the Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities with the Right Hon. James
Moncrieff. A very severe struggle took place; indeed, the contest may
justly be described as one of the most bitter and hotly contested that
ever took place in Scotland; and both in Glasgow and in Aberdeen it gave
rise to a great deal of animosity and personal feeling, which will be
long remembered, and the effects of which, we believe, have not yet
completely died out. In the end, however, Mr. Moncrieff beat his
opponent by sixty-seven votes, a majority so small in proportion to the
constituency that the bitterness and humiliation of defeat must have
been felt with more than ordinary poignancy. It seemed at that time as
if the Conservatives would never have another chance of lifting their
heads above water. There were few constituencies in Scotland on which
they could place perfect reliance, and the Universities of Glasgow and
Aberdeen they regarded as a special preserve--as their own inalienable
and chartered possession; but this confidence was scarcely justified by
the result, and they were not permitted even the satisfaction of
recording of the most intelligent constituency in Scotland that--
"Amid the faithless, faithful only they."
The appointment of Mr. Moncrieff to the Lord Justice Clerkship in
November, 1869, caused a new writ to be issued for Glasgow and Aberdeen
Universities, and Mr. Gordon again came forward as a candidate. On this
occasion, however, he was opposed by Mr. Archibald Smith, who appeared
in the Liberal interest. Mr. Smith had neither the influence nor the
abilities of James Moncrieff; he was a comparatively untried man, and
almost his sole claim to the support of the Universities was his Liberal
promises and proclivities. Such a candidate was evidently no match for
Mr. Gordon, whose defeat in the preceding year, after a severe and
plucky fight, had drawn towards his interest the sympathies of not a few
who differed from him on political questions. Hence Mr. Gordon was
triumphantly returned at the head of the poll, which stood at the
close--
Edward S. Gordon 2120
Archibald Smith 1616
The result of this election was looked forward to with eager expectation
by men of all shades of politics throughout the length and breadth of
the land. In Glasgow, as we can well remember, the excitement was
intense, although the proceedings were, upon the whole, of an orderly
character.
Mr. Gordon has voted with his party on all the great questions that have
come before Parliament since he entered the House of Commons. During the
last two sessions he was very regular in his attendance to legislative
duties, and made several telling speeches on Scotch questions, in which
he is, perhaps, better informed than any other man in the House. He is
always listened to with respect, if not with admiration, for he exhibits
a mastery of details, and a perfect apprehension of the subject in hand,
which enables him to speak with effect, when others, who possess greater
oratorical powers, would be liable to "put their foot in it." Indeed,
Mr. Gordon is not an orator, in any sense of the term. His legal
training at the Scotch bar has stunted the development of his rhetorical
gifts. In pleading before a judge or a jury he seeks to influence their
judgments rather than their hearts, and this tendency is to a greater or
less extent characteristic of all good Scotch lawyers, although it is
fatal to those nicely rounded periods and soul-stirring appeals to the
imagination and emotional faculties, that tell so forcibly upon an
English jury. It is disappointing to listen to Mr. Gordon for the first
time. His appearance is sufficiently _distingue_, for he is tall of
stature, and he has a decidedly intellectual cast of countenance. But
when he commences to speak there is an almost painful absence of
embellishment or emotional feeling; his language is severely practical
and argumentative; but his logic is unimpeachable, and he can summon to
his aid no end of hard and dry, albeit telling, facts--
"Chiels that winna ding."
During the session of 1868, while he held the office of Lord Advocate,
Mr. Gordon passed the Scotch Reform Bill, and it is to his efforts that
the Universities of Scotland are indebted for direct Parliamentary
representation. It seems, therefore, consistent with the fitness of
things that a constituency which he himself had been the means of
creating should become his own. To Mr. Gordon we are also indebted for
the Titles to Land Act, passed during the session of 1868, by which the
whole conveyancing system of Scotland has been consolidated, and placed
on a more satisfactory footing. In the same year he succeeded in passing
the Writs Registration Bill, which has affected beneficially the whole
of the land system of Scotland. A bill for the purpose of amending the
Feudal System of Scotland was introduced during the session of 1870, by
Mr. Gordon, but although it was hailed with every symptom of approbation
and encouragement by the leading men of the country, it had ultimately
to be withdrawn. The same fate was reserved for a bill to abolish the
feudal system altogether, which was brought in by Mr. Young, the present
Lord Advocate of Scotland.
In ecclesiastical matters, no less than in matters political, Mr. Gordon
has taken a conspicuous part. He has often appeared at the bar of the
General Assembly of the Established Church of Scotland, of which he has
always been a devoted adherent, both in a professional and in a private
capacity. In the General Assembly of 1870, he seconded Dr. Pirie's
motion against the Law of Patronage in a speech of great argumentative
power, and on the same and other occasions he has spoken effectively on
behalf of union with other Presbyterian Churches, his leading
ecclesiastical idea being in favour of the reconstruction of the
National Church on such a basis as will enable her to co-operate and
unite with other Churches, and thereby emphatically make her what she
professes to be. His disposition is of a most kindly and generous
tendency. He practises charity and toleration towards all mankind. At
the time of the Disruption, he used all his influence with the late Lord
Justice-Clerk with a view of maintaining intact the position and
privileges of the parish schoolmasters, who had elected to leave the
establishment and become members of the Free Church. He strongly urged
upon the leaders of the Establishment that a measure so harsh as this,
besides being unduly severe upon the teachers, could not benefit the
Church of Scotland, and would only raise up enemies against her. This is
only one of many proofs of his broad humanity that might be adduced.
It is almost unnecessary to remark that Mr. Gordon enjoys in a high
degree the confidence and esteem of the political party with whom he
acts. We happen to know that the present Earl of Derby values his
counsel and co-operation very highly, and as for Mr. Disraeli he has
long made it a principle to consult Mr. Gordon on questions specially
affecting Scotland. He is regarded as a decidedly safe man. Prudent and
unassuming, he never seeks to catch the eye of the Speaker unless he has
something of importance to say, and hence he is listened to by both his
own and the opposite parties with attention and deference. In the
discussions that have taken place during the present session on the
Scotch Education Bill, he has proposed several amendments all tending in
the same direction--namely, that of preserving the element of religious
teaching in our national schools. He is also strongly in favour of
maintaining a high curriculum, and, as far as possible, improving the
status and efficiency of the teachers.
We may add, in conclusion, that Mr. Gordon is a Queen's Counsel, and he
has been rewarded for his splendid legal and literary acquirements with
the degree of LL.D. by Edinburgh University. He is likewise Chancellor's
Assessor for Edinburgh University, an office of considerable honour, and
in virtue of which he is a member of the University Court. Mr. Gordon
has taken a lively interest in the Volunteer movement, and at the
present time he holds the commission of Lieut.-Colonel in the Queen's
City of Edinburgh Rifle Volunteer Brigade.
[Transcriber's Note: The text has been regularised so that "Mr", "Dr"
and "Mrs" always have a period after. Other errors in the original that
have been corrected are listed below:
Page 13: savans changed to savants - 'listened to by the savants'
Page 20: Pall Mall Gazeite changed to Pall Mall Gazette - 'about which
the _Pall Mall Gazette_'
Page 24: a priori changed to a priori
Page 25: missing quotation mark added - 'Non incompatibles;"'
gout changed to gout
Page 26: Bysche changed to Bysshe - 'Percy Bysshe Shelley'
Page 27: the the changed to the - 'on the banks of Lake Windermere.'
Page 28: 'early party of the nineteeth century' changed to 'early part
of the nineteenth century'
Page 29: elite to elite
Page 31: mor changed to more - 'more than a match'
Page 32: improssed changed to impressed - 'favourably impressed'
act changed to acting - 'while acting as'
Page 33: suavitor changed to suaviter
Page 34: jurisprodence changed to jurisprudence
Page 40: transcendant changed to transcendent
Page 43: eldst changed to eldest
Page 46: requsition changed to requisition
Page 55: furtheir changed to further
Page 64: In coure changed to In course
Page 74: Halfax changed to Halifax
Page 75: couse changed to course
Page 85: practitical changed to practical
Page 89: Philsophy changed to Philosophy
Page 106: parcular changed to particular
Page 113: formally changed to formerly
Page 114: phreno-magetism changed to phreno-magnetism
Page 120: missing quotation mark added - 'flowed like eloquence."'
Page 126: be be acknowledged changed to be acknowledged
Page 133: ready!' changed to ready!"
glimses changed to glimpses
Page 135: prelininary changed to preliminary
Page 136: aggregtae changed to aggregate
Page 139: herefore changed to therefore
Page 141: confrere changed to confrere
Page 142: an an author changed to an author
been been published changed to been published
Page 143: Blanehard changed to Blanchard
Page 148: Transatlanque changed to Transatlantique
Brittannia changed to Britannia
Page 160: causus belli changed to casus belli
Page 170: knew changed to know
Page 172: M Ewen changed to M'Ewen
Page 176: Collosians changed to Colossians
Page 179: but the changed to but they
Page 181: Academy' changed to Academy's
Page 184: Depot changed to Depot
depot changed to depot
Page 187: depot changed to depot
Page 188: depot changed to depot
Page 191: discoved changed to discovered
Page 192: rotton changed to rotten
]