326 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
No. CXXXIII.
NEIL FERGUSSON, ESQ.,
ADVOCATE,
AND THE LITTLE POLISH COUNT.
THIS Print represents Mr. Fergusson returning to his carriage, in company
with the little Polish Count, from the Parliament House, where he had been
showing him the Court of Session, the Advocates' Library, and other objects of
interest.
MR. FERGUSSON was a gentleman in considerable practice as a lawyer.
He was much distinguished for the urbanity of his manners, and for native
goodness of heart. His father, the Rev. Adam Fergusson, minister of Moulin?
in Perthshire, who died in 1785 at the advanced age of eighty-one, left four
sons. John, the eldest, attained the rank of Captain in the service of the East
India Company. His fate was tragical, having been assassinated by an individual
of the name of Roache. Captain Fergusson, after a short visit to his friends in
Scotland, was accompanied, on his return to India, by his younger brother Adam,
who had also obtained an appointment in the service.
While on the passage, Roache, who was likewise in the Company's service,
had a quarrel with Captain Fergusson; and in consequence of this and his
general bad conduct, was expelled from the Captain's table. Shortly after
landing at the Cape of Good Hope, Fergusson was induced, by a false message,
to leave his lodgings late at night, and in the darkness was stabbed by Roache
before he had time to draw in his own defence. The following statement of
this affair was given at the time of its occurrence :-
" Captain Fergusson and Captain Roache were both passengers on board the Varwlittavt, Captain
Young, which sailed for India in May 1773. ' Roache was very quarrelsome, and had differences with
most of the passengers. He behaved so ill in particular to Captain Fergusson at Madeira, that
Captain Fergdsson was under the necessity of calling him out. Roache refused to fight ; and, in
presence of Mr. Murray, the consul, and other gentlemen, made all the concessions which Captain
Fergusson required. Roache's dastardly behaviour on this, as well as on other occasions, made the
other gentlemen passengera decline speakmg to him ; nay, they insisted with Captain Young to forbid
him the table, which was done. This excited Roache'a revenge against them all ; but pazticularly
against Captain Fergusson, which issued in a most cowardly and barbarous assassination. Upon the
4th of September, the very day of the arrival of the ship at the Cape of Good Hope, %ache came
ashore, late in the afternoon, after all the other passengers ; and, in the dusk of the evening, came
skulking about the door of the house where he had learned that Captain Fergusson was lodged ; and
when it was dark, sent a message to him, in the name of his friend Lieutenant Martin, that he wished
to see him immediately at his lodgings. Captain Fergusson went., unsuspicious, defenceless, and