470 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
the head, and was styled the Provost's Officer, it being his chief duty to wait
upon that civic dignitary. This with hini was truly a labour of love ; and indeed
towards all the Magistrates his civility and attention were unremitting.
Whatever occurred of a public nature, during their absence, was sure to be made
known to them by a note in the hand-writing of this devoted servant, at all
hours of the day, and frequently before they had risen out of bed. He was a
steady advocate for giving honour to whom honour was due ; and whoever happened
to be in office for the time was with him a most especial object of respect.
In his eyes the reigning Lord Provost was the greatest man upon earth. Nor
did this enthusiastic feeling originate in any slavish or mercenary motive-it
owed its existence solely to his innate desire to fulfil to the uttermost his humble,
but highly useful and honourable duties. If he happened to meet two of his
mastcrs together, his salutation of " Gentlemen-both," with a strong emphasis
on the latter word, seemed to imply that he reckoned no one but a Magistrate
fully entitled to that appellation. The dialect of his native-mountains never
entirely lcft poor Archie, who was a sad murderer of the King's English ;
and his ludicrous mistakes and mispronunciations of words mere a source of
infinite amusement at the Council Board. At the fencing of the Magistrates'
Court, after -an election, when he had to repeat 'after the clerk certain Latin
words, his mode of doing so was extremely characteristic and amusing. For
instance, when he came to the legal phrase " in. statu quo," he pronounced it
with a sonorous emphasis thus :-$' In stutter quoh."'
When the Lord Provost or any of his brethren were called on public business
to London, Archie, and none but he, was their faithful satellite ; and if
any Scotsman happened to inquire at their hotel for admission to speak with
these functionaries, Archie's kindly feelings towards his countrymen, rendered
more acute by his distance from home, broke out into most exuberant welcome,
while he 'would address the applicant thus :-" Ou ay, sir, walk in; ta Lord
Provost and Bailies, and a' the Council's here. They'll be unco glad to see
Besides his situation of City Officer, Archie held numerous subordinate
appointments. He was officer to-the Society of High Constables, to the Convention
of Royal Burghs, to the Highland Club, and latterly to the Dean of
Guild Court. He was King's Beadle at the meetings of the General Assembly,
etc.; also a Justice of Peace Constable, and officer to the Stent-masters of
Edinburgh ; and, in short, he monopolised almost every office of a like nature
in the city. At one time, as Officer to the Bailie Court, he had nearly the
whole business of summoning parties and witnesses, and executing other matters
of form before that Court. His duties in this department were so very
The following specimen of Archie's &$ish was found among the papers of the late Dr.
M'Cleish ; the manuscript in the Doctor's handwriting :-"The Mag. of Edinrs. Proclamation for
an iluination on account of au aledgel victory in Rusia over the French Grand Army, 6th Nov.
1813, by Archd. Campbell, their Chief Officer.-'This days gud news caus lumination, but no till
mouday, because the Lord's Supper is to be dispeilued-the moma night frae 7 OG to 10 luminate
weel."'
you."
BIOGRAPHICAL. SKETCHES. 471
considerable, that he used to boast of having had not less than four Writers to
the Signed at one time employed as his clerks.‘ It is believed that at this
period he had amassed several thousand pounds, the greater part of which, however,
he subsequently lost in consequence of some private misfortunes. He
was much employed in the recovery of small debts, for the proceeds of which
he always acdounted in the most prompt and honourable manner; and it ought
to be mentioned, as a circumstance highly creditable to his feelings, that he
has been frequently known to advance the money out of his own pocket for
some poor and unfortunate debtor (as we formerly had occasion to record of
his countryman, William Macpherson), rather than adopt what in the nature
of the case he considered to be harsh and vindictive proceedings. When he
had fairly brought a prisoner to the jail-door, his parting valediction always was,
“Walk up stairs, sir-I can dae nae mair for you.” It may be added, while on
this subject, as a curious enough circumstance, that when a late well-known
bookseller, celebrated for his social and convivial qualities, then high in office
Archie actually did keep a clerk, and a queer mis-shapen little body John Dalrymple was.
He had often to accompany his employer in the discharge of his multifarious duties ; and it WM not
a little laughable to observe the dignity of the City Officer, aa he walked through the streets with
his amanuensis following at a proper distance in the rear. If the latter happened to approach
rather near, the angry frown of his master-“ I Ray, sir, keep a respectable distance ! ”--speedily
reminded him of his inadvertence. A rather laughable anecdote is told of Archie and Mr. Black,
surgeon of the Police Establishment, who had his shop at the time referred to in the High Street, a
few steps up, in the premises east of those occupied by the Journal Office. Among other tax
receipt.9 put into Archie’s hands to recover payment, there happened to be two against Mr. Black.
Aa usual, the City Officer set out, accompanied by his clerk, whom he instructed to go up and
inquire if the surgeon “ had any answer to the twa papers left on a former occasion ; for if he had
not, he would come and carry off his Fakanany (ipecacuanha) pttlcsl” Having no particular favour
for such customers, and being at the time engaged in adjusting a new patent electrifying machine
with a battery of twelve bottles, the Doctor desired the messenger to return in the course of ten
minutes, when he would endeavour to be prepared for him. Archie, in the meanwhile, amused
himself by walking up and down at no great distance. Trne to his time, the clerk returned ; and
just as he began to shake the handle of the door-which was fastened by a chain, and to which had
been affixed a wire from the machin+off went the battery ; and the first landing of the unfortunate
attendant was on the pavement. As he lay sprawling and gasping, Archie, assisted by Mr. Shade,
seedsman (in the front of whose shop the affair occurred), came forward, and lifting up the clerk,
began to abuse him for being ‘I trnnk like a peast at that time 0’ day.” Dalrymple soon recovered,
and endeavonred to give some account of the curious sensation he felt ; but Archie stii persisted in
maintaining that he was the worse of liquor. Rightly calculating on another visit, the Doctor again
charged the machine ; and he had scarcely done so when Archie himself wav at the door. “ Come
in, Mr. Campbell,” cried the Doctor ; and just as Archie applied to the handle, the unexpected
shock of the electric battery sent him headlong down the steps, rolling on the pavement, where he
lay for a few minutes quite insensible. Mr. Shade and the clerk speedily came to his assistance ;
and as he began to recover from his stupor, the seedsman-who spoke with a horrid nasal twangcould
not resist the opportunity of cracking a jest at his expense. “You sometimes accuse me of
liking a glass, but I think the Doctor has given you a tzimblm- I ‘’ ‘‘ No, sir,” cried Archie, as soon
as he had recovered his speech, “ He shoot me through the shoulder with a hone pistoL I heard
the report, by -. Laddie, Dalrymple, do you see ony plood ? I take you both witness -.”
The occurrence soon became known in the Council Chamber. Next day one of the clerks, with
affected seriousness, requested him to call on Mr. Black about some trifling matter, “You and
the Doctor may paith go to the tevil ; do you want me to be murdered, sir ? ’’ Never having heard
of an electric battery at the hnnoch College, Archie waa hard to convince that he had been wailed
by anything else than B horse pistol ; and he could never again be persuaded to enter the premkea
of the Doctor.
