xii Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinhurgh. 
death for a little time severed a union of the most singular perfect- 
ness and mutual devotion. Mr Davidson bore the blow after the 
manner of his nature ; seemed as months went by to be even 
somewhat regaining strength and cheerfulness ; but the hold of life 
was gone, and a slight chill sufficed to carry him off on the 30th 
October of the same year (1891), with mental powers quite unim- 
paired, and a physical constitution still vigorous enough to have pro- 
longed his life under other circumstances for years to come. Mr 
Davidson was 84 when he died in 1891 ; and as his father was 
born in 1745, their joint lives covered the somewhat remark- 
able space of 146 years. Besides his professional acquire- 
ments in matters of banking and finance, Mr Davidson had a wide- 
spread knowledge of men and things, derived from much reading as 
well as personal experience, and there were few subjects on which 
he could not either converse, or, at least, intelligently enjoy conver- 
sation. He was never much of a sportsman, though in early days 
he might be seen among those who some sixty years ago followed 
Mr Hepburn’s hounds at Karswell, and in Canada he indulged 
in occasional fishing excursions, when his friend Dr Campbell, the 
well-known physician of Montreal, was his usual companion. But 
after his return to this country, his interest in sport consisted 
almost entirely in seeing it enjoyed in summer quarters by his sons. 
Mr Davidson’s pleasures throughout life were mainly those of his 
home — a country home wherever possible. His family affections 
were of the deepest and most unselfish ; and more and more as life 
advanced, he found his happiness in ministering to the happiness of 
his wife and children. Three sons and one daughter survive him. 
Mr Davidson became a member of the Eoyal Society of Edinburgh 
in 1867. 
