He produced the first English translation of the Universal Natural History and Theory of Heaven, by Immanuel Kant.

Hastie led the General Assembly's Institution in Calcutta, where he was credited with developing the Hindu advocate Swami Vivekananda.

[4][7] According to a legend, Narendranath Datta (the future Swami Vivekananda) was first introduced to Indian mystic Ramakrishna in a literature class, given by Hastie.

While lecturing on William Wordsworth's poem, The Excursion, Hastie suggested to his students that they should visit Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar to understand the true meaning of the phenomenon of "trance".

[6] In parallel with his other troubles, Hastie fell out with a Miss Pigot who was employed by the Scottish Ladies' Association.

[9] One source claims that it was Hastie who was trying to expose the poor management and morals of Pigot, Superintendent of the Zenana Mission School and Orphanage.

[6] Hastie claimed that the (allegedly) Eurasian Pigot was illegitimate and that she was having an affair with both Kali Charan Banerjee of the Free Church College and Professor James Wilson of the General Assembly's Institution.

J. Hudson in the magazine Harvest Field, where he discussed the case and concluded that Pigot was not immoral but "lacking in female delicacy".

[4][5] In 1900 he produced the first English translation of the Allgemeine Naturgeschichte und Theorie des Himmels by Immanuel Kant.