Mr. MacColl has many admirers in Canada, in proof of which he has lately issued the third edition of his poems here, and they are having a good sale. His Gaelic Lyrics, lately issued in Edinburgh, is also attracting attention among his countrymen on this side of the Atlantic. * * * * * =Lake, John Neilson=, Stock Broker, Toronto, was born on the fourth concession of the township of Ernesttown, county of Addington, Ontario, on the 19th August, 1834. His great-grandfather and grandfather owned part of Staten Island, New York state, and when the war of independence broke out they took sides with the British, and with sons and sons-in-law fought for their king and country. The family removed to Upper Canada about 1782, and as U. E. loyalists received a grant of 15,000 acres of land, and settled near the village of Bath, west of Kingston. James Lake, the father of the subject of our sketch, was born near Bath in 1791, and with the exception of a short period, he resided, until his death, in the township of Ernesttown. His mother was Margaret Bell, daughter of John Bell, of Ernesttown, who, though a U. E. loyalist, did not remove to Canada until 1810. John, until his sixteenth year, attended school, when he joined his brothers in the carriage business, and at the same time he learned drafting and architecture. At twenty-one he gave up this profession and entered the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist church as a probationer, and spent the years 1855-6 in the town of Picton; 1857 in Aylmer; 1858 in Ingersoll; 1859 in Hullsville; 1862 in Markham; 1865 in Pickering, followed as stations in succession; but in 1866, in consequence of a peculiar affection of the eye producing double vision, and preventing all study, he was compelled to relinquish the ministry for awhile. In 1869, his health being somewhat improved, he again attempted the ministerial work, and was stationed at the town of Niagara; but in less than twelve months thereafter it became evident that this mode of usefulness could not be continued, and he was reluctantly compelled to abandon the ministry. He moved to Toronto, and in 1870 opened a real estate and loan office, just at the time when the value of property was beginning to improve, and when there were only two real estate brokers in the city. In 1875 he was joined by J. P. Clark, of the town of Brampton, and soon the firm of Lake & Clark became widely known and highly trusted. In 1882 Mr. Lake retired from the firm, and four years later Mr. Clark gave up business, when the firm of Lake & Clark ceased to be longer known as dealers in real estate. During all these years Mr. Lake was very intimately associated with church work, and the Sherbourne Street Methodist Church owes not a little of its success to his labours and generous contributions. In 1881 he was induced by his numerous friends to permit himself to be put in nomination as alderman for St. Thomas ward, and