WALTER, a learned Scottish writer of the seventeenth century, was a native of Aberdeen, but the period of his birth has not been specified. His father was Alexander Donaldson, who is denominated an esquire; his mother was Elizabeth the daughter of David Lamb of Dunnenny. In his youth, as he himself informs us, he attended David Cunningham, bishop of Aberdeen, and Sir Peter Young, during their embassy to the king of Denmark and to some of the princes of Germany. He returned to Scotland, but after a short residence he again visited the Continent; and he now prosecuted his studies in the university of Heidelberg, where the civil law was ably taught by the elder Gothofredus. It was perhaps in that university that he took the degree of LL.D. While he resided at Heidelberg, he appears to have taken private pupils; for he mentions that he there read to some students a synopsis of ethics, which a young man named Werner Becker, a native of Riga, published without his consent or knowledge. This work, which was reprinted in Britain as well as in Germany, bears the title of "Synopsis Moralis Philosophiae, iii. libris;" Ex officina Palthevorum, 1604, 8vo. He likewise complains that Keckermann had too unscrupulously availed himself of his labours, and he specifies a curious instance of this plagiarism. Donaldson afterwards settled in France, where he was appointed principal of the College of Sédan, and at the same time discharged the duties of professor of moral and natural philosophy, and of the Greek language; so that his attainments must have been various, and his labours not inconsiderable. In this Protestant seminary he was associated with two of his learned countrymen: Andrew Melville was one of the professors of divinity, and John Smith was one of the professors of philosophy. His next publication, an arrangement in Greek and Latin of passages extracted from Diogenes Laertius, is entitled "Synopsis Locorum Communium, in qua Philosophiae Ortus, Progressus, &c. ex Diogene Laertio digeruntur." Francof. 1612, 8vo.

At Sédan he continued to reside for the space of 16 years, and was then invited to open a college at Charenton, near Paris; but the attempt was immediately resisted, and it seems to have been ultimately frustrated by the jealousy of the Papists. In order to occupy himself during the dependence of the legal process, he prepared for the press another learned work: "Synopsis Oeconomica, authore G. Donaldsoni Scoeto-Britannico, Abredonensi, J. C. ad celisissimum Carolum, Walliae Principem." Paris, 1620, 8vo. It was reprinted at Rostock, 1624, 8vo; and another edition speedily followed, Francofurti, 1625, 8vo. Bayle considered this as a book which deserved to be read. With respect to the subsequent history of the author we have not been able to collect any information; but it is not improbable that he resumed his station at Sédan, and there ended his days. Elizabeth Goffin, describing herself as the widow of Donaldson, addressed to Sir John Scott a letter dated at Sédan on the 15th of April 1630. From this letter it appears that he left several children.