480 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
In an elegant villa, built by himself, he spent eight years ; and 
he has left behind him a series of beautiful water-colour drawings, 
upwards of 500 in number, of the scenery and antiquities of that 
interesting country. 
On his return to England in 1844, he took up his residence in 
Leamington. He afterwards went to Oxford, and resided in a 
curious old mansion, called Frewen Hall, where he enjoyed the best 
literary society in that seat of learning. After a residence there 
of nearly fifteen years, he died on the 27th of November 1864, in 
the 90th year of his age. 
Mr Skene was a man of very elegant tastes and numerous accom- 
plishments. He had a great general knowledge of science as well 
as of literature, and spoke with fluency French, Oerman, aud Italian. 
He was, as Sir Walter Scott said, the first amateur draughts- 
man in Scotland,” and was the author of two volumes of Illustra- 
tions of the Waverley Novels. But though he used his pencil 
more than his pen, yet he made several contributions to the 
Transactions of the Societies to which he belonged, and was the 
author of the excellent article on painting in the Edinburgh En- 
cyclopaedia. 
John Thomson G-okdon was the only son of I)r John G-ordon, — 
a distinguished teacher of anatomy in this city, and author of 
several valuable treatises on anatomy and physiology, — and of Miss 
Eutherfurd, sister of the late eminent lawyer and judge Lord 
Eutherfurd. He was born in Edinburgh, on the 19th March 1813 ; 
and, after gaining distinction as a classical scholar at the Edin- 
burgh Academy and at this University, he prosecuted with great 
zeal and success the study of the modern languages at Aschaffen- 
burg, in Bavaria. He was called to the bar in 1835, and was 
remarkable among his compeers for the extent of his scholarship, 
the richness of his fancy, and the natural eloquence of which he 
was possessed, and these, from the geniality of his nature, were 
always at the disposal of his friends and the public. 
In 1837 Mr Grordon married the second daughter -of Professor 
Wilson, and has left five sons and one daughter. 
He was appointed Sheriff of Aberdeenshire in 1847, and of Mid- 
Lothian in 1848, an office which he held, and the duties of which 
