ANDERSON, WALTER (d. 1800), historian, was for fifty years minister of Chirnside, Berwickshire. He was the author of a rare (anonymous) book (said to have been suggested in joke by Hume), ‘The History of Crœsus, King of Lydia, in four parts, containing observations (1) on the Ancient Notions of Destiny; (2) on Dreams; (3) on the Origin and Credit of Oracles; (4) and the Principles on which their Responses were defended against any attack,’ 12mo, 1755. It is chiefly a translation from Herodotus, with a serious discussion of the inspiration of oracles. It was ridiculed in the first ‘Edinburgh Review,’ and in Smollett's ‘Critical Review.’ In 1769 he published a history of France under Francis II and Charles IX, in 1775 a continuation to the edict of Nantes, and in 1783 another to the peace of Munster. Each book, it is said, was paid for by the sale of a house. In 1791 he published a volume on the ‘Philosophy of Ancient Greece,’ said to show reading and an improved style. He died 31 Aug. 1800 at Chirnside.
[Burton in S.D.U.K. Dict.; Anderson's Scottish Nation; Chalmers's Biog. Dict.; Gent. Mag. lxx. 999.]
ANDERSON, WILLIAM (d. 1778), surgeon and naturalist, accompanied Captain Cook as surgeon's mate in the Resolution in 1772–75, and as naturalist on board the same vessel on that commander's third voyage. He contributed the vocabularies of the various languages printed in the official relation of the former voyage, and his observations during the early part of the latter are cited by Cook in his own words. Amongst these may be mentioned an account of the Kerguelen cabbage, Pringlea antiscorbutica. His health began to fail towards the end of 1777, and he died of consumption on 3 Aug. 1778; an island sighted the same day was named Anderson's Island in his memory. Two papers by him, upon poisonous fish and a detached rock near Cape Town, are in the ‘Philosophical Transactions,’ vols. 66 and 68. His commander, in the narrative of the voyage, testified in strong terms to his sense of his abilities and devotion; and Robert Brown, in founding the genus Andersonia chiefly in honour of him, speaks in eulogy of his devotion to botany. In the Banksian Library in the British Museum there are manuscript lists of animals and plants noted by him during his two voyages.
[Cook and King's Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, i. 84, 106, 145, 321, ii. 440–1; Brown's Prodromus Floræ Novæ Hollandiæ, p. 553; Dryander's Cat. Bibl. Banks. ii. 32, iii. 184; Hooker's Companion to Bot. Mag. ii. (1836) 227.]
ANDERSON, WILLIAM (1757–1837), marine painter, exhibited at the Academy between 1787 and 1814. He was born in Scotland and brought up as a shipwright. His works, usually of small size, show a seaman's knowledge, and his drawing is correct and careful in all that concerns shipping. His water-colour paintings are pleasing, and have an interest for those concerned in the development of the art, but are not otherwise noteworthy. He painted on one occasion the interior of Westminster Abbey, and some landscapes, but his subjects are most often river scenes ‘neatly painted, low and agreeable in colour.’ In the print room at the British Museum is a large water-colour drawing, dated 1791, excellently representative of the painter. Five ‘views of the battle of the Nile’ were engraved in aquatint by William Ellis (1800) after drawings by Anderson. At South Kensington there are two good examples of his work. His later work shows some advance upon his earlier, which was rather like tinted drawing than true water-colour painting.
[Redgrave, Dictionary of Painters; Nagler, Künstler-Lexicon, ed. 1872.]
ANDERSON, WILLIAM (1766–1846), horticulturist, was born in Scotland, his father having been, just previous to the rising of 1745, forester and gardener to a Jacobite laird in the western highlands, who had some share in favouring the escape of Charles Edward. About 1790 he entered upon gardening work in some nurseries near Edinburgh, and subsequently made his way to London, where he became gardener to James Vere, of Kensington Gore, a wealthy silk merchant who had a large collection of plants. In 1814 he was appointed by the Society of Apothecaries gardener—a title changed during his occupancy of the office to curator—of their botanic garden at Chelsea, a post which he filled until his death. He at once set to work to raise the garden from the state of neglect into which it had fallen, and his efforts were attended with great success. In person he was tall and burly, somewhat rough in manners and appearance, but warm-hearted and charitable. He was elected an associate of the Linnean Society in 1798, and became a fellow in 1815; he contributed various papers on horticultural subjects to the ‘Gardener's Magazine’ and ‘Horticultural Society's Transactions.’ He died at Chelsea, 6 Oct. 1846, and is buried in the churchyard of the old church.
[Proceedings of Linnean Society, i. 331; Field and Semple, Mem. Bot. Gard. Chelsea (1878), 119, 203–5.]
