OBITUARIES, CANADIAN. 



G25 



ablo article on the Scripture argument for capi- 

 tal punishment, portions of which were pub- 

 lished in the "Genesee Evangelist" of 1849. 

 In 1854 he delivered before the Literary Socie- 

 ties of Miami University an address on " Na- 

 ture and Revelation," which was published. 

 Dr. Orton was a man of profound scholarship, 

 and no field of literature or science, of philos- 

 ophy or theology, was left unexplored in his 

 enthusiastic search after truth. A few of his 

 poems have been published. 



Dec. 31. DALLAS, GEORGE MIFFLIX. (See 

 DALLAS, GEORGE MiFFLrN*.) 



OBITUARIES. CANADIAN. 3fay 9. 

 LEITCH, WILLIAM, D. D., was born in the year 

 1814, in the town of Rothesay, a famous water- 

 ing-place on the island of Bute, Scotland. Like 

 most Scottish lads who have risen to distinction, 

 the elements of his education were received in 

 the parish school. His preparatory studies were 

 completed in the grammar school of Greenock. 

 In 1832, at the age of eighteen, he entered the 

 University of Glasgow, where he graduated as 

 a Master of Arts in 1836. During his Arts 

 course, mathematical and physical science re- 

 ceived his special attention, and in these depart- 

 ments he obtained the highest honors conferred 

 by the University. While a student he also 

 lectured in the University on astronomy, and 

 for several years acted in the observatory con- 

 nected with the college as assistant to the emi- 

 nent astronomer, the late Professor Nichol. 

 Ever afterwards he entertained an ardent love 

 for astronomical pursuits. In proof of this may 

 be mentioned the exceeding delight he took in 

 advancing the character and usefulness of the 

 Kingston (Canada) Observatory, which, from 

 being founded by private subscription, was, 

 chiefly through his influence, transferred in 1861 

 to Queen's University by a deed of the city cor- 

 poration. An illustration to the same purpose 

 is found in the publication, last year, of his 

 latest and most carefully prepared work, " God's 

 Glory in the Heavens ; or, Contributions to As- 

 tro-theology," a work which contains the most 

 recent astronomical discoveries, stated with 

 special reference to theological questions, and 

 which, at the time of its appearance, was most 

 favorably noticed by the ablest reviewers. In 

 1838, after the usual curriculum of four years 

 in the Divinity Hall of Glasgow, he was licensed 

 as a preacher of the Gospel in the Church of 

 Scotland by the Presbytery of Dunoon. In 

 the year 1843 he received a presentation to the 

 parish of Monimail from the Earl of Leven and 

 Melville, and after the usual trials was ordained 

 by the Presbytery of the bounds Cupar in Fife. 

 Of this parish he continued minister until 1859, 

 in which year the Rev. Dr. Barclay and Alex. 

 Morris. Esq.. M.P., a deputation of the trustees of 

 Queen's University, sent to Scotland to obtain a 

 Principal for the institution, selected and nomi- 

 nated him for that high office. The late Prin- 

 cipal was well known throughout Scotland on 

 account of his reputation as a man of science, 

 the enlightened and active part he took in the 

 VOL. iv. 40 A 



educational controversy which has long agitated 

 that country, and the position of influence to 

 which he was steadily rising in the councils of 

 the General Assembly. For several years he 

 acted as convener of the Assembly's Committee 

 on Sabbath Schools, an office in the duties of 

 which he took great delight. During his min- 

 istry in the parish of Monirnail he devoted much 

 attention to the connection of science and re- 

 ligion, and contributed largely to various peri- 

 odical works. He is well known to have been 

 the author of certain articles, in which, in a 

 masterly manner, the views of the late Dr. 

 Wardlaw. of Glasgow, on the subject of mira- 

 cles, are controverted. These articles created 

 great interest at the time of their appearance, 

 and the subject came, in consequence, to have 

 special attractions for their author. For several 

 years he conducted a series of investigations on 

 the subject of partheno-genesis and alternate 

 generations, as illustrated by the phenomena of 

 sexual development in hymenoptera. The re- 

 sult of these researches, which conflicts with 

 that of the German physiologist, Siebald, in the 

 same field, is given in the " Transactions of the 

 British Association for the advancement of Sci- 

 ence," and in the " Annals of the Botanical So- 

 ciety of Canada." Several separate publications 

 also appeared from his pen on the subject of 

 National Education in Scotland and India. On 

 leaving Scotland for Canada, the University of 

 Glasgow conferred on him the degree of D. D. 

 On the 8th of Nov. 1860, he was" formally in- 

 stalled to the principalship of Queen's Univer- 

 sity, in the Convocation Hall, the Hon. John 

 Hamilton, chairman of the trustees, presiding, 

 and a large and respectable assemblage of the 

 citizens of Kingston being present. According 

 to an ecclesiastical law, Principal Leitch's con- 

 nection with the University gave him a seat in 

 the Presbytery of Kingston, and by consequence 

 in the Synod. Having visited Scotland in the 

 summer of 1861, his first appearance in Synod 

 was in the session of 1862, which year it met at 

 Toronto, and then he was cordially and unani- 

 mously elected Moderator. His position also 

 gave him a seat in the Senatus of the Univer- 

 sity of Toronto, and of that university he was 

 appointed an examiner. His plan of University 

 Reform was the broad and enlightened one of 

 maintaining with the utmost efficiency a great 

 Canadian university, with all properly organized 

 and thoroughly equipped colleges in the coun- 

 try rallying around it, on such terms and ac- 

 cording to such principles as would secure a 

 collegiate education for the various sections of 

 the country, and promote among the several 

 sectional institutions complying with the condi- 

 tions of affiliation a wholesome and generous 

 rivalry. At the close of the University Session 

 of 1863 it was apparent to the principal's friends 

 that his health had become impaired. By au- 

 thority of the Synod of that year he received a 

 commission to attend the Synods of Nova Sco- 

 tia and New Brunswick, in the character of a 

 representative member. He fulfilled this ap- 



