Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 33.djvu/16

 had supported himself mainly by teaching, and had visited the principal cities of Italy, and made numerous sketches there and in Sicily, he returned to London in July 1837.

He now devoted himself almost entirely to teaching and drawing in watercolours. He had great success as a teacher. Many mebers of the aristocracy were among his pupils, and an introduction by Lady Canning to the Queen led to his employment as drawing master to her majesty and the royal family for two-and-twenty-years. The Princess of Wales was his last pupil.

Leitch occasionally sent an oil picture to the Royal Academy between 1841 and 1861, but in 1862 he was elected a member of the (now Royal) Institute of painters in Watercolours. From that time he contributed regularly to its exhibitions but did not exhibit elsewhere. For some years before his death, which took place on 25 April 1883, he had been vice-presidenet of this society, and a posthumous collection of his works was exhibited at their rooms in Piccadilly. Two only of his children survived him. His eldet son, Robert, a good watercolour painter, died in 1882.

Although not endowed with extraordinary genius, Leitch was a master of his art. He has been described as perhaps the last of our classical landscape painters, and certainly the last of the great English teachers of landscape painting. His art was based on a profound study of nature and of the great masters, especially Turner in his prime. His works are marked by their graceful composition, their pure colour, and brilliant effects of atmosphere.

Among the books illustrated with engravings from his drawings are the Rev. Robert Walsh's "Constantinople and the Turkish empire", 1838, the Rev. G. N. Wright's "The Rhine, Italy and Greece", 1840, the same author's "Shores and islands of the Mediterranean", 1841, William Brockedon's "Italy", 1843, Sir T. D. Lauder's "Memorial of the royal progress in Scotland" 1843, and J. P. Lawson's "Scotland delineated", 1847-54. The sketches in his possession at his death, with a very few finished drawings and oil pictures, were sold at Christie's in March 1884, and brought upwards of 9,000 pounds.

[MacGeorge's W. L. Leitch, a memoir; Bryan's Dict. (Armstrong).]  LEITH, JAMES (1763–1816), lieutenant-general, a member of an old Scottish family, was third son of John Leith of Leith Hall, Aberdeenshire, who married Harriot, daughter and heiress of Alexander Steuart of Auchluncart, and died in 1763. James was born at Leith Hall, 8 Aug. 1763. He was educated under a private tutor, and afterwards at Marischal College, Aberdeen, and at the military school at Lille. In 1780 he was appointed second lieutenant in the 21st fusiliers, and after promotion into the 81st, or Aberdeenshire highlanders, obtained his company in 1782. This regiment was disbanded in Edinburgh in 1783 (, Scottish Highlanders, Edinburgh, 1823, vol. ii.) In 1784 Leith was posted to the 50th (not the 5th) foot at Gibraltar, and served as aide-de-camp, first to General Sir Robert Boyd, K.B. [q. v.], and afterwards to Generals Charles O'Hara and David Dundas (1735–1820) [q. v.] in the operations at Toulon in 1793. He received a brevet majority, and on 25 Oct. 1794 was commissioned as colonel, to raise the Aberdeen Fencibles, which were embodied in July 1795 as the ‘Princess of Wales's, or Aberdeenshire Highland Regiment of Fencible Infantry.’ Leith commanded the regiment in 1798 in Ireland, and until it was disbanded there in April 1803. In the same year he was appointed colonel of the 13th battalion of the army of reserve, and in 1804 a brigadier-general. After serving some time on the staff in Ireland, Leith joined Sir John Moore's army, and as major-general commanded a brigade in the Hon. (Sir) John Hope's division during the Corunna retreat, where he signalised himself by heading a gallant charge of the 59th in the affair at Lugo, 9 Jan. 1809. He afterwards took part in the battle of Corunna, and commanded a brigade in the Walcheren expedition. In the summer of 1810 he joined the Peninsular army, and was at first posted to a brigade in Sir Rowland Hill's division, with charge of the division, so as to leave Hill's hands free. Leith commanded a body of British and Portuguese, which became the fifth division of the army, in the lines of Torres Vedras and at Busaco. His account of his share in this action will be found in the ‘Wellington Supplementary Despatches,’ vi. 635–9. A relapse of Walcheren fever necessitated his return home on sick leave; but he rejoined the army after the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812, and commanded the fifth division at the last siege of Badajoz. On the night of the assault on the town Leith's division was ordered to make a feint on the Pardaleras, to be followed, if practicable, by a real attack on the San Vincente bastion. This was gallantly carried by escalade by Major-general George Townshend Walker's brigade, supported by Leith with some other troops of the division (, rev. ed. iv. 112 et seq.) Leith was severely wounded at the head of his division in the desperate fighting with the French centre about Arapiles, at the battle of Sala-