REV. DR. NORMAN MACLEOD.

"Echenus sage, a venerable man,Whose well-taught mind the present age surpassed,And joined to that the experience of the last.Fit words attended on his weighty sense,And mild persuasion flowed like eloquence."

If there is one thing more than another that has brought Dr. Caird a special name and reputation as a thinker, it is the broad and somewhat latitudinarian notions which he holds on religions matters. So far does he carry his toleration and charity that he has, we believe, given serious offence to not a few of his most attached admirers in questions other than religious. Briefly stated, Dr. Caird's belief is that all the theological distinctions that ever distracted Christendom are not worth a single breach of charity. In a sermon which he preached before the Senate, at the opening of the new University Chapel, on the 8th of January last, he set himself to show that the mere holding of the Catholic faith, in the sense and form of the creed, cannot be the essence of religion—first, because the great mass of mankind are incapable of doing justice to the definitions and evidences of the creeds; yet need religion, and are, in point of fact, pious in spite of their want of theological accomplishments; secondly, there is an organ or faculty of the soul deeper than the intellect, by which (apart from accurate doctrinal notions) the force of religious realities may be apprehended and appropriated;and, thirdly, men of the most divergent and even opposite dogmatic convictions may be, and are, religiously one. Accordingly, he maintains that the essence of religion must lie in 'something profounder than ecclesiastical and dogmatic considerations. And could we get at that something—call it spiritual life, godliness, holiness, self-abnegation, surrender of the soul to God; or, better still, love and loyalty to Christ as the one Redeemer and Lord of the spirit—could we pierce deeper than the notions of the understanding to that strange, sweet, all-subduing temper and habit of spirit, that climate and atmosphere of heaven in a human breast, should we not find that there lies the essence of religion?' Religion, in short, is a matter of feeling rather than of knowledge, a hallowed condition of the spiritual sentiments and instincts, rather than an orthodox complexion and arrangement of the spiritual ideas; a thing of the heart rather than of the head. On this view, it has been argued, though Dr. Caird does not expressly draw the inference, orthodoxy is not essential to "salvation," and heathenism is not a barrier to the blessings of heaven.

One distinguishing characteristic of all Dr. Caird's sermons—and, indeed, of everything to which he applies himself—is that they are carefully and conscientiously manipulated. He does not commit himself to a mere superficial treatment of the subject in hand, but, like John Bright—to whom in more than one respect he presents a striking parallel—he takes the utmost pains to provide thoroughly acceptable and nourishing pabulum for his hearers, believing that whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well. No man alive has furnished a more fitting illustration of the lines—

"The heights by great men reached and kept,Were not attained by sudden flight;But they, while their companions slept,Were toiling upwards in the night."

Every sentence which Dr. Caird utters in his discourses is turned and polished with the consummate art of which he issuch a master until it is a sparkling gem. Hence his diction bears the most crucial test; like his oratory, his composition is unique.

When the British Association held its meetings in Edinburgh in August, 1871, Dr. John Caird was selected to preach the sermon which it is customary to deliver before thesavantsat any town at which they may happen to meet. On this sermon a pungent critic in a well-known metropolitan magazine, who rejoices in thenom de plumeof Patricius Walker, Esq., has the following remarks:—"Mr. Caird (who spoke somewhat huskily, but with much emphasis) was on the broad Liberal tack. He quoted passages from Herbert, Spencer, Comte, and other modern philosophers; not showing them up as monsters or deluded—O dear no!—or taking refuge behind his Bible or any 'cardinal doctrine' of faith, but professing a profound respect for these writers, and bringing his facts and logic against their facts and logic. It was a clever exercise and a very curious discourse to hear in the High Kirk of Edinburgh, but it was hard to suppose it could do anybody much good.

Says Caird, 'I'll quote and then refute,Each modern philosophicdoot'—And so he did; but each quotationSeem'd to outweigh the refutation.

Some of the old-fashioned worshippers must have felt uncomfortable, like the villager who, after a clever sermon on the Evidences of the Existence of the Deity, said he never thought of doubting it before."

Professor Caird is one of her Majesty's chaplains for Scotland.

Those who believe in the transmission of hereditary qualities and predilections from generation to generation will find a rare practical illustration of their theory in the Rev. Norman Macleod, who is known and recognised aspar excellenceHer Majesty's Chaplain for Scotland. With as unfailing certainty as if they had been regulated by the laws of primogeniture and entail, this estimable clergyman has inherited the gifts and graces of his esteemed father. Nay more, he has even fallen heir to whatever honours and emoluments of value accrued to the latter during his long and useful career. The two men are in many respects "similar, though not the same." Both have answered to the same name; both have been popular preachers; both have held prominent positions in the Established Church of Scotland; both have prosecuted their ministerial labours in the same city; and both have been honoured with special marks of favour and distinction from their Sovereign. There are other minor points of resemblance upon which we cannot stay to dwell.

Dr. Norman Macleod, the elder, was ordained a minister of the Established Church at Campbeltown in 1807, where his son, the present minister of the Barony, was born. From Campbeltown the father removed to Campsie parish in 1855; and subsequently he was inducted minister of the Glasgow Gaelic Church, afterwards St. Columba's, in 1836. While in Glasgow, he preached once in Gaelic and once in English every Sunday. Like his son, he had broad sympathies, and soared far above the petty barriers of denominational forms and prejudices. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1836, and it was greatly due to his efforts thatthe Presbyterian Church obtained such a firm hold in the province of Ulster. In the year 1824 he brought the state of education in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland so fully and so eloquently under the notice of the General Assembly that the education scheme of the Established Church was projected to remedy the evils pointed out. Along with Principal Baird, he was appointed on three different occasions to inquire into the existing means of education in the Highlands and Islands, and in many other ways he contributed valuable service in "building up," consolidating, and expanding the distinctive schemes and agencies of the church to which he belonged. His labours were rewarded by the appointment—through the late Sir Robert Peel, with whom he had considerable influence—to the envied position of one of Her Majesty's Chaplains for Scotland, and by his preferment to the Deanery of the Chapel Royal.

But we have only said so much by way of introduction. It is with the son and not with the father that we have to deal. Young Norman, after spending his earlier days amid the rustic environs of his father's manse—the Scotch equivalent for parsonage—at Campsie, entered the University of Glasgow as a divinity student. So far as we have been able to ascertain, he made his first public appearance, while still in his "teens," at a banquet given to Sir Robert Peel on the occasion of the right hon. gentleman's installation as Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow. This event, memorable in the annals of the city, happened on the 6th Jan. 1837. Considered in relation to all its accessories, the banquet was perhaps the most brilliant affair of its kind that ever took place in Glasgow. On making an analysis of the attendance, we find that there were altogether 3300 gentlemen present, including 12 members of the peerage, eight baronets, ten members of Parliament, a host of military men, and all the gentry for many miles round. The total cost of the feast was £2434 13s 8d, and the toasts were thirty-seven in number.

The fact that Dr. Norman Macleod took a very active partin promoting Sir Robert Peel's candidature for the Lord Rectorship, which led to this brilliant gathering, must be our excuse for dwelling upon it at such length. In recognition of his exertions on Sir Robert's behalf, he was selected to respond to the toast of "The students of the University of Glasgow who have done themselves honour by selecting Sir Robert Peel to fill the office of Lord Rector." There was little in his reply worthy of quotation. It was neat, appropriate, and well put, and concluded by expressing the anxious hope that "by the additional means which had been adopted to promote Conservative principles and to unite Conservative students within the University, and especially by the establishment of our 'Peel Club,' the students may continue to heap additional honours upon themselves by returning Conservative Lord Rectors."

After a very promising career as a divinity student, Dr. Norman Macleod was at an early age ordained a minister of the Church of Scotland. His first parish was Loudoun, in Ayrshire, from whence, in 1843, he was translated to Dalkeith. He laboured with much acceptance in the latter charge for a period of eleven years, and in 1851 he succeeded the late Dr. Black as the minister of the Barony Parish of Glasgow—a position which he still continues to fill. It is related of the doctor that, while at Dalkeith, he happened one day to be strolling in the "kirkyard," and met the sexton, a man of venerable years, who took quite a pleasure in pointing out to the new minister the more notable graves in the little God's acre. "This," he said, "is where Mr. So-and-So (the former clergyman of the parish) is buried, and here—pointing to a still unoccupied lair—is whaur ye'll lie, gin ye be spared!" It is worth while mentioning that whereas the population of the Barony Parish in 1755 was only about 5000, it had increased in 1850 to 130,000, and at the present time it is estimated at 200,000, so that Dr. Macleod's parochial duties and responsibilities have been greatly multiplied since he entered upon his present important charge.

Dr. Macleod has taken the most active interest in everything relating to the welfare of the city, while the affairs of his own parish have afforded him a source of unremitting care and anxiety. With every movement projected for the purposes of Church extension or the development of missions in Glasgow he has been closely identified; and at the present time he is at the front of an association promoted some eighteen months ago, with the view of providing additional churches in certain neglected districts of the city. As the result of this association's efforts, several new churches are now in course of erection, one of them having been undertaken at Dr. Macleod's express request. Closely allied to the means of grace are the facilities for the acquisition of education, and of this important adjunct to the work of the ministry Dr. Macleod has never for a moment lost sight. No less than five large schools have been opened in connection with the Barony Church since he entered upon his parochial duties; and several preaching or mission stations, at each of which divine service is conducted every Sunday, have also been opened up, with the most successful results.

The Church of Scotland has not always enjoyed its present exceptional prestige. The time was when Presbyterianism had anything but a sweet smelling savour out of Scotland. It is largely due to the efforts of Dr. Macleod that the merits of Presbyterianism have come tobeacknowledged and its principles understood by other denominations. No man has done more than Dr. Macleod to make the Church of Scotland famous and to give her a position in Christendom. His influence both at home and abroad, his abilities as a preacher, and his graces as a writer, have helped to bring the Presbyterian Church before the country, and to induce the respect alike of her friends and rivals.

It is in connection with her missions, more than any other agency of the Church of Scotland, that Dr. Macleod has made himself conspicuous. In these he has, from an early period of his ministerial career, taken a deep and active interest.So far back as the year 1844-45 he was sent out to Canada, along with his uncle and the late Dr. Simpson of Kirknewton, as a deputation from the Church of Scotland to inquire into the progress of the Church in the British Provinces. About four years ago, he was sent to India in company with Dr. Watson, to visit the missions of the Church in that country, and on their return to Scotland, Dr. Macleod published a series of articles, giving the results of his observations, which excited a considerable amount of public attention, and elicited among educationists and others a warm discussion. For some of his statements the rev. gentleman was taken severely to task, it being argued that he could not, during his limited sojourn in India, have acquired a sufficient knowledge of the country and its institutions to enable him to speak with anything like authority on all the subjects to which he referred.

We believe that Dr. Macleod commenced his career as an author by the publication, during the fierce heat of the controversy which eventuated in the Disruption, of three separate pamphlets, each bearing the title, "Cracks about the Kirk, for Country Folks." Two of these pamphlets, written in "broad Scotch," were remarkable for their pungency and effective banter. Although published anonymously, it was generally known that these pamphlets owed their existence to "young Norman," and they contributed very materially to establish his growing fame as a writer and preacher. During the memorable year of the Disruption he was a member of the General Assembly, and took part in all the controversies of the day. His efforts to keep up the drooping spirits of the Establishment are worthy of honourable mention. His boundless good humour, and cheerful, happy disposition kept alive the enthusiasm of those who preferred to stick by the Kirk in the greatest crisis she has ever known, and he was, above all, instrumental in preventing the missionary operations of the Church from becoming

"To hastening ills a prey."

From that time until now he has never ceased to manifestthe warmest interest in the missions of the Church, watching over them with an almost paternal zeal and solicitude; and no man in the Establishment is so well qualified as himself to preside at the Indian Mission Board—an office which he has occupied with equal credit to himself and advantage to the church for a number of years.

Many who are quite unacquainted with Dr. Macleod's antecedents, will have heard of him as the editor ofGood Words. It is not too much to assume that even the contributor to a New York journal, who lately described him as "Dr. Macleod, one of the Court physicians," will know him in this capacity. Commencing his editorial career on theEdinburgh Christian Magazine, which he conducted from April, 1849, till April, 1869, Dr. Macleod, in the course of the latter year, became connected with Mr. Strahan; and theChristian Guest, which was started in the beginning of that year, appeared with Dr. Macleod's name as reviser. The latter magazine, which was published by Messrs. A. Strahan & Co., Edinburgh, came to a conclusion at the end of the year which witnessed its birth, and it was succeeded in January, 1860, byGood Words, published by Messrs. A. Strahan & Co., London, and in which Dr. Macleod's name appeared as editor. We need hardly criticise the merits of the latter periodical, which, as we have indicated, owes its origin to the joint labours of Mr. Strahan and its able editor. From the first it was conducted on what might be called popular principles—being something more than a religious magazine pure and simple. The result was that it grew rapidly in public favour, and commanded the support and approbation of the highest literary circles. Indeed, it may safely be said that there is not a moral, religious, or scientific writer of any note that has not in one form or another contributed something to its contents. Mr. Gladstone, Dr. Vaughan, the Rev. Charles Kingsley, Dean Alford, and Mrs. Oliphant are but a few of the many names that have adorned its pages, and its popularity and merits are still maintained with undiminishedvigour. Mr. Strahan's boundless energy and excellent discrimination have contributed more to this result than any other cause; but Dr. Macleod's editorship has at the same time been singularly able and judicious. Although Dr. Macleod never aspired to rank as a theological writer, he has in his way been a prolific and successful author. His works may be said to have merits peculiarly their own. His graceful, easy, fluent style; his admirable capacity for illustration; his graphic delineations of scenery and character; and, above all, his unfailing use of simple, terse, homely Saxon, have combined to place him in the front rank of living writers. Among his more notable publications we may mention "The Home School" (Edinburgh, 1856, 12mo), a reprint and extension of lectures for working men; "Deborah" (Edinburgh, 1857, cr. 8vo), a treatise on the duties of masters and servants; "The Earnest Student—being memorials of John Mackintosh" (1854, cr. 8vo); "Parish Papers" (Edinburgh, 1862, 12mo); "Reminiscences of a Highland Parish;" "The Old Lieutenant;" "The Starling;" and "Wee Davie." He also published numerous sketches of his travels in the Holy Land, in India, and in the British provinces. His "Eastward," a diary of travels in Palestine, is one of the most interesting and instructive works of its kind in our literature; while his "Far East," in which his Indian experiences are detailed, is not less full of useful matter. This leads us to mention the fact that his travels in Palestine were undertaken on his own account, and solely for the purpose of receiving correct impressions of the Holy Land, with its hallowed traditions and deeply-interesting associations. With the same object he has travelled in other lands, and scarcely a year passes without his visiting some new clime or country, and thus enriching his great stores of knowledge and observation.

As a preacher Dr. Macleod is great, although lacking some of those qualities which are essential to a popular and effective pulpit speaker. Many of his best pulpit efforts, and notably his sermons preached before the Queen at Crathie,are among the most excellent of their class, and may be read with as much profit and interest as the discourses of Wesley and Whitfield. Yet to those who have heard only of his great fame, apart from the pulpit, and who are naturally led to associate that fame to some considerable extent with his pulpit utterances, there must, in some respects, be disappointment in store. His voice is far from musical, being too much pitched on one key, and that not the most melodious on the gamut. His discourses lack the fire and finish of Caird or Guthrie; while his composition and style are neither so graceful nor so polished as those of Spurgeon or Newman Hall. He makes no attempt at nicely rounded periods, or subtle verbal distinctions. But he has other qualities entirely his own. His speech is homely, familiar, almost conversational. There is no "darkening of counsel with vain words." He is not only easily understood, but it is difficult, even on the most recondite points, to misunderstand him. What he states in the plainest possible phraseology, he renders still more intelligible by some apt illustration. Herein lies one of the great secrets of his success in the pulpit. Possessed of a very acute mental faculty and a warm heart, his sermons are always eminently practical, full of conclusive argument, appealing directly to the consciences of his hearers, and permeated above all by strong common sense, called so aslocus a non lucendo, because so uncommon even in the pulpit. His thoughts, often strikingly original, are always expressed in a vigorous, manly style. He does not hesitate to call a spade by its proper name. Hence he has often been taken to task for what, gauged by the rule of the Confession of Faith, would be called loose, if not absolutely heterodox notions on sacred things. His memorable speech on the Decalogue is a case in point. The Presbytery of Glasgow woke up one fine morning to find that the minister of the Barony recommended in almost so many words that the Decalogue, inasmuch as it was a Judaical institution, was not for modern Christians. Of course the rev. gentleman brought a hornet's nest about his ears; and he had to explain away, as best he could, the"damnable and pernicious doctrine." There are more learned men in the Church of Scotland, but none have a greater share of sagacity, penetration, and strong, pungent, mother wit. Another distinguishing trait in the doctor's character is his charitable and tolerant disposition in reference to religious things. He does not believe that anything is gained by denominational differences, and would put an end to the intestinal strife that separates the various branches of the Church of Christ. To all who would say, "I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas!" he has but one reply. Dogmatism is to his broad and liberal mind a foolish and unnecessary thing in theology, and hence he is to be found in the van of all progressive and tolerant measures as opposed to theodium theologicum, although in political matters he maintains a mildly Conservative tone. It is a curious fact that, despite his anxiety to keep pace with the times, Dr. Macleod has never yet been able to procure the introduction of an organ to the Barony Church, and it is not less remarkable that, notwithstanding his popularity both as a preacher, as a writer, and as a public man, his church, which might reasonably be expected to be one of the handsomest and largest in the city, is little better than a village school. Strangers visiting Glasgow are almost bound to "do" the Barony Church. Dr. Macleod is one of the "lions" of the city, and people from all quarters flock to see and hear him. Yet the building in which he preaches is, without exception, the ugliest in Glasgow, both externally and internally. It is situated in one of the most ill-favoured localities in the city, although in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral and the classic Molendinar, with the statue of sturdy John Knox looking down upon it from the Pisgah of the Necropolis—that God's acre of Glasgow worthies through many generations. Chagrin and dismay will, we fancy, have been the feelings predominant in the breasts of many who entered the Barony for the first time. Between the preacher and the pews there is certainly neither affinity norvraisemblance. Worship is also conducted in the most primitivefashion. Most of the Established Churches in Glasgow have now got educated up to the introduction of organs, as accessories of public worship, but here there is only an indifferently competent choir to lead the service of praise. Of course the emoluments of the living or parish are not regulated by "outward and visible signs," or the Barony minister would only draw a sorry stipend.

We have already had occasion to notice Dr. Macleod's acuteness of intellect. If there is anything in phrenology, his perceptive faculties must be very highly developed. Few men are so observant of all that passes around. Wherever he goes, he puts himselfen rapportwith his society for the time being. He can read

Sermons in stones,Books in the running brooks,And good in everything.

In this fact we have a sufficient explanation of the rich store of fun and fancy—of humour and pathos—of anecdote and illustration—upon which he drawsad libitum. Adopting Captain Cuttle's plan, he makes a note of everything within his reach, and the merest trifles—incidents which to an ordinary mind would be

Like a snow-flake on the river—A moment seen, then lost for ever!

he treasures up in the storehouse of a highly retentive memory.

In seeking briefly to analyse the secrets of Dr. Macleod's wide-spread fame, we are almost constrained to think that they will be found to lie in qualities belonging to the heart rather than the head. Hisbon hommieis unique; he has a rich, pawky humour, which with his own countrymen is almost worshipped. In all circumstances he displays thesuaviter in modo. In short, he is excellent company. "Ayeready!"might be his motto, if Dr. Macleod has any dealings with the literature of the Herald's College. He will speak, and that effectively, on any mortal subject; and if he cannot say much pertaining to the matter in hand, he will at least say something else, equally or perhaps more edifying and acceptable.

Of the high position which Dr. Macleod holds in the esteem of Her Majesty, our readers will have heard and seen so much, that we need say but little. Since his appointment as one of her Majesty's Chaplains in Ordinary for Scotland Dr. Macleod has had many gracious marks of Royal condescension bestowed upon him; and these he has reciprocated by vindicating, whenever opportunity offered, the character and conduct of the Queen from the aspersions and calumnies of her detractors. From him we have hadglimpses, now and again, of what transpires behind the scenes at Balmoral, and we have as it were felt our hearts knitted more closely than before to a Sovereign who is a pattern to all her sex.

The Rev. Dr. Robert Buchanan has many claims to be esteemed one of the "Pilgrim Fathers" of the Free Church of Scotland. He was one of the first to obey the injunction dictated by the Ten Years' Conflict, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate." Ready to abandon a Church that adopted principles, and practised a system, of which he could not approve, he was also in the front van of the handful to whose wisdom, prescience, and fostering care the Free Church owes its remarkably successful career. Of the many who took a more or less prominent part in the Disruption, Dr. Candlish, of Edinburgh, and Dr. Robert Buchanan, of Glasgow, are now the only two left who have been recognised from the outset as leaders in the great and memorable crisis. The Free Church has not within her pale, at the present moment, a man more generally esteemed, or more influential in all that relates to the discipline and welfare of the body, than he whose career and character we now propose briefly to sketch.

The century was very young when Dr. Buchanan first saw the light at the quiet, rural village of Gargunnock, near Stirling. His father, who followed mercantile pursuits, was able to give Robert a good, sound education; and as he displayed, when little more than a child, a tendency for reasoning and disputation, it was resolved that he should be brought up for the ministry. After receiving the rudiments of his education at a country school, he entered the University of Glasgow as a divinity student. In 1827 he was ordained a minister of the Established Church of Scotland. His first charge was Saltoun, in East Lothian, where Principal Fairbairn, hisfriend and co-worker, subsequently ministered. From Saltoun Dr. Buchanan came to the Tron Church, Glasgow, in 1834, and he continued to labour in that congenial sphere until the year 1857, when, in consequence of circumstances to be afterwards stated, he entered upon the pastorate of the College Church, where he still continues to labour with much acceptance. After the Disruption, Dr. Buchanan, with other 474 ministers that were identified with the Establishment, formed what has since been known as the Free Church of Scotland. Leaving the Old Tron, he and his followers made use of the City Hall for a time, until the Free Tron Church, which was built specially for Dr. Buchanan's congregation, was completed. The means were not long awanting to provide a church for a minister so popular and so well-beloved, and hence the period of his ministry in the City Hall—that asylum of needy, distressed, and transitional congregations—was very short.

A movement was set on foot about the year 1855 to change the sphere of Dr. Buchanan's labours from the Free Tron to the West-End of the city. A disjunction was drawn up; the advice of Dr. Candlish and Mr. Gray of Perth was taken as to the proper mode of procedure; a memorial, signed by about 150 members of his congregation, was laid before Dr. Buchanan, inviting him to transfer his services to a new church in the West-End; and a similar memorial was laid before the Presbytery, craving their consent to the project. After thepreliminaryarrangements had been carried out, the disjunctionists found a friend in Dr. Clark of Wester Moffat, the founder of the Free Church Training College in Glasgow, who offered, upon the most liberal terms, to provide them with a site. One of the conditions laid down was that fifty free seats should be reserved in perpetuity for the use of the students attending the college. It was also stipulated as asine qua nonthat Dr. Buchanan should accompany the disjunctionists to the new church. Both of these pre-requisites having been agreed upon, the new College Church was commenced. The total cost of its erection was upwards of£10,000, and about five years ago this amount was fully paid off. The new church grew and prospered under Dr. Buchanan's ministry, until it has now a membership of over 400, including not a few of the most influential and liberal men in the city. For the first time in its history, the College Church subscribed last year the second largest amount of any church in Scotland towards the Sustentation Fund, the exact sum being £1201, as compared with £3435 raised by St George's, Edinburgh, (Rev. Dr. Candlish's), which stands highest on the list. The total amount raised last year by the Free College Church for all purposes was £2939, being higher than theaggregateof any other church in Glasgow. It is not too much to say that Dr. Buchanan's admirable financial talents have been greatly instrumental in bringing the fiscal arrangements of the Free Church to such a high point of perfection. His eminently methodical and far-seeing mind set itself to work, immediately the necessity presented itself, to devise ways and means of putting the ministers of the Church who were all at once, without any preparation, and many of them under much physical disadvantage, compelled to bid adieu to "the fleshpots of Egypt." The ordeal was so terrible that it might well have appalled the timid. Suffering for conscience sake, these noble-minded men chose to leave behind them theLaresandPenatesbelonging to the Establishment: but their adoption of Moses' choice, did not, after all, entail much privation. Congregations and ministers alike resolved on surrendering a position which they could not any longer, with a good conscience, retain; and both proved equal to the emergency of dealing with financial problems which all at once they were called upon to solve. Casting herself promptly and entirely on the system of Free-Will Offerings as the means of her future sustenance, the Free Church met with a response so liberal and spontaneous that it is almost without parallel in history. In all these arrangements Dr. Buchanan took an active interest, and his sound practical advice was on all occasions of financial embarrassment consulted by his colleagues. As to the manner in which these difficulties weremet Dr. Buchanan, himself, in a paper read on the 15th March, 1870, before the Statistical Society of London, stated that "The Free Church at once and unanimously adopted, as the backbone of her financial system, the plan of a common fund, to the support of which all her congregations should contribute, and in the benefits of which all her ministers should share. With whom the central idea of the scheme originated it is impossible to say. The very nature of the case was such as almost inevitably to suggest it to any one who was seriously and intelligently considering the subject. Of one thing, however, there can be no doubt or question, that the authorship of the system of finance, into which the idea now spoken of was gradually developed, belonged to Thomas Chalmers. It had taken shape in his mind, and in at least some of its leading features had been put in writing by his pen in the summer of 1841. It is true that in the autumn of the same year, and without any notion of the views or plans of Dr. Chalmers, the principle of a common fund, to be distributed in equal shares, was given out by Dr. Candlish at a great public meeting held at Edinburgh, in anticipation of the event which, even then, had begun to loom out, not indistinctly, through the storm and tempest of the time. It was not, however, till the month of November, 1842, that it took the form of a fully-planned scheme for the future support of the church, drawn out in detail and supported by elaborate argument. This form it assumed in a speech of great power and eloquence, which is still preserved, and which was delivered by Dr. Chalmers at a very memorable meeting. The meeting to which I refer was called 'the convocation,'—a name familiar enough in England, though descriptive there of a quite different assembly. The Scotch convocation was not a court, but simply a private, unofficial conference of ministers interested in the common cause of the then impending disruption. They met alone, because they desired to look their position, prospects, and responsibilities calmly and prayerfully in the face, without being liable, under the influence ofpublic feeling, to be either turned back or to be carried further or faster forward in the direction in which events were moving, otherwise than as their own deliberate judgment and sense of duty might seem to them to sanction and require."

It is for his labours in connection with the formation of the Sustentation Fund, of which he has for many years been convener, that Dr. Buchanan is most prominently known. Indeed, we are not sure but the idea of a Sustentation Fund was entirely his own—at least he had a great deal to do with its development. The great object of the Sustentation Fund is the support of the ministry to the extent and effect of at least securing for each minister a certain minimum stipend. From the first it was the aim of the Church to bring up the minimum to £150, although that was not reached until the year 1863. The Sustentation Fund Committee, of which Dr. Buchanan has been convener and chairman ever since the death of Dr. Chalmers in 1847, is appointed annually by the General Assembly, and consists of about a hundred ministers and elders, in nearly equal proportion, nominated by the Assembly, and of one member, who may be either minister or elder, nominated by each of the fourteen Synods of the Church. The committee meets once a month in Edinburgh, and is usually attended by about 60 members.

This is scarcely the time or place to enter into an exhaustive account of the finances of the Free Church, or we might pursue these observations until we had traced the mighty river that now is, to the small and comparatively insignificant stream from which it took its source. The Free Church has set an example to the world in fiscal arrangements, showing what steady determination, backed by courage and sound judgment, can eventually accomplish. Not only had the Free Church to provide means for supporting its ministers, but also for building places of worship, manses or parsonages, and elementary schools. Since the Disruption, the Church has built 920 churches, 719 manses, and 597 schools, the total amount raised towards the general and local building fund during the twenty-six years interveningbetween May, 1843, and 1869, being £1,667,714. Three Theological Colleges for the training of candidates for the ministry, and two large and flourishing Normal Schools have also been provided.

Ministers of the gospel may be divided into two classes. There is the warm, enthusiastic, emotional evangelist, who flashes across the ecclesiastical horizon like a meteor, and creates a temporary "sensation," so to speak, among the dry bones in the valley of vision. Then there is the more steady-going preacher of the Word, who maintains an even pace throughout, turning neither to the right nor to the left—whoseforteis to conserve the truth, and keep it alive where it has once been found. In the latter category we may include Dr. Buchanan. He is not by any means a brilliant preacher, in the ordinary acceptation of the term. He does not draw the multitude about him. He is no Boanerges of the Temple; but he is a giant as regards a firm grasp of doctrinal truth. He never evolves new shapes or fantastic theories, "won from the vague and formless infinite;" but he "proves all things," and "holds fast that which is good." If he is not an essentially popular preacher—and this is a merit which even his most partial admirers would scarcely venture to claim for him—he is edifying and didactic, and few ministers are better qualified to build up and consolidate a church. Rather too stereotyped (if we may hint such a fault) in his tendencies, he is yet deeply skilled in the form of sound doctrine, and his style is terse, vigorous, and polished. There is, perhaps, what not a few would be disposed to term a want of animation in his pulpit utterances. Habitually grave and dignified, he seldom indulges in anything like an ebullition of fancy or of mirth. His sentences are cut, polished, and beautified like a piece of Parian marble. People are so much accustomed now-a-days to hear orators whose hearts (like Coriolanus) are upon their lips, that they have little sympathy with scholarly and erudite prelections, pure and simple, come from whatsoever quarter they may. But it does notthereforefollow that calm, dispassionate, logicalreasoning, of which Dr. Buchanan is both a master and exponent, is without its merits and admirers. On the contrary, it is impossible to sit under the minister of the Free College Church without being "built up" in all the Christian graces. He is an uncompromising foe to the Scarlet Lady, to the materialistic tendencies of the present day, to looseness and infidelity, of every kind, in religious matters; and some would perhaps object that his sermons are too strongly impregnated with the Confession of Faith, the Deed of Demission, and the Shorter Catechism. But he is on this account all the more entitled to rank as a living embodiment of the principles and practice of the Free Church of Scotland; and when questions on which a little margin of difference may be allowed are brought under consideration, Dr. Buchanan will be found to be tolerant and even liberal in his views. With a presence so commanding and dignified as to be almost leonine, a deep, melodious voice, and a head of snowy whiteness, Dr. Buchanan's appearance, as he ascends to the pulpit, conveys the impression of conscious power. He enters upon the services of the sanctuary with an evident sense of their solemnity and importance. No glimpse of humour, nooutréillustration, no divergence from the beaten track is attempted; the heavy and portentous gravity of his manner and matter is unrelieved by a single touch of light—all is sombre, deep, profound. One can fancy that Dr. Buchanan is inclined to think, with Dr. Johnson, that a punster is as bad as a pickpocket.

But it would be unfair to estimate Dr. Buchanan from his pulpit appearances only. Listening to his discourses from the pew, one can form but a faint conception of the greatest merits—the strongest points—of the minister of the Free College Church. It is in the ecclesiastical Forum that Dr. Buchanan is found most in his element; there, like Mark Tapley, he comes out the stronger, the greater the pressure and opposition brought to bear upon him. No man in the Free Church is more completely "posted up" in all the questions that come before the Assembly—noman is more entitled to rank in that body as the Rupert of debate. In the Glasgow Presbytery he takes a leading part in the discussion of all prominent questions; and no member is listened to with greater attention. It is not too much to say that, although he may meet with a foeman worthy of his steel in the General Assembly, he has not in the more circumscribed sphere of the local Presbytery, a single rival who is in any sense his match. The late Dr. Gibson was frequently accustomed to tackle him, and perhaps he sometimes did so successfully; but while the latter was undoubtedly an able debater, he lost ground from his impetuosity of temper—an infirmity to which Dr. Buchanan never gives way. In all circumstances he is cool, calculating, unruffled; he measures the full meaning and effect of every sentence; he can be fierce and withering, and still maintain a calm and composed demeanour. The gladiatorial conflicts in which these two combatants took part were often a source of rare amusement even outside the pale of the Presbytery, and, inasmuch as they were both well fortified with weighty and telling arguments, the spectacle was not always unedifying. On the question of Union, as is well known, they took diametrically opposite views. Many a passage of arms passed between them on thisquestio vexata, while the younger and less athletic backers surrounded the arena, waiting the shock with eager anticipation; for

"When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war."

But the one has been taken and the other left; and no man, we believe will be more ready to do justice to the memory of his deceased fellow-confrèrethan Dr. Buchanan himself.

We have specially mentioned the question of Union, because of late years Dr. Buchanan has closely and completely identified himself with it, and he is pledged to see it carried through. He has made eloquent and effective speeches in favour of Union at almost every meeting of the General Assembly held since it was brought on thetapis; and only last year he opened the debate in an address that has seldombeen equalled for sound argument and rhetorical effect. It would be superfluous to make any selections or quotations from the rev. gentleman's speeches on this subject; his views are already well known to all who take an interest in the cause for which he pleads, and before that cause has reached its final consummation it is more than likely that he will again be at Ephesus, fighting on its behalf.

The soundness of his judgment and the eminently dispassionate views which he is able to take of all questions laid before him are so fully recognised by his brethren in the Free Church that Dr. Buchanan is consulted on nearly every matter that relates to the welfare of that body. He can discriminate so nicely and so fairly on the merits of any one question submitted for his adjudication—his judicial faculty is so highly developed, that some of those who know him best have hazarded the prediction that, had he been trained for the bar instead of for the pulpit, he would by this time have held the position of Lord President of the Court of Session. Dr. Buchanan is a man of such varied gifts and accomplishments that he would have shone in any sphere, and in the interests of Christianity it is a source of congratulation rather than otherwise that he chose the pulpit for his profession. In this connection we may mention the fact that Dr. Buchanan has spoken at many public meetings of a moral, social, and political, as well as of an ecclesiastical character. One of his last appearances on the City Hall platform was on the occasion of a meeting held last year to take measures for providing additional church accommodation in Glasgow—a desideratum for which he has often and eloquently pleaded.

Asanauthor, Dr. Buchanan's name will be handed down to posterity—at least so far as his own church is concerned. His "Ten Year's Conflict" is the only complete and authoritative record of the causes and effects of the Disruption that has yetbeenpublished. He has also published an able and scholarly work on the "Ecclesiastes;" while his leisure hours on a holiday tour in the Mediterranean have been turned to advantage by his publication of an interesting volume entitled "Clerical Furlough."

In that magnificent work, "London: a Pilgrimage," for which we are indebted to the joint labours of Gustave Doré andBlanchardJerrold, allusion is made to the decadence of the shipbuilding trade on the Thames, and the rapidly accumulating growth of the same industry on the Clyde. The contrast is startling, and although it may be gratifying to the pride of those who are identified with the northern river, it must create sad and humiliating emotions in the breasts of others who have seen the "silvery Thames" shorn so completely of her ancient glory and prestige as a mart of naval architecture. The Clyde has not directly made capital out of the Thames, but the progress of the one has undoubtedly been stimulated by the misfortunes of the other. It is impossible to ignore the fact that the Clyde possessed many advantages over its rival. Its immediate proximity to almost illimitable fields of iron and coal, the easy terms upon which shipbuilders could thus obtain their materials, and the lower wages paid to workmen on the Clyde, had undoubtedly an important influence in securing for the latter its exceptionally prosperous career; but there were, at the same time, other drawbacks to contend with, including a miserably inadequate draught of water, which in the early history of naval architecture, were only surmounted by patient continuance in well-doing, by unwearied energy, and by the most advanced and economical application of the mechanical arts on which shipbuilding is dependent. These conditions were present on the Clyde in a greater degree than on the Thames, and hence the fame of the one has been eclipsed by that of the other. Into all parts of the civilised worldthe fame of the Clyde has been carried through the medium of her shipbuilding works. We still continue to lead the van in this industry, being so far ahead of all other seats of naval architecture that by comparison they dwarf into insignificance and "pale their ineffectual fires." Let the figures speak for themselves. In 1863, the new tonnage launched on the Clyde was 124,000 tons, while at the end of that year 140,000 tons additional were on the stocks or under contract. In 1871 no less than 196,229 were launched, and 301,809 tons were on the stocks or under contract. Comparing these results with those attained on the Wear—perhaps the greatest rival to the Clyde in this particular industry—it appears that the aggregate tonnage launched during 1863 was 70,040, and during 1871 only 81,903, or in round numbers 11,000 tons additional were launched on that river. It is impossible in the course of this article to follow the history and analyse the causes that have contributed so materially to promote the growth of iron shipbuilding on the Clyde, but it is equally impossible to trace the lines of Robert Napier's biography without affording a clue to this marvellous progress.

On the eighteenth day of June, 1791, Mr. Napier was born in the town of Dumbarton. His father was a blacksmith, and early imparted to his son a knowledge of the rudiments of that business, so that Robert was not far wrong when he quaintly remarked that he was born with the hammer in his hand. The elder Napier occupied, as his forefathers had done before him, a prominent position in their little town, being a freeman with a prosperous business, which enabled him to gratify his anxiety to give his son the benefits of a sound practical education. Ultimately the latter was apprenticed to his father with the view of following out the trade of a smith. When he was twenty years of age, young Robert, determined to fight his way in a less limited sphere, removed to the Scottish metropolis, where he was employed by Robert Stevenson, the eminent lighthouse engineer. Latterly, however, he returned to Dumbarton, and after spending a short time longer in the service of his father, he permanentlysettled down in Glasgow, where he started business on his own account in the month of May, 1815. We are not aware that Mr. Napier had at this time any intention of eventually going in for marine architecture. The prospects of that industry were by no means so assured and encouraging as they have since become. Bell'sComethad been launched three years before, but it was still regarded even by practical men as a doubtful venture. It was one of those "inventions born before their time," which, according to the Emperor Napoleon III., "must necessarily remain useless until the level of the common intellect rises to comprehend them." Thanks, however, to the co-operation of Mr. David Napier, a cousin of Robert's, who assisted him in the construction of the Comet, and took a lively personal interest in the advancement of steam navigation, Bell was enabled to achieve a permanent triumph, and the subject of these remarks, from the same cause, had his attention turned at an early period to the revolution which was being silently but surely evolved out of Bell's achievement. For some years, however, Robert Napier had to fight an uphill battle with the world. His first place of business was on a very moderate scale in Greyfriars Wynd, a place to which it has since imparted an almost classical interest, and his orders were at first so few that they could easily be overtaken by himself with the assistance of two apprentices. His experience was eventually that of the great bulk of mankind, verifying the well-known aphorism—labor omnia vincit. In the course of time he was encouraged to undertake the general work of an engineer, and his removal from Greyfriars Wynd to Camlachie Foundry afforded greater scope for the extension of his operations. While here, he undertook a number of tolerably large contracts, one of them being for the pipes required by the Glasgow Water Company when bringing the supply from the upper reaches of the Clyde. The first land engine made by Mr. Napier is still in use in Mr. Boak's spinning factory at Dundee. His first essay at marine engineering was a contract undertaken in 1823, to build the engines for the Leven, a small paddle-steamer that used toply between Glasgow and Dumbarton. When the Leven had been "put on the shelf," after having served its day, the engines were taken from her and removed to the Vulcan Foundry in Washington Street, to which Mr. Napier subsequently removed, and where these interesting memorials of the early history of a trade which has since assumed such gigantic proportions may still be viewed.

Succeeding his cousin in the Lancefield Foundry, as he had previously succeeded him in Camlachie, Mr. Napier was enabled, by the acquisition of better facilities to undertake a much larger amount of work, and with Mr. David Elder, an engineer of much experience and inventive genius, as his manager, he speedily laid the foundations of an altogether exceptional reputation as a marine engineer. In 1826 he engined the Eclipse, a vessel employed on the Glasgow and Belfast route; and in 1830 he became connected with the City of Glasgow Steam Packet Company, projected for the purpose of running first-class vessels between Glasgow and Liverpool, through which his maritime influence acquired an additional impetus. Indeed, from this time forward, no steamship company of any importance was started on the Clyde without Mr. Napier being called in to consult. In the year 1834, he contracted for and engined several vessels for the Dundee and London Shipping Company, of which Mr. George Duncan, late M.P. for Dundee, and a very warm friend of Mr. Napier's, was a leading director. The Clyde-built vessels belonging to this concern were admired by all who saw them, and they presented a marked contrast to the other steamers that were to be seen in the London Docks.

Mr. Napier engined and supplied the East India Company with the Berenice, 220 horse power, in the year 1836, and subsequently with the Zenobia, 280 horse power, both of which were used as war and packet ships by the company. In 1839, the British Queen followed with engines of 420 horse power, which were then considered of extraordinary size. Several finely modelled steam-yachts were also supplied about this time to the order of that great turf celebrity, the late Mr. Assheton Smith. Amongst these we may mention the Fire King, 230 horse power, a vessel which was the first illustration of the hollow-line system, and which proved itself to be the fastest steamer then afloat. In the year 1840 the Government was induced to enter into a contract with Mr. Napier to supply engines for two new war vessels, the Vesuvius and Stromboli, and, when the return for the cost of repairs, &c., of a number of war ships—including the Vesuvius and Stromboli—was ordered by the House of Commons in the year 1843, it was found that the work executed by Mr. Napier stood the test most favourably when compared with that done by some other engineers, and consequently proved economical to the nation. The origin of the British and North American Mail Company, or, in other words, the Cunard Company, in the year 1840, was an event of immense national and international importance, to the bringing about of which Mr. Napier contributed both by his counsel, and by his supplying the first vessels. Sir Samuel Cunard, who was evidently a man of immense enterprise and rare foresight, came across the Atlantic with the view of taking measures for the projection of a line of steamships between London and New York. Having been introduced to Mr. Napier through his friend Sir James Melvill, of the India House, Sir Samuel contracted with him for four vessels, each of 900 tons and 300 horse-power. Mr. Napier assured Sir Samuel at the time that vessels of this size would be inadequate for the requirements of the Atlantic trade, and suggested that they should be 1200 tons and 400 horse-power; but as he failed to alter Sir Samuel's mind on this point, he proceeded with the building of the vessels according to contract. Only a very short interval had elapsed however, when Sir Samuel again saw Mr. Napier, with whose views as to the size of the vessels he declared his complete acquiescence, although, he added, their cost, if built on the scale proposed by Mr. Napier, would be too much for him as a private individual to defray. Upon this Mr. Napier and Sir Samuel took counsel as to the likelihood and advisability of forming a company, the latter declaring that if he got a few others tojoin in the venture, he would go in for the larger size of vessels. The two Liverpool Companies that were carried on by the Messrs. Burns, and the City of Glasgow Company, had at this time formed a sort of coalition, and Mr. Napier took advantage of the circumstance of their amity to invite both to join in the new Transatlantic undertaking. At last about twenty gentlemen, most of whom subscribed £5000 each, entered into the scheme, and of that number we believe that Mr. Napier, Mr. George Burns, Mr. M'Iver of Liverpool, and Sir James Campbell are the only survivors. Four vessels of about 1200 tons each were ordered of Mr. Napier—theBritannia, Acadia, Caledonia, and Columbia, built respectively by Messrs. Robert Duncan, John Wood, Charles Wood, and Steele, and all supplied with engines of 400 horse-power by Mr. Napier. Thereafter he furnished the machinery for other vessels belonging to this company, including the Hibernia, Cambria, America, Niagara, Europa, Canada, and Arabia. All of these vessels have now been withdrawn from active service, being superseded by Mr. Napier's more recent and well-known vessels, Persia, 3000 tons and 850 horse-power; Scotia, 4000 tons, and 1000 horse-power; and China, 2540 tons and 550 horse power. Among more recent specimens of Mr. Napier's mercantile ships, we may mention the Pereire and Ville de Paris, 3300 tons and 800 horse-power, belonging to the French Compagnie GeneraleTransatlantique. He has likewise constructed the Malabar, 4174 tons and 700 horse-power (one of the finest Government troopships), which, we believe, has given much satisfaction.

Mr. Napier, we may add, has been very successful in the construction of machines and war vessels for the British, French, and Turkish-Russian, and Danish and Dutch navies; and when it was decided to reconstruct the British navy with armour-clad vessels, Mr. Napier's firm had the honour of furnishing one of the two armour-clad vessels first built, viz., the Black Prince, 6040 tons and 800 horse-power; the Audacious and Invincible, armour-clad frigates, also for the BritishGovernment, each 3775 tons and 800 horse-power; two armour-clad turret vessels for the Dutch Government of large size; and last but not least, the well-known Hotspur, which was launched in 1870.

There is one circumstance connected with Mr. Napier's career which, while it may have led eventually to his more intimate and cordial relations with the Admiralty, must also reflect credit upon his good sense and accommodating disposition. In the earlier days of steam navigation, and before it had been applied to Government ships, the Admiralty were without any school or dockyard where naval officers could be taught the principles and practice of the science. They tried, but unsuccessfully, to obtain admission into the more important private shipbuilding establishments on the Thames, such as Mosley's and Rennie's; and at last, as adernier resortthey resolved to try the Clyde. Making their requirements known to Mr. Napier, he received them with every consideration, and cordially acceded to their wishes, not only giving them perfect and unrestrained liberty to make use of his own works, but also securing for them the privilege of sailing free of charge in many of the vessels that then frequented the port of Glasgow. Some of these young officers subsequently obtained certificates as to their knowledge of steam navigation from Mr. Napier; and we understand that the Lords of the Admiralty did not lightly esteem credentials from such a source.

Having been so constantly and deeply immersed in the cares of his own extensive business, Mr. Napier, prior to his complete retirement into private life, had no time to devote to municipal or imperial politics. He was, however, even while most engrossed with his own affairs, an indefatigable promoter and supporter of all movements tending to the well-being of the city. In the local institutions of engineers and shipbuilders he has always taken a peculiar interest, and his sympathy and co-operation were never invoked for a deserving object in vain. In recognition of the eminent services he has rendered to marine architecture, he has hadmany honours heaped upon him. He was a juror of the Paris Exhibition of 1855, when he received the gold medal of honour, and the decoration of Knight of the Legion of Honour; he was chairman of the jury for Class 12 (Naval Architecture, &c.) of the National Exhibition 1862, and Royal Commissioner of the Paris Exhibition 1867, and then received a grand prize. He was one of the committee for the organisation of the Fine Art Exhibition in the South Kensington Museum in 1862, during the Great Exhibition. In the summer of 1864 he presided at the Glasgow meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, of which he was then president; his hospitality on that occasion will long be remembered by many of the members of the profession who were present at the meeting. He is also a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

For a number of years past Mr. Napier has lived constantly at his magnificent residence at West Shandon, on the shores of the Gareloch. In the erection and furnishing of this palace he has exhibited a most refined and judicious taste. He has accumulated one of the finest collections of pictures, old china, and articles ofvertugenerally to be found in all Scotland, and an inspection of his valuable and varied collection is a treat of which the most accomplished virtuoso would gladly take advantage, and from which he would be sure to learn something new. The active management of the business of Robert Napier & Sons now devolves on Mr. John Napier, his youngest son. His other son, Mr. James R. Napier, who is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and distinguished for his inventive genius, is engaged in a business of his own, which he commenced in the year 1857.

To confirm what we have already said as to Mr. Napier's kindly and benevolent disposition, we might adduce many examples, but that they were never intended to see the light. In all his acts he is unostentatious, and seeks to avoid public comment. Perhaps he only allows one exception to this rule, and that is the splendid monument which he has erected to the memory of his friend Henry Bell, in the beautifullittle churchyard of Row, within a couple of miles of his own residence at West Shandon. To this shrine many a pilgrimage has been and will yet be made.

Apart from the dignity and importance of his position as Chief Magistrate of Glasgow, Mr. James Watson has unquestionable claims to be esteemed and honoured by the citizens of this our "no mean city." His uprightness and integrity of character, his business tact and ability, his sound judgment, and his rare administrative talents place him on an eminence rarely attained. Having received his education at Glasgow University, Mr. Watson entered a mercantile house in the city, where he remained for some years, and in which he acquired a considerable business experience. Subsequently he was connected with the Thistle Bank, which, as many of our readers will recollect, was ultimately incorporated with the Union Bank of Scotland. From the Bank he proceeded to the establishment of Messrs. John M'Call & Co., who were at that time among the largest grain merchants in Glasgow, and for some years Mr. Watson presided over their provision department—then of very considerable extent. When he assumed the profession of a stockbroker, there were no representatives of that business in the city. It is perhaps the most interesting feature in Mr. Watson's career that he was the first stockbroker in Glasgow; and it is no less interesting to contrast this fact with the position of the Glasgow Stock Exchange at the present time, when it occupies one of the finest buildings in the city, and its membership numbers not less than thirty large and influential firms. Besides these, there are fully a dozen firms of stock and sharebrokers not members of the Exchange. The first Stock Exchange in Glasgow was established two or three years after Mr. Watson commenced business in this capacity,its first local habitation being a building situated in Buchanan Street, on the site now occupied by the Bedford Hotel. Previous to that time there were very few joint stock companies in existence—investors being satisfied for the most part with the sweet simplicity of three-per-cents. Indeed, the only local companies that could lay any claim to the name of joint-stock or limited liability, were the Banks, the Gas and Water Companies, and the Garnkirk Railway. Mr. Watson continued the only stock and sharebroker in Glasgow for nearly two years, and in 1833 he took a prominent part in the establishment of the Glasgow Stock Exchange, of which he was the first chairman. For 22 years he continued to preside over the Stock Exchange, while that institution was laying the foundations of the high character and exceptional prestige which it has since acquired, and through which it regulates in no small degree the price of stocks and shares in other markets throughout the world. We may mention, also, that the Stock Exchange in Glasgow commenced its career with only twelve or fourteen members, and from this small nucleus it has continued to grow until it is now one of the most flourishing institutions of the kind in the three kingdoms.

About 15 years ago Mr. Watson's services were called into requisition in connection with the winding up of the Ayrshire Iron Company, of which he was a shareholder. The bankruptcy of this company, as many gentlemen on 'Change will well remember, was induced by the mismanagement of its affairs. The works of the company were extended far too rapidly, and, in order to compel business, iron was bought upon credit and sold for cash at a ruinous sacrifice. The result was that the concern became insolvent, with liabilities to the extent of £250,000, and without a copper in the shape of assets except the works at Dalry. It was a terrible dilemma, and very few of the shareholders were equal to dealing with the emergency. Mr. Watson, however, undertook the labour of extricating the company from its awkward position, and his efforts were ably seconded by those of the late Mr. JamesDennistoun, and Mr. Mansfield, accountant, Edinburgh, assisted by one or two other gentlemen in Glasgow. On the bankruptcy of the company being announced, Mr. Watson called a meeting of subscribers, at which the late Mr. W. Brown, of theStandardoffice, was appointed to act as secretary. Time was allowed by the creditors, the money was called up by separate instalments, and with the aid of £60,000 borrowed from the British Linen and the Bank of Scotland Banking Companies the name of the concern was kept out of theGazette. After a period of five or six years the whole affairs of the company were wound up, and the plant and premises were disposed of to the Messrs. Baird, of Gartsherrie, for the sum of £20,000, or fully £70,000 less than they had originally cost. Mr. Watson's efforts, his patient plodding industry and commercial skill in connection with this insolvency, were greatly commended at the time; and, indeed, as the affairs of the company were in a state of the greatest confusion, it required more than ordinary tact and perseverance to place them on an intelligible and proper footing.

It would be unpardonable to omit reference to Mr. Watson's intimate connection with the railway system in the West of Scotland. He was the first interim secretary of the Glasgow and Ayrshire Railway, which was promoted in 1836, and he continued to act in that capacity until 1839. Afterwards he became secretary of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, in the promotion of which he was associated with Mr. Andrew Bannatyne, the late Dean of Faculty, and the first solicitor to the company. It will be remembered that the first bill of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was thrown out of Parliament in 1837 owing to the strong opposition raised against it. In 1838, however, the bill was reintroduced, and passed—Lord Wm. Bentinck, the then member for Glasgow, being chairman of the committee. Ultimately Mr. Watson relinquished the office of railway secretary, but he continued to be associated in the management of the Edinburgh and Glasgow and Glasgow and South-Western lines with such menas the late Mr. M'Call, of Daldowie, chairman of the Ayrshire company; Mr. Fleming, of Claremont; Mr. T. D. Douglas, Mr. Leadbetter, and Mr. A. Smith, who now lives on the Gareloch, and who, we believe, is the sole survivor of the original directorate, with the exception of our townsman, Sir James Campbell. Prior to the establishment of the direct railway communication with England, Mr. Watson was concerned with the projection of a line of steamers between Ardrossan and Fleetwood—the railway only having been carried the length of Sir Hesketh Fleetwood's estate at that time. By means of this arrangement, in which Mr. Watson had the cordial co-operation of the directors of the Ayrshire Railway, passengers leaving London at 10 o'clock forenoon could break the journey, and obtain the relief of a night's rest in the boat, arriving in Glasgow at 12 o'clock next day. The vessels on this station were Her Majesty and the Royal Consort, but they were discontinued when the direct line to Carlisle was opened up.

The first model lodging-houses established in Glasgow, about 25 years ago, owe their existence to the efforts of Mr. Watson, assisted by ex-Provost Blackie, who, with a number of other directors, have since carried on these establishments, very much to the benefit of the community at large. There are altogether three of these model lodging-houses, situated respectively in Carrick Street, M'Alpine Street, and Greendyke Street, and the very large extent to which they have been taken advantage of by those for whose benefit they were built is the best possible justification of their origin.

Mr. Watson's services in connection with the various charitable institutions in the city are too well known to require comment or eulogium at our hands. Both in season and out of season he has always been ready to aid the dissemination of charity and philanthropy, and perhaps no gentleman in the city is more closely or more generally identified with institutions of this kind.

In 1863 Mr. Watson commenced his municipal career, having succeeded Mr. Thomas Buchanan as representative of theEighth Ward. Two years afterwards he was appointed a bailie, Mr. Blackie, then Lord Provost, having invited his co-operation and assistance in the carrying out of the City Improvement Scheme, which was then in process of being hatched. Mr. Watson was the first deputy-chairman of the City Improvement Trust, and he continued to fulfil that onerous and important office up to the period of his election as Lord Provost, in November 1871. From the very outset he has been a staunch and eloquent advocate of the improvement scheme, against which, however, there was a great outcry raised, and maintained for some time after its adoption by the Council. We may here notice that the scheme embraced portions of the city covering between 50 and 60 acres, and containing a population of nearly 60,000—being equal to the entire population of Glasgow and its suburbs 100 years ago. The valuation of the property to be acquired amounted to £1,200,000, divided into many small holdings. In the summer of 1865 the preliminaries were adjusted and in the winter of that year application was made to Parliament for the requisite powers, which were obtained in the session of 1866. The Trustees were authorised to acquire the property within five years, to levy an assessment on the inhabitants not exceeding a sixpence per pound of rental, with further power to assess for ten years at threepence per pound to meet the expense for the new streets, and to provide for payment of the interest of the outlay as a whole. Power was also obtained to purchase ground for a public park in the north-east quarter of the city at an expenditure of £40,000. Up to the present time the Commissioners have spent £900,000; and so successfully have the affairs of the Trust been managed that there is now enough of revenue to meet the expenditure, while a large extent of ground remains on hand to be disposed of, so that it is expected the cost of the scheme to the public will be even less than the original estimate. The total properties demolished by the Improvement Trustees up to the 1st December 1871 number 1287 houses, with a gross rental of £7367. Of the usefulness andsanitary importance of the Improvement Scheme, even those who were its most determined opponents can scarcely now entertain a doubt. By the demolition of badly-ventilated and miserable dwellings in the lowest parts of the town, the Trustees have quickened the supply of low-rented houses for the working classes, so that within the last two years there have been erected within the municipal boundaries 1728 houses of one apartment, 3921 of two apartments, and 1368 of three apartments. It is not too much to say that from the outset, or at least since Mr. Blackie left the Council, Bailie Watson has been the head and front of the Improvement Scheme. He has taken the utmost pains both in and out of the Council to inculcate its obvious advantages, and it is largely due to his lucid and practical explanations that the public has been reconciled to the Act.

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