In token of the respect and esteem in which he is held by the Magistrates and Council and the community, in recognition of his public spirit as a citizen of Edinburgh, and in testimony of their appreciation of his munificent contribution towards the establishment of a National Library for Scotland.
"I can remember the first day I arrived in Edinburgh; it was a Saturday, in February, and the sun was shining as it seldom does in that month when I came out of the Caledonian Station and walked along Princes Street. I thought that I had never seen such a sight in my life and exclaimed, 'What a beautiful place; how I should like to spend my life here!' That is the feeling I still have about Edinburgh."