BURTON, Jourt HILL, advocate (member of the Scottish bar), has achieved for him self a place in the world of letters by a variety of works, all remarkable for ability, and several for original thought. B. was born at Aberdeen on the 22d of Aug., 1809; his father was an officer in the army, and his mother the daughter of an Aberdeenshire laird. Having graduated at Marisehal college, Aberdeen, he became an apprentice to the profession of law in his native city; which, however, he afterwards abandoned for the higher sphere of the Edinburgh bar. Here, with time on his hands, he devoted himself to study and letters. For a long series of years, from 1833 downwards, he was a contributor to the Westminster Review of articles on law, history, and political economy; and for several years he contributed to Blackwood's Magazine literary sketches. Among his original works may be mentioned, The Life and Correspondence of David Hume, `.?, vols. (1846); Lives of Simon Lord Lovat and Duncan Forbes of Culloden (1847), both excel lent biographies; Political and Social Economy (1849), which is a valuable, condensed, and lucid contribution to the literature of social science; 2Thrratives from Criminal Trials in Scotland; A Manual of Scottish Law; A Treatise on the Law (Scottish) of Bankruptcy; The History of Scotland from the Revolution to the Extinction of the Last Jacobite Insur rection, 2 vols. (1853); The History of Scotland from Agricola's Invasion to the Revolution
of 1688, 7 vols. The (1862); The Scot Abroad, 2 vols. (1864); The Cairngorum _Mountains (1864). A new edition of the History of Scotland, enlarged and partly rewritten, appeared in 8 vols., 1873. He has edited vols. i. and ii of the Reggster of Privy Council (Scotland) for 1545-78; and is about to bring out a history of the reign of queen Anne. The high merits of B.'s historical works have been universally admitted. He has further edited the works of Jeremy Bentham (nominally in conjunction with the late sir John Bowring), with an able introduction; and has published a volume of Ben thamiana. B. was, in 1854, appointed secretary to the prison board of Scotland; and on the abolition of that board in 1860, he remained as stipendiary manager and secretary in connection with the Home office. On the passing of the prisons (Scotland) act, 1877, B. was appoined one of the prison commissioners for Scotland. He holds the old office of historiographer royal for Scotland, is LL,D. of Edinburgh university, and D.C.L. of Oxford.