PORBE3, DUNCAN, of Culloden, a celebrated Scottish politician of the 18th c., and lord president of the court of session, was born either at Culloden or at Bunchrew for the family possessed both estates—in the neighborhood of Inverness, on the 10th Nov. 1685. In 1704, the year that his father died, F., then a lad of 19, com menced his legal studies in Edinburgh; but the following year he removed to Leyden, then the great school for Scottish lawyers of revolution principles, where he studied for two years with the greatest diligence. In addition to the knowledge of the civil law, which was no doubt the principal object of his residence at Leyden, we are told that lie made considerable progress in Hebrew and several other oriental languages. On his return from Leyden, F. was called to the bar, and almost immediately after appointed sheriff of Midlothian—a promotion the rapidity of which is somewhat incon sistent with modern' usages. He rose rapidly into practice and into political influence through his connection with the great duke of Argyle, then in the zenith of his power, to whom he was united by family ties, and of whose estates he acted as a sort of man ager. He married Mary Rose, the daughter of the laird of Kilravoc, a woman of beauty and accomplishment, to whom he is said to have been devotedly attached. She' died shortly after their marriage, leaving him an only son, John, who eventually suc ceeded to his estate, but did not inherit his abilities. During both of the rebellious, Duncan F. acted a prominent part on the side of the Hanoverian government. In 1715, he was in the north, actively engaged in opposing the rebels, along with his elder brother John, who is said to have expended £3,000 on the royal cause, not one shilling of which was ever repaid him. But on this, as on all other occasions, Duncan's partisanship was of the moat moderate kind. After the suppression of the rebellion, he was opposed to the project of carrying the prisoners out of Scotland, to be tried by English juries, and he wrote to lord Islay, when he heard that it was proposed to appoint him lord advo cate, that lie should certainly decline that office. He wrote to his brother, proposing a subscription for the comfort of the prisoners. " It is certainly Christian," he said, " and by no means disloyal, to sustain them in their indigent state till they are found guilty." To the forfeitures also he was opposed, on grounds of policy as well as of humanity. The only effect of his moderation was to bring suspicion on his own loyalty. But he was too important for his, promotion to be arrested. In 1716, he was appointed depute to the lord advocate; in 1722, he was returned to sit in parliament for the Inverness district of burghs; and in 1725, he was lord advocate. He was not distinguished as a debater, but he was largely employed at this period of his career in appeal cases, and he enjoyed the friendship of sir Robert Walpole, Lyttleton, Mansfield, and Hardwick. He seems even to have penetrated the literary circles in which Swift, Pope, and Arbuth not were the ruling stars. In 1734, his brother John—Bumper John, as he was called— died, and lie succeeded to the estates of the family. In earlier life, Duncan partook of the convivial habits for which his family was distinguished, in an age that was famous for deep potations. Mr. Burton records various anecdotes illustrative of his powers in
this direction, but he abandoned the practice when • his health began to suffer, and devoted himself to more serious if not more onerous duties. During many subsequent years, he in no insignificant degree ruled the destinies and contributed to thedawning prosperity of Scotland by fostering and developing her internal resources. His policy was to extinguish the rebellion by gaining over the Jacobites to the, government. The purity and uprightness of F.'s character were subjected to a severe test. His whole correspondence during these troubled times came to light some seventy years after his death; and though few men ever wrote or were written to with less idea of publication, "we have not been able," says Mr. Chambers (Blographical.Dictionary of Eminent Scots men), detect a single one of his advices or proceedings, by the exposure of which even a private gentleman of the most delicate honor, and the most reasonable views, would have cause to feel a moment's uneasiness. Having freed himself from the shackles of party, his great object was to improve the trade and agriculture of the kingdom. But his views of political economy were not greatly in advance of his time; for in order to encourage the use of malt, he presented to the government a long and detailed scheme for preventing or rather for punishing the use of tea. F. was appointed president of the court of session in 1737; but he still continued his interest in the general improve ment of the country. Though he was aware of the character, general, of the designs of the Jacobites, the rebellion of 1745 took the president by surprise. But lie was no sooner aware of the danger than he hastened to the north, as he had done on the occasion of the former outbreak, and by his presence and the influence which he pos sessed in his own district, did much to counteract the proceedings of the rebels. Lovat, as is well known, betrayed both him and the government, and actually made an attack on Culloden house, from which he was beaten off with great spirit by the president and his people. When the rebellion spread, he was forced to abandon his house, and take refuge in the island of Skye, where he remained till after the battle of Culloden. On his return, in place of reaping the fruits of his services, he was regarded with jealousy and aversion ltr the government. Even the large sums of money which he had advanced were never repaid him; and it is said that the ingratitude of the government, coupled with the perfidy of many of his friends and neighbors, who had changed sides more than once during this miserable affair, weighed so heavily on his spirits as to shorten his life. .Ile discharged his judicial duties, however, with great zeal and ability till within a month of his death, which took place on Dec. 10,1747. The parliament house in Edinburgh contains a beautiful portrait and a fine statue of the lord president F., who was a man of great elegance of person and manner. The most complete biog raphy of F. is that of Mr. Burton in his lives of Simon lord Lovat and Duncan Forbes, 1848.