Volume 3 > Half-Volume 5

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duced, and play a very subordinate part in his pic-
tures; cattle and red deer appear much more fre-
quently, and form more important features. His
moonlight pictures are extremely fine, never black
and inky, but clear, truthful, and beautiful in colour,
with the richly-variegated clouds only seen in autumn.
The freshness and truthfulness of his colouring, and
the distinctive character he imparted to every object,
are among the greatest excellences of his pictures.
His landscape compositions, as well as views, are
founded on carefully painted studies from nature, and
in his most charming ideal work, A Dream of the
Highlands, truthfulness reigns throughout its beauty.
M'Culloch adopted no previous artist as his model.
His style and mode of treatment were derived from
an earnest study of nature rather than anything sug-
gested by the works of his predecessors. His pic-
tures may be said to approach more in character to
those of Hobbema than to the works of any other
well-known artist. Still, both in choice of subject
and in treatment, they have distinctive individuality,
and excellencies of a kind that are entirely their
own.
With this professional excellence his personal char-
acter was in beautiful and harmonious keeping. De-
void of envy at the excellence of others, he was one of
the first to recognize their merits; and having com-
menced his career as an unbefriended youth, he was
only the more ready on that account to sympathize
with the struggles of early genius, and extend his help-
ing hand to the young who were worthy of success,
but whose merits were as yet undiscovered. His
earliest friendships were also his last, and the kind-
ness of those who had first introduced him to notice
he never forgot, and was not slow to acknowledge.
Seldom, indeed, has such distinction as his been
combined with such genuine modesty, simplicity, and
unabated warmth of heart.
M'CULLOCH, JOHN RAMSAY. This industrious
and useful statistical writer was born at Whithorn,
Wigtonshire, on March 1, 1789. He was of a respect-
able family, who were proprietors of a small freehold
estate called Auchengool, in the stewartry of Kirk-
cudbright, to which he succeeded on the death of his
grandfather, who had been commander of a revenue
cutter. From his maternal grandfather, the Rev.
Dr. Laing, John received his early education, which
consisted merely of the ordinary knowledge of his
native tongue and the elementary principles of the
classical languages. In youth, his future profession
was not decided, so that, although placed in the office
of a writer to the signet, he did not become a lawyer;
and although he attended the classes of the university
for two years, he neither graduated nor studied for
any settled occupation. Accident, however, decided
for him early in 1817, when having sent a communi-
cation to the Scotsman newspaper, then newly com-
menced, he became its editor for two years, and a
frequent contributor to it for many years after. In
1818 Mr. M'Culloch commenced a series of contribu-
tions to the Edinburgh Review, the first of which
was an article on Ricardo's Principles of Political
Economy, and in addition to his writings upon the
subjects of political science, he gave lectures on
political economy.
Having thus established his reputation for know-
ledge in this particular department, Mr. M'Culloch
left Edinburgh for London in 1828, in consequence
of being appointed to the chair of political economy
in University College, London. The chair, how-
ever, being unendowed, and the fees of his class pro-
ducing an insufficient remuneration, he abandoned
the charge, but continued to write on his favourite
theme, and to give lectures which were attended by
some of the principal statesmen of the day. Such a
man was not to be neglected, and in 1838 the Whig
government gave evidence of its sense of his merits
by appointing him to the important post of comp-
troller of H. M. stationery office, which he con-
tinued to hold until his death. The waste of paper
in this department had long been proverbial; but Mr.
M 'Culloch introduced into it such a strict and proper
spirit of economy, that useless expenditure was
checked, and a saving to the nation effected, of which
honourable mention was repeatedly made in parlia-
mentary reports and returns.
But it was by his publications that he especially
became a public benefactor, and upon these his chief
reputation will be established, so that a list of them
will suffice to constitute the chief part of his memoir;
they were:�
'' A Discourse on the Rise, Progress, Peculiar Objects,
and Importance of Political Economy, containing an
Outline of a Course of Lectures on the Principles and
Doctrine of that Science," 8vo, 1825. ''The Prin-
ciples of Political Economy, with some Inquiries re-
specting their Application; and a Sketch of the Rise
and Progress of the Science," 8vo, Edin. 1825; 4th
edition, 1849. '' Statements Illustrative of the Policy
and Probable Consequences of the Proposed Repeal of
the Existing Corn-laws, and the Imposition in their
stead of a Moderate Fixed Duty on Foreign Corn"
8vo, 1841. "A Treatise on the Principles and Prac-
tical Influence of Taxation and the Funding System,"
8vo, 1845. ''The Literature of Political Economy, a
Classified Catalogue of Select Publications in the
Different Departments of that Science, with Histori-
cal, Critical, and Biographical Notices," 8vo, 1845.
"A Treatise on the Succession to Property vacant by
Death, including Inquiries into the Influence of Primo-
geniture, Entails, Compulsory Partition, Foundations,
&c., over the Public Interest," 8vo, 1848. '' A Treat-
ise on the Circumstances that determine the Rate of
Wages and the Condition of the Labouring Classes,'"
post octavo, 1851. "A Dictionary, Practical, Theo-
retical, and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial
Navigation, illustrated with Maps and Plans," 8vo;
2d edit. 1834; republished several times with im-
provements and additions in one volume. "A
Statistical Account of the British Empire, exhibiting
its Extent, Physical Capacities, Population, Industry,
and Civil and Religious Institutions," 2 vols. 8vo.
"A Dictionary, Geographical, Statistical, and His-
torical, of the various Countries, Places, and princi-
pal Natural Objects in the World, illustrated with
Maps;" two thick and closely printed volumes 8vo,
originally published in numbers and completed in
1842; a new edition with large additions was pub-
lished in 1856. "Smith's Wealth of Nations, with
a Life of the Author, Notes, and Supplemental Dis-
sertations," 8vo; 2d edit. 1838, 4th edit. 1850. A
Select Collection of Early English Tracts on Commerce,
printed by the Political Economy Club of London
for private distribution, from the originals, supplied
by Mr. M'Culloch, who also wrote the preface.
The value attached to these productions was shown
by the number of editions through which several of
them passed in England, and the reprints that ap-
peared of them in the United States, and also by their
translation into foreign languages. While he thus dis-
tinguished himself as a writer on political economy,
and became a recognized authority on the subject,
he still continued to retain his appointment as comp-
troller of H. M. stationery office, and the apprecia-
tion of his services in this department was shown by
the rise in his salary, which increased by successive
steps from  �600 to� 1200 per annum. He had also