Leitch, William, Dd

Leitch, William, D.D.

a Scotch divine, was born in 1814 in the town of Rothesay, a famous watering-place on the island of Bute, Scotland, and was educated at the University of Glasgow, which he entered at the age of eighteen, and graduated as master in 1836 with the highest honors in the departments of mathematical and physical science. While a student he also lectured in the university on astronomy, and as a result of his studies in this department we have from him a work entitled God's Glory in the Heavens; or, Contributions to Astro-theology, which contains the most recent astronomical discoveries stated with special reference to theological questions. In 1838 he was licensed as a preacher of the Gospel in the Church of Scotland by the Presbytery of Dunoon. In 1843 he received a presentation to the parish of Monimail. He continued minister of this parish until 1859, when he was selected as principal of Queen's University. He is well known to have been the author of certain articles in which, in a masterly manner, the views of the late Dr. Wardlaw, of Glasgow, on the subject of miracles, are controverted. For several years he conducted a series of investigations on the subject of partheno-genesis and alternate generations, as illustrated by the phenomena of sexual development in hymenoptera. The result of these researches, which conflicts with that of the German physiologist Siebald in the same field, is given in the Transactions of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and in the Annals of the Botanical Society of Canada. Several separate publications of his also appeared on the subject of education. In 1860 he became principal of Queen's University, and this connection afforded him a seat in the Presbytery of Kingston, and, in consequence, in the synod also. His position also gave him a seat in the senatus of the University of Toronto, and he was appointed an examiner of that university. He died in 1862. See Appleton's Amer. Ann. Cyclop. 1864, p. 625.