170 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
is," said Lord Douglas, " but my butler teIls me it is not good."-" Let's pree't,"
said Braxfield, in his favourite dialect. A bottle of the claret having been
instantly produced and circulated, all present were unanimous in pronouncing
it excellent. '' I propose," said the facetious old judge, addressing himself to
Dr. M'Cubbin, the parish clergyman, who was present, "as a fama clanosa
has gone forth against this wine, that you absolve it."--" I know," replied the
Doctor, at once perceiving the allusion to Church-court phraseology, " that
you are a very good judge in cases of civil and criminal law ; but I see you do
not understand the laws of the Church. We Eever absolve till after three several
appearances!" Nobody could relish better than Lord Braxfield the wit or the
condition of absolution.
After a laborious and very useful life, Lord Braxfield died on the 30th of May
1799, in the 78th year of his age. He was twice married. By his first wife,
Miss Mary Agnew, niece of the late Sir Andrew Agnew, he had two sons and
two daughters. By his second wife, Miss Elizabeth Ord, daughter of the late
Lord Chief-Baron Ord, he had no children.
His eldest son, Robert Dundas M'Queen, inherited the estate of Braxfield,
and married Lady Lilias Montgomery, daughter of the late Earl of Eglinton.
The second entered the army, and was latterly a Captain in the 18th Regiment of
Foot. The eldest daughter, Mary, was married to William Honyman, Esq.
of Graemsay, afterwarda elevated to the bench by the title of Lord Annandale,
and created a Baronet in 1804. The second, Catherine, was married to John
Macdonald, Esq. of Clanronald.
No. LXXII.
GEORGE PRATT (THE TOWN-CRIER).
THIS person was Town-Crier of Edinburgh about the pear 1784, and made
himself remarkable for the manner of his address in discharging the duties of
his office. This singularity consisted in an extremely pompous delivery, which
proceeded from the very high opinion he entertained of the importance and
dignity of his situation as a public officer.
Deeply imbued with this sentiment, George gave forth his intimations to the
inhabitants-it might be to announce the arrival of a fresh supply of skate-with
an air and manner at once extremely imposing and edifying. It is painful to add,
however, that he utterly failed in impressing the boys of the town with the same
respect for his person and his office that he entertained himself. So far from
this, the irreverent young rogues took every opportunity of annoying him. They
laughed at his dignity, and persecuted him with the cry of " Quack, quack !"-a
monosyllable which was particularly offensive to his ears. This cry @as sometimes
varied into " Swallow's nest, " a phrase which he also abominated, as it made an
allusion to a personal deformity. Thia was a large excrescence, or wen, that
grew beneath his chin.
.