BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 181
published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; and in Lord
Woodhouselee’s f i f e of ‘ h d Kames, there are several of the Doctor’s letters, which
contain judicious remarks on various points of agriculture and gardening, There
are still to be seen some vestiges of his atteation to the latter, in the Glebe of
Moffat, where a few of the less common kinds of trees, such as pinasters and
others, planted by him, are still growing.
The garden of the manse at Colinton, which is beautifully situated in a small
haugh by the river, was carefully laid off and embellished with a display of indigerjous
and other hardy plants, which the Doctor delighted to collect and cultivate.
But these botanical rarities, like other sublunary things, were fleeting and
destined to take no permanent hold of the soil; for the next incumbent, who
was no amateur of botany, but a good judge of the value of land, turned the
whole into a potato garden !
Although the Doctor, in his public appearances, was somewhat formal and
affected, in private life he was extremely social. He was inclined to society, and
had many amusing anecdotes, which he told with much gaiety and good humour.
He was greatly addicted to taking snuff. Bailie Creech (afterwards Provost),
ip his convivial hours, was in the habit of reciting several of the Professor’s
stories,’ at the same time imitating his manner and peculiarities, He was fond
of dress, as may be inferred from the Etching, where he is drawn with a nosegay
in his hand.
In early life the Doctor was patronised by Lord Bute, and when in London
was presented to Rousseau, to accompany him as cicerone. They conversed in
Latin, the one not being able to speak the language of the other; and both
experienced considerable difficulty in making themselves intelligible.
The
latter years of his life were rendered painful by violent inflammation of the eyes,
brought on, it is said, by his habit of sitting very late [at his studies, and
which ended in loss of sight. In addition to this calamity, his wife was
attacked with a severe and long illness. She was a sister of Mr. Wauchope of
Niddry.
The late Mr. Charles Stewart, University Printer, and author of an excellent
work-“ Elements of Natural History,” 2 vols. 8vo.-was one of Dr. Walker‘s
executors ; and, from his MSS., published the work already alluded to, under the
title of “An Economical History of the Hebrides and Highlands of Scotland :”
Edinburgh, IS08, 2 vols. 8vo. Another volume afterwards appeared, viz.
“Essays on Natural History and Rural Economy : ” Edinburgh, 1812, 8vo.
Besides many curious and beautiful manuscripts in his own handwriting, illustrative
of the natural history of Britain, found in his repositories, the Doctor
left a valuable assortment of minerals-a large collection of the insects of Scotland-
and a very extensive herbarium. Ey his will, it is understood, he gifted
One of these was about a stuffed fox’s skin, placed by the Doctor on a cherry tree near the.
Dr. Walker died on the 22d January 1804, aged upwards of seventy.
window of the manse, and which he found effectual in scaring away the birds.
