Duke backs Panmure project

The 10th Duke of Buccleuch, Richard Scott, one of the UK’s biggest landowners, has been an enthusiastic supporter of the project. The Duke, who is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, accompanied Professor Lumsden on a trip to Hong Kong to speak with potential donors. Some of the Duke’s forebears, including Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch, were tutored by Adam Smith. Scott and Adam Smith undertook a European tour from 1764 to 1766, and it cemented a lifelong friendship between these two figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. The Duke became governor of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and died in 1812. Former First Minister Alex Salmond has a letter from Adam Smith to David Hume, written during this tour, and addressed ‘My Dear David’, in which he talks about travelling with the young aristocrat. Adam Smith also met Voltaire on this trip.