of Edinburgh, Session 1883-84, 
939 
fellow, and a man of very varied accomplishment, and of rare mental 
quality. Perhaps with a harder grain of fibre he might have attained 
more general fame, for he was singularly unassuming and gentle, not 
from want of intellectual force, hut from the balance of a refined 
nature. But he was especially adapted for the prosecution of exact 
science by the clear lucidity of his thoughts, and the quiet impartiality 
of his judgment. As a companion, he was charming, as he had rich 
resources on which to draw, and a delightful vein of cheerful 
humour in which all who knew him rejoiced. 
The last name furnished to me is that of one who well deserves 
to he commemorated here. It is that of the well-known Provost of 
Leith, Mr Lindsay. I am glad of this opportunity of expressing 
not only my sense of the benefits which his labours have conferred 
on the public, hut my own individual feeling of obligation for 
friendly co-operation in important public affairs. The Police Act 
which bears his name, and his exertions in which have earned the 
gratitude of the public, was not indeed the last word on the sanitary 
legislation for our crowded towns. But it was the most important 
contribution towards it of our day, and I doubt, but for Mr Lindsay’s 
help, it might never have been obtained. I had found on previous 
attempts that the opinions of the different burghs were so little in 
unison, that it was almost impossible to hope to adjust them within 
the compass of a Session of Parliament. But in reply to an applica- 
tion by Mr Lindsay made to myself as Lord Advocate at the time, 
to attempt to legislate in this important matter, I said that if he 
could obtain a reasonable acquiescence from the burghs in a general 
measure, I should be glad to aid in having it passed into law, Mr 
Lindsay accepted the proposal, and fulfilled his task with an amount 
of ability, tact, and patience which did him infinite credit, and 
deservedly earned for him the distinction which they yielded him. 
The year has been otherwise memorable in more than one respect. 
We entered our second century; but on that subject I sufficiently 
enlarged on a recent occasion. It was also distinguished by the 
brilliant and most successful celebration of the Tercentenary of the 
University of Edinburgh. We had, during the celebration week, 
the great and rare satisfaction of having papers read to us by two 
of the Honorary Fellows of the Society — one by Dr Helmholtz of 
Berlin, who has gained a European reputation by his discoveries in 
