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24THEROYALBURGESSGOLFINGSOCIETYOFEDINBURGH
poetBurns,joinedasanordinarymemberofthe
Societyin1792.
StephenKemble,theactor,whowasmanagerof
theEdinburghTheatreRoyalfrom1792to1800,
becameanordinarymemberoftheSocietyin1795.
GeorgeWatson(1767-1837),aneminentportrait-
painter,becameamemberoftheSocietyin1798.He
wasapupilofAlexanderNasmythandofSirJoshua
Reynolds.In1826hewaselectedFirstPresidentof
theRoyalScottishAcademy.Otherartistsofnotein
theseearlydayswereWilliamBrodie,R.S.A.,sculptor,
whojoinedin1858,andDavidO.Watson,betterknown
asD.O.Hills,whobecameamemberin1862.
Itwouldoccupytoomuchspacetoparticularise
thenamesofthemanywell-knownmenwhojoinedthe
Societysubsequenttothebeginningofthenineteenth
century.Afewofthemoreprominentofthesemay
bementionedbriefly:
ThefirstreverendgentlemantojointheBurgessas
anordinarymemberwasJamesM`Donald,lateminister
atAnstruther,admittedin18o6.CharlesMackenzie,
anativeofEdinburgh,fromtheislandofBarbados,
in181o,andCharlesM`Dowall,oftheislandofSt.
Vincent,in1814,bothofwhomreceiveddiplomas
fromtheBurgesstoenablethemtoestablishoff-shoots
oftheSocietyattheislandsofBarbadosandSt.
Vincentrespectively.
SirPatrickWalker,advocate,ofCoates'estate,
Edinburgh,joinedin1818,butwasputonthe"Hon-
orary"listthefollowingyear"withmuchapplause."
Hewas"HereditaryUsheroftheWhiteRod"in
Scotland,equivalentto"BlackRod"inEngland.
ThepoststillexistsandisnowvestedinSirPatrick
Walker'sTrustees,butthemeagresalaryformerly
attachedtotheofficehasbeencommuted.Thecause
celebre,Walker'sTrusteesversusTheCrown,settled
thissorecentlyas19o8.
In1828,WilliamFerguson,ProfessorofSurgery,

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