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142 ROSLIN, HAWTHORNDEN,
bodies lay as thick as a man may notte cattell grasing in a full plenished pasture,
and 'the ryvere ran a1 red with blood.' 1 At nightfall the English mustered
again near Inveresk and gave a shout that the people heard in the streets of
Edinburgh. Next morning the English set to work to bury their dead ; and,
some halfcentury ago, a great number of the skeletons were excavated at
Pinkie-bum. A copsewood has been planted to mark out these rows ; and on
the spot where the Protectois tent was pitched, on the outskirts of Eskgrove,
a memorial pillar stands with this inscription upon it :-
THEP ROTECTORD, UKEO F SOMERSET,
Encamped here, 9th September,
1547.
The marriage between the children of the two realmsnever tookplace.
Somerset withdrew into England, and the little Mary was shipped off to France.
Twenty years elapsed, and once more two hostile forces met on the banks of
the Esk, within sight of the battlefield of Pinkie. Mary Stuart and Bothwell,
with some 2000 followers, were stationed upon Carberry Hill, while at a little
distance, on the other side of a hollow, were ranged the forces of the Confederate
Lords, flaunting their banner, on which was painted the figure of a dead man.
AI1 through the June day the Lords conferred with Bothwell and the Queen,
who, sitting upon a stone, clad in her runaway garb of short jacket and red
petticoat, was alternately fierce, tearful, and haughty. Then, as evening was
closing in, the Lords made their last proposition, and Mary knew she must
submit to it. Bothwell was to go free, and Mary was to be led away captive.
She consented, and on the green slope of Carbemy Hill they parted for ever.
Bothwell rode away upon his horse ; and Mary was taken back into Edinburgh,
dusty, tear-stained, and desperate, amidst the execrations of the crowd.'
' Cover my face for me :
I cannot heave my hand up to my head ;
Mine arms are broken.-Is he got to horse 7
I 'do not think one can die more than this.
I did not say fare~ell.'~
At Musselburgh, the Roman bridge, now preserved in the clutches of
strong iron bands, and succeeded, for all rougher traffic, by a broad modem
1 Patten's Expedicimn : vide Statistical Account.
3 Froude's ffistmy of EngZand, 1865, vol. ix. p. ga.
a EothwcZl, by A. C. Swinbume.

... ROSLIN, HAWTHORNDEN, bodies lay as thick as a man may notte cattell grasing in a full plenished pasture, and ...

Book 11 p. 201
(Score 0.82)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 329
the 26th of December 1835. Throughout life Sir Robert maintained an untainted
character, and was universally respected as a most humane, benevolent,
and excellent man.
The full-length figure, with the military hat and veil, which he wore in ridicule
of the ladies, represents the eccentric CAPTAIN HAY, or “the Daft
Captain,” as he was usually styled.
His father, Mr. John
Hay, who had early settled there as a general merchant, was a Scotsman, and
descended from a highly respectable family. He had two sons and a daughter.
The eldest, Mr. John Hay, came to this country when about the age of twenty,
as Prussian Consul to the port of Leith, where he also transacted business as
a foreign merchant, but was never very successful. Like most Germans of any
respectability, he had acquired a musical education ; and, being of industrious
habits, sought to better his income by obtaining the appointment of performer
on the musical bells of St. Giles’s Church, Edinburgh ; which office he enjoyed
until his demise. At that period there were two musicians employed, and his
coadjutor was Mr. Alexander Robertson, engyaver. We may mention, for the
information of those at a distance, that in St. Giles’s there is a very complete set
of musical bells, which are played upon every day between the hours of one and
two o’clock,’
The second son, Captain Hay, was a bachelor ; and, after being placed upon
half-pay, took up his residence in Edinburgh. At that time the principal promenade
was the Meadows, where he almost daily appeared to ogle the ladies ;
and being somewhat short-sighted, and not wearing glasses, he approached sometimes
closer than was agreeable, staring them hard in the face. When they
saw him advancing, they frequently drew down their veils ; and this giving the
gallant Captain offence, he retaliated by sporting a veil, which he occasionally
wore thrown up over his hat ; and if he noticed any lady who had pulled down
her veil in approaching him, he was sure to return the compliment, muttering
as he did so-
This gentleman was born at Dantzic, in Prussia.
‘‘ I know what you mean ;
I’m too ugly to be seen.”
He did not always wear uniform, but more frequently appeared in plain clothes ;
and we have sometimes seen him veiled with his ro&d hat on. He was seldom
observed on the streets in company, and seemed to have a particular pleasure in
walking alone. It was not uncommon for him to kiss his hand to ladies whom
he admired in passing, and he would even take off his hat to others, but never
attempted to speak to them.
The Captain died in Edinburgh about the year 1804. His brother, who left
behind him two SOUS and a daughter, survived him a few years. The eldest
son, Mr. Frederick Hay, an eminent engraver, long settled in London, succeeded
Both he and his brother spoke broken English.
From one to two was the dinner hour of the citizens in former t i e s .
VOL II. 2 uBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 329
the 26th of December 1835. Throughout life Sir Robert maintained an untainted
character, and was universally respected as a most humane, benevolent,
and excellent man.
The full-length figure, with the military hat and veil, which he wore in ridicule
of the ladies, represents the eccentric CAPTAIN HAY, or “the Daft
Captain,” as he was usually styled.
His father, Mr. John
Hay, who had early settled there as a general merchant, was a Scotsman, and
descended from a highly respectable family. He had two sons and a daughter.
The eldest, Mr. John Hay, came to this country when about the age of twenty,
as Prussian Consul to the port of Leith, where he also transacted business as
a foreign merchant, but was never very successful. Like most Germans of any
respectability, he had acquired a musical education ; and, being of industrious
habits, sought to better his income by obtaining the appointment of performer
on the musical bells of St. Giles’s Church, Edinburgh ; which office he enjoyed
until his demise. At that period there were two musicians employed, and his
coadjutor was Mr. Alexander Robertson, engyaver. We may mention, for the
information of those at a distance, that in St. Giles’s there is a very complete set
of musical bells, which are played upon every day between the hours of one and
two o’clock,’
The second son, Captain Hay, was a bachelor ; and, after being placed upon
half-pay, took up his residence in Edinburgh. At that time the principal promenade
was the Meadows, where he almost daily appeared to ogle the ladies ;
and being somewhat short-sighted, and not wearing glasses, he approached sometimes
closer than was agreeable, staring them hard in the face. When they
saw him advancing, they frequently drew down their veils ; and this giving the
gallant Captain offence, he retaliated by sporting a veil, which he occasionally
wore thrown up over his hat ; and if he noticed any lady who had pulled down
her veil in approaching him, he was sure to return the compliment, muttering
as he did so-
This gentleman was born at Dantzic, in Prussia.
‘‘ I know what you mean ;
I’m too ugly to be seen.”
He did not always wear uniform, but more frequently appeared in plain clothes ;
and we have sometimes seen him veiled with his ro&d hat on. He was seldom
observed on the streets in company, and seemed to have a particular pleasure in
walking alone. It was not uncommon for him to kiss his hand to ladies whom
he admired in passing, and he would even take off his hat to others, but never
attempted to speak to them.
The Captain died in Edinburgh about the year 1804. His brother, who left
behind him two SOUS and a daughter, survived him a few years. The eldest
son, Mr. Frederick Hay, an eminent engraver, long settled in London, succeeded
Both he and his brother spoke broken English.
From one to two was the dinner hour of the citizens in former t i e s .
VOL II. 2 u

... SKETCHES. 329 the 26th of December 1835. Throughout life Sir Robert maintained an ...

Book 9 p. 438
(Score 0.82)

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

... S TICAL ANTIQUITIES. themselves to the restoration of the ancient palace of their fathers, would almost ...

Book 10 p. 448
(Score 0.82)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 277
however, might have taught him to form a different estimate. The fact is,
Wesley’s Arminianism and soft persuasive eloquence were ill-suited to the
genius of a people stern, fervid, and passionate; and accustomed to regard
the doctrines of Calvin as the only doctrines which could teach a man how
to be saved.
No. CXIII.
SIR JAMES GRANT OF GRANT, BART.,
WITH A VIEW OF HIS REGIMENT, THE STRATHSPEY OR GRANT FENCIBLES.
AT a period when many of the extensive Highland proprietors, actuated by a
violent frenzy for improvement, were driving whole districts of people from the
abodes of their forefathers, and compelling them to seek for that shelter in a
foreign land which was denied them in their own-when absenteeism, and the
vices of courtly intrigue and fashionable dissipation, had sapped the morality of
too many of our landholders, SIR JAMES GRANT escaped the contagion ; and,
during a long life, was distinguished for the possession of those virtues which
are the surest bulwarks of the peace, happiness, and strength of a country.
Possessed of extensive estates, and surrounded by a numerous tenantry, his
exertions seemed to be equally devoted to the progressive improvement of the
one, and the present comfort and enjoyment of the other.
Sir James was born in 1’138, and succeeded to the family estates and title
on the death of his father, Ludovic, in 1773. He represented the county of
Moray in Parliament so early as 1761, and for several years afterwards. He
was also sometime menber for Banff; and, although he made no attempt
to figure in the political arena, or to become an intriguing partisan of either
party, his zeal for constitutional liberty, in the hour of danger, was neither
less prompt nor less efficient than that of some blustering persons, misnamed
patriots, who attempted to make their local influence the pedestal of future
elevation.
On the declaration of war in 1793, Sir James was among the first, if not
the very first, to step forward in the service of the country with a regiment of
Fencibles, raised almost exclusively among his own tenantry, and with such
alacrity, that in less than two months eyen more than the complement of men
were assembled at Forres, the head-quarters of the regiment. Almost immediately
after the Fencibles were embodied, Sir James raised another corps, called
the 97th, or Strathspey Regiment, for more extended service, which consisted
of eighteen hundred men. This regiment was embodied in 1794, and immediately
marched into England. Of both these regiments Sir James was, of course,
appointed ColoneL Next year, the 97th were drafted into other corps-the

... SKETCHES. 277 however, might have taught him to form a different estimate. The fact is, Wesley’s ...

Book 8 p. 389
(Score 0.82)

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 0.82)

? klth] KING JAMES V1.5 HOSPITAL 217
Barker, whose office ceased to exist after the Burgh
Reform Bill of 1833.
The seal of the preceptory is preserved in the
Antiquarian Museum. It bears the figure of St.
Anthonyina hermit?s garb, with a book in one
hand, a staff in the other, and by his side is a sow
with a bell at its neck. Over his head is a capital
T, which the brethren had sewn in blue cloth on
their black tunics. Around is the legend,
S. Cornmum PreceptoriC Sancfi Anthunii, Propc L&cht.
there when the ground was opened to lay down
gas-pipes; and in the title deeds of a property
here, ? the churchyard of St. Anthony ? is mentioned
as one of the boundaries.
The grotesque association of St. Anthony with a
sow is because the latter was supposed to represent
gluttony, which the saint is said to have overcome ;
and the further to conquer Satan, a consecrated
bell is suspended from his alleged ally the pig.
On the east side of the Kirkgate stood King
ST. MARY?S (SOUTH LEITH) CHURCH, 1820. (After .Ytme+.)
Sir David Lindesay of the Mount refers in his
vigorous way to
?The gruntil of St. Anthony?s sow,
There was an aisle, with an altar therein, dedicated
to him in the parish church of St. Giles; and among
the jewels of James 111. is enumerated ?Sanct
Antonis cors,? with a diamond, a ruby, and a great
pearl,
Save the fragments of some old vaults, not a
vestige of the preceptory now remains, though its
name is still preserved in St. Anthony?s Street,
which opens westward off the Kirkgate, and is sup
posed to pass through what was its cemetery, as
large quantities of human bones were exhumed
Quhilk bore his holy bell.?
124
James?s Hospital, built in 1614 by the sixth monarch
of that name, and the site of which now forms
part of the present burying-ground. At the southeast
angle of the old churchyard, says Wilson, there
is an ?? elegant Gothic pediment surmounting the
boundary wall and adorned with the Scottish regalia,
sculptured in high relief with the initials
J. R. 6., while a large panel below bears the
royal arms and initials of Charles 11. very boldly
executed. These insignia of royalty are intended
to mark the spot on which KiEg James?s Hospital
stood-a benevolent foundation which owed no
more to the royal patron whose name it bore than
the confirmation by his charter in 1614 of a portion
of those revenues which had been long before

... klth] KING JAMES V1.5 HOSPITAL 217 Barker, whose office ceased to exist after the Burgh Reform Bill of ...

Book 6 p. 217
(Score 0.82)

266 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
No. CVII.
GENERAL BUTTONS,
AN AMERICAN OFFICER.
OF this hero of the “War of Independence,” nothing farther is known than the
fact that such a person did actually serve in the American army. “ The drawing,”
says Kay, in his MS., “ from which this Print is taken, was done by Colonel
Campbell, while confined in prison in America, after the treaty of Saratoga.
Through a small hole-the only aperture for light in his dungeon-the Colonel
had frequent opportunities of seeing General Buttons ; and, notwithstanding
the gloomy nature of his situation, he could not resist the impulse of taking a
sketch of such a remarkable military figure.” This sketch he sent home for the
amusement of his friends, by whom it was communicated to the artist, for the
purpose of more extended circulation.
Whether this excellent counterpart of the “ Knight of the Rueful Countenance”
be a faithful representation of “ Provincial General Buttons,” or heightened
in its unique grotesque appearancs by the fancy of the caricaturist, is a
matter of no great moment. The circumstances under which it was pencilledthe
state of political feeling in this country at the period-and the penchant
which even yet exists for enjoying a little wit at the expense of brother Jonathan,
were sufficient to stamp a value on the production, independent of its own
intrinsic claims to merit.
Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell was taken prisoner by the Americans in 1716.
It appears that, unapprised of the evacuation of Boston by the British troops,
he had attempted, in compliance with his orders, to make a landing at that port.
His small force consisted of two transports, the George and Annabella, with two
companies of the 71st Regiment. On reaching the mouth of the harbour, they
were attacked by four American privateers, which, with very unequal means,
they repulsed ; and, under the fire of an American battery, bore right into the
harbour, where, one of the vessels running aground, Colonel Campbell was under
the necessity of coming to anchor with the other. Here he soon discovered the
perilous nature of the situation in which he was placed. The four schooners
with whom he had formerly been engaged, being joined by an armed brig,
immediately surrounded him, took their stations within two hundred yards, and
hailed him t’o strike the British flag. “Although,” says Captain Campbell,
“ the mate of our ship, and every .sailor on board, the Captain only excepted,
refused positively to fight any longer, there was not an officer, non-commissioned
officer, nor private man of the 71st, but what stood to their quarters, with a
ready and cheerful obedience. On our refusing to strike the British flag, the
action was renewed with a good deal of warmth on both sides ; and it was our

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. No. CVII. GENERAL BUTTONS, AN AMERICAN OFFICER. OF this hero of the “War of ...

Book 8 p. 371
(Score 0.82)

236 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [High Street.
the printing office of this strange genius (who died
in I 799, ?? and there the most eminent literary men
of that period visited and superintended the printing
of works that have made the press of the
?? 0 Willie, come sell your fiddle,
Oh sell your fiddle sae fine ;
0 Willie, come sell your fiddle,
And buy a pint 0? wine.
If I should sell my fiddle,
The warl? would think I was mad,
For many a rantin? day
My fiddle and I hae had.
?As I came by Crochallan,
I cannily keekit ben-
Rattlin?, roarin? Willie,
Was sitting at yon board
en?-
Sitting at yon board en?,
And amang guid companie
;
Rattlin?, roarin? Willie,
You?re welcome hame to
In verse elsewhere
me !?
was accused by Sir Alexander Forbes of Tolquhoun
of stealing a gilded drinking-cup out of his house,
a mistake, as it proved, in the end.
Eastward of this were, in succession, Geddes?s,
W.R.-C.M. ; and the house immediately below it
contained the only instance known to exist in
Edinburgh of a legend over an interior doorway:
AUGUSTA . NI. VSVM . AVGVSTA.
W. F. B. G.
1
These were the initials
of William Fowler, a
merchant burgess of
Edinburgh, supposed to
be the author of ?The
Triumph of Death,? and
the others are, ot course,
those of his wife. As to
what this house was
originally nothing is
known, and the peculiarity
of the legend has
been a puzzle to many.
Later it was the
residence of Sir George liarities of his introducer,
who had become, in middle life, careless of his Drummond, who in 1683 and 1684 was Lord
costume and appearance :- 1 Provost of the city. In those days the lower
Burns notes the pecu- LINTEL OF DOORWAY IN DAWNEY DOUGLAS?S TAVERN.
(From a Sketclr &Y the Author.)
~~
To Crochallan came,
The old cocked hat, the brown surtout the same ;
His bristling beard just rising ill its might ;
?Twas four long nights and days to shaving night.?
At the foot of the close there stood, till 1859,
ground that sloped down to the North Loch
appears to have been all laid out in pleasant gardens,
wherein stood a summer-house belonging to
Lord Forglen, who was Sir Alexander Ogilvie, Bart.,
a commissioner for the Treaty of Union, and who
an advocate.
Adjoining
this is Mylne?s
EY DOUGLAS?S TAVERN.
Henry Mackenzie,
h o t , Hume, and foremost among the
host, the poet Burns.?
Here was long shown an old time-blackened
desk, at which these, and other men such as these,
revised their proofs, and a stool on which Burns
sat while correcting the proofs of his poems published
between December, 1786, and April, 1787.
Lower down the close, over the doorway of a house
where the Bill Chamber stood for several generations,
were carved the date, 1616, and the initials
Square, the entrance to which bears the date of
1689, a lofty and gloomy court, having on its side
a flight of steps to the North Bridge. This-the
project of one of the famous masonic family of
Mylne-was among the first improvements effected
in the old town, before its contented burgesses
became aspiring, and dreamt of raising a New
Edinburgh, beyond the oozy bed of the bordering
loch. Many distinguished people lived here of old.
Among them was Charles Erskine of Alva, Lord

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [High Street. the printing office of this strange genius (who died in I 799, ?? and ...

Book 2 p. 236
(Score 0.82)

338 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
with laughter, with one solitary exception. Who the stoical individual was
who did not share the general mirth may be guessed, when we mention that
the giver of the feast, after an unsuccessful attempt to affect indifference, and
unable longer to contain his wrath, at last, with much bitterness ejaculated-
“ Very amusing, Mr. Robert-very amusing, truly : ye’re a clever lad-very
clever; but just let me tell you-that’s no the way io &se at the bar/”
He had entered, in latter
life, into marriage with a servant girl of the name of Russell, by whom, however,
he had no issue. Although a woman of rather plain appearance, and destitute
of fortune, she nevertheless, after his lordship’s death, obtained for a second
husband a gentleman of property in the West Indies, where she died in
1818.
Lord Cullen died on the 28th November 1810.
No. CCLXXXIII.
THE EDINBURGH FISH-WOMEN.
THE artist has not favoured us with the name of the ‘‘ OYSTER LASS ” whom
this figure represents. The omission is probably a matter of no great moment,
as the characteristics of individuals of her class are usually pretty much the same.
Wovdsworth‘s description of the “ Calais Fish-women ”-
“Withered, grotesque-immeasurably old,
And shrill and fierce in accent ”-
will not apply to the goodly fish-dames of Modern Athens. Stout, clean, and
blooming, if they are not the most handsome or comely of Eve’s daughters,
they are at least the most perfect pictures of robust and vigorous health ; and
not a few of them, under the pea-jacket and superabundance of petticoat with
which they load themselves, conceal a symmetry of form that might excite the
envy of a Duchess. Their cry,
‘‘ Wha’ll 0’ caller ou !” echoing through the spacious sheets of the New Town,
though not easily understood, especially by our southern visitors, has a fulness
of sound by no means unpleasant to the ear.
In some of the late numbers of “ Chambers’s Edinburgh Journal,” the character
and habits of the fish-women form the substance of one or two interesting
articles.
Neither are they “ shrill and fierce in accent.”
We quote the writer’s description of their dress :-
‘‘A cap of cotton or linen, surmounted by a stout napkin tied below the chin, composes the
investiture of the head ; the more showy structures wherewith other females are adorned being
inadmissible from the broad belt which supports the “ creel,” that is, fish-basket, crossing the
forehead. A sort of woollen pea-jacket, of vast amplitude of skirt, conceals the upper part of
the person, relieved at the throat by a liberal display of handkerchief. The under part of the

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. with laughter, with one solitary exception. Who the stoical individual was who did not ...

Book 9 p. 449
(Score 0.82)

390 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
solemnly taking farewell of the public concerns of the church on earth, with
the glory of the church of heaven full in his view ; and to perceive that, while
the frail tabernacle of the body was evidently coming down, there was no want
of mental vigour, and no want of deep interest in what respected the spiritual
improvement of the community with which he had been so long connected.”
Dr. Davidson died at Muirhouse on the evening of Sabbath, 28th October
1827, and was succeeded in the Tolbooth Church by the Rev. James Marshall,
sometime minister of the Outer Church of Glasgow.
Only three of Dr. Davidson’s sermons were published, and these were
delivered on public occasions. One of them, preached before the Synod of
Glasgow and Ayr, on the propitiation of Christ, has been much admired.
By his first wife, a sister of the late
Provost Anderson, bookseller in Stirling, among other children, he had a son,
Captain William Davidson, who succeeded him in his estates. By his second
wife, a sister of Lord Cockburn, he had several children.
Besides the estate of Muirhouse, Dr. Davidson was proprietor of the Old
Barony of Hatton, which had belonged to the Lauderdale family, and which,
having been acquired by the Duchess of Portland, was sold in lots; and a
considerable portion of it, including the old mansion-house and patronage of the
parish of Ratho, was purchased by him. The residence of Dr. Davidson in
Edinburgh was successively in Windmill Street, Princes Street, and Heriot Row.
Dr. Davidson was twice married.
No. CLV.
COLONEL PATRICK CRICHTON,
OF THE EDINBURGH VOLUNTEERS, WITH A VIEW OF THE AWKWARD SQUAD.
THE principal figure in this scene at Bruntsfield Links gives an excellent
portrait of COLONELP ATRICCKR ICHTONi,n the attitude of directing the
movements of a body of Volunteers. The stout personage in the background,
to the rear of the Colonel, is Captain Coulter, afterwards Lord Provost, who
obtained great celebrity for a declaration which he made on one occasion, at a
civic feast. His health having been drunk, he embraced the opportunity, in
returning thanks, of placing his martial avocations in oppostiion to his civic
ones, and wound up the harangue by exclaiming-“ Although I am in body a
stocking-weaver, yet I am in soul a Sheepyo !” (Scipio). He retained the name
of Sheepyo ever afterwards. The left hand man of the grenadiers is Robert
Sym, Esq., W.S.
Colonel Crichton, whose father, Alexander Crichton, carried on the business
of coach-building in the Canongate for many years, was a gentleman well known

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. solemnly taking farewell of the public concerns of the church on earth, with the glory ...

Book 8 p. 543
(Score 0.82)

?54 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk.
belonged to different vehicles. It is standing opposite
the Tron Kirk. The warning bell rings a
quarter of an hour before starting ! Shortly a pair
of illconditioned and ill-sized hacks make their
appearance, and are yoked to it ; the harness, partly
of old leathern straps and partly of ropes, bears
evidence of many a mend. A passenger comes
and takes a seat-probably from the Crames or
Luckenbooths-who has shut his shop and affixed
a notice to the door, ?Gone to Leith, and will be
back at 4 of the clock, p.m.? The quarter being
up, and the second bell rung, off starts the coach
at a very slow pace. Having taken three-quarters
of an b u r to get to the Halfway House, the ? ?bus ?
sticks fast in a rut ; the driver whips up his nags,
when 10 ! away go the horses, but fast remains the
stage. The ropes being re-tied, and assistance procured
from the ? Half-way,? the stage is extricated,
and proceeds. What a contrast,? adds the writer,
? between the above pictures and the present ? ?bus ?
with driver and conductor, starting every five
minutes.? But to-day the contrast is yet greater,
the tram having superseded the ?bus.
The forty oil-lamps referred to would seem not to
have been erected, as in the Advertiser for Sep
tember, 1802, a subscription was announced for
lighting the Walk during the ensuing winter season,
the lamps not to be lighted at all until a sufficient
sum had been subscribed at the Leith Bank and
certain other places to continue them to the end
of March, 1803 ; but we have no means of knowing
if ever this scheme were camed out.
? If my reader be an inhabitant of Edinburgh of
any standing,? writes Robert Chambers, ? he must
have many delightful associations of Leith Walk
in connection with his childhood. Of all the streets
in Edinburgh or Leith, the Walk, in former times,
was certainly the street for boys and girls. From
top to bottom it was a scene of wonders and enjoyments
peculiarly devoted to children. Besides the
panoramas and caravan shows, which were comparatively
transient spectacles, there were several
shows upon Leith Walk which might be considered
as regular fixtures, and part of the countv-cousin
sghts of Edinburgh. Who can forget the waxworks
of ?Mrs. Sands, widow of the late G. Sands,?
which occupied a laigh shop opposite to the present
Haddington Place, and at the door of which,
besides various parrots and sundry Birds of Paradise,
sat the wax figure of a little man in the dress
of a French courtier of the ancien r&iaime, reading
one eternal copy of the Edinburgh Advertiser?
The very outsides of these wonderful shops was an
immense treat ; all along the Walk it was one delicious
scene of squirrels hung out at doors and
monkeys dressed like soldiers and sailors, with
holes behind them where their tails came through.
Even the halfpenny-less boy might have got his
appetite for wonders to some extent gratified.?
The long spaces of blank garden or nursery
walls on both sides of the way were then literally
garrisoned with mendicants, organ-grinders, and
cripples on iron or wooden legs, in bowls and
wheelbarrows, by ballad singers and itinerant
fiddlers. Among the mendicants on the east side
of the Walk, below Elm Row (where the last of
the elms has long since disappeared) there was one
noted mendicant, an old seaman, whose figure was
familiar there for years, and whose sobriquet was
? Commodore O?Brien,? who sat daily in a little
masted boat which had been presented to him by
order of George IV. ?The commodore?s ship,?
says the Week0 JournaZ for 1831, ? is appropriately
called the Royal Ggt. It is scarcely 6 f t
long, by 24 breadth of beam, and when rigged for
use her mast is little stouter than a mopstick, her
cordage scarcely stronger than packthread, and
her tonnage is a light burden for two men. In this
mannikin cutter the intrepid navigator fearlessly
commits himself to the ocean and performs long
voyages.? Now the character of the Walk is entirely
changed, as it is a double row of houses from
end to end.
During the railway mania two schemes were projected
to supersede the omnibus traffic here. One
was an atmospheric railway, and the other a subterranean
one, to be laid under the Walk A road
for foot-passengers was to be formed alongside the
railway, and shops, from which much remuneration
was expected, were to be opened along the line ;
but both schemes collapsed, though plans for them
were laid before Parliament.
In April, 1803, there died, in a house in Leith
Walk, James Sibbald, an eminent bookseller and
antiquary, who was educated at the grarnmarschool
of Selkirk, and after being in the shop of
Elliott, a publisher in Edinburgh, in I 78 I acquired
by purchase the library which had once belonged to
Allan Ramsay, and was thereafter long one of the
leading booksellers in the Parliament Square.
One terrible peculiarity attended Leith Walk,
even till long after the middle of the last century
this was the presence of a permanent gibbet at the
Gallow Lee, a dreary object to the wayfarer by
night, when two or three malefactors swung there in
chains, with the gleds and crows perching over
them. It stood on rising ground, on the west side
of the Walk, and its site is enclosed in the precincts
of a villa once occupied by the witty and beautiful
Duchess of Gordon. As the knoll was composed

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk. belonged to different vehicles. It is standing opposite the Tron Kirk. ...

Book 5 p. 154
(Score 0.82)

62 MEMORIALS OP EDINB UR GH.
land, romed in the mind of Elizabeth that vindictive jealousy, which so largely contributed
to all the miseries that attended the course of Mary of Scotland, from the first moment of
her return to her native land.
From this time forward a fatal change took place in the policy of the Queen Regent.
She abandoned the moderate measures which her own natural disposition inclined her to ;
she lent herself en’tirely to the ambitious projects of the French Court and the Chiefs of
the house of Guise, and the immediate result was a collision between the Catholic and
Protestant parties. Some concessions had been granted at the request of the Lords of
the Congregation ; but now these were entirely withdrawn, a proclamation was issued for
conformity of religion, and several of the leaders of the reforming party were summoned
A provincial synod, worthy of notice, as the last ever held in Scotland during Roman
Catholic times, was convened on the 2d of March, this year, in the Blackfriare’ Church,
Edinburgh, to consult what wae required for the safety of the Church thus endangered.
Resolutions were passed for the amendment of life in the clergy, and the removal of other
crying abuses ; but it can hardly be wondered at that their general tone was by no means
conciliatory ; the decrees of the Council of Trent were again declared obligatory ; the use of
any other language than Latin, in the services of the Church, was expressly forbid ; and,
by an act of this same synod, Sir David Lindsay’R writings were denounced, and ordered
to be burnt.’ According to Calderwood, this, the last synod ‘of the Church, was dissolved
on the 2d of May, the same day that John Knox arrived at Leith,-too striking a coincidence
to be overlo~ked.~
The conducting of the public religious services in an unknown language had long
excited opposition ; and the popularity of such writings as those of Dunbar, Douglas, and
Lindsay, in the vernacular tongue, doubtless tended to increase the general desire for its
u8e in the services of the Church, as well as on all public occasions.
In Kitteis Confeessioun, a satirical poem ascribed to Sir David Lindsay, the dog-lath of
an ignorant father-confeseor is alluded to with sly humourto
answer for their past deeds.‘ . . I
He speirit monie strange case,
How that my lufe did me embrace,
Quhat day, how oft, quhat sort, and quhair 1
Quod he, I wad I had been thair.
He me absolvit for ane plack,
Thocht he with me na price wald rnak ;
And rnekil Latine did he mummill;
I heard na thing bot Aumrnill burnmill.
The poet was already in his grave when his writings were thus condemned. The last
years of hie life had been spent in retirement, and the exact time of his death is unknown,
but‘Henry Charteris, the famous printer, who published Lindsay’s works in 1568, says
that This occurred
in 1558, from which it may be inferred, that he died towards the cloae of the previous
year, 1557.4
shortly after the death of Sir David, they burnt auld Walter Mill.”
1 Tytler, vol. vi. pp 109,110. Pitscottie, vol. ii. p. 526. * Calderwood, vol. i. p. 438. ’ Chalmera’ Sir D. Lindsay, vol. i p. 42. Keith, vol. i p. 156.

... MEMORIALS OP EDINB UR GH. land, romed in the mind of Elizabeth that vindictive jealousy, which so largely ...

Book 10 p. 67
(Score 0.82)

344 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Gwrge squarc
for transporting a finelydressed lady in a powdered
toupee. The public sedans were, for the most
part, in the hands of Highlanders, who generally
wore short tartan coats, and whose strange jargon
and fiery irritability of temper, amid the confusion
of a dissolving assembly or a dismissed theatre,
were deemed highly amusing. Now there is no
such thing as a private sedan in Edinburgh any
more than in London, and the use of public ones
has entirely ceased.
North of George Square, No. I, Park Place (now
removed to niake way for .the new university Medical Schools), was the town house of the Campbells of Succoth. Sir Islay, the first baronet, was Lord
distance from the east end of Teviot Row, the
class-room of the chair of music. This handsome
hall, though inadequate to the purposes for
which it is required, is in the Italian style, and is
the finest of the university class-rooms. It was
erected by order of the CouJt of Session, in 1861,
from funds which were bequeathed for the purpose
by General John Reid, the composer of the
spirited march, ?The Garb of Old Gaul,? to
words written by General Sir Harry Erksine,
and it has a museum containing an almost unique
collection of instruments, both acoustic and musical,
together with various other objects of interest
There is also a library of musical compositions
PARK PLACE, SHOWING CAYPBELL OF SUCCOTH?S HOUSE.
President of the Court of Session, under the title 01
Lord Succoth, and was descended from the house
of Argyle, and his mother was the only daughte1
and heiress of John Wallace of Elderslie. He was
one of the counsel for the defence in the great
Douglas cause, and brought to Edinburgh the first
tidings of Lord Douglas?s victory in the House of
Lords. A baronetcy was conferred upon the Lord
President when he retired from office in 1808, and
he died in 1823, after being long resident on his
estate of Garscube, whither his son, Sir Archibaldwho
in 1809 became a senator under the title of
Lord Succoth-also retired in 1824; and his great
house in PArk Place was latterly occupied as the
Edinburgh Ladies? Institution for Education, and
near it was the new Jewish Synagogue.
In Park Place (where Dr. Tait, the present
Archbishop of Canterbury, was born) stands, about
ninety yards west of Charles Street and the same
and treatises, which is one of the most complete
at present existing.
Perhaps the special feature is the magnificent
organ by Messrs. Hill and Son, which in some
points is unsurpassed. It contains four manuals
and sixty-six stops, of which latter eleven belong
to the ?pedal organ.? In this department of the
instrument are two specimens, both in wood and
in metal, of the rare register of ? 32 feet? These
pedal stops, and several on the manuals, of the
most exquisite softness and delicacy, are the
great points of this renowned instrument, which
has been completed by the present occupant of the
chair of music, Professor Sir Herbert Oakeley, who,
during the university term, gives fortnightly open
? I recitals,? which are much prized by students and
citizens. During late years the interior of the hall
has been much improved. Under ten panels the
name aHd date of the ten greatest composers have

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. Gwrge squarc for transporting a finelydressed lady in a powdered toupee. The public ...

Book 4 p. 344
(Score 0.82)

210 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ments and opinions from a narrow-minded feeling, nor obtruded them unnecessarily,
or at unseasonable times, from vanity or affectation. His manners were
uncommonly mild, gentle, and inoffensive, insomuch that none, even of his own
family, ever remember to have seen him out of temper. In his last and long
illness he was never in the smallest degree peevish, fretful, or melancholy. He
died on the 24th June 1795.
MR. ANDREW BELL, engraver, the other figure in the Print (of
whom we have already given some particulars), was an intimate acquaintance of
Mr. Smellie, and was frequently engaged, jointly with him, in various literary
speculations. He engraved all the plates to illustrate the translation of Euffon.
The
second edition of this work began to be published in 1776. At the death of
Mr. M'Farquhar, the other proprietor, in 1793, the whole became the property
of Mr. Bell. It is well known that he left a handsome fortune, mostly derived
from the profits of this book. By the sale of the third edition, consisting of
10,000 copies, the sum of 542,000 was realised. To this may be added Mr.
Bell's professional profits for executing the engravings, etc. Even the warehouseman,
James Hunter, and the corrector of the press, John Brown, are
reported to have made large sums of money by the sales of the copies for
which they had procured subscriptions. After Mr. Bell's death, the entire property
of the work was purchased from his executors by one of his sons-in-law,
Mr. Thomson Bonar, who carried on the printing of it at the Grove, Fountainbridge.
In 1812 the copyright was bought by Messrs. Constable and Co., who
published the fourth, fifth, and sixth editions, with the Supplement by Professor
Napier. The work still continues to maintain so high a reputation in British
literature, that the sixth edition has been followed up by a new (seventh) and
stereotype edition, with modern improvements, and additions to its previously
accumulated stores.
The animal he
rode was remarkably tall ; and Andrew, being of very diminutive stature, had
to use a small ladder to climb up in mounting it. The contrast between the
size of the horse and his own little person, togetherwith his peculiarly odd
appearance, rendered this exhibition the most grotesque that can well be
conceived; but such was his magnanimity of mind, that no one enjoyed more,
or made greater jest of the absurdity than himself.
One of them was married to Mr. hlabon,
ropemaker, Leith; and the other to Mr. Thornson Bonar, merchant in
Edinburgh.
Mr. Bell was the principal proprietor of the Encycloym'dia Britannica.
Mr. Bell was in the habit of taking exercise on horseback.
Mr. Bell left two daughters.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. ments and opinions from a narrow-minded feeling, nor obtruded them unnecessarily, or ...

Book 8 p. 295
(Score 0.82)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 157
irksome and disadvantageous. In order to rid themselves of the grievance,
they went to law with the Magistrates in lSOS, and again in 1810; but in
both instances they were defeated. In l S l l , however, determined to be no
longer held in bondage, they sold the property of the Society-made a division
of the proceeds-and broke up the union. The city being then provided with
an efficient fire establishment, and deeming it useless to contend with them,
the Magistrates tacitly sanctioned the dispersion of the Tron-men, by refraining
from all attempts to compel their attendance.
No. CCXXV,
WILLIAM CUMMING, ESQ.
THE old gentleman represented in this Etching was a person of eccentric habits.
He was immensely rich, and carried on a very extensive and lucrative business
as a private banker-at one time in the Parliament Close, and latterly, under
the firm of Camming and Son, in the Royal Exchange. He died in 1790. His
demise was thus announced in the periodicals of the day:-“March 27, at
Edinburgh, in an advanced age, William Cumming, Esq., many years an eminent
banker.”
He was reputed to be extremely penurious. When walking on the streets,
he used constantly to keep his arms spread out to prevent the people from
rubbing against his coat, and thereby injuring it. Under a similar apprehension
he never allowed his servant to brush his clothes, lest the process should wear
off the pile ; but made him place them on the back of a chair, and blow the
dust off with a pair of bellows. He not unfrequently wore a scarlet cloak over
his suit of sables. The artist, for an obvious reason, has dispensed with this
ornament in the portraiture. He was generally known by the soubriquet of
“ the Crow.” His manner of walking, with outstretched arms, and the unique
appearance of his whole figure, especially at a distance, presented a striking
resemblance to that bird.
A few
days previous to one of the drawings, he had returned all his unsold tickets
except one, in the confident hope that even at the eleventh hour a stray purchaser
might be found. He for once miscalculated : the decisive day arrived,
and the ticket still remained unsold Deeply grieved, and blaming himself for
his imprudence, he at last made up his mind to sacrifice a trifle, and actually
went out amongst his acquaintances- the shopkeepers of the Lawnmarket
offering the ticket at half price I But, with characteristic caution, not one of
them could be prevailed on to adventure. Much mortified, the banker felt he
had no other resource than quietly to suffer the anticipated loss. His triumph,
Mr. Curnming was for some time an agent of the State lotteries.

... SKETCHES. 157 irksome and disadvantageous. In order to rid themselves of the grievance, they went to ...

Book 9 p. 211
(Score 0.81)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 167
retail trade should have remained entirely in the hands of females. The saltwives.
were nearly as numerous at one time as the fish-wives. Margaret, however,
did not live to witness the-change.l She died about the year 1810.
No. CCXXX.
ARCHIBALD HAMILTON ROWAN, ESQ.,
OF KILLILEAGH, IN IRELAND,
AND
THE HON. SIMON BUTLER.
THIS Etching represents these gentlemen as they appeared on the streets of
Edinburgh in 179 3. The portraitures are extremely characteristic, particul&
that of Rowan. His figure is tall, robust, and erect, with much of that air bf
nonchalance for which he was remarkable. In his hand is a huge club, bearing
the significant inscription-'' A Pill for a Puppy."
In the course of the trial of Muir of Huntershill, the then Lord Advocate of
Scotland, Dundas of Arniston, alluding to the leaders of the United Irishmen
of Dublin, spoke of them as " wretches who had fled from punishment." Dr.
Drennan being then president, and Mr. Rowan secretary, the latter, on the
20th October 1793, addressed a letter to Dundas, demanding instant explanation
and recantation of the false and injurious epithets ; with an assurance, that
unless a satisfactory answer was returned in course of post, Mr. Rowan would
pay him a personal visit before the expiry of the month. No reply was made ;
and in the meantime measures were taken by the Procurator Fiscal (Mr. Wm.
Scott) to insure the apprehension of Mr. Rowan on his arrival. A petition was
presented to the Sheriff, stating "that A. H. Rowan, Esq., of the kingdom
of Ireland, designing himself Secretary to the Society of United Irishmen
in Dublin, with a wicked and malicious intent, and for other seditious and
dangerous purposes, is just now COTW to this country, and is within ymr Lord&p's
jurisdiction." This petition was presented on the 28th October, and a warrant
of the same date was immediately granted ; although, so far from being within
the Sheriff's jurisdiction, the party to be apprehended had not then left
Dublin.'
Prior to the reduction of the duty, the more economical portion of the working community were
in the habit of laying in a small store of salt about the Martinmas t i e , sufficient to serve throughout
the winter. To a managing housewife the profit of the hawker was of considerable moment ; and
many a denizen of Edinburgh, looking back to his boyish days, must recollect how oft he has joyfully
trudged to the Pans of Joppa for his " peck 0' 88'"''
A copy of the petition and warrant appeared in the Mming (;'hroniCle and Cowrier newspapers,
xj a specimen of Scottish criminal procedure.

... SKETCHES. 167 retail trade should have remained entirely in the hands of females. The ...

Book 9 p. 226
(Score 0.81)

10 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
he was for binding down to a day for the completion of the work, “will you
send me the hair ‘1 ”-“ The hair, sir ! ” replied M‘Nab fiercely ; ‘‘ Py Cot, sir
you must give me the hair to the pargain I ”
In cases, however, where the Laird is exhibited in the exercise of his own
native wit, he by no means cuts the ridiculous figure he is made to do in such
stories as the above. The Laird was a regular attendant on the Leith races,
at which he bsually appeared in a rather flashy-looking gig. On one of these
occasions he had the misfortune to lose his horse, which suddenly dropped
down dead. At the races in the following year, a wag who had witnessed the
catastrophe rode up to him and said, ‘I M‘Nab, is that the same horse you had
last year 1 ”
‘‘ No, py Cot ! ” replied the Laird, (‘ but this is the same whip ;” and he was
about to apply it to the shoulders of the querist, when he saved himself by a
speedy retreat.
On the formation of the Local Militia in 1808, M‘Nab being in Edinburgh,
applied for arms for the Breadalbane corps of that force, but which he ought to
have called the 4th Perthshire Local Militia. The storekeeper not recognising
them by the name given by M‘Nab, replied to his application that he did
not know such a corps.
“My fine little storekeeper,” rejoined the Laid, highly offended at the contempt
implied in this answer, “that may be; but, take my word for it, we do
not think a bit the less of ourselves by you^ not knowing us.”
This original character, but kind, single-minded man, died unmarried I at Callander,
in Perthshire, on the 25th June 1816, in the eighty-second year of his age.
THREE GIANTS, WITH A GROUP OF SPECTATORS.
THIS Print exhibits Charles Byrne, the Irish giant, and two other giants,
also Irishmen, who, although not in Edinburgh at the same time, have been
placed by the artist in one group.
The spectators are-Lord Monboddo, whose head appears in the background
; William Richardson, solicitor-at-law, on the left behind ; and Mr.
Bell, engraver, in front ; on the right, Bailie Kyd, a lady, and a dwarf.
Byme, the central of the three principal figures, was eight feet two inches in
height, and proportionably thick. He was born in Ireland, of which oountry
On one occasion when the opposite counsel, in one of his many causes in the Court of Session, was
nnimadvertingon the immoral character of the Laird, he obsemed that it was currently reported that he
had no less than twenty-seven natural children in the quarter where he lived. The Laird, being in Court,
rose up and said, “ It is a pig lee, my Lord, for I have only four-and-twenty,” One evening, being at a
party, a number of young ladies very jocularly asked him why he neyer took a wife. He good-humouredly
replied, “ MJ tears, I love you a11 so well that I .Can’t think of marrying any one of you.“

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. he was for binding down to a day for the completion of the work, “will you send me ...

Book 8 p. 12
(Score 0.81)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 305
formed to this practice in the forenoon, and returned to resume his seat in the afternoon,
but was prevented by Mungo. Thegentleman reminded him he had paid
him in the forenoon. “ 0 but,” says Mungo, “ I let my seats twice a-day.”
During the sittings of the General Assembly he contrived, in his capacity
of door-keeper, to make the most of the situation, and pocketed as much of
“ the needful” as he possibly could exact by an embargo upon visitors. He was
highly esteemed by a large circle of old ladies of the middle ranks, who eagerly
listened to the gossip he contrived to pick up in the course of the day. He
could inform them of the proceedings of the Edinburgh Presbytery-what had
been done at the last, and what was forthcoming at the next General Assembly
-whose turn it was to preach at Haddo’s Hole on the Tuesday or Friday following
-whether the minister would preach himself or by proxy-whether John Bailie
would be at the plate, or his son Tam in the precentor’s desk-with various
other scraps of local news equally edifying and instructive to his auditors.
It has been rumoured that he made a regular charge for his visits ; and
hence the inscription on the Print of “ Prayers at all Prices.” By way of improvement
in the art of ghostly admonition, the beadle sometimes ascended the pulpit
of Lady Yester’s Church, and held forth to the vacant benches. On one of
these occasions, it is said Dr. Davidson happened to come upon him unawares-
“ Come down, Mungo,” said the Doctor, “ toom (empty) barrels‘ make most
sound.”
The gravity of his manner was well calculated to make an impression on the
ignorant or the weak ; and those who could appreciate his merits were greatly
edified by his prayers and ghostly exhortations. There was a peculiar degree
of solemnity about his features. The ponderous weight of his nether jaw gave
B hollow tone, not only to his words, but even when closing on the tea and
toast, a dram, or a glass of wine, it was excellently adapted to produce the effect
--solemn.
He died in December
1809.
Watson was married, and had a son and daughter.
His widow died in the Trinity Hospital about 1834.
No. CXXIV.
JAMES ROBERTSON OF KINCRAIGIE.
THIS Print of “ The Daft Highland Laird”-of whose eccentricities an ample
sketch has been given in No. 11.-is one of the very first attempts of the artist
at engraving. The Laird is here represented with his staff, upon which is
poised a likeness of the city guardsman John Dhu. The person to whom he
is describing the figure may be supposed to have just made the usual inquiry-
‘‘ Wha hae ye up the day, Laird !”
In allusion to the rotundity. of his person, and his somewhat large paunch.
2 R .

... SKETCHES. 305 formed to this practice in the forenoon, and returned to resume his seat in the ...

Book 8 p. 428
(Score 0.81)

12s BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
every man his own Harry Ewkine f" Mr. Erskine felt very much amazed, as
may be supposed, upon the announcement of the fictitious publication.
Mr. Erskine was twice married, and by his first marriage he had the present
(1837) Earl of Buchan, Major Erskine, and two daughters : one married to the
late Colonel Callender of Craigforth, and another to Dr. Smith. By his second
wife, Miss hlunro (who still survives, 1837), he had no issue.
No. LIX.
JAMES BRUCE, ESQ. OF KINNAIRD,
AND
PETER WILLIAMSON.
THIS rencontre, which happened only a short time after Mr. Bruce published
his travels, is said to have taken place at the Cross of Edinburgh, where the
parties represented were seen by Kay in conversation, although he ha's ingeniously
placed them on the hillock alluded to by Mr. Bruce, from whence proceeded
the principal fountain of the Nile.
The first figure in the print is JAMES BRUCE of Kinnaird, the Abyssinian
traveller, He was born on the 14th December 1730, at Kinnaird in the county
of Stirling, and was eldest son of David Bruce of Kinnaird,' by Marion,
daughter of James Graham of Airth, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty in
Scotland,
At the age of eight years, Bruce, who was then rather of a weakly habit and
gentle disposition, though afterwards remarkable for robustness of body and
boldness of mind, was sent to London to the care of an uncle. Here he remained
until he had attained his twelfth year, when he was removed to
Harrow, where he won the esteem of his instructors by his amiable temper
and extraordinary aptitude for learning. In 1747, he returned to Kinnaird,
with the reputation of a first-rate scholar. It having been determined that he
should prepare himself for the Bar, he, for that purpose, attended the usual
classes in the University of Edinburgh ; but finding legal pursuits not suited to
his disposition, it was resolved that he should proceed to India. With this
intention he went to London in 1753 ; but while waiting for permission from
the East India Company to settle there as a free trader, he became acquainted
with Adriana Allan, the daughter of a deceased wine-merchant, whoa
This estate waa acquired by his grandfather, David Hay of WoodcockdaIe, who, on mm-ying
Helen Bruce, the heiress of Kinnaird, assumed the name and arms of Bruce. The immediate founder
of the Kinnaird family was Robert, the second son of Sir Alexander Bruce of Airth, by a daughter
of the fifth Lord Livingston, who became one of the most zealous ministers of the Reformed Church
of Scotland, ww much in the confidence of James the Sixth, and had the honour of pla&g the
crown on the head of his Queen on her arrival from Denmark.
.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. every man his own Harry Ewkine f" Mr. Erskine felt very much amazed, as may be ...

Book 8 p. 185
(Score 0.81)

386 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Mr. Edgar had‘been in his youth a Captain of Marines, and had seen much
of foreign countries. Prior to his appointment as a Commissioner, he held the
situation of Collector of Customs at Leith. Before he met the accident by
which he was rendered lame, though rather hard-featured, he was decidedly
handsome. He. walked erect, without stiffness, and with considerable rapidity.
His enunciat,ion was remarkably distinct, and his phraseology correct. He was
an excellent classical scholar ;1 and, in fine, a thorough gentleman of the old school.
Although quite a man of the world, he possessed a degree of practical philosophy
which enabled him not only to relish the varied enjoyments of life, but
to bear its ills with tranquillity. Where regret was unavailing, he frequently
made jest of the most serious disasters. One of his limbs was shorter than the
other, in consequence of having had his thigh-bone broken at Leith races, by
an accident arising from the carelessness of the postillion. “ D-n th‘e fellow !”
said the Captain, “ he has spoiled one of the handsomest legs in Christendom.”
On his way home, after the occurrence, perceiving he had to pass it friend on
the road, he moved himself slightly forward in the carriage, at the same time
staring and making strange contortions, as if in the last extremity. “ Ah, poor
Edgar ! ” said his friend to every acquaintance he met, “ we shall never see him
more-he was just expiring as I got a peep into the carriage ! ”
He spent a
gay life while in town ; associating with the best company, and frequenting the
public places, particularly the concerts in St. CeciIia’s Hall, in the Cowgate.
Before dinner, he usually took a few rounds at golf in the Links, always playing
by himself; and, on fine evenings, he might be seen seated, in full dress, in the
most crowded part of the Meadows, then a fashionable promenade.
In the summer months he preferred the retirement of Pendreich Cottage at
Lasswade. Here his amusements were singularly characteristic ; and all his
domestic arrangements were admirably in keeping with his peculiarities. His
invariable practice in the morning, on getting out of bed, was to walk down,
encumbered with little save a towel, to bathe in the river; after which he
returned to his toilette, and then sat down with a keen appetite to breakfast.
Prior to his lameness, Mr. Edgar was a devoted lover of field-sports ; and with
the gun few sportsmen could bag as many birds. As it was he still kept a few
dogs; and, in one of his fields, had a target erected, that he might enjoy an
occasional shot without the fatigue of pursuing game. He had an eagle too,
which he tamed, and took much pleasure in feeding.
Another favourite amusement was the school-boy practice of flying a kite.
By some, who naturally conceived such a pastime to be childish, he was called
Mr. Edgar and the celebrated Adam Smith, who waa alao a commissioner, used, when at the
board, to amuse themselves by reciting passagea from the ancient Greek authors. Neither of the
two gentlemen were men of business, though, in justice to the latter, it may be mentioned, that,
from an anxious desire to be useful, when h t appointed to the Customs, he put himself under the
instruction of Mr. Reid, then Inspector-General ; but his mind continually turned to his favourite
theories ; and, after vain efforts, he was obliged to give up the attempt. There could hardly be a
more conscientious, kind-hearted man than Adam Smith. With the wisdom of a savant, he had
all the simplicity of a child.
Mr. Edgar’s housc was in Teviot Row, adjoining the Meadows.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Mr. Edgar had‘been in his youth a Captain of Marines, and had seen much of foreign ...

Book 8 p. 538
(Score 0.81)

THE HIGH STREET. 225
On another part of the building the initials I D ., and K * T *, appear attached to some
curiously-formed marks, and are doubtless those of the original owners ; but unfortunately
all the early titles are lost, EO that no clue now remains to the history of this singular
dwelling. The lower story, which is believed to have formed the black-hole or dungeon of
the English t.roopers, is vaulted with stone, and around the massive walls iron rings are
affixed, as if for the purpose of securing the prisoners once confined in these vaults. The
east wall of the main room above is curiously constructed of eliptic arches, resting on plain
circular pillars, and such portions of the outer wall as are not concealed by the wooden
appendages of early times, exhibit polished ashlar work, finished with neat mouldings and
string courses.
Immediately to the north of this ancient mansion, there is a large land eutering from
the foot of Sellar’s Close, which has two flat terraced roofs at different elevations, and forms
a prominent and Eiomewhat graceful feature of the Old Town as seen from Princes Street.
This is known by the name of (( The Cromwell Bartizan,” a and is pointed out, on the same
traditional authority, as having been occupied by the General, owing to its vicinity to his
guards, and the commanding prospect which its terraced roof afforded of the English fleet
at anchor in the Firth. Over a doorway, which divides the upper from the lower part of
this close, a carved lintel bears this variation of the common legend :-THE . LORD . BE .
BLEIST . FOR . AL. HIS. GIFTIS .3 A building on the west side, finished in the style prevalent
about the period of James VI., has the following inscription over a window on the
third floor :-
@- THE LORDIS TEIE PORTION OB MINE INHERITANCE AND OF
MY CUP ; THOU MAINTAINEST MY LOT. PSALX.V I. VERSE 5.
In the house which stood opposite, a very large and handsome Gothic lire-place remained,
in the same style as those already described in the Guise Palace. In Brown’s
Close adjoining this, Arnot informs us that there existed in his time a private oratory,”
containing -a ‘( baptismal font,” or sculptured stone niche ; but every relic of antiquity has
now disappeared ; and nearly the same may be said of Byres’ Close, though it contained only
a few years since the town mansion built by Sir John Byres of Coates, the carved lintel of
which was removed by the late Sir Patrick Walker, to Coates House, the ancient mansion
of that family, near Edinburgh. It bears the inscription, “ Blissit be God in a1 His giftis,”
with the initials I B a, and 31 B ., and the date 1611.4
Dunbar’s, Brown’s, and Sellar‘s closea, mentioned in this chapter, are now obliterated by recent city improvementa.
’ Vide p. 95, some confusion exists in the different attempts‘ to lix the exact house, but these discrepancies tend
to confirm the general probability of the tradition; the name BartiZan, however, would seem to determine the
building now assigned in the text
8 In that amusing collection “Satan’s Invisible World Discovered,” written for the purpose of confounding atheiste,
the following is given as an Eat Lothian grace, ‘‘in the time of ignorance and superstition :”
Lord be bless’d for all His gifts,
Defy the Devil and all his shifts.
Qod send me mair d e r . Amen. .
* The front land to the west of Byree’ Close, wan long the residence, Post Office, and miscellaneous establishment of
the noted Peter Williamson, who advertised himself as “from the other world I ” and published an ingenioua narrative
of his Adventures in America, and Captivity among the Red Indians.--Piale Kq’r Portraits, voL i. p. 137.
2 F

... HIGH STREET. 225 On another part of the building the initials I D ., and K * T *, appear attached to ...

Book 10 p. 245
(Score 0.81)

100 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
No. XLVIII.
HENRY VISCOUNT MELVILLE
AND
THE HON. ROBERT DUNDAS OF ARNISTON,
LORD CHIEF BARON OF THE COURT OF EXCHEQUER.
THE first figure in this Print represents the Right Honourable HENRY
DUNDAS, Viscount Melville and Barop Dunira.
Mr. Dundas was second son of Robert Dundas of Arniston, Lord President
of the Court of Session,’ by Anne, daughter of Sir William Gordon of Invergordon,
his lordship’s second wife, and was borq an the 28th April 1742.
After completing his education at the University of Edinburgh with the
usual course of legal st,udy, he was admitted a Member of the Faculty of Advocates
in the year 1763,
At this period it has been said, that, after paying the expense of his education
and admission to the faculty, Mr. Dundas had just sixty pounds remaining of
his patrimony.
Mr. Dundas began his splendid public career in the comparatively humble
capacity of an assessor to the Magistrates of Edinburgh. The office of one of his
Majesty’s Depute-Advocates was then conferred upon him j and subsequently
he was appointed Solicitor-General for Scotland.
To these situations he recommended himself by his superior talents, which
were early displayed, and which obtained for him the highest consideration of
the Bench and Bar. But the ambition of Mr. Dundas was directed to higher objects
than were to be attained even by the most brilliant success at the Scotch
bar, where the only honour that would follow the most successful exertion of
talent, would be a seat on the bench. He accordingly resolved to try his fortunes
in the sister kingdom, and with this view, in the year 1774, successfully
contested the county of Mid-Lothian with the Ministerial candidate. He, however,
afterwards joined the party then in power-became a zealous and able
supporter of Lord North‘s Administration-and was, as a reward for his services,
appointed Lord Advocate of Scotland in 1775. Two years afterwards, he
obtained the appointment of Keeper of his Majesty’s Signet for Scotland.
1 To prevent any misconception, it may be right to mention that there were two Presidents of
the Court of Session hearing the name of Robert Dundas. The first, who waa born on the 9th
December 1685, and died on the 26th August 1753, was the father of Lord Viscount Melville. The
second, who was born on the 18th July 1713, and died, in the seventy-fifth year of his age, on the
13th December 1787, waa the eldest son of the preceding judge by his first marriage with Elizabeth,
daughter of Robert Watson, Esq. of Xuirhouse, and in this way was the “half-brother ” (to use a
Scotticism) of Lord Melville.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. No. XLVIII. HENRY VISCOUNT MELVILLE AND THE HON. ROBERT DUNDAS OF ARNISTON, LORD ...

Book 8 p. 146
(Score 0.81)

4 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
a right to dues to nearly the same amount from the royal revenues at the port of Perth,
the more ancient capital of Scotland; justifying the quaint eulogy of his royal descendant,
that “he was an soir sanct for the crown.’”
By another important grant of this charter, liberty is given to the Canons to erect a burgh
between the Abbey and the town of Edinburgh, over which they are vested with supreme
rule, with right of trial by duel, and by fire and water ordeal. Hence the origin of the
burgh of Canongate, afterwards the seat of royalty, and the residence of the Scottish
nobility, as long as Scotland retained either to herself. In the same charter also, the first
authentic notice of the parish church of St Cuthbert’s, and the chapelries of Corstorphine
and Libberton are found, by which we learn that that of St Cuthbert’s had already, at this
early date, been endowed with very valuable revenues ; while it confirms to its dependency
at Libberton, certain donations which had been made to it by ‘( Macbeth of Libberton,”
in the rei@ of David I., erroneously stated by Arnot a as Macbeth the Usurper.
The well-known legend of the White Hart most probably had its origin in some real
occurrence, magnified by the superstition of a rude and illiterate age. More recent observations
at least suffice to show that it existed at a much earlier date than Lord Hailes
referred it to.’ According to the relation of an ancient service-book of the monastery, in
which it is preserved, King David, in the fourth year of his reign, was residing at the
Castle of Edinburgh, then surrounded with ‘( ane gret forest, full of hartis, hyndis, toddis,
and sic like manner of beistis ; ” and on the Rood Day, after the celebration of mass, he
yielded to the solicitations of the young nobles in his train, and set forth to hunt, notwithstanding
the earnest dissuasions of a holy canon, named Alkwine. “ At last, quhen
he we; cumyn throw the vail that lyis to the eist fra the said Castell, quhare now lyis the
Cannongait, the staill past throw the wod with sic noyis and dyn of bugillis, that all the
bestis wer raisit fra thair dennis.” The King, separated from his train, was thrown from
his horse, and about to be gored by a hart with auful and braid tyndis,” when a cross
slipt into his hands, at sight of which the hart fled away. And the King was thereafter
admonished, in a vision, to build the Abbey on the spot.’ The account is curious, as
affording a glimpse of the city at that early period, contracted within its narrow limits,
and encircled by a wild forest, the abode alone of the fox and the hind, where now for
centuries the busy scenes of a royal burgh have been enacted.
David I. seems to have been the earliest monarch who permanently occupied the Castle
as a royal residence-an example which was followed by his successors, down to the disastrous
period when it was surrendered into the hands of Edward I. ; so that with the reigu
of this monarch, in reality begins the history of Edinburgh, as still indicated to the historian
in the vestiges that survive at the present day. After the death of David I., we find
the Castle successively the royal residence of his immediate successor, Malcolm IT., of
Alexander II., and of William, surnamed the Lion, until after his defeat and capture by
Henry IL of England, when it was surrendered with other principal fortresses of the kingdom,
in ransom for the King’s liberty. Fortunately, however, that which was thus lost
with the fortunes of war, was speedily restored by more peaceful means ; for an alliance
Sir D. Lindsay’s Satyre of the Estaitis.
Vide Liber Cart. Sancts Crucis, pp, 8 and 9.
Ed. 1806, vol. ii. p. 67.
Macbeth the Usurper waa slain 1056.
’ Amot, p. 5. Macbeth of Libberton’s name occurs aa a witness to several royal charters of David I. [1124-53.1
* Annals, David I. Liber Cart. Sancta, Crucis, p. xii.

... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. a right to dues to nearly the same amount from the royal revenues at the port of ...

Book 10 p. 5
(Score 0.8)

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

... of the corps would make their last actual appearance in public at the laying of the foundation of his ...

Book 1 p. 138
(Score 0.8)

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