efforts in that direction proved abortive In 1606, Gladstanes was translated to the Arch­bishopric of St Andrews, and, for several years thereafter, his name frequently occurs in ecclesiastical history as an active and talented dignitary of the Episcopal Church in Scotland, He died 2nd May, 1615,

REV. JOHN GLAS.

Although not a native of Dundee, but identified with it as the scene of his labours, and where the sect which bears his name was founded, some notice of this divine will not be out of place. The son of a minister, Mr Glas was born at Auchtermuchty, Sept. 21, 1695. Educated first at the Parish School, afterwards at Perth and at St Andrews, he was admitted a licentiate of the Church of Scotland in 1721, and ordained minister of Tealing in the following year. Here he soon became highly popular as a preacher, and his sermons, which frequently extended over three hours in delivery, kept up the un­wearied attention of large audiences. Adopting peculiar views on Church doctrine and polity, which he not only freely avowed himself, but formed a society of kindred minds in his parish to foster and ex­tend, he fell under the notice of the Church courts. This led him to withdraw his signature from the Formula and some passages in the Confession of Faith. His views, as expounded in a treatise entitled The Testimony of the King of Martyrs, were, that national covenants and a national church were unauthorised by Scripture; that indivi­dual congregations were subject to no jurisdiction by Church courts; and that it was unwarrantable to impose parental vows in baptising children. The result was his suspension and deposition from the ministry in March 1730. Mr Glas then removed to Dundee, and founded a select body, according to his ideas of a Christian Church, to which the name of "Glasites" came to be applied.

His followers at first were few in number, and, in 1733, Mr Glas left Dundee for Perth, where he succeeded in erecting a chapel and forming a small congregation; but, though a man of the most inoffensive character, such was the intolerance of the times towards any innovations in reli­gious belief, that a certain lady, seeing him in the street, was heard to exclaim, "Why do they not rive him in pieces?" and steps were seriously entertained for ejecting him from the city. In 1739, the General Assembly, among other strange acts, recalled the sentence of deposition, declaring, however, "that he is not to be esteemed a minister of the Church of Scotland until he shall renounce the principles embraced by him that are inconsistent with the constitution of the Church." Unmoved by the harsh treatment he received, he remained at Perth many years, pursuing the even tenor of his way, in the midst of many trials, and suffering domestic afflictions of the deepest kind. Returning to Dundee, where a congregation had likewise been formed, and the octagonal place of worship erected, which still stands in King Street, he ended his days on the 2nd Nov., 1773, in the 79th year of his age, and 55th of his ministry.

Mr Glas was the author of numerous theological works, mostly of a controversial character, which were published at Edinburgh in 1762, in 4 vols. 8vo. Among his writings may be mentioned, A Plea for Pure and Undefiled Religion, 1742; Catholic Charity, 1743; The Unlawfuless of Blood-eating, 1743; A Dissertation on Infant Baptism, 1746, &c. Mr Glas married Katharine, daughter of Mr Black, one of the ministers of Perth, an amiable and pious woman, who supported her husband in his darkest hours, and by whom he had fifteen children, all of whom he survived. One of his sons, Thomas, who was a bookseller in Dundee, became pastor of the congregation formed by His father, but died of fever in the prime of life. George, another son, born in Dundee in 1725, was educated for the medical profession, and went several voyages to the West Indies in the capacity of surgeon. He then adopted the seafaring profession, and, while commanding a vessel in the Brazilian trade, wrote an interesting Description of Teneriffe, published in 1764. Engaged by a company in London to form an African settlement, he went out, taking with him his wife and daughter; but, falling into the hands of the Spaniards, his crew were murdered and his vessel plundered. Captain Glas was kept a prisoner for some time; but, contriving to inform the British Consul of his situation by means of a slip of paper concealed in a loaf of bread, he regained his liberty.

In 1765, he sailed, with his wife and daughter, for England, having, besides all his property, a considerable amount of specie in the ship. As they neared the coast of Ireland, four of his crew conspired to seize the vessel; and as they were proceeding to put their design into execution, Captain Glas hastened from the cabin, and was stabbed in the back by one of the mutineers, and almost instantly expired. Seizing Mrs Glas and her daughter, who implored mercy in vain, the ruffians next threw them overboard, locked in each other's arms. The tragedy was completed by the slaughter of the mate, one seaman, and two boys, who vainly strove to do their duty; after which, the ship's boat was loaded with the money-chest and valuables. First sinking the ship, the wretched beings pulled for the shore, and landed at Ross; but justice speedily overtook them. They confessed their crimes, and were executed in October 1765.

The aged minister had been apprised that his favourite and long-lost son was on his voyage home, and daily expected his arrival. When the news reached him, and someone silently pointed to the news­paper paragraph which narrated the tragical catastrophe, Mr Glas bore the shock with perfect resignation, and in a few hours attended a church meeting, and took part in the services. On being told afterwards that the guilty parties had been executed, he remarked, what a glorious instance of Divine grace it would be if George Glas and his murderers should have met together in heaven!

Robert Sandeman, the son-in-law of Mr Glas, and author of Theron and Aspasia, took up his peculiar doctrines and practices, and, with some modifications, spread them in England—hence the name of Sandemanians bestowed on his followers. These doctrines embrace the definition of Faith as simple assent to the Divine testimony; while their practice consists of the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper —love-feasts, of which all are required to partake—the kiss of charity, practised on these and other occasions—weekly collections for the poor—a literal interpretation of the precepts on abstinence from blood —washing each other's feet, &c. In the choice of elders or pastors, want of learning or business engagements are overruled, but second marriages are an insuperable bar to the office. In discipline they are strict and severe, but must be unanimous in all their decisions; and they think themselves obliged to keep apart from all other Christian societies. It is scarcely necessary to say that they are gradually declining in numbers.

THOMAS DICK, LL.D.

Thomas Dick was born in the Hilltown of Dundee, on November 24, 1774, his father, Mungo Dick, being one of the small linen manufac­turers who flourished in the days of handloom weaving. His parents were exemplary Seceders, and did not fail to impress the mind of their boy with some measure of their own piety, so that, by his mother's teaching, he could read the New Testament before going to school. The religious training of his childhood maintained an ascendancy over his mind, to which the erudition and accomplishments of later years brought no change, but only added lustre and refinement. It is related that the bent of his mind towards astronomical studies was first exhibited by the following incident:—In August 1783, a meteor appeared, which created both wonder and alarm among the common people. At that time Thomas Dick was nine years of age; and while in his father's garden with a female servant, the meteor flashed across the heavens. The girl, looking towards the north, exclaimed—"You have never seen lightning before; see, there's lightning!" In the terror which this remarkable phenomenon inspired, they both fell prostrate to the ground, imagining that the last day had come, and it was some time before they recovered themselves. From that day Thomas sought by every means to acquire knowledge of astronomy and meteorology, preferring books which treated of such abstruse subjects to any other reading. His early education was of a limited kind, partly on account of his father sending him to the loom, and partly through his constitution being weakened by infantile diseases. At thirteen years of age, he had saved as much of his pocket-money as purchased a small work on natural philosophy, which became his constant companion even while plying the shuttle. He constructed a little wooden desk upon his loom, on which he placed the open book, so that, while his feet and hands kept the treddles and shuttle in motion, his eyes followed the lines on the open page. To obtain a better knowledge of the planets described in the book, he constructed a machine for grinding a series of lenses, the glasses of which were contributed by the old women of the neighbourhood who used spectacles. Arranging his lenses by means of paste­board tubes, he found himself in possession of a rude telescope, by which he made observations on the heavenly bodies.

His parents would have been better pleased had he shown more aptitude for the loom; and his mother frequently warned him that he would not make his bread by star-gazing, and told him, "ye mind me o' the folk the prophet speaks o', wha weary themselves i' the fire for very vanity;" while his father would say, sorrowfully—"I dinna ken what to dae wi' that laddie, Tam, for he cares for naething but books and glasses. I saw him the other day, lying on the green, trying to turn the steeple o' St Andrew's Kirk upside down wi' his telescope!" The good people had the wisdom, however, to allow their son to follow the bent of his mind, so that he, at the age of sixteen, became assistant-teacher in a school, and began the study of Latin. While in this situation, he contrived to purchase a copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, which, it may well be supposed, would largely gratify his thirst for scientific knowledge.
In 1794, at twenty years of age, he entered himself as a student in the University of Edinburgh, supporting himself by private teach­ing. In the end of 1797, he became teacher of a school at Dubbieside, near Leven, in Fifeshire, from which he shortly afterwards removed to the school at Path of Condie, Perthshire. His first literary essays appeared about this time as contributions to various publica­tions. Returning to Edinburgh, he completed his curriculum as a student of Divinity, and was licensed to preach in connection with the Secession Church. He was never settled in any fixed charge, but officiated as a probationer in different parts of Scotland, until, on the invitation of the Secession Church of Methven, he became teacher of the school at that place. Here he remained for ten years, during which period he instituted classes for scientific teaching, established a people's library, and founded what was truly the first Mechanics' In­stitute in the kingdom. From Methven, Mr Dick removed to Perth, where he taught for another ten years, at the same time actively prose­cuting his astronomical studies. Here he wrote his Christian Philo­sopher, which was published in 1827, and became at once popular.

The success of this book induced him to resign his public teaching, and to retire to Broughty Ferry. There he built a cottage on Forthill, upon a barren spot, where nothing would grow until 8000 wheel­barrow Loads of soil had been spread over its surface by the learned and indefatigable philosopher himself. The most prominent feature of his residence was an observatory, carried up above the roof, in which were placed his numerous and valuable philosophical instruments. The astronomer and his elevated abode excited the wonderment of the villagers at that time, by whom he was long familiarly known as "Philosopher Dick," and who speculated much on his reasons for dwell­ing so far above his neighbours. The only motive they could fix upon was, that he wished to be "near the stars." In the seclusion of this retreat, for a period of nearly twenty-five years, when age and illness stayed his hand, his pen was constantly employed on those numerous works in which he not only, as an American divine has said, "brought down philosophy from heaven to earth, but raised it from earth to hea­ven." His Philosophy of a Future State appeared in 1828, and proved equally successful with his former work; Its popularity in America was greater than in this country, and was signified by the degree of LL.D. being conferred on the author by the Senatus Academicus of Union College, New York. In 1837, Dr Dick visited London, where he published his next work, Celestial Scenery. He also visited the principal towns in France, inspecting the observatories and colleges; the same privilege being accorded to him at Cambridge on his return. In the spring of 1849, he was attacked by a severe illness, from which he never fully recovered, and a painful surgical operation, for a tumour in the breast, still further enfeebled his system. He survived, however, until the 29th July, 1857, when he died at the ripe age of eighty-three. Dr Dick was thrice married, and a widow survived him. Notwith­standing a life spent in literary labours of the severest kind, in the production too of works which had a wide circulation, the pecuniary reward to the author was miserably inadequate. This was due, per­haps, to careless business arrangements with his publishers; but the result was to deprive him, in his old age, of much of that ease and comfort to which his labours fairly entitled him. To remedy this, a private subscription was set on foot in Dundee, which resulted in £223 being collected for his benefit. For some years before his death, efforts were made to procure an allowance from Government, which at first were unsuccessful; but afterwards, in April 1855, it was an­nounced that the Lords of the Treasury had been graciously pleased to bestow upon him £10 per annum! Upon this announcement being made, a strong memorial, backed by the Earl of Dalhousie, then Hon. Fox Maule, and other influential men, was laid before the Government, which was successful in procuring an allowance of £50 per annum, which, after his death, was continued to his widow. Speak­ing of his income from his works, Dr Dick says, "My writings have not produced so much pecuniary compensation as some have supposed, notwithstanding they have had a pretty extensive sale in this country, and much more so in America. For the entire copyright of the Christian Philosopher, which has passed through more than ten large editions, I received only £120, while the publisher must have realised at least £2000 on this volume alone." A neat monument, of Peterhead granite, was erected to the memory of Dr Dick, in the churchyard of the Chapel of Ease at Broughty Ferry, bearing this inscription:—

IN MEMORY OF
THOMAS DICK, LL. D.,
AUTHOR OF THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, ETC,
BORN 1774,
DIED 1857.

GEORGE KINLOCH, M.P.

This distinguished political reformer was born at Bellevue (after­wards known as Airlie Lodge), Dundee, on April 30, 1775. The family surname is believed to have been derived from the Celtic, Cean-loch, or head of the loch, the ancient possession of the family being at the head of Rossie Loch in Fifeshire. George Kinloch, the head of the family in the reign of James V., had two sons, one of whom, Sir Alexander, succeeded to the Fifeshire estates, but sold them to "Balfour of Burley." The other son, David, became the progenitor of the Kinlochs of Kinloch; his son, a distinguished physician, having pur­chased the estate of Balmyle in Perthshire, the name of which he changed to Kinloch. While yet in his eighteenth year, George Kin­loch visited France, and the course of events then evolving in that country so impressed his youthful mind that he returned home deeply imbued with Republican principles, which he never afterwards hesitated to avow and defend. The question of Parliamentary Reform had begun to take hold of the public mind in 1793, and to it, through good report and bad, Mr Kinloch devoted his energies, until, after many years of agitation and arduous effort, the measure of 1832 realised to a large extent the hopes of political reformers.

In the beginning of the 19th century, Dundee was singularly deficient in public spirit and political zeal; but this apathetic state of feeling was broken about 1814, when the improvement of the Harbour began to be discussed, Towards this object, and the organisation of a responsible and popular management, a bill was framed, in the carry­ing of which Mr Kinloch first identified himself with our local interests. He proceeded to London at his own expense to combat the opposition waged against it by the self-elected Council of the day, and on the passing of the Act, his labours were acknowledged by a service of plate being presented to him by the Guildry, on Oct. 13, 1815, the day on which the foundation stone of King William's Dock was laid. Two years afterwards, on the refusal of Provost Riddoch to comply with a requisition for calling a public meeting to discuss the subject of Parliamentary Reform, Mr Kinloch presided at a meeting on the Magdalen Green, which was attended by 7000 people, at which strong resolutions in favour of the measure were adopted, and embodied in a petition to Parliament. As has been truly observed, "It required courage of no ordinary kind to take a leading part in advocating the cause of the people in those days, when such advocacy was too often visited by severe pains and penalties; yet, though Mr Kinloch did not push himself forward as an agitator, or court popular applause by pandering to class prejudices, he never feared to sacrifice himself if he could be useful to the public. Far removed by social position from those fears which perplexed and harassed the operatives of Dundee, he never beguiled them into positions of peril, nor uttered a word which compromised their safety. If he sympathised with them in their social misery, and waxed indignant when he thought of their political degradation, he did it in words which proclaimed his entire responsibility; and his hope, fervently expressed, was that his hearers might conduct themselves as became men engaged in a noble yet perilous enterprise."

In 1819, another monstre meeting, attended this time by about ten thousand persons, was held on the Green, in which Mr Kinloch took the most prominent part. The occasion of this assemblage was the occurrence known as "The Peterloo Massacre." At a place so named, near Manchester, a peaceable Reform meeting had been dispersed by the military, who, in the rash exercise of power, fired into a crowd of defenceless people, of whom many were killed and wounded. The uneasiness of the authorities in Dundee, with regard to the demonstration of sympathy with the victims of this outrage, and indigna­tion at the Government under which it occurred, was shown by the precautions taken to preserve the peace. A large number of con­stables, specially sworn in, were mustered in the Town Hall, while the soldiers were held in readiness at the Barracks.
An imposing procession, composed of working men, marched at mid-day to the Green, bearing flags trimmed with crape. "A hun­dred sailors paraded in great order, carrying a Union Jack, surmounted by the figure of a ship's hull, both reversed, as emblematic of the ruined state of commerce; while a number of youths carried a pole, from which dangled a broken tea-kettle and two broken tea-pots; and from another were suspended the fragments of a gill-stoup, of wine­glasses, tobacco-pipes, and snuff-boxes—memorials of luxuries once enjoyed by the poorest man in the country. One of the banners, it was also noticed, had for its motto the significant words, ' Bread or Blood!'"

The reception of Mr Kinloch on this occasion was enthusiastic in the extreme. His address, while marked by good sense, was spirited and eloquent; nor did he hesitate to denounce those who abetted the recent outrage as enemies to the liberties of the people and the security of the country. Resolutions to this effect, and calling for the reform of the House of Commons, on the basis of universal suffrage, the ballot, and annual parliaments, were unanimously adopted, and the policy of Lord Sidmouth, the Premier, was reprobated in the strongest terms. After the thanks of the meeting .had been voted to Mr Kinloch, in reply to which he pledged himself—perhaps somewhat hastily, as subsequent events showed—"to be always at his post when the country required a defender, or the people a friend"—the vast assem­blage quietly dispersed. A disturbance seemed eminent, however, in the evening. When Mr Kinloch had proceeded to confer with the authorities in the Town Hall, the rumour spread that he was to be kept in confinement, and the large crowd which assembled on the High Street, armed with missiles to assail the building, was only paci­fied when he presented himself at a window, and assured the people that he was under no restraint.

This demonstration, or rather the prominent part taken in it by Kinloch, was deemed by the advisers of the Crown sufficient to warrant the prosecution of him for sedition ; and it was alleged that a certain clergyman, who attended the meeting as an informer, furnished a report of his speech, on which such a charge was to be founded. At all events, Sheriff L'Amy was sent to investigate the circumstances, "and immediately afterwards Mr Kinloch was cited to appear before the Court of Justiciary at Edinburgh, on 22nd December, 1819. Judg­ing it more prudent to avoid a trial than to face his accusers, and vindicate his conduct, Mr Kinloch left the country. On these circumstances, the Court pronounced the usual interlocutor—outlawry for non-appearance. Opposite views have prevailed with regard to this episode in his career—his friends claiming that he was expatriated for advocacy of popular opinions, while others maintain that the out­lawry was the result of his own procedure, and amounted only to a formal deliverance, by no means implying that he was, or would have been, found guilty of the charge against him. In support of this view, it is urged that no steps were taken to hasten or prevent his volun­tary exile, as he quietly retired to Paris with his family. Without entering upon this question, it is right to hear his own statement, as subsequently given at a public dinner at which he was entertained in Dundee:—"I was cited," he said, "to appear before a set of prejudiced judges and a packed jury(?), for the atrocious crime of having said we needed Reform, that cutting of throats was murder, that Castlereagh was a knave, and old Sidmouth a fool. My counsel assured me I had spoken too freely and honestly against myself, and that there was no chance for me but to move off. I took the advice, thinking it preferable to visit the hospitable shores of France, at my own expense, rather than subject my country to the expense of trans­porting me to Botany Bay."

Three years later, when George IV visited Edinburgh, one of Mr Kinloch's daughters was presented to his Majesty, and preferred a request that her father's outlawry might be recalled, which was granted. From the period of his return to the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832, he occupied himself in advocating that measure, and, among other writings, published a pamphlet on the Corn Laws. Dun­dee having then acquired the right to send a Member of its own to Parliament, the seat was the object of a keen contest—the candidates being Colonel Chalmers, Lord Hallyburton, Mr David Guthrie, and Mr Kinloch himself. Ultimately the two last named went to the poll, and the result was the election of Mr Kinloch, in December 1832. In the following month, he proceeded to London, by way of Paisley and Greenock, where he addressed large meetings, and was heartily received, and took his seat on Jan. 29, 1833, being the first Scottish Member who entered the House. His attention to parlia­ment duties was unremitting; but, unfortunately, his public career was prematurely closed by an attack of inflammation, with which he was seized on March 6, and to which he succumbed on the 28th of that month, in the 58th year of his age.

The intelligence of his death was received with profound sorrow, and a movement was set on foot to erect some public memorial to his name, but it took almost forty years to carry this into execution. At length, a bronze statue was commissioned from Mr John Steel, E.S.A., and, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 1872, it was unveiled in presence of a large assemblage. The statue is an admirable example of the sculptor's art, and forms a prominent object in the grounds of the Free Library Buildings. The pedestal, which is of Aberdeen granite, bears the following inscription:—

"george kinloch of kinloch, outlawed for the advocacy of popular rights, 22 december, 1819. proclaimed member for dundee in the first reformed parliament, 22 december, 1832. born in dundee 1775. died in london 1833. "erected by public subscription to commemorate a signal triumph of political justice, 3rd feb. 1872.

WILLIAM GARDINER,

In the annals of botanical science, few men of humble birth and limited opportunities have done more to deserve recognition than the subject of this notice. William Gardiner was born at Dundee in 1809, of parents whose straitened circumstances afforded him little education beyond reading and writing, so that, at the early age of ten, the boy was apprenticed to an umbrella-maker. In this unpoetical calling, he contrived, by means of evening classes and indomitable perseverance, to supplement the lack of education, and become a taste­ful and accurate writer. Botanical study took an early hold of his mind, induced no doubt by the example of his father and uncle, both of whom exhibited a love for plants, and took the young student with them in their botanical rambles. In the early mornings, or after the work of the day was over, Gardiner would set off in search of botanical specimens from such local habitats as Will's Braes, Baldovan Woods, or the Hare Craigs; while the holiday was utilised for more extended journeys to the Sidlaw Hills, or the Red Head Cliffs. In the summer of 1838, he got a few weeks of liberty;and, in order to supplement the scanty resources which he possessed from his wages of 10s. A week, he proposed to the Edinburgh Botanical Society to collect for its members, Alpine plants from the Scottish mountains, which was accepted The results of this, his first regular excursion of importance, were alike profitable to himself, in the way of discovery and extended knowledge, and satisfactory to the Society. The value of the collections was recognised by his election as an Associate of the Edinburgh Society; and a like honour followed some time after from the Linnaean Society of London. In 1840, he traversed the Clova mountains, collecting for the London Botanical Society; and, on this congenial task he entered with so much skill and enthusiasm that, by the distribution of the rare botanical treasures then found, his name became known over the kingdom. Numerous commissions fol­lowed, so that he soon found himself in a position to support himself wholly by his cherished pursuits; and, up to the date of his last illness, he distributed specimens to all parts of the country and the Continent, so that few botanical collections were not enriched by his contributions. One of his patrons was Mr Stephenson, the celebrated engineer, for whom he compiled dried specimens extending to sixteen volumes of the British Flora, for which Mr Stephenson gave him what was considered the handsome remuneration of thirty-seven guineas.

In 1843, Gardiner wrote a monograph of the botany of the Reekie Linn and Den of Airlie, which was printed in the first volume of the Botanical Society's Transactions; and, in the following year, he ex­plored the mountains of Aberdeenshire, an account of which he after­wards published as Botanical Rambles in Braemar. His next work, Twenty Lessons on British Mosses, illustrated with real specimens of the plants, quickly ran through four editions, and was followed by a second series, which was equally well received. His chief work, The Flora of Forfarshire, succeeded, and took its place as a standard book, embracing, besides its technical contents, graphic descriptions of the localities in which the rare plants were found, and interesting references to the more important discoveries he made of individual specimens hitherto unknown. Among these, he was the first to find in Britain the rare bulbous moss, Buxbaumia aphylla, the fruit of the Alectoria jubata, and the discovery of a new Sphoeria, which, in compliment to him, the Rev. M. J. Berkeley named S. Gardinerii.

The success of the Watt Institution, during the earlier years of its existence, was in a great measure due to Mr Gardiner's exertions, as a member of committee. At great labour, he contributed to its museum a complete and valuable collection of British mosses, besides contri­butions in other departments of natural history. He also gave a series of public lectures on botany, copiously illustrated by his own draw­ings. Though offered at one time an appointment by Sir William Hooker, where his talents would have been more widely appreciated, he never left his native place, having no ambition but to pursue science for its own sake, and content to earn what sufficed for his mo­dest wants, and the support of his aged mother. For some time before his death, he was unable through illness to prosecute continu­ously his favourite studies; and a fever, with which he was seized, finally prostrated him, and resulted in his death, on June 21, 1852, at the early age of forty-three.

SIR DAVID BAXTER.

In recalling the services rendered to the commonwealth by men who have reached an eminent position in literature and science, it will not be deemed out of place to assign a niche in the local Walhalla to one Who occupied the first and foremost place among the merchant princes of our day. Sir David Baxter was so closely identified with the mer­cantile prosperity of Dundee as to become a representative man in his order;and his career, apart from the great wealth and influence which he achieved, will be dwelt upon by future generations as bound up with the development of the trade and institutions of the town during a period of unexampled prosperity; while his princely benefactions cannot fail to claim grateful acknowledgments from future generations.

David Baxter was the second son of William Baxter of Balgavies, and was born at Dundee on 13th Feb., 1793. Receiving his education at the local schools, he entered on commercial pursuits, his first business connection of importance being that of manager to the Dundee Sugar-Kenning Company. Its premises were situated in the Seagate, where Messrs Jaffe's warehouses now stand; but, notwith­standing Mr Baxter's energetic management, the concern was unprofitable, and ultimately collapsed. He then, on the retirement of his elder brother, Edward, from the manufacturing business, which had been started by his father at the Dens, entered as a partner in the firm of William Baxter & Son, and devoted himself exclusively to the new business, so that in process of time the firm so extended its opera­tions and established its reputation as to become famous at home and abroad. The application of steam power to the process of weaving mainly contributed to the wonderful expansion of the trade in which this and other firms were engaged. In 1825, Messrs Baxter's atten­tion was turned to the power-loom, by an attempt to introduce it at Aberdeen; but an actual trial, in 1828, proved so discouraging that the machinery, got up at considerable expense, was laid aside, and it was not until 1838 that the process was permanently resumed under more favourable circumstances. They erected a factory at Upper Dens, containing 216 looms; and the skill and perseverance with which the difficulties surrounding the new enterprise were met, at length ensured success, to which a large share of the credit was due to Mr Peter Carmichael, the manager of the works, who, on the sugges­tion of Mr David Baxter, was assumed as a partner in the business. The death of his father and two brothers left Mr David Baxter in name, as he had long been in fact, the head of the firm, and to his energy and business capacity the transactions of the firm steadily ex­panded into gigantic proportions.

The onerous duties and responsibilities resulting from such a busi­ness did not prevent Mr Baxter from taking a full share of public business, and devoting his time and influence to the charitable and educational institutions of the town. His first appearance at our pub­lic Boards was as a Police Commissioner in 1825. Three years after­wards, he became a Guild Councillor and a member of the Harbour1 Board. In 1829, he was instrumental in getting up an address to the King in favour of Catholic Emancipation—a question which then served to bring out the antagonism between the Whig and Tory parties. Less liberal, in the light of recent experience at least, were his views on the Ten Hours Bill of 1832, against which his firm headed a petition to Parliament, maintaining that sixty-six hours per week were necessary not only for the employers, but for the welfare of the work­people themselves. In his capacity of Harbour Trustee, we find him, in 1834, moving the Board to subscribe ten guineas to a fund for erecting a monument, in Westminster Abbey, to Telford, the engineer; while in 1836 he strenuously resisted a proposal that the Board should make up the balance of the expense of a piece of plate presented to Mr Kinloch—threatening to institute legal proceedings at his own expense if the Harbour funds were applied to such a purpose. In the affairs of the Harbour Trust, Mr Baxter for many years took an active part, and to his sagacity and financial ability the sound basis on which that corporation has ever been conducted was largely attributable. In many other public matters, he took a leading part. He was one of the few gentlemen who subscribed for the preliminary surveys for bring­ing a supply of water from the Monikie district—he opposed the adoption of the Lindsay Police Act in 1852, as being inadequate to the requirements of Dundee, which a short experience of its working proved —and he took up with zeal the popular side in the Corn Law move­ment. So strong were his sympathies in this direction that he supported Mr J. B. Smith, President of the Anti-Corn Law League, though an utter stranger, in his candidature against Mr George Duncan, for the representation of the town in 1841. After Mr Duncan's election, however, Mr Baxter frankly bore testimony to his faithful discharge of his duties; assisted in getting up a banquet to him in 1847; in 1852, seconded his re-election; and, in 1853, presided at a meeting, and presented a service of plate to him, in recognition of his parlia­mentary services, and his praiseworthy conduct in bestowing the £1100, subscribed by his friends as a personal gift, to the erection of Industrial Schools.

Of all his services, however, that which most conspicuously raised Mr Baxter in public estimation was the splendid gift to the community of the Public Park which bears his name. Sensible of the yearly lessening facilities which the denizens of the town enjoyed for out-door recreation, by the absorption of open spaces for building purposes, Mr Baxter announced, in May 1861, that, in conjunction with his sisters, the Misses Eleanor and Mary-Ann Baxter, he had, resolved to purchase for the people a pleasure ground, of which they could not be deprived. Accordingly, a field of thirty-five acres, on the estate of Craigie, was secured, and, after three years of prepara­tion under the direction of Sir Joseph Paxton, it was formally opened on the 9th Sept., 1863, with a demonstration in which Earls Russell, Dalhousie, Camperdown, and other notables took part, and where, in presence of some sixty thousand spectators, Sir David handed over the keys of the Park to the Trustees appointed to preserve it for the use of the people of Dundee forever. On that occasion, an address was presented by Mr Leng, handing over to Sir David a beautiful marble statue of himself, by Mr Steel of Edinburgh, erected at a cost of £1000, and set up in the Pavilion of the Park. The pedestal bears the following inscription:—

"THIS STATUE, OFSIR DAVID BAXTER OF KILMARON, WAS ERECTED BY 17,731 SUB­SCRIBERS, IN GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OE THE GIFT OF THIS PARK TO THE PEOPLE OF DUNDEE, BY HIM AND HIS SISTERS, MISS ELEANOR AND MISS MARY-ANN BAXTER; AND IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF THEIR LATE FATHER, WILLIAM BAXTER, ESQ., OF BALQAVIES, THEY DESIRE THAT HIS NAME BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE GIFT. A.D. 1863."

Before the formal opening of the Park, namely, on the 1st Jan., 1863, Lord Palmerston intimated that Her Majesty had been pleased to raise him to the baronetage of the United Kingdom, in considera­tion of his eminent commercial position and generous conduct to the community. The Chamber of Commerce, of which Sir David had frequently been chairman, met a few days' afterwards, and presented him with an address, recognising the honour thus conferred on the head of the linen trade, as a compliment at once to the worthy recipi­ent and to the commercial interests of the country. In replying to these congratulations, Sir David said that,

"After his surprise, occasioned by the reading of Lord Palmerston's letter, had somewhat subsided, his first thought was, how would the honour which his Most Gracious Sovereign had conferred upon him be received by his fellow-townsmen; but the address which had just been read, and the many congratulatory letters which had been sent to him from the many places with which he was connected, abundantly assured him on that head. The address had reference to his position in the trade of the town; but he could not forget that that position had been handed down to him by those who had gone before him; and if his firm had been enabled to extend and consolidate its business, very much of the credit was due to his partners, Mr Carmichael and Mr Dalgleish, and he gladly embraced the opportunity of paying a merited compliment to the memory of the departed, and of doing an act of justice to those who were still with him. He had seen many great changes and improvements in the trade of Dundee, and there was a striking contrast between the past and the present. He was proud to be able to say that now every work of any magnitude had its well appointed schools, and all the other appliances calculated to raise the working classes in the scale of society; and although these improvements had not been so extensive as he could wish, yet he was happy to say there was now an almost universal feeling on the part of the employers that the higher the intelligence possessed by the working classes the more valuable they would be as workers. He referred to the Park, and expressed his gratification at the thoughtful manner in which the visitors had conducted themselves while inspecting the progress of the operations necessary in laying it out; and from this he argued that, if the great body of the people were fairly treated, they would conduct themselves so as to win the confidence and goodwill of all. Thus gracefully and humbly did he accept the honour conferred upon him by his Sovereign, cherishing a grateful remembrance of those who had been his associates and the companions of his prosperous and honourable mercantile career, and speaking a kindly word for the workers, whose humble efforts had aided him in his progress upwards."

Shortly after the opening of the park, Sir David took a leading part in obtaining from the Town Council the site in Albert Square, with the view of erecting an Institute for literature, science, and art, which had for some time been a favourite idea with him. Towards this object he subscribed £6000, other £6000 being forthcoming from members of the Baxter family; and, some time after, when the build­ing fund was found to be insufficient for the undertaking, Sir David came forward with another £1000. Through certain complications, which arose from an ill-judged constitution of the managing body under the Limited Liability Act, this undertaking failed to realise the hopes of its founders; but the location of the Free Library within its walls, and the completion of the Museum buildings by the town, now bid fair to secure completeness and practical utility to the scheme.

In furtherance of education, Sir David likewise made the following liberal donations to the University of Edinburgh:—

"The Baxter Mathematical Scholarship, founded in 1863, of the annual value of £60, tenable for not more than four years; awarded for proficiency in the de­partment of mathematics, particularly in that branch of it which includes me­chanical and physical science.
"The Baxter Philosophical Scholarship, also founded in 1863, of the annual value of £60, and tenable for same period, for proficiency in mental philosophy.
"The Baxter Physical Science Scholarship, founded in 1865, of the annual value of £60, tenable for two years. By the deed of foundation it is to be awarded to the most eminent of the Bachelors of Science, who have passed their examination in the physical sciences, including experimental philosophy and chemistry.
"The Baxter Natural Science Scholarship, also founded in 1865, of the annual value of £60, and tenable for two years. It is awarded to those Bachelors in Science who have passed their examination in the department of natural science, includ­ing botany, zoology, physiology, and geology.
"The Chair of Engineering, founded in 1868, by an endowment gift of £5000, supplemented by an annual parliamentary vote of £200."
The town of Cupar, near which his estate of Kilmaron is situated, was likewise enriched by Sir David building and endowing a high class seminary for the education of young ladies. His latest benefaction was towards a Convalescent House, in which the patients of our Infirmary could find a temporary home during the period of recovery from sickness. For this purpose he offered in his lifetime, on certain conditions, a gift of £10,000; but the scheme not having been followed up until his last illness and death occurred, it was then found that the above sum was set apart for the building and furnishing of a. Convalescent House, while a further gift of £20,000 was bequeathed for its endowment. The trustees nominated for the purpose accordingly acquired a site, of about six acres, at Barnhill, in the outskirts of Broughty Ferry, and having selected plans by Mr Maclaren, for a building to accommodate from fifty to sixty inmates, the work is being proceeded with, and, on its completion, will be handed over to the Governors of the Royal Infirmary, as an asylum in which, for gene­rations to come, the sick and. deserving poor may be nursed back to health and fitted to renew the battle of life.

In March 1872, Sir David was seized with paralysis, in Edinburgh, where he resided for the winter; but, recovering a little, he was removed to Kilmaron, where he survived for several months until a relapse occurred, which ended fatally on the 13th October. Sir David married, in 1833, Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Montgomery, Esq. of Barrahill, Ayrshire, now Lady Baxter, who survives him. By his settlement, Sir David Baxter divided his heritable and personal property, valued at £1,200,000, in two portions, one being given in equal portions between his two surviving sisters, Mrs Molison and Miss Baxter, and to the family, ten in number, of his brother, the late Mr Edward Baxter. The other portion was devised to other relatives, and to public and benevolent institutions. Of the latter, the Free Church of Scotland received about £55,000, besides £7,500 to the Free Church congregation of Cupar; and the University of Edin­burgh, about £40,000, half of which sum was directed to be expended on additional buildings, and the other half for endowment purposes. For the erection and endowment of a building adapted for a Mechanic's Institute, in Dundee or immediate neighbourhood, a sum of £20,000 was bequeathed, the testator expressing his wish that the fees to be charged should be as moderate as possible. One of the most con­siderate bequests was that of £3000, to the managers of departments and those in positions of trust, in the employment of the firm; and another of £1000 to the clerks in the office. The landed estates and per­sonal effects were conveyed to Lady Baxter in life-rent, thereafter to go by entail to his nephew, the Right Hon. W. E. Baxter, M.P., and his heirs.

JAMES THOMSON.

The literary history of Dundee would be incomplete without some notice of one whose prolific pen and untiring industry have done more perhaps than any other native to illustrate the annals of the town and neighbourhood; and a brief sketch of his career seems specially called for in this edition of his principal work James Thomson was born in Dundee, of parents in humble circumstances, about the year 1799. His educational advantages were few, for, at a very early, age, he was sent to earn his bread at a spinning-mill, in Tay Street, where he had the misfortune to get his right hand crushed by machinery. Unfitted by this accident, for manual labour, his parents succeeded in getting him on "Webster's Mortification for two years, where, besides being assiduous in picking up the other branches taught, he learned, to write well with his left hand. After doing little in bringing forward tradesmen's accounts, he turned, his attention to teaching as a means of support, and prosecuted his duties with so much diligence as to qualify himself for conducting the public school of Boysack, near Arbroath. The bent of his mind turned to the study of antiquities and local history, in which departments he Became so, engrossed as to neglect his own pecuniary interests, and thus fell out of any settled employment. By indomitable perseverance, he, acquired a good knowledge of Latin, and an extensive acquaintance with British literature, particularly that which related to his antiquarian studies, which he pursued with an enthusiasm which conquered every obstacle and made what would have been tedious, labour to most men a delight and a pastime to him." His earlier writings, dated from Boysack, appeared first in the columns of the Montrose Chronicle, Dundee Advertiser, and other newspapers, the proprietors of the former allowing him space for two columns of his pickings for nearly three years and from the infinite pains taken in their production, by patient research among public and family records, and personal visits to every scene described, these writings possessed an originality and freshness which made them both pleasant and instructive reading. Such was the extent and minuteness of his information on the topography, Antiquities, and history of the district that he came to be acknowledged as the highest authority on such matters and may be termed the father of our local archaeological literature. So much was he, venerated that, years after his gleanings for such information, parties on a similar errand, in some localities, have been shown the room Thomson occupied and the bed on which he reposed. At the time he prosecuted these studies, the path was untrodden and uninviting, and the difficulties he encountered can scarcely be estimated, now that the study has been popularised and rendered attractive, under the fostering care and ample resources of learned societies, devoted to the republication of literary materials which, in his day, were almost unknown, or well-nigh inaccessible.

In 1830, Mr Thomson published his "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Dundee; in 1836, he contributed largely to Mr Charles Mackie's "Historical Description" of the town; in 1842, the "History of Dundee" first appeared in a small duodecimo volume, (Published by J. Chalmers; but without the author's name.) which, under new proprietorship, was enlarged and republished in 8vo. in 1847. "Forfarshiie Illustrated" made its appearance in 1845; and subsequently he furnished Mr Myles with most of the material for His "Rambles in Forfarshire."

Unable, in his lifetime, to meet with patronage sufficient to enable him to publish several laborious MS. works, Mr Thomson wished them, after his death, to be given to the "Watt Institution; of these, now preserved in the Free Library, may be mentioned the "Book of the Howff," a remarkable monograph, giving in full the epitaphs and inscriptions, together with learned notices of the families represented in that ancient place of sepulture. "Collections, Illus­trative of the Ancient Ecclesiastical State of Scotland," is another manuscript evincing no less labour and research in its compilation, giving a minute account of the ancient religious houses throughout Scotland, and their revenues. This MS. is embellished with clever pen and ink vignettes, remarkable as having been traced by the left hand of the author.

In manner and disposition, Mr Thomson was kind and obliging, his habits rather convivial, and his conversation singularly sparkling, humorous, and intelligent. For six or seven years before his death he was totally prostrated by paralysis; but his penury was relieved, and his distress alleviated, by the kindly aid of his nephews, Messrs Thomson, of Seafield works. The subject of this notice was a widower, and childless; but the buoyancy of his spirits sustained him on his weary sick-bed. Latterly, however, his sufferings were very great; every sense but that of pain seemed to have given way, and death came at last as a refuge and relief. He died, in the house in which he was born, in Small's Wynd, on Saturday, July 30,1864.

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