which intervened betwixt the time now referred to and that of the
minister's embarkation. He experienced, on the one hand, all the
petty vexations which the earl's sycophants could devise for his
annoyance--and, on the other, much of that comfort which springs from
spontaneous tokens of disinterested goodwill and of gratitude, even from
the poor and humble; but the _mens conscia sibi recti_ enabled him to
bear the former with composure, and the latter without vain presumption.
The day of departure at length arrived--and, young as I was, I still
remember as well as yesterday some of the circumstances. The family
proceeded from the only home I had ever known, towards the harbour,
accompanied by some of the most respectable inhabitants of the village.
After passing by the chapel, which stood conspicuously on a rising
ground, the party descended a steep road--like a patriarch of old going
on a pilgrimage through the world, with his children around him--to the
quay at which the vessel that was to bear us away was moored. The sea
beach and quays were crowded. The entire population of the burgh seemed
assembled. There were no shouts; but uncovered heads, and outstretched
hands, and old visages glistening with tears of kindness, spoke a
language more eloquent than words can utter. I was carried with my
mother on board the ship. The sails were unfurled, while we were grouped
on the quarter-deck. Most of the family went into the cabin; but my
father sat on a coil of ropes, and I stood between his knees, encircled
by his arm, and looking up in his face, which was occasionally convulsed
with marks of strong but suppressed feeling. The vessel bounded over the
waves of the German Ocean. My father spake not. His eye was still bent
on the rocky cliffs (near which stood his church and dwelling of peace),
after it could not discern the people that clustered on their summits.
He wrapped me in his cloak, and held me to his bosom; and, for the first
time, I felt a sad consciousness that I was without a home in the world.
My first voyage in life was a rough one. The "Good Intent" of
Bellerstown, in which my father and his family had embarked, as already
stated, was a coasting trader, and was bound on this occasion for Leith,
whence the patriarch of this intended emigration, and his partner, and
little ones, were meant to be transferred to Greenock, as the port of
final embarkation for the United States. To those who have had occasion
to sojourn in such bottoms as the "Good Intent," ere yet the Berwick
smacks and other vessels of a superior class had been established in the
coasting trade of Scotland, it is needless to offer any description of
such a vehicle for the conveyance of human beings--and those who have
never experienced such a transit, can form no adequate conception of the
misery which it exhibits. Let them, however, imagine a small and dirty
cabin, into which no one is admitted save by the companion-door and a
small sky-light that cannot be opened in rough weather--let them
imagine, if they can, the "villanous compound of smells," produced by
confined air, the flavour of bilge water, agitated in the hold of the
ship, and diffused through every creaking crevice, and pitch, and
effluvia of rancid salt meat and broth, and the products of universal
sea-sickness, altogether inevitable in such circumstances--let them
figure such a confined hole filled with human beings, crammed into
smaller holes all around, called beds, or laid on shakedowns upon the
floor, or stretched upon the lockers, in that state of despondency which
overwhelming sickness induces;--and they have a picture of the Good
Intent's cabin and _state-room_ during the voyage to which I refer. Nor
was this all. The weather was boisterous, being the vernal equinox; the
winds cross and tempestuous; and the waves of the sea so tremendous that
the little vessel sunk, and rose, and rolled, as if each succeeding
shock were the last ere she sank for ever into the roaring abyss; while
each convulsion of the bark called forth involuntary moans and shrieks
of distress, which were heard commingled with the whistling of the
tempest, and the dash of the waves, that ever and anon burst on and
swept over the deck. And thus, for the space of fourteen days went the
Good Intent and her inmates, tossed to and fro on the German Ocean, with
no comfort to mitigate the extreme of such unwonted sufferings, save the
rough but hearty kindness of the skipper and crew, when their cares on
deck left them a moment to go below, and offer any attention in their
power. I have made many rough voyages since the time alluded to; but
this one dwells on my memory like the visions in a wild and troubled
dream, surpassing all I have since weathered in intensity of horror and
dismay.
At length, the expected haven came in sight; and we entered it--safe but
sad enough, the Good Intent entered the Water of Leith at morning tide,
and my childish wonderment was strangely excited by what seemed to my
inexperienced eye a forest of masts and "leviathans afloat," as we were
towed through among the vessels in harbour, until, amidst bawling and
swearing on board and ashore, the Good Intent got a berth at the
Coalhill of Leith. The emigrant party were all speedily taken on shore,
and conveyed to a small inn, where soap and water, and clean clothes,
and breakfast, revived, in no inconsiderable degree, the spirits of the
whole party, after the exhaustion of such a voyage: and the youngsters,
especially, were very speedily interested in the rude bustle which the
shore of Leith usually exhibits.
Leaving the little colony at Mrs. Monro's ship tavern, on the Coalhill,
my father proceeded to the dwelling of his cousin, Mr. Pearson, who
resided in one of the western suburbs of Edinburgh (where he and his
were expected), in order to announce the advent to a temporary home. It
was after noon ere he returned with his cousin to conduct the rest of
the family; and the whole party proceeded on foot up Leith Walk, and
through a part of Edinburgh, towards Mr. Pearson's hospitable abode,
astonished and bewildered in a scene so new. There we all received a
warm welcome from the good old man and his daughters, and experienced
every attention and kindness which good hearts and the ties of kindred
could suggest.
Before proceeding to Greenock, to make the necessary arrangements for
the final emigration, Mr. Douglas, while his family were refreshing with
their relatives for a longer voyage than they had already encountered,
paid a visit to an old friend, a clergyman in the country, in whose
parish was situated the noble mansion of Earl H----. The countess of
H---- was a relative of Lady B----, to whom Mr. Douglas had long been
known as an exemplary clergyman, and who, in the day of his adversity
and unmerited persecution, had taken a lively interest in his fate.
Amongst other acts of kindness, she had not only given him an
introductory letter to the countess of H----, but had written
previously, recommending him earnestly to her good offices with the earl
(who was, in all respects, a complete contrast to Lord Bellersdale), and
soliciting some one of the numerous benefices in the church of which the
earl was patron, when a vacancy might occur. Mr. Douglas visited his
friend before delivering his introduction at the great house, and
preached on the Sabbath which intervened during his stay: and the
services of the day having been conducted with that simple and unfeigned
devoutness which lends its highest power to pulpit eloquence, the noble
family, who regularly attended on religious ordinances in their parish
church, were much affected and gratified with the ministration of the
stranger on this occasion; and this effect was not marred to "ears
polite," even by the slight "accents of the northern tongue." Next
morning, the pastor of the parish received an invitation to dine at
H---- House that day, and was requested to bring along with him the
friend who had officiated for him on the preceding Sunday. The
invitation was, of course, accepted; and, on being introduced to the
earl and countess of H----, and his name being announced, Lady H----
inquired if he were of the north country, when he took the opportunity
of delivering Lady B.'s introductory letter, which showed that Mr.
Douglas was the same person of whom Lady B. had previously written. His
reception by both the noble personages of the mansion was more than
polite; it was kind in the highest degree, and every way worthy of a
generous and high-minded race, whose good qualities have, in various
periods of our history, given lustre to the nobility of Scotland. The
day was spent with mutual satisfaction; and the earl, before parting,
gave Mr. Douglas a cordial shake by the hand, and assured him that the
first benefice that should fall in his gift, should be conferred on
him. Thus they parted; but Mr. Douglas returned to Mr. Pearson's, with
the unaltered purpose of pursuing his voyage to America--the hopes
inspired by the earl's spontaneous promise being too faint and remote,
in their possible accomplishment, to induce procrastination in his
proceedings. The love of his native country yearned in his bosom, and
all the perils and privations to which his little fireside-flock might
be exposed, passed through his thoughts as he drove along the southern
shore of the Forth, on his return; but he could see no immediate
alternative, save to go onward in the path which he had previously
chalked out for himself in his present circumstances.
Accordingly, after a few days' repose, he set out to Greenock, to make
arrangements for the passage to New York of himself and family. He
applied to an eminent merchant there on the subject, in whose service,
as a clerk, a favourite brother had lived and died. From that gentleman
he received every courtesy and counsel suited to the occasion, and was
offered the passage contemplated gratuitously. He had spent a day or two
only in Greenock, making preparations for the voyage, when, having gone
into the vessel in which he was destined to embark, to hold some
necessary consultation with the master, a packet was brought to him
which had been forwarded by Mr. Pearson to the care of Mr. B. the
merchant. On unsealing it, Mr. Douglas found inclosed a presentation
in his favour, by the Earl of H., to a living in one of the southern
counties of Scotland!
It were idle in any one who has never experienced a sudden and
unexpected transition in the endless vicissitudes of human life--from a
position encompassed with doubts and darkness, into scenes and prospects
of brighter omen--to attempt any delineation of Mr. Douglas' emotions on
this occasion; for, who can express in language the throb of gratitude
to benefactors, which, in such circumstances, swells the heart beyond
the power of utterance?--or who can convey any adequate notion of the
devout and silent thankfulness which exalts the soul of a good man,
when he sees and feels, in such an event, the manifestation of that
overruling Providence which it is his habitual principle to acknowledge
and adore?
The American expedition was now abandoned, and Mr. Douglas returned from
Greenock to Edinburgh, with all the despatch which the _Flies_ of those
days rendered practicable. The tidings were soon told, not with proud
exultation, but with the chastened gladness which these were calculated
to impress on his own spirit and all around him; and, instead of packing
up for Greenock, and preparing for crossing the wide Atlantic, nothing
was now talked of in Pearson's kind circle but _plenishing_ for the
manse.
The day of departure at length arrived, ere yet the young folks had
recovered from the astonishment which everything in the northern
metropolis presented to them as wonders, and before they had become
familiar with the splendours of long rows of lamps, and dazzling
scattered lights over the dusky horizon of the "Auld Toun" in an
evening. One of the most startling of these marvels, I well remember,
was the Cowgate, with its rows of lamps extending beneath the South
Bridge, and seen through the iron balustrades! This was perfect
enchantment to some of us; and I don't believe I have ever seen any
scene of artificial magnificence, since I first looked down on the
Cowgate, that made so strong an impression on me, as a specimen of city
grandeur!
The vehicle for our conveyance was not, as in these latter days, a
dashing stage-coach and four--for there was nothing of the kind on the
public roads of Scotland fifty years ago--but a caravan or wagon, having
a sort of rail round three sides of it, and covered overhead with a
canvas cloth on strong hoops, with an aperture behind to let in the
travellers, and the fresh air, and the light. Under this primitive
pavilion sat ensconced the parson and spouse on trusses of straw, and
with blankets to keep warmth, if necessary--the bairns being all packed
in and about them, according to their dimensions; and in this fashion on
jogged the cavalcade, consisting of the caravan, and another long cart
with furniture. Two or three days were required for the journey--the
carriers stopping each night at convenient distances in country inns for
the "entertainment of men and horses," where slight and rough
accommodation only was to be had.
At length, on the third day, the caravansary reached the promised
land--not like that in the Orient, flowing with milk and honey, and
glowing in all the richness of natural beauty; but a long straggling
village of heath-thatched cottages, with about half-a-dozen slated
houses, including the kirk; and, though placed in a valley, on the banks
of a rivulet, yet surrounded on all sides for many miles with the
wildest moorlands in one of the most elevated situations inhabited in
Scotland by human beings. But, what of all this? It afforded a _home_ in
our native land--and we soon learnt by experience that its inhabitants
were among the most kind-hearted and intelligent of the sons of
Caledonia.
The humble parsonage of Muirden was but a chapel of ease, yielding an
income under one hundred pounds per annum. Yet, with this limited
benefice, the Rev. William Douglas was enabled, by the frugal
housewifery of the mistress, to maintain a decent, and, in his sphere,
even a hospitable household, and to discharge the petty obligations to
friends which he had incurred while "out of bread," and preparing to
cross the deep to a foreign land. Until this last, and, in his
estimation, sacred duty was accomplished, the strictest economy was
observed. The "muckle wheel" and the "little wheel" were heard humming
incessantly in the kitchen; and the bairns were clad in the good
home-made cloths of the domicile; while they were early taught
practically that plain and wholesome, though humble fare at the board,
was all that they ought to desire, and that luxuries and delicacies,
such as load "the rich man's table," were truly a matter of small
moment, and utterly despicable when compared with those luxuries of the
mind, and that superiority of character, which are derived from moral
and intellectual culture. These latter, accordingly, were day by day
pressed on their attention as the proper business of their early
life--and all were habituated to regular and constant attention to
their "lessons," at home as well as in school.
Nor was this remote parsonage destitute of some strong and interesting
attractions to a generous mind. Muirden was situated in a region which
is consecrated by many events and traditions of "the persecuted times."
There are hill-sides and moss-hags in its vicinity, still known to the
peasant as the places of worship and of refuge to the Covenanters in
days of peril and alarm; and some of Scotland's martyrs were immolated
at the doors of their own huts, the foundation of which may still be
traced, overgrown with the green turf or the heather-bell. To a Scottish
pastor such scenes are classic, grand even in a higher sense than those
of Marathon or Thermopylae--for it was the immutable and holy spirit
which was there kindled, and formed into a flame, that finally won for
Scotland not only the blessings of civil liberty, but the triumphs of
religious truth.
It was an inspiriting task to serve at the altar among a people who,
though humble, cherished with fondness the memory of their godly
forefathers; and was, indeed, a labour of love, in which the teacher and
the taught found mutual comfort and advantage. Nor were the exercises
of the pulpit the only parts of pastoral duty to which Mr. Douglas
directed his attention and his heart. He visited and soon became
acquainted with all his flock--not formally and pompously, but frankly
and in unaffected kindness; and ere long became the friend and trusted
counsellor of his parishioners, not merely in spiritual, but in their
temporal concerns. And, as a proof of the impression which such a truly
evangelical course of conduct made among his people, I may state that,
within these few years, after the lapse of nearly fifty, I had a call
from a respectable old man, who, having heard I was in Edinburgh, had
found me out, and announced himself to be Mr. ----, who had taught
me the alphabet, and first guided my hand to wield the pen which now
records this incident. I have rarely met with an occurrence more
gratifying to my feelings, than when the old gentleman (for he was a
gentleman in the best sense of the term, though a country schoolmaster)
told me that years had not effaced from his heart and his memory the
kindly affection which he bore to my father and all his children, who
were the objects of his careful tuition, and that he had sought and
found me to give utterance to that feeling. I need not say he got a warm
welcome. He had then retired from the laborious duties of his office,
with a moderate competency, and in a green old age. He has since paid
the debt of nature. Peace to his ashes! It would be well if our
parochial clergy would thus cultivate, not the vulgar arts of wordly
popularity, but, by acts of real kindness, the confidence and the
respect of their flocks. It is thus that the human heart is to be won;
and it is thus that a Christian pastor most effectually
"Allures to brighter realms, and leads the way."
There was a peculiarity in the village of Muirden which I must not omit
to notice. It was, perhaps, the first locality in Scotland, so entirely
rural, that had a library established in it. I do not know precisely
the history of that institution; but its supporters were the general
community of the place, who were, in different grades, employed chiefly
in the working of some mines in the vicinity, who devoted a small
portion of their wages, periodically, for the purchase of books for the
library. The fruits of this establishment were visible in the decent and
orderly habits, and in the superior information of the whole population;
presenting a moral picture exactly the reverse of that which too often
characterises the now liberated _ascripti glebae_ who are usually engaged
in such occupations, and who are proverbially the most barbarous and
ignorant class of the community of Scotland--thus furnishing an example,
which is now become pretty general, of supplying an interesting and
improving employment of the hours of relaxation from labour, instead of
misspending the precious intervals at the alehouse or other houses of
debauchery.
The village of Muirden, too, had the advantage of a resident country
gentleman in its immediate neighbourhood--Mr. Sterling. Such an
auxiliary to the clergyman and schoolmaster in a rural district, is
generally of unspeakable advantage to the moral condition of the
locality, more especially when, as in this instance, he was a man
everyway worthy of his rank and position in society. He possessed an
estate of his own in one of the most beautiful provinces in Scotland;
but, being a man distinguished in science, he had a general supervision
of the works to which I have alluded; and, being thus clothed with
authority, as well as a magistrate in the county, he was ever ready to
co-operate in every measure which was beneficial, and in the repression
of whatever was pernicious, in this little colony. The society and
friendly intercourse which naturally arose betwixt such a country
gentleman and the pastor, formed no slight addition to the enjoyments of
the latter, in a sphere shut out by its position from much personal
intercourse with well-educated men; and, in short, amid mountain and
moor all around, Muirden presented one of the most pleasing pictures
that this country affords of a rural parsonage.
Mr. Douglas' zealous and faithful discharge of his pastoral duties
did not remain unknown to his noble patron. From the time, indeed,
of his induction at Muirden, the moral movements of that hamlet were
occasionally reported by its guardian, Mr. Sterling, to the family that
was interested in its prosperity; and the unremitting but unobtrusive
ministrations of the village pastor were not of course overlooked. These
were duly appreciated; and, after the lapse of only two or three years,
the Earl of H---- spontaneously, and without any previous communication,
presented Mr. Douglas to the benefice of Eccleshall, which had fallen
vacant by the demise of its minister. This change had the double
advantage of being on the regular establishment of the church, beyond
the risk of any such casualty as had formerly befallen the presentee,
and of having a stipend nearly double the salary at Muirden--a
consideration of no slight moment to a man with a family, however
moderate in his views with regard to temporalities; and it possessed the
further superiority over Muirden, that it was situated on the southern
shore of the Firth of Forth, in a district of country highly cultivated,
and within a few hours' ride of the metropolis. It had the charm of the
most perfect seclusion from the great and bustling world--the church and
manse being situated in a sheltered valley, embosomed amidst a cluster
of ancient trees, which probably were planted ere the Reformation dawned
in Scotland.
The tidings of this promotion, as it may be deemed, produced, in the
humble dwelling of the pastor of Muirden, that measure of gladness which
is inspired by the smiles of fortune--varying in degree among the
different members of the family according to their intelligence and
their years. To the heads of it, the promised improvement in their
condition afforded the calm, yet exquisite satisfaction which the
prospect of a competence for their little ones, and the means of
educating and preparing them to act their part in life, naturally
awakens; and in the younger members of it, the reported beauties of the
new parish, and the approach of a new journey, excited that joyousness
and vivacity of hope which even invests what is unknown with the
attribute of magnificence.
After a little while devoted to necessary arrangements--after many
visits paid to all the dwellings of the humble flock of Muirden--after
the interchange of kindly hospitalities among the superior classes of
his neighbours--and after a public and affectionate farewell to all--Mr.
Douglas once more set out with his family on this, his last migration;
and, with the aid of caravan and cart, the family party went on their
way from Muirden to Edinburgh, retracing thus far their steps, on their
journey to Eccleshall; and, in a few days, they were set down in the
court before the manse of Eccleshall, over which two stately lime trees
formed a cooling shade from the fervours of a summer sun.