EDINBURGH] ST GILES 61 tions — Sermon preached at the Opening of the General Assembly (Edinburgh, 1797) ; Essays on the Sources of the Pleasures receivedfrom Literary Compositions, anon. (London, 1809) ; "On the Use of Negative Quantities in the Solution of Problems, by- Algebraic Equations'' {Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., i.). JAMES FINLAYSON, born at Nether Cambushinnie, Dunblane, 15th Feb. 1758, eldest son of William F., farmer ; educated at Univs. of Edinburgh and Glasgow; tutor in the family of Sir William Murray of Ochtertyre ; ord. to Borthwick 6th April 1787 ; trans, to Lady Yester's, Edinburgh, 29th July 1790 ; trans, to Old Greyfriars 9th Jan. 1794; elected by the Town Council 2nd Jan., trans, and adm. 14th March 1799, holding in conjunction the Professorship of Logic, to which he had been appointed in 1787 ; D.D. (Edinburgh, 28th March 1799); Moderator of Assembly 20th May 1802; Almoner to the King 1802, but resigned ; died 28th Jan. 1808. Publications—Heads ofan Argument in Support of the Overture respecting Chapels-of-Ease (1798); Preach- ing a Means of Promoting the General Progress of Human Improvement, a sermon (Edinburgh, 1801) ; Sermons, with Memoir (Edinburgh, 1809) ; Sermon VIII. {Scotch Preacher, iv.) ; " Life of Dr Blair " (Blair's Serm., v.). — [Tombst. ; Scots Mag., lxx. ; Chalmers's Biog. Diet., ii. ; Cockburn's Mem., Grant's University of Edinburgh.'] WILLIAM RITCHIE, bapt. 3rd Jan. 1748, eldest son of John R., Foulis- Wester ; educated at the Parish School ; became schoolmaster of Newtyle 1763, and of Foulis-Wester 1766; studied at St Andrews Univ. ; licen. by Presb. of Fordoun 14th Dec. 1774 ; tutor to Lord Inverurie, with whom he travelled on the Continent for five years ; declined the parish of Trinity Gask, and a charge in Dundee ; went a second time to the Continent in 1789 as tutor to the sons of Oswald of Auchencruive ; ord. to Tarbolton 24th April 1794; D.D. (Glasgow 1798); trans, to Kilwinning 8th Nov. 1798; Moderator of Assembly 1801 ; trans, to St Andrew's, Glasgow, 1st Oct. 1802 ; pres. by the Town Council ; trans, and adm. 18th Aug. 1808 ; Professor of Divinity 10th May 1809, which he held in conjunction; died unmarr. at Tarbolton 29th Jan. 1830. Sir Robert Christison's recollection of him was that "in his old age he had in the pulpit the piercing gaze of an old eagle ; but he was of mild disposition and gentle in manners. His sermons were delivered with great earnestness, a persuasive voice, and the remains of an Ayrshire intonation." Publications—Five single Sermons (Glas- gow, 1803; Edinburgh, 1809); Statement connected with Employing an Organ in Public Worship (relative to the use of an Organ in St Andrew's Church).—[Nelson's Life, Thomson's St Andrews; Grant's Univ., ii.] ROBERT GORDON, born Old Craw- fordton, Glencairn, 5th May 1786, only son of James G., school- master, and Janet MacAdam ; educated at Tynron School ; became master of Kirkland School in his native parish, and afterwards taught in Perth Academy ; studied at Mari- schal College, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh Univ. ; licen. by Presb. of Perth 27th July 1814; ord. to Kinfauns 12th Sept. 1816; trans, to Buccleuch, Edinburgh, 22nd Feb. 1821; D.D. (Aberdeen 1823); trans, to Newington 5th Jan. 1824; trans, to New North 8th Sept. 1825 ; pres. by the Town Council, and trans, and adm. in the High School, where the congregation were meet- ing for the time, 9th Sept. 1830 ; collector of the Ministers' Widows' Fund 11th Aug. 1836, which he resigned 28th Nov. 1843; Moderator of Assembly 20th May 1841. Joined the Free Church ; Professor of Divinity in succession to Dr Chalmers ; min. of Free New North Church ; declined appointment as Principal of the Free Church College, Edinburgh, 1843 ; died 21st Oct. 1853. He had talents of the highest order, which in early life were cultivated by the careful study of some important depart- ments of science, and he was the inventor of a self-registering hygrometer. He marr. 30th Nov. 1816, Isabella (died 23rd Sept. 1877), daugh. of Donald Campbell, school-