Obituary — Rev. Dr. Gordon. 95 



THE REV. GEORGE GORDON, LL.D. 



News has reached us of the death of this veteran geologist, 

 at the advanced age of 92. Born in the Manse of Urquhart, 

 Morayshire, on 23rd July, 1801, the son of the late Rev. William 

 Gordon, minister of Glenlivet, he entered Marischal College, 

 Aberdeen, in 1815, graduated in 1819, and afterwards studied 

 divinity at Aberdeen and Edinburgh. He was licensed to pi-eaoh 

 by the Presbytery of Elgin in 1825, and was presented to the parish 

 of Birnie in 1832 by the patron, Francis, Earl of Moray. 



He was thus for 67 years a minister of the Church of Scotland, 

 57 years of which he ministered uninterruptedly to the parish of 

 Birnie, near Elgin. He was the second oldest minister in the 

 Church, and one of the two oldest graduates of the University of 

 Aberdeen. 



From his youth upwards Dr. Gordon was devotedly attached 

 to the study of Natural History. In 1839 he published "Collectanea 

 for a Flora of Momy," which is regarded as a standard authority 

 on the botany of the county, and he was instrumental in adding 

 the plant Piiignicula Alpina to the British flora. He also contributed 

 papers on the fauna of Moray, with which he was equally conversant, 

 to the " Zoologist." As regards archeology, and in fact in all 

 matters of local antiquarian interest, he was an industrious collector, 

 and might always be found to the front investigating anything new 

 about anything old. In the branch of geology, there has been 

 nobody in the neighbourhood of Elgin who has pursued a closer 

 study nor acquired such an intimate knowledge ' of the subject. 

 The formation of the Old Red Sandstone, in particular, long engaged 

 his attention, and nothing could excite in him a livelier interest 

 than any new discovery of fossil remains. In fact in every such 

 case it was customary for the finder to appeal to Dr. Gordon of 

 Birnie for an explanation. 



He was ever ready to impart his knowledge to others, and felt 

 pleased when anyone sought to share in his investigations : his 

 enthusiasm even at the great age of 90 being most encouraging to 

 witness. Among his geological services may be mentioned the 

 procuring of remains of a number of fossil reptiles from the Elgin 

 Sandstone, some of which have been described by Prof. Huxley, 

 others quite recently by Mr. E. T. Newton ; the more recent dis- 

 coveries include a number of very remarkable forms, and one of 

 these, a new Blcijnodont genus, has been named Gordonia. Dr. 

 Gordon maintained steadfastly the view that the Elgin Sandstones 

 belonged to one continuous series of Old Red Sandstone age ; 

 a view that is not supported, however, by palseontological evidence. 



His efforts in connection with the Elgin Museum are well known. 

 Along with other gentlemen of kindred tastes, he was influential 

 in founding the Elgin and Morayshire Literary and Scientific 

 Association. 



Although in November last nobody would have expected on seeing 



