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I13 QUEENSFERRY TO MUSSELBURGH.
Wooin’ at her, puin’ at her,
Courtin’ her, and canna get her.
Filthy self! it’s for her pelf
That a’ the lads are wooin’ at her.’
Young Logan enrolled himself in the list of her admirers, and had not much
difficulty in carrying her off from all the other competitors for her hand. It
is said that he built, wifh the mong ske brought him, a large handsome house
at the head of the’shirra Brae fronting the Coalhill, in which they resided,
and which continued to be shown as an object ‘of interest until 1845, when it
was removed to make room for other erections.
As however we
cannot possibly advert to them all, we shall, for that reason, just select for
description what are considered the most prominent of them.
The Exchange, in Constitution Street, facing westward into Bernard
Street, is an extensive and handsome structure in the chaste Grecian style.
It rises to the height of three stories, is adorned with-Ionic columns, and
contains a large assembly-room and a public reading-room, together with a
number of offices. Then immediately opposite, and in the south-east corner
of Baltic Street, stands the Corn Market, a large and substantial edifice, with
a side-wall, looking into Constitution Street, of polished stone beautifully
ornamented with cherub-like figures in basso-reZimo-some busily engaged in
carrying sacks of grain, others in whirling along barrow-loads of the same
produce, and others again in ploughing or driving the harrows. It is an
attractive erection of highly dressed ashlar, surmounted by a dome of very
fine proportions, with a number of spacious business-rooms, well lighted and
comfortably ventilated. So also the Banks, of which there are no fewer than
seven or eight, principally in Bernard Street, are all very substantial buildings
-the RoyaZ, of an ornate and handsome appearance, and the NafionaZ, with
its semicircular projecting front, ribbed wi’th Ionic columns and crowned with
a dome, are especially interesting specimens of architecture, and quite ornamental
to the locality. Nor are the Court House, the Trinity House, andthe
Custom House in any way inferior in these respects. The first mentioned
is a compact, massive structure of four stories, with an elegant Ionic
fagade on the side of Constitution Street, and a fine Doric portico on that
of Charlotte Street. The Council Chambers are very handsomely fitted up,
and, among other pictures, contains a large painting of the landing of
George IV. In like manner the Trinity House, situated in Kirkgate, and
just opposite the church, is a graceful edifice of the Grecian type. It stands
The public buildings of Leith now deserve our notice.

... QUEENSFERRY TO MUSSELBURGH. Wooin’ at her, puin’ at her, Courtin’ her, and canna get her. Filthy self! ...

Book 11 p. 165
(Score 0.3)

46 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
PTO. XVIII.
FRANCIS GROSE, ESQ., F.A.S. OF LONDON
AND PERTH.
THIS Print of the celebrated antiquary, Captain Grose,
A fine fat fodgel wig& of stature short, but genius bright,
represents him in the act of copying an inscription upon an ancient ruin, and was
done during his visit to Edinburgh in 1789.
He was exceedingly corpulent, and used to rally himself with the greatest
good humour on the singular rotundity of his figure. The following epigram,
written in a moment of festivity by the celebrated Robert Eurns, the Ayrshire
bard, was so much relished by Grose, that he made it serve as an excuse for prolonging
the convivial occasion that gave it birth to a very late hour :-
The Devil got notice that Grose waa adying,
So whip ! at the 8ummona, old Satan came flying ;
But when he approach’d where poor FrancLs lay moaning,
And saw each bed-post with its burthen a-groaning,
Astonished, confounded, cries Satan, ‘ -,
I’d want him, ere take such a -lo ad.”
It may be noticed that Grose acknowledges his obligations to the poet
in the following terms, in his Anfiquitks of Scotland:-“To my ingenious
friend, Mr, Robert Burns, I have been variously obligated : he not only was at
the pains of making out what was most worthy of notice in Ayrshire, the county
honoured by his birth, but he also wrote, expressly for this work, the pretty
tale annexed to Alloway Church.” This “pretty tale ” is Burns’s inimitable
‘‘ Tam 0’ Shanter.”
Captain Grose was born in the year 1731, and was the son of Mr, Francis
Grose of Richmond, jeweller, who fitted up the coronation crown of George
the Second, and died in 1769. By his father he was left an independent
fortune. In early life he entered the Surrey militia, of which he became
Adjutant and Paymaster; but so careless was he that he kept no vouchers
either of his receipts or expenditure. He used himself to say he had only two
books of accounts, viz. the right and left hand pockets. The results may
easily be anticipated, and his fortune suffered severely for his folly. His losses
on this occasion roused his latent talents ;-with a good classical education, a
fine taste for drawing, encouraged by his friends, and impelled by his situation,
he commenced the Antiquities of England and Wah, the first number of which
was published in 1773, and the fourth volume completed in 1776. In 1777
he resumed his pencil, and added two lpore volumes to his English Views,
in which he included the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, in 237 views, with

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. PTO. XVIII. FRANCIS GROSE, ESQ., F.A.S. OF LONDON AND PERTH. THIS Print of the ...

Book 8 p. 62
(Score 0.3)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 95
Mr. John Campbell died in 1795. He was succeeded in the precentorship
by his son, Mr. Charles Campbell, who held the situation during forty years.
He resided in the Canongate, where he long taught a respectable school for
writing, arithmetic, and other branches of education.
No. CCIV.
A MEDLEY OF MUSICIANS.
THIS curious Print is one of the artist’s retaliatory pieces. It appears that MR.
ALEXANDECRA NPBELLo, ffended at the etching of his brother the precentor,
and having some skill in the art of drawing, produced, by way of revenge, a
caricature of Kay-in which John Dow was represented as dragging him by the
ear to the Town Guard, while Bailie Duff brought up the rear, in the attitude
of administering a forcible admonition with his foot. The caricature, although
rudely executed, afforded considerable amusement to Mr. Campbell’s friends,
among whom it was chiefly circulated. Kay retaliated by producing the
“ Medley of Musicians,” in which Mr. Alexander Campbell, then organist in a
non-juring chapel, appears with a hand-organ on his back-his brother of the
Canongate Church is straining his vocal powers in the centre-Bailie Duff, to
the right, is chanting it on the great Highland bagpipe-while behind, MEEK,
the blind Irish piper, and the city FISH-HORNB LOWERa,r e lending their
“ sweet sounds ” to aid the general harmony. The figure sharping a saw in the
background, whose labours may be supposed to afford an excellent counter *or
tenor to the deep bass of the two long-eared amateurs, is in allusion to Mr.
John Campbell’s former occupation. The scene altogther is not an inapt illustration
of the couplet quoted from Hudibras-
“ Let puppies bark and asses bray-
Each dog and cur will have his day.”
The early history of Mr. Alexander Campbell is already partially known from
the sketch of his brother. Of a warm and somewhat romantic temper, he was
attached to the small body of Jacobites, who still brooded over the fate of the
young Chevalier-enthusiastic in his national prepossessions-and passionateIy
fond of the music of his country. In addition to vocal music he taught the
harpsicord, for which many of the Scottish airs are peculiarly adapted.1
Mr, Campbell was known as a poet and prose writer as well as musician.
In Chanders’s Sed. Bwg. Diet. it is stated that “Mr, Campbell was music-master to Sir
Walter Scott, with whom, however, he never made any progress, owing, as he used to say, to the
total destitution of that great man in the requisite of an ear.”

... SKETCHES. 95 Mr. John Campbell died in 1795. He was succeeded in the precentorship by his son, Mr. ...

Book 9 p. 128
(Score 0.3)

318 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
copy. The Poem was divided into three parts ; the first, “ A Description of the
Methods used to procure Slaves on the Guinea Coast ;” the second, “ Of their
Treatment on the Middle Passage ;” and the third, ‘‘ Of their Situation in the
West Indies.” It began appropriately with an address to the ‘‘ British fair :”-
-- “ In that warm clime alone
Does love’s electric fire shoot through no vein,
Rapid, resistless, hurrying on the blood,
As its elastic channels it would burst 1
Of cruel absence finds no lover there
The sadd‘ning influence 1 Can he, in his heart,
That void insufferable never feel, .
Thou oft, fair maid, hast felt ; a void so great,
A world, without the object: loved, to fill,
Is far too little 1
To him his dusky mistress is as fair
As thou art to thy lover.”
He hath felt it too. .
The description of Zelia displays considerable poetical talent :-
‘‘ Behold that maid possess’d of every charm
That nature boasts, if regular lineaments
And faultless symmetry contribute aught
To beauty’s form ; if in the various eye
It beams or languishes, commands or pleads,
With rhetoric resistless ; in the mouth
If e’er it smiles, or spreads the toils of love
In playful dimples ; if at once it awes
And captivates the heart in every look
And motion ; if its subtle essence lies
In framing to the comparative eye
Th’ exterrial image of a lovely soul,
Pure, noble, piteous, and benevolent,
Harmonious with itself and human kind.
Yes-notwithstanding her dark hue, she’s fair ;
If beauty floats not lightly on the skin,
Nature’s mean rind, her garment outermost,
(To fence the finer teguments designed). ”
While resident at Forfar, the name 0; Dr. Jamieson was distinguished by
the publication of several other works, of which the most important were a
“Reply to Dr. Priestley’s History of Early Opinions,” 2 vols. 8vo; and the
“.Use of Sacred History,” also in 2 vols. 8vo.
On the death of the Rev. Adam Gib, of the Associate Congregation, Nicolson
Street, in 1788, Dr. Jamieson was invited to the charge; but it was not till
1797, when the church again became vacant, that he was induced to leave his
affectionate congregation in Angusshire. To a man of his tastes and acquirements,
much as he might regret the breaking up of old ties, his translation to
Edinburgh must have opened up to him many new sources of gratification.
Among the extended circle of literary acquaintance, to whom his learning and
talents were a ready passport, it is probably worth mentioning that he was on

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. copy. The Poem was divided into three parts ; the first, “ A Description of ...

Book 9 p. 424
(Score 0.3)

118 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
member of the Town Council. He was a warm supporter of Lord Melville.
Among other things which distinguished Mr. Ranken’s career as a city ruler,
was the construction of a chair for the Convener of the Trades, directly opposite
and on a level with the seat of the Lord Provost. In the accomplishment of
this most important affair he experienced considerable opposition, on the ground
that it was absurd to elevate the Convener (whose only title to pre-eminence is
the antiquity of the incorporation of which he is deacon or preses) to a level
with the Chief Magistrate. The opponents of the attempt further declared,
that it was most ridiculous to have apparently two presidents at the board.
Ranken, however, carried his point; and the chair still remains an existing
memorial of his perseverance.
Mr. Ranken retired from business some years prior to his death, which
occurred at his house, Melville Street, on the 15th June 1815. He was twice
married, and had children by both unions.
No. CCXI.
FAITHFUL SERVICE REWARDED.
THIS caricature refers to the unsuccessful issue of a bill proposed in 1793 for
the “ Augmentation of Ministers’ Stipends ”-a subject which had engaged the
attention of the General Assembly for some time prior, In 1788, the “Sket,ch
of a Plan,”’ was drawn up and published by the late Sir Henry Moncreiff
Wellwood, Bart., which met with the general approval of the clergy in so far
that, the year following, a committee was appointed to inquire into the matter,
and to report at next meeting of the Assembly.
In 1790 the Report-founded on the suggestions of Sir Henry-was
accordingly presented, recommending the following proposals :-“ That the fund
for augmentation shall arise out of the unexhausted teinds of each parish : out
of the produce arising from the bishops’ tithes ; out of the vacant stipends of
the several parishes in Scotland j and that, in order to the accomplishment of
this end, each parish shall remain vacant at least for one year after the death
of the last incumbent, Application shall be made to the Crown for the above
tithes ; and a bill brought into Parliament to enable the Lords of Session, as
Commissioners of Teinds, to appropriate the same in terms of the act: the
smallest stipends to be first augmented, and so on in regular order.” After the
reading of this Report, a motion was made, and unanimously agreed to, ‘‘ that
the Report be re-committed, with instructions to the committee to digest and
Sketch of a Plan for Augmenting the Livings of the Ministers of the Established Church of
Scotland, by means of the Vacant Stipends. By Sir K. Monmiff
Wellwood, Bart., D.D. 4t0, 1s. 6d. Creech.
With hbles and Illustrations.

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. member of the Town Council. He was a warm supporter of Lord Melville. Among other ...

Book 9 p. 157
(Score 0.3)

4-40 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
An’ then there ’s the Major, sin’ less winna ser’ him,
His servitude haulds o’er the crook 0’ the Bow,
Wi’ his tittie, sin’ better folk wunna gang near him,
Come thundering at midnight in glamour a’low ;
The Deil for their coachman ; a whup wi’ some smeddum,
AE needs maun wha drive wi’ auld Clooty to lead ’em.
Hurrying doun, &c.
Or belyve, for a change, just as twal’ is a bangin’,
Whir, out frae the pend, in a whirlwind 0‘ flame,
Ilk cloot, wi’ a low frae the causey it ’8 clangin’,
The headless hell-charger gangs galloping hams ;
Ill luck to the loon says gude e’en as he ’8 gangin’,
He were better gae doun the Wast Bow to his hangin’.
Hurrying doun, Cc. .
An’ dinna forget, 0’ the auld gousty alley,
At his bidin’ on errands a shopin’ wad sally,
Yet ne’er a m wagged his tongue ‘gainst the Major’s queer vally
As he chanced on him daunderin’ doun the auld alley.
The Major’s black caddie, his stick 0’ a’ sticks,
Wad chap at the counter an’ play aff its tricks ;
Hurrying doun, &c.
An’ then there’s Jock Porteous’s gaist took an airin’,
Ance a year, at the fit 0’ the Bow dieappearin’,
Deil ane, gaist or gomrell, wad think 0’ repairin’,
To the new.fangled Bow for to tak him an airin’.
Wi’ his gun o’er his shouther just primed for a shot,
Whar the dyster’a pole ser’ed for the raxin’ he got.
Hurrying doun, &c.
Fuul fa’ the Commissioners wi’ their improvements,
May the Major, when neist bent on ane 0’ his movements,-
Whisk his coach doun the Bow, just for ilk anes behovements,
Wi’ a team 0’ Commissioners 0’ the Improvementa.
Their biggins, an’ howkins, an’ sweepins awa ;
’Tis the warst-waled retour that I wus may befa’,-
Hurrying doun, stoiterin’ an’ stumblin’,
The gleger ye gang better luck against tumblin’ !
XI. OLD BANK CLOSE. ASSASSINATION OF‘SIR GEORGE
LOCKHART BY CHIESLEY OF DALRY,
THE following is the circumstantial narrative of this savage act of vengeance, furnished in Father Hay’s
Manuscript Memoirs (Advocate’s Library, tome iii p. 135) :-
“ It was not known that the villain waa com’d fiom London till Sunday the 31st, which day he came to the
New Church, and offered money to the bedler for a part of my Lord Castlehih seat, just behind the Presidents,
whom @ designed to have murdered theri ; but not getthg the seat, he would have none at all, and

... MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH. An’ then there ’s the Major, sin’ less winna ser’ him, His servitude haulds ...

Book 10 p. 479
(Score 0.3)

the permanent and undisputed capital of Scotland.
Sorrow and indignation spread over all the realm
when the fate of James was heard, and no place
seemed to afford such security to the royal person
as the impregnable Castle of Edinburgh j thus
Queen Jane, ignorant of the ramifications of that
.conspiracy by which her princely husband was
,slain (actually in her arms), instantly joined her
.son James II., who since his birth had dwelt
there. It was then in the hands of William Baron
.of Crichton-a powerful, subtle, and ambitious
statesman, who was Master of the Household.
with every solemnity, on the 25th of March, 1437.
The queen-mother was named his guardian, with
an allowance of 4,000 merks yearly, and Archibald
the great Earl of Uouglas and Angus (Duke of
Touraine) was appointed lieutenant-general of the
kingdom. During the two subsequent years the
little king resided entirely in the Castle under the
custody of Crichton, now Lord Chancellor, greatly
to the displeasure of the queen and her party, who
found him thus placed completely beyond their
control or influence.
In short, it was no longer the queen-mother,
RUINS OF THE WELL-HOUSE TOWER. (~m a D7awifirb W ~ Z Z ~ ~ X . paton, R.s.A.)
Within forty days nearly all concerned in the
imurder of the late king were brought to Edinburgh,
where the ignoble were at once consigned
to the hangman; but for the Earl of Athol and
bother titled leaders were devised tortures worthy
.alone of Chinese or Kaffir ingenuity. Crowned
by a red-hot diadem as " King of Traitors," at the
Market Cross, after undergoing three days of un-
.exampled agonies in sight of the people and the
Papal Nuncio, afterwards Pius II., the body of the
earl was dragged nude through the streets ; it was
then beheaded and quartered.
On the assembly of the Lords of Parliament,
-their first care was the coronation of James II.,
-who was conducted in procession from the Castle
$0 the church of Holyrood, where he was crowned,
but the crafty Crichton, who had uncontrolled
custody of the little sovereign, and who thus was
enabled to seize the revenues, and surround him
by a host of parasites, who permitted neither her,
nor the Regent, Sir Alexander Livingstone of
Callender, to have any share in the government
A bitter feud was the consequence, and Scotland
again was rent into two hostile factions, a state of
matters of which the English could not, as usual,
make profit, as they were embroiled among themselves.
The queen remained with the regent at
Stirling, while her son was literally a prisoner at
Edinburgh ; but, womanlike, the mother formed a
plan of her own to outwit the enemy.
Visiting the Castle, she professed a great regard
for the Chancellor, and a desire to be with her son,

... permanent and undisputed capital of Scotland. Sorrow and indignation spread over all the realm when the fate ...

Book 1 p. 29
(Score 0.3)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 35
of Edinburgh affords ; but, though the tacksman was willing, the noble proprietor
would not listen to the project.
Amongst other eccentric plans recommended to his patients was that of earthbathing,-
which was neither more nor less than burying them alive up to the
neck in the earth, in which position they were to remain for ten or twelve hours.
He tried this extraordinary remedy upon himself and one of his daughters, and
actually induced his brother-in-law to follow their example. Other persons were
also found simple enough to submit to this new species of temporary sepulture.
In 1787, this singular being appeared in a new character, as a special delegate
from Heaven to announce the Millennium. He not only styled himself
“ The Servant of the Lord, 0. W. L.” i.e. “ Oh, Wonderful Love,” but attempted
to begin a new chronology-dating his bills such a day of the first month of
the New Jerusalem Church ; but before the coming of the second month the
prophet was, by order of the Magistrates, put under restraint, not indeed in
prison, but in his own house, from whence he, some months afterwards, removed
to the north of England. His religious frenzy appears to have lasted some
time; and we learn from the following extract, copied from the Whitehawen
Packet, that a year afterwards his mind still wandered :-
“ JVHITEHAVEN-Tuesday morning’ Dr. James Graham was sent off to
Edinburgh in the custody of two constables. This unfortunate man had, for
some days past, discovered such marks of insanity as made it advisable to secure
him.‘-August 22, 1788.“
His death took place somewhat suddenly, in his house, opposite to the
Archers’ Hall, upon the 23d June 1794-it was occasioned by the bursting of a
bloodvessel. He was buried in the Greyfriars’ churchyard, Edinburgh. His
widow survived him about seven years, and died at Ardwick, near Manchester,
in the year 1801.
His circumstances during the latter period of his existence were far from
affluent. To one of his publications, however, he was indebted for an annuity
of fifty pounds for life j for it happened that a gentleman in Geneva, who had
perused it, found his health so much improved by following the advice of its
author, that, out of gratitude, he presented him with a bond for the yearly
payment of that sum.
With all his eccentricities, he had a benevolent and charitable disposition,
and his conduct towards his parents was exemplary. Even when in his “ hi&
and palmy state,” he paid them every attention. Whilst in Edinburgh, he took
’ Whether he ever got entirely quit of his religious fancies, is uncertain ; and in a very complete and
curious collection of tracts, advertisements, etc., by, or relative to, Dr. Graham, occurring in the late Mr.
John Stevenson’a sale catalogue for 1825, there is a “manuscript written expressly for Dr. Graham,
regarding his religiow concerns, by Benjamin Dockray, a Quaker at Newtoun, near Carlisle, in 1790,”
which would seem to indicate that hia mind, on that head, waa not at that date entirely settled.

... SKETCHES. 35 of Edinburgh affords ; but, though the tacksman was willing, the noble proprietor would ...

Book 8 p. 46
(Score 0.29)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 231
was the volubility of his tongue, that his audience would almost fancy they
heard the very chiming of the merry bells. “ In short,’’ observes his limner,
‘‘ he may justly be considered the Momus of modern times, and the catch clubs
of Edinburgh will only have to regret that he is not immortal.”
Upon the late Janies Livingstone of Glasgow, who died there in 1836,
may be said to have descended the inspiring mantle of Thomas Neil ; and our
readers of the west, from their recollections of the one, will be the better able
to form a proper estimate of the other. There was a difereme, however, in the
characters of the two. Perhaps Livingstone surpassed his predecessor, not in a
more genuine, but in a more varied version of the national comic song ; while
the other possessed, in a higher degree, the power and harmony of voice necessary
to constitute a superior glee and catch singer.’ Livingstone, in private
company, was the most simple unaffected creature imaginable-temperate and
recluse. Not so with his witty Bacchanalian precursor, who, in the words of
the song, was
-“ a canty chiel,
And dearly lo’ed the whisky.”
Tarn’s facetious talents furnished him with a ready passport to all classes of
society. He was frequently a solicited guest at the table of the great, and
always a welcome visitor to many a well-known “ howff” in the city. With
the Magistracy he sat cheek-for-jowl at all civic feasts ; and occasionally
enlivened the club meetings of the Caledonian Hunt with his presence, his wit,
and his songs. In company, a very frequent salutation was-“ Come now, Tam,
gie’s your thrifty sang,”-a request with which he immediately complied, by
chanting, in his own inimitable manner, the following stanzas, well known to
our “ auld forbears,” but now almost obsolete :-
“ Sweet sir, for your courtesie, when ye come by the Bass, then,
For the love ye bear to me, buy me a keeking-glass, then.”
“ Reek into the draw-well, Janet, Janet ;
And there ye’ll see your bonnie sel’, my jo, Janet”
“ Reeking in the draw-well clear, what, if I should fa’ in, then,
Byne a’ my kin will say and swear I drowned mysel’ for sin, then.”
“ Haud the better by the brae, Janet, Janet ;
Haud the better by the brae, my jo, Janet.”
“ Good sir, for your courtesie, coming through Aberdeen, then,
For the love you bear to me, buy me a pair of shoon, then.”
“ Clout the auld, the new are dear, Janet, Janet ;
A’e pair may sair ye half a year, my jo, Janet.”
Nr. Thomson, lately precentor in Lady Yester’s Church, when a youth, haa frequently sung at
These musical meetings were then genemlly held in the Masonic Hall,
He was intimate with Neil, and recollects that at that time he possessed a very
concerts with Thomas Neil.
Niddry Street.
superior bass voice.

... SKETCHES. 231 was the volubility of his tongue, that his audience would almost fancy they heard the ...

Book 8 p. 326
(Score 0.29)

High Street.] THE ROYAL MINT. 267
Fortune?s tavern, removed from Skinner?s Close to
a house at the north-west corner of Nicolson
Square, and latterly at No. 2, St. Andrew Square
(now the London Hotel), where he died, in his
eightieth year, in ISOZ.
In his lordship?s time the office of Commissioner
to the Church, which he held from 1783 to 1801, was
attended with more ?pomp and circumstance?
Treasurer, under date February, 1562-3 :-
? Item, allowit to the carpenter, be payment maid
to Johne Achesoun, Maister Congreave, to Maister
William M?Dowgale, Maister of Werk, for expensis
maide be him vpon the bigging of the Cwnge-house,
within the castell of Edinburgh, and beting of the
qvnge-hous within the Palice of Halierud-house,
fra the xi. day of Februar, 1559, zens, to the
Comniissioner proceeded on foot, escorted by his
guard of honour.
South Gray?s, or the Mint Close, was one of the
stateliest alleys in the old city, and herein stood the
Cunzie flous, as the Scottish Mint was named
(after its removal from near Holyrood in Queen
Mary?s time) till the Union in 1707, and until lately
its sombre and massive tower of finely polished
ashlar projecting into the narrow thoroughfare of
Cowgate, for three hundred and four years formed
one of the leading features of the latter, and to the
last the old edifice retained many traces of the important
operations that once went on within its
walls.
The first Mint House had been originally erected
in the outer court of the palace of Holyrood, somewhere
near the Horse Wynd, fromwhence, for greater
safety, it was removed to the castle, in which a new
Mint House had been built in 1559, as shown by
edifices of the period,? says Wilson, describing
the edifice prior to its removal. ?The whole
building was probably intended, when completed,
to form a quadrangle, surrounded on every side by
the same substantial walls, well suited for defence
against any ordinary assault, while its halls were
lighted from the enclosed court. The small windows
in this part of the building remain in their
original state, being divided by an oaken transom,
and the under part closed by a pair of folding
shutters. The massive ashlar walls are relieved
by ornamental stringcourses, and surmounted by
crowsteps of the earliest form and elegant proportions.
. . . . The internal marks of former
magnificence are more interesting than their external
ones, notwithstanding the humble uses to
which the buildings have latterly been applied ;
in particular some portions of a very fine oak
ceiling still remain, wrought in Gothic panelling,

... Street.] THE ROYAL MINT. 267 Fortune?s tavern, removed from Skinner?s Close to a house at the north-west ...

Book 2 p. 267
(Score 0.29)

124 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
partial to them at all.”-“How, sir,” faltered out the querist--“how should
that be ‘I ”-“ Why,” replied the southron, “ because they are so much read, and
so generally known, that our clergymen can’t borrow from them.” The whole
company, hitherto in a state of considerable embarrassment, were quite delighted
at this ingenious and well-turned compliment.
Dr. Blair died in the 83d year of his age, on the 27th December 1800. He
was buried in the Greyfriars’ Churchyard-the Westminster Abbey of Scotland
-where a tablet to his memory, containing a highly elegant and classical Latin
inscription, is affixed to the southern wall of the church. He married, in 1748,
his cousin, Katherine Bannatyne, daughter of the Reverend James Bannatyne,
one of the ministers of Edinburgh, by whom he had a son and daughter. The
former died in infancy, and the latter when about twenty-one years of age.
Mrs. Blair also died a few years previous to the demise of her husband. Dr.
Blair’s usual place of residence in summer was at Restalrig-in winter in Argyle
Square.‘
No. LVIII.
THE HONOURABLE HENRY ERSKINE,
DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF ADVOCATES.
MR. ERSKINE, in consequence of holding an appointment from the Prince of
Wales, generally presided at the anniversary meeting of his Royal Highness’s
household in Edinburgh on the 12th of August ;’ hence the reason why Kay
has placed the Prince’s coronet at the bottom of the Print. The motto, “ Seria
mixta jocis,” is in allusion to the uncommon humour and vivacity which characterised
his legal pleadings.
The Hon. Henry Erskine was the third son of Henry David, tenth Earl of
Buchan, by Apes, daughter of Sir James Stewart of Goodtrees, and was born
at Edinburgh on the 1st November 1746. His patrimony was trifling, and had
it not been for the exemplary kindness of his eldest brother, who took a paternal
charge both of Henry and his younger brother Thomas, afterwards Lord Erskine,
he would not have been able to defray the expenses attendant upon the course of
study requisite to be followed in order to qualify him for the bar. In the year
1765, Mr. Erskine was admitt,ed a member of the Faculty of Advocates. He
had previously prepared himself for eztempore speaking, by attending the Forum
Near the present Industrial Museum.
On one of these occasions, while a gentleman was singing after dinner, the Prince’s tobacconist
accompanied the song with his fingers upon the waiwcoting of the room, in a very accurate manner.
When the music finished, the chairman said, “He thought the Prince’fl tobacconist would make a
capital King’s Counsel.” On being asked I‘ Why?” Harry replied, “Because I never heard a man
make so much of a pannel.”

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. partial to them at all.”-“How, sir,” faltered out the querist--“how ...

Book 8 p. 180
(Score 0.29)

396 B I 0 G RAP H I C AL S KE T C 13 E S.
already 2” said he tp the first group he met; “I may just gang my way back
again.’’ Forward
he went, in spite of all his lordship’s exertions to prevent him. He of
course found the church-doors closed ; but, no doubt recollecting that the
dissenters were not so short-winded, Dolphin proceeded to the meeting-house,
where he remained in his usual position until sermon was finished.
As may well be guessed, the dog was a great favourite with Lord Hermand.
Naturally of a kind disposition, he was particularly indulgent to Dolphin. So
long as his master remained at Hermand the animal fared on the best ; but
during his absence, was treated much in the fashion of other dogs. Dolphin had
not only sagacity enough to understand this, but displayed a surprising degree
of wisdom and foresight in the mode he took to mitigate the evil, He apparently
knew exactly at what time his lordship’s avocations in the Court of
Session recalled him to the city ; and, accordingly, about a fortnight previous
he commenced carrying away whatever he could lay his paws on in the shape of
butcher-meat. These savoury pieces he carefully hid in the woods, to make
up for the scanty fare of brochan to which he was reduced during the “ sitting
of the Session.”
Lord Hermand’s warmth of temper was not confined to occasional sallies on
the bench. A
large party were at dinner, and his lordship in excellent humour, when one of
the waiting-men, in handing over a wine decanter, unfortunately let it fall to
the floor, by which it was smashed to pieces. This unlucky accident at once
overbalanced his lordship’s equanimity. He sprang to his feet in a fury of
passion, and, darting over chairs and every impediment, rushed after the fellow,
who fled precipitately down stairs. The dinner party were thrown into convulsions
of laughter, and had scarcely regained their composure, when his lordship
returned from the chase, and resumed his chair as if nothing had occurred
to disturb the harmony.
Lord Hermand married Miss Graham WDomall, daughter of William
WDowall of Garthland, Esq., but had no issue. His lordship resigned his office
as a Senator of the College of Justice in 1826 ; and died at Hermand on the
9th of August 1827, upwards of eighty years of age. His widow survived him
for several years. He left the liferent of his estate of Hermand to Mrs. Fergusson
and, after her demise, to her niece, the wife of Thomas Maitland, Esq., advocate,
and their second son; with special legacies to the second son of each of his
other nieces, Mrs. Cockburn and Mrs. Fullerton, the wives of two of the Senators
of the College of Justice.
He accordingly did so ; but Dolphin was not of a similar mind.
An amusing instance occurred on one occasion at Hermand.

... B I 0 G RAP H I C AL S KE T C 13 E S. already 2” said he tp the first group he met; “I may just gang my ...

Book 8 p. 551
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346 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Drum.
the resort of the curious still, according to Fullarton?s
?Gazetteer,? and a long description of it
appeared in the Courant for 1873.
Gilmerton was long characterised simply as a
village of colliers of a peculiarly degraded and brutal
nature, as ferocious and unprincipled as a gang
of desperadoes, who rendered all the adjacent roads
unsafe after nightfall, and whose long career of
atrocities culminated in the execution of two of
them for a sipgularly brutal murder in 1831. Its
coal-which is of prime quality-was vigorously
worked in 1627, and is supposed to have been
famous a century earlier ; but its mines have been
abandoned, and the adjacent lime-works-the
oldest in Scotland-were worked from time immemorial.
Half a mile to the eastward lies the ancient
estate and manor-house of Drum, the residence of
old of the Somerville family, secluded from the
highway and hidden by venerable trees-a Scoto-
Normah race, whose progenitor, William de Somerville,
came into Scotland during the reign of David
I., who made him Lord of Carnwath, and whose
descendants figured in high places for several
generations. His son obtained from William the
Lion a grant of Linton in 1174, for slaying-according
to tradition-a monstrous serpent, which
was devastating the country. William, fourth of that
name, was a commander at the battle of Largs;
Thomas, hi9 son, served under Wallace ; and his
son Sit Waltet, the cqmrade of Bruce, married Giles,
the daughter and heiress of Sir Johr. Herring, with
whom he obtained the lands of Drum, Gilmerton,
and Goodtrees, in the parish of Liberton.
Unlike most Scottish titled families, the Somervilles
were ever loyal to king and country.
John: third Lord Somerville of Drum, led the
Clydesdale horse at the Battle of Sark, in 1449,
and his son, Sir John, fell at Flodden, by the side
of his royal master. James, sixth lord, served in
the queen?s army at Langside, and was severely
wounded. Hugh, his son, recovered the lands of
Gilmerton and Drum-which had gone into the
possession of the Somervilles of Cambusnethan
-and built the mansion-house of Drum in 1585 ;
and four years after it was the scene of a sad family
tragedy, which is related at some length in the
? I Domestic Annals of Scotland.?
Hugh, eighth lord, who died there in 1640, in
his seventieth year, was buried in Liberton Church;
and James, his successor, served with distinction
in the armies of France and Venice.
?( James Somerville of Drum ? (twentieth in
descent from Sir Walter Somerville), ? and tenth
lord of that ilk,? says the ? Memorie of the Sommer-
*
viles,? ?died at Edinburgh 3rd January, 1677, in
the 82nd year of his age, and was interred by his
ladye?s syde in the Abbey Church ok Holyrood,
maist of the nobilitie and gentrie in tome being
present, with two hundred torches.??
James, the tenth lord, was lieutenant-colonel of
the Scots Guards, in which his son George was
adjutant.
His eldest son, James, when riding home to
Drum one night from Edinburgh, in July, 1682,
found on the way two friends fighting, sword in
hand-namely, Thomas Learmonth, son of an
advocate, and Hew Paterson younger of Bannockburn,
who had quarrelled over their cups. He
dismounted, and tried to separate them, but was
mortally wounded by Paterson, and died two days
after at Drum, leaving an infant son to carry on
the line of the family.
A son of the twelfth lord-so called, though
four generations seem to have declined to use the
title-was killed at the battle of St. Cas in 1758 3 and
John, the fifteenth lord, is chiefly remarkable as
the introducer of the breed of Merino sheep into
Britain ; and by the death of Xubrey-John, nineteenth
Lord Somerville, in 1870, the title of this
fine old Scottish race became dormant.
Though a little beyond our radius, while treating
of this district it is impossible not to glance at
such classic and historic places as Hawthornden
and Roslin, and equally of such sylvan beauty as
Iasswade.
Situated- amid the most beautifully wooded
scenery in the Lowlands, the Castle of Roslin,
taking its name from Russ, a promontory, and Zyn,
a waterfall, crowns a lofty mass of insulated rock
overhanging the Esk. This mass is bold ?nd
rugged in outline, and at one time was convertible
into an island, ere the deep and moat-like gulley
on its western side was partly filled up.
Across this once open fosse a massive bridge of
one arch has now been thrown, and to this the path
from the village descends a rapid incline, through
leafy coppice and by precipitous rocks, overlooked
by the lofty hill which is crowned by the wonderful
chapel.
Built of reddish stone, and luxuriantly clothed
with ivy, the massive ruins form a most picturesque
object amid the superb landscape. For the most
part, all that is very ancient consists of a threefold
tier of massive vaults, the enormous strength and
solidity of which put even modern Scottish builders
to shame. Above these vaults, and facing the
vast windows of what must have been a noble banqueting-
hall, is perched a mansion of comparatively
modern date, having been erected in 1563, and

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Drum. the resort of the curious still, according to Fullarton?s ?Gazetteer,? and a ...

Book 6 p. 346
(Score 0.29)

Edinburgh Castle.] KIRKALDY?S SURRENDER. 49
fourth, under Sir Henry Lee, were somewhere near
St. Cuthbeds church ; while the fifth, under Sir
Thomas?Sutton, was on the line of Princes Street,
and faced King Davids Tower.
All these guns opened simultaneously on Sunday,
the 17th of May, by salvoes; and the shrieks of
the women in the Castle were distinctly heard
in the camp of the Regent and in the city.
The fire was maintained on both sides with unabated
vigour-nor were the arquebuses idle-till
the 23rd, when Sutton?s guns having breached
sieged depended chiefly for water. This great
battery then covered half of the Esplanade
Holinshed mentions another spring, St. Margaret?s
Well, from which Kirkaldy?s men secretly obtained
water till the besiegers poisoned it ! By this time
the survivors were so exhausted by toil and want
of food as to be scarcely able to bear armour, or
work the remaining guns. On the 28th Kirkaldy
requested a parley by beat of drum, and was
lowered over the ruins by ropes in his armour, to
arrange a capitulation ; but Morton would hear
ANCIENT POSTERN hND TURRET NEAR THE QUEEN?S POST.
Davfd?s Tower, the enormous mass, with all its
guns and men, and with a roar as of thunder, came
crashing over the rocks, and masses of it must have
fallen into the loch zoo feet below. The Gate
Tower with the portcullis and Wallace?s Tower,
were battered down by the 24th. The guns of
the queen?s garrison were nearly silenced, now, and
cries of despair were heard. The great square
Peel and the Constable?s Tower, with the curtain
between, armed with brass cannon-dikes of
great antiquity-came crashing down in succession,
and their d&is choked up the still existing drawwells.
Still the garrison did not quite lose
heart, until the besiegers got passession of the
Spur, within which was the well on which the bea
of nothing now save an unconditional surrender,
so the red flag of defiance was pulled down on the
following day. By the Regent?s order the Scottish
companies occupied the breaches, with orders to
exclude all Englishmen. ?The governor delivered
his sword to Sir William Drury on receiving the
?solemn assurance of being restored to his estatc
and liberty at the intercession of Q-ueen Elizabeth
The remnant of his gamson marched into the city
in armour with banners displayed ; there came
forth, with the Lord Home, twelve knights, zoo
soldiers, and ten boys, with several ladies, including
the Countess of Argyle.? The brave commander
was basely delivered up by Drury to the
I vindictive power of the Regent j and he and his

... Castle.] KIRKALDY?S SURRENDER. 49 fourth, under Sir Henry Lee, were somewhere near St. Cuthbeds church ...

Book 1 p. 49
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302 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Dr. Hunter married, in 1779, Marion Shaw, eldest daughter of William, sixth
Lord Napier, by whom he had four children. His eldest son, a member of the
Faculty bf Advocates (who afterwards took the name of Arundel in compliance
with the wishes of his wife, who was a relative of Lord Arundel of Wardour),
succeeded to the estate, and died leaving several children. His youngest son,
the Rev. John Hunter, was appointed one of the ministers of the non Church
-which charge he held till his death, in conjunction with the late Dr. Brunton,
Professor of Hebrew in the University.
No CXXII.
LORD C R A I ~ .
THE father of his lordship, Dr. William Craig, was one of the ministers of
Glasgow, author of ‘‘An Essay on the Life of Christ,” and two volumes of
excellent sermons. WILLImf-the subject of the Print-was born in 1745.
He studied at the College of Glasgow, where he was distinguished for his classical
acquirements. In 1768, he was admitted to the bar, and became intimate
with several young persons, chiefly of the same profession, who met once a week
for the improvement of their professional knowledge.
As an advocate Mr. Craig was not so successful as might have been anticipated
from his talents. His tastes and habits were perhaps too literary to lead
him to legal eminence. He nevertheless had a fair share of business j and, in
1784, when Sir Ilay Campbell became Lord Advocate, he and his intimate
friends, Blair and Abercromby, were appointed Advocate-deputes. In 178 7
he became Sheriff-depute of Ayrshire; and, on the death of Lord Hailes in
1792, took his seat on the bench as Lord Craig. In 1795, he succeeded Lord
Henderland as a Commissioner of Justiciary. This office he held till ,1812,
when he resigned it on account of declining health ; but retained his seat in the
Civil Court until his death.
Lord Craig was more distinguished on the bench than he had been at the
bar. His conduct was upright and honourable ; and to excellent professional
talents, and a profound knowledge of law, he joined the most persevering exertion.
There were few of his colleagues who despatched dore business, or with
greater accuracy, than his lordship. His judgments, formed after careful and
anxious consideration, were generally clear and well-founded.
The fame, however, of Lord Craig does not rest solely on his character either
as a lawyer or a judge. His well-known attainments, and especially his connection
with “ The Mirror ” and “ The Lounger ” have raised his name to an
honourable place among the literary characters of his native land Most of
our readers are aware that the Mirror and Lounger were the joint productions
of a club of gentlemen-of whom Henry Mackenzie, author of the “Man

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Dr. Hunter married, in 1779, Marion Shaw, eldest daughter of William, sixth Lord ...

Book 8 p. 422
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CRAMOND. 89
property of the bishops, which was not inconsiderable, was very unjustly
seized on by the greedy hand of Sir James Elphinstone, subsequently Lord
Balmerino.
Chambers tells us that on
the opposite bank of the creek of the Almond, on a craggy eminence, was
placed a fortification, and from that circumstance the name Car-Almond,
vulgarised into Cramond, is derived-Car-Almond meaning simply the Castle
on the Almond, Maitland, on the other hand, maintains that the name is
Saxon in its derivation, and signifies the mouth of the Cra. ‘Originally,’ he
says, ‘the name was Cra-muthe,’ as he has so read it amongst the benefactions
made to the church of Lindisfern, or Holy Island in Northumberland,
and which is synonymous with Cramond. ‘Now,’ he continues, ‘as there is an
easy transition between Cra and A, the name of the river may have been
changed from Cra-mter to AZmon-water.’ It is only right to add, however,
that our authority does not by any means dogmatise here, but only ‘humbly
submits it to the judgment of the curious reader.‘
Within the parish, and on one of the north-eastem slopes of the Corstorphine.
Hill, stand the fine old mansion-house and lands of Craigcrook Castle.
It belonged at one time to a certain John Strachan, Esq., of whom we know
nothing more than that at his death, in the year 1720, he mortified it as a
charitable gift-the income then amounting to A300, but now considerably
more than doubled-to be disbursed in annual sums of &3 each to a
specified number of poor old men, women, and orphans, in the city of Edinburgh.
But other memories, and no less dear, than those of the benevolent
Jolin Strachan, linger about it. Here, in this very romantic and picturesque
old mansion, with its battlemented walls and slate-covered turrets, clad with
ivy and roses, and nestling so warmly in its arbour of foliage, resided for
many years that sweet-blooded and noble-souled man, Lord Francis Jeffrey, of
Edinburgh Review renown, and here too were composed many of those
brilliant and trenchant articles which adorned the pages of by far the ;blest
Quarterly of the period. That Jeffrey’s pen was occasionally dipt in gall,
and that bitterly cruel and savagely earnest words now and then were born
of it, is true enough-the case of the poor, consumptive, richly-gifted Keats
is to the point,-but such fierce and terrific onslaughts appear rather to have
been accidental to the man than of set purpose: his papers on the whole
evincing a genial, generous, and encouraging tone, in perfect accord with his
naturally kind and amiable disposition. Subsequently, and not over twenty
years ago, the poet Gerald Massey, likewise, spent a short time in this same
The origin of the name is yet a mooted point.
M

... 89 property of the bishops, which was not inconsiderable, was very unjustly seized on by the greedy hand ...

Book 11 p. 142
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EDINBURGH FROM WARRISTON CEMETERY. 5'
What the capital of Scotland does lack is climate. That, no genius of
Scott and no engineering skill can 'procure for her. Her streets are swept
by cold north-east winds, and her skies are heavy with the rain-clouds that
alternately roll in from the ocean, or drift down upon her from the neighbouring
hills. Yet still, in the hundred changeful effects of light and shade,
she has a beauty more effective and appropriate than if she stood out in the
bold relief of perfect and unclouded sunshine, Far to the southward
drenching showers are sweeping along, and they obliterate the half-circle of
the Moorfoot Hills, but in the slant rays of the afternoon sun all the spires
and towers catch a pale splendour, and round their feet the city's smoke
drifts away with the light westerly wind.
How striking from here, rising above all the hazy wreaths, is the crowned
belfry of old St. Giles's 1 It takes us
back to the Edinburgh of Queen Mary and of John Knox, and we seem to
live again in that time of fierce theolo@cal strife. On the one side, we see
' the scarlet prelates' insolently maintaining ]he rights of tradition and the
unity of a Church that they would fain keep as indivisible as was the seamless
garment of Christ. On the other-side, are the black-robed preachers of the
Geneva school, boldly claiming the liberty of the human conscience, and
declaring the equality of priest and laic before the laws, and before Almighty
God I
These Reformers developed, through spiritual liberty, the progress of the
Scottish nation: nor must it be forgotten that they helped to form the
language of their country; what Calvin and Bonnivard did for the French
language, Knox and Wishart and Henderson did for the vulgar tongue of
Scotland. Through it they appealed to the heart of the people, and they
used it as a weapon to combat tradition. Latin at that epoch was being
exquisitely handled by George Buchanan, but the Reformers discarded it,
and substituted for it the homely vernacular of their native land. Native
eloquence, once planted, did not fail to grow, and the language, then first
turned to noble uses, has since become history in the hands of Hume,
philosophy in those of Dugald Stewart and of the elder Mill, criticism in
those of Jeffrey, theology from the pulpits of Chalmers, MZeod, and Tulloch,
and unequalled and undying fiction under the magic wand of Walter Scott.
How close the great buildings seem to press on one another, as banks,
colleges, hotels, churches, and galleries rise on either side of the valley of the
old ' Nor' Loch ' 1
From the spot where we now stand, the horizontal l i e of the houses is
Of how much does it not remind us I

... FROM WARRISTON CEMETERY. 5' What the capital of Scotland does lack is climate. That, no genius ...

Book 11 p. 79
(Score 0.29)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 155
him to show towards the father. Be this as it may, the fact is undoubted that
the Presbytery of Auchterarder actually postponed consideration of Mr. Lawson’s
claim to be admitted to the ministry, without assigning any ground for so doing,
for the period of six years ! This occurred in 1771 ; and although, three years
afterwards, the Assembly interfered, by an order to the Presbytery to take his
case into consideration, it was not until 1777 that Mr. Lawson became actively
resolute in forwarding his claim to be licensed.
In the General Assembly of that year we find him in the character of “ a
petitioner for justice,” when his (‘ appeal against a sentence of the Presbytery of
Auchterarder, refusing to take him on licentiate trials, with reasons of dissent,
and a complaint by some members of Presbytery, were taken into consideration.”
In the petition it is stated, “that, as soon as the appellant had made his
requisition to be taken on trials, the ministers withdrew from the Presbytery
house without closing the sederunt, to the house in which they were to dine ;
and after dinner they sent their officer for the appellant, and witheut calling for
a single elder upstairs, or assigning any reason at all for their refusal, they (6th
May 1777) did, by a majority, refuse to grant the petitioner’s request.” In
the “reasons of dissent” by certain members of the Presbytery, it is stated-
“ lst, That Mr. Lawson’s moral character was irreproachable ;-that nothing is
alleged against him except some improprieties of behaviour ;-that his recluse
and studious life may have kept him a stranger to the fashion of this world, which
passeth away ; but the want of these superficial accomplishments is. amply compensated
for by a considerable proficiency in human literature and in theologyby
a simplicity, sincerity, and humility of deportment-and, above all, by a
rational and unfeigned devotion ; and that the Presbytery, on the principles
on which they rejected Mr. Lawson, would have rejected John the Baptist, who
was bred a hermit, unfashioned to this world.-2d, that three years have elapsed
since the Assembly ordered the Presbytery to show all charity to Mr. Lawson,
and, though not to be rash in taking him on trials, yet to treat him with all
tenderness and candour ; and that an interval of three years will vindicate the
Presbytery from any charge of rashness ; but it was also their duty to treat him
with tenderness and candour.-And 3d, That the Presbytery refused, simpliciter,
to take him on trials, without assigning any reason for their refusal.” Parties
being fully heard, after long reasoning, the General Assembly reversed the
sentence complained of, and ordered the Presbytery to take Mr. Lawson on
trials, with all convenient speed, and according to the rules of the Church.
The Presbytery, in accordance with the mandate of a higher court, began the
business of the “ trials.” The result may be anticipated when we mention that,
in the General Assembly of the following year (17’78), Mr. Lawson again
appeared in the character of a petitioner, complaining of a sentence of the Presbytery
of Auchterarder, “ rejecting a discourse he had delivered before them as
part of his trials, and remitting him to his studies.” The Honourable Henry
Erskine appeared as his counsel, and Messrs. Scott, Dunbar, and W-right, for the
Presbytery, After both parties were heard, the Assembly agreed to read Mr.

... SKETCHES. 155 him to show towards the father. Be this as it may, the fact is undoubted that the ...

Book 8 p. 219
(Score 0.29)

158 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk.
On the east side of the walk, overlooking the
steep and deep Greenside ravine, the huge and
hideous edifice named the ?? Tabernacle,? was long
the scene of the ministrations of the Rev. James
Alexander Haldane, who there, for more than forty
years, devoted himself, gratuitously, and with exemplary
assiduity, to preaching the Gospel. He was
the son of Captain James Haldane of Airthrey, a
descendant of the family of Gleneagles, and his
mother was a sister of Admiral Viscount Duncan.
He commenced life as a midshipman on board
the Dukeof Morztrose, Indiaman, made four voyages
to the East, and in his twenty-fifth year became
captain of the MeZviZZe CasfZe, and was distinguished
for his bravery amid many perils incident to life at
sea. During the mutiny at Spithead, the spirit of
the revolt was spread to the Dutton, a vessel alongside
of Haldane?s, by the captain of fle former
sending a man-ofiwar?s boat to have some of his men
arrested for insubordination. The mutiny broke
out on a dark night-shots were fired, and a man
killed, Oh this, the future pastor of the Tabernacle
lowered a boat with an armed crew, and went off
to the Button, the crew of which threatened him
with death if he did not sheer off; but he boarded
her, sword in hand, and, driving the mutineers forward,
addressed them on the folly of their conduct,
the punishment that was certain to follow, and
eventually overcame them without more bloodshed.
Soon after this he resigned his command in the
East India Company?s Service, and meant to adopt
the life of a country gentleman ; but an intimacy
with Mr. Black, minister of Lady Yester?s, and
Mr. Buchanan, of the Canongate Church, led to a
graver turn of thought, and, resolving to devote his
life to the diffusion of the Gospel, he sold his beautiful
estate at Airthrey to Sir Robert Abercromby,
and failing in a missionary plan he had formed for
India, he began to preach at home, first at Gilmerton
in 1797, and afterwards on the Calton Hill,
where the novelty of a sea-captain addressing them
collected not less than 10,000 persons on more
than one occasion.
Eventually he became minister Of the then recently
erected Tabernacle on the east side of Leith
Walk, and so named from Mr. Whitefield?s places
of worship. Eminent preachers from England frequently
appeared here, and it was always crowded
to excess. The seats were all free, and he derived
no emolument from his office.
At the period he commenced his public career,
towards the end of the. last century, evangelical
d0ctrir.e was at a low ebb, but through the instrumentality
of Mr. Haldane and his brother, also a
preacher, a considerable revival took place.
The Tabernacle has long since been converted
into shops.
Immediately adjoining it on the south is a low
square, squat-looking tower, with a fapde in the
Tudor style forming a new front on an old house,
pierced with the entrance to Lady Glenorchy?s Free
Church, which stands immediately behind it.
Where now we find the New London Road,
running eastward from Leopold Place to Brunton
Place, Ainslie?s plan of 1804 shows us in dotted
line a ? Proposed new road to Haddington,? passing
on the north a tolerably large pond, on the Earl of
Moray?s property near the Easter Road-a pond
only filled up when Regent Place and other similar
streets were recently built at Maryfield-and on
the south the Upper Quarry Holes-hollows still
traceable at the east end of the Royal Terrace
Gardens. A street of some kind of buildings occupied
the site of the present Elm Row, as shown
by a plan in I 787 ; and in the CaZedonian Merncry
for 1812 a premium of three hundred guineas is
offered for the best design for laying out in streets
and squares, the lands in this quarter, on the east
side of the walk, consisting of 300 acres.
Here now we find Windsor Street, a handsome
thoroughfare, built of white freestone, in a simple
but severe style of Greek architecture, with massive
fluted columns at every doorway. No. 23, in the year
1827 became the residence of the well-known Mrs.
Henry Siddons. Previously she had resided at No.
63, York Place, and No. 2, Picardy Place. Three
years after she came to Windsor Street, her twentyone
years? patent of the old Theatre Royal, which
she had camed on with her brother, W. H. Murray,
as stage manager, came to a close, and on the 29th
of March, 1830, this popular and brilliant actress
took her farewell of the Edinburgh stage, in the
character of Lady Towneley in The Provoked NUSb
a d , meaning to spend the remainder of her life
in retirement, leaving the theatre entirely to Mr.
Murray.
She was a beautiful woman, and a charming actress
of a sweet, tender, and pathetic school.
When she took up her residence in Windsor
Street the ground was nearly all meadow land, from
there to Warriston Crescent, says Miss F. A-Kemble,
in her recent ? Reminiscences,? which is rather a
mistake ; but she adds, ?? Mrs. Siddons held a peculiar
position in Edinburgh, her widowhood, condition,
and personal attractions combining to win the
sympathy and admiration of its best society, while
her high character and blameless conduct secured
the respect and esteem of her theatrical subjects
md the general public, with whom she was an
object of almost affectionate personal regard, and

... OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Leith Walk. On the east side of the walk, overlooking the steep and deep Greenside ...

Book 5 p. 158
(Score 0.29)

LEITH. "5
very massiveness, adorned in front with a tetrastyle Ionic portico, surmounted
by a tower of three stages with columns at the angles,-the first Doric, the
second Ionic, and the third Corinthian-with a fluted octangular spire of
a light graceful formation, lend it an air of great and solemn impressiveness.
Its origin is somewhat interesting. At first merely a chapel, erected by
Robert Bellenden, Abbot of Holyrood, in the fifteenth century, endowed with
certain revenues and dedicated to St. Ninian, it was erected in the year 1606
into a parish, the inhabitants at the time purchasing the chaplain's house, the
tithes, and other pertinents from the then Commendator of Holyrood. The
old church still stands in a by-street near the upper drawbridge, but is now
converted into the secular use of corn-lofts or grain-stores ; the only thing
remaining characteristic of the original fabric being the ancient tower with its
slated spire and gilded vane. Such was the humble or unassuming foundation
upon which this now stately and imposing edifice has been reared.
Of the docks as public buildings not much need be said here. The first,
it would seem, was formed in 1718, when a stone pier was built Since then
Leith has largely increased her shipping accommodation, the number of her
docks, both wet and dry, keeping pace with her requirements. These
docks, and especially the latest formed of them, are of the roomiest and most
convenient description, having all the most modern and improved appliances
for loading and -unloading. There is another, to the east of the Albert Dock,
now in the course of erection, which in extent and other marine advantages
will greatly outstrip all the others, and which is expected to be opened in a
year or two. Leith as a commercial centre
is rapidly extending, and the tonnage of her shipping annually increasing.
The following statistics, as illustrative of the fact, may be interesting : 4 n
the year 1650, three vessels of 271 tons belonged to the port; in 1692, vessels
to the extent of 1702 tons; in 1740, 2628 tons; in 1787, 14,150 tons; in
1808, 20,022 tons; in 1849, 22,499 tons; in 1864, 56,215 tons; and in the
present year 1876, it may be found that the tonnage will not be much
under 80,ooo.'
Nor is Leith quite destitute of all literary repute, although in this respect
she may not compare favourably with many other towns of much less importance.
John Home, the author of ' Douglas, a Tragedy,' was a native of the
place. His father was the town-clerk, and lived in a house at the east corner
of Quality Street, which was taken down some forty years ago to make room
I would here thankfully acknowledge my indebtedness to D. W. Henderson, Esq., corn-
These facts tell their own tale.
broker, Leith, for these statistics and other informatory helps.

... "5 very massiveness, adorned in front with a tetrastyle Ionic portico, surmounted by a tower of three ...

Book 11 p. 168
(Score 0.29)

338 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
At Surrey Chapel he was thefirst to commence the system of Sunday
school teaching, now so extensively in operation over the kingdom. He was
an original promoter of the London Bible, Missionary, and Religious Tract
Societies ; and, in short almost all the other London societies, of a similar nature,
were more or less indebted to the benevolent and enterprising disposition of the
pastor of Surrey Chapel.
That the Rev. Rowland Hill was without his faults and imperfections no one
will assert. Indeed, it is almost impossible to form a just conception of his
character, his conduct may be viewed under such a variety of shade and colour.
It may justly be said, however, that “ even his failings leaned to virtue’s side.”
The virulence and acrimony displayed in the long controversy with Wesley was
perhaps the most reprehensible part of his public conduct, which, even the
ambitious motives attributed to the,“ Old FOX,”an d the circumstance of his being
the first to commence hostilities, cannot altogether palliate, The position maintained
by Mr. Hill between church and dissent was also an undefinable and
most unprofitable piece of conceit ; insomuch that, notwithstanding his professed
zeal for the union of Christians, it stood as a mighty stumbling-block in the way.
Of the private life of Rowland Hill there are many curious anecdotes.
One morning a dispute occurred betwixt his coachman and footman, as to who
should go for milk to the family. The coachman was mre “it was no business
of his”-and the footman was equally “ certain it was none of his.” Mr. Hill
having overheard the quarrel, ordered the carriage out and the footman to
attend. He then got the milk pitcher into the carriage, and ordered the coachman
to drive to the dairy. On his return, he addressed the disputants in his
usual forcible manner, and endeavoured to convince them, from the unnecessary
trouble they had occasioned, of the folly of stickling so pugnaciously for their
“ rights.”
Owing partly to his own eccentric character, but more especially to the political
influence of his connections, he was on familiar terms with some of the
Royal family, and was supposed to have considerable influence at court. Many
applications for his patronage were consequently made, and among these not a
few of a curious nature. The following scene we cannot resist quoting in the
words of his biographer :-‘‘ I well remember one morning the footman ushered
in a most romantic-looking lady. She advanced with measured steps, and with
an air that caused Mr. Hill to retreat towards the fireplace. She began-
‘ Divine Shepherd.’
“Pon my word, ma’am.’
‘ I hear you have great influence with the Royal family.’
‘ Well, ma’am ; and did you hear anything else 1’
‘ Now, seriously, sir--my son has the most wonderful poetic powers.
‘Well, I wonder what will come next,’ muttered Mr. Hill in a low tone.
‘Yes, sir, pardon the liberty; and therefore I called to ask you to get him
Sir,
his poetry is of a sublime order-noble, original, fine.’
made Poet Laweate.’

... BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. At Surrey Chapel he was thefirst to commence the system of Sunday school teaching, now ...

Book 8 p. 472
(Score 0.29)

EIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 447
Mr, Fletcher lived to overcome the prejudices entertained against his party, and
to enjoy the emoluments arising from a very extensive practice, without any
sacrifice or change in the principles he had avowed in early life. So late as
1818 he was present at a meeting in Edinburgh, held for the purpose of petitioning
Parliament against the much-reprobated ‘‘ gagging bills ” of Lord
Castlereagh. “ When Mr. Fletcher appeared,” says a newspaper report of the
day, “he entered the place of meeting, accompanied by his two sons. His
venerable appearance, his infirm health, and his high character for consistency
and purity of public principle, combined to produce a strong sensation on the
assembly. He was loudly cheered ; and a place near the chairman was assigned
to him, that he might distinctly hear the proceedings.”
In 1816, owing to declining health, Mr. Fletcher gave up his professional
pursuits, and retired for some time to Parkhall, a farm he had purchased in
Stirlingshire. Here he spent several years, and regained, in some measure,
his usual health. In 1822 he passed the winter with his family among his
friends at York; and while there wrote and printed a Dialogue between a
Whig and a Radical Reformer, in which he combated the principle of annual
parliaments and universal suffrage, but advocated constitutional reform on its
broadest basis.
Mr. Fletcher died at Auchindinny House, about eight miles to the south of
Edinburgh, on the 20th of December 1828.’
No. CCCXXI.
. REV. JAMES-FRANCIS GRANT,
OF ST. GEORGE’S CHAPEL, YORK PLACE, EDINBURGH.
MR. GRANT, second son of Sir Archibald Grant, the third Baronet of Mony
musk: was born in 1760, and educated at the High School and University of
this city. Having taken orders as a clergyman of the Episcopalian Church, he
was for a few years assistant to the Rev. Alexander Duncan, incumbent of St.
George’s Chapel, York Place ; and while there was much esteemed as a man
of worth and talent. His sermons, if not remarkable for eloquence, were
always concise and impressive.
‘‘ Mr. Archibald Fletcher,” says Lord Brougham, “was a learned, experienced, and industrious
lawyer, one of the most npright men that ever adorned the profession, and a man of such stern and
resolute firmness in public principle, as is very rarely found united with the amiable character which
e‘n deared him to private society.”
a Sir Archibald married Miss Callender, only child of Dr. Callender of Jamaica, and daughter
of the then Lady Grant. Sir Archibald resided for many years in Minto House, which at that time
entered from the Horse Wynd.

... SKETCHES. 447 Mr, Fletcher lived to overcome the prejudices entertained against his party, and to ...

Book 9 p. 597
(Score 0.29)

Princes Street. THE sco-rr MONUMENT. 127
- -
Beattie, James Thomson, and John Home, adorn
the west front j those of Queen Mary, King James
features of this beautiful and imposing structure,
the design of a self-taught Scottish artisan, The
four principal arches supporting the central tower
resemble those beneath the rood-tower of a cruciform
church, while the lower arches in the dia-
! gonal abutments, with their exquisitely-cut details,
resemble the narrow north aisle of Melrose.
? The groined roof over the statue is of the same
design as the roof of the choir of that noble abbey
church so niuch frequented and so enthusiastically
admired by Sir Walter. The pillars, canopies
of niches, pinnacles, and other details, are chiefly
copied from the same ruin, and magnificent views
of the city in every direction are to be had from
its lofty galleries.
It cost A15,650, and from time to time statuettes
of historical and other personages who figure
in the pages of Scott have been placed in its
numerous niches. Among these are Prince Charles
Edward, who directly faces Princes Street, in the
Highland dress, with a hand on his sword; the
Lady of the Lake; the Last Minstrel and Meg
Merrilies-these are respectively ou the four
centres of the first gallery; Mause Headrigg,
Dominie Sampson, Meg Dods, and Dandie
Dinmont, are respectively on the south, the west,
the north, and the east, of the fourth gallery ; King
James VI., Magnus Troil, and Halbert Glendinning,
occupy the upper tier of the south-west
buttress ; Minnie Trofi, George Heriot, and Bailie
Nicol Jarvie, are on the lower tier of it; Amy
Robsart, the Earl of Leicester, and Baron
Bradwardine, are on the upper tier of the northwest
buttress ; Ha1 0? the Wynd, the Glee Maiden,
and Ellen of Lorn, are on the lower tier thereof;
Edie Ochiltree, King Robert I., and Old Mortality,
are on the upper tier of the north-east buttress;
Flora MacIvor, Jeanie Deans, and the Laird of
Dumhiedykes, are on the lower tier of it; the
Sultan Saladin, Friar Tuck, and Richard Cceur de
Lion, are on the upper tier of the south-east buttress
; and Rebecca the Jewess, Diana Vernon, and
Queen Mary, are on its lower tier.
On the capitals and pilasters supporting the roof
are some exquisitely cut heads of Scottish poets :
those of Robert Bums, Robert Fergusson, James
Hogg, and Allan Ramsay, are on the west front;
those of George Buchanan, Sir David Lindsay,
Robert Tannahill, and Lord Byron, are on the
south front; those of Tobias Smollett. Tames sonal form of memorial-namely, great genius,
distinguished patriotism, and the stature and
figure of a demi-god.? To his contemporaries
chisel of Sir John Steel, procured at the cost of
;62,000, was inaugurated under the central arches
in 1846.
Sir Walter is represented sitting with a Border
plaid over his left shoulder, and his favourite highland
staghound, Maida, at his right foot.
A staircase in the interior of the south-west
cluster of pillars leads to the series of galleries to
which visitors are admitted on the modest payment
of twopence. It also gives access to the Museum
room, which occupies the body of the tower, and
therein a number of interesting relics were
deposited at its inauguration in April, 1879.
These are too numerous to give in detail, but
among them may be mentioned a statuette of Sir
Walter, by Steel, a bust of George Kemp, the illfated
architect, with his first pencil sketch of the
monument, and a number of models and paintings
of historical interest ; and on the walls are placed
eight alto-relievo portraits in bronze (by J.
Hutchison, R.S.A.) of Scottish characters of
mark, including James V., James VI., Queen
Mary, John Knox, George Buchanan, the Regent
Moray, the Marquis of Montrose, and Charles I.
In the cdlection are some valuable letters in
the handwriting of Sir Walter Scott ; and the walls
are adorned with some of the old flint muskets,
swords, and drums of the ancient City Guard.
The statue of Professor John Witson, ?? Christopher
North,? at the western corner of the East
Gardens, is the result of a subscription raised
shortly after his death in 1854. A committee for
the purpose was appointed, consisting of the Lord
Justice General (afterwards Lord Colonsay), Lord
Neaves, Sir John Watson Gordon, and others,
and three years after Sir John Steel executed the
statue, which is of bronze, and is a fine representation
of one who is fresh in the recollection of
thousands of his countrymen. The careless ease
of the professois ordinary dress is adopted; a
plaid which he was in the habit of wearing
supplies the drapery, and the lion-like head and
face, fill of mental and muscular power, thrown
slightly upward and backward, express genius,
while the figure, tall, massive, and athletic, corres
ponds to the elevated expression of the countenance..
At its inauguration the Lord President Inglis said,
happily, that there was ?in John Wilson every
element which gives a man a claini to this per-
I., King James V., and Drummond of Hawthornden,
are on the north front.
The white marble statue of Scott, from the
this statue vividly recalls Wilson in his every-day
aspect, as he was wont to appear in his class
room or on the platform in the fervour of his

... Street. THE sco-rr MONUMENT. 127 - - Beattie, James Thomson, and John Home, adorn the west front j those ...

Book 3 p. 127
(Score 0.29)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 29
his career. He soon became one of the most popular men of his day in the
city-esteemed for the generosity and benevolence of his disposition, respected
for his worth, and admired for his genius and talents.
Amongst the innumerable schemes for the benefit of the destitute, and of
suffering humanity in all its forms of misery, which this excellent man either
suggested or promoted, the most conspicuous was the establishment of a fund
for the widows of the clergy of the Church of Scotland ; an institution which
owes its existence chiefly to his benevolence, and its admirable system to his
singular powers of arithmetical calculation, a department of intellectual labour
in which he greatly excelled.
With all his other popular qualities, Dr. Webster possessed a great degree
of firmness and intrepidity of character, of which he exhibited a very striking
instance when the rebels were in possession of Edinburgh. At that crisis, when
most other men of his political sentiments and notoriety would have sought
safety in silence or retirement, he, boldly mounted his pulpit, and employed his
eloquence in denouncing the cause of the Chevalier, and in urging his hearers to
retain their fidelity to the House of Hanover.
Nor was his genius, sound judgment, and excellent taste, recognised only in
matters connected with his clerical capacity. They were so well known, and so
highly appreciated, that he was uniformly consulted by the magistrates of Edinburgh
in all public undertakings.
Dr. Webster was married to Miss Mary Erskine, a young lady of fortune,
daughter of Colonel John Erskine (brother of Sir Charles Erskine of Alva,
Bart.), by Euphemia, daughter of William Cochrane, Esq., of Ochiltree. She
was nearly related to the family of Dundonald, and was courted by some of
the first Peers of the realm. This connexion originated in a somewhat curious
manner, During his residence at Culross, Mr. Webster was employed by
a friend to procure for him the good graces of Miss Erskine, who then
resided at Valleyfield, in the neighbourhood. This duty he faithfully performed,
and urged his friend‘s suit with all the eloquence he was master of, but
to no purpose. At length, wearied with his importunities in the cause of
another, and at the same time prepossessed by his own figure and accomplishments,
both of which were eminently attractive, Miss Erskine plumply
remarked to him, ‘I You would come better speed, Sandy, if you would speak
for yourself;” and on this hint Mr. Webster did indeed speak, and to such
purpose, that they were shortly afterwards married.
This union, though thus brought about by a circumstance somewhat out of
rule on the lady’s part, was a happy one-Dr. Webster’s affection for his wife
never suffering the slightest abatement of that ardour so forcibly expressed in
the following stanza, addressed to her soon after their marriage :-
“ When I see thee I love thee, but hearing adore,
I wonder, and think you a woman no more,
Till, mad with admiring, I cannot contain,
And, kissing those lips, find you woman again.” I

... SKETCHES. 29 his career. He soon became one of the most popular men of his day in the city-esteemed ...

Book 8 p. 38
(Score 0.29)

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