Obituary Notices. 
IX 
David Davidson. By George Barclay, M.A. 
(Read June 6, 1892.) 
The late Mr David Davidson was an Edinburgh man on both 
sides of the house, — his father being the Bev. Dr Davidson of Muir- 
house, minister of the Tron Church, and his mother a sister of Lord 
Cockburn. He was born at Ho. 8 Heriot Row, 20th May 1808, 
and received his early education at the High School, completing it 
afterwards in England, Having chosen a business life as his career, 
he was at the age of 17 “apprenticed” to one of the great Leith 
firms of those days, whose offices it was a pretty costly favour to be 
admitted to (the “apprentice fee” running as high as £200 to 
£300), with the result, in Mr Davidson’s case, that the “ fee ” had 
not been paid a couple of months when the great crash of 1825 
occurred, which involved his employers, as well as many other Leith, 
firms, in hopeless financial troubles, and eventual ruin. It was a 
hard school for the young apprentice, but it probably helped to 
give him the quiet self-possession and courage in face of difficulties 
which characterised him through life. And there were still harder 
times to follow. While yet in his teens, Mr Davidson started on 
an independent business career ; but the shadow of the great 
collapse of 1825 lay heavy over Leith for many years ; his under- 
takings did not prove fortunate, and after struggling on throughout 
the thirties at home, Mr Davidson was led in 1842 to seek a new 
field in Canada. He had married in 1834 Frances, daughter of 
Mr James Pillans, a well-known Leith merchant ; with her and 
three children he now sailed, July 1842, for Montreal, where he 
assumed the managership of the Bank of British Horth America, 
a post which he afterwards exchanged for that of the Bank of 
Montreal, remaining at the head of that important institution until 
he was recalled to Edinburgh to take the management of the Bank 
of Scotland. Mr Davidson was fortunate in the time of his arrival 
in Canada, and his career there was a pleasant and successful one 
throughout. Montreal fifty years ago was a very different place 
from the great city of to-day. It was a comparatively small 
community and primitive life which Mr Davidson found there in 
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