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Burns, Rev. Robert Ferrier, D.D., Pastor of the Fort Massey Presbyterian church, Halifax, Nova Scotia. This popular minister was born in Paisley, Scotland, on the 23rd of December, 1826. His father was Robert Burns, D.D., and his mother, Janet Orr, daughter of the first provost of Paisley. His mother’s sister, Susan, was mother of Sir Archibald Orr Ewing, baronet, M.P. for Dumbarton. His father had three brothers in the ministry of the Church of Scotland,—namely, Rev. James Burns, who for forty years was minister of the parish of Brechin; Rev. William H. Burns, D.D., Kilsyth; and Rev. George Burns, D.D., first Presbyterian minister of St. John, New Brunswick, afterwards of Tweedsmuir and Corstorphine, Scotland,—and two uncles in the service of their Sovereign—Major-General Islay Ferrier, the last governor of Dumbarton castle, and Sir William Hamilton, baronet, who commanded the marines that pulled the guns up to the Plains of Abraham, in 1759, at the taking of Quebec. Miss Ferrier, author, and friend of Sir Walter Scott, was a second cousin. Rev. Dr. Burns, sr., was pastor for thirty-three years of Dr. Witherspoon’s church (Laigh Kirk and St. George’s), Paisley, and moved to Toronto in 1845, and became the first pastor of Knox’s Church in that city, and professor in Knox’s College. He died at Toronto on the 19th of August, 1869; and his widow on the 22nd of August, 1882. Rev. Dr. Robert Ferrier Burns received his early education at the High school of Paisley, and then entered the University of Glasgow, where he remained four years, taking honours in Latin, Greek, logic, and moral philosophy. He studied theology in the New College (Free Church), Edinburgh, and Knox’s College, Toronto. In April, 1847, he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Toronto, and on the 1st of July following he was ordained pastor of Chalmer’s Presbyterian church, Kingston, Ontario. He was Presbyterian chaplain in the 71st Highland Light Infantry for a year. He remained in this charge for eight years, and, during his ministry there, succeeded in having built for his congregation a handsome church edifice. In July, 1855, he moved to St. Catharines, and was settled over Knox Presbyterian church of that place. A fine building was erected by his people for him. Here he ministered until March, 1867, when he accepted a call from the Scotch Presbyterian church in Chicago, United States, to become its first pastor, and, during his residence there of three years, a church was built. In 1866, the degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by Hamilton College, New York. In April, 1870, he was translated to Côté Street Presbyterian church (now Crescent street), Montreal, as successor to Principal MacVicar, where he did good work. On the 18th of March, 1875, he became pastor of Fort Massey Presbyterian church in Halifax, as successor to the Rev. J. K. Smith, M.A., now of Galt, who for two years had been first pastor of this influential congregation. In 1873, Dr. Burns occupied the position of moderator of the Synod of Montreal, and in 1883 he was moderator of the Synod of the Maritime provinces. During his residence in Montreal he was chairman of the Presbyterian College Board; and, for the past twelve years, has acted as chairman of the Halifax College Board. In 1880 he was sent as a delegate to the Raikes’ centenary celebration in London, and during the same year he represented the Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Canada in the Presbyterian Council at Philadelphia. In 1884 he was a delegate from the same church to the council held in Belfast, Ireland, where he read one of the papers presented to that body, and was appointed one of its executive committee. This year (1887) the doctor has been nominated for the moderatorship of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, which meets in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in June next. Rev. Dr. Burns takes a great interest in Sunday-school work, and was one of the first to advocate the establishment of Sunday-school conventions in Canada, which have done so much of late years to advance this branch of Christian work. As a platform speaker he stands high, and has often spoken on subjects, professional and otherwise, before large audiences. At present he is lecturer on theological themes in the Presbyterian College at Halifax. As a book-writer, too, he has done his share. His life of his father, a volume of nearly five hundred pages, published in Toronto in 1873, soon went through three editions. His other writings, “Sketch of Abraham Lincoln,” “The Presbyterian Church,” “Modern Babylon,” “The Maine Law,” “Christian Liberality,” “Confession and Absolution,” and a variety of sermons and tracts—have all been favourably received, and commanded a good sale. He has also contributed largely to the columns of the newspaper press and our periodicals. Dr. Burns has travelled a good deal, and has visited Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, and various other places in Europe, and is very familiar with Canada and the United States. He was married on the 1st of July, 1852, at Belleville, Ontario, to Elizabeth, second daughter of Rufus Holden, M.D., a much esteemed physician, and elder of the Presbyterian church, in Belleville. Dr. Burns has eight children—four sons and four daughters.