of Edinburgh, Session 1874 - 75 . 
463 
written by Sir David on his death-bed, he refers to Mr Deas as the 
friend to whom he bad entrusted the final preparation of the paper 
on Films already mentioned. 
I may add, that there was found in Mr Deas’s repositories, after 
his death, a letter to him from Mrs Macpherson, Sir David’s 
daughter in-law, giving an account of his last moments, and refer- 
ring to the scientific subject in question, on which, I believe, Mr 
Deas read a paper in this Society as requested. That letter will be 
found in an appendix to the notice I am now reading. 
Mr Deas was admitted a member of the Royal Society in 1867. 
He had previously passed advocate in May 1862. At a later 
period, he was the first to receive the new degree of LL.B. 
(instituted in 1862.) Upon that occasion he was presented for 
graduation by Professor Loriraer, with a well-merited tribute to 
his diligence and proficiency in law. He had thoroughly studied 
his profession, and continued to do so, extending his attention at 
the same time to various kindred branches of study, sueh as medical 
jurisprudence and anatomy. 
He began now to contemplate the publication of some legal work 
that should be useful to him, and prior to 1870 was engaged in 
preparing a second edition of Mr Fraser’s work on “ Master and 
Servant,” which appeared in January 1872. His laborious appli- 
cation however to that task, carried on in conjunction with the 
practice which he was obtaining at the bar, seems to have injuri- 
ously affected his health, and to have made the first encroach^ 
ment that appeared upon his constitution, and in the summer of 1870 
premonitory symptoms were observed of that tenderness of chest 
which ultimately proved fatal. By advice of his medical attendants 
he went abroad, in order to make what is called the Nile journey. 
He had twice before been abroad, and was thus not an inex- 
perienced traveller. He much enjoyed the voyage up the Nile to 
the Second Cataract, and tobk an interest in all that he saw, 
visiting all the objects of celebrity within his reach. The atmo- 
spheric varieties of the country, and in particular the pure and 
inspiriting air ef the Desert, seem to have done him good, as well 
as to have afforded him pleasure. His journal consisting of memo- 
randa during this voyage, of which I have seen a copy, is very 
interesting, particularly to those who knew him, and shows how his 
3 o 
VOL. VIII. 
