Buchanan at one time held a seat in the Executive Council of the Canadian Government (now the "Dominion of Canada"). His residence is in Hamilton, Ontario.
BUCHANAN, Robert, poet, born Aug. 18, 1841, was educated at the High School and the University of Glasgow. His first work, "Undertones," appeared in 1860, and was followed by "Idyls and Legends of Inverburn" in 1865, and "London Poems" in 1866. Mr. Buchanan edited "Wayside Posies," and translated the Danish Ballads in 1866. His later works are "North Coast Poems," 1867; "Napoleon Fallen: a Lyrical Drama," 1871; "The Land of Lorne; including the cruise of the Tern to the outer Hebrides," 1871; "The Drama of Kings," 1871; "The Fleshly School of Poetry," an attack on the poems of Mr. D. G. Rossetti and Mr. Swinburne, 1872; and "Master Spirits," 1873. Many years ago, his tragedy of "The Witchfinder" was brought out at Sadler's Wells Theatre; and a comedy by him, in three acts, entitled "A Madcap Prince," was acted at the Haymarket in Aug., 1874. He has also contributed to the stage "A Nine Days' Queen," in which his sister-in-law, Miss Harriett Jay, the novelist, first appeared as an actress; and dramatic versions of "The Queen of Connaught" and "Paul Clifford." At the commencement of 1869, Mr. Buchanan gave in the Hanover Square Rooms a series of "Readings" of selections from his own poetical works. A collected edition of his poems was published in 3 vols., 1874. In 1876, Mr. Buchanan published his first novel, "The Shadow of the Sword," which has been since followed by "A Child of Nature," 1879; "God and the Man," 1881; and "The Martyrdom of Madeline," a novel, 1882. A new volume of poems, entitled "Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour," and a "Selection" from his various poems, were issued simultaneously in 1882. His novel, "Love me for ever," appeared in 1883, and his comedy, "Lady Clare," was brought out at the Globe Theatre on April 12th in the same year. Mr. Buchanan has been for many years closely connected with the Contemporary Review, in which publication many of his poems and essays have first appeared.
BÜCHNER, Frederick Charles Christian Louis, a German philosopher, born at Darmstadt, March 29, 1824, the son of a distinguished physician in that town. After a preliminary education, he was sent in 1843 to the University of Giessen, where he studied philosophy, though he subsequently turned his attention to medicine at Strasburg, in compliance with the wishes of his family. He took his doctor's degree at Giessen in 1848, and then continued his studies in the universities of Würzburg and Vienna. After practising medicine for some time in his native place, he settled at Tübingen, as a private lecturer, being also appointed Assistant Clinical Professor. He was deprived of this position, however, by the authorities, in consequence of the philosophical doctrines propounded in his famous book on "Force and Matter," 1855. He thereupon returned to Darmstadt, and resumed practice as a physician. In the work referred to—which is entitled in German "Kraft and Stoff" (Frankfort, 1855; 8th edition, 1864), and which has been translated into most European languages—Dr. Büchner explains the principles of his system of philosophy, which, he contends, ia in harmony with the discoveries of modern science. He insists on the eternity of matter, the immortality of force, the universal simultaneousness of light and life, and the infinity of forms of being in time and space. Dr. Büchner has further explained his system in "Nature and Spirit" ("Natur und Geist"), 1859; "Physiological Sketches "("Phis. Bilder"), 1861;
