Henry Home Kames, lord, a Scottish jurist, born at Karnes, Berwickshire, in 1696, died Dec. 27, 1782. He was educated at the university of Edinburgh, and, after nearly 30 years' practice at the bar, was in 1752 elevated to the bench as a judge of the court of session. In 1763 he was made a lord of justiciary. Under the title of Lord Karnes he filled both offices with ability and integrity until the close of his life. As an author he is known by numerous works on law, metaphysics, criticism, agriculture, etc, covering a period of more than 50 years. To legal literature he contributed a series of reports, consisting of an abridgment of the "Decisions of the Court of Session "from its foundation, arranged like a dictionary (2 vols, fol., 1741), "Remarkable Decisions of the Court of Session " (2 vols, fol., 1728-'66), covering nearly the whole period between 1716 and 1752, and "Select Decisions of the Court of Session from 1752 to 1768" (1 vol. fol., 1780); "Statute Law of Scotland abridged, with Historical Notes" (8vo, 1757); "Principles of Equity" (fol., 1760), etc.

In 1747 he published "Essays on several Subjects concerning British Antiquities," and in 1751 appeared his "Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion," a work of ability, but which gave offence to the Scottish church from the supposed irreligious tendency of some of the author's views. The work upon which his reputation chiefly rests is his " Elements of Criticism " (3 vols. 8vo, 1762), which was greatly admired at the time of its appearance, possessing, in the opinion of Dugald Stewart, "infinite merits," but of which Goldsmith once said, "It is easier to write that book than to read it." He also published " Sketches of the History of Man" (2 vols. 4to, 1774); "The Gentleman Farmer, being an Attempt to improve Agriculture by submitting it to the Test of Rational Principles" (1776); and "Loose Hints on Education " (8vo, 1781), written the year before his death. As a member of the board of trustees for the encouragement of manufactures, fisheries, and arts, and a commissioner for the management of forfeited estates, he labored earnestly to promote the material prosperity of Scotland. In 1807 appeared an account of his life, by Lord Wood-houselee (2 vols. 4to).