1912-13.] Obituary Notices. 343 
secondary schools of the city that it was one of the very few private 
schools in Edinburgh that managed to survive the crisis for such schools 
which was occasioned by the starting of the Merchant Company’s new 
educational scheme in 1870. The Institution, although somewhat shaken 
for a little while, ere long fully regained its former prestige and success. 
In 1875 Mr Bickerton retired, owing to the state of his health, and Dr 
Ferguson continued to manage the school, as its sole head, until 1898. Thus, 
when he then retired he had been at the head of this important Edinburgh 
school for no fewer than forty years. 
But Dr Ferguson was a man of wide and varied interests and of much 
energy. During these forty years he did not confine his activities merely 
to the work of his school, heavy and taxing though that must have been. 
In 1875 he had been elected a fellow of the Scottish (now the Boyal 
Scottish) Society of Arts. Of this Society he became one of the leading 
members, and was its President for two years. Between 1863 and 1893 
he contributed to its Proceedings eight papers, two of which were of such 
importance as to be awarded the Society’s silver medals. 
He became a member of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society on its 
foundation in 1883, was its President in 1885-86, and for many years took 
an active share in its proceedings. 
It was in 1868 that he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society 
of Edinburgh. From an early period of his membership down to very 
shortly before his death — that is, for more than forty years — he took an 
active share in the work of the Society, with much acceptableness to his 
fellow-members. Between 1869 and 1880 he contributed three papers, on 
magneto-electric and physics subjects, that were published in the Society’s 
Proceedings (vols. vii., ix., and x.) ; for three separate terms (1877-80, 
1886-89, 1899-1902) he served on the Council; and from 1902 till 1911 he 
was the Society’s representative on the Board of Governors of George 
Heriot’s Trust. His election to this last office Dr Ferguson highly appreci- 
ated, not only as in itself an honour, but also as affording him a sphere of 
thoroughly congenial public work. He took great interest in the affairs of 
the Trust, and rendered valuable service on its governing body, especially 
in connection with its educational schemes. It was with great regret that 
he resigned this post because his growing deafness had made him feel that 
he should give up all work that involved attendance at public meetings. 
The Heriot Trust work was the last work of that kind that he did give up. 
In 1866 Dr Ferguson published, through Messrs W. & R. Chambers, a 
text-book on Electricity , which was very well received. After having been 
more than once reprinted, it appeared in 1882 in a new edition, revised by 
