B TO GR A P H I C A L SIC ET C HE S. 435
it may be mentioned, that on the resignation of Dr. Touch, minister of the Old
Chapel of Erne, now Buccleuch Church, in March 1808, he, along with his
colleague, Sin Henry Moncreiff, regularly preached and dispensed ordinances
there till November 1813, when the Rev. Henry Gray, of St. Mary’s, was
inducted to its ministry. The congregation under Dr. Touch had been gradually
dwindling away, till the seat-rents, formerly amounting to El 50, and which
he enjoyed as his stipend, scarcely exceeded €30 per annum. By the exertions
of Sir Henry and Dr. Dickson, who voluntarily offered their services, a speedy
renovation was effected. Besides a retiring allowance of SS0 to Dr. Touch, the
debt was liquidated-the expense of a large addition to the chapel defrayedand
a fund of XSOO realised, the interest of which is now pledged in perpetuity
towards the support, of the minister.
A vacancy having taken place in the Professorship of Hebrew and Oriental
Languages in the University of Edinburgh, by the death of Dr. Moodie in 1812,
Dr, Dickson, whose acquirements in that department of literature were
generally known to be of no inferior kind, became a candidate for the chair ;
but, on the late Dr. Murray being brought forward, Dr. Dickson, much to his
honour, immediately withdrew from all competition with so pre-eminent a philologist
; and in consequence of this chiefly, as was well understood at the time, Dr.
Murray obtained the appointment, though even then only by a majority of two
votes over the remaining competitors.
In 1822 the attention of the Kirk-Session having been directed to the great
want of church accommodation and pastoral superintendence in the northern and
southern districts of the parish, Dr. Dickson at once most cordially and zealously
went along with and assisted them in all the measures which soon after happily
led to the erection of the new chapels, now churches and parishes, of St.
Eernard‘s and Newington. During the vacancies also which have from time’to
time occurred in the ministry of these places of worship, he has always hitherto
given his services in them on the Sabbath-day diets, when he had not to officiate
in his own pulpit.
Again, in 1831, Gardener’s Crescent Chapel (now St. David‘s Church) having
been purchased by the Kirk-Session of St. Cuthbert, Dr. Dickson and his colleague,
the Rev. John Paul,’ took charge of the congregation ; and statedly conducted
every part of the ministerial duty till February 1837, when the Rev.
J. Tannoch was appointed minister of the Church.
To the citizens of Edinburgh, it would be superfluous to say almost any thing
of the warm and efficient support which Dr, Dickson ever gave equally by his personal
labours, and his pecuniary contributions, to the various institutions and
societies connected with the relief both of the temporal and spiritual wants of
his fellow-men, not only in this city, or in Scotland, but throughout the world
at large. He acted long, indeed, as secretary to several of them, was manager
or director of many more, and a stated subscriber to a far greater number still.
1 Son of Dr. Dickson’s predecessor, and nephew of Sir Henry Moncreiff, whom he succeeded
in 1828.