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Fellow in 1811, and in 1832 was unanimously elected President as 

 successor to Sir Walter Scott. During his presidency he founded 

 two medals for the reward of scientific merit, one to be conferred by 

 the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the other by the Scottish Society 

 of Arts. 



A list of Sir Thomas Brisbane's published contributions to science, 

 drawn up by his friend Alexander Bryson, Esq., F.R.S.E., will be 

 found in a memoir entitled " Reminiscences of General S&r T. M. 

 Brisbane," printed for private circulation, 4to, Edinburgh, 1860, to 

 which we have been chiefly indebted in compiling the present notice. 



Lieutenant -Colonel WILLIAM MARTIN LEAKE, born in London, 

 January 1777, was the son of John Martin Leake, a commissioner for 

 auditing the public accounts, and grandson of Stephen Martin Leake, 

 Garter Principal King-at-Arms. He was educated at the Royal 

 Military Academy, Woolwich, and in 1 794 obtained a commission in 

 the Artillery, and entered on the active duties of his profession in the 

 West Indies. Five years later he was sent to Constantinople on a 

 mission for the instruction of the Turks in the use of artillery ; and 

 in 1800 he was one of the English Officers selected to advise and 

 assist the Grand Vizier in his defence of the southern provinces of 

 the Turkish Empire against the French. Captain Leake consequently 

 travelled through Asia Minor, and, after some delay, ultimately joined 

 the Turkish army in Syria. In 1801 he crossed the Desert with the 

 army into Egypt, and on the surrender of Alexandria he was appointed 

 to visit Upper Egypt in company with Mr. William Hamilton, for 

 the purpose of making a general survey of that country. The results 

 of their exploration were a map of the course of the Nile, from the 

 Cataracts to the sea ; a determination of most of the ancient sites ; 

 a description of the monuments of antiquity, and a large collection of 

 observations on the agricultural and commercial state of the country. 

 An account of their travels was published by Mr. Hamilton in 1809. 



Having returned to Syria in 1802, Capt. Leake there continued his 

 travelling researches until the time of his departure for England. 

 He embarked on board the vessel in which the Elgin marbles were 

 placed for conveyance to London, and narrowly escaped with his 

 life from shipwreck off the Island of Cerigo. In 1804 he received 

 orders to survey the coasts and interior of European Turkey, the 



