his lucrative private practice as an advocate made him a fortune, which he bequeathed towards the endowment of the four gifford lectureships on natural theology in connection with each of the four universities in scotland then extant (aberdeen, glasgow, edinburgh and st andrews); he was a man of a philosophical turn of mind, and a student of the works of spinoza. he held office as a judge from 1870 to 1881, despite symptoms of paralysis from 1872 onwards. on his resignation, due to ill-health, he was replaced by patrick fraser thereafter known as lord fraser.