the Secession, now the United Presbyterian Church, was born in the Gallowgate of Glasgow, 9th November, 1690. His father, like many other nonconformists, had been dispossessed, in the days of the second Charles, of a comfortable freehold near Kilbride, and had fled to Holland for refuge. Returning with the prince of Orange, he gratefully named his son after him. After studying at Glasgow college, Wilson was licensed by the presbytery of Dunfermline, 23rd September, 1713—Ralph Erskine being moderator. The parish of Dairy wished him for their minister, but the influence of Professor Simson and other moderate clergy prevented his settlement; he was, however, ordained to the third charge at Perth in November, 1716, where he laboured with great earnestness and success. From the first he had taken a deep interest in all reforming and evangelical movements in the church; and having joined Ebenezer Erskine, Moncrieff, and Fisher, in their faithful endeavours after sound doctrine and spiritual independence, he shared in their suspension and ultimate deposition. A large congregation rallied round him in Perth, and he was appointed first professor of theology to the new body. His prelections were in Latin, in which language indeed the whole business of his class was conducted. Having been obliged to preach during a chilly season in the open air, his health suffered, and he died, 14th November, 1741. His principal work is his "Defence," and a "Continuation." Wilson was a calm, firm, and judicious man —an animated and evangelical preacher. His mind was lucid and powerful, and his style correct and impressive. He was an able divine, and for the period also an excellent scholar.—J. E.
WILSON-RAE, William, LL.D., an eminent traveller, was born at Paisley in 1772. His grandfather was provost of Haddington; but his uncle, John Wilson, town-clerk of Glasgow, educated him for the law, and he practised for some years as a solicitor before the supreme courts in Scotland. On Mr. Wilson's death in 1806, Mr. Rae succeeded to his fortune, and assumed his surname. He married in 1811, but his wife died only eighteen months after their union; and as a solace for his loss he began a series of travels, which occupied the greater part of his subsequent life. He gave to the world the fruits of his researches in various works, which met with a very favourable reception from the public, and obtained for him the honorary degree of LL.D. from the university of Glasgow. He died in 1849, aged seventy-six. He was twice married, but left no issue, and the bulk of his ample fortune was divided among his nephews and nieces. His principal works are—"Travels in Egypt and Palestine," 8vo, 1823; "A Journey through Turkey, Greece, the Ionian Isles, Sicily, Spain," &c., 1824; "Travels in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany," &c., 8vo, 1826; "Travels in Russia," 2 vols. 8vo, 1828; "Records of a Route through France and Italy," &c., 8vo, 1835.—J. T.
WILTON, Joseph, R.A., was born in London, July 6, 1722. He learned the use of the chisel in the studio of L. Delvaux at Nivelle in Brabant; thence in 1744 went to Paris, and studied in the Academy under Pigelle; and in 1747 proceeded to Rome, where in 1750 he won the pope's jubilee gold medal. He remained eight years in Italy, busy the best part of the time in purchasing, and what is called "restoring," ancient sculpture for English patrons—at that time a lucrative calling. In 1755 he returned home and was appointed carver to the king, in which capacity he designed and carved the ornamental part of the state carriage still in use. He was afterwards appointed also sculptor to the king. Wilton received many commissions for public and private monuments. That to General Wolfe, in Westminster abbey, is considered his masterpiece. It is a fair example of his taste, and of the taste of the time. General Wolfe is represented naked, in order to show the sculptor's knowledge of anatomy—the attendant soldier is in full uniform to mark the period; and Fame, with a laurel wreath, crowns the hero, to give the design a "classical" character. That in all this there was anything discordant with the christian church in which the monument was to be erected, seems never to have occurred to the sculptor or his employers. Besides his monuments Wilton executed numerous busts, the likenesses of which are said to be good. His statues and busts are, however, chiefly commendable for the workmanship. Wilton was one of the founders of the Royal Academy. He made large sums by his profession, and inherited a considerable fortune from his father, who was the first to introduce into this country the manufacture of papier-maché ornaments. In his later years Wilton seems to have become somewhat more straitened in his circumstances, as he in 1790 accepted the office of keeper of the Royal Academy. He died November 25, 1803.—J. T—e.
WILLUGHBY, Francis, an English naturalist, was born in 1635, and died on 3rd July, 1672. He was educated at Trinity college, Cambridge, and took his degree of master of arts in 1659. He became a pupil of the celebrated John Ray, who imbued him with a taste for natural science. He devoted his attention to zoology, and endeavoured to advance the science by reducing to order the confused statements of former naturalists. He worked along with Ray, who was engaged in the study of botany. Having refused to sign the act of uniformity, he had to give up his fellowship and leave Cambridge. He then travelled on the continent along with Ray, visiting France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. They made large collections of plants and animals. Willughby, however, did not live to publish the results of his labours. His works were edited, after his death, by Ray, who was his executor, and to whom he left £60 a year. Among the works of Willughby are the following— "Ornithologiæ Libri tres," and "Historiæ Piscium Libri quatuor." Besides these he contributed papers to the Royal Society of London.—J. H. B.
WIMPFEN, Felix de, brother of the succeeding, was born in 1745. He served at an early age in the French army in America, and at the siege of Mahon. At the siege of Gibraltar (1782) he defended for fifteen hours the French lines, which the English attempted to set fire to. In 1789 he was a deputy to the States-general; and though a representative of the nobility, he supported the demand of the tiers état that there should be but one assembly. He was a member of the committee of pensions and of the military committee, and took part in the compilation of the famous "red book." He served, with the rank of general, in the army of the republic, and in 1792 defended Thionville against the forces of the exiled princes, aided by the Austrians. The siege was raised after having lasted fifty-five days, and the legislative assembly decreed that Wimpfen had deserved well of his country. He refused the post of minister of war, but took the command of the army which defended the coast near Cherbourg. When the proscription of the Girondins was declared (June, 1793) Wimpfen espoused their cause. When ordered by the convention to return to Paris, he replied that he would return at the head of sixty thousand men, and issued a proclamation to the Parisians, promising speedily to come to Paris and "save the national representation." The convention set a price on his head, and Wimpfen, with the few troops still at his command, was defeated. He escaped to Bayeux, where he remained concealed during the Reign of Terror. After the revolution of the 18th Brumaire he resumed his rank, and continued in active service till his death in 1814.—F. M. W.
WIMPFEN-BORNEBOURG, Louis François de, Baron, son of the chamberlain to Stanislaus, king of Poland, was born in 1732, being the eldest of eighteen children, of whom six were destined like himself to the military profession. He served with distinction in the French army during the Seven Years' war, and in 1771 attained the rank of field-marshal. In 1791 he defended New Brisac, and refused to surrender it to the emissaries of the exiled princes. In 1792 he commanded a division of the French army on the Rhine under Beauharnais; but being denounced to the convention as a counter-revolutionist, he was degraded and imprisoned, and only received his liberty after the fall of Robespierre. He died in Paris in May, 1800. He wrote —"Refonte de l'economie de l'armée française," 1817; "Memoires," 1778, disavowed at the time; "Loisirs du général Wimpfen depuis trente jours qu'il est à Paris," 1789; "Le Militaire experimenté," 1798.—F. M. W.
WIMPHELINGIUS, Jacques, was born at Schelestat, a town of Alsace, on the 27th of July, 1450. He prosecuted his studies under Louis Dringenberg until the death of his father, when he went (1464) to Friburg, and attended the lectures of Conrad Sturtzel and Johann Keisersperg. He afterwards studied the canonical law and theology at Basle and Heidelberg, at the latter of which places he took the degree of master of arts in 1471. Through the interest of the celebrated theologian, Andrew Brembach, he was appointed to the office of preacher in the town of Spire; his duties were, however, too arduous for his delicate health, and he was soon obliged to resign. After this he led a very unsettled life—so much so indeed that he judged it necessary to publish an apology for his seeming instability of purpose. At one time he entertained the design of withdrawing from the
