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of Edinburgh, Session 1876 - 77 . 
dered to his party were immense. Nor were the members of the 
party slow to acknowledge this ; as was attested in many ways, 
but especially by the testimonial which was presented to him in 
1859, “ in recognition of his services and as a mark of respect for 
his honourable and independent conduct in public and private 
life,” and by his being spontaneously elected a member of the 
Reform Club in London, which has been described as “ the 
central organisation of the Liberal party.” Nor was it by persons 
of that party alone that his merits were acknowledged, and the 
tribute of respect to his consistency and integrity rendered. Per- 
haps no provincial newspaper was so generally read by men of all 
parties as the “ Scotsman ” whilst under Mr Russel’s management ; 
and however much some of its readers might dissent from his 
opinions or dislike his principles, there were none who did not 
admire the boldness, the steadfastness, and the consummate ability 
with which these were maintained and advocated. For the con- 
duct of a public journal he was eminently qualified as well by the 
brilliancy of his faculties as by the extent and variety of his know- 
ledge, his sound sense, and the manly vigour which characterised 
all his utterances on questions of public interest. Of him may it 
be said, with much greater justice than of the person to whom 
Addison first addressed the line, that he was 
“ For wit, for humour, and for judgment famed.” 
If sometimes his wit was over keen, if now and then in his humour 
there was a flavour of coarseness, if occasionally he jested where jest- 
ing was (i not convenient,” if the showers of ridicule with which he 
assailed the objects of his criticism were often more copious than 
deserved, there is this to be said on the other side, that his judgment 
was seldom at fault, that in his satire there was no malevolence, 
that kis antagonism was open and manly, that he scorned to use any 
base arts of insinuation, vituperation, or slander, and that when he 
wielded the scourge there was so much cleverness in his manipula- 
tion, such felicity of expression and illustration, and withal such a 
joyous hilarity pervading the whole, that even those who were the 
objects of his most pungent strictures found it impossible to with- 
hold their admiration, or to resent with bittei-ness the castigation 
they had received. 
