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diff --git a/42062-8.txt b/42062-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f961a33..0000000 --- a/42062-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10406 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, -Volume 4 (of 10), by John Gibson Lockhart - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 4 (of 10) - -Author: John Gibson Lockhart - -Release Date: February 10, 2013 [EBook #42062] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIR WALTER SCOTT *** - - - - -Produced by D Alexander, Christine P. Travers and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Large Paper Edition - - - LOCKHART'S - LIFE OF SCOTT - - COPIOUSLY ANNOTATED AND ABUNDANTLY ILLUSTRATED - - IN TEN VOLUMES - VOL. IV - - - - - [Illustration: WALTER SCOTT IN 1817 - _From the water-color portrait by William Nicholson_] - - - - - MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE - OF - SIR WALTER SCOTT - BART. - - - by - - JOHN GIBSON LOCKHART - - - In Ten Volumes - VOLUME IV - - - - - Boston and New York - Houghton, Mifflin and Company - The Riverside Press, Cambridge - MCMI - - Copyright, 1901 - by Houghton, Mifflin and Company - All Rights Reserved - - Six Hundred Copies Printed - Number, 200 - - - - -TABLE OF CONTENTS - - Page - - XXV. The "Flitting" to Abbotsford. -- Plantations. -- - George Thomson. -- Rokeby and Triermain in Progress. -- - Excursion to Flodden. -- Bishop-Auckland, and Rokeby - Park. -- Correspondence with Crabbe. -- Life of Patrick - Carey, etc. -- Publication of Rokeby, -- and of The - Bridal of Triermain. 1812-1813 1 - - XXVI. Affairs of John Ballantyne and Co. -- Causes of - their Derangement. -- Letters of Scott to his Partners. - -- Negotiation for Relief with Messrs. Constable. -- - New Purchase of Land at Abbotsford. -- Embarrassments - continued. -- John Ballantyne's Expresses. -- - Drumlanrig, Penrith, etc. -- Scott's Meeting with the - Marquis of Abercorn at Longtown. -- His Application to - the Duke of Buccleuch. -- Offer of the - Poet-Laureateship, -- considered, -- and declined. -- - Address of the City of Edinburgh to the Prince Regent. - -- Its Reception. -- Civic Honors conferred on Scott. - -- Question of Taxation on Literary Income. -- Letters - to Mr. Morritt, Mr. Southey, Mr. Richardson, Mr. - Crabbe, Miss Baillie, and Lord Byron. 1813 50 - - XXVII. Insanity of Henry Weber. -- Letters on the - Abdication of Napoleon, etc. -- Publication of Scott's - Life and Edition of Swift. -- Essays for the Supplement - to the Encyclopædia Britannica. -- Completion and - Publication of Waverley. 1814 100 - - XXVIII. Voyage to the Shetland Isles, etc. -- Scott's - Diary kept on Board the Lighthouse Yacht. 1814 124 - - XXIX. Diary on Board the Lighthouse Yacht continued. -- - The Orkneys. -- Kirkwall. -- Hoy. -- The Standing - Stones of Stennis, etc. 1814 163 - - XXX. Diary continued. -- Stromness. -- Bessy Millie's - Charm. -- Cape Wrath. -- Cave of Smowe. -- The - Hebrides. -- Scalpa, etc. 1814 178 - - XXXI. Diary continued. -- Isle of Harris. -- Monuments - of the Chiefs of Macleod. -- Isle of Skye. -- Dunvegan - Castle. -- Loch Corriskin. -- Macallister's Cave. 1814 193 - - XXXII. Diary continued. -- Cave of Egg. -- Iona. -- - Staffa. -- Dunstaffnage. -- Dunluce Castle. -- Giant's - Causeway. -- Isle of Arran, etc. -- Diary concluded. - 1814 206 - - XXXIII. Letter in Verse from Zetland and Orkney. -- - Death of the Duchess of Buccleuch. -- Correspondence - with the Duke. -- Altrive Lake. -- Negotiation - concerning The Lord of the Isles completed. -- Success - of Waverley. -- Contemporaneous criticisms on the - Novel. -- Letters to Scott from Mr. Morritt, Mr. Lewis, - and Miss Maclean Clephane. -- Letter from James - Ballantyne to Miss Edgeworth. 1814 237 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - Page - - WALTER SCOTT IN 1817 _Frontispiece_ - From the water-color portrait by William Nicholson, - R. S. A., in the possession of W. C. C. Erskine, Esq. - Through the courtesy of David Douglas, Esq., Edinburgh. - - ABBOTSFORD IN 1812 6 - - ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE 50 - From the painting by Sir Henry Raeburn, R. A., at Braeburn, - Currie, Mid-Lothian. By permission of William Patrick - Bruce, Esq. - - J. B. S. MORRITT 100 - From the painting by Sir M. A. Shee, P. R. A., in the - possession of R. A. Morritt, Esq., of Rokeby. - - WILLIAM ERSKINE, LORD KINNEDDER 124 - From the water-color portrait by William Nicholson, - R. S. A., in the possession of W. C. C. Erskine, Esq. - Through the courtesy of David Douglas, Esq., Edinburgh. - - JAMES HOGG 250 - From the water-color portrait by Stephen Poyntz Denning, - in the National Portrait Gallery. - - - - -SIR WALTER SCOTT - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - - THE "FLITTING" TO ABBOTSFORD. -- PLANTATIONS. -- GEORGE THOMSON. - --ROKEBY AND TRIERMAIN IN PROGRESS. -- EXCURSION TO FLODDEN. - --BISHOP-AUCKLAND, AND ROKEBY PARK. -- CORRESPONDENCE WITH - CRABBE. --LIFE OF PATRICK CAREY, ETC. -- PUBLICATION OF ROKEBY, - -- AND OF THE BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN - -1812-1813 - - -Towards the end of May, 1812, the Sheriff finally removed from -Ashestiel to Abbotsford. The day when this occurred was a sad one -for many a poor neighbor--for they lost, both in him and his wife, -very generous protectors. In such a place, among the few evils which -counterbalance so many good things in the condition of the -peasantry, the most afflicting is the want of access to medical -advice. As far as their means and skill would go, they had both done -their utmost to supply this want; and Mrs. Scott, in particular, had -made it so much her business to visit the sick in their scattered -cottages, and bestowed on them the contents of her medicine-chest as -well as of the larder and cellar, with such unwearied kindness, that -her name is never mentioned there to this day without some -expression of tenderness. Scott's children remember the parting -scene as one of unmixed affliction--but it had had, as we shall see, -its lighter features. - -Among the many amiable English friends whom he owed to his frequent -visits at Rokeby Park, there was, I believe, none that had a higher -place in his regard than the late Anne, Lady Alvanley, the widow of -the celebrated Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He was -fond of female society in general; but her ladyship was a woman -after his heart; well born and highly bred, but without the -slightest tinge of the frivolities of modern fashion; soundly -informed, and a warm lover of literature and the arts, but holding -in as great horror as himself the imbecile chatter and affected -ecstasies of the bluestocking generation. Her ladyship had written -to him early in May, by Miss Sarah Smith (now Mrs. Bartley), whom I -have already mentioned as one of his theatrical favorites; and his -answer contains, among other matters, a sketch of the "Forest -Flitting." - - -TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE LADY ALVANLEY. - - ASHESTIEL, 25th May, 1812. - -I was honored, my dear Lady Alvanley, by the kind letter which you -sent me with our friend Miss Smith, whose talents are, I hope, -receiving at Edinburgh the full meed of honorable applause which they -so highly merit. It is very much against my will that I am forced to -speak of them by report alone, for this being the term of removing, I -am under the necessity of being at this farm to superintend the -transference of my goods and chattels, a most miscellaneous -collection, to a small property, about five miles down the Tweed, -which I purchased last year. The neighbors have been much delighted -with the procession of my furniture, in which old swords, bows, -targets, and lances, made a very conspicuous show. A family of turkeys -was accommodated within the helmet of some _preux chevalier_ of -ancient Border fame; and the very cows, for aught I know, were bearing -banners and muskets. I assure your ladyship that this caravan, -attended by a dozen of ragged rosy peasant children, carrying -fishing-rods and spears, and leading ponies, greyhounds, and -spaniels, would, as it crossed the Tweed, have furnished no bad -subject for the pencil, and really reminded me of one of the gypsy -groups of Callot upon their march. - - - EDINBURGH, 28th May. - -I have got here at length, and had the pleasure to hear Miss Smith -speak the Ode on the Passions charmingly last night. It was her -benefit, and the house was tolerable, though not so good as she -deserves, being a very good girl, as well as an excellent performer. - -I have read Lord Byron with great pleasure, though pleasure is not -quite the appropriate word. I should say admiration--mixed with -regret, that the author should have adopted such an unamiable -misanthropical tone.--The reconciliation with Holland House is -extremely edifying, and may teach young authors to be in no hurry to -exercise their satirical vein. I remember an honest old Presbyterian, -who thought it right to speak with respect even of the devil himself, -since no one knew in what corner he might one day want a friend. But -Lord Byron is young, and certainly has great genius, and has both time -and capacity to make amends for his errors. I wonder if he will pardon -the Edinburgh Reviewers, who have read their recantation of their -former strictures. - -Mrs. Scott begs to offer her kindest and most respectful compliments -to your ladyship and the young ladies. I hope we shall get into -Yorkshire this season to see Morritt: he and his lady are really -delightful persons. Believe me, with great respect, dear Lady -Alvanley, your much honored and obliged - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -A week later, in answer to a letter, mentioning the approach of the -celebrated sale of books in which the Roxburghe Club originated, -Scott says to his trusty ally, Daniel Terry:-- - - - EDINBURGH, 9th June, 1812. - -MY DEAR TERRY,--I wish you joy of your success, which, although all -reports state it as most highly flattering, does not exceed what I had -hoped for you. I think I shall do you a sensible pleasure in -requesting that you will take a walk over the fields to Hampstead one -of these fine days, and deliver the enclosed to my friend Miss -Baillie, with whom, I flatter myself, you will be much pleased, as she -has all the simplicity of real genius. I mentioned to her some time -ago that I wished to make you acquainted, so that the sooner you can -call upon her, the compliment will be the more gracious. As I suppose -you will sometimes look in at the Roxburghe sale, a memorandum -respecting any remarkable articles will be a great favor. - -Abbotsford was looking charming, when I was obliged to mount my wheel -in this court, too fortunate that I have at length some share in the -roast meat I am daily engaged in turning. Our flitting and removal -from Ashestiel baffled all description; we had twenty-four cart-loads -of the veriest trash in nature, besides dogs, pigs, ponies, poultry, -cows, calves, bare-headed wenches, and bare-breeched boys. In other -respects we are going on in the old way, only poor Percy is dead. I -intend to have an old stone set up by his grave, with "_Cy gist li -preux Percie,_" and I hope future antiquaries will debate which hero -of the house of Northumberland has left his bones in Teviotdale.[1] - -Believe me yours very truly, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -This was one of the busiest summers of Scott's busy life. Till the -12th of July he was at his post in the Court of Session five days -every week; but every Saturday evening found him at Abbotsford, to -observe the progress his laborers had made within doors and without -in his absence; and on Monday night he returned to Edinburgh. Even -before the Summer Session commenced, he appears to have made some -advance in his Rokeby, for he writes to Mr. Morritt, from -Abbotsford, on the 4th of May: "As for the house and the poem, there -are twelve masons hammering at the one, and one poor noddle at the -other--so they are both in progress;"--and his literary labors -throughout the long vacation were continued under the same sort of -disadvantage. That autumn he had, in fact, no room at all for -himself. The only parlor which had been hammered into anything like -habitable condition served at once for dining-room, drawing-room, -school-room, and study. A window looking to the river was kept -sacred to his desk; an old bed-curtain was nailed up across the room -close behind his chair, and there, whenever the spade, the dibble, -or the chisel (for he took his full share in all the work on hand) -was laid aside, he pursued his poetical tasks, apparently -undisturbed and unannoyed by the surrounding confusion of masons and -carpenters, to say nothing of the lady's small talk, the children's -babble among themselves, or their repetition of their lessons. The -truth no doubt was, that when at his desk he did little more, as far -as regarded _poetry_, than write down the lines which he had -fashioned in his mind while pursuing his vocation as a planter, upon -that bank which received originally, by way of joke, the title of -_the thicket_. "I am now," he says to Ellis (October 17), "adorning -a patch of naked land with trees _facturis nepotibus umbram_, for I -shall never live to enjoy their shade myself otherwise than in the -recumbent posture of Tityrus or Menalcas." But he did live to see -_the thicket_ deserve not only that name, but a nobler one; and to -fell with his own hand many a well-grown tree that he had planted -there. - -Another plantation of the same date, by his eastern boundary, was -less successful. For this he had asked and received from his early -friend, the Marchioness of Stafford, a supply of acorns from -Trentham, and it was named in consequence _Sutherland bower_; but -the field-mice, in the course of the ensuing winter, contrived to -root up and devour the whole of her ladyship's goodly benefaction. A -third space had been set apart, and duly enclosed, for the reception -of some Spanish chestnuts offered to him by an admirer established -in merchandise at Seville; but that gentleman had not been a very -knowing ally as to such matters, for when the chestnuts arrived, it -turned out that they had been boiled. - -[Illustration: ABBOTSFORD IN 1812] - -Scott writes thus to Terry, in September, while the Roxburghe sale -was still going on:-- - - -I have lacked your assistance, my dear Sir, for twenty whimsicalities -this autumn. Abbotsford, as you will readily conceive, has -considerably changed its face since the auspices of Mother Retford -were exchanged for ours. We have got up a good garden wall, complete -stables in the haugh, according to Stark's plan, and the old farmyard -being enclosed with a wall, with some little picturesque additions in -front, has much relieved the stupendous height of the Doctor's barn. -The new plantations have thriven amazingly well, the acorns are coming -up fast, and Tom Purdie is the happiest and most consequential person -in the world. My present work is building up the well with some debris -from the Abbey. Oh, for your assistance, for I am afraid we shall make -but a botched job of it, especially as our materials are of a very -miscellaneous complexion. The worst of all is, that while my trees -grow and my fountain fills, my purse, in an inverse ratio, sinks to -zero. This last circumstance will, I fear, make me a very poor guest -at the literary entertainment your researches hold out for me. I -should, however, like much to have the Treatise on Dreams, by the -author of the New Jerusalem, which, as John Cuthbertson the smith said -of the minister's sermon, must be neat work. The Loyal Poems, by N. -T.,[2] are probably by poor Nahum Tate, who associated with Brady in -versifying the Psalms, and more honorably with Dryden in the second -part of Absalom and Achitophel. I never saw them, however, but would -give a guinea or thirty shillings for the collection. Our friend John -Ballantyne has, I learn, made a sudden sally to London, and doubtless -you will crush a quart with him or a pottle pot; he will satisfy your -bookseller for The Dreamer, or any other little purchase you may -recommend for me. You have pleased Miss Baillie very much both in -public and in society, and though not fastidious, she is not, I think, -particularly lavish of applause either way. A most valuable person is -she, and as warm-hearted as she is brilliant.--Mrs. Scott and all our -little folks are well. I am relieved of the labor of hearing Walter's -lesson by a gallant son of the church, who, with one leg of wood and -another of oak, walks to and fro from Melrose every day for that -purpose. Pray stick to the dramatic work,[3] and never suppose either -that you can be intrusive, or that I can be uninterested in whatever -concerns you. - -Yours, - - W. S. - - -The tutor alluded to at the close of this letter was Mr. George -Thomson, son of the minister of Melrose, who, when the house -afforded better accommodation, was and continued for many years to -be domesticated at Abbotsford. Scott had always a particular -tenderness towards persons afflicted with any bodily misfortune; and -Thomson, whose leg had been amputated in consequence of a rough -casualty of his boyhood, had a special share in his favor from the -high spirit with which he refused at the time to betray the name of -the companion that had occasioned his mishap, and continued ever -afterwards to struggle against its disadvantages. Tall, vigorous, -athletic, a dauntless horseman, and expert at the singlestick, -George formed a valuable as well as picturesque addition to the -_tail_ of the new laird, who often said, "In the Dominie, like -myself, accident has spoiled a capital lifeguardsman." His many -oddities and eccentricities in no degree interfered with the respect -due to his amiable feelings, upright principles, and sound learning; -nor did _Dominie Thomson_ at all quarrel in after-times with the -universal credence of the neighborhood that he had furnished many -features for the inimitable personage whose designation so nearly -resembled his own; and if he has not yet "wagged his head" in a -"pulpit o' his ain," he well knows it has not been so for want of -earnest and long-continued intercession on the part of the author of -Guy Mannering.[4] - -For many years Scott had accustomed himself to proceed in the -composition of poetry along with that of prose essays of various -descriptions; but it is a remarkable fact that he chose this period -of perpetual noise and bustle, when he had not even a summer-house -to himself, for the new experiment of carrying on two poems at the -same time--and this, too, without suspending the heavy labor of his -edition of Swift, to say nothing of the various lesser matters in -which the Ballantynes were, from day to day, calling for the -assistance of his judgment and his pen. In the same letter in which -William Erskine acknowledges the receipt of the first four pages of -Rokeby, he adverts also to The Bridal of Triermain as being already -in rapid progress. The fragments of this second poem, inserted in -the Register of the preceding year, had attracted considerable -notice; the secret of their authorship had been well kept; and by -some means, even in the shrewdest circles of Edinburgh, the belief -had become prevalent that they proceeded not from Scott, but from -Erskine. Scott had no sooner completed his bargain as to the -copyright of the unwritten Rokeby, than he resolved to pause from -time to time in its composition, and weave those fragments into a -shorter and lighter romance, executed in a different metre, and to -be published anonymously, in a small pocket volume, as nearly as -possible on the same day with the avowed quarto. He expected great -amusement from the comparisons which the critics would no doubt -indulge themselves in drawing between himself and this humble -candidate; and Erskine good-humoredly entered into the scheme, -undertaking to do nothing which should effectually suppress the -notion of his having set himself up as a modest rival to his friend. -Nay, he suggested a further refinement, which in the sequel had no -small share in the success of this little plot upon the sagacity of -the reviewers. Having said that he much admired the opening of the -first canto of Rokeby, Erskine adds, "I shall request your -_accoucheur_ to send me your _little Dugald_ too as he gradually -makes his progress. What I have seen is delightful. You are aware -how difficult it is to form any opinion of a work, the general plan -of which is unknown, transmitted merely in legs and wings as they -are formed and feathered. Any remarks must be of the most minute and -superficial kind, confined chiefly to the language, and other such -subordinate matters. I shall be very much amused if the secret is -kept and the knowing ones taken in. To prevent any discovery from -your prose, what think you of putting down your ideas of what the -preface ought to contain, and allowing me to write it over? And -perhaps a quizzing review might be concocted." - -This last hint was welcome; and among other parts of the preface to -Triermain which threw out "the knowing ones," certain Greek -quotations interspersed in it are now accounted for. Scott, on his -part, appears to have studiously interwoven into the piece allusions -to personal feelings and experiences more akin to his friend's -history and character than to his own; and he did so still more -largely, when repeating this experiment, in the introductory parts -of Harold the Dauntless. - -The same post which conveyed William Erskine's letter, above quoted, -brought him an equally wise and kind one from Mr. Morritt, in answer -to a fresh application for some minute details about the scenery and -local traditions of the Valley of the Tees. Scott had promised to -spend part of this autumn at Rokeby Park himself; but now, busied as -he was with his planting operations at home, and continually urged -by Ballantyne to have the poem ready for publication by Christmas, -he would willingly have trusted his friend's knowledge in place of -his own observation and research. Mr. Morritt gave him in reply -various particulars, which I need not here repeat, but added,-- - - -I am really sorry, my dear Scott, at your abandonment of your kind -intention of visiting Rokeby, and my sorrow is not quite selfish, for -seriously, I wish you could have come, if but for a few days, in -order, on the spot, to settle accurately in your mind the localities -of the new poem, and all their petty circumstances, of which there are -many that would give interest and ornament to your descriptions. I am -too much flattered by your proposal of inscribing the poem to me, not -to accept it with gratitude and pleasure. I shall always feel your -friendship as an honor--we all wish our honors to be permanent--and -yours promises mine at least a fair chance of immortality. I hope, -however, you will not be obliged to write in a hurry on account of the -impatience of your booksellers. They are, I think, ill advised in -their proceeding, for surely the book will be the more likely to -succeed from not being forced prematurely into this critical world. Do -not be persuaded to risk your established fame on this hazardous -experiment. If you want a few hundreds independent of these -booksellers, your credit is so very good, now that you have got rid of -your Old Man of the Sea, that it is no great merit to trust you, and I -happen at this moment to have five or six for which I have no sort of -demand--so rather than be obliged to spur Pegasus beyond the power of -pulling him up when he is going too fast, do consult your own judgment -and set the midwives of the trade at defiance. Don't be scrupulous to -the disadvantage of your muse, and above all be not offended at me for -a proposition which is meant in the true spirit of friendship. I am -more than ever anxious for your success--The Lady of the Lake more -than succeeded--I think Don Roderick is less popular--I want this work -to be another Lady at the least. Surely it would be worth your while -for such an object to spend a week of your time, and a portion of your -Old Man's salary, in a mail-coach flight hither, were it merely to -renew your acquaintance with the country, and to rectify the little -misconceptions of a cursory view. Ever affectionately yours, - - J. B. S. M. - - -This appeal was not to be resisted. Scott, I believe, accepted Mr. -Morritt's friendly offer so far as to ask his assistance in having -some of Ballantyne's bills discounted; and he proceeded the week -after to Rokeby, by the way of Flodden and Hexham, travelling on -horseback, his eldest boy and girl on their ponies, while Mrs. Scott -followed them in the carriage. Two little incidents that diversified -this ride through Northumberland have found their way into print -already; but, as he was fond of telling them both down to the end of -his days, I must give them a place here also. Halting at Flodden to -expound the field of battle to his young folks, he found that -Marmion had, as might have been expected, benefited the keeper of -the public house there very largely; and the village Boniface, -overflowing with gratitude, expressed his anxiety to have a _Scott's -Head_ for his sign-post. The poet demurred to this proposal, and -assured mine host that nothing could be more appropriate than the -portraiture of a foaming tankard, which already surmounted his -doorway. "Why, the painter-man has not made an ill job," said the -landlord, "but I would fain have something more connected with the -book that has brought me so much good custom." He produced a -well-thumbed copy, and handing it to the author, begged he would at -least suggest a motto from the tale of Flodden Field. Scott opened -the book at the death scene of the hero, and his eye was immediately -caught by the "inscription" in black-letter,-- - - "Drink, weary pilgrim, drink, and pray - For the kind soul of Sibyl Grey," etc. - -"Well, my friend," said he, "what more would you have? You need but -strike out one letter in the first of these lines, and make your -painter-man, the next time he comes this way, print between the -jolly tankard and your own name,-- - - "Drink, weary pilgrim, drink and PAY." - -Scott was delighted to find, on his return, that this suggestion had -been adopted, and, for aught I know, the romantic legend may still -be visible. The other story I shall give in the words of Mr. -Gillies:-- - - -"It happened at a small country town that Scott suddenly required -medical advice for one of his servants, and, on inquiring if there was -any doctor at the place, was told that there were two,--one long -established, and the other a newcomer. The latter gentleman, being -luckily found at home, soon made his appearance;--a grave, -sagacious-looking personage, attired in black, with a shovel hat, in -whom, to his utter astonishment, Sir Walter recognized a Scotch -blacksmith, who had formerly practised, with tolerable success, as a -veterinary operator in the neighborhood of Ashestiel.--'How, in all -the world,' exclaimed he, 'can it be possible that this is John -Lundie?'--'In troth is it, your honor--just _a' that's for -him_.'--'Well, but let us hear; you were a _horse_-doctor before; now, -it seems, you are a _man_-doctor; how do you get on?'--'Ou, just -extraordinar weel; for your honor maun ken my practice is vera sure -and orthodox. I depend entirely upon twa _simples_.'--'And what may -their names be? Perhaps it is a secret?'--'I'll tell your honor,' in a -low tone; 'my twa simples are just _laudamy_ and _calamy_!'--'Simples -with a vengeance!' replied Scott. 'But, John, do you never happen to -_kill_ any of your patients?'--'Kill? Ou ay, may be sae! Whiles they -die, and whiles no;--but it's the will o' Providence. _Ony how, your -honor, it wad be lang before it makes up for Flodden!_'"[5] - - -It was also in the course of this expedition that Scott first made -acquaintance with the late excellent and venerable Shute Barrington, -Bishop of Durham. The travellers having reached Auckland over night were -seeing the public rooms of the Castle at an early hour next morning, -when the Bishop happened, in passing through one of them, to catch a -glimpse of Scott's person, and immediately recognizing him, from the -likeness of the engravings by this time multiplied, introduced himself -to the party, and insisted upon acting as cicerone. After showing them -the picture-gallery and so forth, his Lordship invited them to join the -morning service of the chapel, and when that was over, insisted on their -remaining to breakfast. But Scott and his Lordship were by this time so -much pleased with each other that they could not part so easily. The -good Bishop ordered his horse, nor did Scott observe without admiration -the proud curvetting of the animal on which his Lordship proposed to -accompany him during the next stage of his progress. "Why, yes, Mr. -Scott," said the gentle but high-spirited old man, "I still like to feel -my horse under me." He was then in his seventy-ninth year, and survived -to the age of ninety-two, the model in all things of a real prince of -the Church. They parted after a ride of ten miles, with mutual regret; -and on all subsequent rides in that direction, Bishop-Auckland was one -of the poet's regular halting-places.[6] - -At Rokeby, on this occasion, Scott remained about a week; and I -transcribe the following brief account of his proceedings while -there from Mr. Morritt's _Memorandum_:-- - - -"I had, of course," he says, "had many previous opportunities of -testing the almost conscientious fidelity of his local descriptions; -but I could not help being singularly struck with the lights which -this visit threw on that characteristic of his compositions. The -morning after he arrived he said, 'You have often given me materials -for romance--now I want a good robber's cave, and an old church of the -right sort.' We rode out, and he found what he wanted in the ancient -slate quarries of Brignall and the ruined Abbey of Egglestone. I -observed him noting down even the peculiar little wild flowers and -herbs that accidentally grew round and on the side of a bold crag near -his intended cave of Guy Denzil; and could not help saying, that as he -was not to be upon oath in his work, daisies, violets, and primroses -would be as poetical as any of the humble plants he was examining. I -laughed, in short, at his scrupulousness; but I understood him when he -replied, 'that in nature herself no two scenes were exactly alike, and -that whoever copied truly what was before his eyes would possess the -same variety in his descriptions, and exhibit apparently an -imagination as boundless as the range of nature in the scenes he -recorded; whereas, whoever trusted to imagination would soon find his -own mind circumscribed, and contracted to a few favorite images, and -the repetition of these would sooner or later produce that very -monotony and barrenness which had always haunted descriptive poetry in -the hands of any but the patient worshippers of truth. Besides which,' -he said, 'local names and peculiarities make a fictitious story look -so much better in the face.' In fact, from his boyish habits, he was -but half satisfied with the most beautiful scenery when he could not -connect with it some local legend, and when I was forced sometimes to -confess with the Knife-grinder, 'Story! God bless you! I have none to -tell, sir,'--he would laugh and say, 'Then let us make one--nothing so -easy as to make a tradition.'" - - -Mr. Morritt adds, that he had brought with him about half The -Bridal of Triermain--told him that he meant to bring it out the same -week with Rokeby--and promised himself particular satisfaction in -_laying a trap for Jeffrey_; who, however, as we shall see, escaped -the snare. - -Some of the following letters will show with what rapidity, after -having refreshed and stored his memory with the localities of -Rokeby, he proceeded in the composition of the romance:-- - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ. - - ABBOTSFORD, 12th October, 1812. - -MY DEAR MORRITT,--I have this morning returned from Dalkeith House, to -which I was whisked amid the fury of an election tempest, and I found -your letter on my table. More on such a subject cannot be said among -friends who give each other credit for feeling as they ought. - -We peregrinated over Stanmore, and visited the Castles of Bowes, -Brough, Appleby, and Brougham with great interest. Lest our spirit of -chivalry thus excited should lack employment, we found ourselves, that -is, _I_ did, at Carlisle, engaged in the service of two distressed -ladies, being no other than our friends Lady Douglas and Lady Louisa -Stuart, who overtook us there, and who would have had great trouble in -finding quarters, the election being in full vigor, if we had not -anticipated their puzzle, and secured a private house capable of -holding us all. Some distress occurred, I believe, among the waiting -damsels, whose case I had not so carefully considered, for I heard a -sentimental exclamation--"Am I to sleep with the greyhounds?" which I -conceived to proceed from Lady Douglas's _suivante_, from the -exquisite sensibility of tone with which it was uttered, especially as -I beheld the fair one descend from the carriage with three half-bound -volumes of a novel in her hand. Not having it in my power to alleviate -her woes, by offering her either a part or the whole of my own -couch.--"_Transeat_," quoth I, "_cum cæteris erroribus_." - -I am delighted with your Cumberland admirer,[7] and give him credit -for his visit to the vindicator of Homer; but you missed one of -another description, who passed Rokeby with great regret, I mean -General John Malcolm, the Persian envoy, the Delhi resident, the poet, -the warrior, the polite man, and the Borderer. He is really a fine -fellow. I met him at Dalkeith, and we returned together;--he has just -left me, after drinking his coffee. A fine time we had of it, talking -of Troy town, and Babel, and Persepolis, and Delhi, and Langholm, and -Burnfoot;[8] with all manner of episodes about Iskendiar, Rustan, and -Johnny Armstrong. Do you know, that poem of Ferdusi's must be -beautiful. He read me some very splendid extracts which he had himself -translated. Should you meet him in London, I have given him charge to -be acquainted with you, for I am sure you will like each other. To be -sure, I know him little, but I like his frankness and his sound ideas -of morality and policy; and I have observed, that when I have had no -great liking to persons at the beginning, it has usually pleased -Heaven, as Slender says, to decrease it on further acquaintance. -Adieu, I must mount my horse. Our last journey was so delightful that -we have every temptation to repeat it. Pray give our kind love to the -lady, and believe me ever yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO THE SAME. - - EDINBURGH, 29th November, 1812. - -MY DEAR MORRITT,--I have been, and still am, working very hard, in -hopes to face the public by Christmas, and I think I have hitherto -succeeded in throwing some interest into the piece. It is, however, a -darker and more gloomy interest than I intended; but involving one's -self with bad company, whether in fiction or in reality, is the way -not to get out of it easily; so I have been obliged to bestow more -pains and trouble upon Bertram, and one or two blackguards whom he -picks up in the slate quarries, than what I originally designed. I am -very desirous to have your opinion of the three first Cantos, for -which purpose, so soon as I can get them collected, I will send the -sheets under cover to Mr. Freeling, whose omnipotent frank will -transmit them to Rokeby, where, I presume, you have been long since -comfortably settled-- - - "So York may overlook the town of York."[9] - -I trust you will read it with some partiality, because, if I have not -been so successful as I could wish in describing your lovely and -romantic glens, it has partly arisen from my great anxiety to do it -well, which is often attended with the very contrary effect. There are -two or three songs, and particularly one in praise of Brignall Banks, -which I trust you will like--because, _entre nous_, I like them -myself. One of them is a little dashing banditti song, called and -entitled Allen-a-Dale. I think you will be able to judge for yourself -in about a week. Pray, how shall I send you the _entire goose_, which -will be too heavy to travel the same way with its _giblets_--for the -Carlisle coach is terribly inaccurate about parcels? I fear I have -made one blunder in mentioning the brooks which flow into the Tees. I -have made the Balder distinct from that which comes down Thorsgill--I -hope I am not mistaken. You will see the passage; and if they are the -same rivulet, the leaf must be cancelled. - -I trust this will find Mrs. Morritt pretty well; and I am glad to find -she has been better for her little tour. We were delighted with ours, -except in respect of its short duration, and Sophia and Walter hold -their heads very high among their untravelled companions, from the -predominance acquired by their visit to England. You are not perhaps -aware of the polish which is supposed to be acquired by the most -transitory intercourse with your more refined side of the Tweed. There -was an honest carter who once applied to me respecting a plan which he -had formed of breeding his son, a great booby of twenty, to the -Church. As the best way of evading the scrape, I asked him whether he -thought his son's language was quite adapted for the use of a public -speaker?--to which he answered, with great readiness, that he could -knap English with any one, having twice driven his father's cart to -Etal coal-hill. - -I have called my heroine Matilda. I don't much like Agnes, though I -can't tell why, unless it is because it begins like Agag. Matilda is a -name of unmanageable length; but, after all, is better than none, and -my poor damsel was likely to go without one in my indecision. - -We are all hungering and thirsting for news from Russia. If Boney's -devil does not help him, he is in a poor way. The Leith letters talk -of the unanimity of the Russians as being most exemplary; and troops -pour in from all quarters of their immense empire. Their commissariat -is well managed under the Prince Duke of Oldenburgh. This was their -weak point in former wars. - -Adieu! Mrs. Scott and the little people send love to Mrs. Morritt and -you. Ever yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO THE SAME. - - EDINBURGH, Thursday, 10th December, 1812. - -MY DEAR MORRITT,--I have just time to say that I have received your -letters, and am delighted that Rokeby pleases the owner. As I hope the -whole will be printed off before Christmas, it will scarce be worth -while to send you the other sheets till it reaches you altogether. -Your criticisms are the best proof of your kind attention to the -poem. I need not say I will pay them every attention in the next -edition. But some of the faults are so interwoven with the story, that -they must stand. Denzil, for instance, is essential to me, though, as -you say, not very interesting; and I assure you that, generally -speaking, the _poeta loquitur_ has a bad effect in narrative; and when -you have twenty things to tell, it is better to be slatternly than -tedious. The fact is, that the tediousness of many really good poems -arises from an attempt to support the same tone throughout, which -often occasions periphrasis, and always stiffness. I am quite sensible -that I have often carried the opposite custom too far; but I am apt to -impute it partly to not being able to bring out my own ideas well, and -partly to haste--not to error in the system. This would, however, lead -to a long discussion, more fit for the fireside than for a letter. I -need not say that, the poem being in fact your own, you are at perfect -liberty to dispose of the sheets as you please. I am glad my geography -is pretty correct. It is too late to inquire if Rokeby is insured, for -I have burned it down in Canto V.; but I suspect you will bear me no -greater grudge than at the noble Russian who burned Moscow. Glorious -news to-day from the North--_pereat iste_! Mrs. Scott, Sophia, and -Walter, join in best compliments to Mrs. Morritt; and I am, in great -haste, ever faithfully yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - -P. S.--I have heard of Lady Hood by a letter from herself. She is -well, and in high spirits, and sends me a pretty topaz seal, with a -talisman which secures this letter, and signifies (it seems), which -one would scarce have expected from its appearance, my name. - - -We are now close upon the end of this busy twelvemonth; but I must -not turn the leaf to 1813, without noticing one of its miscellaneous -incidents--his first intercourse by letter with the poet Crabbe. Mr. -Hatchard, the publisher of his Tales, forwarded a copy of the book -to Scott as soon as it was ready; and, the bookseller having -communicated to his author some flattering expressions in Scott's -letter of acknowledgment, Mr. Crabbe addressed him as follows:-- - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., EDINBURGH. - - MUSTON, GRANTHAM, 13th October, 1812. - -SIR,--Mr. Hatchard, judging rightly of the satisfaction it would -afford me, has been so obliging as to communicate your two letters, in -one of which you desire my Tales to be sent; in the other, you -acknowledge the receipt of them; and in both you mention my verses in -such terms, that it would be affected in me were I to deny, and I -think unjust if I were to conceal, the pleasure you give me. I am -indeed highly gratified. - -I have long entertained a hearty wish to be made known to a poet whose -works are so greatly and so universally admired; and I continued to hope -that I might at some time find a common friend, by whose intervention I -might obtain that honor; but I am confined by duties near my home, and -by sickness in it. It may be long before I be in town, and then no such -opportunity might offer. Excuse me, then, sir, if I gladly seize this -which now occurs to express my thanks for the politeness of your -expressions, as well as my desire of being known to a gentleman who has -delighted and affected me, and moved all the passions and feelings in -turn, I believe--Envy surely excepted--certainly, if I know myself, but -in a moderate degree. I truly rejoice in your success; and while I am -entertaining, in my way, a certain set of readers, for the most part, -probably, of peculiar turn and habit, I can with pleasure see the effect -you produce on all. Mr. Hatchard tells me that he hopes or expects that -thousands will read my Tales, and I am convinced that your publisher -might, in like manner, so speak of your ten thousands; but this, though -it calls to mind the passage, is no true comparison with the related -prowess of David and Saul, because I have no evil spirit to arise and -trouble me on the occasion; though, if I had, I know no David whose -skill is so likely to allay it. Once more, sir, accept my best thanks, -with my hearty wishes for your health and happiness, who am, with great -esteem, and true respect, - -Dear Sir, your obedient servant, - - GEORGE CRABBE. - - -I cannot produce Scott's reply to this communication. Mr. Crabbe -appears to have, in the course of the year, sent him a copy of all -his works, "ex dono auctoris," and there passed between them several -letters, one or two of which I must quote. - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., EDINBURGH. - -Know you, sir, a gentleman in Edinburgh, A. Brunton (the Rev.), who -dates St. John Street, and who asks my assistance in furnishing hymns -which have relation to the Old or New Testament--anything which might -suit the purpose of those who are cooking up a book of Scotch -Psalmody? Who is Mr. Brunton? What is his situation? If I could help -one who needed help, I would do it cheerfully--but have no great -opinion of this undertaking.... - -With every good wish, yours sincerely, - - GEORGE CRABBE. - - -Scott's answer to this letter expresses the opinions he always held -in conversation on the important subject to which it refers; and -acting upon which, he himself at various times declined taking any -part in the business advocated by Dr. Brunton:-- - - -TO THE REV. GEORGE CRABBE, MUSTON, GRANTHAM. - -MY DEAR SIR,--I was favored with your kind letter some time ago. Of -all people in the world, I am least entitled to demand regularity of -correspondence; for being, one way and another, doomed to a great deal -more writing than suits my indolence, I am sometimes tempted to envy -the reverend hermit of Prague, confessor to the niece of Queen -Gorboduc, who never saw either pen or ink. Mr. Brunton is a very -respectable clergyman of Edinburgh, and I believe the work in which he -has solicited your assistance is one adopted by the General Assembly, -or Convocation of the Kirk. I have no notion that he has any -individual interest in it; he is a well-educated and liberal-minded -man, and generally esteemed. I have no particular acquaintance with -him myself, though we speak together. He is at this very moment -sitting on the outside of the bar of our Supreme Court, within which I -am fagging as a clerk; but as he is hearing the opinion of the Judges -upon an action for augmentation of stipend to him and to his brethren, -it would not, I conceive, be a very favorable time to canvass a -literary topic. But you are quite safe with him; and having so much -command of scriptural language, which appears to me essential to the -devotional poetry of Christians, I am sure you can assist his purpose -much more than any man alive. - -I think those hymns which do not immediately recall the warm and -exalted language of the Bible are apt to be, however elegant, rather -cold and flat for the purposes of devotion. You will readily believe -that I do not approve of the vague and indiscriminate Scripture -language which the fanatics of old and the modern Methodists have -adopted, but merely that solemnity and peculiarity of diction, which -at once puts the reader and hearer upon his guard as to the purpose of -the poetry. To my Gothic ear, indeed, the _Stabat Mater_, the _Dies -Iræ_, and some of the other hymns of the Catholic Church, are more -solemn and affecting than the fine classical poetry of Buchanan; the -one has the gloomy dignity of a Gothic church, and reminds us -instantly of the worship to which it is dedicated; the other is more -like a Pagan temple, recalling to our memory the classical and -fabulous deities.[10] This is, probably, all referable to the -association of ideas--that is, if the "association of ideas" continues -to be the universal pick-lock of all metaphysical difficulties, as it -was when I studied moral philosophy--or to any other more fashionable -universal solvent which may have succeeded to it in reputation. Adieu, -my dear sir,--I hope you and your family will long enjoy all happiness -and prosperity. Never be discouraged from the constant use of your -charming talent. The opinions of reviewers are really too -contradictory to found anything upon them, whether they are favorable -or otherwise; for it is usually their principal object to display the -abilities of the writers of the critical lucubrations themselves. Your -Tales are universally admired here. I go but little out, but the few -judges whose opinions I have been accustomed to look up to, are -unanimous. Ever yours, most truly, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., EDINBURGH. - -_MY DEAR SIR_,--Law, then, is your profession--I mean a profession you -give your mind and time to--but how "fag as a _clerk_"? Clerk is a -name for a learned person, I know, in our Church; but how the same -hand which held the pen of Marmion holds that with which a clerk fags, -unless a clerk means something vastly more than I understand, is not -to be comprehended. I wait for elucidation. Know you, dear sir, I have -often thought I should love to read _reports_--that is, brief -histories of extraordinary cases, with the judgments. If that is what -is meant by _reports_, such reading must be pleasant; but, probably, I -entertain wrong ideas, and could not understand the books I think so -engaging. Yet I conclude there are _histories of cases_, and have -often thought of consulting Hatchard whether he knew of such kind of -reading, but hitherto I have rested in ignorance.... Yours truly, - - GEORGE CRABBE. - - -TO THE REV. GEORGE CRABBE. - -MY DEAR SIR,--I have too long delayed to thank you for the most kind -and acceptable present of your three volumes. Now am I doubly armed, -since I have a set for my cabin at Abbotsford as well as in town; and, -to say truth, the auxiliary copy arrived in good time, for my original -one suffers as much by its general popularity among my young people, -as a popular candidate from the hugs and embraces of his democratical -admirers. The clearness and accuracy of your painting, whether -natural or moral, renders, I have often remarked, your works generally -delightful to those whose youth might render them insensible to the -other beauties with which they abound. There are a sort of -pictures--surely the most valuable, were it but for that reason--which -strike the uninitiated as much as they do the connoisseur, though the -last alone can render reason for his admiration. Indeed our old friend -Horace knew what he was saying when he chose to address his ode, -"_Virginibus puerisque_," and so did Pope when he told somebody he had -the mob on the side of his version of Homer, and did not mind the -high-flying critics at Button's. After all, if a faultless poem could -be produced, I am satisfied it would tire the critics themselves, and -annoy the whole reading world with the spleen. - -You must be delightfully situated in the Vale of Belvoir--a part of -England for which I entertain a special kindness, for the sake of the -gallant hero, Robin Hood, who, as probably you will readily guess, is -no small favorite of mine; his indistinct ideas concerning the -doctrine of _meum_ and _tuum_ being no great objection to an outriding -Borderer. I am happy to think that your station is under the -protection of the Rutland family, of whom fame speaks highly. Our lord -of the "cairn and the scaur," waste wilderness and hungry hills, for -many a league around, is the Duke of Buccleuch, the head of my clan; a -kind and benevolent landlord, a warm and zealous friend, and the -husband of a lady--_comme il y en a peu_. They are both great admirers -of Mr. Crabbe's poetry, and would be happy to know him, should he ever -come to Scotland, and venture into the Gothic halls of a Border chief. -The early and uniform kindness of this family, with the friendship of -the late and present Lord Melville, enabled me, some years ago, to -exchange my toils as a barrister, for the lucrative and respectable -situation of one of the Clerks of our Supreme Court, which only -requires a certain routine of official duty, neither laborious nor -calling for any exertion of the mind; so that my time is entirely at -my own command, except when I am attending the Court, which seldom -occupies more than two hours of the morning during sitting. I besides -hold _in commendam_ the Sheriffdom of Ettrick Forest, which is now no -forest; so that I am a pluralist as to law appointments, and have, as -Dogberry says, "two gowns, and everything handsome about me."[11] - -I have often thought it is the most fortunate thing for bards like you -and me to have an established profession, and professional character, -to render us independent of those worthy gentlemen, the retailers, or, -as some have called them, the midwives of literature, who are so much -taken up with the abortions they bring into the world, that they are -scarcely able to bestow the proper care upon young and flourishing -babes like ours. That, however, is only a mercantile way of looking at -the matter; but did any of my sons show poetical talent, of which, to -my great satisfaction, there are no appearances, the first thing I -should do would be to inculcate upon him the duty of cultivating some -honorable profession, and qualifying himself to play a more -respectable part in society than the mere poet. And as the best -corollary of my doctrine, I would make him get your tale of The Patron -by heart from beginning to end. It is curious enough that you should -have republished The Village for the purpose of sending your young men -to college, and I should have written The Lay of the Last Minstrel for -the purpose of buying a new horse for the Volunteer Cavalry. I must -now send this scrawl into town to get a frank, for, God knows, it is -not worthy of postage. With the warmest wishes for your health, -prosperity, and increase of fame--though it needs not--I remain most -sincerely and affectionately yours, - - WALTER SCOTT.[12] - - -The contrast of the two poets' epistolary styles is highly amusing; -but I have introduced these specimens less on that account, than as -marking the cordial confidence which a very little intercourse was -sufficient to establish between men so different from each other in -most of the habits of life. It will always be considered as one of -the most pleasing peculiarities in Scott's history, that he was the -friend of every great contemporary poet: Crabbe, as we shall see -more largely in the sequel, was no exception to the rule: yet I -could hardly name one of them who, manly principles and the -cultivation of literature apart, had many points of resemblance to -him; and surely not one who had fewer than Crabbe. - -Scott continued, this year, his care for the Edinburgh Annual -Register--the historical department of which was again supplied by -Mr. Southey. The poetical miscellany owed its opening piece, the -Ballad of Polydore, to the readiness with which Scott entered into -correspondence with its author, who sent it to him anonymously, with -a letter which, like the verses, might well have excited much -interest in his mind, even had it not concluded with stating the -writer's age to be _fifteen_. Scott invited the youth to visit him -in the country, was greatly pleased with the modesty of his manners -and the originality of his conversation, and wrote to Joanna -Baillie, that, "though not one of the crimps for the muses," he -thought he could hardly be mistaken in believing that in the boyish -author of Polydore he had discovered a true genius. When I mention -the name of my friend William Howison of Clydegrove, it will be -allowed that he prognosticated wisely. He continued to correspond -with this young gentleman and his father, and gave both much advice, -for which both were most grateful. There was inserted in the same -volume a set of beautiful stanzas, inscribed to Scott by Mr. Wilson, -under the title of The Magic Mirror, in which that enthusiastic -young poet also bears a lofty and lasting testimony to the gentle -kindness with which his earlier efforts had been encouraged by him -whom he designates, for the first time, by what afterwards became -one of his standing titles, that of The Great Magician. - - "Onwards a figure came, with stately brow, - And, as he glanced upon the ruin'd pile - A look of regal pride, 'Say, who art thou' - (His countenance bright'ning with a scornful smile, - He sternly cried), 'whose footsteps rash profane - The wild romantic realm where I have willed to reign?' - - "But ere to these proud words I could reply, - How changed that scornful face to soft and mild! - A witching frenzy glitter'd in his eye, - Harmless, withal, as that of playful child. - And when once more the gracious vision spoke, - I felt the voice familiar to mine ear; - While many a faded dream of earth awoke, - Connected strangely with that unknown seer, - Who now stretch'd forth his arm, and on the sand - A circle round me traced, as with magician's wand," etc. - -Scott's own chief contribution to this volume was a brief account of -the Life and Poems (hitherto unpublished)[13] of Patrick Carey, whom -he pronounces to have been not only as stout a Cavalier, but almost -as good a poet as his contemporary Lovelace. That Essay was -expanded, and prefixed to an edition of Carey's Trivial Poems and -Triolets, which Scott published in 1820; but its circulation in -either shape has been limited: and I believe I shall be gratifying -the majority of my readers by here transcribing some paragraphs of -his beautiful and highly characteristic introduction of this -forgotten poet of the seventeenth century. - - -"The present age has been so distinguished for research into poetical -antiquities, that the discovery of an unknown bard is, in certain -chosen literary circles, held as curious as an augmentation of the -number of fixed stars would be esteemed by astronomers. It is true, -these 'blessed twinklers of the night' are so far removed from us, -that they afford no more light than serves barely to evince their -existence to the curious investigator; and in like manner the pleasure -derived from the revival of an obscure poet is rather in proportion to -the rarity of his volume than to its merit; yet this pleasure is not -inconsistent with reason and principle. We know by every day's -experience the peculiar interest which the lapse of ages confers upon -works of human art. The clumsy strength of the ancient castles, which, -when raw from the hand of the builder, inferred only the oppressive -power of the barons who reared them, is now broken by partial ruin -into proper subjects for the poet or the painter; and as Mason has -beautifully described the change, - - 'Time - Has mouldered into beauty many a tower, - Which, when it frowned with all its battlements, - Was only terrible.' - -"The monastery, too, which was at first but a fantastic monument of -the superstitious devotion of monarchs, or of the purple pride of -fattened abbots, has gained by the silent influence of antiquity the -power of impressing awe and devotion. Even the stains and -weather-taints upon the battlements of such buildings add, like the -scars of a veteran, to the affecting impression:-- - - 'For time has softened what was harsh when new, - And now the stains are all of sober hue; - The living stains which nature's hand alone, - Profuse of life, pours forth upon the stone.'--_Crabbe._ - -"If such is the effect of Time in adding interest to the labors of the -architect, if partial destruction is compensated by the additional -interest of that which remains, can we deny his exerting a similar -influence upon those subjects which are sought after by the -bibliographer and poetical antiquary? The obscure poet, who is detected -by their keen research, may indeed have possessed but a slender portion -of that spirit which has buoyed up the works of distinguished -contemporaries during the course of centuries, yet still his verses -shall, in the lapse of time, acquire an interest, which they did not -possess in the eyes of his own generation. The wrath of the critic, -like that of the son of Ossian, flies from the foe that is low. Envy, -base as she is, has one property of the lion, and cannot prey on -carcases; she must drink the blood of a sentient victim, and tear the -limbs that are yet warm with vital life. Faction, if the ancient has -suffered her persecution, serves only to endear him to the recollection -of posterity, whose generous compassion overpays him for the injuries he -sustained while in life. And thus freed from the operation of all -unfavorable prepossessions, his merit, if he can boast any, has more -than fair credit with his readers. This, however, is but part of his -advantages. The mere attribute of antiquity is of itself sufficient to -interest the fancy by the lively and powerful train of associations -which it awakens. Had the pyramids of Egypt, equally disagreeable in -form and senseless as to utility, been the work of any living tyrant, -with what feelings, save those of scorn and derision, could we have -regarded such a waste of labor? But the sight, nay, the very mention of -these wonderful monuments, is associated with the dark and sublime ideas -which vary their tinge according to the favorite hue of our studies. The -Christian divine recollects the land of banishment and of refuge; to the -eyes of the historian's fancy, they excite the shades of Pharaohs and of -Ptolemies, of Cheops and Merops, and Sesostris drawn in triumph by his -sceptred slaves; the philosopher beholds the first rays of moral truth -as they dawned on the hieroglyphic sculptures of Thebes and Memphis; and -the poet sees the fires of magic blazing upon the mystic altars of a -land of incantation. Nor is the grandeur of size essential to such -feelings, any more than the properties of grace and utility. Even the -rudest remnant of a feudal tower, even the obscure and almost -indistinguishable vestige of an altogether unknown edifice, has power to -awaken such trains of fancy. We have a fellow interest with the 'son of -the winged days,' over whose fallen habitation we tread:-- - - 'The massy stones, though hewn most roughly, show - The hand of man had once at least been there.'--_Wordsworth._ - -"Similar combinations give a great part of the delight we receive from -ancient poetry. In the rude song of the Scald, we regard less the -strained imagery and extravagance of epithet, than the wild -impressions which it conveys of the dauntless resolution, savage -superstition, rude festivity, and ceaseless depredation of the ancient -Scandinavians. In the metrical romance, we pardon the long, tedious, -and bald enumeration of trifling particulars; the reiterated sameness -of the eternal combats between knights and giants; the overpowering -languor of the love speeches, and the merciless length and similarity -of description--when Fancy whispers to us that such strains may have -cheered the sleepless pillow of the Black Prince on the memorable eves -of Cressy or Poictiers. There is a certain romance of Ferumbras, which -Robert the Bruce read to his few followers, to divert their thoughts -from the desperate circumstances in which they were placed, after an -unsuccessful attempt to rise against the English. Is there a true -Scotsman who, being aware of this anecdote, would be disposed to yawn -over the romance of Ferumbras? Or, on the contrary, would not the -image of the dauntless hero, inflexible in defeat, beguiling the -anxiety of his war-worn attendants by the lays of the minstrel, give -to these rude lays themselves an interest beyond Greek and Roman -fame?" - - -The year 1812 had the usual share of minor literary labors--such as -contributions to the journals; and before it closed, the Romance of -Rokeby was finished. Though it had been long in hand, the MS. sent -to the printer bears abundant evidence of its being the _prima -cura_: three cantos at least reached Ballantyne through the Melrose -post--written on paper of various sorts and sizes--full of blots and -interlineations--the closing couplets of a despatch now and then -encircling the page, and mutilated by the breaking of the seal. - -According to the recollection of Mr. Cadell, though James Ballantyne -read the poem, as the sheets were advancing through the press, to -his usual circle of literary _dilettanti_, their whispers were far -from exciting in Edinburgh such an intensity of expectation as had -been witnessed in the case of The Lady of the Lake. He adds, -however, that it was looked for with undiminished anxiety in the -south. "Send me _Rokeby_," Byron writes to Murray on seeing it -advertised,--"Who the devil is he? No matter--he has good -connections, and will be well introduced."[14] Such, I suppose, was -the general feeling in London. I well remember, being in those days -a young student at Oxford, how the booksellers' shops there were -beleaguered for the earliest copies, and how he that had been so -fortunate as to secure one was followed to his chambers by a tribe -of friends, all as eager to hear it read as ever horse-jockeys were -to see the conclusion of a match at Newmarket; and indeed not a few -of those enthusiastic academics had bets depending on the issue of -the struggle, which they considered the elder favorite as making, to -keep his own ground against the fiery rivalry of Childe Harold. - -The poem was published a day or two before Scott returned to -Edinburgh from Abbotsford, between which place and Mertoun he had -divided his Christmas vacation. On the 9th and 10th of January, -1813, he thus addresses his friends at Sunning Hill and Hampstead:-- - - -TO GEORGE ELLIS, ESQ. - -MY DEAR ELLIS,--I am sure you will place it to anything rather than -want of kindness that I have been so long silent--so very long, indeed, -that I am not quite sure whether the fault is on my side or yours--but, -be it what it may, it can never, I am sure, be laid to forgetfulness in -either. This comes to train you on to the merciful reception of a Tale -of the Civil Wars; not political, however, but merely a pseudo-romance -of pseudo-chivalry. I have converted a lusty buccaneer into a hero with -some effect; but the worst of all my undertakings is, that my rogue -always, in despite of me, turns out my hero. I know not how this should -be. I am myself, as Hamlet says, "indifferent honest;" and my father, -though an attorney (as you will call him), was one of the most honest -men, as well as gentlemanlike, that ever breathed. I am sure I can bear -witness to that--for if he had at all _smacked_, or _grown to_, like the -son of Lancelot Gobbo, he might have left us all as rich as Croesus, -besides having the pleasure of taking a fine primrose path himself, -instead of squeezing himself through a tight gate and up a steep ascent, -and leaving us the decent competence of an honest man's children. As to -our more ancient pedigree, I should be loath to vouch for them. My -grandfather was a horse-jockey and cattle-dealer, and made a fortune; my -great-grandfather a Jacobite and traitor (as the times called him), and -lost one; and after him intervened one or two half-starved lairds, who -rode a lean horse, and were followed by leaner greyhounds; gathered with -difficulty a hundred pounds from a hundred tenants; fought duels; cocked -their hats,--and called themselves gentlemen. Then we come to the old -Border times, cattle-driving, halters, and so forth, for which, in the -matter of honesty, very little I suppose can be said--at least in modern -acceptation of the word. Upon the whole, I am inclined to think it is -owing to the earlier part of this inauspicious generation that I -uniformly find myself in the same scrape in my fables, and that, in -spite of the most obstinate determination to the contrary, the greatest -rogue in my canvas always stands out as the most conspicuous and -prominent figure. All this will be a riddle to you, unless you have -received a certain packet, which the Ballantynes were to have sent under -Freeling's or Croker's cover, so soon as they could get a copy done up. - -And now let me gratulate you upon the renovated vigor of your fine old -friends the Russians. By the Lord, sir! it is most famous, this -campaign of theirs. I was not one of the very sanguine persons who -anticipated the actual capture of Buonaparte--a hope which rather -proceeded from the ignorance of those who cannot conceive that -military movements, upon a large scale, admit of such a force being -accumulated upon any particular point as may, by abandonment of other -considerations, always insure the escape of an individual. But I had -no hope, in my time, of seeing the dry bones of the Continent so warm -with life again, as this revivification of the Russians proves them to -be. I look anxiously for the effect of these great events on Prussia, -and even upon Saxony; for I think Boney will hardly trust himself -again in Germany, now that he has been plainly shown, both in Spain -and Russia, that protracted, stubborn, unaccommodating resistance will -foil those grand exertions in the long run. All laud be to Lord -Wellington, who first taught that great lesson. - -Charlotte is with me just now at this little scrub habitation, where -we weary ourselves all day in looking at our projected improvements, -and then slumber over the fire, I pretending to read, and she to work -trout-nets, or cabbage-nets, or some such article. What is Canning -about? Is there any chance of our getting him in? Surely Ministers -cannot hope to do without him. Believe me, dear Ellis, ever truly -yours, - - W. SCOTT. - -ABBOTSFORD, 9th January, 1813. - - -TO MISS JOANNA BAILLIE. - - ABBOTSFORD, January 10, 1813. - -Your kind encouragement, my dear friend, has given me spirits to -complete the lumbering quarto, which I hope has reached you by this -time. I have gone on with my story _forth right_, without troubling -myself excessively about the development of the plot and other -critical matters-- - - "But shall we go mourn for that, my dear? - The pale moon shines by night; - And when we wander here and there, - We then do go most right." - -I hope you will like Bertram to the end; he is a Caravaggio sketch, -which, I may acknowledge to you--but tell it not in Gath--I rather -pique myself upon; and he is within the keeping of Nature, though -critics will say to the contrary. It may be difficult to fancy that -any one should take a sort of pleasure in bringing out such a -character, but I suppose it is partly owing to bad reading, and -ill-directed reading, when I was young. No sooner had I corrected the -last sheet of Rokeby, than I escaped to this Patmos as blithe as bird -on tree, and have been ever since most decidedly idle--that is to say, -with busy idleness. I have been banking, and securing, and diking -against the river, and planting willows, and aspens, and -weeping-birches, around my new old well, which I think I told you I -had constructed last summer. I have now laid the foundations of a -famous background of copse, with pendent trees in front; and I have -only to beg a few years to see how my colors will come out of the -canvas. Alas, who can promise that? But somebody will take my -place--and enjoy them, whether I do or no. My old friend and pastor, -Principal Robertson (the historian), when he was not expected to -survive many weeks, still watched the setting of the blossom upon some -fruit-trees in the garden with as much interest as if it was possible -he could have seen the fruit come to maturity, and moralized on his -own conduct, by observing that we act upon the same inconsistent -motive throughout life. It is well we do so for those that are to come -after us. I could almost dislike the man who refuses to plant -walnut-trees, because they do not bear fruit till the second -generation; and so--many thanks to our ancestors, and much joy to our -successors, and truce to my fine and very new strain of morality. -Yours ever, - - W. S. - - -The following letter lets us completely behind the scenes at the -publication of Rokeby. The "horrid story" it alludes to was that of -a young woman found murdered on New Year's Day in the highway -between Greta Bridge and Barnard Castle--a crime, the perpetrator of -which was never discovered. The account of a parallel atrocity in -Galloway, and the mode of its detection, will show the reader from -what source Scott drew one of the most striking incidents in his Guy -Mannering:-- - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ., ROKEBY PARK. - - EDINBURGH, 12th January, 1813. - -DEAR MORRITT,--Yours I have just received in mine office at the -Register-House, which will excuse this queer sheet of paper. The -publication of Rokeby was delayed till Monday, to give the London -publishers a fair start. My copies, that is, my friends', were all to -be got off about Friday or Saturday; but yours may have been a little -later, as it was to be what they call a picked one. I will call at -Ballantyne's as I return from this place, and close the letter with -such news as I can get about it there. The book has gone off here very -bobbishly, for the impression of 3000 and upwards is within two or -three score of being exhausted, and the demand for these continuing -faster than they can be boarded. I am heartily glad of this, for now I -have nothing to fear but a bankruptcy in the Gazette of Parnassus; but -the loss of five or six thousand pounds to my good friends and -school-companions would have afflicted me very much. I wish we could -whistle you here to-day. Ballantyne always gives a christening dinner, -at which the Duke of Buccleuch, and a great many of my friends, are -formally feasted. He has always the best singing that can be heard in -Edinburgh, and we have usually a very pleasant party, at which your -health as patron and proprietor of Rokeby will be faithfully and -honorably remembered. - -Your horrid story reminds me of one in Galloway, where the perpetrator -of a similar enormity on a poor idiot girl was discovered by means of -the print of his foot which he left upon the clay floor of the cottage -in the death struggle. It pleased Heaven (for nothing short of a -miracle could have done it) to enlighten the understanding of an old -ram-headed sheriff, who was usually nicknamed Leather-head. The steps -which he took to discover the murderer were most sagacious. As the -poor girl was pregnant (for it was not a case of violation), it was -pretty clear that her paramour had done the deed, and equally so that -he must be a native of the district. The sheriff caused the minister -to advertise from the pulpit that the girl would be buried on a -particular day, and that all persons in the neighborhood were invited -to attend the funeral, to show their detestation of such an enormous -crime, as well as to evince their own innocence. This was sure to -bring the murderer to the funeral. When the people were assembled in -the kirk, the doors were locked by the sheriff's order, and the shoes -of all the men were examined; that of the murderer was detected by the -measure of the foot, tread, etc., and a peculiarity in the mode in -which the sole of one of them had been patched. The remainder of the -curious chain of evidence upon which he was convicted will suit best -with twilight, or a blinking candle, being too long for a letter. The -fellow bore a most excellent character, and had committed this crime -for no other reason that could be alleged, than that, having been led -accidentally into an intrigue with this poor wretch, his pride -revolted at the ridicule which was likely to attend the discovery. - -On calling at Ballantyne's, I find, as I had anticipated, that your -copy, being of royal size, requires some particular nicety in -hot-pressing. It will be sent by the Carlisle mail _quam -primum_.--Ever yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - -P. S.--Love to Mrs. Morritt. John Ballantyne says he has just about -eighty copies left, out of 3250, this being the second day of -publication, and the book a two-guinea one. - - -It will surprise no one to hear that Mr. Morritt assured his friend -he considered Rokeby as the best of all his poems. The admirable, -perhaps the unique fidelity of the local descriptions, might alone -have swayed, for I will not say it perverted, the judgment of the -lord of that beautiful and thenceforth classical domain; and, -indeed, I must admit that I never understood or appreciated half the -charm of this poem until I had become familiar with its scenery. But -Scott himself had not designed to rest his strength on these -descriptions. He said to James Ballantyne while the work was in -progress (September 2), "I hope the thing will do, chiefly because -the world will not expect from _me_ a poem of which the interest -turns upon _character_;" and in another letter (October 28, 1812), -"I think you will see the same sort of difference taken in all my -former poems,--of which I would say, if it is fair for me to say -anything, that the force in the Lay is thrown on style--in Marmion, -on description--and in The Lady of the Lake, on incident."[15] I -suspect some of these distinctions may have been matters of -afterthought; but as to Rokeby, there can be no mistake. His own -original conceptions of some of its principal characters have been -explained in letters already cited; and I believe no one who -compares the poem with his novels will doubt that, had he undertaken -their portraiture in prose, they would have come forth with effect -hardly inferior to any of all the groups he ever created. As it is, -I question whether even in his prose there is anything more -exquisitely wrought out, as well as fancied, than the whole contrast -of the two rivals for the love of the heroine in Rokeby; and that -heroine herself, too, has a very particular interest attached to -her. Writing to Miss Edgeworth five years after this time (10th May, -1818), he says, "I have not read one of my poems since they were -printed, excepting last year The Lady of the Lake, which I liked -better than I expected, but not well enough to induce me to go -through the rest--so I may truly say with Macbeth-- - - 'I am afraid to think what I have done-- - Look on 't again I dare not.' - -"This much of _Matilda_ I recollect--(for that is not so easily -forgotten)--that she was attempted for the existing person of a lady -who is now no more, so that I am particularly flattered with your -distinguishing it from the others, which are in general mere -shadows."[16] I can have no doubt that the lady he here alludes to -was the object of his own unfortunate first love; and as little, -that in the romantic generosity, both of the youthful poet who fails -to win her higher favor, and of his chivalrous competitor, we have -before us something more than "a mere shadow." - -In spite of these graceful characters, the inimitable scenery on -which they are presented, and the splendid vivacity and thrilling -interest of several chapters in the story--such as the opening -interview of Bertram and Wycliffe--the flight up the cliff on the -Greta--the first entrance of the cave at Brignall--the firing of -Rokeby Castle--and the catastrophe in Eglistone Abbey;--in spite -certainly of exquisitely happy lines profusely scattered throughout -the whole composition, and of some detached images--that of the -setting of the tropical sun,[17] for example--which were never -surpassed by any poet; in spite of all these merits, the immediate -success of Rokeby was greatly inferior to that of The Lady of the -Lake; nor has it ever since been so much a favorite with the public -at large as any other of his poetical romances. He ascribes this -failure, in his Introduction of 1830, partly to the radically -unpoetical character of the Roundheads; but surely their character -has its poetical side also, had his prejudices allowed him to enter -upon its study with impartial sympathy; and I doubt not, Mr. Morritt -suggested the difficulty on this score, when the outline of the -story was as yet undetermined, from consideration rather of the -poet's peculiar feelings, and powers as hitherto exhibited, than of -the subject absolutely. Partly he blames the satiety of the public -ear, which had had so much of his rhythm, not only from himself, but -from dozens of mocking-birds, male and female, all more or less -applauded in their day, and now all equally forgotten.[18] This -circumstance, too, had probably no slender effect; the more that, in -defiance of all the hints of his friends, he now, in his narrative, -repeated (with more negligence) the uniform octosyllabic couplets of -The Lady of the Lake, instead of recurring to the more varied -cadence of the Lay or Marmion. It is fair to add that, among the -London circles at least, some sarcastic flings in Mr. Moore's -Twopenny Post Bag must have had an unfavorable influence on this -occasion.[19] But the cause of failure which the poet himself places -last was unquestionably the main one. The deeper and darker passion -of Childe Harold, the audacity of its morbid voluptuousness, and the -melancholy majesty of the numbers in which it defied the world, had -taken the general imagination by storm; and Rokeby, with many -beauties and some sublimities, was pitched, as a whole, on a key -which seemed tame in the comparison. - -I have already adverted to the fact that Scott felt it a relief, not -a fatigue, to compose The Bridal of Triermain _pari passu_ with -Rokeby. In answer, for example, to one of James Ballantyne's -letters, urging accelerated speed with the weightier romance, he -says, "I fully share in your anxiety to get forward the grand work; -but, I assure you, I feel the more confidence from coquetting with -the guerilla." - -The quarto of Rokeby was followed, within two months, by the small -volume which had been designed for a twin birth;--the MS. had been -transcribed by one of the Ballantynes themselves, in order to guard -against any indiscretion of the press-people; and the mystification, -aided and abetted by Erskine, in no small degree heightened the -interest of its reception. Except Mr. Morritt, Scott had, so far as -I am aware, no English confidant upon this occasion. Whether any of -his daily companions in the Parliament House were in the secret, I -have never heard; but I can scarcely believe that any of those -intimate friends, who had known him and Erskine from their youth -upwards, could have for a moment believed the latter capable either -of the invention or the execution of this airy and fascinating -romance in little. Mr. Jeffrey, for whom chiefly "the trap had been -set," was far too sagacious to be caught in it; but, as it happened, -he made a voyage that year to America, and thus lost the opportunity -of immediately expressing his opinion either of Rokeby or of The -Bridal of Triermain. The writer in the Quarterly Review (July, 1813) -seems to have been completely deceived. - - -"We have already spoken of it," says the critic, "as an imitation of -Mr. Scott's style of composition; and if we are compelled to make the -general approbation more precise and specific, we should say, that if -it be inferior in vigor to some of his productions, it equals or -surpasses them in elegance and beauty; that it is more uniformly -tender, and far less infected with the unnatural prodigies and -coarseness of the earlier romances. In estimating its merits, however, -we should forget that it is offered as an imitation. The diction -undoubtedly reminds us of a rhythm and cadence we have heard before; -but the sentiments, descriptions, and characters, have qualities that -are native and unborrowed." - - -If this writer was, as I suppose, Ellis, he probably considered it -as a thing impossible that Scott should have engaged in such a -scheme without giving him a hint of it; but to have admitted into -the secret any one who was likely to criticise the piece, would have -been to sacrifice the very object of the device. Erskine's own -suggestion, that "perhaps a quizzical review might be got up," led, -I believe, to nothing more important than a paragraph in one of the -Edinburgh newspapers. He may be pardoned for having been not a -little flattered to find it generally considered as not impossible -that he should have written such a poem; and I have heard James -Ballantyne say that nothing could be more amusing than the style of -his coquetting on the subject while it was yet fresh; but when this -first excitement was over, his natural feeling of what was due to -himself, as well as to his friend, dictated many a remonstrance; -and, though he ultimately acquiesced in permitting another minor -romance to be put forth in the same manner, he did so reluctantly, -and was far from acting his part so well. - -Scott says, in the Introduction to The Lord of the Isles, "As Mr. -Erskine was more than suspected of a taste for poetry, and as I took -care, in several places, to mix something that might resemble (as -far as was in my power) my friend's feeling and manner, the train -easily caught, and two large editions were sold." Among the passages -to which he here alludes are no doubt those in which the character -of the minstrel Arthur is shaded with the colorings of an almost -effeminate gentleness. Yet, in the midst of them, the "mighty -minstrel" himself, from time to time, escapes; as, for instance, -where the lover bids Lucy, in that exquisite picture of crossing a -mountain stream, trust to his "stalwart arm"-- - - "Which could yon oak's prone trunk uprear." - -Nor can I pass the compliment to Scott's own fair patroness, where -Lucy's admirer is made to confess, with some momentary lapse of -gallantry, that he - - "Ne'er won--best meed to minstrel true-- - One favoring smile from fair Buccleuch;" - -nor the burst of genuine Borderism,-- - - "Bewcastle now must keep the hold, - Speir-Adam's steeds must bide in stall, - Of Hartley-burn the bowmen bold - Must only shoot from battled wall; - And Liddesdale may buckle spur, - And Teviot now may belt the brand, - Tarras and Ewes keep nightly stir, - And Eskdale foray Cumberland." - -But, above all, the choice of the scenery, both of the Introductions -and of the story itself, reveals the early and treasured -predilections of the poet. For who that remembers the circumstances -of his first visit to the vale of St. John, but must see throughout -the impress of his own real romance? I own I am not without a -suspicion that, in one passage, which always seemed to me a blot -upon the composition--that in which Arthur derides the military -coxcombries of his rival-- - - "Who comes in foreign trashery - Of tinkling chain and spur, - A walking haberdashery - Of feathers, lace, and fur; - In Rowley's antiquated phrase, - Horse-milliner of modern days"-- - -there is a sly reference to the incidents of a certain ball, of -August, 1797, at the Gilsland Spa.[20] - -Among the more prominent Erskinisms, are the eulogistic mention of -Glasgow, the scene of Erskine's education; and the lines on -Collins--a supplement to whose Ode on the Highland Superstitions is, -as far as I know, the only specimen that ever was published of -Erskine's verse.[21] - -As a whole, The Bridal of Triermain appears to me as characteristic -of Scott as any of his larger poems. His genius pervades and -animates it beneath a thin and playful veil, which perhaps adds as -much of grace as it takes away of splendor. As Wordsworth says of -the eclipse on the lake of Lugano-- - - "'T is sunlight sheathed and gently charmed;" - -and I think there is at once a lightness and a polish of -versification beyond what he has elsewhere attained. If it be a -miniature, it is such a one as a Cooper might have hung fearlessly -beside the masterpieces of Vandyke. - -The Introductions contain some of the most exquisite passages he -ever produced; but their general effect has always struck me as -unfortunate. No art can reconcile us to contemptuous satire of the -merest frivolities of modern life--some of them already, in twenty -years, grown obsolete--interlaid between such bright visions of the -old world of romance, when - - "Strength was gigantic, valor high, - And wisdom soared beyond the sky, - And beauty had such matchless beam - As lights not now a lover's dream." - -The fall is grievous, from the hoary minstrel of Newark, and his -feverish tears on Killiecrankie, to a pathetic swain, who can stoop -to denounce as objects of his jealousy-- - - "The landaulet and four blood bays-- - The Hessian boot and pantaloon." - -Before Triermain came out, Scott had taken wing for Abbotsford; and -indeed he seems to have so contrived it in his earlier period, that -he should not be in Edinburgh when any unavowed work of his was -published; whereas, from the first, in the case of books that bore -his name on the title-page, he walked as usual to the Parliament -House, and bore all the buzz and tattle of friends and acquaintance -with an air of good-humored equanimity, or rather total apparent -indifference. The following letter, which contains some curious -matter of more kinds than one, was written partly in town and partly -in the country:-- - - -TO MISS JOANNA BAILLIE, HAMPSTEAD. - - EDINBURGH, March 13, 1813. - -MY DEAREST FRIEND,--The pinasters have arrived safe, and I can hardly -regret, while I am so much flattered by, the trouble you have had in -collecting them. I have got some wild larch-trees from Loch Katrine, -and both are to be planted next week, when, God willing, I shall be at -Abbotsford to superintend the operation. I have got a little corner of -ground laid out for a nursery, where I shall rear them carefully till -they are old enough to be set forth to push their fortune on the banks -of Tweed.--What I shall finally make of this villa-work I don't know, -but in the mean time it is very entertaining. I shall have to resist -very flattering invitations this season; for I have received hints, -from more quarters than one, that my bow would be acceptable at -Carlton House in case I should be in London, which is very flattering, -especially as there were some prejudices to be got over in that -quarter. I should be in some danger of giving new offence, too; for, -although I utterly disapprove of the present rash and ill-advised -course of the princess, yet, as she always was most kind and civil to -me, I certainly could not, as a gentleman, decline obeying any -commands she might give me to wait upon her, especially in her present -adversity. So, though I do not affect to say I should be sorry to take -an opportunity of peeping at the splendors of royalty, prudence and -economy will keep me quietly at home till another day. My great -amusement here this some time past has been going almost nightly to -see John Kemble, who certainly is a great artist. It is a pity he -shows too much of his machinery. I wish he could be double-capped, as -they say of watches;--but the fault of too much study certainly does -not belong to many of his tribe. He is, I think, very great in those -parts especially where character is tinged by some acquired and -systematic habits, like those of the Stoic philosophy in Cato and -Brutus, or of misanthropy in Penruddock; but sudden turns and natural -bursts of passion are not his forte. I saw him play Sir Giles -Overreach (the Richard III. of middling life) last night; but he came -not within a hundred miles of Cooke, whose terrible visage, and short, -abrupt, and savage utterance, gave a reality almost to that -extraordinary scene in which he boasts of his own successful villainy -to a nobleman of worth and honor, of whose alliance he is ambitious. -Cooke contrived somehow to impress upon the audience the idea of such -a monster of enormity as had learned to pique himself even upon his -own atrocious character. But Kemble was too handsome, too plausible, -and too smooth, to admit its being probable that he should be blind to -the unfavorable impression which these extraordinary vaunts are likely -to make on the person whom he is so anxious to conciliate. - - - ABBOTSFORD, 21st March. - -This letter, begun in Edinburgh, is to take wing from Abbotsford. John -Winnos (now John Winnos is the sub-oracle of Abbotsford, the principal -being Tom Purdie)--John Winnos pronounces that the pinaster seed ought -to be raised at first on a hot-bed, and thence transplanted to a -nursery; so to a hot-bed they have been carefully consigned, the upper -oracle not objecting, in respect his talent lies in catching a salmon, -or finding a hare sitting--on which occasions (being a very complete -Scrub) he solemnly exchanges his working jacket for an old green one -of mine, and takes the air of one of Robin Hood's followers. His more -serious employments are ploughing, harrowing, and overseeing all my -premises; being a complete Jack-of-all-trades, from the carpenter to -the shepherd, nothing comes strange to him; and being extremely -honest, and somewhat of a humorist, he is quite my right hand. I -cannot help singing his praises at this moment, because I have so many -odd and out-of-the-way things to do, that I believe the conscience of -many of our jog-trot countrymen would revolt at being made my -instrument in sacrificing good corn-land to the visions of Mr. Price's -theory. Mr. Pinkerton, the historian, has a play coming out at -Edinburgh; it is by no means bad poetry, yet I think it will not be -popular; the people come and go, and speak very notable things in good -blank verse, but there is no very strong interest excited; the plot -also is disagreeable, and liable to the objections (though in a less -degree) which have been urged against the Mysterious Mother; it is to -be acted on Wednesday; I will let you know its fate. P., with whom I -am in good habits, showed the MS., but I referred him, with such -praise as I could conscientiously bestow, to the players and the -public. I don't know why one should take the task of damning a man's -play out of the hands of the proper tribunal. Adieu, my dear friend. I -have scarce room for love to Miss, Mrs., and Dr. B. - - W. SCOTT. - - -To this I add a letter to Lady Louisa Stuart, who had sent him a -copy of these lines, found by Lady Douglas on the back of a tattered -bank-note:-- - - "Farewell, my note, and wheresoe'er ye wend, - Shun gaudy scenes, and be the poor man's friend. - You've left a poor one; go to one as poor, - And drive despair and hunger from his door." - -It appears that these noble friends had adopted, or feigned to -adopt, the belief that The Bridal of Triermain was a production of -Mr. R. P. Gillies--who had about this time published an imitation of -Lord Byron's Romaunt, under the title of Childe Alarique. - - -TO THE LADY LOUISA STUART, BOTHWELL CASTLE. - - ABBOTSFORD, 28th April, 1813. - -DEAR LADY LOUISA,--Nothing can give me more pleasure than to hear from -you, because it is both a most acceptable favor to me, and also a sign -that your own spirits are recovering their tone. Ladies are, I think, -very fortunate in having a resource in work at a time when the mind -rejects intellectual amusement. Men have no resource but striding up -and down the room, like a bird that beats itself to pieces against the -bars of its cage; whereas needle-work is a sort of sedative, too -mechanical to worry the mind by distracting it from the points on -which its musings turn, yet gradually assisting it in regaining -steadiness and composure; for so curiously are our bodies and minds -linked together, that the regular and constant employment of the -former on any process, however dull and uniform, has the effect of -tranquillizing, where it cannot disarm, the feelings of the other. I -am very much pleased with the lines on the guinea note, and if Lady -Douglas does not object, I would willingly mention the circumstance in -the Edinburgh Annual Register. I think it will give the author great -delight to know that his lines had attracted attention, and _had_ sent -the paper on which they were recorded, "heaven-directed, to the -poor." Of course I would mention no names. There was, as your Ladyship -may remember, some years since, a most audacious and determined murder -committed on a porter belonging to the British Linen Company's Bank at -Leith, who was stabbed to the heart in broad daylight, and robbed of a -large sum in notes.[22] If ever this crime comes to light, it will be -through the circumstance of an idle young fellow having written part -of a playhouse song on one of the notes, which, however, has as yet -never appeared in circulation. - -I am very glad you like Rokeby, which is nearly out of fashion and -memory with me. It has been wonderfully popular, about ten thousand -copies having walked off already, in about three months, and the -demand continuing faster than it can be supplied. As to my imitator, -the Knight of Triermain, I will endeavor to convey to Mr. Gillies -(_puisque Gillies il est_) your Ladyship's very just strictures on the -Introduction to the second Canto. But if he takes the opinion of a -hacked old author like myself, he will content himself with avoiding -such bevues in future, without attempting to mend those which are -already made. There is an ominous old proverb which says, _Confess and -be hanged_; and truly if an author acknowledges his own blunders, I do -not know who he can expect to stand by him; whereas, let him confess -nothing, and he will always find some injudicious admirers to -vindicate even his faults. So that I think after publication the -effect of criticism should be prospective, in which point of view I -dare say Mr. G. will take your friendly hint, especially as it is -confirmed by that of the best judges who have read the poem.--Here is -beautiful weather for April! an absolute snow-storm mortifying me to -the core by retarding the growth of all my young trees and -shrubs.--Charlotte begs to be most respectfully remembered to your -Ladyship and Lady D. We are realizing the nursery tale of the man and -his wife who lived in a vinegar bottle, for our only sitting-room is -just twelve feet square, and my Eve alleges that I am too big for our -paradise. To make amends, I have created a tolerable garden, occupying -about an English acre, which I begin to be very fond of. When one -passes forty, an addition to the quiet occupations of life becomes of -real value, for I do not hunt and fish with quite the relish I did ten -years ago. Adieu, my dear Lady Louisa, and all good attend you. - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXV. - -[1: The epitaph of this favorite greyhound may be seen on -the edge of the bank, a little way below the house of Abbotsford.] - -[2: The Reverend Alexander Dyce says, "N. T. stands for -_Nathaniel Thompson_, the Tory bookseller, who published these -_Loyal Poems_."--(1839.)] - -[3: An edition of the British Dramatists had, I believe, -been projected by Mr. Terry.] - -[4: Mr. Thomson died 8th January, 1838, before the -publication of the first edition of these Memoirs had been -completed.--(1839.)] - -[5: _Reminiscences of Sir Walter Scott_, p. 56.] - -[6: [From a passage in a letter to Lady Abercorn, written -September 10, 1818, on the return from a similar journey (see -_Familiar Letters_, vol. ii. p. 24), it seems probable that some at -least of the incidents of this visit belong to that of the later -date.]] - -[7: This alluded to a ridiculous hunter of lions, who, -being met by Mr. Morritt in the grounds at Rokeby, disclaimed all -taste for picturesque beauties, but overwhelmed their owner with -Homeric Greek; of which he had told Scott.] - -[8: _Burnfoot_ is the name of a farmhouse on the Buccleuch -estate, not far from Langholm, where the late Sir John Malcolm and -his distinguished brothers were born. Their grandfather had, I -believe, found refuge there after forfeiting a good estate and an -ancient baronetcy in the _affair_ of 1715. A monument to the gallant -General's memory has recently been erected near the spot of his -birth.] - -[9: _3d King Henry VI._ Act I. Scene 4.] - -[10: See _Life of Dryden_, Scott's _Miscellaneous Prose -Works_, vol. i. p. 293.] - -[11: _Much Ado about Nothing_, Act IV. Scene 2.] - -[12: Several of these letters having been enclosed in -franked covers, which have perished, I am unable to affix the exact -dates to them.] - -[13: The Rev. Alexander Dyce informs me that _nine_ of -Carey's pieces were printed in 1771, for J. Murray of Fleet Street, -in a quarto of thirty-five pages, entitled _Poems from a MS. written -in the time of Oliver Cromwell_. This rare tract had never fallen -into Scott's hands.--(1839.)] - -[14: Byron's _Life and Works_, vol. ii. p. 169.] - -[15: Several letters to Ballantyne on the same subject are -quoted in the notes to the last edition of _Rokeby_. See Scott's -_Poetical Works_, 1834, vol. ix. pp. 1-3; and especially the note on -p. 300, from which it appears that the closing stanza was added, in -deference to Ballantyne and Erskine, though the author retained his -own opinion that "it spoiled one effect without producing another."] - -[16: [See _Familiar Letters_, vol. ii. p. 16.]] - -[17: - - "My noontide, India may declare; - Like her fierce sun, I fired the air! - Like him, to wood and cave bid fly - Her natives, from mine angry eye. - And now, my race of terror ran, - Mine be the eye of tropic sun! - No pale gradations quench his ray, - No twilight dews his wrath allay; - With disk like battle-target red, - He rushes to his burning bed. - Dyes the wide wave with bloody light, - Then sinks at once--and all is night."--_Canto_ vi. 21.] - -[18: "Scott found peculiar favor and imitation among the -fair sex. There was Miss Holford, and Miss Mitford, and Miss -Francis; but, with the greatest respect be it spoken, none of his -imitators did much honor to the original except Hogg, the Ettrick -Shepherd, until the appearance of _The Bridal of Triermain_ and -_Harold the Dauntless_, which, in the opinion of some, equalled if -not surpassed him; and, lo! after three or four years, they turned -out to be the master's own compositions."--Byron, vol. xv. p. 96.] - -[19: See, for instance, the Epistle of Lady Corke--or that -of Messrs. Lackington, booksellers, to one of their dandy authors,-- - - "Should you feel any touch of _poetical_ glow, - We've a scheme to suggest--Mr. Scott, you must know - (Who, we're sorry to say it, now works for the _Row_), - Having quitted the Borders to seek new renown, - Is coming by long Quarto stages to town, - And beginning with Rokeby (the job's sure to pay), - Means to do all the gentlemen's seats on the way. - Now the scheme is, though none of our hackneys can beat him, - To start a new Poet through Highgate to meet him; - Who by means of quick proofs--no revises--long coaches-- - May do a few Villas before Scott approaches; - Indeed if our Pegasus be not curst shabby, - He'll reach, without foundering, at least Woburn-Abbey," etc., etc.] - -[20: See _ante_, vol. i. p. 246.] - -[21: It is included in the _Border Minstrelsy_, vol. i. p. -270.] - -[22: This murder, perpetrated in November, 1806, remains a -mystery in 1836. The porter's name was Begbie. [See _Familiar -Letters_, vol. i. p. 63.]] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - - AFFAIRS OF JOHN BALLANTYNE AND CO. -- CAUSES OF THEIR - DERANGEMENT. --LETTERS OF SCOTT TO HIS PARTNERS. -- NEGOTIATION - FOR RELIEF WITH MESSRS. CONSTABLE. -- NEW PURCHASE OF LAND AT - ABBOTSFORD. --EMBARRASSMENTS CONTINUED. -- JOHN BALLANTYNE'S - EXPRESSES. --DRUMLANRIG, PENRITH, ETC. -- SCOTT'S MEETING WITH - THE MARQUIS OF ABERCORN AT LONGTOWN. -- HIS APPLICATION TO THE - DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH. --OFFER OF THE POET-LAUREATESHIP, -- - CONSIDERED, -- AND DECLINED. --ADDRESS OF THE CITY OF EDINBURGH - TO THE PRINCE REGENT. -- ITS RECEPTION. -- CIVIC HONORS CONFERRED - ON SCOTT. -- QUESTION OF TAXATION ON LITERARY INCOME. -- LETTERS - TO MR. MORRITT, MR. SOUTHEY, MR. RICHARDSON, MR. CRABBE, MISS - BAILLIE, AND LORD BYRON - -1813 - - -About a month after the publication of The Bridal of Triermain, the -affairs of the Messrs. Ballantyne, which had never apparently been -in good order since the establishment of the bookselling firm, -became so embarrassed as to call for Scott's most anxious efforts to -disentangle them. Indeed, it is clear that there had existed some -very serious perplexity in the course of the preceding autumn; for -Scott writes to John Ballantyne, while Rokeby was in progress -(August 11, 1812),--"I have a letter from James, very anxious about -your health and state of spirits. If you suffer the present -inconveniences to depress you too much, you are wrong; and if you -conceal any part of them, are very unjust to us all. I am always -ready to make any sacrifices to do justice to engagements, and would -rather sell anything, or everything, than be less than true men to -the world." - -[Illustration: ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE - -_From the painting by Raeburn_] - -I have already, perhaps, said enough to account for the general want -of success in this publishing adventure; but Mr. James Ballantyne -sums up the case so briefly in his deathbed paper, that I may here -quote his words. "My brother," he says, "though an active and -pushing, was not a cautious bookseller, and the large sums received -never formed an addition to stock. In fact, they were all expended -by the partners, who, being then young and sanguine men, not -unwillingly adopted my brother's hasty results. By May, 1813, in a -word, the absolute throwing away of our own most valuable -publications, and the rash adoption of some injudicious speculations -of Mr. Scott, had introduced such losses and embarrassments, that -after a very careful consideration, Mr. Scott determined to dissolve -the concern." He adds: "This became a matter of less difficulty, -because time had in a great measure worn away the differences -between Mr. Scott and Mr. Constable, and Mr. Hunter was now out of -Constable's concern.[23] A peace, therefore, was speedily made up, -and the old habits of intercourse were restored." - -How reluctantly Scott had made up his mind to open such a -negotiation with Constable, as involved a complete exposure of the -mismanagement of John Ballantyne's business as a publisher, will -appear from a letter dated about the Christmas of 1812, in which he -says to James, who had proposed asking Constable to take a share -both in Rokeby and in the Annual Register, "You must be aware, that -in stating the objections which occur to me to taking in Constable, -I think they ought to give way either to absolute necessity or to -very strong grounds of advantage. But I _am_ persuaded nothing -ultimately good can be expected from any connection with that -house, unless for those who have a mind to be hewers of wood and -drawers of water. We will talk the matter coolly over, and, in the -mean while, perhaps you could see W. Erskine, and learn what -impression this odd union is like to make among your friends. -Erskine is sound-headed, and quite to be trusted with _your whole -story_. I must own I can hardly think the purchase of the Register -is equal to the loss of credit and character which your surrender -will be conceived to infer." At the time when he wrote this, Scott -no doubt anticipated that Rokeby would have success not less -decisive than The Lady of the Lake; but in this expectation--though -10,000 copies in three months would have seemed to any other author -a triumphant sale--he had been disappointed. And meanwhile the -difficulties of the firm, accumulating from week to week, had -reached, by the middle of May, a point which rendered it absolutely -necessary for him to conquer all his scruples. - -Mr. Cadell, then Constable's partner, says in his -_Memoranda_,--"Prior to this time the reputation of John Ballantyne -and Co. had been decidedly on the decline. It was notorious in the -trade that their general speculations had been unsuccessful; they -were known to be grievously in want of money. These rumors were -realized to the full by an application which Messrs. B. made to Mr. -Constable in May, 1813, for pecuniary aid, accompanied by an offer -of some of the books they had published since 1809, as a purchase, -along with various shares in Mr. Scott's own poems. Their -difficulties were admitted, and the negotiation was pressed -urgently; so much so, that a pledge was given, that if the terms -asked were acceded to, John Ballantyne and Co. would endeavor to -wind up their concerns, and cease as soon as possible to be -publishers." Mr. Cadell adds: "I need hardly remind you that this -was a period of very great general difficulty in the money market. -It was the crisis of the war. The public expenditure had reached an -enormous height; and even the most prosperous mercantile houses were -often pinched to sustain their credit. It may easily, therefore, be -supposed that the Messrs. Ballantyne had during many months besieged -every banker's door in Edinburgh, and that their agents had done the -like in London." - -The most important of the requests which the laboring house made to -Constable was that he should forthwith take entirely to himself the -stock, copyright, and future management of the Edinburgh Annual -Register. Upon examining the state of this book, however, Constable -found that the loss on it had never been less than £1000 per annum, -and he therefore declined that matter for the present. He promised, -however, to consider seriously the means he might have of ultimately -relieving them from the pressure of the Register, and, in the mean -time, offered to take 300 sets of the stock on hand. The other -purchases he finally made on the 18th of May were considerable -portions of Weber's unhappy Beaumont and Fletcher--of an edition of -De Foe's novels in twelve volumes--of a collection entitled Tales of -the East in three large volumes, 8vo, double-columned--and of -another in one volume, called Popular Tales--about 800 copies of The -Vision of Don Roderick--and a fourth of the remaining copyright of -Rokeby, price £700. The immediate accommodation thus received -amounted to £2000; and Scott, who had personally conducted the -latter part of the negotiation, writes thus to his junior partner, -who had gone a week or two earlier to London in quest of some -similar assistance there:-- - - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE, CARE OF MESSRS. LONGMAN & CO., LONDON. - - PRINTING-OFFICE, May 18, 1813. - -DEAR JOHN,--After many _offs_ and _ons_, and as many _projets_ and -_contre-projets_ as the treaty of Amiens, I have at length concluded -a treaty with Constable, in which I am sensible he has gained a great -advantage;[24] but what could I do amidst the disorder and pressure of -so many demands? The arrival of your long-dated bills decided my -giving in, for what could James or I do with them? I trust this -sacrifice has cleared our way, but many rubs remain; nor am I, after -these hard skirmishes, so able to meet them by my proper credit. -Constable, however, will be a zealous ally; and for the first time -these many weeks I shall lay my head on a quiet pillow, for now I do -think that, by our joint exertions, we shall get well through the -storm, save Beaumont from depreciation, get a partner in our heavy -concerns, reef our topsails, and move on securely under an easy sail. -And if, on the one hand, I have sold my gold too cheap, I have, on the -other, turned my lead to gold. Brewster[25] and Singers[26] are the -only heavy things to which I have not given a blue eye. Had your news -of Cadell's sale[27] reached us here, I could not have harpooned my -grampus so deeply as I have done, as nothing but Rokeby would have -barbed the hook. - -Adieu, my dear John. I have the most sincere regard for you, and you -may depend on my considering your interest with quite as much -attention as my own. If I have ever expressed myself with irritation -in speaking of this business, you must impute it to the sudden, -extensive, and unexpected embarrassments in which I found myself -involved all at once. If to your real goodness of heart and integrity, -and to the quickness and acuteness of your talents, you added habits -of more universal circumspection, and, above all, the courage to tell -disagreeable truths to those whom you hold in regard, I pronounce that -the world never held such a man of business. These it must be your -study to add to your other good qualities. Meantime, as some one says -to Swift, I love you with all your failings. Pray make an effort and -love me with all mine. Yours truly, - - W. S. - - -Three days afterwards Scott resumes the subject as follows:-- - - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE, LONDON. - - EDINBURGH, 21st May, 1813. - -DEAR JOHN,--Let it never escape your recollection, that shutting your -own eyes, or blinding those of your friends, upon the actual state of -business, is the high road to ruin. Meanwhile, we have recovered our -legs for a week or two. Constable will, I think, come in to the -Register. He is most anxious to maintain the printing-office; he sees -most truly that the more we print the less we publish; and for the -same reason he will, I think, help us off with our heavy quire-stock. - -I was aware of the distinction between the _state_ and the _calendar_ -as to the latter including the printing-office bills, and I summed and -docked them (they are marked with red ink), but there is still a -difference of £2000 and upwards on the calendar against the business. -I sometimes fear that, between the long dates of your bills, and the -tardy settlements of the Edinburgh trade, some difficulties will occur -even in June; and July I always regard with deep anxiety. As for loss, -if I get out without public exposure, I shall not greatly regard the -rest. Radcliffe the physician said, when he lost £2000 on the South -Sea scheme, it was only going up 2000 pair of stairs; I say, it is -only writing 2000 couplets, and the account is balanced. More of this -hereafter. Yours truly, - - W. SCOTT. - -P. S.--James has behaved very well during this whole transaction, and -has been most steadily attentive to business. I am convinced that the -more he works the better his health will be. One or other of you will -need to be constantly in the printing-office henceforward,--it is the -sheet-anchor. - - -The allusion in this _postscript_ to James Ballantyne's health -reminds me that Scott's letters to himself are full of hints on that -subject, even from a very early period of their connection; and -these hints are all to the same effect. James was a man of lazy -habits, and not a little addicted to the more solid, and perhaps -more dangerous, part of the indulgences of the table. One letter -(dated Ashestiel, 1810) will be a sufficient specimen:-- - - -TO MR. JAMES BALLANTYNE. - -MY DEAR JAMES,--I am very sorry for the state of your health, and -should be still more so, were I not certain that I can prescribe for -you as well as any physician in Edinburgh. You have naturally an -athletic constitution and a hearty stomach, and these agree very ill -with a sedentary life and the habits of indolence which it brings on. -Your stomach thus gets weak; and from those complaints of all others -arise most certainly flatulence, hypochondria, and all the train of -unpleasant feelings connected with indigestion. We all know the -horrible sensation of the nightmare arises from the same cause which -gives those waking nightmares commonly called the blue devils. You -must positively put yourself on a regimen as to eating, not for a -month or two, but for a year at least, and take regular exercise--and -my life for yours. I know this by myself, for if I were to eat and -drink in town as I do here, it would soon finish me, and yet I am -sensible I live too genially in Edinburgh as it is. Yours very truly, - - W. SCOTT. - - -Among Scott's early pets at Abbotsford there was a huge raven, -whose powers of speech were remarkable, far beyond any parrot's that -he had ever met with; and who died in consequence of an excess of -the kind to which James Ballantyne was addicted. Thenceforth, Scott -often repeated to his old friend, and occasionally scribbled by way -of postscript to his notes on business-- - - "When you are craving, - Remember the Raven." - -Sometimes the formula is varied to-- - - "When you've dined half, - Think on poor Ralph!" - -His preachments of regularity in book-keeping to John, and of -abstinence from good cheer to James Ballantyne, were equally vain; -but on the other hand it must be allowed that they had some reason -for displeasure--(the more felt, because they durst not, like him, -express their feelings)[28]--when they found that scarcely had these -"hard skirmishes" terminated in the bargain of May 18, before Scott -was preparing fresh embarrassments for himself, by commencing a -negotiation for a considerable addition to his property at -Abbotsford. As early as the 20th of June he writes to Constable as -being already aware of this matter, and alleges his anxiety "to -close at once with a very capricious person," as the only reason -that could have induced him to make up his mind to sell the whole -copyright of an as yet unwritten poem, to be entitled The Nameless -Glen. This copyright he then offered to dispose of to Constable for -£5000; adding, "this is considerably less in proportion than I have -already made on the share of Rokeby sold to yourself, and surely -that is no unfair admeasurement." A long correspondence ensued, in -the course of which Scott mentions The Lord of the Isles, as a title -which had suggested itself to him in place of The Nameless Glen; but -as the negotiation did not succeed, I may pass its details. The new -property which Scott was so eager to acquire was that hilly tract -stretching from the old Roman road near Turn-again towards the -Cauldshiels Loch: a then desolate and naked mountain-mere, which he -likens, in a letter of this summer (to Lady Louisa Stuart), to the -Lake of the Genie and the Fisherman in the Arabian Tale. To obtain -this lake at one extremity of his estate, as a contrast to the Tweed -at the other, was a prospect for which hardly any sacrifice would -have appeared too much; and he contrived to gratify his wishes in -the course of that July, to which he had spoken of himself in May as -looking forward "with the deepest anxiety." - -Nor was he, I must add, more able to control some of his minor -tastes. I find him writing to Mr. Terry, on the 20th of June, about -"that splendid lot of ancient armor, advertised by Winstanley," a -celebrated auctioneer in London, of which he had the strongest fancy -to make his spoil, though he was at a loss to know where it should -be placed when it reached Abbotsford; and on the 2d of July, this -acquisition also having been settled, he says to the same -correspondent: "I have written to Mr. Winstanley. My bargain with -Constable was otherwise arranged, but Little John is to find the -needful article, and I shall take care of Mr. Winstanley's interest, -who has behaved too handsomely in this matter to be trusted to the -mercy of our little friend the Picaroon, who is, notwithstanding his -many excellent qualities, a little on the score of old Gobbo--doth -somewhat smack--somewhat grow to.[29] We shall be at Abbotsford on -the 12th, and hope soon to see you there. I am fitting up a small -room above _Peter-House_, where an unceremonious bachelor may -consent to do penance, though the place is a cock-loft, and the -access that which leads many a bold fellow to his last nap--a -ladder."[30] And a few weeks later, he says, in the same sort, to -his sister-in-law, Mrs. Thomas Scott: "In despite of these hard -times, which affect my patrons the booksellers very much, I am -buying old books and old armor as usual, and adding to what your old -friend Burns[31] calls-- - - 'A fouth of auld nick-nackets, - Rusty airn caps and jingling jackets, - Wad haud the Lothians three in tackets - A towmont gude, - And parritch-pats and auld saut-backets, - Before the flude.'" - -Notwithstanding all this, it must have been with a most uneasy mind -that he left Edinburgh to establish himself at Abbotsford that July. -The assistance of Constable had not been granted, indeed it had not -been asked, to an extent at all adequate for the difficulties of the -case; and I have now to transcribe, with pain and reluctance, some -extracts from Scott's letters, during the ensuing autumn, which -speak the language of anxious, and, indeed, humiliating distress; -and give a most lively notion of the incurable recklessness of his -younger partner. - - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE. - - ABBOTSFORD, Saturday, 24th July. - -DEAR JOHN,--I sent you the order, and have only to hope it arrived -safe and in good time. I waked the boy at three o'clock myself, -having slept little, less on account of the money than of the time. -Surely you should have written, three or four days before, the -probable amount of the deficit, and, as on former occasions, I would -have furnished you with means of meeting it. These expresses, besides -every other inconvenience, excite surprise in my family and in the -neighborhood. I know no justifiable occasion for them but the -unexpected return of a bill. I do not consider you as answerable for -the success of plans, but I do and must hold you responsible for -giving me, in distinct and plain terms, your opinion as to any -difficulties which may occur, and that in such time that I may make -arrangements to obviate them if possible. - -Of course, if anything has gone wrong you will come out here -to-morrow. But if, as I hope and trust, the cash arrived safe, you -will write to me, under cover to the Duke of Buccleuch, Drumlanrig -Castle, Dumfries-shire. I shall set out for that place on Monday -morning early. - - W. S. - - -TO MR. JAMES BALLANTYNE. - - ABBOTSFORD, 25th July, 1813. - -DEAR JAMES,--I address the following jobation for John to you, that -you may see whether I do not well to be angry, and enforce upon him -the necessity of constantly writing his fears as well as his hopes. -You should rub him often on this point, for his recollection becomes -rusty the instant I leave town and am not in the way to rack him with -constant questions. I hope the presses are doing well, and that you -are quite stout again. Yours truly, - - W. S. - - -(_Enclosure._) - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE. - -MY GOOD FRIEND JOHN,--The post brings me no letter from you, which I -am much surprised at, as you must suppose me anxious to learn that -your express arrived. I think he must have reached you before -post-hours, and James or you _might_ have found a minute to say so in -a single line. I once more request that you will be a businesslike -correspondent, and state your provisions for every week prospectively. -I do not expect you to _warrant them_, which you rather perversely -seem to insist is my wish, but I do want to be aware of their nature -and extent, that I may provide against the possibility of miscarriage. -The calendar, to which you refer me, tells me what sums are due, but -cannot tell your shifts to pay them, which are naturally altering with -circumstances, and of which alterations I request to have due notice. -You say you _could not suppose_ Sir W. Forbes would have refused the -long dated bills; but that you _had_ such an apprehension is clear, -both because in the calendar these bills were rated two months lower, -and because, three days before, you wrote me an enigmatical expression -of your apprehensions, instead of saying plainly there was a chance of -your wanting £350, when I would have sent you an order to be used -conditionally. - -All I desire is unlimited confidence and frequent correspondence, and -that you will give me weekly at least the fullest anticipation of your -resources, and the probability of their being effectual. I may be -disappointed in my own, of which you shall have equally timeous -notice. Omit no exertions to procure the use of money, even for a -month or six weeks, for time is most precious. The large balance due -in January from the trade, and individuals, which I cannot reckon at -less than £4000, will put us finally to rights; and it will be a shame -to founder within sight of harbor. The greatest risk we run is from -such ill-considered despatches as those of Friday. Suppose that I had -gone to Drumlanrig--suppose the pony had set up--suppose a thousand -things--and we were ruined for want of your telling your apprehensions -in due time. Do not plague yourself to vindicate this sort of -management; but if you have escaped the consequences (as to which you -have left me uncertain), thank God, and act more cautiously another -time. It was quite the same to me on what day I sent that draft; -indeed it must have been so if I had the money in my cash account, and -if I had not, the more time given me to provide it the better. - -Now, do not affect to suppose that my displeasure arises from your not -having done your utmost to realize funds, and that utmost having -failed. It is one mode, to be sure, of exculpation, to suppose one's -self accused of something they are not charged with, and then to make -a querulous or indignant defence, and complain of the injustice of the -accuser. The head and front of your offending is precisely your not -writing explicitly, and I request this may not happen again. It is -your fault, and I believe arises either from an ill-judged idea of -smoothing matters to me--as if I were not behind the curtain--or a -general reluctance to allow that any danger is near, until it is -almost unparriable. I shall be very sorry if anything I have said -gives you pain; but the matter is too serious for all of us, to be -passed over without giving you my explicit sentiments. To-morrow I set -out for Drumlanrig, and shall not hear from you till Tuesday or -Wednesday. Make yourself master of the post-town--Thornhill, probably, -or Sanquhar. As Sir W. F. & Co. have cash to meet my order, nothing, I -think, can have gone wrong, unless the boy perished by the way. -Therefore, in faith and hope, and--that I may lack none of the -Christian virtues--in charity with your dilatory worship, I remain -very truly yours, - - W. S. - - -Scott proceeded, accordingly, to join a gay and festive circle, whom -the Duke of Buccleuch had assembled about him on first taking -possession of the magnificent Castle of Drumlanrig, in Nithsdale, -the principal messuage of the dukedom of Queensberry, which had -recently lapsed into his family. But, _post equitem sedet atra -cura_--another of John Ballantyne's unwelcome missives, rendered -necessary by a neglect of precisely the same kind as before, reached -him in the midst of this scene of rejoicing. On the 31st, he again -writes:-- - - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE, BOOKSELLER, EDINBURGH. - - DRUMLANRIG, Friday. - -DEAR JOHN,--I enclose the order. Unfortunately, the Drumlanrig post -only goes thrice a week; but the Marquis of Queensberry, who carries -this to Dumfries, has promised that the guard of the mail-coach shall -deliver it by five to-morrow. I was less anxious, as your note said -you could clear this month. It is a cruel thing that no State you -furnish excludes the arising of such unexpected claims as this for the -taxes on the printing-office. What unhappy management, to suffer them -to run ahead in such a manner!--but it is in vain to complain. Were it -not for your strange concealments, I should anticipate no difficulty -in winding up these matters. But who can reckon upon a State where -claims are kept out of view until they are in the hands of a _writer_? -If you have no time to say that _this_ comes safe to hand, I suppose -James may favor me so far. Yours truly, - - W. S. - - -Let the guard be rewarded. - -Let me know exactly what you _can_ do and _hope_ to do for next -month; for it signifies nothing raising money for you, unless I see -it is to be of real service. Observe, I make you responsible for -nothing but a fair statement.[32] The guard is known to the Marquis, -who has good-naturedly promised to give him this letter with his own -hand; so it must reach you in time, though probably past five on -Saturday. - -Another similar application reached Scott the day after the guard -delivered his packet. He writes thus, in reply: - - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE. - - DRUMLANRIG, Sunday. - -DEAR JOHN,--I trust you got my letter yesterday by five, with the -draft enclosed. I return your draft accepted. On Wednesday I think of -leaving this place, where, but for these damned affairs, I should have -been very happy. - - W. S. - - -Scott had been for some time under an engagement to meet the Marquis -of Abercorn at Carlisle, in the first week of August, for the -transaction of some business connected with his brother Thomas's -late administration of that nobleman's Scottish affairs; and he had -designed to pass from Drumlanrig to Carlisle for this purpose, -without going back to Abbotsford. In consequence of these repeated -harassments, however, he so far altered his plans as to cut short -his stay at Drumlanrig, and turn homewards for two or three days, -where James Ballantyne met him with such a statement as in some -measure relieved his mind. - -He then proceeded to fulfil his engagement with Lord Abercorn, whom -he encountered travelling in a rather peculiar style between -Carlisle and Longtown. The ladies of the family and the household -occupied four or five carriages, all drawn by the Marquis's own -horses, while the noble Lord himself brought up the rear, mounted on -horseback, and decorated with the ribbon of the order of the Garter. -On meeting the cavalcade, Scott turned with them, and he was not a -little amused when they reached the village of Longtown, which he -had ridden through an hour or two before, with the preparations -which he found there made for the dinner of the party. The Marquis's -major-domo and cook had arrived there at an early hour in the -morning, and everything was now arranged for his reception in the -paltry little public house, as nearly as possible in the style usual -in his own lordly mansions. The ducks and geese that had been -dabbling three or four hours ago in the village pond were now ready -to make their appearance under numberless disguises as _entrées_; a -regular bill-of-fare flanked the noble Marquis's allotted cover; -every huckaback towel in the place had been pressed to do service as -a napkin; and, that nothing might be wanting to the mimicry of -splendor, the landlady's poor remnants of crockery and pewter had -been furbished up, and mustered in solemn order on a crazy old -beauffet, which was to represent a sideboard worthy of Lucullus. I -think it worth while to preserve this anecdote, which Scott -delighted in telling, as perhaps the last relic of a style of -manners now passed away, and never likely to be revived among us. - -Having despatched this dinner and his business, Scott again turned -southwards, intending to spend a few days with Mr. Morritt at -Rokeby; but on reaching Penrith, the landlord there, who was his old -acquaintance (Mr. Buchanan), placed a letter in his hands: _ecce -iterum_--it was once more a cry of distress from John Ballantyne. He -thus answered it:-- - - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE. - - PENRITH, August 10, 1813. - -DEAR JOHN,--I enclose you an order for £350. I shall remain at Rokeby -until Saturday or Sunday, and be at Abbotsford on Wednesday at latest. - -I hope the printing-office is going on well. I fear, from the state of -accompts between the companies, restrictions on the management and -expense will be unavoidable, which may trench upon James's comforts. I -cannot observe hitherto that the printing-office is paying off, but -rather adding to its embarrassments; and it cannot be thought that I -have either means or inclination to support a losing concern at the -rate of £200 a month. If James could find a monied partner, an active -man who understood the commercial part of the business, and would -superintend the conduct of the cash, it might be the best for all -parties; for I really am not adequate to the fatigue of mind which -these affairs occasion me, though I must do the best to struggle -through them. - -Believe me yours, etc. - - W. S. - - -At Brough he encountered a messenger who brought him such a painful -account of Mrs. Morritt's health, that he abandoned his intention of -proceeding to Rokeby; and, indeed, it was much better that he should -be at Abbotsford again as soon as possible, for his correspondence -shows a continued succession, during the three or four ensuing -weeks, of the same annoyances that had pursued him to Drumlanrig and -to Penrith. By his desire, the Ballantynes had, it would seem, -before the middle of August, laid a statement of their affairs -before Constable. Though the statement was not so clear and full as -Scott had wished it to be, Constable, on considering it, at once -assured them, that to go on raising money in driblets would never -effectually relieve them; that, in short, one or both of the -companies must stop, unless Mr. Scott could find means to lay his -hand, without farther delay, on at least £4000; and I gather that, -by way of inducing Constable himself to come forward with part at -least of this supply, John Ballantyne again announced his intention -of forthwith abandoning the bookselling business altogether, and -making an effort to establish himself--on a plan which Constable had -shortly before suggested--as an auctioneer in Edinburgh. The -following letters need no comment:-- - - -TO MR. JOHN BALLANTYNE. - - ABBOTSFORD, August 16, 1813. - -DEAR JOHN,--I am quite satisfied it is impossible for J. B. and Co. -to continue business longer than is absolutely necessary for the sale -of stock and extrication of their affairs. The fatal injury which -their credit has sustained, as well as your adopting a profession in -which I sincerely hope you will be more fortunate, renders the closing -of the bookselling business inevitable. With regard to the printing, -it is my intention to retire from that also, so soon as I can possibly -do so with safety to myself, and with the regard I shall always -entertain for James's interest. Whatever loss I may sustain will be -preferable to the life I have lately led, when I seem surrounded by a -sort of magic circle, which neither permits me to remain at home in -peace, nor to stir abroad with pleasure. Your first exertion as an -auctioneer may probably be on "that distinguished, select, and -inimitable collection of books, made by an amateur of this city -retiring from business." I do not feel either health or confidence in -my own powers sufficient to authorize me to take a long price for a -new poem, until these affairs shall have been in some measure -digested. This idea has been long running in my head, but the late -fatalities which have attended this business have quite decided my -resolution. I will write to James to-morrow, being at present annoyed -with a severe headache. - -Yours truly, - - W. SCOTT. - - -Were I to transcribe all the letters to which these troubles gave -rise, I should fill a volume before I had reached the end of another -twelvemonth. The two next I shall quote are dated on the same day -(the 24th August), which may, in consequence of the answer the -second of them received, be set down as determining the crisis of -1813. - - -TO MR. JAMES BALLANTYNE. - - ABBOTSFORD, 24th August, 1813. - -DEAR JAMES,--Mr. Constable's advice is, as I have always found it, -sound, sensible, and friendly,--and I shall be guided by it. But I -have no wealthy friend who would join in security with me to such an -extent; and to apply in quarters where I might be refused would insure -disclosure. I conclude John has shown Mr. C. the state of the affairs; -if not, I would wish him to do so directly. If the proposed -accommodation could be granted to the firm on my personally joining in -the security, the whole matter would be quite safe, for I have to -receive in the course of the winter some large sums from my father's -estate.[33] Besides which, I shall certainly be able to go to press in -November with a new poem; or, if Mr. Constable's additional security -would please the bankers better, I could insure Mr. C. against the -possibility of loss, by assigning the copyrights, together with that -of the new poem, or even my library, in his relief. In fact, if he -looks into the affairs, he will I think see that there is no prospect -of any eventual loss to the creditors, though I may be a loser myself. -My property here is unincumbered; so is my house in Castle Street; and -I have no debts out of my own family, excepting a part of the price of -Abbotsford, which I am to retain for four years. So that, literally, I -have no claims upon me unless those arising out of this business; and -when it is considered that my income is above £2000 a year, even if -the printing-office pays nothing, I should hope no one can possibly be -a loser by me. - - Clerkship, £1300} - Sheriffdom, 300 } - Mrs. Scott, 200 } - Interest, 100 } - Somers, (say) 200 } - ______ - £2100 } - -I am sure I would strip myself to my shirt rather than it should be -the case; and my only reason for wishing to stop the concern was to do -open justice to all persons. It must have been a bitter pill to me. I -can more confidently expect some aid from Mr. Constable, or from -Longman's house, because they can look into the concern and satisfy -themselves how little chance there is of their being losers, which -others cannot do. Perhaps between them they might manage to assist us -with the credit necessary, and go on in winding up the concern by -occasional acceptances. - -An odd thing has happened. I have a letter, by order of the Prince -Regent, offering me the laureateship in the most flattering terms. -Were I my own man, as you call it, I would refuse this offer (with all -gratitude); but, as I am situated, £300 or £400 a year is not to be -sneezed at upon a point of poetical honor--and it makes me a better -man to that extent. I have not yet written, however. I will say little -about Constable's handsome behavior, but shall not forget it. It is -needless to say I shall wish him to be consulted in every step that is -taken. If I should lose all I advanced to this business, I should be -less vexed than I am at this moment. I am very busy with Swift at -present, but shall certainly come to town if it is thought necessary; -but I should first wish Mr. Constable to look into the affairs to the -bottom. Since I have personally superintended them, they have been -winding up very fast, and we are now almost within sight of harbor. I -will also own it was partly ill-humor at John's blunder last week that -made me think of throwing things up. - -Yours truly, - - W. S. - - -After writing and despatching this letter, an idea occurred to Scott -that there was a quarter, not hitherto alluded to in any of these -anxious epistles, from which he might consider himself as entitled -to ask assistance, not only with little, if any, chance of a -refusal, but (owing to particular circumstances) without incurring -any very painful sense of obligation. On the 25th he says to John -Ballantyne:-- - - -After some meditation, last night, it occurred to me I had some title -to ask the Duke of Buccleuch's guarantee to a cash account for £4000, -as Constable proposes. I have written to him accordingly, and have -very little doubt that he will be my surety. If this cash account be -in view, Mr. Constable will certainly _assist us_ until the necessary -writings are made out--I beg your pardon--I dare say I am very stupid; -but very often you don't consider that I can't follow details which -would be quite obvious to a man of business;--for instance, you tell -me daily, "that _if_ the sums I count upon _are_ forthcoming, the -results must be as I suppose." But--in a week--the scene is changed, -and all I can do, and more, is inadequate to bring about these -results. I protest I don't know if at this moment £4000 _will_ clear -us out. After all, you are vexed, and so am I; and it is needless to -wrangle who has a right to be angry. Commend me to James. - -Yours truly, - - W. S. - - -Having explained to the Duke of Buccleuch the position in which he -stood--obliged either to procure some guarantee which would enable -him to raise £4000, or to sell abruptly all his remaining interest -in the copyright of his works; and repeated the statement of his -personal property and income, as given in the preceding letter to -James Ballantyne--Scott says to his noble friend:-- - - -I am not asking nor desiring any loan from your Grace, but merely the -honor of your sanction to my credit as a good man for £4000; and the -motive of your Grace's interference would be sufficiently obvious to -the London Shylocks, as your constant kindness and protection is no -secret to the world. Will your Grace consider whether you can do what -I propose, in conscience and safety, and favor me with your answer?--I -have a very flattering offer from the Prince Regent, of his own free -motion, to make me poet laureate; I am very much embarrassed by it. I -am, on the one hand, afraid of giving offence where no one would -willingly offend, and perhaps losing an opportunity of smoothing the -way to my youngsters through life; on the other hand, the office is a -ridiculous one, somehow or other--they and I should be well -quizzed,--yet that I should not mind. My real feeling of reluctance -lies deeper--it is, that favored as I have been by the public, I -should be considered, with some justice, I fear, as engrossing a petty -emolument which might do real service to some poorer brother of the -Muses. I shall be most anxious to have your Grace's advice on this -subject. There seems something churlish, and perhaps conceited, in -repelling a favor so handsomely offered on the part of the Sovereign's -representative; and on the other hand, I feel much disposed to shake -myself free from it. I should make but a bad courtier, and an -ode-maker is described by Pope as a poet out of his way or out of his -senses. I will find some excuse for protracting my reply till I can -have the advantage of your Grace's opinion; and remain, in the mean -time, very truly your obliged and grateful - - WALTER SCOTT. - -P. S.--I trust your Grace will not suppose me capable of making such a -request as the enclosed, upon any idle or unnecessary speculation; -but, as I stand situated, it is a matter of deep interest to me to -prevent these copyrights from being disposed of either hastily or at -under prices. I could have half the booksellers in London for my -sureties, on a hint of a new poem; but bankers do not like people in -trade, and my brains are not ready to spin another web. So your Grace -must take me under your princely care, as in the days of lang syne; -and I think I can say, upon the sincerity of an honest man, there is -not the most distant chance of your having any trouble or expense -through my means. - - -The Duke's answer was in all respects such as might have been looked -for from the generous kindness and manly sense of his character. - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., ABBOTSFORD. - - DRUMLANRIG CASTLE, August 28, 1813. - -MY DEAR SIR,--I received yesterday your letter of the 24th. I shall -with pleasure comply with your request of guaranteeing the £4000. You -must, however, furnish me with the form of a letter to this effect, as -I am completely ignorant of transactions of this nature. - -I am never willing to _offer_ advice, but when my opinion is asked by -a friend I am ready to give it. As to the offer of his Royal Highness -to appoint you laureate, I shall frankly say that I should be -mortified to see you hold a situation which, by the general -concurrence of the world, is stamped ridiculous. There is no good -reason why this should be so; but so it is. _Walter Scott, Poet -Laureate_, ceases to be the Walter Scott of the Lay, Marmion, etc. Any -future poem of yours would not come forward with the same probability -of a successful reception. The poet laureate would stick to you and -your productions like a piece of _court plaster_. Your muse has -hitherto been independent--don't put her into harness. We know how -lightly she trots along when left to her natural paces, but do not try -driving. I would write frankly and openly to his Royal Highness, but -with respectful gratitude, for he _has_ paid you a compliment. I would -not fear to state that you had hitherto written when in poetic mood, -but feared to trammel yourself with a fixed periodical exertion; and I -cannot but conceive that his Royal Highness, who has much taste, will -at once see the many objections which you must have to his proposal, -but which you cannot write. Only think of being chaunted and -recitatived by a parcel of hoarse and squeaking choristers on a -birthday, for the edification of the bishops, pages, maids of honor, -and gentlemen-pensioners! Oh horrible! thrice horrible! Yours -sincerely, - - BUCCLEUCH, ETC. - - -The letter which first announced the Prince Regent's proposal was -from his Royal Highness's librarian, Dr. James Stanier Clarke; but -before Scott answered it he had received a more formal notification -from the late Marquis of Hertford, then Lord Chamberlain. I shall -transcribe both these documents. - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., EDINBURGH. - - PAVILION, BRIGHTON, August 18, 1813. - -MY DEAR SIR,--Though I have never had the honor of being introduced to -you, you have frequently been pleased to convey to me very kind and -flattering messages,[34] and I trust, therefore, you will allow me, -without any further ceremony, to say--That I took an early opportunity -this morning of seeing the Prince Regent, who arrived here late -yesterday; and I then delivered to his Royal Highness my earnest wish -and anxious desire that the vacant situation of poet laureate might be -conferred on you. The Prince replied, "that you had already been -written to, and that if you wished it, everything would be settled as -I could desire." - -I hope, therefore, I may be allowed to congratulate you on this event. -You are the man to whom it ought first to have been offered, and it -gave me sincere pleasure to find that those sentiments of high -approbation which my Royal Master had so often expressed towards you -in private, were now so openly and honorably displayed in public. Have -the goodness, dear sir, to receive this intrusive letter with your -accustomed courtesy, and believe me, yours very sincerely, - - J. S. CLARKE, - -Librarian to H. R. H., the Prince Regent. - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., EDINBURGH. - - RAGLEY, 31st August, 1813. - -SIR,--I thought it my duty to his Royal Highness, the Prince Regent, -to express to him my humble opinion that I could not make so -creditable a choice as in your person for the office, now vacant, of -poet laureate. I am now authorized to offer it to you, which I would -have taken an earlier opportunity of doing, but that, till this -morning, I have had no occasion of seeing his Royal Highness since Mr. -Pye's death. I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient, humble -servant, - - INGRAM HERTFORD. - - -The following letters conclude this matter:-- - -TO THE MOST NOBLE THE MARQUIS OF HERTFORD, ETC., ETC., RAGLEY, -WARWICKSHIRE. - - ABBOTSFORD, 4th September. - -MY LORD,--I am this day honored with your Lordship's letter of the -31st August, tendering for my acceptance the situation of poet -laureate in the Royal Household. I shall always think it the highest -honor of my life to have been the object of the good opinion implied -in your Lordship's recommendation, and in the gracious acquiescence of -his Royal Highness, the Prince Regent. I humbly trust I shall not -forfeit sentiments so highly valued, although I find myself under the -necessity of declining, with every acknowledgment of respect and -gratitude, a situation above my deserts, and offered to me in a manner -so very flattering. The duties attached to the office of poet laureate -are not indeed very formidable, if judged of by the manner in which -they have sometimes been discharged. But an individual selected from -the literary characters of Britain, upon the honorable principle -expressed in your Lordship's letter, ought not, in justice to your -Lordship, to his own reputation, but above all to his Royal Highness, -to accept of the office, unless he were conscious of the power of -filling it respectably, and attaining to excellence in the execution -of the tasks which it imposes. This confidence I am so far from -possessing, that, on the contrary, with all the advantages which do -now, and I trust ever will, present themselves to the poet whose task -it may be to commemorate the events of his Royal Highness's -administration, I am certain I should feel myself inadequate to the -fitting discharge of the regularly recurring duty of periodical -composition, and should thus at once disappoint the expectation of the -public, and, what would give me still more pain, discredit the -nomination of his Royal Highness. - -Will your Lordship permit me to add, that though far from being -wealthy, I already hold two official situations in the line of my -profession, which afford a respectable income. It becomes me, -therefore, to avoid the appearance of engrossing one of the few -appointments which seem specially adapted for the provision of those -whose lives have been dedicated exclusively to literature, and who too -often derive from their labors more credit than emolument. - -Nothing could give me greater pain than being thought ungrateful to -his Royal Highness's goodness, or insensible to the honorable -distinction his undeserved condescension has been pleased to bestow -upon me. I have to trust to your Lordship's kindness for laying at the -feet of his Royal Highness, in the way most proper and respectful, my -humble, grateful, and dutiful thanks, with these reasons for declining -a situation which, though every way superior to my deserts, I should -chiefly have valued as a mark of his Royal Highness's approbation. - -For your Lordship's unmerited goodness, as well as for the trouble you -have had upon this occasion, I can only offer you my respectful -thanks, and entreat that you will be pleased to believe me, my Lord -Marquis, your Lordship's much obliged and much honored humble servant, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH, ETC., DRUMLANRIG CASTLE. - - ABBOTSFORD, September 5, 1813. - -MY DEAR LORD DUKE,--Good advice is easily followed when it jumps with -our own sentiments and inclinations. I no sooner found mine fortified -by your Grace's opinion than I wrote to Lord Hertford, declining the -laurel in the most civil way I could imagine. I also wrote to the -Prince's librarian, who had made himself active on the occasion, -dilating, at somewhat more length than I thought respectful to the -Lord Chamberlain, my reasons for declining the intended honor. My -wife has made a copy of the last letter, which I enclose for your -Grace's perusal: there is no occasion either to preserve or return -it--but I am desirous you should know what I have put my apology upon, -for I may reckon on its being misrepresented. I certainly should never -have survived the recitative described by your Grace: it is a part of -the etiquette I was quite unprepared for, and should have sunk under -it. It is curious enough that Drumlanrig should always have been the -refuge of bards who decline court promotion. Gay, I think, refused to -be a gentleman-usher, or some such post;[35] and I am determined to -abide by my post of Grand Ecuyer Trenchant of the Chateau, varied for -that of tale-teller of an evening. - -I will send your Grace a copy of the letter of guarantee when I -receive it from London. By an arrangement with Longman and Co., the -great booksellers in Paternoster Row, I am about to be enabled to -place their security, as well as my own, between your Grace and the -possibility of hazard. But your kind readiness to forward a -transaction which is of such great importance both to my fortune and -comfort can never be forgotten--although it can scarce make me more -than I have always been, my dear Lord, your Grace's much obliged and -truly faithful, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -(_Copy--Enclosure._) - -TO THE REV. J. S. CLARKE, ETC., ETC., ETC., PAVILION, BRIGHTON. - - ABBOTSFORD, 4th September, 1813. - -SIR,--On my return to this cottage, after a short excursion, I was at -once surprised and deeply interested by the receipt of your letter. I -shall always consider it as the proudest incident of my life that his -Royal Highness, the Prince Regent, whose taste in literature is so -highly distinguished, should have thought of naming me to the -situation of poet laureate. I feel, therefore, no small embarrassment -lest I should incur the suspicion of churlish ingratitude in declining -an appointment in every point of view so far above my deserts, but -which I should chiefly have valued as conferred by the unsolicited -generosity of his Royal Highness, and as entitling me to the -distinction of terming myself an immediate servant of his Majesty. But -I have to trust to your goodness in representing to his Royal -Highness, with my most grateful, humble, and dutiful acknowledgments, -the circumstances which compel me to decline the honor which his -undeserved favor has proposed for me. The poetical pieces I have -hitherto composed have uniformly been the hasty production of -impulses, which I must term fortunate, since they have attracted his -Royal Highness's notice and approbation. But I strongly fear, or -rather am absolutely certain, that I should feel myself unable to -justify, in the eye of the public, the choice of his Royal Highness, -by a fitting discharge of the duties of an office which requires -stated and periodical exertion. And although I am conscious how much -this difficulty is lessened under the government of his Royal -Highness, marked by paternal wisdom at home and successes abroad which -seem to promise the liberation of Europe, I still feel that the -necessity of a regular commemoration would trammel my powers of -composition at the very time when it would be equally my pride and -duty to tax them to the uttermost. There is another circumstance which -weighs deeply in my mind while forming my present resolution. I have -already the honor to hold two appointments under Government, not -usually conjoined, and which afford an income, far indeed from wealth, -but amounting to decent independence. I fear, therefore, that in -accepting one of the few situations which our establishment holds -forth as the peculiar provision of literary men, I might be justly -censured as availing myself of his Royal Highness's partiality to -engross more than my share of the public revenue, to the prejudice of -competitors equally meritorious at least, and otherwise unprovided -for; and as this calculation will be made by thousands who know that I -have reaped great advantages by the favor of the public, without being -aware of the losses which it has been my misfortune to sustain, I may -fairly reckon that it will terminate even more to my prejudice than if -they had the means of judging accurately of my real circumstances. I -have thus far, sir, frankly exposed to you, for his Royal Highness's -favorable consideration, the feelings which induce me to decline an -appointment offered in a manner so highly calculated to gratify, I -will not say my vanity only, but my sincere feelings of devoted -attachment to the crown and constitution of my country, and to the -person of his Royal Highness, by whom its government has been so -worthily administered. No consideration on earth would give me so much -pain as the idea of my real feelings being misconstrued on this -occasion, or that I should be supposed stupid enough not to estimate -the value of his Royal Highness's favor, or so ungrateful as not to -feel it as I ought. And you will relieve me from great anxiety if you -will have the goodness to let me know if his Royal Highness is pleased -to receive favorably my humble and grateful apology. - -I cannot conclude without expressing my sense of your kindness and of -the trouble you have had upon this account, and I request you will -believe me, sir, your obliged humble servant, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO ROBERT SOUTHEY, ESQ., KESWICK. - - ABBOTSFORD, 4th September, 1813. - -MY DEAR SOUTHEY,--On my return here I found, to my no small surprise, -a letter tendering me the laurel vacant by the death of the poetical -Pye. I have declined the appointment, as being incompetent to the task -of annual commemoration; but chiefly as being provided for in my -professional department, and unwilling to incur the censure of -engrossing the emolument attached to one of the few appointments which -seems proper to be filled by a man of literature who has no other -views in life. Will you forgive me, my dear friend, if I own I had you -in my recollection? I have given Croker the hint, and otherwise -endeavored to throw the office into your option. I am uncertain if you -will like it, for the laurel has certainly been tarnished by some of -its wearers, and, as at present managed, its duties are inconvenient -and somewhat liable to ridicule. But the latter matter might be -amended, as I think the Regent's good sense would lead him to lay -aside these regular commemorations; and as to the former point, it has -been worn by Dryden of old, and by Warton in modern days. If you quote -my own refusal against me, I reply--first, I have been luckier than -you in holding two offices not usually conjoined; secondly, I did not -refuse it from any foolish prejudice against the situation, otherwise -how durst I mention it to you, my elder brother in the muse?--but from -a sort of internal hope that they would give it to you, upon whom it -would be so much more worthily conferred. For I am not such an ass as -not to know that you are my better in poetry, though I have had, -probably but for a time, the tide of popularity in my favor. I have -not time to add ten thousand other reasons, but I only wished to tell -you how the matter was, and to beg you to think before you reject the -offer which I flatter myself will be made to you. If I had not been, -like Dogberry, a fellow with two gowns already, I should have jumped -at it like a cock at a gooseberry. Ever yours most truly, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -Immediately after Mr. Croker received Scott's letter here alluded -to, Mr. Southey was invited to accept the vacant laurel. But, as the -birthday ode had been omitted since the illness of King George III., -and the Regent had good sense and good taste enough to hold that -ancient custom as "more honored in the breach than the observance," -the whole fell completely into disuse.[36] The office was thus -relieved from the burden of ridicule which had, in spite of so many -illustrious names, adhered to it; and though its emoluments did not -in fact amount to more than a quarter of the sum at which Scott -rated them when he declined it, they formed no unacceptable addition -to Mr. Southey's income. Scott's answer to his brother poet's -affectionate and grateful letter on the conclusion of this affair is -as follows:-- - - -TO R. SOUTHEY, ESQ., KESWICK. - - EDINBURGH, November 13, 1813. - -I do not delay, my dear Southey, to say my _gratulor_. Long may you -live, as Paddy says, to rule over us, and to redeem the crown of -Spenser and of Dryden to its pristine dignity. I am only discontented -with the extent of your royal revenue, which I thought had been £400, -or £300 at the very least. Is there no getting rid of that iniquitous -modus, and requiring the _butt_ in kind? I would have you think of it; -I know no man so well entitled to Xeres sack as yourself, though many -bards would make a better figure at drinking it. I should think that -in due time a memorial might get some relief in this part of the -appointment--it should be at least, £100 wet and £100 dry. When you -have carried your point of discarding the ode, and my point of getting -the sack, you will be exactly in the situation of Davy in the farce, -who stipulates for more wages, less work, and the key of the -ale-cellar.[37] I was greatly delighted with the circumstances of your -investiture. It reminded me of the porters at Calais with Dr. -Smollett's baggage, six of them seizing upon one small portmanteau, -and bearing it in triumph to his lodgings. You see what it is to laugh -at the superstitions of a gentleman-usher, as I think you do -somewhere. "The whirligig of time brings in his revenges."[38] - -Adieu, my dear Southey; my best wishes attend all that you do, and my -best congratulations every good that attends you--yea even this, the -very least of Providence's mercies, as a poor clergyman said when -pronouncing grace over a herring. I should like to know how the Prince -received you; his address is said to be excellent, and his knowledge -of literature far from despicable. What a change of fortune even since -the short time when we met! The great work of retribution is now -rolling onward to consummation, yet am I not fully satisfied--_pereat -iste_!--there will be no permanent peace in Europe till Buonaparte -sleeps with the tyrants of old. My best compliments attend Mrs. -Southey and your family. - -Ever yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -To avoid returning to the affair of the laureateship, I have placed -together such letters concerning it as appeared important. I regret -to say that, had I adhered to the chronological order of Scott's -correspondence, ten out of every twelve letters between the date of -his application to the Duke of Buccleuch, and his removal to -Edinburgh on the 12th of November, would have continued to tell the -same story of pecuniary difficulty, urgent and almost daily -applications for new advances to the Ballantynes, and endeavors, -more or less successful, but in no case effectually so, to relieve -the pressure on the bookselling firm by sales of its heavy stock to -the great publishing houses of Edinburgh and London. Whatever -success these endeavors met with, appears to have been due either -directly or indirectly to Mr. Constable; who did a great deal more -than prudence would have warranted, in taking on himself the results -of its unhappy adventures,--and, by his sagacious advice, enabled -the distressed partners to procure similar assistance at the hands -of others, who did not partake his own feelings of personal kindness -and sympathy. "I regret to learn," Scott writes to him on the 16th -October, "that there is great danger of your exertions in our favor, -which once promised so fairly, proving finally abortive, or at least -being too tardy in their operation to work out our relief. If -anything more can be honorably and properly done to avoid a most -unpleasant shock, I shall be most willing to do it; if not--God's -will be done! There will be enough of property, including my private -fortune, to pay every claim; and I have not used prosperity so ill, -as greatly to fear adversity. But these things we will talk over at -meeting; meanwhile believe me, with a sincere sense of your kindness -and friendly views, very truly yours, W. S."--I have no wish to -quote more largely from the letters which passed during this crisis -between Scott and his partners. The pith and substance of his, to -John Ballantyne at least, seems to be summed up in one brief -_postscript_: "For God's sake treat me as a man, and not as a -milch-cow!" - -The difficulties of the Ballantynes were by this time well known -throughout the commercial circles not only of Edinburgh, but of -London; and a report of their actual bankruptcy, with the addition -that Scott was engaged as their surety to the extent of £20,000, -found its way to Mr. Morritt about the beginning of November. This -dear friend wrote to him, in the utmost anxiety, and made liberal -offers of assistance in case the catastrophe might still be -averted; but the term of Martinmas, always a critical one in -Scotland, had passed before this letter reached Edinburgh, and -Scott's answer will show symptoms of a clearing horizon. I think -also there is one expression in it which could hardly have failed to -convey to Mr. Morritt that his friend was involved, more deeply than -he had ever acknowledged, in the concerns of the Messrs. Ballantyne. - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ., ROKEBY PARK. - - EDINBURGH, 20th November, 1813. - -I did not answer your very kind letter, my dear Morritt, until I could -put your friendly heart to rest upon the report you have heard, which -I could not do entirely until this term of Martinmas was passed. I -have the pleasure to say that there is no truth whatever in the -Ballantynes' reported bankruptcy. They have had severe difficulties -for the last four months to make their resources balance the demands -upon them, and I, having the price of Rokeby, and other monies in -their hands, have had considerable reason for apprehension, and no -slight degree of plague and trouble. They have, however, been so well -supported, that I have got out of hot water upon their account. They -are winding up their bookselling concern with great regularity, and -are to abide hereafter by the printing-office, which, with its stock, -etc., will revert to them fairly. - -I have been able to redeem the offspring of my brain, and they are -like to pay me like grateful children. This matter has set me -a-thinking about money more seriously than ever I did in my life, and -I have begun by insuring my life for £4000, to secure some ready cash -to my family should I slip girths suddenly. I think my other property, -library, etc., may be worth about £12,000, and I have not much debt. - -Upon the whole, I see no prospect of any loss whatever. Although in -the course of human events I may be disappointed, there certainly -_can_ be none to vex your kind and affectionate heart on my account. I -am young, with a large official income, and if I lose anything now, I -have gained a great deal in my day. I cannot tell you, and will not -attempt to tell you, how much I was affected by your letter--so much, -indeed, that for several days I could not make my mind up to express -myself on the subject. Thank God! all real danger was yesterday put -over--and I will write, in two or three days, a funny letter, without -any of these vile cash matters, of which it may be said there is no -living with them nor without them. - -Ever yours, most truly, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -All these annoyances produced no change whatever in Scott's habits of -literary industry. During these anxious months of September, October, -and November, he kept feeding James Ballantyne's press, from day to day, -both with the annotated text of the closing volumes of Swift's works, -and with the MS. of his Life of the Dean. He had also proceeded to -mature in his own mind the plan of The Lord of the Isles, and executed -such a portion of the First Canto as gave him confidence to renew his -negotiation with Constable for the sale of the whole, or part of its -copyright. It was, moreover, at this period, that, looking into an old -cabinet in search of some fishing-tackle, his eye chanced to light once -more on the Ashestiel fragment of Waverley.--He read over those -introductory chapters--thought they had been undervalued--and determined -to finish the story. - -All this while, too, he had been subjected to those interruptions -from idle strangers, which from the first to the last imposed so -heavy a tax on his celebrity; and he no doubt received such guests -with all his usual urbanity of attention. Yet I was not surprised to -discover, among his hasty notes to the Ballantynes, several of -tenor akin to the following specimens:-- - - - "September 2, 1813. - -"My temper is really worn to a hair's breadth. The intruder of -yesterday hung on me till twelve to-day. When I had just taken my pen, -he was relieved, like a sentry leaving guard, by two other lounging -visitors; and their post has now been supplied by some people on real -business." - - -Again:-- - - "Monday evening. - - "Oh James! oh James! Two Irish dames - Oppress me very sore; - I groaning send one sheet I've penned-- - For, hang them! there's no more." - -A scrap of nearly the same date to his brother Thomas may be -introduced, as belonging to the same state of feeling:-- - - -DEAR TOM,--I observe what you say as to Mr. ****; and as you may -often be exposed to similar requests, which it would be difficult to -parry, you can sign such letters of introduction as relate to persons -whom you do not delight to honor short, _T. Scott_; by which -abridgment of your name I shall understand to limit my civilities. - - -It is proper to mention that, in the very agony of these -perplexities, the unfortunate Maturin received from him a timely -succor of £50, rendered doubly acceptable by the kind and judicious -letter of advice in which it was enclosed; and I have before me -ample evidence that his benevolence had been extended to other -struggling brothers of the trade, even when he must often have had -actual difficulty to meet the immediate expenditure of his own -family. All this, however, will not surprise the reader. - -Nor did his general correspondence suffer much interruption; and, -as some relief after so many painful details, I shall close the -narrative of this anxious year by a few specimens of his -miscellaneous communications:-- - - -TO MISS JOANNA BAILLIE, HAMPSTEAD. - - ABBOTSFORD, September 12, 1813. - -MY DEAR MISS BAILLIE,--I have been a vile lazy correspondent, having -been strolling about the country, and indeed a little way into -England, for the greater part of July and August; in short, "aye -skipping here and there," like the Tanner of Tamworth's horse. Since I -returned, I have had a gracious offer of the laurel on the part of the -Prince Regent. You will not wonder that I have declined it, though -with every expression of gratitude which such an unexpected compliment -demanded. Indeed, it would be high imprudence in one having literary -reputation to maintain, to accept of an offer which obliged him to -produce a poetical exercise on a given theme twice a year; and -besides, as my loyalty to the royal family is very sincere, I would -not wish to have it thought mercenary. The public has done its part by -me very well, and so has Government: and I thought this little -literary provision ought to be bestowed on one who has made literature -his sole profession. If the Regent means to make it respectable, he -will abolish the foolish custom of the annual odes, which is a -drudgery no person of talent could ever willingly encounter--or come -clear off from, if he was so rash. And so, peace be with the laurel, - - "Profaned by Cibber and contemned by Gray." - -I was for a fortnight at Drumlanrig, a grand old chateau, which has -descended, by the death of the late Duke of Queensberry, to the Duke -of Buccleuch. It is really a most magnificent pile, and when embosomed -amid the wide forest scenery, of which I have an infantine -recollection, must have been very romantic. But old Q. made wild -devastation among the noble trees, although some fine ones are still -left, and a quantity of young shoots are, in despite of the want of -every kind of attention, rushing up to supply the places of the -fathers of the forest from whose stems they are springing. It will now -I trust be in better hands, for the reparation of the castle goes hand -in hand with the rebuilding of all the cottages, in which an aged race -of pensioners of Duke Charles, and his pious wife,--"Kitty, blooming, -young and gay,"--have, during the last reign, been pining into -rheumatisms and agues, in neglected poverty. - -All this is beautiful to witness: the indoor work does not please me -so well, though I am aware that, to those who are to inhabit an old -castle, it becomes often a matter of necessity to make alterations by -which its tone and character are changed for the worse. Thus a noble -gallery, which ran the whole length of the front, is converted into -bedrooms--very comfortable, indeed, but not quite so magnificent; and -as grim a dungeon as ever knave or honest man was confined in, is in -some danger of being humbled into a wine-cellar. It is almost -impossible to draw your breath, when you recollect that this, so many -feet under-ground, and totally bereft of air and light, was built for -the imprisonment of human beings, whether guilty, suspected, or merely -unfortunate. Certainly, if our frames are not so hardy, our hearts are -softer than those of our forefathers, although probably a few years of -domestic war, or feudal oppression, would bring us back to the same -case-hardening both in body and sentiment. - -I meant to have gone to Rokeby, but was prevented by Mrs. Morritt -being unwell, which I very much regret, as I know few people that -deserve better health. I am very glad you have known them, and I pray -you to keep up the acquaintance in winter. I am glad to see by this -day's paper that our friend Terry has made a favorable impression on -his first appearance at Covent Garden--he has got a very good -engagement there for three years, at twelve guineas a week, which is a -handsome income.--This little place comes on as fast as can be -reasonably hoped; and the pinasters are all above the ground, but -cannot be planted out for twelve months. My kindest compliments--in -which Mrs. Scott always joins--attend Miss Agnes, the Doctor, and his -family. Ever, my dear friend, yours most faithfully, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO DANIEL TERRY, ESQ., LONDON. - - ABBOTSFORD, 20th October, 1813. - -DEAR TERRY,--You will easily believe that I was greatly pleased to -hear from you. I had already learned from The Courier (what I had -anticipated too strongly to doubt for one instant) your favorable -impression on the London public. I think nothing can be more judicious -in the managers than to exercise the various powers you possess, in -their various extents. A man of genius is apt to be limited to one -single style, and to become perforce a mannerist, merely because the -public is not so just to its own amusement as to give him an -opportunity of throwing himself into different lines; and doubtless -the exercise of our talents in one unvaried course, by degrees renders -them incapable of any other, as the over-use of any one limb of our -body gradually impoverishes the rest. I shall be anxious to hear that -you have played _Malvolio_, which is, I think, one of your -_coups-de-maître_, and in which envy itself cannot affect to trace an -imitation. That same charge of imitation, by the way, is one of the -surest scents upon which dunces are certain to open. Undoubtedly, if -the same character is well performed by two individuals, their acting -must bear a general resemblance--it could not be well performed by -both were it otherwise. But this general resemblance, which arises -from both following nature and their author, can as little be termed -imitation as the river in Wales can be identified with that of -Macedon. Never mind these dunderheads, but go on your own way, and -scorn to laugh on the right side of your mouth, to make a difference -from some ancient comedian who, in the same part, always laughed on -the left. Stick to the public--be uniform in your exertions to study -even those characters which have little in them, and to give a grace -which you cannot find in the author. Audiences are always grateful for -this--or rather--for gratitude is as much out of the question in the -theatre, as Bernadotte says to Boney it is amongst sovereigns--or -rather, the audience is gratified by receiving pleasure from a part -which they had no expectation would afford them any. It is in this -view that, had I been of your profession, and possessed talents, I -think I should have liked often those parts with which my brethren -quarrelled, and studied to give them an effect which their intrinsic -merit did not entitle them to. I have some thoughts of being in town -in spring (not resolutions by any means); and it will be an additional -motive to witness your success, and to find you as comfortably -established as your friends in Castle Street earnestly hope and trust -you will be. - -The summer--an uncommon summer in beauty and serenity--has glided away -from us at Abbotsford, amidst our usual petty cares and petty -pleasures. The children's garden is in apple-pie order, our own -completely cropped and stocked, and all the trees flourishing like the -green bay of the Psalmist. I have been so busy about our domestic -arrangements, that I have not killed six hares this season. Besides, I -have got a cargo of old armor, sufficient to excite a suspicion that I -intend to mount a squadron of cuirassiers. I only want a place for my -armory; and, thank God, I can wait for that, these being no times for -building. And this brings me to the loss of poor Stark, with whom more -genius has died than is left behind among the collected universality -of Scottish architects. O Lord!--but what does it signify?--Earth was -born to bear, and man to pay (that is, lords, nabobs, Glasgow traders, -and those who have wherewithal)--so wherefore grumble at great castles -and cottages, with which the taste of the latter contrives to load the -back of Mother Terra?--I have no hobbyhorsical commissions at present, -unless if you meet the Voyages of Captain Richard, or Robert Falconer, -in one volume--"cow-heel, quoth Sancho"--I mark them for my own. Mrs. -Scott, Sophia, Anne, and the boys, unite in kind remembrances. Ever -yours truly, - - W. SCOTT. - - -TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD BYRON, 4 BENNET STREET, ST. JAMES'S, LONDON. - - ABBOTSFORD, 6th November, 1813. - -MY DEAR LORD,--I was honored with your Lordship's letter of the 27th -September,[39] and have sincerely to regret that there is such a -prospect of your leaving Britain, without my achieving your personal -acquaintance. I heartily wish your Lordship had come down to Scotland -this season, for I have never seen a finer, and you might have renewed -all your old associations with Caledonia, and made such new ones as -were likely to suit you. I dare promise you would have liked me well -enough--for I have many properties of a Turk--never trouble myself -about futurity--am as lazy as the day is long--delight in collecting -silver-mounted pistols and ataghans, and go out of my own road for no -one--all which I take to be attributes of your good Moslem. Moreover, -I am somewhat an admirer of royalty, and in order to maintain this -part of my creed, I shall take care never to be connected with a -court, but stick to the _ignotum pro mirabili_. - -The author of The Queen's Wake will be delighted with your -approbation. He is a wonderful creature for his opportunities, which -were far inferior to those of the generality of Scottish peasants. -Burns, for instance--(not that their extent of talents is to be -compared for an instant)--had an education not much worse than the -sons of many gentlemen in Scotland. But poor Hogg literally could -neither read nor write till a very late period of his life; and when -he first distinguished himself by his poetical talent, could neither -spell nor write grammar. When I first knew him, he used to send me his -poetry, and was both indignant and horrified when I pointed out to him -parallel passages in authors whom he had never read, but whom all the -world would have sworn he had copied. An evil fate has hitherto -attended him, and baffled every attempt that has been made to place -him in a road to independence. But I trust he may be more fortunate in -future. - -I have not yet seen Southey in the Gazette as Laureate. He is a real -poet, such as we read of in former times, with every atom of his soul -and every moment of his time dedicated to literary pursuits, in which -he differs from almost all those who have divided public attention -with him. Your Lordship's habits of society, for example, and my own -professional and official avocations, must necessarily connect us much -more with our respective classes in the usual routine of pleasure or -business, than if we had not any other employment than _vacare musis_. -But Southey's ideas are all poetical, and his whole soul dedicated to -the pursuit of literature. In this respect, as well as in many others, -he is a most striking and interesting character. - -I am very much interested in all that concerns your Giaour, which is -universally approved of among our mountains. I have heard no objection -except by one or two geniuses, who run over poetry as a cat does over -a harpsichord, and they affect to complain of obscurity. On the -contrary, I hold every real lover of the art is obliged to you for -condensing the narrative, by giving us only those striking scenes -which you have shown to be so susceptible of poetic ornament, and -leaving to imagination the says I's and says he's, and all the minutiæ -of detail which might be proper in giving evidence before a court of -justice. The truth is, I think poetry is most striking when the mirror -can be held up to the reader, and the same kept constantly before his -eyes; it requires most uncommon powers to support a direct and -downright narration; nor can I remember many instances of its being -successfully maintained even by our greatest bards. - -As to those who have done me the honor to take my rhapsodies for their -model, I can only say they have exemplified the ancient adage, "One -fool makes many;" nor do I think I have yet had much reason to suppose -I have given rise to anything of distinguished merit. The worst is, it -draws on me letters and commendatory verses, to which my sad and sober -thanks in humble prose are deemed a most unmeet and ungracious reply. -Of this sort of plague your Lordship must ere now have had more than -your share, but I think you can hardly have met with so original a -request as concluded the letter of a bard I this morning received, who -limited his demands to being placed in his due station on -Parnassus--_and_ invested with a post in the Edinburgh Custom House. - -What an awakening of dry bones seems to be taking place on the -Continent! I could as soon have believed in the resurrection of the -Romans as in that of the Prussians--yet it seems a real and active -renovation of national spirit. It will certainly be strange enough if -that tremendous pitcher, which has travelled to so many fountains, -should be at length broken on the banks of the Saale; but from the -highest to the lowest we are the fools of fortune. Your Lordship will -probably recollect where the Oriental tale occurs, of a Sultan who -consulted Solomon on the proper inscription for a signet-ring, -requiring that the maxim which it conveyed should be at once proper -for moderating the presumption of prosperity and tempering the -pressure of adversity. The apophthegm supplied by the Jewish sage was, -I think, admirably adapted for both purposes, being comprehended in -the words, "And this also shall pass away." - -When your Lordship sees Rogers, will you remember me kindly to him? I -hope to be in London next spring, and renew my acquaintance with my -friends there. It will be an additional motive if I could flatter -myself that your Lordship's stay in the country will permit me the -pleasure of waiting upon you. I am, with much respect and regard, your -Lordship's truly honored and obliged humble servant, - - WALTER SCOTT. - -I go to Edinburgh next week, _multum gemens_. - - -TO MISS JOANNA BAILLIE, HAMPSTEAD. - - EDINBURGH, 10th December, 1813. - -Many thanks, my dear friend, for your kind token of remembrance, which -I yesterday received. I ought to blush, if I had grace enough left, at -my long and ungenerous silence: but what shall I say? The habit of -procrastination, which had always more or less a dominion over me, -does not relax its sway as I grow older and less willing to take up -the pen. I have not written to dear Ellis this age,--yet there is not -a day that I do not think of you and him, and one or two other friends -in your southern land. I am very glad the whiskey came safe: do not -stint so laudable an admiration for the liquor of Caledonia, for I -have plenty of right good and sound Highland Ferintosh, and I can -always find an opportunity of sending you up a bottle. - -We are here almost mad with the redemption of Holland, which has an -instant and gratifying effect on the trade of Leith, and indeed all -along the east coast of Scotland. About £100,000 worth of various -commodities, which had been dormant in cellars and warehouses, was -sold the first day the news arrived, and Orange ribbons and _Orange -Boven_ was the order of the day among all ranks. It is a most -miraculous revivification which it has been our fate to witness. -Though of a tolerably sanguine temper, I had fairly adjourned all -hopes and expectations of the kind till another generation: the same -power, however, that opened the windows of heaven and the fountains of -the great deep has been pleased to close them, and to cause his wind -to blow upon the face of the waters, so that we may look out from the -ark of our preservation, and behold the reappearance of the mountain -crests, and old, beloved, and well-known land-marks, which we had -deemed swallowed up forever in the abyss: the dove with the olive -branch would complete the simile, but of that I see little hope. -Buonaparte is that desperate gambler, who will not rise while he has a -stake left; and, indeed, to be King of France would be a poor -pettifogging enterprise, after having been almost Emperor of the -World. I think he will drive things on, till the fickle and impatient -people over whom he rules get tired of him and shake him out of the -saddle. Some circumstances seem to intimate his having become jealous -of the Senate; and indeed anything like a representative body, however -imperfectly constructed, becomes dangerous to a tottering tyranny. The -sword displayed on both frontiers may, like that brandished across the -road of Balaam, terrify even dumb and irrational subjection into -utterance;--but enough of politics, though now a more cheerful subject -than they have been for many years past. - -I have had a strong temptation to go to the Continent this Christmas; -and should certainly have done so, had I been sure of getting from -Amsterdam to Frankfort, where, as I know Lord Aberdeen and Lord -Cathcart, I might expect a welcome. But notwithstanding my earnest -desire to see the allied armies cross the Rhine, which I suppose must -be one of the grandest military spectacles in the world, I should like -to know that the roads were tolerably secure, and the means of -getting forward attainable. In spring, however, if no unfortunate -change takes place, I trust to visit the camp of the allies, and see -all the pomp and power and circumstance of war, which I have so often -imagined, and sometimes attempted to embody in verse.--Johnnie -Richardson is a good, honorable, kind-hearted little fellow as lives -in the world, with a pretty taste for poetry, which he has wisely kept -under subjection to the occupation of drawing briefs and revising -conveyances. It is a great good fortune to him to be in your -neighborhood, as he is an idolater of genius, and where could he offer -up his worship so justly? And I am sure you will like him, for he is -really "officious, innocent, sincere."[40] Terry, I hope, will get on -well; he is industrious, and zealous for the honor of his art. -Ventidius must have been an excellent part for him, hovering between -tragedy and comedy, which is precisely what will suit him. We have a -woeful want of him here, both in public and private, for he was one of -the most easy and quiet chimney-corner companions that I have had for -these two or three years past. - -I am very glad if anything I have written to you could give pleasure -to Miss Edgeworth, though I am sure it will fall very short of the -respect which I have for her brilliant talents. I always write to you -_à la volée_, and trust implicitly to your kindness and judgment upon -all occasions where you may choose to communicate any part of my -letters.[41] As to the taxing men, I must battle them as I can: they -are worse than the great Emathian conqueror, who - - "bade spare - The house of Pindarus, when temple and tower - Went to the ground."[42] - -Your pinasters are coming up gallantly in the nursery-bed at -Abbotsford. I trust to pay the whole establishment a Christmas visit, -which will be, as Robinson Crusoe says of his glass of rum, "to mine -exceeding refreshment." All Edinburgh have been on tiptoe to see -Madame de Staël, but she is now not likely to honor us with a visit, -at which I cannot prevail on myself to be very sorry; for as I tired -of some of her works, I am afraid I should disgrace my taste by tiring -of the authoress too. All my little people are very well, learning, -with great pain and diligence, much which they will have forgotten -altogether, or nearly so, in the course of twelve years hence: but the -habit of learning is something in itself, even when the lessons are -forgotten. - -I must not omit to tell you that a friend of mine, with whom that -metal is more plenty than with me, has given me some gold mohurs to be -converted into a ring for enchasing King Charles's hair; but this is -not to be done until I get to London, and get a very handsome pattern. -Ever, most truly and sincerely, yours, - - W. SCOTT. - - -The last sentence of this letter refers to a lock of the hair of -Charles I., which, at Dr. Baillie's request, Sir Henry Halford had -transmitted to Scott when the royal martyr's remains were discovered -at Windsor, in April, 1813.[43] Sir John Malcolm had given him some -Indian coins to supply virgin gold for the setting of this relic; -and for some years he constantly wore the ring, which is a massive -and beautiful one, with the word REMEMBER surrounding it in highly -relieved black-letter. - -The poet's allusion to "taxing men" may require another word of -explanation. To add to his troubles during this autumn of 1813, a -demand was made on him by the commissioners of the income-tax, to -return in one of their schedules an account of the profits of his -literary exertions during the last three years. He demurred to this, -and took the opinion of high authorities in Scotland, who confirmed -him in his impression that the claim was beyond the statute. The -grounds of his resistance are thus briefly stated in one of his -letters to his legal friend in London:-- - - -TO JOHN RICHARDSON, ESQ., FLUDYER STREET, WESTMINSTER. - -MY DEAR RICHARDSON,--I have owed you a letter this long time, but -perhaps my debt might not yet be discharged, had I not a little matter -of business to trouble you with. I wish you to lay before either the -King's counsel, or Sir Samuel Romilly and any other you may approve, -the point whether a copyright being sold for the term during which -Queen Anne's act warranted the property to the author, the price is -liable in payment of the property-tax. I contend it is not so liable, -for the following reasons: 1st, It is a patent right, expected to -produce an annual, or at least an incidental profit, during the -currency of many years; and surely it was never contended that if a -man sold a theatrical patent, or a patent for machinery, property-tax -should be levied in the first place on the full price as paid to the -seller, and then on the profits as purchased by the buyer. I am not -very expert at figures, but I think it clear that a double taxation -takes place. 2d, It should be considered that a book may be the work -not of one year, but of a man's whole life; and as it has been found, -in a late case of the Duke of Gordon, that a fall of timber was not -subject to property-tax because it comprehended the produce of thirty -years, it seems at least equally fair that mental exertions should not -be subjected to a harder principle of measurement. 3d, The demand is, -so far as I can learn, totally new and unheard of. 4th, Supposing that -I died and left my manuscripts to be sold publicly along with the rest -of my library, is there any ground for taxing what might be received -for the written book, any more than any rare printed book, which a -speculative bookseller might purchase with a view to republication? -You will know whether any of these things ought to be suggested in the -brief. David Hume, and every lawyer here whom I have spoken to, -consider the demand as illegal. Believe me truly yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -Mr. Richardson having prepared a case, obtained upon it the opinions -of Mr. Alexander (afterwards Sir William Alexander and Chief Baron -of the Exchequer) and of the late Sir Samuel Romilly. These eminent -lawyers agreed in the view of their Scotch brethren; and after a -tedious correspondence, the Lords of the Treasury at last decided -that the Income-Tax Commissioners should abandon their claim upon -the produce of literary labor. I have thought it worth while to -preserve some record of this decision, and of the authorities on -which it rested, in case such a demand should ever be renewed -hereafter. - -In the beginning of December, the Town Council of Edinburgh resolved -to send a deputation to congratulate the Prince Regent on the -prosperous course of public events, and they invited Scott to draw -up their address, which, on its being transmitted for previous -inspection to Mr. William Dundas, then Member for the City, and -through him shown privately to the Regent, was acknowledged to the -penman, by his Royal Highness's command, as "the most elegant -congratulation a sovereign ever received, or a subject offered."[44] -The Lord Provost of Edinburgh presented it accordingly at the levee -of the 10th, and it was received most graciously. On returning to -the north, the Magistrates expressed their sense of Scott's services -on this occasion by presenting him with the freedom of his native -city, and also with a piece of plate,--which the reader will find -alluded to, among other matters of more consequence, in a letter to -be quoted presently. - -At this time Scott further expressed his patriotic exultation in the -rescue of Europe, by two songs for the anniversary of the death of -Pitt; one of which has ever since, I believe, been chanted at that -celebration:-- - - "O dread was the time and more dreadful the omen, - When the brave on Marengo lay slaughter'd in vain," etc.[45] - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXVI. - -[23: Mr. Hunter died in March, 1812.] - -[24: "These and after purchases of books from the stock of -J. Ballantyne and Co. were resold to the trade by Constable's firm, -at less than one half and one third of the prices at which they were -thus obtained."--_Note from Mr. R. Cadell._] - -[25: Dr. Brewster's edition of Ferguson's _Astronomy_, 2 -vols. 8vo, with plates, 4to, Edin. 1811. 36_s_.] - -[26: Dr. Singers's _General View of the County of -Dumfries_, 8vo, Edin. 1812. 18_s_.] - -[27: A trade sale of Messrs. Cadell and Davies in the -Strand.] - -[28: Since this work was first published, I have been -compelled to examine very minutely the details of Scott's connection -with the Ballantynes, and one result is, that both James and John -had trespassed so largely, for their private purposes, on the funds -of the Companies, that, Scott being, as their letters distinctly -state, the only "monied partner," and his over-advances of capital -having been very extensive, any inquiry on their part as to his -uncommercial expenditure must have been entirely out of the -question. To avoid misrepresentation, however, I leave my text as it -was.--(1839.)] - -[29: _Merchant of Venice_, Act II. Scene 2.] - -[30: The court of offices, built on the haugh at Abbotsford -in 1812, included a house for the faithful coachman, Peter -Mathieson. One of Scott's Cantabrigian friends, Mr. W. S. Rose, gave -the whole pile soon afterwards the name, which it retained to the -end, of _Peter-House_. The loft at Peter-House continued to be -occupied by occasional bachelor guests until the existing mansion -was completed.] - -[31: Mrs. Thomas Scott had met Burns frequently in early -life at Dumfries. Her brother, the late Mr. David MacCulloch, was a -great favorite with the poet, and the best singer of his songs that -I ever heard.] - -[32: John Ballantyne had embarked no capital--not a shilling--in the -business; and was bound by the contract to limit himself to an allowance -of £300 a year, in consideration of his _management_, until there should -be an overplus of profits!--(1839.)] - -[33: He probably alludes to the final settlement of -accounts with the Marquis of Abercorn.] - -[34: The Royal Librarian had forwarded to Scott -presentation copies of his successive publications--_The Progress of -Maritime Discovery_--Falconer's _Shipwreck, with a Life of the -Author_--_Naufragia_--_A Life of Nelson_, in two quarto volumes, -etc., etc., etc.] - -[35: Poor Gay--"In wit a man, simplicity a child"--was insulted, on the -accession of George II., by the offer of a gentleman-ushership to one of -the royal infants. His prose and verse largely celebrate his obligations -to Charles, third Duke of Queensberry, and the charming Lady Catharine -Hyde, his Duchess--under whose roof the poet spent the latter years of -his life.] - -[36: See the Preface to the third volume of the late -Collective Edition of Mr. Southey's _Poems_, p. xii., where he -corrects a trivial error I had fallen into in the first edition of -these Memoirs, and adds, "Sir Walter's conduct was, as it always -was, characteristically generous, and in the highest degree -friendly."--(1839.)] - -[37: Garrick's _Bon Ton, or High Life Above Stairs_.] - -[38: _Twelfth Night_, Act V. Scene 1.] - -[39: The letter in question has not been preserved in -Scott's collection of correspondence. This leaves some allusions in -the answer obscure.] - -[40: Scott's old friend, Mr. John Richardson, had shortly -before this time taken a house in Miss Baillie's neighborhood, on -Hampstead Heath.] - -[41: Miss Baillie had apologized to him for having sent an -extract of one of his letters to her friend at Edgeworthstown.] - -[42: Milton, _Sonnet No. VIII._ [_When the Assault was -intended to the City._]] - -[43: [On May 3, Scott had written to his daughter, that -this hair was light brown, and later, writing to Joanna Baillie, he -says, "I did not think Charles's hair had been quite so light; that -of his father, and I believe of all the Stuarts till Charles II., -was reddish." Of the king, he goes on to say: "Tory, as I am, my -heart only goes with King Charles in his struggles and distresses, -for the fore part of his reign was a series of misconduct; however, -if he sow'd the wind, God knows he reap'd the whirlwind.... Sound -therefore be the sleep, and henceforward undisturbed the ashes, of -this unhappy prince.... His attachment to a particular form of -worship was in him conscience, for he adhered to the Church of -England ... when by giving up that favorite point he might have -secured his reëstablishment; and in that sense he may be justly -considered as a martyr, though his early political errors blemish -his character as King of England."--_Familiar Letters_, vol. i. p. -288.]] - -[44: Letter from the Right Hon. W. Dundas, dated 6th -December, 1813.] - -[45: See Scott's _Poetical Works_, vol. xi. p. 309, Edition -1834 [Cambridge Edition, p. 409].] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - - INSANITY OF HENRY WEBER. -- LETTERS ON THE ABDICATION OF - NAPOLEON, ETC. -- PUBLICATION OF SCOTT'S LIFE AND EDITION OF - SWIFT. -- ESSAYS FOR THE SUPPLEMENT TO THE ENCYCLOPÆDIA - BRITANNICA. -- COMPLETION AND PUBLICATION OF WAVERLEY - -1814 - - -I have to open the year 1814 with a melancholy story. Mention has -been made, more than once, of Henry Weber, a poor German scholar, -who escaping to this country in 1804, from misfortunes in his own, -excited Scott's compassion, and was thenceforth furnished, through -his means, with literary employment of various sorts. Weber was a -man of considerable learning; but Scott, as was his custom, appears -to have formed an exaggerated notion of his capacity, and certainly -countenanced him, to his own severe cost, in several most -unfortunate undertakings. When not engaged on things of a more -ambitious character, he had acted for ten years as his protector's -amanuensis, and when the family were in Edinburgh, he very often -dined with them. There was something very interesting in his -appearance and manners: he had a fair, open countenance, in which -the honesty and the enthusiasm of his nation were alike visible; his -demeanor was gentle and modest; and he had not only a stock of -curious antiquarian knowledge, but the reminiscences, which he -detailed with amusing simplicity, of an early life chequered with -many strange-enough adventures. He was, in short, much a favorite -with Scott and all the household; and was invited to dine with -them so frequently, chiefly because his friend was aware that he had -an unhappy propensity to drinking, and was anxious to keep him away -from places where he might have been more likely to indulge it. This -vice, however, had been growing on him; and of late Scott had found -it necessary to make some rather severe remonstrances about habits -which were at once injuring his health, and interrupting his -literary industry. - -[Illustration: J. B. S. MORRITT - -_From the painting by Sir M. A. Shee_] - -They had, however, parted kindly when Scott left Edinburgh at -Christmas, 1813,--and the day after his return, Weber attended him -as usual in his library, being employed in transcribing extracts -during several hours, while his friend, seated over against him, -continued working at the Life of Swift. The light beginning to fail, -Scott threw himself back in his chair, and was about to ring for -candles, when he observed the German's eyes fixed upon him with an -unusual solemnity of expression. "Weber," said he, "what's the -matter with you?" "Mr. Scott," said Weber, rising, "you have long -insulted me, and I can bear it no longer. I have brought a pair of -pistols with me, and must insist on your taking one of them -instantly;" and with that he produced the weapons, which had been -deposited under his chair, and laid one of them on Scott's -manuscript. "You are mistaken, I think," said Scott, "in your way of -setting about this affair--but no matter. It can, however, be no -part of your object to annoy Mrs. Scott and the children; therefore, -if you please, we will put the pistols into the drawer till after -dinner, and then arrange to go out together like gentlemen." Weber -answered with equal coolness, "I believe that will be better," and -laid the second pistol also on the table. Scott locked them both in -his desk, and said, "I am glad you have felt the propriety of what I -suggested--let me only request further, that nothing may occur while -we are at dinner to give my wife any suspicion of what has been -passing." Weber again assented, and Scott withdrew to his -dressing-room, from which he immediately despatched a message to one -of Weber's intimate companions,--and then dinner was served, and -Weber joined the family circle as usual. He conducted himself with -perfect composure, and everything seemed to go on in the ordinary -way, until whiskey and hot water being produced, Scott, instead of -inviting his guest to help himself, mixed two moderate tumblers of -toddy, and handed one of them to Weber, who, upon that, started up -with a furious countenance, but instantly sat down again, and when -Mrs. Scott expressed her fear that he was ill, answered placidly -that he was liable to spasms, but that the pain was gone. He then -took the glass, eagerly gulped down its contents, and pushed it back -to Scott. At this moment the friend who had been sent for made his -appearance, and Weber, on seeing him enter the room, rushed past him -and out of the house, without stopping to put on his hat. The -friend, who pursued instantly, came up with him at the end of the -street, and did all he could to soothe his agitation, but in vain. -The same evening he was obliged to be put into a strait-waistcoat; -and though in a few days he exhibited such symptoms of recovery that -he was allowed to go by himself to pay a visit in the north of -England, he there soon relapsed, and continued ever afterwards a -hopeless lunatic, being supported to the end of his life, in June, -1818, at Scott's expense, in an asylum at York. - -The reader will now appreciate the gentle delicacy of the following -letter:-- - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ., ROKEBY, GRETA BRIDGE. - - EDINBURGH, 7th January, 1814. - -Many happy New Years to you and Mrs. Morritt. - -MY DEAR MORRITT,--I have postponed writing a long while, in hopes to -send you the Life of Swift. But I have been delayed by an odd -accident. Poor Weber, whom you may have heard me mention as a sort of -grinder of mine, who assisted me in various ways, has fallen into a -melancholy state. His habits, like those of most German students, were -always too convivial--this, of course, I guarded against while he was -in my house, which was always once a week at least; but unfortunately -he undertook a long walk through the Highlands of upwards of 2000 -miles, and, I suppose, took potations pottle deep to support him -through the fatigue. His mind became accordingly quite unsettled, and -after some strange behavior here, he was fortunately prevailed upon to -go to **** who resides in Yorkshire. It is not unlikely, from -something that dropped from him, that he may take it into his head to -call at Rokeby, in which case you must parry any visit, upon the score -of Mrs. Morritt's health. If he were what he used to be, you would be -much pleased with him; for besides a very extensive general -acquaintance with literature, he was particularly deep in our old -dramatic lore, a good modern linguist, a tolerable draughtsman and -antiquary, and a most excellent hydrographer. I have not the least -doubt that if he submits to the proper regimen of abstinence and -moderate exercise, he will be quite well in a few weeks or days--if -not, it is miserable to think what may happen. The being suddenly -deprived of his services in this melancholy way, has flung me back at -least a month with Swift, and left me no time to write to my friends, -for all my memoranda, etc., were in his hands, and had to be -new-modelled, etc., etc. - -Our glorious prospects on the Continent called forth the -congratulations of the City of Edinburgh among others. The Magistrates -asked me to draw their address, which was presented by the Lord -Provost in person, who happens to be a gentleman of birth and -fortune.[46] The Prince said some very handsome things respecting the -address, with which the Magistrates were so much elated, that they -have done the genteel thing (as Winifred Jenkins says) by their -literary adviser, and presented me with the freedom of the city, and a -handsome piece of plate. I got the freedom at the same time with Lord -Dalhousie and Sir Thomas Graham, and the Provost gave a very brilliant -entertainment. About 150 gentlemen dined at his own house, all as well -served as if there had been a dozen. So if one strikes a cuff on the -one side from ill-will, there is a pat on the other from kindness, and -the shuttlecock is kept flying. To poor Charlotte's great horror, I -chose my plate in the form of an old English tankard, an utensil for -which I have a particular respect, especially when charged with good -ale, cup, or any of these potables. I hope you will soon see mine.[47] - -Your little friends, Sophia and Walter, were at a magnificent party on -Twelfth Night at Dalkeith, where the Duke and Duchess entertained all -Edinburgh. I think they have dreamed of nothing since but Aladdin's -lamp and the palace of Haroun Al-Raschid. I am uncertain what to do -this spring. I would fain go on the Continent for three or four weeks, -if it be then safe for non-combatants. If not, we will have a merry -meeting in London, and, like Master Silence, - - "Eat, drink, and make good cheer, - And praise heaven for the merry year."[48] - -I have much to say about Triermain. The fourth edition is at press. -The Empress Dowager of Russia has expressed such an interest in it, -that it will be inscribed to her, in some doggerel sonnet or other, by -the unknown author. This is funny enough.--Love a thousand times to -dear Mrs. Morritt, who, I trust, keeps pretty well. Pray write soon--a -modest request from - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -The last of Weber's literary productions were the analyses of the -Old German Poems of the _Helden Buch_, and the _Nibelungen Lied_, -which appeared in a massive quarto, entitled Illustrations of -Northern Antiquities, published in the summer of 1814, by his and -Scott's friend, Mr. Robert Jameson. Scott avowedly contributed to -this collection an account of the Eyrbiggia Saga, which has since -been included in his Prose Miscellanies (Vol. V., edition 1834); but -any one who examines the share of the work which goes under Weber's -name will see that Scott had a considerable hand in that also. The -rhymed versions from the Nibelungen Lied came, I can have no doubt, -from his pen; but he never reclaimed these, or any other similar -benefactions, of which I have traced not a few; nor, highly curious -and even beautiful as many of them are, could they be intelligible, -if separated from the prose narrative on which Weber embroidered -them, in imitation of the style of Ellis's Specimens of Metrical -Romance. - -The following letters, on the first abdication of Napoleon, are too -characteristic to be omitted here. I need not remind the reader how -greatly Scott had calmed his opinions, and softened his feelings, -respecting the career and fate of the most extraordinary man of our -age, before he undertook to write his history. - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ., PORTLAND PLACE, LONDON. - - ABBOTSFORD, 30th April, 1814 - -"Joy--joy in London now!"--and in Edinburgh, moreover, my dear -Morritt; for never did you or I see, and never again shall we see, -according to all human prospects, a consummation so truly glorious, as -now bids fair to conclude this long and eventful war. It is startling -to think that, but for the preternatural presumption and hardness of -heart displayed by the arch-enemy of mankind, we should have had a -hollow and ominous truce with him, instead of a glorious and stable -peace with the country over which he tyrannized, and its lawful ruler. -But Providence had its own wise purposes to answer--and such was the -deference of France to the ruling power--so devoutly did they worship -the Devil for possession of his burning throne, that, it may be, -nothing short of his rejection of every fair and advantageous offer of -peace could have driven them to those acts of resistance which -remembrance of former convulsions had rendered so fearful to them. -Thank God! it is done at last: and--although I rather grudge him even -the mouthful of air which he may draw in the Isle of Elba--yet I -question whether the moral lesson would have been completed either by -his perishing in battle, or being torn to pieces (which I should -greatly have preferred), like the De Witts, by an infuriated crowd of -conscripts and their parents. Good God! with what strange feelings -must that man retire from the most unbounded authority ever vested in -the hands of one man, to the seclusion of privacy and restraint! We -have never heard of one good action which he did, at least for which -there was not some selfish or political reason; and the train of -slaughter, pestilence, and famine and fire, which his ambition has -occasioned, would have outweighed five hundredfold the private virtues -of a Titus. These are comfortable reflections to carry with one to -privacy. If he writes his own history, as he proposes, we may gain -something; but he must send it here to be printed. Nothing less than a -neck-or-nothing London bookseller, like John Dunton of yore, will -venture to commit to the press his strange details uncastrated. I -doubt if he has _stamina_ to undertake such a labor; and yet, in -youth, as I know from the brothers of Lauriston, who were his -school-companions, Buonaparte's habits were distinctly and strongly -literary. Spain, the Continental System, and the invasion of Russia he -may record as his three leading blunders--an awful lesson to -sovereigns that morality is not so indifferent to politics as -Machiavelians will assert. _Res nolunt diu male administrari._ Why can -we not meet to talk over these matters over a glass of claret? and -when shall that be! Not this spring, I fear, for time wears fast away, -and I have remained here nailed among my future oaks, which I measure -daily with a foot-rule. Those which were planted two years ago begin -to look very gayly, and a venerable plantation of four years old looks -as _bobbish_ as yours at the dairy by Greta side. Besides, I am -arranging this cottage a little more conveniently, to put off the -plague and expense of building another year; and I assure you, I -expect to spare Mrs. Morritt and you a chamber in the wall, with a -dressing-room and everything handsome about you. You will not -stipulate, of course, for many square feet.--You would be surprised to -hear how the Continent is awakening from its iron sleep. The utmost -eagerness seems to prevail about English literature. I have had -several voluntary epistles from different parts of Germany, from men -of letters, who are eager to know what we have been doing, while they -were compelled to play at blind man's buff with the _ci-devant -Empereur_. The feeling of the French officers, of whom we have many in -our vicinity, is very curious, and yet natural.[49] Many of them, -companions of Buonaparte's victories, and who hitherto have marched -with him from conquest to conquest, disbelieve the change entirely. -This is all very stupid to write to you, who are in the centre of -these wonders; but what else can I say, unless I should send you the -measure of the future fathers of the forest? Mrs. Scott is with me -here--the children in Edinburgh. Our kindest love attends Mrs. -Morritt. I hope to hear soon that her health continues to gain ground. - -I have a letter from Southey, in high spirits on the glorious news. -What a pity this last battle[50] was fought. But I am glad the rascals -were beaten once more. - -Ever yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO ROBERT SOUTHEY, ESQ., KESWICK. - - EDINBURGH, 17th June, 1814. - -MY DEAR SOUTHEY,--I suspended writing to thank you for the Carmen -Triumphale--(a happy omen of what you can do to immortalize our public -story)--until the feverish mood of expectation and anxiety should be -over. And then, as you truly say, there followed a stunning sort of -listless astonishment and complication of feeling, which, if it did -not lessen enjoyment, confused and confounded one's sense of it. I -remember the first time I happened to see a launch, I was neither so -much struck with the descent of the vessel, nor with its majestic -sweep to its moorings, as with the blank which was suddenly made from -the withdrawing so large an object, and the prospect which was at once -opened to the opposite side of the dock crowded with spectators. -Buonaparte's fall strikes me something in the same way: the huge bulk -of his power, against which a thousand arms were hammering, was -obviously to sink when its main props were struck away--and yet -now--when it has disappeared--the vacancy which it leaves in our minds -and attention marks its huge and preponderating importance more -strongly than even its presence. Yet I so devoutly expected the -termination, that in discussing the matter with Major Philips, who -seemed to partake of the doubts which prevailed during the feverish -period preceding the capture of Paris, when he was expressing his -apprehensions that the capital of France would be defended to the -last, I hazarded a prophecy that a battle would be fought on the -heights of Montmartre--(no great sagacity, since it was the point -where Marlborough proposed to attack, and for which Saxe projected a -scheme of defence)--and that if the allies were successful, which I -little doubted, the city would surrender, and the Senate proclaim the -dethronement of Buonaparte. But I never thought nor imagined that he -would have _given in_ as he has done. I always considered him as -possessing the genius and talents of an Eastern conqueror; and -although I never supposed that he possessed, allowing for some -difference of education, the liberality of conduct and political views -which were sometimes exhibited by old Hyder Ally, yet I did think he -might have shown the same resolved and dogged spirit of resolution -which induced Tippoo Saib to die manfully upon the breach of his -capital city with his sabre clenched in his hand. But this is a poor -devil, and cannot play the tyrant so rarely as Bottom the Weaver -proposed to do. I think it is Strap in Roderick Random, who, seeing a -highwayman that had lately robbed him, disarmed and bound, fairly -offers to box him for a shilling. One has really the same feeling with -respect to Buonaparte, though if he go out of life after all in the -usual manner, it will be the strongest proof of his own -insignificance, and the liberality of the age we live in. Were I a son -of Palm or Hoffer, I should be tempted to take a long shot at him in -his retreat to Elba. As for coaxing the French by restoring all our -conquests, it would be driving generosity into extravagance: most of -them have been colonized with British subjects, and improved by -British capital; and surely we owe no more to the French nation than -any well-meaning individual might owe to a madman, whom--at the -expense of a hard struggle, black eyes, and bruises--he has at length -overpowered, knocked down, and by the wholesome discipline of a bull's -pizzle and strait-jacket, brought to the handsome enjoyment of his -senses. I think with you, what we return to them should be well paid -for; and they should have no Pondicherry to be a nest of smugglers, -nor Mauritius to nurse a hornet-swarm of privateers. In short, draw -teeth, and pare claws, and leave them to fatten themselves in peace -and quiet, when they are deprived of the means of indulging their -restless spirit of enterprise. - ---The above was written at Abbotsford last month, but left in my -portfolio there till my return some days ago; and now, when I look -over what I have written, I am confirmed in my opinion that we have -given the rascals too good an opportunity to boast that they have got -well off. An intimate friend of mine,[51] just returned from a long -captivity in France, witnessed the entry of the King, guarded by the -Imperial Guards, whose countenances betokened the most sullen and -ferocious discontent. The mob, and especially the women, pelted them -for refusing to cry, "Vive le Roi." If Louis is well advised, he will -get rid of these fellows gradually, but as soon as possible. "Joy, joy -in London now!" What a scene has been going on there! I think you may -see the Czar appear on the top of one of your stages one morning. He -is a fine fellow, and has fought the good fight. Yours affectionately, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -On the 1st of July, 1814, Scott's Life and Edition of Swift, in -nineteen volumes 8vo, at length issued from the press. This -adventure, undertaken by Constable in 1808, had been proceeded in -during all the variety of their personal relations, and now came -forth when author and publisher felt more warmly towards each other -than perhaps they had ever before done. The impression was of 1250 -copies; and a reprint of similar extent was called for in 1824. The -Life of Swift has subsequently been included in the author's -Miscellanies, and has obtained a very wide circulation. - -By his industrious inquiries, in which, as the preface gratefully -acknowledges, he found many zealous assistants, especially among the -Irish literati,[52] Scott added to this edition many admirable -pieces, both in prose and verse, which had never before been -printed, and still more which had escaped notice amidst old bundles -of pamphlets and broadsides. To the illustration of these and of all -the better known writings of the Dean, he brought the same -qualifications which had, by general consent, distinguished his -Dryden, "uniting," as the Edinburgh Review expresses it, "to the -minute knowledge and patient research of the Malones and Chalmerses, -a vigor of judgment and a vivacity of style to which they had no -pretensions." His biographical narrative, introductory essays, and -notes on Swift, show, indeed, an intimacy of acquaintance with the -obscurest details of the political, social, and literary history of -the period of Queen Anne, which it is impossible to consider without -feeling a lively regret that he never accomplished a long-cherished -purpose of preparing a Life and Edition of Pope on a similar scale. -It has been specially unfortunate for that "true deacon of the -craft," as Scott often called Pope, that first Goldsmith, and then -Scott, should have taken up, only to abandon it, the project of -writing his life and editing his works. - -The Edinburgh Reviewer thus characterizes Scott's Memoir of the -Dean of St. Patrick's:-- - - -"It is not everywhere extremely well written, in a literary point of -view, but it is drawn up in substance with great intelligence, -liberality, and good feeling. It is quite fair and moderate in -politics; and perhaps rather too indulgent and tender towards -individuals of all descriptions--more full, at least, of kindness and -veneration for genius and social virtue, than of indignation at -baseness and profligacy. Altogether, it is not much like the -production of a mere man of letters, or a fastidious speculator in -sentiment and morality; but exhibits throughout, and in a very -pleasing form, the good sense and large toleration of a man of the -world, with much of that generous allowance for the - - 'Fears of the brave and follies of the wise,' - -which genius too often requires, and should therefore always be most -forward to show. It is impossible, however, to avoid noticing that Mr. -Scott is by far too favorable to the personal character of his author, -whom we think it would really be injurious to the cause of morality to -allow to pass either as a very dignified or a very amiable person. The -truth is, we think, that he was extremely ambitious, arrogant, and -selfish; of a morose, vindictive, and haughty temper; and though -capable of a sort of patronizing generosity towards his dependents, -and of some attachment towards those who had long known and flattered -him, his general demeanor, both in public and private life, appears to -have been far from exemplary; destitute of temper and magnanimity, and -we will add, of principle, in the former; and in the latter, of -tenderness, fidelity, or compassion."--_Edinburgh Review_, vol. xvii. -p. 9. - - -I have no desire to break a lance in this place in defence of the -personal character of Swift. It does not appear to me that he stands -at all distinguished among politicians (least of all, among the -politicians of his time) for laxity of principle; nor can I consent -to charge his private demeanor with the absence either of -tenderness, or fidelity, or compassion. But who ever dreamed--most -assuredly not Scott--of holding up the Dean of St. Patrick's as on -the whole an "exemplary character"? The biographer felt, whatever -his critic may have thought on the subject, that a vein of morbid -humor ran through Swift's whole existence, both mental and physical, -from the beginning. "He early adopted," says Scott, "the custom of -observing his birthday, as a term not of joy but of sorrow, and of -reading, when it annually recurred, the striking passage of -Scripture in which Job laments and execrates the day upon which it -was said in his father's house _that a man-child was born_;" and I -should have expected that any man who had considered the black close -of the career thus early clouded, and read the entry of Swift's -diary on the funeral of Stella, his epitaph on himself, and the -testament by which he disposed of his fortune, would have been -willing, like Scott, to dwell on the splendor of his immortal -genius, and the many traits of manly generosity "which he -unquestionably exhibited," rather than on the faults and foibles of -nameless and inscrutable disease, which tormented and embittered the -far greater part of his earthly being. What the critic says of the -practical and businesslike style of Scott's biography, appears very -just--and I think the circumstance eminently characteristic; nor, on -the whole, could his edition, as an edition, have been better dealt -with than in the Essay which I have quoted. It was, by the way, -written by Mr. Jeffrey, at Constable's particular request. "It was, -I think, the first time I ever asked such a thing of him," the -bookseller said to me; "and I assure you the result was no -encouragement to repeat such petitions." Mr. Jeffrey attacked -Swift's whole character at great length, and with consummate -dexterity; and, in Constable's opinion, his article threw such a -cloud on the Dean, as materially checked, for a time, the popularity -of his writings. Admirable as the paper is, in point of ability, I -think Mr. Constable may have considerably exaggerated its effects; -but in those days it must have been difficult for him to form an -impartial opinion upon such a question; for, as Johnson said of -Cave, that "he could not spit over his window without thinking of -The Gentleman's Magazine," I believe Constable allowed nothing to -interrupt his paternal pride in the concerns of his Review, until -the Waverley Novels supplied him with another periodical publication -still more important to his fortunes. - -And this consummation was not long delayed: a considerable addition -having by that time been made to the original fragment, there -appeared in The Scots Magazine, for February 1, 1814, an -announcement, that "Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since, a novel, -in 3 vols., 12mo," would be published in March. And before Scott -came into Edinburgh, at the close of the Christmas vacation, on the -12th of January, Mr. Erskine had perused the greater part of the -first volume, and expressed his decided opinion that Waverley would -prove the most popular of all his friend's writings.[53] The MS. was -forthwith copied by John Ballantyne, and sent to press. As soon as a -volume was printed, Ballantyne conveyed it to Constable, who did not -for a moment doubt from what pen it proceeded, but took a few days -to consider of the matter, and then offered £700 for the copyright. -When we recollect what the state of novel literature in those days -was, and that the only exceptions to its mediocrity, the Irish Tales -of Miss Edgeworth, however appreciated in refined circles, had a -circulation so limited that she had never realized a tithe of £700 -by the best of them--it must be allowed that Constable's offer was a -liberal one. Scott's answer, however, transmitted through the same -channel, was that £700 was too much, in case the novel should not -be successful, and too little in case it should. He added, "If our -fat friend had said £1000, I should have been staggered." John did -not forget to hint this last circumstance to Constable, but the -latter did not choose to act upon it; and he ultimately published -the work, on the footing of an equal division of profits between -himself and the author. There was a considerable pause between the -finishing of the first volume and the beginning of the second. -Constable had, in 1812, acquired the copyright of the Encyclopædia -Britannica, and was now preparing to publish the valuable Supplement -to that work, which has since, with modifications, been incorporated -into its text. He earnestly requested Scott to undertake a few -articles for the Supplement; he agreed--and, anxious to gratify the -generous bookseller, at once laid aside his tale until he had -finished two essays--those on Chivalry and the Drama. They appear to -have been completed in the course of April and May, and he received -for each of them--as he did subsequently for that on Romance--£100. - -The two next letters will give us, in more exact detail than the -author's own recollection could supply in 1830, the history of the -completion of Waverley. It was published on the 7th of July; and two -days afterwards he thus writes:-- - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ., M. P., LONDON. - - EDINBURGH, 9th July, 1814. - -MY DEAR MORRITT,--I owe you many apologies for not sooner answering -your very entertaining letter upon your Parisian journey. I heartily -wish I had been of your party, for you have seen what I trust will not -be seen again in a hurry; since, to enjoy the delight of a -restoration, there is a necessity for a previous _bouleversement_ of -everything that is valuable in morals and policy, which seems to have -been the case in France since 1790.[54] The Duke of Buccleuch told me -yesterday of a very good reply of Louis to some of his attendants, who -proposed shutting the doors of his apartments to keep out the throng -of people. "Open the door," he said, "to John Bull; he has suffered a -great deal in keeping the door open for me." - -Now, to go from one important subject to another, I must account for -my own laziness, which I do by referring you to a small anonymous sort -of a novel, in three volumes, Waverley, which you will receive by the -mail of this day. It was a very old attempt of mine to embody some -traits of those characters and manners peculiar to Scotland, the last -remnants of which vanished during my own youth, so that few or no -traces now remain. I had written great part of the first volume, and -sketched other passages, when I mislaid the MS., and only found it by -the merest accident as I was rummaging the drawers of an old -cabinet;[55] and I took the fancy of finishing it, which I did so -fast, that the last two volumes were written in three weeks. I had a -great deal of fun in the accomplishment of this task, though I do not -expect that it will be popular in the south, as much of the humor, if -there be any, is local, and some of it even professional. You, -however, who are an adopted Scotchman, will find some amusement in it. -It has made a very strong impression here, and the good people of -Edinburgh are busied in tracing the author, and in finding out -originals for the portraits it contains. In the first case, they will -probably find it difficult to convict the guilty author, although he -is far from escaping suspicion. Jeffrey has offered to make oath that -it is mine, and another great critic has tendered his affidavit _ex -contrario_; so that these authorities have divided the Gude Town. -However, the thing has succeeded very well, and is thought highly of. -I don't know if it has got to London yet. I intend to maintain my -_incognito_. Let me know your opinion about it. I should be most happy -if I could think it would amuse a painful thought at this anxious -moment. I was in hopes Mrs. Morritt was getting so much better, that -this relapse affects me very much. Ever yours truly, - - W. SCOTT. - -P. S.--As your conscience has very few things to answer for, you must -still burthen it with the secret of the Bridal. It is spreading very -rapidly, and I have one or two little fairy romances, which will make -a second volume, and which I would wish published, but not with my -name. The truth is, that this sort of muddling work amuses me, and I -am something in the condition of Joseph Surface, who was embarrassed -by getting himself too good a reputation; for many things may please -people well enough anonymously, which, if they have me in the -title-page, would just give me that sort of ill name which precedes -hanging--and that would be in many respects inconvenient if I thought -of again trying a _grande opus_. - - -This statement of the foregoing letter (repeated still more -precisely in the following one), as to the time occupied in the -composition of the second and third volumes of Waverley, recalls to -my memory a trifling anecdote, which, as connected with a dear -friend of my youth, whom I have not seen for many years, and may -very probably never see again in this world, I shall here set down, -in the hope of affording him a momentary, though not an unmixed -pleasure, when he may chance to read this compilation on a distant -shore--and also in the hope that my humble record may impart to some -active mind in the rising generation a shadow of the influence -which the reality certainly exerted upon his. Happening to pass -through Edinburgh in June, 1814, I dined one day with the gentleman -in question (now the Honorable William Menzies, one of the Supreme -Judges at the Cape of Good Hope), whose residence was then in George -Street, situated very near to, and at right angles with, North -Castle Street. It was a party of very young persons, most of them, -like Menzies and myself, destined for the Bar of Scotland, all gay -and thoughtless, enjoying the first flush of manhood, with little -remembrance of the yesterday, or care of the morrow. When my -companion's worthy father and uncle, after seeing two or three -bottles go round, left the juveniles to themselves, the weather -being hot, we adjourned to a library which had one large window -looking northwards. After carousing here for an hour or more, I -observed that a shade had come over the aspect of my friend, who -happened to be placed immediately opposite to myself, and said -something that intimated a fear of his being unwell. "No," said he, -"I shall be well enough presently, if you will only let me sit where -you are, and take my chair; for there is a confounded hand in sight -of me here, which has often bothered me before, and now it won't let -me fill my glass with a good will." I rose to change places with him -accordingly, and he pointed out to me this hand which, like the -writing on Belshazzar's wall, disturbed his hour of hilarity. "Since -we sat down," he said, "I have been watching it--it fascinates my -eye--it never stops--page after page is finished and thrown on that -heap of MS., and still it goes on unwearied--and so it will be till -candles are brought in, and God knows how long after that. It is the -same every night--I can't stand a sight of it when I am not at my -books."--"Some stupid, dogged, engrossing clerk, probably," -exclaimed myself, or some other giddy youth in our society. "No, -boys," said our host, "I well know what hand it is--'tis Walter -Scott's." This was the hand that, in the evenings of three summer -weeks, wrote the last two volumes of Waverley. Would that all who -that night watched it had profited by its example of diligence as -largely as William Menzies! - -In the next of these letters Scott enclosed to Mr. Morritt the -Prospectus of a new edition of the old poems of the Bruce and the -Wallace, undertaken by the learned lexicographer, Dr. John Jamieson; -and he announces his departure on a sailing excursion round the -north of Scotland. It will be observed that when Scott began his -letter, he had only had Mr. Morritt's opinion of the first volume of -Waverley, and that before he closed it he had received his friend's -honest criticism on the work as a whole, with the expression of an -earnest hope that he would drop his _incognito_ on the title-page of -a second edition. - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ., M. P., PORTLAND PLACE, LONDON. - - ABBOTSFORD, July 24, 1814. - -MY DEAR MORRITT,--I am going to say my _vales_ to you for some weeks, -having accepted an invitation from a committee of the Commissioners -for the Northern Lights (I don't mean the Edinburgh Reviewers, but the -_bona-fide_ Commissioners for the Beacons), to accompany them upon a -nautical tour round Scotland, visiting all that is curious on -continent and isle. The party are three gentlemen with whom I am very -well acquainted, William Erskine being one. We have a stout cutter, -well fitted up and manned for the service by Government; and to make -assurance double sure, the admiral has sent a sloop of war to cruise -in the dangerous points of our tour, and sweep the sea of the Yankee -privateers, which sometimes annoy our northern latitudes. I shall -visit the Clephanes in their solitude--and let you know all that I see -that is rare and entertaining, which, as we are masters of our time -and vessel, should add much to my stock of knowledge. - -As to Waverley, I will play Sir Fretful for once, and assure you that -I left the story to flag in the first volume on purpose; the second -and third have rather more bustle and interest. I wished (with what -success Heaven knows) to avoid the ordinary error of novel writers, -whose first volume is usually their best. But since it has served to -amuse Mrs. Morritt and you _usque ab initio_, I have no doubt you will -tolerate it even unto the end. It may really boast to be a tolerably -faithful portrait of Scottish manners, and has been recognized as such -in Edinburgh. The first edition of a thousand instantly disappeared, -and the bookseller informs me that the second, of double the quantity, -will not supply the market long.--As I shall be very anxious to know -how Mrs. Morritt is, I hope to have a few lines from you on my return, -which will be about the end of August or beginning of September. I -should have mentioned that we have the celebrated engineer, Stevenson, -along with us. I delight in these professional men of talent; they -always give you some new lights by the peculiarity of their habits and -studies, so different from the people who are rounded, and smoothed, -and ground down for conversation, and who can say all that every other -person says, and--nothing more. - -What a miserable thing it is that our royal family cannot be quiet and -decent at least, if not correct and moral in their deportment. Old -farmer George's manly simplicity, modesty of expense, and domestic -virtue, saved this country at its most perilous crisis; for it is -inconceivable the number of persons whom these qualities united in his -behalf, who would have felt but feebly the abstract duty of supporting -a crown less worthily worn. - ---I had just proceeded thus far when your kind favor of the 21st -reached Abbotsford. I am heartily glad you continued to like Waverley -to the end. The hero is a sneaking piece of imbecility; and if he had -married Flora, she would have set him up upon the chimney-piece, as -Count Borowlaski's wife used to do with him.[56] I am a bad hand at -depicting a hero, properly so called, and have an unfortunate -propensity for the dubious characters of Borderers, buccaneers, -Highland robbers, and all others of a Robin Hood description. I do not -know why it should be, as I am myself, like Hamlet, indifferent -honest; but I suppose the blood of the old cattle-drivers of -Teviotdale continues to stir in my veins. - -I shall _not_ own Waverley; my chief reason is that it would prevent -me of the pleasure of writing again. David Hume, nephew of the -historian, says the author must be of a Jacobite family and -predilections, a yeoman-cavalry man, and a Scottish lawyer, and -desires me to guess in whom these happy attributes are united. I shall -not plead guilty, however; and as such seems to be the fashion of the -day, I hope charitable people will believe my _affidavit_ in -contradiction to all other evidence. The Edinburgh faith now is, that -Waverley is written by Jeffrey, having been composed to lighten the -tedium of his late transatlantic voyage. So you see the unknown infant -is like to come to preferment. In truth, I am not sure it would be -considered quite decorous for me, as a Clerk of Session, to write -novels. Judges being monks, Clerks are a sort of lay brethren, from -whom some solemnity of walk and conduct may be expected. So, whatever -I may do of this kind, "I shall whistle it down the wind, and let it -prey at fortune."[57] I will take care, in the next edition, to make -the corrections you recommend. The second is, I believe, nearly -through the press. It will hardly be printed faster than it was -written; for though the first volume was begun long ago, and actually -lost for a time, yet the other two were begun and finished between the -4th June and the 1st July, during all which I attended my duty in -Court, and proceeded without loss of time or hindrance of business. - -I wish, for poor auld Scotland's sake,[58] and for the manes of Bruce -and Wallace, and for the living comfort of a very worthy and ingenious -dissenting clergyman, who has collected a library and medals of some -value, and brought up, I believe, sixteen or seventeen children (his -wife's ambition extended to twenty) upon about £150 a year--I say I -wish, for all these reasons, you could get me among your wealthy -friends a name or two for the enclosed proposals. The price is, I -think, too high; but the booksellers fixed it two guineas above what I -proposed. I trust it will be yet lowered to five guineas, which is a -more come-at-able sum than six. The poems themselves are great -curiosities, both to the philologist and antiquary; and that of Bruce -is invaluable even to the historian. They have been hitherto -wretchedly edited. - -I am glad you are not to pay for this scrawl. Ever yours, - - WALTER SCOTT. - -P. S.--I do not see how my silence can be considered as imposing on -the public. If I give my name to a book without writing it, -unquestionably that would be a trick. But, unless in the case of his -averring facts which he may be called upon to defend or justify, I -think an author may use his own discretion in giving or withholding -his name. Harry Mackenzie never put his name in a title-page till the -last edition of his works; and Swift only owned one out of his -thousand-and-one publications. In point of emolument, everybody knows -that I sacrifice much money by withholding my name; and what should I -gain by it, that any human being has a right to consider as an unfair -advantage? In fact, only the freedom of writing trifles with less -personal responsibility, and perhaps more frequently than I otherwise -might do. - - W. S. - - -I am not able to give the exact date of the following reply to one -of John Ballantyne's expostulations on the subject of _the -secret_:-- - - "No, John, I will not own the book-- - I won't, you Picaroon. - When next I try St. Grubby's brook, - The A. of Wa--shall bait the hook-- - And flat-fish bite as soon, - As if before them they had got - The worn-out wriggler - - WALTER SCOTT." - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXVII. - -[46: The late Sir John Marjoribanks of Lees, Bart.] - -[47: The inscription for this tankard was penned by the -late celebrated Dr. James Gregory, Professor of the Practice of -Physic in the University of Edinburgh; and I therefore transcribe -it. - - GUALTERUM SCOTT - - DE ABBOTSFORD - - VIRUM SUMMI INGENII - - SCRIPTOREM ELEGANTEM - - POETARUM SUI SECULI FACILE PRINCIPEM - - PATRIÆ DECUS - - OB VARIA ERGA IPSAM MERITA - - IN CIVIUM SUORUM NUMERUM - - GRATA ADSCRIPSIT CIVITAS EDINBURGENSIS - - ET HOC CANTHARO DONAVIT - - A. D. M.DCCC.XIII.] - -[48: _2d King Henry IV._ Act V. Scene 3.] - -[49: A good many French officers, prisoners of war, had -been living on parole in Melrose, and the adjoining villages; and -Mr. and Mrs. Scott had been particularly kind and hospitable to -them.] - -[50: The battle of Toulouse.] - -[51: Sir Adam Ferguson, who had been taken prisoner in the -course of the Duke of Wellington's retreat from Burgos.] - -[52: The names which he particularly mentions are those of -the late Matthew Weld Hartstonge, Esq., of Dublin, Theophilus Swift, -Esq., Major Tickell, Thomas Steele, Esq., Leonard Macnally, Esq., -and the Rev. M. Berwick.] - -[53: Entertaining one night a small party of friends, -Erskine read the proof sheets of this volume after supper, and was -confirmed in his opinion by the enthusiastic interest they excited -in his highly intelligent circle. Mr. James Simpson and Mr. Norman -Hill, advocates, were of this party, and from the way in which their -host spoke, they both inferred that they were listening to the first -effort of some unknown aspirant. They all pronounced the work one of -the highest classical merit. The sitting was protracted till -daybreak.--(1839.)] - -[54: Mr. Morritt had, in the spring of this year, been -present at the first levee held at the Tuileries by Monsieur -(afterwards Charles X.), as representative of his brother Louis -XVIII. Mr. M. had not been in Paris till that time since 1789.] - -[55: [The old writing-desk, in which, while searching for -some fishing-tackle for a guest, Scott found the long-lost -manuscript, was given by him to William Laidlaw, who till his death -cherished with religious care all his memorials of Abbotsford. The -desk is now a treasured possession of his grandson, Mr. W. L. -Carruthers, of Inverness.]] - -[56: _Count Borowlaski_ was a Polish dwarf, who, after -realizing some money as an itinerant object of exhibition, settled, -married, and died (September 5, 1837) at Durham. He was a well-bred -creature, and much noticed by the clergy and other gentry of that -city. Indeed, even when travelling the country as a show, he had -always maintained a sort of dignity. I remember him as going from -house to house, when I was a child, in a sedan chair, with a servant -in livery following him, who took the fee--_M. le Comte_ himself -(dressed in a scarlet coat and bag wig) being ushered into the room -like any ordinary visitor. - -The Count died in his 99th year-- - - "A SPIRIT brave, yet gentle, has dwelt, as it appears, - Within three feet of flesh for near one hundred years; - Which causes wonder, like his constitution, strong, - That one _so short alive_ should be _alive so long_!" - - _Bentley's Miscellany_ for November, 1837.] - -[57: _Othello_, Act III. Scene 3.] - -[58: Burns--lines _On my early days_.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - - VOYAGE TO THE SHETLAND ISLES, ETC. -- SCOTT'S DIARY KEPT ON BOARD - THE LIGHTHOUSE YACHT - -1814 - - -The gallant composure with which Scott, when he had dismissed a work -from his desk, awaited the decision of the public--and the healthy -elasticity of spirit with which he could meanwhile turn his whole -zeal upon new or different objects--are among the features in his -character which will always, I believe, strike the student of -literary history as most remarkable. We have now seen him before the -fate of Waverley had been determined--before he had heard a word -about its reception in England, except from one partial -confidant--preparing to start on a voyage to the northern isles, -which was likely to occupy the best part of two months, and in the -course of which he could hardly expect to receive any intelligence -from his friends in Edinburgh. The Diary which he kept during this -expedition is--thanks to the leisure of a landsman on board--a very -full one; and, written without the least notion probably that it -would ever be perused except in his own family circle, it affords -such a complete and artless portraiture of the man, as he was in -himself, and as he mingled with his friends and companions, at one -of the most interesting periods of his life, that I am persuaded -every reader will be pleased to see it printed in its original -state. A few extracts from it were published by himself, in one of -the Edinburgh Annual Registers--he also drew from it some of the -notes to his Lord of the Isles, and the substance of several -others for his romance of the Pirate. But the recurrence of these -detached passages will not be complained of--expounded and -illustrated as the reader will find them by the personal details of -the context. - -[Illustration: WILLIAM ERSKINE (LORD KINNEDDER) - -_From the water-color portrait by William Nicholson_] - -I have been often told by one of the companions of this voyage, that -heartily as Scott entered throughout into their social enjoyments, -they all perceived him, when inspecting for the first time scenes of -remarkable grandeur, to be in such an abstracted and excited mood, -that they felt it would be the kindest and discreetest plan to leave -him to himself. "I often," said Lord Kinnedder, "on coming up from -the cabin at night, found him pacing the deck rapidly, muttering to -himself--and went to the forecastle, lest my presence should disturb -him. I remember, that at Loch Corriskin, in particular, he seemed -quite overwhelmed with his feelings; and we all saw it, and retiring -unnoticed, left him to roam and gaze about by himself, until it was -time to muster the party and be gone." Scott used to mention the -surprise with which he himself witnessed Erskine's emotion on first -entering the Cave of Staffa. "Would you believe it?" he said--"my -poor Willie sat down and wept like a woman!" Yet his own -sensibilities, though betrayed in a more masculine and sterner -guise, were perhaps as keen as well as deeper than his amiable -friend's. - -The poet's Diary, contained in five little paper books, is as -follows:-- - - -VACATION, 1814. - -_Voyage in the Lighthouse Yacht to Nova Zembla, and the Lord knows -where._ - -"_July 29, 1814_.--Sailed from Leith about one o'clock on board the -Lighthouse Yacht, conveying six guns, and ten men, commanded by Mr. -Wilson. The company: Commissioners of the Northern Lights, Robert -Hamilton, Sheriff of Lanarkshire; William Erskine, Sheriff of Orkney -and Zetland; Adam Duff, Sheriff of Forfarshire. Non-commissioners, -Ipse Ego; Mr. David Marjoribanks, son to John Marjoribanks, Provost of -Edinburgh, a young gentleman; Rev. Mr. Turnbull, minister of Tingwall, -in the presbytery of Shetland. But the official chief of the -expedition is Mr. Stevenson, the Surveyor-Viceroy over the -Commissioners--a most gentlemanlike and modest man, and well known by -his scientific skill.[59] - -"Reached the Isle of May in the evening; went ashore, and saw the -light--an old tower, and much in the form of a border-keep, with a -beacon-grate on the top. It is to be abolished for an oil -revolving-light, the grate-fire only being ignited upon the leeward -side when the wind is very high. _Quære_--Might not the grate revolve? -The isle had once a cell or two upon it. The vestiges of the chapel -are still visible. Mr. Stevenson proposed demolishing the old tower, -and I recommended _ruining_ it _à la picturesque_--_i. e._, -demolishing it partially. The island might be made a delightful -residence for sea-bathers. - -"On board again in the evening: watched the progress of the ship round -Fifeness, and the revolving motion of the now distant Bell-Rock light -until the wind grew rough, and the landsmen sick. To bed at eleven, -and slept sound. - -"_30th July_.--Waked at six by the steward; summoned to visit the -Bell-Rock, where the beacon is well worthy attention. Its dimensions -are well known; but no description can give the idea of this slight, -solitary, round tower, trembling amid the billows, and fifteen miles -from Arbroath, the nearest shore. The fitting up within is not only -handsome, but elegant. All work of wood (almost) is wainscot; all -hammer-work brass; in short, exquisitely fitted up. You enter by a -ladder of rope, with wooden steps, about thirty feet from the bottom, -where the mason-work ceases to be solid, and admits of round -apartments. The lowest is a storehouse for the people's provisions, -water, etc.; above that a storehouse for the lights, of oil, etc.; -then the kitchen of the people, three in number; then their sleeping -chamber; then the saloon or parlor, a neat little room; above all, the -lighthouse; all communicating by oaken ladders, with brass rails, most -handsomely and conveniently executed. Breakfasted in the parlor.[60] -On board again at nine, and run down, through a rough sea, to -Aberbrothock, vulgarly called Arbroath. All sick, even Mr. Stevenson. -God grant this occur seldom! Landed and dined at Arbroath, where we -were to take up Adam Duff. We visited the appointments of the -lighthouse establishment--a handsome tower, with two wings. These -contain the lodgings of the keepers of the light--very handsome, -indeed, and very clean. They might be thought too handsome, were it -not of consequence to give those men, entrusted with a duty so -laborious and slavish, a consequence in the eyes of the public and in -their own. The central part of the building forms a single tower, -corresponding with the lighthouse. As the keepers' families live here, -they are apprised each morning by a signal that _all is well_. If this -signal be not made, a tender sails for the rock directly. I visited -the abbey church for the third time, the first being--_eheu!_[61]--the -second with T. Thomson. Dined at Arbroath, and came on board at night, -where I made up this foolish journal, and now beg for wine and water. -So the vessel is once more in motion. - -"_31st July_.--Waked at seven; vessel off Fowlsheugh and Dunnottar. -Fair wind, and delightful day; glide enchantingly along the coast of -Kincardineshire, and open the bay of Nigg about ten. At eleven, off -Aberdeen; the gentlemen go ashore to Girdle-Ness, a projecting point -of rock to the east of the harbor of Foot-Dee. There the magistrates -of Aberdeen wish to have a fort and beacon-light. The Oscar, whaler, -was lost here last year, with all her hands, excepting two; about -forty perished. Dreadful, to be wrecked so near a large and populous -town! The view of Old and New Aberdeen from the sea is quite -beautiful. About noon proceed along the coast of Aberdeenshire, which, -to the northwards, changes from a bold and rocky to a low and sandy -character. Along the bay of Belhelvie, a whole parish was swallowed up -by the shifting sands, and is still a desolate waste. It belonged to -the Earls of Errol, and was rented at £500 a year at the time. When -these sands are passed the land is all arable. Not a tree to be seen; -nor a grazing cow, or sheep, or even a labor-horse at grass, though -this be Sunday. The next remarkable object was a fragment of the old -castle of Slains, on a precipitous bank, overlooking the sea. The -fortress was destroyed when James VI. marched north [A. D. 1594], -after the battle of Glenlivet, to reduce Huntly and Errol to -obedience. The family then removed to their present mean habitation, -for such it seems, a collection of low houses forming a quadrangle, -one side of which is built on the very verge of the precipice that -overhangs the ocean. What seems odd, there are no stairs down to the -beach. Imprudence, or ill-fortune as fatal as the sands of Belhelvie, -has swallowed up the estate of Errol, excepting this dreary -mansion-house, and a farm or two adjoining. We took to the boat, and -running along the coast had some delightful sea-views to the northward -of the castle. The coast is here very rocky; but the rocks, being -rather soft, are wasted and corroded by the constant action of the -waves,--and the fragments which remain, where the softer parts have -been washed away, assume the appearance of old Gothic ruins. There are -open arches, towers, steeples, and so forth. One part of this scaur is -called _Dunbuy_, being colored yellow by the dung of the sea-fowls, -who build there in the most surprising numbers. We caught three young -gulls. But the most curious object was the celebrated Buller of -Buchan, a huge rocky cauldron, into which the sea rushes through a -natural arch of rock. I walked round the top; in one place the path is -only about two feet wide, and a monstrous precipice on either side. We -then rowed into the cauldron or buller from beneath, and saw nothing -around us but a regular wall of black rock, and nothing above but the -blue sky. A fishing hamlet had sent out its inhabitants, who, gazing -from the brink, looked like sylphs looking down upon gnomes. In the -side of the cauldron opens a deep black cavern. Johnson says it might -be a retreat from storms, which is nonsense. In a high gale the waves -rush in with incredible violence. An old fisher said he had seen them -flying over the natural wall of the buller, which cannot be less than -200 feet high. Same old man says Slains is now inhabited by a Mr. -Bowles, who comes so far from the southward that naebody kens whare he -comes frae. 'Was he frae the Indies?'--'Na; he did not think he came -that road. He was far frae the southland. Naebody ever heard the name -of the place; but he had brought more guid out o' Peterhead than a' -the Lords he had seen in Slains, and he had seen three.' About -half-past five we left this interesting spot, and after a hard pull -reached the yacht. Weather falls hazy, and rather calm; but at sea we -observe vessels enjoying more wind. Pass Peterhead, dimly -distinguishing two steeples and a good many masts. Mormounthill said -to resemble a coffin--a likeness of which we could not judge, Mormount -being for the present invisible. Pass Rattray-Head: near this cape are -dangerous shelves, called the Bridge of Rattray. Here the wreck of the -Doris merchant vessel came on shore, lost last year with a number of -passengers for Shetland. We lie off all night. - -"_1st August_.--Off Fraserburgh--a neat little town. Mr. Stevenson and -the Commissioners go on shore to look at a light maintained there upon -an old castle, on a cape called Kinnaird's Head. The morning being -rainy, and no object of curiosity ashore, I remain on board, to make -up my journal, and write home. - -"The old castle, now bearing the light, is a picturesque object from -the sea. It was the baronial mansion of the Frasers, now Lords -Saltoun--an old square tower with a minor fortification towards the -landing-place on the sea-side. About eleven, the Commissioners came -off, and we leave this town, the extreme point of the Moray Firth, to -stretch for Shetland--salute the castle with three guns, and stretch -out with a merry gale. See Mormount, a long flattish-topped hill near -to the West Trouphead, and another bold cliff promontory projecting -into the firth. Our gale soon failed, and we are now all but becalmed; -songs, ballads, recitations, backgammon, and piquet, for the rest of -the day. Noble sunset and moon rising; we are now out of sight of -land. - -"_2d August_.--At sea in the mouth of the Moray Firth. This day almost -a blank--light baffling airs, which do us very little good; most of -the landsmen sick, more or less; piquet, backgammon, and chess, the -only resources.--_P.M._ A breeze, and we begin to think we have passed -the Fair Isle, lying between Shetland and Orkney, at which it was our -intention to have touched. In short, like one of Sinbad's adventures, -we have run on till neither captain nor pilot know exactly where we -are. The breeze increases--weather may be called rough; worse and -worse after we are in our berths, nothing but booming, trampling, and -whizzing of waves about our ears, and ever and anon, as we fall -asleep, our ribs come in contact with those of the vessel; hail Duff -and the Udaller[62] in the after-cabin, but they are too sick to -answer. Towards morning, calm (comparative), and a nap. - -"_3d August_.--At sea as before; no appearance of land; proposed that -the Sheriff of Zetland do issue a _meditatione fugæ_ warrant against -his territories, which seem to fly from us. Pass two whalers; speak -the nearest, who had come out of Lerwick, which is about twenty miles -distant; stand on with a fine breeze. About nine at night, with -moonlight and strong twilight, we weather the point of Bard-head, and -enter a channel about three quarters of a mile broad which forms the -southern entrance to the harbor of Lerwick, where we cast anchor about -half-past ten, and put Mr. Turnbull on shore. - -"_4th August_.--Harbor of Lerwick. Admire the excellence of this -harbor of the metropolis of Shetland. It is a most beautiful place, -screened on all sides from the wind by hills of a gentle elevation. -The town, a fishing village built irregularly upon a hill ascending -from the shore, has a picturesque appearance. On the left is Fort -Charlotte, garrisoned of late by two companies of veterans. The -Greenlandmen, of which nine fine vessels are lying in the harbor, add -much to the liveliness of the scene. Mr. Duncan, Sheriff-substitute, -came off to pay his respects to his principal; he is married to a -daughter of my early acquaintance, Walter Scott of Scotshall. We go -ashore. Lerwick, a poor-looking place, the streets flagged instead of -being causewayed, for there are no wheel-carriages. The streets full -of drunken riotous sailors from the whale-vessels. It seems these -ships take about 1000 sailors from Zetland every year, and return them -as they come back from the fishery. Each sailor may gain from £20 to -£30, which is paid by the merchants of Lerwick, who have agencies from -the owners of the whalers in England. The whole return may be between -£25,000 and £30,000. These Zetlanders, as they get a part of this pay -on landing, make a point of treating their English messmates, who get -drunk of course, and are very riotous. The Zetlanders themselves do -_not_ get drunk, but go straight home to their houses, and reserve -their hilarity for the winter season, when they spend their wages in -dancing and drinking. Erskine finds employment as Sheriff, for the -neighborhood of the fort enables him to make _main forte_, and secure -a number of the rioters. We visit F. Charlotte, which is a neat little -fort mounting ten heavy guns to the sea, but only one to the land. -Major F., the Governor, showed us the fort; it commands both entrances -of the harbor: the north entrance is not very good, but the south -capital. The water in the harbor is very deep, as frigates of the -smaller class lie almost close to the shore. Take a walk with Captain -M'Diarmid, a gentlemanlike and intelligent officer of the garrison; we -visit a small fresh-water loch called _Cleik-him-in_; it borders on -the sea, from which it is only divided by a sort of beach, apparently -artificial: though the sea lashes the outside of this beach, the water -of the lake is not brackish. In this lake are the remains of a Picts' -castle, but ruinous. The people think the castle has not been built on -a natural island, but on an artificial one formed by a heap of stones. -These Duns or Picts' castles are so small, it is impossible to -conceive what effectual purpose they could serve excepting a temporary -refuge for the chief.--Leave _Cleik-him-in_, and proceed along the -coast. The ground is dreadfully encumbered with stones; the patches -which have been sown with oats and barley bear very good crops, but -they are mere _patches_, the cattle and ponies feeding amongst them, -and secured by tethers. The houses most wretched, worse than the -worst herd's house I ever saw. It would be easy to form a good farm -by enclosing the ground with Galloway dykes, which would answer the -purpose of clearing it at the same time of stones; and as there is -plenty of limeshell, marle, and alga-marina, manure could not be -wanting. But there are several obstacles to improvement, chiefly the -undivided state of the properties, which lie _run-rig_; then the -claims of Lord Dundas, the lord of the country, and above all, -perhaps, the state of the common people, who, dividing their attention -between the fishery and the cultivation, are not much interested in -the latter, and are often absent at the proper times of labor. Their -ground is chiefly dug with the spade, and their ploughs are beyond -description awkward. An odd custom prevails: any person, without -exception (if I understand rightly), who wishes to raise a few kail, -fixes upon any spot he pleases, encloses it with a dry stone wall, -uses it as a kailyard till he works out the soil, then deserts it and -makes another. Some dozen of these little enclosures, about twenty or -thirty feet square, are in sight at once. They are called -_planty-cruives_; and the Zetlanders are so far from reckoning this an -invasion, or a favor on the part of the proprietor, that their most -exaggerated description of an avaricious person is one who would -refuse liberty for a _planty-cruive_; or to infer the greatest -contempt of another, they will say, they would not hold a -_planty-cruive_ of him. It is needless to notice how much this license -must interfere with cultivation. - -"Leaving the _cultivated_ land, we turn more inland, and pass two or -three small lakes. The muirs are mossy and sterile in the highest -degree; the hills are clad with stunted heather, intermixed with huge -great stones; much of an astringent root with a yellow flower, called -_Tormentil_, used by the islanders in dressing leather in lieu of the -oak bark. We climbed a hill, about three miles from Lerwick, to a -cairn which presents a fine view of the indented coast of the island, -and the distant isles of Mousa and others. Unfortunately the day is -rather hazy--return by a circuitous route, through the same sterile -country. These muirs are used as a commonty by the proprietors of the -parishes in which they lie, and each, without any regard to the extent -of his peculiar property, puts as much stock upon them as he chooses. -The sheep are miserable looking, hairy-legged creatures, of all -colors, even to sky-blue. I often wondered where Jacob got speckled -lambs; I think now they must have been of the Shetland stock. In our -return, pass the upper end of the little lake of _Cleik-him-in_, which -is divided by a rude causeway from another small loch, communicating -with it, however, by a sluice, for the purpose of driving a mill. But -such a mill! The wheel is horizontal, with the cogs turned diagonally -to the water; the beam stands upright, and is inserted in a -stone-quern of the old-fashioned construction. This simple machine is -enclosed in a hovel about the size of a pig-sty--and there is the -mill![63] There are about 500 such mills in Shetland, each incapable -of grinding more than a sack at a time. - -"I cannot get a distinct account of the nature of the land rights. The -Udal proprietors have ceased to exist, yet proper feudal tenures seem -ill understood. Districts of ground are in many instances understood -to belong to Townships or Communities, possessing what may be arable -by patches, and what is muir as a commonty, _pro indiviso_. But then -individuals of such a Township often take it upon them to grant feus -of particular parts of the property thus possessed _pro indiviso_. The -town of Lerwick is built upon a part of the commonty of Sound, the -proprietors of the houses having feu-rights from different heritors of -that Township, but why from one rather than another, or how even the -whole Township combining (which has not yet been attempted) could -grant such a right upon principle, seems altogether uncertain. In the -mean time the chief stress is laid upon occupance. I should have -supposed, upon principle that Lord Dundas, as superior, possessed the -_dominium eminens_, and ought to be resorted to as the source of land -rights. But it is not so. It has been found that the heritors of each -Township hold directly of the Crown, only paying the _Scat_, or -Norwegian land-tax, and other duties to his lordship, used and wont. -Besides, he has what are called property lands in every Township, or -in most, which he lets to his tenants. Lord Dundas is now trying to -introduce the system of leases and a better kind of agriculture.[64] -Return home and dine at Sinclair's, a decent inn--Captain M'Diarmid -and other gentlemen dine with us.--Sleep at the inn on a straw couch. - -"_5th August 1814_.--Hazy disagreeable morning;--Erskine trying the -rioters--notwithstanding which, a great deal of rioting still in the -town. The Greenlanders, however, only quarrelled among themselves, and -the Zetland sailors seemed to exert themselves in keeping peace. They -are, like all the other Zetlanders I have seen, a strong, -clear-complexioned, handsome race, and the women are very pretty. The -females are rather slavishly employed, however, and I saw more than -one carrying home the heavy sea-chests of their husbands, brothers, or -lovers, discharged from on board the Greenlanders. The Zetlanders are, -however, so far provident, that when they enter the navy they make -liberal allowance of their pay for their wives and families. Not less -than £15,000 a year has been lately paid by the Admiralty on this -account; yet this influx of money, with that from the Greenland -fishery, seems rather to give the means of procuring useless -indulgences than of augmenting the stock of productive labor. Mr. -Collector Ross tells me that from the King's books it appears that the -quantity of spirits, tea, coffee, tobacco, snuff, and sugar, imported -annually into Lerwick for the consumption of Zetland, averages at sale -price, £20,000 yearly, at the least. Now the inhabitants of Zetland, -men, women, and children, do not exceed 22,000 in all, and the -proportion of foreign luxuries seems monstrous, unless we allow for -the habits contracted by the seamen in their foreign trips. Tea, in -particular, is used by all ranks, and porridge quite exploded. - -"We parade Lerwick. The most remarkable thing is, that the main street -being flagged, and all the others very narrow lanes descending the -hill by steps, anything like a cart, of the most ordinary and rude -construction, seems not only out of question when the town was built, -but in its present state quite excluded. A road of five miles in -length, on the line between Lerwick and Scalloway, has been already -made--upon a very awkward and expensive plan, and ill-lined as may be -supposed. But it is proposed to extend this road by degrees: carts -will then be introduced, and by crossing the breed of their ponies -judiciously, they will have Galloways to draw them. The streets of -Lerwick (as one blunder perpetrates another) will then be a bar to -improvement, for till the present houses are greatly altered, no cart -can approach the quay. In the garden of Captain Nicolson, R. N., which -is rather in a flourishing state, he has tried various trees, almost -all of which have died except the willow. But the plants seem to me to -be injured in their passage; seeds would perhaps do better. We are -visited by several of the notables of the island, particularly Mr. -Mowat, a considerable proprietor, who claims acquaintance with me as -the friend of my father, and remembers me as a boy. The day clearing -up, Duff and I walk with this good old gentleman to _Cleik-him-in_, -and with some trouble drag a boat off the beach into the fresh-water -loch, and go to visit the Picts' castle. It is of considerable size, -and consists of three circular walls of huge natural stones admirably -combined without cement. The outer circuit seems to have been simply a -bounding wall or bulwark; the second or interior defence contains -lodgments such as I shall describe. This inner circuit is surrounded -by a wall of about sixteen or eighteen feet thick, composed, as I -said, of huge massive stones placed in layers with great art, but -without mortar or cement. The wall is not perpendicular, but the -circle lessens gradually towards the top, as an old-fashioned -pigeon-house. Up the interior of this wall there proceeds a circular -winding gallery ascending in the form of an inclined plane, so as to -gain the top by circling round like a corkscrew within the walls. This -is enlightened by little apertures (about two feet by three) into the -inside, and also, it is said, by small slits--of which I saw none. It -is said there are marks of galleries within the circuit, running -parallel to the horizon; these I saw no remains of; and the interior -gallery, with its apertures, is so extremely low and narrow, being -only about three feet square, that it is difficult to conceive how it -could serve the purpose of communication. At any rate, the size fully -justifies the tradition prevalent here as well as in the south of -Scotland, that the Picts were a diminutive race. More of this when we -see the more perfect specimen of a Pict castle in Mousa, which we -resolve to examine, if it be possible. Certainly I am deeply curious -to see what must be one of the most ancient houses in the world, built -by a people who, while they seem to have bestowed much pains on their -habitations, knew neither the art of cement, of arches, or of stairs. -The situation is wild, dreary, and impressive. On the land side are -huge sheets and fragments of rocks, interspersed with a stinted -vegetation of grass and heath, which bears no proportion to the rocks -and stones. From the top of his tower the Pictish Monarch might look -out upon a stormy sea, washing a succession of rocky capes, reaches, -and headlands, and immediately around him was the deep fresh-water -loch on which his fortress was constructed. It communicates with the -land by a sort of causeway, formed, like the artificial islet itself, -by heaping together stones till the pile reached the surface of the -water. This is usually passable, but at present overflooded.--Return -and dine with Mr. Duncan, Sheriff-substitute--are introduced to Dr. -Edmonstone, author of a History of Shetland, who proposes to accompany -us to-morrow to see the Cradle of Noss. I should have mentioned that -Mr. Stevenson sailed this morning with the yacht to survey some isles -to the northward; he returns on Saturday, it is hoped. - -"_6th August._--Hire a six-oared boat, whaler-built, with a taper -point at each end, so that the rudder can be hooked on either at -pleasure. These vessels look very frail, but are admirably adapted to -the stormy seas, where they live when a ship's boat stiffly and -compactly built must necessarily perish. They owe this to their -elasticity and lightness. Some of the rowers wear a sort of coats of -dressed sheep leather, sewed together with thongs. We sailed out at -the southern inlet of the harbor, rounding successively the capes of -the Hammer, Kirkubus, the Ving, and others, consisting of bold cliffs, -hollowed into caverns, or divided into pillars and arches of fantastic -appearance, by the constant action of the waves. As we passed the most -northerly of these capes, called, I think, the Ord, and turned into -the open sea, the scenes became yet more tremendously sublime. Rocks -upwards of three or four hundred feet in height presented themselves -in gigantic succession, sinking perpendicularly into the main, which -is very deep even within a few fathoms of their base. One of these -capes is called the Bard-head; a huge projecting arch is named the -Giant's Leg. - - 'Here the lone sea-bird wakes its wildest cry.'[65] - -Not lone, however, in one sense, for their numbers and the variety of -their tribes are immense, though I think they do not quite equal those -of Dunbuy, on the coast of Buchan. Standing across a little bay, we -reached the Isle of Noss, having hitherto coasted the shore of -Bressay. Here we see a detached and precipitous rock, or island, being -a portion rent by a narrow sound from the rest of the cliff, and -called the Holm. This detached rock is wholly inaccessible, unless by -a pass of peril, entitled the Cradle of Noss, which is a sort of -wooden chair, travelling from precipice to precipice on rings, which -run upon two cables stretched across over the gulf. We viewed this -extraordinary contrivance from beneath, at the distance of perhaps one -hundred fathoms at least. The boatmen made light of the risk of -crossing it, but it must be tremendous to a brain disposed to be -giddy. Seen from beneath, a man in the basket would resemble a large -crow or raven floating between rock and rock. The purpose of this -strange contrivance is to give the tenant the benefit of putting a few -sheep upon the Holm, the top of which is level, and affords good -pasture. The animals are transported in the cradle by one at a time, a -shepherd holding them upon his knees. The channel between the Holm and -the isle is passable by boats in calm weather, but not at the time -when we saw it. Rowing on through a heavy tide, and nearer the -breakers than any but Zetlanders would have ventured, we rounded -another immensely high cape, called by the islanders the Noup of Noss, -but by sailors Hang-cliff, from its having a projecting appearance. -This was the highest rock we had yet seen, though not quite -perpendicular. Its height has never been measured: I should judge it -exceeds 600 feet; it has been conjectured to measure 800 and upwards. -Our steersman had often descended this precipitous rock, having only -the occasional assistance of a rope, one end of which he secured from -time to time round some projecting cliff. The collecting sea-fowl for -their feathers was the object, and he might gain five or six dozen, -worth eight or ten shillings, by such an adventure. These huge -precipices abound with caverns, many of which run much farther into -the rock than any one has ventured to explore. We entered (with much -hazard to our boat) one called the Orkney-man's Harbor, because an -Orkney vessel run in there some years since to escape a French -privateer. The entrance was lofty enough to admit us without striking -the mast, but a sudden turn in the direction of the cave would have -consigned us to utter darkness if we had gone in farther. The dropping -of the sea-fowl and cormorants into the water from the sides of the -cavern, when disturbed by our approach, had something in it wild and -terrible. - -"After passing the Noup, the precipices become lower, and sink into a -rocky shore with deep indentations, called by the natives, _Gios_. -Here we would fain have landed to visit the Cradle from the top of the -cliff, but the surf rendered it impossible. We therefore rowed on like -Thalaba, in 'Allah's name,' around the Isle of Noss, and landed upon -the opposite side of the small sound which divides it from Bressay. -Noss exactly resembles in shape Salisbury crags, supposing the sea to -flow down the valley called the Hunter's bog, and round the foot of -the precipice. The eastern part of the isle is fine smooth pasture, -the best I have seen in these isles, sloping upwards to the verge of -the tremendous rocks which form its western front. - -"As we are to dine at Gardie-House (the seat of young Mr. Mowat), on -the Isle of Bressay, Duff and I--who went together on this -occasion--resolve to walk across the island, about three miles, being -by this time thoroughly wet. Bressay is a black and heathy isle, full -of little lochs and bogs. Through storm and shade, and dense and dry, -we find our way to Gardie, and have then to encounter the sublunary -difficulties of wanting the keys of our portmanteaus, etc., the -servants having absconded to see the Cradle. These being overcome, we -are most hospitably treated at Gardie. Young Mr. Mowat, son of my old -friend, is an improver, and a _moderate_ one. He has got a ploughman -from Scotland, who acts as _grieve_, but as yet with the prejudices -and inconveniences which usually attach themselves to the most -salutary experiments. The ploughman complains that the Zetlanders work -as if a spade or hoe burned their fingers, and that though they only -get a shilling a day, yet the labor of three of them does not exceed -what one good hand in Berwickshire would do for 2_s._ 6_d._ The -islanders retort that a man can do no more than he can; that they are -not used to be taxed to their work so severely; that they will work -as their fathers did, and not otherwise; and at first the landlord -found difficulty in getting hands to work under his Caledonian -task-master. Besides, they find fault with his _ho_, and _gee_, and -_wo_, when ploughing. 'He speaks to the horse,' they say, 'and they -gang--and there's something no canny about the man.' In short, between -the prejudices of laziness and superstition, the ploughman leads a -sorry life of it;--yet these prejudices are daily abating, under the -steady and indulgent management of the proprietor. Indeed, nowhere is -improvement in agriculture more necessary. An old-fashioned Zetland -plough is a real curiosity. It had but one handle, or stilt, and a -coulter, but no sock; it ripped the furrow, therefore, but did not -throw it aside. When this precious machine was in motion, it was -dragged by four little bullocks yoked abreast, and as many ponies -harnessed, or rather strung, to the plough by ropes and thongs of -rawhide. One man went before, walking backward, with his face to the -bullocks, and pulling them forward by main strength. Another held down -the plough by its single handle, and made a sort of slit in the earth, -which two women, who closed the procession, converted into a furrow, -by throwing the earth aside with shovels. An antiquary might be of -opinion that this was the very model of the original plough invented -by Triptolemus; and it is but justice to Zetland to say, that these -relics of ancient agricultural art will soon have all the interest -attached to rarity. We could only hear of one of these ploughs within -three miles of Lerwick. - -"This and many other barbarous habits to which the Zetlanders were -formerly wedded seem only to have subsisted because their amphibious -character of fishers and farmers induced them to neglect agricultural -arts. A Zetland farmer looks to the sea to pay his rent; if the land -finds him a little meal and kail, and (if he be a very clever fellow) -a few potatoes, it is very well. The more intelligent part of the -landholders are sensible of all this, but argue like men of good sense -and humanity on the subject. To have good farming, you must have a -considerable farm, upon which capital may be laid out to advantage. -But to introduce this change suddenly would turn adrift perhaps twenty -families, who now occupy small farms _pro indiviso_, cultivating by -patches, or _rundale_ and _runrig_, what part of the property is -arable, and stocking the pasture as a common upon which each family -turns out such stock as they can rear, without observing any -proportion as to the number which it can support. In this way many -townships, as they are called, subsist indeed, but in a precarious and -indigent manner. Fishing villages seem the natural resource for this -excess of population; but, besides the expense of erecting them, the -habits of the people are to be considered, who, with 'one foot on land -and one on sea,' would be with equal reluctance confined to either -element. The remedy seems to be, that the larger proprietors should -gradually set the example of better cultivation, and introduce better -implements. They will, by degrees, be imitated by the inferior -proprietors, and by their tenants; and, as turnips and hay crops -become more general, a better and heavier class of stock will -naturally be introduced. - -"The sheep in particular might be improved into a valuable stock, and -would no doubt thrive, since the winters are very temperate. But I -should be sorry that extensive pasture farms were introduced, as it -would tend to diminish a population invaluable for the supply of our -navy. The improvement of the arable land, on the contrary, would soon -set them beyond the terrors of famine with which the islanders are at -present occasionally visited; and, combined with fisheries, carried on -not by farmers, but by real fishers, would amply supply the -inhabitants, without diminishing the export of dried fish. This -separation of trades will in time take place, and then the prosperous -days of Zetland will begin. The proprietors are already upon the -alert, studying the means of gradual improvement, and no humane person -would wish them to drive it on too rapidly, to the distress and -perhaps destruction of the numerous tenants who have been bred under a -different system. - -"I have gleaned something of the peculiar superstitions of the -Zetlanders, which are numerous and potent. Witches, fairies, etc., are -as numerous as ever they were in Teviotdale. The latter are called -_Trows_, probably from the Norwegian _Dwärg_ (or _dwarf_) the D being -readily converted into T. The dwarfs are the prime agents in the -machinery of Norwegian superstition. The _trows_ do not differ from -the fairies of the Lowlands, or _Sighean_ of the Highlanders. They -steal children, dwell within the interior of green hills, and often -carry mortals into their recesses. Some, yet alive, pretend to have -been carried off in this way, and obtain credit for the marvels they -tell of the subterranean habitations of the trows. Sometimes, when a -person becomes melancholy and low-spirited, the trows are supposed to -have stolen the real being, and left a moving phantom to represent -him. Sometimes they are said to steal only the heart--like Lancashire -witches. There are cures in each case. The party's friends resort to a -cunning man or woman, who hangs about the neck a triangular stone in -the shape of a heart, or conjures back the lost individual, by -retiring to the hills and employing the necessary spells. A common -receipt, when a child appears consumptive and puny, is that the -conjurer places a bowl of water on the patient's head, and pours -melted lead into it through the wards of a key. The metal assumes of -course a variety of shapes, from which he selects a portion, after due -consideration, which is sewn into the shirt of the patient. Sometimes -no part of the lead suits the seer's fancy. Then the operation is -recommenced, until he obtains a fragment of such a configuration as -suits his mystical purpose. Mr. Duncan told us he had been treated in -this way when a boy. - -"A worse and most horrid opinion prevails, or did prevail, among the -fishers--namely, that he who saves a drowning man will receive at his -hands some deep wrong or injury. Several instances were quoted to-day -in company, in which the utmost violence had been found necessary to -compel the fishers to violate this inhuman prejudice. It is -conjectured to have arisen as an apology for rendering no assistance -to the mariners as they escaped from a shipwrecked vessel, for these -isles are infamous for plundering wrecks. A story is told of the crew -of a stranded vessel who were warping themselves ashore by means of a -hawser which they had fixed to the land. The islanders (of Unst, as I -believe) watched their motions in silence, till an old man reminded -them that if they suffered these sailors to come ashore, they would -consume all their winter stock of provisions. A Zetlander cut the -hawser, and the poor wretches, twenty in number, were all swept away. -This is a tale of former times--the cruelty would not now be _active_; -but I fear that even yet the drowning mariner would in some places -receive no assistance in his exertions, and certainly he would in most -be plundered to the skin upon his landing. The gentlemen do their -utmost to prevent this infamous practice. It may seem strange that the -natives should be so little affected by a distress to which they are -themselves so constantly exposed. But habitual exposure to danger -hardens the heart against its consequences, whether to ourselves or -others. There is yet living a man--if he can be called so--to whom the -following story belongs: He was engaged in catching sea-fowl upon one -of the cliffs, with his father and brother. All three were suspended -by a cord, according to custom, and overhanging the ocean, at the -height of some hundred feet. This man being uppermost on the cord, -observed that it was giving way, as unable to support their united -weight. He called out to his brother who was next to him--'Cut away a -nail below, Willie,' meaning he should cut the rope beneath, and let -his father drop. Willie refused, and bid him cut himself, if he -pleased. He did so, and his brother and father were precipitated into -the sea. He never thought of concealing or denying the adventure in -all its parts. We left Gardie-House late; being on the side of the -Isle of Bressay, opposite to Lerwick, we were soon rowed across the -bay. A laugh with Hamilton,[66] whose gout keeps him stationary at -Lerwick, but whose good-humor defies gout and every other provocation, -concludes the evening. - -"_7th August, 1814._--Being Sunday, Duff, Erskine, and I rode to -Tingwall upon Zetland ponies, to breakfast with our friend Parson -Turnbull, who had come over in our yacht. An ill-conducted and -worse-made road served us four miles on our journey. This _Via -Flaminia_ of Thule terminates, like its prototype, in a bog. It is, -however, the only road in these isles, except about half a mile made -by Mr. Turnbull. The land in the interior much resembles the -Peel-heights, near Ashestiel; but, as you approach the other side of -the island, becomes better. Tingwall is rather a fertile valley, up -which winds a loch of about two miles in length. The kirk and manse -stand at the head of the loch, and command a view down the valley to -another lake beyond the first, and thence over another reach of land, -to the ocean, indented by capes and studded with isles; among which, -that of St. Ninian's, abruptly divided from the mainland by a deep -chasm, is the most conspicuous. Mr. Turnbull is a Jedburgh man by -birth, but a Zetlander by settlement and inclination. I have reason to -be proud of my countryman; he is doing his best, with great patience -and judgment, to set a good example both in temporals and spirituals, -and is generally beloved and respected among all classes. His glebe is -in far the best order of any ground I have seen in Zetland. It is -enclosed chiefly with dry-stone, instead of the useless turf-dykes; -and he has sown grass, and has a hay-stack, and a second crop of -clover, and may claim well-dressed fields of potatoes, barley, and -oats. The people around him are obviously affected by his example. He -gave us an excellent discourse and remarkably good prayers, which are -seldom the excellence of the Presbyterian worship.[67] The -congregation were numerous, decent, clean, and well-dressed. The men -have all the air of seamen, and are a good-looking hardy race. Some of -the old fellows had got faces much resembling Tritons; if they had had -conchs to blow, it would have completed them. After church, ride down -the loch to Scalloway--the country wild but pleasant, with sloping -hills of good pasturage, and patches of cultivation on the lower -ground. Pass a huge standing stone or pillar. Here, it is said, the -son of an old Earl of the Orkneys met his fate. He had rebelled -against his father, and fortified himself in Zetland. The Earl sent a -party to dislodge him, who, not caring to proceed to violence against -his person, failed in the attempt. The Earl then sent a stronger -force, with orders to take him dead or alive. The young Absalom's -castle was stormed--he himself fled across the loch, and was overtaken -and slain at this pillar. The Earl afterwards executed the -perpetrators of this slaughter, though they had only fulfilled his own -mandate. - -"We reach Scalloway, and visit the ruins of an old castle, composed of -a double tower or keep, with turrets at the corners. It is the -principal, if not the only ruin of Gothic times in Zetland, and is of -very recent date, being built in 1600. It was built by Patrick -Stewart, Earl of Orkney, afterwards deservedly executed at Edinburgh -for many acts of tyranny and oppression. It was this rapacious lord -who imposed many of those heavy duties still levied from the -Zetlanders by Lord Dundas. The exactions by which he accomplished this -erection were represented as grievous. He was so dreaded that upon his -trial one Zetland witness refused to say a word till he was assured -that there was no chance of the Earl returning to Scalloway. Over the -entrance of the castle are his arms, much defaced, with the unicorns -of Scotland for supporters, the assumption of which was one of the -articles of indictment. There is a Scriptural inscription also above -the door, in Latin, now much defaced:-- - - 'PATRICIUS ORCHADIÆ ET ZETLANDIÆ COMES. A. D. 1600. - CUJUS FUNDAMEN SAXUM EST, DOMUS ILLA MANEBIT - STABILIS: E CONTRA, SI SIT ARENA, PERIT.' - -"This is said to have been furnished to Earl Patrick by a Presbyterian -divine, who slyly couched under it an allusion to the evil practices -by which the Earl had established his power. He perhaps trusted that -the language might disguise the import from the Earl.[68] If so, the -Scottish nobility are improved in literature, for the Duke of Gordon -pointed out an error in the Latinity. - -"Scalloway has a beautiful and very safe harbor, but as it is somewhat -difficult of access, from a complication of small islands, it is -inferior to Lerwick. Hence, though still nominally the capital of -Zetland, for all edictal citations are made at Scalloway, it has sunk -into a small fishing hamlet. The Norwegians made their original -settlement in this parish of Tingwall. At the head of this loch, and -just below the manse, is a small round islet accessible by -stepping-stones, where they held their courts; hence the islet is -called Law-ting--Ting, or Thing, answering to our word business, -exactly like the Latin _negotium_. It seems odd that in -Dumfries-shire, and even in the Isle of Man, where the race and laws -were surely Celtic, we have this Gothic word Ting and Tingwald applied -in the same way. We dined with Mr. Scott of Scalloway, who, like -several families of this name in Shetland, is derived from the house -of Scotstarvet. They are very clannish, marry much among themselves, -and are proud of their descent. Two young ladies, daughters of Mr. -Scott's, dined with us--they were both Mrs. Scotts, having married -brothers--the husband of one was lost in the unfortunate Doris. They -were pleasant, intelligent women, and exceedingly obliging. Old Mr. -Scott seems a good country gentleman. He is negotiating an exchange -with Lord Dundas, which will give him the Castle of Scalloway and two -or three neighboring islands: the rest of the archipelago (seven, I -think, in number) are already his own. He will thus have command of -the whole fishing and harbor, for which he parts with an estate of -more immediate value, lying on the other side of the mainland. I found -my name made me very popular in this family, and there were many -inquiries after the state of the Buccleuch family, in which they -seemed to take much interest. I found them possessed of the remarkable -circumstances attending the late projected sale of Ancrum, and the -death of Sir John Scott, and thought it strange that, settled for -three generations in a country so distant, they should still take an -interest in those matters. I was loaded with shells and little -curiosities for my young people. - -"There was a report (January was two years) of a kraken or some -monstrous fish being seen off Scalloway. The object was visible for a -fortnight, but nobody dared approach it, although I should have -thought the Zetlanders would not have feared the devil if he came by -water. They pretended that the suction, when they came within a -certain distance, was so great as to endanger their boats. The object -was described as resembling a vessel with her keel turned upmost in -the sea, or a small ridge of rock or island. Mr. Scott thinks it might -have been a vessel overset, or a large whale: if the latter, it seems -odd they should not have known it, as whales are the intimate -acquaintances of all Zetland sailors. Whatever it was it disappeared -after a heavy gale of wind, which seems to favor the idea that it was -the wreck of a vessel. Mr. Scott seems to think Pontopiddan's -narrations and descriptions are much more accurate than we inland men -suppose; and I find most Zetlanders of the same opinion. Mr. Turnbull, -who is not credulous upon these subjects, tells me that this year a -parishioner of his, a well-informed and veracious person, saw an -animal, which, if his description was correct, must have been of the -species of sea-snake, driven ashore on one of the Orkneys two or three -years ago. It was very long, and seemed about the thickness of a -Norway log, and swam on the top of the waves, occasionally lifting and -bending its head. Mr. T. says he has no doubt of the veracity of the -narrator, but still thinks it possible it may have been a mere log, or -beam of wood, and that the spectator may have been deceived by the -motion of the waves, joined to the force of imagination. This for the -Duke of Buccleuch. - -"At Scalloway my curiosity was gratified by an account of the -sword-dance, now almost lost, but still practised in the Island of -Papa, belonging to Mr. Scott. There are eight performers, seven of -whom represent the Seven Champions of Christendom, who enter one by -one with their swords drawn, and are presented to the eighth -personage, who is not named. Some rude couplets are spoken (in -_English_, not _Norse_), containing a sort of panegyric upon each -champion as he is presented. They then dance a sort of cotillion, as -the ladies described it, going through a number of evolutions with -their swords. One of my three Mrs. Scotts readily promised to procure -me the lines, the rhymes, and the form of the dance. I regret much -that young Mr. Scott was absent during this visit; he is described as -a reader and an enthusiast in poetry. Probably I might have interested -him in preserving the dance, by causing young persons to learn it. A -few years since, a party of Papa-men came to dance the sword-dance at -Lerwick as a public exhibition with great applause. The warlike dances -of the northern people, of which I conceive this to be the only -remnant in the British dominions,[69] are repeatedly alluded to by -their poets and historians. The introduction of the Seven Champions -savors of a later period, and was probably ingrafted upon the dance -when _mysteries_ and _moralities_ (the first scenic representations) -came into fashion. In a stall pamphlet, called the history of -Buckshaven, it is said those fishers sprung from Danes, and brought -with them their _war-dance_ or _sword-dance_, and a rude wooden cut of -it is given. We resist the hospitality of our entertainers, and return -to Lerwick despite a most downright fall of rain. My pony stumbles -coming down hill; saddle sways round, having but one girth and that -too long, and lays me on my back. _N. B._ The bogs in Zetland as soft -as those in Liddesdale. Get to Lerwick about ten at night. No yacht -has appeared. - -"_8th August._--No yacht, and a rainy morning; bring up my journal. -Day clears up, and we go to pay our farewell visits of thanks to the -hospitable Lerwegians, and at the Fort. Visit kind old Mr. Mowat, and -walk with him and Collector Ross to the point of Quaggers, or -Twaggers, which forms one arm of the southern entrance to the sound of -Bressay. From the eminence a delightful sea view, with several of -those narrow capes and deep reaches or inlets of the sea, which indent -the shores of that land. On the right hand a narrow bay, bounded by -the isthmus of Sound, with a house upon it resembling an old castle. -In the indenture of the bay, and divided from the sea by a slight -causeway, the lake of _Cleik-him-in_, with its Pictish castle. Beyond -this the bay opens another yet; and, behind all, a succession of -capes, headlands, and islands, as far as the cape called -Sumburgh-head, which is the furthest point of Zetland in that -direction. Inland, craggy, and sable muirs, with cairns, among which -we distinguish the Wart or Ward of Wick, to which we walked on the -4th. On the left the island of Bressay, with its peaked hill called -the Wart of Bressay. Over Bressay see the top of Hang-cliff. Admire -the Bay of Lerwick, with its shipping, widening out to the northwards, -and then again contracted into a narrow sound, through which the -infamous Bothwell was pursued by Kirkaldy of Grange, until he escaped -through the dexterity of his pilot, who sailed close along a sunken -rock, upon which Kirkaldy, keeping the weather-gage, struck, and -sustained damage. The rock is visible at low water, and is still -called the Unicorn, from the name of Kirkaldy's vessel. Admire Mr. -Mowat's little farm, of about thirty acres, bought about twenty years -since for £75, and redeemed from the miserable state of the -surrounding country, so that it now bears excellent corn; here also -was a hay crop. With Mr. Turnbull's it makes two. Visit Mr. Ross, -collector of the customs, who presents me with the most superb -collection of the stone axes (or adzes, or whatever they are), called -_celts_. The Zetlanders call them _thunder-bolts_, and keep them in -their houses as a receipt against thunder; but the Collector has -succeeded in obtaining several. We are now to dress for dinner with -the Notables of Lerwick, who give us an entertainment in their -Town-hall. Oho! - -"Just as we were going to dinner, the yacht appeared, and Mr. -Stevenson landed. He gives a most favorable account of the isles to -the northward, particularly Unst. I believe Lerwick is the worst part -of Shetland. Are hospitably received and entertained by the Lerwick -gentlemen. They are a quick, intelligent race--chiefly of Scottish -birth, as appears from their names, Mowat, Gifford, Scott, and so -forth. These are the chief proprietors. The Norwegian or Danish -surnames, though of course the more ancient, belong, with some -exceptions, to the lower ranks. The Veteran Corps expects to be -disbanded, and the officers and Lerwegians seem to part with regret. -Some of the officers talk of settling here. The price of everything is -moderate, and the style of living unexpensive. Against these -conveniences are to be placed a total separation from public life, -news, and literature; and a variable and inhospitable climate. -Lerwick will suffer most severely if the Fort is not occupied by some -force or other; for, between whiskey and frolic, the Greenland sailors -will certainly burn the little town. We have seen a good deal, and -heard much more, of the pranks of these unruly guests. A gentleman of -Lerwick, who had company to dine with him, observed beneath his window -a party of sailors eating a leg of roast mutton, which he witnessed -with philanthropic satisfaction, till he received the melancholy -information, that that individual leg of mutton, being the very -sheet-anchor of his own entertainment, had been violently carried off -from his kitchen, spit and all, by these honest gentlemen, who were -now devouring it. Two others, having carried off a sheep, were -apprehended, and brought before a Justice of the Peace, who questioned -them respecting the fact. The first denied he had taken the sheep, but -said he had seen it taken away by a fellow with a red nose and a black -wig (this was the Justice's description). 'Don't you think he was like -his honor, Tom?' he added, appealing to his comrade. 'By G--, Jack,' -answered Tom, 'I believe it was the very man!' Erskine has been busy -with these facetious gentlemen, and has sent several to prison, but -nothing could have been done without the soldiery. We leave Lerwick at -eight o'clock, and sleep on board the yacht. - -"_9th August, 1814._--Waked at seven, and find the vessel has left -Lerwick harbor, and is on the point of entering the sound which -divides the small island of Mousa (or Queen's Island) from -Coningsburgh, a very wild part of the main island so called. Went -ashore, and see the very ancient castle of Mousa, which stands close -on the seashore. It is a Pictish fortress, the most entire probably in -the world. In form it resembles a dice-box, for the truncated cone is -continued only to a certain height, after which it begins to rise -perpendicularly, or rather with a tendency to expand outwards. The -building is round, and has been surrounded with an outer-wall, of -which hardly the slightest vestiges now remain. It is composed of a -layer of stones, without cement; they are not of large size, but -rather small and thin. To give a vulgar comparison, it resembles an -old ruinous pigeon-house. Mr. Stevenson took the dimensions of this -curious fort, which are as follows: Outside diameter at the base is -fifty-two feet; at the top thirty-eight feet. The diameter of the -interior at the base is nineteen feet six inches; at the top -twenty-one feet; the curve in the inside being the reverse of the -outside, or nearly so. The thickness of the walls at the base -seventeen feet; at the top eight feet six inches. The height outside -forty-two feet; the inside thirty-four feet. The door or entrance -faces the sea, and the interior is partly filled with rubbish. When -you enter you see, in the inner wall, a succession of small openings -like windows, directly one above another, with broad flat stones, -serving for lintels; these are about nine inches thick. The whole -resembles a ladder. There were four of these perpendicular rows of -windows or apertures, the situation of which corresponds with the -cardinal points of the compass. You enter the galleries contained in -the thickness of the wall by two of these apertures, which have been -broken down. These interior spaces are of two descriptions: one -consists of a winding ascent, not quite an inclined plane, yet not by -any means a regular stair; but the edges of the stones, being suffered -to project irregularly, serve for rude steps--or a kind of assistance. -Through this narrow staircase, which winds round the building, you -creep up to the top of the castle, which is partly ruinous. But -besides the staircase, there branch off at irregular intervals -horizontal galleries, which go round the whole building, and receive -air from the holes I formerly mentioned. These apertures vary in size, -diminishing as they run, from about thirty inches in width by eighteen -in height, till they are only about a foot square. The lower galleries -are full man height, but narrow. They diminish both in height and -width as they ascend, and as the thickness of the wall in which they -are enclosed diminishes. The uppermost gallery is so narrow and low, -that it was with great difficulty I crept through it. The walls are -built very irregularly, the sweep of the cone being different on the -different sides. - -"It is said by Torfæus that this fort was repaired and strengthened by -Erlind, who, having forcibly carried off the mother of Harold, Earl of -the Orkneys, resolved to defend himself to extremity in this place -against the insulted Earl. How a castle could be defended which had no -opening to the outside for shooting arrows, and which was of a -capacity to be pulled to pieces by the assailants, who could advance -without annoyance to the bottom of the wall (unless it were -battlemented upon the top), does not easily appear. But to Erlind's -operations the castle of Mousa possibly owes the upper and -perpendicular, or rather overhanging, part of its elevation, and also -its rude staircase. In these two particulars it seems to differ from -all other Picts' castles, which are ascended by an inclined plane, and -generally, I believe, terminate in a truncated cone, without that -strange counterpart of the perpendicular or projecting part of the -upper wall. Opposite to the castle of Mousa are the ruins of another -Pictish fort: indeed, they all communicate with each other through the -isles. The island of Mousa is the property of a Mr. Piper, who has -improved it considerably, and values his castle. I advised him to -clear out the interior, as he tells us there are three or four -galleries beneath those now accessible, and the difference of height -between the exterior and interior warrants his assertion. - -"We get on board, and in time, for the wind freshens, and becomes -contrary. We beat down to Sumburgh-head, through rough weather. This -is the extreme south-eastern point of Zetland; and as the Atlantic and -German oceans unite at this point, a frightful tide runs here, called -Sumburgh-rost. The breeze, contending with the tide, flings the -breakers in great style upon the high broken cliffs of Sumburgh-head. -They are all one white foam, ascending to a great height. We wished to -double this point, and lie by in a bay between that and the northern -or north-western cape, called Fitful-head, and which seems higher than -Sumburgh itself--and tacked repeatedly with this view; but a -confounded islet, called _The Horse_, always baffled us, and, after -three heats, fairly distanced us. So we run into a roadstead, called -Quendal Bay, on the south-eastern side, and there anchor for the -night. We go ashore with various purposes,--Stevenson to see the site -of a proposed lighthouse on this tremendous cape--Marjoribanks to -shoot rabbits--and Duff and I to look about us. - -"I ascended the head by myself, which is lofty, and commands a wild -sea-view. Zetland stretches away, with all its projecting capes and -inlets, to the north-eastward. Many of those inlets approach each -other very nearly; indeed, the two opposite bays at Sumburgh-head -seem on the point of joining, and rendering that cape an island. The -two creeks from those east and western seas are only divided by a low -isthmus of blowing sand, and similar to that which wastes part of the -east coast of Scotland. It has here blown like the deserts of Arabia, -and destroyed some houses, formerly the occasional residences of the -Earls of Orkney. The steep and rocky side of the cape, which faces the -west, does not seem much more durable. These lofty cliffs are all of -sand-flag, a very loose and perishable kind of rock, which slides down -in immense masses, like avalanches, after every storm. The rest lies -so loose, that, on the very brow of the loftiest crag, I had no -difficulty in sending down a fragment as large as myself: he thundered -down in tremendous style, but splitting upon a projecting cliff, -descended into the ocean like a shower of shrapnel shot. The sea -beneath rages incessantly among a thousand of the fragments which have -fallen from the peaks, and which assume an hundred strange shapes. It -would have been a fine situation to compose an ode to the Genius of -Sumburgh-head, or an Elegy upon a Cormorant--or to have written and -spoken madness of any kind in prose or poetry. But I gave vent to my -excited feelings in a more simple way; and sitting gently down on the -steep green slope which led to the beach, I e'en slid down a few -hundred feet, and found the exercise quite an adequate vent to my -enthusiasm. I recommend this exercise (time and place suiting) to all -my brother scribblers, and I have no doubt it will save much effusion -of Christian ink. Those slopes are covered with beautiful short -herbage. At the foot of the ascent, and towards the isthmus, is the -old house of Sumburgh, in appearance a most dreary mansion. I found, -on my arrival at the beach, that the hospitality of the inhabitants -had entrapped my companions. I walked back to meet them, but escaped -the gin and water. On board about nine o'clock at night. A little -schooner lies between us and the shore, which we had seen all day -buffeting the tide and breeze like ourselves. The wind increases, and -the ship is made SNUG--a sure sign the passengers will not be so. - -"_10th August, 1814._--The omen was but too true--a terrible -combustion on board, among plates, dishes, glasses, writing-desks, -etc., etc.; not a wink of sleep. We weigh and stand out into that -delightful current called _Sumburgh-rost_, or _rust_. This tide -certainly owes us a grudge, for it drove us to the eastward about -thirty miles on the night of the first, and occasioned our missing the -Fair Isle, and now it has caught us on our return. All the landsmen -sicker than sick, and our Viceroy, Stevenson, qualmish. This is the -only time that I have felt more than temporary inconvenience, but this -morning I have headache and nausea; these are trifles, and in a -well-found vessel, with a good pilot, we have none of that mixture of -danger which gives dignity to the traveller. But he must have a -stouter heart than mine, who can contemplate without horror the -situation of a vessel of an inferior description caught among these -headlands and reefs of rocks, in the long and dark winter nights of -these regions. Accordingly, wrecks are frequent. It is proposed to -have a light on Sumburgh-head, which is the first land made by vessels -coming from the eastward; Fitful-head is higher, but is to the west, -from which quarter few vessels come. - -"We are now clear of Zetland, and about ten o'clock reach the Fair -Isle;[70] one of their boats comes off, a strange-looking thing -without an entire plank in it, excepting one on each side, upon the -strength of which the whole depends, the rest being patched and -joined. This trumpery skiff the men manage with the most astonishing -dexterity, and row with remarkable speed; they have two banks, that -is, two rowers on each bench, and use very short paddles. The wildness -of their appearance, with long elf-locks, striped worsted caps, and -shoes of raw-hide--the fragility of their boat--and their extreme -curiosity about us and our cutter, give them a title to be -distinguished as _natives_. One of our people told their steersman, by -way of jeer, that he must have great confidence in Providence to go to -sea in such a vehicle; the man very sensibly replied that without the -same confidence he would not go to sea in the best _tool_ in England. -We take to our boat, and row for about three miles round the coast, in -order to land at the inhabited part of the island. This coast abounds -with grand views of rocks and bays. One immense portion of rock is -(like the Holm of Noss) separated by a chasm from the mainland. As it -is covered with herbage on the top, though a literal precipice all -round, the natives contrive to ascend the rock by a place which would -make a goat dizzy, and then drag the sheep up by ropes, though they -sometimes carry a sheep up on their shoulders. The captain of a sloop -of war, being ashore while they were at this work, turned giddy and -sick while looking at them. This immense precipice is several hundred -feet high, and is perforated below by some extraordinary apertures, -through which a boat might pass; the light shines distinctly through -these hideous chasms. - -"After passing a square bay called the North-haven, tenanted by -sea-fowl and seals (the first we have yet seen), we come in view of -the small harbor. Land, and breakfast, for which, till now, none of us -felt inclination. In front of the little harbor is the house of the -tacksman, Mr. Strong, and in view are three small assemblages of -miserable huts, where the inhabitants of the isle live. There are -about thirty families and 250 inhabitants upon the Fair Isle. It -merits its name, as the plain upon which the hamlets are situated -bears excellent barley, oats, and potatoes, and the rest of the isle -is beautiful pasture, excepting to the eastward, where there is a -moss, equally essential to the comfort of the inhabitants, since it -supplies them with peats for fuel. The Fair Isle is about three miles -long and a mile and a half broad. Mr. Strong received us very -courteously. He lives here, like Robinson Crusoe, in absolute solitude -as to society, unless by a chance visit from the officers of a -man-of-war. There is a signal-post maintained on the island by -Government, under this gentleman's inspection; when any ship appears -that cannot answer his signals, he sends off to Lerwick and Kirkwall -to give the alarm. Rogers[71] was off here last year, and nearly cut -off one of Mr. Strong's express-boats, but the active islanders -outstripped his people by speed of rowing. The inhabitants pay Mr. -Strong for the possessions which they occupy under him as sub-tenants, -and cultivate the isle in their own way, _i. e._, by digging instead -of ploughing (though the ground is quite open and free from rocks, and -they have several scores of ponies), and by raising alternate crops of -barley, oats, and potatoes; the first and last are admirably good. -They rather over-manure their crops; the possessions lie runrig, that -is, by alternate ridges, and the outfield or pasture ground is -possessed as common to all their cows and ponies. The islanders fish -for Mr. Strong at certain fixed rates, and the fish is his property, -which he sends to Kirkwall, Lerwick, or elsewhere, in a little -schooner, the same which we left in Quendal Bay, and about the arrival -of which we found them anxious. An equal space of rich land on the -Fair Isle, situated in an inland county of Scotland, would rent for -£3000 a year at the very least. To be sure it would not be burdened -with the population of 250 souls, whose bodies (fertile as it is) it -cannot maintain in bread, they being supplied chiefly from the -mainland. Fish they have plenty, and are even nice in their choice. -Skate they will not touch; dog-fish they say is only food for -Orkney-men, and when they catch them, they make a point of tormenting -the poor fish for eating off their baits from the hook, stealing the -haddocks from their lines, and other enormities. These people, being -about halfway between Shetland and Orkney, have unfrequent connection -with either archipelago, and live and marry entirely among themselves. -One lad told me, only five persons had left the island since his -remembrance, and of those, three were pressed for the navy. They -seldom go to Greenland; but this year five or six of their young men -were on board the whalers. They seemed extremely solicitous about -their return, and repeatedly questioned us about the names of the -whalers which were at Lerwick, a point on which we could give little -information. - -"The manners of these islanders seem primitive and simple, and they -are sober, good-humored and friendly,--but _jimp_ honest. Their -comforts are, of course, much dependent on _their master's_ pleasure; -for so they call Mr. Strong. But they gave him the highest character -for kindness and liberality, and prayed to God he might long be their -ruler. After mounting the signal-post hill, or Malcolm's Head, which -is faced by a most tremendous cliff, we separated on our different -routes. The Sheriff went to rectify the only enormity on the island, -which existed in the person of a drunken schoolmaster; Marchie[72] -went to shoot sea-fowl, or rather to frighten them, as his -calumniators allege. Stevenson and Duff went to inspect the remains or -vestiges of a Danish lighthouse upon a distant hill, called, as -usual, the Ward, or Ward-hill, and returned with specimens of copper -ore. Hamilton went down to cater fish for our dinner, and see it -properly cooked--and I to see two remarkable indentures in the coast -called _Rivas_, perhaps from their being rifted or _riven_. They are -exactly like the Buller of Buchan, the sea rolling into a large open -basin within the land through a natural archway. These places are -close to each other; one is oblong, and it is easy to descend into it -by a rude path; the other gulf is inaccessible from the land, unless -to a _crags-man_, as these venturous climbers call themselves. I sat -for about an hour upon the verge, like the cormorants around me, -hanging my legs over the precipice; but I could not get free of two or -three well-meaning islanders, who held me fast by the skirts all the -time--for it must be conceived that our numbers and appointments had -drawn out the whole population to admire and attend us. After we -separated, each, like the nucleus of a comet, had his own distinct -train of attendants.--Visit the capital town, a wretched assemblage of -the basest huts, dirty without, and still dirtier within; pigs, fowls, -cows, men, women, and children, all living promiscuously under the -same roof, and in the same room--the brood-sow making (among the more -opulent) a distinguished inhabitant of the mansion. The compost, a -liquid mass of utter abomination, is kept in a square pond of seven -feet deep; when I censured it, they allowed it might be dangerous to -the _bairns_; but appeared unconscious of any other objection. I -cannot wonder they want meal, for assuredly they waste it. A great -_bowie_ or wooden vessel of porridge is made in the morning; a child -comes and sups a few spoonfuls; then Mrs. Sow takes her share; then -the rest of the children or the parents, and all at pleasure; then -come the poultry when the mess is more cool; the rest is flung upon -the dunghill--and the goodwife wonders and complains when she wants -meal in winter. They are a long-lived race, notwithstanding utter and -inconceivable dirt and sluttery. A man of sixty told me his father -died only last year, aged ninety-eight; nor was this considered as -very unusual. - -"The clergyman of Dunrossness, in Zetland, visits these poor people once -a year, for a week or two during summer. In winter this is impossible, -and even the summer visit is occasionally interrupted for two years. -Marriages and baptisms are performed, as one of the Isles-men told me, -_by the slump_, and one of the children was old enough to tell the -clergyman who sprinkled him with water, 'Deil be in your fingers.' Last -time, four couple were married; sixteen children baptized. The -schoolmaster reads a portion of Scripture in the church each Sunday, -when the clergyman is absent; but the present man is unfit for this part -of his duty. The women knit worsted stockings, night-caps, and similar -trifles, which they exchange with any merchant vessels that approach -their lonely isle. In these respects they greatly regret the American -war; and mention with unction the happy days when they could get from an -American trader a bottle of peach-brandy or rum in exchange for a pair -of worsted stockings or a dozen of eggs. The humanity of their _master_ -interferes much with the favorite but dangerous occupation of the -islanders, which is _fowling_, that is, taking the young sea-fowl from -their nests among these tremendous crags. About a fortnight before we -arrived, a fine boy of fourteen had dropped from the cliff, while in -prosecution of this amusement, into a roaring surf, by which he was -instantly swallowed up. The unfortunate mother was laboring at the -peat-moss at a little distance. These accidents do not, however, strike -terror into the survivors. They regard the death of an individual -engaged in these desperate exploits as we do the fate of a brave -relation who falls in battle, when the honor of his death furnishes a -balm to our sorrow. It therefore requires all the tacksman's authority -to prevent a practice so pregnant with danger. Like all other precarious -and dangerous employments, the occupation of the crags-men renders them -unwilling to labor at employments of a more steady description. The Fair -Isle inhabitants are a good-looking race, more like Zetlanders than -Orkney-men. Evenson, and other names of a Norwegian or Danish -derivation, attest their Scandinavian descent. Return and dine at Mr. -Strong's, having sent our cookery ashore, not to overburthen his -hospitality. In this place, and perhaps in the very cottage now -inhabited by Mr. Strong, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, Commander-in-Chief -of the Invincible Armada, wintered, after losing his vessel to the -eastward of the island. It was not till he had spent some weeks in this -miserable abode, that he got off to Norway. Independently of the moral -consideration, that, from the pitch of power in which he stood a few -days before, the proudest peer of the proudest nation in Europe found -himself dependent on the jealous and scanty charity of these secluded -islanders, it is scarce possible not to reflect with compassion on the -change of situation from the palaces of Estremadura to the hamlet of the -Fair Isle-- - - 'Dost thou wish for thy deserts, O Son of Hodeirah? - Dost thou long for the gales of Arabia?'[73] - -"Mr. Strong gave me a curious old chair belonging to Quendale, a -former proprietor of the Fair Isle, and which a more zealous antiquary -would have dubbed 'the Duke's chair.' I will have it refitted for -Abbotsford, however. About eight o'clock we take boat, amid the cheers -of the inhabitants, whose minds, subdued by our splendor, had been -secured by our munificence, which consisted in a moderate benefaction -of whiskey and tobacco, and a few shillings laid out on their staple -commodities. They agreed no such day had been seen in the isle. The -signal-post displayed its flags, and to recompense these distinguished -marks of honor, we hung out our colors, stood into the bay, and -saluted with three guns, - - 'Echoing from a thousand caves." - -and then bear away for Orkney, leaving, if our vanity does not deceive -us, a very favorable impression on the mind of the inhabitants of the -Fair Isle. The tradition of the Fair Isle is unfavorable to those -shipwrecked strangers, who are said to have committed several acts of -violence to extort the supplies of provision, given them sparingly and -with reluctance by the islanders, who were probably themselves very -far from being well supplied. - -"I omitted to say we were attended in the morning by two very sportive -whales, but of a kind, as some of our crew who had been on board -Greenland-men assured us, which it was very dangerous to attack. There -were two Gravesend smacks fishing off the isle. Lord, what a long -draught London makes! - -"_11th August, 1814._--After a sound sleep to make amends for last -night, we find, at awaking, the vessel off the Start of Sanda, the -first land in the Orkneys which we could make. There a lighthouse has -been erected lately upon the best construction. Landed and surveyed -it. All in excellent order, and the establishment of the keepers in -the same style of comfort and respectability as elsewhere, far better -than the house of the master of the Fair Isle, and rivalling my own -baronial mansion of Abbotsford. Go to the top of the tower and survey -the island, which, as the name implies, is level, flat, and sandy, -quite the reverse of those in Zetland: it is intersected by creeks and -small lakes, and, though it abounds with shell marle, seems barren. -There is one dreadful inconvenience of an island life, of which we had -here an instance. The keeper's wife had an infant in her arms--her -first-born, too, of which the poor woman had been delivered without -assistance. Erskine told us of a horrid instance of malice which had -been practised in this island of Sanda. A decent tenant, during the -course of three or four successive years, lost to the number of -twenty-five cattle, stabbed as they lay in their fold by some -abominable wretch. What made the matter stranger was, that the poor -man could not recollect any reason why he should have had the ill-will -of a single being, only that in taking up names for the _militia_, a -duty imposed upon him by the Justices, he thought he might possibly -have given some unknown offence. The villain was never discovered. - -"The wrecks on this coast were numerous before the erection of the -lighthouse. It was not uncommon to see five or six vessels on shore at -once. The goods and chattels of the inhabitants are all said to savor -of _Flotsome_ and _Jetsome_, as the floating wreck and that which is -driven ashore are severally called. Mr. Stevenson happened to observe -that the boat of a Sanda farmer had bad sails--'If it had been His -(_i. e._, God's) will that you hadna built sae many lighthouses -hereabout'--answered the Orcadian, with great composure--'I would have -had new sails last winter.' Thus do they talk and think upon these -subjects; and so talking and thinking, I fear the poor mariner has -little chance of any very anxious attempt to assist him. There is one -wreck, a Danish vessel, now aground under our lee. These Danes are the -stupidest seamen, by all accounts, that sail the sea. When this light -upon the Start of Sanda was established, the Commissioners, with -laudable anxiety to extend its utility, had its description and -bearings translated into Danish and sent to Copenhagen. But they -never attend to such trifles. The Norwegians are much better liked, as -a clever, hardy, sensible people. I forgot to notice there was a -Norwegian prize lying in the Sound of Lerwick, sent in by one of our -cruisers. This was a queer-looking, half-decked vessel, all tattered -and torn, and shaken to pieces, looking like Coleridge's Spectre Ship. -It was pitiable to see such a prize. Our servants went aboard, and got -one of their loaves, and gave a dreadful account of its composition. I -got and cut a crust of it; it was rye-bread, with a slight mixture of -pine-fir bark or sawings of deal. It was not good, but (as Charles -XII. said) might be eaten. But after all, if the people can be -satisfied with such bread as this, it seems hard to interdict it to -them. What would a Londoner say if, instead of his roll and muffins, -this black bread, relishing of tar and turpentine, were presented for -his breakfast? I would to God there could be a Jehovah-jireh, 'a ram -caught in the thicket,' to prevent the sacrifice of that people. - -"The few friends who may see this Journal are much indebted for these -pathetic remarks to the situation under which they are recorded; for -since we left the lighthouse we have been struggling with adverse wind -(pretty high too), and a very strong tide, called the Rost of the -Start, which, like Sumburgh Rost, bodes no good to our roast and -boiled. The worst is that this struggle carries us past a most curious -spectacle, being no less than the carcases of two hundred and -sixty-five whales, which have been driven ashore in Taftsness Bay, now -lying close under us. With all the inclination in the world, it is -impossible to stand in close enough to verify this massacre of -Leviathans with our own eyes, as we do not care to run the risk of -being drawn ashore ourselves among the party. In fact, this species of -spectacle has been of late years very common among the isles. Mr. -Stevenson saw upwards of a hundred and fifty whales lying upon the -shore in a bay at Unst, in his northward trip. They are not large, but -are decided whales, measuring perhaps from fifteen to twenty-five -feet. They are easily mastered, for the first that is wounded among -the sounds and straits so common in the isles usually runs ashore. The -rest follow the blood, and, urged on by the boats behind, run ashore -also. A cut with one of the long whaling knives under the back-fin is -usually fatal to these huge animals. The two hundred and sixty-five -whales, now lying within two or three miles of us, were driven ashore -by seven boats only. - -"_Five o'clock._--We are out of the _Rost_ (I detest that word), and -driving fast through a long sound among low green islands, which -hardly lift themselves above the sea--not a cliff or hill to be -seen--what a contrast to the land we have left! We are standing for -some creek or harbor, called Lingholm Bay, to lie to or anchor for the -night; for to pursue our course by night, and that a thick one, among -these isles, and islets, and sand-banks, is out of the question--clear -moonlight might do. Our sea is now moderate. But, oh gods and men! -what misfortunes have travellers to record! Just as the quiet of the -elements had reconciled us to the thought of dinner, we learn that an -unlucky sea has found its way into the galley during the last infernal -combustion, when the lee-side and boltsprit were constantly under -water; so our soup is poisoned with salt water--our cod and haddocks, -which cost ninepence this blessed morning, and would have been worth a -couple of guineas in London, are soused in their primitive -element--the curry is undone--and all gone to the devil. We all apply -ourselves to comfort our Lord High Admiral Hamilton, whose despair for -himself and the public might edify a patriot. His good-humor--which -has hitherto defied every incident, aggravated even by the -gout--supported by a few bad puns, and a great many fair promises on -the part of the steward and cook, fortunately restores his -equilibrium. - -"_Eight o'clock._--Our supplemental dinner proved excellent, and we -have glided into an admirable roadstead or harbor, called Lingholm -Bay, formed by the small island of Lingholm embracing a small basin -dividing that islet from the larger isle of Stronsay. Both, as well as -Sanda, Eda, and others which we have passed, are low, green, and -sandy. I have seen nothing to-day worth marking, except the sporting -of a very large whale at some distance, and H.'s face at the news of -the disaster in the cook-room. We are to weigh at two in the morning, -and hope to reach Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, by breakfast -to-morrow. I trust there are no _rusts_ or _rosts_ in the road. I -shall detest that word even when used to signify verd antique or -patina in the one sense, or roast venison in the other. Orkney shall -begin a new volume of these exquisite memoranda. - - * * * * * - -"OMISSION.--At Lerwick the Dutch fishers had again appeared on their -old haunts. A very interesting meeting took place between them and the -Lerwegians, most of them being old acquaintances. They seemed very -poor, and talked of having been pillaged of everything by the French, -and expected to have found Lerwick ruined by the war. They have all -the careful, quiet, and economical habits of their country, and go on -board their busses with the utmost haste so soon as they see the -Greenland sailors, who usually insult and pick quarrels with them. The -great amusement of the Dutch sailors is to hire the little ponies, and -ride up and down upon them. On one occasion, a good many years ago, an -English sailor interrupted this cavalcade, frightened the horses, and -one or two Dutchmen got tumbles. Incensed at this beyond their usual -moderation, they pursued the cause of their overthrow, and wounded him -with one of their knives. The wounded man went on board his vessel, -the crew of which, about fifty strong, came ashore with their long -flinching knives with which they cut up the whales, and falling upon -the Dutchmen, though twice their numbers, drove them all into the sea, -where such as could not swim were in some risk of being drowned. The -instance of aggression, or rather violent retaliation, on their part, -is almost solitary. In general they are extremely quiet, and employ -themselves in bartering their little merchandise of gin and -gingerbread for Zetland hose and night-caps." - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXVIII. - -[59: [Robert Stevenson, the eminent civil engineer, for -nearly half a century the engineer to the Board of Northern Lights. -He inaugurated the present Scottish lighthouse system, and no less -than twenty lighthouses were designed and constructed under his -superintendence, the most remarkable being the famous Bell Rock -tower. He died in 1850. Three of his sons, one of whom became his -biographer, greatly distinguished themselves in their father's -profession. Robert Louis Stevenson, in his fragment of family -history, _Records of a Family of Engineers_, has left a vivid -picture of his grandfather, though it be but an unfinished sketch.]] - -[60: On being requested, while at breakfast, to inscribe -his name in the album of the tower, Scott penned immediately the -following lines:-- - -PHAROS LOQUITUR. - - "Far in the bosom of the deep, - O'er these wild shelves my watch I keep; - A ruddy gem of changeful light, - Bound on the dusky brow of night, - The seaman bids my lustre hail, - And scorns to strike his timorous sail."] - -[61: This is, without doubt, an allusion to some happy -day's excursion when his _first love_ was of the party.] - -[62: Erskine--Sheriff of Shetland and Orkney.] - -[63: Here occurs a rude scratch of drawing.] - -[64: Lord Dundas was created Earl of Zetland in 1838, and -died in February, 1839.] - -[65: Campbell--_Pleasures of Hope_.] - -[66: Robert Hamilton, Sheriff of Lanarkshire, and -afterwards one of the Clerks of Session, was a particular favorite -of Scott--first, among many other good reasons, because he had been -a soldier in his youth, had fought gallantly and been wounded -severely in the American war, and was a very Uncle Toby in military -enthusiasm; secondly, because he was a brother antiquary of the -genuine Monkbarns breed; thirdly (last, not least), because he was, -in spite of the example of the head of his name and race, a steady -Tory. Mr. Hamilton sent for Scott when upon his deathbed in 1831, -and desired him to choose and carry off as a parting memorial any -article he liked in his collection of arms. Sir Walter (by that time -sorely shattered in his own health) selected the sword with which -his good friend had been begirt at Bunker's Hill.] - -[67: During the winter of 1837-38, this worthy clergyman's -wife, his daughter, and a servant, perished within sight of the -manse, from a flaw in the ice on the loch--which they were crossing -as the nearest way home.--(1839.)] - -[68: In his reviewal of Pitcairn's _Trials_ (1831), Scott -says: "In erecting this Earl's Castle of Scalloway, and other -expensive edifices, the King's tenants were forced to work in -quarries, transport stone, dig, delve, climb, and build, and submit -to all possible sorts of servile and painful labor, without either -meat, drink, hire, or recompense of any kind. 'My father,' said Earl -Patrick, 'built his house at Sumburgh on the sand, and it has given -way already; this of mine on the rock shall abide and endure.' He -did not or would not understand that the oppression, rapacity, and -cruelty, by means of which the house arose, were what the clergyman -really pointed to in his recommendation of a motto. Accordingly, the -huge tower remains wild and desolate--its chambers filled with sand, -and its rifted walls and dismantled battlements giving unrestrained -access to the roaring sea blast."--For more of Earl Patrick, see -Scott's _Miscellaneous Prose Works_, vol. xxi. pp. 230, 233; vol. -xxiii. pp. 327, 329.] - -[69: Mr. W. S. Rose informs me, that when he was at school -at Winchester, the morris-dancers there used to exhibit a -sword-dance resembling that described at Camacho's wedding in Don -Quixote; and Mr. Morritt adds, that similar dances are even yet -performed in the villages about Rokeby every Christmas.] - -[70: This is a solitary island, lying about halfway between -Orkney and Zetland.] - -[71: An American Commodore.] - -[72: Mr. Marjoribanks.] - -[73: _Thalaba_, Book VIII.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - - DIARY ON BOARD THE LIGHTHOUSE YACHT CONTINUED. -- THE ORKNEYS. - --KIRKWALL. -- HOY. -- THE STANDING STONES OF STENNIS, ETC. - -1814 - - -"_12th August, 1814._--With a good breeze and calm sea we weighed at -two in the morning, and worked by short tacks up to Kirkwall Bay, -and find ourselves in that fine basin upon rising in the morning. -The town looks well from the sea, but is chiefly indebted to the -huge old cathedral that rises out of the centre. Upon landing we -find it but a poor and dirty place, especially towards the harbor. -Farther up the town are seen some decent old-fashioned houses, and -the Sheriff's interest secures us good lodgings. Marchie goes to -hunt for a pointer. The morning, which was rainy, clears up -pleasantly, and Hamilton, Erskine, Duff, and I walk to Malcolm -Laing's, who has a pleasant house about half a mile from the town. -Our old acquaintance, though an invalid, received us kindly; he -looks very poorly, and cannot walk without assistance, but seems to -retain all the quick, earnest, and vivacious intelligence of his -character and manner. After this, visit the antiquities of the -place, namely, the Bishop's palace, the Earl of Orkney's castle, and -the cathedral, all situated within a stone-cast of each other. The -two former are ruinous. The most prominent part of the ruins of the -Bishop's palace is a large round tower, similar to that of Bothwell -in architecture, but not equal to it in size. This was built by -Bishop Reid, _tempore Jacobi V._, and there is a rude statue of him -in a niche in the front. At the north-east corner of the building is -a square tower of greater antiquity, called the Mense or Mass Tower; -but, as well as a second and smaller round tower, it is quite -ruinous. A suite of apartments of different sizes fills up the -space between these towers, all now ruinous. The building is said to -have been of great antiquity, but was certainly in a great measure -reëdified in the sixteenth century. - -"Fronting this castle or palace of the Bishop, and about a gun-shot -distant, is that of the Earl of Orkney. The Earl's palace was built -by Patrick Stewart, Earl of Orkney, the same who erected that of -Scalloway, in Shetland. It is an elegant structure, partaking at -once of the character of a palace and castle. The building forms -three sides of an oblong square, but one of the sides extends -considerably beyond the others. The great hall must have been -remarkably handsome, opening into two or three huge rounds or -turrets, the lower part of which is divided by stone shafts into -three windows. It has two immense chimneys, the arches or lintels of -which are formed by a flat arch, as at Crichton Castle. There is -another very handsome apartment communicating with the hall like a -modern drawing-room, and which has, like the former, its projecting -turrets. The hall is lighted by a fine Gothic-shafted window at one -end, and by others on the sides. It is approached by a spacious and -elegant staircase of three flights of steps. The dimensions may be -sixty feet long, twenty broad, and fourteen high, but doubtless an -arched roof sprung from the side walls, so that fourteen feet was -only the height from the ground to the arches. Any modern architect, -wishing to emulate the real Gothic architecture, and apply it to the -purposes of modern splendor, might derive excellent hints from this -room. The exterior ornaments are also extremely elegant. The ruins, -once the residence of this haughty and oppressive Earl, are now so -disgustingly nasty, that it required all the zeal of an antiquary to -prosecute the above investigation. Architecture seems to have been -Earl Patrick's prevailing taste. Besides this castle and that of -Scalloway, he added to or enlarged the old castle of Bressay. To -accomplish these objects, he oppressed the people with severities -unheard of even in that oppressive age, drew down on himself a -shameful though deserved punishment, and left these dishonored ruins -to hand down to posterity the tale of his crimes and of his fall. We -may adopt, though in another sense, his own presumptuous motto--_Sic -Fuit, Est, et Erit_. - -"We visit the cathedral, dedicated to St. Magnus, which greeted the -Sheriff's approach with a merry peal. Like that of Glasgow, this -church has escaped the blind fury of Reformation. It was founded in -1138, by Ronald, Earl of Orkney, nephew of the Saint. It is of great -size, being 260 feet long, or thereabout, and supported by -twenty-eight Saxon pillars, of good workmanship. The round arch -predominates in the building, but I think not exclusively. The -steeple (once a very high spire) rises upon four pillars of great -strength, which occupy each angle of the nave. Being destroyed by -lightning, it was rebuilt upon a low and curtailed plan. The -appearance of the building is rather massive and gloomy than -elegant, and many of the exterior ornaments, carving around the -doorways, etc., have been injured by time. We entered the cathedral, -the whole of which is kept locked, swept, and in good order, -although only the eastern end is used for divine worship. We walked -some time in the nave and western end, which is left unoccupied, and -has a very solemn effect as the avenue to the place of worship. -There were many tombstones on the floor and elsewhere; some, -doubtless, of high antiquity. One, I remarked, had the shield of -arms hung by the corner, with a helmet above it of a large -proportion, such as I have seen on the most ancient seals. But we -had neither time nor skill to decipher what noble Orcadian lay -beneath. The church is as well fitted up as could be expected; much -of the old carved oak remains, but with a motley mixture of modern -deal pews. All, however, is neat and clean, and does great honor to -the kirk-session who maintain its decency. I remarked particularly -Earl Patrick's seat, adjoining to that of the magistrates, but -surmounting it and every other in the church: it is surrounded with -a carved screen of oak, rather elegant, and bears his arms and -initials, and the motto I have noticed. He bears the royal arms -_without any mark of bastardy_ (his father was a natural son of -James V.) quarterly, with a lymphad or galley, the ancient arms of -the county. This circumstance was charged against him on his -trial.[74] I understand the late Mr. Gilbert Laing Meason left the -interest of £1000 to keep up this cathedral. - -"There are in the street facing the cathedral the ruins of a much -more ancient castle; a proper feudal fortress belonging to the Earls -of Orkney, but called the King's Castle. It appears to have been -very strong, being situated near the harbor, and having, as appears -from the fragments, very massive walls. While the wicked Earl -Patrick was in confinement, one of his natural sons defended this -castle to extremity against the King's troops, and only surrendered -when it was nearly a heap of ruins, and then under condition he -should not be brought in evidence against his father. - -"We dine at the inn, and drink the Prince Regent's health, being -that of the day--Mr. Baikie of Tankerness dines with us. - -"_13th August, 1814._--A bad morning, but clears up. No letters from -Edinburgh. The country about Kirkwall is flat, and tolerably -cultivated. We see oxen generally wrought in the small country -carts, though they have a race of ponies, like those of Shetland, -but larger. Marchie goes to shoot on a hill called Whiteford, which -slopes away about two or three miles from Kirkwall. The grouse is -abundant, for the gentleman who chaperons Marchie killed thirteen -brace and a half, with a snipe. There are no partridges nor hares. -The soil of Orkney is better, and its air more genial than Shetland; -but it is far less interesting, and possesses none of the wild and -peculiar character of the more northern archipelago. All vegetables -grow here freely in the gardens, and there are one or two attempts -at trees where they are sheltered by walls. How ill they succeed may -be conjectured from our bringing with us a quantity of brushwood, -commissioned by Malcolm Laing from Aberbrothock, to be sticks to his -pease. This trash we brought two hundred miles. I have little to -add, except that the Orkney people have some odd superstitions about -a stone on which they take oaths to Odin. Lovers often perform this -ceremony in pledge of mutual faith, and are said to account it a -sacred engagement.--It is agreed that we go on board after dinner, -and sail with the next tide. The magistrates of Kirkwall present us -with the freedom of their ancient burgh; and Erskine, instead of -being cumbered with drunken sailors, as at Lerwick, or a drunken -schoolmaster, as at Fair Isle, is annoyed by his own Substitute. -This will occasion his remaining two days at Kirkwall, during which -time it is proposed we shall visit the lighthouse upon the dangerous -rocks called the Skerries, in the Pentland Frith; and then, -returning to the eastern side of Pomona, take up the counsellor at -Stromness. It is further settled that we leave Marchie with Erskine -to get another day's shooting. On board at ten o'clock, after a -little bustle in expediting our domestics, washerwomen, etc. - -"_14th August, 1814._--Sail about four, and in rounding the mainland -of Orkney, called Pomona, encounter a very heavy sea; about ten -o'clock, get into the Sound of Holm or Ham, a fine smooth current -meandering away between two low green islands, which have little to -characterize them. On the right of the Sound is the mainland, and a -deep bay called Scalpa Flow indents it up to within two miles of -Kirkwall. A canal through this neck of the island would be of great -consequence to the burgh. We see the steeple and church of Kirkwall -across the island very distinctly. Getting out of the Sound of Holm, -we stand in to the harbor or roadstead of Widewall, where we find -seven or eight foreign vessels bound for Ireland, and a sloop -belonging to the lighthouse service. These roadsteads are common all -through the Orkneys, and afford excellent shelter for small vessels. -The day is pleasant and sunny, but the breeze is too high to permit -landing at the Skerries. Agree, therefore, to stand over for the -mainland of Scotland, and visit Thurso. Enter the Pentland Frith, so -celebrated for the strength and fury of its tides, which is boiling -even in this pleasant weather; we see a large ship battling with -this heavy current, and though with all her canvas set and a breeze, -getting more and more involved. See the two Capes of Dungsby or -Duncansby, and Dunnet-head, between which lies the celebrated John -o' Groat's house, on the north-eastern extremity of Scotland. The -shores of Caithness rise bold and rocky before us,--a contrast to -the Orkneys, which are all low, excepting the Island of Hoy. On -Duncansby-head appear some remarkable rocks, like towers, called the -Stacks of Duncansby. Near this shore runs the remarkable breaking -tide called the _Merry Men of Mey_, whence Mackenzie takes the -scenery of a poem-- - - 'Where the dancing Men of Mey, - Speed the current to the land.'[75] - -Here, according to his locality, the Caithness-man witnessed the -vision, in which was introduced the song, translated by Gray, under -the title of The Fatal Sisters. On this subject, Mr. Baikie told me -the following remarkable circumstance: A clergyman told him, that -while some remnants of the Norse were yet spoken in North Ronaldsha, -he carried thither the translation of Mr. Gray, then newly -published, and read it to some of the old people as referring to the -ancient history of their islands. But so soon as he had proceeded a -little way, they exclaimed they knew it very well in the original, -and had often sung it to himself when he asked them for an old Norse -song; they called it The Enchantresses.--The breeze dies away -between two wicked little islands called Swona and Stroma,--the -latter belonging to Caithness, the former to Orkney.--_Nota Bene_. -The inhabitants of the rest of the Orcades despise those of Swona -for eating limpets, as being the last of human meannesses. Every -land has its fashions. The Fair-Isles-men disdain Orkney-men for -eating dog-fish. Both islands have dangerous reefs and whirlpools, -where, even in this fine day, the tide rages furiously. Indeed, the -large high unbroken billows, which at every swell hide from our deck -each distant object, plainly intimate what a dreadful current this -must be when vexed by high or adverse winds. Finding ourselves -losing ground in the tide, and unwilling to waste time, we give up -Thurso--run back into the roadstead or bay of Long-Hope, and anchor -under the fort. The bay has four entrances and safe anchorage in -most winds, and having become a great rendezvous for shipping (there -are nine vessels lying here at present) has been an object of -attention with Government. - -"Went ashore after dinner, and visited the fort, which is only -partly completed: it is a _flêche_ to the sea, with eight guns, -twenty-four pounders, but without any land defences; the guns are -mounted _en barbette_, without embrasures, each upon a kind of -movable stage, which stage wheeling upon a pivot in front, and -traversing by means of wheels behind, can be pointed in any -direction that may be thought necessary. Upon this stage, the -gun-carriage moves forward and recoils, and the depth of the parapet -shelters the men even better than an embrasure. At a little distance -from this battery they are building a Martello tower, which is to -cross the fire of the battery, and also that of another projected -tower upon the opposite point of the bay. The expedience of these -towers seems excessively problematical. Supposing them impregnable, -or nearly so, a garrison of fourteen or fifteen men may be always -blockaded by a very trifling number, while the enemy dispose of all -in the vicinity at their pleasure. In the case of Long-Hope, for -instance, a frigate might disembark 100 men, take the fort in the -rear, where it is undefended even by a palisade, destroy the -magazines, spike and dismount the cannon, carry off or cut out any -vessels in the roadstead, and accomplish all the purposes that could -bring them to so remote a spot, in spite of a sergeant's party in -the Martello tower, and without troubling themselves about them at -all. Meanwhile, Long-Hope will one day turn out a flourishing place; -there will soon be taverns and slop-shops, where sailors rendezvous -in such numbers; then will come quays, docks, and warehouses; and -then a thriving town. Amen, so be it. This is the first fine day we -have enjoyed to an end since Sunday, 31st ult. Rainy, cold, and -hazy, have been our voyages around these wild islands; I hope the -weather begins to mend, though Mr. Wilson, our master, threatens a -breeze to-morrow. We are to attempt the Skerries, if possible; if -not, we will, I believe, go to Stromness. - -"_15th August, 1814._--Fine morning. We get again into the Pentland -Frith, and with the aid of a pilot-boat belonging to the lighthouse -service, from South Ronaldsha, we attempt the Skerries. -Notwithstanding the fair weather, we have a specimen of the violence -of the flood-tide, which forms whirlpools on the shallow sunken -rocks by the islands of Swona and Stroma, and in the deep water -makes strange, smooth, whirling, and swelling eddies, called by the -sailors, _wells_. We run through the _wells of Tuftile_ in -particular, which, in the least stress of weather, wheel a large -ship round and round, without respect either to helm or sails. Hence -the distinction of _wells_ and _waves_ in Old English; the _well_ -being that smooth, glassy, oily-looking eddy, the force of which -seems to the eye almost resistless. The bursting of the waves in -foam around these strange eddies has a bewildering and confused -appearance, which it is impossible to describe. Get off the Skerries -about ten o'clock, and land easily; it is the first time a boat has -got there for several days. The _Skerries_[76] is an island about -sixty acres, of fine short herbage, belonging to Lord Dundas; it is -surrounded by a reef of precipitous rocks, not very high, but -inaccessible, unless where the ocean has made ravines among them, -and where stairs have been cut down to the water for the lighthouse -service. Those inlets have a romantic appearance, and have been -christened by the sailors, the Parliament House, the Seals' -Lying-in-Hospital, etc. The last inlet, after rushing through a deep -chasm, which is open overhead, is continued under ground, and then -again opens to the sky in the middle of the island; in this hole the -seals bring out their whelps; when the tide is high, the waves rise -up through this aperture in the middle of the isle--like the blowing -of a whale in noise and appearance. There is another round cauldron -of solid rock, to which the waves have access through a natural arch -in the rock, having another and lesser arch rising just above it; in -hard weather, the waves rush through both apertures with a horrid -noise; the workmen called it the Carron Blast, and, indeed, the -variety of noises which issued from the abyss, somewhat reminded me -of that engine. Take my rifle, and walk round the cliffs in search -of seals, but see none, and only disturb the digestion of certain -aldermen-cormorants, who were sitting on the points of the crags -after a good fish breakfast; only made one good shot out of four. -The lighthouse is too low, and on the old construction, yet it is of -the last importance. The keeper is an old man-of-war's-man, of whom -Mr. Stevenson observed that he was a great swearer when he first -came; but after a year or two's residence in this solitary abode, -became a changed man. There are about fifty head of cattle on the -island; they must be got in and off with great danger and -difficulty. There is no water upon the isle, except what remains -after rain in some pools; these sometimes dry in summer, and the -cattle are reduced to great straits. Leave the isle about one; and -the wind and tide being favorable, crowd all sail, and get on at the -rate of fourteen miles an hour. Soon reach our old anchorage at the -Long-Hope, and passing, stand to the north-westward, up the Sound of -Hoy, for Stromness. - -"I should have mentioned, that in going down the Pentland Frith this -morning, we saw Johnnie Groat's house, or rather the place where it -stood, now occupied by a storehouse. Our pilot opines there was no -such man as Johnnie Groat, for, he says, he cannot hear that anybody -_ever saw him_. This reasoning would put down most facts of -antiquity. They gather shells on the shore, called _Johnnie Groat's -buckies_, but I cannot procure any at present. I may also add, that -the interpretation given to _wells_ may apply to the Wells of Slain, -in the fine ballad of Clerk Colvill; such eddies in the romantic -vicinity of Slains Castle would be a fine place for a mermaid.[77] - -"Our wind fails us, and, what is worse, becomes westerly. The Sound -has now the appearance of a fine land-locked bay, the passages -between the several islands being scarce visible. We have a superb -view of Kirkwall Cathedral, with a strong gleam of sunshine upon it. -Gloomy weather begins to collect around us, particularly on the -island of Hoy, which, covered with gloom and vapor, now assumes a -majestic mountainous character. On Pomona we pass the Hill of -Orphir, which reminds me of the clergyman of that parish, who was -called to account for some of his inaccuracies to the General -Assembly; one charge he held particularly cheap, namely, that of -drunkenness. 'Reverend Moderator,' said he, in reply, 'I _do_ drink, -as other gentlemen do.' This Orphir of the north must not be -confounded with the Orphir of the south. From the latter came gold, -silver, and precious stones; the former seems to produce little -except peats. Yet these are precious commodities, which some of the -Orkney Isles altogether want, and lay waste and burn the turf of -their land instead of importing coal from Newcastle. The Orcadians -seem by no means an alert or active race; they neglect the excellent -fisheries which lie under their very noses, and in their mode of -managing their boats, as well as in the general tone of urbanity and -intelligence, are excelled by the less favored Zetlanders. I observe -they always crowd their boat with people in the bows, being the -ready way to send her down in any awkward circumstance. There are -remains of their Norwegian descent and language in North Ronaldsha, -an isle I regret we did not see. A missionary preacher came ashore -there a year or two since, but being a very little black-bearded -unshaved man, the seniors of the isle suspected him of being an -ancient Pecht or Pict, and _no canny_, of course. The schoolmaster -came down to entreat our worthy Mr. Stevenson, then about to leave -the island, to come up and verify whether the preacher was an -ancient Pecht, yea or no. Finding apologies were in vain, he rode up -to the house where the unfortunate preacher, after three nights' -watching, had got to bed, little conceiving under what odious -suspicion he had fallen. As Mr. S. declined disturbing him, his -boots were produced, which being a _little_--_little_--_very little_ -pair, confirmed, in the opinion of all the bystanders, the suspicion -of Pechtism. Mr. S. therefore found it necessary to go into the poor -man's sleeping apartment, where he recognized one Campbell, -heretofore an ironmonger in Edinburgh, but who had put his hand for -some years to the missionary plough; of course he warranted his -quondam acquaintance to be no ancient Pecht. Mr. Stevenson carried -the same schoolmaster who figured in the adventure of the Pecht, to -the mainland of Scotland, to be examined for his office. He was -extremely desirous to see a tree; and, on seeing one, desired to -know what _girss_ it was that grew at the top on't--the leaves -appearing to him to be grass. They still speak a little Norse, and -indeed I hear every day words of that language; for instance, _Ja, -kul_, for '_Yes, sir_.' We creep slowly up Hoy Sound, working under -the Pomona shore; but there is no hope of reaching Stromness till we -have the assistance of the evening tide. The channel now seems like -a Highland loch; not the least ripple on the waves. The passage is -narrowed, and (to the eye) blocked up by the interposition of the -green and apparently fertile isle of Græmsay, the property of Lord -Armadale.[78] Hoy looks yet grander, from comparing its black and -steep mountains with this verdant isle. To add to the beauty of the -Sound, it is rendered lively by the successive appearance of seven -or eight whaling vessels from Davies' Straits; large strong ships, -which pass successively, with all their sails set, enjoying the -little wind that is. Many of these vessels display the _garland_; -that is, a wreath of ribbons which the young fellows on board have -got from their sweethearts, or come by otherwise, and which hangs -between the foremast and mainmast, surmounted sometimes by a small -model of the vessel. This garland is hung up upon the 1st of May, -and remains till they come into port. I believe we shall dodge here -till the tide makes about nine, and then get into Stromness: no -boatman or sailor in Orkney thinks of the wind in comparison of the -tides and currents. We must not complain, though the night gets -rainy, and the Hill of Hoy is now completely invested with vapor and -mist. In the forepart of the day we executed very cleverly a task of -considerable difficulty and even danger. - -"_16th August, 1814._--Get into Stromness Bay, and anchor before the -party are up. A most decided rain all night. The bay is formed by a -deep indention in the mainland, or Pomona; on one side of which -stands Stromness--a fishing village and harbor of _call_ for the -Davies' Straits whalers, as Lerwick is for the Greenlanders. Betwixt -the vessels we met yesterday, seven or eight which passed us this -morning, and several others still lying in the bay, we have seen -between twenty and thirty of these large ships in this remote place. -The opposite side of Stromness Bay is protected by Hoy, and Græmsay -lies between them; so that the bay seems quite land-locked, and the -contrast between the mountains of Hoy, the soft verdure of Græmsay, -and the swelling hill of Orphir on the mainland, has a beautiful -effect. The day clears up, and Mr. Rae, Lord Armadale's factor, -comes off from his house, called Clestrom, upon the shore opposite -to Stromness, to breakfast with us. We go ashore with him. His farm -is well cultivated, and he has procured an excellent breed of horses -from Lanarkshire, of which county he is a native; strong hardy -Galloways, fit for labor or hacks. By this we profited, as Mr. Rae -mounted us all, and we set off to visit the Standing Stones of -Stenhouse or Stennis. - -"At the upper end of the bay, about halfway between Clestrom and -Stromness, there extends a loch of considerable size, of fresh -water, but communicating with the sea by apertures left in a long -bridge or causeway which divides them. After riding about two miles -along this lake, we open another called the Loch of Harray, of about -the same dimensions, and communicating with the lower lake, as the -former does with the sea, by a stream, over which is constructed a -causeway, with openings to suffer the flow and reflux of the water, -as both lakes are affected by the tide. Upon the tongues of land -which, approaching each other, divide the lakes of Stennis and -Harray, are situated the Standing Stones. The isthmus on the eastern -side exhibits a semicircle of immensely large upright pillars of -unhewn stone, surrounded by a mound of earth. As the mound is -discontinued, it does not seem that the circle was ever completed. -The flat or open part of the semicircle looks up a plain, where, at -a distance, is seen a large tumulus. The highest of these stones may -be about sixteen or seventeen feet, and I think there are none so -low as twelve feet. At irregular distances are pointed out other -unhewn pillars of the same kind. One, a little to the westward, is -perforated with a round hole, perhaps to bind a victim; or rather, I -conjecture, for the purpose of solemnly attesting the deity, which -the Scandinavians did by passing their head through a ring,--_vide_ -Eyrbiggia Saga. Several barrows are scattered around this strange -monument. Upon the opposite isthmus is a complete circle, of -ninety-five paces in diameter, surrounded by standing stones, less -in size than the others, being only from ten or twelve to fourteen -feet in height, and four in breadth. A deep trench is drawn around -this circle on the outside of the pillars, and four tumuli, or -mounds of earth, are regularly placed, two on each side. - -"Stonehenge excels these monuments, but I fancy they are otherwise -unparalleled in Britain. The idea that such circles were exclusively -Druidical is now justly exploded. The northern nations all used such -erections to mark their places of meeting, whether for religious -purposes or civil policy; and there is repeated mention of them in -the Sagas. See the Eyrbiggia Saga,[79] for the establishment of the -Helga-fels, or holy mount, where the people held their Comitia, and -where sacrifices were offered to Thor and Woden. About the centre of -the semicircle is a broad flat stone, probably once the altar on -which human victims were sacrificed.--Mr. Rae seems to think the -common people have no tradition of the purpose of these stones, but -probably he has not inquired particularly. He admits they look upon -them with superstitious reverence; and it is evident that those -which have fallen down (about half the original number) have been -wasted by time, and not demolished. The materials of these monuments -lay near, for the shores and bottom of the lake are of the same kind -of rock. How they were raised, transported, and placed upright, is a -puzzling question. In our ride back, noticed a round entrenchment, -or _tumulus_, called the Hollow of Tongue. - -"The hospitality of Mrs. Rae detained us to an early dinner at -Clestrom. About four o'clock took our long-boat and rowed down the -bay to visit the Dwarfie Stone of Hoy. We have all day been pleased -with the romantic appearance of that island, for though the Hill of -Hoy is not very high, perhaps about 1200 feet, yet rising -perpendicularly (almost) from the sea, and being very steep and -furrowed with ravines, and catching all the mists from the western -ocean, it has a noble and picturesque effect in every point of view. -We land upon the island, and proceed up a long and very swampy -valley broken into peat-bogs. The one side of this valley is formed -by the Mountain of Hoy, the other by another steep hill, having at -the top a circular belt of rock; upon the slope of this last hill, -and just where the principal mountain opens into a wide and -precipitous and circular _corrie_ or hollow, lies the Dwarfie Stone. -It is a huge sandstone rock, of one solid stone, being about seven -feet high, twenty-two feet long, and seventeen feet broad. The upper -end of this stone is hewn into a sort of apartment containing two -beds of stone and a passage between them. The uppermost and largest -is five feet eight inches long, by two feet broad, and is furnished -with a stone pillow. The lower, supposed for the Dwarf's Wife, is -shorter, and rounded off, instead of being square at the corners. -The entrance may be about three feet and a half square. Before it -lies a huge stone, apparently intended to serve the purpose of a -door, and shaped accordingly. In the top, over the passage which -divides the beds, there is a hole to serve for a window or chimney, -which was doubtless originally wrought square with irons, like the -rest of the work, but has been broken out by violence into a -shapeless hole. Opposite to this stone, and proceeding from it in a -line down the valley, are several small barrows, and there is a very -large one on the same line, at the spot where we landed. This seems -to indicate that the monument is of heathen times, and probably was -meant as the temple of some northern edition of the _Dii Manes_. -There are no symbols of Christian devotion--and the door is to the -westward; it therefore does not seem to have been the abode of a -hermit, as Dr. Barry[80] has conjectured. The Orcadians have no -tradition on the subject, excepting that they believe it to be the -work of a dwarf, to whom, like their ancestors, they attribute -supernatural powers and malevolent disposition. They conceive he may -be seen sometimes sitting at the door of his abode, but he vanishes -on a nearer approach. Whoever inhabited this den certainly enjoyed - - 'Pillow cold and sheets not warm.' - -"Duff, Stevenson, and I now walk along the skirts of the Hill of -Hoy, to rejoin Robert Hamilton, who in the mean while had rode down -to the clergyman's house, the wet and boggy walk not suiting his -gout. Arrive at the manse completely wet, and drink tea there. The -clergyman (Mr. Hamilton) has procured some curious specimens of -natural history for Bullock's Museum, particularly a pair of fine -eaglets. He has just got another of the golden, or white kind, which -he intends to send him. The eagle, with every other ravenous bird, -abounds among the almost inaccessible precipices of Hoy, which -afford them shelter, while the moors, abounding with grouse, and the -small uninhabited islands and holms, where sheep and lambs are -necessarily left unwatched, as well as the all-sustaining ocean, -give these birds of prey the means of support. The clergyman told us -that a man was very lately alive in the island of ....., who, -when an infant, was transported from thence by an eagle over a broad -sound, or arm of the sea, to the bird's nest in Hoy. Pursuit being -instantly made, and the eagle's nest being known, the infant was -found there playing with the young eaglets. A more ludicrous -instance of transportation he himself witnessed. Walking in the -fields, he heard the squeaking of a pig for some time, without being -able to discern whence it proceeded, until looking up, he beheld the -unfortunate grunter in the talons of an eagle, who soared away with -him towards the summit of Hoy. From this it may be conjectured, that -the island is very thinly inhabited; in fact, we only saw two or -three little wigwams. After tea we walked a mile farther, to a point -where the boat was lying, in order to secure the advantage of the -flood-tide. We rowed with toil across one stream of tide, which set -strongly up between Græmsay and Hoy; but, on turning the point of -Græmsay, the other branch of the same flood-tide carried us with -great velocity alongside our yacht, which we reached about nine -o'clock. Between riding, walking, and running, we have spent a very -active and entertaining day. - -"_Domestic Memoranda._--The eggs on Zetland and Orkney are very -indifferent, having an earthy taste, and being very small. But the -hogs are an excellent breed--queer wild-looking creatures, with -heads like wild-boars, but making capital bacon." - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXIX. - -[74: "This noted oppressor was finally brought to trial, -and beheaded at the Cross of Edinburgh (6th February, 1614). It is -said that the King's mood was considerably heated against him by -some ill-chosen and worse written Latin inscriptions with which his -father and himself had been unlucky enough to decorate some of their -insular palaces. In one of these, Earl Robert, the father, had given -his own designation thus: 'Orcadiæ Comes _Rex_ Jacobi Quinti -Filius.' In this case he was not, perhaps, guilty of anything worse -than bad Latin. But James VI., who had a keen nose for puzzling out -treason, and with whom an assault and battery upon Priscian ranked -in nearly the same degree of crime, had little doubt that the use of -the nominative _Rex_, instead of the genitive _Regis_, had a -treasonable savor."--Scott's _Miscellaneous Prose Works_, vol. -xxiii. p. 232.] - -[75: Henry Mackenzie's Introduction to _The Fatal -Sisters_.--_Works_, 1808, vol. viii. p. 63.] - -[76: "A Skerrie means a flattish rock which the sea does -not overflow."--Edmonstone's _View of the Zetlands_.] - -[77: Clerk Colvill falls a sacrifice to a meeting with "a -fair Mermaid," whom he found washing her "Sark of Silk" on this -romantic shore. He had been warned by his "gay lady" in these -words:-- - - "O promise me now, Clerk Colvill, - Or it will cost ye muckle strife, - Ride never by the Wells of Slane, - If ye wad live and brook your life."] - -[78: Sir William Honeyman, Bart.--a Judge of the Court of -Session by the title of Lord Armadale.] - -[79: _Miscellaneous Prose Works_, vol. v. p. 355.] - -[80: _History of the Orkney Islands_, by the Rev. George -Barry, D. D., 4to, Edinburgh, 1805.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - - DIARY CONTINUED. -- STROMNESS. -- BESSY MILLIE'S CHARM. -- CAPE - WRATH. -- CAVE OF SMOWE. -- THE HEBRIDES. -- SCALPA, ETC. - -1814 - - -"_Off Stromness, 17th August, 1814._--Went on shore after breakfast, -and found W. Erskine and Marjoribanks had been in this town all last -night, without our hearing of them or they of us. No letters from -Abbotsford or Edinburgh. Stromness is a little dirty straggling -town, which cannot be traversed by a cart, or even by a horse, for -there are stairs up and down, even in the principal streets. We -paraded its whole length like turkeys in a string, I suppose to -satisfy ourselves that there was a worse town in the Orkneys than -the metropolis, Kirkwall. We clomb, by steep and dirty lanes, an -eminence rising above the town, and commanding a fine view. An old -hag lives in a wretched cabin on this height, and subsists by -selling winds. Each captain of a merchantman, between jest and -earnest, gives the old woman sixpence, and she boils her kettle to -procure a favorable gale. She was a miserable figure; upwards of -ninety, she told us, and dried up like a mummy. A sort of -clay-colored cloak, folded over her head, corresponded in color to -her corpselike complexion. Fine light-blue eyes, and nose and chin -that almost met, and a ghastly expression of cunning, gave her quite -the effect of Hecate. She told us she remembered _Gow the pirate_, -who was born near the House of Clestrom, and afterwards commenced -buccaneer. He came to his native country about 1725, with a _snow_ -which he commanded, carried off two women from one of the islands, -and committed other enormities. At length, while he was dining in a -house in the island of Eda, the islanders, headed by Malcolm Laing's -grandfather, made him prisoner, and sent him to London, where he -was hanged. While at Stromness, he made love to a Miss Gordon, who -pledged her faith to him by shaking hands, an engagement which, in -her idea, could not be dissolved without her going to London to seek -back again her 'faith and troth,' by shaking hands with him again -after execution. We left our Pythoness, who assured us there was -nothing evil in the intercession she was to make for us, but that we -were only to have a fair wind through the benefit of her prayers. -She repeated a sort of rigmarole which I suppose she had ready for -such occasions, and seemed greatly delighted and surprised with the -amount of our donation, as everybody gave her a trifle, our faithful -Captain Wilson making the regular offering on behalf of the ship. So -much for buying a wind. Bessy Millie's habitation is airy enough for -Æolus himself, but if she is a special favorite with that divinity, -he has a strange choice. In her house I remarked a quern, or -hand-mill.--A cairn, a little higher, commands a beautiful view of -the bay, with its various entrances and islets. Here we found the -vestiges of a bonfire, lighted in memory of the battle of -Bannockburn, concerning which every part of Scotland has its -peculiar traditions. The Orcadians say that a Norwegian prince, then -their ruler, called by them Harold, brought 1400 men of Orkney to -the assistance of Bruce, and that the King, at a critical period of -the engagement, touched him with his scabbard, saying, 'The day is -against us.'--'I trust,' returned the Orcadian, 'your Grace will -_venture again_;' which has given rise to their motto, and passed -into a proverb. On board at half-past three, and find Bessy Millie a -woman of her word, for the expected breeze has sprung up, if it but -last us till we double Cape Wrath. Weigh anchor (I hope) to bid -farewell to Orkney.[81] - -"The land in Orkney is, generally speaking, excellent, and what is -not fitted for the plough is admirably adapted for pasture. But the -cultivation is very bad, and the mode of using these extensive -commons, where they tear up, without remorse, the turf of the -finest pasture, in order to make fuel, is absolutely execrable. The -practice has already peeled and exhausted much fine land, and must -in the end ruin the country entirely. In other respects, their mode -of cultivation is to manure for barley and oats, and then manure -again, and this without the least idea of fallow or green crops. Mr. -Rae thinks that his example--and he farms very well--has had no -effect upon the natives, except in the article of potatoes, which -they now cultivate a little more, but crops of turnips are unknown. -For this slovenly labor the Orcadians cannot, like the Shetland men, -plead the occupation of fishing, which is wholly neglected by them, -excepting that about this time of the year all the people turn out -for the dogfish, the liver of which affords oil, and the bodies are -a food as much valued here by the lower classes as it is contemned -in Shetland. We saw nineteen boats out at this work. But cod, tusk, -ling, haddocks, etc., which abound round these isles, are totally -neglected. Their inferiority in husbandry is therefore to be -ascribed to the prejudices of the people, who are all peasants of -the lowest order. On Lord Armadale's estate, the number of tenantry -amounts to 300, and the average of rent is about seven pounds each. -What can be expected from such a distribution? and how is the -necessary restriction to take place, without the greatest immediate -distress and hardship to these poor creatures? It is the hardest -chapter in Economics; and if I were an Orcadian laird, I feel I -should shuffle on with the old useless creatures, in contradiction -to my better judgment. Stock is improved in these islands, and the -horses seem to be better bred than in Shetland; at least, I have -seen more clever animals. The good horses find a ready sale; Mr. Rae -gets twenty guineas readily for a colt of his rearing--to be sure, -they are very good. - -"_Six o'clock._--Our breeze has carried us through the Mouth of Hoy, -and so into the Atlantic. The north-western face of the island forms -a ledge of high perpendicular cliffs, which might have surprised us -more, had we not already seen the Ord of Bressay, the Noup of Noss, -and the precipices of the Fair Isle. But these are formidable -enough. One projecting cliff, from the peculiarities of its form, -has acquired the name of the Old Man of Hoy, and is well known to -mariners as marking the entrance to the Mouth. The other jaw of this -mouth is formed by a lower range of crags, called the Burgh of -Birsa. The access through this strait would be easy, were it not for -the Island of Græmsay, lying in the very throat of the passage, and -two other islands covering the entrance to the harbor of Stromness. -Græmsay is infamous for shipwrecks, and the chance of these -_God-sends_, as they were impiously called, is said sometimes to -have doubled the value of the land. In Stromness, I saw many of the -sad relics of shipwrecked vessels applied to very odd purposes, and -indeed to all sorts of occasions. The gates, or _grinds_, as they -are here called, are usually of ship planks and timbers, and so are -their bridges, etc. These casualties are now much less common since -the lights on the Skerries and the Start have been established. -Enough of memoranda for the present.--We have hitherto kept our -course pretty well; and a King's ship about eighteen guns or so, two -miles upon our lee-boom, has shortened sail, apparently to take us -under her wing, which may not be altogether unnecessary in the -latitude of Cape Wrath, where several vessels have been taken by -Yankee-Doodle. The sloop of war looks as if she could bite hard, and -is supposed by our folks to be the Malay. If we can speak the -captain, we will invite him to some grouse, or send him some, as he -likes best, for Marchie's campaign was very successful. - -"_18th August, 1814._--Bessy Millie's charm has failed us. After a -rainy night, the wind has come round to the north-west, and is -getting almost contrary. We have weathered Whitten-head, however, -and Cape Wrath, the north-western extremity of Britain, is now in -sight. The weather gets rainy and squally. Hamilton and Erskine keep -their berths. Duff and I sit upon deck, like two great bears, wrapt -in watch-cloaks, the sea flying over us every now and then. At -length, after a sound buffeting with the rain, the doubling Cape -Wrath with this wind is renounced as impracticable, and we stand -away for Loch Eribol, a lake running into the extensive country of -Lord Reay. No sickness; we begin to get hardy sailors in that -particular. The ground rises upon us very bold and mountainous, -especially a very high steep mountain, called Ben-y-Hope, at the -head of a lake called Loch Hope. The weather begins to mitigate as -we get under the lee of the land. Loch Eribol opens, running up into -a wild and barren scene of crags and hills. The proper anchorage is -said to be at the head of the lake, but to go eight miles up so -narrow an inlet would expose us to be wind-bound. A pilot-boat comes -off from Mr. Anderson's house, a principal tacksman of Lord Reay's. -After some discussion we anchor within a reef of sunken rocks, -nearly opposite to Mr. Anderson's house of Rispan; the situation is -not, we are given to understand, altogether without danger if the -wind should blow hard, but it is now calm. In front of our anchorage -a few shapeless patches of land, not exceeding a few yards in -diameter, have been prepared for corn by the spade, and bear -wretched crops. All the rest of the view is utter barrenness; the -distant hills, we are told, contain plenty of deer, being part of a -forest belonging to Lord Reay, who is proprietor of all the -extensive range of desolation now under our eye. The water has been -kinder than the land, for we hear of plenty of salmon, and haddocks, -and lobsters, and send our faithful minister of the interior, John -Peters, the steward, to procure some of those good things of this -very indifferent land, and to invite Mr. Anderson to dine with us. -Four o'clock,--John has just returned, successful in both -commissions, and the evening concludes pleasantly. - -"_19th August, 1814, Loch Eribol, near Cape Wrath._--Went off before -eight A. M. to breakfast with our friend Mr. Anderson. His house, -invisible from the vessel at her moorings, and indeed from any part -of the entrance into Loch Eribol, is a very comfortable one, lying -obscured behind a craggy eminence. A little creek, winding up behind -the crag, and in front of the house, forms a small harbor, and gives -a romantic air of concealment and snugness. There we found a ship -upon the stocks, built from the keel by a Highland carpenter, who -had magnanimously declined receiving assistance from any of the -ship-carpenters who happened to be here occasionally, lest it should -be said he could not have finished his task without their aid. An -ample Highland breakfast of excellent new-taken herring, equal to -those of Lochfine, fresh haddocks, fresh eggs, and fresh butter, not -forgetting the bottle of whiskey, and bannocks of barley, and -oat-cakes, with the Lowland luxuries of tea and coffee. After -breakfast, took the long-boat, and, under Mr. Anderson's pilotage, -row to see a remarkable natural curiosity, called Uamh Smowe, or the -Largest Cave. Stevenson, Marchie, and Duff go by land. Take the -fowling-piece, and shoot some sea-fowl and a large hawk of an -uncommon appearance. Fire four shots, and kill three times. After -rowing about three miles to the westward of the entrance from the -sea to Loch Eribol, we enter a creek, between two ledges of very -high rocks, and landing, find ourselves in front of the wonder we -came to see. The exterior apartment of the cavern opens under a -tremendous rock, facing the creek, and occupies the full space of -the ravine where we landed. From the top of the rock to the base of -the cavern, as we afterwards discovered by plumb, is eighty feet, of -which the height of the arch is fifty-three feet; the rest, being -twenty-seven feet, is occupied by the precipitous rock under which -it opens; the width is fully in proportion to this great height, -being 110 feet. The depth of this exterior cavern is 200 feet, and -it is apparently supported by an intermediate column of natural -rock. Being open to daylight and the sea-air, the cavern is -perfectly clean and dry, and the sides are incrusted with -stalactites. This immense cavern is so well proportioned, that I was -not aware of its extraordinary height and extent, till I saw our two -friends, who had somewhat preceded us, having made the journey by -land, appearing like pigmies among its recesses. Afterwards, on -entering the cave, I climbed up a sloping rock at its extremity, and -was much struck with the prospect, looking outward from this -magnificent arched cavern upon our boat and its crew, the view being -otherwise bounded by the ledge of rocks which formed each side of -the creek. We now propose to investigate the farther wonders of the -cave of Smowe. In the right or west side of the cave opens an -interior cavern of a different aspect. The height of this second -passage may be about twelve or fourteen feet, and its breadth about -six or eight, neatly formed into a Gothic portal by the hand of -nature. The lower part of this porch is closed by a ledge of rock, -rising to the height of between five and six feet, and which I can -compare to nothing but the hatch-door of a shop. Beneath this hatch -a brook finds its way out, forms a black deep pool before the Gothic -archway, and then escapes to the sea, and forms the creek in which -we landed. It is somewhat difficult to approach this strange pass, -so as to gain a view into the interior of the cavern. By clambering -along a broken and dangerous cliff, you can, however, look into it; -but only so far as to see a twilight space filled with dark-colored -water in great agitation, and representing a subterranean lake, -moved by some fearful convulsion of nature. How this pond is -supplied with water you cannot see from even this point of vantage, -but you are made partly sensible of the truth by a sound like the -dashing of a sullen cataract within the bowels of the earth. Here -the adventure has usually been abandoned, and Mr. Anderson only -mentioned two travellers whose curiosity had led them farther. We -were resolved, however, to see the adventures of this new cave of -Montesinos to an end. Duff had already secured the use of a fisher's -boat and its hands, our own long-boat being too heavy and far too -valuable to be ventured upon this Cocytus. Accordingly the skiff was -dragged up the brook to the rocky ledge or hatch which barred up the -interior cavern, and there, by force of hands, our boat's crew and -two or three fishers first raised the boat's bow upon the ledge of -rock, then brought her to a level, being poised upon that narrow -hatch, and lastly launched her down into the dark and deep -subterranean lake within. The entrance was so narrow, and the boat -so clumsy, that we, who were all this while clinging to the rock -like sea-fowl, and with scarce more secure footing, were greatly -alarmed for the safety of our trusty sailors. At the instant when -the boat sloped inward to the cave, a Highlander threw himself into -it with great boldness and dexterity, and, at the expense of some -bruises, shared its precipitate fall into the waters under the -earth. This dangerous exploit was to prevent the boat drifting away -from us, but a cord at its stern would have been a safer and surer -expedient. - -"When our _enfant perdu_ had recovered breath and legs, he brought -the boat back to the entrance, and took us in. We now found -ourselves embarked on a deep black pond of an irregular form, the -rocks rising like a dome all around us, and high over our heads. The -light, a sort of dubious twilight, was derived from two chasms in -the roof of the vault, for that offered by the entrance was but -trifling. Down one of those rents there poured from the height of -eighty feet, in a sheet of foam, the brook, which, after supplying -the subterranean pond with water, finds its way out beneath the -ledge of rock that blocks its entrance. The other skylight, if I may -so term it, looks out at the clear blue sky. It is impossible for -description to explain the impression made by so strange a place, to -which we had been conveyed with so much difficulty. The cave -itself, the pool, the cataract, would have been each separate -objects of wonder, but all united together, and affecting at once -the ear, the eye, and the imagination, their effect is -indescribable. The length of this pond, or loch as the people here -call it, is seventy feet over, the breadth about thirty at the -narrowest point, and it is of great depth. - -"As we resolved to proceed, we directed the boat to a natural arch -on the right hand, or west side of the cataract. This archway was -double, a high arch being placed above a very low one, as in a Roman -aqueduct. The ledge of rock which forms this lower arch is not above -two feet and a half high above the water, and under this we were to -pass in the boat; so that we were fain to pile ourselves flat upon -each other like a layer of herrings. By this judicious disposition -we were pushed in safety beneath this low-browed rock into a region -of utter darkness. For this, however, we were provided, for we had a -tinder-box and lights. The view back upon the twilight lake we had -crossed, its sullen eddies wheeling round and round, and its echoes -resounding to the ceaseless thunder of the waterfall, seemed dismal -enough, and was aggravated by temporary darkness, and in some degree -by a sense of danger. The lights, however, dispelled the latter -sensation, if it prevailed to any extent, and we now found ourselves -in a narrow cavern, sloping somewhat upward from the water. We got -out of the boat, proceeded along some slippery places upon shelves -of the rock, and gained the dry land. I cannot say _dry_, excepting -comparatively. We were then in an arched cave, twelve feet high in -the roof, and about eight feet in breadth, which went winding into -the bowels of the earth for about an hundred feet. The sides, being -(like those of the whole cavern) of limestone rock, were covered -with stalactites, and with small drops of water like dew, glancing -like ten thousand thousand sets of birthday diamonds under the glare -of our lights. In some places these stalactites branch out into -broad and curious ramifications, resembling coral and the foliage of -submarine plants. - -"When we reached the extremity of this passage, we found it declined -suddenly to a horrible ugly gulf, or well, filled with dark water, -and of great depth, over which the rock closed. We threw in stones, -which indicated great profundity by their sound; and growing more -familiar with the horrors of this den, we sounded with an oar, and -found about ten feet depth at the entrance, but discovered in the -same manner, that the gulf extended under the rock, deepening as it -went, God knows how far. Imagination can figure few deaths more -horrible than to be sucked under these rocks into some unfathomable -abyss, where your corpse could never be found to give intimation of -your fate. A water kelpy, or an evil spirit of any aquatic -propensities, could not choose a fitter abode; and, to say the -truth, I believe at our first entrance, and when all our feelings -were afloat at the novelty of the scene, the unexpected plashing of -a seal would have routed the whole dozen of us. The mouth of this -ugly gulf was all covered with slimy alluvious substances, which led -Mr. Stevenson to observe, that it could have no separate source, but -must be fed from the waters of the outer lake and brook, as it lay -upon the same level, and seemed to rise and fall with them, without -having anything to indicate a separate current of its own. Rounding -this perilous hole, or gulf, upon the aforesaid alluvious -substances, which formed its shores, we reached the extremity of the -cavern, which there ascends like a vent, or funnel, directly up a -sloping precipice, but hideously black and slippery from wet and -sea-weeds. One of our sailors, a Zetlander, climbed up a good way, -and by holding up a light, we could plainly perceive that this vent -closed after ascending to a considerable height; and here, -therefore, closed the adventure of the cave of Smowe, for it -appeared utterly impossible to proceed further in any direction -whatever. There is a tradition that the first Lord Reay went through -various subterranean abysses, and at length returned, after -ineffectually endeavoring to penetrate to the extremity of the Smowe -cave; but this must be either fabulous, or an exaggerated account of -such a journey as we performed. And under the latter supposition, it -is a curious instance how little the people in the neighborhood of -this curiosity have cared to examine it. - -"In returning, we endeavored to familiarize ourselves with the -objects in detail, which, viewed together, had struck us with so -much wonder. The stalactites, or limy incrustations, upon the walls -of the cavern, are chiefly of a dark-brown color, and in this -respect, Smowe is inferior, according to Mr. Stevenson, to the -celebrated cave of Macallister in the Isle of Skye. In returning, -the men with the lights, and the various groups and attitudes of the -party, gave a good deal of amusement. We now ventured to clamber -along the side of the rock above the subterranean water, and thus -gained the upper arch, and had the satisfaction to see our admirable -and good-humored commodore, Hamilton, floated beneath the lower arch -into the second cavern. His goodly countenance being illumined by a -single candle, his recumbent posture, and the appearance of a -hard-favored fellow guiding the boat, made him the very picture of -Bibo, in the catch, when he wakes in Charon's boat:-- - - 'When Bibo thought fit from this world to retreat, - As full of Champagne as an egg's full of meat, - He waked in the boat, and to Charon he said, - That he would be row'd back, for he was not yet dead.' - -"Descending from our superior station on the upper arch, we now -again embarked, and spent some time in rowing about and examining -this second cave. We could see our dusky entrance, into which -daylight streamed faint, and at a considerable distance; and under -the arch of the outer cavern stood a sailor, with an oar in his -hand, looking, in the perspective, like a fairy with his wand. We at -length emerged unwillingly from this extraordinary basin, and again -enjoyed ourselves in the large exterior cave. Our boat was hoisted -with some difficulty over the ledge, which appears the natural -barrier of the interior apartments, and restored in safety to the -fishers, who were properly gratified for the hazard which their -skiff, as well as one of themselves, had endured. After this we -resolved to ascend the rocks, and discover the opening by which the -cascade was discharged from above into the second cave. Erskine and -I, by some chance, took the wrong side of the rocks, and, after some -scrambling, got into the face of a dangerous precipice, where -Erskine, to my great alarm, turned giddy, and declared he could not -go farther. I clambered up without much difficulty, and shouting to -the people below, got two of them to assist the Counsellor, who was -brought into, by the means which have sent many a good fellow out -of, the world--I mean a rope. We easily found the brook, and traced -its descent till it precipitates itself down a chasm of the rock -into the subterranean apartment, where we first made its -acquaintance. Divided by a natural arch of stone from the chasm down -which the cascade falls, there is another rent, which serves as a -skylight to the cavern, as I already noticed. Standing on a natural -foot-bridge, formed by the arch which divides these two gulfs, you -have a grand prospect into both. The one is deep, black, and silent, -only affording at the bottom a glimpse of the dark and sullen pool -which occupies the interior of the cavern. The right-hand rent, down -which the stream discharges itself, seems to ring and reel with the -unceasing roar of the cataract, which envelops its side in mist and -foam. This part of the scene alone is worth a day's journey. After -heavy rains, the torrent is discharged into this cavern with -astonishing violence; and the size of the chasm being inadequate to -the reception of such a volume of water, it is thrown up in spouts -like the blowing of a whale. But at such times the entrance of the -cavern is inaccessible. - -"Taking leave of this scene with regret, we rowed back to Loch -Eribol. Having yet an hour to spare before dinner, we rowed across -the mouth of the lake to its shore on the east side. This rises into -a steep and shattered stack of mouldering calcareous rock and stone, -called Whitten-head. It is pierced with several caverns, the abode -of seals and cormorants. We entered one, where our guide promised to -us a grand sight, and so it certainly would have been to any who had -not just come from Smowe. In this last cave the sea enters through a -lofty arch, and penetrates to a great depth; but the weight of the -tide made it dangerous to venture very far, so we did not see the -extremity of Friskin's Cavern, as it is called. We shot several -cormorants in the cave, the echoes roaring like thunder at every -discharge. We received, however, a proper rebuke from Hamilton, our -commodore, for killing anything which was not fit for _eating_. It -was in vain I assured him that the Zetlanders made excellent -hare-soup out of these sea-fowl. He will listen to no subordinate -authority, and rules us by the Almanach des Gourmands. Mr. Anderson -showed me the spot where the Norwegian monarch, Haco, moored his -fleet, after the discomfiture he received at Largs. He caused all -the cattle to be driven from the hills, and houghed and slain upon a -broad flat rock, for the refreshment of his dispirited army. Mr. -Anderson dines with us, and very handsomely presents us with a -stock of salmon, haddocks, and so forth, which we requite by a small -present of wine from our sea stores. This has been a fine day; the -first fair day here for these eight weeks. - -"_20th August, 1814._--Sail by four in the morning, and by half-past -six are off Cape Wrath. All hands ashore by seven, and no time -allowed to breakfast, except on beef and biscuit. On this dread -Cape, so fatal to mariners, it is proposed to build a lighthouse, -and Mr. Stevenson has fixed on an advantageous situation. It is a -high promontory, with steep sides that go sheer down to the -breakers, which lash its feet. There is no landing, except in a -small creek about a mile and a half to the eastward. There the foam -of the sea plays at long bowls with a huge collection of large -stones, some of them a ton in weight, but which these fearful -billows chuck up and down as a child tosses a ball. The walk from -thence to the Cape was over rough boggy ground, but good sheep -pasture. Mr. ---- Dunlop, brother to the laird of Dunlop, took from -Lord Reay, some years since, a large track of sheep-land, including -the territories of Cape Wrath, for about £300 a year, for the period -of two-nineteen years and a life-rent. It is needless to say that -the tenant has an immense profit, for the value of pasture is now -understood here. Lord Reay's estate, containing 150,000 square -acres, and measuring eighty miles by sixty, was, before commencement -of the last leases, rented at £1200 a year. It is now worth £5000, -and Mr. Anderson says he may let it this ensuing year (when the -leases expire) for about £15,000. But then he must resolve to part -with his people, for these rents can only be given upon the -supposition that sheep are generally to be introduced on the -property. In an economical, and perhaps in a political point of -view, it might be best that every part of a country were dedicated -to that sort of occupation for which nature has best fitted it. But -to effect this reform in the present instance, Lord Reay must turn -out several hundred families who have lived under him and his -fathers for many generations, and the swords of whose fathers -probably won the lands from which he is now expelling them. He is a -good-natured man, I suppose, for Mr. A. says he is hesitating -whether he shall not take a more moderate rise (£7000 or £8000), and -keep his Highland tenantry. This last war (before the short peace), -he levied a fine fencible corps (the Reay fencibles), and might -have doubled their number. _Wealth_ is no doubt _strength_ in a -country, while all is quiet and governed by law, but on any -altercation or internal commotion, it ceases to be strength, and is -only the means of tempting the strong to plunder the possessors. -Much may be said on both sides.[82] - -"Cape Wrath is a striking point, both from the dignity of its own -appearance, and from the mental association of its being the extreme -cape of Scotland, with reference to the north-west. There is no land -in the direct line between this point and America. I saw a pair of -large eagles, and if I had had the rifle-gun might have had a shot, -for the birds, when I first saw them, were perched on a rock within -about sixty or seventy yards. They are, I suppose, little disturbed -here, for they showed no great alarm. After the Commissioners and -Mr. Stevenson had examined the headland, with reference to the site -of a lighthouse, we strolled to our boat, and came on board between -ten and eleven. Get the boat up upon deck, and set sail for the -Lewis with light winds and a great swell of tide. Pass a rocky islet -called Gousla. Here a fine vessel was lately wrecked; all her crew -perished but one, who got upon the rocks from the boltsprit, and was -afterwards brought off. In front of Cape Wrath are some angry -breakers, called the _Staggs_; the rocks which occasion them are -visible at low water. The country behind Cape Wrath swells in high -sweeping elevations, but without any picturesque or dignified -mountainous scenery. But on sailing westward a few miles, -particularly after doubling a headland called the Stour of Assint, -the coast assumes the true Highland character, being skirted with a -succession of picturesque mountains of every variety of height and -outline. These are the hills of Ross-shire--a waste and thinly -peopled district at this extremity of the island. We would willingly -have learned the names of the most remarkable, but they are only -laid down in the charts by the cant names given them by mariners, -from their appearance, as the Sugar-loaf, and so forth. Our breeze -now increases, and seems steadily favorable, carrying us on with -exhilarating rapidity, at the rate of eight knots an hour, with the -romantic outline of the mainland under our lee-beam, and the dusky -shores of the Long Island beginning to appear ahead. We remain on -deck long after it is dark, watching the phosphoric effects -occasioned, or made visible, by the rapid motion of the vessel, and -enlightening her course with a continued succession of sparks and -even flashes of broad light, mingled with the foam which she flings -from her bows and head. A rizard haddock and to bed. Charming -weather all day. - -"_21st August, 1814._--Last night went out like a lamb, but this -morning came in like a lion, all roar and tumult. The wind shifted -and became squally; the mingled and confused tides that run among -the Hebrides got us among their eddies, and gave the cutter such -concussions, that, besides reeling at every wave, she trembled from -head to stern, with a sort of very uncomfortable and ominous -vibration. Turned out about three, and went on deck; the prospect -dreary enough, as we are beating up a narrow channel between two -dark and disconsolate-looking islands, in a gale of wind and rain, -guided only by the twinkling glimmer of the light on an island -called Ellan Glas.--Go to bed and sleep soundly, notwithstanding the -rough rocking. Great bustle about four; the light-keeper having seen -our flag, comes off to be our pilot, as in duty bound. Asleep again -till eight. When I went on deck, I found we had anchored in the -little harbor of Scalpa, upon the coast of Harris, a place dignified -by the residence of Charles Edward in his hazardous attempt to -escape in 1746. An old man, lately alive here, called Donald -Macleod, was his host and temporary protector, and could not, until -his dying hour, mention the distresses of the adventurer without -tears. From this place, Charles attempted to go to Stornoway; but -the people of the Lewis had taken arms to secure him, under an idea -that he was coming to plunder the country. And although his faithful -attendant, Donald Macleod, induced them by fair words, to lay aside -their purpose, yet they insisted upon his leaving the island. So the -unfortunate Prince was obliged to return back to Scalpa. He -afterwards escaped to South Uist, but was chased in the passage by -Captain Fergusson's sloop of war. The harbor seems a little neat -secure place of anchorage. Within a small island, there seems more -shelter than where we are lying; but it is crowded with vessels, -part of those whom we saw in the Long-Hope--so Mr. Wilson chose to -remain outside. The ground looks hilly and barren in the extreme; -but I can say little for it, as an incessant rain prevents my -keeping the deck. Stevenson and Duff, accompanied by Marchie, go to -examine the lighthouse on Ellan Glas. Hamilton and Erskine keep -their beds, having scarce slept last night--and I bring up my -journal. The day continues bad, with little intermission of rain. -Our party return with little advantage from their expedition, -excepting some fresh butter from the lighthouse. The harbor of -Scalpa is composed of a great number of little uninhabited islets. -The masts of the vessels at anchor behind them have a good effect. -To bed early, to make amends for last night, with the purpose of -sailing for Dunvegan in the Isle of Skye with daylight." - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXX. - -[81: Lord Teignmouth, in his recent _Sketches of the Coasts -and Islands of Scotland_, says: "The publication of _The Pirate_ -satisfied the natives of Orkney as to the authorship of the Waverley -Novels. It was remarked by those who had accompanied Sir Walter -Scott in his excursions in these Islands, that the vivid -descriptions which the work contains were confined to those scenes -which he visited."--Vol. i. p. 28.] - -[82: The whole of the immense district called _Lord Reay's -country_--the habitation, as far back as history reaches, of the -clan Mackay--has passed, since Sir W. Scott's journal was written, -into the hands of the noble family of Sutherland.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - - DIARY CONTINUED. -- ISLE OF HARRIS. -- MONUMENTS OF THE CHIEFS OF - MACLEOD. -- ISLE OF SKYE. -- DUNVEGAN CASTLE. -- LOCH CORRISKIN. - --MACALLISTER'S CAVE - -1814 - - -"_22d August, 1814._--Sailed early in the morning from Scalpa -Harbor, in order to cross the Minch, or Channel, for Dunvegan; but -the breeze being contrary, we can only creep along the Harris shore, -until we shall gain the advantage of the tide. The east coast of -Harris, as we now see it, is of a character which sets human -industry at utter defiance, consisting of high sterile hills, -covered entirely with stones, with a very slight sprinkling of -stunted heather. Within, appear still higher peaks of mountains. I -have never seen anything more unpropitious, excepting the southern -side of Griban, on the shores of Loch-na-Gaoil, in the Isle of Mull. -We sail along this desolate coast (which exhibits no mark of human -habitation) with the advantage of a pleasant day, and a brisk, -though not a favorable gale. _Two o'clock_--Row ashore to see the -little harbor and village of Rowdill, on the coast of Harris. There -is a decent three-storied house, belonging to the laird, Mr. Macleod -of the Harris,[83] where we were told two of his female relations -lived. A large vessel had been stranded last year, and two or three -carpenters were about repairing her, but in such a style of Highland -laziness that I suppose she may float next century. The harbor is -neat enough, but wants a little more cover to the eastward. The -ground, on landing, does not seem altogether so desolate as from the -sea. In the former point of view, we overlook all the retired glens -and crevices, which, by infinite address and labor, are rendered -capable of a little cultivation. But few and evil are the patches so -cultivated in Harris, as far as we have seen. Above the house is -situated the ancient church of Rowdill. This pile was unfortunately -burned down by accident some years since, by fire taking to a -quantity of wood laid in for fitting it up. It is a building in the -form of a cross, with a rude tower at the eastern end, like some old -English churches. Upon this tower are certain pieces of sculpture, -of a kind the last which one would have expected on a building -dedicated to religious purposes. Some have lately fallen in a storm, -but enough remains to astonish us at the grossness of the architect -and the age. - -"Within the church are two ancient monuments. The first, on the -right hand of the pulpit, presents the effigy of a warrior -completely armed in plate armor, with his hand on his two-handed -broadsword. His helmet is peaked, with a gorget or upper corselet -which seems to be made of mail. His figure lies flat on the -monument, and is in bas-relief, of the natural size. The arch which -surmounts this monument is curiously carved with the figures of the -apostles. In the flat space of the wall beneath the arch, and above -the tombstone, are a variety of compartments, exhibiting the arms of -the Macleods, being a galley with the sails spread, a rude view of -Dunvegan Castle, some saints and religious emblems, and a Latin -inscription, of which our time (or skill) was inadequate to decipher -the first line; but the others announced the tenant of the monument -to be _Alexander, filius Willielmi MacLeod, de Dunvegan, Anno Dni_ -M.CCCC.XXVIII. A much older monument (said also to represent a laird -of Macleod) lies in the transept, but without any arch over it. It -represents the grim figure of a Highland chief, not in feudal armor -like the former, but dressed in a plaid--(or perhaps a shirt of -mail)--reaching down below the knees, with a broad sort of hem upon -its lower extremity. The figure wears a high-peaked open helmet, or -skull-cap, with a sort of tippet of mail attached to it, which falls -over the breast of the warrior, pretty much as women wear a -handkerchief or short shawl. This remarkable figure is bearded most -tyrannically, and has one hand on his long two-handed sword, the -other on his dirk, both of which hang at a broad belt. Another -weapon, probably his knife, seems to have been also attached to the -baldric. His feet rest on his two dogs entwined together, and a -similar emblem is said to have supported his head, but is now -defaced, as indeed the whole monument bears marks of the unfortunate -fire. A lion is placed at each end of the stone. Who the hero was, -whom this martial monument commemorated, we could not learn. Indeed, -our cicerone was but imperfect. He chanced to be a poor devil of an -excise-officer who had lately made a seizure of a still upon a -neighboring island, after a desperate resistance. Upon seeing our -cutter, he mistook it, as has often happened to us, for an armed -vessel belonging to the revenue, which the appearance and equipment -of the yacht, and the number of men, make her resemble considerably. -He was much disappointed when he found we had nothing to do with the -tribute to Cæsar, and begged us not to undeceive the natives, who -were so much irritated against him that he found it necessary to -wear a loaded pair of pistols in each pocket, which he showed to our -Master, Wilson, to convince him of the perilous state in which he -found himself while exercising so obnoxious a duty in the midst of a -fierce-tempered people, and at many miles' distance from any -possible countenance or assistance. The village of Rowdill consists -of Highland huts of the common construction, _i. e._, a low circular -wall of large stones, without mortar, deeply sunk in the ground, -surmounted by a thatched roof secured by ropes, without any chimney -but a hole in the roof. There may be forty such houses in the -village. We heard that the laird was procuring a schoolmaster--he of -the parish being ten miles distant--and there was a neatness about -the large house which seems to indicate that things are going on -well. Adjacent to the churchyard were two eminences, apparently -artificial. Upon one was fixed a stone, seemingly the staff of a -cross; upon another the head of a cross, with a sculpture of the -crucifixion. These monuments (which refer themselves to Catholic -times of course) are popularly called _The Croshlets_--crosslets, or -little crosses. - -"Get on board at five, and stand across the Sound for Skye with the -ebb-tide in our favor. The sunset being delightful, we enjoy it upon -deck, admiring the Sound on each side bounded by islands. That of -Skye lies in the east, with some very high mountains in the centre, -and a bold rocky coast in front, opening up into several lochs, or -arms of the sea;--that of Loch Folliart, near the upper end of which -Dunvegan is situated, is opposite to us, but our breeze has failed -us, and the flood-tide will soon set in, which is likely to carry us -to the northward of this object of our curiosity until next morning. -To the west of us lies Harris, with its variegated ridges of -mountains, now clear, distinct, and free from clouds. The sun is -just setting behind the Island of Bernera, of which we see one -conical hill. North Uist and Benbecula continue from Harris to the -southerly line of what is called the Long Island. They are as bold -and mountainous, and probably as barren as Harris--worse they cannot -be. Unnumbered islets and holms, each of which has its name and its -history, skirt these larger isles, and are visible in this clear -evening as distinct and separate objects, lying lone and quiet upon -the face of the undisturbed and scarce rippling sea. To our berths -at ten, after admiring the scenery for some time. - -"_23d August, 1814._--Wake under the Castle of Dunvegan, in the Loch -of Folliart. I had sent a card to the Laird of Macleod in the -morning, who came off before we were dressed, and carried us to his -castle to breakfast. A part of Dunvegan is very old; 'its birth -tradition notes not.' Another large tower was built by the same -Alaster Macleod whose burial-place and monument we saw yesterday at -Rowdill. He had a Gaelic surname, signifying the Hump-backed. -Roderick More (knighted by James VI.) erected a long edifice -combining these two ancient towers: and other pieces of building, -forming a square, were accomplished at different times. The whole -castle occupies a precipitous mass of rock overhanging the lake, -divided by two or three islands in that place, which form a snug -little harbor under the walls. There is a courtyard looking out upon -the sea, protected by a battery, at least a succession of -embrasures, for only two guns are pointed, and these unfit for -service. The ancient entrance rose up a flight of steps cut in the -rock, and passed into this courtyard through a portal, but this is -now demolished. You land under the castle, and walking round, find -yourself in front of it. This was originally inaccessible, for a -brook coming down on the one side, a chasm of the rocks on the -other, and a ditch in front, made it impervious. But the late -Macleod built a bridge over the stream, and the present laird is -executing an entrance suitable to the character of this remarkable -fortalice, by making a portal between two advanced towers and an -outer court, from which he proposes to throw a drawbridge over to -the high rock in front of the castle. This, if well executed, cannot -fail to have a good and characteristic effect. We were most kindly -and hospitably received by the chieftain, his lady, and his -sister;[84] the two last are pretty and accomplished young women, a -sort of persons whom we have not seen for some time; and I was quite -as much pleased with renewing my acquaintance with them as with the -sight of a good field of barley just cut (the first harvest we have -seen), not to mention an extensive young plantation and some -middle-aged trees, though all had been strangers to mine eyes since -I left Leith. In the garden--or rather the orchard which was -formerly the garden--is a pretty cascade, divided into two branches, -and called Rorie More's Nurse, because he loved to be lulled to -sleep by the sound of it. The day was rainy, or at least inconstant, -so we could not walk far from the castle. Besides the assistance of -the laird himself, who was most politely and easily attentive, we -had that of an intelligent gentlemanlike clergyman, Mr. Suter, -minister of Kilmore, to explain the _carte-de-pays_. Within the -castle we saw a remarkable drinking-cup, with an inscription dated -A. D. 993, which I have described particularly elsewhere.[85] I saw -also a fairy flag, a pennon of silk, with something like round red -rowan-berries wrought upon it. We also saw the drinking-horn of -Rorie More, holding about three pints English measure--an ox's horn -tipped with silver, not nearly so large as Watt of Harden's bugle. -The rest of the curiosities in the castle are chiefly Indian, -excepting an old dirk and the fragment of a two-handed sword. We -learn that most of the Highland superstitions, even that of the -second-sight, are still in force. Gruagach, a sort of tutelary -divinity, often mentioned by Martin in his history of the Western -Islands, has still his place and credit, but is modernized into a -tall man, always a Lowlander, with a long coat and white waistcoat. -Passed a very pleasant day. I should have said the fairy flag had -three properties: produced in battle, it multiplied the numbers of -the Macleods--spread on the nuptial bed, it insured fertility--and -lastly, it brought herring into the loch.[86] - -"_24th August, 1814._--This morning resist with difficulty Macleod's -kind and pressing entreaty to send round the ship, and go to the -cave at Airds by land; but our party is too large to be accommodated -without inconvenience, and divisions are always awkward. Walk and -see Macleod's farm. The plantations seem to thrive admirably, -although I think he hazards planting his trees greatly too tall. -Macleod is a spirited and judicious improver, and if he does not -hurry too fast, cannot fail to be of service to his people. He seems -to think and act much like a chief, without the fanfaronade of the -character. See a female school patronized by Mrs. M. There are about -twenty girls, who learn reading, writing, and spinning; and being -compelled to observe habits of cleanliness and neatness when at -school, will probably be the means of introducing them by degrees at -home. The roads around the castle are, generally speaking, very -good; some are old, some made under the operation of the late act. -Macleod says almost all the contractors for these last roads have -failed, being tightly looked after by Government, which I confess I -think very right. If Government is to give relief where a -disadvantageous contract has been engaged in, it is plain it cannot -be refused in similar instances, so that all calculations of -expenses in such operations are at an end. The day being -delightfully fair and warm, we walk up to the Church of Kilmore. In -a cottage, at no great distance, we heard the women singing as they -_waulked_ the cloth, by rubbing it with their hands and feet, and -screaming all the while in a sort of chorus. At a distance, the -sound was wild and sweet enough, but rather discordant when you -approached too near the performers. In the churchyard (otherwise not -remarkable) was a pyramidical monument erected to the father of the -celebrated Simon, Lord Lovat, who was fostered at Dunvegan. It is -now nearly ruinous, and the inscription has fallen down. Return to -the castle, take our luncheon, and go aboard at three--Macleod -accompanying us in proper style with his piper. We take leave of the -castle, where we have been so kindly entertained, with a salute of -seven guns. The chief returns ashore, with his piper playing the -Macleod's Gathering, heard to advantage along the calm and placid -loch, and dying as it retreated from us. - -"The towers of Dunvegan, with the banner which floated over them in -honor of their guests, now showed to great advantage. On the right -were a succession of three remarkable hills, with round flat tops, -popularly called Macleod's Dining-Tables. Far behind these, in the -interior of the island, arise the much higher and more romantic -mountains, called Quillen, or Cuillin, a name which they have been -said to owe to no less a person than Cuthullin, or Cuchullin, -celebrated by Ossian. I ought, I believe, to notice, that Macleod -and Mr. Suter have both heard a tacksman of Macleod's, called Grant, -recite the celebrated Address to the Sun; and another person, whom -they named, repeat the description of Cuchullin's car. But all agree -as to the gross infidelity of Macpherson as a translator and editor. -It ends in the explanation of the Adventures in the cave of -Montesinos, afforded to the Knight of La Mancha, by the ape of Gines -de Passamonte--some are true and some are false. There is little -poetical tradition in this country, yet there should be a great -deal, considering how lately the bards and genealogists existed as a -distinct order. Macleod's _hereditary_ piper is called MacCrimmon, -but the present holder of the office has risen above his profession. -He is an old man, a lieutenant in the army, and a most capital -piper, possessing about 200 tunes and pibrochs, most of which will -probably die with him, as he declines to have any of his sons -instructed in his art. He plays to Macleod and his lady, but only in -the same room, and maintains his minstrel privilege by putting on -his bonnet so soon as he begins to play. These MacCrimmons formerly -kept a college in Skye for teaching the pipe-music. Macleod's -present piper is of the name, but scarcely as yet a deacon of his -craft. He played every day at dinner.--After losing sight of the -Castle of Dunvegan, we open another branch of the loch on which it -is situated, and see a small village upon its distant bank. The -mountains of Quillen continue to form a background to the wild -landscape with their variegated and peaked outline. We approach -Dunvegan-head, a bold bluff cape, where the loch joins the ocean. -The weather, hitherto so beautiful that we had dined on deck _en -seigneurs_, becomes overcast and hazy, with little or no wind. Laugh -and lie down. - -"_25th August, 1814._--Rise about eight o'clock, the yacht gliding -delightfully along the coast of Skye, with a fair wind and excellent -day. On the opposite side lie the islands of Canna, Rum, and Muick, -popularly Muck. On opening the sound between Rum and Canna, see a -steep circular rock, forming one side of the harbor, on the point of -which we can discern the remains of a tower of small dimensions, -built, it is said, by a King of the Isles to secure a wife of whom -he was jealous. But, as we kept the Skye side of the Sound, we saw -little of these islands but what our spy-glasses could show us. The -coast of Skye is highly romantic, and at the same time displayed a -richness of vegetation on the lower grounds, to which we have -hitherto been strangers. We passed three salt-water lochs, or deep -embayments, called Loch Bracadale, Loch Eynort, and Loch Britta--and -about eleven o'clock open Loch Scavig. We were now under the western -termination of the high mountains of Quillen, whose weather-beaten -and serrated peaks we had admired at a distance from Dunvegan. They -sunk here upon the sea, but with the same bold and peremptory aspect -which their distant appearance indicated. They seemed to consist of -precipitous sheets of naked rock, down which the torrents were -leaping in a hundred lines of foam. The tops, apparently -inaccessible to human foot, were rent and split into the most -tremendous pinnacles; towards the base of these bare and precipitous -crags, the ground, enriched by the soil washed away from them, is -verdant and productive. Having passed within the small isle of Soa, -we enter Loch Scavig under the shoulder of one of these grisly -mountains, and observe that the opposite side of the loch is of a -milder character softened down into steep green declivities. From -the depth of the bay advanced a headland of high rocks which divided -the lake into two recesses, from each of which a brook seemed to -issue. Here Macleod had intimated we should find a fine romantic -loch, but we were uncertain up what inlet we should proceed in -search of it. We chose, against our better judgment, the southerly -inlet, where we saw a house which might afford us information. On -manning our boat and rowing ashore, we observed a hurry among the -inhabitants, owing to our being as usual suspected for _king's men_, -although, Heaven knows, we have nothing to do with the revenue but -to spend the part of it corresponding to our equipment. We find that -there is a lake adjoining to each branch of the bay, and foolishly -walk a couple of miles to see that next the farmhouse, merely -because the honest man seemed jealous of the honor of his own loch, -though we were speedily convinced it was not that which we had been -recommended to examine. It had no peculiar merit excepting from its -neighborhood to a very high cliff or mountain of precipitous -granite; otherwise, the sheet of water does not equal even -Cauldshiels Loch. Returned and reëmbarked in our boat, for our -guide shook his head at our proposal to climb over the peninsula -which divides the two bays and the two lakes. In rowing round the -headland, surprised at the infinite number of sea-fowl, then busy -apparently with a shoal of fish; at the depth of the bay find that -the discharge from this second lake forms a sort of waterfall or -rather rapid; round this place were assembled hundreds of trout, and -salmon struggling to get up into the fresh water; with a net we -might have had twenty salmon at a haul, and a sailor, with no better -hook than a crooked pin, caught a dish of trouts, during our -absence. - -"Advancing up this huddling and riotous brook, we found ourselves in -a most extraordinary scene: we were surrounded by hills of the -boldest and most precipitous character, and on the margin of a lake -which seemed to have sustained the constant ravages of torrents from -these rude neighbors. The shores consisted of huge layers of naked -granite, here and there intermixed with bogs, and heaps of gravel -and sand marking the course of torrents. Vegetation there was little -or none, and the mountains rose so perpendicularly from the water's -edge, that Borrowdale is a jest to them. We proceeded about one mile -and a half up this deep, dark, and solitary lake, which is about two -miles long, half a mile broad, and, as we learned, of extreme depth. -The vapor which enveloped the mountain ridges obliged us by assuming -a thousand shapes, varying its veils in all sorts of forms, but -sometimes clearing off altogether. It is true, it made us pay the -penalty by some heavy and downright showers, from the frequency of -which, a Highland boy, whom we brought from the farm, told us the -lake was popularly called the Water Kettle. The proper name is Loch -Corriskin, from the deep _corrie_ or hollow in the mountains of -Cuillin, which affords the basin for this wonderful sheet of water. -It is as exquisite as a savage scene, as Loch Katrine is as a scene -of stern beauty. After having penetrated so far as distinctly to -observe the termination of the lake, under an immense mountain which -rises abruptly from the head of the waters, we returned, and often -stopped to admire the ravages which storms must have made in these -recesses when all human witnesses were driven to places of more -shelter and security. Stones, or rather large massive fragments of -rock of a composite kind, perfectly different from the granite -barriers of the lake, lay upon the rocky beach in the strangest and -most precarious situations, as if abandoned by the torrents which -had borne them down from above; some lay loose and tottering upon -the ledges of the natural rock, with so little security that the -slightest push moved them, though their weight exceeded many tons. -These detached rocks were chiefly what are called plum-pudding -stones. Those which formed the shore were granite. The opposite side -of the lake seemed quite pathless, as a huge mountain, one of the -detached ridges of the Quillen, sinks in a profound and almost -perpendicular precipice down to the water. On the left-hand side, -which we traversed, rose a higher and equally inaccessible mountain, -the top of which seemed to contain the crater of an exhausted -volcano. I never saw a spot on which there was less appearance of -vegetation of any kind; the eye rested on nothing but brown and -naked crags,[87] and the rocks on which we walked by the side of the -loch were as bare as the pavement of Cheapside. There are one or two -spots of islets in the loch which seem to bear juniper, or some such -low bushy shrub. - -"Returned from our extraordinary walk and went on board. During -dinner, our vessel quitted Loch Scavig, and having doubled its -southern cape, opened the bay or salt-water Loch of Sleapin. There -went again on shore to visit the late discovered and much celebrated -cavern, called Macallister's cave. It opens at the end of a deep -ravine running upward from the sea, and the proprietor, Mr. -Macallister of Strath Aird, finding that visitors injured it, by -breaking and carrying away the stalactites with which it abounds, -has secured this cavern by an eight or nine feet wall, with a door. -Upon inquiring for the key, we found it was three miles up the loch -at the laird's house. It was now late, and to stay until a messenger -had gone and returned three miles, was not to be thought of, any -more than the alternative of going up the loch and lying there all -night. We therefore, with regret, resolved to scale the wall, in -which attempt, by the assistance of a rope and some ancient -acquaintance with orchard breaking, we easily succeeded. The first -entrance to this celebrated cave is rude and unpromising, but the -light of the torches with which we were provided is soon reflected -from roof, floor, and walls, which seem as if they were sheeted with -marble, partly smooth, partly rough with frost-work and rustic -ornaments, and partly wrought into statuary. The floor forms a steep -and difficult ascent, and might be fancifully compared to a sheet of -water, which, while it rushed whitening and foaming down a -declivity, had been suddenly arrested and consolidated by the spell -of an enchanter. Upon attaining the summit of this ascent, the cave -descends with equal rapidity to the brink of a pool of the most -limpid water, about four or five yards broad. There opens beyond -this pool a portal arch, with beautiful white chasing upon the -sides, which promises a continuation of the cave. One of our sailors -swam across, for there was no other mode of passing, and informed us -(as indeed we partly saw by the light he carried), that the -enchantment of Macallister's cave terminated with this portal, -beyond which there was only a rude ordinary cavern speedily choked -with stones and earth. But the pool, on the brink of which we stood, -surrounded by the most fanciful mouldings in a substance resembling -white marble, and distinguished by the depth and purity of its -waters, might be the bathing grotto of a Naiad. I think a statuary -might catch beautiful hints from the fanciful and romantic -disposition of the stalactites. There is scarce a form or group that -an active fancy may not trace among the grotesque ornaments which -have been gradually moulded in this cavern by the dropping of the -calcareous water, and its hardening into petrifactions; many of -these have been destroyed by the senseless rage of appropriation -among recent tourists, and the grotto has lost (I am informed), -through the smoke of torches, much of that vivid silver tint which -was originally one of its chief distinctions. But enough of beauty -remains to compensate for all that may be lost. As the easiest mode -of return, I slid down the polished sheet of marble which forms the -rising ascent, and thereby injured my pantaloons in a way which my -jacket is ill calculated to conceal. Our wearables, after a month's -hard service, begin to be frail, and there are daily demands for -repairs. Our eatables also begin to assume a real nautical -appearance--no soft bread--milk a rare commodity--and those -gentlemen most in favor with John Peters, the steward, who prefer -salt beef to fresh. To make amends, we never hear of sea-sickness, -and the good-humor and harmony of the party continue uninterrupted. -When we left the cave we carried off two grandsons of Mr. -Macallister's, remarkably fine boys; and Erskine, who may be called -_L'ami des Enfans_, treated them most kindly, and showed them all -the curiosities in the vessel, causing even the guns to be fired for -their amusement, besides filling their pockets with almonds and -raisins. So that, with a handsome letter of apology, I hope we may -erase any evil impression Mr. Macallister may adopt from our -storming the exterior defences of his cavern. After having sent them -ashore in safety, stand out of the bay with little or no wind, for -the opposite island of Egg." - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXXI. - -[83: The Harris has recently passed into the possession of -the Earl of Dunmore.--(1839.)] - -[84: Miss Macleod, now Mrs. Spencer Perceval.] - -[85: See Note, _Lord of the Isles_, Scott's _Poetical -Works_, vol. x. p. 294 [Cambridge Ed. p. 558].] - -[86: The following passage, from the last of Scott's _Letters on -Demonology_ (written in 1830), refers to the night of this 23d of -August, 1814. He mentions that twice in his life he had experienced the -sensation which the Scotch call _eerie_: gives a night-piece of his -early youth in the castle of Glammis, which has already been quoted -(_ante_, vol. i. p. 197), and proceeds thus: "Amid such tales of ancient -tradition, I had from Macleod and his lady the courteous offer of the -haunted apartment of the castle, about which, as a stranger, I might be -supposed interested. Accordingly I took possession of it about the -witching hour. Except, perhaps, some tapestry hangings, and the extreme -thickness of the walls, which argued great antiquity, nothing could have -been more comfortable than the interior of the apartment; but if you -looked from the windows, the view was such as to correspond with the -highest tone of superstition. An autumnal blast, sometimes clear, -sometimes driving mist before it, swept along the troubled billows of -the lake, which it occasionally concealed, and by fits disclosed. The -waves rushed in wild disorder on the shore, and covered with foam the -steep pile of rocks, which, rising from the sea in forms something -resembling the human figure, have obtained the name of Macleod's -Maidens, and, in such a night, seemed no bad representative of the -Norwegian goddesses, called Choosers of the Slain, or Riders of the -Storm. There was something of the dignity of danger in the scene; for, -on a platform beneath the windows, lay an ancient battery of cannon, -which had sometimes been used against privateers even of late years. The -distant scene was a view of that part of the Quillen mountains, which -are called, from their form, Macleod's Dining-Tables. The voice of an -angry cascade, termed the Nurse of Rorie Mhor, because that chief slept -best in its vicinity, was heard from time to time mingling its notes -with those of wind and wave. Such was the haunted room at Dunvegan; and, -as such, it well deserved a less sleepy inhabitant. In the language of -Dr. Johnson, who has stamped his memory on this remote place,--'I looked -around me, and wondered that I was not more affected; but the mind is -not at all times equally ready to be moved.' In a word, it is necessary -to confess that, of all I heard or saw, the most engaging spectacle was -the comfortable bed in which I hoped to make amends for some rough -nights on shipboard, and where I slept accordingly without thinking of -ghost or goblin, till I was called by my servant in the morning."] - -[87: - - "Rarely human eye has known - A scene so stern as that dread lake, - With its dark ledge of barren stone. - Seems that primeval earthquake's sway - Hath rent a strange and shatter'd way - Through the rude bosom of the hill, - And that each naked precipice, - Sable ravine, and dark abyss, - Tells of the outrage still. - The wildest glen, but this, can show - Some touch of Nature's genial glow; - On high Benmore green mosses grow, - And heath-bells bud in deep Glencroe, - And copse on Cruchan-Ben; - But here--above, around, below, - On mountain or in glen, - Nor tree, nor shrub, nor plant, nor flower, - Nor aught of vegetative power, - The weary eye may ken; - For all is rocks at random thrown, - Black waves, bare crags, and banks of stone, - As if were here denied - The summer's sun, the spring's sweet dew, - That clothe with many a varied hue - The bleakest mountain-side." - - _Lord of the Isles_, iii. 14.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - - DIARY CONTINUED. -- CAVE OF EGG. -- IONA. -- STAFFA. -- - DUNSTAFFNAGE. -- DUNLUCE CASTLE. -- GIANT'S CAUSEWAY. -- ISLE OF - ARRAN, ETC. --DIARY CONCLUDED - -1814 - - -"_26th August, 1814._--At seven this morning were in the Sound which -divides the Isle of Rum from that of Egg. Rum is rude, barren, and -mountainous; Egg, although hilly and rocky, and traversed by one -remarkable ridge called Scuir-Egg, has, in point of soil, a much -more promising appearance. Southward of both lies Muick, or Muck, a -low and fertile island, and though the least, yet probably the most -valuable of the three. Caverns being still the order of the day, we -man the boat and row along the shore of Egg, in quest of that which -was the memorable scene of a horrid feudal vengeance. We had rounded -more than half the island, admiring the entrance of many a bold -natural cave which its rocks exhibit, but without finding that which -we sought, until we procured a guide. This noted cave has a very -narrow entrance, through which one can hardly creep on knees and -hands. It rises steep and lofty within, and runs into the bowels of -the rock to the depth of 255 measured feet. The height at the -entrance may be about three feet, but rises to eighteen or twenty, -and the breadth may vary in the same proportion. The rude and stony -bottom of this cave is strewed with the bones of men, women, and -children, being the sad relics of the ancient inhabitants of the -island, 200 in number, who were slain on the following occasion: The -Macdonalds of the Isle of Egg, a people dependent on Clanranald, had -done some injury to the Laird of Macleod. The tradition of the isle -says, that it was by a personal attack on the chieftain, in which -his back was broken; but that of the other isles bears that the -injury was offered to two or three of the Macleods, who, landing -upon Egg and using some freedom with the young women, were seized by -the islanders, bound hand and foot, and turned adrift in a boat, -which the winds and waves safely conducted to Skye. To avenge the -offence given, Macleod sailed with such a body of men as rendered -resistance hopeless. The natives, fearing his vengeance, concealed -themselves in this cavern, and after strict search, the Macleods -went on board their galleys, after doing what mischief they could, -concluding the inhabitants had left the isle. But next morning they -espied from their vessel a man upon the island, and, immediately -landing again, they traced his retreat, by means of a light snow on -the ground, to this cavern. Macleod then summoned the subterraneous -garrison, and demanded that the individuals who had offended him -should be delivered up. This was peremptorily refused. The chieftain -thereupon caused his people to divert the course of a rill of water, -which, falling over the mouth of the cave, would have prevented his -purposed vengeance. He then kindled at the entrance of the cavern a -huge fire, and maintained it until all within were destroyed by -suffocation. The date of this dreadful deed must have been recent, -if one can judge from the fresh appearance of those relics. I -brought off, in spite of the prejudices of our sailors, a skull, -which seems that of a young woman. - -"Before reëmbarking, we visit another cave opening to the sea, but -of a character widely different, being a large open vault as high as -that of a cathedral, and running back a great way into the rock at -the same height; the height and width of the opening give light to -the whole. Here, after 1745, when the Catholic priests were scarcely -tolerated, the priest of Egg used to perform the Romish service. A -huge ledge of rock, almost halfway up one side of the vault, served -for altar and pulpit; and the appearance of a priest and Highland -congregation in such an extraordinary place of worship might have -engaged the pencil of Salvator. Most of the inhabitants of Egg are -still Catholics, and laugh at their neighbors of Rum, who, having -been converted by the cane of their chieftain, are called -_Protestants of the yellow stick_. The Presbyterian minister and -Catholic priest live upon this little island on very good terms. -The people here were much irritated against the men of a revenue -vessel who had seized all the stills, etc., in the neighboring Isle -of Muck, with so much severity as to take even the people's bedding. -We had been mistaken for some time for this obnoxious vessel. Got on -board about two o'clock, and agreed to stand over for Coll, and to -be ruled by the wind as to what was next to be done. Bring up my -journal. - -"_27th August, 1814._--The wind, to which we resigned ourselves, -proves exceedingly tyrannical, and blows squally the whole night, -which, with the swell of the Atlantic, now unbroken by any islands -to windward, proves a means of great combustion in the cabin. The -dishes and glasses in the steward's cupboards become -locomotive--portmanteaus and writing-desks are more active than -necessary--it is scarce possible to keep one's self within bed, and -impossible to stand upright if you rise. Having crept upon deck -about four in the morning, I find we are beating to windward off the -Isle of Tyree, with the determination on the part of Mr. Stevenson -that his constituents should visit a reef of rocks called Skerry -Vhor where he thought it would be essential to have a lighthouse. -Loud remonstrances on the part of the Commissioners, who one and all -declare they will subscribe to his opinion, whatever it may be, -rather than continue this infernal buffeting. Quiet perseverance on -the part of Mr. S., and great kicking, bouncing, and squabbling upon -that of the Yacht, who seems to like the idea of Skerry Vhor as -little as the Commissioners. At length, by dint of exertion, come in -sight of this long ridge of rocks (chiefly under water), on which -the tide breaks in a most tremendous style. There appear a few low -broad rocks at one end of the reef, which is about a mile in length. -These are never entirely under water, though the surf dashes over -them. To go through all the forms, Hamilton, Duff, and I resolve to -land upon these bare rocks in company with Mr. Stevenson. Pull -through a very heavy swell with great difficulty, and approach a -tremendous surf dashing over black pointed rocks. Our rowers, -however, get the boat into a quiet creek between two rocks, where we -contrive to land well wetted. I saw nothing remarkable in my way, -excepting several seals, which we might have shot, but, in the -doubtful circumstances of the landing, we did not care to bring -guns. We took possession of the rock in name of the Commissioners, -and generously bestowed our own great names on its crags and creeks. -The rock was carefully measured by Mr. S. It will be a most desolate -position for a lighthouse--the Bell Rock and Eddystone a joke to it, -for the nearest land is the wild island of Tyree, at fourteen miles' -distance. So much for the Skerry Vhor. - -"Came on board proud of our achievement; and, to the great delight -of all parties, put the ship before the wind, and run swimmingly -down for Iona. See a large square-rigged vessel, supposed an -American. Reach Iona about five o'clock. The inhabitants of the Isle -of Columba, understanding their interest as well as if they had been -Deal boatmen, charged two guineas for pilotage, which Captain W. -abridged into fifteen shillings, too much for ten minutes' work. We -soon got on shore, and landed in the bay of Martyrs, beautiful for -its white sandy beach. Here all dead bodies are still landed, and -laid for a time upon a small rocky eminence, called the Sweyne, -before they are interred. Iona, the last time I saw it, seemed to me -to contain the most wretched people I had anywhere seen. But either -they have got better since I was here, or my eyes, familiarized with -the wretchedness of Zetland and the Harris, are less shocked with -that of Iona. Certainly their houses are better than either, and the -appearance of the people not worse. This little fertile isle -contains upwards of 400 inhabitants, all living upon small farms, -which they divide and subdivide as their families increase, so that -the country is greatly over-peopled, and in some danger of a famine -in case of a year of scarcity. Visit the nunnery and _Reilig Oran_, -or burial-place of St. Oran, but the night coming on we return on -board. - -"_28th August, 1814._--Carry our breakfast ashore--take that repast -in the house of Mr. Maclean, the schoolmaster and cicerone of the -island--and resume our investigation of the ruins of the cathedral -and the cemetery. Of these monuments, more than of any other, it may -be said with propriety,-- - - 'You never tread upon them but you set - Your feet upon some ancient history.' - -I do not mean to attempt a description of what is so well known as -the ruins of Iona. Yet I think it has been as yet inadequately -performed, for the vast number of carved tombs containing the -reliques of the great exceeds credibility. In general, even in the -most noble churches, the number of the vulgar dead exceed in all -proportion the few of eminence who are deposited under monuments. -Iona is in all respects the reverse: until lately, the inhabitants -of the isle did not presume to mix their vulgar dust with that of -chiefs, reguli, and abbots. The number, therefore, of carved and -inscribed tombstones is quite marvellous, and I can easily credit -the story told by Sacheverell, who assures us that 300 inscriptions -had been collected, and were lost in the troubles of the seventeenth -century. Even now, many more might be deciphered than have yet been -made public, but the rustic step of the peasants and of Sassenach -visitants is fast destroying these faint memorials of the valiant of -the Isles. A skilful antiquary remaining here a week, and having (or -assuming) the power of raising the half-sunk monuments, might make a -curious collection. We could only gaze and grieve; yet had the day -not been Sunday, we would have brought our seamen ashore, and -endeavored to have raised some of these monuments. The celebrated -ridges called _Jomaire na'n Righrean_, or Graves of the Kings, can -now scarce be said to exist, though their site is still pointed out. -Undoubtedly, the thirst of spoil, and the frequent custom of burying -treasures with the ancient princes, occasioned their early -violation; nor am I any sturdy believer in their being regularly -ticketed off by inscriptions into the tombs of the Kings of -Scotland, of Ireland, of Norway, and so forth. If such inscriptions -ever existed, I should deem them the work of some crafty bishop or -abbot, for the credit of his diocese or convent. Macbeth is said to -have been the last King of Scotland here buried; sixty preceded him, -all doubtless as powerful in their day, but now unknown--_carent -quia vate sacro_. A few weeks' labor of Shakespeare, an obscure -player, has done more for the memory of Macbeth than all the gifts, -wealth, and monuments of this cemetery of princes have been able to -secure to the rest of its inhabitants. It also occurred to me in -Iona (as it has on many similar occasions) that the traditional -recollections concerning the monks themselves are wonderfully faint, -contrasted with the beautiful and interesting monuments of -architecture which they have left behind them. In Scotland -particularly, the people have frequently traditions wonderfully -vivid of the persons and achievements of ancient warriors, whose -towers have long been levelled with the soil. But of the monks of -Melrose, Kelso, Aberbrothock, Iona, etc., etc., etc., they can tell -nothing but that such a race existed, and inhabited the stately -ruins of these monasteries. The quiet, slow, and uniform life of -those recluse beings glided on, it may be, like a dark and silent -stream, fed from unknown resources, and vanishing from the eye -without leaving any marked trace of its course. The life of the -chieftain was a mountain torrent thundering over rock and precipice, -which, less deep and profound in itself, leaves on the minds of the -terrified spectators those deep impressions of awe and wonder which -are most readily handed down to posterity. - -"Among the various monuments exhibited at Iona is one where a -Maclean lies in the same grave with one of the Macfies or Macduffies -of Colonsay, with whom he had lived in alternate friendship and -enmity during their lives. 'He lies above him during death,' said -one of Maclean's followers, as his chief was interred, 'as he was -above him during life.' There is a very ancient monument lying among -those of the Macleans, but perhaps more ancient than any of them; it -has a knight riding on horseback, and behind him a minstrel playing -on a harp: this is conjectured to be Reginald Macdonald of the -Isles, but there seems no reason for disjoining him from his kindred -who sleep in the cathedral. A supposed ancestor of the Stewarts, -called Paul Purser, or Paul the Purse-bearer (treasurer to the King -of Scotland), is said to lie under a stone near the Lords of the -Isles. Most of the monuments engraved by Pennant are still in the -same state of preservation, as are the few ancient crosses which are -left. What a sight Iona must have been, when 360 crosses, of the -same size and beautiful workmanship, were ranked upon the little -rocky ridge of eminences which form the background to the cathedral! -Part of the tower of the cathedral has fallen since I was here. It -would require a better architect than I am, to say anything -concerning the antiquity of these ruins, but I conceive those of the -nunnery and of the _Reilig nan Oran_, or Oran's chapel, are -decidedly the most ancient. Upon the cathedral and buildings -attached to it, there are marks of repairs at different times, some -of them of a late date being obviously designed not to enlarge the -buildings, but to retrench them. We take a reluctant leave of Iona, -and go on board. - -"The haze and dulness of the atmosphere seem to render it dubious -if we can proceed, as we intended, to Staffa to-day--for mist among -these islands is rather unpleasant. Erskine reads prayers on deck to -all hands, and introduces a very apt allusion to our being now in -sight of the first Christian Church from which Revelation was -diffused over Scotland and all its islands. There is a very good -form of prayer for the Lighthouse Service, composed by the Rev. Mr. -Brunton.[88] A pleasure vessel lies under our lee from Belfast, with -an Irish party related to Macneil of Colonsay. The haze is fast -degenerating into downright rain, and that right heavy--verifying -the words of Collins:-- - - 'And thither where beneath the _showery west_ - The mighty Kings of three fair realms are laid.'[89] - -After dinner, the weather being somewhat cleared, sailed for Staffa, -and took boat. The surf running heavy up between the island and the -adjacent rock, called Booshala, we landed at a creek near the -Cormorant's cave. The mist now returned so thick as to hide all view -of Iona, which was our land-mark; and although Duff, Stevenson, and -I had been formerly on the isle, we could not agree upon the proper -road to the cave. I engaged myself, with Duff and Erskine, in a -clamber of great toil and danger, and which at length brought me to -the _Cannon-ball_, as they call a round granite stone moved by the -sea up and down in a groove of rock, which it has worn for itself, -with a noise resembling thunder. Here I gave up my research, and -returned to my companions, who had not been more fortunate. As night -was now falling, we resolved to go aboard and postpone the adventure -of the enchanted cavern until next day. The yacht came to an anchor -with the purpose of remaining off the island all night, but the -hardness of the ground, and the weather becoming squally, obliged us -to return to our safer mooring at Y-Columb-Kill. - -"_29th August, 1814._--Night squally and rainy--morning ditto--we -weigh, however, and return toward Staffa, and, very happily, the day -clears as we approach the isle. As we ascertained the situation of -the cave, I shall only make this memorandum, that when the weather -will serve, the best landing is to the lee of Booshala, a little -conical islet or rock, composed of basaltic columns placed in an -oblique or sloping position. In this way, you land at once on the -flat causeway, formed by the heads of truncated pillars, which leads -to the cave. But if the state of tide renders it impossible to land -under Booshala, then take one of the adjacent creeks; in which case, -keeping to the left hand along the top of the ledge of rocks which -girdles in the isle, you find a dangerous and precipitous descent to -the causeway aforesaid, from the table. Here we were under the -necessity of towing our Commodore, Hamilton, whose gallant heart -never fails him, whatever the tenderness of his toes may do. He was -successfully lowered by a rope down the precipice, and proceeding -along the flat terrace or causeway already mentioned, we reached the -celebrated cave. I am not sure whether I was not more affected by -this second, than by the first view of it. The stupendous columnar -side walls--the depth and strength of the ocean with which the -cavern is filled--the variety of tints formed by stalactites -dropping and petrifying between the pillars, and resembling a sort -of chasing of yellow or cream-colored marble filling the interstices -of the roof--the corresponding variety below, where the ocean rolls -over a red, and in some places a violet-colored rock, the basis of -the basaltic pillars--the dreadful noise of those august billows so -well corresponding with the grandeur of the scene--are all -circumstances elsewhere unparalleled. We have now seen in our voyage -the three grandest caverns in Scotland,--Smowe, Macallister's cave, -and Staffa; so that, like the Troglodytes of yore, we may be -supposed to know something of the matter. It is, however, impossible -to compare scenes of natures so different, nor, were I compelled to -assign a preference to any of the three, could I do it but with -reference to their distinct characters, which might affect different -individuals in different degrees. The characteristic of the Smowe -cave may in this case be called the terrific, for the difficulties -which oppose the stranger are of a nature so uncommonly wild, as, -for the first time at least, convey an impression of terror--with -which the scenes to which he is introduced fully correspond. On the -other hand, the dazzling whiteness of the incrustations in -Macallister's cave, the elegance of the entablature, the beauty of -its limpid pool, and the graceful dignity of its arch, render its -leading features those of severe and chastened beauty. Staffa, the -third of these subterraneous wonders, may challenge sublimity as its -principal characteristic. Without the savage gloom of the Smowe -cave, and investigated with more apparent ease, though, perhaps, -with equal real danger, the stately regularity of its columns forms -a contrast to the grotesque imagery of Macallister's cave, combining -at once the sentiments of grandeur and beauty. The former is, -however, predominant, as it must necessarily be in any scene of the -kind. - -"We had scarce left Staffa when the wind and rain returned. It was -Erskine's object and mine to dine at Torloisk on Loch Tua, the seat -of my valued friend, Mrs. Maclean Clephane, and her accomplished -daughters. But in going up Loch Tua between Ulva and Mull with this -purpose,-- - - 'So thick was the mist on the ocean green, - Nor cape nor headland could be seen.'[90] - -It was late before we came to anchor in a small bay presented by the -little island of Gometra, which may be regarded as a continuation of -Ulva. We therefore dine aboard, and after dinner, Erskine and I take -the boat and row across the loch under a heavy rain. We could not -see the house of Torloisk, so very thick was the haze, and we were a -good deal puzzled how and where to achieve a landing; at length, -espying a cartroad, we resolved to trust to its guidance, as we knew -we must be near the house. We therefore went ashore with our -servants, _à la bonne aventure_, under a drizzling rain. This was -soon a matter of little consequence, for the necessity of crossing a -swollen brook wetted me considerably, and Erskine, whose foot -slipped, most completely. In wet and weary plight we reached the -house, after a walk of a mile, in darkness, dirt, and rain, and it -is hardly necessary to say, that the pleasure of seeing our friends -soon banished all recollection of our unpleasant voyage and journey. - -"_30th August, 1814._--The rest of our friends come ashore by -invitation, and breakfast with the ladies, whose kindness would fain -have delayed us for a few days, and at last condescended to ask for -one day only--but even this could not be, our time wearing short. -Torloisk is finely situated upon the coast of Mull, facing Staffa. -It is a good comfortable house, to which Mrs. Clephane has made some -additions. The grounds around have been dressed, so as to smooth -their ruggedness, without destroying the irregular and wild -character peculiar to the scene and country. In this, much taste has -been displayed. At Torloisk, as at Dunvegan, trees grow freely and -rapidly; and the extensive plantations formed by Mrs. C. serve to -show that nothing but a little expense and patience on the part of -the proprietors, with attention to planting in proper places at -first, and in keeping up fences afterward, are a-wanting to remove -the reproach of nakedness, so often thrown upon the Western Isles. -With planting comes shelter, and the proper allotment and division -of fields. With all this Mrs. Clephane is busied, and, I trust, -successfully; I am sure, actively and usefully. Take leave of my -fair friends, with regret that I cannot prolong my stay for a day or -two. When we come on board, we learn that Staffa-Macdonald is just -come to his house of Ulva: this is a sort of unpleasant dilemma, for -we cannot now go there without some neglect towards Mrs. Maclean -Clephane; and, on the other hand, from his habits with all of us, he -may be justly displeased with our quitting his very threshold -without asking for him. However, upon the whole matter, and being -already under weigh, we judged it best to work out of the loch, and -continue our purpose of rounding the northern extremity of Mull, and -then running down the Sound between Mull and the mainland. We had -not long pursued our voyage before we found it was like to be a very -slow one. The wind fell away entirely, and after repeated tacks we -could hardly clear the extreme north-western point of Mull by six -o'clock--which must have afforded amusement to the ladies whose -hospitable entreaties we had resisted, as we were almost all the -while visible from Torloisk. A fine evening, but scarce a breath of -wind. - -"_31st August, 1814._--Went on deck between three and four in the -morning, and found the vessel almost motionless in a calm sea, -scarce three miles advanced on her voyage. We had, however, rounded -the north-western side of Mull, and were advancing between the -north-eastern side and the rocky and wild shores of Ardnamurchan on -the mainland of Scotland. Astern were visible in bright moonlight -the distant mountains of Rum; yet nearer, the remarkable ridge in -the Isle of Egg, called Scuir-Egg; and nearest of all, the low isle -of Muick. After enjoying this prospect for some time, returned to my -berth. Rise before eight--a delightful day, but very calm, and the -little wind there is, decidedly against us. Creeping on slowly, we -observe, upon the shore of Ardnamurchan, a large old castle called -Mingary. It appears to be surrounded with a very high wall, forming -a kind of polygon, in order to adapt itself to the angles of a -precipice overhanging the sea, on which the castle is founded. -Within or beyond the wall, and probably forming part of an inner -court, I observed a steep roof and windows, probably of the -seventeenth century. The whole, as seen with a spy-glass, seems -ruinous. As we proceed, we open on the left hand Loch Sunart, -running deep into the mainland, crossed by distant ridges of rocks, -and terminating apparently among the high mountains above Strontian. -On the right hand we open the Sound of Mull, and pass the Bloody -Bay, which acquired that name from a desperate battle fought between -an ancient Lord of the Isles and his son. The latter was assisted by -the Macleans of Mull, then in the plenitude of their power, but was -defeated. This was a sea-fight; galleys being employed on each side. -It has bequeathed a name to a famous pibroch. - -"Proceeding southward, we open the beautiful bay of Tobermory, or -Mary's Well. The mouth of this fine natural roadstead is closed by -an isle called Colvay, having two passages, of which only one, the -northerly, is passable for ships. The bay is surrounded by steep -hills, covered with copsewood, through which several brooks seek the -sea in a succession of beautiful cascades. The village has been -established as a fishing station by the Society for British -Fisheries. The houses along the quay are two and three stories high, -and well built; the feuars paying to the Society sixpence per foot -of their line of front. On the top of a steep bank, rising above the -first town, runs another line of second-rate cottages, which pay -fourpence per foot; and behind are huts, much superior to the -ordinary sheds of the country, which pay only twopence per foot. The -town is all built upon a regular plan, laid down by the Society. The -new part is reasonably clean, and the old not unreasonably dirty. -We landed at an excellent quay, which is not yet finished, and found -the little place looked thriving and active. The people were getting -in their patches of corn; and the shrill voices of the children -attending their parents in the field, and loading the little ponies -which are used in transporting the grain, formed a chorus not -disagreeable to those whom it reminds of similar sounds at home. The -praise of comparative cleanliness does not extend to the lanes -around Tobermory, in one of which I had nearly been effectually -bogged. But the richness of the round steep green knolls, clothed -with copse, and glancing with cascades, and a pleasant peep at a -small fresh-water loch embosomed among them--the view of the bay, -surrounded and guarded by the island of Colvay--the gliding of two -or three vessels in the more distant Sound--and the row of the -gigantic Ardnamurchan mountains closing the scene to the north, -almost justify the eulogium of Sacheverell, who, in 1688, declared -the bay of Tobermory might equal any prospect in Italy. It is said -that Sacheverell made some money by weighing up the treasures lost -in the Florida, a vessel of the Spanish Armada, which was wrecked in -the harbor. He himself affirms, that though the use of the -diving-bells was at first successful, yet the attempt was afterwards -disconcerted by bad weather. - -"Tobermory takes its name from a spring dedicated to the Virgin, -which was graced by a chapel; but no vestiges remain of the chapel, -and the spring rises in the middle of a swamp, whose depth and dirt -discouraged the nearer approach of Protestant pilgrims. Mr. -Stevenson, whose judgment is unquestionable, thinks that the village -should have been built on the island called Colvay, and united to -the continent by a key, or causeway, built along the southernmost -channel, which is very shallow. By this means the people would have -been much nearer the fishings, than retired into the depth of the -bay. - -"About three o'clock we get on board, and a brisk and favorable -breeze arises, which carries us smoothly down the Sound. We soon -pass Arros, with its fragment of a castle, behind which is the house -of Mr. Maxwell (an odd name for this country), chamberlain to the -Duke of Argyle, which reminds me of much kindness and hospitality -received from him and Mr. Stewart, the Sheriff-Substitute, when I -was formerly in Mull. On the shore of Morven, on the opposite side, -pass the ruins of a small fortalice, called Donagail, situated as -usual on a precipice overhanging the sea. The 'woody Morven,' though -the quantity of shaggy diminutive copse, which springs up where it -obtains any shelter, still shows that it must once have merited the -epithet, is now, as visible from the Sound of Mull, a bare -country--of which the hills towards the sea have a slope much -resembling those in Selkirkshire, and accordingly afford excellent -pasture, and around several farmhouses well-cultivated and improved -fields. I think I observe considerable improvement in husbandry, -even since I was here last: but there is a difference in coming from -Oban and Cape Wrath.--Open Loch Alline, a beautiful salt-water lake, -with a narrow outlet to the Sound. It is surrounded by round hills, -sweetly fringed with green copse below, and one of which exhibits to -the spy-glass ruins of a castle. There is great promise of beauty in -its interior, but we cannot see everything. The land on the southern -bank of the entrance slopes away into a sort of promontory, at the -extremity of which are the very imperfect ruins of the castle of -Ardtornish, to which the Lords of the Isles summoned parliaments, -and from whence one of them dated a treaty with the Crown of England -as an independent Prince. These ruins are seen to most advantage -from the south, where they are brought into a line with one high -fragment towards the west predominating over the rest. The shore of -the promontory on the south side becomes rocky, and when it slopes -round to the west, rises into a very bold and high precipitous bank, -skirting the bay on the western side, partly cliffy, partly covered -with brushwood, with various streams dashing over it from a great -height. Above the old castle of Ardtornish, and about where the -promontory joins the land, stands the present mansion, a neat -whitewashed house, with several well-enclosed and well-cultivated -fields surrounding it. - -"The high and dignified character assumed by the shores of Morven, -after leaving Ardtornish, continues till we open the Loch Linnhe, -the commencement of the great chain of inland lakes running up to -Fort William, and which it is proposed to unite with Inverness by -means of the Caledonian Canal. The wisdom of the plan adopted in -this national measure seems very dubious. Had the canal been of more -moderate depth, and the burdens imposed upon passing vessels less -expensive, there can be no doubt that the coasters, sloops, and -barks would have carried on a great trade by means of it. But the -expense and plague of lochs, etc., may prevent these humble vessels -from taking this abridged voyage, while ships above twenty or thirty -tons will hesitate to engage themselves in the intricacies of a long -lake navigation, exposed, without room for manoeuvring, to all the -sudden squalls of the mountainous country. Ahead of us, in the mouth -of Loch Linnhe, lies the low and fertile isle of Lismore, formerly -the appanage of the Bishops of the Isles, who, as usual, knew where -to choose church patrimony. The coast of the Mull, on the right hand -of the Sound, has a black, rugged, and unimproved character. Above -Scallister Bay are symptoms of improvement. Moonlight has risen upon -us as we pass Duart Castle, now an indistinct mass upon its -projecting promontory. It was garrisoned for Government so late as -1780, but is now ruinous. We see, at about a mile's distance, the -fatal shelve on which Duart exposed the daughter of Argyle, on which -Miss Baillie's play of The Family Legend is founded, but now,-- - - 'Without either sign or sound of their shock, - The waves flowed over the Lady's rock.'[91] - -The placid state of the sea is very different from what I have seen it, -when six stout rowers could scarce give a boat headway through the -conflicting tides. These fits of violence so much surprised and offended -a body of the Camerons, who were bound upon some expedition to Mull, and -had been accustomed to the quietness of lake-navigation, that they drew -their dirks, and began to stab the waves--from which popular tale this -run of tide is called _the Men of Lochaber_. The weather being -delightfully moderate, we agree to hover hereabout all night, or anchor -under the Mull shore, should it be necessary, in order to see -Dunstaffnage to-morrow morning. The isle of Kerrera is now in sight, -forming the bay of Oban. Beyond lie the varied and magnificent summits -of the chain of mountains bordering Loch Linnhe, as well as those -between Loch Awe and Loch Etive, over which the summit of Ben Cruachan -is proudly prominent. Walk on deck, admiring this romantic prospect, -until ten; then below, and turn in. - -"_1st September, 1814._--Rise betwixt six and seven, and having -discreetly secured our breakfast, take boat for the old castle of -Dunstaffnage, situated upon a promontory on the side of Loch Linnhe -and near to Loch Etive. Nothing could exceed the beauty of the day -and of the prospect. We coasted the low, large, and fertile isle of -Lismore, where a Catholic Bishop, Chisholm, has established a -seminary of young men intended for priests, and what is a better -thing, a valuable lime-work. Report speaks well of the lime, but -indifferently of the progress of the students. Tacking to the shore -of the loch, we land at Dunstaffnage, once, it is said, the seat of -the Scottish monarchy, till success over the Picts and Saxons -transferred their throne to Scoone, Dunfermline, and at length to -Edinburgh. The castle is still the King's (nominally), and the Duke -of Argyle (nominally also) is hereditary keeper. But the real right -of property is in the family of the depute-keeper, to which it was -assigned as an appanage, the first possessor being a natural son of -an Earl of Argyle. The shell of the castle, for little more now -remains, bears marks of extreme antiquity. It is square in form, -with round towers at three of the angles, and is situated upon a -lofty precipice, carefully scarped on all sides to render it -perpendicular. The entrance is by a staircase, which conducts you to -a wooden landing-place in front of the portal-door. This -landing-place could formerly be raised at pleasure, being of the -nature of a drawbridge. When raised, the place was inaccessible. You -pass under an ancient arch, with a low vault (being the porter's -lodge) on the right hand, and flanked by loopholes, for firing upon -any hostile guest who might force his passage thus far. This admits -you into the inner court, which is about eighty feet square. It -contains two mean-looking buildings, about sixty or seventy years -old; the ancient castle having been consumed by fire in 1715. It is -said that the nephew of the proprietor was the incendiary. We went -into the apartments, and found they did not exceed the promise of -the exterior; but they admitted us to walk upon the battlements of -the old castle, which displayed a most splendid prospect. Beneath, -and far projected into the loch, were seen the woods and houses of -Campbell of Lochnell. A little summer-house, upon an eminence, -belonging to this wooded bank, resembles an ancient monument. On -the right, Loch Etive, after pouring its waters like a furious -cataract over a strait called Connell Ferry, comes between the -castle and a round island belonging to its demesne, and nearly -insulates the situation. In front is a low rocky eminence on the -opposite side of the arm, through which Loch Etive flows into Loch -Linnhe. Here was situated _Beregenium_, once, it is said, a British -capital city; and, as our informant told us, the largest market town -in Scotland. Of this splendor are no remains but a few trenches and -excavations, which the distance did not allow us to examine. The -ancient masonry of Dunstaffnage is mouldering fast under time and -neglect. The foundations are beginning to decay, and exhibit gaps -between the rock and the wall; and the battlements are become -ruinous. The inner court is encumbered with ruins. A hundred pounds -or two would put this very ancient fortress in a state of -preservation for ages, but I fear this is not to be expected. The -stumps of large trees, which had once shaded the vicinity of the -castle, gave symptoms of decay in the family of Dunstaffnage. We -were told of some ancient spurs and other curiosities preserved in -the castle, but they were locked up. In the vicinity of the castle -is a chapel which had once been elegant, but by the building up of -windows, etc., is now heavy enough. I have often observed that the -means adopted in Scotland for repairing old buildings are generally -as destructive of their grace and beauty, as if that had been the -express object. Unfortunately most churches, particularly, have gone -through both stages of destruction, having been first repaired by -the building up of the beautiful shafted windows, and then the roof -being suffered to fall in, they became ruins indeed, but without any -touch of the picturesque farther than their massive walls and -columns may afford. Near the chapel of Dunstaffnage is a remarkable -echo. - -"Reëmbarked, and, rowing about a mile and a half or better along the -shore of the lake, again landed under the ruins of the old castle of -Dunolly. This fortress, which, like that of Dunstaffnage, forms a -marked feature in this exquisite landscape, is situated on a bold -and precipitous promontory overhanging the lake. The principal part -of the ruins now remaining is a square tower or keep of the ordinary -size, which had been the citadel of the castle; but fragments of -other buildings, overgrown with ivy, show that Dunolly had once been -a place of considerable importance. These had enclosed a courtyard, -of which the keep probably formed one side, the entrance being by a -very steep ascent from the land side, which had formerly been cut -across by a deep moat, and defended doubtless by outworks and a -drawbridge. Beneath the castle stands the modern house of -Dunolly,--a decent mansion, suited to the reduced state of the -MacDougalls of Lorn, who, from being Barons powerful enough to give -battle to and defeat Robert Bruce, are now declined into private -gentlemen of moderate fortune. - -"This very ancient family is descended from Somerled, Thane, or -rather, under that name, _King_ of Argyle and the Hebrides. He had -two sons, to one of whom he left his insular possessions--and he -became founder of the dynasty of the Lords of the Isles, who -maintained a stirring independence during the Middle Ages. The other -was founder of the family of the MacDougalls of Lorn. One of them -being married to a niece of the Red Cumming, in revenge of his -slaughter at Dumfries, took a vigorous part against Robert Bruce in -his struggles to maintain the independence of Scotland. At length -the King, turning his whole strength towards MacDougall, encountered -him at a pass near Loch Awe; but the Highlanders, being possessed of -the strong ground, compelled Bruce to retreat, and again gave him -battle at Dalry, near Tynedrum, where he had concentrated his -forces. Here he was again defeated; and the tradition of the -MacDougall family bears, that in the conflict the Lord of Lorn -engaged hand to hand with Bruce, and was struck down by that -monarch. As they grappled together on the ground, Bruce being -uppermost, a vassal of MacDougall, called MacKeoch, relieved his -master by pulling Bruce from him. In this close struggle the King -left his mantle and brooch in the hands of his enemies, and the -latter trophy was long preserved in the family, until it was lost in -an accidental fire. Barbour tells the same story, but I think with -circumstances somewhat different. When Bruce had gained the throne -for which he fought so long, he displayed his resentment against the -MacDougalls of Lorn, by depriving them of the greatest part of their -domains, which were bestowed chiefly upon the Steward of Scotland. -Sir Colin Campbell, the Knight of Loch Awe, and the Knight of -Glenurchy, Sir Dugald Campbell, married daughters of the Steward, -and received with them great portion of the forfeiture of -MacDougall. Bruce even compelled or persuaded the Lord of the Isles -to divorce his wife, who was a daughter of MacDougall, and take in -marriage a relation of his own. The son of the divorced lady was not -permitted to succeed to the principality of the Isles, on account of -his connection with the obnoxious MacDougall. But a large appanage -was allowed him upon the Mainland, where he founded the family of -Glengarry. - -"The family of MacDougall suffered farther reduction during the -great civil war, in which they adhered to the Stewarts, and in 1715 -they forfeited the small estate of Dunolly, which was then all that -remained of what had once been a principality. The then -representative of the family fled to France, and his son (father of -the present proprietor) would have been without any means of -education, but for the spirit of clanship, which induced one of the -name, in the humble situation of keeper of a public-house at -Dumbarton, to take his young chief to reside with him, and be at the -expense of his education and maintenance until his fifteenth or -sixteenth year. He proved a clever and intelligent man, and made -good use of the education he received. When the affair of 1745 was -in agitation, it was expected by the south-western clans that -Charles Edward would have landed near Oban, instead of which he -disembarked at Loch-nan-augh, in Arisaig. Stuart of Appin sent -information of his landing to MacDougall, who gave orders to his -brother to hold the clan in readiness to rise, and went himself to -consult with the chamberlain of the Earl of Breadalbane, who was -also in the secret. He found this person indisposed to rise, -alleging that Charles had disappointed them both in the place of -landing, and the support he had promised. MacDougall then resolved -to play cautious, and went to visit the Duke of Argyle, then -residing at Roseneath, probably without any determined purpose as to -his future proceedings. While he was waiting the Duke's leisure, he -saw a horseman arrive at full gallop, and shortly after, the Duke -entering the apartment where MacDougall was, with a map in his hand, -requested him, after friendly salutations, to point out -Loch-nan-augh on that map. MacDougall instantly saw that the secret -of Charles's landing had transpired, and resolved to make a merit -of being the first who should give details. The persuasions of the -Duke determined him to remain quiet, and the reward was the -restoration of the little estate of Dunolly, lost by his father in -1715. This gentleman lived to a very advanced stage of life, and was -succeeded by Peter MacDougall, Esq., now of Dunolly. I had these -particulars respecting the restoration of the estate from a near -relation of the family, whom we met at Dunstaffnage. - -"The modern house of Dunolly is on the neck of land under the old -castle, having on the one hand the lake with its islands and -mountains; on the other, two romantic eminences tufted with -copsewood, of which the higher is called Barmore, and is now -planted. I have seldom seen a more romantic and delightful -situation, to which the peculiar state of the family gave a sort of -moral interest. Mrs. MacDougall, observing strangers surveying the -ruins, met us on our return, and most politely insisted upon our -accepting fruit and refreshments. This was a compliment meant to -absolute strangers, but when our names became known to her, the good -lady's entreaties that we would stay till Mr. MacDougall returned -from his ride became very pressing. She was in deep mourning for the -loss of an eldest son, who had fallen bravely in Spain and under -Wellington, a death well becoming the descendant of so famed a race. -The second son, a lieutenant in the navy, had, upon this family -misfortune, obtained leave to visit his parents for the first time -after many years' service, but had now returned to his ship. Mrs. M. -spoke with melancholy pride of the death of her eldest son, with -hope and animation of the prospects of the survivor. A third is -educated for the law. Declining the hospitality offered us, Mrs. M. -had the goodness to walk with us along the shore towards Oban, as -far as the property of Dunolly extends, and showed us a fine spring, -called _Tobar nan Gall_, or the Well of the Stranger, where our -sailors supplied themselves with excellent water, which has been -rather a scarce article with us, as it soon becomes past a -landsman's use on board ship. On the seashore, about a quarter of a -mile from the castle, is a huge fragment of the rock called -_plum-pudding stone_, which art or nature has formed into a gigantic -pillar. Here, it is said, Fion or Fingal tied his dog Bran--here -also the celebrated Lord of the Isles tied up his dogs when he came -upon a visit to the Lords of Lorn. Hence it is called _Clach nan -Con_; _i. e._, the Dog's Stone. A tree grew once on the top of this -bare mass of composite stone, but it was cut down by a curious -damsel of the family, who was desirous to see a treasure said to be -deposited beneath it. Enjoyed a pleasant walk of a mile along the -beach to Oban, a town of some consequence, built in a semicircular -form, around a good harbor formed by the opposite isle of Kerrera, -on which Mrs. M. pointed out the place where Alexander II. died, -while, at the head of a powerful armament, he meditated the -reduction of the Hebrides. The field is still called Dal-ry--the -King's field. - -"Having taken leave of Mrs. MacDougall, we soon satisfied our -curiosity concerning Oban, which owed its principal trade to the -industry of two brothers, Messrs. Stevenson, who dealt in -ship-building. One is now dead, the other almost retired from -business, and trade is dull in the place. Heard of an active and -industrious man, who had set up a nursery of young trees, which -ought to succeed, since at present, whoever wants plants must send -to Glasgow; and how much the plants suffer during a voyage of such -length, any one may conceive. Go on board after a day delightful for -the serenity and clearness of the weather, as well as for the -objects we had visited. I forgot to say, that through Mr. -MacDougall's absence we lost an opportunity of seeing a bronze -figure of one of his ancestors, called _Bacach_, or the lame, armed -and mounted as for a tournament. The hero flourished in the twelfth -century. After a grand council of war, we determine, as we are so -near the coast of Ulster, that we will stand over and view the -celebrated Giant's Causeway; and Captain Wilson receives directions -accordingly. - -_"2d September, 1814._--Another most beautiful day. The heat, for -the first time since we sailed from Leith, is somewhat incommodious; -so we spread a handsome awning to save our complexions, God wot, and -breakfast beneath it in style. The breeze is gentle, and quite -favorable. It has conducted us from the extreme cape of Mull, called -the Black Head of Mull, into the Sound of Islay. We view in passing -that large and fertile island, the property of Campbell of -Shawfield, who has introduced an admirable style of farming among -his tenants. Still farther behind us retreats the Island of Jura, -with the remarkable mountains called the Paps of Jura, which form a -landmark at a great distance. They are very high, but in our eyes, -so much accustomed of late to immense height, do not excite much -surprise. Still farther astern is the small isle of Scarba, which, -as we see it, seems to be a single hill. In the passage or sound -between Scarba and the extremity of Jura, is a terrible run of tide, -which, contending with the sunk rocks and islets of that foul -channel, occasions the succession of whirlpools called the Gulf of -Corrievreckan. Seen at this distance, we cannot judge of its -terrors. The sight of Corrievreckan and of the low rocky isle of -Colonsay, betwixt which and Islay we are now passing, strongly -recalls to my mind poor John Leyden and his tale of the Mermaid and -MacPhail of Colonsay.[92] Probably the name of the hero should have -been MacFie, for to the MacDuffies (by abridgment MacFies) Colonsay -of old pertained. It is said the last of these MacDuffies was -executed as an oppressor by order of the Lord of the Isles, and lies -buried in the adjacent small island of Oransay, where there is an -old chapel with several curious monuments, which, to avoid losing -this favorable breeze, we are compelled to leave unvisited. Colonsay -now belongs to a gentleman named MacNeil. On the right beyond it, -opens at a distance the western coast of Mull, which we already -visited in coming from the northward. We see the promontory of Ross, -which is terminated by Y-Columb-kill, also now visible. The shores -of Loch Tua and Ulva are in the blue distance, with the little -archipelago which lies around Staffa. Still farther, the hills of -Rum can just be distinguished from the blue sky. We are now arrived -at the extreme point of Islay, termed, from the strong tides, the -_Runs of Islay_. We here only feel them as a large but soft swell of -the sea, the weather being delightfully clear and serene. In the -course of the evening we lose sight of the Hebrides, excepting -Islay, having now attained the western side of that island. - -"_3d September, 1814._--In the morning early, we are off -Innistulhan, an islet very like Inchkeith in size and appearance, -and, like Inchkeith, displaying a lighthouse. Messrs. Hamilton, -Duff, and Stevenson go ashore to visit the Irish lighthouse and -compare notes. A fishing-boat comes off with four or five stout -lads, without neckerchiefs or hats, and the best of whose joint -garments selected would hardly equip an Edinburgh beggar. Buy from -this specimen of Paddy in his native land some fine John Dories for -threepence each. The mainland of Ireland adjoining to this island -(being part of the county of Donegal) resembles Scotland, and, -though hilly, seems well cultivated upon the whole. A brisk breeze -directly against us. We beat to windward by assistance of a strong -tide-stream, in order to weather the head of Innishowen, which -covers the entrance of Lough Foyle, with the purpose of running up -the loch to see Londonderry, so celebrated for its siege in 1689. -But short tacks and long tacks were in vain, and at dinner-time, -having lost our tide, we find ourselves at all disadvantage both -against wind and sea. Much combustion at our meal, and the -manoeuvres by which we attempted to eat and drink remind me of the -enchanted drinking-cup in the old ballad,-- - - 'Some shed it on their shoulder, - Some shed it on their thigh; - And he that did not hit his mouth - Was sure to hit his eye.'[93] - -In the evening, backgammon and cards are in great request. We have -had our guns shotted all this day for fear of the Yankees--a -privateer having been seen off Tyree Islands, and taken some -vessels--as is reported.--About nine o'clock weather the Innishowen -head, and enter the Lough, and fire a gun as a signal for a pilot. -The people here are great smugglers, and at the report of the gun, -we see several lights on shore disappear.--About the middle of the -day, too, our appearance (much resembling a revenue cutter) -occasioned a smoke being made in the midst of a very rugged cliff on -the shore--a signal probably to any of the smugglers' craft that -might be at sea. Come to anchor in eight fathom water, expecting our -pilot. - -_"4th September, 1814._--Waked in the morning with good hope of -hearing service in Derry Cathedral, as we had felt ourselves under -weigh since daylight; but these expectations vanished when, going on -deck, we found ourselves only halfway up Lough Foyle, and at least -ten miles from Derry. Very little wind, and that against us; and the -navigation both shoally and intricate. Called a council of war; and -after considering the difficulty of getting up to Derry, and the -chance of being wind-bound when we do get there, we resolve to -renounce our intended visit to that town. We had hardly put the ship -about, when the Irish Æolus shifted his trumpet, and opposed our -exit, as he had formerly been unfavorable to our progress up the -lake. At length, we are compelled to betake ourselves to towing, the -wind fading into an absolute calm. This gives us time enough to -admire the northern, or Donegal, side of Lough Foyle--the other -being hidden from us by haze and distance. Nothing can be more -favorable than this specimen of Ireland.--A beautiful variety of -cultivated slopes, intermixed with banks of wood; rocks skirted with -a distant ridge of heathy hills, watered by various brooks; the -glens or banks being, in general, planted or covered with copse; and -finally, studded by a succession of villas and gentlemen's seats, -good farmhouses, and neat white-washed cabins. Some of the last are -happily situated upon the verge of the sea, with banks of copse or a -rock or two rising behind them, and the white sand in front. The -land, in general, seems well cultivated and enclosed--but in some -places the enclosures seem too small, and the ridges too crooked, -for proper farming. We pass two gentlemen's seats, called White -Castle and Red Castle; the last a large good-looking mansion, with -trees, and a pretty vale sloping upwards from the sea. As we -approach the termination of the Lough, the ground becomes more rocky -and barren, and the cultivation interrupted by impracticable -patches, which have been necessarily abandoned. Come in view of -Green Castle, a large ruinous castle, said to have belonged to the -MacWilliams. The remains are romantically situated upon a green bank -sloping down to the sea, and are partly covered with ivy. From their -extent, the place must have been a chieftain's residence of the very -first consequence. Part of the ruins appear to be founded upon a -high red rock, which the eye at first blends with the masonry. To -the east of the ruins, upon a cliff overhanging the sea, are a -modern fortification and barrack-yard, and beneath, a large battery -for protection of the shipping which may enter the Lough; the guns -are not yet mounted. The Custom-house boat boards us and confirms -the account that American cruisers are upon the coast. Drift out of -the Lough, and leave behind us this fine country, all of which -belongs in property to Lord Donegal; other possessors only having -long leases, at sixty years, or so forth. Red Castle, however, -before distinguished as a very good-looking house, is upon a -perpetual lease. We discharge our pilot--the gentlemen go ashore -with him in the boat, in order to put foot on Irish land. I shall -defer that pleasure till I can promise myself something to see. When -our gentlemen return, we read prayers on deck. After dinner go -ashore at the small fishing-village of Port Rush, pleasantly -situated upon a peninsula, which forms a little harbor. Here we are -received by Dr. Richardson, the inventor of the fiorin-grass (or of -some of its excellencies). He cultivates this celebrated vegetable -on a very small scale, his whole farm not exceeding four acres. Here -I learn, with inexpressible surprise and distress, the death of one -of the most valued of the few friends whom these memoranda might -interest.[94] She was, indeed, a rare example of the soundest good -sense, and the most exquisite purity of moral feeling, united with -the utmost grace and elegance of personal beauty, and with manners -becoming the most dignified rank in British society. There was a -feminine softness in all her deportment, which won universal love, -as her firmness of mind and correctness of principle commanded -veneration. To her family her loss is inexpressibly great. I know -not whether it was the purity of her mind, or the ethereal cast of -her features and form, but I could never associate in my mind her -idea and that of mortality; so that the shock is the more heavy, as -being totally unexpected. God grant comfort to the afflicted -survivor and his family! - -"_5th September, 1814._--Wake, or rather rise at six, for I have -waked the whole night, or fallen into broken sleeps only to be -hag-ridden by the nightmare. Go ashore with a heavy heart, to see -sights which I had much rather leave alone. Land under Dunluce, a -ruined castle built by the MacGilligans, or MacQuillens, but -afterwards taken from them by a Macdonnell, ancestor of the Earls of -Antrim, and destroyed by Sir John Perrot, Lord-Lieutenant in the -reign of Queen Elizabeth. This Macdonnell came from the Hebrides at -the head of a Scottish colony. The site of the castle much resembles -Dunnottar, but it is on a smaller scale. The ruins occupy perhaps -more than an acre of ground, being the level top of a high rock -advanced into the sea, by which it is surrounded on three sides, and -divided from the mainland by a deep chasm. The access was by a -narrow bridge, of which there now remains but a single rib, or -ledge, forming a doubtful and a precarious access to the ruined -castle. On the outer side of the bridge are large remains of -outworks, probably for securing cattle, and for domestic -offices--and the vestiges of a chapel. Beyond the bridge are an -outer and inner gateway, with their defences. The large gateway -forms one angle of the square enclosure of the fortress, and at the -other landward angle is built a large round tower. There are -vestiges of similar towers occupying the angles of the precipice -overhanging the sea. These towers were connected by a curtain, on -which artillery seems to have been mounted. Within this circuit are -the ruins of an establishment of feudal grandeur on the large scale. -The great hall, forming, it would seem, one side of the inner court, -is sixty paces long, lighted by windows which appear to have been -shafted with stone, but are now ruined. Adjacent are the great -kitchen and ovens, with a variety of other buildings, but no square -tower, or keep. The most remarkable part of Dunluce, however, is -that the whole mass of plum-pudding rock on which the fort is built -is completely perforated by a cave sloping downwards from the inside -of the moat or dry-ditch beneath the bridge, and opening to the sea -on the other side. It might serve the purpose of a small harbor, -especially if they had, as is believed, a descent to the cave from -within the castle. It is difficult to conceive the use of the -aperture to the land, unless it was in some way enclosed and -defended. Above the ruinous castle is a neat farmhouse. Mrs. More, -the good-wife, a Scoto-Hibernian, received us with kindness and -hospitality which did honor to the nation of her birth, as well as -of her origin, in a house whose cleanliness and neatness might have -rivalled England. Her churn was put into immediate motion on our -behalf, and we were loaded with all manner of courtesy, as well as -good things. We heard here of an armed schooner having been seen off -the coast yesterday, which fired on a boat that went off to board -her, and would seem therefore to be a privateer, or armed smuggler. - -"Return on board for breakfast, and then again take boat for the -Giant's Causeway--having first shotted the guns, and agreed on a -signal, in case this alarming stranger should again make his -appearance. Visit two caves, both worth seeing, but not equal to -those we have seen: one, called Port Coon, opens in a small cove, or -bay--the outer reach opens into an inner cave, and that again into -the sea. The other, called Down Kerry, is a sea-cave, like that on -the eastern side of Loch Eribol--a high arch up which the sea -rolls:--the weather being quiet, we sailed in very nearly to the -upper end. We then rowed on to the celebrated Causeway, a platform -composed of basaltic pillars, projecting into the sea like the pier -of a harbor. As I was tired, and had a violent headache, I did not -land, but could easily see that the regularity of the columns was -the same as at Staffa; but that island contains a much more -extensive and curious specimen of this curious phenomenon. - -"Row along the shores of this celebrated point, which are extremely -striking as well as curious. They open into a succession of little -bays, each of which has precipitous banks graced with long ranges of -the basaltic pillars, sometimes placed above each other, and divided -by masses of interweaving strata, or by green sloping banks of earth -of extreme steepness. These remarkable ranges of columns are in some -places chequered by horizontal strata of a red rock or earth, of the -appearance of ochre; so that the green of the grassy banks, the -dark-gray or black appearance of the columns, with those red seams -and other varieties of the interposed strata, have most uncommon and -striking effects. The outline of these cliffs is as singular as -their coloring. In several places the earth has wasted away from -single columns, and left them standing insulated and erect, like the -ruined colonnade of an ancient temple, upon the verge of the -precipice. In other places, the disposition of the basaltic ranges -presents singular appearances, to which the guides give names -agreeable to the images which they are supposed to represent. Each -of the little bays or inlets has also its appropriate name. One is -called the Spanish Bay, from one of the Spanish Armada having been -wrecked there. Thus our voyage has repeatedly traced the memorable -remnants of that celebrated squadron. The general name of the cape -adjacent to the Causeway is Bengore Head. To those who have seen -Staffa, the peculiar appearance of the Causeway itself will lose -much of its effect; but the grandeur of the neighboring scenery will -still maintain the reputation of Bengore Head. The people ascribe -all these wonders to Fin MacCoul, whom they couple with a Scottish -giant called Ben-an something or other. The traveller is plied by -guides, who make their profit by selling pieces of crystal, agate, -or chalcedony, found in the interstices of the rocks. Our party -brought off some curious joints of the columns, and, had I been -quite as I am wont to be, I would have selected four to be capitals -of a rustic porch at Abbotsford. But, alas! alas! I am much out of -love with vanity at this moment. From what we hear at the Causeway, -we have every reason to think that the pretended privateer has been -a gentleman's pleasure-vessel.--Continue our voyage southward, and -pass between the Main of Ireland and the Isle of Rachrin, a rude -heathy-looking island, once a place of refuge to Robert Bruce. This -is said, in ancient times, to have been the abode of banditti, who -plundered the neighboring coast. At present it is under a long lease -to a Mr. Gage, who is said to maintain excellent order among the -islanders. Those of bad character he expels to Ireland, and hence it -is a phrase among the people of Rachrin, when they wish ill to any -one, '_May Ireland be his hinder end_.' On the Main we see the -village of Ballintry, and a number of people collected, the remains -of an Irish fair. Close by is a small island, called Sheep Island. -We now take leave of the Irish coast, having heard nothing of its -popular complaints, excepting that the good lady at Dunluce made a -heavy moan against the tithes, which had compelled her husband to -throw his whole farm into pasture. Stand over toward Scotland, and -see the Mull of Cantyre light. - -"_6th September, 1814._--Under the lighthouse at the Mull of -Cantyre; situated on a desolate spot among rocks, like a Chinese -pagoda in Indian drawings. Duff[95] and Stevenson go ashore at six. -Hamilton follows, but is unable to land, the sea having got up. The -boat brings back letters, and I have the great comfort to learn all -are well at Abbotsford. About eight the tide begins to run very -strong, and the wind rising at the same time, makes us somewhat -apprehensive for our boat, which had returned to attend D. and S. We -observe them set off along the hills on foot, to walk, as we -understand, to a bay called Carskey, five or six miles off, but the -nearest spot at which they can hope to reëmbark in this state of the -weather. It now becomes very squally, and one of our jibsails -splits. We are rather awkwardly divided into three parties--the -pedestrians on shore, with whom we now observe Captain Wilson, -mounted upon a pony--the boat with four sailors, which is stealing -along in-shore, unable to row, and scarce venturing to carry any -sail--and we in the yacht, tossing about most exceedingly. At length -we reach Carskey, a quiet-looking bay, where the boat gets into -shore, and fetches off our gentlemen.--After this the coast of -Cantyre seems cultivated and arable, but bleak and unenclosed, like -many other parts of Scotland. We then learn that we have been -repeatedly in the route of two American privateers, who have made -many captures in the Irish Channel, particularly at Innistruhul, at -the back of Islay, and on the Lewis. They are the Peacock, of -twenty-two guns, and 165 men, and a schooner of eighteen guns, -called the Prince of Neuchatel. These news, added to the increasing -inclemency of the weather, induce us to defer a projected visit to -the coast of Galloway; and indeed it is time one of us was home on -many accounts. We therefore resolve, after visiting the lighthouse -at Pladda, to proceed for Greenock. About four drop anchor off -Pladda, a small islet lying on the south side of Arran. Go ashore -and visit the establishment. When we return on board, the wind being -unfavorable for the mouth of Clyde, we resolve to weigh anchor and -go into Lamlash Bay. - -"_7th September, 1814._--We had ample room to repent last night's -resolution, for the wind, with its usual caprice, changed so soon as -we had weighed anchor, blew very hard, and almost directly against -us, so that we were beating up against it by short tacks, which made -a most disagreeable night; as, between the noise of the wind and the -sea, the clattering of the ropes and sails above, and of the -movables below, and the eternal '_ready about_,' which was repeated -every ten minutes when the vessel was about to tack, with the lurch -and clamor which succeeds, sleep was much out of the question. We -are not now in the least sick, but want of sleep is uncomfortable, -and I have no agreeable reflections to amuse waking hours, -excepting the hope of again rejoining my family. About six o'clock -went on deck to see Lamlash Bay, which we have at length reached -after a hard struggle. The morning is fine and the wind abated, so -that the coast of Arran looks extremely well. It is indented with -two deep bays. That called Lamlash, being covered by an island with -an entrance at either end, makes a secure roadstead. The other bay, -which takes its name from Brodick Castle, a seat of the Duke of -Hamilton, is open. The situation of the castle is very fine, among -extensive plantations, laid out with perhaps too much formality, but -pleasant to the eye, as the first tract of plantation we have seen -for a long time. One stripe, however, with singular want of taste, -runs straight up a finely rounded hill, and turning by an obtuse -angle, cuts down the opposite side with equal lack of remorse. This -vile habit of opposing the line of the plantation to the natural -line and bearing of the ground is one of the greatest practical -errors of early planters. As to the rest, the fields about Brodick, -and the lowland of Arran in general, seem rich, well enclosed, and -in good cultivation. Behind and around rise an amphitheatre of -mountains, the principal a long ridge with fine swelling serrated -tops, called Goat-Fell. Our wind now altogether dies away, while we -want its assistance to get to the mouth of the Firth of Clyde, now -opening between the extremity of the large and fertile Isle of Bute, -and the lesser islands called the Cumbrays. The fertile coast of -Ayrshire trends away to the south-westward, displaying many -villages, and much appearance of beauty and cultivation. On the -north-eastward arises the bold and magnificent screen formed by the -mountains of Argyleshire and Dumbartonshire, rising above each other -in gigantic succession. About noon a favorable breath of wind -enables us to enter the mouth of the Clyde, passing between the -larger Cumbray and the extremity of Bute. As we advance beyond the -Cumbray, and open the opposite coast, see Largs, renowned for the -final defeat of the Norwegian invaders by Alexander III. [A. D. -1263]. The ground of battle was a sloping, but rather gentle, ascent -from the sea, above the modern Kirk of Largs. Had Haco gained the -victory, it would have opened all the south-west of Scotland to his -arms. On Bute, a fine and well-improved island, we open the Marquis -of Bute's house of Mount Stewart, neither apparently large nor -elegant in architecture, but beautifully situated among well-grown -trees, with an open and straight avenue to the seashore. The whole -isle is prettily varied by the rotation of crops: and the rocky -ridges of Goat-Fell and other mountains in Arran are now seen behind -Bute as a background. These ridges resemble much the romantic and -savage outline of the mountains of Cullin, in Skye. On the southward -of Largs is Kelburn, the seat of Lord Glasgow, with extensive -plantations; on the northward Skelmorlie, an ancient seat of the -Montgomeries. The Firth, closed to appearance by Bute and the -Cumbrays, now resembles a long irregular inland lake, bordered on -the one side by the low and rich coast of Renfrewshire, studded with -villages and seats, and on the other by the Highland mountains. Our -breeze dies totally away, and leaves us to admire this prospect till -sunset. I learn incidentally, that, in the opinion of honest Captain -Wilson, I have been myself the cause of all this contradictory -weather. 'It is all,' says the Captain to Stevenson, 'owing to the -cave at the Isle of Egg,'--from which I had abstracted a skull. -Under this odium I may labor yet longer, for assuredly the weather -has been doggedly unfavorable. Night quiet and serene, but dead -calm--a fine contrast to the pitching, rolling, and walloping of -last night. - -"_8th September._--Waked very much in the same situation--a dead -calm, but the weather very serene. With much difficulty, and by the -assistance of the tide, we advanced up the Firth, and, passing the -village of Gourock, at length reached Greenock. Took an early -dinner, and embarked in the steamboat for Glasgow. We took leave of -our little yacht under the repeated cheers of the sailors, who had -been much pleased with their erratic mode of travelling about, so -different from the tedium of a regular voyage. After we reached -Glasgow--a journey which we performed at the rate of about eight -miles an hour, and with a smoothness of motion which probably -resembles flying--we supped together and prepared to -separate.--Erskine and I go to-morrow to the Advocate's at -Killermont, and thence to Edinburgh. So closes my journal. But I -must not omit to say, that among five or six persons, some of whom -were doubtless different in tastes and pursuits, there did not -occur, during the close communication of more than six weeks aboard -a small vessel, the slightest difference of opinion. Each seemed -anxious to submit his own wishes to those of his friends. The -consequence was, that by judicious arrangement all were gratified in -their turn, and frequently he who made some sacrifices to the views -of his companions was rewarded by some unexpected gratification -calculated particularly for his own amusement. Thus ends my little -excursion, in which, bating one circumstance, which must have made -me miserable for the time wherever I had learned it, I have enjoyed -as much pleasure as in any six weeks of my life. We had constant -exertion, a succession of wild and uncommon scenery, good-humor on -board, and objects of animation and interest when we went ashore-- - - 'Sed fugit interea--fugit irrevocabile tempus.'" - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXXII. - -[88: The Rev. Alexander Brunton, D. D., now (1836) -Professor of Oriental Languages in the University of Edinburgh.] - -[89: _Ode on the Superstitions of the Highlands._] - -[90: - - "So thick a haze o'erspreads the sky, - They cannot see the Sun on high." - - Southey's _Inchcape Rock_.] - -[91: Southey's _Inchcape Rock_.] - -[92: See _Minstrelsy of the Border_, vol. iv. pp. 285-306 -(Edin. Ed.).] - -[93: _The Boy and the Mantle_--Percy's _Reliques_, vol. -iii. p. 10.] - -[94: Harriet, Duchess of Buccleuch, died August 24, 1814.] - -[95: Adam Duff, Esq., afterwards and for many years Sheriff -of the county of Edinburgh, died on 17th May, 1840.--(1845.)] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - - LETTER IN VERSE FROM ZETLAND AND ORKNEY. -- DEATH OF THE DUCHESS - OF BUCCLEUCH. -- CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE DUKE. -- ALTRIVE LAKE. - --NEGOTIATION CONCERNING THE LORD OF THE ISLES COMPLETED. -- - SUCCESS OF WAVERLEY. -- CONTEMPORANEOUS CRITICISMS ON THE NOVEL. - -- LETTERS TO SCOTT FROM MR. MORRITT, MR. LEWIS, AND MISS MACLEAN - CLEPHANE. --LETTER FROM JAMES BALLANTYNE TO MISS EDGEWORTH - -1814 - - -I question if any man ever drew his own character more fully or more -pleasingly than Scott has done in the preceding diary of a six -weeks' pleasure voyage. We have before us, according to the scene -and occasion, the poet, the antiquary, the magistrate, the planter, -and the agriculturist; but everywhere the warm yet sagacious -philanthropist--everywhere the courtesy, based on the unselfishness, -of the thorough-bred gentleman;--and surely never was the tenderness -of a manly heart portrayed more touchingly than in the closing -pages. I ought to mention that Erskine received the news of the -Duchess of Buccleuch's death on the day when the party landed at -Dunstaffnage; but, knowing how it would affect Scott, took means to -prevent its reaching him until the expedition should be concluded. -He heard the event casually mentioned by a stranger during dinner at -Port Rush, and was for the moment quite overpowered. - -Of the letters which Scott wrote to his friends during those happy -six weeks, I have recovered only one, and it is, thanks to the -leisure of the yacht, in verse. The strong and easy heroics of the -first section prove, I think, that Mr. Canning did not err when he -told him that if he chose he might emulate even Dryden's command -that noble measure; and the dancing anapæsts of the second show that -he could with equal facility have rivalled the gay graces of Cotton, -Anstey, or Moore. This epistle did not reach the Duke of Buccleuch -till his lovely Duchess was no more; and I shall annex to it some -communications relating to that affliction, which afford a contrast, -not less interesting than melancholy, to the light-hearted glee -reflected in the rhymes from the region of Magnus Troil. - - -TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH, ETC., ETC., ETC. - - LIGHTHOUSE YACHT IN THE SOUND OF LERWICK, ZETLAND, 8th August, 1814. - - Health to the chieftain from his clansman true! - From her true Minstrel, health to fair Buccleuch! - Health from the isles, where dewy Morning weaves - Her chaplet with the tints that Twilight leaves; - Where late the sun scarce vanished from the sight, - And his bright pathway graced the short-lived night, - Though darker now as autumn's shades extend, - The north winds whistle and the mists ascend!-- - Health from the land where eddying whirlwinds toss - The storm-rocked _cradle_ of the Cape of Noss; - On outstretched cords the giddy engine slides, - His own strong arm the bold adventurer guides, - And he that lists such desperate feat to try, - May, like the sea-mew, skim 'twixt surf and sky, - And feel the mid-air gales around him blow, - And see the billows rage five hundred feet below. - - Here by each stormy peak and desert shore, - The hardy islesman tugs the daring oar, - Practised alike his venturous course to keep, - Through the white breakers or the pathless deep, - By ceaseless peril and by toil to gain - A wretched pittance from the niggard main. - And when the worn-out drudge old ocean leaves, - What comfort greets him, and what hut receives? - Lady! the worst your presence ere has cheered - (When want and sorrow fled as you appeared) - Were to a Zetlander as the high dome - Of proud Drumlanrig to my humble home. - Here rise no groves, and here no gardens blow, - Here even the hardy heath scarce dares to grow; - But rocks on rocks, in mist and storm arrayed, - Stretch far to sea their giant colonnade, - With many a cavern seam'd, the dreary haunt - Of the dun seal and swarthy cormorant. - Wild round their rifted brows with frequent cry, - As of lament, the gulls and gannets fly, - And from their sable base, with sullen sound, - In sheets of whitening foam the waves rebound. - - Yet even these coasts a touch of envy gain - From those whose land has known oppression's chain; - For here the industrious Dutchman comes once more - To moor his fishing craft by Bressay's shore; - Greets every former mate and brother tar, - Marvels how Lerwick 'scaped the rage of war, - Tells many a tale of Gallic outrage done, - And ends by blessing God and Wellington. - Here too the Greenland tar, a fiercer guest, - Claims a brief hour of riot, not of rest; - Proves each wild frolic that in wine has birth, - And wakes the land with brawls and boisterous mirth. - A sadder sight on yon poor vessel's prow - The captive Norse-man sits in silent woe, - And eyes the flags of Britain as they flow. - Hard fate of war, which bade her terrors sway - His destined course, and seize so mean a prey; - A bark with planks so warp'd and seams so riven, - She scarce might face the gentlest airs of heaven: - Pensive he sits, and questions oft if none - Can list his speech and understand his moan; - In vain--no islesman now can use the tongue - Of the bold Norse, from whom their lineage sprung. - Not thus of old the Norse-men hither came, - Won by the love of danger or of fame; - On every storm-beat cape a shapeless tower - Tells of their wars, their conquests, and their power; - For ne'er for Grecia's vales, nor Latian land, - Was fiercer strife than for this barren strand; - A race severe--the isle and ocean lords, - Loved for its own delight the strife of swords; - With scornful laugh the mortal pang defied, - And blest their gods that they in battle died. - - Such were the sires of Zetland's simple race, - And still the eye may faint resemblance trace - In the blue eye, tall form, proportion fair, - The limbs athletic, and the long light hair-- - (Such was the mien, as Scald and Minstrel sings, - Of fair-haired Harold, first of Norway's Kings); - But their high deeds to scale these crags confined, - Their only warfare is with waves and wind. - - Why should I talk of Mousa's castled coast? - Why of the horrors of the Sumburgh Rost? - May not these bald disjointed lines suffice, - Penn'd while my comrades whirl the rattling dice-- - While down the cabin skylight lessening shine - The rays, and eve is chased with mirth and wine? - Imagined, while down Mousa's desert bay - Our well-trimm'd vessel urged her nimble way, - While to the freshening breeze she leaned her side, - And bade her bowsprit kiss the foamy tide? - - Such are the lays that Zetland Isles supply; - Drenched with the drizzly spray and dropping sky, - Weary and wet, a sea-sick minstrel I.----W. SCOTT. - - - POSTSCRIPTUM. - - KIRKWALL, ORKNEY, August 13, 1814. - - In respect that your Grace has commissioned a Kraken, - You will please be informed that they seldom are taken; - It is January two years, the Zetland folks say, - Since they saw the last Kraken in Scalloway bay; - He lay in the offing a fortnight or more, - But the devil a Zetlander put from the shore, - Though bold in the seas of the North to assail - The morse and the sea-horse, the grampus and whale. - If your Grace thinks I'm writing the thing that is not, - You may ask at a namesake of ours, Mr. Scott-- - (He's not from our clan, though his merits deserve it, - But springs, I'm informed, from the Scotts of Scotstarvet;)[96] - He questioned the folks who beheld it with eyes, - But they differed confoundedly as to its size. - For instance, the modest and diffident swore - That it seemed like the keel of a ship, and no more-- - Those of eyesight more clear, or of fancy more high, - Said it rose like an island 'twixt ocean and sky-- - But all of the hulk had a steady opinion - That 't was sure a _live_ subject of Neptune's dominion-- - And I think, my Lord Duke, your Grace hardly would wish, - To cumber your house, such a kettle of fish. - Had your order related to nightcaps or hose, - Or mittens of worsted, there's plenty of those. - Or would you be pleased but to fancy a whale? - And direct me to send it--by sea or by mail? - The season, I'm told, is nigh over, but still - I could get you one fit for the lake at Bowhill. - Indeed, as to whales, there's no need to be thrifty, - Since one day last fortnight two hundred and fifty, - Pursued by seven Orkneymen's boats and no more, - Betwixt Truffness and Luffness were drawn on the shore! - You'll ask if I saw this same wonderful sight; - I own that I did not, but easily might-- - For this mighty shoal of leviathans lay - On our lee-beam a mile, in the loop of the bay, - And the islesmen of Sanda were all at the spoil, - And _flinching_ (so term it) the blubber to boil; - (Ye spirits of lavender, drown the reflection - That awakes at the thoughts of this odorous dissection.) - To see this huge marvel full fain would we go, - But Wilson, the wind, and the current said no. - We have now got to Kirkwall, and needs I must stare - When I think that in verse I have once called it _fair_; - 'Tis a base little borough, both dirty and mean-- - There is nothing to hear, and there's nought to be seen, - Save a church, where, of old times, a prelate harangued, - And a palace that's built by an earl that was hanged. - But farewell to Kirkwall--aboard we are going, - The anchor's a-peak and the breezes are blowing; - Our commodore calls all his band to their places, - And 't is time to release you--good-night to your Graces! - - -TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH, ETC. - - GLASGOW, September 8, 1814. - -MY DEAR LORD DUKE,--I take the earliest opportunity, after landing, to -discharge a task so distressing to me, that I find reluctance and fear -even in making the attempt, and for the first time address so kind and -generous a friend without either comfort and confidence in myself, or -the power of offering a single word of consolation to his affliction. -I learned the late calamitous news (which indeed no preparation could -have greatly mitigated) quite unexpectedly, when upon the Irish -coast; nor could the shock of an earthquake have affected me in the -same proportion. Since that time I have been detained at sea, thinking -of nothing but what has happened, and of the painful duty I am now to -perform. If the deepest interest in this inexpressible loss could -qualify me for expressing myself upon a subject so distressing, I know -few whose attachment and respect for the lamented object of our -sorrows can or ought to exceed my own, for never was more attractive -kindness and condescension displayed by one of her sphere, or returned -with deeper and more heartfelt gratitude by one in my own. But selfish -regret and sorrow, while they claim a painful and unavailing -ascendance, cannot drown the recollection of the virtues lost to the -world, just when their scene of acting had opened wider, and to her -family when the prospect of their speedy entry upon life rendered her -precept and example peculiarly important. And such an example! for of -all whom I have ever seen, in whatever rank, she possessed most the -power of rendering virtue lovely--combining purity of feeling and -soundness of judgment with a sweetness and affability which won the -affections of all who had the happiness of approaching her. And this -is the partner of whom it has been God's pleasure to deprive your -Grace, and the friend for whom I now sorrow, and shall sorrow while I -can remember anything. The recollection of her excellencies can but -add bitterness, at least in the first pangs of calamity, yet it is -impossible to forbear the topic; it runs to my pen as to my thoughts, -till I almost call in question, for an instant, the Eternal Wisdom -which has so early summoned her from this wretched world, where pain -and grief and sorrow is our portion, to join those to whom her -virtues, while upon earth, gave her so strong a resemblance. Would to -God I could say, _be comforted_; but I feel every common topic of -consolation must be, for the time at least, even an irritation to -affliction. Grieve, then, my dear Lord, or I should say my dear and -much honored friend,--for sorrow for the time levels the highest -distinctions of rank; but do not grieve as those who have no hope. I -know the last earthly thoughts of the departed sharer of your joys and -sorrows must have been for your Grace and the dear pledges she has -left to your care. Do not, for their sake, suffer grief to take that -exclusive possession which disclaims care for the living, and is not -only useless to the dead, but is what their wishes would have most -earnestly deprecated. To time, and to God, whose are both time and -eternity, belongs the office of future consolation; it is enough to -require from the sufferer under such a dispensation to bear his -burthen of sorrow with fortitude, and to resist those feelings which -prompt us to believe that that which is galling and grievous is -therefore altogether beyond our strength to support. Most bitterly do -I regret some levity which I fear must have reached you when your -distress was most poignant, and most dearly have I paid for venturing -to anticipate the time which is not ours, since I received these -deplorable news at the very moment when I was collecting some trifles -that I thought might give satisfaction to the person whom I so highly -honored, and who, among her numerous excellencies, never failed to -seem pleased with what she knew was meant to afford her pleasure. - -But I must break off, and have perhaps already written too much. I -learn by a letter from Mrs. Scott, this day received, that your Grace -is at Bowhill--in the beginning of next week I will be in the -vicinity; and when your Grace can receive me without additional pain, -I shall have the honor of waiting upon you. I remain, with the deepest -sympathy, my Lord Duke, your Grace's truly distressed and most -grateful servant, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -The following letter was addressed to Scott by the Duke of -Buccleuch, before he received that which the Poet penned on landing -at Glasgow. I present it here, because it will give a more exact -notion of what Scott's relations with his noble patron really were, -than any other single document which I could produce: and to set -that matter in its just light is essential to the business of this -narrative. But I am not ashamed to confess that I embrace with -satisfaction the opportunity of thus offering to the readers of the -present time a most instructive lesson. They will here see what pure -and simple virtues and humble piety may be cultivated as the only -sources of real comfort in this world and consolation in the -prospect of futurity,--among circles which the giddy and envious mob -are apt to regard as intoxicated with the pomps and vanities of -wealth and rank; which so many of our popular writers represent -systematically as sunk in selfish indulgence--as viewing all below -them with apathy and indifference--and last, not least, as -upholding, when they do uphold, the religious institutions of their -country, merely because they have been taught to believe that their -own hereditary privileges and possessions derive security from the -prevalence of Christian maxims and feelings among the mass of the -people. - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., POST OFFICE, GREENOCK. - - BOWHILL, September 3, 1814. - -MY DEAR SIR,--It is not with the view of distressing you with my -griefs, in order to relieve my own feelings, that I address you at -this moment. But knowing your attachment to myself, and more -particularly the real affection which you bore to my poor wife, I -thought that a few lines from me would be acceptable, both to explain -the state of my mind at present, and to mention a few circumstances -connected with that melancholy event. - -I am calm and resigned. The blow was so severe that it stunned me, and -I did not feel that agony of mind which might have been expected. I -now see the full extent of my misfortune; but that extended view of it -has come gradually upon me. I am fully aware how imperative it is upon -me to exert myself to the utmost on account of my children. I must -not depress their spirits by a display of my own melancholy feelings. -I have many new duties to perform,--or rather, perhaps, I now feel -more pressingly the obligation of duties which the unceasing exertions -of my poor wife rendered less necessary, or induced me to attend to -with less than sufficient accuracy. I have been taught a severe -lesson; it may and ought to be a useful one. I feel that my lot, -though a hard one, is accompanied by many alleviations denied to -others. I have a numerous family, thank God, in health, and profiting, -according to their different ages, by the admirable lessons they have -been taught. My daughter, Anne, worthy of so excellent a mother, -exerts herself to the utmost to supply her place, and has displayed a -fortitude and strength of mind beyond her years, and (as I had -foolishly thought) beyond her powers. I have most kind friends willing -and ready to afford me every assistance. These are my worldly -comforts, and they are numerous and great. - -Painful as it may be, I cannot reconcile it to myself to be totally -silent as to the last scene of this cruel tragedy. As she had lived, -so she died,--an example of every noble feeling--of love, attachment, -and the total want of everything selfish. Endeavoring to the last to -conceal her suffering, she evinced a fortitude, a resignation, a -Christian courage, beyond all power of description. Her last -injunction was to attend to her poor people. It was a dreadful but -instructive moment. I have learned that the most truly heroic spirit -may be lodged in the tenderest and the gentlest breast. Need I tell -_you_ that she expired in the full hope and expectation, nay, in the -firmest certainty, of passing to a better world, through a steady -reliance on her Saviour? If ever there was a proof of the efficacy of -our religion in moments of the deepest affliction, and in the hour of -death, it was exemplified in her conduct. But I will no longer dwell -upon a subject which must be painful to you. Knowing her sincere -friendship for you, I have thought it would give you pleasure, though -a melancholy one, to hear from me that her last moments were such as -to be envied by every lover of virtue, piety, and true and genuine -religion. - -I will endeavor to do in all things what I know she would wish. I have -therefore determined to lay myself open to all the comforts my -friends can afford me. I shall be most happy to cultivate their -society as heretofore. I shall love them more and more, because I know -they loved her. Whenever it suits your convenience I shall be happy to -see you here. I feel that it is particularly my duty not to make my -house the house of mourning to my children; for I know it was _her_ -decided opinion that it is most mischievous to give an early -impression of gloom to the mind. - -You will find me tranquil, and capable of going through the common -occupations of society. Adieu for the present. Yours very sincerely, - - BUCCLEUCH, etc. - - -TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH, ETC., ETC., ETC. - - EDINBURGH, 11th September, 1814. - -MY DEAR LORD DUKE,--I received your letter (which had missed me at -Greenock) upon its being returned to this place, and cannot -sufficiently express my gratitude for the kindness which, at such a -moment, could undertake the task of writing upon such a subject to -relieve the feelings of a friend. Depend upon it, I am so far worthy -of your Grace's kindness, that, among many proofs of it, this -affecting and most distressing one can never be forgotten. It gives me -great though melancholy satisfaction to find that your Grace has had -the manly and Christian fortitude to adopt that resigned and patient -frame of spirit, which can extract from the most bitter calamity a -wholesome mental medicine. I trust in God, that, as so many and such -high duties are attached to your station, and as He has blessed you -with the disposition that draws pleasure from the discharge of them, -your Grace will find your first exertions, however painful, rewarded -with strength to persevere, and finally with that comfort which -attends perseverance in that which is right. The happiness of hundreds -depends upon your Grace almost directly, and the effect of your -example in the country, and of your constancy in support of a -constitution daily undermined by the wicked and designing, is almost -incalculable. Justly, then, and well, has your Grace resolved to -sacrifice all that is selfish in the indulgence of grief, to the -duties of your social and public situation. Long may you have health -and strength to be to your dear and hopeful family an example and -guide in all that becomes their high rank. It is enough that one -light, and alas, what a light that was!--has been recalled by the -Divine Will to another and a better sphere. - -I wrote a hasty and unconnected letter immediately on landing. I am -detained for two days in this place, but shall wait upon your Grace -immediately on my return to Abbotsford. If my society cannot, in the -circumstances, give much pleasure, it will, I trust, impose no -restraint. - -Mrs. Scott desires me to offer her deepest sympathy upon this -calamitous occasion. She has much reason, for she has lost the -countenance of a friend such as she cannot expect the course of human -life again to supply. I am ever, with much and affectionate respect, -your Grace's truly faithful humble servant, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -TO J. B. S. MORRITT, ESQ., M. P., WORTHING. - - EDINBURGH, September 14, 1814. - -MY DEAR MORRITT,--"At the end of my tour on the 22d August"!!! Lord -help us!--this comes of going to the Levant and the Hellespont, and -your Euxine, and so forth. A poor devil who goes to Nova Zembla and -Thule is treated as if he had been only walking as far as Barnard -Castle or Cauldshiels Loch.[97] I would have you to know I only -returned on the 10th current, and the most agreeable thing I found was -your letter. I am sure you must know I had need of something pleasant, -for the news of the death of the beautiful, the kind, the -affectionate, and generous Duchess of Buccleuch gave me a shock, -which, to speak God's truth, could not have been exceeded unless by my -own family's sustaining a similar deprivation. She was indeed a light -set upon a hill, and had all the grace which the most accomplished -manners and the most affable address could give to those virtues by -which she was raised still higher than by rank. As she always -distinguished me by her regard and confidence, and as I had many -opportunities of seeing her in the active discharge of duties in which -she rather resembled a descended angel than an earthly being, you will -excuse my saying so much about my own feelings on an occasion where -sorrow has been universal. But I will drop the subject. The survivor -has displayed a strength and firmness of mind seldom equalled, where -the affection has been so strong and mutual, and amidst the very high -station and commanding fortune which so often render self-control more -difficult, because so far from being habitual. I trust, for his own -sake, as well as for that of thousands to whom his life is directly -essential, and hundreds of thousands to whom his example is important, -that God, as He has given him fortitude to bear this inexpressible -shock, will add strength of constitution to support him in the -struggle. He has written to me on the occasion in a style becoming a -man and a Christian, submissive to the will of God, and willing to -avail himself of the consolations which remain among his family and -friends. I am going to see him, and how we shall meet, God knows; but -though "an iron man of iron mould" upon many of the occasions of life -in which I see people most affected, and a peculiar contemner of the -commonplace sorrow which I see paid to the departed, this is a case in -which my stoicism will not serve me. They both gave me reason to think -they loved me, and I returned their regard with the most sincere -attachment--the distinction of rank being, I think, set apart on all -sides. But God's will be done. I will dwell no longer upon this -subject. It is much to learn that Mrs. Morritt is so much better, and -that if I have sustained a severe wound from a quarter so little -expected, I may promise myself the happiness of your dear wife's -recovery. - -I will shortly mention the train of our voyage, reserving particulars -till another day. We sailed from Leith, and skirted the Scottish -coast, visiting the Buller of Buchan and other remarkable -objects--went to Shetland--thence to Orkney--from thence round Cape -Wrath to the Hebrides, making descents everywhere, where there was -anything to be seen--thence to Lewis and the Long Island--to Skye--to -Iona--and so forth, lingering among the Hebrides as long as we could. -Then we stood over to the coast of Ireland, and visited the Giant's -Causeway and Port Rush, where Dr. Richardson, the inventor -(discoverer, I would say) of the celebrated fiorin-grass, resides. By -the way, he is a chattering charlatan, and his fiorin a mere humbug. -But if he were Cicero, and his invention were potatoes, or anything -equally useful, I should detest the recollection of the place and the -man, for it was there I learned the death of my friend. Adieu, my dear -Morritt; kind compliments to your lady; like poor Tom, "I cannot daub -it farther." When I hear where you are, and what you are doing, I will -write you a more cheerful epistle. Poor Mackenzie, too, is gone--the -brother of our friend Lady Hood--and another Mackenzie, son to the -Man of Feeling. So short time have I been absent, and such has been -the harvest of mortality among those whom I regarded! - -I will attend to your corrections in Waverley. My principal employment -for the autumn will be reducing the knowledge I have acquired of the -localities of the islands into scenery and stage-room for The Lord of -the Isles, of which renowned romance I think I have repeated some -portions to you. It was elder born than Rokeby, though it gave place -to it in publishing. - -After all, scribbling is an odd propensity. I don't believe there is -any ointment, even that of the Edinburgh Review, which can cure the -infected. Once more, yours entirely, - - WALTER SCOTT. - - -Before I pass from the event which made August, 1814, so black a -month in Scott's calendar, I may be excused for once more noticing -the kind interest which the Duchess of Buccleuch had always taken in -the fortunes of the Ettrick Shepherd, and introducing a most -characteristic epistle which she received from him a few months -before her death. The Duchess--"fearful" (as she said) "of seeing -herself in print"--did not answer the Shepherd, but forwarded his -letter to Scott, begging him to explain that circumstances did not -allow the Duke to concede what he requested, but to assure him that -they both retained a strong wish to serve him whenever a suitable -opportunity should present itself. Hogg's letter was as follows:-- - - -TO HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF BUCCLEUCH, DALKEITH PALACE. FAVORED BY -MESSRS. GRIEVE AND SCOTT, HATTERS, EDINBURGH.[98] - - ETTRICKBANK, March 17, 1814. - -May it please your Grace,--I have often grieved you by my -applications for this and that. I am sensible of this, for I have -had many instances of your wishes to be of service to me, could you -have known what to do for that purpose. But there are some eccentric -characters in the world, of whom no person can judge or know what will -prove beneficial, or what may prove their bane. I have again and again -received of your Grace's private bounty, and though it made me love -and respect you the more, I was nevertheless grieved at it. It was -never your Grace's money that I wanted, but the honor of your -countenance; indeed my heart could never yield to the hope of being -patronized by any house save that of Buccleuch, whom I deemed bound to -cherish every plant that indicated anything out of the common way on -the Braes of Ettrick and Yarrow. - -I know you will be thinking that this long prelude is to end with a -request. No, Madam! I have taken the resolution of never making -another request. I will, however, tell you a story, which is, I -believe, founded on a fact:-- - -There is a small farm at the head of a water called *****, possessed -by a mean fellow named ****. A third of it has been taken off and laid -into another farm--the remainder is as yet unappropriated. Now, there -is a certain poor bard, who has two old parents, each of them upwards -of eighty-four years of age; and that bard has no house nor home to -shelter those poor parents in, or cheer the evening of their lives. A -single line from a certain very great and very beautiful lady, to a -certain Mr. Riddle,[99] would insure that small pendicle to the bard -at once. But she will grant no such thing! I appeal to your Grace if -she is not a very bad lady that? I am your Grace's ever obliged and -grateful - - JAMES HOGG, - THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD. - -[Illustration: JAMES HOGG - -_From the water-color portrait by Denning_] - -Though the Duke of Buccleuch would not dismiss a poor tenant merely -because Hogg called him "a mean fellow," he had told Scott that if -he could find an unappropriated "pendicle," such as this letter -referred to, he would most willingly bestow it on the Shepherd. It -so happened, that when Scott paid his first visit at Bowhill after -the death of the Duchess, the Ettrick Shepherd was mentioned: "My -friend," said the Duke, "I must now consider this poor man's case as -_her_ legacy;" and to this feeling Hogg owed, very soon afterwards, -his establishment at Altrive, on his favorite braes of Yarrow. - -As Scott passed through Edinburgh on his return from his voyage, the -negotiation as to The Lord of the Isles, which had been protracted -through several months, was completed--Constable agreeing to give -fifteen hundred guineas for one half of the copyright, while the -other moiety was retained by the author. The sum mentioned had been -offered by Constable at an early stage of the affair, but it was not -until now accepted, in consequence of the earnest wish of Scott and -Ballantyne to saddle the publisher of the new poem with part of -their old "quire stock,"--which, however, Constable ultimately -persisted in refusing. It may easily be believed that John -Ballantyne's management of money matters during Scott's six weeks' -absence had been such as to render it doubly convenient for the Poet -to have this matter settled on his arrival in Edinburgh--and it may -also be supposed that the progress of Waverley during that interval -had tended to put the chief parties in good-humor with each other. - -In returning to Waverley, I must observe most distinctly that -nothing can be more unfounded than the statement which has of late -years been frequently repeated in memoirs of Scott's life, that the -sale of the first edition of this immortal Tale was slow. It -appeared on the 7th of July, and the whole impression (1000 copies) -had disappeared within five weeks; an occurrence then unprecedented -in the case of an anonymous novel, put forth at what is called among -publishers _the dead season_. A second edition, of 2000 copies, was -at least projected by the 24th of the same month;[100]--that -appeared before the end of August, and it, too, had gone off so -rapidly, that when Scott passed through Edinburgh, on his way from -the Hebrides, he found Constable eager to treat, on the same terms -as before, for a third of 1000 copies. This third edition was -published in October, and when a fourth of the like extent was -called for in November, I find Scott writing to John Ballantyne, "I -suppose Constable won't quarrel with a work on which he has netted -£612 in four months, with a certainty of making it £1000 before the -year is out;" and, in fact, owing to the diminished expense of -advertising, the profits of this fourth edition were to each party -£440. To avoid recurring to these details, I may as well state at -once, that a fifth edition of 1000 copies appeared in January, 1815; -a sixth of 1500 in June, 1816; a seventh of 2000 in October, 1817; -an eighth of 2000 in April, 1821; that in the collective editions, -prior to 1829, 11,000 were disposed of; and that the sale of the -current edition, with notes, begun in 1829, has already reached -40,000 copies. Well might Constable regret that he had not ventured -to offer £1000 for the whole copyright of Waverley! - -I must now look back for a moment to the history of the -composition.--The letter of September, 1810, was not the only piece -of discouragement which Scott had received, during the progress of -Waverley, from his first confidant. James Ballantyne, in his -deathbed _memorandum_, says: "When Mr. Scott first questioned me as -to my hopes of him as a novelist, it somehow or other did chance -that they were not very high. He saw this, and said: 'Well, I don't -see why I should not succeed as well as other people. At all events, -faint heart never won fair lady--'tis only trying.' When the first -volume was completed, I still could not get myself to think much of -the Waverley-Honor scenes; and in this I afterwards found that I -sympathized with many. But, to my utter shame be it spoken, when I -reached the exquisite descriptions of scenes and manners at -Tully-Veolan, what did I do but pronounce them at once to be utterly -vulgar!--When the success of the work so entirely knocked me down as -a man of taste, all that the good-natured author said was: 'Well, I -really thought you were wrong about the Scotch. Why, Burns, by his -poetry, had already attracted universal attention to everything -Scottish, and I confess I could n't see why I should not be able to -keep the flame alive, merely because I wrote Scotch in prose, and he -in rhyme.'"--It is, I think, very agreeable to have this manly -avowal to compare with the delicate allusion which Scott makes to -the affair in his Preface to the Novel. - -The only other friends originally entrusted with his secret appear -to have been Mr. Erskine and Mr. Morritt. I know not at what stage -the former altered the opinion which he formed on seeing the tiny -fragment of 1805. The latter did not, as we have seen, receive the -book until it was completed; but he anticipated, before he closed -the first volume, the station which public opinion would ultimately -assign to Waverley. "How the story may continue," Mr. Morritt then -wrote, "I am not able to divine; but, as far as I have read, pray -let us thank you for the Castle of Tully-Veolan, and the delightful -drinking-bout at Lucky Mac-Leary's, for the characters of the Laird -of Balmawhapple and the Baron of Bradwardine; and no less for Davie -Gelatly, whom I take to be a transcript of William Rose's motley -follower, commonly yclept Caliban.[101] If the completion be equal -to what we have just devoured, it deserves a place among our -standard works far better than its modest appearance and anonymous -title-page will at first gain it in these days of prolific -story-telling. Your manner of narrating is so different from the -slipshod sauntering verbiage of common novels, and from the stiff, -precise, and prim sententiousness of some of our female moralists, -that I think it can't fail to strike anybody who knows what style -means; but, amongst the gentle class, who swallow every blue-backed -book in a circulating library for the sake of the story, I should -fear half the knowledge of nature it contains, and all the real -humor, may be thrown away. Sir Everard, Mrs. Rachael, and the Baron -are, I think, in the first rank of portraits for nature and -character; and I could depone to their likeness in any court of -taste. The ballad of St. Swithin, and scraps of _old songs_, were -measures of danger if you meant to continue your concealment; but, -in truth, you wear your disguise something after the manner of -Bottom the weaver; and in spite of you the truth will soon peep -out." And next day he resumes: "We have finished Waverley, and were -I to tell you all my admiration, you would accuse me of -complimenting. You have quite attained the point which your -_postscript-preface_ mentions as your object--the discrimination of -Scottish character, which had hitherto been slurred over with -clumsy national daubing." He adds, a week or two later: "After all, -I need not much thank you for your confidence. How could you have -hoped that I should not discover you? I had heard you tell half the -anecdotes before--some turns you owe to myself; and no doubt most of -your friends must have the same sort of thing to say." - -Monk Lewis's letter on the subject is so short that I must give it -as it stands:-- - - -TO WALTER SCOTT, ESQ., ABBOTSFORD. - - THE ALBANY, August 17, 1814. - -MY DEAR SCOTT,--I return some books of yours which you lent me '_sixty -years since_'--and I hope they will reach you safe. I write in great -haste; and yet I must mention, that hearing Waverley ascribed to you, -I bought it, and read it with all impatience. I am now told it is not -yours, but William Erskine's. If this is so, pray tell him from me -that I think it excellent in every respect, and that I believe every -word of it. - - Ever yours, M. G. LEWIS. - - -Another friend (and he had, I think, none more dear), the late -Margaret Maclean Clephane of Torloisk, afterwards Marchioness of -Northampton, writes thus from Kirkness, in Kinross-shire, on the -11th October:-- - - -"In this place I feel a sort of pleasure, not unallied to pain, from -the many recollections that every venerable tree, and every sunny -bank, and every honeysuckle bower, occasions; and I have found -something here that speaks to me in the voice of a valued -friend--_Waverley_. The question that rises, it is perhaps improper to -give utterance to. If so, let it pass as an exclamation.--Is it -possible that Mr. Erskine can have written it? The poetry, I think, -would prove a different descent in any court in Christendom. The turn -of the phrases in many places is so peculiarly yours, that I fancy I -hear your voice repeating them; and there wants but verse to make all -Waverley an enchanting poem--varying to be sure from grave to gay, but -with so deepening an interest as to leave an impression on the mind -that few--very few poems--could awaken. But, why did not the author -allow me to be his Gaelic Dragoman? Oh! Mr. ----, whoever you are, you -might have safely trusted--M. M. C." - - -There was one person with whom it would, of course, have been more -than vain to affect any concealment. On the publication of the third -edition, I find him writing thus to his brother Thomas, who had by -this time gone to Canada as paymaster of the 70th regiment:-- - - -DEAR TOM,--A novel here called Waverley has had enormous success. I -sent you a copy, and will send you another, with The Lord of the -Isles, which will be out at Christmas. The success which it has had, -with some other circumstances, has induced people - - "To lay the bantling at a certain door, - Where lying store of faults, they'd fain heap more."[102] - -You will guess for yourself how far such a report has credibility; but -by no means give the weight of your opinion to the transatlantic -public; for you must know there is also a counter-report, that _you_ -have written the said Waverley. Send me a novel intermixing your -exuberant and natural humor with any incidents and descriptions of -scenery you may see--particularly with characters and traits of -manners. I will give it all the cobbling that is necessary, and, if -you do but exert yourself, I have not the least doubt it will be worth -£500; and, to encourage you, you may, when you send the MS., draw on -me for £100, at fifty days' sight--so that your labors will at any -rate not be quite thrown away. You have more fun and descriptive -talent than most people; and all that you want--_i. e._, the mere -practice of composition--I can supply, or the devil's in it. Keep this -matter a dead secret, and look knowing when Waverley is spoken of. If -you are not Sir John Falstaff, you are as good a man as he, and may -therefore face Colville of the Dale. You may believe I don't want to -make you the author of a book you have never seen; but if people will, -upon their own judgment, suppose so, and also on their own judgment -give you £500 to try your hand on a novel, I don't see that you are a -pin's-point the worse. Mind that your MS. attends the draft. I am -perfectly serious and confident that in two or three months you might -clear the cobs. I beg my compliments to the hero who is afraid of -Jeffrey's scalping-knife. - - -In truth, no one of Scott's intimate friends ever had, or could have -had, the slightest doubt as to the parentage of Waverley: nor, -although he abstained from communicating the fact formally to most -of them, did he ever affect any real concealment in the case of such -persons; nor, when any circumstance arose which rendered the -withholding of direct confidence on the subject incompatible with -perfect freedom of feeling on both sides, did he hesitate to make -the avowal. - -Nor do I believe that the mystification ever answered much purpose, -among literary men of eminence beyond the circle of his personal -acquaintance. But it would be difficult to suppose that he had ever -wished that to be otherwise; it was sufficient for him to set the -mob of readers at gaze, and above all, to escape the annoyance of -having productions, actually known to be his, made the daily and -hourly topics of discussion in his presence.[103] - -Mr. Jeffrey had known Scott from his youth--and, in reviewing -Waverley, he was at no pains to conceal his conviction of its -authorship. He quarrelled, as usual, with carelessness of style, and -some inartificialities of plot, but rendered justice to the -substantial merits of the work, in language which I shall not mar by -abridgment. The Quarterly was far less favorable in its verdict. -Indeed, the articles on Waverley, and afterwards on Guy Mannering, -which appeared in that journal, will bear the test of ultimate -opinion as badly as any critical pieces which our time has produced. -They are written in a captious, cavilling strain of quibble, which -shows as complete blindness to the essential interest of the -narrative, as the critic betrays on the subject of the Scottish -dialogue, which forms its liveliest ornament, when he pronounces -that to be "a dark dialogue of Anglified Erse." With this remarkable -exception, the professional critics were, on the whole, not slow to -confess their belief, that, under a hackneyed name and trivial form, -there had at last appeared a work of original creative genius, -worthy of being placed by the side of the very few real masterpieces -of prose fiction. Loftier romance was never blended with easier, -quainter humor, by Cervantes himself. In his familiar delineations -he had combined the strength of Smollett with the native elegance -and unaffected pathos of Goldsmith; in his darker scenes he had -revived that real tragedy which appeared to have left our stage with -the age of Shakespeare; and elements of interest so diverse had been -blended and interwoven with that nameless grace, which, more surely -perhaps than even the highest perfection in the command of any one -strain of sentiment, marks the master-mind cast in Nature's most -felicitous mould. - -Scott, with the consciousness (avowed long afterwards in his General -Preface) that he should never in all likelihood have thought of a -Scotch novel had he not read Maria Edgeworth's exquisite pieces of -Irish character, desired James Ballantyne to send her a copy of -Waverley on its first appearance, inscribed "from the author." Miss -Edgeworth, whom Scott had never then seen, though some literary -correspondence had passed between them, thanked the nameless -novelist, under cover to Ballantyne, with the cordial generosity of -kindred genius;[104] and the following answer, not from Scott, but -from Ballantyne--(who had kept a copy, now before me)--is not to be -omitted:-- - - -TO MISS EDGEWORTH, EDGEWORTHSTOWN, IRELAND. - - EDINBURGH, 11th November, 1814. - -MADAM,--I am desired by the Author of Waverley to acknowledge, in his -name, the honor you have done him by your most flattering approbation -of his work--a distinction which he receives as one of the highest -that could be paid him, and which he would have been proud to have -himself stated his sense of, only that being _impersonal_, he thought -it more respectful to require my assistance than to write an anonymous -letter. - -There are very few who have had the opportunities that have been -presented to me, of knowing how very elevated is the admiration -entertained by the Author of Waverley for the genius of Miss -Edgeworth. From the intercourse that took place betwixt us while the -work was going through my press, _I know_ that the exquisite truth and -power of your characters operated on his mind at once to excite and -subdue it. He felt that the success of his book was to depend upon the -characters, much more than upon the story; and he entertained so just -and so high an opinion of your eminence in the management of both, as -to have strong apprehensions of any comparison which might be -instituted betwixt his picture and story and yours; besides, that -there is a richness and _naïveté_ in Irish character and humor, in -which the Scotch are certainly defective, and which could hardly fail, -as he thought, to render his delineations cold and tame by the -contrast. "If I could but hit Miss Edgeworth's wonderful power of -vivifying all her persons, and making them live as _beings_ in your -mind, I should not be afraid:"--Often has the Author of Waverley used -such language to me; and I knew that I gratified him most when I could -say,--"Positively this _is_ equal to Miss Edgeworth." You will thus -judge, Madam, how deeply he must feel such praise as you have bestowed -upon his efforts. I believe he himself thinks the Baron the best drawn -character in his book--I mean the Bailie--honest Bailie Macwheeble. He -protests it is the most _true_, though from many causes he did not -expect it to be the most popular. It appears to me, that amongst so -many splendid portraits, all drawn with such strength and truth, it is -more easy to say which is your favorite, than which is best. Mr. Henry -Mackenzie agrees with you in your objection to the resemblance to -Fielding. He says you should never be forced to recollect, _maugre_ -all its internal evidence to the contrary, that such a work is a work -of fiction, and all its fine creations but of air. The character of -Rose is less finished than the author had at one period intended; but -I believe the characters of humor grew upon his liking, to the -prejudice, in some degree, of those of a more elevated and sentimental -kind. Yet what can surpass Flora, and her gallant brother? - -I am not authorized to say--but I will not resist my impulse to say to -Miss Edgeworth, that another novel, descriptive of more ancient -manners still, may be expected erelong from the Author of Waverley. -But I request her to observe, that I say this in strict -confidence--not certainly meaning to exclude from the knowledge of -what will give them pleasure, her respectable family. - -Mr. Scott's poem, The Lord of the Isles, promises fully to equal the -most admired of his productions. It is, I think, equally powerful, and -certainly more uniformly polished and sustained. I have seen three -cantos. It will consist of six. - -I have the honor to be, Madam, with the utmost admiration and respect, - -Your most obedient and most humble servant, - - JAMES BALLANTYNE. - - -Footnotes of the Chapter XXXIII. - -[96: The Scotts of Scotstarvet, and other families of the -name in Fife and elsewhere, claim no kindred with the great clan of -the Border--and their armorial bearings are different.] - -[97: Lord Byron writes to Mr. Moore, August 3, 1814: "Oh! I -have had the most amusing letter from Hogg, the Ettrick Minstrel and -Shepherd. I think very highly of him as a poet, but he and half of -these Scotch and Lake troubadours are spoilt by living in little -circles and petty coteries. London and the world is the only place -to take the conceit out of a man--in the milling phrase. Scott, he -says, is gone to the Orkneys in a gale of wind, during which wind, -he affirms, the said Scott, he is sure, is not at his ease, to say -the least of it. Lord! Lord! if these home-keeping minstrels had -crossed your Atlantic or my Mediterranean, and tasted a little open -boating in a white squall--or a gale in 'the Gut,'--or the Bay of -Biscay, with no gale at all--how it would enliven and introduce them -to a few of the sensations!--to say nothing of an illicit amour or -two upon shore, in the way of Essay upon the Passions, beginning -with simple adultery, and compounding it as they went along."--_Life -and Works_, vol. iii. p. 102. Lord Byron, by the way, had written on -July the 24th to Mr. Murray, "_Waverley_ is the best and most -interesting novel I have redde since--I don't know when," -etc.--_Ibid._ p. 98.] - -[98: Mr. Grieve was a man of cultivated mind and generous -disposition, and a most kind and zealous friend of the Shepherd.] - -[99: Major Riddell, the Duke's Chamberlain at Branksome -Castle.] - -[100: See letter to Mr. Morritt, _ante_, p. 120.] - -[101: This alludes to some mummery in which David Hinves, -of merry memory, wore a Caliban-like disguise. He lived more than -forty years in the service of Mr. W. S. Rose, and died in it last -year. Mr. Rose was of course extremely young when he first picked up -Hinves--a bookbinder by trade, and a preacher among the Methodists. -A sermon heard casually under a tree in the New Forest had such -touches of good feeling and broad humor, that the young gentleman -promoted him to be his valet on the spot. He was treated latterly -more like a friend than a servant by his master, and by all his -master's intimate friends. Scott presented him with a copy of all -his works; and Coleridge gave him a corrected (or rather an altered) -copy of _Christabel_, with this inscription on the flyleaf: "DEAR -HINVES,--Till this book is concluded, and with it '_Gundimore_, a -poem, by the same author,' accept of this _corrected_ copy of -_Christabel_ as a _small_ token of regard; yet such a testimonial as -I would not pay to any one I did not esteem, though he were an -emperor. Be assured I shall send you for your private library every -work I have published (if there be any to be had) and whatever I -shall publish. Keep steady to the FAITH. If the fountain-head be -always full, the stream cannot be long empty. Yours sincerely, - - S. T. COLERIDGE." - -11th November, 1816--Muddeford. - -Mr. Rose imagines that the warning, "keep steady to the faith," was -given in allusion to Ugo Foscolo's "supposed license in religious -opinions."--_Rhymes_ (Brighton, 1837), p. 92.--(1839.)] - -[102: Garrick's Epilogue to _Polly Honeycombe_, 1760.] - -[103: ["Except the first opening of the _Edinburgh Review_, -no work that has appeared in my time made such an instant and -universal impression. It is curious to remember it. The unexpected -newness of the thing, the profusion of original characters, the -Scotch language, Scotch scenery, Scotch men and women, the -simplicity of the writing, and the graphic force of the -descriptions, all struck us with an electric shock of delight. I -wish I could again feel the sensations produced by the first year of -these two Edinburgh works. If the concealment of the authorship of -the novels was intended to make mystery heighten their effect, it -completely succeeded. The speculations and conjectures, and nods and -winks, and predictions and assertions were endless, and occupied -every company, and almost every two men who met and spoke in the -street. It was proved by a thousand indications, each refuting the -other, and all equally true in fact, that they were written by old -Henry Mackenzie, and by George Cranstoun, and William Erskine, and -Jeffrey, and above all by Thomas Scott.... But 'the great unknown' -as the true author was then called, always took good care, with all -his concealment, to supply evidence amply sufficient for the -protection of his property and his fame; in so much that the -suppression of the name was laughed at as a good joke not merely by -his select friends in his presence, but by himself. The change of -line, at his age, was a striking proof of intellectual power and -richness. But the truth is that these novels were rather the -outpourings of old thoughts than new inventions."--Lord Cockburn's -_Memorials of His Time_.]] - -[104: [Miss Edgeworth wrote from Edgeworthstown, October -23, 1814, addressing her letter to the Author of _Waverley_ (see -_Life and Letters of Maria Edgeworth_, vol. i. pp. 239-244):-- - - _Aut Scotus, aut Diabolus._ - -We have this moment finished _Waverley_. It was read aloud to this large -family, and I wish the author could have witnessed the impression it -made--the strong hold it seized of the feelings both of young and -old--the admiration raised by the beautiful description, of nature--by -the new and bold delineations of character--the perfect manner in which -every character is sustained in every change of situation from first to -last, without effort, without the affectation of making the persons -speak in character--the ingenuity with which each person introduced in -the drama is made useful and necessary to the end--the admirable art -with which the story is constructed and with which the author keeps his -own secrets till the proper moment when they should be revealed, whilst -in the mean time, with the skill of Shakespeare, the mind is prepared by -unseen degrees for all the changes of feeling and fortune, so that -nothing, however extraordinary, shocks us as improbable; and the -interest is kept up to the last moment. We were so possessed with the -belief that the whole story and every character in it was real, that we -could not endure the occasional addresses from the author to the reader. -They are like Fielding; but for that reason we cannot bear them, we -cannot bear that an author of such high powers, of such original genius, -should for a moment stoop to imitation. This is the only thing we -dislike, these are the only passages we wish omitted in the whole work; -and let the unqualified manner in which I say this, and the very -vehemence of my expression of this disapprobation, be a sure pledge to -the author of the sincerity of all the admiration I feel for his genius. - -I have not yet said half we felt in reading the work. The characters -are not only finely drawn as separate figures, but they are grouped -with great skill, and contrasted so artfully, and yet so naturally, -as to produce the happiest dramatic effect and at the same time to -relieve the feelings and attention in the most agreeable manner. The -novelty of the Highland world which is discovered to our view -excites curiosity and interest powerfully; but though it is all new -to us it does not embarrass or perplex, or strain the attention. We -never are harassed by doubts of the probability of any of these -modes of life; though we did not know them, we are quite certain -they did exist exactly as they are represented. We are sensible that -there is a peculiar merit in the work which is in a measure lost -upon us, the dialects of the Highlanders and Lowlanders, etc. But -there is another and a higher merit with which we are as much struck -and as much delighted as any true-born Scotchman could be: the -various gradations of Scotch feudal character, from the high-born -chieftain and the military baron, to the noble-minded lieutenant -Evan Dhu, the robber Bean Lean, and the savage Callum Beg. The -Pre--the Chevalier is beautifully drawn,-- - - "A prince: aye, every inch a prince!" - -His polished manners, his exquisite address, politeness, and -generosity, interest the reader irresistibly, and he pleases the -more from the contrast between him and those who surround him. I -think he is my favorite character; the Baron Bradwardine is my -father's. He thinks it required more genius to invent, and more -ability uniformly to sustain, this character than any one of the -masterly characters with which the book abounds. There is indeed -uncommon art in the manner in which his dignity is preserved by his -courage and magnanimity, in spite of all his pedantry and his -_ridicules_.... I acknowledge that I am not as good a judge as my -father and brothers are of his recondite learning and his law Latin, -yet I feel the humor, and was touched to the quick by the strokes of -generosity, gentleness, and pathos in this old man, who is, by the -bye, all in good time worked up into a very dignified father-in-law -for the hero.... - -Jinker, in the battle, pleading the cause of the mare he had sold to -Balmawhapple, and which had thrown him for want of the proper bit, -is truly comic; my father says that this and some other passages -respecting horsemanship could not have been written by any one who -was not master both of the great and little horse. - -I tell you without order the great and little strokes of humor and -pathos just as I recollect, or am reminded of them at this moment by -my companions.... Judging by our own feeling as authors, we guess -that he would rather know our genuine first thoughts, than wait for -cool second thoughts, or have a regular eulogium or criticism put in -the most lucid manner, and given in the finest sentences that ever -were rounded. - -Is it possible that I have got thus far without having named Flora -or Vich Ian Vohr--the last Vich Ian Vohr! Yet our minds were full of -them the moment before I began this letter; and could you have seen -the tears forced from us by their fate, you would have been -satisfied that the pathos went to our hearts. Ian Vohr from the -first moment he appears, till the last, is an admirably drawn and -finely sustained character--new, perfectly new to the English -reader--often entertaining--always heroic--sometimes sublime. The -gray spirit, the Bodach Glas, thrills us with horror. _Us!_ What -effect must it have upon those under the influence of the -superstitions of the Highlands?... - -Flora we could wish was never called Miss MacIvor, because in this -country there are tribes of vulgar Miss Macs, and this association -is unfavorable to the sublime and beautiful of your Flora--she is a -true heroine.... There is one thing more we could wish changed or -omitted in Flora's character.... In the first visit to her, where -she is to sing certain verses, there is a walk, in which the -description of the place is beautiful, but too long, and we did not -like the preparation for a scene--the appearance of Flora and her -harp was too like a common heroine; she should be far above all -stage effect or novelist's trick. - -These are, without reserve, the only faults we found or can find in -this work of genius. We should scarcely have thought them worth -mentioning, except to give you proof positive that we are not -flatterers. Believe me, I have not, nor can I convey to you the full -idea of the pleasure, the delight we have had in reading _Waverley_, -nor of the feeling of sorrow with which we came to the end of the -history of persons whose real presence had so filled our minds--we -felt that we must return to the flat realities of life, that our -stimulus was gone, and we were little disposed to read the -"Postscript, which should have been a Preface." - -"Well, let us hear it," said my father, and Mrs. Edgeworth read on. - -Oh! my dear sir, how much pleasure would my father, my mother, my -whole family as well as myself have lost, if we had not read to the -last page! And the pleasure came upon us so unexpectedly--we had -been so completely absorbed that every thought of ourselves, of our -own authorship, was far, far away. - -Thank you for the honor you have done us, and for the pleasure you -have given us, great in proportion to the opinion we had formed of -the work we had just perused--and believe me, every opinion I have -in this letter expressed was formed before any individual in the -family had peeped to the end of the book or knew how much we owed -you. - - Your obliged and grateful MARIA EDGEWORTH.] - - - - -END OF VOLUME FOUR - -[Transcriber's note: Only obvious printer's errors have been -corrected (e.g.: 3 s instead of 2, etc.). 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