ALEXANDER GORDON, THE ANTIQUARY. 123 



the various Alexandei^ Gordons who figure on the rolls of the ancient 

 University of King's College, founded by Bishop Elphinstone, or the 

 later foundation of Marischal College. Dr. Laing thus writes : — 

 *' Whether he belonged to any of the Gordon families of note in the 

 neio'hbouring district has not been ascertained. As, however, he 

 had taken his degree of A.M. at Aberdeen, it was desii-able to know 

 both the exact date, and also if the registers might indicate anything 

 as to his parentage. On applying to the Rev. Mr. Fyfe, Registrar 

 of the University, he kindly examined the College registers, and 

 found various persons of the name of Alexander Gordon, between 

 the years 1700 and 1720, without any means of identifying them. 

 Gordon afterwards is said to have travelled abroad, probably as a 

 tutor, and to have spent some years in Italy, France, Germany, &c. 

 His residence in Italy had no doubt its influence in directing his 

 attention to the Antiquities of his native country." He must have 

 been a persevering enthusiast, with considerable energy, and more of 

 that versatility which is better turned to account in a new country 

 than would ordinarily be looked for in one who expended some of the 

 best years of his life, and all his available means, in an attempt to 

 recover the nearly obliterated footprints of the Romans to the north 

 of the Tyne. 



Dr. Laing may be right in the surmise that Gordon travelled 

 abroad in the capacity of tutor ; but it seems probable that he had 

 originally some little means of his own; and with the frugal liabits 

 which enabled him at length to leave a comfortable competency bo his 

 children, he found means sufladent to admit of his devoting adequate 

 time to the investigation of the traces of Roman art and civilisation, 

 both on the continent and at home. He must have economised his 

 resources at a later stage ; for he is our authority for the fact that he 

 spent three years in exploring, drawing, and measuring the monu- 

 ments of antiquity described by him in his Itinerary. This must 

 have tended to exhaust his available funds before the publication of 

 that work involved him in pecviniary difficulties, and compelled him 

 to hasten its issue with more regard to his immediate necessities than 

 to his permanent reputation. The volume is dedicated, as previously 

 stated, to His Grace Charles Duke of Queensberry, Dover, &c. ; 

 but his efficient patron and ally in the exploration of the traces of 

 the ancient Romans was Sir John Clerk, of Pennycuik, to whom he 

 refers as the Baron, in allusion to his judicial rank as one of the 



