his father's manse 8th October 1774. His education, which began in a domestic class, was continued at Dumfries, and afterwards at St Andrew's University. Various incidents are related in connexion with this period, illustrative of the elegant fancy, kindliness of heart, and remarkable power of constructiveness by which he was distinguished through life. One curious instance is worth relating, both as exemplifying the adage that "the boy is father of the man," and as showing how the active ingenious mind can mould all circumstances to serve its purpose.

"A Virginian nightingale, which he had received as a present, after having been for a while an object of care and affection at Lochrutton manse, met the frequent fate of such favourites-an early death. Henry having resolved to give to his lamented pet a worthy monument, built over its grave a mausoleum of brick and mortar. This erection was constructed by the side of the church road, and adjoining to, or rather surrounded by, the gurgling water of a tiny stream. In the lower part of this erection, and looking down the stream, he inserted an engraved stone, chiseled by himself, representing the face of a man in the very extremity of grief, having the eyes bored so as to give vent for the constant flow of a small portion of water, intended to represent the mourner's tears. A channel was made to the eyes from behind, by means of the necks of bottles, so disposed as to make, with the ever-flowing water, amoaning sound, which a slight stretch of imagination might

construe into a funeral wail.

"Listen,' was the reply, and judge for yourself.'

"Troth, I hear it uttering,' said the old woman, drawing near, and stooping down to listen; but what it says I canna tell.'

"Look at the inscription over the figure," said Henry; can you read that ?*

"She looked, but in vain attempted to decipher the unknown language.

4

Na! she at length exclaimed, 'that maun be Latin, or Greek, or ane o' the auncient tongues, and doubtless it's the same language that the greetin' man's speaking,

Sirs, what the art of man can do!'

"The surmise, if not correct, was, for the time, at least uncontradicted. The stane man,' with his Latin lamentation, was afterwards carried by its sculptor to Ruthwell, and built into a wall of the manse, where it is probably still to be seen,'

After attending a few years at the philosophy classes, young Mr Duncan was sent to Liverpool, where the influence of his near relative, Dr Currie (the biographer of Burns), had secured for him a place in a banking establishment. The literary and discursive nature of his tastes disqualified him for high success in the moneychanger's business, insomuch that his friendly patron writes to Lochrutton, despairing of the youth's prospects in that line. It is not to be doubted that the experience he acquired in the Liverpool bank office, helped much to furnish him with the practical knowledge and the prompt business habits on which his subsequent usefulness so largely depended. On this point his biographer has the following sensible remarks, which we commend to the notice of those who are concerned in the training of youth for the gospel ministry:

"Perhaps the early training usual for what are called the learned professions, is too exclusively studious. Might we not expect men to enter the world, as members of these professions, with minds more attuned to human sympathies, with hearts more open to the world-wide interests of their species, with the ingenuity better sharpened to devise, and hands more ready to execute schemes of beintroduced, like the subject of this memoir, nevolence and philanthropy, were they early to such a mingled tide of humanity as flows and ebbs, or boils and eddies, through the exchanges of our great commercial cities? The poetic fire of imagination need not be quenched-it may be fed with materials here, which will make it afterwards to shed a healthier glow on the pages of its inspiration; and the professional talent which is now so honourably active in securing independence for the personal fortune of its possessor, need not be cramped or blighted, but might here receive into its companionship an expansive benevolence, to which the habits of the schools are not always favourable, and which, if but sanc tified, would make its owner not more admired for his talent, than loved for his good

ness."

famous as the field in which Brougham, Horner, Lord Lansdowne, and others, whetted their juvenile powers as dialecticians; and the acquaintance thus commenced with these eminent characters, was more or less sustained through life. After receiving license as a preacher, we find him engaged as tutor in a family near Crieff, and donning the highland military garb, by way of stimulating the prowess of his neighbours against the threatened invasion of the French. In 1799, having received at the same time a presentation to Lochmaben and to Ruthwell, both parishes in his native district, he preferred the latter, though inferior to the other both in emolument and in what was usually regarded as local amenity.

The

grounds of his choice, as described by his filial biographer, afford a glimpse of his character and tastes at this period

"The absence of ambition, of which Dr Currie had complained, received here a striking illustration; for the chief consideration which decided the preference was, that in Ruthwell he should enjoy the delightful retirement of a rural parish, where his taste for reading might be freely gratified-make his flock, in all its families and individuals, his personal friends-and, free from the jarring influences of politics, either local or national, should have it in his power to follow out the one great object to which he was now ready to devote himself-the improvement and happiness of a people, who should confide in him as their pastor, and lean on his willing services as their disinterested and unwearied benefactor. On these grounds he made a choice which fixed his lot in life among the obscure inhabitants of a distant parish, where the opportunity of being useful in the way least likely to be celebrated, seemed to promise him a life of the purest happiness that mortal could enjoy. I am not entitled, alas! to say, that his views, even at this time, looked much beyond the present life."

At the date of Mr Duncan's ordination at Ruthwell, moderatism was at the zenith of its power, and the young minister was, from education, relationship, and personal taste, a decided supporter of the reigning party. His public spirit, gentlemanly deportment, and the lively interest he took in the temporal welfare of his

parishioners, exemplify, somewhat favourably perhaps, but more truthfully than certain modern declaimers are willing to admit, the character of a class of moderate clergymen. We are not sure that the fidelity of the sketch as a general portraiture, will hold so exactly in regard to the pastoral visitation and catechetical examinations which he immediately commenced in his parish. His concern for the temporal welfare of his parishioners was soon called to the proof. It was now the heat of the French war, and for some time the dearth had prevailed, raising the price of food beyond the reach of the poorer classes—

ness, soon suggested a remedy, new and un"His mind, ever fertile in plans of usefultried before in country parishes, which his active and practical philanthropy led him at once to follow out. Without calculating pecuniary hazards, he ordered, through his brothers in Liverpool, a cargo of Indian corn, which was discharged in due time at the shore of a little creek which runs into the parish from the Solway Frith, and thence conveyed to a store which he had provided for its reception in the village of Ruthwell. This he retailed by means of a respectable and trustworthy agent, at prime cost, to his poor parishioners, in quantities graduated by the size of their respective families-many who had no money to pay for it being supplied on credit. Comparative comfort and plenty soon reigned among the families of Ruthwell, in the midst of surrounding distress; and the spectacle thus presented, gave an impulse to the benevolent energies of good men, fraught with the most extensive and beneficial results, and set an example which, in similar circumstances, has since that period been again and again repeated, not only in Ruthwell, but in other needy districts, to the great relief of the famishing."

This was not the only instance in which the proceedings of Buonaparte and the French led the young minister of Ruthwell beyond what is usually regarded as the proper sphere of the gospel minister. The alarm of a French invasion was now sounding over the land, and summoning the loyalty of the people to prepare for defence. Mr Duncan, king and priest in his parish, immediately, and without waiting the example of any brother minister, takes measures for the military organization of his people,—

"The young minister felt the glow of the prevailing enthusiasm, and addressed his adult male parishioners on the duties of the time, urging them to signalise their patriotism by an offer of their services en masse as volunteers in defence of their country. The proposal was adopted, but on one conditionnamely, that their minister should be appointed, and should consent to become, their leader. Singular as the terms seemed to be for a member of the clerical profession to accept, he agreed to them with scarce a moment's hesitation. They were ratified by Government, and the Ruthwell volunteers,' with their captain, were immediately embodied, and introduced to the duties and fatigues of military training."

It was no "puritanical" host which had chosen the minister for its captain; but a light-hearted corps, that knew to mingle the sound of revelry and the gentle measures of the ballroom by night, with the clarion and heavy counter-marching of the drill by day,

"Hence we find the young minister, at this period of his life, not unfrequently at Dumfries, joining the thoughtless amusements of the Assembly-room, where his graceful appearance and attractive manners made his presence always acceptable."

These little circumstances would hardly be worth quotation, but as illustrating the unhappy state of manners among the parish clergy of that day. Justice, also, requires that our reprobation in regard to the individual case, be tempered by the recollection, that moderatism, which had then a sweeping majority throughout the church at large, was especially rampant

in Dumfries-shire, and throughout the south of Scotland; so that the gay soldier-divine was not likely, in the circle even of his clerical acquaintance, to meet with any thing but admiring smiles for his unminister-like practices. At length, however, God cast him in the way of serious counsellors in a quarter where, it is probable, he little expected it. "The turning-point of his religious character," as his biographer designates the event, was his attendance at a Quaker's meeting :

"Attending his presbytery one day at Annan, he learned that three of the Society of Friends, who were announced in their

simple and peculiar style as Solomon Chapman, Deborah Darby, and Rebecca Byrd, had arrived, and intended to hold a meeting the same evening. His curiosity was excited, and, notwithstanding some clerical remonstrances, he waited in town to attend it. The pious sincerity of all the speakers deeply affected him. His heart warmed towards them; and, having introduced himself to them at the close, he learned that they were prosecuting a mission to the South of Scotland, to which they seemed to believe themselves divinely called, and that their road next day would lead them through his parish on their way to Dumfries. He invited them accordingly to visit the manse as they passed, and to rest and dine with him, which they did. His father and mother, and elder sister, then unmarried, now Mrs Phillips, were present, the latter of whom has, at the author's request, given an account of the visit in the following letter:

"We found them plain simple-hearted christians bent upon doing good. The two ladies travelled in their own phaeton, while their friend attended them on horseback. They had come from Shropshire upon this call, and he had joined them from Sunderland at Carlisle. After dinner, one of the ladiesMrs Darby-turned in a kind but solemn manner to your father, and addressed him for some minutes in the most friendly and affecting way, saying that she could not leave his hospitable roof without expressing the interest she felt in him, and the assurance she entertained that he would be a blessing to those among whom he lived, and to whom he was engaged in teaching the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. She pointed out the responsibility of his situation, and gave many sweet advices and many warnings, all of which you may remember better than I can, by your having heard your dear father tell them. After this address was ended, your father attempted to reply, but was so overcome that he could only say a few words of thanks, and burst into tears. Indeed there was not a dry eye in the room, except those of the composed individual whose words had produced the sensation." "

The visit of these worthy friends Duncan's mind. Shortly after their left an abiding impression on Mr departure, having retired for serious meditation, he drew out a number of resolutions, forming a personal cove

nant with God as to his future behaviour; and, though some expressions in this document savour slightly of the "legal" system, there can be little doubt that the frequent solemn dealing into which he was subsequently led in following out his resolutions, was the means, in the hand of the Divine Spirit, of bringing him gradually to the clear understanding and cordial reception of evangelical truth.

Having, in 1804, married the only daughter of his predecessor in Ruthwell, Mr Duncan acquired an admirable coadjutor in his plans of usefulness for the parish; and his interest in his flock being rendered still closer and more endeared by this union, "the manse became more than ever the parish dispensary-the resort of the widow, the fatherless, and the friendless." One of his first measures for improving the condition of the working people, was to re-organize and found on proper principles, a friendly society which had previously existed in the parish, but had failed through the ignorance and over-sanguine calculation of its promoters. To secure a solid basis for the new society, required that he should gather, at an expense of much toil and care, the statistics of the district as bearing upon life and health; but this he effected, and a soundly organized and popular institute was the result. Assisted by Mrs Duncan, he soon had a similar society set on foot among the females of his flock; and, ere long, no fewer than 300 individuals, out of 1100 souls, had become members of one or other of these societies." To consolidate his plans, by keeping alive the popular interest in their favour, he got erected in the village a society-room, where the associated members might meet for the management of their affairs,

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"This modest building became the scene of many assemblages called together to consult

for their own best interests. It was the store

house from which again and again in times of scarcity their wants were supplied by the foresight of their vigilant pastor; and it became by turns the Sabbath-school room and the house of prayer-the lecture-hall and the

rendezvous of all who from time to time gathered themselves together for the general interests of the parish or the promotion of religion and godliness-a little sanctuary, in short, consecrated to charity and truth."

Various other expedients, which, though well enough understood and commonly practised by friendly and other societies in recent years, were, in his case, the fruit of his fertile

brain,-were resorted to by Mr Duncan in furtherance of his schemes to engage the attention and unite the interests of the people. "By one of the rules, the funeral of every member of the male society was attended by a procession of such members as could conveniently be present. A day, too, was appointed on which the societies assembled in their hall, and marched with flags flying and music playing to church, to hear sermon, and thence back again to their usual place of meeting, for the transaction of business. Once a year the female society drank tea together; thus giving, it is believed, the first example in Scotland of those social gatherings which, under the name of soirees, have since become so common and so popular." In his frequent visits to the parish school, he spent hours in intercourse with the children, endeavouring to interest them in the subject of their studies. To engage the adults in any thing like intellectual pursuits, he found a much harder task. Week-day evening lectures on astronomy, natural science, and history, he found insufficient to stimulate their minds after the day's darg had exhausted their bodily strength. To meet this difficulty, he resorted to the questionable expedient of holding Sabbath meetings for "conversational lectures on the works of God;" but the want of success, and the scruples of pious people, soon induced him to abandon the plan. A measure of less doubtful propriety-the institution of a parish library-followed in its room.

But a quiet rural parish like Ruthwell, was too narrow a field for the exercise of such philanthropy as Mr Duncan's. The first considerable enlargement of his plans was occasioned by the publication of a tract from his pen, on the execution of a criminal at Dumfries, who had related to the author the particulars of his history. This publication was made the first of a series of "Scottish Cheap Repo

sitory Tracts," in imitation of a wellknown series, bearing a similar title, which had appeared in England not long before, under the patronage of Hannah More. He next started (in 1809) the Dumfries and Galloway Courier, a paper which has long held a high place in the provincial press of Scotland, as a promoter of rural and agricultural improvement. For the first seven years, after which the present talented editor, Mr M'Diarmid, entered upon his duties, Mr Duncan had the editorial management of the Courier. The ability with which he discharged this office, will naturally give rise to doubts as to the spiritual growth of his own vineyard at Ruthwell; and the memoir, it must be confessed, does not satisfy us that during this period his pulpit was as well furnished as his press with its appropriate supplies. The success of this first effort in the newspaper line seems to have been felt as encouraging; for we find him afterwards the chief promoter of the Dumfries Journal, and then the originator of the Dumfries Standard- both of which, at the earlier or more difficult stage of their history, were indebted to his management and his pen.

We have to dismiss with simply a passing notice, the services which Mr Duncan rendered to literature and religion in connexion with the Edinburgh Christian Instructor, the Edinburgh Encyclopædia, the publications of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, and the Bible Society movement. The Savings Banks scheme, as that by which he is chiefly known as a benefactor of his country, deserves perhaps something more than this summary treatment. The leading features of the scheme are well known, and need not be detailed here. Its great advantages, not only as accumulating for the poor man a fund that may be available in the hour of need, but still more, as elevating his moral standing, by teaching him habits of forethought, frugality,

"He was aware that in almost every family, even the poorest, there are odds and ends of income which are too apt to be fritted away in thoughtless extravagance, sometimes in intemperance. Could he but induce the mass of the people to comprehend the value of the savings which might by a reasonable economy supply the means of investing these securely, be gathered from this source, and could he affording them, at the same time, the prospect of a fair rate of interest, not from charity, but from the resources of trade, he was confident the hopes he cherished would be realised. He was not disappointed. The scheme was drawn up and put in execution in May 1810, with the advice and co-operation of some of the most respectable inhabitants of the parish; and, in the four following years, the funds of the institution rose by successive steps to L.151, L.176, L.241, and L.922!

"Always keeping in view the benefit which might accrue from the general adoption of the system, he took every precaution that circumstances would admit of, for increasing the respectability and importance of the Ruthwell Parish Bank, and presenting it to the favourable consideration of the public. With this design, the lord-lieutenant, the vicelieutenant, and sheriff of the county, together with the members of Parliament for the county and for the district burghs, had been constituted ex officiis honorary members. For these and other important reasons, such a form of constitution was adopted as might bring the scheme within the meaning of the Friendly Societies Act, and not only bestow on it the privileges conferred on these institutions by law, but also allow of its being publicly recognised by the quarter-sessions as an establishment worthy of support. Care was also taken from time to time to announce

its progress in the public papers; and, with a similar intention, copies of the regulations were sent to various parts of Scotland, and a correspondence carried on with some publicspirited individuals.”