BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 20 1
in his pleading, and addressing the other lords on the bench, said-“My lords
it is unnecessary that I should go on, as Lord Newton is fast asleep.” “Ay,
ay,” cried Newton, whose faculties were not in the least affected by the leaden
god, “ you will have proof of that by and by,” when, to the astonishment of
the young advocate, after a most luminous review of the case, he gave a very
decided and elaborate jud,ment against him.
Lord Newton participated deeply in the bacchanalian propensities so prevalent
among lawyers of every degree during the last and beginning of the
present century. He has been described as one of the “ profoundest drinkers ”
of his day, A friend informs us that, when dining alone, his lordship was very
abstemious ; but, when in the company of his friends, he has frequently been
known to put three “ lang-craigs ” under his belt, with scarcely the appearance
of being affected by it. On one of these occasions, he dictated to his clerk
a law-paper of sixty pages which has been considered one of the ablest his
lordship had ever been known to produce. The manuscript was sent to press
without being read, and the proof sheets were corrected at the bar of the Inner
House in the morning.
It has been stated that Lord Newton often spent the night in all manner of
convivial indulgences-drove home about seven o’clock in the morning-slept
two hours, and mounting the bench at the usual time, showed himself perfectly
well qualified to perform his duty. Simond, the French traveller, relates that
“ he was quite surprised, on stepping one morning into the Parliament House,
to find in the dignified capacity, and exhibiting all the dignified bearing of a
judge, the very gentleman with whom he had just spent a night of debauch, and
parted only an hour before, when both were excessively intoxicated.” His
lordship was also exceedingly fond of card-playing; so much so that it was
humorously remarked, ‘‘Cards were his profession, and the law only his
amusement.”
During the sitting of the Session, Lord Newton, when an advocate constantly
attended a club once a week, called “The Crochullan Fencibles,” which met in
Daniel Douglas’s Tavern, Anchor Close, and consisted of a considerable number
of literary men and wits of the v e r y j d water. The club assumed the name
of Crochallan from the burthen of a Gaelic song which the landlord used
sometimes to entertain the members with; and they chose to name their
association Fencibles, because several military volunteer corps in Edinburgh
then bore that appellation.
military rank or title. On the introduction of new members it was the custom
to treat them at first with much apparent rudeness, as a species of initiation,
or trial of their tempers and humours ; and when this was done with prudence,
Lord Newton was much delighted with the joke, and he was frequently
engaged in drilling the recruits in this way. His lordship held the appoint-
In this club all the members held some pretended .
Long-necks-a name given by his lordship to bottles of claret, his favourite beverage.
2D
