_Sir William Grant_ (Vol. ii., p. 397.).--Your correspondent R. says that
"_Sir William Grant_" was one of the few Scotchmen who had freed himself
from the peculiarities of the speech of his country. Frank Horner is
another." If R. means to include the _Scottish accent_, he is mistaken as
to Sir William Grant, who retained a strong Scottish _burr_. If he means
only correctness of diction, then I should say the number was not _few_.
Mackintosh's and Jeffery's English was, I think, quite as pure as Horner's;
and Lord Brougham, with much idiosyncrasy, had no _Scotch peculiarities_,
at least--_me judice_--infinitely less than Sir William Grant. I could name
twenty members of the present houses of parliament in whom I have never
detected any "Scotch peculiarity."