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34 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
‘‘ Ladies are requested to come early, in order to be agreeably accommodated
with seats, as the Lecture will be$n exactly at Seven o’clock.
“ N.B.-Dr. G. has not the least intention of lecturing any more for several
years in Edinburgh than the above four nights; and if the Chapel is not
pretty full the two first nights, he will not repeat the lecture as proposed the
two last nights, viz. on Wednesday and Thursday ; and as the shilling paid for
admission can only defray the various expenses, Dr. G. hopes that the inhabitants
of Edinburgh will esteem these lectures as very great and important favours
conferred upon them.
“ December, 1 7 8 3.
“All Dr. G.’s books and pamphlets are to be had at the Doctor’s house, and
at Mr. Brown’s, bookseller, Bridge Street.”
While his Temple of Health was in its glory, it cannot be doubted that
such an exhibition, lauded as it was on all hands in the most extravagant terms,
must have produced a great deal of money in such a city as London, where
every species of quackery is sure to meet with support and ehcouragement ; but
Doctor Graham, instead of realising a fortune, deeply involved himself by the
great expense he was put to in maintaining the establishment in proper splendour.
In his own expenditure he was very moderate ; for he not only abstained
from wine, spirits, and all strong liquors, but even from animal food-and,
consistently with this mode of life, he recommended the same practice to others ;
and whilst confined in the Jail of Edinburgh, for his attack on the civic authorities,
he preached-Sunday, August 17, 1783-a discourse upon Isaiah, XI.
6, “All flesh is grass;” in which he strongly inculcates the propriety of
abstinence from animal food. In this odd production, of which two editions
were afterwards published, he says, “ I bless God ! my friends ! that he has given
me grace and resolution to abstain totally from flesh and blood-from all liquors
but cold water and balsamic milk-and from all inordinate sensual indulgences.
Thrice happy ! supremely blessed is the man who, through life, abstains from
these things ; who, like me, washes his body and limbs every night and morning
with pure cold water-who breathes continually, summer and winter, day and
night, the free open cool air-and who, with unfeigned and active benevolence
towards every thing that hath life, fears and worships God in sincerity and in
truth.”
In addition to the peculiarities pointed out by the Doctor in his discourse,
he dissented in many other respects from the ordinary usages of mankind. He
wore no woollen clothes ; he slept on a hair-mattress, without feather-bed or
blankets, with all the windows open ; he said, and perhaps with some degree of
truth, that most of our diseases are owing to too much heat :-and he carried
his cool regimen to such an extent, that he was in terms with the tacksman of
the King‘s Park, for liberty to build a house upon the top of Arthur’s Seat, in
order to try how far he could bear the utmost degree of cold that the climate

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. ‘‘ Ladies are requested to come early, in order to be agreeably accommodated with ...

Book 8 p. 45
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212 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
siastic spirit of the ex-representative of Majesty, that he came to Edinburgh in
May 1802, to attend the levee of the new Commissioner. On the 4th of June
following, being the King's birth-day, he also attended the " grand collation "
given on the occasion by the Magistrates in the Parliament House. This was
the last public appearance of his lordship. He died at his house, in Edinburgh,
five days afterwards, aged 81.
Lord Leven married, in 1747, Wilhelmina, posthumous daughter, and nineteenth
child, of William Nisbet of Dirleton. The great degree of domestic
felicity with which this union was crowned, is, perhaps, the best proof of the
Earl's rectitude of private conduct. Lady Leven was not less distinguished for
her amiable qualities of mind than she was for comeliness of person. Her wit
was lively and pleasant-her heart affectionate and liberal. She had a habitual
and fervent piety, and a regular and constant regard to divine institutions and
the offices of devotion. Uninterrupted conjugal affection and felicity, sweetened
and heightened by the exercise of parenta.1 duties, marked the union of the
Earl and Countess. The fiftieth anniversary of their marriage was celebrated
at Melville House, 29th January 1797 ; and she died there, 10th May 1798,
aged 74.
The town residence of the Earls of Leven, during the early part of last
century, was at the head of Skinner's Close. The subject of this sketch resided
many years in a house at the north-west corner of Nicolson Square, and latterly
occupied KO. 2 St. Andrew Square.
Her ladyship had a family of five sons and three daughters.
No. LXXXVIII.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD ADAM G0RDON.l '
LORD ADAM GORDON, fourth son of Alexander, second Duke of Gordon,
and grand-uncle to the late Duke, entered the 18th Regiment of Foot in 1746-
from whence he was transferred to the 3d Regiment of Foot Guards in 1755. He
accompanied this regiment in the expedition to the coast of France, under
General Bligh, in 1758 ; undertaken, in conjunction with the fleet under Lord
Howe, for the purpose of creating a diversion in favour of the allies. The
General succeeded in effecting a landing at St. Lunaire, on the 4th September,
and in destroying a few vessels at St. Briac ; but his courage soon began
to " ooze out at his finger-ends " on learning that the French camp was only a
few miles distant, and that some fresh reinforcements had lately been received.
On the 10th of the same month he summoned a council of war, when, with
only one dissentient voice (Lieutenant-colonel Clerk) a re-embarkation was
resolved upon. Lord Howe was immediately made acquainted with this determination
; but, for the safety of the fleet, the Admiral found it necessary to go
to St. Cas Bay. The troops were thus under the disagreeable necessity of
Print of Lord Adam Gordon on horseback as peculiarly striking.
A gentleman, who was intimately acquainted with the subject of this sketch, describes the

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. siastic spirit of the ex-representative of Majesty, that he came to Edinburgh in May ...

Book 8 p. 298
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32 EDINBURGH PAST AND PRESENT.
when compared with his age; and in it you find combined much of the
elegance of Pope and something of the fire of Schiller or Byron, although
the lyric energy and compression of his Mariners of EngZand and HohmZinden,
and the exquisite pathos of Gertrulze of Wyomhgand of 0’ Connor’s ChiZ4 were
yet to come. We are often half ashamed and half angry when we think that
AL1SON.S SQUARE M D POTTERRUW.
some of our poetic mystagogues have prevailed to dim the glory and to
lessen the popularity of such pure, clear, refined, and classical writers as
Campbell, and are sorry too that Campbell’s most congenial critic, Lord
Jeffrey, is suffering a temporary eclipse through similar causes. Temporary
it can only be, for while we readily admit the great genius of the writers just
referred to, we believe that their grievous and gloried-in fauIts and mannerisms
will prevent their permanence in the poetic sky, and that as they recede and
darken, the better and more English of our authors, alike poets and prosewriters,
will come again to the foreground.
Almost opposite Clarinda’s house, in Cordiners’ Court, Potterrow, there is
a little dark house of two apartments, where James Smith, a living and true
Scottish poet, wrote some of his best pieces, such as WeeJoukydaziiZes, The
Wee Pair d Siroon, B u d AiZie, Lily hm, and others, all breathing the real

... EDINBURGH PAST AND PRESENT. when compared with his age; and in it you find combined much of the elegance of ...

Book 11 p. 52
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The Lawnmarket.
ninety-nine, Portraits of Anderson and his daughter,
in Vandyke costumes, the former with a book
in his hand, and the latter with a pill the size of a
walnut between her fingers, are still preserved in
$he house. It was in 1635 that the Doctor first
tablature, bearing the date 1690, is the main enT
trance to this court, the principal house of which,
forming ,its northern side, has a very handsome
doorway, peaked in the centre, like an ogee arch,
with ornate mouldings that mark the handiwork of
ASSEMBLY HALL (From M Engrayingpu6ZisJiedin 1845.)
made known the virtues of his pills, which is really
a good form of aloetic medicine.
In Mylne?s Court, on the north side of the Lawnmarket,
we find the first attempt to substitute an
open square of some space for the narrow closes
which so long contained the town residences of
the Scottish noblesse. Under a Roman Doric enthe
builder, Robed Mylne, who erected the more
modem portions of Holyrood Palace-the seventh
royal master-mason, whose uncle?s tomb, on the
east side of the Greyfriars churchyard, bears that
he-
?? Sixth master-mason to a royal race,
Of seven successive kings, sleeps in this placc?

... Lawnmarket. ninety-nine, Portraits of Anderson and his daughter, in Vandyke costumes, the former with a ...

Book 1 p. 96
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 209
but the lectures of Mr. Smellie, under the auspices of the Antiquarian Society,
is a new discouragement which I did not expect.” This discontent was communicated
to the Senatus Academicus, and, through that respectable body, an
unexpected opposition arose when the Society of Antiquaries transmitted a
petition to the King praying for a charter. The Curators of the Advocates’
Library likewise objected to the grant, under the idea that the institution of
the Society might prove injurious to their magnificent Library, by intercepting
ancient manuscripts and monuments illustrative of Scottish history and antiquities,
which would be more useful if collected into one repository. All this
opposition, however, proved of no avail. Much to the honour of the late Lord
Melville-who was at that time Lord Advocate for Scotland-his lordship
signified, by a note to the Secretary of the Society, that he saw no reason for
refusing the prayer of the petition, and at the same time transmitted the draft
of such a charter as he considered was proper to be granted. In consequence,
therefore, of his lordship’s favourable interposition, the royal warrant, in which
his Majesty was pleased voluntarily to declare himself patron of the Society,
passed the Privy Seal next day. As soon as it was received in Edinburgh, a
charter was extended under the Great Seal. The gentlemen of this public
office, sensible of the many advantages likely to accrue from the establishment
of the Society, generously refused to accept their accustomed fees; and the
royal charter, which is dated the 29th March, was finally ratified, by passing
through all the customary forms, on the 5th and 6th of May 1783.
During the time Mr. Smellie attended the class of Botany in the University,
the Professor, Dr. Hope, having met with an accident which confined him to the
house for a long time, requested Mr. Smellie, of whose knowledge and abilities
he was highly sensible, to carry on his lectures during his necessary absence.
This was done by Mr. Smellie for a considerable time-(his widow has stated
during six weeks)-to the entire satisfaction of his fellow-students.
Mr. Smellie was about the middle size, and had been in his youth wellproportioned
and active ; but, when rather past the middle of life, he acquired
a sort of lounging gait, and had become careless and somewhat slovenly in his
dress and appearance. These peculiarities are well described in the following
lines, produced by Burns at the meeting of the Crochallan club alluded to in
our notice of Lord Newton :-
“ To Crochallan came,
The old cocked hat, the brown surtout the aame :
His bristling beard just rising in its might,
( ’Twsa four long nights and day8 to shaving-night) ;
His uncombed grisly locks, wild-staring, thatched
A head for thought profound and clear unmatched :
And, though his caustic wit waa biting rude,
His heart waa warm, benevolent, and good.”
In grave and philosophical discourse Mr. Smellie was clear, candid, and
communicative, as well as thoroughly informed, He never withheld his judg-
2E

... SKETCHES. 209 but the lectures of Mr. Smellie, under the auspices of the Antiquarian Society, is a ...

Book 8 p. 294
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244 OLD AXD NEW EDINBURGH. IHkh Street.
humble trade, she went up to him, and without
the least deference to his fine laced coat, taxed
liim with presumption in coming there, and turned
him out of the room.?
shopping, just as people perform these duties before
that meal now.
Then gentlemen wore the Ramillies wig or lied
hair, small three-cornered hats laced with gold or
moderate time was never protracted. When the
hour of departure came even the most winning young
couples would crowd about her throne, petitioning
for ?one dance more,? but the inexorable MissNjcky
vacated her seat, and by a wave of her fan silenced
the musicians and summoned the candle-snuffers.
The evening was then the fashionable time for
receiving company in Edinburgh, when people were
all abroad upon the streets, after dinner calling and
cuffs, and square-toed shoes; and the dresses of
the ladies, if quaint, gave them dignity and grace.
?How fine it must have been to see, as an old gentleman
told me he had seen,? says Dr. Chambers,
? two hooped ladies moving along the Lawnmarket
in a summer evening, and filling up the whole footway
with their stately and voluminous persons ! ?
Ladies in Edinburgh then wore the calash,
a kind of hood formed of cane covered with silk,

... OLD AXD NEW EDINBURGH. IHkh Street. humble trade, she went up to him, and without the least deference to his ...

Book 2 p. 244
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168 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Mr. Rowan, attended by his friend, the Honourable Simon Butler, anived
in Edinburgh on the’4th November, about mid-day, at Dumbreck‘s Hotel, when
the latter lost no time in waiting on the Lord Advocate, at his house in George
Square. He was received in a polite manner by his lordship, who said, that
although not bound to give any explanation of what he might consider proper
to state in his official capacity, yet he would return an answer to Mr. Rowan’s
note without delay. Mr. William Moffat, solicitor, the agent and friend of
Muir, who had been sent for by Mr. Rowan, immediately on his arrival, was
present in Dumbreck’s when Mr, Butler returned from George Square. “his
gentleman had hardly finished an account of his interview, when George Williamson,
King’s Messenger, accompanied by two sheriff-officers, made their appearance
with the Lord Advocate’s answer ; and, without much ceremony, intimated the
Sheriff‘s warrant for the apprehension of Mr. Rowan. There was no charge or
warrant against Mr. Butler ; but he accompanied his friend in a coach to the
Sheriffs Office, attended by the messenger and his assistants.
Acting by the advice of Mr. Moffat, who protested against the legality of
the charges on which the warrant proceeded, Mr. Rowan indignantly refused to
answer the interrogatories of the Sheriff. In consequence, a warrant was issued
for his incarceration until liberated in due course of law. Colonel Norman
Macleod, M.P. for Inverness-shire, who happened to be in town, and was by
this time in attendance at the Office, immediately became surety. Mr. Rowan
and his friends then adjourned to Hunter’s tavern, Royal Exchange, where they
were hospitably regaled by the gallant Colonel.
On the following morning Rowan and Butler visited Mr. Muir in the Tolbooth,
where, accompanied by Colonel Macleod, Captain Johnston, and Mr.
Moffat, they dined with him next day. On this occasion, Hamilton Rowan gave
Muir a pair of elegant pistols, of the finest cut steel, remarkably small, and of
curious workmanship, to be kept in remembrance of the donor, and as a safeguard,
in case of need, during the perils he was destined to encounter.’
Mr. Rowan and his friend Mr. Butler remained in Edinburgh for the space
of eight days. Previous to their departure, they were entertained at a public
dinner in Hunter’s tavern, Royal Exchange, given by a select number of the
Friends of the People ; among whom were Mr. Moffat, Colonel Macleod, and
about sixty other friends. The entrance-to the tavern w;t9 carefully watched by
a party of sheriff and town-officers, for the purpose of noting the names of all
who attended the banquet. But the greatest harmony prevailed ; and thus terminated
the frightful vision of treason and sedition created in the minds of the
authorities by the visit of Mr. Rowan and his friend. Although held to bail,
The pistols were afterwards taken from Muir while on board the revenue cutter in Leith Roads.
He made no secret of the presentifrequently showing them, on account of their curiourr workmanship,
not ody to his friends, but to the officers of the cutter ; and no doubt from information commnnicated
to the Sheriff, a warrant was granted to enforce their delivery. Repeated applications, in
which Muir’a father concurred, were afterwards made for the restoration of the pistols, but without
effect.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Mr. Rowan, attended by his friend, the Honourable Simon Butler, anived in Edinburgh on ...

Book 9 p. 227
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 117
key, and then the coat will fit to a certainty.’’ The servant kept his promise.
In a day or two the t.ailor returned-found O’Brien in excellent humour ; and
the greatcoat-“ 0, nothing in the world could be more completer 1”
While in Edinburgh, O’Brien exhibited himself in the premises known as
the “ Salamander Land,”l opposite the Royal Exchange. The following piece
of bombast was a standing paragraph in his advertisements :-
‘I How fortunate for Mr. O’Brien that he holds such a situation in existence that no one can
rival him in the public estimation. Kings may be dethroned-ministers dismissed-actors
supplanted-tradesmen ruined-and every other situation experience a similar reverse of fortune,
except the above gentleman, whose transcendent superiority is universally acknowledged ; and
who would not be injured in the least if kings, ministers, actors, and tradesmen were to unite
their efforts to produce a rival, since they would find themselves unequal to such magnanimous
undertaking. ”
Our giant was, in money matters, a very prudent person. He managed his
receipts so well, “that,” as observes his biographer,’ “ at the moment he is distinguished
as the largest, he is also known to be not the least independent man
in the kingdom, having in the neighbourhood of his residence at Enfield several
houses his own property ; which render his further exhibition unnecessary.”
O’Brien died at the Hot-Wells, Bristol, upon the 8th of September 1806,
and was interred at the Catholic Chapel, in Trenchard Street. His coffin was
nine feet five inches, and so broad that five ordinary men could lie in it with
ease. The brass plate contained the following inscription :-“ Patrick Cotter
O’Brien, of Kinsale, Ireland, whose stature was eight feet one inch, died Sth
September 1806, aged forty-six”
AIR. WILLIAM RANKEN, although diminutive in contrast with the
enormous bulk of the Irish Hercules, was of the middle size, and a man of
goodly proportions. He was a native of the south side of Edinburgh, and the
son of a respectable tailor. Having been brought up to his father’s profession,
he commenced business on his own account about the year 1778, in one of the
old houses’ opposite the City Guard. He afterwards moved to a house in the
Lawnmarket ; and latterly resided in the land forming the north-east corner of
the Parliament Square-with piazzas and a stone stair in frontdestroyed by
the great f i e in 1524. This property he purchased from the heirs of the late
Mr. Dempster, jeweller.
Mr. Ranken was one of the most extensive and respectable clothiers in
Edinburgh. He took an interest in city politics, and was first chosen Deacon
of the Incorporation in 1791, and Deacon Convener in 1799 and 1800. These
offices he filled repeatedly afterwards, and was for many years an influential
1 So called from its having escaped two great fires ; the lsst of which, in 1824, destroyed the
“Extraordinary Characters of the Nineteenth Century,” London, 1805, 8vo ; a very rare and
Parliament Square, and a portion of the south side of the High Street.
curious work, which was never finished. The text and plates are both engraved on copper.
a Since rebuilt.

... SKETCHES. 117 key, and then the coat will fit to a certainty.’’ The servant kept his promise. In ...

Book 9 p. 156
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 433
‘(Sir S. Rmilly showed that the Lord Advocate was perfectly in order.
“The Lord Advocate continued that he had never delayed bringing prisoners to trial.
Within a week after the prisoner had been committed, he attended to the settling of the indictment.
He thought it fair that everything
should be put on the record, to give the prisoner a fair notice ; and this was done. There were
long debates on this addition to the indictment ; and in consequence of this, though not of
anything that fell from the Court, a new indictment was framed ; and so far from any complaint
being made on the score of delay, the prisoiier asked fifteen days more. The Court then desired
to consider whether the felony were merged in the treason (for the English law of treason was
not well understood there), and subsequently suggested an alteration in the form of the indictment
; and no objection was made to the relevancy of this latter altered indictment. He trusted
the statement he had now made would corroborate what he had said on a former occasion.”
It was at first drawn up to a charge of felony.
On the death of Lord Reston, in 1819, Mr. Maconochie was promoted to
He was at the same time
Lord Meadowbank married the eldest daughter of Lord President Blair, by
His eldest, a member of the Scottish bar,
the bench, and took his seat as Lord Meadowbank.
constituted a Lord of Justiciary.
whom he had several children.
married, in 1836, Miss Wiggan, an American lady.
No. CCCXVIII.
THE HON. FRANCIS WILLIAM GRANT OF GRANT,
COLONEL OF THE INVERNESS-SHIRE XILITIA.
FRANCWISI LLIAMG RANTb, orn 6th March 1778, was the second son of the
late Sir James Grant of Grant, and brother and heir-apparent to the fifth Earl
of Seafield.’
regiment of militia were stationed at Edinburgh.
counties of Elgin and Nairn in Parliament from 1807 till 1840.
At the time the Print was executed, 1804, the Colonel and-hi s
Colonel Grant was Lord-Lieutenant of Inverness-shire, and represented the
He married,
And the world which has laugh’d at the fool of eighteen,
Will laugh at the fool of three-score.
“ ’Tis not while you wear a short coat of light-brown,
Tight breeches, and neckcloth so full,
: That the absolute blank of a mind can be shown,
Which time will but render more dull.
“ Oh ! the fool, who is truly so, never forgets,
But still fools it on to the close ;
Just as dark as it was when he roae.’’
As Ponsonby leaves the debate, when he sets,
On the demise of the last Earl of Findlater and Seafield, who died without issue at Dresden, on
the 5th October 1811, his estate and title of Seafield devolved on Sir Lewis Alexander Grant of
Grant, Bart., elder brother of the Colonel, who died unmarried in 1840. The earldom of Findlater,
which is limited to heirs-male, was claimed by the late Sir William Ogilvie, Bart.; but his claim
was never investigated by the House of Peen.
VOL II. 3 9

... SKETCHES. 433 ‘(Sir S. Rmilly showed that the Lord Advocate was perfectly in order. “The Lord ...

Book 9 p. 580
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36 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Hill, Sir John had a lodger who incurred no small degree of notoriety in the
city. He was a sportihg Cockney, of the name of Ludborough, who gave himself
out to be the son of the then Lord Mayor of London. His fashionable
eccentricities and excessive extravagance attracted general notice ; and, it is
said although he expended little short of thirty thousand pounds during his
limited residence in Edinburgh, he became so deeply involved that, latterly, he
was compelled to take shelter from his creditors in the Abbey.
The honours of knighthood were borne very meekly by the titular Sir John ;
so much so, that he did not at times disdain to be the purveyor of water for the
family, which he carried in “ stoups ’) as they were denominated by the progenitors
of the Modern Athenians, from the Calton well. In those days there
were no pipes to convey the water into the houses ; numerous individuals,
principally women, consequently found employment in supplying the citizens,
which they did in barrels slung across their soulders.’ Standing at his own
door in Shakspeare Square of a summer evening, it was no uncommon thing to
find Sir John unbending in conversation with these worthies, and occasionally
patronising them so far as to join in a social glass of “purl” at a neighbouring
alehouse.
The dreadful earthquake at Lisbon was a favourite topic with Sir John. He
used to mention that Lord Charles was in the act of writing a letter when the
first shock occurred : that the houses were for a moment seen to undulate like
the waves of the sea-then, falling in one vast ruin, the smoke and dust so
darkened the atmosphere, that, although broad day, the city was almost wholly
enveloped in midnight gloom. The miraculous preservation of Lord Charles,
with his own hairbreadth escapes over heaps of ruins-through narrow lanes,
and yawning apertures, where tlie mangled dead and dying were scattered in
hundreds-furnished him with many appalling stories. When inclined to be
facetious, the grotesque appearance of groups of flying citizens, many of whom
had been surprised in bed, afforded ‘abundant scope for humorous delineation.
Another point, on which Sir John used to dilate, was the fact of the dreadful
event having occurred on All-Saints-Day-one of the principal Popish festivals-
when all the churches were filled with worshippers, the altars lighted up,
and the priests in the act of celebrating high mass ; and that, although hundreds
of Papists were killed, scarcely a single Protestant foreigner perished.‘
Sit John lived to a good old age, and died at his house in Shakspeare Square
about the beginning of this century. His daughter, who survived, was respectably
married.
The last instance of a “water-man ” plying his avocation, a8 in days of yore, was I‘ Water
Willie.”
9 Portuguese priesthood attributed the dreadful visitation to Divine displeasure on account
of 80 many heretics and foreignera being allowed to reside in the capital ; and did not fail to
remonstrate with the King on the subject. The palace was totally destroyed; but the Royal
family had fortunately gone to Belem a few days previous.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Hill, Sir John had a lodger who incurred no small degree of notoriety in the city. He ...

Book 9 p. 48
(Score 0.87)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 265
it was a plain lock, his men having lately altered that shop door, at the lowering
of the street : that the plan of breaking into the shop was accordingly concerted
betwixt them; and they agreed to meet on the evening of the 24th of
December 1786, being a Saturday, at the house of James Clark, vintner, where
they generally met with company to gamble: that, having met there, they
played at the game of hazard till the declarant lost all his money ; but at this
time Brodie was in luck, and gaining money: that the declarant often asked
Brodie to go with him on their own business ; but Brodie, as he was gaining
money, declined going, and desired the declarant to stay a little and he would
go with him.” Smith, however, becoming impatient, as it8 was near four in the
morning, went himself to the Messrs. Bruce’s shop, from which he took a number
of watches, and a variety of jewellery articles, amounting in all to the value
of 3350. Brodie called upon Smith next day, when the latter told him that
he could not expect a full share, “but that there were the goods, and he might
choose for himself.” Brodie accordingly took a gold seal, a gold watch-key set
with garnet stones, and two gold rings. As the safest method, it was agreed
that Smith should go to England and dispose of the goods-Brodie giving him
five guineas and a half to defray his expenses. The goods were accordingly sold
in Chesterfield to one John Tasker, alias Murray, who had been previously
banished from Scotland. Smith repaid the money advanced by Brodie, besides
giving him three ten-pound notes more to keep for him, in case of suspicion,
which he afterwards got in sums as he wanted it.
While in prison, a desperate attempt to escape was made by Smith and
Ainslie-the latter of whom occupied a room on the highest floor. It occurred
in the night between the 4th and 5th of May, by converting the iron handle of
the jack (or bucket) into a pick-lock, and one of the iron hoops into a saw. Smith
took one door off the hinges, and opened the other which led to Ainslie’s apartment.
Both prisoners setting then to work, they cut a hole in the ceiling,
together with another in the roof of the prison, and had prepared about sixteen
fathoms of rope, manufactured out of the sheets of their beds. The falling of
the slates on the street, however, attracted the notice of the sentinel, who,
giving the alarm, they were immediately secured. After this failure, Smith
seems to have given up all hope. He at one time intended to plead guilty, and
prepared a speech in writing for the purpose ; but was afterwards prevailed upon
to take his chance of a trial. He also, with his own hand, drew up a list of
robberies-some of them of great magnitude-intended for future commission.
During Smith‘s stay in Edinburgh, he kept a kind of grocery shop in the
Cowgate ; and he affirmed that his wife knew nothing of his criminal mode of
life.
Of the history of the other accomplices nothing seems to have been known,
even by their companions. In the list of witnesses the designation of the one
is John Brown, alias Humphry Moore, sometime residing in Edinburgh; of
the other, Andrew Ainslie, sometime shoemaker in Edinburgh.
Her evidence was not taken in Court.

... SKETCHES. 265 it was a plain lock, his men having lately altered that shop door, at the lowering of ...

Book 8 p. 370
(Score 0.87)

162 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk.
Tience, he was appointed captain of the East New
Town Company, and inaugurated his new service
by fighting a duel with a Dr. Bennet, whom he
wounded, the dispute having occurred about some
Tepairs on the doctor?s chaise. ?He was,?? says
Kay?s editor, ? a fine manly-looking person, rather
florid in complexion, exceedingly polite in his manners,
and of gentlemanly attainments.? He was
treasurer of the city in 1795-6, and died at No. I,
*Gayfield Square, in 1823. His son Archibald,
born there, a High School boy, became physician
to the Emperor Alexander of Russia in 1817 ; he
was also physician to the Imperial Guard, was
knighted by the Emperor, and paid a visit to his
native city in 1823. He is refetred to in our
.account of Princes Street.
In a house on the west side of the square lived
Kincaid Mackenzie, in 1818-9 ; previously he had
resided in No. 14, Dundas Street. In 1817 he was
elected Lord Provost ; and two years afterwards he
.entertained at his house in the square, Prince Leopold,
afterwards King of the Belgians, He died
.suddenly, on the 2nd of January, 1830, when he
was about to sit down to dinner.
In the common stair, No. 31, Campbell of Barcaldine
had a house in 1811, at which time the
square was still called Gayfield Place.
Lower down the Walk, on the same side, was
the old Botanical Garden, the successor of the old
Physic Garden that lay in the swampy valley of the
North Loch, and the garden of Holyrood Palace.
Dr. John Hope, the professor of botany, appointed
in 1768, used every exertion to procure a
more favourable situation for a garden than the old
.one, and succeeded, about 1766, in obtaining such
aid and countenance from Government as enabled
him to accomplish the object he had so much at
?heart. *? His Majesty,? says Arnot, with laudable
detail-Government grants being few for Scotland
in those days-? was graciously pleased to
grant the sum of jt;1,330 IS. 24d. for making it,
and for its annual support A69 8s. ; at the same
time the magistrates and Town Council granted
the sum of ;Ezs annually for paying the rent of the
ground.?
The latter was five acres in extent, and the rapid
progress it made as a garden was greatly owing to
the skill and diligence of John Williamson, the
head gardener. ?? The soil,? says Amot, ? is sandy
.or gravelly.? Playfair, in his ? Illustrations of the
Huttonian Theory,? says of this garden that its
ground, ? after a thin covering is removed, consists
entirely of sea-sand, very regularly stratified with
layers of black carbonaceous matter in three
lameke interposed between them. Shells, I believe,
are rarely found in it ; but it has every other
appearance of a sea-beach.?
By 1780 it was richly stocked with trees to afford
good shelter for young and tender plana. In the
eastern division was the school of botany, containing
2,000 species of plants, systematically arranged,
A German traveller, nanied Frank, who
visited it in 1805, praised the order of the plants,
and says, ?? among others I saw a beautiful Fe+a
asafatida in full bloom. The gardens at Kew received
their plants from this garden.?
The latter was laid out under the immediate
direction of Dr. Hope, who arranged the plants
according to the system of Linneus, to whom, in
1778, he erected in the grounds a monument-a
vase upon a pedestal-inscribed :
LINNAEO POSUIT 10. HOPE.
He built suitable hothouses, and formed a pond
for the nourishment of aquatic plants. These were
all in the western division of the ground. The conservatories
were 140 feet long. Bruce of Kinnakd,
the traveller, gave the professor a number of
Abyssinian plant seeds, among them the plant which
cured him of dysentery, In a small enclosure the
industrious professor had a plantation of the true
rhubarb, containing 3,000 plants.
The greenhouse was covered by a dated roof,
according to the Sots Magazine, in 1809 ; and as
light was only admitted at the sides, the plants
were naturally drawn towards them. ? To remedy
this radical defect,? adds the writer, ? a glass roof
is necessary. The soil of this garden is by no
means good ; vast pains have been bestowed upon
it to produce what has been done. The situation,
which, at one period, may be admitted to have
been favourable, is now indifferent, and is daily
becoming worse, from the rapid encroachment of
building, and the Hasfing effects of an iron-foundry
on the opposite side of Leith Walk.?
Some of the new walks here were laid out by
Mr. John Mackay, said to be one of the most
enthusiastic botanists and tasteful gardeners that
Scotland had as then produced, and who died
in 1802.
In 1814, on the death of Dr. Roxburgh, he was
succeeded as superintendent of this garden by Dr.
Francis Buchanan, author of several works on
India, where, in 1800, he was chosen to examine
the state of the country which had been lately conquered
from Tippoo Sahib; he had also been surgeon
to the Marquis of Wellesley, then Governor-GeneraL
He died in 1829, prior to which, as we have elsewhere
related, this Botanical Garden had been
abandoned, and all its plants removed without

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk. Tience, he was appointed captain of the East New Town Company, and ...

Book 5 p. 162
(Score 0.87)

302 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. ? [Surgeon Square.
We may close our notice of the Old Royal
Infirmary by a reference to the Keith Fund, established
by the late ME.. Janet Murray Keith and
her sister Ann for the relief of incurable patients
who have been in the house. These generous ladies
by trust-deed left a sum of money, the interest of
which was to be applied for the behoof of all who
were discharged therefrom as incurable by the loss
of their limbs, or so forth. The fund, which consists
of Bank of Scotiand stock, is held for this
purpose by trustees, who are annually appointed
by the managers of the Royal Infirmary, the
annual dividend to which amounts to Lz50. In
1877 there were on the list of recipients IOI
patients receiving allowances varying from AI to
A4; and in their deed of settlement the donors
express a hope that the small beginning thus made
for the relief of such sufferers, if well managed,
may encourage richer persons to follow theiI
example. Although this trust is appointed to be
kept separate for ever from the affairs of the Royal
Infirmary, the trustees are directed to publish
annually, with the report of the managers, an abstract
of the fund, with such other information %
they may deem desirable.
In the account of the west side of the Pleasance
we have briefly adverted to the ancient hall of the
Royal College of Surgeons,* which, bounded by the
eastern flank of the city wall, was built by that
body when they abandoned their previous place ol
meeting, which they rented in Dickson?s Close foi
L40 yearly, and acquired Cumehill House and
grounds, the spot within the angle of the wall
referred to. This had anciently belonged to the
Black Friars, but was secularised, and passed suc.
cessively into the hands of Sir John and Sir Jamer
Skene, judges of the Court of Session, both undei
the title of Lord Cumehill. Sir James Skene
?l succeeded Thomas, Earl of Melrose, as Presidenl
on the 14th Feb., 1626, in which office he con.
tinued till his death, which took place on the 15tk
October, 1633, in his own lodging beside thc
Grammar School of Edinburgh.?
After them it became the property of Samue
Johnstoun of the Sciennes ; and after him of thr
patrons of the university, who made it the housc
I of their professor of divinity, and he sold it to thc
surgeons for 3,000 merks Scots in 1656.
This house, which should have been described ir
its place, is shown by Rothiemay?s plan (see p. 241:
in 1647 to have been a large half-quadrangular four
storeyed house, with dormer windows, a circulai
turnpike stair with a conical roof on its north front
Vol. I., pp. 381-3.
md surrounded by a spacious garden, enclosed on
he south and east by the battlemented wall of
he city, and having a doorway in the boundary
wall of the High School yard on the north. On
he site of this edifice there was raised the future
Royal College of Surgeons, giving still its name to
he adjacent Square.
On the west side of that square stood the hall of
.he Royal Medical Society, which, Amot says, was
:oeval with the institution of a regular school of
iiedicine in the University ?by the establishment
if professors in the different branches of that
science. Dr. Cullen, Dr. Fothergill, and others
if the most eminent physicians in Britain, were
imong the first of its members. None of its
records, however, of an earlier date than A.D.
1737, have been preserved.?
Since that year the greater number of the students
of medicine at the University, who have
been distinguished in after years by their eminence,
diligence, and skill, have been members of this
Society, to which none are admitted until they have
made some progress in the study of physic.
In May, 1775, the foundation stone of their new
hall in Surgeon Square was laid by Dr. Cullen in
the presence of the other medical professors, the
presidents of the learned societies, and a large
audience.
This Society was erected into a body corporate by
5 royal charter grantedon the 14th of December,
1778, and lC is intended,? says Amot, writing of it
in his own time, ? l as a branch of medical education,
and a source of further discoveries and improvements
in that science, and those branches of
philosophy intimately connected with it. The
members at their weekly meetings read in rotation
discourses on medical subjects, which, at least Six
months previous to their delivery, had been assigned
to them by the Society, either at their own request
or by lot. And before any discourse be publicly
read it is communicated in writing to every member,
three of whom are particularly appointed to
impugn, if necessary, its doctrines. From these
circumstances the author of every discourse is induced
to bestow the utmost pains in rendering it as
complete as possible ; and the other members have
an opportunity of coming prepared to point out
every other view in which the subject can be rendered.
Thus, emulation and industry are excited,
genius is called forth, and the judgment exercised
and improved. By these means much information
is obtained respecting facts and doctrines already
published ; new opinions are often suggested, and
further inquiries pointed out. -4nd it is acknowledged
by all who are acquainted with the Univer

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. ? [Surgeon Square. We may close our notice of the Old Royal Infirmary by a reference ...

Book 4 p. 302
(Score 0.87)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 463
The late Sir Alexander Boswell of Auchinleck wrote a song, in 1817, commemorating
the leading members of the Duddingston Society of Curlers. He
thus introduces Mr. Millar :-
“ To the kirk we maun bow, sae we needna be sour,
For there, I how, stands our best pillar :
But gif 0’ keen curlers ye’re wantin’ the Jmw,
For Jour ye maun look to a-MILLBrc.”
His fondness for this game inspired Mr. Millar himself, and he wrote an
excellent Fang to the air-“ The Laird 0’ Cockpen.” It was printed at the time
as a single leaf, but it may be found, somewhat curtailed, in a volume on curling,
entitled “ Memorabilia Curliania Mabenensia,” printed at Dumfries, 1830,
8vo. We are not aware of any other composition by this gentleman, who was
truly considered by his friends as a most agreeable companion and a keen
curler.”
Mr. Millar died at Meadowsale, near Strathaven, on the 17th August 1824.
IT.-The late SIR WALTER SCOTT, Bart., of whom as the world is
already in possession of so much, no apology will be requisite for the brevity of
our notice. By way of pointing out the locality, we may state that he was born
on the 15th August 1771, in a house (removed to make way for the University
buildings) which stood at the head of the College Wynd,’ partly in what is
now North College Street, near the spot where a wooden erection has been
formed for exhibiting the skeleton of a whale belonging to the College Museum
(now removed). His father, Mr. Walter Scott, Writer to the Signet, resided
in the third $at, the two under floors being occupied by Mr. Keith, grandfather
to the late Sir Alexander Keith, Knight-Marischal of Scotland.
The author of “Marmion” became an advocate in 1792; but, as is well
known, he never made.any figure as a barrister. His fame and emoluments
were destined to be gleaned in another field ; and though he failed in securing
the golden harvest he had reaped, the triumph of his genius is now beyond the
reach of cavil or the chance of accident. Sir Walter is classed in the Print as
one of the advocates who (‘ plead without wigs ;” but prior to the date of the
Engraving (1811) he had been appointed one of the Principal Clerks of
Session-an appointment, which precluded practice at the bar.
Sir Walter Scott died at Abbotsford on the 21st September 1832.
This might well have been the most appropriate site for the monument erected to the memory
of Sir Walter, had the improvements at one time contemplated by the Commissioners for the University
buildings been carried into effect. The plan comprehended the removal of all those tenements
between Bailie Grieve’s ehop, corner of Adam Square (running in a straight line through that
large self-contained home, middle of the Horse Wynd, built and formerly inhabited by the Earl of
Galloway, and subsequently by Mr. Paton, the publisher of the first edition of this work), and the
centre of @le Square ; thus leaving a considerable open space round the College, The monument,
occupying the natd spot of the Great Magician of the North, and immediately fronting the centre
of the north parallel of the buildingfl, would have added greatly to the b u t y aa well aa the intereat
of the scene.

... SKETCHES. 463 The late Sir Alexander Boswell of Auchinleck wrote a song, in 1817, commemorating the ...

Book 9 p. 618
(Score 0.86)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 323
and, about the year 1776, was appointed one of the Judges of the Commissary
Court, which office he resigned in 1 7 9 1.
The Laird and his brother were men of primitive habits. From some unaccountable
aversion to matrimony, neither of them ever married;’ and they both
resided in the same house. Their domestic establishment was limited to one
female and two men-servants; one of whom, Archibald Brown, butler and
factotum, was considered the waiting-man of the Laird ; the other of the Commissary
Judge. It does not appear that this retired mode of life resulted from
parsimony of disposition. They were very wealthy; and their management
of accounts exhibited the utmost liberality. To their domestics they were
extremely kind, a new year’s gift of a hundred pounds being no unfrequent
addition to the stated salary ; and several distant relatives, in circumstances not
the most prosperous, were understood to participate largely in their munificence,
often receiving sums of double that amount, in such a way as amply testsed
the disinterested kindness of the donors.
Both brothers were early risers, and it was no uncommon thing for them to
walk the length of Dalkeith and back again before the servants were out of
bed. As an instance of the active benevolence of the Laird, it is told that
one morning meeting a person of abject appearance, with bruised feet and
worn-out shoes, he instantly stripped off his own, and, causing him to sit down
by the wayside, desired him to try whether they would fit. An exchange
having been thus readily effected, the philanthropic Laird of Riccarton, putting
on the shoes of the mendicant, proceeded on his walk.
In stabure the Laird was somewhat shorter than the Commissary Judge.
Totally indifferent to external appearance, almost no persuasion could reconcile
him to any innovation in the fashion of his habiliments. Even a change of
linen was reluctantly complied with ; and he was often observed greatly to lack
some portion of that industry which gave to the stockings of Sir John Cutler
so much celebrity for their durability. Those of the Laird were usually
retained, without the application of soap or needle, until perfectly useless ; then,
and then only, consigned to the flames, the old made way for the new, to be
in turn subjected to similar treatment. A gentleman passing him one day,
charitably slipped a sixpence into his hand. Not at all disconcerted, after
examining it for some time, Mr. Craig coolly pocketed the donation.
The death of the elder brother occurred on the 22d January 1814, when he
was in the eighty-fifth year of his age. He succeeded his father in 1732, and
had consequently been eighty-two years in possession of the estate. “During
the whole course of his life he uniformly supported the character of an upright,
honest man. He was a father to his tenants and servants, and a most liberal
friend to the poor.”
RoberGthe subject of the Print-survived till he attained the advanced age
Notwithstanding the strong prejudice entertaiied against wedlock, neither the Laird nor his
brother showed any dislike to children. On the contrary, the boys of the neighbourhood were often
regaled in the kitchen with strawberrias and other fruits when in season.

... SKETCHES. 323 and, about the year 1776, was appointed one of the Judges of the Commissary Court, ...

Book 9 p. 430
(Score 0.86)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 9
filled up with great alacrity ; and, in a ve y short time, a foundation of whins
and furze was laid with mock-masonic ceremony. When this had been done,
the subscribers adjourned to the ‘I Hotel,” where they chose a preseq treasurer,
and secretary, and appointed a committee to superintend the work.’
Provost
Grieve, who resided in Princes Street, took a deep interest in the undertaking;
and when Convener Jamieson, in order to fill up a quar y which he had opened
opposite Hanover Street, obtained authority from the Magistrates to have the
excavations of the numerous buildings then going on laid down there, the order
was continued until the Mound was entirely formed.’
The “ Mud Brig” having been thus constructed without much interference
or exertion on the part of the Committee of Burgh Reformers, a meeting was
called, and a state of their accounts laid before them, from which it appeared
that a considerable balance of cash remained in the treasurer’s hands. With
this sum it was resolved the Committee should celebrate the completion of the
Mound by a dinner in “ Dunn’s Hotel;” and it was proposed that, as they were
the first to commence the undertaking, so they should have the honour of
being the first to drive along the ridge on its being opened to the public. It
was therefore determined that a coach-and-six should be hired for the occasion,
to carry their wives and sweethearts, while the patriotic band should walk in
procession.
This scheme unexpectedly proved abortive : their treasurer, Mr. Brown,
becoming bankrupt, and absconding with the funds, effectually put a stop to the
contemplated pageant. The disappointment which such an occurrence occasioned
may be “ better conceived than described.” The affair could not be concealed
; and, as it gave rise to much sarcastic observation, was altogether too rich
a subject to escape the pencil of the caricaturist.
Fortunately very little of the subscription-money was required.
The
“ PEli~int, or a Visit to ttja flub. Brig,”
therefore, stands a satirical memorial of an event which should have taken place.
The figure in advance of the procession will at once be recognised as the
well-known BAILIE DUFF. The Bailie is represented with the “ quaigh ” of
the Club in his hand-from which the members drained many a. long
draught-and the small tartan flag over his shoulder, which used to be displayed
1 The subscribers to this fund were privileged according to the amount of their subscriptions.
Those of ten shillings were permitted to expresa their opinions. but those of five were only entitled
to vote. At one of the first meetings held on the subject, David Finlay, haidreaser, St.
James’s Court-who w8s by no means famed for the brilliancy of his intellectpmped that they
should form a mound from the Lawnmarket to the Calton Hill I His motion was received with
shouts of laughter. “Hoot man,’’ replied
another, “ Do ye no ken he’s president 0’ the Hacerd Club I “+one of the well-known social clubs
of the LawnmarketJ * The Mound was originally thrown considerably eastward of Hanover Street. This deviation
from the straight line was tu gratify Provost Grieve, whose house was directly opposita The irregularity
is now obviated.
“He’s surely havering,” said one of the membem
VOL II. C

... SKETCHES. 9 filled up with great alacrity ; and, in a ve y short time, a foundation of whins and ...

Book 9 p. 11
(Score 0.86)

Potterrow.] AN OLD TAVERN. 333
Moray, who died in 1810, lived in the Potterrow,
in a large mansion, which was entered through a
garden ?at the east end of the row, and another
by Chapel Street.?? An advertisement, offering it
for sale in 1783, says the earl had occupied it ?for
these ten years past;? that it consists of fifteen
apartments, with servants? hall, vaulted cellar, and
ample stabling. This was, in all probability, the
house formerly occupied by the Duke of Douglas.
The Original Seceder Congregation, afterwards
located in Richmond Street, was established in the
Potterrow about 1794, and removed to the former
quarter in 1813.
We get an idea of the class of humble Edinburgh
merchapzt, as the phrase was understood in Scotland.
On Sundays, too, Mrs. Flockhart?s little
visage might have been seen in a front gallery seat
in Mr. Pattieson?s chapel in the Potterrow. Her
abode, situated opposite to Chalmers? Entry, in
that suburban thoroughfare, was a square, about
fifteen feet each way.?
A mere screen divided her dwelling-house from
her tavern, and before it, every morning, the
bottles containing whisky, rum, and brandy, were
placed on the bunker-seat of a window, with
glasses and a salver of gingerbread biscuits. Anon
an elderly gentleman would drop in, saluting her
with ?? Hoo d?ye do, mem I ? and then proceed to
ROOM IN CLARINDA?S HOUSE, GENERAL?S ENTRY.
taverns of the old school from the description that
Chambers gives us of a famous one, Mrs. Flockhart?s-
otherwise ? Lucky Fykie?s ?-in the Potter-.
row, at the close of the last century,
It was a small as well as obscure edifice, externally
having the appearance of a huckster?s
shop. Lucky Fykie was a neat little elderly
woman, usually clad in an apron and gown of the
same blue-striped stuff, with a black silk ribbon
round her mutch, the lappets of which were tied
under her chin. ?Her husband, the umquhile
John Flucker, or Flockhart, had left her some
ready money, together with his whole stock-in-trade,
consisting of a multifarious variety of articlesropes,
tea, sugar, whipshafts, porter, ale, beer,
yellow-sand, camstune, herrings, nails, cotton-wicks,
thread, needles, tapes, potatoes, lollipops, onions,
and matches, &c., constituting ,her a respectable
help himself from one of the bottles ; another and
another would drop in, till the tiny tavern was
full, and, strange to say, all of them were men of
importance in society, many of them denizens of
George Square - eminent .barristers or wealthy
bankers-so simple were the habits of the olden
time.
In No. 7, Charles Street, which runs into Crichton
Street, near the Potterrow, Lord Jeffrey, the eminent
critic, was born in 1773, in the house of his father,
a Depute-Clerk of Session, though some accounts
have assigned his birthplace to Windmill Street.
Lady Duffus was resident in Charles Street in I 784,
Where this street is now, there was an old locality
known as Charles?s Field, which on Restoration
Day, 1712, was the scene of an ingenious piece
of marked Jacobitism, in honour of the exiled I Stuarts
pub
ale house
public house
tavern

... AN OLD TAVERN. 333 Moray, who died in 1810, lived in the Potterrow, in a large mansion, which was ...

Book 4 p. 333
(Score 0.86)

334 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Nicolson Sheet
There was then in Edinburgn a merchant, named
Charles Jackson, to whom Charles 11. had acted
as godfather in the Kirk of Keith, and Jackson
was a name assumed by Charles after his escape
in the Royal Oak. In consideration of all this,
by an advertisement in the Courant, Mr. Jackson,
as being lineally descended from a stock of
royalists, ?invited all such to solemnise that
memorable day (29th May) at an enclosure called
Charles?s Field, lying a mile south from this city
(where he hath erected a very useful bleachingfield),
and there entertained them with a diversity
of liquors, fine music, 8rc.?
He had a huge bonfire lighted, and a tall pole
erected, with a large banner displayed therefrom,
and the royal oak painted on it, together with
the bark in which his sacred majesty made his
escape, and the colonel who accompanied him
?The company around the bonfire drank Her
Majesty Queen Anne?s health, and the memory ot
the happy Restoration, with great mirth and demonstrations
of loyalty. The night concluded with
mirth, and the standard being brought back to Mr.
Jackson?s lodgings, was carried by ZoyaZ gentlemen
bareheaded, and followed by several others with
trumpets, hautboys, and bagpipes playing before
them, where they were kindly entertained.? (Reliquiz
Scofia.)
CHAPTER XXXIX.
NICOLSON STREET AND SQUARE.
Lady Nicolson-Her Pillar-Royal Riding School-M. Angelo-New Surgeons? Hall-The Earl of Leven-Dr. Barthwick Gilchrist-The Blind
Asylum-John Madmen-Sir David WilkicRaxburgh Parish-My Glenorchy?r Chapel.
NICOLSON STREET, which runs southward to the
Cross Causeway, on a line with the South Bridge,was
formed about the middle of the eighteenth century,
on the grounds of Lady Nicolson, whose mansion
stood on an area now covered by the eastern end
of North College Street ; and a writer in a public
print recently stated that the house numhered as
82 in Nicolson Street, presently occupied as a
hotel, was erected for and occupied by her after
the street was formed.
In Shaw?s ? Register of Entails ? under date of
Tailzie, 7th October, 1763, and of Registration, 4th
December, 1764, is the name of Lady Nicolson
(Elizabeth Carnegie), relict of Mr. Tames Nicolson,
with note of the lands and heritable subjects in
the shire of Edinburgh that should belong to her
at her death.
In Edgar?s plan for 1765, her park, lying eastward
of the Potterrow, is intersected by the ?New
Road,? evidently the line of the present street, and
at its northern end is her mansion, some seventy
feet distant from the city wall, with a carriage gate
and lodge, the only other building near it being the
Royal Riding School, with its stables, on the site of
the present Surgeons? Hall.
On the completion of Nicolson Street, Lady
Nicolson erected at its northern end a monument
to her husband. It was, states Amot, a fluted
Corinthian column, twenty-five feet two inches in
height, with a capital and base, and fourteen inches
diameter. Another account says it was from
thirty to forty feet in height, and had on its pedestal
an inscription in Latin and English, stating that
Lady Nicolson having been left the adjacent piece
of ground by her husband, had, out of regard for
his memory, made it to be planned into ?? a street,
to be named from him, Xicolson Street.?
On the extension of the thoroughfare and ultimate
completion of the South Bridge, from which
it was for some years a conspicuous object, it was
removed, and the affectionate memorial, instead
of being placed in the little square, with that barbarous
want of sentiment that has characterised
many improvements in Edinburgh and elsewhere in
Scotland in more important matters, was thrown
aside into the yard of the adjacent Riding School,
and was, no doubt, soon after broken up for
rubble.
One of the first edifices in the newly-formed
thoroughfare was the old Riding School, a block of
buildings and stables, measuring about one hundred
and fifty feet each way.
The first ?master of the Royal Riding Menage?
was Angelo Tremamondo, a native of Italy, .as his
name imports, though it has been supposed that it
was merely a mountebank assumption, as it means
the tremor of the world, a universal earthquake;
but be that as it may, his Christian name in Edmburgh
speedily dwindled clown to Aimhe. He was
in the pay of the Government, was among the earliest
residents in Nicolson Square, and had a salary of
Lzoo per annum.

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Nicolson Sheet There was then in Edinburgn a merchant, named Charles Jackson, to whom ...

Book 4 p. 335
(Score 0.85)

334 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Nicolson Sheet
There was then in Edinburgn a merchant, named
Charles Jackson, to whom Charles 11. had acted
as godfather in the Kirk of Keith, and Jackson
was a name assumed by Charles after his escape
in the Royal Oak. In consideration of all this,
by an advertisement in the Courant, Mr. Jackson,
as being lineally descended from a stock of
royalists, ?invited all such to solemnise that
memorable day (29th May) at an enclosure called
Charles?s Field, lying a mile south from this city
(where he hath erected a very useful bleachingfield),
and there entertained them with a diversity
of liquors, fine music, 8rc.?
He had a huge bonfire lighted, and a tall pole
erected, with a large banner displayed therefrom,
and the royal oak painted on it, together with
the bark in which his sacred majesty made his
escape, and the colonel who accompanied him
?The company around the bonfire drank Her
Majesty Queen Anne?s health, and the memory ot
the happy Restoration, with great mirth and demonstrations
of loyalty. The night concluded with
mirth, and the standard being brought back to Mr.
Jackson?s lodgings, was carried by ZoyaZ gentlemen
bareheaded, and followed by several others with
trumpets, hautboys, and bagpipes playing before
them, where they were kindly entertained.? (Reliquiz
Scofia.)
CHAPTER XXXIX.
NICOLSON STREET AND SQUARE.
Lady Nicolson-Her Pillar-Royal Riding School-M. Angelo-New Surgeons? Hall-The Earl of Leven-Dr. Barthwick Gilchrist-The Blind
Asylum-John Madmen-Sir David WilkicRaxburgh Parish-My Glenorchy?r Chapel.
NICOLSON STREET, which runs southward to the
Cross Causeway, on a line with the South Bridge,was
formed about the middle of the eighteenth century,
on the grounds of Lady Nicolson, whose mansion
stood on an area now covered by the eastern end
of North College Street ; and a writer in a public
print recently stated that the house numhered as
82 in Nicolson Street, presently occupied as a
hotel, was erected for and occupied by her after
the street was formed.
In Shaw?s ? Register of Entails ? under date of
Tailzie, 7th October, 1763, and of Registration, 4th
December, 1764, is the name of Lady Nicolson
(Elizabeth Carnegie), relict of Mr. Tames Nicolson,
with note of the lands and heritable subjects in
the shire of Edinburgh that should belong to her
at her death.
In Edgar?s plan for 1765, her park, lying eastward
of the Potterrow, is intersected by the ?New
Road,? evidently the line of the present street, and
at its northern end is her mansion, some seventy
feet distant from the city wall, with a carriage gate
and lodge, the only other building near it being the
Royal Riding School, with its stables, on the site of
the present Surgeons? Hall.
On the completion of Nicolson Street, Lady
Nicolson erected at its northern end a monument
to her husband. It was, states Amot, a fluted
Corinthian column, twenty-five feet two inches in
height, with a capital and base, and fourteen inches
diameter. Another account says it was from
thirty to forty feet in height, and had on its pedestal
an inscription in Latin and English, stating that
Lady Nicolson having been left the adjacent piece
of ground by her husband, had, out of regard for
his memory, made it to be planned into ?? a street,
to be named from him, Xicolson Street.?
On the extension of the thoroughfare and ultimate
completion of the South Bridge, from which
it was for some years a conspicuous object, it was
removed, and the affectionate memorial, instead
of being placed in the little square, with that barbarous
want of sentiment that has characterised
many improvements in Edinburgh and elsewhere in
Scotland in more important matters, was thrown
aside into the yard of the adjacent Riding School,
and was, no doubt, soon after broken up for
rubble.
One of the first edifices in the newly-formed
thoroughfare was the old Riding School, a block of
buildings and stables, measuring about one hundred
and fifty feet each way.
The first ?master of the Royal Riding Menage?
was Angelo Tremamondo, a native of Italy, .as his
name imports, though it has been supposed that it
was merely a mountebank assumption, as it means
the tremor of the world, a universal earthquake;
but be that as it may, his Christian name in Edmburgh
speedily dwindled clown to Aimhe. He was
in the pay of the Government, was among the earliest
residents in Nicolson Square, and had a salary of
Lzoo per annum.

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Nicolson Sheet There was then in Edinburgn a merchant, named Charles Jackson, to whom ...

Book 4 p. 334
(Score 0.85)

Leith.] AN ANCIENT BEACH. 2 49
and here, too, stands South Leith Poor-house, with
the parochial offices facing Junction Road.
When the foundations of the hospital here were
dug in 1850, indications were discovered of how
of the ocean, at some time posterior to Noah,
ebbed and flowed over the ground on which
these buildings are at present erected.? As the
place was in the line of the fortifications, relics
ANCIENT PARLIAMENT HOUSE, PARLIAMENT SQUARE.
purpura, buccinum, ostrea, myths, and balanus,
were found (Robertson). These were seen in
extensive layers under marine sand, twelve and
fifteen feet below the surface, and twenty-five
above high water. ?Being marine shells of existing
species, the great mass not edible, and so densely
compacted in layers from the hospital to the
Junction Road-nearly an acre of land-it may
rationally be concluded that the green waters
12 8
as a forty-eight pound ball of a cannon-royale,
some antique harness, a large fore!ock, and
the wheelcap or stock-point of a piece of artillery.
To the Humane Society we have referred, in its
cradle at the Burgess Wynd. It would appear that
soon after its formation a complete set of apparatus
for recovering the drowned was presented to it, and
, to the town of Leith, by the Humane Society of

... AN ANCIENT BEACH. 2 49 and here, too, stands South Leith Poor-house, with the parochial offices facing ...

Book 6 p. 249
(Score 0.85)

any goods on hand in their shops, everything had
to be ordered long before it was required ; and it
was always usual for the goldsmith and his customer
to adjourn together to the B ~ j e n Hole, an
ancient baker?s shop, the name of which has proved
a puzzle to local antiquarians, or to John?s Coffee
House, to adjust the order and payment, through
the medium of a dram or a stoup of mellow ale.
But, as time passed on, and the goldsmiths of
Edinburgh became more extensive in their views,
capital, and ambition,
the old booths in the
Parliament Close were
in quick succession
abandoned for ever.
The workshop of
George Heriot existed
in this neighbourhood
till the demolition of
Beth?s Wynd and the adjacent
buildings. There
were three contiguous
small shops, with projecting
wooden superstructures
above them,
that extended in a line,
between the door of the
old Tolbooth and that
of the 1,aigh Councilhouse.
They stood upon
the site of the entrancehall
of the present Signet
Library, and the central
of these three shops was
the booth of the immortal
George Heriot,
the founder of the great
hospital, the goldsmith
to King James VI.-the
good-humoured, honest,
Humble though this booth, after the execution
of ?the bonnie Earl of Gowrie,? when the extravagance
of Anne of Denmark-a devoted patron
of George Heriot -rendered the king?s private
exchequer somewhat impaired, he was not above
paying visits to some of the wealthier citizens in
the Lawnmarket or Parliament Square, and, among.
others, to the royal goldsmith. The latter being.
bred to his father?s business, to which in that age
was usually added the occupation of a banker, was
GEORGE HERIOT?S DRINKING CUP.
(De-d Sy himsew)
and generous ?Jingling Geordie? of the ?? Fortunes
of Nigel.?
It measured only seven feet square ! The back
windows looked into Beth?s Wynd ; and, to show
the value of local tradition, it long appeared that
this booth belonged 10 George Heriot, and it became
a confirmed fact when, on the demolition of
the latter place, his name was found carved above
the door, on the stone lintel. His forge and
bellows, as well as a stone crucible and lid, were
also found on clearing away the ruins, and are now
carefully preserved in the museum of the hospital,
to which they were presented by the late Mr.
Robertson, of the Commercial Bank, a grateful
?? Auld Herioter.?
admitted a member of
the Incorporation of
Goldsniiths on the 28th
May, 1588. In 1597 he
was appointed goldsmith
to Queen Anne, and
soon after to the king.
Several of the accounts
for jewels furnished by
him to the queen are
inserted in Constable?s
? Life of Heriot,? published
in 1822.
It is related that one
day he had been sent
for by the king, whom
he found seated in one
of the rooms at Holyrood,
before a fire composed
of cedar, or some
other perfumed wood,
which cast a pleasant
fragrance around, and
the king mentioned incidentally
that it was
quite as costly as it
was agreeable, ? If your
majesty will visit me at
my booth in the Parliament
Close,? quoth
Heriot, ?I will show you a fire more costly than
that.? ?? Say you so ! ? said the king ; ?? then I
will.?
On doing so, he was surprised to find that Heriot
had only a coal fire of the usual kind.
?Is this, then, your costly fire?? asked the
king.
? Wait, your highness, till I get my fuel,? replied
Heriot, who from an old cabinet or almrie took a
bond for Az,ooo which he had lent to James, and,
laying it on the fire, he asked, laughingly, ?Now,
whether is your majesty?s fire in Holyrood or
mine the most costly ??
? Certainly yours, Master Heriot ! ? replied the
king.

... goods on hand in their shops, everything had to be ordered long before it was required ; and it was always ...

Book 1 p. 175
(Score 0.85)

... Street, 11. 178, 179, 183, 11. ;30 155 ill. 68,101 I&, 186, 188 184 Broughtan T o l b t h , The, 11. * ...

Book 6 p. 371
(Score 0.84)

280 EIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Owing to the crowded state of the church in Rose Street, and from the
impossibility of enlarging it, ground was feued for the erection of a new place of
worship. This caused a considerable difference of opinion in the congregation,
and about four hundred resolved on remaining where they were. On the 29th
of May 1821 Dr. Hall opened the new church in Broughton Place, which
was the third that had been built for him since the commencement of his
ministry, and in all of which he attracted large congregations.’
He was allowed to possess, in an eminent measure, the peculiar requisites
of a Christian orator. His appearance, especially while young, was uncommonly
interesting. His voice, though
not sonorous, was clear, extensive, and mellifluent-modulated with natural taste
and impressive variety.
Dr. Hall was extremely attentive to the private duties of his office while he
continued able to perform them. In visiting the sick, his presence, his prayers,
and his converse, were peculiarly acceptable and consolatory, not only to his
own people, but to many of different religious opinions. About ten years prior
to his death he was afflicted with an inflammation of. his liver, by which his
life was thought to be in imminent danger ; and though he gradually regained
a considerable share of health, he was ever afterwards subject to internal
complaints, that rendered him unable to endure any great degree of fatigue.
As a member of the ecclesiastical courts, his judgment was more than usually
respected. He assumed no dictatorial airs, no superiority of discernment, no
disposition to become the leader of a party; but his thorough acquaintance
with the forms of business-the deep interest he took in the concerns of the
church-his impartiality in the weighing of evidence-and his unbiassed attachment
to equity, justice, and the general interest of religion-gave a peculiar
weight to his sentiments, and his opinions were uniformly respected.
Though somewhat warm in temper, he was open, generous, and affectionate.
Induced by plausible propositions, and desirous to be serviceable to his friends,
he unhappily entered into a mercantile speculation, which proving ruinous, he
was for a time subject to very disagreeable consequences, and had the mortification
of incurring the censure of many who were ignorant of the motives that
had prompted him to engage in secular matters, His open, manly statement,
and ingenuous exposition of the causes which led to his embarrassments, coupled
with his willingness to make every sacrifice calculated to repair any injury which
his failure had occasioned, proved perfectly satisfactory to all concerned. He
continued to discharge his public duties pretty regularly, and with great acceptability,
till about a year and three quarters before his death, when he was again
seized by his former complaint, which confined him nearly three months ; after
which he appeared only occasionally in the pulpit.
His person was tall, handsome, and dignified.
His action was animated, graceful, and appropriate.
He was succeeded in his former place of worship by the Rev. John (afterwards Dr. Brown of
Broughton Place) ; and, notwithstanding the split that had taken place among the members, the
utmost friendship subsisted betwixt Dr. Hall and Mr. Brnwn, the latter experiencing from him the
kindness and solicitude of a father.

... EIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Owing to the crowded state of the church in Rose Street, and from the impossibility of ...

Book 9 p. 372
(Score 0.84)

210 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
The author then goes on in a lively strain to describe some of the “chiefs”
-the “ cocks 0’ the green ” at that period :-
“ Macdonald and unmatched Dalrymple ply
Their ponderous weapons, and the green defy ;
Rattray for skill, and Corse for strength renowned,
Stewart and Lesly beat the sandy ground ;
And Brown and Alxton, chiefs well known in fame,
And numbers more the muse forbears to name.
Gigantic Biggar here full oft is seen,
Like huge Behemoth on an Indian green ;
His bulk enormous scarce can ’scape the eyes ;
Amazed spectators wonder how he plies.
Yea, here great Forbes,’ patron of the just-
The dread of villains, and the good man’s trust ;
When spent with toils in serving human kind,
His body recreates and unbends his mind.”
The oldest golfing associations, or clubs, are the ‘‘ Edinburgh Burgess ” and
‘ I Bruntsfield Links ” Golfing Societies, instituted in 1735. The “ Edinburgh
Company of Golfers,” under the patronage of the city, originated in 1’144. An
act was passed by the Town Council on the 7th of March, “appointing their
treasurer to cause make a silver club, of 215 value, to be played for on the
Links of Leith the first Monday of April annually. The act appoints that
the candidates’ names be booked some day of the week preceding the match,
paying 5s. each at booking : that they be matched into parties of two’s, or of
three’s, if their number be great, by lot : that the player who shall have the
greatest number of holes be victor ; and if two or more shall have won an equal
number, that they play a round by themselves, in order to determine the match:
that the victor be styled Captnin of the Go$: that he append a piece of gold or
silver to the club: that he have the sole disposal of the booking money-the
determination of disputes among goffers, with the assistance of two or three of
the players-and the superintendency of the Links. Accordingly, the first
match was played on 2d April, by ten gentlemen, and won by Mr. John
Rattray, surgeon in Edinburgh.”
Except in the years 1746 and 1747, the club was regularly played for; and
as a farther encouragement, the Society themselves gave two annual prizesthe
one, a silver cup, value ten guineas, on which was engraved the winner’s
name and coat-of-arms, with a suitable inscription. The other prize was a gold
medal, given to the best player at golf, and worn on the breast of the conqueror
for a year, and as mbny years after as he might be able to maintain his
superiority.
In 1765 about twenty-two members of the Society having subscribed &30
each, they built what is called the ‘‘ Goff-House,” at the south-west corner of
Leith Links, wherein the Company might hold their meetings, social as well as
connected with business. The Company not being a corporate body, this pro-
Duncan Forbes, Esq., Lord President of the Court of Session. It is reported of this great man,
that he was 80 fond of golf as to play on the sands of Leith when the Links were covered with snow.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. The author then goes on in a lively strain to describe some of the “chiefs” -the ...

Book 9 p. 281
(Score 0.84)

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