MURRAY, Dr ALEXANDER, an eminent philologist, was the son of a shepherd, and was born at Dunkitterick, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in October 1775. His elementary education was almost entirely self-acquired. The few books that a peasant's cot possessed were conned over with eager avidity as he sat by the family hearth in the evening, or lay amid his flock on the hillside during the day. At length, in 1789, he was enabled to attend the school of Minnigaff. The next five years were spent by him in studying in the school during the summer, in teaching the children of neighbouring families during the winter, and in greedily devouring knowledge at every opportunity. Books of all kinds were bought or borrowed; grammars and dictionaries of several languages, old and obscure treatises, histories, and poems, were perused and re-perused; he acquired a knowledge of the French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, and of the Anglo-Saxon, Welsh, and Arabic alphabets; he also wrote and prepared for publication a volume of poems. In 1794 his fame as a self-taught scholar, which had for some time been spreading in the neighbourhood, reached the ears of the Rev. Dr Baird of Edinburgh. By that gentleman's assistance he was enabled forthwith to enter the metropolitan university. In the course of two years a bursary was conferred upon him, and he began to study for the church. Though compelled to earn a scanty livelihood by giving private lessons, he continued, during every spare hour, to cultivate his literary
Murray, tastes, and to gratify his ever-growing desire for general information. He contributed several miscellaneous articles to the Scots Magazine and the Edinburgh Review. He also acquired an intimacy with all the European languages, and with the Geez, Amharic, and Abyssinian dialects. His knowledge of the last of these tongues recommended him, in 1802, for the task of editing Bruce's Travels. The edition appeared three years afterwards, in 7 volumes 8vo, accompanied by a Life of the author, and by copious philological and antiquarian notes. Shortly after this, in 1806, Murray was ordained assistant and successor to the minister of Urr in the Stewarty of Kirkcudbright, and succeeded to the sole charge of this parish in 1808. Meanwhile his edition of Bruce's Travels had been extending the fame of his scholarship, and had been opening up a road to honour and preferment. Accordingly, in 1811 he was employed to translate a Geez letter that had been sent to the king from the governor of Tigré; and in 1812 he was elected to the chair of oriental languages in Edinburgh. The degree of D.D. was also conferred upon him. Murray had now attained his proper position in life. At the same time, the stores of learning which his daily and nightly studies had amassed were beginning to assume a tangible form in a History of the European Languages. He set himself to his academic duties with more than his wonted enthusiasm. But long before the end of his first session his toil-worn constitution broke down, and he died in April 1813, at the age of thirty-seven. His philological work was edited in the same year by Dr Scot of Corstorphine. Another work of Murray's, The Outlines of Oriental Philology, had appeared in 1812.