interval in the wars of the revolution, Mr. Laing repeatedly visited France and Holland, still for the purpose of extending his professional knowledge, which he readily imparted to the scholars of his own country. The immense amount of information he had thus acquired, was enhanced by his kind generous temper, and modest unassuming manners.
During the war that followed the delusive peace of Amiens, by which the whole continent was closed against British visitors, Mr. Laing was worthily employed in raising the literary character of his native country in the department of printing. And for this, indeed, he saw that there was too much need. The distinguished brothers, the Foulis of Glasgow, had passed away, and left no successors in their room. In Edinburgh, so soon to assume the name of "Modern Athens," the case was still worse; for, except "Ruddiman's "Livy," and Cunningham's "Virgil," no classical work had issued from her press worth mentioning. In 1804 he commenced the attempt, by publishing the works of Thucydides, in six volumes, small 8vo, under the following title, "Thucydides Grace et Latine. Accedunt Indices, ex Editione Wassii et Dukeri." In printing this work, Mr. Laing was fortunate in having for the superintendent of the press the Rev. Peter Elmsley, who attained such a high European distinction in Grecian literature. In 1806, the works of Thucydides were followed by those of Herodotus, in seven volumes, small 8vo, under the title of "Herodotus Greece et Latine. Accedunt Annotationes seclectæ, necnon Index Latinus, ex Editionibus Wesselingii et Reizii." For editing this work Mr. Laing had secured the valuable services of Professor Person; but as the latter went no farther than the second book, the rest was carried on and completed under the superintendence of Professor Dunbar. The next classical author whose writings Mr. Laing published, in 1811, was Xenophon, in ten volumes, also of small 8vo, under the the title of "Xenophontis quse extant opera, Greece et Latine, ex Editionibus Schneideri et Zeunii. Accedit Index Latinus." This important publication was admirably edited by Mr. Adam Dickinson, whose Greek scholarship was only equalled by his retiring modesty, that prevented his worth from being more widely known. Mr. Laing would have followed these with i similar editions of the works of Plato and Demosthenes, but was prevented, chiefly by the difficulty of obtaining competent Greek scholars to superintend such important publications. Still, however, he had done much: the editions which he had published were standard specimens of their class, and have given an impulse to classical reprinting in Scotland which, we trust, will neither be fruitless, nor yet soon abandoned.
During the latter part of his life, when Mr. Laing was in easy and comfortable circumstances, he was able to devote himself to the more general interests of merchandise, and to this purpose was one of the original founders of the Commercial Bank of Scotland, and also a director. After having nearly completed his sixty-eighth year, and attended business till within three days of his death, he died at his house, Ramsay Lodge, Laurieston, Edinburgh, on the 10th of April, 1832, leaving a widow and family. His name honourably survives in one of his sons, whose valuable labours are well known in Scottish history and antiquarianism.
LAUDER, Sir Thomas Dick, Bart.—When Sir Walter Scott commenced that series of novels with which he so greatly delighted the reading world, we can well remember what a host of imitators sprung up, and how much Scottish novel writing became the rage, and even the frenzy of the day. But
