was born at Moffat in 1730. Admitted advocate in 1754, he attained
considerable eminence in his profession. He published “A System of
the Principles of the Law of Scotland,” vol. i., Edinb., 1760, folio;
“Thoughts on the Origin of Feudal Powers, and the Descent of Ancient
Peerages in Scotland,” Edinb., 1783, 4to.; “The Nature and Descent of
Ancient Peerages, addressed to the Earl of Mansfield,” Edinb., 1785,
8vo.; “Prospects from Hills in Fife,” 3rd edit., Edinb., 1802, 8vo. The
last work is composed in verse, the author remarking in the preface
that the “Prospects” were mostly composed many years ago to afford
their “author an occasional relief from the austerity and vexations
of a profession very remote from poetry.” Mr. Wallace died on the
15th March, 1805, in his seventy-fifth year. His father, Dr. Robert
Wallace, successively minister at Moffat and in the city of Edinburgh,
was founder of the Philosophical Society, which afterwards merged into
the Royal Society of Edinburgh. An expert mathematician, he assisted
Dr. Alexander Webster in making calculations connected with the
establishment of the Ministers Widows’ Fund. He died in 1771.
[246] Andrew Balfour was admitted advocate in 1763; he practised at the
bar for nearly half a century.
[247] The negro’s name was Joseph Knight. (See _supra_, p. 115.)
[248] Major-General John Scott, of Balcomie, descended from Scot of
Scotstarvet, author of “The Staggering State,” was one of the most
noted Scotsmen of his period. About 1768 he was elected M.P. for
Fifeshire. Lady Mary Hay, his first wife, was the eldest daughter
of James, thirteenth Earl of Erroll. The general married, secondly,
Margaret, youngest daughter of Robert Dundas of Arniston, Lord
President of the Court of Session. General Scott died in December,
1775. A notorious gamester, he acquired numerous estates, and at
the period of his death was regarded as the wealthiest commoner in
Scotland. He is represented by the Duke of Portland.
[249] Afterwards Lord Henderland.
[250] Sir William Nairne, Bart., Lord Dunsinnan (see _supra_).
[251] General Sir Archibald Grant had served in the East Indies; he
succeeded his father as third baronet of Monymusk. He died in 1796.
[252] William Nisbet of Dirleton died 1784. He was a patron of John
Kay, the eminent Edinburgh caricaturist, who frequently resided at his
house. His present representative is his great-granddaughter, Lady Mary
Christopher Nisbet Hamilton.
[253] Sir Alexander Dick, Bart., younger son of Sir William Cuninghame
of Caprington, Ayrshire, was born in October, 1703. For some years he
practised as a physician in Pembrokeshire. Succeeding his brother in
1746 in the lands and baronetcy of Prestonfield, near Edinburgh, he
assumed the name of Dick, and fixed his residence at the family seat.
He was elected President of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh,
and attained other professional and scientific honours. Dr. Johnson
held him in high esteem. Boswell, in his “Tour to the Hebrides,”
commends Sir Alexander for his amiability and culture. He died on the
10th November, 1785, aged eighty-two.
[254] David Stuart Moncrieffe, of Moredun, second son of Sir David
Moncrieffe, Bart. He was an advocate at the Scottish bar, and latterly
one of the Barons of Exchequer.
[255] John Brown, china merchant in Old Shakespeare Square, and
sometime one of the magistrates of Edinburgh, caused to be erected at
his sole expense an elegant window of stained glass in the great hall
of the Court of Session known as the Parliament House. He died 13th
April, 1780.
[256] Hon. Archibald Erskine was younger brother of Thomas Alexander,
the musical Earl of Kellie, and succeeded him in 1781 as seventh
earl. For twenty-six years he served in the army, and became
lieutenant-colonel of the 104th Foot. In 1790 he was chosen a Scottish
representative peer. Through his unwearied efforts the restraints
imposed on Scottish Episcopalians in 1746 and 1748 were abrogated. He
died at Kellie, Fifeshire, 8th May, 1797, aged sixty-two.
[257] John Thomson, of Charleton, Fifeshire.
[258] Lady Anne Erskine was eldest daughter of Alexander, third Earl of
Kellie, and wife of her cousin, Sir Alexander Erskine, second baronet
of Cambo, Lord Lyon King at Arms.
[259] James Beattie, LL.D., Professor of Moral Philosophy, Marischal
College, Aberdeen. His essay on “The Nature and Immutability of Truth,”
alluded to by Boswell, was published in 1770. Dr. Beattie died on the
6th October, 1802.
[260] Sir Adam Fergusson, Bart., of Kilkerran, LL.D., was eldest son
of Sir James Fergusson, Bart., a judge of the Court of Session by the
title of Lord Kilkerran. Elected M.P. for Ayrshire in 1774, Sir Adam
continued to represent that county for eighteen years. He afterwards
sat for the county of Edinburgh. By the House of Lords he was found
to be heir-general to Alexander, tenth Earl of Glencairn. He died
23rd September, 1813. That he was “great-grandson of a messenger”
is not historically borne out. His paternal great-grandfather was
Simon Fergusson of Auchinwin, youngest son of Sir John Fergusson of
Kilkerran, Knight.
[261] The seat of John, fourth Earl of Loudoun.
[262] Major Andrew Dunlop was second son of John Dunlop, of Dunlop,
Ayrshire. He served in the American war, and afterwards commanded the
Ayrshire Fencibles. He died in 1804. His mother was Frances Anne,
daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Wallace of Craigie. She was a friend
and correspondent of the poet Burns.
[263] David Kennedy was admitted advocate in 1752. He was elected M.P.
for Ayrshire in 1768. In 1775 he succeeded his elder brother as tenth
Earl of Cassilis, and died 18th December, 1792.
[264] David Rae was called to the bar in 1751, and soon obtained
reputation as a lawyer. He was appointed a judge in succession to Lord
Auchinleck in November, 1782, and was promoted as Lord Justice Clerk
in 1799. He was created a baronet in 1804. He died the same year, aged
eighty.
[265] John Swinton, son of John Swinton of Swinton, was admitted
advocate in 1743. After several professional preferments he was raised
to the bench as Lord Swinton in 1782. He published an abridgment of
statutes relating to Scotland, and other works. He died 5th January,
1799.
[266] John Hamilton, of Sundrum, was for thirty-six years Convener of
the county of Ayr. He died in 1821 at a very advanced age.
[267] James Burnett, of Monboddo, was admitted advocate in 1737.
After a brilliant and successful career at the bar, he was raised to
the bench in 1767 as Lord Monboddo. He visited London every year,
accomplishing the journey on horseback. Introduced at court, he was
especially honoured by George III., who much relished his conversation.
An accomplished scholar, he cherished some strange ideas regarding
the origin of mankind. Of his several works the most notable is his
“Origin and Progress of Language.” He died on the 26th May, 1799, aged
eighty-five.
[268] General Robert Melville was son of the minister of Monimail,
Fifeshire. Entering the army in his twenty-first year, he served in
the invasion of Guadaloupe and other important concerns. After the
general peace he travelled over Europe, and endeavoured to ascertain
the passage of Hannibal over the Alps. He traced the sites of different
Roman camps in Britain. His historical and antiquarian learning were
acknowledged by several learned societies, and the University of
Edinburgh granted him the degree in laws. General Melville died in
1809, aged eighty-six.
[269] Eglinton, youngest daughter of Sir William Maxwell, Bart., of
Monreith, married, 4th September, 1773, Sir Thomas Wallace, sixth
Baronet of Craigie. Like her elder sister, Jane Duchess of Gordon, she
was celebrated for her beauty and wit.
[270] Son of Sir James Fergusson, Bart., of Kilkerran, George Fergusson
was admitted advocate in 1765. Appointed a judge in 1799 he adopted the
title of Lord Hermand. He retired in 1826, and died the following year.
[271] Richard Burke, collector of Grenada, was brother of the
celebrated Edmund Burke, who used every opportunity of bringing him
forward. He possessed some share of his brother’s powers, which,
however, he only displayed in the social circle.
[272] Andrew Stuart, M.P. (see _supra_), published in 1778 “Letters
to the Directors of the East India Company respecting the conduct of
Brigadier-General James Stuart at Madras,” 4to.
[273] Sir George Pigot, Bart., Governor of Fort St. George, Madras,
was created a peer of Ireland 18th January, 1766, as Baron Pigot, of
Patshul, county Dublin. At his death in illegal confinement in India,
17th August, 1777, the barony expired.
[274] William Seward, F.R.S., was born at London in 1747, his father
being a wealthy brewer, partner in the house of Calvert and Seward.
Educated at the Charterhouse and at Oxford, he early devoted attention
to literary concerns. He published “Biographiana” and “Literary
Miscellanies,” and edited “Anecdotes of some Distinguished Persons,” in
four volumes, octavo. He was much esteemed for his amiable manners. He
died 24th April, 1789.
[275] Sir Hugh Palliser was born at Kirk Deighton, Yorkshire, 26th
February, 1722. Joining the navy, he became lieutenant in 1742. He was
posted captain in 1746, after taking four French privateers. In 1759
he led the seamen who aided in the capture of Quebec. In 1773 he was
created a baronet and elected M.P. for Scarborough. He became a Lord of
the Admiralty, and Vice-Admiral of the Blue. In an action off Ushant on
the 27th July, 1778, a misunderstanding arose between Admiral Palliser
and Admiral Keppel, which was attended with a court-martial, and
brought on Palliser unmerited odium. He became Governor of Greenwich
Hospital, and died 19th March, 1796.
[276] Topham Beauclerk, only son of Lord Sidney Beauclerk, third son
of the first Duke of St. Alban’s, was born in 1739. When a student at
Trinity College, Oxford, he became acquainted with Dr. Johnson, who,
though many years his senior, was partial to his society. Johnson
permitted sallies from Beauclerk which others might not attempt.
Beauclerk died in 1781.
[277] Robert Brompton, an artist of considerable celebrity, accompanied
Lord Northampton, the English ambassador, to Venice, where he executed
portraits of the Duke of York and other notable persons. He returned
to London in 1767, but not meeting with sufficient encouragement he
proceeded to St. Petersburg, where he died in 1790.
[278] Henry, tenth Earl of Pembroke, was lieutenant-general in the army
and colonel of the first regiment of dragoons. He was born in 1734, and
died 26th January, 1794.
[279] The representative of an ancient Scottish house, which produced a
distinguished archbishop and a Lord President of the Court of Session,
John Spottiswoode, younger of Spottiswoode, practised in London as a
solicitor. His literary tastes brought him into contact with men of
letters. The conversation alluded to in the text took place at Paoli’s,
when Dr. Johnson, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and others were present. In
his “Life of Dr. Johnson,” Boswell, who reported the conversation in
reference to wine drinking, omits with unusual reticence his remark
respecting his own habits. Spottiswoode was son-in-law of William
Strahan, the printer. He died 3rd February, 1805.
[280] This anecdote is related in the Life of Johnson, the quotation
from Horace being correctly given, thus:—
“Numerisque fertur Lege solutis.”
[281] John Dunning was born at Ashburton, Devonshire, on the 18th
October, 1731. Called to the bar, he attained a first rank in his
profession. In 1767 he was appointed Solicitor-General. In 1768 he was
elected M.P. for Calne. He was in 1782 created Baron Ashburton, and
appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was an occasional
associate of Dr. Johnson, who styled him “the great lawyer.” Informed
by Boswell that Mr. Dunning experienced pleasure in listening to him,
Dr. Johnson expressed appreciation, adding, “Here is a man willing to
listen, to whom the world is listening all the rest of the year.” Lord
Ashburton died 18th August, 1783.
[282] George Colman the elder was born in 1733. While studying at
Christ Church, Oxford, he was called to the bar, but he soon renounced
practice as a barrister and sought fame as a dramatic author. He became
joint manager of Covent Garden Theatre, and was ultimately proprietor
of the Haymarket. For many years he enjoyed an annuity from Lord Bath,
who married his mother’s sister. After a period of mental aberration,
Colman died in 1794, aged sixty-one.
[283] The Hon. Henry Erskine, second son of Henry David, fourth
Earl of Buchan, was a celebrated humorist. Born in 1746, he was
admitted advocate in 1768, and soon attained the foremost place in
his profession. He was Lord Advocate in 1783, and again in 1806. He
latterly retired from public business, residing on his estate of
Amondell, Linlithgowshire, where he died 8th October, 1817. His younger
brother was Lord Chancellor Erskine.
[284] Patrick Murray, an Edinburgh advocate, published, with others
“Decisions of the Court of Session,” from November, 1760, to November,
1764. Edinb., 1772, folio.
[285] The outer house of the court of session, where the lords ordinary
formerly sat, is a spacious hall, the ancient meeting-place of the
Scottish Parliament. It is now solely used as a promenade-room by
advocates and others attending on the business of the court.
[286] Household servants in Scotland formerly assembled in the hall
when guests were departing, doing obeisance to each, in acknowledgment
of which they expected gratuities. These were termed _vails_.
[287] Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of Charles Duke of Marlborough, was
born in 1734, and in 1757 married Lord Bolingbroke. She was divorced in
1768, and thereafter became the wife of Mr. Topham Beauclerk.
[288] Algernon Seymour, who succeeded his mother in 1722 as Baron
Percy, and in 1748 inherited the Dukedom of Somerset. His only child,
Lady Elizabeth Seymour, became Duchess of Northumberland.
[289] Thomas Parnell, D.D., author of “The Hermit” and other poems,
was an Irish clergyman, and a friend of Swift, who bestowed on him a
share of his patronage. Early inclined to the excessive use of wine,
he latterly became an habitual drunkard. He died in July, 1718, in his
thirty-ninth year.
[290] Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, Lord High Treasurer, was a steady
promoter of men of letters. His career forms an important part of the
political history of England. He died 21st May, 1724. The Harleian
Collection of books and MSS. in the British Museum is a monument of his
learning and industry.
[291] The great Dr. Benjamin Franklin, born 1706, died 1790.
[292] Jean Baptiste Antoine Suard published “Variétés Littéraires” and
“Mélanges de Littérature.” He was born 16th January, 1750, and died
20th July, 1817.
[293] Thomas, second Lord Foley, died 8th January, 1766.
[294] See _supra_, p. 97.
[295] Sir Matthew White-Ridley, Bart., M.P. for Newcastle-on-Tyne,
married, 12th July, 1777, Sarah, daughter and heiress of Benjamin
Colborne, Esq., of Bath. Lady White-Ridley died 3rd August, 1806.
[296] _Née_ Miss Hadfield, born at Leghorn, of English parents. She
married Richard Cosway, R.A., and shared her husband’s reputation as
an artist. Her musical _soirées_, at which she was _prima donna_, were
much resorted to by persons of rank and fashion.
[297] Wilkes was in 1703 imprisoned in the Tower on the charge of
sedition. In 1774 he was elected Lord Mayor of London.
[298] Probably James Hutton, M.D., author of “The Plutonic Theory of
the Earth.” He was born in 1726, and may have been styled _Old_ Hutton
to distinguish him from Charles Hutton, the eminent mathematician, who
was born in 1737.
[299] Charles Burney, Mus.D., author of “The General History of
Music,” and other works. He was an intimate friend of Dr. Johnson, who
confessedly prepared his “Tour to the Hebrides” after the model of Dr.
Burney’s “Continental Travels.” Dr. Burney was born at Shrewsbury, on
the 7th April, 1726, and died at Chelsea, 12th April, 1814.
[300] John, seventh Earl of Galloway, K.P., one of the lords of the
bedchamber to George III. In 1796 he was created a peer of Great
Britain by the title of Baron Stewart of Garlies. He died 13th
November, 1806.
[301] John, Lord Daer, third son of Dunbar Hamilton Douglas, fourth
Earl of Selkirk.
[302] The celebrated Edward Gibbon was born in 1737, and died in 1794.
In conversation he was genial and elegant, but he occasionally indulged
in flashes of irony.
[303] William, second Earl of Shelburne, subsequently Marquess of
Lansdown, a distinguished statesman. In 1782 he succeeded the Marquess
of Rockingham as Prime Minister. At one period he much frequented the
society of Dr. Johnson. The Marquess died in May, 1805.
[304] Richard Price, D.D., a Dissenting minister in London, and eminent
philosophical writer, was born in 1723, and died in March, 1791. Dr.
Price was a friend and correspondent of Lord Shelburne. An advocate
of civil and religious liberty, he supported the cause of American
independence, and welcomed the early triumphs of the French Revolution.
[305] Dr. Brocklesby, an accomplished physician, and the generous
friend of Edmund Burke and Dr. Johnson. He published various periodical
papers on professional subjects. Dr. Brocklesby was born in 1702, and
died 1797.
[306] William Schaw, tenth Baron and first Earl Cathcart, born 1755,
died 16th June, 1843.
[307] Colonel George Hanger, an eccentric writer and clever humorist,
served in the American war. He subsequently resided in London, where
his society was cherished by the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV.
Several works from his pen are full of whimsicality. He succeeded his
brother in 1814 as fourth Lord Coleraine, but refused to accept the
title. He died in 1824, aged seventy-four.
[308] Mrs. Heron, of Heron, Wigtonshire.
[309] Rev. Ebenezer Stott, minister of Monigaff, Wigtonshire. He was
ordained in 1748, and died 17th September, 1788.
[310] Houstoun Stewart, second son of Sir Michael Stewart, Bart., of
Blackhall, succeeded to the entailed estate of Carnock, Stirlingshire,
when he assumed the name of Nicolson.
[311] Harry Barclay, of Collairnie, Fifeshire.
[312] In 1741, Henry Home, Lord Kames, married Miss Agatha Drummond,
only daughter of the proprietor of Blair-Drummond, Perthshire, who, on
the death of her brother in 1766, succeeded to the paternal estate. Her
proper designation was Mrs. Hume Drummond, of Blair-Drummond.
[313] Anne, only surviving daughter of Sir William Bruce, Bart., of
Kinross, and heiress of his estates. She married, first, Sir Thomas
Hope, Bart., of Craighall; and secondly, Sir John Carstairs, of
Kilconquhar, and had issue by both marriages.
[314] Patrick Heron, Esq., M.P.
[315] John, tenth Viscount Kenmure. Died 21st September, 1824. He was
Vice-Lieutenant of Kirkcudbrightshire.
[316] John, seventh Earl of Galloway, had as his first wife Charlotte
Mary, daughter of Francis, first Earl of Warwick. He bore by courtesy
the title of Lord Garlies before succeeding his father as Earl in 1773.
[317] Edward, Viscount Coke, eldest son of the Earl of Leicester. He
married Lady Mary Campbell, daughter and co-heiress of John, Duke of
Argyll and Greenwich, and died _s. p._ in 1753.
[318] Pope has thus described the character of this noted
libertine:—“Francis Chartres, a man infamous for all manner of vices.
When he was an ensign in the army, he was drummed out of the regiment
for a cheat; he was next banished to Brussels, and drummed out of Ghent
on the same account. After a hundred tricks at the gaming-tables, he
took to lending money at exorbitant interest and on great penalties,
accumulating premium, interest, and capital into a new capital, and
seizing to a minute when the payments became due. In a word, by a
constant attention to the vices, wants, and follies of mankind, he
acquired an immense fortune. He was twice condemned for rapes and
pardoned, but the last time not without imprisonment in Newgate, and
large confiscations. He died in Scotland in 1731 (February, 1732).
The populace at his funeral raised a great riot, almost tore the
body out of the coffin, and cast dead dogs into the grave along with
it.” Arbuthnot’s epitaph on Colonel Chartres is celebrated for its
epigrammatic force.
[319] John, Duke of Argyll and Greenwich, celebrated as a statesman and
military commander, is immortalized in these lines of Pope,—
“Argyll, the state’s whole thunder born to wield, And shake alike the
senate and the field.”
The Duke was born in 1678, and died in 1743.
[320] Lady Catherine Murray was elder daughter of William, third Earl
of Dunmore.
[321] George Baillie of Jerviswoode and Mellerstain. His
great-grandson, George Baillie Hamilton, became tenth Earl of
Haddington.
[322] There are several versions of this song. The oldest has this
opening stanza:—
“How blithe, ilk morn, was I to see My swain come o’er the hill! He
skipt the burn and flew to me; I met him with good-will. Oh the brume,
the bonnie, bonnie brume! The brume o’ the Cowdenknowes! I wish I were
with my dear swain, With his pipe and my yowes.”
[323] John McKie, of Bargaly, in the stewardry of Kirkcudbright. His
grandson, who bore the same Christian name, was many years M.P. for the
stewardry.
[324] Probably Sir Robert Dalzell, first Earl of Carnwath.
[325] John, eighth Viscount Kenmure.
[326] Mrs. Dunbar, of Mackermore, whose estate in the parish of
Monnigaff, Kirkcudbrightshire, bordered that of Mr. Heron of Heron.
[327] Lord Mark Ker was fourth son of the first Marquess of Lothian,
a distinguished military officer; he was wounded at the battle of
Almanza, 25th April, 1707; he acted as brigadier-general at the capture
of Vigo. In January, 1745, he was appointed Governor of Edinburgh
Castle. He died 2nd February, 1752.
[328] Hugh Montgomerie, a prosperous merchant in Glasgow, and Lord
Provost of the city, succeeded his uncle as fourth baronet of
Skermorly. He became M.P. for Glasgow, and was a commissioner for the
Treaty of Union. He died in 1735.
[329] James Corbet, merchant in Glasgow, rejoiced in tracing his
descent from Roger Corbet (Roger the Raven), who came from Normandy
with William the Conqueror. Till lately the family of Corbet possessed
lands in Clydesdale.
[330] David Campbell, first of Shawfield, second son of Walter
Campbell, Captain of Skipness, made a fortune abroad, and was elected
M.P. for Glasgow; he was a commissioner in the Treaty of Union.
[331] Colonel John Irving, pronounced Irwin, of the family of Irving,
of Logan, served in the Madras army, and became lieutenant-colonel of
the Dumfriesshire militia.
[332] Catherine, second wife of Alexander, sixth Earl of Galloway was
youngest daughter of John, fourth Earl of Dundonald.
[333] This gentlewoman was second wife of John, Lord Garlies,
subsequently seventh Earl of Galloway. She was daughter of Sir James
Dashwood, Bart., and was married to Lord Garlies in 1764. Her ladyship
died in 1830.
[334] Son of Sir Adam Whitefoord, Bart., of Blairquhan, Ayrshire. The
baronetcy is extinct.
[335] Sir William Maxwell, third baronet of Springkell; born 31st
December, 1739; died 4th March, 1804.
[336] The earldom of Fife was renewed in the person of William Duff of
Braco, who in 1727 was elected M.P. for the county of Banff. In 1735 he
was created Baron Braco of Kilbryde, and was raised to the Earldom of
Fife in 1759. He died 30th September, 1763.
[337] The reference is probably to Miss Jane Maxwell, second daughter
of Sir William Maxwell, Bart., of Monreith, who married, in 1767,
Alexander, fourth Duke of Gordon. The Duchess was celebrated for her
beauty and wit.
[338] David, sixth Lord Stormont, died 1748.
[339] Apparently the dowager of Alexander, fourth Baron Elibank,
daughter of George Stirling, surgeon, Edinburgh.
[340] Sir William Baird, Bart., of Newbyth, succeeded his cousin Sir
John Baird in 1746.
[341] Robert Riddell, head of an old Dumfriesshire family, was
predecessor of Robert Riddell of Glenriddell, the antiquary and an
active patron of Robert Burns.
[342] James, sixth Duke of Hamilton. He married Elizabeth, one of the
three beautiful Misses Gunning, who on his death espoused John, fifth
Duke of Argyle. The Duke of Hamilton died on the 18th January, 1758, in
his thirty-fourth year.
[343] Representative of Sir Alexander Fraser of Durris, who was created
a baronet in 1673. The baronetcy is extinct.
[344] John, third Earl of Hyndford, was in 1741 appointed envoy
extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the King of Prussia. He died 19th
July, 1767, aged sixty-seven.
[345] John, fourth Earl of Dunmore. His eldest son, George, Viscount
Fincastle, was born on the 30th April, 1762. The Earl died in March,
1809.
[346] Thomas, ninth Earl of Cassilis. Died 30th November 1775.