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A SERIES OF ORIGINAL PORTRAITS AND CARICATURE ETCHINGS BY THE LATE JOHN KAY MINIATURE PAINTER, EDINBURGH NEW EDITION VOL. I. CONTAINING PLATES I. TO CLXX. EDINBURGH: ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK HDCCCLXXVII ... SERIES OF ORIGINAL PORTRAITS AND CARICATURE ETCHINGS BY THE LATE JOHN KAY MINIATURE PAINTER, ...

Book 8  p. iii
(Score 15.18)

ORIGINAL PORTRAITS AND CARICATURE ETCHINGS ... PORTRAITS AND CARICATURE ...

Book 8  p. ii
(Score 15.16)

A SERIES OF ORIGINAL PORTRAITS AND CARICATURE ETCHINGS BY THE LATE JOBN RAY MINIATURE PAINTEE, EDINBURGH NEW EDITION VOL. 11. CONTAINING PLATES CLXXI. TO CCCXXIX., AND APPENDIX CCCXXX. TO CCCLXI. EDINBURGH: ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK MDCCCLXXVII ... SERIES OF ORIGINAL PORTRAITS AND CARICATURE ETCHINGS BY THE LATE JOBN RAY MINIATURE PAINTEE, ...

Book 9  p. iii
(Score 14.72)

O R I G I N A L P O R T R A I T S AXD CARICATURE ETCHINGS ... R I G I N A L P O R T R A I T S AXD CARICATURE ...

Book 9  p. ii
(Score 9.55)

ADVERT I S E ME N T. IN this volume is concluded the series of three hundred and sixty-one Portraits, drawn and engraved by the late JOHN KAY, of which, perhaps, it is not too much to say that it forms a collection quite unique both in character and extent. As in the case of the First Volume, there is no material alteration in the text, which, although wholly reset, follows in fact the order of the First Edition both as regards plates and pa-aination. The portrait of the great bibliopole, Archibald Constable, is added at the end of the series (before the Appendix), and supplies an important omission in the previous Edition. Though placed last, it is not the least of' the notable figures represented, Valuable indices are given to each Volume, both of the subjects portrayed and the numerous persons incidentally alluded to throughout the text. The latter will often be found to supply a clue to those who take a pleasure in tracing the origin of peat men and families, and in prying into the secrets of their ancestry. EDINBURGDHec, ember 1877 . ... I S E ME N T. IN this volume is concluded the series of three hundred and sixty-one Portraits, drawn and ...

Book 9  p. v
(Score 5.02)

AD VE RT I S E ME N T. In considering the best mode of re-issuing so popular a work as KAY’S PORTRAIiTt Sh,a s been thought advisable rather to adhere to the original text than to venture on any material alteration or enlargement. The attempt might indeed have been made to bridge over the interval that has elapsed since the Portraits were first published, and to indicate the relation in which the personal records and incidents stand to the present time. But the advantage of this is doubtful, and it would seriously alter the character of the work. The preferable course has therefore been adopted of presenting the Biographical Sketches in their original form, with such slight revision as has appeared essential. I t is almost unnecessary to invite attention to a work which is so well known, and the interest in which, after the lapse of nearly forty years, still continues unabated. Not only has it the fascination of gossiping biography, blended with anecdotes and illustrations, but it preserves a record altogether unique of a state of society just passed away, which has been well characterised by Mr. Ticknor, in his ‘‘Life and Letters,” as “the golden age of Edilzhurgh society.”’ Although the Portraits are principally of local interest, they are not wholly so, as may be seen from such names of wide celebrity as the following :- Sir Ralph Abercromby ; Duc d’Angoul6me ; Comte d‘Artois (Charles X) ; Bruce, the Abyssinian Traveller ; Bryce, the Irish Giant ; Grose, the Antiquarian ; the Revs. Rowland Hill and John Wesley ; Lord Chancellor Loughborough ; Lunardi, the Aeronaut ; Thomas Paine ; William Pitt, etc. Of the diligent use Kay made of his pencil these volumes furnish ample testimony, as well as of the admirable manner in which the engraving has been executed. A few additional pIates, not hitherto published (among which 1 Mr. Allibone, in his “Dictionary of English Literature,” speaks of Kay’s work 88 ‘ I a gocd bok fur a &ungerite,” in allusion to the passion for portraits exhibited by Jam- Granger, and excited by the publication of his work, the ‘‘ Biographical History of England, adapted to a Methodical Catalogue of Engraved British Heads,” 1769. ... VE RT I S E ME N T. In considering the best mode of re-issuing so popular a work as KAY’S PORTRAIiTt Sh,a s ...

Book 8  p. v
(Score 4.1)

vi AD V ER TI SEMEN T. is one of the late Mr. Archibald Constable), having fallen into the hands of the Publishers, have been added to the Second Volume, together with some notes on the text by Professor Daniel Wilson, author of “Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time.” In the preparation of the present Edition no expense has been spared to obtain the best results as regards the printing of both plates and text. In point, therefore, of completeness and general execution, this Edition will bear favourable comparison with its predecessors. The Publishers have great satisfaction in being enabled to resuscitate this work ; but this, they regret to say, is practicable only to a limited extent, and they have therefore to announce that-the Edition of the engravings now issued must necessarily be the last of Kay’s Original Portraits. EDINBURGNHo,v ember 15, 1877. ... AD V ER TI SEMEN T. is one of the late Mr. Archibald Constable), having fallen into the hands of ...

Book 8  p. vi
(Score 3.5)

A P P E N D I X . AS the greater part of the following Prints, though enumerated in the Catalogue of Kay’s E t c h g s , could not With propriety be introduced into a work of ORIGINALP ORTRAITitS ,h as been deemed proper to attach them to the Collection in the form of an Appendix. They are all, of course, the production of Kay; and some of the Etchings are rather favourable as specimens of his proficiency in the art :- 330, HIS MAJESTYG EORGET HE THIRD. 331. A profile of HISM AJESTYG EORGET HE THIRD. by the artist during a short stay in London in the year 1800. These were executed 332. PAULE MPERORO F RUSSIA. Kay states that this likeness of Paul I. is from an original drawing by a Russian gentleman, who was banished to Siberia for thus having ventured to portray the ugly features of the Imperial Autocrat. 333. MARY QUEENO F SCOTLANwDas done for an edition of Robertson’s History of Scotland. The introduction of this Print of the Scottish Queen affords us the opportunity of mentioning a singular instance of regard to her memory, as displayed by one of her most enthusiastic admirers-the late Mr. James Cumming, of the Lyon Office, the origina,l Secretary of the Society of Scottish Antiquaries. In company with Mr. Alexander Brown, librarian of the Faculty of Advocates, Mr. Andrew Bell, Mr. William Smellie, and his son, after the glass had gone pretty freely round, Curnming burst into an immoderate and hysterical fit of crying. “What the devil is the matter with you now 3” said the elder Mr. Smellie. “ Good - ! ” cried the antiquary, “ it is just this day two hundred years since Mary was beheaded ! ” To the no small amusement of the party (so sincere was his sorrow), it was found impossible to stop his crying, or to divert him from the subject, for a considerable time. 334. JOHKNN OXt, he Scottish Reformer, taken “ from an original painting in the possession of Joseph Williamson, Esq., advocate,” and intended for a frontispiece to Knox’s Works, which was to have been published by subscrip tion by Hugh Inglis. ... P P E N D I X . AS the greater part of the following Prints, though enumerated in the Catalogue of Kay’s E t ...

Book 9  p. 635
(Score 3.24)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 245 Edinburgh, the duties of which office he performed with the utmost fidelity. While holding this situation, the Associate Union was accomplished-a measure in which he greatly rejoiced, and was one of the committee appointed to negotiate the conjunction. Mr. Culbertson is known to the religious world as a writer of considerable merit. He was one of the original editors of the Christian Magazine, of which the following account is given by his biographer, Mr. Duncan of Mid-Calder :- '' Among some brethren who were assisting in the dispensation of the Lord's Supper at Craignailing, in the year 1796, the Evangelical Magazine, then the only religious periodical publication, having become the subject of conversation, the project of setting on foot a work of the same description in Scotland was conceived, discussed, and resolved upon, provided proper and steady coadjutors could be found. With Mr. Culbertson, the Rev. Messrs. Black of Dunfermline, (one of the projectors), Peddie, M'Crie, and Moore, of Edinburgh, Whytock of Dalkeith, and others, were associated as editors ; and under their management, with a respectable body of contributors, that valuable repository of theological and biblical knowledge commenced. After being carried on for seven or eight years, it was left in the hands of Mr. Whytock of Dalkeith and (the late) Dr. RI'Crie. At the close of 1806, one year after the demise of the former, the work was given up by the latter. It was then claimed by Mr. Culbertson, as one of the original editors; and, in 1807, a new series was commenced by him, in conjunction with Mr. Black of Dunfermline, and the writer of this memoir. The Rev. Afr. Simpson, once ministe? at Thurso, who had been brought up under the pastoral care of Mr. Culbertson, having been admitted to the charge of the Associate Congregation, Potterrow, Edinburgh, was assumed next year into the editorship, and constituted chief conductor of the work. To this Magazine Mr. Culbertson contributed largely, both in the old and in the new series. At length, when occupied with his Lectures on the Revelation, he retired, together with Dr, Black, and left the work to the two remaining editors, by whom, with the help of respected brethren, it was carried on till the union of the two great bodies of Seceders, when it was conjoined with the Christian Repository, under the title of the Christian Monitor." The various publications by Mr. Culbertson appeared in the following order:- In 1800, "Hints on the Ordinance of the Gospel Ministry"-an exposure of lay-preaching, and the inconsistency of latitudinarian fellowship. The same year, "A Vindication of the Principles of Seceders on the Head of Communion j " and, in 1808, " The Covenanter's Manual, or a short Illustration of the Scripture Doctrine of Public Vows." Besides two sermons entitled " Consolation to the Church," Mr. Culbertson published, in 1817, "The Pillar of Rachel's Grave, or a Tribute of respect to departed Worth "-a sermon on the death of the Princess Charlotte, and her infant son ; and, in 1820, on the demise of George III., '' The Death and Character of Asa, King of Judah." His chief work-" Lectures, Expository and Practical, on the Book of Revelation ''-was fist published in two volumes, a few years prior to his death. ... SKETCHES. 245 Edinburgh, the duties of which office he performed with the utmost fidelity. While ...

Book 9  p. 326
(Score 2.64)

ECCLESIA S TICAL ANTIQUITIES. themselves to the restoration of the ancient palace of their fathers, would almost seem to imply the forethought of securing a fit retreat for them in the ancient capital of the Stuarts, in case of their being again driven from the English throne. On the north-west pier of the piazza, within the quadrangle of the Palace, the following inscription, in large Roman characters, marks the site of the foundation-stone of the modern works :--FVN BE RO MYLNE MM * IVL * 1671 The chief popular interest which attaches to the Palace arises from its associations with the eventful reign of Queen Mary, and the romance that clings to the name of her unfortunate descendant Prince Charles, though there is a nameless charm about the grey ruins of the Abbey, and the deserted halls of the Palace of our old kings, which no Scotsman can resist. A noble and a doomed race have passed away for ever from these scenes of many a dark iragedy in which they acted or suffered, yet not without leaving memories to haunt the place, and all the more vividly that no fortunate rival intrudes to break the spell. In the accompanying engraving of thk interior of the Chapel, a point of view has been chosen which shows the royal vault, the cloister door behind it, the Roxburgh vault, and the monument of Adam, Bishop of Orkney, attached to one of the pillars-a group including some of the most interesting features of the ruined nave. The royal vault was broken into by the revolutionary mob that spoiled the Chapel Royal in 1688, and it was again raed after the fall of the roof in 1768, in consequence of the folly of those employed to repair it, who loaded it with a covering of huge flagstones, of a weight altogether disproportioned to the strength and age of the walls. On the latter occasion, the head of Queen Magdalene-which, when seen by Arnot in 1766, was entire, and even beautiful -and the skull of Darnley were carried off. The latter having come into the possession of Mr James Cummyng of the Lyon Office, the eccentric secretary of the Society of the Antiquaries of Scotland, his life was rendered miserable thereafter by the persecutions of the shrewdish cicerone of the Chapel, who haunted him like the ghost of the murdered Darnley, and lived on his terrors by constant threats of exposure to the Barons of Exchequer. After his death the skull was traced to the collection of a statuary in Edinburgh, but all clue to it seems now lost. A few old portraits, with sundry relics of the various noble occupants of the Palace in earlier times, form the only other objects of attraction to the curious visitor. Among the pictures in the Duke of Hamilton’s apartments is one of the many questionable portraits of Queen Nary. It claims to be an original, in the dress in which she was executed, though, if the latter statement be true, it goes far to discredit its originality. Another fair lady, dressed as a shepherdess, and described as the work of Vandyke, though probably only a copy, is 8 portrait of Dorothy, Countess of Sutherland-Waller’s SacAurissa. Here, too, are the portraits of two celebrated royal favourites, Jane Shore and Ne11 Gwynne, as the ciceroni of the Palace invariably persist in styling the latter, though in reality a portrait of her frail rival Moll Davies, and bearing a striking resemblance to her engraved portrait. It corresponds also to the latter in having black hair, whereas that of Ne11 was fair; but it is usual to confer the name of Ne11 Gwpne on all portraits of such frail beauties.’ From Ne11 Cfwynne’s will, dated Oct. 18,1687, and preserved at Doctors Commons, it appears that her red name was Margaret Symoott ; EO that the story of her decent from an ancient Welsh family is a spurious invention of courtly peerage writers, for the gratification of her illwtriouS descendadb. 3F ... S TICAL ANTIQUITIES. themselves to the restoration of the ancient palace of their fathers, would almost ...

Book 10  p. 448
(Score 2.61)

by a man named Clark, in the Fleshmarket Close. He had the tact and art to keep his secret profligacy unknown, and was so successful in blinding his fellow-citizens that he continued a highly reputable member of the Town Council until within a short period of the crime for which he was executed, and, according to ?Kay?s Portraits,? it is a siiigular fact, that little more than a month previously he there were committed a series ot startling robberies, and no clue could be had to the perpetrators. Houses and shops were entered, and articles of value vanished as if by magic. In one instance a lady was unable to go to church from indisposition, and was at home alone, when a man entered with crape over his face, and taking her keys, opened her bureau and took away her money, while she re- BAILIE MACMOBRAN?S HOUSE. sat as a juryman in a criminal case in that very court where he himself soon after received sentence of death. For years he had been secretly licentious and dissipated, but it was not until 1786 that he began an actual career of infamous crime, with his fellow-culprit, George Smith, a native of Berkshire, and two others, named Brown and Ainslie. He was in easy circumstances, with a flourishing business, and his conduct in becoming a leader of miscreants seems unaccountable, yet so it was. In and around the city during the winter of 1787 15 mained panic-stricken; but as he retired she thought, ?surely that was Deacon Brodie !? But the idea seemed so utterly inconceivable, that she preserved silence on the subject till subsequent events transpired. As these mysterious outrages continued, all Edinburgh became at last alarmed, and in all of them Brodie was either actively or passively concerned, till he conceived the-to him-fatal idea of robbing the Excise office in Chessel?s CQUI~, an undertaking wholly planned by himself. He visited the office openly with a friend, studied the details of the cashier?s room, and observing the key of the ... a man named Clark, in the Fleshmarket Close. He had the tact and art to keep his secret profligacy unknown, ...

Book 1  p. 113
(Score 2.57)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 139 Penny-post as being a very lucrative business, bringing him in ready money every hour of the day, and employing four men to distribute the letters at four shillings and sixpence weekly each. In his replies Williamson alleges that hi0 income was but trifling ; that his Directory paid him very poorly j and that his wife robbed him of three-fourths of the profit of the post. In corroboration of this state of his finances, he pursued the divorce, as a litigant, on the poors’ roll. It may be added that the opposing party hinted at Peter’s having acquired tippling habits ; but it is impossible to attach any credit to a statement evidently made for the purpose of creating a prejudice in the minds of the judges against him.’ The following notice of his death occurs in a newspaper of the period, 19th January 1799 :- “ At Edinburgh, Mr. Peter Williamson, well known for his various adventures through life. He was kidnapped when a boy at Aberdeen, and sent to America, for which he afterwards recovered damages. He passed a considerable time among the Cherokees, and on his return to Edinburgh amused the public with a description of their manners and customs, and his adventures among them, assuming the dress of one of their chiefs, imitating the war-whoop, etc. He had the merit of first instituting a Penny-post in Edinburgh, for which, when it was assumed by Government, he received a pension. He also was the fist , who published a Directory, so essentially useful in a large city.” From the intimation that he received a pension from Government, we should hope the latter days of this very enterprising and singular person were not embittered by penury. b No. LX. C 0 URT S H I P. THISP rint is probably a fancy piece, yet there are some circumstances connected with it which might induce a different belief. Kay at the time was courting his second wife, to whom he presented a copy of the caricature, which she rejected with displeasure, although, as has been naively remarked, “ she afterwards accepted a more valuable one” in the person of the limner himself. The gentleman with the singularly open countenance does possess in a slight degree the wntour of the artist ; but the ‘( charming creature,” with whom he seems so much captivated, cannot be considered as approaching even to a caricature of the late Mrs. Kay. A friend informs us that the female figure very strongly resembles an old woman who lived at the head of the Canongate. Williamson was very polite. A correapondent mentions “that when a letter waa taken to his house to be delivered by his Penny-post runners, he dWap made a most obsequious bow, adding, ‘ Many thanks to you, Si.’ ” ... SKETCHES. 139 Penny-post as being a very lucrative business, bringing him in ready money every hour ...

Book 8  p. 198
(Score 2.51)

OUTLINE OF ITS GEOLOGY. 151 flanks the eastern side of the Pentland Hills, they have been thrown nearly od edge from Portobello southward by Edmonston, Gilmerton, Loanhead, Penicuik, and Brunston. Some thin bands of limestone with dwarf marine fossils overlie these coals. One of them is welt exposed at the Joppa quarry. Overlying this limestone series there is found a great mass of coarse sandstone and fine conglomerate, often red in colour, and known locally as the Roslin sandstone or Moor-rock. It attains a depth of 340 feet, and is believed to be the equivalent of the millstone grit of the English series. It forms the sides of the romantic ravine of the Fisk between Roslin and Lasswade. Next in order comes the highest section of the Carboniferous system, known as the Coal-Measures. It consists of sandstones, shales, fireclays, and coal-seams, and in the Mid-Lothian basin attains a thickness of 1590 feet. It seems to have been formed under circumstances not unlike those in which the Edgecoal series was laid down, with the exception that the marine limestones were not formed. The swamps were from time to time densely covered with vegetation, which, though generally agreeing with that of the older series, differs considerably in many of its species. These thick matted accumulations of vegetation form now the seams of coal, while the sandy and clayey strata between them represent the sediment laid down upon the submerged forests as each of these was successively carried down beneath the water. At this part of the history we come upon the greatest hiatus in the geological records of the district. A vast series of ages passed away, during which the physical geography of the area of Britain went through many vicissitudes, and the plants and animals alike of land and sea were completely changed. Yet of these events no geological memorial has been preserved at Edinburgh. We know from evidence elsewhere existing that long after our coal-fields were formed some of them were pierced by volcanoes. Those of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Fife suffered in this way. Probably the upper part of Arthur's Seat belongs to that period of volcanic activity. At a far later, though still remote, time, a renewed outburst of the subterranean forces gave rise to the vast basaltic plateaux of Antrim, Mull, Eigg, Skye, and the Faroe IsLnds. When these western vents were still busy pouring out their masses of lava, the country, by some process as yet little understood, came to be cracked across in innumerable places, the fissures having on the whole an east and west trend, and increasing in number toward the volcanic district of Antrim and the Hebrides. Into these fissures the basalt f?om below rose, filling them and forming the long wall-like masses known as diies. Several of these dikes occur at or near Edinburgh.' Some are now concealed by the streets of the city. One ... OF ITS GEOLOGY. 151 flanks the eastern side of the Pentland Hills, they have been thrown nearly od edge ...

Book 11  p. 210
(Score 2.42)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 95 Mr. John Campbell died in 1795. He was succeeded in the precentorship by his son, Mr. Charles Campbell, who held the situation during forty years. He resided in the Canongate, where he long taught a respectable school for writing, arithmetic, and other branches of education. No. CCIV. A MEDLEY OF MUSICIANS. THIS curious Print is one of the artist’s retaliatory pieces. It appears that MR. ALEXANDECRA NPBELLo, ffended at the etching of his brother the precentor, and having some skill in the art of drawing, produced, by way of revenge, a caricature of Kay-in which John Dow was represented as dragging him by the ear to the Town Guard, while Bailie Duff brought up the rear, in the attitude of administering a forcible admonition with his foot. The caricature, although rudely executed, afforded considerable amusement to Mr. Campbell’s friends, among whom it was chiefly circulated. Kay retaliated by producing the “ Medley of Musicians,” in which Mr. Alexander Campbell, then organist in a non-juring chapel, appears with a hand-organ on his back-his brother of the Canongate Church is straining his vocal powers in the centre-Bailie Duff, to the right, is chanting it on the great Highland bagpipe-while behind, MEEK, the blind Irish piper, and the city FISH-HORNB LOWERa,r e lending their “ sweet sounds ” to aid the general harmony. The figure sharping a saw in the background, whose labours may be supposed to afford an excellent counter *or tenor to the deep bass of the two long-eared amateurs, is in allusion to Mr. John Campbell’s former occupation. The scene altogther is not an inapt illustration of the couplet quoted from Hudibras- “ Let puppies bark and asses bray- Each dog and cur will have his day.” The early history of Mr. Alexander Campbell is already partially known from the sketch of his brother. Of a warm and somewhat romantic temper, he was attached to the small body of Jacobites, who still brooded over the fate of the young Chevalier-enthusiastic in his national prepossessions-and passionateIy fond of the music of his country. In addition to vocal music he taught the harpsicord, for which many of the Scottish airs are peculiarly adapted.1 Mr, Campbell was known as a poet and prose writer as well as musician. In Chanders’s Sed. Bwg. Diet. it is stated that “Mr, Campbell was music-master to Sir Walter Scott, with whom, however, he never made any progress, owing, as he used to say, to the total destitution of that great man in the requisite of an ear.” ... SKETCHES. 95 Mr. John Campbell died in 1795. He was succeeded in the precentorship by his son, Mr. ...

Book 9  p. 128
(Score 2.41)

Parliament Close.] ?? THE BEACON.? I81 pied by John Kay, the well-known engraver and caricaturist, whose ?Portraits? of old Edinburgh characters certainly form, with their biographies, perhaps the most unique collection in Europe. During his whole career he occupied the same small print-shop ; the solitary window was filled with his own etchings, which amounted to nearly go0 in pumber. He had originally been a barber, but after 1785 devoted himself solely to the art of etching and miniature painting. He died in 1830, at No. 227, High Street, in his eighty-fourth year. - menced business in the Parliament Close, where, in 1783, he started a new monthly miscellany, named 2% Edinburgh Magazine, illustratec3 with engravings, the principal papers in which were articles on Scottish antiquities, the production ot his own pen. He was also the projector of the Edivbu~g8 iYeraZd, which, however, was soon discontinued. Relinquishing his establishment in the Close about 1792, he devoted himself to a literary life in London j but, after a somewhat chequered career, returned to Edinburgh, where about the year 1636. At their base was an ancient public well. The Edinburgh WeekZy Juurnal for 1821 mentions that a man fell over ?the stairs which lead from the Kirkheugh to the Parliament stairs;? and the sameJoumaC for 1828 states that ?workmen are engaged in taking down the large double tenement in the Cowgate, at the back of the Parliament House, called Henderson?s Stairs, part of which, it will be remembered, fell last summer, and which had been condemned sixty years ago,? in 1768. In 1781 James Sibbald, an eminent bookseller and literary antiquarian, the son of a Roxburgh farmer, who came to Edinburgh with LIOO in his pocket, after being employed in the shop of Elliot the publisher, purchased the old circulating library that had belonged to Allan Ramsay, and cornliament Close, or Square as it was then becoming more generally named, was the scene of an unseemly literary fracas, arising from political hatred and circumstances, by which one life was ultimately lost, and which might have imperilled even that of Sir Walter Scott. A weekly paper, called the Beacon, was established in Edinburgh, the avowed object of which was the support of the then Government, but which devoted its colun~ns the leading Whig nobles and gentlemen of Scotland. This system of personal abuse gave rise to several actions at law, and on the 15th of August a rencontre took place between James Stuart of Dunearn, who conceived his honour and character impugned in an article which he traced to Duncan Stevenson, the printer of the paper, in the Parliament Square. Stuart, with a horsewhip, lashed the latter, who was not slow in retaliating with a stout cane. ?The parties were speedily separated,? says the Scots Magazine for 1816, ?and Mr. Stevenson, in the course of the day, demanded from Mr. Stuart the satisfaction customary in such cases. This was refused by Mr, Stuart, on the ground that, ?as the servile instrument of a partnership of slander,? he was unworthy of receiving the satisfaction of a gentleman. ... Close.] ?? THE BEACON.? I81 pied by John Kay, the well-known engraver and caricaturist, whose ...

Book 1  p. 181
(Score 2.39)

ORIGINAL PORTRAITS, ETC. ETC. No. I. MR. JOHN KAY. CARICATURIST, ENGRAVER, AND MINIATURE PAINTER. DRAWN BY HIMSELF, 1786. THE following sketch of the life of John Eay was written by himself, with the view, it is believed, of being prefixed to a collection of his works which he had projected :- "JOHNK AY, the author of these Prints, was born in April 1742, in a small house a little south from Dalkeith, commonly called Gibraltar. His father, Mr, John Kay, was a mason in Dalkeith, as well as his two paternal uncles, James and Norman Kay. His mother, Helen Alexander, was heiress to many tenements in Edinburgh and Canongate, out of which she was tricked by the circumvention of some of her own relations. " She had still so much confidence in those relations, however, that upon the death of her husband in 1748, she boarded her only son John, then only six years of age, with one of them, who used him extremely ill, and not only neglected but beat and starved him. While he lived with these savages in Leith, he ran various risks of his life from accidents without doors, as well as from bad usage within ; and there is every reason to believe that they really wished his death, and took every method to accomplish it except downright murder. On one occasion he was blown into the sea from the Ferry-boat Stairs, and on another he fell into the water on stepping across the joists below the Wooden Pier, but recovered himself both times, by grasping the steps on the one occasion, and the joists on the other. But he ran a still greater risk of drowning upon a third occasion, when, happening to be seated on the side of a ship in the harbour, he was accidentally pushed overboard, and being taken up for dead, remained in that condition for some time, till one of the sailors, anxious to see him, in his hurry trampled upon his belly, which immediately excited a groan, B ... PORTRAITS, ETC. ETC. No. I. MR. JOHN KAY. CARICATURIST, ENGRAVER, AND MINIATURE PAINTER. DRAWN BY ...

Book 8  p. 1
(Score 2.39)

202 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. Nary, the Scottish Parliaments and the College of Justice assembled there, until their sitting were transferred to the fine hallwhich still remains in Parliament Square, though so strangely disguised externally by its modern facing. On the desertion of the New Tolbooth by the Scottish Estates and Courts of Law, it was exclusivly devoted to the deliberations of the civic counsellors, until the erection of the Royal Exchange provided enlarged accommodation for the Council. The Laigh Hall, where Assemblies both of the Kirk and Estates had often been held, was a large and handsome room. Its ceiling was beautifullywrought in various panels, with rich pendants from their centres, and finished with emblazonry and gilding. On its demolition some interesting and valuable relics of early decorations were brought to light. The walls had been originally panelled with oak, and when at a later period this came to be regarded as old-fashioned and inelegant, the antique panelling was concealed, without removal, behind a modern coating of lath and plaster. There is reason to believe that the compartments of the walls when first completed had been filled with a series of portraits, but unfortunately, little attention was paid to the old building at the period of its destruction, and we are only aware of one of the paintings that has been preserved. There is much probability in favour of this being an original portrait of the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise. It is well painted on an oak panel, and in fine condition, and was at -first believed to represent Queen Anne, the consort of James VI., having been almost completely obscured by smoke and dirt at the time of its discovery. It was then thought that it must have been accompanied by a portrait of .James ; and it is e xceedingly probable that others of equal value to the one thus accidentally preserved may have been thrown aside and destroyed with the discarded panelling. This curious portrait is now in the possession of Alexander Mackay, Esq. of Blackcastle. It represents the Queen in a high-bordered lace cap and ruff, such as both she and her daughter are usually painted with. The details of the lacework are elaborately rendered, and the expression of countenance is dignified and very pleasing. On the painting being cleaned, an ingenious monogram was brought to light, burned into the back of the panel, composing the word MARIA, and leaving, we think, little doubt of the genuineness of the portrait, which was thus found by accident, and has passed through no picture-dealer’s hands. To this ancient building belong many of the later historical associations that have been referred by some of our local historians to its predecessor. It was from one of its windows that the affrighted monarch James VI. attempted in vain to appease the enraged citizens in 1596, when, “had they not been restrained by that worthy citizen, John Watt, the deacon-convener,-who at this dangerous juncture assembled the crafts,-they would undoubtedly have forced the door, and probably have destroyed the King and all that were with him.” The whole tumult appears to have resulted in mutual distrust, which was taken advantage of by some designing meddlers to set the Court and citizens at variance. The Kirk and King were at the time nearly at open strife, and Mr Robert Bruce was preaching to a select audience in St Giles’s Church, preparatory to framing “ certain articles for redresse of the wrongs done to the Kirk,” while the King was Bitting in the neighbouring Tolbooth, “ in the seate of Justice, among the Lords of the Sessioun,” seemingly thinking of nothing less than the granting of any such requests. While the Commissioners went to the Tolbooth to make their wishes known to the King, “Mr Maitland, p. 48. ... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. Nary, the Scottish Parliaments and the College of Justice assembled there, until their ...

Book 10  p. 221
(Score 2.34)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 5 Failing, however, in every attempt to provoke the hostility of Government, and thinking, in his despair of success, that if he could once again get within the walls of a jail, it would be at any rate something gained, and that his incarceration might lead to the result he was so desirous of obtaining, he fell on the ingenious expedient of running in debt to his landlady, whom, by a threat of non-payment, he induced to incarcerate him. This delightful consummation accordingly took place, and the Laird was made happy by having so far got, as he imagined, on the road to martyrdom. It was a very easy matter to get the Laird into jail, but it was by no means so easy a one to get him out again. Indeed, it was found next to impossible. No entreaties would prevail upon him to quit it, even after the debt for which he was imprisoned was paid. There he insisted on remaining until he should be regularly brought to trial for high treason. At last a stratagem was resorted to, to induce him to remove. One morning two soldiers of the Town Guard appeared in his apartment in the prison, and informed him that they had come to escort him to the Justiciaryqourt, where the Judges were assembled, and waiting for his presence, that they might proceed with his trial for high treason. Overjoyed with the delightful intelligence, the Laird instantly accompanied the soldiers down stairs, when the latter having got him fairly outside of the jail, locked the door to prevent his re-entering, and deliberately walked off, leaving the amazed and disappointed candidate for a halter to reflect on the slippery trick that had just been played him. The Laird, after this, having, it would seem, abandoned all hope of being hanged, betook himself to an amusement which continued to divert him during the remainder of his life. This was carving in wood, for which he had a talent, the heads of public personages, or of any others who became special objects of his dislike, and in some cases, of those, too, for whom he entertained a directly oppdsite feeling; thus, amongst his collection were those of the Pretender, and several of his most noted adherents. These little figures he stuck on the end of a staff or cane, which, as he walked about, he held up to public view. His enemies, or such as he believed to be such, were always done in a style of the most ridiculous caricature. The Laird exhibited a new figure every day of the year, and as this was expected of him, the question, “ Wha hae ye up the day, Laird ? ” was frequently put to him, when he would readily give every information on the subject required. When the Print to which this notice refers was first exhibited, the Laird retaliated by mounting a caricature likeness of the limner on his staff; and when asked for the usual information demanded in such cases, “ Don’t you see it’s the barber 1 ” he would reply ; “ and wasn’t it a wise thing of him when drawing twa daft men, to put a sodger between them?” On another occasion, meeting the Honourable Henry Erskine one day as he was about to enter the Parliament House, of which the Laird was a great frequenter, the former inquired how he did : ‘‘ Oh, very wee1 ! ” answered the Laird ; but I’ll tell ye what, Harry, tak’ in Justice wi’ ye,” pointing to one of the statues over the old . ... SKETCHES. 5 Failing, however, in every attempt to provoke the hostility of Government, and thinking, ...

Book 8  p. 6
(Score 2.34)

1 sa E I OG RAP H I GAL SI< ET C H ES. family resided during summer. Being a keen amateur horticulturist, he kept a gardener at Liberton ; and his garden, long known for the superior collection which it contained, was much frequented. Mr. Williamson died at Edinburgh on the 15th February 1823, in the seventy-fourth year of his age, and was buried at Newbattle. He was twice married, and by his first wife had two sons and a daughter. His second wife was a sister of the late Mr. Peacock of Stenhouse, from whom he held the house and ground at Liberton on very advantageous terms.’ His eldest son, David, was a writer to the Signet ; and James, a writer and messenger. No. CCXIII. AIR. FRANCIS BRAIDWOOD, CABINET-MAKER. THIS caricature of a respectable citizen was meant to satirise his somewhat extravagant and fastidious taste in matters of dress and fashion. According to Kay’s notes, he ‘‘ was among the first of the bucks who appeared with shoestrings instead of buckles.”’ In the Print it will be observed that these appendages are prominently displayed, especially on the “ cloots ” of one of the ‘‘ fellow bucks,” with whom the artist has thought proper to confront him, The engraving originally bore the inscription-“ I say, don’t laugh, for we are brothers.” Although by no means a fop, in the common meaning of the term, Mr. Braidwood was not insensible to the advantages he possessed in a tall, athletic frame, and commanding appearance ; but, much as the caricature was calculated to wound his feelings, he displayed his good sense by taking no other notice of it than to join heartily in the laugh which it produced. The father of Mr. Braidwood (7vVilliam) was a candlemaker at the head of the West Bow ; and so strictly Presbyterian and religious, that he obtained the soubripwt of the Bowhead Saint. In burlesque of his uncommon zeal, it is told that he once caused a bird, with its cage, to be placed in the City Guard for profaning the Sabbath by whistling “O’er the water to Charlie.” The real Williamson held the ground for about 20s. an acre ; and his brother-in-law became bound to reimburse him for any ameliorations or improvements he might make on the property. On the strength of this agreement, Williamson made out a claim for .€900, which Nr. Peacock refused to pay. On the demise of Mr. Williamson, his heirs carried the matter before the Sheriff, when a remit was made, and professional men appointed to inspect and report upon the extent and benefit of the improvements. His adoption of shoestrings, we believe, did not altogether arise from a desire to be at the top of the ton. Eaving for some time been much annoyed by an injury on the rise of his foot-upon which the buckle immediately pressed-he found great relief on abandoning the old fashion. The claim waa subsequently reduced to B O O . ... sa E I OG RAP H I GAL SI< ET C H ES. family resided during summer. Being a keen amateur horticulturist, he ...

Book 9  p. 163
(Score 2.33)

,314 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. and an Advocate-depute. In 1789 he was appointed Solicitor-General for Scotland; and in 1801 was unanimously elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates.' No. CXXVIII. ROBERT BLAIR, ESQ., SOLICITOR-GENERAL THIS Print of MR. BLAIR was done in 1799, and represents him nearly in a similar position to the former. It seems to have been executed with the view of completing a series of Portraits of those gentlemen who filled the bench at the close of last century. On the change of ministry which took place in 1806, Mr. Blair was removed from the solicitorship ; on which event he received a polite apology from the new minister, stating the necessity he was under of promoting his own party. This communication-no doubt dictated by good feeling-was perfectly unnecessary, in so far as the feelings of the ex-solicitor were concerned. Then, as now, a change in the crown officers invariably succeeded a change in the cabinet. The friends of either party were therefore prepared to rise or fall as the scale preponderated. Far from being out of temper with this turn of the political wheel, Mr. Blair showed his magnanimity by proffering to his successor-John Clerk, afterwards Lord Eldin-the use of his gown, until the latter should get one prepared for himself. On the return of his friends to power next year, Mr. Blair was offered the restoration of his former honour ; but he declined not only this, but also the higher office of Lord Advocate. In 1808, on the resignation of Sir Ilay Campbell, he was raised to the Presidency of the College of Justice-a choice which gave satisfaction to all parties. During the short period that his lordship discharged the duties of this high trust, his conduct as a judge realised the expectations formed from a knowledge of his abilities at the bar. In his character were not only blended those native qualities of mind which, aided by the acquirements of studyl combine to constitute superior talent, but he brought with him to the bench that " innate love of justice and abhorrence of iniquity, without which, as he himself emphati- , cally declared, when he took the chair of the Court, all other qualities avail nothing, or rather are worse than nothing." ' His election of Dean was without a single dissentient voice, save that of Mr. Wilde, who cried out-"Hav Enkine for ever ! " When the intelligence was communicated to Mr. Blair, his own words were-"Nothing gives me more pleasure than the fact that thove opposed to me in politics were the first to vote in my favour. ' ... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. and an Advocate-depute. In 1789 he was appointed Solicitor-General for Scotland; and ...

Book 8  p. 440
(Score 2.27)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 99 was said she afterwards formed a “ mesal2knce” with John (commonly called Jack) Fortune, a surgeon, who went abroad (brother of Matthew Fortune, who kept the Tontine, Princes Street)-both sons of old Fortune who kept the noted tavern in the High Street, the resort of the higher ranks in Scotland fifty years ago ;’ but Mrs. Fortune was a younger sister. Sir Hew’s family originally consisted of fifteen, several of whom died when young. The eldest daughter, Miss Mary, was married in 1775 to General Fletcher of Saltoun (then Campbell of Boquhan), and afterwards to Colonel John Hamilton of Bardowie, in Stirlingshire; and the second, Lucken, was married to General Gordon Cuming of Pitlurg, Aberdeenshire, by whom she had ten children. Mr. Kay mentions that the publication of this Print created great excitement at the time (1784), and was the cause of several articles being written pro and con in the periodicals of the day. Captain Crawford (brother to the lady) was very much irritated, and threatened to cudgel the limner, at the same time “ daring him at his peril to pencil any lady ever after.” As might have been expected, this threat had a very contrary effect-being immediately followed by an alteration of the Plate, making the head-dress of Miss Crawford a little more ridiculous, and also by the caricature of ‘‘ RETALIATIO;N O R THE CUDGELLER CAUGHT.” RETALIATION ; OR THE CUDGELLER CAUGHT, REPRESENTthSe gallant and high-minded Captain Crawford, who was then young, in the hands of a brawny porter, while his sister and her companion, Miss Hay of Montblairy, who then resided with her mother in Haddington’s Entry, Canongate, are lustily calling out for help. This caricature, however, is supposed to have been merely a flight of fancy, without any foundation in fact. Captain Crawford, afterwards Sir Hew, was a very handsome man. He married a Miss Johnston, of the county of Leitrim in Ireland, by whom he had two sons and three daughters. “On the 10th of October 1775, a wager w8s determined at Fortune’a tavern, Edinburgh, on the quality of the beef of two bullocks-one fed by the Duke of Buccleuch, the other by John Lumsdaine of Blanairn, Esq. A sirloin of each waa roasted ; and it took two men to carry each to the table. The wager was determined in favour of the Duke. Besides his Grace and Mr. Lumsdaine, there were a goodly number of other iioblemen, gentlemen, clergy, etc., at dinner-twenty-one in number--aZZ dressed in the nzanufactures of Scotland.” The Duke of Bucclench is well known to have been “ a great encourager of Scotch manufactures,” which were at that time in their infancy.-The Earl of Hopetoun, as Commissioner to the General kssembly, used to hold state in Fortune’s tavern ; and on election occasions the Scottish Peers frequently terminated the proceedings of the day by dining there. The premises were at an earlier period the town residence of the Earls of Eglinton. ... SKETCHES. 99 was said she afterwards formed a “ mesal2knce” with John (commonly called Jack) ...

Book 8  p. 145
(Score 2.21)

ORIGINAL PORTRAITS, ETC. ,ETC. No. CLXXI. MR. JOHN DOWIE, VINTNER, LIBBERTON’S WND. “ JOHNNIED OWIE’TSa vern” was a place of old standing, and particularly celebrated for the excellence of its ale, ‘‘ Nor’ Loch trouts, and Welsh rabbits.” It was situated in a narrow alley (called Libberton’s Wynd) running between the Lawnmarket and Cowgate, which has lately been demolished to make way for George the Fourth Bridge. The tavern, both as to internal and external appearance, wore an unpromising aspect. The principal room, which looked to the Wynd, was capable of containing about fourteen persons, but all the others were so small, that not above six could be stowed into each, and so dingy and dark that, even in broad day, they had to be lighted up by artiticial means. Yet, in this unseemly place of entertainment, many of the respectable citizens, and several remarkable persons of last century, were in the habit of meeting nightly, and found in it no ordinary degree of social comfort and amusement. Fergusson the poet was amongst its most early frequenters. Herd, the collector of Scottish songs-Paton, the antiquary (who has been formerly noticed)-Cummyng, of the Lyon Office-Hunter of Blackness-Anthony Woodhead,l solicitor-at-law-George Martin, writer -and many other wellknown Edinburgh characters,:were its ordinary visitors. Dowie’s Tavern is also known as having been the favourite resort of Burns during his sojourn of six months in Edinburgh, where, with Nicol of the High School, and Allan Masterton- the Willie and Allan of his well-known Bacchanalian song-he held many a social meeting. What contributed in no small degree to the popularity of “Johnnie Dowie’s Anthony on one occasion introduced no less than six French harpluyes-8 into Johnnie’s hrgest apartment, in order to amuse, as he mid, the company with “ an iwtrumental wncert.’’ We need scarcely add that the music was of the most overpowering description. VOL IL B ... PORTRAITS, ETC. ,ETC. No. CLXXI. MR. JOHN DOWIE, VINTNER, LIBBERTON’S WND. “ JOHNNIED OWIE’TSa ...

Book 9  p. 1
(Score 2.18)

ST. MARGARET?S CONVENT. 45 White House Loan. rare and valuable portraits, including some of the Stuart family, and one of Cardinal Beaton, on the Vhite House, was returned as heir to his father, James Chrystie, of that place, in the parish of St. Cuthbert?s. But in the early part of the last century it had passed to a family named Davidson, as shown by the Valuation Roll in 1726. In 1767 it was the residence of MacLeod of MacLeod, when his daughter was married to Colonel Pringle of Stitchell, M.P.; and in this mansion it has been said Principal Robertson wrote his ?History of Charles the Fifth.? Here also, April, 1820, John Home wrote his Dr. Blair his ?? Lectures.? ?? We give this interesting information,? says the editor, ?on the authority of a very near relation of Dr. Blair, to whom these particulars were often related by the Doctor with great interest.? .the first Catholic convents erected in Scotland since the Reformation-a house of Ursulines of Jesus, and dedicated to St. Margaret, Queen of Scots, having a very fine Saxon chapel, the chef dEuvre of Gillespie Graham. It was opened in Jme that year, according to the Edinburgh Ohme-, a now extinct journal, and the inaugural Douglas,? and I On this edifice was engrafted, in 1835, one of? et Regent du Royaume a?Ecosse, CaPlIilld et Legat a iaterc, fut massacri pour la foy en 1546.? It is believed to be a copy by Chambers from the original at St. Mary?s College, Blairs. The most of the nuns were at first French, under a Madame St. Hilaire. On the same side of the Loan are the gates to the old mansion of the Warrenders of Lochend, called Bruntsfield or Warrender House, the an- I cestral seat of a family which got it as a free gift from the magistrates, and which has been long connected with the civil history and municipal affairs of the city-a massive, ancient, and dark edifice, with small windows and crowstepped THE GRANGE CEMETERY. ... MARGARET?S CONVENT. 45 White House Loan. rare and valuable portraits, including some of the Stuart family, ...

Book 5  p. 45
(Score 2.17)

VERTICAL SECTION~HOWINTHGE SUCCESSION OF GEOLOGICAFLO RMATIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOFO EDD INBURGH. f ! U1 r Millstone Grit Carboniferous Limestone Series. I Red Sandstone Group P 2 6 5. B 8 cl c ........................ I HardGreywackes and Shales of Lammermuir Hills. \ g Red and Grey Sandstone! and Conglomerates of ii( [A Pcntkod Hills $4 ........................ I Relation of Upper to Lower Silurian not seen. Shales, Mudstones, and Grit-bands of Pentland Hills Raised beach. Volcanic Rock :s. ... SECTION~HOWINTHGE SUCCESSION OF GEOLOGICAFLO RMATIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOFO EDD INBURGH. f ! U1 ...

Book 11  p. 203
(Score 2.13)

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