Edinburgh Bookshelf

Edinburgh Bookshelf

Search

Index for “france”

Restalrig. ] THE MARIONVILLE TRAGEDY. 141
lution, and brought him to the ground by a mortal
wound. As usual on such occasions, Consternation
and distress reigned supreme j the passionate
Macrae was sincerely afflicted, and it was with
difficulty that Sir William Maxwell could prevail
A very unfavourable view was taken of Macrae?s
conduct. It was alleged that for some time before
the duel he was wont to practise at a barber?s block
in the garden at Marionville, and that he had
pistols of a peculiar and very deadly character;
CRAIGANTINNIE HOUSE.
upon him to quit the field. Sir George lingered
for two days, when he expired.
Macrae?s days of pleasure at Marionville were
ended for ever. He fled to France, and for a
time took up his residence at the H8tel de la
Dauphine, in Pans. The event created a great
sensation in Edinburgh society. Macrae left behind
him a son and daughter. As Sir George Ramsay
was childless, the baronetcy went to his brother
William
both of which were vulgar rumours, as he was
without such weapons, and those used in the duel
were a clumsy old brass-mounted pair that belonged
to Captain Amory, who bore testimony that Macrae,
as they journeyed together to the land of exile,
never ceased to bewail the fate of his friend, and
that he took so obstinate a view of the valet?s
case.
Macrae and Amory reached France ; a summons
was issued for the trial of the former, but as he

... pleasure at Marionville were ended for ever. He fled to France , and for a time took up his residence at the ...

Book 5 p. 141
(Score 1.93)

182 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
a sum of money for the purposes of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh.
Dr. Walker was succeeded in the Chair of Natural History by the eminent
Professor Jameson, who was his pupil, and afterwards his assistant.
No. CCXXXIII.
BI. DE LATOUR,
PAINTER TO THE KING OF FRANCE, MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY
OF PAINTING AT PARIS, etc.
M. DE LATOURa,n eminent French painter, who died at St. Quentin, the place
of his nativity, in 1789, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, was remarkable,
even in boyhood, for his efforts with the pencil j and the caricatures of the pedagogue,
at whose seminary he acquired the rudiments of learning, frequently prgcured
for him the reward of the birch.
After attending the instructions of a drawing-master, under whom he made
great progress, he improved himself by a journey to the Netherlands, where he
had an opportunity of studying the productions of the Flemish school. Cambray
happened to be at that time the seat of a negotiation, where the representatives
of the various powers interested were assembled. Portraits of several
of the ministers having been successfully painted by young Latour, the English
Ambassador prevailed on him to accompany him to London, where he received
the most flattering encouragement.
On his return to France, an extreme irritability of the nervous system forbidding
him the use of oil-colours, he was obliged to confine himself to crayons,
a mode of painting to which it is difficult to give any degree of force. The
obstacles he had hence to encounter served but to animate his zeal ; and he
sought every means of perfecting his art, by the constant study of design.
Admitted into the Royal Academy of Painting at the age of thirty-three, it
was not long before he was called to Court. His free and independent spirit,
however, led him to refuse what most as eagerly covet. At length he submitted
to the Monarch’s commands. The place in which Louis XV. chose to sit for
his picture was a tower surrounded with windows. (‘What am I to do in this
lantern ?” said Latour : (( painting requires a single passage for the light.” (‘ I
have chosen this retired place,” answered the king, (‘ that we may not be interrupted.’’
‘( I did not know, Sire,” replied the painter, ‘‘ that a king of France
was not master of his own house.”
Louis XV. was much amused with the salliea of Latour, who sometimes
carried them pretty far, as may be conceived from the following anecdote:
Being sent for to Versailles, to paint the portrait of Madame de Pompadour,

... CCXXXIII. BI. DE LATOUR, PAINTER TO THE KING OF FRANCE , MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF PAINTING AT ...

Book 9 p. 243
(Score 1.77)

I00 QUEENSFERRY TO MUSSELBURGH.
one called the Block House, and it was here that the fiercest assaults and
heaviest carnage then took place. In vain did the besiegers endeavour to
force an entrance. Daring deeds of noblest valour were then performed;
greatest efforts of loftiest courage, both individually and collectively, were
there put forth j but to no purpose. Mary and her French soldiers remained
safe within the strong arms of that impregnable rampart, and the reformers
had only the sad mortification of seeing their best and their brightest fall by
the hands of foreign mercenaries, comparatively secure behind its massive
strength.
' The flankers then, in murdering holes that lay,
Went off and slew, God knows, stout men enow ;
The harquebuse afore had made foul playe,
But it behoved our men for to go throwe,
And so men sought their deaths, they knew not how.
From such a sight, swate God, my friends defend,
For out of paine did dyvers find theyr end,'
Hardly a vestige of these fortifications are now visible, although, in making
excavations, evident traces of the former- military character of. the town are
occasionally found. Perhaps we should add that the site of the citadel is
still preserved by a place of that name adjacent to, and principally occupied
by, the North Leith Station of the North British Railway, with the principal
entrance thereto, an arched way of great strength, with a little bit of the wall
attached.
Time rolls on, bringing with him in his irresistible march his own great
changes. The queen-mother dies, and Mary, who by this time is a widow,
. has come over from that beautiful country she loved so well,' to take the
reins of government into her own hands. The day on which she anived
seems to have been unexceptionally dull and heavy. Knox, in describing it,
1 'Adieu, plaisant pays de France,
0 ma patrie I
La plus chCrie
Qui as nourri ma jeune enfance?
Adieu, France 1 Adieu, mes beaux jours,
La nef qui de joint mes amours
Na ey de moi qui la mortie
Une parte te resti ; elle est la tienne
Je la tie ton amitie,
Pour que de I'autre il la souvienne.'
These beautiful lines were written by Mary on leaving France, and show how dearly she
loved the land she was parting from-for ever 1

... dull and heavy. Knox, in describing it, 1 'Adieu, plaisant pays de France , 0 ma patrie I La plus ...

Book 11 p. 153
(Score 1.74)

198 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
The DUO DANGOULEME, eldest son of Charles-X, was born in 1775,
He accompanied his father, then Count d‘Artois, to this country in 1796 ; and
resided with him for several years at the Palace of Holyrood. The Print, executed
in 1797, affords a fair likeness of the young Duc d’hgouleme. Small
as his figure is, in contrast with Colonel Aytoun’s, it is considered even too stout
by those who recollect him at that early period. In height he was not above
five feet four, extremely slender in figure, and of a quiet, easy manner ; presenting
a strong contrast to his brother, the Duc de Berri, who, in the words of an old
inhabitant of the Abbey-Hill, was a ‘‘ stout, count y-looking, curly-headed, stirring
boy.”
The marriage of the Duc d‘Angouleme, in 1799, to his cousin, the only
daughter of the ill-fahd Louis XVI., was celebrated in Courland, once an independent
duchy, but since 1795 attached to Russia. The Duke and Duchess
sojurned for some time afterwards in Sweden, where they were visited by thr
Count d‘tlrtois in 1804. During the war with Napoleon they continued in
active concert with the Allies, and endeavoured, by every possible means, to
create a reaction of popular feeling in France. The Duke himself was by no
means well qualified, either physically or mentally, to act in extraordinary
times ; but he found an able substitute in the Duchess, whose talents, activity,
and spirit, elicited the well-known remark of Napoleon, that she was “ the only
man in the family !”
With the exception of entering France at the head of the British army, in
18 14-appearing publicly at Bordeaux, to rouse the loyalty of the inhabitantsand
bravely continuing in arms after the landing of Napoleon at Frejus on the
20th of March 18 15, the Duc d’dngouleme took no prominent part in the eventful
circumstances which led to the re-establishment of his family on the throne
of France. Devoutly sincere in his religious principles, but of an inactive and
unambitious temper, he seldom intermeddled with politics during his father’s
reign ; and when the events of the Three Days compelled Charles to abdicate,
he waived his rights in favour of his nephew, the young Duc de Bordeaux.
On quitting the shores of France, Charles X., then in his seventy-third
year, appears to have at once contemplated returning to the Palace of Holyrood-
the scene-of his former exile, and where he had experienced many years
of comparative happiness.’ With this view, he applied to the British Government,
which granted the permission solicited ; and after a short residence in England,
he arrived at Edinburgh on the 20th of October 1830. He and his suite,
including the young Duc de Bordeaux and the Duc de Polignac, were conveyed
from Poole in an Admiralty yacht: and landed at Newhaven. The ex-king
not having been expected for several days, there were few people on the beach.
The Count d’Artois, even when King of France, stii remembered with gratitude the kindness
he experienced while resident in Edinburgh. This WRBBsh own in many acts of peculiar favour to
Scotsmen; rind particularly by his munificent donation for behoof of those who suffered by the
great fire in 1824.
The yacht wtu commanded by Lieut. Eyton, who received from the King a handsome gold
SnufT-box, inscribed-“Given by Charles X. to Lieut. Eyton, R.N., 1830.”

... means, to create a reaction of popular feeling in France . The Duke himself was by no means well qualified, ...

Book 9 p. 267
(Score 1.72)

OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Corstrophinc
- ~- I
CRAIGCROOK IN THE PRESENT DAY.
than doubled all the specie circulating in France,
when it was hoarded up, or sent out of the country.
Thus severe edicts were published, threatening with
dire punishment all who were in possession of Azo
of specie-edicts that increased the embarrassments
of the nation. Cash payments were stopped at the
bank, and its notes were declared to be of no value
after the 1st November, 1720. Law?s influence was
lost, his life in danger from hordes of beggared and
infuriated people. He fled from the scenes of his
splendour and disgrace, and after wandering through
various countries, died in poverty at Venice on the
zist of March, 1729. Protected by the Duchess of
Bourbon, William, a brother of the luckless comptroller,
born in Lauriston Castle, became in time a
Mardchal de Camp in France, where his descendants
have acquitted themselves with honour in
many departments of the State.
C H A P T E R XI.
CORSTORPHINE.
hrstorphine-Suppd Origin of the Name-The Hill-James VI. hunting there-The Cross-The Spa-The Dicks of Braid and Corstorphine--?
Corstorpliine Cream?-Convalt.scent House-A Wraith-The Original Chapel-The Collegiate Church-Its Provosts-Its Old
Tombs-The Castle and Loch of Corstorphine-The Forrester Family.
CORSTORPHINE, with its hill, village, and ancient
church, is one of the most interesting districts of
Edinburgh, to which it is now nearly joined by lines
of villas and gas lamps. Anciently it was called
Crosstorphyn, and the name has proved a puzzle to
antiquarians, who have had sonie strange theories
on the subject of its origin.
By some it is thought to have obtained its name
from the circumstance of a golden cross-Croix
d?orjn-having been presented to the church by
a French noble, and hence Corstorphine; and
an obscure tradition of some such cross did once
exist. According to others, the name signified
?? the milk-house under the hill,?? a wild idea in

... PRESENT DAY. than doubled all the specie circulating in France , when it was hoarded up, or sent out of the ...

Book 5 p. 112
(Score 1.64)

60 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
under the influence of Henry 11. of France, assembled a considerable force at Kelso, and
sought, by all means, to persuade the nobility to unite with her in invading England.
But though the Borderers availed themselves, with their usual alacrity, of the first
symptoms of hostilities, to make a raid across the marches, the general sense of the
nobility was strongly opposed to thus rashly plunging into war, without any just cause ;
and so resolute were they against it, that the Queen Regent, after various ineffeciual
attempts to precipitate hostilities, was compelled to dismiss the army, and abandon all
further attempts at co-operation with France.’
From this occurrence may he dated the true rise of those divisions in this country
which alienated from the Queen Regent the Scottish party, on which she had most
depended, and ultimately led to the war of the Reformation ; and from this time forward
the ecclesiastical is intimately blended with the civil history of the country, mainly
influencing every important occurrence,
The continuation of war between France and Spain at this period, induced the French
Monarch to seek to hasten on the proposed alliance between the Dauphin and the Queen
of Scots, to which the Queen ,Regent lent all her influence. A Parliament accordingly
assembled at Edinburgh on the 14th of December 1557, before which a letter was laid
from the King of France, proposing khat the intended marriage should be carried into
effect without delay. Jamea Stewart, prior of St Andrews, afterwards the Regent Murray,
and others of the leaders of the Protestant party, were chosen by the Parliament as Commissioners,
empowered to give their assent to the marriage, on receiving ample security
for the preservation of the ancient laws and liberty of the kingdom. They accordingly
proceeded to Paris, and there, on the 24th of April 1558, were witnesses of the marriage,
which was solemnised with the utmost pomp and magnificence in the Cathedral of Notre
Dame.
Another Parliament was summoned immediately ob their return, and accordingly
assembled at Edinburgh in the beginning of December. It ratified the transactions of
the Commissioners, and agreed, at the same time, to confer on the Dauphin the Crown of
Scotland during the continuance of the marriage.
As the reformed opinions spread among the people, they manifested their zeal by
destroying images, and breaking down the carved work of the monasteries and churches.
It was the custom at this period for the clergy of Edinburgh to walk annually in grand
procession, on the.first of September, the anniversary of St Giles, the patron saint of the
town ; but in the year 1558, before the arrival of St Giles’s day, the mob contrived to
get into the church, and carrying off the image of the saint, which was usually borne in
procession on such occasions, they threw it into the North Loch-the favourite place for
ducking all offenders against the seventh commandment-and thereafter committed it to
the flames.’ The utmost confusion prevailed on its being discovered to be amissing.
The bishops sent orders to the Provost and Magistrates either to get the old St Giles, or
to furnish another at their own expense ; but this they declined to do, notwithstanding
the threats and denunciations of the clergy, alleging the authority of Scripture for the
destruction of I‘ idols and images.’’
Bishop Leslie’s Hint., pp. 260, 261. Calderwood’s Hist., vol. i. p. 344.

... OF EDINBURGH. under the influence of Henry 11. of France , assembled a considerable force at Kelso, ...

Book 10 p. 65
(Score 1.64)

76 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
plantation, which added materially to the shelter and fertility of the land, as
well as to the amenity of the place.
Catherine Home was married to a near Berwickshire neighbour, Robert
Johnston, Esq. of Hilton, then a captain in the 39th Regiment of Infantry, who
served in Gibraltar during the noted siege, and afterwards, with much credit,
during the last war with France, as Lieut.-Colonel of the Berwickshire Light
Dragoons-a well-disciplined, provincial corps, raised towards our defence against
French invasion and Irish insurrection. Of this marriage there survived two
daughters, Margaret and Catherine Johnston. An elder daughter, Agnes, was
married to the Rev. Alexander Scott, a cadet of the distinguished house of Scott
of Harden, and rector of Egemont, and then of Bowtel, in Cumberland. She
died, leaving issue two sons, Francis, a Lieutenant in the royal navy, and the
Rev. Robert Scott, fellow of one of the Colleges, Cambridge.
Agnes Home was of a more delicate constitution than her sister, and died at
her brother David's house in Edinburgh, unmarried, on 9th March 1808.
No. CXCVI.
MR. WILLIAM GRINLY,
BROKER AND AUCTIONEER.
THE Royal Leith Volunteers, of which corps this gentleman was Quartermaster,
were embodied in 17 9 5, and received their colours on the 26th September of that
year. The regiment was drawn up on the Links-a detachment of the Royal
Edinburgh Volunteers being present to keep the ground-when shortly after
one o'clock the Lord-Lieutenant, attended by some of the Deputy-Lieutenants,
arrived on the field, and presented the colours to Captain Bruce,' the Commandant,
who delivered them to two ensigns. The ceremony concluded with a
prayer by the chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Macknight.
Mr. Grinly was originally a merchant and shipowner at Borrowstounness,
the place of his nativity, where his father and brothers were respectable shipmasters.
In early life he had frequently gone supercargo to Holland, France,
Spain, Russia, and America, and was no stranger to the vicissitudes of a seafaring
life, having been twice captured by privateers, and as often shipwrecked.
The Isabella, a fine new ship, homeward bound, with a,valuable cargo, was one
of the vessels taken by the enemy. The ship's company, after being robbed,
were put on shore, and Mr. Grinly was stripped of everything but his watch.
One of the cases of shipwreck occurred in a storm off the coast of France, when
the crew narrowly escaped with their lives, and the ship and cargo were totally
Brother of the late Mr. Bivce of Kennett, whose father, Loid Kennett, waa one of the Senators
of the College of Justice.

... afterwards, with much credit, during the last war with France , as Lieut.-Colonel of the Berwickshire ...

Book 9 p. 100
(Score 1.61)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 251
thus remind you of your duty, and of your responsibility, without at the eame time being
reminded of my own; and I am not vain enough to think that such responsibility is less
necessary for me than for you. Perhaps the higher the office, and the greater the power, it is
the more useful that frequent opportunities should recur of reminding Magistrates that their
power is conferred on them for the benefit of others ; and that, in the exercise of it, they are
accountable to their superiors.”
Next addressing “ the gentlemen Sheriffs, the Lord Provost and Magistrates,”
his lordship adverted to the assize in which they had just been engaged ; and,
from a list of commitments and prosecutions officially transmitted to him, enlarged
at considerable length on the vast disproportion of crime in England and
Scotland. He said it had been stated by a political writer, that one Quarter
Sessions at Manchester sends more criminals for transportation than all Scotland
in a year.’ This enviable inferiority of his native country he attributed to its
laws and institutions-the education of youth-a resident clergy-and the
maintenance of religion. ‘‘ Let us then, gentlemen, be thankful for the blessings
we enjoy. While we venerate the general constitution of England, by our
union with which our liberties have been secured on a surer basis than by the
old constitution of Scotland, let us not undervalue our local laws and institutions,
by which essential advantages are given to us, and which we ought not rashly
to endanger by attempting violent innovations, the full bearing of which it is
impossible to foresee.”
Alluding to the Revolution in France, and the war then waging with Napoleon-
a war in which, his lordship observed, “ our very existence as a nation is
at stake,” he concluded his energetic appeal as follows :-
“ Let us, than, maintain our Constitution as it stands, satisfied with the liberty we have,
and dreading, from the example of France, that an attempt at perfect freedom may land us in
the extremity of slavery and debasement. Above all, let us maintain our Constitution from
foreign invasion. If subjection to a foreign foe be, and it is, the most dreadful calamity which
can befall a people, even when its own Government is bad, think what wonld be the misery of
conquest to us. Language never uttered-imagination never conceived-humanity never endured
the horrors which await us, if subdued by the arms of France. To be utterly extirpated would
be mercy, compared with the outrages we must suffer ! Let, then, the resolution of us all be
fixed as yours-to bring this contest to a happy termination, m perish in the attempt. Hardships
and privations we may expect ; but, when we compare them with those we shall avoidwhen
we consider them as the price, and the cheap price, of liberty such as ours-for ourselves
and our children, I trust that we shall bear them with cheerfulness, and receive our reward iu
the gratitude of posterity.”
The address of the Lord Justice-clerk was listened to with profound attention.
The peculiar interest which it excited is of course referable to the then
state of the country-agitated as it was by the fear of an immedirtte invasion
from the armies of France. It is at all events highly creditable to the spirit
and eloquence of the Judge.
On the death of Lord President Blair, in 1811, the Right Hon. Charles
Hope was promoted to his place. On taking his seat, 12th November of that
year, he entered into a warm and feeling panegyric of his gifted predecessor.
It is a remarkable fact, that the whole criminal trials in Scotland, at the autumn circuit in
1808, amounted only to eighteen ; and throughout the year they were no more than eighty ! Now,
however, they are seldom less than‘seventy at a single circuit in Glasgow alone ; and the yearly
average for the whole of Scotland may be stated 89 not under six hundred,

... to foresee.” Alluding to the Revolution in France , and the war then waging with Napoleon- a war in ...

Book 9 p. 333
(Score 1.6)

64 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
out on a short tour to France during the Christmas recess. He travelled for
some distance with Montgolfier, the inventor of balloons, and on his arrival in
Paris was kindly received by Necker, then Prime Minister. “ The ladies of
the family,’’ says his biographer, “seemed to have resolved on giving their
Scottish guest an agreeable reception. He found Madame Necker reading
Blair’s sermons, and Mademoiselle Necker, afterwards the celebrated De Stael,
playing Lochber 710 more on the piano.” On his return to Britain, Mr. Sinclair
communicated hints to Government respecting several improvements with which
he had become acquainted in France ; and the title of Baronet was conferred on
him (4th February 1786) as a reward for his public services.
In 1786, Sir ,John proceeded on a more extended tour, in the course of
which he visited Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and Poland ; from Warsaw he proceeded
to Vienna- from thence to Berlin, Hanover, Holland, Flanders, and
returned to England by France, having, in the short space of seven months,
performed a journey of more than 7500 English miles. During his progress
he was introduced to nearly all the courts of the various countries-was everywhere
received with the utmost kindness and attention, and established a
correspondence with many of the most eminent and remarkable men on the
Continent. In Sweden, Denmark, and Russia, he met with several countrymen,
particularly at Stockholm, where he found many of the nobles descendants
of Scotsmen who had fought under Gustavus during the Thirty Years’
War.
Not long after his return, Sir John again entered into the married relation,
by espousing, on the 6th March 1788, the Honourable Diana, only daughter
of Alexander first Lord Rlacdonald. The ceremony was performed in London,
where the parties resided for a short time ; but they eventually settled in Edinburgh,
taking up house in the Canongate.’ During his residence there, each
day, with the exception of an hour or two, was laboriously devoted to study or
business. His exercise usually consisted in a walk to Leith, between the hours
of two and four; and it was one of his favourite sayings that “whoever
touched the post at the extremity of the pier, took an enfeoffment of life for
seven years.” To Caithness he performed regular journeys, generally diverging
from the direct route to extend his agricultural acquaintance.
On resuming an interest in Parliamentary affairs, he became gradually
estranged from the support of the administration of Pitt, conscientiously differing
with the Premier on many important points. The abandonment of Warren
Hastings by the minister he considered an unworthy sacrifice to popular feeling
-and on the “Regency Question” he was decidedly opposed to the ministerial
propositions. Thus disaffected he naturally fell in with the “ Armed Neutrality,” a
party so called from their profession of independence, of whom the Earl of Rloira
was considered the head.
Sir John now entered on a series of projects of great importance to the
He afterwards removed to Charlotte Square, and latterly to George Street.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. out on a short tour to France during the Christmas recess. He travelled for some ...

Book 9 p. 86
(Score 1.49)

76 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Holyrood.
~ ~~ ~~ ~
period, and in 1736- one of unusual brilliance
was given in January, the Hon. Charles Hope
(afterwards Muster Master-General for Scotland)
being king, and the Hon. Lady Helen Hope
queen. In the Gallery of the Kings a table was
covered with 300 dishes en ambigzr, at which sat
150 ladies at a time . . . . illuminated with 400
wax candles. ?!The plan laid out by the council
of the Company was exactly followed with the
their dark days had found refuge at St. Germains.
He entered Holyrood under a salute from the
castle, while the approaches were lined by the
Hopetoun Fencibles and Windsor Foresters. He
held a levCe next day at the palace, where he was
soon after joined by his son, the Duc d?Angoul6me.
The royal family remained several years at Holyrood,
when they endeared themselves to all in
Edinburgh, where their presence was deemed but
greatest order and decency, and concluded without
the least air of disturbance.?
Yet brawls were apt to occur then and for long
after, as swords were worn in Edinburgh till a
later period than in England j and an advertisement
in the Cowant for June, 1761, refers to a
silver-mounted sword having been taken in mistake
at an election of peers in that year at
Holyrood.
The ancient palace had once more royal inmates
when, on the 6th of June, 1796, there
landed at Leith, under a salute from the fort,
H.R.H. the Comte d?Artois, Charles Philippe, the
brother of Louis XVI., in exile, seeking a home
under the roof of the royal race that had so
often intermarried with his family, and which in
a natural link of the old alliance that used to exist
between Scotland and France.
The count, with his sons the Duc d?Angoul6me
and the Duc de Bem, was a constant attender at the
drills of the Edinburgh Volunteers, in the meadows
or elsewhere, though he never got over a horror of
the uniform they wore then-blue, faced with redwhich
reminded him too sadly of the ferocious
National Guard of France. , He always attended in
his old French uniform, with the order of St.
Ampoule on his left breast, just as we may see him
in Kay?s Portraits. He was present at St. Anne?s
Yard when, in 1797, the Shropshire Militia, under
Lord Clive-the j ~ s t English regiment of militia
that ever entered Scotland-was reviewed by Lord
Adam Gordon, the commander-in-chief.

... old alliance that used to exist between Scotland and France . The count, with his sons the Duc ...

Book 3 p. 76
(Score 1.43)

478 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
335. KING, QUEEN, and DAUPHIN OF FRANCE.' This well-executed Print
of the unfortunate Louis the Sixteenth, and his equally ill-fated Consort and Son,
is said by Kay to have been taken from the lid of a French snuff-box.
336. This is rather an ingenious Portrait of the EMPERORN APOLEONI. ;
but whether the design be original or a copy has not been stated by Kay.
337. TOUSSAINLTO WERTURGEe,n eral of the black troops of St. Domingo,
and Governor of that island. Born a slave,
his means of instruction were extremely limited, yet he acquired a tolerable
knowledge of the rudiments of education, and conducted himself with the
utmost propriety while a bondsman. On the revolt of the blacks he joined
his countrymen, and gradually attained the supreme command. During the
period of his government, he displayed a capacity for legislation equal to his
courage and generalship in the field. When, after a severe struggle for the
independence of Hayti, he at length submitted to the overwhelming forces of
the French, and had retired to his estate, under the guarantee of protection,
he was privately seized, carried on board a French man-of-war, and hurried away
to France, where he was thrown into prison, and there expired, after a lingering
illness, in the second year of the Consulate (1803). His fate, however,
operated with talismanic effect upon his countrymen ; they flew to arms ; and,
headed by the brave but cruel Dessaline, completed that independence of which,
under the patriotic Louverture, they had shown themselves worthy.
He was an extraordinary man.
338. HENRYB ROUGEAMa, fterwards Lord Brougham and Vaux. This
Etching of the la.te Lord High Chancellor is from a medal, cast in 1812, to
commemorate his exertions in the cause of commerce. The public life of Lord
Brougham is too well known to require any comment here. His father, Henry
Brougham, of Brougham Hall, in Westmoreland, happening to visit Edinburgh,
was recommended to reside with the widow of the Rev. Mr. Syme, sister of
Principal Robertson, who occupied the second flat of WLellan's Land, head of
the Cowgate. Here he found himself so much at home that he was induced to
prolong his stay ; and at length falling in love with Miss Eleanor, daughter of
Mrs, Syme, he married her, and settled in Edinburgh. For some time the
parties continued to reside with Mrs. Syme, but they afterwards removed to
St. Andrew Square, where the subject of the medal was born in 1779. He
was the eldest son ; and, as generally known, studied for the Scottish bar, to
which he was admitted in 1800, and where he practised for some time prior to
A curious volume was printed some time ago, the object of which waa to establish that the
Dauphin escaped from the revolutionary murderers-that the Empress Josephine and Napoleon were
cognisant of his existence-that he lived for a series of years as a watchmaker in Prnssia-and that,
if he were allowed half-an-hour's conversation with the Duchess d'ilngoulbme, he could establish his
birth. He set up no claim to the crown of France, but merely demanded restoration of his civil
rights as a true-born Frenchman. He commenced legal proceedings to have his status established,
but these were stopped by Louis Philippe. He took the title of Duke of Normandy.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 335. KING, QUEEN, and DAUPHIN OF FRANCE .' This well-executed Print of the ...

Book 9 p. 636
(Score 1.39)

anderwent at sea, yet he adds, ?our numbers
amounted to 700, and with the loss of three we
made ourselves masters of the island, defended by
800 English trained to war and accustomed to
slaughter.? The Queen Regent and Monluc, the
Bishop of Valence, visited the island after its recapture,
and, according to the French account, were
rather regaled by the sight of 300 English corpses
strewn about it.
The castle was afterwards demolished by order of
LEITH HARBOUR ABOUT 1700. (Fronr am Oil Paint ng in fhe Tn?ni2y trousu, Lcifh.)
The French troops in Leith, being all trained
veterans, inured to military service in the wars of
Francis I. and Henry II., gave infinite trouble to
the raw levies of the Lords of the Congregation,
who began to blockade the town in October,
1559. Long ere this Mary, Queen of Scots, had
become the bride of Francis of France ; and her
mother, who had upheld the Catholic cause so
vigorously, was on her deathbed in the castle of
Edinburgh.
the Scottish Parliament as useless, and nothing
remains of it now but a stone, bearing the royal
arms, built into the lighthouse ; but the French
troops in Leith conceived such high ideas of the excellent
properties of the grass there, that all their
horses were pastured upon it, and for ten years
*hey always termed it ? L?isZe des Chvaux.?
So pleased was Mary of Lorraine with the presence
of her French soldiers in Leith, that-
:according to Maitland-she erected for herself ? a
?house at the corner of Quality Wynd in the Rotten
Row ;? but Robertson states that ?a general impression
has existed that Queen Street was the site
of the residence of the Queen Dowager.? Above
ithe door of it were the arms of Scotland and Guise.
The Lords of Congregation, before proceeding to
extremities with the French, sent a summons,in
the names of ?their sovereign lord and lady,
Francis and Mary, King and Queen of Scotland
and France, demanding that all Scots and Frenchmen,
of whatever estate or degree, depart out of the
town of Leith within the space of twelve hours.?
To this no answer was returned, so the Scottish
troops prepared for an assault by escalade; but
when they applied their ladders to the wall they
were found to be too short, and the heaiy fire of
the French arquebusiers repelled the assailants
with loss, These unlucky scaling-ladders had been
made in St. Giles?s Church, a circumstance which,
curiously enough, is said to have irritated the

... Queen of Scots, had become the bride of Francis of France ; and her mother, who had upheld the Catholic ...

Book 5 p. 173
(Score 1.38)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, 215
period the Count frequently Visited London, from whence, it is said, he directed
the operations of the Chouans in Bretagne. He also visited Sweden in 1804,
and again returned to Britain in 1806.
CHARLES PHILIP COUNT DARTOIS, brother of Louis XVI., was
born in 1757.’ “At the beginning of the Revolution he declared against its
principles, and was one of the most zealous defenders of the royal prerogatives.”
At length a price having been set on his head by the Convention, he was under
the necessity of withdrawing himself from France; and, from 1789 till 1794,
continued a wanderer among various continental courts. Towards the end of
the last-mentioned year the British Government granted him an allowance,
when he embarked for Britain. Previous to the Revolution, which proved so
destructive to his family, the Count is described to have been the most gay,
gaudy, fluttering, accomplished, luxurious, and expensive Prince in Europe.”
He married Maria Theresa, daughter of the King of Sardinia, in 1773, by whom
he had two sons,-the eldest of whom, the Duc d‘Angouleme, accompanied him
in his exile, and arrived at Holyrood House a few days after his father. The
life of the Count d‘iirtois has been very much chequered. On the restoration
of the Bourbon dynasty in 1815, his elder brother, the Count de Provence,
ascended the throne of France as Louis XVIII., and on his death the Count
succeeded to the crown under the title of Charles X.; but the well-known
recent events of the “ Glorious Three Days ” again drove him and his family
into exile. In 1830 he once more took up his residence at Holyrood, where
he resided with the Duc and Duchess d‘iingouleme, and his grandson the Duc
de Bourdeaux, till 1833, when he retired to Gratz, a town of Illyria in the
Austrian dominions. There he died of inflammation in the bowels, November
6, 1836, in the seventy-fifth year of his age.
L
,
Can Scotia hear my mournful tale,
And Scotia not afford relief?
Oh ! let the voice of woe prevail-
Thy tenderness will soothe my grief.”
When the Count revisited Holyrood aa Charles X., the author of these lines then presented him
with a few lines of condolence and congratulation by the hand of a confidential friend.
In December 1763 the subject of this notice acted a part in a little drama of compliment with
which David Hume was treated at t4e French Court, in consideration of his literary merits. We
make the following extract from a letter of Hume to Dr. Robertson :-“What happened last week,
when I had the honour of being presented to the Dauphin’s children at Versailles, is one of the most
curious scenes I have yet passed through. The Due de B. (Bourdeaux, afterwards Louis XVI.), the
eldest, 8 boy ten years old, stepped forth, and told me how many friends and admirers I had in this
country, and that he reckoned himself in the number, from the pleasure he had received from reading
many passages of my works. When he had finished, the Count de P. ‘(Provence, afterwards Louis
XVIII.), who is two years younger, began his discourse, and informed me that I had been long and
impatiently expected in France ; and that he himself expected soon to have great satisfnction from
the reading of my fine history. But, what is more curious, when I waa carried thence to the Count d’A
(Artois), who is but four (six) years of age, I heard him mumble something, which, though he had
forgot it in the way, I conjectured, from some scattered words, to have been also a panegyric dictated
to him. Nothing could more surprise my friends, the Parisian philosophers, than thia incident.”-
RITCHIE’S Life of H u e , 155.

... he was under the necessity of withdrawing himself from France ; and, from 1789 till 1794, continued a wanderer ...

Book 8 p. 303
(Score 1.37)

306 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
No. CXXV.
THOMAS MUIR, ESQ. YOUNGER OF HUNTERSHILL.
THE foregoing Print is allowed to be an excellent likeness of this “ Political
Martyr of 1793.” The facts and circumstances of his brief but eventful life
have of late been so prominently brought forward,’ that a mere recapitulation
is only necessary.
MFL THOMAMSU IR, whose father was a wealthy merchant in Glasgow, and
proprietor of the small estate of Huntershill, in the parish of Calder, was born
in 1765. He studied at the University of his native city, where, it is said,
he was distinguished not less for talent than gentleness of disposition. He
chose the law as a profession ; and was admitted to the bar, where he practised,
with every appearance of ultimate success, for a few years, till the well-known
events in France gave a new impulse to the democratic spirit of this, as well as
of almost every other country in Europe. Muir, whose principles had always
been of a liberal cast, now stepped publicly forward j and, ranging himself among
(‘ The Friends of the People,” at once embarked in the cause with all the characteristic
zeal of youth.
The conduct of Muir having rendered him obnoxious to the existing authorities,
he was apprehended in the beginning of January 1793, while on his way
to Edinburgh, to be present at the trial of Mr. James Tytler.2 On alighting
from the coach at Holytown, he was taken prisoner by Mr. Williamson, King’s
Messenger, in whose custody he finished the remainder of the journey. About
an hour after his arrival in Edinburgh, he was brought before Mr. Sheriff Pringle
and Mr. Honeyman (afterwards Lord Armadale), Sheriff of Lanarkshire. These
gentlemen were proceeding to interrogate him in the usual manner, but Muir
declared that in that place he would not answer any question whatever. ‘( He
considered such examinations as utterly inconsistent with the rights of British
subjects-instruments of oppression, and pregnant with mischief.” Mr. Muir
was liberated on finding bail to appear in February following.
Immediately after this occurrence he proceeded to London, and from thence
to Paris, commissioned, as reported at the time, to intercede in behalf of the
French king. Be that as it may, he was detained in France beyond the possibility
of returning in time to stand his trial, and was in consequence outlawed
Under the guidance of Mr. Joseph Hume, strong efforts have of late been made to do honour
Mr. James Tytler, as we have already mentioned in the biographical sketch of that gentleman,
His trial
to the memory of Muir and the other individuals who suffered at the same period.
was indicted for publishing a seditious hand-bill.
was to have taken place on the 7th of January.
He was fugitated for non-appearance.

... success, for a few years, till the well-known events in France gave a new impulse to the democratic spirit of ...

Book 8 p. 429
(Score 1.37)

I72 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith.
.but the3ittle .warlike episode connected with Inchkeith
forms a part of it.
In the rare view of Holyrood given at page 45
.of Vol. II., Inchkeith is shown in the distance, with
its castle, a great square edifice, having a round
tower at each corner. The English garrison here
were in a position which afforded them many
.advantages, and they committed many outrages on
the shores of Fife and Lothian; and when it be-
.came necessary to dislodge them, M. de Biron, a
French officer, left Leith in a galley to reconnoitre
to the island, and evident selection of the only
landing-place, roused the suspicions of the garrison.
Finding theirintentions discovered, they made direct
for the rock, and found the English prepared to
dispute every inch of it with them.
Leaping ashore, with pike, sword, and arquebus,
they attacked the English hand to hand, drove
them into the higher parts of the island, where
Cotton, their commander, and George Appleby,
one of his officers, were killed, with several English
gentlemen of note. The castle was captured, and
@he island-the same galley in which, it is said,
little Queen Mary afterwards went to France. The
English garrison were no doubt ignorant of Biron?s
object in sailing round the isle, as they did not fire
upon him.
Mary of Lorraine had often resorted to Leith
since the arrival of her cour.trymen ; and now she
took such an interest in the expedition to Inchkeith
that she personally superintended the embarkation,
on Corpus Christi day, the 2nd of June,
1549. Accompanied by a few Scottish troops, the
French detachment, led by Chapelle de Biron, De
Ferrieres, De Gourdes, and other distinguished
.officers, quitted the harbour in small boats, and to
.deceive the English as to their intentions sailed up
and down the Firth ; but their frequent approaches
the English driven pell-mell into a corner of the
isle, where they had no alternative but to throw
themselves into the sea or surrender. In this combat
De Biron was wounded on the head by an
arquebus, and had his helmet so beaten about his
ears that he had to be carried off to the boats.
Desbois, his standard-bearer, fell under the pike
of Cotton, the English commander, and Gaspare
di Strozzi, leader of the Italians, was slain. An
account of the capture of this island was published
in France, and it is alike amusing and remarkable
for the bombast in which the French writer indulged.
He records at length the harangues of
the Queen Regent and the French leaders as the
expedition quitted Leith, the length and tedium of
the voyage, and the sufferings which the troops

... which, it is said, little Queen Mary afterwards went to France . The English garrison were no doubt ignorant of ...

Book 5 p. 172
(Score 1.36)

survivors of the corps would make their last actual
appearance in public at the laying of the foundation
of his monument, on the 15th of August, 1840.
The last captain of the Guard was James Burnet,
their ancestors and successors, were attached to
most royal foundations, and they are mentioned in
the chartulary of Moray, about 1226. The number
of these Bedesmen was increased by one every
CHAPTER XV.
THE CHURCH OF ST. GILES.
St. Giles?s Church-The Patron Saint-Its Origin and early Norman style-The Renovation of &-History of the Structure-Procession of the
Saint?s Relics-The Preston Relic-The Chapel of the Duke of Albmy-Funeral of the Regent Murray-The ?Gude Regent?s Aisle?-
The Assembly Aisle-Dispute between James VI. and the Church Party-Departure of James VI.-Haddo?s Hole-The Napicr Tomb-
The Spire and lantern-Clock and Bells-The KramesRestoration of 1878.
THE church of St. Giles, or Sanctus Egidius, as
he is termed in Latin, was the first parochial one
erected in the city, and its history can be satisfactorily
deduced from the early part of the 12th
century, when it superseded, or was engrafted on
an edifice of much smaller size and older date,
one founded about? IOO years after the death of
its patron saint, the abbot and confessor St. Giles,
who was born in Athens, of noble-some say royal
-parentage, and who, while young, sold his patrimony
and left his native country, to the end that
he might serve God in retirement. In the year
666 he amved at Provence, in the south of France,
and chose a retreat near Arles; but afterwards,
desiring more perfect solitude, he withdrew into a
forest near Gardo, in the diocese of Nismes, havjng
with him only one companion, Veredemus, who
lived with him on the fruits of the earth and the
milk of a hind. As Flavius Wamba, King of the
Goths, was one day hunting in the neighbourhood
of Nismes, his hounds pursued her to the hermitage
of the saint, where she took refuge. This hind
has been ever associated with St. Giles, and its
figure is to this day the sinister supporter of the
city arms. ( ? I Caledonia,? ii., p. 773.) St. Giles
died in 721, on the 1st of September, which was
always held as his festival in Edinburgh; and to some
disciple of the Benedictine establishment in the
south of France we doubtless owe the dedication
of the parish church there. , He owes his memory
in the English capital to Matilda of Scotland,
queen of Henry I., who founded there St. Giles?s
hospital for lepers in I I 17. Hence, the large parish
which now lies in the heart of London took its name

... In the year 666 he amved at Provence, in the south of France , and chose a retreat near Arles; but ...

Book 1 p. 138
(Score 1.35)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 19
While Mackay was a subaltern, he travelled through France and Italy, and
other parts of Europe, for the purpose principally of acquiring a knowledge of
modern languages. While the members of the
Royal Family of France resided at Holyrood House, where the Adjutant-
General’s office was then kept, he often had occasion to meet them, and sometimes
to act as an interpreter, particularly at dinner parties, to which he was
frequently invited.
At the commencement of the second French war, in 1803, he became a
Major-General ; and at different periods subsequently the Chief Command of
the Forces in Scotland devolved upon him.
The Print affords an excellent portraiture of the Adjutant-General.’ He
obtained the soubriquet of ‘‘ Buckram,” from the stiffness of his appearance. In
military phrase, he walked as if he had swallowed a halbert; and his long
queue, powdered hair, and cocked hat, were characteristic of a thorough-bred
soldier of the olden time. He was much esteemed by all with whom he was
connected. He was rather abstemious in diet, and singularly correct and
methodical in all his habits of life. He lived a bachelor, and died after a short
illness, at his house, South St. Andrew Street, on the 26th April 1809, in the
sixty-eighth year of his age. He had thus been on the Staff in Scotland during
a period of not less than thirty years ; and, in discharging the important duties
of his various appointments, his conduct was characterised by the strictest
fidelity and honour.
A handsome tribute was paid to his memory by Lord Cathcart, wllo was
then Commander of the Forces in Scotland.
He spoke French fluently.
No. CLXXVII.
ALLAN DIACONOCHIE, LORD MEADOTVBANK.
THE late LORDM EADOWBANKso, n of Alexander hfaconochie, writer in Edinburgh,
was born on the 26th January 1748. He was in early age placed
under the tuition of Dr. Alexander Adam, afterwards Rector of the High School
of Edinburgh, who acted as his private teacher, and from whom he acquired
that taste for classical studies which he retained throughout life. He subsequently
entered the University of Edinburgh ; and being destinqd for the bar, attended
the usual classes. In 1764 he and other five students: with the view of
1 Wet and dry the old General was daily to be seen with the umbrella under hi8 arm.
These were, William Creech (bookseller) ; John Bonar (afterwards Solicitor of the Excise) ;
John Brace (Professor of Logic) ; Henry Mackenzie (author of “The Man of Feeling ”) ; and Mr.
Belches. Eilr. Charles Stuart was admitted a member at their firat meeting.

... 19 While Mackay was a subaltern, he travelled through France and Italy, and other parts of Europe, for the ...

Book 9 p. 25
(Score 1.34)

174 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
said the Privy Council seemed to be much exasperated against me, and had asked him whether
the statement was not in my hand-writing ?-which he had answered by saying he had never
seen me write ; that his examination was not legal evidence, as he had refused to sign it ; and
that he was determined to return immediately to England ; but that at any rate it was necessary
to have two witnesses to convict of high treason ; and if we adhered to one another we should
be safe. I asked him whether Jackson’s situation would be rendered worse in case I could
make my escape. He said, No ; but he feared the thing would be impossible. I left him with
his friend and have never seen him since.‘
“ The next morning I set about my scheme, and got it accomplished at twelve that night.
It would be a waste of paper to recount the various deceptions practised on the under jailor,
which induced him to accompany me to my own house, where a rope being slung ready out of a
two pair of stairs window, enabled me to descend into the garden, and to take a horse out of the
stable, and meet a friend who should conduct me to a place of refuge.
“When the gaoler became impatient, and forced into my wife’s room, she made him every
offer if he would conceal himself and go to America, not raising a pursuit, but permitting it to
be supposed that he had accompanied me in my flight, which he absolutely refused, swearing that
he would as soon see me hanged.a I was taken to the house of a gentleman named Sweetman,
since dead. It was soon found that the most probable means of escaping from this country
would be a small pleasure boat of Mr. Sweetman’s ; but she was neither sea-worthy, nor equipped
for a Channel cruise ; and a farther question was, who would risk themselves with me who were
not in the same danger! Mr. Sweetman, however, did not despair, and was successful. He
procured three sailors of the vicinity of Buldoyle, where his house was, about four miles from
Dublin, to whom he promised they should be well paid if they would take a gentleman to
France in his boat ; and they consented. Two of them, the most trusty, had been in the smuggling
trade, and knew the coasts of both countries.
In the evening, when
Mr. Sweetman returned, the three men came to him and showed him a proclamation which
had been distributed during his absence, and which offered in different sums-from the Government,
the city, and the gaoler-nearly 22000 for my apprehension. They said, ‘It is Mr.
Hamilton Rowan we are to take to France ;’ without hesitation he answered it was. They as
instantly replied, ‘ Never mind it.
“We sailed with a fair wind, which, however, in the night got ahead, and blew hard. As
we could not keep the sea, we returned to our old moorings under Howth. The next day the
wind was again fair ; and after some other occurrences on the third day I landed at Roscoff, on
the coast of Bretagne, under the fortified town of St. Paul de Leon.
“ I remained an eventful year in France, and sailed from Havre, passing as an American to
Philadel~hia.~ My departure from France being known, the Earl of Clare gave Mrs. H. R. an
assurance that, although the prosecution against me must proceed with the utmost rigour, yet
he would use his influence to procure a restoration of the estates to the family-eight children
and herself. All the forms of law were gone through, except the appointment of an agent for
“ The next day was occupied in procuring provisions, charts, etc. etc.
By - we will land him safe.’
The fate of Jackson created great excitement in Dublin. His trial took place in April 1794 ;
and being convicted, he was brought up for judgment on the 30th of the same month. He was
observed to be suffering from acute bodily pain ; and, while sentence was about to be pronounced,
he dropped down and expired. On a post-nwrtent examination it appeared that his death was
occasioned by poison, which he had himself administered. * Two of the under keepers of Newgate, Alexander M‘Dowell and William M‘Dowell, were
brought to trial at the Court of King’s Bench for “aiding and assisting the escape of Archibald
Hamilton Rowan, and sentenced to be imprisoned one year and nine months, being the annexed
period of Mr. Rowan’s sentence, and to pay a fine of E250 each, making 2500-the sum which Mr.
Rowan was condemned to pay.”
He had a narrow
escape ; the vessel in which he sailed was boarded by his Majesty’s ship MeZump ; and Mr. Rowan
was introduced. to the officer as a Mr. Thomson of South Carolina. Soon after his arrival, he had
the singular plemure of meeting accidentally, at a caf6 in Philadelphia, some of his most distinguished
friends, Wolfe Tone, Napper Tandy, Thomas Addis Emmet, and others : all active
leaders of the United Irishmen, and who had separately succeeded in reaching America.
a Mr. Rowan arrived in Philadelphia from Havre on the 17th July 1795.

... should be well paid if they would take a gentleman to France in his boat ; and they consented. Two of them, the ...

Book 9 p. 233
(Score 1.33)

272 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
The regiment remained in Ireland till 1775, when, after an absence of thirtytwo
years, it embarked at Donaghadee for Scotland, where it did not long
remain. The War of Independence having broken out, the corps was again
destined for America. Previous to leaving Glasgow, in 1776, the soldiers
were supplied with new arms and accoutrements, including broadswords and
pistols, which latter were provided by the Colonel. They sailed from Greenock
on the 14th of May, and were constantly engaged in the arduous struggle
which ensued in the New World, until peace was concluded in 1783. Here we
may mention that during this war the broadsword was laid aside, from a belief
that it retarded the progress of the men while marching through the woods ;
and it has never since been resumed. At the termination of the war, the
regiment was removed to Nova Scotia, and did not return to Scotland till the
year 1790.
On the breaking out of the war with France, in 1794, it was again actively
engaged in Flanders-fought at the battle of Nimeguen, and suffered in the
harassing retreat to Bremen ; and when that short and unsuccessful campaign
had been finished, was embarked for the West Indies, where, under the gallant
Abercromby, it assisted in reconquering these islands from the French.
The
conduct of the Royal Highlanders at Alexandria, where the Invincibles of
France were broken and defeated, became the theme of general commendation.
It is worthy of remark, that the only man in all England who attempted to
depreciate their fame was the late William Cobbett, who attempted, in his
Register, to show that the standard surrendered to Major Stirling of the 42d,
had been taken by one Lutz of another regiment. This petty hostility, on
the part of the “Lion of Bottley,” proceeded from the vulgar and narrowminded
prejudice which his splenetic disposition entertained towards everything
appertaining to Scotland or Scotsmen; an antipathy, however, which he
had the candour to renounce, after he had actually visited the country, and
seen Scotland as she is. So great was the enthusiasm of the public at the
success of the British arms, that the Highland Society of London resolved to
present their soldier-countrymen of the 42d Regiment with a handsome mark
of their approbation; but the affair of the standard led to a communication
with some of the officers, which, from a mistaken notion of honour on the part of
the latter, had the effect of retarding for a time the intentions of the Society.’
“At a fete given at the
Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, on the 13th of January 1802,” says a journal
of that date, “ Major Stirling, of the 42d regiment, appeared in the full uniform
of that gallant corps, He was received with loud and most enthusiastic
applause, the music striking up the favourite air of ‘ The Garb of Old Gaul.’ ’’
The next ‘‘ field of glory” was the well-known campaign in Egypt.
Much national feeling prevailed at this period.
AS we have already noticed in the memoir of the Marquis of Huntly, the late Duke of York,
being President of the Society in 1817, presented the Marquis, on behalf of the 42d Regiment, with
a superb piece of plate.

... the year 1790. On the breaking out of the war with France , in 1794, it was again actively engaged in ...

Book 9 p. 362
(Score 1.22)

324 B I 0 G R AP H I C AL S KE T C HE S.
of ninety-three. In his manner and habits he was scarcely less peculiar than
the Laird, though somewhat more particular as to his dress. He wore a plain
coat, without any collar ; a stock in place of a neckcloth ; knee breeches ; rough
stockings ; and shoes ornamented with niassy buckles. At an early period of
life he persisted in wearing (until so annoyed by the boys as he walked in the
Meadows, that he judged it prudent to comply with the fashion of the times, ’)
a hat of a conical shape, with a narrow brim, in form not unlike a helmet. At
a later period he adopted the broad-rimmed description represented in the
Print. When he had occasion to call any of his domestics, he rang no bell,
but invariably made use of a whistle, which he carried in his pocket for the
purpose. His indifference to money matters amounted even to carelessness.
He kept no books with bankers ; a drawer, and that by no means well secured,
in his own house, being the common depository of his cash,
Though an ardent admirer
of the British Constitution, yet not insensible to its abuses or defects, he was
opposed to the foreign policy of Government at the era of the French Revolution.
His opinions on this subject he embodied in an anonymous pamphlet, entitled
“ An Inquiry into the Justice and Necessity of the Present War with France,”
8vo, Edin. 1795, of which a second and improved edition was published the
following year. In this essay he contended for the right which every nation
had to remodel its own institutions; referring, by way of precedent, to the
various revolutions effected in Britain, without producing any attempt at interference
on the part of other states. “If we consult the principles of natural law
and equity,” says the writer, “ France must certainly have an equal right with
any other European state to change and to frame her constitution to her own
mind. She is as free and independent in this respect as Great Britain, or any
other kingdom on the globe ; and there does not appear to be auy reason why
she should be excluded from exercising this right, or why we should pretend to
dictate to her with regard to the government she is to live under. When
Louis XIV., on the death of James VI., thought proper to proclaim his son
King of Great Britain, how did the Parliament here take it? Did they not
address the King upon the throne, and represent it in their address as the highest
strain of violence, and the greatest insult that could be offered to the British
nation, to presume to declare any person to be their King, or as having a
title to be so P What, therefore, should entitle us to take up arms in order to
force them to submit to monarchical government I” Such is the style and spirit
of the Inquiry.
Pursuant to a deed of entail,
Mr. James Gibson, W.S. (afterwards Sir James Gibson-Craig, Bart. of Riccarton
and Ingliston) succeeded to the estate, and assumed the name and arms of
Craig. The $Ouse in Princes Street, No. 91, now occupied as a hotel, was left
to Colonel Gibson.
In politics, Mr. Craig was decidedly liberal.
Mr. Craig died on the 13th of March 1823.
Cocked hats were then the rage.

... into the Justice and Necessity of the Present War with France ,” 8vo, Edin. 1795, of which a second and ...

Book 9 p. 431
(Score 1.22)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 171
(( This spirit of false chivalry,” adds Barrington, (( which took such entire
possession of Hamilton Rowan’s understanding, was soon diverted into the
channels of political theory.” The (( wrongs of Ireland,” real and imaginary,
were not without their influence on a mind so susceptible of humane and
honourable impressions. In 1782 he had participated in the memorable but
short-lived triumph obtained for their country by the Volunteers, whom the
emergency of the times called into existence j and he saw with equal regret the
return of anarchy and disorganisation which so speedily followed that propitious
effort of national unanimity. The spirit of democracy, so fearfully awakened in
the Revolution of France, acted with talismanic effect upon the people of Ireland,
where the patriotic exertions and eloquence of a Grattan and a Curran were
expended in vain against the corruption of the Irish Parliament.
In Hamilton Rowan the promoters of the societies of (( United Irishmen,”
the first of which was held in Belfast in October 1791, found an influential and
enthusiastic coadjutor. The first sitting of the Dublin Society was held on the
9th November following; the Hon. Sirnon Butler in the chair, and James
Napper Tandy, secretary. Of this body Hamilton Rowan was an original
member; but it was not till 1792, at the meeting on the 23d November,
that we find him officially engaged in the proceedings. Dr. Drennan (whose
talents as a writer have been much admired) was elected chairman, and Mr.
Rowan, secretary.
The views of the “ United Irishmen ” were ostensibly the accomplishment
of political reformation-and probably nothing farther was at first contemplated ;
but it soon became evident that measures as well as principles were in progress,
which were likely to increase and streugthen in proportion as a redress of
grievances was denied or postponed. That national independence was an event,
among others, to which the United Irishmen looked forward, is strongly countenanced
by concurring circumstances-although it ought to be borne in mind
that the original political associations were entirely distinct from those subsequently
entered into, bearing similar designations. Early in 1792 a body of
volunteers were formed in Dublin, approximating in design to the National
Guards of France-the leaders of whom were Hamilton Rowan and Napper
Tandy. This body of armed citizens-who “wore clothing of a particular
uniform, with emblems of harps divested of the Royal Crown ”-had hitherto
met only in small divisions ; but a general meeting, to be held on Sunday the
7th September, was at length announced in a placard, to which was attached
the signature of Mathew Dowling. Alarmed at this procedure the Government
issued a counter proclamation the day previous, which proved so entirely
authoritative, that the only individuals who appeared on parade in uniform
were Rowan, Tandy, and Carey, printer to the Society.
Immediately following this, the ‘( United Irishmen ” met in consdtationan
energetic address to the Volunteers of Ireland, or rather the disorganised
remains of that once powerful body, was agreed ob-and the Guards of Dublin
were summoned to meet in a house in Cape Street, belonging to Pardon, a

... democracy, so fearfully awakened in the Revolution of France , acted with talismanic effect upon the people of ...

Book 9 p. 230
(Score 1.18)

194 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Shortly after the termination of hostilities, Mr. Jefferson was despatched as
envoy to France, where he remained for a considerable time ; and in his negotiations
displayed much ability as a diplomatist. Having visited England, he
returned to America in 1789, and was speedily thereafter appointed Secretary
of State. This office he resigned in 1794, retiring to his seat at Monticello;
and from that period was regarded as the chief of the Opposition.
In a few years he was called from his obscurity to fill, under Mr. Adams,
the chair of the Vice-President ; and in 1801 was elected the successor of that
gentleman. Being re-chosen, he held the Presidency until 1809. When
solicited to accept the office a third time, he peremptorily declined ; and, retiring
into private life, the evening of his days was devoted to the calm pursuits of
agriculture and the enjoyments of literature.
In his public character President Jefferson displayed uncommon activity
and zeal for the public service, though probably too much of the philosopher
and speculatist to be practically wise in his deliberations.’ The extensive
improvements introduced into almost every department of Government, while
he held the reins of power, were effected too summarily; and though in themselves
well calculated to work beneficially, the country was injured by being
kept in a state of continual transition.
Mr. Jefferson first appeared as an author in 1774, when he published “A
Summary View of the Rights of British America.” In 1781 his “Notes on
Virginia ” were given to the public ; and among the scientific he is known as
the writer of a work entitled “ Memoirs on the Fossil Bones found in America.”
It may not be out of place here briefly to notice a circumstance connected
with the history of Washington, by which it has been attempted to fasten on
that illustrious man a charge of selfishness, totally at variance with his character.
We allude to the site of the federal city. At the period when it was fixed
upon, in the district of Columbia, at the junction of the Potomac and the eastern
branch of that river, this territory was situated on the great post road, exactly
equidistant from the northern and southern extremities of the Union, and nearly
so from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio, upon the best navigation, and in the
midst of the (then) richest commercial compass in the States, commanding the
most extensive internal resources, and was by far the most eligible situation for
a capital and the meetings of Congress. Part of Columbia lies in Virginia, and
was the property of General Washington’s family. That its value would naturally
become enhanced by the proposed bounds of the dwamt-of city, there is no
doubt ; and that Washington gave his powerful influence in seconding the plan
is true; but that the President either conceived the idea, or did more than
sanction the palpable propriety of the site, is contrary to fact. A young man
had left Scotland for America before the breaking out of the war, in which he
bore ultimately a commission. After his return, and when the freedom of the
During the short misunderstanding with Great Britain in 1807, his plan for preserving the shipping
and commerce of the States from the cruisers of France and England, by an embargo on all
the porta of the Republic, was not less extraordinary than effectual.

... hostilities, Mr. Jefferson was despatched as envoy to France , where he remained for a considerable time ; and ...

Book 9 p. 262
(Score 1.18)

great leaders of that movement, and with cold and
hard hostility they gazed upon her wasted but once
beautifiil' features, as she conjured them in moving
terms to be loyal men and true to Mary, the girlqueen
of Scotland and of France, and touchingly
she implored the forgiveness of all. The apartment
in which she expired is one of those in the
royal lodging, within the present half - moon
battery. The rites of burial were denied her
body, and it lay in the Castle lapped in lead-till
carpets; the tables were of massive oak elaborately
carved ; the chairs of gilded leather with cushions
she had " eleven tapestries of gilded leather; right
of the ' Judgment of Paris'; five of the ' Triumph of
Virtue' j eight of green velvet brocaded with great
trees bearing armorial shields and holly branches ;
ten of cloth of gold and brocaded taffeta ; thirty
more of massive cloth of gold, one bearing the
story of the Count de Foix, eight bearing the
ducal arms of Longueville, five having the history
of King Rehoboam; four the hunts of the Unicorn;
as many more of the story of Eneis, and
EDINBURGH CASTLE, FROM THE SOUTH-WEST.
(Fa-simile 4f a Dutch Engraving fmm a Dmwing ay *don of RotUmay.)

... loyal men and true to Mary, the girlqueen of Scotland and of France , and touchingly she implored the forgiveness ...

Book 1 p. 45
(Score 1.18)

140 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [St. Giles's Church.
establishment, and Maitland gives us a roll of the
forty chaplaincies and altarages therein.
An Act of Council dated twelve years before
this event commemorates the gratitude ,of the
citizens to one who had brought from France a
relic of St. Giles, and, modernised, it runs thus :-
*' Be it kenned to all men by these present letters,
we, the provost, bailies, counselle and communitie
of the burgh of Edynburgh, to be bound
and obliged to William Prestoune of Gourton, son
and heir to somewhile iVilliam Prestoune of Gourton,
and to the friends and sirname
of them, that for so much
that William Prestoune the
father, whom God assoile, made
diligent labour, by a high and
mighty prince, the King of
France (Charles VII.), and
many other lords of France, for
getting the arm-bone of St. Gile,
the which bone he freely left to
our mother kirk of St. Gile of
Edinburgh, without making any
condition. We, considering the
great labour and costs that he
made for getting thereof, promise
that within six or seven years,
in all the possible and goodly
haste we may, that we shall
build an aisle forth from our
Ladye aisle, where the said William
lies, the said aisle to be
begun within a year, in which
aisle there shall be brass for his
lair in bost (it., for his grave in
embossed) work, and above the
brass a writ, specifying the
bringing of that Rylik by him
into Scotland, with his arms, and
his arms to be put in hewn
church of his name in the Scottish quarter of
Bruges, and on the 1st of September is yearly
borne through the streets, preceded by all thedrums
in the garrison.
To this hour the arms of Preston still remain in
the roof of the aisle, as executed by the engagement
in the charter quoted; and the Prestons
continued annually to exercise their right of bearing
the arm of the patron saint of the city until
the eventful year 1558, when the clergy issued
forth for the last time in solemn procession on
the day of his feast, the 1st
SEAL OF ST. G1LES.t (A ffw Henry Lain&.
work, in three other parts of the aisle, with book
and chalice and all other furniture belonging
thereto. Also, that we shall assign the chaplain
of whilome Sir William of Prestoune, to sing at the
altar from that time forth. . . . . Item, that
as often as the said Rylik is borne in the year,
that the sirname and nearest of blood of the said
William shall bear the said Rylik, before all
others, &c. In witness of which things we have
set to our common seal at Edinburgh the 11th
day of the month of January, in the year of our
Lord 1454"*
The other arm of St. Giles is preserved in the
Frag. : " Scotomomastica."
September, bearing with them
a statue of St. Giles-"a marmouset
idol," Knox calls itborrowed
from the Grey Friars,
because the great image of the
saint, which was as large as life,
had been stolen from its place,
and after being '' drouned " in
the North Loch as an encourager
of idolatry, was burned
as a heretic by some earnest
Reformers. Only two years
before this event the Dean of
Guild had paid 6s. for painting
the image, and Izd. for
polishing the silver arm containing
the relic. To give dignity
to this last procession the
queen regent attended it in
person; but the moment she
left it the spirit of the mob
broke forth. Some pressed close.
to the image, as if to join in
its support, while endeavouring
to shake it down; but this.
proved impossible, so firmly was
it secured to its supporters; and
the struggle, rivalry, and triumph
of the mob were delightful -to Knox, who described
the event with the inevitable glee in which
he indulged on such occasions.
Only four years after all this the saint's silverwork,
ring and jewels, and all the rich vestments,
wherewith his image and his arm-bone were wont
to be decorated on high festivals, were sold by
the authority of the magistrates, and the proceeds
employed in the repair of the church.
f Under a canopy supported by spiral columns a full-length figure of.
St. Giles with the nimbus, holding the crozier in his right hand, and ih
his left a Look and a branch. A kid, the usual attendant on St. Giles,
is playfully leaping up to his hand. On the pedestal is a shield bearing
the castle triple-towered, S. COMMUNE CAPTI BTI EGIDII DEEDINBURGH.
(Apfindrd to a chartrr by the Provost [ Waite, FodesJ d Chuptrr
of St. Gdes of fke man= andgkk in favmrof the magisfrates and'
conzmndy of Edindrryh, A.D. 1496.")

... the gratitude ,of the citizens to one who had brought from France a relic of St. Giles, and, modernised, it ...

Book 1 p. 140
(Score 1.16)

Go back to Edinburgh Bookshelf

Creative Commons License

The scans of Edinburgh Bookshelf are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.