446 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
in science or in literature if they had been turned in either of these 
directions ; hut it was his lot and his choice to follow a professional 
career, in which, as will afterwards be seen, he came to attain all 
the varied honours which the practice of the law is able to confer. 
Duncan McNeill was the second son of John McNeill, proprietor 
of the islands of Colonsay and Oronsay, and of the estate of Ard- 
lussa in Jura, and was born in Oronsay on the 20th of August 
1793. He was not educated at any school, but received private 
tuition at home along with his brothers, until he repaired to the 
University of St Andrews, along with his immediately younger 
brother, now Sir John M‘Neill. 
He used in after life to tell of an incident that occurred to the 
party when his father and the two boys passed a night in Glasgow on 
their way from the Highlands to Sfc Andrews, and it was certainly 
one well calculated to make a permanent impression on a vigorous 
and appreciative mind. While he was walking in the morning, 
near the post-office, a mail-coach arrived, from the roof of which 
the guard announced to an assembled multitude the news of the 
victory of Trafalgar, which occurred on 21st October 1805. The 
intelligence, of course, was' received with tumultuous cheering, 
after which, one of the crowd proposed three cheers for Nelson, but 
when the guard in a loud and sad whisper said “ that Nelson was 
killed,” they all instantly dispersed in solemn silence, and left the 
streets empty. 
Duncan McNeill was twelve years old when he went to St Andrews, 
which was not at that time an unusual age for college intrants. He 
and his brother were hoarded with Dr James Hunter, professor of 
Logic, for whom and for his family M‘Neill always entertained a 
strong feeling of attachment and regard. He became a diligent 
student and a good classical scholar, but was still more distinguished 
in mathematics, for which he had a remarkable aptitude. 
After three years spent at St Andrews he came to Edinburgh, 
and attended college here for some sessions. As usual with young 
men of intellectual power, he applied himself diligently to Logic 
and Metaphysics, for the latter of which, undoubtedly, Dr Thomas 
Brown, whom he attended, was calculated to inspire a strong taste, 
though Brown himself was not a profound or perhaps even a sound 
metaphysician. His lectures, however, were pleasing and attrac- 
