A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time. Various

the clinics of Bowman and Critchett, in London; and of Giraud-Teulon, Wecker, Sichel and Meyer, in Paris. During his sojourn in London, he was admitted a member of the International Congress of Ophthalmology. When he returned to Montreal in 1873, he founded the ophthalmic institute of the Nazareth Asylum, for the gratuitous treatment of the poor suffering from diseases of the eye, and at the same time to give clinics on those diseases to the medical students. It is the first institution of the kind founded in Montreal. He was one of the founders of the “Société Médicale,” and of the journal L’ Union Médicale, to which he was a contributor for many years. This year (1887), in concert with the Hon. Dr. Pâquet, Dr. Hingston, and Dr. Beausoleil, he founded the Gazette Médicale, of Montreal. Since 1870, he has been surgeon-oculist to the Hôtel-Dieu, and professor of ophthalmology at the School of Medicine and Surgery of Montreal. He is one of the founders and one of the supporters of the newspaper, L’Etendard. He advocated, and was chiefly instrumental in bringing about, the nomination of a Royal Commission, in 1883, to institute an inquiry into the affairs of the Catholic schools of Montreal; and before that commission he energetically took the defence of the fathers of families against the encroachments of the school commissioners of that city. In the difficulties which arose between the School of Medicine (Victoria) and Laval University, from 1876, he took an active part in the struggle the school had to sustain for the maintenance of its rights. In consequence of an erroneous interpretation of the decrees of Rome, in relation to the establishment of Laval at Montreal, the Archbishop of Quebec (now Cardinal Taschereau) and nearly all the bishops of the province of Quebec, undertook to destroy the School of Medicine, in order to give more scope to the Laval branch. The school tried, but vainly, to defend its cause with the episcopacy; and in June, 1883, Mgr. Taschereau fulminated against this institution his famous sentence of rebellion against the church. Dr. Desjardins was then delegated to Rome, to appeal from the sentence. Despite this, the bishops of Montreal, St. Hyacinthe, and Sherbrooke in their turn hurled sentences of excommunication against the professors and pupils of the school, and even against the parents who should continue to send their children to it. Once in Rome, Dr. Desjardins was enabled to lay his appeal at the feet of the Holy Father, and obtained a favourable judgment. The order “Suspende omnia,” was sent by a telegram of the Cardinal-Prefect of the Propaganda to the Bishop of Montreal, on the 24th of August, 1883. In the month of September following, Mgr. Smeulders was delegated by Leo XIII., as Apostolic Commissioner to Canada, with power to definitely settle the difficulties existing between Laval and the school. At the present day the School of Medicine is doing its noble work as in the past, and has more than two hundred pupils.

Dickson, William Welland, M.D., Pembroke, Ontario, was born on the 9th of January, 1841, at Pakenham, county of Renfrew. His father, Samuel Dickson, and mother, Catherine Lowe, were both natives of Ireland. When but eighteen years of age, Mr. Dickson, sen., came to Canada, and like many a young man in those days, was without money, but possessed of a great deal of faith in his own right arm. Shortly after his arrival he married and began to make for himself a home in the township of Pakenham, in Lanark county. Things succeeding, he commenced the manufacture of square timber, and after a while became a successful lumber manufacturer and exporter. He lived and died in the township in which he first settled. William received his education at the Perth Grammar School, Ontario, at Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, Quebec, and pursued his medical studies at McGill College, Montreal, where he graduated. He began the practice of his profession at Portage du Fort, in June, 1863, and in 1866 removed to Pembroke, where he has since resided, and succeeded in building up a paying business. He is also principal in the business conducted by the Dickson Drug Company in the same place. From 1870 to 1874, Dr. Dickson held the position of captain of No. 7 company, 42nd Battalion of Volunteers, and from 1873 to the present time, he has acted as coroner for the county of Renfrew. During the years 1877, ’78, ’79, he had a seat in the town council of Pembroke, and in 1880, ’81, ’82, he was mayor of the same town. From 1881 to 1886, he was one of the examiners of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Dr. Dickson’s parents were Presbyterians, and he has followed in the same safe path. In 1869, he was married to Jessie Rattray, daughter of D. M. Rattray, of Portage du Fort, province of Quebec.

Stockton, Alfred Augustus, Barrister-at-Law, D.C.L., PhD., LL.D., M.P.P. for the city and county of St. John, New Brunswick, residence, St. John, was born November 2nd, 1842, at Studholm, Kings county, N.B. His father is William A. Stockton, of Sussex, Kings county, N.B., and his mother, Sarah, daughter of the late Robert Oldfield, who came to this country from Stockport, England. He is descended on the paternal side from Richard Stockton, who emigrated from Cheshire, England, some years prior to 1660, settled for a short time in Long Island, New York, and afterwards removed to Princeton, New Jersey, where he became the grantee of extensive tracts of land. His great-great-grandfather was Richard Witham Stockton, who was born at Princeton, N.J., in 1733, and was a cousin of his namesake who signed the Declaration of Independence. Richard W. Stockton served under the Crown with the rank of major during the war of the revolution. His son, Andrew Hunter Stockton (Mr. Stockton’s great-grandfather), also served under the Crown, with the rank of lieutenant, throughout the revolutionary war, and at its close they both, with other members of the family, came with the U. E. loyalists to St. John, then known as Parr Town. They were among the original grantees of that city. They subsequently removed to Sussex, Kings county, and became grantees of extensive tracts of land there. His great-grandfather, Lieutenant Andrew Hunter Stockton, was married at St. John (Parr Town) on the 4th day of April, 1784, to Hannah Lester. It was the first marriage which took place at Parr Town. Alfred A. Stockton was educated at the Academy and at the University of Mount Allison College, Sackville, N.B.; graduated B.A. there in 1864, being the valedictorian of his class, and M.A. in 1867. He also graduated LL.B. at Victoria University, Cobourg, Ontario, in 1869; PhD., on examination at Illinois Wesleyan University in 1883, and received the degree of D.C.L. from the University of Mount Allison in 1884; also LL.D. in course from Victoria University in 1887. He studied law with his uncle, the late C. W. Stockton, and was admitted to the bar of New Brunswick in Trinity term, 1868, and was for some years senior member of the law firm of A. A. and R. O. Stockton, of St. John, N.B. This legal firm having been dissolved, he is now practising law on his own account. As an advocate and as a speaker, Mr. Stockton stands high, and has done good service for his profession in compiling the rules of the Vice-Admiralty Court of New Brunswick, and editing in 1882, with very extensive notes, “Berton’s Reports of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick.” He is an examiner for degrees at the University of Mount Allison in political economy and constitutional history, and in law at Victoria University; is also registrar of the Court of Vice-Admiralty of New Brunswick; a director of the Provincial Building Society of New Brunswick, and legal adviser of the same; a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Mount Allison College and secretary of the Board; president of the Historical Society of New Brunswick; a member of the Council of the Barristers’ Society of the province; a director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and also its legal adviser and prosecuting counsel. He was at one time a director of the St. John Mechanics’ Institute and corresponding secretary of that corporation. In July, 1883, a vacancy having occurred in the New Brunswick Assembly, in consequence of the death of the Hon. Wm. Elder, LL.D., the provincial secretary, on the 23rd of August following, Mr. Stockton was elected to the House of Assembly to represent the city and county of St. John, to fill the vacancy caused by Mr. Elder’s death. He was returned again for the same constituency at the last general election in April, 1886. He was appointed in June, 1887, by the government of New Brunswick, an advisory and honorary member of the commission to report upon the amendment of the “Law and Practice and Constitution of the Courts of that Province.” Mr. Stockton was opposed to the confederation of the provinces under the terms of the Act of Union, but favoured a union of the Maritime provinces. Having been brought up in the old school of New Brunswick Liberals, he is naturally opposed to the policy of protection so-called. He is a Liberal in Dominion politics, and in favour of manhood suffrage, and thinks the lieutenant-governors of the different provinces should be elected by the people of the province at large, and that the Senate of Canada should be elected for a specific term either by the direct vote of the constituencies or by the Provincial legislatures. He has always taken an active interest in higher education, and has written considerable for publication on different subjects. At one time was one of the editors of the Maritime Monthly, since ceased publication, and also a correspondent of La Revue Critique of Montreal,