Edinburgh Bookshelf

Edinburgh Bookshelf

Search

Index for “brown square”

2 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Kirk-of-Field.
land of umyle Hew Berrie?s tenement and chamber
adjacent yr to, lying in the Cowgaitt, on the south
side of the street, betwixt James Earl of Buchan?s
land on the east, and Thomas Tod?s on ye west.?
This lady was a daughter of John Lord Kennedy,
and was the widow of the aged Earl of Angus, who
died of a broken heart after the battle of Flodden.
In 1450-1 an obligation by the Corporation of
Skinners in favour of St. Christopher?s altar in St.
Giles?s was signed with much fornialityon the 12th
of January, infra ecdesiam Beate &Iarie He Canzpo,
in presence of Sir Alexander Hundby, John
Moffat, and John Hendirsone, chaplains thereof,
Thomas Brown, merchant, and other witnesses.
((? Burgh Rec.?)
James Laing, a burgess of Edinburgh, founded
an additional chaplaincy in this church during the
reign of James V., whose royal confirmation of it is
dated 19th June, 1530, and the grant is made ? to
a chaplain celebrating divine service at the high
altar within the collegiate church of Blessed
Marie-in-the-Fields.?
When made collegiate it was governed by a provost,
who with eight prebendaries and two choristers
composed the college ; but certain rights appear to
have been reserved then by the canons of Holyrood,
for in 1546 we find Robert, Commendator of
the abbey, presenting George Kerr to a. prebend
in it, ?according to the force and form of the
foundation.?
There is a charter by James V., arst May, 1531,
confirming a previous one of 16th May, I 53 I, by the
lady before mentioned, ?Janet Kennedy Domina
de Bothvill,? of tenements in Edinburgh, and an
annual rent of twenty shillings for a prebendary to
perform divine service ?in the college kirk of the
Blessed Virgin Mary-in-the-Fields, or without the
walls of Edinburgh, pro sat& #sius Domini Regis
(JamesV.), and for the souls OP his father (James
IV.), and the late Archibald, Earl of Angus?
Among the most distinguished provosts of the
Kirk-of-Field was its second one, Richard Bothwell,
rector of Ashkirk, who in A4ugust and
December, 1534, was a commissioner for opening
Parliament. He died in the provost?s house in
1547.
The prebendal buildings were of considerable
extent, exclusive of the provost?s house, or
lodging. David Vocat, one of the prebendaries,
and master of the Grammar School of Edinburgh,
clerk and orator of Holyrood,? was a liberal
? benefactor to the church ; but it and the buildings
attached to it seem to have suffered severely at the
hands of the English during the invasion of 1544
or 1547. In the ?? Inventory of the Townis purchase
from the Marquis of Hamilton in 1613,?? with
a view to the founding of a college, says Wilson,
we have found an abstract of ?a feu charter granted
by Mr. Alexander Forrest, provost of the collegiate
church of the Blessed Xlary-in-the-Fields, near
Edinr., and by the prebends of the said church,?
dated 1544, wherein it is stated:-?Considering that
ther houses, especially ther hospital annexed and
incorporated with ther college, were burnt down
and destroyed by their add enemies of EngZand, so
that nothing of their said hospital was left, but they
are altogether waste and entirely destroyed, wherethrough
the divine worship is not a little decreased
in the college, because they were unable to rebuild
the said hospital. . . , Therefore they gave and
granted, set in feu forme, and confirmed to a magnificent
and illustrious prince, James, Duke of
Chattelherault, Earl of Arran, Lord Hamilton, &c.,
all and hail their tenement or hospital, with the
yards and pertinints thereof, lying within the burgh
of Edinburgh, in the street or wynd called School
House Wynd, on the east part thereof.?
The duke appears, it is added, from frequent
allusions by contemporaries, to have built an abode
for his family on the site of this hospital, and that
edifice served in future years as the hall of the first
college of Edinburgh.
In 1556 we find Alexander Forrest, the provost
of the kirk, in the name of the Archbishop of St.
Andrews, presenting a protest, signed by Mary of
Guise, to the magistrates, praying them to suppress
?? certain odious ballettis and rymes baith sett
furth ? by certain evil-inclined persons, who had
also demolished certain images, but with what end
is unknown. (?Burgh Records.?)
But two years after Bishop Lesly records that
when the Earl of Argyle and his reformers entered
Edinburgh, after spoiling the Black and Grey
Friars, and having their ? haill growing treis
plucked up be the ruittis,? they destroyed and
burned all the images in the Kirk-of-Field.
In 1562 the magistrates made application to
Queen Mary, among other requests, for the Kirk-of-
Field and all its adjacent buildings and ground,
for the purpose of erecting a school thereon, and
for the revenues of the old foundation to endow the
same ; but they were not entirely made over to the
city for the purpose specified till 1566.
The quadrangle of the present university now
occupies the exact site of the church of St. Mary-inthe-
Fields, including that of the prebendal buildings,
and, says Wilson-who in this does not quite accord
with Bell-to a certain extent the house of the provost,
so fatally known in history; and the main access
and approach to the whole establishment was

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Kirk-of-Field. land of umyle Hew Berrie?s tenement and chamber adjacent yr to, lying in ...

Book 5 p. 2
(Score 0.57)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 259
in his own hands, and the dispute was only settled towards the close of the
season, by the decreet-arbitral of the Dean of Faculty,
Amongst the performers engaged by Mr. Kemble were Mr. and Mrs. Lee
Lewes, who made their second appearance in Edinburgh on the 28th of February
1792. To this period the Print refers, the “Road to Ruin” having been
performed a few nights after their arrival. In the characters of Goldjnch and
Widow Wawm the parties appeared to great advantage; and it must be
confessed that Kay has done them ample justice in the Etching. The run
of pieces - chiefly comedy - during the season, were “ The Rivals,” “ The
Belle’s Stratagem,” “The Maid of the Mill,” etc.; and a piece called the
‘‘ Aberdeen Orphan ; or, the English Merchant ” (Spatter, Mr. Lee Lewes-
Lady AEton, Mrs, Lee Lewes) was repeated several nights-the locality and
the title probably forming the chief attraction. When the benefits came on,
the following bill of fare was proposed by Mr. Lee Lewes as a banquet for his
friends :-
“MR. LEE LEWES
Most respectfully informs the Public that his BENEFITw ill be on SATURDAYth, e 19th instant
(May), when the evening’s entertainments will be preluded with
COMIC SKETCHES, OR NATURE’S LOOKING-GLASS.
The apparatus is entirely new, and consists of Whole-Length Figures, painted in transparency
by Mr. Hodgins, of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, and Mr. Dighton, of Saddler’s Wells :
and is a selection of the laughable part of an entertainment Mr. Lee Lewes has long been yreparing
for the public, and which, at a future period, he means to submit to them on a large scale.
Specturn admissi, riswrn teneatis.
To conclude with a representation of the late
KING OF PRUSSIA AND QENERAL ZEITHEN,
in figures, as large as life, executed at Berlin.
After the prelude will be performed (positively the last time this season)
THE ROAD TO RUIN;
To which will be added
TOM THUMB THE GREAT.
Tickets to be had of Mr. Lee Lewes, No. 6 Shakspeare Square.”
The “Comic Mirror” was repeated on the two subsequent nights. Towards
the close of the season, when Mr. John Kemble played for a few nights, Mrs.
Lee Lewes appeared in the parts of Lady Macbeth and Lady Randolph.
On the termination of the dispute betwixt Jackson and Kemble, by the
decreet of the Dean of Faculty-a decision, however, far from satisfactory to
either party-Mr. Jackson obtained a settlement with the majority of his creditors,
and conceiving himself to have been ill-used by his opponent, contrived,
by a negotiation with Mrs. Eston-(an actress of considerable celebrity on more
accounts than one), t,o disappoint him of a renewal of his lease. In consequence
of this, and aware that he stood pretty high in the estimation of the public,

... SKETCHES. 259 in his own hands, and the dispute was only settled towards the close of the season, by ...

Book 9 p. 345
(Score 0.57)

392 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Mr. Crichton entered the Town Council in 1794, as one of the Merchant
Councillors, and held the office of Treasurer in 1795-6. He died at his own
house in Gayfield Square, on the 14th of May 1823. He was a fine manlylooking
person, rather florid in his complexion ; exceedingly polite in his manners,
and of gentlemanly attainments.
One of his sons, Archibald
William, was knighted by George IV. The Colonel’s brother Alexander ~vm
long in the Russian service as physician to the late Emperor Alexander of
Russia, who conferred upon him the honour of knighthood. Sir Alexander
Crichton visited his native country about the year 1834.
Mr. Crichton was married, and had a family.
No. CLVI.
GEORGE FERGUXSON, LORD HERRSAND.
LORDH ERRIAKsDo, well known on the western circuit, was the eighth son of
Sir James Fergusson of Kilkerran,’ one of the Senators of the College of Justice,
under the title of Lord Kilkerran.
Mr. Fergusson was admitted advocate in 1765, and practised successfully
at the bar for thirty-four year’s, when, on the death of Macqueen of Eraxfield
in 1799, he was promoted to the bench, and took his seat by the title of Lord
Hermand, from a mall estate of that name which he possessed about sixteen
miles west of Edinburgh. He was also appointed a Commissioner of Justiciary
in 1808, on the resignation of Lord Dunsinnan j and it is in this capacity that
the character of Lord Hermand is best known to the public. His severity of
manner on the bench was perhaps more peculiarly suited to the criminal court ;
yet as a judge in civil causes, he was eminently honest and upright ; and his
opinions were invariably guided by the most scrupulous attention to justice.
He was one of the judges in the case of Eaird and JI‘Laren, who were tried at
Edinburgh in 18 17, for seditious speeches delivered at a public meeting held
near Kilmarnack, and who were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in the
Canongate jail. He was on the bench during almost all the other political
trials in the west; and from this circumstance alone is well known as a
Justiciary Lord in that part of the country.
When at the bar, Lords Hermand and Newton were great “cronies,” and
had many convivial meetings together ; but the former outlived all his old lastcentury
contemporaries of the bar, and for many years remained alone, as it were,
the only connecting link between the past and present race of Scottish lawyers.
Sir James married Lady Jean Maitland, the only child of Lord Maitland, eldest son of John
Earl of Lauderdale. ’I%
scene17 around is highly romantic ; and, by the plantations and improvements of Sir James and his
successors, is now an object of much interest to tourists.
Kilkerran is situated near to the Water of Girvan, in the parish of Daily.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Mr. Crichton entered the Town Council in 1794, as one of the Merchant Councillors, and ...

Book 8 p. 546
(Score 0.57)

I 26 ? OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [PrinerSSma.
The tower, as originally designed, terminated in
an open lantern, but this fell during a tempest of
wind in January, 1818. In a letter to his friend,
Willie Laidlaw, Sir Walter Scott refers to the event
thus :-?I had more than an anxious thought
about you all during the gale of wind. The Gothic
pinnacles were blown from the top of Bishop
Sandford?s Episcopal chapel at the end of Princes
Street, and broke through the roof and flooring,
doing great damage. This was sticking the horns
of the mitre into the belly of the church. The
devil never so well deserved the title of Prince of
Power of the Air since he has blown down this
handsome church, and left the ugly mass of new
buildings standing on the North Bridge.?
The bishop referred to was the Rev. Daniel Sand-
? ford, father of the accomplished Greek scholar, Sir
Daniel Keyte Sandford, D.C.L., who was born at
Edinburgh in February, 1798, and received all the
rudiments of his education under the venerable
prelate, who died in 1830.
The interior of St. John?s Church is beautiful,
and presents an imposing appearance ; it contains
a very fine organ, and is adorned with richlycoloured
stained-glass windows. The great eastern
window, which is thirty feet in height, contains the
figures of the twelve apostles, by Eggington of
Birmingham, acquired in 1871. There is also
a magnificent reredos, designed by Peddie and
Kinnear.
In this church ministered for years the late Dean
Ramsay, the genial-hearted author of ? Reminiscences
of Scottish Life and Character.? A small
cemetery, with two rows of ornamented burial
vaults, adjoin the south side of this edifice, the
view of which is very striking from the West
Churchyard. In these vaults and the little
cemetery repose the remains of many persons
eminent for rank and talent. Among them are
the prince of Scottish portrait painters, Sir Henry
Raeburn, the Rev. Archibald Alison, the wellknown
essayist on ?? Taste,? Dr. Pultney Alison, his
eldest son, and brother of the historian, Sir Archibald.
The Doctor was professor successively of
the theory and practice of physic in the university,
author of several works of great authority in
medical science, and was one of the most philanthropic
men that ever adorned the medica! profession,
even in Edinburgh, where it has ever been
pre-eminently noble in all works of charity ; and he
was the able antagonist of Dr. Chalmers in advocating
the enforcement of a compulsory assessment
for the support of the poor in opposition to the
Doctor?s voluntary one.
There, too, lie James DonaldsoIi, founder of the
magnificent hospital which bears his name j the
Rev. Andrew Thomson, first minister of St. Geoge?s
Church in Charlotte Square, in his day one of the
most popular of the city clergy; Sir Williani
Hamilton, professor of moral philosophy in the
university, and a philosopher of more than
European name ; Catherine Sinclair, the novelist j
Macvey Napier, who succeeded Lord Jeffrey as
editor of the Zdiaburgh Rm2wY and, together
with James Browne, LL.D., conducted the seventh
edition of the ?? Encyclopaedia Britannica?; Sir
William Arbuthnot, who was Lord Provost in
1823; Mrs. Sligo of Inzievar, the sister of Sir
James Outram, ? the Bayard of India?; and many
more of note.
Nearly opposite is a meagre and somewhat
obstn,uztive edifice of triangular form, known as
the Sinclair Fountain, erected in 1859 at the
expense of Miss Catherine Sinclair, the novelist,
and daughter of the famous Sir John Sinclair of
Ulbster, a lady distinguished for her philanthropy,
and is one of the memorials?of her benefactions
to the city.
Among the many interesting features in Princes
Street are its monuments, and taken seriatim,
according to their dates, the first-and first also is
consequence and magnificence-is that of Sir Walter
Scott This edifice, the design for which, by G.
M. Kemp (who lost his life in the canal by
drowning ere its completion), was decided by the
committee on the 30th of April, 1840, bears a
general resemblance to the most splendid examples
of monumental crosses, though it far excels all its
predecessors in its beauty and vast proportions,
beirig 180 feet in height, and occupying a square
area of 55 feet at its base.
The foundation stone was laid in 1840, and in it
was deposited a plate, bearing the following
inscription by Lord Jeffrey, remarkable for its
tenor :-
?This Graven Plate, deposited in the baseof a votive
building on the fifteenth day of August, in the year of
Christ 1840, and mcr bRry io see tk I&& apin td2 aZ2 tlu
surrounding strucfwu have crumbZrd fo dwt the d.ay 01
time, w by human OY ekmmzal vibZence, may then testify to a
distant posterity that his countrymen began on that day to
raise an effigy and architectural mohnent, TO THE MEMORY
OF SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART., whose admirable writings
were then allowed to have given more delight and suggested
better feeling to a larger class of readers in every rank of
society, than those of any other author, with the exception of
Shakespeare alone, and which were therefore thought likely
to be remembered long after this act of gratitude on the part
of the first generation of his admirers should be forgotten.
?? HE WAS BORN AT EDINBURGH, I5TH AUGUST, 1771,
AND DIED AT ABBOTSFORD, ZIST SEPTEMBER, 1832,?
Engravings have made us familiar with the

... 26 ? OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [PrinerSSma. The tower, as originally designed, terminated in an open lantern, but ...

Book 3 p. 126
(Score 0.57)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 121
On the way‘the prisoner behaved with much levity of manner, and
Williamson used to tell several amusing stones respecting him. While at
Amsterdam, Brodie met a Scots woman who asked him if he had been long
from Scotland, adding, that one Brodie, a citizen of Edinburgh, was accused of
robbing the Excise Office ; and that a great reward was offered for his apprehension.
In the same city he became acquainted with the person who had
committed a forgery on the Bank of Scotland. “He was a very clever fellow,”
said Brodie, “ and had it not been for my apprehension, I could have mastered
the process in a week.”
Before arriving in Edinburgh, Brodie was anxious to have his beard cropped,
an operation in which he had not indulged for several days. Afraid to trust
the razor in the hands of a person in his circumstances, Mr. Williamson offered
to act the part of tonsor, assuring the prisoner that he was well qualified for
the task. Brodie patiently submitted to the process, which was awkwardly and
very indifferently performed by thb man of captions and hornings. “ George,”
said he, as the last polishing stroke had been given, “ if you are no better at
your own business than you are at shaving, n person may employ you once, but
I’ll be - if ever he does so again ! ”
Williamson acquired considerable notoriety in his official capacity in 179 3
and subsequent years, among the “ Friends of the People,” to whom he became
obnoxious for his activity as an emissary of the law. Muir of Huntershill and
Palmer from Dundee were among the first and most distinguished of the
Reformers whom he arrested; and when the late Mr. Hamilton Roman,
accompanied by the Hon. Simon Butler, came from Dublin to challenge the
Lord Advocate,’ Williamson was prepared to welcome them, on their arrival
at Dumbreck‘s Hotel, with a’warrant for their apprehension.
In the performance of his duty Mr. Williamson displayed considerable tact
and address ; and, without rudeness, was firm and decided. He was a man of
more gentleness and humanity than individuals of his profession are generally
supposed to be. There are many instances in which he has been known, rather
than resort to extreme measures, to have himself paid the debt of the unfortunate
individual against whom he had diligence. Being Excise Constable, at that
time all the decreets for arrears of licenses were put in force through his hands,
under the direction of the late Mr. James Bremner, depute-solicitor of stamps, to
whom he invariably reported all cases of distress. The reply of that goodhearted
gentleman usually was-“I leave the matter to yourself, Mr. Williamson
; the Government do not wish to make beggars, though they may be
fond of the revenue.”
In extensive employment, T.7Tilliamson is understood to have at one time
realised a considerable fortune. He lived in the Lord President’s Stairs,
Parliament Square, but had a country house at Liberton, where he and his
1 Hamilton Rowan was then Secretary to the Society of United Irishmen j and some reflections
in which the Lord Advocate had indulged at the trial of Mnir were the -use of offence,
VOL. 11. R

... SKETCHES. 121 On the way‘the prisoner behaved with much levity of manner, and Williamson used to ...

Book 9 p. 162
(Score 0.57)

110 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Lord Abercromby of Aboukir and Tullibody, and married, 27th January 1799,
Montague, third daughter of Henry first Viscount Melville, by whom he has
issue one son and two daughters. His second son, John, G.C.B., died unmarried
in the year 181 7. The third son, James (a Privy Councillor), practised as an
English barrister, and was for many years auditor to the Duke of Devonshire.
He relinquished that employment upon being appointed Judge-Advocate-General,
under Canning’s Administration. He was afterwards appointed (in February
1830) Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer in Scotland, which office he
held until its abolition. It is hardly necessary to mention that James is
presently (1837), M.P. for the city of Edinburgh and Speaker of the House of
Commons. He married, in 1802, Mary Ann, daughter of Egerton Leigh, Esq.,
by whom he has issue one son, Ralph (born 6th April 1803), now (1837)
envoy to Tuscany. The fourth son, Alexander, C.B., who still survives, is
(1837) a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army.
’
No. LIII.
LAUCHLAN M‘BAIN.
THIS Print, done in 1791, represents a well-known vendor of roasting-jacks.
Although’ confessing at this period to the venerable age of seventy-five, he was
still “ hale and hearty,” and in the zenith of his professional celebrity.
Lauchlan had been a soldier, and at one time served in the 21st, or Royal
Scots Fusiliers. It is not said whether he had been at the inglorious affair of
Prestonpans, but he hesitated not to state that he was one of the victors at
Culloden. At what period he obtained his discharge is unknown ; but unfortunately
for him his retirement from the army was not accompanied by any
pension. Upon the cessation of his military duties he came to Edinburgh, where
he settled down in civil life by becoming a manufacturer of fly-jacks and
toasting-forks. In this vocation Lauchlan soon acquired notoriety, and became one
of the characters of ‘‘ Auld Reekie.” Those who recollect him, and there are
many, siill remember the fine modulations of his sonorous yet musical voice, as he
sang the “ roasting toasting” ditty; and like Blind Aleck of Glasgow, he was
“ the author of all he made, said, or sung.”
Lauchlan was unquestionably a favourite with the populace ; but as the most
universally esteemed are unable to elbow through the world without sometimes
giving offence, so it happened with the honest vendor of roasting-jacks. His
professional chant, as he frequently winded his way up the back stairs leading
from the Cowgate to the Parliament Square, became exceedingly annoying to
the gentlemen of the long robe, who, though anxious to abate the nuisance,
were unable legally to entangle their tormentor in the meshes of the law.
Lauchlan, sensible that these visits might be turned to account, was most

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Lord Abercromby of Aboukir and Tullibody, and married, 27th January 1799, Montague, ...

Book 8 p. 161
(Score 0.57)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. IS7
were, neither by birth, education, nor former habits, trained to endure with
much patience the insulta of the rabble, or the provoking petulance of truantboys
and idle debauchees of all descriptions, with whom their occupation brought
them into contact. On the contrary, the tempers of the poor old fellows were
soured by the indignities with which the mob distinguished them on many
occasions, and frequently might have required the soothing strains of the poet
just quoted :-
“ 0 soldiers ! for your ain dear sakes,
For Scotland’s love-the land 0’ cakes,
Gie not her bairns sic deadly paiks,
Wi’ firelock or Lochaber axe,
Nor be sae rude,
As spill their blude.”
“ On all occasions-when holiday licenses some riot or irregularity-a skirmish
with these veterans was a favourite recreation with the rabble of Edinburgh.”
The recollection of many of our readers will enable them to appreciate the
truth of this quotation from the Heart of Mid-Luthian. The “ Town Rats,” when
annually mustered in front of the Parliament House-
“ Wi’ powdered POW an’ shaven beard,”
to do honour to the birth of his Majesty, by a feu de joie-were subject to a
species of torture, peculiarly harassing-dead cats, and every species of “ clarty
unction,” being unsparingly hurled at their devoted heads :
“ ’Mang them fell mony a gawsey snout,
Has gusht in birth-day wars,
Wi‘ blude that day.”
The last vestige of the Town Guard disappeared about the year 1817-a
period particularly fatal to many of the most ancient characteristics of the Old
Town. “ Of late,”) continues the Author of Waverley, “ the gradual diminution
of these civic soldiers reminds one of the abatement of King Lear’s hundred
knights. The edicts of each set of succeeding Magistrates have, like those of
Gonerill and Regan, diminished this venerable band with the similar question-
& What need we five-and-twenty ?-ten 1-r five 9’ And it is now nearly come
to-‘ What need we one 1’ A spectre may indeed here and there still be seen
of an old grey-headed and grey-bearded Highlander, with war-worn features, but
bent double by age : dressed. in an old-fashioned cocked hat, bound with white
tape instead of silver lace ; and in coat, waistcoat, and breeches, of a muddycoloured
red, bearing in his withered hand an ancient weapon, called a Lochaber
axe, namely, a long pole with an axe at the extremity, and a hook at the back
of the hatchet. Such a phantom of former days still creeps, I have been
informed, round the statue of Charles the Second, in the Parliament Square, as
if the image of a Stuart were the last refuge for any memorial of our ancient
The “Heart of Mid-Lothian” was published in 1817.

... SKETCHES. IS7 were, neither by birth, education, nor former habits, trained to endure with much ...

Book 9 p. 251
(Score 0.56)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 273
the nature of the ground, the foundations of many of them were exceedingly
deep. Janet's husband had fallen in the dark into one of the excavationswhich
had been either imperfectly railed in, or left unguarded-and from the
injuries sustained, he died almost immediately. Marshall patiently listened to
the tale, rendered doubly long by the agitated feelings of the narrator ; and, as
the last syllable faltered on her tongue, out burst the usual exclamation, but
with more than wonted emphasis-'' The b-s, I'll make them pay for your
gudeman ! "
No sooner said than done : away he hurried to the scene of the accident
inspected the state of the excavation-and having satisfied himself as to all the
circumstances of the case and the liability of the contractors, he instantly wrote
to them, demanding two hundred pounds as an indemnity to the bereaved widow.
No attention having been paid to his letter, he immediateIy raised an action
before the Supreme Court, concluding for heavy damages ; and, from the
active and determined manner in which he went about it, soon convinced his
opponents that he was in earnest. The defenders became alarmed at the consequences,
and were induced to wait upon Mr. Marshall with the view of
compounding the matter, by paying the original demand of two hundred pounds.
" Na, na, ye b-s !" was the lawyer's reply ; " that sum would have been
taken had ye come forward at first, like gentlemen, and settled wi' the puir
body ; but now (adding another oath) three times the sum '11 no stop the proceedings."
Finding Marshall inexorable, another, and yet another hundred
was offered-not even five hundred would satisfy the lawyer. Ultimately the
parties were glad to accede to his own terms ; and it is said he obtained, in
this way, upwards of seven hundred pounds as a solatium for the "lost gudeman
"-all of which he handed over to his client, who was thus probably made
more comfortable by the death of her husband than she had ever been during
his life.
In the winter season Mr. Marshall resided in Milne's Square, but in summer
he retired to Greenside House (his own property), situated in the Lover's Lane,
near Leith Walk, where he kept a capital saddle-horse; but for what
purpose it was impossible to divine, no man having ever seen him on horseback
(indeed it was generally supposed he could not ride), and he would allow no
one else, not even the stable-boy, to mount the animal. From this it may be
inferred that the horse was in high favour with its master. Well fed, and
well attended to, the only danger likely to have occurred from this luxurious
mode of life arose from the want of exercise. To obviate this, the discipline
adopted was truly worthy of the eccentric lawyer. Almost daily he had the
horse brought out to the field behind the house, where, letting him loose, he
would whip him off at full gallop ; and then, to increase the animal's speed and
ensure exercise enough, his dog (for he always kept a favourite dog) was usually
despatched in pursuit. Thus would Marshall enjoy, with manifest pride and
satisfaction, for nearly an hour at a time, the gambols of the two animals.
Having no near relatives to. whom he cared bequeathing his property, Mr.
2 N

... SKETCHES. 273 the nature of the ground, the foundations of many of them were exceedingly deep. ...

Book 8 p. 383
(Score 0.56)

198 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
“ For worth revered, 10 I full of years,
Amid the sorrowing people’s tears,
Does Hopetoun to the tomb descend,
Who mourn their constant, kindest friend,
Oft have I heard, as o’er hie land
I wandered in my youthful days,
The farmer bless his fostering hand,
And ploughman’s ruder note of praise.
Oft,(too, in Humbie’s fairy vale-
Of Hopetoun have I heard the tale
Romantic vale I so sweetly wild-
Of sorrow soothed or want beguiled.
The mausoleum may arise,
But far superior are the sighs
Displaying well the sculptor’s art ;
That rise from many a wounded heart.
The historic record shall survive,
The legendary tribute live
And unimpaired its meed bestow ;
When time haa laid the structure low.
In early life to warfare trained,
He gained the glory arms can yield ;
When Gallia had her lilies stained
On Minden’s memorable field.
Hsnce wreathed, the titled path he trod-
A path (haw few pursue his plan !)
Bright, marked with piety to God
And warm benevolence to man.
The niche he leaves a brother fills,
Long, long o’er Scotia’s vales and hills
Whose prowess fame has blazoned wide ;
Shall Niddry’s deeds be told with pride !”
Having no male issue, the Earl of Hopetoun was succeeded by his half-brother
John, fourth Earl, G.C.B., and General in the Army, who had distinguished
himself so much by his gallantry and abilities in the West Indies in 1794 ; in
Holland in 1799 j and at the battles of Corunna, Bayonne, Bourdeaux, and
Toulouse. For these services he was created a British Peer in 1814, by the
title of Baron Niddry. A
handsome equestrian statue has lately been erected to his memory in St. Andrew
Square, in front of the Royal Bank, by the citizens of Edinburgh.
. Earl John was twice married,-first, in 1798, to Elizabeth, youngest
.(aughter of Charles Hope Vere of Craighall, who died without issue in 1801 ;
secondly, in 1803, to Louisa Dorothea, third daughter of Sir John Wedderburn
of Ballendean, by whom he had twelve children,’ of whom seven sons and
It will be recollected that when George IV. visited Scotland in 1822, his Majesty embarked at
Port-Edgar, having previously partaken of a repast at Hopetoun House with the Earl, his family,
and a select company assembled for the occasion. While at breakfaat, one of the Earl’s sons, a lively
He died at Paris on the 27th August 1823.
‘

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. “ For worth revered, 10 I full of years, Amid the sorrowing people’s tears, Does ...

Book 8 p. 278
(Score 0.56)

218 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
friend‘s coach to the door, as the only effectual hint to his guest ; but Dempster’s
coachman was ngt to be so caught : he positively refused to harness the horses
in such a night, especially as the roads were so bad and dangerous, preferring
rather to lie in the stable, if he could get no other accommodation, till daylight,
Lord Dunsinnan, thus driven to extremities, returned to his guest, and
made known the dilemma in which they were placed. “ George, ” said he, ‘‘ if
you stay, you will go to bed at ten and rise at three ; and then I shall get the
bed after you.”
The property of Dunsinnan, which included nearly the entire parish of Collace,
was far from being in a state of improvement when it came into his hands ;
a great part of the lands consisted of what is termed “outfield,” and the
farms were made up of detached portions, many of these at considerable distances.
No sooner had Sir William obtained possession of the estate than he
set about dividing the lands into compact and regular farms, which he enclosed,
and gave to each a certain portion of outfield ; at the same time he built comfortable
dwellings for many of his tenants, and, by proper encouragement, induced
others to do so for themselves. He thus, with no niggardly hand, promoted
alike the prosperity of the tenant, and ensured the rapid improvement of
the soil.
Sir William was appointed a Lord of Justiaiary, in 1792, on the death of
Lord Stonefield ; and continued to attend the duties of the circuit until 1808,
when he resigned, and the following year retired from the Court of Session
altogether. He died at a very advanced age at Dunsinnan House on the
25th March 1811. The title became extinct in his person, and a nephew (his
sister’s son) succeeded to the estate and assumed the name of Nairne.
His lordship’s residence in Edinburgh was Minto House, Argyle Square.
Previous to his removal thither, he occupied a tenement at the head of the
Parliament Stairs, lately a printing-office ; but now removed to make way for
the new Justiciary Court-Room.
Before concluding this sketch, it may be noticed that Lord Dunsinnan was
uncle to the famous Catherine Nairne or Ogilvie, whose trial in 17 65 for the
crimes of murder and incest, excited such general interest. She married in
that year Thomas Ogilvie, Esq. of Eastmiln, Forfarshire,-a gentleman, as was
stated at the trial, forty years of age and of a sickly constitution-the lady’s
own age being only nineteen. Shortly before the marriage, a younger brother
of this gentleman, named Patrick, and a lieutenant in the 89th Foot, had returned
on account of bad health from India, and had taken up his residence
as a visitor at his brother’s house. The marriage took place three or four days
after Patrick’s return; and in less than a week the intercourse betwixt him
and his brother’s wife, which led to such tragical consequences, was stated to
have commenced. Four months afterwards, in pursuance of a diabolical plot
betwixt Mrs. Ogilvie and her seducer, the former effected the death of her husband
by means of arsenic. She and her accomplice were accordingly brought
to trial, when both were found guilty, and condemned to be hanged. Sentencedangerous, preferring
rather to lie in the stable, if he could get no other accommodation, till daylight,
Lord Dunsinnan, thus driven to extremities, returned to his guest, and
made known the dilemma in which they were placed. “ George, ” said he, ‘‘ if
you stay, you will go to bed at ten and rise at three ; and then I shall get the
bed after you.”
The property of Dunsinnan, which included nearly the entire parish of Collace,
was far from being in a state of improvement when it came into his hands ;
a great part of the lands consisted of what is termed “outfield,” and the
farms were made up of detached portions, many of these at considerable distances.
No sooner had Sir William obtained possession of the estate than he
set about dividing the lands into compact and regular farms, which he enclosed,
and gave to each a certain portion of outfield ; at the same time he built comfortable
dwellings for many of his tenants, and, by proper encouragement, induced
others to do so for themselves. He thus, with no niggardly hand, promoted
alike the prosperity of the tenant, and ensured the rapid improvement of
the soil.
Sir William was appointed a Lord of Justiaiary, in 1792, on the death of
Lord Stonefield ; and continued to attend the duties of the circuit until 1808,
when he resigned, and the following year retired from the Court of Session
altogether. He died at a very advanced age at Dunsinnan House on the
25th March 1811. The title became extinct in his person, and a nephew (his
sister’s son) succeeded to the estate and assumed the name of Nairne.
His lordship’s residence in Edinburgh was Minto House, Argyle Square.
Previous to his removal thither, he occupied a tenement at the head of the
Parliament Stairs, lately a printing-office ; but now removed to make way for
the new Justiciary Court-Room.
Before concluding this sketch, it may be noticed that Lord Dunsinnan was
uncle to the famous Catherine Nairne or Ogilvie, whose trial in 17 65 for the
crimes of murder and incest, excited such general interest. She married in
that year Thomas Ogilvie, Esq. of Eastmiln, Forfarshire,-a gentleman, as was
stated at the trial, forty years of age and of a sickly constitution-the lady’s
own age being only nineteen. Shortly before the marriage, a younger brother
of this gentleman, named Patrick, and a lieutenant in the 89th Foot, had returned
on account of bad health from India, and had taken up his residence
as a visitor at his brother’s house. The marriage took place three or four days
after Patrick’s return; and in less than a week the intercourse betwixt him
and his brother’s wife, which led to such tragical consequences, was stated to
have commenced. Four months afterwards, in pursuance of a diabolical plot
betwixt Mrs. Ogilvie and her seducer, the former effected the death of her husband
by means of arsenic. She and her accomplice were accordingly brought
to trial, when both were found guilty, and condemned to be hanged. Sentence

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. friend‘s coach to the door, as the only effectual hint to his guest ; but ...

Book 8 p. 308
(Score 0.56)

erect and alert carriage, together with some oldfashioned
peculiarities of costume, which made her
one of the most noted street figures of her time.
The editor of ?The Book of Days? says that
he is enabled to recall a walk he had one day with
Sir Walter, ending in Constable?s shop, No. 10,
Princes Street, when Lady Clerk was purchasing
some books at a side counter. Sir Walter, passing
through to the stairs by which Mr. Constable?s
room was reached, did not recognise her ladyship,
%rho, catching sight of him as he was about to
PRINCES STREET, LOOKING WEST. (From a Photogmjh ay G. NI. WiZsoti and Co.)
The University Club, to. the westward, was
erected in 1866-7, from designs by Peddie and
Kinnear, in an ornate Italian style, with Grecian
decoration, at the cost of ~14,000, and has ample
accommodation for 650 members. The new Conservative
Club, a nimor edifice, stands a little to
the east of it.
Nos. 129 and 130 are now extensive shop
premises. In 1811 the former was the residence
of Sir Alexander Charles Gibson-Maitland of
Clifton Hall, in Lothian, the first baronet of the
ascend, called out, ? Oh, Sir Walter ! are you really
going to pass me?? He immediately turned to
make his usual cordial Feetings, and apologised
with demurely waggish reference to her odd dress :
?I?m sure, my lady, by this time I might know
your back as well as your face.? ?
No. 104 is now connected with the first attempt
in arcades in Edinburgh. It forms a six-storey
edifice, comprising an hotel, and is an elegant glassroofed
bazaar hall, 105 feet long by 30 feet high.
, It was completed in 1876. In 1830, No. 105
was the residence of the Honourable Baron Clerk
Rattray, It is now a warehouse; and some fifteen
years before that, No. XIO was the residence of
Drummond of Blair Drummond. It is now
Taylor?s Repository. Drummocd of Gairdrum
occupied No. I I 7.
name, who died in 1820; and in No. 136 dwelt
Mr. Henry Siddons of the Theatre Royal.
No. 146 was latterly the Osborne Hotel, which
was nearly destroyed by fire in 1879. In the
following year it was opened as the Scottish
Liberal Club, inaugurated by the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, M.P. for Midlothian.
At the extreme west end of the street, and at its
junction with the Lothian Road, stands St. John?s
Episcopal Chapel, erected in 1817, after a design,
in the somewhat feeble modern Gothic of that day,
by William Burn, though modelled from and partially
detailed after St. George?s Chapel at Windsor.
It is an oblong edifice, consisting of a nave and
aisles, I 13 feet long by 62 feet wide, and has at its
western extremity a square pinnacled tower, 120
feet high. The whole cost, at first, about ,f18,ooo.

... and alert carriage, together with some oldfashioned peculiarities of costume, which made her one of the ...

Book 3 p. 125
(Score 0.55)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 267
misfortune, after a sharp combat of an hour and a half, to have expended every
shot that we had of our artillery. Under such circumstances we were of course
compelled to surrender.”
According to his own account, Colonel Campbell at first experienced most
honourable and humane treatment from the authorities at Boston. A sudden
change, however, followed. In a letter addressed to General Howe, and forwarded
to him through the hands of the Council at Boston, Colonel Campbell
thus describes his situation :-
.
I Concord Gaol, February 14, 1777.
* *
“ I am lodged in a dungeon of twelve or thirteen feet square, whose sides are black with the
grease and litter of successive criminals. Two doors, with double locks and bolts, shut me up from
the yard, with an express prohibition to enter it, either for my health or the necessary calls of nature.
“ Two small windows, strongly grated with iron, introduce a gloomy light to the apartment, and
these are at this hour without a single pane of glass, although the season, for frost and snow, is
actually in the extreme. In the corner of the cell, boxed up with the partition, stands a *
which does not seem to have been cleared since its first appropriation to this convenience of malefactors.
A loathsome black-hole, decorated with a pair of fixed chains, is granted me for my inner
apartment, from whence a felon was but the moment before removed, to make way for your humble
servant, and in which his litter to this hour remains. The attendance of a single servant on my
person is also denied me, and every visit from a friend positively refused.”
I . * *
It was in this loathsome dwelling that Colonel Campbell pencilled the sketch
of ‘‘ General Buttons Marching to Saratoga with Plunder.” During the Colonel’s
confinement, a variety of events had occurred unfavourable to the British interest,
-among others, the surrender of General Burgoyne and his small army, at the
heights of Saratoga, on the 17th October 1777. General Buttons is accordingly
represented on his march from the “field of spoil;” and, it must be granted,
he has contrived to make the most of his limited means of conveyance.
The cruel treatment of Colonel Campbell and other British officers by the
Americans originated in the law of retaliation, which they considered themselves
warranted in adopting by the conduct of the British towards Colonel Ethen
Allan and General Lee, in treating them not as prisoners of war but as criminals.
As soon as the Congress was informed of the capture of General Lee, they
offered six field-officers-of whom Colonel Campbell was one-in exchange.
This the British General (Howe) refused. It was contended in Findication of
the British, however, that even waiving the peculiar relation in which the prisoners
stood, as having violated their allegiance, they had proper attendants, and were
comfortably lodged.
The imprisonment of Colonel Campbell continued till the exchange of
prisoners was effected in the month of February following-the capture of General
Burgoyne having led to a speedy and amicable arrangement.

... SKETCHES. 267 misfortune, after a sharp combat of an hour and a half, to have expended every shot ...

Book 8 p. 373
(Score 0.55)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 169
distinguished by high moral courage, that of the prisoners implicated in these
transactions, it cannot be denied, was marked by equal firmness. During the trial
of Skirving, this person conceiving Braxfield was endeavouring by his gestures
to intimidate him, boldly addressed him thus :-“ It is altogether unavailing for
your lordship to menace me; for I have long learned to fear not the face af
man.”
As an instance of his great nerve, it may be mentioned that Lord Braxfield,
after the trials were over, which was generally about midnight, always walked
home to his house in George Square alone and unprotected. He was in the
habit, too, of speaking his mind on the conduct of the Radicals of those days in
the most open and fearless manner, when almost every other person wm afraid
to open their lips, and used frequently to say, in his own blunt manner, ‘‘ They
would a’ be muckle the better 0’ being hanged f ”
When his lordship paid his addresses to his second wife, the courtship was
carried on in the following characteristic manner. Instead of going about the
bush, his lordship, without any preliminary overtures, deliberately called upon
the lady, “and popped the question ” in words to this effect :-“Lissy, I am
looking out for a wife, and I thought you just the person that would suit me.
Let me have your answer, aff or on, the morn, and nae mair about it !” The
lady, who understood his humour, returned a favourable answer next day, and
the marriage was solemnised without loss of time.
Lord Braxfield was a person of robust frame-of a warm or rather hasty
temper-and, to “ ears polite,” might not have been considered very courteous
in his manner. “ Notwithstanding, he possessed a benevolence of heart,” says a
contemporary, ‘‘ which made him highly susceptible of friendship, and the
company was always lively and happy of which he was a member.”
His lordship was among the last of our judges who rigidly adhered to the
broad Scotch dialect, ‘‘ Hae ye ony counsel, man P” said he to Maurice Margarot,
when placed at the bar. “ No.”-“ Do you want to hae ony appointit P” continued
the judge. ‘‘ No,” replied Margarot, “ I only want an interpreter to make
me understand what your lordship says !”
Of Lord Braxfield and his contempofaries there are innumerable anecdotes.
When that well-known bacchanalian, Lord Newton, was an advocate, he happened
one morning to be pleading before Braxfield, after a night of hard drinking.
It so occurred that the opposing counsel, although a more refined devotee
of the jolly god, was in no better condition. Lord Braxfield observing how
matters stood on both &des of the question, addressed the counsel in his usual
unceremonious manner-“ Gentlemen,” said he, “ ye may just pack up your
papers and gang hame ; the tane 0’ ye’s rifting punch, and the ither’s belching
claret-and there’ll be nae gude got out 0’ ye the day !”
Being one day at an entertainment given by Lord Douglas to a few of his
neighbours in the old Castle of Douglas, port was the only description of wine
produced after dinner. The Lord Justice-clerk, with his usual frankness, demanded
of his host if “ there was nae claret in the Castle !’-“ I believe there
.
z

... SKETCHES. 169 distinguished by high moral courage, that of the prisoners implicated in ...

Book 8 p. 239
(Score 0.55)

natural death-all the rest having lost their lives
in defence of their country.
If we turn to Holyrood, what visions and memories
must arise of Knoq standing grim and stem
before his queen, in his black Geneva cloak, with
his hands planted on the horn handle of his long
walking-cane, daringly rebuking her love of music
and dancing-unbending, unyieldmg, and unmelted,
by her exalted rank, her beauty, or her bitter
tears j and of that terrible night in the Tower of
James V., when sickly Ruthven, looking pale as
a spectre under the open visor of his helmet, drew
back with gauntleted hand the ancient arras as
the assassins stole up the secret stair,-and then
Rizzio, clinging wildly to the queen?s skirt, and
dying beneath her eyes of many a mortal wound,
with Darnley?s dagger planted in his body; of
Charles Edward, in the prime of his youth and
comeliness, already seeing the crown of the Stuarts
upon his exiled father?s head, surrounded by exultant
Jacobite ladies, with white cockades on their
bosoms, and dancing in the long gallery of the
kings to the sound of the same pipes that blew
the onset at Falkirk and Culloden !
A very few years later, and Boswell, ?and Dr.
Johnson in his brown suit with steel buttons,
might have been seen coming arm-in-arm from
the White Horse Hostel in Boyd?s Close-the
burly lexicographer, as his obsequious follower
tells us, grumbling and stumbling in the dark, as
they proceeded on their way to the abode of the
latter in James?s Court; but his visit to Scotland
compelled the pedant, who trembled at the Cock
Lane ghost and yet laughed at the idea of an
earthquake in Lisbon, to have, as Macaulay says,
a salutary suspicion of his own deficiencies, which
skems on that occasion to have crossed his mind
for the first time.?
In yonder house, in Dunbar?s Close, the Ironsides
of Cromwell had their guard-house ; and on
the adjacent bartizan, that commanded a view of
all the fields and farms to the north, in the autumn
evenings of 1650~ the Protector often sat with
Mathew Tiomlinson, Monk, and Ireton, each
smoking their yards of clay and drinking Scottish
. ale, or claret, and expounding, it might be, texts of
Scripture, while their batteries at the Lang-gate
? and Heriot?s Hospital threw shot and shell at the
Castle, then feebly defended by the treacherous
Dundas, from whom the Protector?s gold won what,
he himself admitted, steel and shot might never
have done, the fortress never before being so strong
as it was then, with all its stores and garrison. And
in, that wynd, to which, in perishing, he gave his
name, we shall see the sturdy craftsman Halkerston
fighting to the death, with his two-handed sword,
against the English invaders. Turn which way we
hay in Edinburgh, that stirring past attends us,
and every old stone is a record of the days, the
years, and the people, who have passed away.
In a cellar not far distant the Treaty of Union
was partly signed, in haste and fear and trembling,
while the street without rang with the yells and
opprobrious cries of the infuriated mob ; and after
that event, by the general desertion of the nobility,
came what has been emphatically called the Dark
Age of Edinburgh-that dull and heartless period
when grass was seen to grow around the market-,
cross, when a strange and unnatural stillness-the
stillness of village life-seemed to settle over every
one and everything, when the author of ? Douglas ?
was put under ban for daring to write that tragedy,
and when men made their last will and testament
before setting out by the stage for London, and
when such advertisements appeared as that which
we find in the EdinbuTh Coirranf for 7th March,
1761 -?A young lady who is about to set out fqr
London in a postchaise will be glad of a companion.
Enquire at the publisher of this paper ; ?
-when Edinburgh was so secluded and had such
little intercourse with London, that on one occasion
the mail brought but a single letter (for the British
Linen Company), and the dullness of local life
received a fillip only when Admiral de Fourbin
was off the coast of Fife, or the presence of Thurot
the corsair, or of Paul Jones, brought back some
of the old Scottish spirit of the past.
The stately oaks of the Burghmuir, under which
Guy of Namuis Flemish lances fled in ruin and
defeat before the Scots of Douglas and Dalhousie,
have long since passed away, and handsome
modem villas cover all the land to the base of
the bordering hills; but the old battle stone, in
which our kings planted their standards, and which
marked the Campus Martius of the Scottish hosts,
still lingers there on the south; and the once
lonely Figgatemuir on the east, where the monks
of Holyrood grazed their flocks and herds, and
where Wallace mustered his warriors prior to the
storming of Dunbar, is now a pleasant little watering
place, which somewhat vainly boasts itself
?? the Scottish Brighton.?
The remarkable appearance and construction of
old Edinburgh-towering skyward, storey upon
storey, with all its black and bulky chimneys, crowstepped
gables, and outside stairs-arise from the
circumstance of its having been twice walled, and
the necessity for residing within these barriers, for
protection in times of foreign or domestic war.
Thus, what Victor Hug0 says of the Paris of Philip
?

... death-all the rest having lost their lives in defence of their country. If we turn to Holyrood, what ...

Book 1 p. 6
(Score 0.55)

372 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
‘approach to our cc Modern Athens” from the neighbouring coast. When, some two or
three centuries hence, the New Town shall have ripened into fruit for some twenty-second
century Improvements Commission, their first scheme will probably lead to the restoration
of Gabriel’s Road, and its counterpart from Charlotte Square to Pitt Street, marking the
saltier of Scotland’s patron saint on the antiquated parallelograms of James Craig I
The village of Silvermills, the remains of which lie concealed behind St Stephen’s
Church and the modern streets that surround it, may not improbably owe its origin to
some of the alchemical projects of James IT. or V., both of whom were greatly addicted
to the royal sport of hunting for the precious metals, with which the soil of Scotland was
then believed to abound. Sir Archibald Napier, the father of the philosopher, was
appointed Master of the Mint and superintendent of the mines and minerals within the
kingdom; and we are assured, on the authority of an ancient manuscript in the Cotton
Library, that The Laird of Merchiston got gold in Pentland Hills.”‘ The village of
Silvermills consists almost entirely of a colony of tanners, but one or two of its houses
present the crow-stepped gables of the aeventeenth century; and though now enclosed
within the extended town, we. can remember many a Saturday’s ramble through green
fields that ended at this rural Aamlet.
Another and more important village, which has experienced the same fate as that of
Silvermills, is the ancient baronial burgh of Broughton. Its name occurs in the charter
of foundation of Holyrood Abbey, granted by David I. in 1128, and implies, according to
Marnitlandt,h e Castle town. If it ever possessed B fortalice or keep, from whence its name
was derived, all vestiges of it had disappeared centuries before its fields were invaded by
the extending capital. The Tolbooth, however, wherein the baron’s courts were held, and
offenders secured to abide his judgment,
or to endure its penalties,
stood within these few years near
the centre of the old village, bearing
over its north door the date 1582.
Its broad flight of steps was appropriately
flanked with a venerable
pair of stocks; a symbol of justice
of rare occurrence in Scotland,
where the joug3 were the usual and
more national mode of pillory. The
annexed vignette will srdice to
convey some idea of this antique
structure, which stood nearly in the
centre of the New Town, on the ground now occupied by the east end of Barony Street,
from whence it was only removed with all its paraphernalia of obsolete minners and
laws in the year 1829. The curious rambler may still stumble on one or two of the
humble tenements of the old village, lying concealed among the back lanes of the modern
town. A few years since, its rows of tiled and thatched cottages, with their rude fore-
Niaoellane Scotioa, Napier of Herohiaton, p, 228.
VIOXETTE--The Tolbooth, Broughton.

... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. ‘approach to our cc Modern Athens” from the neighbouring coast. When, some two ...

Book 10 p. 409
(Score 0.55)

238 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
not subscribe to that opinion ; for even when in his more devoted hours at the
shrine of Bacchus, he preserved a modesty and gentleness of manners, exhibited
by few of his age, sprightly humour, and unpatronised situation."
Of the intimacy betwixt the poet and his biographer, the following anecdote
affords a characteristic instance. Mr. Sommers, alluding to his shop in the
Parliament Square, states that he was frequently visited by the poet, when
passing to or from the Comniissary Office :-" In one of those visits I happened
to be absent ; he found, however, my shopboy Robert Aikman (a great favourite
of Fergusson), then engaged in copying from a collection of manuscript hymns
one on the Creation, given to him by a friend of the author, in order to improve
his hand in writing. Fergusson looked at the hymn, and supposing that I had
given it to the boy, not merely to transcribe, but to learn its serious contents,
took the pen out of his hand, and upon a small slip of paper wrote the following
lines : -
' Tom Sommers is a gloomy man,
His mind is dark within ;
0 holy - ! glaze his soul,
That light may enter in.'
He then desired the boy to give his compliments to me, delivered to him the
slip of paper, and retired."
Another circumstance relative to the only portrait known to have been taken
of the poet, is too interesting to be omitted. Speaking of Ruiaciman, the painter,
Sommers says-" That artist was at this time painting, in his own house in the
Pleasance, a picture on a half-length cloth of the Prodigal Son, in which his
fancy and pencil had introduced every necessary object and circumstance suggested
by the sacred passage. I was
much pleased with the composition, colouring, and admirable effect of the piece,
at least what was done of it; but expressed my surprise at observing a large
space in the centre, exhibiting nothing but chalk outlines of a human figure.
He informed me that he had reserved that space for the Prodigal, but could
not find a young man whose personal form and expressive features were such
as he could approve of, and commit to the canvas. Robert Fergusson's face
and figure instantly occurred to me ; not from an idea that Fergusson's real
character was that of the Prodigal; by no means-but on account of his
sprightly humour, personal appearance, and striking features. I asked Mr.
Runciman if he knew the poet? He answered in the negative, but that he
had often read and admired the poems. That evening at five I appointed to
meet with him and the poet in a tavern, Parliament Close. We did so, and
I introduced him. The painter was much pleased, both with his figure and
conversation. I intimated to Ferpsson the nature of the business on which
we met. He agreed to sit next forenoon.. I accompanied him for that purpose;
and in a few days the picture strikingly exhibited the bard in the character of a
prodigal, sitting on a grassy bank, surrounded by swine, some of which were
sleeping, and others feeding ; his right leg over his left knee ; eyes uplifted ;
At his own desire I called to see it.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. not subscribe to that opinion ; for even when in his more devoted hours at the shrine ...

Book 9 p. 317
(Score 0.55)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 241
enrolled as privates, no unfrequent occurrence to find barristers pleading in
the Parliament House, attired in warlike guise, with their gowns hastily thrown
over their red coats. A short time afterwards the corps was somewhat unceremoniously
disbanded.
MR. ARCHIBALD GILCHRIST, whose well-proportioned figure has been
so aptly selected by the artist as a specimen of the Edinburgh Volunteers, is
represented in the old or blue uniform, having been an original member of the
corps. His father, who was a native of Lanarkshire, came to Edinburgh about
the middle of last century, and commenced business as a haberdasher in a “land”
at the back of the Old City Guard. His shop, or warehouse, was one stair up,
and on the same flat with that of Mr. John Neil, also a haberdasher. These
establishments were at that time the only two of the kind of any extent in the
city. Mr. Gilchrist having assumed as partners two of his nephews of the name
of Mackinlay, the business was subsequently carried on under the designation
of Archibald Gilchrist and Co.’
Shortly after the death of his father, the firm being dissolved, Mr. Archibald
Gilchrist opened a new establishment on the South Bridge, about 1785, when
he became ‘‘ Haberdasher to the Prince of Wales ;” and in accordance with the
prosperity of the times, carried on a more fashionable and extensive business
than had previously been attempted in Edinburgh. He subsequently removed
to that shop in the High Street, at the corner of Hunter Square-which
property he purchased in 1792. Mr. Gilchrist was in every respect a
worthy citizen-eminent as a trader-and highly esteemed both in public
and private life. He was elected a member of the Town Council in 1796, held
the office of Treasurer in 1797-8, and was chosen one of the Magistrates in
1801.
In person he was remarkably handsome, and always exhibited the nicest
attention to neatness and propriety in his dress. He was social in dispositionfree
without levity ; and, although by no means given to indulgence, possessed
so much of the civic taste attributed to a past era, as to make him a very suitable
participator in the luxuries of a civic banquet. Indeed, prior to the introduction
of the present “ baw-bone ” system, the science of good eating is allowed to have
been admirably understood by the corporation. It is told of Mr. Gilchrist, that
while engaged on one occasion with his brother‘ councillors in discussing the
dishes of a well-replenished table, and observing the last cut of a superior
haunch of venison just in the act of being appropriated by the dexterous hand
of the town-clerk-‘‘ Hold,” cried he, willing to test the oflcid estimate of the
precious morsel, “ I’ll give ye half-a-crown for the plate.” ‘‘ Done,” said Mr.
Gray, at the same time making the transfer-“down with your money.” Mr.
Gilchrist at once tabled the amount, and thus had his joke and his venison.
1 Lord Provost Spittal was for many years in this establiihment. * It i R in allusion to this that the artiit has placed the Prince of Wales’ coronet at the foot of the
eqmving.
2 1

... SKETCHES. 241 enrolled as privates, no unfrequent occurrence to find barristers pleading in the ...

Book 8 p. 338
(Score 0.54)

liferent, and to his children in fee, and a dispute
in law occurred about the division of the property.
Buccleuch Place, branching westward off the old
Carlisle Road, as it was named, was formed between
1766 and 1780, as part of a new and aristocratic
quarter, and in rivalry to the New Town. Among
the first residents there was Elizabeth Fairlie,
dowager of George, fifth Lord Reay, who?died in
1768. She died in Buccleuch Place on,the 10th
November, 1800.
The street is of uniform architecture, 270 yards
long, but has a chilling and forsaken aspect. The
large and isolated tenement facing the south-east
entrance to GeorgeSquare was built, and used for
many years as Assembly Rooms for the aristocratic
denizens of this quarter. ?In these beautiful
rooms,? says Lord Cockburn, ?were to be seen
the last remains of the stately ball-room discipline
of the preceding age.? Now they are occupied as
dwelling-houses.
Jeffrey, on marrying a second cousin of his own
in 1801, began housekeeping in the third flat of a - - - -
common stair here, No. 18, at a time when, as
he wrote to his brother, his profession had never
brought in a hundred a year; and there he and his
wife were living in 1802, when in March, Brougham
and Sydney Smith niet at his house, and it was proposed
to start the Edinburgh Xeview; and these,
the first three, were joined in meeting with Murray,
Honier, Brown, Lord Webb Seymour, and John and
Thomas Thomson, and negotiations were opened
with Manners and Millar, the publishers in the
Parliament Close ; and-as is well known-Jeffrey
was for many years the editor of, as well as chief
contributor to, that celebrated periodical.
Where the Meadows now lie there lay for ages a
loch coeval with that at Uuddingstone, some threequarters
of a mile long from Lochrin, and where
the old house of Drumdryan stands on the west,
to the road that led to the convent of Sienna on
the east, and about a quarter of a mile in breadth *
-a sheet of water wherein, in remote times, the
Caledonian bull, the stag, and the elk that roamed
in the great oak forest of Drumsheugh, were
wont to quench their thirst, and where, amid the
deposit of mar1 at its bottom, their bones have
been found from time to time during trenching and
draining operations. The skull and horns of one
-
gigantic stag (Cetvus eZ@has), that must have found
a grave amidst its waters, were dug up below the
root of an ancient tree in one of the Meadow
Parks in 1781, and are now in the Antiquarian
Museum.
In 1537 the land lying on its south bank was
feued by the sisters of the Cistercian convent, and
in July, 1552, the provost, bailies, and council,
ordered that no person should ?wesch ony claithis
at the Burrow Loch in tyrne cummyng, and dischargis
the burnmen to tak ony bum at ony wells
in the burgh under sic pains as the jugis ples
imput to them?
On the 25th of May, 1554, the magistrates and
council ordained that the Burgh Loch should be
inclosed, ? biggit up ? in such a manner as would
prevent its overflow (Ibid). In April, 1556, they
again ordained the city treasurer to build up the
western end of it, ?and hold the watter thairof,?
though in the preceding January they had ordered
its water ?to be lattin forth, and the dyke thairof
stoppit, so that it may ryn quhair it ran before?
(? Burgh Records.?)
Dr. J. A. Sidey kindly supplieo a description of the original of the
engraving on p. 349, taken from the Merchant Company?s Catalogue.
? View of George Watsan?s hospital and grounds from the south, with
the castle and a portion of the town of Edinburgh in the distance One
of the two fine fresoos which originally adorned the walls of the
Governor?s Board Roomin said hospital. . . The paints is believed to
have ken Alexander Runciman, the celebrated Scottish artist. He died
on the zxst October, 1785. His younger brother John dicd in 1768,
pged *?
Pasche nixt to cum,? when they should consider
whether the water, which seemed to occasion
some trouble to the bailies, ?be lattin furth or
holden in as it is now.?
In 1690 the rental of the loch and its ?broad
meadows? is given at A66 13s. 4d. sterling, in
common good of the city. Early in the seventeenth
century an attempt was boldly made to drain this
loch, and so far did the attempt succeed that in
1658 the place, with its adjacent marshes, was let
to John Straiton, on a lease of nineteen years,
for the annual rent of LI,OOO Scots, and from him
it for a time received the name of Straiton?s Loch,
by which it was known in 1722, when it was let
for L80o Scots to Mr. Thomas Hope of Rankeillor,
on a fifty-seven years? lease.
Hope was president of U The Honourable Society
of Improvers in the Knowledge of Agriculture in
Scotland,? who met once a fortnight in a house
near what is now called Hope Park, where they re.
ceived and answered queries from country people
on fanning subjects. Mr. Hope had travelled in
Holland, France, and England, where he picked
up the best hints on agriculture, and was indefatigable
in his efforts to get them adopted in
Scotland.
In consideration of the moderate rent, he bound
himself to drain the loch entirely, and to make a
walk round it, to be enclosed with a hedge, a row
of lime-trees, and a narrow canal, nine feet broad,
on each side of it; and in this order the meadows
remained unchanged till about 1840, always a

... and to his children in fee, and a dispute in law occurred about the division of the property. Buccleuch ...

Book 4 p. 347
(Score 0.54)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 83
Mr. Lunardi again visited Edinburgh the year following (1 786), and ascended
the third time from Heriot’s Hospital Green, on the 31st of July. On this
occasion a lady (Mrs. Lamash, an actress) was to have accompanied him, and had
actually taken her seat in the car ; but the balloon being unable to ascend with
both, Lunardi ascended alone. In consequence of little wind, he came down
about two miles distant. On his return to the city in the evening, he was
carried through the streets in his car by the populace, and received other
demonstrations of admiration,
Very little is known of Mr. Lunardi’s personal history, save that he was a
native of Italy, and some time Secretary to the then late Neapolitan ambassador.
In 1786, he published an account of his aerial voyages in Scotland, which he
dedicated to the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. This small volume, although
proving him to be a man of education, and some talent as a writer, throws very
little light upon his history. It consists of a series of letters addressed to his
guardian, (‘ Chevalier Gerardo Compagni.” These letters were evidently written
under the impulse of the moment, and afford a connected detail of his progress in
Scotland. They are chiefly interesting at this distance of time, as showing;the
feelings and motives of one, who, whether his “labours were misdirected” or
not, obtained an extraordinary degree of notoriety. In short, the volume is
amusing in this particular, and adds another proof to the many, that few, very
few, seek the advancement of society, or of the sciences, for humanity’s sake
alone, Fame is the grand stimulus. A portrait of the author is prefixed, which
corresponds extremely well with Mr. Kay’s sketches of him. Lunardi must have
been at that time a very young man.
The young adventurer, on his arrival in the Scottish capital, is much pleased
with its ancient and romantic appearance. He expresses himself with great
animation on all he sees around him, and apparently with great sincerity. As
a specimen of the man and his opinions, we are induced to make one or two
extracts. In the first letter, after describing his arrival, he says :-
“ I have apartments in Walker’s Hotel, Prince’s Street, from whence I behold
innumerable elegant baildings, and my ears are saluted with the sounds of
industry from many others similarly arising. It
vibrates more forcibly on the chords of my heart than the most harmonious
notes of music, and gives birth to sensations that.1 would not exchange for all
the boasted pleasures of luxury and dissipation.”
These sentiments would have done credit to one less gay and youthful than
Lunardi. In another letter he says, ‘‘ I am now happy in the acquaintance of
the Hon. Henry Erskine, Sir William Forbes, and Major Fraser.” True to his
clime, however, the letters of Lnnardi betray in him all the volatility and passion
ascribed to his countrymen. At one moment he is in ecstasy, the other in
despair, He had chosen George Square for his first display, and had contracted
with Isaac Braidwood of the Luckenbooths, who had actually begun to enclose
the area, when an order from the Magistrates stopped farther proceedings. The
Hail to the voice of labour !

... SKETCHES. 83 Mr. Lunardi again visited Edinburgh the year following (1 786), and ascended the third ...

Book 8 p. 118
(Score 0.54)

98 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
block of stone, for the purpose of erecting a colossal statue of his Highness in the Parliament
Square.
The block had just been landed on the shore of Leith, when the news arrived of Cromwell’s
death. Monk altered his policy, and the magistrates not only found it convenient to
forget their first intention, but with politic pliability, some years after, they erected the fine
equestrian statue of Charles II., which still adorns that locality. The rejected block lay
neglected on the sands at Leith, though all along known by the title of Oliver Cromwell,
till, in November 1788, Mr Walter ROSSt,h e well-known antiquary, had it removed, with
no little difficulty, to the rising ground where Ann Street now stands, nearly opposite St
Bernard’s Well. The block was about eight feet high, intended apparently for the upper
half of the f i p e . The workmen of the quarry had prepared it for the chisel of the statuary,
by giving it, with the hammer, the shape of a monstrous mummy, and there stood the
Protector, like a giant in his shroud, frowning upon the city; until after the death of
Mr Ross, his curious collection of antiquities was scattered, and the ground feued for
building.‘
General Monk, commander-in-chief of the army in Scotland, having resolved, after the
death of Cromwell, to accomplish the restoration of Charles II., proceeded to arrange matters
previous to his march for London. He summoned a meeting of commissioners of the
counties and boroughs to assemble at Edinburgh on the 15th of November 1659; and after
having communicated his instructions to them, and ,received a special address of thanks
from the magistrates of Edinburgh for his many services rendered to the city during his
residence in Scotland, he returned to England to put his purpose in force.
On the 11th of May, in the following year, the magistrates sent the town-clerk to the
King, at Breda, to express their joy at the prospect of his restoration. The messenger
paved the way to the royal favour by the humble presentation of ‘‘a poor myte of 31000,
which the King did graciously accept, as though it had been a greater business I ”
The ‘‘ happy restoration ” was celebrated in Edinburgh with the customary civic rejoicings,
bonfires, banquets, ringing of bells, and firing of cannon ; though some difficulty was
experienced in reconciling the soldiers to the unwonted task of firing the Castle guns on
such an occasion of national rejoicing.a There was much wine spent on the occasion, ‘ I the
spoutes of the Croce ryning and venting out abundance of wyne, and the Magistrates and
Council of the town drinking the King’s health, and breaking numbers of glasses I ”
Caledonian Mercury, Nov. 10, 1788. The block was afterwards replaced at the end of Ann Street, overhanging
the bed of the Water of Leith, and, either by accident or designedly, waa shortly afterwards precipitated down the steep
bank, and broken in pieces. a Nicol‘s Diary, p. 283.
I

... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. block of stone, for the purpose of erecting a colossal statue of his Highness in the ...

Book 10 p. 107
(Score 0.54)

64 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
and on the 1st day of August 1785, the work was begun by laying the foundation-
stone of the South Bridge which now connects, by an easy and spacious
communication, the suburbs on the south with the rest of the city.
The foundation of the new bridge was laid with great solemnity by the
Right Hon. Lord Haddo, Grand Master Mason of Scotland, in presence of the
Lord Provost and Magistrates, a number of the nobility and gentry, and the
master, officers, and brethren of all the Lodges of Freemasons in the city and
neighbourhood.
In the foundation-stone were cut five holes, wherein the Substitute Grand-
Master put some coins of his Majesty Qeorge III., and covered them with a
plate, on which was engraven an inscription in Latin, the translation of which
is as follows :- ‘‘ By the blessing of Almighty God, in the reign of George III., the father
of his country, the Right Hon. George Lord Haddo, Grand-Master of the
most ancient fraternity of Freemasons in Scotland, amidst the acclamations of
a Grand Assembly of the Brethren, and of a vast concourse of people, laid the
first stone of this bridge, intended to form a convenient communication between
the city of Edinburgh and its suburbs and an access not unworthy of such a
city.
“This work, so useful to the inhabitants, so pleasing and convenient to
strangers, so ornamental to the city, so creditable to the country, so long and
much wanted and wished for, was at last begun with the sanction of the
King and Parliament of Great Britain, and with universal approbation, in the
Provostship of James Hunter Blair, the author and indefatigable promoter of
the undertaking, August the first, in the year of our Lord 1785, and of the
era of Masonry 5785, which may God prosper.”
Sir James lived only to see the commencement of the great works which he
had projected. In spring 1787, he went to Harrogate for the recovery of his
health, but without the appearance of any alarming complaint. The waters had
not the success which he expected. In the month of June his indisposition was
much increased, and terminated in a fever. He died on the first day of July
1787, in the forty-seventh year of his age. His remains were conveyed to
Edinburgh and deposited in the Greyfriars’ churchyard.
In private life Sir James was affable and cheerful, warmly attached to his
friends, and anxious for their success. As a magistrate, he was upright, liberal,
and disinterested, His talents were of the highest order-to an unwearied
application, he united great knowledge of the world, sagacity in business, and
soundness of understanding ; and he died unusually respected.
Hunter Square and Blair Street, where the King’s Printing Office was
situated, were named after Sir James, whose estate and titles were inherited by
the respected Sir David Hunter Blair, Bart., who also held the appointment of
Printer to his Majesty,

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES and on the 1st day of August 1785, the work was begun by laying the foundation- stone of ...

Book 8 p. 91
(Score 0.54)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 95
might have ranked with the first names in the British Senate. He retired from
the business of the Church Courts in 1780, but still continued his pastoral duties,
preaching when his health permitted, till within a few months of his death,
which took place at Grange House, near Edinburgh, on the 11th June 1793.
His colleague Dr, John Erskine, in a sermon preached after his death, said,
“ Few minds were naturally so large and capacious as Dr, Robertson’s, or stored
by study, experience, and observation, with so rich furniture. His imagination
was correct, his judgment sound, his memory tenacious, his temper agreeable,
his knowledge extensive, and his acquaintance with the world and the heart of
man very remarkable.”
Dr. Robertson is said to have excited the enmity of Dr. Gilbert Stuart, in
consequence of his assumed opposition to the appointment of that clever, but
vindictive personage, to one of the Law chairs in the University. Whether the
Principal really interfered is not certain, but Stuart believed he had done so,
and that was quite sufficient to induce him to take every means in his power to
annoy his imagined enemy. The “View of Society in Europe,” is in direct
opposition to the luminous introduction to Dr. Robertson’s ‘‘ History of Charles
V.,” and the ‘‘ History of Scotland, from the Reformation to the Death of Queen
Mary,” is an undisguised and virulent hypercritical attack on the “History
of Scotland ” by the same eminent writer, and does no great credit to the talents
of Dr. Stuart. The Empress Catherine of Russia was so delighted with Dr.
Robertson’s works, that she presented him with a handsome gold enamelled snuffbox,
richly set with diamonds, through Dr. Rogerson, which is still in possession
of the family.
The eldest son, a Lord
of Session, retired some years ago from the Bench ; he lived in Charlotte Square,
and died only last year (1836). The next son, Lieutenant-General James, who
distinguished himself under Lord Conmallis, still lives at Canaan Bank, near
Edinburgh. The third son was also in the army, but, having ’married the
heiress of Kinloch-Moidart, now (1837) resides almost entirely on his eshte.
The eldest daughter married Patrick Brydone, Esq. of Lennel House, author of’
a “ Tour through Sicily and Malta,” one of whose daughters became Countess
of Minto; and another, the wife of Admiral Sir Charles Adam, K.B. The
youngest daughter married John Russell, Esq., Writer to the Signet.
Dr. Robertson left three sons and two daughters.
No. XIlIII.
QUARTERMASTER TAYLOR.
THIS gentleman was an officer in the 7th Regiment of Foot, and served under
General Elliot, afterwards Lord Heathfield, during the memorable siege of Gibraltar
by the Spaniards. While in Edinburgh, during the year 1788, his
extreme corpulency rendered him very conspicuous, and induced Mr. Kay to
make him the subject of the present etching. It is said that the night before
his death he was offered €400 for his commission, which he refused

... SKETCHES. 95 might have ranked with the first names in the British Senate. He retired from the ...

Book 8 p. 137
(Score 0.54)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 29
by his relatives and a numerous circle of friends and acquaintances.” The son
of this gentleman was connected with the Commissariat Department in the
British Service, in which capacity he sustained several important offices.
MR ROBERT CLERK, the centre figure, was for many years a bookseller
and publisher in the Parliament Square. His father, John Clerk, a printer,
was said to have been descended from Alexander Clark, Lord Provost of the
city of Edinburgh at the commencement of the seventeenth century.
Mr. Clerk was born in 1738 ; and about the age of seventeen, after finishing
his apprenticeship, married Barbara, daughter of John Williamson, farmer at
Bellside, near Linlithgow ; and with her it is believed he obtained a small portion,
which enabled him to commence bookseller on his own account.’ Although
at that period the book trade of Edinburgh was comparatively limited, he succeeded
in establishing a profitable business-having a good many bookbinders
employed-and latterly engaging in several fortunate speculations as a publisher?
In the course of a few years he purchased a house in the Cowgate from Provost
Kincaid, called “ Kincaid’s Land,” where he resided some time. In 1772
he bought a property at Newhaven-known from its size by the name of U the
Whale”8-with a large piece of ground and stabling attached. The under
part he first let to John,’ father of the late Wil.liam Dumbreck of Coates j and
in the summer the upper flat was either occupied by Mr. Clerk‘s own family,
or let out during the bathing season. As an inn, the house was subsequently
possessed by various tenants.
In 1789, having sold off his stock, and (( the Whale ” being at that time
without a tenant, Mr. Clerk let his house in Edinburgh, and retired to Newhaven.
Here he continued for several years, almost daily visited by his friends
from Edipburgh, a party of whom, on Saturdays in particular, were in the habit
of playing at quoits in his garden, and thereafter regaling themselves with a
plentiful supply of gin and oysters, then and still a favourite indulgence at
Newhaven. At length, finding a suitable tenant for his house, ‘( the Whale ”
again became an inn ; and, under the good management of the late Mr. James
Duguid, as well as of his widow many years afterwards, was well frequented.
In 1800, in consequence of his wife’s death, Mr. Clerk gave up houskeeping,
and boarded with Mrs. Duguid of ‘(the Whale,” where his old friends rallied
They had eight sons, six of whom died in infancy. Robert, the eldest, died in 1786 ; and
Alexander, the only remaining son, was a Solicitor-at-law in Edinburgh.
Among other works published by-?. Clerk waa the “ Builder’s Jewel”-a book of considerable
note in those days
“The Whale” was totally destroyed by fire about 1834, but the name is preserped by the
Whale Brae. ‘ From Newhaven Mr. Dumbreck removed to the White Horse Inn, Canongate, and afhrw-arda
opened the hotel, long known by his name in Princes Street, where he realised an independent
fortune. His son William continued the business for some time after his death, but Latterly r e t i i
to Coates.

... SKETCHES. 29 by his relatives and a numerous circle of friends and acquaintances.” The son of this ...

Book 9 p. 39
(Score 0.54)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 405
until regularly exchanged, which was effected in 1780. Lord Kapier subsequently
held commissions in several corps, and had attained the majority of the
4th Regiment, when, in 1789, in consequence of the peace, he sold out and retired
from the army.
On the 16th September of the same year, Lord Napier, as Grand Master
Mason of Scotland, had the honour of laying the foundation-stone of the College
of Edinburgh. The following was the order of the procession :-
“ TheLord Provost,l Magistrates and Council, in their robes, with the City Regalia carried before them.
The Principal a and Professors of the University, in their gowns, with the mace carried before them.
The Students, with green laurel in their hats.
A Band of Singers, conducted by Mr. Schetkey.
The different Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons, with their proper insignia, etc.
A Band of Instrumental Music. ”
The procession, in which there were many of the nobility and gentry of Scotland,
proceeded from the Parliament House, down the High Street, and along
the South Bridge. The streets were lined by a party of the 35th Regiment and
the City Guard. The procession began to move at half-past twelve, and reached
the site of the College at one o’clock.
The Grand Master, standing on the east, with the Substitute on his right
hand, and the Grand Wardens on the west, having applied the square and level
to the stone, and, after three knocks with the mallet, invoked the blessing of
the “ Great Architect of the Universe” on the foundation-stone, three cheers
were given by the brethren.
The cornucopia and two silver vessels were then brought from the table and
delivered-the cornucopia to the Substitute, and the two vessels to the Wardens
-and were successively presented to the Grand Master, who, according to an
ancient ceremony, poured the corn, the wine, and the oil which they contained
on the stone, saying-
‘‘ May the all-bounteous Author of Nature bless this city with abundance of corn, wine, and oil,
and with all the necessaries, conveniences, and comforts of life‘; and may the same Almighty power
preserve this city from ruin and decay to the latest posterity.”
On this the brethren gave three cheers ; and the Grand Master addressed
himself to the Lord Provost and Magistrates, and to the Principal, as representing
the University, in very eloquent speeches, to which the Lord Provost and
the Reverend Principal made suitable replies.
Two crystal bottles, cast on purpose at the Glass-House of Leith, were
deposited in the foundation-stone. In one of these were put different coins of
the regnal year, previously enveloped in crystal. In the other bottle were
deposited seven rolls of vellum, containing a short account of the original foundation
and present state of the University. The bottles, being carefully sealed
UP, were covered with a plate of copper wrapt in block-tin ; and upon the under
side of the copper were engraven the arms of the city of Edinburgh, of the
1 Thomas Elder, Esq., of Forneth. a Dr. Robertson, the historian.

... SKETCHES. 405 until regularly exchanged, which was effected in 1780. Lord Kapier subsequently held ...

Book 8 p. 564
(Score 0.54)

Previous Results More Results

Go back to Edinburgh Bookshelf

Creative Commons License

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