iesshire, was executive officer of the Transit of Venus
Commission (1882). The task of reducing the observations and the
hundreds of photographs was successfully undertaken by him although
declared impossible by eminent British and German astronomers. He was
later Astronomical Director of the Naval Observatory and in 1897 made
head of the Nautical Almanac. Williamina (Mina) Paton Fleming
(1857-1911), born in Dundee, discovered many new stars and wrote much
of permanent value on her subject. William Wallace Campbell (b. 1862),
of Scottish ancestry, has been Director of Lick Observatory since
1901, and has written much on astronomy.

The most interesting Scot in connection with horticulture in the
United States is Grant Thorburn (1773-1861), who was born in Dalkeith
and left his native country for political reasons in 1794. After
trying a number of occupations he finally established himself as a
seed merchant in New York, and the business is still carried on under
his name. Under the pen name of "Lawrie Todd" he contributed to the
_Knickerbocker Magazine_ and other New York periodicals, and supplied
John Galt, the novelist, with much of the information incorporated in
his "Lawrie Todd; or, Settlers in the New World." Thorburn also
published two volumes of reminiscences, "Forty Years' Residence in
America," and "Fifty Years' Reminiscences of New York." William Adair,
born near Glasgow in 1815, developed a profitable business as gardener
and horticulturist in Michigan, and served as State Senator from 1861
to 1865, 1869-70. Peter Henderson (1822-90), born at Pathhead near
Edinburgh, founded the firm of Peter Henderson and Co.,
horticulturists and seedsmen, one of the largest firms of its kind in
existence. William Saunders (1822-1900), born in St. Andrews, planted
and laid out several large estates, beautified Fairmount and Hunting
Parks in Philadelphia, and the park and garden system of Washington,
D.C., the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, etc. William Macmillan,
born in Nairnshire, laid out the public parks of Buffalo, and William
R. Smith, a native of Haddingtonshire, was for many years
Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens at Washington. Robert Buist
(1805-80), born in Edinburgh, was also one of the greatest
horticulturists in the United States.

SCOTS AS PHYSICIANS

A prominent physician of early colonial times was Dr. Gustavus Brown
(1689-1765), born in Dalkeith, and died in Maryland. Dr. Gustavus
Richard