ana re
 
 
 
 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 LOS ANGELES 

 

 
 HOi. 

 
 GEORGE SQUARE
 
 GEORGE SQUARE, 
 
 GLASGOW; 
 
 AND THE LIVES OF THOSE WHOM ITS 
 STATUES COMMEMORATE. 
 
 A BOOK FOR GLASGOW FOLK AT HOME AND ABROAD. 
 
 BY 
 
 THOMAS SOMERVILLE, M.A., 
 
 BLACKFIUARS PARISH, GLASGOW. 
 
 GLASGOW: 
 
 JOHN N. MACKINLAY, 492 SAUCHIEHALL STREET. 
 M'CALLUM & CO., 204 BUCHANAN STREET. 
 
 1891.
 
 Edinburgh, JOHN MENZIES & Co. 
 
 London, - SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & Co., LIMITED. 
 
 AIKD AND COGHILL, 1'RINTERS, GLASGOW.
 
 6^5-36 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE Author has taken an interest in George Square and its 
 Statues for many years. In early days, when attending College 
 in the High Street, he had almost daily to pass through this 
 Square, and the questions often recurred to his mind, "What 
 had these men done whose statues are in the Square ? Who 
 dwelt in the houses around ? and, Whose names do the streets 
 bear ? " The same questions will arise in the minds of many, 
 both young and old ; and this book is an attempt to answer 
 them. It cannot but be profitable^ for the young more par- 
 ticularly, to know something of those who have gone forth 
 before them from these streets and distinguished themselves 
 in the ranks of life. 
 
 Some years ago he contributed a series of articles to the 
 Evening Times, " Meditations in George Square," and so 
 many expressed an interest in them, that he was encouraged 
 to extend these in the few leisure hours which he has amid 
 other duties. They might not now have seen the light but 
 for the fact that there was the press of Messrs. Aird and 
 Coghill in the East-End Exhibition, in which he had a part. 
 This induced him to put the Sketches into print during the 
 period of the Exhibition. It is hoped that, among other good 
 results, the book will prove a suitable memorial of an under- 
 taking so successful, in which so many of his neighbours and 
 fellow-citizens were interested. 
 
 He wishes here to express the regret he shares with many 
 that the beautiful statue of the late Dr. Norman Macleod is 
 not also in this Square along with those of our other great 
 men. The old motto of the city was " Let Glasgow Flourish 
 by the Preaching of the Word; 1 ' and it would have been 
 only right that whilst there are within it representatives of 
 commerce, war, statesmanship, science, literature and travel, 
 there should also be the statue of one who represented so well 
 the Church and the country. 
 
 486289 .
 
 vi PREFACE, 
 
 He is indebted to Mr. Munro, Depute Town Clerk, and 
 other city officials for information kindly given. 
 
 He has put himself to some trouble to get suitable illustra- 
 tions. Some of these, received from the friends named in the 
 book, are entirely new, and very interesting. They have been 
 photographed by Messrs. Brinkley & Stevenson, Regent 
 Gallery, and transferred by process plate with excellent result. 
 The statue of Burns has been re-drawn by Mr. W. F. Brown. 
 
 The short history of the Square in relation to the growth of 
 Glasgow has led him to give a sketch of the city as it was a 
 hundred years ago, and to bring under review many of those 
 who walked the " plainstanes " in days gone by. The changes 
 upon our city since then are many and striking. So great has 
 been the progress that it cannot be doubted that they will be 
 still greater during the next hundred years. The question may 
 well arise, What like will Glasgow then be ? 
 
 ' Who'll press for gold each crowded street, 
 
 A hundred years to come ? 
 Who'll tread yon church with willing feet, 
 
 A hundred years to come ? 
 Pale, trembling age, and fiery youth, 
 And childhood with his brow of truth, 
 The rich and poor, on land and sea, 
 Where will the mighty millions be, 
 
 A hundred years to come ? 
 
 " We all within our graves shall sleep 
 
 A hundred years to come : 
 No living soul for us will weep 
 
 A hundred years to come ; 
 But other men our land will till, 
 And others then our streets will fill, 
 And other's lips will sing as gay, 
 And bright the sunshine as to-day, 
 
 A hundred years to come." 
 
 T. S.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 GEORGE SQUARE, - 9 
 
 THE MERCHANTS' HOUSE, 29 
 
 THE BANK OF SCOTLAND, 30 
 
 THE GENERAL POST-OFFICE, 33 
 
 THE HOTELS, 37 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS, - - 44 
 
 THE TOWN COUNCIL AND CITY OFFICIALS, ib'gi, 59 
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT, - 63 
 
 SIR JOHN MOORE, - 88 
 
 JAMES WATT, 98 
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT, - 122 
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL, 156 
 
 LORD CLYDE, 170 
 
 THOMAS GRAHAM, - 188 
 
 TAMES OSWALD, 199 
 
 ROBERT BURNS, - 213 
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL, 247 
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTA E, - - 269 
 
 THE EAST-END EXHIBITION, - 296
 
 GEORGE SQUARE 
 
 AND THE GROWTH OF THE CITY. 
 
 GEORGE SQUARE has been termed the Pantheon of 
 Glasgow. As yet it has no sheltering dome like that 
 grand old temple of the Greeks, but stands open to the 
 skies like their theatres in the ancient days. The time will 
 come, we trust, when this and our other open spaces will 
 be partially covered, and form the rendezvous of our citizens 
 on their great gala days. This Square is fitted in many 
 respects to become the perpetual winter and summer palace 
 of the people. 
 
 In a volume devoted to the lives of the great men whose 
 statues adorn the Square, it may not be uninteresting to give 
 a short sketch of its history and of the public buildings that 
 now surround it, as illustrating the progress of our city. 
 
 It is altogether of modern growth. Unlike its neighbour, 
 the Barony Square, it can boast neither of Bishop's Palace 
 nor Royal Cottage. As far down as 1745, the year of Prince 
 Charlie's rebellion, it was a marsh, surrounded by meadow- 
 lands and kitchen gardens. The one wretched road which 
 extended through the city from south to north, was the 
 Cow-lone, by which the town herd daily took the cattle of 
 the citizens to the pasture. It passed immediately to the 
 west of what is now the Square. It led from Bridgegate, 
 then one of the fashionable parts of Glasgow, went up 
 Stockwell Street, wound past St. Enoch's gate, or more 
 
 B
 
 io GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 correctly, St, Thenaw's gate, as Trongate and Argyle Street 
 were named of old, and up where Queen Street now stands. 
 On the site of the present Royal Exchange there was a quaint 
 little farm-house, in front of which it passed, and then went up 
 through what is now the North British Station, and from that, 
 by a raised path that divided the Crackling House Quarry 
 from the Provanside Quarry, through Dundas Street to the 
 Cowcaddens. Just above the farm-house this Cow-lone 
 was joined by the Back Cow-lone, to which Ingram Street 
 nearly corresponds, and along this the herd's assistant 
 brought the cattle from High Street. A little further up 
 in Dundas Street, at a spot still marked by the " Thorn-tree 
 House," it was again joined by the Rottenrow-lone^ from the 
 higher district. 
 
 From High Street to Byres Road, away in the west, there 
 was no other road out of the city to the north, all being 
 enclosed gardens and fields. 
 
 Where the Cow-lone ended, now Cowcaddens, there was 
 another farm-house, and near it a rambling little clachan, 
 sloping eastwards and looking towards the Old Cathedral 
 and the Bishop's Castle, where is now the Royal Infirmary. 
 
 We get a graphic picture of the locality as it was at the 
 close of the last century, and the primitive life of the 
 citizens then, in "Glasgow, Past and Present," a most 
 interesting book by the late Mr. Reid, the " Senex " of the 
 Glasgow Herald thirty years ago. He says, "I have 
 conversed with people who perfectly well remember the 
 last town herd collecting the cows and driving them along 
 the streets and both of the lones in the manner described. 
 His name was John Anderson, and he lived in 'Picken's 
 Land,' Rottenrow. He wore a kilt. I am in possession of 
 his horn, and a very primitive wind instrument it is. It is 
 made out of a cow's horn, (fit emblem of vocation !) with an
 
 EARLY HISTORY. n 
 
 indentation round the mouthpiece in which to put a cord 
 for suspending, for safety, the instrument round the official's 
 neck." 
 
 The Square is part of the croft called "Ramsholm," 
 " Ramshorn," and in older time " Ramshoren," which 
 extended from the Deanside Brae and Candleriggs to the 
 Cow-lone, now Queen Street, and from Rottenrow to the 
 Back Cow-lone, now Ingram Street. It has been alleged 
 that the Earl of Angus with his adherents encamped here 
 when in rebellion during the minority of James V. But, 
 more probably, this statement refers to what was done by 
 John Mure of Caldwell when he stormed the Bishop's 
 Palace on behalf of the Earl of Arran, during his quarrel 
 with Beaton in 1575. Hence it was called for a time the 
 "Pavilion," or "Palzean," or "Pilon" Croft. 
 
 In 1609 this became the property of George Hutcheson, 
 the founder of Hutcheson's Hospital, and subsequently of 
 the hospital itself. It was leased by the patrons to a 
 number of small crofters and gardeners. They do not 
 seem to have made much of it, for in 1703 they sent in a 
 petition for an abatement of their rent, in respect that 
 " Notwithstanding of y e labour, and pains, and industry in 
 cultivating and improving said yeard, yet the same is so 
 unprofitable that it doth not only disappoint y e expectation, 
 but that y e families are like to be ruined yrby, throw the 
 barrenness of the ground." 
 
 For about fifty years similar crofters' complaints had to be 
 dealt with. Then it began to acquire a new value through 
 the demand for building purposes. Hitherto the district 
 had been outside of the city, and the magistrates, afraid of 
 so many of their citizens going beyond the bounds of the 
 Royalty and being free from taxes, wisely purchased the 
 lands of Ramsholm and Meadowflat in 1772, and extended
 
 12 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 their boundaries to include them. Dr. Hill in his " History 
 of the Hutcheson's Hospital " states : "Almost immediately 
 after their acquisition the magistrates proceeded to dispose 
 of the lands in detail, and in a very few years realised from 
 their sale feu-duties amounting to many hundreds per 
 annum" and he naively adds, "a revenue which it may 
 not unfairly be urged should have been secured to the 
 hospital instead." By reference to the advertisements in 
 "Old Glasgow" by "Senex" we find that this feuing was 
 mostly about George Street and the "New Town" to the 
 east of the Square. 
 
 The Square was laid out in the year 1781. Not much 
 more was done than simply to mark its boundary; for a 
 writer, describing it nearly twenty years later, states that it 
 was a "howe" or "hollow, filled with green- water, and a 
 favourite resort for drowning puppies and cats and dogs, 
 while the banks of this suburban pool were the slaughtering 
 place of horses." 
 
 By the termination of the American war there set in the 
 tide of prosperity which continued unabated all through the 
 period of the Peninsular war, and down into the present 
 century. The city went westward and northward with rapid 
 strides. New streets were laid out, the names of which 
 commemorate the great personages and events of the 
 period. We have royalty represented in George Street, 
 Duke Street (after the Duke of York), Frederick Street, 
 Hanover Street,* Regent Street; the cabinet in North 
 
 * It was suggested that Miller Street should be named South Hanover 
 Street, but the name of the sturdy old Maltster Miller was too strong for 
 this. Just the opposite happened with Queen Street. It ought to have 
 been named after M'Call, whose black house stood at the corner, but 
 Queen Charlotte was so popular at the time it was opened up that her 
 name carried the day.
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 13 
 
 Street, Holland Street, Pitt Street; the victories of the fleet 
 in Nile Street and St. Vincent Street ; the army in 
 Wellington Street, Hope Street, Corunna Street; the famous 
 bankers in Brown Street and Carrick Street; provosts in 
 Dunlop, Cochran, and Wilson Streets; the local lairds 
 in Gordon Street, opened up opposite Aitkenhead's house ; 
 Oswald Street after him of Shieldhall; and in Renfield 
 Street, that being the old name of the big house at 
 Renfrew, before it became " Blythswood," which was a 
 name transferred to it from the Bridgegate when the 
 Campbells left their old house there in 1773. Bath Street 
 was named after the baths of the enterprising Harley, who 
 had his great byres as well as his baths on its line. He 
 feued nearly the whole of Blythswood hill and holm, 
 opened up streets, and would have cleared an immense 
 fortune if he had been able to hold on. But an adverse 
 fate overtook him, as well as that other early speculator, 
 Hamilton Garden. Dundas Street, as well as Pcrt-Dundas, 
 were named after Lawrence Dundas, chairman of the Forth 
 and Clyde Canal. Ingram Street commemorates William 
 Ingram, principal founder of the Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 The land on the west of the Square was feued from the 
 city of Glasgow in 1789 at is. 8d. per square yard, and building 
 followed briskly. At the beginning of the century the sides 
 were nearly as well rilled up as they are now. Denholm, 
 who wrote his history in 1804, says, "The buildings here are 
 very elegant, particularly those upon the north, which for the 
 beauty of the design and taste displayed in the execution, 
 surpass by far any other either in this city or Scotland." 
 
 There never were better houses erected in Glasgow than 
 some of the "mansions" built during the period from 1745 
 to 1 799. From the time when the Bishop's Castle and the 
 manses of the old clergy were erected, there were few self-
 
 14 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 contained houses. The "Blythswood mansion" was built 
 by Provost Colin Campbell (1688) on the south side of the 
 aristocratic Bridgegate, close to the old Merchants' House. 
 Behind it was the orchard reaching almost to the river. 
 From " Silver Craigs," near to it, Walter Scott, the famous 
 "Beardie," great grandfather of Sir Walter Scott, received 
 his wife, Jean Campbell. In Blythswood provosts succeeded 
 each other for more than a century. It has passed away, 
 "No. 1 13 "being all that stands in its place. It was the 
 solitary glory of the period. Thirty years after, in 1711, its 
 rival, the "Shawfield mansion" was built by another Campbell 
 Daniel Campbell at the West-Gate,* just in the march 
 between old and new Glasgow, now the foot of Glassford 
 Street, that street being named after its last proprietor, 
 Glassford of Dougalston. Within it the Pretender held 
 his court in 1745, his horses being stabled on the opposite 
 side, a little farther east, and here he received from the 
 magistrates and merchants the .5,500, the restricted levy 
 upon the city. It is memorable as the scene of the 
 Shawfield riot in 1725, on account of the obnoxious 
 malt tax promoted by Campbell. The Government 
 had to pay ,9,000 for the damage done in this riot. 
 This helped him to purchase the island of Islay, for 
 which he left two years after. In the peace and prosperity 
 that followed Culloden, other citizens began to think of 
 mansions for themselves. Of some of these there is an 
 excellent account in a paper by J. Oswald Mitchell in the 
 
 * In these days there was a perpetual scare alternating between the 
 plague and the " Hielan Men." To keep out these a constant guard was 
 kept at the gates. What is now Argyle Street was then named Weslergate, 
 sometimes St. Thenaw's gate, as leading to her Chapel, St. Tennoch's or 
 St. Enoch's ; and Saltmarket, in former times, was the Walcargaie, or 
 Walkergate, from the Walkers of Cloth, who had their stances there. 
 Stockwell ought to have been Waterport Street.
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 15 
 
 " Regality Club." The first in the order of time was that 
 of William Craig, builder and deacon of the wrights. He 
 moved out from the Bridgegate towards the country, and 
 built his "great house" outside the gate at the Waterport, 
 just west of the old Stockwell Bridge,* erected by the good 
 Bishop Rae. He took a great interest in the almshouse, 
 which stood further out, nearer the site of the present Custom 
 House, and his good works are commemorated in a tablet 
 removed from that old Almshouse to its successor in 
 Parliamentary Road. 
 
 Deacon Craig led the fashion of the day. This "great 
 house" was soon succeeded by a greater on the stance 
 further west. His neighbour wright, Allan Dreghorn, who 
 seems to have been also contractor and coalpit owner, built 
 the "Dreghorn mansion" on Clydeside,amid shrubs and trees, 
 near to the present Ropework Lane. This was indeed a 
 splendid edifice, and thoroughly well finished. The Marquis 
 of Breadalbane, long after, offered ^200 for the dark mahogany 
 balustrades from its grand staircase. His brother Robert 
 went into the rising tobacco trade, and prospered even 
 more, purchasing the estate of Ruchill. Between them they 
 thought of founding a great landed family, and these hopes 
 centred in the son of Robert Dreghorn also a Robert, more 
 familiarly remembered as the " Bob Dragon " of Kay's 
 portraits. To him Allan Dreghorn left his mansion and his 
 fortune. But he was a miserable, ill-faured, vain creature. 
 Daily did he emerge from his mansion, and find his way 
 up the Stockwell' to the plainstanes in front of the 
 Tontine and take his place with other tobacco lords. His 
 name was a bye-word among women and a " bogie " to the 
 
 * By this time the bridge was frail, and only coaches and foot passengers 
 were allowed to cross it. There was a ford both above and below the 
 bridge across which the carts were drawn. See Map in Stuarfs Views.
 
 1 6 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 children. A solitary, cheerless life he led in the big house, 
 with his sister, by whom he was found one morning dead in 
 his chamber. The Dreghorn mansion was also the scene of 
 a riot. For some time after " Bob Dragon's " death it was 
 unoccupied, and regarded as an "eerie" place to pass on 
 the dark nights. See view in article on "Sir Walter Scott." 
 
 In the course of time it was taken by Provand the dyer. 
 Reddish-coloured waters were seen to emerge from it, and 
 many held that he was carrying on a " resurrection " business 
 as well. On Sunday evening, nth February, 1822, the report 
 went along the street that two children had been enticed within, 
 and the mob gathered and gutted the house, and threw its 
 contents into the river. For this several were transported, 
 and two whipped publicly behind a cart in the streets, 
 the last occasion this punishment was exercised. With " Bob " 
 the name perished, and the wealth passed over to the 
 daughters of Ruchill Elizabeth, afterwards of Ruchill ; 
 Margaret, second wife of Denniston of Colgrain ; and 
 Christian, wife of Lawrence Hill, and mother of the late 
 Lawrence Hill, LL.D. The Dreghorn House, much 
 altered in front, was for a long time occupied by the late 
 Thomas Smith as a furniture warehouse. About a dozen 
 years ago it was purchased by Archbishop Eyre, D.D., on 
 behalf of the Roman Catholic body in Scotland, but is still 
 used as a warehouse. In 1731 Deacon Craig paid 3|d. per 
 square yard for his land. In 1732 Dreghorn paid Q^d. per 
 square yard for his, and the Archbishop paid ^7 125. gd. 
 per square yard for it. Such has been the increment in 
 Glasgow land. 
 
 At the head of Virginia Street, where is now the Union 
 Bank, stood the Virginian mansion hence Virginia Street 
 facing southwards, built by George Buchanan of Mount 
 Vernon. On the north side of Argyle Street, with its side
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 17 
 
 to Miller Street, was the house of John Miller, the maltster, 
 of Westerton. When Barry, the architect, laid out these 
 new streets, he was permitted by Miller to utilise his garden 
 and part of his house as he liked, but not to encroach on 
 the main rooms ; hence the narrowness of Miller Street. 
 Nearly opposite Miller's house was that of Provost Colin 
 Dunlop of Carmyle in Argyle Street. He opened up 
 Dunlop Street. Dr. Moore, the father of Sir John, was one 
 of his first feuars. His house was No. 42, now covered by 
 the railway station. The upper part of Dunlop's house, with 
 the curious facade and urns, may still be seen in the 
 tenement, 51 Argyle Street. The grand panelled drawing- 
 room, with its elaborate chimney-piece, is now a restaurant. 
 It is worth visiting in order to see one of the few bits of the 
 old Glasgow gentry houses that remain. Provost John 
 Murdoch of Rosebank bought land from Dunlop, and 
 built his house at the corner of Dunlop Street. This became 
 the Buck's Head Hotel in after years. In its place there is 
 now the Clothing Company, 59 Argyle Street. A little 
 further west, about 101 Argyle Street, was the house 
 of Alexander Houston of Jordanhill, one of the first 
 partners in the famous Ship Bank. Maxwell Street very 
 narrowly missed the name, Houston Street. At the 
 south-east corner of Queen Street was the house of M'Call 
 of Belvidere. It was built of black stone, and hence 
 familiarly called "M'Call's Black House." Further west, 
 at the south-east corner of Buchanan Street, where 
 is now the warehouse of Messrs. Fraser & Co., stood the 
 house of George Buchanan, maltster, brother of Provost 
 Andrew Buchanan of Drumpellier. At the corner of 
 Jamaica Street was the house of their nephew, George 
 Buchanan of Auchintorlie. These Buchanans did very 
 well on their own account, and better still when the fortune
 
 i8 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 of Robin Carrick, the banker, was divided among them, the 
 Moores, and a few others, who were all bound to incorporate 
 the name Carrick with their own. On the west side of 
 Queen Street was the house of James Ritchie of Craigton, 
 who had come to Glasgow a plain Ayrshire lad. This 
 afterwards became the counting-house of Kirkman Finlay 
 & Co., and finally gave place to the National Bank. These 
 houses were all nearly of the same pattern brought in by 
 Deacon Craig a big square connecting with abutting wings. 
 In front of the hall door there were stairs leading down on 
 right and left to the street. They each cost about 2,000, a 
 large sum considering the price of labour and material in these 
 times. They were built to last for ages, but they were 
 not permitted to live out half their days. Commerce, with 
 its imperative demands, speedily overtook them. With 
 the exception of Dunlop's, they have been demolished, and 
 given place to large mercantile warehouses. Lawrie of 
 Lauriston's house, a later erection, still standing No. 8 
 Carlton Place, occupied by Mr. Robb, the banker is one 
 of the most elaborately and beautifully finished houses in 
 Glasgow. Italian workmen were brought from Windsor to 
 do it. 
 
 When the American war closed and prospects brightened, 
 there were two others built, grander than any of these. 
 The first was the " Lainshaw mansion," built by William 
 Cunninghame on the site of the old thatched house in 
 Queen Street, and, as stated by Mr. J. Oswald Mitchell in 
 the paper in the " Regality Club " already referred to, 
 " was the stateliest townhouse of its day in Scotland ; it 
 would have been in the first rank in London then ; and it 
 would grace Piccadilly now. It survives, embedded in the 
 buildings of the Royal Exchange, between the portico and 
 the news-room, and one may still form some idea of what
 
 EARLY HISTORY. ig 
 
 it was from the massive mahogany doors, the fine oval 
 gallery, the great ball-room, now the underwriters' room." 
 
 At the north-west corner of the Square there was built 
 about the same time as the Lainshaw mansion another 
 almost equal to it in stateliness and cost. This was Bailie 
 George Crawford's Lodging. Of himself very little is known, 
 
 THB CRAWFORD LODGING, OR "QUEEN STREET PARK." RESIDENCE OF THE LATE 
 
 MR. JAMES EWING, M.P. 
 
 (This view was sketched originally on the margin of a silhouette portrait of Mr. James Swing, 
 preserved at Strathleven. It has been re-drawn by Mr. H. A. Mitchell of Glasgow.) 
 
 but his house is remembered by many. It stood amidst 
 tall trees in which numerous crows had their nests, and in 
 front of it, towards Queen Street, there was a spacious lawn 
 dotted with shrubs. About the year 1815 it was purchased 
 by James Ewing of Strathleven, subsequently M.P. for 
 Glasgow, for ^6,000 more than was ever paid before for 
 a Glasgow mansion. From his residence here he was some-
 
 20 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 times termed " Craw Ewing." There are many among us 
 who remember looking through the gates into the " Queen 
 Street Park," as it was called before it was taken possession 
 of by the North British Railway Company and transformed 
 into a station. We are glad that, through the kindness of 
 Mrs. Ewing and of Mr. J. Oswald Mitchell, we are able to 
 present to these a scene of their youth, in a copy of the only 
 sketch of it that remains. 
 
 The last fifty years have made a marvellous change in and 
 around the Square. The first picture of it is to be found 
 in a caricature sketch in the Northern Looking Glass of 
 25th June, 1825, reproduced through the kindness of John 
 Kirsop, Esq. The old holes have been filled up, and we 
 see it here surrounded with a common wooden paling, 
 broken in several places. It is covered with greensward, on 
 which women are washing clothes in the old Scottish 
 fashion, and boys disporting themselves. There is the 
 solitary statue of Sir John Moore, which some of the boys 
 are pelting with mud, and around which others are swinging 
 with ropes. There are as yet no shrubs nor trees to be 
 seen. These would probably have been in the way of 
 the yeomanry, who were periodically reviewed here by the 
 dignitaries. It was afterwards surrounded with an iron 
 railing and planted with shrubbery. For a long period it 
 was supposed that the proprietors of the houses around had 
 a pro indiviso title to it, and it could only be entered with 
 one of their keys, but the late Mr. Carrick, on reference to 
 the records, found this was not the case, and so when the 
 Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone of the Post Office 
 the fence was taken down. It was not put up again. The 
 Square was divided off into flower plots and asphalted 
 paths, supplied with seats and properly lighted at night, 
 and always open. Its last condition is better by far than
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 21 
 
 its first, and now there are few more beautiful squares in 
 Europe. 
 
 I have made the request to one or two friends to favour 
 rne with their recollections of the Square in their early days. 
 Among others a venerable minister replies : 
 
 " DEAR SIR, My memory is rather failing me, but so far 
 as I remember, the north side of the Square was the same 
 
 GEORGE SQUARE IN 1825. 
 (Reproduced from picture in the Northern Looking Olau.) 
 
 in my youth as it now is externally. The house at the 
 extreme east belonged to Mr. Cooper of Ballindalloch. 
 His elder son succeeded his uncle in the estate of Failford, 
 in the parish of Tarbolton. He took an active interest in 
 the public business of the county of Ayr, and was for a 
 number of years representative elder to the ' General 
 Assembly from the Presbytery of Ayr. The house at the
 
 22 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 extreme west belonged to Mr. Hagart of Bantaskine, 
 two of whose sons rose to considerable rank in the army. 
 His daughter was married to Mr. Alexander Spiers of 
 Elderslie, M.P. for Renfrewshire. Mr. Dunn of Dalmuir, 
 who erected large cotton mills at Duntocher, as well as 
 engineering works in Glasgow, also resided here. The 
 east side of the Square was much as it remained till 
 occupied by the present Municipal Buildings. It consisted 
 of comfortable dwelling-houses with a double flight of steps 
 to the second storey, the south corner being the George 
 Hotel for many years. The west side of the Square 
 consisted of plain dwellings, but were the residences of 
 many most respectable families. I am not quite certain, 
 but think it was in one of these that Burns' lass o' 
 Ballochmyle resided for a time. The south side consisted 
 of a few dwellings and warehouses. At the corner of 
 Hanover Street were the Manhattan Buildings, taken down 
 for the Post Office, and at the opposite corner buildings 
 which gave way to the premises of Henry Monteith & Co." 
 
 I have received the following from a well-known citizen, 
 who has taken great interest in the city: 
 
 " The earliest recollections of George Square, by one who 
 was born in Miller Street, date from about 1824. The 
 Square was surrounded with a low railing, and he remembers 
 the hindquarters of the horses at a military display pressing 
 against it. He remembers being taken to the house of 
 Mr. Samuel Cooper of Ballindalloch, Balfron, of the firm 
 of W. & A. Cooper & Co., 12 Stirling Street. The 
 windows of the house looked into George Square, but 
 the entrance was from North Hanover Street. The west 
 corner of that compartment of the Square was the residence 
 of Mr. Robt. Hagart, probably of the Hagarts of Bantaskine. 
 The intermediate space was vacant ground, but occupied
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 23 
 
 for a time by a rotunda of wood, Avhere there were panoramic 
 exhibitions. The style of architecture of what was known 
 sixty-five years ago as the "new buildings" is obviously 
 much plainer than that of the corner houses. The whole 
 compartment was formerly the Queen's hotel, but is now 
 the North British hotel. Mr. James, afterwards Sir James, 
 Campbell occupied one of the houses in the "new buildings," 
 and in 1825 Mr. J. A. Campbell of Stracathro, M.P., was 
 born there. It was in a house with a ground floor and 
 basement, and was Sir J. C.'s residence till the house, 129 
 Bath Street, was ready for occupation. Sir John Neilson 
 Cuthbertson was born in the same compartment of the 
 Square in 1829. Opposite Mr. Hagart's house was that 
 of Mr. Andrew Rankin, son of Rev. Dr. Rankin of the 
 Ramshorn parish church. It is now the North British 
 Imperial hotel. His was one of two or three houses 
 leading up to the entrance to the mansion of Mr. James 
 Ewing. The crows in the trees the writer remembers, 
 and there was a quarry of fine freestone behind the house. 
 In the other compartment of the Square, from North Hanover 
 Street to North Frederick Street, at No. 62, was the counting 
 house of Wm. Dunn of Duntocher. Dr. Wm. M'Kenzie, 
 the oculist, of European reputation, had his house at 68. 
 Near to his residence was that of another famous oculist, 
 Dr. Monteith. At the eastern corner, where the office of 
 the Dunoon Homes is, was the office of Mr. Wm. Aikman, 
 manager of the Steam Carriage Company of Scotland. 
 These notices refer to 1834-5. The steam carriage is 
 remembered as coming round the Square, going down 
 Queen Street, and within a year or so after the speculation 
 was started, or about 1834, the disaster took place on the 
 road leading to Paisley, by which several people lost their 
 lives, by the blowing up of the boiler. Brard, the popular
 
 24 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 teacher of French, had his class rooms in this compartment 
 as far back as 1827. In 1826, James Hill, writer, and of 
 the sasine office of Renfrewshire, had his office in No. 52. 
 Mr. Duncan M'Dougall, the nephew of Mr. Peter M'Dougall, 
 the well-known teacher of writing and mathematics in 
 Stirling, had a commercial academy in the flat above No. 
 56. The eastern compartment, now entirely occupied by 
 the Municipal Buildings, had some interesting features. At 
 the north-east corner of the Square was (1834-5) the 
 residence of the Misses Alexander of Ballochmyle. The 
 boys of the High School used to assemble opposite the 
 house, to have a peep at the " bonny lass " of Burns then 
 well advanced in years sitting at the window. No. 42 
 was the office of Wm. & Adam Graham William occupy- 
 ing the house as far back as 1825. From this house (Mr. 
 Adam Graham's, now represented by A. J. & A. Graham), 
 in 1841, the remains of Mr. Hozier of Newlands, grandfather 
 of the present Sir Wm. Wallace Hozier of Mauldslie, were 
 carried out for interment, having been brought from 
 Edinburgh. No. 44 was the residence of Miss Kippen, 
 the sister of Wm. Kippen of Busby. James Ewing & Co. 
 transferred their place of business from Ingram buildings, 
 at the head of Miller Street, to No. 36, the centre tenement, 
 in 1839, an d J- & A. Dennistoun removed from Montrose 
 Street to No. 38, in 1842. Wm. Forlong of Brines, 
 Argyllshire (wine merchant), occupied 34. The two houses 
 at the south-east corner formed the George hotel, conducted 
 by Hutton in 1825, and by James Black in 1834-5. 
 
 " The compartment now occupied by the Post Office had 
 at the western corner, or that bounded by South Hanover 
 Street, Manhattan buildings, which were occupied entirely 
 by manufacturers, such as Anderson & Laurie (the present 
 representatives of the family being Messrs. Anderson of the
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 25 
 
 Atlantic Mills), Wm. Church & Co., J. & J. Black (James 
 Black being the grandfather of Wm. George Black), and 
 Fleming & Hope. David Hope was a friend of Carlyle. 
 The entrance to these places of business was in South 
 Hanover Street. The corner to the east was occupied by 
 business premises, and John M'Call, writing-master, and 
 R. & T. Stevenson, writing-masters, had their class rooms 
 all well-known citizens. In the corner of the compartment 
 to the west, where Messrs. Wm. M'Laren, Sons, & Co. 
 have their warehouse, was the Athenaeum reading room, 
 with an entry from No. 6 South Hanover Street in 1825. 
 Dr. Richard Miller, professor of Materia Medica in the 
 College, had his dwelling-house to the west of this reading 
 room. Henry Monteith & Co. took it down and built a 
 tenement for themselves, having removed about 1825, or 
 before it, from 'Balaam's Passage,' or Charlotte Lane, 
 behind St. Andrew Square. The corner house of this 
 division was the office of P. & J. Playfair & Co., the 
 entrance being from 144 Queen Street. Their nephew, Sir 
 Lyon Playfair, got his commercial education there, say in 
 1834. James Whyte & Son, cabinetmakers, had previously 
 occupied the site as their woodyard. A. Donaldson, the 
 well-known teacher of water-colour drawing, occupied the 
 top flat. The west compartment, now occupied by the 
 Bank of Scotland and Merchants' House buildings, com- 
 prised dwelling houses in flats of three storeys. There were 
 no shops. Subsequently these were altered into hotels 
 the Clarence, the Crow, and others. There were three 
 entrances, with turnpike stairs at the back, leading to the 
 several tenements. At the south-west corner was the 
 entrance to the business premises of M 'Queen, M'Donnell, 
 & Co. James M 'Queen, at one time (1835) editor of the 
 Courier, was the great authority on West Indian matters in 
 
 c
 
 26 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 those days. The writer has been assisted in these reminis- 
 cences by a friend who saw the workmen busy in the 
 erection of the statue of Sir John Moore in 1819." 
 
 My own recollection of the Square, when I came to 
 college 38 years ago, is that the east side was almost entirely 
 occupied by well-to-do lawyers. I once called at one of 
 these for a subscription from the Ferguson Bequest for the 
 College mission. The George hotel had long occupied 
 the south corner. On the west side there were a number 
 of thriving hotels, the Crow, named after the Crow-Ewing 
 house, the Clarence, and others visited occasionally by 
 the students in their high festivals. The northern side had 
 the Star, kept by Macdonald who went to Brodick; the 
 Queen's hotel, presided over by Mr. Macgregor, who 
 became the Laird of Glengyle; and the Royal hotel, of 
 which the head was Mr. Carrick, whose brother was the late 
 master of works. I had an introduction to the late Rev. 
 Norman Macleod the first the minister of St. Columba's. 
 He was chairman of the Highland society that dined there 
 a few nights after I presented the introduction. He gave 
 me a card of invitation for the dinner. I have never 
 forgotten the experience. It was almost too much for a 
 quiet Kilbarchan lad. The toast to the society was drunk 
 with Highland honours ! I was amazed. The venerable 
 minister was foremost in the fray, and that grand song of 
 his followed " Farewell to Finary !" It was only a 
 Highland heart that could have thought of such kindness 
 to an unknown country lad. Ah, me ! Of that gallant 
 "companie" only a few are alive now. 
 
 I remember also getting lessons from Millen, whose son 
 still occupies the stance next the Royal Hotel, and attending 
 the class of O'Lochlin, an ex-catholic priest who taught 
 Greek in one of the rooms of the Young Men's Christian
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 27 
 
 Association, which was then in a dingy building on the other 
 side of North Frederick Street. Happily it has made way 
 for the Inland Revenue Orifice, and through the generosity of 
 Sir James Campbell of Stracathro, Mr. James Allan, Hafton, 
 Mr. White of Overton, Mr. William Campbell, Mr. James S. 
 Napier, and others, found better quarters in Bothwell Street. 
 Taking the public buildings that now surround the 
 Square, we find the Merchants' House and the Bank of 
 Scotland on the western, the Post Office on the southern, 
 the North British hotel and the Royal hotel on the northern, 
 and the recently-erected Municipal Buildings on the eastern 
 side. A short account of these will fairly illustrate the 
 marvellous progress of the city.
 
 O 5 
 CO 
 
 i -3 
 
 2 s
 
 Ube /l&ercbants' Ibouse 
 
 is the Corporation which returns five of the nine members 
 of the Dean of Guild Court, including the President or 
 Lord Dean of Guild. The merchants properly so called 
 that is, those who followed the occupation of buying and 
 selling in contradistinction to those who were engaged in 
 trades or mechanical employments had obtained a status 
 in Glasgow as far back as the year 1420. The Merchants' 
 House acts in three capacities : as an elective body, as a 
 charitable association, and as a deliberative assembly. In 
 its first capacity it elects the Dean of Guild and his Council, 
 who officiate as directors of the house; in its second, it 
 disposes of its funds for the relief of its decayed members 
 and their families ; and in its third, it meets to express its 
 opinion on public questions affecting the political, commercial, 
 and civic interests of the community. 
 
 There is no evidence of this house having met to 
 deliberate on any subject beyond their own immediate 
 business till after the Revolution of 1688. At the Jacobite 
 Rebellion of 1715 the House agreed, on the motion of the 
 Provost, that the town may borrow a sum not exceeding 
 ^500 "to draw lines round the city, for defence." During 
 the Rebellion of 1745, also, when the demand of ^15,000 
 was made by Prince Charlie's secretary, and was afterwards 
 restricted to ^,5,500, it was resolved "to agree to the same, 
 as necessity was no law." 
 
 Their first fine hall was built in Bridgegate, which, during 
 the whole of last century, was distinguished as containing, 
 besides this handsome edifice, all the banking offices and 
 the residences of many of the wealthiest merchants of the
 
 30 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 city. It was begun in 1651, from designs by Sir William 
 Bruce, afterwards architect to Charles II., and finished in 
 1659. The "gild-hall" was 82 feet in length by 31 feet 
 in breadth, and its ornate spire, which happily still 
 stands, is 200 feet high. There are numerous records and 
 traditions which prove that the hall, for 150 years, formed 
 the principal place of meeting, not only for the merchants, 
 but was also the scene of the gay banquets and assemblies 
 of the time. In the early part of last century the Duchess 
 of Douglas did not think it beneath her dignity to lead off 
 the ball in the fine old hall, on occasions when the youth 
 and beauty of Glasgow and the West of Scotland held high 
 festival. 
 
 The merchants, when business haunts and premises arose 
 nearer the present Royal Exchange, erected, for their hall 
 and offices, buildings in Hutcheson Street, at a cost of 
 ^12,500. There they continued to meet till 1868, when 
 the building was taken over by the Court Commissioners, 
 under the compulsory powers of their Act of Parliament 
 of that year. The present magnificent house, appropriately 
 surmounted with a ship as its vane, was built in 1880, from 
 the design of Mr. Burner., and is worthy alike of the 
 traditions of its mercantile history and of this great city. 
 
 At the south-west angle of the Square is 
 
 TIbe Banfe of Scotland 
 
 In the present era of joint-stock banks, which have driven 
 off the field, from one end of Scotland to the other, every 
 private bank of the olden days, it may be interesting to 
 look back on the beginning of banking in this great city, 
 and on some of its old private banks. 
 
 Previous to 1750 there were no banking establishments 
 in Glasgow. A certain kind of money accommodation,
 
 THE BANK OF SCOTLAND. 31 
 
 however, had long prevailed. Merchants of known wealth 
 and reputation dealt in bills of exchange, and received 
 money from small traders and others on deposit, for which 
 interest was allowed, according to bargain. In these 
 transactions specie, and not paper-money, was chiefly 
 employed, the notes of the only three Scotch banks all 
 in Edinburgh then existing, being comparatively little 
 known, and paper-money not being popular in the west 
 country. Besides these first-class merchants, money was 
 received on deposit by most of the joint-stock companies 
 which carried on business in Glasgow, and of which there 
 were not a few. These companies were composed of 
 merchants of high standing, including many of the tobacco 
 lords or Virginia dons. Some of them were formed before, 
 and others soon after, the union of England and Scotland. 
 Thus business was carried on in our city till 1750. Two 
 attempts had been made by the Bank of Scotland that 
 which now has its magnificent office at the south-west 
 angle of the Square to plant a branch office in Glasgow, 
 in 1696 and 1731 ; but on both occasions they had to be 
 withdrawn. This is scarcely to be wondered at when it is 
 considered how over-cautious the directors were in their 
 mode of transacting business amidst a prosperous and rising 
 mercantile community. They would not, for example, deal 
 in bills of exchange. It was ruled at one of the annual 
 meetings of the shareholders, or " adventurers," as they 
 were then designated, "that the exchange trade was not 
 proper for a banking company ! " and that, after a trial, 
 " the bank found it very troublesome, unsafe, and 
 improper ! " 
 
 At length the rapidly increasing trade of Glasgow 
 determined some of the wealthy merchants to establish a 
 local bank to meet the commercial requirements of the
 
 32 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 community. "The Ship Bank" was formed in 1750, by 
 Messrs. Colin Dunlop, Andrew Buchanan, Alex. Houston, 
 Robert Dunlop, Allan Dreghorn, and William M'Dowall. 
 Their notes, with the ship on the corner, may be seen 
 in " The Making of Buchanan Street " by Mr. Frazer. The 
 office was in Bridgegate, and afterwards in the west wing 
 of the Shawfield mansion. Robin Carrick, the son of the 
 minister of Houston, was long in its service, and latterly 
 chief partner and manager. 
 
 The "Glasgow Arms Bank" was formed in 1753, by 
 Messrs. Cochran, Spiers, Murdoch & Co. 
 
 The "Thistle Bank" was formed in 1758, by Sir Walter 
 Maxwell, James Ritchie, William Muir, John M'Call, John 
 Campbell, and others. 
 
 " The Glasgow Banking Company " was formed by James 
 Dennistoun of Golfhill, and other seventy partners. There 
 was also the "Merchants Bank" from 1769 till 1798. 
 
 In 1727 a charter had been granted to the " Royal Bank," 
 and a branch established here in St. Andrew's Square ; it 
 was removed in 1817 to the Lainshaw mansion, which was 
 barricaded for the better guarding of its treasure. 
 
 In 1830 the private banks were merged in the Union 
 Banking Co., now on the site of the Virginian mansion. 
 
 Other joint-stock banks followed : the Western Bank in 
 1832; the Clydesdale Bank in 1838; and the City of 
 Glasgow Bank in 1839. 
 
 The Bank of Scotland opened its branch here in 1828, 
 and entered on its present premises in 1872. It had 
 only one office till 1855, when the Gorbals branch was 
 opened by the late ex-Bailie Gourlay. His son, Robert 
 Gourlay, now presides over the head office with its score of 
 city branches.
 
 TTbe General post* f f fee. 
 
 The foundation-stone was laid by the Prince of Wales on 
 the iyth October, 1876. So far as postal service was 
 concerned, Glasgow had very modest beginnings. The 
 first little office of last century was in Princes Street, then 
 designated Gibson's Wynd.* It consisted of three apartments. 
 The front one measured twelve feet square, and the two at 
 the back were closets, each ten feet by six. The 
 delivery bole consisted of a hole broken through the wall of 
 the close ! Except on the occasion of that important event 
 of the day, the arrival of the mail coach, this bole was 
 generally kept shut by means of a sliding board ; a gentle 
 tap, however, caused the immediate appearance of His 
 Majesty's postmaster, bobbing up like Punch out of his 
 box. Government paid a rental of 7 yearly for the 
 premises, and the postmaster's salary was ^30 per annum ! 
 
 As years went on, Glasgow was becoming a town of 
 considerable importance. Here were merchants carrying on 
 extensive country trade and also foreign commerce to a 
 considerable extent. The irregular nature of the delivery of 
 letters by running-boys was felt to be a great drawback to 
 business. It therefore became a practice with our wealthier 
 
 * Very wrong to change "Gibson," the name of the worthy Provost 
 and founder of commerce in our city, to " Princes." How much better to 
 commemorate our local great men in the names of our streets than to 
 import foreign names, such as Fitzroy, Carnarvon, and Grosvenor. We 
 are improving lately. We have got James Bain Street, James Watson 
 Street, and Collins Street, but as yet we look in vain for M'Onie Street, 
 James King Street, and John Muir Street. Unless we take the American 
 system of first, second, third, and so on, the names ought to have some 
 meaning.
 
 CP 
 co
 
 THE GENERAL POST- OFFICE. 35 
 
 merchants to send their letters express by special messengers 
 of their own. As this, however, was rather an expensive 
 mode of transmitting their correspondence, they contrived 
 the means of obtaining the assistance of the postmaster in 
 sending off their express despatches under the cloak of the 
 post-office seal, upon which the express-boy proceeded on 
 his way, and, at all the stages he came to, he readily 
 obtained horses on the official authority of the Post-Office. 
 
 About the year 1800 Glasgow's primitive post-office was 
 removed to a small dwelling-house in St. Andrew's Street, 
 and in 1803 to the back land in the court at 114 Trongate. 
 In 1811 it was removed to larger premises in Nelson 
 Street, in 1840 to Glassford Street, and in 1856 to South 
 Hanover Street. The foundation-stone of the present 
 splendid but inadequate edifice was laid on the i7th October, 
 1876, by the Prince of Wales. The Prince and Princess 
 were the guests of Lord Provost Sir James Bain on the 
 occasion. The day was observed as a high holiday in 
 Glasgow; the square was densely crowded with spectators 
 of all classes, and the ceremony was altogether of a most 
 imposing character nearly 8,000 Freemasons from every 
 part of Scotland surrounding the Prince as he laid the stone 
 with full masonic honours. 
 
 Before the plan was adopted of carrying the London mail 
 by the mail-coach, protected by a guard in scarlet livery, 
 and armed with cutlass and blunderbuss, Glasgow was very 
 ill supplied with the means of sending light parcels and 
 boxes to the south. Heavy goods were at this time 
 forwarded to London by the Newcastle waggon, a ponderous 
 machine with broad wheels and drawn by eight horses. It 
 travelled, on an average, twenty-five miles a day, rested 
 two days in the course of the journey, and reached London 
 in eighteen days, a journey which can be accomplished now
 
 36 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 in nine hours ! It was the event of the week to see the old, 
 romantic-looking mail-coach, painted in gold on both of its 
 side doors, bowling into the city by way of Gallowgate, the 
 scarlet-liveried guard poised on the projecting seat behind 
 the carriage, with a goat's skin dangling over, and a bear's 
 skin to cover his legs, together with a huge great-coat and 
 innumerable tippets to protect him from rain or cold. But 
 the days of these picturesque coaches are now gone; the 
 steam-engine has driven them from the highway, while Puck's 
 prophecy in the " Midsummer Night's Dream " 
 
 " I'll put a girdle round about the earth 
 In forty minutes " 
 
 has been abundantly fulfilled in that wondrous servant of 
 man, the chained and controlled lightning flash ! 
 
 Standing by the polished granite pillars of the spacious 
 Post Office, and gazing on the large and well-appointed 
 hotels on the northern or sunny side of the Square, we 
 feel that they, too, contribute their share to the picturesque 
 ensemble all around.
 
 TTbe Ibotels. 
 
 This subject naturally takes us back to the inns of 
 Glasgow in the olden days. Amongst those the Saracen's 
 Head inn, in Gallowgate, undoubtedly takes the premier 
 place. Strange as it may appear, before the year 1754 
 there was not an inn worthy of the name in the 
 whole city of Glasgow. Of taverns and ale-houses, many 
 of which had a wild, roystering reputation, there was no 
 lack, houses from which the young bloods oft issued, like 
 Falstaffand Prince Hal, "hearing the chimes o' midnight;" 
 but of houses intended for the accommodation of strangers 
 there were none to be had superior to those kept by 
 stablers, whose projecting sign-boards generally exhibited 
 the quaint and sufficiently-elastic legend, "Entertainment 
 for man and beast." This is partially accounted for by the 
 statement that the Glasgow people were so hospitable in 
 receiving and entertaining strangers that no inn could 
 prosper. This is very creditable to us. Even Edinburgh, 
 the capital, was no better supplied, a fact sufficiently 
 humiliating to us native Scots, when we are brought, in 
 our quiet, historic moments, to remember that England, 
 our neighbour, had sweet, dainty inns even as far back as 
 the time of Chaucer. 
 
 To remedy in some measure this state of affairs, the 
 Magistrates and Council resolved, in 1754, to give encour- 
 agement to one Robert Tennent, gardener and vintner in 
 Glasgow, in his intention of building an inn that should be 
 creditable to the city. They gave him full permission to 
 use for his projected building the stones from the ruins of 
 the Bishop's Castle at the Cathedral! This was "The
 
 o> 
 
 CO 
 
 Hi 
 
 Q
 
 THE HOTELS. 39 
 
 Saracen's Head." It was built on the site of the ancient 
 " Saint Mungo's Without the Gates," on the north side of 
 Gallowgate. A portion of this grand old edifice, built with 
 the stones from the Bishop's Palace, may still be seen 
 between the Great Dovehill (Dewhill) and Saracen Lane- 
 No. 187-207. 
 
 This inn was for many years the rendezvous of all the 
 nobility of the west country, and of distinguished strangers. 
 Balls, suppers, and county meetings were held within it. 
 Here the Lords of Justiciary were lodged when on circuit 
 in Glasgow. They walked in their robes and wigs in 
 procession down the Gallowgate to the Court Hall in the 
 Tolbooth, at the Cross. Lord Hailes, Lord Kames, Sir 
 Islay Campbell, the coarse but shrewd Lord Justice-Clerk 
 Macqueen of Braxfield, graced the inn with their presence, 
 or mayhap enlivened it with their songs and mirth. At 
 the numerous magisterial dinners held here, a brace of 
 town officers stood at the head of the staircase in scarlet 
 swallows, with their halberts, while the waiters inside frisked 
 to and fro, powdered, and liveried with red plush breeches 
 and embroidered coats. 
 
 It is recorded that in 1779 a great county dinner party 
 was held in the Saracen's Head. Tradition says that the 
 young county gentlemen were all mightily pleased at seeing 
 a score of beautiful, blooming damsels attired as servants, 
 and wearing white aprons, thronging the stair with dishes 
 and serving the table with the most fascinating grace. 
 They never, they loudly professed, had witnessed such a 
 set of entrancing waiting-maids before, and began to 
 compliment the gracious landlady on her matchless 
 importation of English servants. When, however, the 
 secret came out that these fair ones, so " buxom, blithe, 
 and debonair," were young ladies whom the gentlemen
 
 40 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 knew, and who were sent to the establishment for instruc- 
 tion, the young lairds soon found their way to the kitchen, 
 and insisted that they, too, should instantly be apprenticed 
 as cooks and waiters. 
 
 In this inn Dr. Samuel Johnson, the great lexicographer, 
 poet, and critic, sojourned for several days on his return 
 from his tour to the Hebrides. Boswell describes the 
 incident : " On our arrival at the Saracen's Head inn, at 
 Glasgow, I was made happy by good accounts from home ; 
 and Dr. Johnson, who had not received a single line since 
 we left Aberdeen, found here a great many letters, the perusal 
 of which entertained him much. He enjoyed in imagination 
 the comforts we could now command, and seemed to be in 
 high glee. The professors of the university having heard 
 of our arrival, Dr. Stevenson, Dr. Reid, and Mr. Anderson 
 /the founder of the Andersonian University, George Street), 
 breakfasted with us. Mr. Anderson accompanied us 
 while we viewed this beautiful city. Professors Reid and 
 Anderson, and the two Messrs. Foulis, the Elzevirs of 
 Glasgow, dined and drank tea with us at our inn." Here, 
 too, in 1778, rested the great poet, Robert Burns, on his 
 return from Edinburgh on 28th February, 1788, where he met 
 his brother William, the young saddler, and his old friend 
 the ship captain, Richard Brown of Irvine, and from which 
 he addressed a letter (happily one of the last) to Clarinda. 
 
 We learn of another distinguished party who sojourned in 
 this same hostelry on their visit to Glasgow. In the 
 summer of 1803 William and Dorothy Wordsworth and 
 Coleridge " put up " here for two days while on their tour 
 through Scotland. After having seen Lanark, Hamilton, 
 Bothwell Brig, and Bothwell Castle, concerning which 
 magnificent and picturesque ruin Wordsworth composed 
 the fine sonnet beginning with the lines
 
 THE HOTELS. 41 
 
 " Immured in Bothwell's towers, at times the brave 
 So beautiful is Clyde forget to mourn 
 The liberty they lost at Bannockburn," 
 
 they entered Glasgow by Gallowgate, and alighted at this, 
 the only dignified inn of which the city then could boast. 
 Dorothy tells in her journal of this tour, which she published 
 in after days, and which, for picturesque power and purity, 
 is not inferior to her distinguished brother's prose, how that, 
 after they had dined, rested, and read the letters which 
 awaited them, they strolled through the city, whose 
 interesting sights they admired exceedingly. One incident 
 in connection with the departure of the party from the 
 Saracen's Head strikes us strangely in these days of 
 multifarious means of locomotion. The hackney coach 
 in which Wordsworth's party travelled was one of the first 
 that had ever been seen in the city; and, when they left 
 the inn on their journey towards Dumbarton and Loch 
 Lomond, the wonder-stricken Glasgow urchins followed 
 the equipage with glee till it was several miles on the 
 Dumbarton Road ! 
 
 By this time there had come into prominence a formidable 
 west-end rival to the Saracen's Head. Mr. Glassford of 
 Dougalston who had acquired from the Campbells the 
 well-known mansion of Shawfield, which stood in Westergate, 
 now Argyle Street, at the foot of what is now Glassford 
 Street erected the Black Bull hotel, now the warehouse of 
 Messrs. Mann, Byars, & Co., beside the Shawfield mansion, 
 and immediately west of that part of it which afterwards 
 became Robin Carrick's bank. This hotel became the resort 
 of the fashionables of the period; and, by a singular 
 coincidence, in this house, and in the very street that had, 
 a very short period previously, been named after him, lay 
 in state the body of Archibald, Duke of Argyle, en route 
 
 D
 
 42 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 for burial in the family vault at Kilmun. The remains of 
 the Duke were attended to the hotel by an imposing cortege 
 which included many noblemen and landed gentlemen from 
 the west, south, and east, the magistrates of the city, and 
 many of the professors of the University in their civic and 
 academic robes. 
 
 In the " Regality Club " there is a list of the hotels where 
 the old Glasgow Golf Club dined, and the following note 
 in regard to them : 
 
 " The Prince of Wales was a noted night-house, celebrated 
 for suppers and convivial gatherings. The Buck's Head 
 was the inn at the corner of Dunlop Street and Argyle 
 Street, so long kept by Mrs. Jardine of happy memory. 
 There is a drawing of it in Lizar's 'Glasgow Tourist' (1850). 
 The George hotel, which belonged to the Glasgow Tontine 
 Society of 1816, was at the south-east corner of George 
 Square, and was long one of the best hotels in Glasgow. 
 When its site was required for the Municipal Buildings it 
 was transferred to the northern side of the Square, and the 
 name changed to North British Station hotel. The 
 Tontine was situated at the Cross, and was so called 
 because it was built by the Tontine Society of 1781. The 
 Eagle was a great posting and dining house. It was 
 situated on the east side of Maxwell Street, and was taken 
 down to make the Union railway. Haggart's was in 
 Princes Street, and was the great howff of the sharpshooters. 
 Macfarlane kept the Buchanan Street hotel at No. 57, 
 opposite the Arcade." 
 
 Many others have started into existence during this 
 century. We have Waverleys more than one and temperance 
 hotels by the dozen, a Victoria, an Alexandra, a Cobden and 
 a Cockburn. There are the two great west-end hotels, the 
 Windsor in St. Vincent Street, shut off from the city's din,
 
 THE HOTELS. 43 
 
 and the Grand at Charing Cross, with its great hall, the 
 frequent rendezvous of civic and of nuptial gatherings. 
 The railways have erected those huge experiments, the 
 Central and St. Enoch Station hotels, which absorb so many 
 of their passengers. And yet, after all, to the traveller from 
 afar, pleasanter quarters cannot be found than in those old 
 and well-known edifices, the North British Station hotel 'and 
 the Royal, which grace the northern side of the square. 
 Amid the rise and fall of many others, they remain now much 
 the same as they were in the beginning of Her Majesty's 
 reign, and are central and convenient in situation, stately in 
 appearance, and most comfortable. The Royal was long 
 presided over by Mr. Carrick, the brother of the late master 
 of works. He was very much respected, and in the Royal 
 did well for the many visitors who came to our city, and 
 prospered abundantly. It is now tenanted by Mrs. Cuthbert, 
 who became known for her management of the Imperial at 
 the north-west corner. The North British Station hotel 
 is the old Queen's hotel, the Wellington hotel, and the 
 George hotel rolled into one. Macgregor of Glengyle was 
 long identified with the Queen's, Macdonald of Brodick 
 with the Wellington, and Maclachlan with the George. 
 These and all their virtues are now represented in Mr. 
 J. F. Rupprecht, a very master of his art. Under him it has 
 undergone many modern improvements, and with its new 
 name has entered on a new lease of prosperity. Those who 
 have the opportunity should not leave without examining 
 the rare and curious cabinets which form a feature in Mr. 
 Rupprecht's collections. 
 
 Last in rotation, though not by any means least in 
 importance, are
 
 Ube flfounfctpal 
 
 which comprise the assembly chamber of our civic senators, 
 the reception and banqueting halls on state occasions, and 
 the offices for the administration of the public affairs relating 
 to the interests of the city. 
 
 We have little reliable information as to the proceedings 
 of the Town Council till about the middle of the sixteenth 
 century. Immediately after the Reformation in 1560 our 
 information is somewhat extended. About that period 
 there is little doubt of their being able to transact business, 
 according to their own mind, though with closed doors, as 
 the city records sufficiently show: 
 
 Minute, 4th October, 1575. "Lord Boyd having been 
 named Provost by the Archbishop (Archbishop James Boyd 
 of Trochrigg), and a list of eight burgesses having been 
 presented to His Grace for the purpose of naming two of 
 them as bailies, he selected two of them as bailies for the 
 said year. These gentlemen, having accepted office, 
 immediately commenced their rule by the following statute : 
 * It is statut and ordanit by ye provost, bailies, and counsule, 
 yt gif ony persone of ye counsule happins to revele ony ying 
 spoken or tretit in counsule, as counsule, sail be removit of 
 ye counsule, and never in tymes cuming to be admittit upon 
 ye counsule agane, but halden infame, and yair freedomes 
 calit down!'" 
 
 In the year 1605 James VI. granted liberty to the Town 
 Council to elect their own magistrates, and on the 2nd 
 October of that year the Lord Provost and bailies were 
 elected for the first time in the Council's history without the 
 interference of either ecclesiastical or lay superior. On the
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 45 
 
 Restoration in 1660 the Council received a letter from the 
 Earl of Glencairn, the Lord High Chancellor, ordering them, 
 at their annual election, which fell on that day, to choose 
 their magistrates from those who were cast out of office at 
 the beginning of the Commonwealth, in 1648. The 
 command was obeyed, and, although then an old man, 
 Colin Campbell, the Provost of 1648, was again elected 
 Provost. Another retributive act was the dismissal of John 
 Spreul, the Town-Clerk, on the i7th September, 1661, for 
 having subscribed the Western Remonstrance in days 
 gone by. Such was the spirit of the day ! 
 
 It may be interesting to note that it was as far back as 
 1766 that the Town Council and Merchants' and Trades' 
 Houses resolved that the Magistrates, the Dean of Guild, 
 and the Deacon Convener should wear gold chains 
 emblematical of their respective offices. Previous to that 
 time, in 1720, it had been appointed that the Lord Provost 
 should wear a velvet court dress on public occasions. 
 
 The Municipal Buildings that adorn George Square 
 are the fifth in order that have served for civic purposes. 
 The first Tolbooth, situated at the Cross, on the north-west 
 corner of Trongate and High Street, existed from 1400 till 
 1626. We have neither records of this structure nor plans 
 of its architectural features at this date, beyond the fact that 
 it rested upon a piazza, within which and on a level with 
 the Trongate and High Street were shops or booths, the 
 property of the Corporation, leased to leading shopkeepers 
 of the time. The rents derived from these booths, whence 
 the name Toll-booth, were applied to the maintenance of 
 the Council House and the prison overhead. Mr. Andrew 
 Macgeorge in his valuable work, "Old Glasgow," says of 
 this earlier Tolbooth : " We have no account of its appearance, 
 or when it was erected. In the ancient charter of the city
 
 46 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 it is frequently mentioned as the place of meeting of the 
 Burgh Courts." 
 
 In order to keep pace with the expansion of the city, and 
 to provide for the civic requirements of a community so 
 rapidly growing, it became necessary in 1625 to erect a more 
 spacious edifice in place of the old Tolbooth, which had 
 done duty for well-nigh two centuries. This development 
 of the city did not lie so much in the increase of population 
 as in the rapid strides made in commerce, and consequent 
 financial prosperity for the inflow from the rural districts 
 and villages was discouraged, and jealously controlled under 
 the by no means chivalrous sentiment of the times, to 
 safeguard the crafts, guilds, and commerce of the city. 
 There is one consolation as to this selfish "practice poor 
 though it should be Glasgow did not stand alone in this 
 respect amongst the cities and burghs of Scotland. 
 
 In the year 1625, the Town Council came to the resolution, 
 in replacing the old Tolbooth, to utilise its site, along with 
 contiguous ground, on account of the situation being the 
 most convenient in the city. Here, however, the records 
 are again silent regarding the preparation of the plans. At 
 this period in Glasgow's history it may be safely assumed 
 that the professional architect and the building contractor, 
 in the modern acceptation of the terms, were still non- 
 existent. Doubtless, however, the design was the outcome 
 of more than one practical mind, intent on giving a fitting 
 dignity to the civic halls of their native city. The edifice 
 was begun on i5th March, 1626, and finished in September, 
 1627. During this period the Town Council held their 
 meetings in the Tron Kirk ! 
 
 In 1736 the Town Council erected a hall immediately to 
 the west of, and communicating with, the Council Chambers, 
 which they designated "The Town Hall." This hall
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 47 
 
 p 
 
 remained intact till the year 1874, when it was incorporated 
 by the City Improvements Trustees with the Tontine 
 Building. This was long the most picturesque building of 
 the Trongate in its palmy days, when the tobacco lords 
 walked up and down on the plainstanes in front of the 
 piazza. It is- still preserved, shorn of the latter romantic- 
 looking feature, however, as the Tontine Drapery Warehouse, 
 occupied by Messrs. Moore, Taggart & Co. This Town 
 Hall lent an additional lustre to the already dignified and 
 spacious Council Chambers. It was of elegant proportions, 
 the ceiling being arched, and the walls decorated with 
 trophies and full-length portraits of our British kings and 
 queens down to George IV. At the hall's eastern end stood 
 for many years Flaxman's statue of Pitt, an exquisite work 
 of art, which is now in the Corporation Galleries. This 
 Town Hall became the place of public meeting of the 
 citizens, and was ever called into requisition whenever a 
 banquet of civic or national importance was held. It was 
 here, on the evening of the day on which the news of Prince 
 Charlie's defeat at Culloden arrived, that the Lord Provost, 
 Magistrates, and other local magnates, including the 
 Principal and Professors of the University, met to testify in 
 flowing bumpers their loyalty to King and country, and to 
 wish confusion to the Jacobite cause. 
 
 With the dawn of the nineteenth century was to come to 
 an end the official relationship of the Tolbooth with the city 
 which it had served for nigh two centuries. Happily, before 
 it lost its old dignity and place, it had attracted the eye of 
 Sir Walter Scott, who threw the glamour of romance around 
 it, and in " Rob Roy " gave it immortality. When it was 
 erected in 1627 the population of the city amounted to 
 only 10,000. In 1807 this had arisen to 100,000, and, 
 in consequence, the old Tolbooth had become utterly
 
 48 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 inadequate for conducting with efficiency the varied civic, 
 legal, and penal functions of an increased population. To 
 these features were also added the justiciary trials and all 
 the prison requisites and accommodation for nearly the 
 whole of the county of Lanark. The necessity for new and 
 more commodious buildings was first discussed by the 
 Town Council in 1805, but with no result. In November, 
 1808, a new Committee, with the Lord Provost as convener, 
 was appointed to look out for a proper site and report. The 
 spot agreed upon was at the western extremity of Glasgow 
 Green, at the foot of Saltmarket, and there the foundation 
 stone was laid in September, 1810; but it had only been a 
 few years in use when the unfortunate fact was evident that 
 the locality was totally unsuited to the requirements of 
 business, and the population always moving west. The 
 building as it still stands is one of the finest specimens of 
 architecture in the city. Glasgow was steadily expanding to 
 the west and north, and, after the opening of the Royal 
 Exchange in 1829, it became more and more inconvenient for 
 gentlemen engaged in business in the neighbourhood of 
 Queen Street and Buchanan Street to attend meetings at 
 the foot of Saltmarket. Bitter dissatisfaction prevailed on 
 all hands. The feeling grew strong, and at last found 
 distinct expression in a letter addressed by Dr. Cleland to 
 Alexander Garden of Croy, then Lord Provost of the city. 
 In this able and exhaustive communication Dr. Cleland 
 advocated the appropriation by the Town Council of St. 
 George's Church. Though this scheme was not entertained, 
 the matter was fast becoming a burning question, not only to 
 the magistrates and merchants, but also to the citizens. 
 Sheriff Sir Archibald Alison, the sheriff-substitute, and all 
 the court officials were also indignant at the indifferent 
 accommodation afforded them in their administration of the
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 49 
 
 duties of the Crown. Accordingly, on the 26th April, 
 1836, an Act was passed which authorised the Glasgow 
 court-houses commissioners with power to erect new 
 buildings for the accommodation of the municipal author- 
 ities, and for both the sheriffs and justices of the peace of 
 the county. It w r as resolved to erect the new edifice on 
 part of the block bounded by Wilson Street on the south, 
 and Hutcheson and Brunswick Streets on the west and east. 
 These buildings, of which the elevation to Wilson Street is 
 strikingly handsome, were erected in 1842, at a cost of 
 ^54,000. Here, for a period of thirty years, were located 
 side by side, the municipal authorities on the west side of 
 the block, and the sheriffs of Lanarkshire on the east side, 
 until the vast strides which the city was making in commercial 
 enterprise, manufactures, and, consequently, in population, 
 rendered additional accommodation in both departments an 
 urgent necessity. An extension was made in Brunswick 
 Street in order to avoid congestion in business in the 
 Sheriffs' section of the buildings ; but this afforded only a 
 partial and temporary relief, so it was ultimately resolved 
 that the City Corporation should remove to some other 
 locality, and thus leave the County Courts of Law in posses- 
 sion of the whole buildings. 
 
 As regards the site to be chosen, there was a very marked 
 difference of opinion amongst the members of the Town 
 Council. One section of the city's rulers, with what might 
 be now termed prophetic instinct, advocated the promotion 
 of a bill to acquire the ground on which the Municipal 
 Buildings actually now stand. The then Lord Provost, Mr. 
 Rae Arthur, headed this party. The other section of the 
 Council strongly advocated a more restricted and economical 
 scheme, that of simply extending the existing buildings, by 
 acquiring the remainder of the ground between Wilson
 
 50 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Street and Ingram Street, including the Merchants' House 
 and Hall. On a vote being taken this restricted scheme 
 was carried, and the courts commissioners accordingly, as 
 has already been stated above, in connection with the 
 Merchants' House, proceeded to carry out the further 
 purposes of the Act of 1868. 
 
 The new Council Chambers were taken possession of by 
 the magistrates and town council, the town clerk, city 
 chamberlain, and master of works, with their several staffs, 
 in 1874. The section of the large block which was first built 
 was, after it had undergone some structural improvements, 
 taken over and occupied by the sheriffs and the various 
 officials of the law. Ere long, however, on account of the 
 enormous development of the city in every branch of trade 
 and commerce, and the vast increase of population, it 
 became again evident that even the largely extended 
 buildings were too small, and that, at best, this latest change 
 could, after all, only be regarded as a temporary make-shift. 
 There was, moreover, now a persistent and strongly expressed 
 public desire for the concentration in one sufficiently 
 adequate building of the many departments in connection 
 with the city's civic, fiscal and penal affairs. Accordingly, 
 the George Square scheme, which had been proposed 
 by Lord Provost Rae Arthur's party in 1870, was again 
 revived in 1877 by Lord Provost Sir James Bain. On 
 this occasion the proposal was adopted by acclamation, and 
 found universal favour throughout the city. In 1878 an 
 unopposed Act was obtained, conferring compulsory powers 
 over the area extending to John Street, and also over an 
 area extending from John Street to Montrose Street. 
 
 Having now obtained statutory powers for the construction 
 of the new buildings, the Town Council proceeded to work 
 at once in a business-like manner. In a brief space of time
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 51 
 
 all the properties lying within the area in question were 
 purchased, with comparatively few legal disputations, for the 
 round sum of ^1 73,000, including law and conveyancing 
 expenses. 
 
 As illustrating the " increment " in the value of land in 
 our city, it may be stated that the whole of this block, 4,838 
 yards, on which the Municipal Buildings now stand, was 
 feued by the town to Robert Smith (supposed to have been 
 acting for Hamilton Garden) for ^645, or 25. 8d. per 
 square yard. In less than a century it was bought back at 
 about ^35 153. per square yard an advance of 26o-fold. 
 This took place within a single lifetime. Robert Smith's 
 daughter Jean, wife of John Gardner of Springboig, was 
 born in 1787 and died at Ardrossan in 1885. 
 
 The Town Council instructed Mr. Carrick, the city 
 architect, to prepare a sketch of plans which should 
 exhibit the internal accommodation required by each 
 department in connection with the administration of the 
 city's affairs, so as to guide the competing architects 
 in preparing their designs. In the advertisements inviting 
 architects to compete for designs in connection with the 
 projected buildings, the limit of the cost of such was 
 restricted to ,250,000. From amongst 155 competitors, 
 the committee of the Town Council accepted the designs of 
 Mr. William Young of London, a native of Paisley, who 
 had received his early professional training in a Glasgow 
 architect's office Mr. W. N. Tait's, 22 Hope Street. 
 
 It will be seen that the style of the Municipal Buildings 
 is a free and dignified treatment of Italian Renaissance. In 
 the facades, dignity and artistic effect have been attained 
 by a skilful grouping of the masses in the general composition, 
 and a refined sense of proportion and gradation of the 
 features. Another notable feature in the ground design is,
 
 52 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 that each of the fronts has an individuality and special 
 treatment of its own, while at the same time unity has been 
 given to the whole design by repetition and balance in the 
 outline of the composition. The general height of the walls 
 is 75 feet above the street level, the corners being carried up 
 one storey higher than the rest of the building, and crowned 
 with octagonal cupolas, about 125 feet high at the apex. 
 The ground and first floors, which are devoted to the 
 various municipal offices or departments of the public 
 service, are treated throughout as a grand rusticated basement 
 for the building a treatment frequently adopted in many of 
 the best examples of civic architecture in Venice and other 
 parts of Italy. The most has been made of the style in 
 which it is built, but, in our opinion, what is suited for Italy 
 with its heat and piercing light is out of place in the darker 
 climate of Scotland. The deep, dark windows have more 
 shade than is desirable. Indeed, many of the windows 
 have been altered and enlarged for the sake of light. The 
 perpendicular Gothic, like the Houses of Parliament, would 
 have been better. 
 
 The finest feature in the external architecture of the 
 building is undoubtedly its elevation facing George Square. 
 This elevation has its centre adorned by three orders, crowned 
 by a pediment and flanked by cupolas. Along the pediment 
 is a group of finely carved sculpture, representing Glasgow, 
 with the Clyde at her feet, sending her manufactures and 
 arts all over the world. The ground and first floor storeys 
 of the central portion form the principal entrance to the 
 building and quadrangle, and are treated in three arched 
 bays, divided by coupled Ionic columns, knit well together 
 by a band of sculpture running across the arches and under 
 the entablature. The windows of the second and principal 
 floor of this front are of Venetian character, and are placed
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 53 
 
 between coupled Corinthian columns with the minor order 
 Ionic. The main wall is set behind the columns. A band 
 of sculptured subjects running along the line of the window 
 beads gives richness to this front, while the projecting 
 columns give a fine effect of light and shade. 
 
 So far as the official apartments are concerned, the 
 Council Chamber and the Banqueting Hall are specially 
 worthy of notice. The former is a noble apartment, 
 comprising 9,300 superficial feet of floor space. It is 
 25 feet high at the lowest part, and 40 feet high in the 
 centre, which is finely carried up in the form of a dome, 
 the very worst contrivance for good acoustics. Indeed, 
 wherever a hall is greater in height than in breadth it is 
 difficult to hear in it e.g., that abortion, Hutcheson's Hall. 
 A suite of well-proportioned salons connect this chamber 
 with the Banqueting Hall. This hall is no feet long by 
 50 feet wide and 50 feet high, and has a gallery at one end 
 and a raised dais at the other. 
 
 Possibly one of the most artistic and imposing sections 
 of this magnificent building is its main entrance from 
 George Square. This consists of a well-proportioned 
 and artistically-treated loggia, having three arched bays, 
 extending from George Square to the quadrangle, and 
 intersected by a cross-arch running parallel to the front 
 of the building. Domes are formed at the intersection of 
 the arches, and the cross bay is terminated in the form of 
 an alcove, with columns and pilasters supporting an 
 entablature. The columns forming the bays and pilasters 
 are of granite, the capitals of marble, and the arched 
 ceilings and domes are of exquisitely-designed subjects in 
 Venetian mosaic. On each side of the loggia are staircases 
 of easy ascent, one leading to the apartments of the officials 
 of the Town Council, and the other to the Grand Hall and
 
 54 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 adjoining salons. These main staircases ace magnificent 
 in structure and have a most imposing appearance. They 
 are constructed of finely-veined Carrara marble, with rich 
 coloured marbles and alabaster columns and balustrades, 
 Parian cement for the ceilings, and marble panelling on 
 the walls. The tout ensemble from the Council Chamber 
 to the salons is both brilliant and artistic, and worthy in 
 every respect of our great and enterprising city. 
 
 It will be remembered that the foundation stone of these 
 magnificent buildings was laid on the 6th October, 1883. 
 When the arrangements for the ceremonial began to be 
 considered, it was felt that an occasion of so much 
 importance might fitly be marked by the presence of 
 royalty, and Her Majesty the Queen and H.R.H. the 
 Prince of Wales were successively approached with this 
 object in view. Unfortunately, however, at that immediate 
 date neither was able to comply with the request. The 
 committee in charge of the arrangements thereupon resolved 
 to fall back on the time-honoured precedent, and to ask 
 the Honourable John Ure, Lord Provost, to undertake 
 the duty, in virtue of his high civic office. His lordship 
 having willingly consented, steps were at once taken to 
 make the day a memorable one, with the result that a 
 civic and masonic procession and a trades procession were 
 arranged to precede the ceremonial in George Square, that 
 event being followed by a grand banquet and other festivities 
 in the evening. All classes in our city took kindly to the 
 great demonstration. Glasgow held high holiday, and was 
 radiant from end to end. The great feature of the 
 demonstration was a monster procession of the trades. 
 Alike in respect of the numbers included, and of the 
 variety, interest, and beauty of the multitude of flags, 
 banners, emblems, and illustrations of the various trades
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 55 
 
 in which our working population engage, nothing has ever 
 been seen in the city to equal it. It was calculated that 
 in this trades procession alone, fully 35,000 persons took 
 part, whilst its length extended over four miles. Fully 
 three hours were taken for it to pass any given point, and 
 the vanguard reached the scene of the ceremonial long 
 before the last contingent had left the place of muster on 
 the Green. The scene in George Square, after the vast 
 concourse had fully assembled, was alike picturesque and 
 impressive. Estimates agreed pretty generally that the 
 vast multitude congregated in and around George Square 
 would amount to 60,000 at the least. Thus, with those 
 members of the various trades in the great procession, 
 there would be a grand total of nearly 100,000 persons 
 as having assisted actively or as spectators in the day's 
 proceedings. 
 
 In the evening a grand banquet in connection with 
 this memorable ceremony was given in the City Hall by 
 the Corporation. About five hundred gentlemen, including 
 the Lord Provost, Sir Archibald Campbell, Sir William 
 Pearce, Lord Craighill, Rev. Dr. Watt, Rev. W. W. Tulloch 
 and Rev. T. Somerville, Grand Chaplains, Archbishop Eyre, 
 Mr. Bret Harte, and others, sat down to dinner.' The 
 addresses were of the most felicitous order, and the banquet 
 was in every respect a brilliant success. Amongst the many 
 toasts of the evening it was most natural that that of Mr. 
 William Young, the architect of the Municipal Buildings, 
 should be proposed. To this toast Mr. Young replied in 
 appropriate terms, in which he paid a graceful compliment 
 to our city : " The kindness which I have uniformly received 
 'in my relationships with this city of late, and especially 
 to-day, carries my memory back to the happy days I spent in 
 Glasgow as a student of architecture, and to the day, some
 
 56 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 twenty years ago, when I left this city with the object of 
 trying to force my way in the great metropolis of the south. 
 At that time, and at the present moment, I could wish for 
 no success which I should prize so highly as to return to 
 Glasgow with a wider and more matured experience, and 
 to have the privilege and honour of taking a part in carrying 
 out one of the great works for which this I think I may 
 be permitted to say our city is distinguished. For it is 
 not one, but many works of magnitude that this city has 
 carried out. We can point to the gigantic works of the 
 water-supply brought from a distant loch; to the improvement 
 I may say the creation of a navigable river from what 
 was, I dare say in the memory of some present here to-night, 
 a fordable stream; to the docks, the wharves and quays, 
 the parks, the bridges, the city improvements, and I hope 
 also by-and-bye the new Municipal Buildings, of which the 
 foundation-stone has been so successfully laid this day by 
 the most worthy and esteemed of Lord Provosts. Pointing 
 to these works, we can truly say that they are the triumphs 
 of peace 
 
 1 Which happiness to a nation brings, 
 These are imperial works and worthy kings. ' " 
 
 These magnificent civic halls of ours which adorn George 
 Square are second to those of no city outside of the metropolis 
 of the world. Happily, too, in these days our City Council 
 is not subject to any arbitrary coercion either from sovereign 
 or lord ; and, taken as a whole, we have at present a 
 representative body of men, alike honourable and capable 
 in the highest degree. And it is well that it is so. The 
 judicious administration of the revenues of the city 
 revenues which have increased from ^1,000 a year in 1650 
 to ;i, 400,000 per annum in 1890 and the attending to 
 the municipal interests of three-fourths of a million of
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 57 
 
 human souls, is surely no light responsibility. It is of vast 
 importance, too, in these days of world-wide competition 
 between individuals and communities, and in such an 
 extensive production of iron and textile manufactures in 
 every form, that our artisan population should be distin- 
 guished by the high quality of their moral, intellectual, 
 and technical education. In the attainment of these great 
 ends our municipal rulers have much in their power. The 
 proper administration of well-compiled police and sanitary 
 laws to procure healthy dwellings; the management of 
 public hospitals; the splendid distribution of our water 
 supply, obtained pure from the very heart of the land of 
 romance ; the providing of means of healthful recreation, 
 in the conserving and extension of our public parks and 
 open spaces George Square, the finest example of the 
 latter; the development of our art galleries, industrial 
 museums, and public libraries, along with jealous attention 
 to other departments of the public service, afford ample 
 scope for all the loyal and well-directed energies of our 
 city fathers. It must be said that the members of the 
 town council are unwearied in their efforts to accomplish 
 the prosperity of the vast community which has honoured 
 them with its trust. 
 
 Glasgow, as we all know, has reached the proud position 
 of being the second city in the Empire. To that enviable 
 honour it has advanced with remarkable rapidity. There is 
 no evidence of any relaxation in the energy and enterprise 
 which have accomplished this proud result. And in 
 contributing to this great end it must be loyally said that 
 our Magistrates and Councillors, as a rule, have done all 
 in their power, not only to retain the position in which our 
 city now stands, but to give it even a yet more honoured 
 position in the eyes of the nations, and to show, as did 
 
 E
 
 58 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 their forefathers, that they are loyally acting ever under the 
 inspiration of our city's motto 
 
 "LET GLASGOW FLOURISH." 
 
 The census of 1891, just published as this is being wiitten, 
 shows that within the Parliamentary boundary there are 
 564,975 dwellers, and that when to these there are added 
 the people outside this boundary in the suburbs, who belong 
 to Glasgow as much as if they were housed in the Saltmarket, 
 there are 768,146. Ninety years ago the city only 
 possessed a population of 77,385, or not very much more 
 than Greenock at the present. There is no other place in 
 the kingdom, London excepted, which can show an equal 
 rate of growth. And this has been attained, not by 
 advantage of position, but solely by the energy, shrewdness, 
 and resolute will of her citizens. What she will be a 
 hundred years hence may be left to the imagination to 
 suggest. 
 
 The following are the Lord Provosts since 1833, the year 
 when the Burgh Reform Act came into operation. They 
 have been proverbially long-lived : 
 
 Robert Graham 
 William Mills - 
 Henry Dunlop - 
 James Campbell 
 James Lumsden 
 Alexander Hastic 
 James Anderson 
 Robert Stewart 
 Andrew Orr 
 Andrew Galbraith 
 
 John Blackie, jun. - - 1863 
 
 James Lumsden - - 1866 
 
 W. R. Arthur - . . 1869 
 
 James Watson - - 1871 
 
 James Bain - - - 1874 
 
 William Collins - - 1877 
 
 John Ure- ... 1880 
 
 William M'Onie - - 1883 
 
 James King ... 1886 
 
 John Muir ... 1889 
 
 Peter Clouston - - - i86c 
 
 As we write (26th March, 1891) there is taking place the 
 funeral of James Brown, the late town-officer " the perpetual 
 provost," as he was called who has passed away at the age of
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 59 
 
 78, after having been in office fifty years. Ten years ago, in 
 the reign of Provost Ure, there was presented to him an 
 address and cheque for ^260. In the course of his 
 acknowledgment he said, "In these years I have seen 15 
 Lord Provosts, 135 bailies, 21 deans of guild, 23 deacon- 
 conveners, and no less than 154 have been called to rest 
 from their labours. I have seen 6 town clerks, 2 city cham- 
 berlains, 5 treasurers, 5 engineers for the Clyde Trust, 5 
 superintendents of police, and 5 governors of prison. There 
 are only two officials alive who were in the Town Clerk's 
 office when I was appointed. When I think of this, I feel 
 that I too must soon follow." 
 
 Of all the members of the Town Council when he entered 
 its service in 1841, only one, so far as we know, is now alive 
 Mr. James Dunlop, of Tollcross. 
 
 The following are the members of Council and officials, 
 as given in the official directory: 
 
 Lord Provost, .... John Muir of Deanston. 
 
 Dean of Guild, - ... John Ure of Cairndhu, Helensburgh. 
 
 Deacon Convener, ... Thomas Mason, 21 Clyde Place, S.S. 
 
 Bailie of Prov an, ... Thomas A. Mathieson. 
 
 ( Hugh Thomson, - - - - 48 Canning Street. 
 
 ist Ward. \ John M'Phun, .... 38 Mill St. , Bridgeton. 
 
 V Alexander Waddel, - - - 44 Canning Street. 
 
 f William Ure, 157 Crownpoint St. 
 
 2nd WardA James H. Martin, - Magistrate, Whitevale Cross. 
 
 v James Martin, - Magistrate, - Whitevale Cross. 
 
 ( Hugh Brechin, Depute River Bailie, 32 Stirling Road. 
 
 jrd Ward. ~! Michael Simons, - - - - 93 Candleriggs. 
 
 \JamesM.Jack, .... 28 St. Enoch's Square. 
 
 ( Archibald Neilson, - 167 Claythorn Street. 
 
 4th Ward. \ Peter Burt, Henrietta Place. 
 
 v. James M'Lennan, - Magistrate, - 42 St. Andrew's Place. 
 
 ( David Morrin, - Magistrate, - 153 Parliamentary Rd. 
 
 jtA Ward. \ William M'Kellar, - - - - 123 Stirling Road. 
 
 I Robert Mitchell, - - - - 20 Dixon Street.
 
 6o 
 
 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 ( Alexander M'Laren, - 
 6th Ward. \ John Neil, .... 
 
 V Alexander Osborne, 
 
 ( Robert Murdoch, - 
 jth Ward. \ Henry M'Pherson, .... 
 
 v Thomas Watson, City Treasurer, 
 
 ( Archibald Dunlop, - - - - 
 8th Ward. \ Thomas Gumming, Magistrate, - 
 
 v James Bell, 
 
 f James Parnie, 
 
 qth Ward. \ James Colquhoun, - 
 
 V Thomas C. Guthrie, 
 
 f James Gray, - Master of Works, 
 loth Ward. \ Robert Crawford, - 
 
 V Robert Graham, - Magistrate, - 
 
 ( Samuel Chisholm, .... 
 nth Ward, n John Muir, 
 
 v William Pettigrew, River Bailie, - 
 
 ( James Alexander, - 
 z 2th Ward. \ James Hunter Dickson, - 
 
 v John M'Farlane, - Magistrate, - 
 
 f William Bilsland, - 
 ijth Ward. \ Hugh Wallace, .... 
 
 V Angus Campbell, - 
 
 C William Wilson, - 
 i^th Ward. \ Henry Tail, 
 
 v David Richmond, - 
 
 I William Stevenson, Magistrate, 
 fjth Ward. { David Bowman, - Magistrate, - 
 
 I Walter Wilson, - 
 
 f John Shearer, 
 
 i6th Ward. \ John Ure Primrose, 
 
 I Walter Paton, - Magistrate, - 
 
 ii Candleriggs. 
 
 22 North Albion St. 
 45 Candleriggs. 
 
 23 Robertson Street. 
 62 Queen Street. 
 
 125 Buchanan Street. 
 13 Bothwell Street. 
 85 N. Wallace Street. 
 101 St. Vincent Street. 
 27 Union Street. 
 158 St. Vincent Street. 
 
 29 Waterloo Street. 
 43 Argyle Street. 
 84 Millar Street. 
 
 61 Eglinton Street. 
 10 York Street. 
 22 West Nile Street. 
 109 Sauchiehall Street. 
 123 North Street. 
 7 Granby Terrace. 
 151 North Street. 
 43 Hydepark Street. 
 
 30 Havelock Street. 
 109 W. Campbell St. 
 42 Glassford Street. 
 65 W. Regent Street. 
 35 Rose Street. 
 
 21 Clyde Place. 
 25 Nicholson Street. 
 80 Jamaica Street. 
 247 Paisley Road. 
 107 Centre Street. 
 73 Virginia Street. 
 
 Sir James D. Marwick, LL.D., 
 
 Robert Renwick, - 
 
 James G. Munro, - 
 
 James Nicol, - 
 
 T. E. Robinson, C.A., - 
 
 William Gibb, 
 
 - Town Clerk. 
 
 Deputy Town Clerk. 
 
 City Chamberlain. 
 
 Registrar and City Accountant. 
 
 Cashier.
 
 THE MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. 61 
 
 A. B. Macdonald, ------- City Engineer. 
 
 John White, - .... Master of Works- 
 
 John Lang, -------- Procurator-Fiscal. 
 
 John Boyd, --. Chief Constable. 
 
 William Shaw, - - - - Interim Procurator-Fiscal. 
 
 Archibald Sinclair. - Joint Fiscal in River Bailie Court. 
 
 George Young, Peter Taylor Young, William "j Assessors and 
 
 Veitch Orr, George Paterson, / Clerks of Police Courts. 
 
 James Muirhead, - Assessor and Clerk to River Bailie Court. 
 
 James Henry, ----- Assessor under Lands Valuation Act. 
 
 Hector M'Leod, - - Council Officer. 
 
 William M'Leod, -------- Chamber Keeper.
 
 Victoria atifc Blbert. 
 
 At three o'clock on a midsummer morning, the 2oth 
 June, 1837, the tolling of the great bell of St. Paul's 
 floated in waves of solemn sound over the length and 
 breadth of London. Its solemn booming was heard, too, 
 far away in the green fields and hop gardens of Surrey 
 and Kent, in which many of the labourers were already 
 astir. By-and-bye the bells of other towns and cities far 
 and near, including our own, were rung out in slow, solemn 
 tones. The natural question arose on every tongue, For 
 whom was the knell rung out ? and the answer came, 
 " King William is dead ! " So was broken the news over 
 all the land. Our city records tell us that the official 
 announcement was read aloud to great crowds of our 
 merchants and citizens that had assembled both in the 
 Royal Exchange and in the Tontine Reading Room. The 
 Tontine was the Rialto, or temple of commerce, of Glasgow 
 until the Royal Exchange was built in 1825, and for many 
 years subsequent to that date shared honours with the latter 
 building as a place of business resort for the city's cotton 
 and tobacco lords, and other merchants. 
 
 For some hours previous there had been anxious watching 
 and soft whisperings in that darkened chamber in Windsor 
 Castle. Death came at the stroke of two, and King 
 William IV., just at the dawn of Midsummer Day, fell on 
 his last, long sleep. The Archbishop of Canterbury, and 
 the Lord Chamberlain, the Marquis of Conyngham, who 
 had been summoned to Windsor when there was no hope 
 "" for the King, hastened to Kensington Palace to acquaint 
 the young Princess Victoria of the event which now made
 
 64 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 her Queen of the British dominions. The distance was 
 21 miles, but the distinguished messengers were borne by 
 the fleetest of horses, and at five o'clock in the morning 
 Kensington was reached. A court pen has described the 
 incident with a picturesque and winsome simplicity as to 
 how our Queen received the tidings : " When the 
 messengers reached Kensington Palace, occupied by the 
 Princess Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, 
 they knocked, they rung, they thumped for a considerable 
 time before they could rouse the porter at the gate ; they 
 were again kept waiting in the courtyard, and then turned 
 into one of the lower rooms, where they seemed to be 
 forgotten by everybody. They rang the bell, and desired 
 that the attendant of the Princess Victoria might be sent to 
 inform Her Royal Highness that they wished an audience on 
 business of importance. After another delay and another 
 ringing to enquire the cause, the attendant was summoned, 
 who stated that the Princess was in such a sweet sleep that 
 she could not venture to disturb her. Then they said, 
 ' We are come on business of state to the Queen, and even 
 her sleep must give way to that.' It did give way ; and, to 
 prove that she did not keep them waiting, she came into the 
 room in a loose white morning gown and shawl, her night 
 cap thrown off, and her hair falling upon her shoulders, her 
 feet in slippers, tears in her eyes, but perfectly composed 
 and dignified." When informed that she was now to be 
 Queen of Great Britain, she immediately and instinctively 
 said, " I will be good," and asked the venerable Archbishop 
 to pray for her and for the kingdom. 
 
 The Queen's right of succession in the royal line lay in 
 the fact that King William IV., third son of George III., left 
 no heir to the throne, and that she was the daughter of the 
 Duke of Kent, his brother, fourth son of the same monarch.
 
 VICTOR f A AND ALBERT. 65 
 
 From her earliest days she was brought up with the most 
 assiduous and jealous care, both as regards her intellectual 
 and moral character. She was taught to be self-reliant, 
 patient, and unselfish ; whilst prudence and economy could 
 not have been more deeply inculcated in her, even though 
 she had been born a peasant's child. For this noble and 
 exemplary upbringing she and the nation are indebted to her 
 good and pious mother, the Duchess of Kent. Her life, 
 for a royal princess, was one of comparative seclusion, and, 
 as the heir-presumptive to the throne, some made bold 
 enough to say, it was far too much so. But the good Duchess 
 of Kent was not only a woman of high principle, but one 
 possessed of much worldly wisdom, and she wisely defended 
 her daughter from the atmosphere of the Court of that day. 
 Hence it was that, up to her accession, the world knew very 
 little about the Princess Victoria. Nor did this alone apply 
 to her own subjects, and to European Courts connected by 
 the ties of relationship ; for even statesmen, who were in 
 almost constant communication with Court circles, knew 
 absolutely nothing of the upbringing of the future Queen, 
 nor of the possibilities which lay within her. 
 
 There was naturally aroused an interest and curiosity, both 
 at home and abroad, as to how the young Queen would 
 conduct herself during the trying ceremonies in which she of 
 necessity must take the leading part on the occasion of her 
 accession. The results showed that she was more than equal 
 to all these. She had received the tidings of the death of 
 her uncle, William IV., at five o'clock in the morning, and 
 her first Cabinet Council met in Kensington Palace at eleven 
 o'clock the same day. All through the delicate and trying 
 scene, alike picturesque and memorable, her sensible and 
 dignified carriage called forth unmingled admiration. 
 
 The coronation took place on the 28th of June, 1838,
 
 66 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 one year after her accession. It was a gorgeous pageant 
 throughout ; and to show what strange tricks time works 
 on us, one of the most conspicuous figures amidst the 
 kings, princes, marshals, and ambassadors who shed 
 such dazzling splendour on that procession, was that 
 of Marshal Soult, the opponent of Sir John Moore and 
 Wellington in the Peninsular war, the Commander of the 
 Old Guard at Liitzen, and one of Napoleon's greatest 
 chieftains at Waterloo. He had come to represent our old 
 enemy, France, on the occasion ; and to show him that not 
 only could we be chivalrous to a former foe, but that we 
 could admire genius and bravery wherever we met with it, 
 nothing could exceed the enthusiasm with which he was 
 everywhere received. The white-haired veteran of a hundred 
 fights was cheered again and again whenever a glimpse of 
 him could be had. The brave old warrior never forgot it. 
 Years after this, in a debate in the French Chamber, when 
 M. Guizot was accused of showing too much partiality to the 
 English alliance, Marshal Soult declared himself one of its 
 warmest champions : " I fought the English down to 
 Toulouse," he exclaimed with warmth, "when I fired the 
 last cannon in defence of the national independence. 
 In the meantime I have been in London, and France knows 
 the reception I have had there. The English themselves 
 cried out ' Soult for ever ! ' I have learned to estimate the 
 English in the field of battle. I have learned to estimate 
 them in peace ; and I repeat that I am a warm partisan of 
 the English alliance." 
 
 When, on the i6th January, 1840, the Queen opened 
 Parliament in person, she publicly announced to her Lords 
 and Commons assembled her intention of marrying her 
 cousin, Prince Albert, of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, an act which 
 she fervently prayed would be conducive to the interests and
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 67 
 
 prosperity of the nation, as well as to her own domestic 
 happiness. How well the Queen's hopes were realized is 
 amply recorded on the pages of the history of our own days. 
 The Prince was a noble-minded man, lofty in aim and 
 principle, and, in the truest sense of the word, a gentleman. 
 He was deeply learned in all the arts and sciences, and 
 a man who had studied to profit contemporary history, 
 constitutional and social. He and the young Queen were 
 passionately attached to each other, and it has been well 
 remarked that no marriage contracted, even amongst the 
 humblest classes in life, could have been more entirely a 
 union of love. The Prince was indeed the very pattern of 
 a true knight, and Tennyson has by no means overdrawn 
 his picture when, in his grand dedication to the " Idylls of 
 the King," the poet speaks of him as the knight 
 
 " Through all his tract of years 
 Wearing the white flower of a blameless life, 
 Before a thousand peering littlenesses, 
 In that fierce light that beats upon a throne, 
 And blackens every blot." 
 
 Possibly the year 1848 may be regarded, so far as the 
 commercial and social affairs of the country were concerned, 
 as one of the most gloomy, if not the darkest, of all the 
 years of Victoria's long and happy reign. Great depression 
 in all our commercial centres, with stagnation of trade as a 
 natural result, and a bad harvest whose crowning item was 
 the total failure of the potato crop in Ireland brought on a 
 winter of discontent, hardship, and misery which had not 
 been equalled in this country within the memory of any of 
 its inhabitants. Provisions were at famine prices, and the 
 people in the cotton manufacturing districts were starving. 
 In Glasgow all the factories were closed, and their operatives 
 were in the utmost destitution. The local authorities, aided
 
 68 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 by influential committees and private charity from many of 
 the wealthy citizens, did much to alleviate the distress ; but 
 it was impossible to cope fully with the widespread misery. 
 It became only too evident that there were manifestly present 
 in the city all the essentials to rebellion, including those 
 spirits of lawlessness and disorder who are always at hand 
 and ready to act when such unfortunate conditions arise. A 
 serious riot broke out, and a great part of the centre of the 
 city was for several hours at the mercy of the mob. Three 
 formidable barricades were erected in Argyle Street, High 
 Street, and Saltmarket respectively, to obstruct the action of 
 the military, and shops in all the leading thoroughfares were 
 entered and ruthlessly looted. The military, which included 
 detachments of the 3rd Dragoons and the ist Royal Scots, 
 then quartered in Glasgow, were called out. A large number 
 of police, together with a contingent of special constables 
 who had been hastily sworn in, also appeared on the scene, 
 headed by Superintendent (afterwards Captain) Smart. The 
 Riot Act was read by the lats Sheriff Glassford Bell, 
 and, the rioting still being carried on regardless of life or 
 property, the authorities resolved to take extreme measures 
 to defend the same. The two forces came into conflict in 
 John Street, Bridgeton, when the military fired, with the 
 result that seven of the mob were killed. Fighting took 
 place in various parts of the city, at intervals, into the night ; 
 but, to show the determination of the law-abiding citizens to 
 put the rioting down, before ten o'clock in the evening ten 
 thousand citizens had come forward and taken their places 
 as special constables. The troops bivouacked all night 
 within the Royal Exchange and the Tontine, and on the 
 following day the riot was completely suppressed. 
 
 In pleasing contrast, so far as Glasgow was concerned, to 
 the unhappy events which found a sad prominence in 1848,
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 69 
 
 was an auspicious event which rendered 1849 a year of more 
 than ordinary interest and distinction in the annals of our 
 city. This was the visit of the Queen, the Prince Consort, 
 and the royal family, which took place on the i4th 
 August, 1849. The last time royalty had visited Glasgow 
 was when the Duke of York, afterwards James II., 
 was entertained in it in 1681. Prince Charlie, too, had 
 visited the city in 1745, and had his head-quarters in a 
 mansion-house situated at the junction of Glassford Street 
 with Trongate, where he remained four days. Cromwell, 
 too, had visited the city, compassed with the awe-inspiring 
 presence, if not with the pageantry, of a king. The last 
 reigning sovereign, however, who visited Glasgow was 
 James VI. , in 1617. The Queen, previous to her visit to 
 Glasgow, had been making a tour in the West Highlands, 
 and, when it was known that she intended visiting the city, 
 the utmost gratification prevailed. The royal steamer and 
 the vessels forming the guard of honour anchored in the 
 Gareloch, whilst the Queen and the royal party sailed up the 
 Clyde to Glasgow, where they were met by the Lord Provost 
 (whom she that day knighted as Sir James Anderson), the 
 Magistrates, the Principal and Professors of the University, the 
 members of the Trades' House and Chamber of Commerce, 
 and of the various Church Presbyteries. Notwithstanding 
 that the Magistrates had only twenty-four hours' notice of 
 the exact time in which the official visit was to take place, 
 the arrangements were perfect, and, throughout a crowd 
 comprising four hundred thousand people not a single 
 accident or untoward incident occurred. The enthusiasm 
 was unbounded, as the royal party drove through the city, 
 General Riddel and Sir Archibald Alison, then Sheriff of 
 Lanarkshire, riding by the side of the carriage, the latter 
 pointing out to the Queen and the Prince Consort the chief
 
 70 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 objects of interest in the route. Altogether, the visit was 
 an unbounded success, and the memory of it was long 
 treasured by those who were fortunate enough to witness 
 the pageant and to experience the enthusiasm which it 
 called forth. 
 
 The impression which the Prince Consort made on the 
 minds of the people of this country was of the most 
 favourable nature. It was early seen that not only was 
 he a man of great intellectual powers and lofty aims, but 
 that in all the conduct of his life he had the welfare of 
 the nation deeply at heart. In all public action he was 
 discreet to the most faultless degree, ever respecting 
 institutions founded either on usage or law, and regarding 
 with strict and unswerving reverence the constitution of 
 our country. Above all, as behoved him, he kept aloof 
 from all political parties, and rendered, by his life and 
 conduct, anything like Court intrigue for party ends an 
 impossibility. He never identified himself with politics, 
 but wherever he could be of use in any Christian or 
 philanthropic movement, he was unwearied in the exercise 
 of his great energy and unbounded influence and tact. It 
 was, however, in connection with the Great Universal 
 Exhibition of 1851 that the name of Prince Albert was 
 prominently brought before not only this country, but the 
 whole of the civilized world. 
 
 To Prince Albert is due not only the conception, but the 
 elaboration and final accomplishment, of the Universal 
 Exhibition in the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park. It had as 
 the Alpha and the Omega of its motive the sublime doctrine, 
 " Peace on earth, goodwill to men." The idea was altogether 
 so unique and daring that many treated it with sceptical 
 sneers, whilst some with grim humour said that the Prince 
 was surely endeavouring to ante-date the time of the
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 71 
 
 millennium ! The object of this Exhibition was clearly 
 shown by the Prince himself, in a speech which he made 
 at a dinner in the London Mansion House. " It was," 
 he said, " to give the world a true test, a living picture 
 of the point of industrial development at which the whole 
 of mankind has arrived, and a new starting point from 
 which all nations will be able to direct their further 
 exertions." The idea was sublime, and worthy of the 
 greatest intellect ; but its very grandeur and far-reaching 
 principles made its realisation all the more difficult to 
 attain, and it met with stubborn and persistent opposition 
 both in Parliament and in many scientific and commercial 
 circles. The Prince Consort, however, clung tenaciously 
 to the great idea clung as if he had received the prophetic 
 assurance of its success ; and the results showed in the 
 most brilliant manner his far-seeing wisdom. On the ist 
 of May, 1851, there was opened in Hyde Park that 
 magnificent palace of iron and glass, filled with shining 
 treasures from every land, which was the world's wonder. 
 Cunning work in ivory and gold, silks, draperies, and cloth 
 of gold from Oriental looms dazzled the eyes and awoke 
 strange dreams of Eastern lands at every turn. Miles 
 of galleries stretched on all sides, containing priceless 
 gems of art from every land. Add to this the picturesque 
 costumes of the thousands of visitors from Eastern lands, 
 and some idea may be had of the magnificence of the 
 scene. The exhibition was opened by the Queen and 
 the Prince Consort on the ist of May, a memorable day in 
 London. Thirty thousand people, representative of all the 
 nations and peoples in the civilised world, many of whom 
 were arrayed in barbaric splendour, gathered together within 
 the building for the opening ceremony, which was impressive 
 in the extreme ; and, as these thousands of every race, and
 
 72 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 kindred, and tongue, poured in through the great entrance 
 surmounted by the appropriate words chosen from the Holy 
 Scriptures by the Prince, " The Earth is the Lord's, and the 
 fulness thereof" and filled transept and aisle of that gorgeous 
 palace, the scene seemed to be a dream, if not a realization, 
 of that time when men shall beat their swords into plough- 
 shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks. Nearly one 
 million people lined the way between the Exhibition and 
 Buckingham Palace, and in all the proceedings no accident 
 occurred, nor had the police any trouble by the conduct of 
 any single one in the great crowd. " It was impossible," 
 wrote Lord Palmerston, " for the invited guests of a lady's 
 drawing-room to have conducted themselves with more 
 perfect propriety than did this sea of human beings." There 
 have been grander Exhibitions in the world's history, notably 
 those of Paris in 1878 and 1889, and in Glasgow in 1888, 
 but no one since has excited such world-wide interest. It 
 was unique in the world's history a new departure in the 
 reign of civilization, a binding of nations together through 
 the triumphs of art, science, commerce, and peace ; and the 
 glory and results of it and those which have come after it 
 will be for ever associated with the illustrious name of him 
 who conceived its plan, and wrought out its completion, 
 "Albert the Good." 
 
 For the ten years succeeding this triumph of peace, which 
 has had a more enduring and greater influence in the 
 advancement of civilization than countless victories in war, 
 the Prince was securely enthroned in the hearts of the people. 
 They saw that, after the beloved ones of his own household, 
 they occupied the supreme place in his affections and his 
 life ; and this, from their own high standpoint in patriotism 
 and moral culture, they considered no mean honour. This 
 position he proudly held without dispute till death took him
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT, 73 
 
 away. His end came on the nation with an appalling 
 suddenness so much so, that it seemed to reel, as it were, 
 under the stroke, as one would from a swift and cruel blow 
 struck out of the dark, and men asked themselves and each 
 other in bated breath, " Can this be true ? " On the 8th 
 December, 1861, it was announced as one of the items of 
 the Court Circular, issued daily, that the Prince was suffering 
 from cold. On the loth the attack was pronounced to be 
 fever, and it was added that some time would elapse before 
 any pronouncement could be made as to its force. On 
 the 1 2th he was pronounced to be in great danger, and on 
 the morning of the i4th he began to sink. At midnight the 
 citizens of London were suddenly aroused by the tolling of 
 the great bell of St. Paul's, a bell never tolled 
 
 " Save when kings and heroes die." 
 
 The people heard it with a vague, enquiring wonder, but 
 few guessed the reason for the sad, rolling tones which the 
 tongue of that death-bell sent over the great, startled 
 city on that cold December midnight, and none knew that, 
 half-an-hour before, pale Death, who comes with equal foot 
 to the palaces of kings and the cottages of the poor, had 
 knocked at the great gates of Windsor, and that Albert the 
 Good, surrounded by the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and 
 the Princess Helena, had peacefully entered on his everlasting 
 rest. Never since the day in which the body of the great 
 Duke of Wellington was borne by his mourning chieftains, 
 amidst the assembled thousands, and placed beneath the 
 great dome of St. Paul's, to the sound of the far-off minute 
 guns and the solemn pealing of the organ, did the nation 
 so universally mourn. All felt that in his death a mighty 
 prince had fallen, and that they had lost, as a people, a 
 wise counsellor and a priceless friend. He has left to the 
 nation the best legacy which a great public man, be he prince 
 
 F
 
 74 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 or commoner, could bequeath, the stainless record of a noble 
 life, a life which, while he lived it, was of such a nature that 
 
 " Whatever leapt into the light, 
 He never should be shamed." 
 
 Possibly the sweetest and most tender experiences, and 
 the happiest seasons, in the domestic life of the Queen, and 
 also that of Prince Albert till death took him away, have 
 been associated with the Scottish Highlands, especially that 
 region of them of which Balmoral is the centre. As far 
 back as 1842 she and Prince Albert paid a lengthened visit 
 to Scotland, and the record which she made in her journal 
 of her first impressions of the grand country and its people 
 of rugged yet noble personality, as she thought, is delightful 
 to read. All connected with this romantic country, scenery, 
 people, old customs, picturesque garb, seemed to come on 
 her like a revelation. Everything she saw fascinated her 
 in her first impressions, and this supreme witchery of 
 all connected with the land has held her heart ever since. 
 On this, her first tour, she visited Edinburgh, Roslyn, 
 Hawthornden, and Dalkeith, and it is pleasant to see from 
 her diary that she was quite conversant with the history and 
 romance of the districts through which she passed, from her 
 delightful references to "The Antiquary," Allan Ramsay, 
 and Drummond of Hawthornden. But Balmoral was the 
 spot dearest of all to her heart, and to that of her husband, 
 the good Prince. She bought the place in 1848, and never 
 yet since, in sorrow or in joy, has she been away from her 
 dear Highland home as soon as ever the autumn has put 
 the first purple glow on the heather of Deeside and 
 Lochnagar. She describes the old, and former, house at 
 Balmoral as it existed on her arrival with the Prince 
 Consort in the autumn of 1 848 : " It is a pretty little 
 castle in the old Scottish style. There is a picturesque
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 75 
 
 tower and garden in front, with a high, wooded hill. At 
 the back there is a wood down to the Dee, and hills all 
 around." She then goes on, in the homeliest fashion, to 
 describe the dainty, snug little rooms; and this she does 
 with a doting fondness which betrays greater affection for 
 the tiny Highland home than for the gilded halls and carved 
 oaken corridors of regal, ancestral Windsor. She talks, too, 
 of the joy they had in watching the flight of the curlews and 
 the hovering of the hawks above the firs, and describes the 
 leistering of salmon in the Dee, by scores of men, many 
 of them in kilts, with more relish than she would have done 
 over the finest masquerade or tournament in Christendom ! 
 An entry in her diary for Sunday, 2gth October, 1854, the 
 sad year of the Crimean War, has a special interest to all of 
 us in Glasgow, as it has reference to one of our city's sons 
 whose memory will ever be dear to us, the late Rev. Norman 
 Macleod : "We went to the kirk, as usual, at 12 o'clock. 
 The service was performed by Dr. Norman Macleod, of 
 Glasgow, and anything finer I never heard. The sermon, 
 entirely extempore, was admirable; so simple, and yet so 
 eloquent and beautifully put. The text was from the 
 account of the coming of Nicodemus to Christ by night. 
 The second prayer was very touching ; his allusions to us 
 were so simple, saying, after his mention of us, ' Bless their 
 children.' It gave me a lump in my throat, as also when 
 he prayed for the dying, the wounded, the widow and the 
 orphan." Ever since "the desire of her eyes was taken 
 away" she seems to have had an increasing affection for 
 Balmoral. 'Twas there that the happiest seasons of her life 
 were spent with him she loved so well, and to this quiet 
 home she still clings, and in it finds that retirement so 
 congenial to her for contemplation and quiet life. 
 
 Up till the opening of the Great Exhibition of 1851,
 
 76 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Britain, and Europe indeed, had enjoyed an unbroken peace 
 of forty years' duration. It had been fervently hoped by 
 the illustrious originator of this exhibition, and by those who 
 aided in bringing it to a splendid issue, that the event would 
 inaugurate an era in which strife and war would be minimised, 
 and the civilising influences of peace, Christianity, and 
 commerce would, if slowly, yet none the less surely 
 revolutionize the world. Events, however, by what men 
 would call the grimness of Fate, but what in reality was the 
 eternal and immutable law of cause and effect, turned out 
 otherwise. Instead of heralding a reign of lasting peace, 
 the Exhibition seemed to inaugurate an era of wars, some of 
 which in their great magnitude and stupendous results have 
 not been equalled in modern history. The Crimean war, 
 as we all know, broke out almost immediately after the 
 self-congratulations and excitement in connection with the 
 Exhibition had subsided. This was followed by the Indian 
 Mutiny, with all its horrors, and the brilliant deeds of daring 
 and bravery which its suppression evolved. Then came the 
 war between the Federal and the Confederate States of 
 America, a war which, with all its calamities, had a glorious 
 issue, the freedom of the slaves. Europe again took up the 
 war-torch as America threw it down, and then followed the 
 war between the Sardinian kingdom, for which Garibaldi so 
 nobly fought, and the despicable and doomed Neapolitan 
 States. After this came the Seven Weeks' war between 
 Austria and Prussia ; and lastly, that terrible Seven Months' 
 war which so humiliated France and laid her at the feet of 
 the conquering German. 
 
 There is neither space nor need here to discuss the 
 long-standing and complicated Eastern Question which led 
 to the Crimean War. The casus belli, or reason for fighting, 
 lay in Russia's threatening to seize a portion of Turkey in
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 77 
 
 violation of a treaty to which the two nations named, 
 together with Britain and France, were signatory Powers. 
 Russia invaded Turkey, and then Britain and France 
 declared war against the former Power, and attacked it 
 at various points. The chief theatre of war in this gigantic 
 struggle was the Crimea. When the allied armies landed 
 there they found the Russians in great force occupying a 
 splendid military position along the crests of a series of 
 steep hills, at whose base flowed the River Alma. The 
 enemy had deemed this position all but impregnable, but 
 our brave soldiers, after fording the river, stormed the steep 
 heights in the face of a perfect hurricane of shot and shell, 
 and carried the Russian batteries at the point of the bayonet. 
 The regiments that had the place of honour in this attack 
 were both Scottish, the 42nd, or Black Watch, and the 93rd 
 Highlanders. There is another fact in connection with this 
 engagement which is of special interest to us : this Highland 
 Brigade was led by Sir Colin Campbell, an old Glasgow 
 boy, having been born in this city on the 28th October, 
 1792. Through all his life he was a brilliant, brave, and 
 devoted soldier, from the time in which he had fought as a 
 lad in the Peninsular war under Sir John Moore (another 
 Glasgow man) and the Duke of Wellington, down till the 
 close of the Indian Mutiny, when he received the nation's 
 thanks and the distinguished position of field-marshal of 
 the British Army, the highest military honour which his 
 sovereign could bestow. 
 
 Had the victory at the Alma been speedily followed up, 
 it has been fully established by all military critics that 
 Sevastopol would at once have fallen into our hands. It 
 turned out, however, that our army was miserably ill 
 provided, not only with guns, horses, and ammunition, but 
 even with provisions and hospital stores. The result was
 
 78 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 that the Russians were allowed to fall back on Sevastopol. 
 The fortifications of this city were strengthened to a degree 
 which made the position all but impregnable. Then, to our 
 army, followed that awful winter of 1854-55, before the 
 beleaguered city, a winter in which war, exposure, and 
 pestilence carried off nearly one half of our soldiers. During 
 this remarkable siege our soldiers performed deeds of 
 heroism and valour equal to anything done by heroes of 
 the old Homeric times. The splendid behaviour of our 
 Highlanders under Sir Colin Campbell, and the charge 
 of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, have become immortal in 
 the pages of history. As this battle has a peculiar interest 
 for us in Glasgow, on account of the part taken in it by Sir 
 Colin and the 93rd Highlanders, part of that brilliant 
 description of it by Dr. Russell, the special correspondent 
 of the London Times, who was present at the battle, will 
 bear quoting here. It has in it all the picturesque grandeur 
 and the fire of a battle-scene from the pages of Homer: 
 "The cavalry who have been pursuing the Turks on the 
 right are coming up the ridge beneath us, which conceals 
 our cavalry from view. The Heavy Brigade in advance is 
 drawn up in two lines. The first line consists of the Scots 
 Greys and of their old companions in glory, the Enniskillens ; 
 the second, of the 4th Royal Irish, or the 5th Dragoon 
 Guards, and of the ist Royal Dragoons. The Light Cavalry 
 Brigade is on their left, in two lines also. The silence is 
 oppressive; between the cannon bursts one can hear the 
 champing of bits and the clink of sabres in the valley below. 
 The Russians on their left draw breath for a moment, and 
 then in one grand line dash at the Highlanders. The 
 ground flies beneath their horses' feet ; gathering speed at 
 every stride, they dash on towards that thin red streak, tipped 
 with a line of steel. The Turks fire a volley at eight
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 79 
 
 hundred yards and run. As the Russians come within six 
 hundred yards, down goes that line of steel in front, and 
 out rings a rolling volley of Minie musketry. Their energy 
 is mis-spent. The distance is too great; the Russians are 
 not checked, but still sweep onwards through the smoke, 
 with the whole force of horse and man, here and there 
 knocked over by the shot of our batteries above. With 
 breathless suspense everyone awaits the bursting of the wave 
 upon the line of Gaelic rock, but ere they come within a 
 hundred and fifty yards, another deadly volley flashes from 
 the line of levelled rifles, and carries death and terror into 
 the Russians. They wheel about, open files right and left, 
 and fly back faster than they came. ' Bravo, Highlanders ! 
 well done!' shout the excited spectators; but events 
 thicken. The Highlanders and their splendid front are soon 
 forgotten ; men scarcely have a moment to think of this 
 fact, that the 93rd never altered their formation to receive 
 the shock of the tide of proud horsemen. ' No,' said Sir 
 Colin Campbell, 'I did not think it worth my while to form 
 them even four deep.' The ordinary line of Highlanders, 
 two deep, was sufficient to repel the attack of these Muscovite 
 cavaliers." The action which followed, when our Heavy 
 Brigade cut its way through a body of the finest of the 
 Russian cavalry six times its number, and the charge of the 
 Light Brigade which followed, have been justly reckoned 
 amongst the most brilliant deeds ever accomplished in war ; 
 but the latter, from a military point of view, was a blunder 
 for which there can be no defence. After a year's siege 
 Sevastopol was taken, when Russia sued for peace. 
 
 Six years to a day after the opening of the great Exhibition 
 in Hyde Park, there occurred a deed which filled with horror 
 every heart in Britain and throughout the civilised world 
 the insurrection of the Sepoys at Meerut, in India, and the
 
 8o GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 massacre of the British officers in the Indian army there, 
 along with the British residents in and around that town. 
 This, too, was only the first spark in a conflagration which 
 raged in bloodshed and horror throughout the whole of 
 British India, and which practically only ended with the 
 thorough reconquest of these great dominions. The sup- 
 pression of this awful rebellion not only cost us the lives of 
 hundreds of our bravest and noblest soldiers, but during the 
 fierce and often ghastly struggle the blood of innocent 
 women and children, many of whom belonged to our noblest 
 and most refined families, was cruelly and lavishly spilt ; on 
 one memorable occasion with a blood-thirstiness which might 
 have belonged to the most savage days of early and uncivilised 
 warfare. 
 
 It began as a war of caste, but before it was ended it had 
 resolved itself into a war of religious fanaticism of the fiercest 
 kind, whose object was the extermination of the British, and 
 the complete annihilation of their rule. It is well known 
 that there is no Hindoo but would lay down his life readily 
 rather than lose his caste. Their religion forbids them to 
 touch in any form the fat of either the cow or the hog, on 
 pain of losing caste for ever, the first of these animals being 
 held as most sacred, whilst the second is regarded as 
 abominably unclean. During the year preceding the Mutiny 
 the British Government had been distributing the new Minie 
 rifle to the Sepoys. This rifle necessitated the use of greased 
 cartridges. It was whispered amongst some of the native 
 regiments that these cartridges were greased with the loathed 
 fat, which would make unclean every Hindoo who touched 
 them. There was no truth in this, however ; but the Sepoys 
 would not believe the official denial, and the report spread 
 like wildfire through every native regiment, and the result 
 was that rebellion, which, for cold-blooded massacre and
 
 VICTORIA AXD ALBERT. 81 
 
 hideous atrocities, cannot find a parallel even in the most 
 lurid pages of history. From Meerut, the insurrection first 
 spread to Delhi, and many of our brave men were massacred 
 there before help could arrive. Over all the province of 
 Oudh, the rebellion next spread, and our brave soldiers, to 
 hold their own even, had often to perform deeds of most 
 heroic courage and sacrifice. The darkest and most ghastly 
 scene of all this dim and lurid drama was enacted at 
 Cawnpore. Here the cruel and treacherous Nana Sahib, 
 that arch-fiend who was leader of the insurgents, had, after 
 having defeated the British, who were sadly out-numbered, 
 established his head-quarters. Before the British, who were 
 under General Wheeler, an old and infirm officer, had 
 surrendered, they had stipulated with Nana Sahib that they 
 should be allowed to march out of Cawnpore, to take the 
 chance of finding their way to Lucknow. This was conceded, 
 the rebel leader suggesting that the small handful of men, 
 only 250, should see their sick and wounded into boats 
 which he had ready for them on the Jumna. The women 
 and children, it was arranged, were to remain in the 
 Residency till this was done. When the little column had 
 put its sick and disabled men into the boats, Nana's soldiers 
 opened a galling fire on our defenceless men. Those who 
 came back to the shore in order to sell their lives dearly, 
 were shot or sabred without mercy. In the meantime a 
 work which seemed to be born of devils, rather than men, 
 was going on in the Residency. In one room the wives and 
 grown-up daughters of the officers and men, with the 
 children, had been shut up. Here a number of the Nana's 
 soldiers were told off to slay every one woman and child 
 alike. There that awful massacre went on, amidst shrieks 
 and prayers, till death sealed the lips of every victim, and the 
 glaring Oudh sun looked down on a scene unparalleled for
 
 8a GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 ferocity and ghastly setting, since that blackest day in Herod's 
 life when "in Ramah was heard a cry, lamentation and 
 weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not 
 be comforted, because they were not ! " 
 
 Such a deed demanded retribution, and it came swift and 
 certain in its grimness. The very earth seemed to sicken at 
 the sight, and the Lord of Hosts laid bare His arm for 
 vengeance. The British forces, under the brave and good 
 Sir Henry Havelock, pushed on to the scene of a deed which 
 men shuddered to name, fighting tiattle after battle as they 
 went. In the meantime Nana Sahib's forces were besieging 
 Lucknow, where a handful of British were bravely holding 
 out against legions of Sepoys. General Outram, a Glasgow 
 man, and an able and lofty-minded soldier, was by this time 
 on the spot. He had been hurried off from Persia, and sent 
 as Chief Commissioner to the seat of war. This appointment 
 gave him full power to supersede Havelock, but he generously 
 waived his right, telling Sir Henry that he had fought nobly, 
 and he would not now rob him of the glory of taking Lucknow. 
 
 Another brave man was also on the scene, Sir Colin 
 Campbell. Events had so thickened, and the rebellion had 
 spread to such appalling proportions, that the greatest excite- 
 ment and alarm prevailed at home. Sir Colin was sent for by 
 our war authorities, and offered the position of Commander- 
 in-Chief of our forces in India. When asked at the War 
 Office when he would be able to start, with characteristic 
 promptitude and energy he at once replied, " In an hour 
 hence," and that same afternoon saw him on his way to the 
 seat of war. When he reached the lines hi front of Cawnpore, 
 he found that all the available forces did not amount to 
 5,000 men, with 35 guns. With these he stormed the 
 fortifications and city, and so skilful were his manoeuvres, 
 and so swift and bold the attack, that he not only captured
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 83 
 
 the city with a comparatively slight loss, but signally defeated 
 and routed the rebel army. Leaving a garrison in Cawnpore, 
 he hurried on to the relief of Lucknow, where Sir Henry 
 Havelock and General Outram had only been able to hold 
 their own against fearful odds. The meeting of those three 
 great leaders has become historic, and has more than once 
 been the painter's theme. Lucknow was taken, but the 
 brilliant victory gained had also its shadow, for in three days 
 thereafter, attacked by a fatal disease, and overborne with 
 weary months of anxiety and almost superhuman exertion, 
 Havelock, the Christian soldier, passed to his well-won rest. 
 Exactly one year thereafter, on the 2oth December, 1858, 
 Sir Colin Campbell was able to send home, in his despatch 
 to the British Government, the welcome tidings that the last 
 of the insurgents had been driven across the mountains 
 of Nepaul, that the Indian Mutiny had been effectually 
 crushed, and that the mighty Empire of Hindustan, so near 
 being lost, was practically reconquered from the Punjaub to 
 Ceylon. 
 
 With the suppression of the Indian Mutiny ended the last 
 great war in which this country has been engaged during 
 our Queen's reign. During the fifty-two years she has been 
 on the throne, vast have been the developments in every 
 branch of trade and commerce, whilst the discoveries in 
 science, led on by James Watt and Robert Stephenson, have 
 been alike startling and of boundless importance in the arts 
 and manufactures. The discoveries in chemistry and 
 electricity by Sir Humphrey Davy, Faraday, Thomas 
 Graham, and others, have created quite a revolution in many 
 things connected with textile manufactures and every-day 
 life in this respect, whilst presenting us with new sources 
 for wonder, and they are prophetic of a development which 
 shall, in many points in the manufacturing world, create quite a
 
 84 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 revolution from things as they at present exist. In engineering 
 science, marvels have been achieved of which our fathers 
 never even dreamed. Pre-eminent amongst these, stands 
 foremost that wonder of science, perseverance and mechanical 
 skill, the Forth Bridge ; and it is a credit to Glasgow that, 
 for the complete success of this great engineering triumph, 
 the world is in no small measure indebted to one of her 
 most distinguished sons, Sir William Arrol. 
 
 The reign of Victoria has been peculiarly fortunate in 
 its brilliant statesmen, of whom Lord Melbourne, Sir 
 Robert Peel, Lord Palmerston, Lord John Russell, Mr. 
 Disraeli, Lord Salisbury, and Mr. Gladstone may be 
 named as standing boldly out from amongst their compeers. 
 Of Mr. Gladstone, who is still, in his eighty-second year, 
 amongst us, it is unnecessary to give an estimate so far as 
 his great and versatile powers are concerned. Of the others 
 named, it may be said that, as a great historic figure in the 
 political world, Lord Palmerston is decidedly facile princeps 
 Britain's great statesman of the latter half of the nineteenth 
 century. His nature was strenuous and self-assertive, and, 
 as a statesman he dearly loved, whenever he could get the 
 chance, to make a brilliant and startling stroke, especially in 
 our foreign policy, for the advancement and honour of 
 Britain; and, so long as he lived and was in power, his name 
 was not only feared but respected by all Europe. He was 
 a most dangerous rival, far-seeing and not to be circumvented, 
 and as clever and astute a diplomatist as any whom Britain 
 has, within the past half-century, possessed, with the 
 exception, perhaps, of Lord Beaconsfield, whose political 
 life, however, was much shorter and hence less comprehensive 
 in its great achievements than was that of Lord Palmerston. 
 Lord Palmerston gave himself up to the study of foreign 
 affairs as no minister of the Crown had ever before done.
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 85 
 
 He had, too, a peculiar capacity for understanding foreign 
 nations in their lines of thought, their likes and dislikes, and 
 their politics. As learning of all kinds was to the great 
 Lord Bacon, so the politics of all nations were to Lord 
 Palmerston. He practically had, at all times, the political 
 map of Europe not only in his pocket, but he knew it by 
 heart. By that power of witchery which he possessed, which 
 amounted to genius, he had the faculty of feeling a nation's 
 pulse on all vital points without that nation knowing it, and 
 he regulated his own country's political action accordingly, 
 and seldom blundered in the decision. In his legislative 
 relationships at home he was ever guided by this same 
 strong, far-seeing faculty. He well knew that, so long as he 
 had public opinion on his side, no influence could subvert 
 him or prevail against him. His knowledge of public 
 opinion, and the probable tendency it might, at some 
 important juncture, take, seemed to be in him an instinct, 
 and could always be trusted. He had his failings, being 
 stubborn, hot-tempered, and self-willed; but no statesman 
 of the reign has served his sovereign and his country more 
 faithfully, and no one has ever done so much to make our 
 name both respected and feared abroad. 
 
 The whole of Her Majesty's reign has marked a wonderful 
 and brilliant era in civilization. During that period our 
 own nation may be said to have created a literature, an art, 
 and a philosophy of its own. The men of distinction in 
 letters who have been raised in our land during the past 
 half-century are almost numberless, but, amongst the great 
 masters in thought and distinguished moral teachers, Dr. 
 Arnold, Carlyle, Dickens, Thackeray, John Stuart Mill, 
 Herbert Spencer, Huxley, Tyndal, and Darwin may be 
 mentioned. Apart from all these teachers there are two 
 men who have richly gained for themselves a lofty and
 
 86 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 splendid eminence in the purest regions of the world of 
 thought Tennyson and Browning. By a happy, though 
 very unusual, chance in literary history, these two most 
 eminent British poets of the latter half of the nineteenth 
 century have been contemporaries, and both have had 
 allotted to them more than the threescore years and ten of 
 which the Psalmist sings. They have not been the 
 ephemeral poets of a day, but all their lives long have had 
 an increasing popularity, and in their latter days have 
 commanded veneration and love; and when, one short 
 year ago, the latter was buried by the side of him (Charles 
 Dickens) who wrote of "Little Nell," in Westminster Abbey, 
 no hero or great man ever more deserved the sweet words 
 of his own beloved wife's hymn, set to the solemn strains 
 of the organ, " He giveth His beloved sleep ! " Unlike the 
 too frequent lot of poets, 
 
 " Who learn by suffering what they teach in song," 
 
 it has been the happy lot of Tennyson and Browning to live 
 free from the pressure and excesses which have agitated the 
 lives of so many great men. In much these poets are alike ; 
 but the noblest point in which they resemble each other is 
 their holding fast to the great spiritual truths of existence, 
 and, with lofty aim, looking ever upwards to the grand 
 destiny of the human soul. They have been prophets, 
 teachers, seers, as well as poets; and it is alike an honour to 
 them, and a matter for unbounded gratification to us that 
 our two most illustrious poets have ever had implicit 
 confidence in the divine Fatherhood, that confidence so 
 nobly expressed in Browning's line: 
 
 " God's in His heaven : all's right with the world." 
 
 In our own city we have had in the same period of time, 
 each in his own sphere, men of distinguished renown : Sir
 
 VICTORIA AND ALBERT. 87 
 
 William Thomson, a prince in science ; Henry Bell, Robert 
 and David Napier, and John Elder, in the shipbuilding and 
 engineering world ; Sir Archibald Alison and Henry Glassford 
 Bell, in law and literature ; and in the Church we have had 
 such good and great men as Thomas Chalmers, Norman 
 Macleod, John Caird, John Eadie, Patrick Fairbairn, Robert 
 Buchanan, Ralph Wardlaw, and the good and gifted, if 
 erratic genius, Edward Irving. Glasgow, too, has been well 
 to the front in the great discoveries, and applications of such, 
 in science, industry, and commerce, which have aided so 
 much in the advancement of civilization during the reign of 
 Victoria, Our harbour, from Broomielaw to Govan Ferry, 
 is two-and-a-half miles long, having a quayage capacity of 
 four miles on the north, and of two miles on the south of 
 the river. There are twenty thousand arrivals of vessels 
 of various kinds, from all quarters of the globe, in a year, 
 representing cargoes to the extent of four millions of tons. 
 We launch, every year, three hundred vessels of all sizes, 
 representing an aggregate measurement of five hundred 
 thousand tons, and these vessels plough every sea and 
 convey merchandise to and from all lands. Whilst we glory 
 therefore, at the grand position which our beloved land holds 
 amongst the nations, and whilst we fervently say in our 
 hearts, " God save the Queen," may we ever rejoice in the 
 dear old motto on our City Arms, " Let Glasgow flourish 
 by the preaching of the Word ! " and may we endeavour to 
 make our lives not only acceptable to our God and Father, 
 but an enduring honour to this great city.
 
 STATUE BY FLAXMAN. ERECTED i6TH AUGUST, itig. 
 
 Sir 3obn flDoore. 
 
 When the writer was a student he had occasion to pass 
 frequently an old three-storey land in Trongate, opposite 
 the Tron Church, which has since then been taken down, 
 and given place to the Campbell Arcade (No. 74) and the 
 adjoining warehouses. This old land, dilapidated as it was, 
 had a special interest for him. Within one of its rooms was 
 born Sir John Moore, the hero of Corunna, and the subject
 
 /./? JOHN MOORE. 89 
 
 of Wolfe's memorable lines, familiar to generations of school- 
 boys. In earlier life the father had been a surgeon in the 
 Guards, and enjoyed the opportunity of travelling extensively. 
 Although born in Stirling, where his father, the Rev. Charles 
 Moore, a native of Armagh, was minister, yet he had a close 
 and honourable connection with Glasgow, for his mother was 
 a daughter of the famous Provost John Anderson, the 
 second, of Dowhill, who in his own person pursued a Major 
 Menzies for "sticking" Robert Park, the town clerk of 
 Glasgow, and caused him to be shot as some say in 
 Renfield Street, about where the Conservative Club now 
 stands. But more probably this was at Renfield, now 
 Blythswood House, near Renfrew. Through his mother 
 he inherited a third part of the Dowhill Estate* (named 
 Dovehill erroneously: it should rather be Dewhill), which 
 extended from the Molendinar to the butts at Hunter 
 Street, a portion of which was afterwards merged in the 
 College Green, now the North British Railway depot. When 
 his campaigning days were done, he therefore settled in 
 Glasgow. The Dowhill mansion was too far out for practice, 
 and he chose for residence this tenement in Trongate. He 
 was a man of literary tastes, and founded the Hodge Podge 
 Club, which figures so largely in Dr. Strang's "Clubs of 
 Glasgow." He was among the first to discern and recognise 
 the genius of Robert Burns, and to him are many of the 
 poet's best letters addressed, as well as the interesting sketch 
 of his life. 
 
 He became dissatisfied with his residence in the Trongate, 
 and when Dunlop Street was opened up by Dunlop of 
 Carmyle, he was among the first to secure a stance in the 
 
 * When Dr. Moore removed to London, he sold the Dowhill tenement 
 and land to Robert Graeme, wiiter, who laid it out in feus, hence the origin 
 of Graeme Street. 
 
 G
 
 90 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 new aristocratic quarter. His house was No. 42 on the western 
 side, now covered by the South-Western Railway station. It 
 was in this district that young Moore spent his early days, 
 going down frequently past the end of Allan Dreghorn's great 
 mansion fronting the Clyde, to sail a mimic fleet upon the 
 clear river, or to guddle for trout in its waters. During the 
 day he attended the grammar school in Greyfriars Wynd, 
 opposite the old college, now East Ingram Street. Dr. 
 Moore seems to have been most careful of the lad's education, 
 for he afterwards boarded him with a clergyman in Switzerland, 
 that he might become more familiar with French and 
 German. At the early age of fifteen he was appointed an 
 ensign in the 5ist regiment. But the boy-soldier was not 
 allowed to have even the taste of active service at this time. 
 A strange and sudden turn of fortune nearly bore him from 
 it altogether. Dr. Moore had been engaged to become the 
 travelling tutor to the young Duke of Hamilton. But the 
 mother of the young duke was an imperious lady, accustomed 
 to have her way. She had been Elizabeth Gunning, the 
 daughter ,of a poor Irish squire, remarkable for her beauty. 
 The Duke of Hamilton fell in love with her at a masquerade, 
 and in his eagerness to be married would not allow the 
 parson to wait for a proper ring, but made him use the ring 
 of a bed-curtain in the service.* After the marriage she 
 became still more famous. When she was presented at 
 court, people mounted on tables and chairs to see her, and 
 when she was journeying to Scotland, a great many people 
 
 * The Duke of Hamilton, by whom she had two sons, James George and 
 Douglas, who became the seventh and eighth dukes, died in 1758, and in 
 the following year she married John, fifth Duke of Argyll, by whom she 
 was the mother of George the sixth and John the seventh dukes. "So 
 this poor Irish girl, whose only fortune was her face, was the wife of two 
 dukes and the mother of four."
 
 S/K JOHN MOORE. 91 
 
 sat up all night at an inn in Yorkshire, to see her get into 
 her post-chaise next morning. As soon as this imperious 
 duchess, in making the arrangements with Dr. Moore, saw 
 the young ensign, a handsome youth, she was so much 
 pleased with his good sense and graceful manners, that she 
 entreated that he also might accompany the young duke. 
 She had her way, of course, and the trio set out together. 
 They visited France, Switzerland, Italy, and the German 
 States. Everywhere admitted into the best society, the 
 young soldier attracted notice. The Emperor Joseph made 
 him a tempting offer to leave the British army and enter 
 the Austrian service. Moore loved his country as well as 
 its service, and declined this flattering proposal, and others 
 of a similar nature. When he returned home he joined the 
 82nd regiment, to which he had meanwhile been promoted 
 as a lieutenant. In the four years that followed he had 
 become a captain, and also paymaster to the regiment. At 
 this stage he gave a signal manifestation of his good sense 
 and courage. We see the love of thoroughness that 
 characterised him. He was not well up in accounts. 
 Realising his deficiency, he obtained leave of absence, and 
 entered the counting house of a Glasgow friend as an amateur 
 clerk. There he continued till he was able to discharge 
 efficiently the duty. As captain, he had service for a short 
 time in North America. He next held a seat in the House 
 of Commons for six years, but like most soldiers and sailors 
 made no great mark in that sphere. In 1790 he obtained 
 a lieutenant-colonelcy when he resigned his seat, and joined 
 his battalion. He had now the opportunity of service on 
 the field. He was sent to assist General Paoli in driving 
 out the French from Corsica. He next served under Sir 
 Ralph Abercromby in the West Indies, in Holland, and in 
 the East. At the battle of Aboukir he was severely wounded
 
 92 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 by a musket-ball. When the French surrendered at Cairo, 
 Moore with 6,000 men was appointed to escort the French 
 army, nearly 11,000, almost double the number of his men, 
 to Rosetta. The strictest discipline had to be maintained, as 
 the former enemy might turn upon them at any moment. 
 So carefully and skilfully was the difficult duty discharged, 
 that the French commander on taking leave said, " General 
 Moore, never was a more orderly and better regulated 
 movement executed than has been performed by your 
 troops." 
 
 When he returned to Britain he found his countrymen 
 preparing to resist invasion by the French. The command 
 of a brigade on the coast of Kent was given to General 
 Moore. William Pitt, the prime minister, was warden of 
 the Cinque Ports. He passed much of his time at Walmer 
 Castle. Here Moore, as general of the district, had occasion 
 to be a frequent visitor. A friend met him one day just as 
 he had left Mr. Pitt. 
 
 " What a pity," said Moore, " that man was not brought 
 up to the army." 
 
 " Indeed ! Why so ? " was the natural inquiry. 
 
 "Because," replied Moore, "nature has made him a general. 
 I never met anyone not a soldier who so thoroughly 
 understood how to make the most of his ground." 
 
 After this Sir John Moore was placed in charge of an 
 army raised to assist Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, 
 but, owing to some misunderstanding, he soon returned 
 to Britain. 
 
 In 1808 he was appointed to the command of 35,000 
 men, to co-operate with the Spanish armies in the expulsion 
 of the French from their dominions. Although greatly 
 discouraged and hindered by the cowardice and falsehood 
 of the Spanish allies, he determined to make a bold advance
 
 5/^ JOHN MOORE. 93 
 
 from Salamanca to attack Soult, the famous and favourite 
 general of Napoleon. The news reached him that Madrid 
 had fallen, and that Napoleon at the head of 70,000 men 
 was marching to crush him. It would have been folly to 
 have exposed his small army to such a power. In December 
 he began the ever-memorable retreat from Astorga to 
 Corunna a journey of nearly 250 miles, through a desolate 
 and mountainous country, made almost impassable by snow 
 and rain and all the time harassed by the enemy. The 
 soldiers suffered intolerable hardship, and arrived at Corunna 
 in a very distressed condition. Sad to relate, the fleet which 
 they expected to be waiting to receive them on board, was 
 not to be seen. The dragoon entrusted with the order to 
 the admiral had got drunk on the road, and lost his 
 despatches ! The French were close upon them, and the 
 engagement was now inevitable. In three days the delayed 
 ships entered the harbour, and the embarkation commenced. 
 The magazines of the city had been burned to save them 
 from falling into the hands of the French the cavalry were 
 already on board, their horses having been shot on the shore. 
 Then the enemy made the attack, and there ensued one of 
 the most terrible battles of modern times. Napier, in his 
 account of the campaign says, "The road leading into 
 Corunna was soon covered along its whole length with 
 wounded men : some of whom were walking alone, some 
 supported by their comrades, a good many placed in carts. 
 We observed Sir David Baird carried off the field. Shortly 
 afterwards, another group passed near us, bearing a wounded 
 officer. This was the brave Commander-in-Chief, Sir John 
 Moore, who a few minutes before had been struck off his 
 horse by a cannon shot." When the contest was severest, 
 the 42nd regiment had through some mistake commenced a 
 gradual retreat. Moore seeing this, rode up instantly. In
 
 94 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 a moment, when he had informed them of their error, their 
 line reformed, and with a loud shout they sprang eagerly 
 forward, driving the enemy before their levelled muskets. 
 Delighted with their enthusiasm, Moore followed them, 
 still cheering them onwards. " Highlanders ! remember 
 Egypt ! " But he had made himself conspicuous. A cannon 
 ball now struck him on the left shoulder. He fell to the 
 ground. Raising himself instantly to a sitting posture, 
 without a muscle of his face quivering, his eye still followed 
 eagerly the gallant advance of his troops. A staff officer, 
 Captain Hardinge, afterwards Lord Hardinge, was quickly 
 by his side, anxiously enquiring if he were much hurt. 
 Moore made no reply, but still looked anxiously toward the 
 conflict : Hardinge noticed this, and at once gave him the 
 welcome intelligence that the 42nd were still advancing. 
 He did not speak, but his countenance brightened. He 
 knew his wish had been performed. Moore's calmness at 
 first led to the hope that the wound was not mortal, but a 
 very slight examination showed that the gallant warrior's 
 hours must be few indeed. His shoulder was smashed to 
 atoms the arm hanging merely by the skin, while the ribs 
 covering the heart were also broken the shot in its passage 
 having bared them. Yet he sat as if only resting for a little 
 time after hard riding. 
 
 A blanket was spread out, and the General being carefully 
 and tenderly placed in it, was carried by his brave High- 
 landers. Hardinge noticed that his sword was much in the 
 way, the hilt striking against his wounded shoulder, and 
 began to unbuckle the belt. "No, no, Hardinge, I had 
 rather it should go out of the field with me;" and with his 
 sword girded round him a sword which he had never 
 disgraced the dying chief was borne from the field to his 
 lodgings in Corunna.
 
 SJK JOHN MOORE. 95 
 
 The letter of Colonel Anderson, for one-and-twenty years 
 the friend and companion of Sir John Moore, written next 
 morning, describes the circumstances. 
 
 "I met the General on the evening of the i6th, being 
 brought in with a blanket and sashes. He knew me 
 immediately, squeezed me by the hand, and said, ' Anderson, 
 don't leave me' 
 
 "After some time, at intervals he said, l Anderson, you know 
 that I have always wished to die this way.' He then asked, 
 ' Are the French beaten ? I hope the people of England will 
 be satisfied. I hope my country will do me justice ! Anderson, 
 you will see my friends as soon as you can. Say to my mother 
 Here his voice quite failed. ' Hope Hope / have much to 
 say to him, but cannot get it out. I have made my will, and 
 have remembered my servants. Colborne has my will, and 
 all my papers. Everything Francois (his body-servant) says 
 is right. I have the greatest confidence in him.' 
 
 "He thanked the surgeons for their trouble. Captains 
 Percy and Stanhope, two of his aides-de-camp, came into 
 the room. He spoke kindly to both. After some interval 
 he said, ' Stanhope, remember me to your sister' He pressed 
 my hand close to his body, and in a few minutes died 
 without a struggle." 
 
 According to a wish which he had often expressed, that 
 if killed in battle he might be buried where he fell, his body 
 was carried at midnight to a grave dug in one of the bastions 
 of the citadel of Corunna, and after the chaplain-general 
 read the service by torchlight, a band of sincere mourners 
 heaped the earth upon him. Among others detailed for this 
 duty was the young Glasgow ensign, Colin Campbell 
 destined also to be a distinguished field-marshal, whose 
 thoughts often reverted to that fateful night when they " left 
 him alone in his glory."
 
 go GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 When Moore was borne from the battle-field, General 
 Hope assumed the command, Sir David Baird, the next 
 in rank having been forced also to leave the field through 
 the shattering of his arm by a musket ball. The fight was 
 continued, until the French had fallen back on every point, 
 and the victory was complete. During the night the troops 
 were embarked on board the vessels. At day-break they set 
 sail. The French now entered the town, and endeavoured 
 to bring their guns to bear upon them. But the transports 
 were too far out at sea. And thus with the loss of its hero, 
 and many of his brave comrades, ended the second campaign 
 of the great Peninsular War. 
 
 We cannot close this sketch more suitably than with the 
 words of General Hope's despatch. 
 
 " I need not expatiate on the loss the army and his country 
 have sustained by his death. His fall has deprived me of a 
 friend to whom long experience of his worth had sincerely 
 attached me. But it is chiefly on public grounds that I 
 must lament the blow. After conducting the army through an 
 arduous retreat with consummate firmness, he has terminated 
 a career of distinguished honour by a death that has given 
 the enemy additional reason to respect the name of British 
 soldier. Like the immortal Wolfe, he is snatched from his 
 country at an early period of life spent in its service : like 
 Wolfe, his last moments were gilded with the prospect of 
 success, and cheered by the acclamation of victory : like 
 Wolfe also, his memory will for ever remain sacred in that 
 country which he sincerely loved, and which he had so 
 faithfully served." 
 
 His career had been followed with the greatest interest by 
 the people of Glasgow, who were justly proud of him. His 
 death caused the deepest sorrow, and his monument was 
 the first in the Square.
 
 Six JOHN MOORE. 97 
 
 In the Herald of 2oth August, 1819, there is the following 
 note in regard to the statue : 
 
 "SiR JOHN MOORE'S MONUMENT. 
 
 "On Monday, the workmen finished the erection in 
 George Square of the monument of Lieutenant-General Sir 
 John Moore, K.B., on which is the following inscription : 
 
 To COMMEMORATE 
 
 THE MILITARY SERVICES OF 
 
 LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR JOHN MOORE, K.B. 
 
 NATIVE OF GLASGOW, 
 
 His FELLOW-CITIZENS HAVE ERECTED 
 
 THIS MONUMENT. 
 
 1819. 
 
 It consists of a full-length bronze statue of the hero, 
 about 8 \ feet high, dressed in military costume, having a 
 cloak thrown round the left hand leaning on the sword, and 
 the right placed in easy position across the breast. It is 
 supported by a pedestal of Aberdeen granite, about ten feet 
 high. The statue is chiefly made from brass cannons. 
 The whole cost is between three and four thousand pounds. 
 The weight of the statue is upwards of three tons, and that 
 of the pedestal ten. The whole confers the utmost credit 
 on the taste and execution of Mr. Flaxman the artist. The 
 monument has a grand appearance, and is placed on the 
 south-side of the square fronting Miller Street."
 
 STATUH BY CHANTREY. ERECTED 1832. 
 
 James Matt. 
 
 In the year 1818 three years after the battle of Waterloo 
 there was assembled a distinguished party in Edinburgh, 
 at which Sir Walter Scott, James Watt (then in his eighty- 
 second year), and others were present. Sir Walter thus 
 writes : " There were assembled about half-a-score of our 
 Northern lights. Amid the company stood Mr. Watt, the 
 man who discovered the means of multiplying our national
 
 JAMES WATT. 99 
 
 resources to a degree perhaps beyond his own stupendous 
 powers of calculation and combination, bringing the treasure 
 of the abyss to the summit of the earth ; giving the feeble 
 arm of man the momentum of an afrite, commanding 
 manufactures to rise as the rod of the prophet produced 
 water in the desert, affording the means of dispensing with 
 that time and tide which wait for no man, and of sailing 
 without that wind which defied the threats of Xerxes him- 
 self. This potent commander of the elements this abridger 
 of time and space this magician whose cloudy machinery 
 has produced a change in the world, the effects of which, 
 extraordinary as they are, are perhaps now only beginning to 
 be felt, was not only the most profound man of science 
 the most successful combiner of powers and calculator of 
 numbers as applied to practical purposes was not only one 
 of the most generally well-informed, but one of the kindest 
 of human beings. There he stood, surrounded by the little 
 band I have mentioned of Northern literati men not less 
 tenacious of their own fame and their own opinions than 
 the national regiments are supposed to be jealous of the 
 high character which they have won upon service. Methinks 
 I yet see and hear what I shall never see or hear again. In 
 his eighty-second year, the alert, kind, benevolent old man 
 had his attention alive to every one's question, his 
 information at every one's command. His talents and fancy 
 overflowed on every subject. One gentleman was a deep 
 philologist, he talked with him on the origin of the alphabet 
 as if he had been coeval with Cadmus. Another, a cele- 
 brated critic, you could have thought he had studied political 
 economy and belles lettres all his life. Of science it is 
 unnecessary to speak. It was his own distinguished walk." 
 
 Such was the man at 82, the year before he died. His 
 extraordinary career, which has had a greater effect upon the
 
 joo GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 world than that of any soldier or statesman, well deserves 
 attentive study. 
 
 James Watt was born at Greenock on the iQth January, 
 1736. His grandfather, Thomas Watt, was a teacher of 
 navigation and mathematics in Cartsdyke, Greenock. He 
 died at the ripe age of 92, and was buried in the old West 
 churchyard, where his tombstone is still to be seen near to 
 that of Burns' Highland Mary. His father, James Watt, 
 was a prosperous shipwright and builder. He also supplied 
 ships with stores, and engaged in foreign mercantile 
 adventures. He was promoted by his townsmen to be a 
 bailie and chief magistrate of Greenock. His mother was 
 Agnes Muirhead, who was distinguished for her grace of 
 person, as well as of mind and heart. "A braw, braw 
 woman," it was said : " none now could be seen like her." 
 Watt was a very delicate child, and received his early 
 education at home. His mother taught him reading, and 
 his father writing and arithmetic. He soon showed that he 
 had inherited the mathematical power of his grandfather, as 
 well as the practical faculty of his father. He could not 
 only handle tools with dexterity, but made rapid advance- 
 ment in several branches of study. One day when he was 
 bending over the hearthstone with a piece of chalk in his 
 hand, a friend of his father said, " You ought to send that 
 boy to school, and not allow him to trifle away his time at 
 home." " Look how the child is occupied," was the reply, 
 " before you condemn him." The boy, at this early age, was 
 said to have been trying to solve a problem in geometry. 
 There is also the story told of him making early experiments 
 with the steam issuing from the tea-kettle, but this is told of 
 all the great inventors. Probably most boys do the same. 
 It cannot be taken as an indication that he was even then 
 meditating the great discovery by which he became famous.
 
 JAMES WATT. 101 
 
 He afterwards went to school, and was regarded at first 
 as a dull boy. But before he left, at fifteen years of age, he 
 had established himself as leader of the class. He had 
 twice gone through the elements of natural philosophy, he 
 had performed many chemical experiments, and had 
 succeeded in making an electrical machine. He had 
 also studied botany, astronomy, mineralogy, and a little of 
 anatomy. He also became a great story-teller, and by his 
 singular power kept his relatives from sleep. At the age of 
 eighteen, Watt came to Glasgow on horseback in order to 
 learn the trade of a mathematical instrument maker. It 
 was found that there was no such tradesman in Glasgow. 
 He was placed for a short time with a tradesman who styled 
 himself an " optician." He was really a sort of Jack-of-all- 
 trades, who could turn his hand to the mending of fiddles 
 and fishing tackle as well as of spectacles. To him the young 
 apprentice was most useful, but he could learn little of 
 mathematical instrument making. He therefore acted on the 
 advice of Professor Dick, and went to London in 1755 
 on horseback again while his chest was sent by sea. Here 
 also he had difficulty in finding a suitable master. " I 
 have not yet got a master," he wrote to his father about a 
 fortnight after his arrival. " We have tried several, but they 
 all made some objection or other. I find that, if any agree 
 with me at all, it will not be for less than a year; and even 
 for that time they will be expecting some money." At 
 length he was received into the shop of Mr. John Morgan, 
 a respectable mathematical instrument maker in Cornhill, 
 on the terms of receiving a year's instruction for the pro- 
 ceeds of his labour during that time. He soon proved 
 himself a skilful workman, making compasses, quadrants, 
 theodolites, and other kinds of delicate instruments. Watt 
 lived in a very frugal style. His living cost him only eight
 
 102 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 shillings a week. To relieve his father as much as possible 
 of even this expense, he sought for some remunerative work 
 on his own account, and did it at night. 
 
 This, however, soon told upon his health, and he was 
 obliged to return to Greenock. In fact, his delicate health 
 followed him all through life. His studies were pursued 
 often in the midst of splitting headaches that would have 
 overcome others. 
 
 He had only been about a year in London, but he had 
 made good use of his time, and was now prepared to start 
 business on his own account. With the consent and 
 help of his father he again came to Glasgow, in his twentieth 
 year, with this in view. Although there were no mathemati- 
 cal instrument makers in Glasgow, and it must have been a 
 public advantage to have one settled in the place, Watt was 
 opposed by the Corporation of Hammermen, on the ground 
 that he was neither the son of a burgess nor had served an 
 apprenticeship within the burgh. His old friend, Professor 
 Dick, again came to his rescue. He had already repaired 
 some of the instruments of the University, and the pro- 
 fessors, having jurisdiction over the area occupied by the 
 College buildings, granted him a little room, 20 feet 
 square, under the Natural Philosophy class-room, for a 
 workshop, and also a shop fronting the High Street. Over 
 this Watt put up his sign as "Mathematical Instrument 
 Maker to the University." At first work came in slowly. 
 His fame, however, soon spread, and business improved. 
 He was asked, among other things, to build an organ for 
 the Masons' Lodge. Although he had no ear for music, he 
 mastered so thoroughly the theory and the principles of 
 construction that the qualities of the organ when finished 
 are said to have elicited the surprise and admiration of 
 musicians.
 
 JAMES WATT. 103 
 
 The College Library was near, and he spent much of his 
 leisure time in reading. The most solid books and the 
 interesting novels were alike welcomed. His shop became 
 the favourite resort of the professors and the students. 
 They were attracted not only by the ingenious instruments 
 and models which it contained, but more by the intelligence 
 and original conversation of the skilful mechanic who 
 presided within it, and the pleasure which he took in 
 communicating his knowledge. Among his most frequent 
 visitors, in addition to Dr. Dick, were Dr. Black, the famous 
 chemist, who became his life-long friend ; Professor Simson, 
 the reviver of mathematical learning in Scotland ; Dr. Moor, 
 the eminent classical author, and Dr. Adam Smith, the author 
 of the " Wealth of Nations." Of the students who visited 
 him, none was more eager for knowledge, no one more 
 interesting or more intimately associated with him in after 
 life than John Robison, who became professor of moral 
 philosophy at Edinburgh. One day, after feasting his eyes 
 on the beautifully finished instruments in his shop, Robison 
 entered into conversation with him. Expecting to find only 
 a workman, he was surprised to discover a philosopher. "I 
 had the vanity," he says, " to think myself a pretty good 
 proficient in my favourite study (mathematical and 
 mechanical philosophy), and was rather mortified at finding 
 Mr. Watt so much my superior. But his own high relish 
 for these things made him pleased with the chat of any 
 person who had the same tastes with himself .... 
 Whenever any puzzle came in the way of any of us, we 
 went to Mr. Watt. He needed only to be prompted: 
 everything became to him the beginning of a new and 
 serious study, and we knew that he would not quit it till he 
 had either discovered its insignificancy, or had made 
 something of it. On one occasion, the solution of a problem
 
 104 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 seemed to require the perusal of Leopold's 'Theatrum 
 Machinarum,' and Watt forthwith learned German. At 
 another time, and for a similar reason, he made himself 
 master of Italian. When, to the superiority of knowledge 
 in his own line, is added the naive simplicity and candour 
 of Mr. Watt's character, it is no wonder that the attachment 
 of his acquaintances was so strong." 
 
 The local jealousy towards Watt had evidently been 
 overcome, for in 1760 he was allowed to remove to larger 
 and more central premises in the Saltmarket, nearly opposite 
 St. Andrew's Street. These he opened in partnership with 
 Mr. John Craig, who supplied the capital required, and 
 attended to the books. The new firm succeeded so well 
 that a few years later, ist December, 1763, the following 
 advertisement appeared in the Glasgow Journal: "James 
 Watt has removed his shop from the Saltmercat to Mr. 
 Buchanan's land in the Trongate, where he sells all sorts of 
 mathematical and musical instruments, with variety of toys 
 and other goods." At this time he also took a small 
 mansion in Delftfield Lane (changed to James Watt Street), 
 and was united in matrimony to his cousin, Margaret Miller. 
 He had also invented several new instruments, and 
 improved others that had been in use 
 before. His attention had ere this 
 been directed to the steam-engine. 
 It is known that Hero, a physician 
 of Alexandria, who flourished A.D. 
 200, described an ingenious toy, of 
 which steam was the motive power. 
 It consisted of a hollow globe of 
 meta^ movable upon its axis. Beneath 
 this, and communicating with it, was a small cauldron of 
 water. The globe, which was often in the shape of a man's
 
 JAMES WATT. 103 
 
 head, was provided with a tube, opening at the side where 
 the mouth was. When a fire was lighted under the 
 cauldron, and the steam raised, it filled the globe, and 
 then projecting itself against the air through the opening, 
 the reactive force caused it to spin round upon its axis, 
 as if it were animated by a spirit within. This was named 
 the ^Eolipile. 
 
 Hero's book lay buried in libraries until the revival of 
 learning in the i6th century. The attention of many was 
 then directed to the subject of steam as a motive power. In 
 1663, the ingenious Marquis of Worcester, one of the most 
 wonderful men of modern times, published his " Century of 
 the Names and Scantlings of Inventions." He there 
 describes " an admirable and most forcible way to drive up 
 water by fire." As his machine was actually used to elevate 
 water at Vauxhall, he is entitled to the honour of being the 
 first to bring the steam engine into use for practical purposes. 
 In the "Scantlings" he also speaks of "a vessel to work 
 itself against wind and tide, yea, both without the help of 
 man or beast." This is the first prophecy of the modern 
 steamboat. The marquis fell into debt and disrepute, and 
 was never able to carry out all his bright designs. He was 
 known to be a Papist, and suspected to be a madman. His 
 difficulties and embarrassments increased from day to day : 
 his projects met with contumely and contempt. None 
 valued them because none understood them. He lost his 
 estate, lost his money, spent 13 years of his life in prison, 
 and died a broken, disappointed man in April, 1667. His 
 widow, the marchioness, did her best to turn his inventions 
 to account, but with as little success as her lord, and so " the 
 water commanding engine " dropped out of sight, and in the 
 course of a few years was almost forgotten. 
 
 The next prominent experimenter on the powers of steam 
 H
 
 io6 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 was Dr. Dionysius Papin, a Frenchman, who took refuge in 
 London after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. To 
 him we owe the well-known Papin Digester, and the 
 invention of the safety valve. Dr. Smiles states, " He 
 discovered that if the vapour of boiling water could be 
 prevented escaping, the temperature of the boiling water 
 could be raised much above boiling point : and it occurred 
 to him to employ this increased heat in more effectually 
 extracting the nutritious matter from the bones of animals 
 before then thrown away as useless. The great strength 
 required for his digester, and the means he was obliged to 
 adopt for the purpose of securely confining the cover, must 
 have early shown him what a powerful agent he was 
 experimenting on. To prevent the vessel bursting from 
 internal pressure, he was led to the invention of the safety 
 valve, which consisted of a small movable plate, fitted into 
 an opening in the cover of the boiler, and kept shut by a 
 lever loaded with a weight, capable of sliding along it in the 
 manner of a steelyard. The pressure of the weight upon the 
 valve could thus be regulated at pleasure. When the 
 pressure became so great as to endanger the safety of the 
 boiler, the valve was forced up, and so permitted the steam 
 to escape." He was also the first to construct a model 
 steamboat. After fifteen years' labour he managed to fit a 
 model engine in a boat of which he wrote, " This, by means 
 of fire, will render one or two men capable of producing 
 more effect than some hundreds of rowers." He proceeded 
 to bring the little vessel from Marburg to London, and it 
 actually reached Miinden, when, to his great grief, it was 
 seized by the boatmen on the river and destroyed. 
 
 The first in England to manufacture steam engines was 
 Thomas Savery, a military engineer. He was also the first 
 to think of moving a vessel by paddle-wheels, worked by a
 
 JAMES WATT, 107 
 
 capstan in the centre of the boat. He was led to make the 
 invention through the difficulty which had been experienced 
 in getting ships in motion, so as to place them alongside the 
 enemy in sea fights, especially difficult in calm weather. 
 Strange that though he knew the principle of the steam 
 engine, he did not think of working the paddles by means 
 of it. His engine was designed principally for the pumping 
 of water from mines. In Cornwall the mines had been 
 wrought out near the surface. As the men went deeper, 
 they were drowned out. He contrived an engine for the 
 purpose of raising the water. It was cumbrous and liable to 
 get out of order and become useless. It was both dangerous 
 and unmanageable, and did not come into general use. 
 
 Thomas Newcomen, a blacksmith and ironmonger in 
 Dartmouth, was the next who improved the fire-engine. 
 Taking advantage of Papin's and Savery's discoveries, he 
 contrived a steam engine which has been thus described by 
 Dr. Smiles : " The steam was generated in a separate boiler, 
 as in Savery's, from which it was conveyed into a vertical 
 cylinder underneath a piston fitting it closely, but movable, 
 upwards and downwards, through its whole length. The 
 piston was fixed to a rod which was attached by a joint or 
 chain of a lever vibrating on its own axis, the other end 
 being attached to a rod working a pump. When the piston 
 in the cylinder was raised, steam was let into the vacated 
 space through a tube fitted into the top of the boiler, and 
 mounted with a stop-cock. The pump rod at the further 
 end of the lever being thus depressed, cold water was applied 
 to the sides of the cylinder, on which the steam within it 
 was condensed, a vacuum was produced, and the external 
 .air pressing upon the top of the piston forced it down into 
 the empty cylinder. The pump rod was thereby raised, and 
 the operation of depressing and raising it being repeated, a
 
 io8 
 
 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 power was thus produced, which kept the pump continuously 
 at work." This engine made no use of the direct force of 
 steam, it worked entirely by means of the vacuum, and 
 hence has been called the "Atmospheric Engine." The 
 principal objection to its use consisted in the very large 
 
 MODEL OF NEWCOMEN'S ENGINE. 
 
 quantity of coal it consumed, and the cost of keeping it in- 
 order. The boilers were frequently burnt out. Notwith- 
 standing, its use rapidly extended, and its construction 
 excited the inquiry of the scientific. 
 
 Watt found that the College possessed the model of a
 
 JAMES WATT. 109 
 
 Newcomen engine, which had been sent to London for 
 repair, and not returned. He prevailed upon the authorities 
 to get it returned, and put into his own hands. 
 
 He soon had it repaired, and in working order. He 
 discovered that nearly four-fifths of the whole steam employed 
 was condensed on its first admission to the cylinder, which 
 had been cooled by the injection into it of the cold water. 
 It was only the surplus that could act upon the piston. He 
 came to the conclusion that to make a perfect steam engine, 
 the cylinder should always be as hot as the steam that entered 
 it) but it was equally necessary that the steam should be 
 condensed when the piston descended. Thus the cylinder 
 was never to be at a less temperature than 212 (when water 
 becomes steam), and yet at each descent of the piston it was 
 to be less than 100 conditions that seemed incompatible. 
 Many lines of thought he followed out, and many experiments 
 made. At length, all at once, the light burst upon him. 
 But the discovery is best told in his own words. 
 
 " I had gone to take a walk on a fine Sabbath afternoon. 
 I had entered the Green by the gate at the foot of Charlotte 
 Street, and had passed the old washing house. I was 
 thinking of the engine at the time, and had gone as far as 
 the herd's house, when the idea came into my mind, that as 
 steam is an elastic body, it would rush into a vacuum, and 
 if a communication were made between the cylinder and an 
 exhausted vessel, it would rush into it, and might be there 
 condensed without cooling the cylinder. I then saw I 
 must get rid of the condensed steam and injection water, if 
 I used a jet as in Newcomen's engine. Two ways of doing 
 this occurred to me. First, the water might be run off by a 
 descending pipe, if an outlet could be got at the depth of 35 
 or 36 feet, and any air might be extracted by a small pump. 
 The second was to make the pump large enough to extract
 
 no 
 
 GEORGE SQUARE, 
 
 both water and air. I had not walked further than the 
 golfhouse, when the whole thing was arranged in my mind." 
 He proceeded to put his idea into practical form. He hired 
 a small cellar in King Street, and there set up his first model. 
 The steam pipe, he says, was adjusted to a small boiler. 
 
 When steam was produced, it was admitted into the 
 cylinder and soon issued through the perforation of the rod, 
 and at the valve of the condenser : when it was judged that 
 
 WATT S FIRST ENGINE. 
 
 the air was expelled, the steam cock was shut, and the air 
 pump piston rod was drawn up, which, leaving the small 
 pipes of the condenser in a state of vacuum, the steam 
 entered them and was condensed. The piston of the 
 cylinder immediately rose and lifted a weight of about 18 
 Ibs. which was hung to the lower end of the piston rod. 
 The exhaustion rod was shut, the steam was readmitted into 
 the cylinder, and the operation repeated. The quantity of 
 steam consumed and the weights it could raise were observed, 
 and, excepting the non-application of the steam case and
 
 JAMES WATT. in 
 
 external covering, the invention was complete in so far as 
 regarded the saving of steam and fuel. 
 
 " My whole thoughts are bent on this machine. I can 
 think of nothing else," he said. He made another and 
 more satisfactory engine in a larger apartment within an old 
 pottery, near his house in the lane. He was greatly 
 hindered by the want of skilled workmen. He could not 
 get his cylinder and other parts of the machine properly 
 made. He also lacked the capital to make it known and 
 protect it. Most fortunately there was in the neighbourhood 
 Dr. Roebuck, the founder of the Carron Iron Works, a 
 gentleman of extensive knowledge in all the branches 
 of civil engineering. He was also well accustomed to great 
 enterprises, not scared by difficulties, or sparing in expense. 
 In 1767, when Watt had become considerably involved by 
 the expenses in perfecting his engine, Roebuck assumed his 
 liabilities, to the amount of ^1,000, and agreed to provide 
 capital for the prosecution of experiments, and to introduce 
 the invention. In return, Watt agreed to assign to Roebuck 
 two-thirds of his patent, which was granted in 1769. 
 
 In accordance with this arrangement, Watt proceeded in 
 that year to take out his patent, and to erect his first engine 
 which came to be named "Beelzebub" because of the 
 mystery by which it was surrounded, and the power it was 
 expected to display in the world. It was erected in an 
 outhouse (in order to avoid prying eyes) behind the Kinneil 
 mansion near Borrowstonness, which was then the residence 
 of Dr. Roebuck. The cylinder, 18 inches diameter and 
 five feet stroke, was cast at Carron ; the most of the other 
 materials were brought from Mr. Watt's works at Glasgow. 
 It was slow and trying work. He had to complain of the 
 " villainous bad work." The truth is, the men were not up 
 to it, and whenever he was away, things went wrong. At
 
 ii2 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 times he was utterly discouraged, and but for the cheering 
 
 influence of Roebuck could not have gone on. At length 
 
 in September it was completed. Watt said it was a "clumsy 
 
 job." The cylinder was bad almost useless. It was loose 
 
 and cranky in every part. " Beelzebub " was not a success. 
 
 In fact, he never did anything worth while till afterwards 
 
 removed to England. Watt was mortified, and his partner 
 
 plunged in difficulties. He had depended upon "Beelzebub" 
 
 for the restoration of his already impaired fortunes. Watt, 
 
 without losing sight of the steam engine, heroically turned 
 
 to other works. He did not confine himself to telescopes, 
 
 driving-screws, and balances, but undertook surveying. He 
 
 surveyed the land for the canal from Monkland to Glasgow, 
 
 and afterwards superintended its construction. He also 
 
 surveyed the River Clyde, and sent in the report which was 
 
 the beginning of those works by which it has been changed 
 
 from a fishing stream into a great highway for the commerce 
 
 of all nations. He made a design for the new bridge over 
 
 the Clyde at Hamilton. He prepared plans for the pier and 
 
 docks at Port-Glasgow. The last work of this kind which 
 
 he undertook was the survey of the Caledonian Canal in 
 
 Scotland. It was made in the midst of great difficulties. 
 
 " An incessant rain," said he, " kept me for three days as 
 
 wet as water could make me. I could hardly preserve my 
 
 journal book." 
 
 The heaviest blow now fell upon him in the death of his 
 wife (1773). She had courageously struggled with him, 
 and cheered his lot by her more sanguine spirit. Other 
 circumstances were against him. Dr. Roebuck's increasing 
 embarrassments afflicted him. He almost cursed the engine 
 as the cause of his misfortunes : little did he think at the 
 time that there was now turning the tide which would bear 
 him on to fortune. An offer was made to him for
 
 JAMES WATT. 113 
 
 a partnership with Matthew Boulton, the distinguished 
 engineer of Birmingham, which was maintained during their 
 lifetime, and continued in those of their sons. Watt, when 
 he went to London for his patent, had seen Boulton in 
 Birmingham. He, too, had been thinking of an engine, and 
 had one partially constructed. They had much conversation 
 about it, and conceived a hearty liking for each other. When 
 Watt and Roebuck went into partnership, Boulton resolved 
 to wait for the issue of their scheme, honourably stating, 
 " In erecting my proposed engine, I would necessarily avail 
 myself of what I learned from Mr. Watt's conversation, but 
 this would not now be right without his consent." It so 
 happened that when Roebuck became bankrupt, he owed 
 ;i,2oo to Boulton. He offered to take Roebuck's two-third 
 share in the engine patent for the debt. This was agreed 
 to as the creditors thought it was of no value. Accordingly 
 "Beelzebub" was removed to the Soho Works, Birmingham, 
 in 1774. Some parts were renewed, and all were better 
 fitted. " Beelzebub " wrought in a more satisfactory manner 
 than he had even done before. Watt, who had also gone up 
 to superintend, wrote to his father, " The fire engine I have 
 invented is now going, and answers very much better than 
 any other that has yet been made." 
 
 Supposing he had searched the world over, Watt could not 
 have found a better partner deeply interested in the progress 
 of practical science, enterprising, honourable, princely in 
 manner, and an excellent judge of men, and shrewd in his 
 business. At his works, where there were 700 employees, 
 he reigned as a sort of king. Boswell, who visited them 
 three years after Watt had joined him, says in his Life of 
 Johnson, " I shall never forget Mr. Boulton's expression to 
 me while surveying the works. ' I sell here, sir, what all the 
 world desires to have power? I contemplated him as an
 
 ii4 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 iron chieftain : and he seemed to be the father of his tribe." 
 Watt afterwards said, " Boulton was the ablest man I ever 
 knew." "I don't know," said the lady to whom he made the 
 remark, "but he was the most courteous I ever knew." 
 The same lady Mrs. Schimmelpenninck says of Watt, "He 
 led the life of a deeply introverted and patiently observant 
 philosopher. He was one of the most complete specimens 
 of the melancholic temperament. His head was generally 
 bent forward or leaning on his hand in meditation, his 
 shoulders stooping and his chest falling in ; his limbs lank 
 and unmuscular, and his complexion sallow. His intellectual 
 development was magnificent : comparison and causality 
 immense, with large ideality and constructiveness, indivi- 
 duality, and enormous concentrativeness and caution. Yet 
 when he entered a room, men of letters, men of science, 
 military men, artists, ladies, even little children thronged 
 around him." 
 
 In 1776, after his settlement with his two boys in 
 Birmingham, Watt found his way back to Scotland. Here 
 he was fortunate in securing orders for the fire engine, 
 and still more fortunate in securing as his second wife Miss 
 Anne M'Gregor of Glasgow. He could ill be spared at 
 Soho, and Boulton writes, "If we had a hundred wheel 
 engines ready made, and a hundred small engines, we could 
 readily dispose of them. Therefore let us make hay while 
 the sun shines, and fill our barns before the dark cloud of 
 age lowers upon us, and before any more Tubal-Cains arise 
 like the serpents of Moses to devour all others. As to your 
 absence, say nothing about it; I will forgive it this time, 
 provided you promise me never to marry again." 
 
 The engines were principally demanded for the mining 
 districts of Cornwall, where their efficiency in pumping the 
 water out of the deep mines was at once manifest.
 
 JAMES WATT. 115 
 
 At first, they charged a royalty for the use of their patent 
 viz., one third of the value of the saving of coal 
 effected by their engine as compared to Newcomen's. 
 The uplifting of this royalty, the erecting of new engines, 
 and the repair of those in use required a member of the 
 firm to be always in the district. Watt undertook these 
 duties. He had to contend not only with natural obstacles 
 in the dark abysses of deeply flooded mines, but with a rude 
 and obstinate class of men as deeply flooded by inveterate 
 prejudices. His letters about this time remind us of the 
 strains in which Ovid bewailed his exile to the remote 
 and savage Pontus. "Peace of mind and delivery from 
 Cornwall is my prayer. Those wilds might be defined a 
 tract of hills without dales, where the roads go straight up 
 the hills without flinching, and where the enginemen actually 
 eat the grease from the engine" And yet he must have been 
 doing an enormous service to the mining interest, for he 
 writes, " If we had not furnished them with more effectual 
 means of drawing the water, I believe all the deep mines 
 must have been abandoned." 
 
 Many of his worries arose from the fact that he had to do 
 so much personally. There were not workmen sufficiently 
 skilled to be relied on. One exception he fortunately found 
 whose name should not be forgotten in any account of 
 Watt. This was William Murdoch, a relative of the John 
 Murdoch who taught Robert Burns. Murdoch had assisted 
 his father, farmer and miller, at Auchinleck. He had 
 gained a fair knowledge of machinery, some practical 
 experience at the bench, and had even designed and built 
 bridges. Intelligent and ambitious, he had heard of Watt 
 and his famous fire engine, and he resolved in 1777 to go to 
 Birmingham and try whether he could get a job from the 
 great engineer at Soho. He was then in his twenty-third year.
 
 n6 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Dr. Smiles, in his " Men of Invention and Industry," tells 
 in his own charming style how that young Murdoch went up 
 to the large engineering works in Soho in search of Watt, 
 in order that he might thereby get a start in life. Watt 
 was down in Cornwall superintending the erection of some 
 engines. Boulton, however, the great inventor's partner, a 
 genial man, and one usually accessible to all kinds of callers, 
 high and low, was on the ground. Murdoch, on being 
 received by Boulton, asked in a blate, modest way, whether 
 he could get "a job" in the place. In answer to his 
 enquiry, the engineering magnate replied that they were very 
 slack, and that every place was filled up. During the brief 
 conversation that took place, the bashful young Scotchman, 
 like most country lads in the presence of strangers, had some 
 difficulty in knowing what to do with his hands, and kept 
 twirling his hat with them. Boulton's attention was drawn 
 to the twirling hat, which seemed to be of a peculiar make. 
 It was not a felt hat, nor a cloth hat, nor a glazed hat ; but 
 it seemed to be painted and composed of some unusual kind 
 of material. "That seems to be a peculiar sort of hat," said 
 Boulton. "What is it made of?" "Timmer, sir," said 
 Murdoch modestly. " Timmer ! Do you mean to say that 
 it is made of wood ? " " 'Deed it is, sir." "And, pray, how 
 was it made ? " "I made it mysel', sir, in a bit laithey o' 
 my ain contrivin'." " Indeed ! " Boulton looked at the 
 young man again. He had risen a hundred degrees in his 
 estimation. William was a good-looking fellow tall, strong, 
 and handsome, with an open, intelligent countenance. 
 " Well," said Boulton at length, " I will enquire at the works 
 and see if there is anything that will suit you. Call again." 
 " Thank you, sir," said Murdoch gratefully, and giving his 
 hat a final twirl, he went away happy. 
 
 In a few days after this memorable interview in the life of
 
 JAMES WATT. 117 
 
 the man and of the firm with which he was long thereafter 
 so honourably connected, Murdoch got " a job " at fifteen 
 shillings per week, seventeen when engaged in the country, 
 and eighteen when in London. This was Murdoch's begin- 
 ning, modest enough, certainly. But he was one of those men 
 who believe that there is much yet to be discovered for the 
 bettering of the world. He believed also in himself, and 
 that he was capable of unsealing some of the hidden secrets 
 of science. Such men have been the earth's benefactors 
 through all time. Murdoch had in him all the elements 
 which tend to bring success. He applied himself diligently 
 and conscientiously to his duties, and gradually became a 
 servant who was trusted to the minutest details. His in- 
 dustry, skill, perseverance, and sobriety marked him for 
 promotion, and he rose to be the confidential adviser and 
 co-worker in all the important mechanical undertakings of the 
 great engineering firm at Soho, and finally a partner. 
 
 When Boulton engaged Murdoch, Watt was in Cornwall, 
 superintending the erection and proper starting of pumping 
 engines that were being put up in connection with the large 
 mines in various parts of that county. Although the firm 
 was now obtaining a world-wide reputation, the partnership 
 had only been in existence for three years, and Watt was 
 still struggling with the thousand difficulties and partial 
 failures which he had to surmount ere getting the numerous 
 steam engines into practical use. Watt was also weighted 
 in other ways. His health was by no means good, and he 
 had to contend against excruciating headaches. Moreover, 
 he was of too fragile a fibre, so far as mental temperament 
 was concerned, to fight with any degree of hopeful success 
 against the rough, over-reaching selfishness of unprincipled 
 Cornish adventurers. Half dead with worry and fatigue, 
 Watt was on the point of renouncing his various under-
 
 n8 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 takings, and leaving the county for ever, feeling that very 
 little more of such bitter experience would kill him outright. 
 Happily Murdoch at this juncture was fully equipped in 
 technical skill, and was not only willing but able to free 
 Watt from the work he was about to throw down. 
 
 In after days Murdoch was able to assist Watt in many of 
 his problems, and to enrich the firm with many of his own 
 inventions. He became a partner in the works along with 
 the sons of Boulton and Watt. He deserves particularly 
 the world's honour for being the first to discover how to 
 apply coal gas for the purposes of lighting. He illustrated 
 his discovery by the illumination of the Soho works in 1802. 
 For this alone he ought to be gratefully remembered in all 
 the cities where rows of shining lamps give safety to moving 
 multitudes, and in all the homes that have been made 
 brighter and more comfortable by this wondrous illuminant. 
 
 Boulton and Watt had to spend so much at first upon the 
 improvements of their engine, and upon the extension of 
 their premises, that it was not till 1783 that profits began to 
 come in. They therefore had their patent extended till the 
 year 1800. They also received other patents for improve- 
 ments in its structure. Among these was the contrivance 
 for rotatory motion by means of what was called the sun 
 and planet wheels, the expansive principle of working 
 steam, the parallel motion, the smokeless furnace, and the 
 governor. Watt was also the inventor of the well-known 
 copying press, and of many other useful instruments. He 
 was ever meditating upon some mode by which the power 
 of man could be increased and his labour economised. 
 Inventing was a habit which he could not restrain. Wealth 
 flowed in upon the partners, and their works became famous 
 over the whole world. In the year 1800, when their patent 
 expired, Watt wisely withdrew from the business, leaving
 
 JAMES WATT. 119 
 
 his shares to his two sons. He was now sixty-four years of 
 age. Since early life he had been oppressed with nervous 
 headaches, and was glad of the release. Never was dream 
 of poet more fully realised. The busy worried life gave 
 place to a prolonged and sweet old age. The cloud which 
 had so long hung over him was gently lifted up, and the 
 curtain parted to disclose a happier scene. It is unusual 
 that even physical ease and enjoyment should come so late, 
 but so it was. The term which commenced with his release 
 from the coils of active business was a serene and golden 
 time, in which he found repose, honour, troops of friends, and 
 the pleasing retrospect of a struggle past and a victory won. 
 Even in retirement he pursued his old studies. Before 
 this he had acquired Heathfield House, in the fitting up 
 and adornment of which he took great interest. He had 
 the garret converted into a workshop, in which he spent 
 much of his time. There was a foot lathe, and drawers, 
 with screws, pincers, cutters, taps and dies. In other 
 places were compasses, dividers, scales, and quadrants. 
 Here were also the tools with which he had worked in the 
 early part of his life. In one of the drawers was his old 
 flute. A writing-desk was placed close to the window, and 
 near it his letter copying machine. In this suburban 
 study and workshop he spent many hours meditating and 
 experimenting. One of his last inventions was a sculpture 
 copying machine, the secret of which died with him. He 
 took great pleasure in presenting specimens of his work 
 to his intimate friends, jocularly describing them as the 
 productions of " a young artist just entering his eighty-third 
 year." Here, too, he prepared the plan for the Old Glasgow 
 Water Works by which water could be conveyed across the 
 Clyde. Dr. Smiles, who visited the room in 1864, found there 
 also a hair trunk, the touching memorial of his son Gregory,
 
 120 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 who had died in the bright promise of opening manhood. It 
 contained all his school-books, his first attempts at writing, 
 his drawings, his class-books, and his college themes. 
 
 The University of Glasgow conferred upon Watt the degree 
 of LL.D., and in return he founded the James Watt prize 
 in natural philosophy. 
 
 He was much affected by the death of his partner, the 
 princely Boulton,in 1807, when he himself was seventy years of 
 age. He took great interest in the monument and inscription 
 elected to his honour. " I can with great sincerity say that 
 he was a most affectionate and steady friend and patron, with 
 whom, during a close connection of thirty-five years, I have 
 never had any serious difference. As to his improvements 
 and erections at Soho, his turning a barren heath into a 
 delightful garden, and the population and riches he has 
 introduced into the parish of Handsworth, I must leave such 
 subjects to those whose pens are better adapted to the purpose, 
 and whose ideas are less benumbed with age than mine now 
 are." He had the desire that the church within which his 
 friend was buried should be improved. When the plans of 
 the alterations were presented to him, he thought them paltry 
 and unworthy. " Why," said he, " if these plans be carried 
 out, preaching at Handsworth will be like squirting the 
 Word of God through a keyhole." The result was that by 
 his suggestions and his liberality it was greatly enlarged. 
 
 He outlived his partner for thirteen years working in his 
 garret, walking in his grounds, and occasionally making visits 
 to Cheltenham, Glasgow, and other places. His eye was not 
 dim, or his natural strength abated. He preserved the use 
 of his faculties and the cunning of his hand to the last, and 
 departed from life quietly and peaceably on the igth August, 
 1819, in the eighty-third year of his age. The industries 
 which he has created, and the commerce which he has
 
 JAMES WATT. 121 
 
 advanced, the busy engines and flying wheels through the 
 whole civilised world, are memorials of his life and power. 
 The statue in George Square by Chantrey was erected in 
 1832. There is another, also by Chantrey, in Westminster 
 Abbey. Lord Brougham stated that he was prouder of 
 having penned the following inscription upon that statue 
 than he was of any of his other works : 
 
 NOT TO PERPETUATE A NAME 
 WHICH MUST ENDURE WHILE THE PEACEFUL ARTS FLOURISH, 
 
 BUT TO SHOW 
 
 THAT MANKIND HAVE LEARNED TO HONOUR THOSE 
 WHO BEST DESERVE THEIR GRATITUDE, 
 
 THE KING, 
 
 HIS MINISTERS, AND MANY OF THE NOBLES 
 
 AND COMMONERS OF THE REALM 
 
 RAISED THIS MONUMENT TO 
 
 JAMES WATT, 
 
 WHO, DIRECTING THE FORCE OF AN ORIGINAL GENIUS, 
 
 EARLY EXERCISED IN PHILOSOPHIC RESEARCH, 
 
 TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF 
 
 THE STEAM-ENGINE, 
 
 ENLARGED THE RESOURCES OF HIS COUNTRY, INCREASED 
 
 THF. POWER OF MAN, AND ROSE TO AN EMINENT PLACE 
 
 AMONG THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS FOLLOWERS OF SCIENCE 
 
 AND THE REAL BENEFACTORS OF THE WORLD. 
 
 BORN AT GREENOCK, 1736. 
 DIED AT HEATHFIELD, IN STAFFORDSHIRE, 1819.
 
 Sir Malter Scott. 
 
 On a summer day in the year 1817, the busy citizens of 
 Glasgow passing rapidly from street to street on their proper 
 business, might turn to look at a remarkable visitor 
 evidently a stranger in this bustling community a man 
 above the common height, halting slightly as he walked, 
 and fixing his steadfast, searching eyes on the boats, on the 
 buildings, sometimes even on a burly burgess too much 
 engrossed with his own importance to be conscious of 
 the gaze. He sauntered along the Broomielaw, through 
 Bridgegate, past the site of the old Blythswood mansion, 
 with which his forefathers had a close connection, on 
 to the Saltmarket. There he crossed the street, and 
 explored the Silvercraigs land right opposite (now, alas ! 
 swept away in city improvement), which stood at the 
 south-east corner of the present Steele Street. There 
 were then furniture stores beneath, with the residences of 
 the proprietors above, but it had been the headquarters 
 of Cromwell, where he met Zachary Boyd, minister of 
 the Barony, and other local dignitaries in pious confer- 
 ence. It was not, however, because it had been the 
 resting-place of Cromwell that he lingered lovingly before 
 it, and slowly mounted its stairs, but because it had been 
 built by a Robert Campbell, one of his paternal ancestors, 
 and a connection of another " Rob " who was to become 
 famous through this visitor's pen and power. Thence he 
 went up the Saltmarket to the Cathedral, observing every 
 object with close attention. The onlookers might inquire 
 (there was much more curiosity in Glasgow in 1817 than 
 now), " Who is this distinguished stranger that takes such a
 
 SILVERCRAIGS LAND, FOOT OF SALTMARKET. 
 
 Built by Robert Campbell, son of Provost Colin Campbell of Blythswood, 1640 the Tocher House of his 
 
 daughter, Jean, who married Walter Scott of Harden, the famous "Beardie." 
 
 Specially drawn for this work by Miss Susan F. Crawford. The original in the possession 
 
 of Sir Archibald Campbell of Blythswood. 
 
 THE DREGHORN MANSION, GREAT CLYDE STREET. 
 Specially drawn by Miss Susan F. Crawford. Original in the possession of Wm Hill, Esq. of Barlanark.
 
 124 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 deep interest in the town?" Then a lawyer or litigious 
 trader, who had stood before the tables of green cloth in 
 Edinburgh, might reply, "That is Walter Scott, principal 
 clerk of the Court of Session, more celebrated as a writer of 
 poems, and supposed by many to be the author of the 
 ' Waverley Novels.'" The visit of Scott to Glasgow at this 
 time had no connection with law. He was endeavouring to 
 trace the footsteps of Rob Roy, and to discover the proto- 
 type of a worthy magistrate, who soon, to the delight of all 
 the world, became known under the name of Bailie Nicol 
 Jarvie. 
 
 Walter Scott, not yet Sir Walter, was now forty-six years 
 of age, and nearly at the height of his great reputation. 
 During the next three years he gave to the world all the 
 works that bear the impress of his genius, which thereafter 
 began to decline. Standing at this point, then, let us 
 enquire how the briefless advocate rose to such a dis- 
 tinction that in an era of great authors he stood without 
 a peer, with honours and rewards unparalleled in the 
 annals of literature. 
 
 Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, on the i5th August, 
 1771. The house in which he first saw the light stood at 
 the head of College Wynd, but it disappeared many years 
 ago to make room for some enlargement of the College 
 buildings. His father, Walter Scott, W.S., was a man of 
 fine presence, and grave, dignified manners, but not pecu- 
 liarly distinguished in intellectual power or force of character. 
 He could boast of a remote kinship with the noble family of 
 Buccleuch. He was the grandson of Walter Scott of 
 Harden, the famous "Beardie," who in loyalty to the 
 Jacobite cause had sworn never to cut his beard while the 
 Stuarts were in exile. "Beardie," possibly through his 
 Jacobite proclivities had come to the west, and married
 
 Sfx WALTER SCOTT. 125 
 
 Jean Campbell, the daughter of Robert Campbell of Silver- 
 craigs land in the Saltmarket, a niece of the Provost, Colin 
 Campbell of Blythswood. This connection made with the 
 Glasgow Campbells was maintained. Robert Scott, Beardie's 
 son, married Barbara, daughter of Thomas Haliburton and 
 his wife Janet Campbell, who was a daughter of Robert 
 Campbell of North Woodside. The son of Robert Scott 
 and this grand-daughter of Woodside was Walter Scott, 
 W.S., father to Sir Walter. There was thus a good Glasgow 
 strain in Sir Walter's blood. No wonder that he had some 
 pride in visiting his cousins in the west, and in going north- 
 ward to their ancient haunts, and in describing Rob Roy 
 M'Gregor, who was a Campbell on his mother's side. In 
 him the best elements of the west country and of the Border 
 met together, and he did not forget the rock out of which 
 he was hewn. From his mother, Anne Rutherfurd, daughter 
 of Professor Rutherfurd, Scott seems more immediately to 
 have inherited his rare gifts of head and heart. She also 
 claimed descent from an ancient Border house. Thus his 
 ancestors on both sides had been renowned in the fierce 
 Border wars proud, indomitable men who lived in armour, 
 and held their lands by right of the sword. It is not 
 surprising that Scott, in whom the natural piety of race and 
 family was largely developed, should take some pride in this 
 martial pedigree, which transmitted to him its noblest 
 instincts of courage and independence. If Scott had spent 
 his boyhood in Edinburgh, the whole current of that splendid 
 life might have been changed. He might have written 
 histories more luminous than Robertson's; reviews more 
 racy than Jeffrey's ; but the lays and legends of the Borders, 
 the novels and romances which enchant the world might 
 never have been produced. Nature, however, charges herself 
 with the birth and growth of poets, placing them in the
 
 126 GEORGE SQUARE, 
 
 situations most favourable for their development. Accord- 
 ingly when eighteen months old, the child fell ill, lost the 
 power of the ri^ht leg, and when every remedy had failed, 
 was conveyed with some hopes of recovery through change 
 of air to the farm of Sandy Knowe on the Tweed. 
 
 Here, under the care of his grandfather, he remained 
 during the most of his childhood, learning to love the noble 
 river, the Eildon hills, and above all, the old ruin, close by, 
 called Smailholm Tower, which he made, long after, the 
 scene of the ballad, " The Eve of St. John." Although the 
 age of freebooters and Border forays had long departed, still 
 the traditions of these wild days were repeated at every 
 fireside. The lame child drank them in with an eager 
 interest which continued to animate the man ; Deloraine is 
 but a reminiscence of these old tales of Border reivers. 
 One characteristic anecdote of Scott during his stay here 
 is worth repeating. Recovering the use of his limb, he 
 frequently accompanied the shepherd to the hill. On one 
 of these occasions a thunderstorm came on, and the child 
 had strayed from his companion. After a long search, the 
 shepherd found him lying on his back, clapping his hands 
 at each successive flash of lightning, and crying, " Bonnie ! 
 bonnie ! " 
 
 After a visit to Bath, Walter returned to his father's home 
 in Edinburgh, and became a pupil in the High School, of 
 which Dr. Adam was then lector. Scott earned no credit 
 as a student either in school or college, attracting the 
 attention of his teachers only by his incurable idleness and 
 his precocious memory. Delighting in ballad minstrelsy, 
 in tales of chivalry and war, and acquiring by some process 
 unknown an acquaintance with several modern tongues, he 
 displayed an unspeakable aversion for dead languages. 
 After quitting the High School he entered the University,
 
 Six WALTER SCOTT. 127 
 
 where his insensibility to the charms of the Greek poets 
 provoked from Professor Dalzell a censure which has 
 become historical : "A dunce he was and a dunce he would 
 remain." Scott lived to regret his negligence. In the flush 
 of his fame he declared that he would willingly renounce all 
 his literary renown for a well-grounded classical education. 
 This generous condescension will not prevent his readers 
 from rejoicing that his genius was a plant of national growth 
 and fed by the legends and literature of his native land. 
 The universal culture of Goethe would have dimmed the 
 open vision of Homer and Scott, whose mission it was to 
 see and relate, and not to reflect and judge. 
 
 Scott, therefore, left the University with very modest 
 classical equipment, with no reputation in science, in 
 philosophy, or any branch of academic learning. He 
 was now, at the age of fifteen, apprenticed to the law 
 in his father's office. But law seems to have been as 
 uncongenial to his tastes as Homer. During this year 
 also we read of his first poetical production a poem on 
 the Siege of Granada, which he afterwards committed 
 to the flames. Scott's powers did not blossom early. 
 There can be little doubt that he acquired the accom- 
 plishment of verse, in which he afterwards excelled, 
 by unwearied study, although we are unable to trace 
 his progress to perfection. While the youthful poet was 
 elaborating his epic, a meeting took place in Edinburgh, 
 which will be for ever memorable. In 1786 a volume of 
 poems, issued from a Kilmarnock press, excited mingled 
 curiosity and admiration. The poems, marked by great 
 natural tenderness and humour, and full of passion and 
 artless eloquence, fell upon men's ears tike the voice of 
 Nature recalling them from the frivolous inanities which 
 passed for literature, to drink from purer and fuller springs
 
 128 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Robert Burns, the author, an Ayrshire ploughman, was 
 invited to Edinburgh, to be gazed at, flattered, caressed, 
 and afterwards neglected. Scott, then fifteen years of age, 
 met the bard for the first and the last time at an evening 
 party, where Burns was- affected to tears by a print 
 representing a woman kneeling over a dead soldier on 
 the field of battle, and with Langhorne's lines engraved 
 below : 
 
 " Cold on Canadian hills or Minden's plain, 
 Perhaps that mother weeps her soldier slain." 
 
 Scott, being the only person in the company who could 
 name the author of the lines, was rewarded by the poet with 
 a grateful look, which the younger poet remembered long. 
 Burns was now in the meridian of his fame. His sad, 
 brilliant existence of ten years more was watched by Scott 
 from afar with tender and sorrowful interest. 
 
 Scott now began to make long incursions into the High- 
 lands, attracted thither by the splendid scenery, the love of 
 adventure and the desire to see the clans in their native 
 wilds. The "Lady of the Lake" and "Waveriey" bear 
 witness to his minute acquaintance with the southern 
 Grampians, which indeed he virtually discovered for English 
 readers. Consciously or unconsciously his marvellous 
 memory was gradually storing up the vast resources which 
 seemed in his mature manhood an inexhaustible treasure- 
 house of curious traditions, strange costumes, and striking 
 landscapes. 
 
 When the poet was seventeen years of age, he burst a 
 blood-vessel. The accident compelled him to recline in 
 bed for months. Suffering no pain he passed his days 
 entirely in reading, and he was ever wont to refer to this 
 period as the happiest of his life. Irregular as his studies 
 had been, he had mastered all the literary languages of
 
 S/jf WALTER SCOTT. 129 
 
 Europe, and was more or less familiar with their literatures. 
 In the byeways of history, in early poetry and romance, 
 his erudition excites astonishment, when we remember 
 his wandering tendencies and his social tastes. Receptive 
 and retentive in an extraordinary degree, in his mere 
 facility of acquiring knowledge he has never had an equal. 
 Gibbon and Macaulay had a wider range of information, 
 but they were both studious men who lived in libraries. 
 
 At the law classes which he afterwards attended, he made 
 the acquaintance of Francis Jeffrey, two years his junior. 
 He likewise became a member of the Speculative Society, 
 in which so many men who attained celebrity in different 
 walks first exhibited their dialectic skill. Of all these, Jeffrey 
 was the most versatile and accomplished ; distinguished in 
 every liberal study, and foremost among his contemporaries 
 in legal knowledge. In this he surpassed Scott, whose 
 forensic character was completely lost in the blaze of his 
 literary fame. 
 
 The story of Scott's first love which should be told here 
 need not detain us long. He met the lady, Williamina Stuart, 
 on a rainy Sunday after service, made her acquaintance 
 under his umbrella, loved passionately and wooed in vain. 
 Such is the fate of most early attachments, but emotional 
 poets like Burns, Byron and Petrarch, idealize the beloved 
 object, and construct for it a paradise of romantic possibilities 
 from which the sad vicissitudes of life are carefully excluded. 
 However Scott's love-dream may have coloured his recol- 
 lections, he kept silent on such delicate matters to the 
 world. No poet ever possessed a larger share of the homely 
 prudence the wise reserve that gives dignity to the life of 
 man. We shall see that Scott found consolation compara- 
 tively soon. In 1796 he passed as advocate, and duly paced 
 the floor of Parliament House, but apparently without
 
 130 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 definite hope or ambition in that direction. His imagination 
 perpetually wandered to the Borders, to the Highlands, to 
 remote periods of chivalry and war. Daily in the habit of 
 rehearsing fictitious narratives to his friends, he charmed the 
 circle in which he moved by his startling combinations and 
 life-like pictures. It was in this way that his great narrative 
 faculty first found exercise. His first publication was in 
 verse; a translation of Burger's "Lenore" and "Wild 
 Huntsman." Those who refer to "Lenore" will find Scott's 
 version of the ghastly tale a stirring ballad, unmistakably 
 Scott's in its rapid fiery pace and rough music. 
 
 He had now a more important project in hand. His 
 capacious memory had treasured ballads, and fragments of 
 ballads innumerable. Lingering in farms and hamlets in 
 quiet Ettrickdale and Liddesdale were hundreds more, 
 genuine survivals from the age of minstrelsy. Piously to 
 gather these and fix them, before they perished, in imperish- 
 able type seemed an undertaking worth the labour of a 
 few vigorous years. For some six years then, with such 
 assistance as he could find, Scott searched Tweedside 
 and the Borders for these interesting remains. During 
 these researches he made the acquaintance of Laidlaw and 
 Hogg, to both of whom he continued a kind and constant 
 benefactor. But his most valuable assistant, scarcely second 
 to Scott himself in Border lore, was John Leyden, a 
 powerful but eccentric Border genius, whose brilliant life was 
 prematurely cut short while pursuing philological investiga- 
 tions in India. 
 
 " A distant and a deadly shore 
 Holds Leyden's cold remains." 
 
 In 1797 Scott, having recovered from his first disappoint- 
 ment, espoused Miss Carpenter, a young lady of French 
 extraction, whom he met at a Cumberland watering-place.
 
 Six WALTER SCOTT. 131 
 
 They retired to Lasswade, where the young couple resided 
 in a small wayside cottage on the Roslin Road. The 
 cottage overlooks the matchless woods that embower the 
 valley of the Esk, and the paths that wind along the river 
 past classic Hawthornden, and on to Roslin Chapel, present 
 some of the finest woodland pictures that Scotland can 
 show. From internal evidence one judges that the " Lay of 
 the Last Minstrel " was planned in this beautiful retirement. 
 Here also Scott translated Goethe's "Goetz von Ber- 
 lichingen," selling the copyright to a London publisher 
 for 25, the first instalment of the enormous wealth which 
 flowed to Scott from literature. 
 
 About this time he was appointed sheriff of Selkirk, with 
 an income of ^300, and the lightest judicial duties. 
 Continuing to arrange and complete the numerous ballads 
 which he had recovered, he gave two volumes of the Border 
 Minstrelsy to the world in 1802. As a commercial 
 speculation it cannot be said that the Minstrelsy was 
 successful, but it established Scott's reputation on a solid 
 basis. Visiting London in the following year, he was able 
 to take his place among the greatest writers of the time, as 
 an author who had done signal service to his country. He 
 was now an occasional contributor to the Edinburgh Review, 
 although his pronounced Toryism rendered his connection 
 with the great Whig organ precarious and brief. 
 
 The duties of his sheriffdom compelling him to reside 
 in the county of Selkirk, he removed to the beautiful 
 residence of Ashestiel in 1804. Here he completed and 
 published his first original work, " The Lay of the Last 
 Minstrel." Scott, with all his, varied endowments, lacked 
 the intensity of feeling which genuine poetry demands. 
 Nevertheless, his vivid pictorial gift, the freshness of his 
 imagery, and the freedom and boldness of his measures,
 
 132 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 were finely in keeping with the conception of the minstrel. 
 Considering the dead monotony that had prevailed in 
 English poetry since the time of Pope, and which still 
 reigned in polished society in spite of Cowper and 
 Burns, we do not wonder that the Lay passed over Britain 
 like the breath of spring. Walter Scott, by virtue of his 
 gallant minstrelsy, became sovereign of Parnassus by 
 acclamation. 
 
 When Scott had roused the public attention, he never 
 allowed it to fall asleep. So long as his poetry continued 
 in fashion, so long the stream flowed, copious if not 
 deep. In 1808 appeared "Marmion," which seems to us 
 incomparably the greatest triumph which Scott achieved in 
 verse. The lurid grandeur of the crisis is reflected in the 
 tarnished heroism of Marmion, as strongly as in the impotent 
 pride of Douglas and the blind fatuity of James. Like 
 Niagara rushing irresistibly to the cataract, the incidents 
 sweep on, fore-doomed, to the carnage and rout of Flodden 
 Field. At such a period, when the shadow of disaster fell 
 dark on the future, the passionate bursts of patriotism render 
 the darkness of the tragedy more impressive and deep. 
 The ill-timed gallantries of James, the tenderness of Clara, 
 have the same effect. Yet notwithstanding the gloom that 
 settles over the battlefield, there is no modern poem in 
 which the pomp and circumstance of glorious war appeal 
 with more effect to the imagination. It is the fragment of 
 a Scottish Iliad. 
 
 He produced another great narrative poem " The Lady 
 of the Lake." Here again we have a Stuart king, nobles, 
 knights, chivalry and war; but the figures move more 
 shadow-like ; the action has left the historical stage. The 
 unequalled popularity of "The Lady of the Lake" is due to its 
 splendid descriptive passages. The Trossachs were beautiful
 
 Six WALTER SCOTT. 133 
 
 before Scott's time ; but the poet shed upon Loch Katrine 
 and the scenery around 
 
 " The light that never was on sea or land, 
 The consecration and the poet's dream." 
 
 The readers of "The Lady of the Lake" long to look on the 
 Trossachs j those who visit the Trossachs read "The Lady of 
 the Lake "with renewed delight. Scott's fame as a poet 
 reached its climax in "The Lady of the Lake." In the 
 following year he published " The Vision of Don Roderick," 
 which seemed chiefly designed to celebrate the prowess of 
 the British army in the Peninsula. It found no favour, and 
 deserved none. " Rokeby," a tale of the Civil wars, was 
 more fortunate, but almost simultaneously "Childe Harold" 
 was published, and Byron, to his own astonishment, took 
 his place at the head of living poets. Scott was slow to 
 believe that his sceptre had departed. In order to test 
 the popular judgment he published "The Bridal of Trier- 
 main " anonymously. But his style was too well-known to 
 admit of disguise, and the volume failed to revive the 
 public interest. " The Lord of the Isles," published in 
 1814, only enabled him to leave the field with the honours 
 of war. Although his later poems display little of the old 
 fire, it is not to waning powers alone that we must trace the 
 coldness with which these productions were received. The 
 world had become weary of the troubadour. Far as his 
 fancy ranged, his poetical style was, in fact, monotonous, 
 deriving all its animation from the rapid movement of the 
 narrative, and the brilliant pictures of scenery and manners. 
 Deficient in the highest qualities of poetry, " Marmion " and 
 " The Lady of the Lake " still delight thousands of readers 
 for whom the reflective strains of Wordsworth and Tennyson 
 have no charm. 
 
 Meanwhile Scott had been rapidly rising in social position.
 
 134 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 In 1806 he received the appointment of principal clerk to 
 the Court of Session, with a prospective income of ^1,300 
 per annum. The sale of his poems was immense, enabling 
 the publishers to remunerate the author on a scale unpre- 
 cedented in literature. Scott, who already occupied a 
 position which the proudest might have coveted, aspired 
 above all to become a Scottish laird and found a family. 
 Believing that his potent pen could create illimitable wealth, 
 he began to purchase land in the vicinity of Abbotsford, 
 where he soon raised the " romance in stone and mortar," 
 which men still travel far to admire. The poet, unknown to 
 the world, had long been involved in a more hazardous 
 speculation. In partnership with John Ballantyne, a friend 
 of early days,- he had founded a large printing establishment 
 in Edinburgh, which was from the first conducted with a 
 ruinous loss. Engaged in weaving his plots and planting 
 trees, Scott knew nothing of the piles of unsaleable literature 
 which accumulated on Ballantyne's shelves. It was many 
 years before he was startled from his dream of wealth, and 
 learned the unsubstantial nature of his prosperity. 
 
 So early as 1805 Scott had turned his attention to prose 
 fiction. Having written a few chapters of a novel in the 
 manner of Fielding, whom he greatly admired, he showed 
 the fragment to his friend Ballantyne, who advised him to 
 throw it aside. Eight years afterwards, when searching for 
 some fishing tackle, he discovered the old manuscript, and 
 determined to complete the story. In 1814, under the name 
 of "Waverley, or 'Tis Sixty Years Since," the novel was 
 ushered into the world anonymously. The public received 
 it with unbounded applause. The publication of " Waverley" 
 is indeed an era in the history of European literature. It 
 raised fiction from its meanness and grossness, opening up a 
 new field in which the highest and noblest minds might fulfil
 
 Ssx WALTER SCOTT. 135 
 
 their mission. It is not so easy at this period, with George 
 Eliot, Dickens, and Thackeray fresh in our remembrance, 
 to estimate the greatness of Scott, but let the reader turn 
 from "Waverley" to the tawdry inanities of the Minerva 
 press, to " Cecilia " and " Clarissa," even to " Tom Jones," 
 and he will then be able to understand the illustrious 
 service, moral and intellectual, which the Scottish novelist 
 rendered to the readers of the world. Even after the lapse 
 of more than fifty years, after fiction has been made the 
 vehicle of the highest philosophy of the time, casting every 
 other form of composition into the shade, the " Waverley " 
 novels are still recognised as masterpieces and models. 
 "Waverley," the first of the series, still retains its hold 
 on the public mind, notwithstanding the more brilliant 
 novels which followed. Like " The Lady of the Lake," it 
 shed a pleasing light on the life of the Highland clans, 
 but at a period more memorable, when, with ill-starred 
 loyalty, they staked all and lost in the cause of the Pretender. 
 It was not in this work, however, that Scott's creative power 
 reached its height. " Guy Mannering," which he wrote in 
 six weeks, displays a far more extensive and varied 
 acquaintance with the different phases of society, and a 
 deeper insight into human character. In this novel he first 
 gave a loose rein to his imagination in the introduction of 
 curious and abnormal personages, who have become as 
 convenient for general reference as scientific formulas. 
 We could not well spare Dominie Sampson, Meg Merrilees, 
 Edie Ochiltree, and Monkbarns. 
 
 The authorship of the novels was carefully concealed, 
 but many discerning critics recognised the masterly hand. 
 Mystery, according to a well-known law, invested Scott with 
 extraordinary qualities. Dimly visible under his wizard's 
 mantle, the Great Unknown received everywhere a deferen-
 
 136 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 tial homage. Even his great contemporaries tendered him 
 a respect untainted by that jealousy which frequently 
 embitters the relations of literary men. With Wordsworth 
 and Southey he had long been on friendly terms, 
 sympathising more perhaps with their political principles 
 than their theories of poetry. Soon after the publication of 
 "Guy Mannering," in 1815, he visited London, and made 
 the acquaintance of Lord Byron, who, at the age of twenty- 
 seven, had already sounded all the depths of fortune ; the 
 object for a time of enthusiastic admiration, and at this date 
 the butt of unlimited resentment and abuse. The two 
 poets, who could be named rivals no longer, soon established 
 a friendship, which forms an honourable episode in the lives 
 of both. The majestic equanimity of Scott's mind and 
 character put to shame the egotistic melancholy of the 
 younger poet, who might have derived much advantage 
 from a closer association with a mind so sage and sober. 
 Like two Homeric chiefs, the two poets exchanged presents 
 and parted, Scott to pursue his chequered yet honourable 
 career, and Byron to fulfil in a foreign land his sad, 
 illustrious destiny. Letters, expressive of kindly interest 
 and regard, continued to pass between them, and, when 
 Byron's brief career closed at Missolonghi, Scott paid a 
 tender and eloquent tribute to the genius of his departed 
 friend. 
 
 From London, Scott proceeded to Paris. The French 
 capital, then occupied by the allies, contained a splendid 
 assemblage of sovereigns, princes and generals, who had 
 acquired distinction during the great European struggle 
 which closed at Waterloo. Scott had no reason to 
 complain of his reception. Men of all ranks and nations 
 accorded him a respect as much due to his personal 
 character as his reputation in letters. Platoff, the Cossack
 
 5//e WALTER SCOTT. 137 
 
 leader, who could only communicate with the Scottish 
 novelist by signs, regarded him with a devotion akin to 
 worship. No man ever lived who attracted to himself, 
 not by interest, but by sympathy, so many individuals, 
 separated by every barrier which divides man from 
 man. 
 
 When Scott returned to Abbotsford, he resumed his pen, 
 producing the "Antiquary" before the end of the year. In 
 the character of the "Antiquary" Scott is supposed to have 
 attempted to portray himself; but Edie Ochiltree and the 
 German quack are better known than the credulous student 
 of the Roman wall. In "Old Mortality," published in 
 1816, the novelist entered a dangerous and disputed field. 
 Tolerant as Scott was of men and things, his political bias 
 coloured his whole retrospect of recent history. It was 
 remarked that the bigotry and fanaticism of the Covenanters 
 were unduly exaggerated ; that the great issues of the 
 struggle were ignored, and, above all, that Claverhouse of 
 infamous memory was clothed with the graces of a hero. 
 The novel provoked a storm of angry criticism, which Scott 
 endeavoured without success to appease by writing a review 
 of his own work. The controversy has long been silent, and 
 the novel has been well received and widely read, not- 
 withstanding this acknowledged blemish. As an historic 
 novelist, throwing back his imagination into vanished times, 
 and restoring the past in life-like scenes and forms, Scott 
 never achieved a greater triumph than " Old Mortality." 
 
 So numerous are the productions of these busy years, in 
 which his mind teemed with new creations, that we can only 
 stay to point out the conspicuous figures in that splendid 
 procession which rose before the eyes of wondering and 
 delighted readers. In " Rob Roy " he seized on a subject 
 to which public curiosity had long turned, and invested the
 
 138 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 adventures of the Highland robber with romantic interest. 
 "The Heart of Midlothian," founded on the Porteous Riots, 
 added a new attraction to the traditional glories of his own 
 romantic town. This work was the amende honorable to 
 his fellow countrymen. In none of his novels does the 
 Scottish character, in which stoicism and tenderness contend 
 for mastery, attain such moral grandeur. The fair dames 
 who irradiate the lists with their beauty and adorn their talk 
 with figures of speech are less attractive than Jeanie Deans, 
 with her unconscious heroism and artless pathos. 
 
 At this time the fortunes of Scott were at the flood. 
 From his writings he received an income of ^10,000 a 
 year. He had " honour, love, obedience, troops of friends." 
 He was lord of a mansion, which, in picturesque architecture 
 and historic interest, had no rival in the East. Flourishing 
 woods, which his own hands had planted, gardens and 
 avenues which he had planned, transformed the vicinity of 
 Abbotsford into a romantic pleasure ground. Prouder of 
 his fair estate and fine castle than of " Marmion" and the 
 " Heart of Midlothian," he displayed all the costly splendour 
 of a country gentleman of the first rank. No peer in all the 
 land entertained such a succession of noble and distinguished 
 visitors. Princes, generals, discoverers, men of the highest 
 celebrity in every walk of literature, science and art, repaired 
 to Abbotsford as to a royal court. The centre of this 
 brilliant society, the counsellor and companion of all, was 
 meanwhile absorbed in literary enterprises vast enough to 
 occupy the mind to the exclusion of every social distraction. 
 How did he find the time to produce these elaborate 
 volumes which succeeded one another with the rapidity and 
 regularity of mechanical operations ? Scott, like other 
 great workers, had early learned the habit of early rising. 
 During summer and winter he seated himself at his desk at
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT. 139 
 
 five o'clock. From that hour until nearly ten, he wrote or 
 dictated without a pause. Rapid as was his manner of 
 composition, he had attained such a mastery of expression 
 that we turn over many successive pages of his manuscript 
 without observing a single alteration or erasure. William 
 Laidlaw's pen toiled in vain to overtake his swift invention. 
 Frequently the amanuensis, deeply interested in the develop- 
 ment of the story, paused to listen to Scott composing the 
 dialogue aloud, far in advance of the writer. At ten o'clock 
 Scott retired from his ideal world with no shadow of the 
 dreamer on his face. During the rest of the day he rode 
 about his estate, and entertained his guests. Most success- 
 ful of literary men, he was equally popular in society, main- 
 taining the dual character with a natural dignity, equalled 
 among modern authors by Goethe alone. 
 
 Until the age of forty, his health, guarded by a prudent 
 temperance, stood the strain of his unwearied intellect 
 without betraying any symptoms of decay. He enjoyed all 
 rural pleasures with unusual zest ; and night never failed to 
 bring sound and refreshing sleep. In 1817 came the first 
 premonitions of disease. Sitting at dinner one day he was 
 attacked with cramp in the stomach, and although he 
 recovered rapidly from this seizure, he continued for a long 
 time liable to renewed attacks. Especially during the whole 
 of the year 1819 he was the victim of a distressing malady 
 which compelled him to have recourse to opiates for relief. 
 While suffering from this illness he dictated to Laidlaw 
 "The Bride of Lammermoor" and the romance of "Ivanhoe." 
 It was pointed out by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whose 
 critical sagacity on this occasion may have been due to his 
 experience of the effects of opium, that these splendid stories 
 displayed an exaggeration of style, untraceable in any of the 
 Waverley series that went before. The criticism is true.
 
 140 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Everything sentiment, incident, character, and language 
 assumes larger proportions, as if seen through a magnifying 
 medium. This result may have been produced by the drug, 
 but it may also have been occasioned by the unusual 
 stimulus of pain. 
 
 To show the disordered state of his mental powers at this 
 period, it is recorded that on his recovery, the story of 
 the "Bride of Lammermoor" had faded completely 
 from his memory, leaving only the tradition on which 
 the novel is founded. Among critics of the highest class 
 " The Bride " has always been a favourite. Consciously or 
 unconsciously Scott walked in the footsteps of the Greek 
 tragedians who read the riddle of human destinies by 
 invoking the influence of an inscrutable but irresistible fate. 
 When the curtain rises, we behold the figures swaying in the 
 outmost eddies of a moral maelstrom, and we watch, with 
 solemn and deepening interest, as they sweep helplessly 
 round in the narrowing circles that close in the dark abyss. 
 The romance of "Ivanhoe" is a splendid pageant, in 
 which the lurid magnificence of feudalism is depicted with 
 unparalleled power. Notwithstanding the gorgeous spectacles, 
 the martial music, and the thrilling suspense, and the shock 
 of fight, the character of Rebecca constitutes the principal 
 charm of " Ivanhoe." Through siege and storm, through 
 persecution and infamy the Jewish maiden shines starlike 
 and serene. Scott himself had a special fondness for 
 Rebecca. " I shall make something of my Jewess," he said, 
 with pardonable pride to Laidlaw, while filling up the 
 outline of her character with some new grace. " You will, 
 indeed," replied his friend. "And I cannot help saying that 
 you are doing an immense good, Sir Walter, by such sweet 
 and noble tales, lor the young people now will never bear 
 to look at the vile trash of novels that used to be in the
 
 5/J? WALTER SCOTT. 141 
 
 circulating libraries." As Laidlaw spoke tears rose to Sir 
 Walter's eyes. 
 
 On the accession of George IV. to the throne, Scott was 
 created a baronet. It has been said that, " to many men 
 of Scott's moral calibre, this gift of the most worthless of 
 sovereigns would have been repugnant." The sovereign 
 was the fountain of honour, and to the poet of chivalry 
 imbued with the love of rank and title, the seal of royal 
 approbation represented more than wealth or fame. It 
 was the mystic symbol by which loyal and noble natures 
 recognised their peers. If Scott desired the honour, it 
 must be granted that he had won it more worthily than 
 most. The new baronet was present at the coronation. 
 The fervent loyalty of Scott had preserved intact his 
 personal attachment to the king during all the stormy 
 discussions provoked by the trial of Queen Caroline. 
 Nothing ever caused this feeling to waver. In subsequent 
 years, the conduct of the king troubled the staunchest 
 adherents of the throne, but the chivalrous devotion of the 
 author of Waverley continued to burn unabated. 
 
 The secret of the authorship of the Waverley novels it 
 had long been an open secret had now to be disclosed. 
 At a dinner of the Theatrical Fund, Henry Glassford Bell, 
 afterwards Sheriff of Glasgow, proposed the health of the 
 "Great Unknown." Sir Walter immediately rose and 
 replied to the toast in a speech full of that quiet, kindly 
 humour which long survived his brighter days. 
 
 From this date Scott's genius declined; but slowly and 
 reluctantly, and with frequent bursts of splendour that 
 rivalled the brightness of noon. His early fictions stand 
 beyond comparison or cavil. The master's hand is less 
 marked in the later novels. The march of the narrative is 
 still imposing, but it lacks something of the buoyancy and
 
 142 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 freshness of former days : the characters, like faces seen far 
 off, present less distinct individuality, and the style, while 
 preserving its fine simplicity, rises less naturally to the 
 language of pathos or passion. But in these works of his 
 closing years, Scott is inferior only to himself. With the 
 exception of "The Monastery" and "St. Ronan's Well," 
 the novels which he produced during the next six years are 
 works of great artistic merit and historical value. The 
 portrait of Mary in "The Abbot," and of Elizabeth in 
 " Kenilworth," enabled readers to compare the two rival 
 queens, while the " Fortunes of Nigel " introduced them to 
 the court and conversation of the pedantic, impecunious 
 James. The " Pirate," in spite of its feeble plot, charmed 
 the public by its splendid pictures of rock and sea. In 
 turning his attention to French history, it was natural that 
 he should seize on the two most extraordinary human 
 contrasts that ever appeared on one stage side by side 
 Charles the Bold and Louis XI. In France the popularity 
 of " Quentin Durward " was unbounded. Beyond the 
 Channel, the Scottish novelist found a new world of admirers, 
 not less enthusiastic than the readers of his native land. 
 The tales of the Crusaders prepared readers for fresh 
 triumphs in a field of history comparatively unknown. 
 Scott's imagination kindled again in these brilliant pictures 
 of Western chivalry in the glowing East, and his readers 
 rejoiced as the horizon receded and distant tracts of time 
 rose to view. 
 
 He had just concluded these Eastern romances when the 
 crash came which involved his fortunes in irreparable ruin. 
 Such a crisis had long been inevitable. Represented by 
 bills, which his publishers were unable to discharge, his 
 wealth had never in fact any real foundation. He was 
 besides, as we have seen, connected with the great printing
 
 .SV-ff WALTER SCOTT. 143 
 
 house of James Baliantyne & Co., which was only kept 
 floating by Scott's promissory notes. While he was beau- 
 tifying his Tweedside estate, and dispensing lordly hospitalities 
 to illustrious visitors, invisible agencies were slowly under- 
 mining the airy fabric of his prosperity. In the great 
 commercial crisis of 1825-6, Constable, his Edinburgh 
 publisher, became bankrupt, and the world discovered with 
 astonishment and regret that the liabilities of Scott, in 
 connection with this house alone, amounted to ^"70,000. 
 By the collapse of the great printing establishment of 
 Baliantyne & Co., his personal obligations reached the 
 enormous sum of ^117,000. How rapidly the position of 
 the popular author had changed during a short half-century ! 
 The poet Goldsmith died ^2,000 in debt, and Johnson 
 exclaimed, " Was ever poet so trusted before ? " Lockhart, 
 with natural bias, has laboured hard to vindicate his father- 
 in-law's share in the disastrous speculations, but impartial 
 posterity admits that Sir Walter's ambitious dreams con- 
 quered for a time his native sagacity and prudence. Let us 
 confess also that Scott, who had begun and for a time 
 followed literature for its own sake, had, under financial 
 pressure, become the victim of " that last infirmity of noble 
 minds." The success of a novel enabled him to buy an 
 estate, to equip a museum, or to build a tower, and fre- 
 quently the costly scheme anticipated the appearance of 
 the book. Scott's extravagance assumed a more elegant 
 form than that of most men of genius, but it was none the 
 less lavish and baneful. All at once he was awakened 
 from his beautiful dream to look at things in the light. 
 
 Thus did he communicate the dread fact to his friend 
 Skene : " Skene, I have something to speak to you about. 
 Be so good as to look in on me as you go to the Parliament 
 House to-morrow." When Skene called, he found Scott
 
 144 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 writing in his study. He rose and said, " My friend, give 
 me a shake of your hand mine is that of a beggar." He 
 then told him that Ballantyne had just been with him, and 
 that his ruin was complete, and added, " Don't fancy I am 
 going to stay at home to brood idly on what can't be 
 helped. I was at work upon 'Woodstock' when you came 
 in, and I shall take up the pen the moment I get back from 
 court." 
 
 However hard misfortune bore upon his happiness, it 
 revealed, as only such a trial could reveal, the completeness 
 and strength of his moral manhood. The world, indeed, 
 has seldom seen a nobler spectacle than the attitude of Scott 
 among his broken gods. Offers of assistance, of accommo- 
 dation, liberal, sympathetic suggestions from many quarters 
 were gratefully but firmly declined. He only pleaded for 
 time. " Time and I," he said, " against any two." In the 
 mine of his imagination, which he deemed inexhaustible, he 
 resolved to work out his ransom. Subsequent writers have 
 challenged the wisdom of this resolution on the part of a 
 man who had rendered such priceless service to the moral 
 and intellectual well-being of the world ; whose name and 
 fame were inseparably entwined with his country's history 
 and language. But the conscience of Scott, trained in a 
 lofty school, ignored the plausible compromises which 
 bridge the gulf between duty and dishonour. The gallant 
 struggle was fatal to himself, but to mankind the value of 
 his example has been incalculably great. 
 
 Another and darker calamity was now threatening. We 
 have the first intimation in an entry in his diary : 
 
 " igth March, 1826. Lady Scott, the faithful and true 
 companion of my fortunes, good and bad, has been prevailed 
 upon to see Dr. Abercrombie, and his opinion is far from 
 favourable a new affliction where there was enough before.
 
 S/x WALTER SCOTT. 145 
 
 Things may yet be ameliorated. God grant it ! for really 
 these misfortunes come too close upon each other." 
 
 The blow now fell upon him. Perhaps there is no better 
 argument for immortality than the words written in his diary 
 upon her death : 
 
 "i8th May. Another day, and a bright one to the external 
 world, again opens upon us; the air soft, and the flowers 
 smiling, and the leaves glittering. They cannot refresh her 
 to whom mild weather was a natural enjoyment. Cerements 
 of lead and wood already hold, her : cold earth must have 
 her soon. But it is not my Charlotte ; it is not the bride of 
 my youth, the mother of my children, that will be laid among 
 the ruins of Dryburgh, which we have often visited in gaiety 
 and pastimes. No! no! She is sentient and conscious of 
 my emotions somewhere somehow ; where we cannot tell, 
 how we cannot tell, yet would I not at this moment renounce 
 the mysterious yet certain hope that I shall see her in a 
 better world for all that the world can give me. The 
 necessity of this separation, that necessity which rendered it 
 even a relief, that and patience must be my comfort. I do 
 not experience those paroxysms of grief which others do on 
 the same occasion. I can exert myself, and speak even 
 cheerfully with the girls. But alone, or if anything touches 
 
 me, the choking sensation . But I must not fail myself 
 
 and my family, and the necessity of exertion becomes 
 apparent." 
 
 "26th May. I have been to her room; there was no voice 
 in it no stirring. All was neat, as she loved it ; but all was 
 calm calm as death. I remembered the last sight of her: 
 she raised herself in bed, and said with a sort of smile, 
 ' You have all such melancholy faces.' These were the last 
 words I ever heard her utter. Oh, my God ! " 
 
 "2jthMay. A sleepless night. It is true I should be up
 
 146 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 and doing, and a sleepless night sometimes furnishes good 
 ideas. Alas ! I have no companion now with whom I can 
 communicate to relieve the loneliness of these night- 
 watches." 
 
 Divested now of the veil of mystery under which he had 
 gained his greatest triumphs, and bereaved of the sympathy 
 of her who had cheered him in all former trials, he proceeded 
 to retrench his expenditure in every direction. He sold off 
 his town house, and closed the gates of Abbotsford. The 
 man who had never worked under the spur of necessity 
 sat down in his lonely home to his task of penitential 
 drudgery. It is rarely that imaginative work of the best 
 kind is produced under such stern conditions. Milton 
 wrote his "Paradise Lost" in evil days, 
 
 "With darkness and dangers compassed round," 
 
 but his visions were untroubled by thoughts of material 
 gains. The later years of Burns were clouded by cares and 
 anxieties, but his inimitable lyrics were as spontaneous as 
 the songs of the nightingale. We do not wonder that the 
 wizard hand of the novelist forgot its wonted cunning ; let 
 us marvel, rather, that he wrote so well. He published a 
 "Life of Napoleon," which extended to nine elaborate 
 volumes ; completed a series of tales, entitled " The 
 Chronicles of the Canongate ;" and issued a new edition of 
 the " Waverley Novels," enriched with valuable prefaces. 
 Of all the works which he produced during these laborious 
 years, "The Tales of a Grandfather" secured the largest share 
 of public favour, attracting readers by its racy simplicity of 
 style and its stirring battle-scenes. "Letters on Demonology," 
 a " History of Scotland," for Lardner's Encyclopaedia, and 
 numerous forgotten contributions to general literature belong 
 to this period. He continued to make new inroads into the 
 realm of romance. In 1829 appeared "The Fair Maid of
 
 S/R WALTER SCOTT. 147 
 
 Perth," which exhibits much of the vigorous delineation of 
 men and manners which characterised "Waverley" and "Rob 
 Roy." His last work of genius, the romance of " Anne of 
 Geierstein," published in the following year, is suffused with 
 a genial but pensive fancy the tender grace of the dying 
 day. Pursuing his self-imposed duty with invincible purpose, 
 he had raised, in four years, the extraordinary sum of 
 ^70,000. Had his brain and body for ten years longer 
 endured the strain, he might not only have redeemed his 
 position, but created a large fortune. Such, however, was 
 not his destiny. In the spring of 1830 he had a slight 
 shock of paralysis, but his pen never for a moment stood 
 still. Even after another attack his mind went on weaving 
 fictions mechanically, fictions like "Count Robert" and 
 "Castle Dangerous," which men perused with melancholy 
 interest to note the progress of the writer's decay. His 
 potent art had accomplished its work : but he could not, 
 like Prospero, bury his wonder-working wand, and renounce 
 for ever the magic which had served him so long. 
 
 It was considered that a long voyage and a southern 
 residence might conduce to his recovery, and accordingly a 
 ship-of-war conveyed him first to Malta and then to Naples. 
 He was little impressed with the many-coloured life and 
 imposing scenery which attract travellers from afar to the 
 Italian city ; and the soft Mediterranean air made him sigh 
 for the heath- scented breezes of Ettrick and Tweed. On 
 the i6th of April, 1832, he proceeded to Rome. There he 
 moved about listlessly among the monumental glories of the 
 Csesars, which in early days would have strongly appealed 
 to his historic imagination. One longing possessed his 
 heart to return to Scotland, to look once more on 
 Abbotsford and his beloved Tweed. Leaving Rome in 
 May, he sailed for England. When he reached London a
 
 148 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 severe apoplectic shock deprived him of motion and almost 
 of consciousness, and in this condition he was conveyed to 
 Newhaven by sea. In Lockhart's " Life" it is stated: 
 
 "At a very early hour on the morning of Wednesday 
 (1832) we again placed him in his carriage, and he lay in 
 the same torpid condition during the first two stages on the 
 road to Tweedside. But as we descended the Vale of the 
 Gala he began to gaze about him, and by degrees it was 
 obvious that he was recognising the features of that familiar 
 landscape. Presently he murmured a name or two ' Gala 
 Water, surely Buckholm Torwoodlee.' As we rounded 
 the hill at Ladhope, and the outlines of the Eildons burst 
 on him, he became greatly excited ; and, when turning 
 himself round on the couch, his eye caught at length his 
 own tower at the distance of a mile, he sprang up with a cry 
 of delight. 
 
 " Mr. Laidlaw was waiting at the porch and assisted us in 
 lifting him into the dining room where his bed had been 
 placed. He sat bewildered for a few moments, and then, 
 resting his eye on Laidlaw, said, ' Ha ! Willie Laidlaw ! O 
 man, how often have I thought of you ! ' By this time his 
 dogs had assembled about his chair; they began to fawn 
 upon him and lick his hands, and he alternately smiled or 
 sobbed over them till sleep oppressed him. A day or two 
 after they tried to take him outside, but he fell asleep in the 
 chair. When he was awakened, Laidlaw said to me, ' Sir 
 Walter has had a little repose.' ' No, Willie,' said he, ' no 
 repose for Sir Walter but in the grave,' and tears filled his 
 eyes. ' Friends,' said he, ' don't let me expose myself ; get 
 me to bed, that's the only place.' " 
 
 Lockhart has very tenderly and gracefully told the 
 touching story of Sir Walter's last days : " He listened 
 attentively while they read to him passages from the Bible,
 
 SJR WALTER SCOTT. 149 
 
 and from the poems of Crabbe, whose fine rural scenes and 
 homely pathos he had always admired. No allusion to his 
 own works ever passed his lips, even in the frequent 
 wanderings of delirium. Sometimes he fancied that he was 
 about to receive a visit from the Duke of Wellington, and 
 made preparations to receive him with fitting state ; at other 
 times, assuming the language of a judge, he tried the 
 members of his family for imaginary crimes. His strength 
 ebbed slowly with the waning summer, but he lived to hear 
 the rustle of the falling leaves." The closing scene of this 
 strange eventful history is described by Lockhart in language 
 which lingers in the memory of every reader : " About half- 
 past one, on the 2ist September, 1832, Sir Walter breathed 
 his last in the presence of all his children. It was a 
 beautiful day so warm that every window was wide open ; 
 and so perfectly still that the sound of all others most 
 delicious to his ear, the gentle ripple of the Tweed over its 
 pebbles, was distinctly audible as we knelt around his bed, 
 and his eldest son kissed and closed his eyes." 
 
 So died, at the age of sixty-one, the most prolific, versatile, 
 and popular of modern authors. No writer ever rose to 
 fame by less apparent effort. Gifted in a high degree with 
 the rare common sense " which makes the whole world kin," 
 he knew the public well, and seldom appealed to it in vain. 
 By a happy departure from conventional forms and themes, 
 he held for a time the foremost place among contemporary 
 poets. The immense popularity of his sparkling narrative 
 verse is little understood by readers imbued with the poetical 
 traditions of the last fifty years ; but Scott's bright pictures 
 of Highland glens, peopled by lawless clans, as well as his 
 stirring tales of breezy, Border life, responded directly to the 
 universal longing for nature, freedom and change. Let us 
 also remember that there arose at that era a deep and just
 
 150 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 reaction against the artificial poetry which, in spite of its 
 feeble sentiment and monotonous chime, had remained in 
 fashion since the days of Pope. Readers, accustomed to 
 the insipid correctness of Hayley's " Triumphs of Temper," 
 found a nameless fascination in the Scottish minstrel's 
 careless but masculine style, and rough irregular music. 
 Judged by a later standard, the poetry of Scott is deficient 
 in deep feeling, in genuine sympathy with man and nature, 
 in living lines to which the memory accords a willing home. 
 No great, absorbing passion fuses his various and splendid 
 materials into harmonious, organic unity : his imagination 
 never reaches that white heat in which immortal images are 
 struck. The poems of Scott, with all their shining pageants 
 and glorious scenery, present only a brilliant succession of 
 dissolving views. 
 
 Delivered from the shackles of rhyme, Scott immediately 
 displayed creative and descriptive powers of the first order. 
 To prove, indeed, that he possessed high poetical endow- 
 ments, we would turn, not to the " Lady of the Lake," but 
 to the romance of "Ivanhoe." The "Waverley" novels, 
 like the plays of Shakspeare and the songs of Burns, belong 
 to the select category of great works which have been 
 removed by universal consent from the battlefields of 
 criticism. Taken as stories, the novels of Scott are not, 
 like the majority of popular fictions, mechanical combinations 
 of striking incidents. They are authentic records of human 
 vicissitudes, written by a sage who was equally at home in 
 court and camp, and familiar alike with the destinies of 
 knights and nobles, and "the short and simple annals of the 
 poor." In depicting the manners and customs of different 
 centuries, countries and conditions ; in restoring the scenic 
 splendours of tournament, castle and throne ; in describing 
 storms and "moving accidents by flood and field," he
 
 Six WALTER SCOTT. 151 
 
 reproduces scenes and circumstances with a vivid reality 
 which suggests clairvoyance rather than literary art. It is 
 not, however, the interest of his plots, or the truth of his 
 descriptions, that constitute the supreme merit of Scott. By 
 his vigorous historical portraits he peopled the past with 
 animated figures, and the vague abstractions of the historians 
 started into life as Elizabeth, Mary, and Cromwell. The 
 "Waverley" novels gave the first impulse to the new historical 
 method adopted with such signal success by Macaulay and 
 Carlyle which illumines the night of the past by the light of 
 a strong imagination. Besides making memorable personages 
 live and move again, he called into existence a multitude of 
 human types, curious, delightful, and interesting, and 
 endowed them with such life-like attributes, that they rise to 
 the memory like distinguished men and women who have 
 lived and died. The number of his characters is no less 
 remarkable than their diversity : the children of Adam are 
 not more various in their moral qualities and worldly 
 fortunes than the creations of the author of "Waverley." In 
 the surprising fertility of his creative faculty which, if not 
 the highest quality of genius, is decidedly the rarest Scott 
 claims intellectual kindred with Cervantes and Shakspeare. 
 From the latter, indeed, he is separated by a vast interval. 
 The wonderful conceptions which the great dramatist endued 
 with life are more complex beings in themselves, and more 
 mysteriously related to external circumstances. Constituted 
 of simpler elements, and moving in a more limited sphere of 
 thought and feeling, the creatures of Scott's imagination are 
 yet as distinctly human as Falstaff or Macbeth. 
 
 What may be regarded as the defects of the " Waverley" 
 novels become more conspicuous as the century advances. 
 The tedious preliminaries which introduce the characters 
 upon the scene, and the intricate webs of relationship in which
 
 152 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 they are frequently involved, have been objected to. We 
 ought to remember that the author addressed a more 
 leisurely age, when the march of events, now winged by 
 electricity and steam, was a deliberate and decorous pro- 
 cession. Even in these days of sensational fiction, the 
 lengthy introductions to the "Waverley" novels possess 
 considerable charms for thoughtful readers. The pre- 
 parations may be long, but they are impressive. Achilles 
 clothes himself slowly and majestically with celestial 
 armour before he goes forth to slay Hector under the 
 walls of Troy. 
 
 But these are mere questions, by the way. and almost 
 unworthy in view of the wonderful power and exalted 
 character of our hero. Of all the kings, mighty men of 
 valour, and princes in literature, who have adorned and 
 exalted this land, he is undoubtedly " The Chief." By the 
 wonderful products of his pen he is ennobled and endeared 
 as no other ever has been, but still more is he lifted up by 
 that grand heroic life. True and sweet as it was in the days 
 of prosperity, yet we would never have known its strength 
 and its brilliance had not adversity moved its depths and 
 manifested its power in the later days. What wonderful 
 beauty in those years when the sun of life was westering, 
 and what glory in the sunset ! It was full of faith, full of 
 courage, full of honour. Scotland owes more to him than 
 to any of her sons. Burns was more intense, but in a 
 narrower sphere. Wilson was next, perhaps, in knowledge 
 and versatility, but more impulsive and less patient. If we 
 could summon all from the Valhalla of the Mighty to come 
 to some great assembly of the Scottish nation, Scott would 
 occupy the principal place, Burns would be his vis-a-vis, 
 while Carlyle would centre the right, and Wilson or 
 Macaulay take the left.
 
 Ssx WALTER SCOTT. 153 
 
 The statue of Sir Walter in George Square is by John 
 Greenshields, a native of Lesmahagow, born in 1795, who 
 died in 1835. He was apprenticed to Mr. Cadzow, mason, 
 at Crossford, under whom he acted as quarrier, hewer and 
 builder. Afterwards he established himself as a sculptor in 
 Broomhill, on Clydeside, and executed statues of Lord 
 Byron, George Canning, the Duke of York, Robert Burns, 
 and George IV. His first meeting with Sir Walter is thus 
 described by Rankine, in his " History of Carluke " : 
 
 "Sir Walter and his son-in-law, who had spent the previous 
 night at Auchenraith, arrived at Milton in company with the 
 new proprietor of that fine estate before noon, about the 
 middle of January, 1829, with the purpose of fixing a site 
 for the mansion. The workshed where Greenshields toiled, 
 and the low thatched cottage, the home of his parents, were 
 on the opposite side of the Clyde, almost within speaking 
 distance of the point where a ferry then plied. Sir Walter, 
 eager to meet on his own hearth the rising artist (to whom 
 he had been directed by the Earl of Elgin), suggested a 
 visit to him at once. A signal was accordingly made for the 
 boat. This conveyance was usually managed by Betty, the 
 sculptor's mother, known to all the country around, and, 
 strictly speaking, the guiding spirit of the family, and it 
 would have been useless to have tried to subvert her rights 
 and privileges on a day to her so auspicious. Betty was 
 soon at her post, let off the boat, and with a few strokes 
 brought it to the other side. The great wizard stepped 
 on board, and soon reached the holding of the cracky 
 boatwife. Here stood her son, the stalwart mason, 
 uncovered, his fair hair tossed by the breeze, clad in a 
 rough home-spun, home-made jersey, and in hodden, just 
 as he had thrown down the mallet, ready to welcome 
 his visitors. The meeting was homely and undemon- 
 
 L
 
 154 
 
 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 strative on all sides. Having reached the rustic studio 
 a thatch-covered wooden shed there the latest produc- 
 tions of Greenshields, well-placed, at once met the eyes 
 of the visitors. Words were few, but after a survey of 
 the statue. Sir Walter seated himself on a rough bench, 
 
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT. 
 
 ERECTED 1837. 
 STATUE DESIGNED BY J. GREENSHIELDS ; EXECUTED BY HANDYSIDE & RITCHIE. 
 
 From Picture in NichoU's "Views of Glasgow," in the possession of Mr. Kirsop. 
 Photographed /or this Work by Messrs. Brinklcy 6- Stevenson, Regent Gallery, 
 
 seemingly much gratified, and without direct praise said 
 enough to satisfy the designer of his entire approval. All 
 were now in fine talking trim. There was some allusion to 
 their short visit. ' No loss at a', Sir Walter. I saw every- 
 thing and see it yet.' ' Indeed,' said the baronet. ' Yes.'
 
 Six WALTER SCOTT. 155 
 
 said the rustic sculptor, 'for I've a deevilish greedy 
 ee.'" In 1831 Sir Walter visited Milton Lockhart, and 
 Lockhart says, " Greenshields was at hand, and talked 
 to him cheerfully, while he devoured his features, as 
 under a solemn sense that they were before his eyes for 
 the last time." So it was; Sir Walter was summoned 
 away next morning. 
 
 Three years afterwards, in 1834, Greenshields was urgently 
 solicited to design a model of an erect figure for the 
 Glasgow monument to the memory of Sir Walter Scott. This 
 he rather hurriedly, not without reluctance, produced, and 
 transmitted to the committee, and shortly after, when on 
 his deathbed, received notice of its adoption (in preference 
 to the designs of Forrest and Ritchie), an intimation he 
 received without emotion or remark. This model was the 
 last effort of Greenshields' genius. The head and features 
 of this figure were repeated from the sic sedebat statue done 
 for Mr. Cadell in his premises in St. Andrew's Square, 
 Edinburgh, where it rested under the same roof with the 
 greater part of the original MSS. of Sir Walter's poems and 
 romances. It was in an easy position, uncovered, in modern 
 costume, resting on the left leg, the right being slightly 
 advanced. The chest is tightly wrapped in a shepherd's 
 plaid, thrown over the right arm and shoulder. But 
 strangely enough the artist, an Upper Ward man, has 
 here made a mistake. The right shoulder is the wrong 
 one for the plaid. This statue, not the best of the artist's 
 designs, was cut in stone by Ritchie of Musselburgh, and 
 is by many attributed entirely to him. It is erected 
 upon a pedestal eighty feet high, and is, as it deserves 
 to be, the central and most prominent figure in George 
 Square.
 
 STATUE BY MOSSMAN. ERECTED ZSTH JUNE, 1859, 
 
 Sir IRobert peel. 
 
 This distinguished statesman was born at Chamber Hall r 
 the residence of his father, the first Sir Robert Peel, near 
 Bury, in Lancashire, on the 5th February, 1788. It is 
 interesting to note that the year of his birth was the same 
 as that of his school-fellow, Lord Byron. By a remarkable 
 coincidence, too, both of these men entered on political 
 life together: in 1809, Peel first sat as a member of the
 
 5/7? ROBERT PEEL. 157 
 
 House of Commons, whilst in the same year Byron, through 
 his peerage right, took his seat in the House of Lords. 
 In that year, 1809, there was also born Peel's famous pupil, 
 William Ewart Gladstone. 
 
 Robert Peel may be said to have been born in the very 
 centre of the Tory camp, and to have been rocked in the 
 cradle of the oldest and most unyielding political party. 
 He was educated under the eye of his father, one of the 
 leading lights of that parliamentary party, who instilled into 
 his young mind the principles of Pitt, and held up for 
 his imitation the character and career of that eminent 
 statesman. The ruling desire in fact, the one idea of 
 his father's life was that Robert should be a statesman. 
 And it was most fortunately realised. 
 
 Young Peel was sent in due course to Harrow, one of 
 England's great public schools, where, amongst others 
 who afterwards became distinguished men, he had as 
 school-fellow Lord Byron. At Harrow he was noted for 
 steady diligence, though not for brilliant qualities. Byron 
 has put it on record that Peel was a "model" boy, who 
 affected always the clean, if not the dandy, dress of a well- 
 bred gentleman, who was always prepared with his class 
 lessons, and was never in a scrape. Byron adds that he 
 himself was never out of one, and was never up to time in 
 his class work. The poet, however, characteristically 
 remarks that in declaiming Latin or Greek poetry, and in 
 the academical examinations, he was always Peel's superior. 
 At Oxford, Peel took a double first, and altogether had a 
 most creditable university career. 
 
 After leaving Oxford he at once entered upon his political 
 life. In 1 809 he was returned as member for Cashel. By 
 training and by instincts he was attached to the Tory party, 
 and he threw himself with heart and soul into the work of
 
 158 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 that side of the national assembly. During his first 
 parliamentary year he was wisely silent, yet there was no 
 more observant member in all that august gathering, and 
 none more willing or ready to profit by the experience of 
 others. Peel was no genius, nor did he ever lay claim to 
 being the possessor of this heaven-gifted quality. He never 
 could have coped successfully with the strategy and varied 
 resources of the First Napoleon, nor could he have steered 
 the national ship through that long tempest whose calm only 
 came with Waterloo. He had not those fascinating 
 endowments which appeal to the dramatic sense in man ; 
 the commanding power of supreme eloquence was denied 
 him, and there was nothing romantic either in the cast of 
 his mind or in the circumstances by which he was surrounded 
 that could stimulate the imagination. A wise adaptability 
 to the interests of the nation and to the evils calling for 
 redress was one of the great causes of his political success. 
 He was a political philosopher of the highest type, and rose 
 to distinction at a period when Britain had ceased to be 
 distracted by foreign wars, and when the people clamoured 
 loudly for domestic reform. Such a period needs the 
 sagacious and painstaking rather than the original and 
 daring statesman, and in every respect Peel was pre- 
 eminently suited for the occasion. It almost seemed 
 that a genial destiny, kind alike to him and the nation 
 which he served, had raised him up for the work which 
 awaited him, and which he performed to such lofty and 
 lasting issues. And though genius was lacking in him, 
 and his greatness was built up of almost commonplace 
 materials, still there was much in his character and his 
 life to command the admiration and sympathy of men of 
 all shades of political opinion. All these elements give a 
 deeper significance to his personal qualities, and the
 
 S/x ROBERT PEEL. 159 
 
 means by which he arose to the exalted position of Prime 
 Minister of Britain. 
 
 Two years after entering Parliament, Peel was made 
 Under Secretary in 1811 ; and in 1812 he was appointed by 
 Lord Liverpool to the important and onerous office of Chief 
 Secretary for Ireland. The fact of his being appointed at 
 the age of twenty-four to fill this position, one of the most 
 difficult in every administration during the past century, 
 shows the confidence with which he was regarded by his 
 colleagues in office. He was made Home Secretary in 
 1822, which position he held till the resignation, in 1829, of 
 the Ministry with which he was connnected. 
 
 Sir Robert Peel's accession to the Cabinet in 1822, in 
 place of Lord Sidmouth, who had only retained his position 
 notoriously through the influence of the king, and against 
 the wishes of the nation, coincides with the commencement 
 of a purer morality, and a higher tone amongst public men, 
 of which the country was sadly in need. This blessed 
 change was at the time most emphatic, and, happily, has 
 been enduring. Since that time there has been little or no 
 jobbing, and scarcely a single transaction that could be 
 called disgraceful, amongst British ministers. Peculation 
 and actual corruption have, it is true, never been the 
 characteristics of our political personages since the time of 
 Walpole and Pelham; but, up to the beginning of the 
 century, jobbing of every kind among public men was 
 common, flagrant, and shameless. Even in the days of Pitt, 
 places, pensions, and sinecures were lavished with the most 
 unblushing profusion to gratify official avarice, to reward 
 private friendship, or to purchase parliamentary support. 
 Ministers now, however, began to recognise that integrity 
 and honour should be ever important factors in the 
 political conscience as well as in private morality, and
 
 160 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 to this happy change Peel, by principle and example, 
 contributed in no small degree. The period from the 
 time in which he took his seat in the House of Commons 
 down to the moment of his untimely death, was one of 
 amazing changes in the domestic legislation of this country. 
 During that time the penal laws against the Roman 
 Catholics were expunged from the statute-book; parlia- 
 mentary reform opened the doors of the Constitution to 
 greater masses of our countrymen ; commerce was relieved, 
 and the homes of the people were gladdened by the 
 abolition of the obnoxious Corn Laws. And to all these, 
 Sir Robert Peel, by patient labour, unwearied energy, and 
 judicious administration, contributed in no small degree. 
 The occasion of his great speech on Catholic Emancipation 
 was one of the most memorable days in the history of the 
 House of Commons that the century had seen. At ten 
 o'clock in the morning the crowd began to assemble at 
 the House of Commons, although they knew that the public 
 would not be admitted till six, when the House would begin 
 its sitting. The House of Lords went through its business 
 as expeditiously as possible, early in the afternoon, in order 
 that peers might have an opportunity of witnessing a political 
 combat which would become historic in the annals of 
 Britain's great constitutional assembly. Peel began his 
 memorable speech in favour of the Bill, deeply impressed 
 with the magnitude of the measure and the objections that 
 might be raised against it. He solemnly stated that the 
 time had now come when the concessions could be granted 
 with perfect safety to the Established Protestant religion of 
 the country, and to the strengthening and consolidation of 
 the nation's dignity and power. The concessions he proposed 
 admitted the Roman Catholics to Parliament, and to the 
 highest military and civil offices, except those connected
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL. 161 
 
 with church patronage, with education, and with the administra- 
 tion of the ecclesiastical law, on taking an oath of allegiance 
 to king and country. The discussion was brilliant on both 
 sides, and the excitement great. When the result of the 
 voting was announced it showed that the Government had 
 gained their measure by a majority of 104 votes. It may 
 interest the young people who read these pages, and who yet 
 know little of the strange freaks which the whirligig of political 
 fortune takes, that at the time of this memorable debate both 
 Benjamin Disraeli and William Ewart Gladstone were coming 
 into notice, the former as one of the bitterest of the Whigs, 
 and the latter as one of the keenest of the Tories. 
 
 January, 1837, was a month long to be remembered in 
 the academic and the political annals of Glasgow. The 
 students of our venerable and distinguished university had 
 elected Sir Robert Peel to the office of Lord Rector, an 
 office which was the highest in their power to bestow, and 
 one which has been occupied by some of the most illustrious 
 men which our country has produced. Lord Jeffrey, Lord 
 Macaulay, Campbell the poet, Lord Palmerston, Disraeli, 
 Lord Lytton, and other distinguished men have held the 
 office, and Sir Robert Peel himself said, on the occasion of 
 his installation, that of all the honours bestowed upon him 
 he was proudest of this. On the nth of January, 1837, 
 he came to the city to deliver his inaugural address to 
 the students of the university, which had done him such an 
 honour, and for three days thereafter the illustrious statesman 
 was feted in a manner which has seldom in the same 
 circumstances fallen to the lot of any public man. The 
 address was delivered before a crowded assembly in the 
 Common Hall of the old university in High Street, the 
 Duke of Montrose being present as Chancellor. Principal 
 Macfarlane presided, and amongst the professors was the
 
 162 GEORGE SQUARE.. 
 
 distinguished Sir Daniel Sandford, who held the chair of 
 Greek. The body of the hall was reserved for the gowns- 
 men, one of the galleries for the senior students in all the 
 faculties, whilst the other was reserved for the ladies. The 
 utmost enthusiasm prevailed, and amongst the students it 
 was so spontaneous and unfeigned that the display touched 
 Sir Robert exceedingly, and it was seen that he was labouring 
 under the deepest emotion when he signed the rectorial 
 roll. After Principal Macfarlane had offered up prayer in 
 Latin, and Sir Robert had taken in the same language the 
 oath of allegiance to the university, the newly-installed 
 Lord Rector, arrayed in his official robes, began his 
 inaugural address to the students. It was one of the 
 most eloquent academic discourses ever delivered on like 
 occasions within those venerable walls, showing a philosophic 
 grasp of the history of the world, and a full and felicitous 
 knowledge of the poets of all times, and revealed the 
 speaker, not only to be an illustrious statesman, but a 
 scholar of the widest and richest culture. The address, 
 which occupied one hour and ten minutes in delivery, 
 was received in some of its most eloquent passages 
 with tumultuous applause, and was closed with the 
 following peroration: "By every motive which can influence 
 a reflecting and responsible being a being of large 
 discourse, looking before and after by the memory of the 
 distinguished men who have shed a lustre on these walls 
 by regard for your own success and happiness in this life 
 by the fear of future discredit by the hope of lasting 
 fame by all these considerations, I conjure you, while you 
 have yet time, while your minds are yet flexible, to form 
 them on the models which approach nearest to perfection. 
 By motives yet more urgent by higher and purer aspira- 
 tions by the duty of obedience to the will of God by
 
 SJR ROBERT PEEL. 163 
 
 the awful account you will have to render not merely of 
 moral actions but of faculties entrusted to you for improve- 
 ment, by those high arguments do I conjure you 'so to 
 number your days that you may apply your hearts unto 
 wisdom ' unto that wisdom which shall benefit mankind, 
 and, in the hour of judgment, comfort you with the hope of 
 deliverance." 
 
 On the 1 3th of January, two days after his installation as 
 Lord Rector of the University, the citizens of Glasgow 
 entertained Peel at a banquet held in his honour, the like of 
 which for magnitude and splendour had never taken place in 
 Scotland before. As soon as the matter had been finally 
 arranged for, John Gordon, Esq. of Aitkenhead, came forward 
 and put his splendid Glasgow mansion house, together with 
 his spacious garden near the foot of Buchanan Street, between 
 Arcade and Exchange Place, at the disposal of the com- 
 mittee, as the site for the erection of the banqueting hall. 
 Designs were shortly afterwards executed by Mr. David 
 Hamilton, one of Glasgow's worthy sons, and the architect 
 of Hamilton Palace and the present Royal Exchange. A 
 splendid hall, 127 feet long and 126 feet broad, was built 
 of wood, and lined with cloth of crimson, blue, white and 
 gold. The pillars and wood-carving were of the finest Greek 
 designs, and altogether the magnificent hall was alike worthy 
 of the citizens and of the great occasion for which it was 
 built. 
 
 When the memorable evening arrived, more than four 
 thousand sat down to a dinner of the most sumptuous 
 character. Henry Monteith, Esq. of Carstairs, occupied 
 the chair. The Earl of Eglinton, the Marquis of Tweed- 
 dale, and nearly all the nobility and gentry of the west 
 and south of Scotland were present, and the speeches, which 
 included one by Gladstone, were of the highest order.
 
 1 64 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 It is interesting to note, at this distance of time, that he 
 who afterwards became the distinguished Dr. Norman 
 Macleod here made one of the earliest speeches of his life. 
 It was on the occasion of his having to reply to the toast of 
 "The Students of Glasgow University," and his reply at that 
 time was quite a model in the way of modesty, dignity and 
 grace. Altogether the banquet was a wonderful success. 
 Even the London Liberal weekly, the Spectator^ went the 
 length of saying that the unqualified heartiness and splen- 
 dour of the proceedings were one of the greatest political 
 marvels of the time. Of all who were present at that brilliant 
 assembly in 1837 only three are now alive, so far as the 
 writer knows: Mr. Gladstone, Dr. Blackie, Principal of 
 St. Mungo's College, who was then very young and very 
 strong, and Mr. James Dawson* of Sale, Manchester, who 
 had a large part in establishing the manufacture and sale 
 of Tweed cloths in Glasgow. 
 
 Peel is remembered now chiefly in his connection with 
 the measure for Free Trade, which he at first opposed and 
 afterwards carried. It would be unprofitable here to 
 rehearse the history of the Corn Laws. They were part of 
 that meddlesome legislation in regard to trade that was too 
 common for centuries in this and other lands burdensome 
 restrictions that interfered with the great law of demand and 
 supply. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries there 
 were laws against the exportation of grain. Then after the 
 Restoration there were restrictive duties put upon the impor- 
 tation of grain, with the view of protecting home agriculture. 
 For other two centuries there were successive acts regulating 
 the duties according to the price of grain in this country. 
 This arrangement of "a sliding scale" was altered and 
 
 * The death of Mr. Dawson, at the advanced age of 82, is announced as 
 the proof sheets are passing from our hands.
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL. 165 
 
 re-altered until, by the celebrated act of 1828, it reached 
 what was regarded as a state of perfection. 
 
 Throughout these various changes there were not wanting 
 writers and speakers who denounced the Corn Laws, and 
 agitated for their removal. But the public at large, though 
 conscious that the laws were in some way at variance with 
 the principles of political economy, did not, till the very last, 
 earnestly unite in calling for repeal. There was a powerful 
 party who defended the Corn Laws, and represented, with 
 wonderful plausibility, that these restrictive statutes were 
 identified with the best interests of the country. Their 
 arguments might thus be summed up : i . Protection was 
 necessary, in order to keep certain poor lands in cultivation. 
 2. It was desirable to cultivate as much land as possible, in 
 order to improve the country. 3. If improvement by that 
 means were to cease, we should be dependent on foreigners 
 for a large portion of the food of the people. 4. Such 
 dependence would be fraught with immense danger ; in the 
 event of war, supplies might be stopped, or our ports might 
 be blockaded, the result being famine, disease, and civil war. 
 5. The advantage gained by protection enabled the landed 
 proprietors and their tenants to encourage manufactures and 
 trade; so much so, that if the Corn Laws were abolished, 
 half the country shopkeepers would be ruined ; that would 
 be followed by the stoppage of many of the mills and 
 factories ; large numbers of the working-classes would be 
 thrown idle ; disturbances would ensue ; capital would be 
 withdrawn ; and no one would venture to say what would 
 be the final consequences. In 1826, Mr. Hume, and in 
 1832, Mr. Whitmore, moved resolutions in the House of 
 Commons against the Corn Law, as operating unfavourably 
 upon trade. Mr. Hume contended that our manufactures 
 might be doubled or trebled if it were repealed, but he was
 
 1 66 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 scarcely listened to. The Hon. C. Pelham Villiers also, in 
 1838, moved for inquiry into the operations of the Corn 
 Law with a similar experience. This did not hinder him 
 from renewing the contest on broader and bolder grounds. 
 The people now began to move in the matter. A meeting 
 of merchants and manufacturers was held in Manchester, 
 in 1838, to consider how the repeal of the Corn Laws could 
 be obtained. The public press too began to aid the cause. 
 Mr. Archibald Prentice, the editor of the Manchester Times, 
 and Mr. Weir of the Glasgow Argus specially distinguished 
 themselves by writing in its favour. Ebenezer Elliot helped 
 the cause in verse and was called the " Corn Law Rhymer." 
 Then there came to the front its two most distinguished 
 advocates, Richard Cobden, a Manchester merchant, and 
 John Bright, the Rochdale manufacturer. The agitation 
 spread like fire. Bad times and the bitter cries of poverty 
 made people of all ranks feel that something must be done. 
 From being a small minority in Parliament the Anti-Corn 
 Law advocates became a strong party. Their greatest 
 triumph, however, was the conversion of Sir Robert Peel. 
 In 1843, being Prime Minister, he had tried a modification 
 of the sliding scale, but this had no good effect. Varied 
 influences told upon him, and finally in 1846 he carried the 
 measure which put an end to the Corn Laws in our country. 
 The results of the repeal are well known. Poor lands are 
 as much cultivated as ever, and even more so. There has 
 been no stoppage of imports by war or otherwise, nor is 
 there likely to be. Manufacturers and shopkeepers have 
 thriven better than previous to the repeal. Instead of 
 falling, the rent of land of all kinds has risen, and tenants 
 and proprietors are alike satisfied. The wealth of the 
 country has increased enormously. The working-classes 
 are better instead of being worse employed. In place of
 
 Six XOBEKT PEEL. 167 
 
 disorder there is general contentment. The liberation of 
 the trade in corn has not, however, lowered the price of 
 bread to the extent that some persons anticipated. There 
 is an increased demand in consequence of the population 
 increasing in numbers and improving in means. It is still 
 contended by many that our own home-growers are placed 
 at a great disadvantage in having to sell their grain in 
 competition with the ever-increasing supplies poured in 
 from other countries, most of which put a high tariff upon 
 our goods. It has also been pointed out that our agricul- 
 turists have been under hard pressure during recent years, 
 and that rents have been greatly reduced. There are some 
 who advocate Fair Trade in place of Free Trade, and that 
 we should put a protective tariff upon the grain and other 
 goods of those countries which will not admit ours free, or at 
 moderate rates. But most are disinclined to go back upon 
 a measure that has promoted the comfort and welfare of the 
 general population, and which has been followed by such a 
 distinct advance in national prosperity. And we don't 
 know what the condition of Great Britain would have been 
 had her Corn taws not been repealed. John Bright was 
 in the habit of saying that but for the repeal of the 
 Corn Laws there would have been revolution in the country 
 before this. 
 
 Peel was blamed and forsaken by many of his followers, 
 and praised by multitudes. Many said he subordinated 
 conscience to the hope of retaining power, but most 
 acknowledged that he had subordinated party feeling to 
 conscientious conviction. There is no doubt it was 
 ultimately the cause of his resignation, the year after, 
 and retiral from active political life. But if he fell, it was 
 to rise for ever in the estimation of a grateful nation that 
 now sees and judges more accurately.
 
 i68 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Sir Robert Peel was suddenly called away in the midst of 
 his fame and power, and the manner of his death was 
 unexpected and sad. He had left his London residence at 
 his usual hour for his forenoon ride. Calling first at 
 Buckingham Palace to inscribe his name in the Queen's 
 visitors' list, he proceeded up Constitution Hill, when he 
 met one of Lord Dover's daughters, who was also on 
 horseback. Advancing to meet her his horse shied at some 
 object and threw him over its head. Dr. Foucart, of 
 Glasgow, who was on the spot, came up, and, asking Sir 
 Robert if he was much hurt, received a distressful reply in 
 the affirmative. The statesman then fainted, when he was 
 at once taken home in a carriage, and Sir James Clark, the 
 eminent physician, sent for. From the first there was no 
 hope, and the distinguished man lay insensible for several 
 hours. A few moments before death he regained 
 consciousness and recognised Lady Peel, his devoted wife, 
 by his bedside, muttered the words " God bless you ! " then 
 peacefully passed into his long, last sleep. 
 
 The appalling blow fell on the nation like a thunder-peal,, 
 and his friends and political foes alike personal foes he had 
 none were stricken with a great and abiding sorrow. 
 He had obtained the crowning desire of all great heroes, 
 either statesmen or warriors, that of dying in harness. In 
 the House of Lords, Earl Russell passed an eloquent 
 eulogium on him, and strongly advocated the raising, at 
 once, of a national memorial to him in Westminster Abbey. 
 In the House of Commons Gladstone paid him a high 
 tribute, concluding with the words, " I will only, Sir, quote 
 these most touching and feeling lines, which were applied 
 by one of the greatest poets of this country to the memory 
 of a man, great indeed, but yet not greater than Sir Robert 
 Peel:
 
 S/x ROBERT PEEL. 169 
 
 " ' Now is the stately column broke, 
 The beacon light is quenched in smoke ; 
 The trumpet's silver voice is still, 
 The warder silent on the hill. ' " 
 
 Sir Robert Peel was, without doubt, a great and honest 
 servant of the State. He was ever anxious to learn what 
 was demanded by the public interests, and ready to carry 
 such into effect, in spite of party hindrances or opposing 
 factions. Never was there politician that yielded more to 
 conscientious conviction, or sacrificed more for ends that he 
 regarded as great and good. 
 
 In all his public career and private life he was greatly 
 strengthened by an able and most devoted wife, the 
 daughter of General Sir John Floyd. She out-lived him 
 only a few years. The distinguished name inherited by 
 their children is still associated with public honours. His 
 eldest son, the third Sir Robert, was Secretary of the 
 Russian Legation, and in other positions has rendered 
 service to our country. The second son, Frederick Peel, 
 M.P. for Warwick and Leamington, is Speaker of the House 
 of Commons. 
 
 M
 
 STATUB BY FOLEV. ERECTED $TH AUGUST, 1868. 
 
 Xorfc 
 
 One of the foremost names on our city's roll of honour 
 is that of Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde. Closely identified, 
 as he was, with much that is glorious in our national history, 
 he started life in comparatively humble circumstances. 
 
 Of all those whose careers we have undertaken to describe 
 he was born the nearest to the Square which his statue now 
 adorns. Standing in the Square, at the north-west corner
 
 LORD CLYDE. 171 
 
 of the Municipal Buildings, and looking eastwards, you can 
 see his birth-place. It was the west side of High John 
 Street (No. 63), the first close up from George Street. He was 
 the eldest son of John M'Liver and Agnes Campbell, who 
 were married on the Qth of January, 1792. Colin was their 
 eldest son, and born at the close of the same year. His 
 father was at the time a working wright, and could boast of 
 honourable lineage and connection. He had been born on 
 his father's estate of Ardnave, in the island of Islay. This 
 gentleman, the grandfather of Lord Clyde, had followed 
 Prince Charlie in the rebellion of 1745. After fateful 
 Culloden his estate was forfeited, and he removed to 
 Glasgow, where his children grew up and followed the 
 handicrafts of the citizens. 
 
 Agnes Campbell, Colin's mother, was the daughter of 
 another old Highland house, who had good position in 
 Islay. His kinsmen on both sides had at all times the 
 martial spirit, and when the western feuds were quieted, and 
 the Jacobite movements overcome, many of them served in 
 the army with distinction. 
 
 In the home in High John Street there came to be a 
 family of four. Among these there was a sister near to his 
 own age to whom he was deeply attached. She was 
 fortunately spared to be his correspondent and companion 
 in riper years, and to minister to him at the close of life. 
 
 So far as we can learn, he was a very modest, patient boy. 
 His extreme modesty was diminished neither by age, rank, 
 nor honour. All through life he shrank from every kind of 
 notoriety, and was most unwilling to lend his journals and 
 preserved correspondence for biographical purposes. 
 
 Even in his will the reference to these is quite 
 characteristic of the man. After leaving directions to his 
 trustees, of whom our own Sir Archibald Alison, the son of
 
 172 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 the late Sheriff Alison, was one, as to the disposal of these 
 papers, he significantly adds : " It may possibly become their 
 opinion that some short memoir should be drawn up. If 
 this should be to their mind absolutely necessary and indis- 
 pensable which I should regret, and hope may be avoided 
 it should be limited as much as possible to the modest 
 recital of the services of an old soldier." 
 
 Young Colin was educated at the High School. In the 
 registers his name appears as Colin M 'Liver, ist, in order 
 that it might not be confused with that of a cousin of his, in 
 the High School also, and bearing the same name. In one 
 of his class-books while there, our youthful hero had 
 written on the title-page the lines from Goethe : 
 
 " Durch die Geduld, Vernunft, und Zeit, 
 
 Wird moglich die Unmoglichkeit." 
 " By means of patience, sound judgment and time, 
 The impossible becomes possible." 
 
 At the age of ten he was removed from Glasgow by his 
 maternal uncle, the late Colonel John Campbell, who 
 thenceforth took charge of the boy. He was placed by his 
 uncle in an academy at Gosport, where he remained till he 
 was fifteen years of age, when he received his commission, 
 on the 26th May, 1808, in the pth regiment of foot. The 
 change of name from M 'Liver to Campbell at this time has 
 been frequently misrepresented. It has been stated that 
 he was ashamed of the homely name of M 'Liver, and 
 intentionally took the more aristocratic name of Campbell. 
 But he had very little to do with it. It occurred in this 
 way. At the Horse Guards, in Whitehall, he had been 
 previously introduced to the Duke of York, Commander-in- 
 Chief of the army, by his uncle. The duke, on seeing the 
 young fellow, cried out, "What! another of the clan?" 
 Supoosing he was of his uncle's name, a note was made
 
 LORD CLYDE. 173 
 
 of the name as Colin Campbell. The truthful spirit of the 
 boy was about to protest and explain, when his uncle at 
 once checked him, and told him in an undertone that 
 Campbell was a first-rate name to serve and fight under. 
 And thus it was the Duke of York who, unwittingly, was 
 the means of changing the lad's name ! 
 
 On the 26th May, 1808, he was gazetted as ensign in the 
 gth regiment of foot, and sailed with the 2nd battalion of 
 that regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel 
 John Cameron, for Portugal, with the expedition under 
 the Duke of Wellington, then Sir Arthur Wellesley. He 
 was first under fire at the battle of Vimiera, and then 
 served with his regiment in Sir John Moore's advance on 
 Salamanca, and at the famous battle of Corunna. An 
 incident happened to young Campbell on the eve of the 
 battle of Vimiera, which endeared Colonel Cameron to the 
 lad for life. Young Colin, who was not yet sixteen, was 
 with the rear company of his battalion, which immediately 
 before the battle was halted in open column of companies. 
 His colonel called him to his side, took him by the hand, 
 and led him by the flank of his battalion to the front, walked 
 with him up and down in front of the leading company for 
 several minutes in full view of the enemy's artillery, which 
 had opened fire on our troops. He then let go the boy's 
 hand, and told him to join his company. The object was 
 to give the lad confidence, and he succeeded. In after 
 years Lord Clyde always related this kind act of the 
 colonel with pleasure, adding, "It was the greatest 
 kindness which could have been shown me at such a time, 
 and through life I have ever felt grateful for it." 
 
 After Vimiera, Campbell's regiment was one of those 
 selected to form part of the army under Sir John Moore. 
 Some idea of the sufferings endured in the memorable
 
 174 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 retreat to Corunna may be obtained when young Campbell 
 stated in his journal that of his battalion alone one officer 
 and 148 men died on the road. He also relates that fot 
 some time before they reached Corunna he had to march 
 with bare feet, the soles of his long boots being completely 
 worn away. The leather had adhered so close to the swollen 
 flesh of his legs that the lad was obliged to have his legs 
 bathed in hot water, and the leather actually had to be torn 
 away from the bleeding skin in strips. This accomplished, 
 he was at his post again within half an hour. Corunna 
 having been reached by Moore, followed eagerly by Soult, 
 one of the ablest generals who ever drew sword, then followed 
 that battle which gained us such a signal victory, yet which 
 cost us so much. Young Campbell was one of the party 
 who was told off to bury their great chief, and all through 
 life he never forgot that memorable night, nor the slopes 
 o'erlooking the moaning sea, where 
 
 "They left him alone with his glory." 
 
 His next active service was at the expedition of Walcheren, 
 where he was attacked with that malignant fever which 
 destroyed so many hundreds of our brave men. He was 
 promoted to the rank of lieutenant on the 28th January, 
 1 809, and commanded the two flank companies at the battle 
 of Barossa, where his conspicuous bravery attracted the 
 notice of General Graham, afterwards Lord Lynedoch, who 
 never forgot him. In January, 1813, he joined the ist 
 battalion of the gth regiment, under his old chief, Colonel 
 John Cameron. This regiment formed part of Graham's 
 corps, in which Campbell served at the battle of Vittoria 
 and the siege of San Sebastian. On the i ;th July he led the 
 right wing of his regiment in the attack on the fortified 
 convent of San Bartalome, and was honourably mentioned 
 in despatches home ; and on the 25th July he led the forlorn
 
 LORD CLYDE. 175 
 
 hope in the unsuccessful attack to storm the fortress itself. 
 " It was in vain," says Napier, in his " History of the 
 Peninsular War," one of the most brilliant histories of its 
 kind ever written, and a book which every youth should 
 read ; " it was in vain that Lieutenant Campbell, breaking 
 through the tumultuous crowd with the survivors of his 
 chosen detachment, mounted the ruins twice he ascended, 
 twice he was wounded, and all around him killed." For 
 this brilliant conduct he was made a captain, and no soldier 
 in the British army deserved the honour more. Before, 
 however, he left the gth regiment he further distinguished 
 himself. He left his quarters in San Sebastian before his 
 wounds were healed, and headed the night attack of his 
 regiment on the batteries on the French side of the river 
 Bidassoa. In this attack he was again seriously wounded. 
 Colonel Cameron severely reprimanded the youthful captain 
 for doing a deed so hazardous to himself without leave, but 
 on account of his gallantry in the attack did not report this 
 violation of the rules of the army. His wounds compelled 
 him to leave the camp, and he set out for home with a 
 heavy heart in spite of his awarded pension of ^100 a year. 
 He spent the year 1815, and part of 1816, at health resorts 
 on the Mediterranean coast. In November of the latter 
 year he eagerly rejoined his regiment at Gibraltar, and in 
 1818 was transferred to the 2ist, or Royal Scottish Fusiliers. 
 Campbell's gallantry at San Sebastian secured him 
 powerful friends at head-quarters. His former commanders, 
 Sir John Cameron and Lord Lyndhurst, never forgot him, 
 whilst Sir Henry Hardinge and Lord Fitzroy Somerset had 
 such a warm recollection of his former services that they 
 sought for his promotion with so great energy that in 
 October, 1832, he was made lieutenant-colonel of his old 
 regiment, the Qth Foot. For many years, during the long
 
 176 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 peace, he commanded it whilst it did garrison duty in 
 various towns in England, and he had it in such a state 
 of efficiency, and put such esprit de corps into his men 
 that the regiment was long pointed out with pride as 
 being a model British regiment. Thus, Campbell had risen 
 to the position he now attained by pure merit, bravery, force 
 of character, and honest purpose. In 1844, he was made a 
 brigadier-general, and with his division rendered great 
 service in the Sikh war, for which he was made a K.C.B. in 
 1849. The great desire, after he had effectually quelled the 
 Sikhs, in Campbell's mind, was to retire from the appoint- 
 ment he held in India and return home. He had now 
 attained, financially, a position capable of placing and 
 retaining the other members of his family in comfortable, if 
 not affluent, circumstances, and often his thoughts, even in 
 the midst of his hottest campaigns, reverted to home. Lord 
 Dalhousie, however, then Governor-General of India, and 
 his life-long, staunch friend Sir Charles Napier, saw the 
 great loss that the Indian Government would sustain by 
 such a step on the part of Sir Colin Campbell, and earnestly 
 entreated him to reconsider his decision. Sir Colin gave 
 way to their urgent desires, and remained for other three 
 years, effectually quelling during that period the hostile 
 tribes in the Punjaub and Oudh. 
 
 It was in 1854 that the golden opportunity came which 
 was fated to bring Sir Colin Campbell towards that illustrious 
 eminence which he afterwards attained. War had been 
 declared by Britain, along with France and Turkey, against 
 Russia for her wanton violation of the Treaty of Paris and 
 her ruthless invasion of the Balkan provinces. All the 
 countries named were signatory parties to this treaty, so that 
 Russia's faithlessness rendered the war unavoidable. On 
 the nth February, 1854, Lord Hardinge, the Commander-
 
 LORD CLYDE, 177 
 
 in-Chief of the British army, offered Sir Colin the command 
 of one of the two brigades which it was at that time intended 
 to send to the East. Campbell at once accepted the appoint- 
 ment, but by the time he reached Turkey the forces were 
 so mobilised that the brigade had become an army, and 
 he was posted to the command of the Highland brigade 
 of the ist Division, under the command of the Duke of 
 Cambridge, and consisting of the 42nd Highlanders (Black 
 Watch), and the 79th and 93rd Highlanders. When one 
 remembers the immortal battle-names with which the 
 banners of these regiments are covered, from the days of 
 Blenheim downwards, little wonder there is that Sir Colin 
 accepted his command with unaffected national pride. At 
 the head of his brigade he landed in the Crimea, and it was 
 undoubtedly he and his Highlanders who won the battle of 
 Alma. The strong redoubt on the crest of the hill, 
 immediately overlooking the Black Sea, had been captured 
 by the light division. They had not held it long before 
 they were overpowered by hosts of Russians, and had to 
 retreat. Seeing this, he turned to his men, and said, 
 " Highlanders ! there's your work for you," and led on 
 the men who would have followed him through flames. 
 His favourite charger was shot under him, but Colonel 
 Shadwell gave him his at once, and the brave old chief led 
 his kilted lads into the heart of the Russian columns. It 
 was the old true and tried story over again the deadly volley 
 and then the bayonet. The Russians fled, and the day was 
 won. The glory of Alma was accorded to him, and the only 
 reward he asked was that he might have leave to wear the 
 Highland bonnet instead of the cocked hat of a general 
 officer ! 
 
 When the army encamped before Sebastopol, he was 
 appointed commandant at Balaclava. In that famous battle
 
 178 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 the terrible conflict in which the light brigade of cavalry 
 made that immortal charge at which 
 
 " All the world wondered," 
 
 he directed the famous repulse of the Russian cavalry by his 
 brave 93rd Highlanders that " thin red streak, tipped with 
 a line of steel." These two actions, the charge by the light 
 brigade and the repulse by the Highlanders, have never been 
 equalled for bravery in the annals of war. Onlookers never 
 saw coolness equal to that of the kilted lads, their chief at 
 their head, whilst they awaited the onset of the proud 
 Muscovite cavaliers. The only breach of discipline that 
 occurred was that some of the brave fellows actually rushed 
 forward to meet the horsemen, and Sir Colin had to 
 restrain them, shouting out : " Confound your enthusiasm ; 
 Ninety-third, come back to your line ! " The splendid 
 bearing of that thin line of Highlanders only two deep 
 receiving with such audacious coolness a body of cavalry six 
 times their number, showed to the world for all time, not 
 only matchless heroism, but the unbounded confidence 
 which existed between Sir Colin and his men ; and one year 
 after this immortal day, when he was presented in our own 
 City Hall with a sword of honour from his fellow-citizens, 
 nothing could equal the touching allusion in his reply, 
 spoken under the deepest emotion, when he said that all 
 the honours which he had the pride of wearing, were largely 
 due to his dear Highlanders. 
 
 As time wore on Sir Colin's position in the Crimea ceased 
 to be a pleasant one. Lord Panmure threatened to 
 supersede him by General Codrington, who was his junior, 
 and who had never seen a shot fired till the battle of 
 Alma. This was too much for the old soldier's sense of 
 justice, and on these grounds alone he threw up his position 
 and left the Crimea on leave. Personal interviews with the
 
 LORD CLYDE. 179 
 
 Queen, however, softened his resentment, and in June he 
 was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general and returned 
 to the Crimea to take command of a corps d'armee under 
 Codrington. The latter, however, failed to organise the 
 corps, and Sir Colin again assumed the command of the 
 Highland Brigade. This he retained till the close of 
 hostilities, when he at once returned home, leaving the 
 army in the Crimea. On the day of his departure he 
 addressed his beloved men in words which shall be for 
 ever memorable : 
 
 " Soldiers of the 42nd, 79th, and 93rd ! Old Highland 
 Brigade, with whom I passed the early and perilous part 
 of this war, I have now to take leave of you. In a few hours 
 I shall be aboard ship, never to see you again as a body. 
 A long farewell ! I am now old, and shall not be called to 
 serve any more, and nothing will remain to me but the 
 memory of my campaigns, and of the enduring, hardy, 
 generous soldiers with whom I have been associated, and 
 whose name and glory will long be kept alive in the hearts 
 of our countrymen. When you go home, as you gradually 
 fulfil your term of service, each to his family and his cottage, 
 you will tell the story of your immortal advance in that 
 victorious echelon up the heights of Alma, and of the old 
 brigadier who led you and who loved you so well. Your 
 children and your children's children will repeat the tale to 
 other generations, when only a few lines of history will 
 remain to record all the enthusiasm and discipline which 
 have borne you so stoutly to the end of this war. Our 
 native land will never forget the name of the Highland 
 Brigade, and in some future war the nation will call for 
 another one equal to this, which it can never surpass. 
 Though I shall be gone, the thought of you shall go with 
 me wherever I may be, and cheer my old age with a glorious
 
 i So GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 recollection of dangers confronted and hardships endured. 
 The pipes will never sound near me without carrying me 
 back to those bright days when I was at your head, and 
 wore the bonnet which you gained for me, and the honour- 
 able decorations on my breast, many of which I owe to your 
 conduct. Brave soldiers ! Kind comrades ! Farewell!" 
 
 Soon after his return from the Crimea Sir Colin arranged 
 for his promised visit to his native city, to receive in person 
 the distinguished honours which it had been agreed to 
 confer upon him. These were a burgess ticket, conferring 
 upon him the freedom of the city, and a splendid sword of 
 honour, subscribed for by six thousand of the leading 
 citizens of Glasgow. When the grand veteran reached the 
 city his reception was like a triumphal entry, tens of 
 thousands turning out to gaze with enthusiasm on the brave 
 old warrior who had done so much for his country, and to 
 whose heart Scotland was so dear. A splendid banquet, at 
 which the Lord Provost of Glasgow presided, was given in 
 his honour in the City Hall, on which occasion, in exquisite 
 fitness to the event, Sheriff Sir Archibald Alison, one of the 
 leading historians of Europe, and who wrote so ably on the 
 Peninsular Campaign, presented Sir Colin with the sword of 
 honour. The old chieftain replied under deep emotion, 
 recalling the fact that half a century had passed away since, 
 a mere boy, he had left his native city, and merely touched 
 with light and graceful finger on his memorable experiences 
 since that day. He said that he would ever remember with 
 pride that great meeting, and ever treasure as amongst the 
 most precious of his honours that sword. Then, his brave 
 generous nature asserting itself, he said that the vast 
 assembly before him were not to forget his brave Highland 
 Brigade, to whose unapproachable valour he was indebted 
 for most of the honours which he wore.
 
 LORD CLYDE. 181 
 
 When Sir Colin Campbell delivered, on that memorable 
 day, in the camp at Balaclava, his stirring farewell address 
 to his Highlanders, little did either he or they think that he 
 would lead them again to victory, and that, too, under 
 conditions and experiences far more tragic than those which 
 they had together gone through formerly. Yet so it 
 happened. On the nth July, 1857, arrived the news of 
 the Indian Mutiny. The tidings were alike ghastly and 
 appalling, conveying as they did, the intelligence of the 
 massacre of British officers and civilians alike, with their 
 wives and families, and the spread of the insurrection from 
 Meerut and Delhi over all the northern and central provinces 
 of India. On the same day, in fact with the same mail, 
 came the news of the death of General Anson, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief in India. Within a few hours after the 
 arrival of the tidings, Lord Palmerston, who was Prime 
 Minister, with characteristic promptness and masterly 
 judgment, had sent for Sir Colin Campbell, and offered him 
 the appointment of Commander-in-Chief of the Indian army, 
 which appointment the veteran leader accepted on the spot. 
 " When can you start ? " asked the premier. " In an hour 
 hence, my Lord," answered Sir Colin, and before the sun 
 had set he was on his way to India. When he arrived in 
 Calcutta, he heard of the re-capture of Delhi by Major- 
 General Ashdale Wilson, the capture of Cawnpore by 
 Havelock, and the terrible retribution meted out to the 
 rebels for their unparalleled atrocities in the awful massacre 
 of the wives and children of our soldiers, and of that same 
 General's great preparations for the relief of Lucknow. Sir 
 Colin burned with the patriotic desire to get to the front for 
 the purpose of suppressing the rebellion and preventing 
 further atrocities and carnage, but he saw clearly that for 
 some weeks to come his place was the gathering together of
 
 [82 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 reinforcements, and sending them on to the generals in the 
 field. He hurried to Cawnpore the troops intended for the 
 China expedition, which Lord Elgin had wisely sent to 
 Calcutta, instead of their projected destination. He like- 
 wise assembled there a contingent of selected troops from 
 the army which had recaptured Delhi. After two months 
 of hard work in organizing the troops, and clearing Lower 
 Bengal of the rebels, he assumed the command of the whole 
 army, in all its scattered divisions, at the Alumbagh, near 
 Cawnpore. Leaving General Wyndham to hold Cawnpore, 
 he started with 4,700 men, and 32 guns, to save the 
 beleaguered and starving garrison in Lucknow. The Sepoys 
 had taken the city, and the devoted garrison was bravely 
 holding out, under Generals Havelock and Outram, the 
 latter, like their great chief, a Glasgow man, in the Residency 
 within the north-west wall. The Dilkoola Palace was 
 stormed first of all by Sir Colin's force, and that partially 
 freed the garrison, and enabled Sir Henry Havelock and 
 Sir James Outram to ride out, to salute and thank their 
 deliverer. The Motee Mahul, the fortified palace which 
 was commanding and isolating our small army, together 
 with hundreds of our women, and children, and wounded, 
 was then stormed by Sir Colin's 93rd Highlanders and the 
 53rd regiment, the latter bravely led by Captain, now Lord, 
 Wolseley. This part of the city was bravely stormed and 
 the garrison saved. 
 
 The meeting of Sir Colin with the other two Generals, 
 when our beleaguered army was about the point of despair, 
 is one of the most impressive scenes in this great historic 
 drama, the reconquest of India. It is one which has 
 become immortal. In our own Corporation Galleries 
 there is a painting which recalls vividly its principal features. 
 This fine picture is worthy of minute study, both as
 
 LORD CLYDE. 183 
 
 regards its artistic grouping and the great historic event 
 which it displays. The three great central figures are, 
 naturally, Sir Colin Campbell, General Havelock, and 
 General Outram. The character and war-worn life of the 
 old Scottish chieftain are admirably shown in the grand, 
 rugged strength of Sir Colin's face, whilst the anxiety and 
 suffering which Havelock has gone through are finely 
 revealed in the countenance of that Christian soldier who, 
 in his gratitude and gladness, is depicted clasping both of 
 his deliverer's hands in his. Outram, with uncovered head 
 also, stands looking on with radiant face. Major Alison, 
 of this city, now General Sir Archibald Alison, Sir Colin's 
 private secretary, stands near his illustrious chief, whilst in 
 that brilliant circle of warriors, of whom Britain is so proud, 
 are also seen General Wyndham, Sir John Inglis, Sir Hope 
 Grant, and Captain, now General, Lord Wolseley. In 
 the foreground are some dead Sepoys, and also several 
 wounded Highlanders, who, though mayhap nigh unto 
 death, are raising their arms feebly in salutation to that 
 beloved chief of theirs, whom last they saw when he bade 
 them farewell on the bleak hillside overlooking Balaclava. 
 The picture will amply repay a visit, and no one can look 
 upon it without being proud of those brave men whose 
 personality has so glorified the canvas. 
 
 After the fortresses commanding the Residency had been 
 taken, Sir Colin resolved not to storm the remaining portions 
 of Lucknow at that time. He had 600 women and children 
 and 1000 wounded soldiers to see out of danger, and his 
 kindly forethought and chivalrous nature made this his first 
 duty. Colonel Eyre, a brave officer who took part in all 
 the operations, says that the removal of such a vast number 
 of women and children, and wounded, in the very teeth of 
 an enemy four times the number Sir Colin could command,
 
 184 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 and their safe transfer to Cawnpore without a single accident 
 or loss, was a feat far more difficult than the defeat of an 
 enemy in the field. Sir Colin, too, showed great judgment 
 in resisting the efforts which were made to induce him to 
 assault the city itself. This, even if it had been successful, 
 would have cost many valuable lives, and perhaps have 
 imperilled the lives of the wounded, and of the wives and 
 daughters of Britain whom he had come to save. The one 
 sad background in connection with this picture of brilliant 
 deeds was the lamented death of General Havelock, which 
 took place at Alumbagh two days after the relief of 
 Lucknow. He died as he had ever lived, a brave soldier, 
 not only to his country, but to the Cross of Christ, and 
 left the sweet memory of a life alike consecrated to his 
 country and to that great Captain of Salvation who was 
 his Life. 
 
 The winter months which followed the relief of Lucknow 
 abounded in minor engagements, with a serious battle at 
 frequent intervals, all of which ended in victory, and bore 
 the traces of Sir Colin's masterly strategic mind. He saw 
 that nothing but a thorough suppression of the mutineers 
 in Oudh would give an enduring peace, so, in March, 1858, 
 he assembled 25,000 men for this purpose. Then began a 
 campaign, second only to the terrible one of the former 
 year in strategy, deeds of valour, and brilliant results, and 
 ending only with what practically was the reconquest of that 
 mighty empire. Rewards and honours were now showered 
 upon Sir Colin. The East India Company gave him a 
 pension of ^2000 a year. In June, 1858, on the founda- 
 tion of the new Order, he was made a Knight of the Star of 
 India, and on the 3rd of July he was elected to the peerage 
 as Lord Clyde of Clydesdale; whilst on the loth November, 
 1862, on the occasion of the Prince of Wales attaining his
 
 LORD CLYDE. 185 
 
 majority, he was made a Field-Marshal, the highest honour 
 his country could give to a man in his profession. 
 
 Up to the time of his departure for India as Commander- 
 in-Chief there, he was Inspector-General of the troops, and 
 in connection with his duties had to visit all parts of Great 
 Britain and Ireland. A very pleasing incident in connection 
 with one of these visits of inspection reveals the old chief 
 in a touching and instructive light. " Whilst I was 
 inspecting," said Sir Colin, "the depot at Chichester, I 
 noticed that an old man, evidently an old soldier, though in 
 plain clothes, was constantly on the ground, evidently 
 watching my movements. At the end of the inspection, as 
 I was leaving the barrack-yard, he came towards me, drew 
 himself up, made the military salute, and, with much 
 respect, said, 'Sir Colin, may I speak to you? Look at 
 me, sir; do you recollect me?' I looked at him, and 
 replied, 'Yes, I do.' "What is my name?' he asked. I 
 told him. 'Yes, sir; and where did you last see me? ' ' In 
 the breach at San Sebastian, badly wounded by my side,' I 
 replied. ' Right, sir,' he retorted. ' I can tell you more,' I 
 continued ; ' you were No. 3 in the front rank of my 
 company.' ' Right, sir,' he replied with emotion. I then 
 thought of making a small present to the old man on my 
 going away, and was about to put my hand in my pocket 
 when he guessed my intention, and, seizing my wrist with 
 his hand, hurriedly said, ' Not that, sir ; I do not wish that, 
 but you are going to inspect at Shorncliffe. I have a son 
 in the Enniskillen Dragoons there. If you call him out 
 and say to him that you knew his father, you shall make 
 both him and me proud for the rest of our days ! ' " 
 
 Early in July, 1863, Lord Clyde was seized with his last 
 illness. From its very beginning he realized what the result 
 would be, and prepared himself for the final departure with
 
 1 86 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 resignation. He said on more than one occasion to his 
 friend General Eyre, who was seldom away from his chief 
 during his last days, " Mind this, Eyre, I die at peace with 
 all men ! " This expression, coming from the lips of the 
 man who was known during all his days as " war-bred Sir 
 Colin," had surely a pathetic significance. He frequently 
 asked Mrs. Eyre to join with him in prayer, and derived 
 much consolation on hearing her read from the Bible or 
 repeat some of his favourite hymns. His love for the old 
 Scottish songs and ballads remained with him to the last. 
 At times he wandered in his mind, and on one occasion 
 when the soldiers' bugle sounded in the square near where 
 he was lying, he started suddenly up and exclaimed, " I'm 
 ready ! " This incident is quite as fine in its pathos as 
 the immortal " Adsum ! " of Thackeray's grand old hero, 
 Colonel Newcome. On another occasion, after a paroxysm 
 of pain, he exclaimed, " Oh, for the pure air of heaven, that 
 I might be laid in peace in the lap of the Almighty ! " And 
 again, on the 24th July, he said to his friend, General Eyre, 
 " I should like to live till to-morrow, as it is the anniversary 
 of San Sebastian, which is perhaps a fitting day for the old 
 soldier to die ! " On the i4th August the spirit of the hero 
 passed away 
 
 "To where, beyond these voices, there is peace." 
 On the 2ist August, in Westminster Abbey, were laid, 
 with all the pomp of the fullest military honours, the 
 mortal remains of him who died the foremost soldier of 
 Britain of his day. A plain stone, marking the spot where 
 he lies, is inscribed with the words : " Beneath this stone 
 rest the remains of Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde, who, by 
 his own deserts, through fifty years of arduous service, from 
 the earliest battle in the Peninsular War to the pacification 
 of India in 1858, rose to the rank of Field-Marshal and the
 
 LORD CLYDE, 187 
 
 peerage. He died lamented by the Queen, the army, and 
 the people, on i4th August, 1863, in the yist year of his 
 age." Several statues have been raised to his memory over 
 the kingdom, possibly the best being this one in George 
 Square, which, with fitting appropriateness, is near that of 
 his first great chief, Sir John Moore. 
 
 The life of our illustrious citizen has to us the deepest 
 lessons. There is no one amongst our great men whom 
 any lad could hold before him as a loftier ideal in humility, 
 integrity, patience, perseverance, truthfulness, and loyalty 
 to duty. Loyalty to duty is the lesson of his life. Ever 
 patient, he did what was right, regardless how long he 
 might be neglected. And, when success crowned him, it 
 did not change his nature. He had ever a healthy scorn for 
 actions which savoured of theatrical display, and considered 
 the approval of conscience as the loftiest reward a man 
 can obtain here.
 
 t. 
 
 
 STATUE BY WILLIAM BRODIE. R.S.A. ERECTED 6TH JUNE, 1871. 
 
 Ubomas (Brabant, 
 
 It is a. great advantage to be well born. By this we mean 
 to be born of virtue, healthy habit, and honourable lineage, 
 rather than of aristocratic blood and rank. Strong qualities 
 are long lived, and manifest themselves in varied ways. 
 The bravery of the old families in feudal times comes out in 
 the perseverance of their descendants in the peaceful pursuits- 
 of modern days. The gallant Grahams took no small part
 
 THOMAS GRAHAM. 189 
 
 in the battlefields of our country. All are familiar with the 
 exploits and unhappy fate of the courageous Duke of 
 Montrose, who fought alternately on the side of the 
 Covenant and against it. He was one of the best soldiers 
 of his day, and Thomas Graham, the descendant of one of 
 the brave men that fought under the standard of Montrose, 
 became one of the first men of science of modern times. 
 His forefathers, ever since the fighting days, had nearly all 
 been farmers, greatly respected and long-lived, around the 
 district of Dunblane. An uncle, the late Dr. Graham of 
 Killearn, and his granduncle, who was his predecessor, were 
 ministers there for 125 years. Their united ages amounted 
 to 175 years. Thomas Graham's father, James Graham, 
 had also been intended for the ministry. But he was 
 opposed to this, and left the old farm-steading for Glasgow, 
 where he ultimately became a prosperous manufacturer. 
 He built and resided in Clover Bank, a comfortable 
 mansion in Garngad district. It may still be seen near 
 the gate of the Blochairn Ironworks. 
 
 Here Thomas Graham was born in 1805. He entered 
 the High School in 1814, where he studied under the famous 
 Dr. Dymock, and the no less famous Dr. Chrystal, whose 
 son, the venerable minister of Auchinleck, was moderator 
 of the Assembly in 1879. Even at this early age, he was 
 marked by habits of regularity and perseverance. He 
 became prominent among his class-mates for methodical 
 and careful study. We have said class-mates rather than 
 companions, because both as a boy and as a man, he made 
 few companions in the ordinary sense, being reserved and 
 reticent. All through life he was distinguished by the 
 intensity of his friendships, rather than by their number. 
 
 In 1819 he entered the neighbouring university in the 
 High Street, and passed through the Arts course with much
 
 190 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 distinction, and took his degree as Master of Arts. His 
 father had designed him for the ministry, and this was the 
 period when he was expected to enter the divinity hall. 
 But Thomas Graham had marked out for himself a different 
 course. He had already, for one session, been in the class 
 and laboratory of Dr. Thomas Thomson, an enthusiast in 
 natural research. This aroused in him the dormant faculty 
 and fascination for the study of science. He chose his 
 path with a calm persistency that rose above all the family 
 influences brought to bear upon him. Strangely enough, 
 although his father himself had refused to become a minister 
 at the dictation of his father, yet he was not disposed to 
 permit his son to follow the bent of his own mind. Father 
 and son were like each other, and firm in their resolutions. 
 Their controversy on the subject made Thomas' residence 
 in Glasgow unpleasant. In 1824 he went to Edinburgh 
 University. The prosperous burgher, on visiting his son 
 there, some months after, was amazed on finding his room 
 filled with pots and pans, crucibles and blowpipes, instead of 
 theological books. In most cases, young people are better 
 to pursue the course recommended by their fathers, but in 
 this case the son made the better choice. Thomas Graham, 
 with his cool temperament and reserved habit, would have 
 been an indifferent preacher, but he had all the qualities 
 that exalted him into the first order as a man of science. 
 
 He studied in Edinburgh under Dr. Hope (1824-27), and 
 while here, published his earliest chemical paper when 
 only twenty-one years of age. 
 
 He returned from Edinburgh in 1827, when twenty- 
 two. We again mark his independence of spirit. Since he 
 had adopted his profession in opposition to his father's 
 wishes, he resolved to maintain himself. He opened 
 classes for mathematics in Balmano Street, which were well
 
 THOMAS GRAHAM. 191 
 
 attended, and the results in all respects good. But his 
 favourite branch was not neglected. He was soon able to 
 open a small laboratory for instruction in chemistry. He 
 also undertook the analyses of the varied materials submitted 
 by the merchants and manufacturers of the city. He so 
 speedily made a reputation that his father had to acknow- 
 ledge that after all " Tom kent best what he was fit for." 
 The worthy gentleman now came forward to his assistance. 
 But the son scarcely needed it. In 1829, he was appointed 
 lecturer on chemistry in. the Glasgow Mechanics Institute, 
 then in North Hanover Street, not far from the spot where 
 his statue stands, and now merged in the Technical School. 
 His further promotion was rapid. In the year following he 
 was elected to succeed Dr. Ure, as professor of chemistry, 
 in the Andersonian University. This position gave him, 
 not only a better income, but better opportunities for 
 prosecuting his researches. So greatly pleased was the 
 merchant-father with his son's success in being a veritable 
 professor at the early age of 25, that he instituted a prize 
 of ten guineas, to be given to the student of the class who 
 should do the best work during the session. Graham 
 continued in the chair for seven years, steadily growing in 
 power and reputation. The joy of his success was dampea 
 by the loss of his mother at this time. For several years 
 in this class there was the association of four young 
 men who have all become famous. There was first the 
 youthful professor; there was second a pupil older than 
 himself who walked in from Blantyre David Livingstone; 
 and there was third, another dark and wiry lad who had 
 come in from Kirk Street, Gallon, where his father was a 
 joiner James Young, latterly of Kelly; the fourth was 
 Lyon Playfair, whose residence was on the south side of 
 George Square. The four became friends for life. Living-
 
 j93 GEORGE, S 
 
 stone left for the work of the London Missionary Society in 
 Africa ; Thomas Graham became Master of the Mint in 
 London, and James Young for a time acted as his assistant 
 there, and left to establish the great paraffin works at West 
 Calder and other places ; Sir Lyon Playfair represented St. 
 Andrews and Edinburgh Universities in the House of 
 Commons, and has won a national recognition for the 
 prominent part he has taken in the social and scientific 
 progress of the country. More than fifty years have passed, 
 and these four have been distinguished above most of their 
 countrymen in different fields. Sir Lyon Playfair is still 
 among us, vigorous as ever, but the other three have passed 
 away, and are now represented in George Square, near the 
 seat of their former labours. There are here the statues of 
 Livingstone and Graham and although there is no statue 
 of James Young, yet it is to be remembered that these two 
 have been erected by their old friend, the Laird of Kelly. 
 
 In the Andersonian Graham commenced that long series 
 of experiments on diffusion with which his name will ever 
 be associated, and which are sketched out in his " Elements 
 of Chemistry." Some of his most valuable papers were 
 written here. There were two of special importance, 
 through which he was recognised as belonging to the first 
 rank of European chemists. In 1834 he received for one 
 of these the Keith Medal of the Royal Society in Edinburgh 
 the highest honour it can bestow, and by another in 1836 
 he gained the medal of the Royal Society. 
 
 A broader sphere and better opportunities now opened 
 up to him. He was comparatively young only 32 but 
 his reputation was established. In 1837 he was called to 
 succeed Turner in the Chair of Chemistry in the University 
 of London. James Young went with his chief, and 
 continued to be his assistant in London. The two friends
 
 THOMAS GKAI:AM. 193. 
 
 Brought well together and entered jointly into many original 
 researches. Young showed scarcely less faculty for the. 
 work than the master and became possessed of many secrets 
 of the very greatest value. By one of these the extracting 
 of oil from mineral he was enabled not only to amass a 
 fortune, but also to show how the heaps of refuse may be 
 utilized if the present supplies of coal should fail. In his 
 new sphere Graham was as successful as in Glasgow. The 
 lectures were well attended. " He had neither eloquence 
 nor finish of diction but he had what is much more 
 important in a teacher of science, clearness and precision 
 of ideas, a fine discernment of the sequence and order of 
 facts, and a deep insight into all the varied details of his 
 subject." Honours unsought were thrust upon him. He 
 was invited to be a corresponding member of the French 
 Academy and of all the most important foreign societies. 
 He also became Joint-Assayer to the Mint and was 
 employed frequently by the Bank of England to make 
 assays. He was adviser in all questions of law, public 
 health, and industry, which involved chemical knowledge. 
 As an analytical chemist he might have made a princely 
 income. His services in this way were in great demand. 
 But he found this work interfered with the work of original 
 research and gave it up as far as he could. Dr. Bryce says 
 that " the very last occasion, we believe, on which he did 
 yield to solicitations of this kind was one in which his 
 feelings of justice and fair play were strongly appealed to. 
 A panic, arising from an illnatured assertion often repeated, 
 pervaded the public mind in regard to the bitter beer of a 
 great brewing house. It was asserted that the bitter 
 principle was strychnine. Conscious of innocence the head 
 of the firm applied to Mr. Graham to make an analysis. 
 Mr. Graham pleaded want of time, referred him to other
 
 194 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 competent chemists and stated that, not caring for such 
 work, to prevent its coming to him he was obliged to charge 
 a fee of ;ioo. By return of post he got a cheque for 
 ^"200 accompanied by an earnest appeal to do an act of 
 justice and allay a groundless panic. This appeal was 
 irresistible. Dr. Hoffman of the College of Chemistry was 
 called in and received half the fee. The analysis made on 
 their joint authority was published far and wide, and the 
 panic was allayed. Independently altogether of the analysis, 
 it was shown how senseless and absurd was the panic. 
 Every part of the process was carried on in the most open 
 manner, rendering fraud and concealment impossible. The 
 yearly 'output' would require 16,448 ounces of strychnine 
 to give the bitter flavour, the cost of which would be 
 ^13,158, while at the same time not more than 1000 
 ounces were made all the world over." 
 
 All through life he retained the love of the old home, and 
 maintained close intercourse with his relatives. In 1842 
 his father, who had acquired property in Glasgow and the 
 estate of Ballewan, near Strathblane, died intestate, leaving 
 ample means to be divided among his children. Thomas, 
 as the eldest son, became the laird of Ballewan. A portion 
 of this he made over to his sister, Mrs. Reid, on which 
 Dummullen house now stands. 
 
 While in the University of London he founded the 
 Chemical Society, and became its first president. A few 
 years later he founded the Cavendish Society, which has 
 published a long series of works many of them translations 
 of great value. So much was his work appreciated in 
 connection with this society that he was made perpetual 
 president. 
 
 In the year 1854 he was called into a higher position. 
 Sir John Herschel resigned his position as Master of the
 
 THOMAS GRAHAM. 195 
 
 Mint. Graham was soon designated his successor. He 
 then became one of the most distinguished successors of 
 Sir Isaac Newton, many of whose studies especially those 
 upon the atom he had carried forward to definite results. 
 Hoffman, who then occupied an official position at the 
 Mint, said, " The new director of the Mint gave proof of a 
 foresight, of a knowledge of fact, of energy, bringing with 
 himself to the necessities of the case a sternness which 
 astonished, which electrified, especially certain savants of 
 the establishment. The Mint had too long been like many 
 of the public establishments, the refuge of nepotism and 
 the sphere of official tradition. His reforms were resisted, 
 but he held on the even tenor of his way, conscious of a 
 pure aim, with a heroic devotion to duty." Years passed 
 before he was able to overcome these difficulties and have 
 the leisure required for his well-directed researches. The 
 temptations of his exalted position were overcome with 
 the same ease by which he had in earlier life struggled 
 successfully. His labour was incessant, and fairly divided 
 between the duties of his post and the pursuit of those 
 difficult scientific problems he had undertaken to solve. 
 His personal wants were few and simple. He occupied the 
 modest home into which he had entered on coming to 
 London. He allowed little time to the relations of private 
 life. An occasional excursion to visit his relatives, a run 
 to Ballewan to recruit amid the bracing air around the 
 Campsie Fell, or retreat to some of the nearer sanatoriums, 
 were the only indulgences he allowed himself. No wonder 
 that a frame, never robust, was worn out too soon. In 
 1869 he was found by a friend, Dr. Angus Smith, working 
 away while seriously suffering. Warned and advised, he 
 went down to Malvern. Here his health was so far 
 re-established that he was enabled to go on to his Stirling-
 
 196 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 shire estate. Unfortunately, having returned one day frorrr 
 a ramble among the hills, heated and fatigued, he threw 
 himself on a couch and fell asleep, near to a window which 
 he had not observed to be open. A severe chill was the 
 result. Knowing his danger, he hurried back to London 
 next morning. Inflammation of the lungs had already set in. 
 He had the best advice and care, and the disease was over- 
 come, but the fragile frame gave way under the treatment 
 some months afterward. In the midst of occupations 
 stirred by the great monetary reforms which were on the eve 
 of accomplishment, and of scientific labours the ultimate 
 results of which have scarcely had time to reach the 
 scientific world, he passed away. His brilliant career was 
 finished at the age of sixty-four. His body has been laid 
 in a resting-place not far from his birthplace in the ground 
 around the Cathedral. 
 
 No complete account of his life and works has been 
 written. Indeed there are few competent to undertake 
 such a work. 
 
 Shortly after his death a very interesting sketch by the late 
 Dr. Bryce, of the High School, appeared in Macmillan's 
 Magazine. 
 
 Professor Hoffman, his former collaborates in the Mint, 
 read to the Chemical Society of Berlin a careful and 
 interesting paper, to be found in translation. 
 
 There is another by Professor Odling, which was delivered 
 as a lecture at the Royal Institution. There is a shorter 
 notice by Professor Williamson, and another by Dr. Angus 
 Smith, written for the Royal Society. 
 
 There is also a full list and description of "The Chemical 
 and Physical Researches of Thomas Graham," collected 
 and printed for presentation only, the preface and analytical 
 contents by Dr. R. Angus Smith. We have seen copies in
 
 THOMAS GRAHAM. 197 
 
 the hands of those who received them from James Young 
 and R. Angus Smith, by favour of the agents of his trustees, 
 Messrs. Nicholson, Macwilliam & Co., writers, Glasgow. 
 
 Hoffman says in the sketch referred to, " As one who, 
 during a quarter of a century, has lived with Graham on 
 the greatest intimacy, who with him has roamed over the 
 pleasant country of Italy, the Alps of Switzerland, as well as 
 the mountains of Scotland, I may be permitted to render 
 homage to this incomparable man. He gave proof in his 
 private relations of the same noble simplicity, of the same 
 modesty, of the same exactness in regard for others, of the 
 same love of truth which characterised all his scientific 
 works. Devoid of all vanity, he less than any one made 
 his superiority felt. No one rejoiced more than he did in 
 the success of others. Inflexible to himself, he was able to 
 forgive the faults of others. Faithful to his duty, he would 
 not retire before any difficulty. Taking part in every noble 
 cause, he was ever generous in assistance, especially when 
 the advancement of science was in question. As a master 
 and friend his devotion and fidelity were beyond words." 
 
 As showing Graham's relations with his former pupils, we 
 cannot do better than quote from the following letter from 
 one who was born on the south side of the Square, Sir Lyon 
 Playfair, M.P., and who also attended his class with Young 
 and Livingstone. 
 
 " With Graham I kept up the closest relations all through 
 my future life after being a pupil. On one occasion we 
 were likely to become opponents when he was nominated 
 Master of the Mint. He came to me before becoming a 
 candidate and said he would not become one if I wished 
 to obtain the post. I thought he had better claims than 
 myself and I declined to stand in his way. 
 
 " In his administration of this important office he was o
 
 198 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 one occasion fiercely attacked in the House of Commons, 
 and I was able to defend his administration and defeated 
 the attack. Shortly after Graham struck a remarkable 
 medal, made of an alloy of hydrogen and palladium, and 
 presented it to me as a memorial of our long-continued 
 friendship. I need scarcely say that I value this medal as 
 one of my most precious possessions." 
 
 There is no occasion in a short sketch like this for giving 
 details in regard to Graham's marvellous and useful dis- 
 coveries. It may be stated as one instance of his wonderful 
 power how experiments with a piece of meteoric iron led 
 Graham to two of the most romantic and daring realizations 
 of modern times, viz., that the gas separated from the 
 meteorite had at one time formed the gaseous atmosphere 
 of a distant star, and that that atmosphere consisted chiefly 
 of the light inflammable gas, hydrogen. He also arrived at 
 the important conclusion that the atmosphere of the star 
 from which the meteorite came had a very great pressure 
 compared with our own. Truth is stranger than fiction. 
 What imagination fifty years ago could foretell that man 
 would bridge space and bring the atmosphere of distant 
 worlds into his laboratory for study !
 
 STATUE BY MAROCHETTI. 
 (Removed from Sar.dyford to the Square, z6th July. 1875.) 
 
 James swalfc. 
 
 In the December month, about one hundred and fifty 
 years ago, Glasgow had a visit from his sacred majesty 
 Charles Stewart, with his hungry retainers, on their way 
 back from England. He took up his residence in the 
 Shawfield mansion, then the grandest in the town, and 
 spent the New- Year with his subjects here. He on several
 
 200 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 occasions made a procession in all his assumed majesty 
 through its few streets from the Westergate to the Cross, 
 and thence up the High Street and down the Saltmarket 
 and round by the Waterport and up Stockwell Street. 
 Instead of ringing cheers and bended knees he found sullen 
 looks and unwelcome epithets. He issued invitations to 
 the royal levee, but they were declined by the Glasgow 
 ladies. Before going south he had demanded from the city 
 a sum not exceeding ^15,000 sterling. With difficulty the 
 citizens got it restricted to ^5,000. By collecting what 
 they could and borrowing from the Earl of Glencairn and 
 others, they managed to pay this. The popular feeling was 
 well described by Provost Cochran. " Our case is deplor- 
 able, that we must truckle to a pretended prince and rebel, 
 and, at an expense we are not able to bear, purchase 
 protection from plunder and rapine." On this occasion the 
 prince issued a royal edict for 12,000 shirts, 6,000 coats, 
 and as many pairs of shoes, tartan hose, and bonnets. The 
 demand shows what his followers were most in need of. 
 But he was not successful in getting what he wanted, and 
 some of the citizens were selected for special notice. A 
 demand was made upon stout Andrew Buchanan, a 
 magistrate, for ^500. This was accompanied with the 
 threat that if he refused payment his house would be 
 plundered. "Plunder away then," said the sturdy old 
 bailie, " I wont pay a single farthing." 
 
 Soon the prince and his ragged retinue withdrew. They 
 went up to the north, and when the cause shortly after 
 collapsed at Culloden, Provost Cochran, Andrew Buchanan, 
 George Murdoch, and the other magistrates and merchants 
 settled down to their lawful callings. A prosperous period 
 ensued, chiefly through the Virginia trade which had been 
 opened up before and was now vigorously pursued. The
 
 JAMES OSWALD. 201 
 
 little town of four streets and a few lanes grew rapidly. In 
 twelve years after the Rebellion of 1745 the population had 
 increased to 25,000. 
 
 Many of the merchants ventured on large enterprises and 
 acquired fortunes. Andrew Buchanan, the aforesaid, built 
 his grand house on the north of the Westergate, purchased 
 Drumpellier, and extended his town property. His rela- 
 tives, Provosts Dunlop and Murdoch, erected their mansions 
 beyond the Westport. Dunlop's house still remains, 5 1 Argyle 
 Street, with its grand drawing-room turned into a restaurant. 
 Murdoch's house became the " Buck's Head " hotel, and 
 has but shortly since given way to the City Clothing Co., 
 corner of Dunlop Street. There was William Stirling, son 
 of the minister of the High church, who founded the firm 
 of William Stirling & Co. of the Cordale works, whose 
 cousin gave to our city the Stirling library. Although 
 more prominently a printer of cloth, he also ventured in the 
 tobacco trade. There was his neighbour in Stirling Square, 
 and brother-in-law, George Bogle, who purchased Daldowie. 
 There was Campbell who acquired Killermont, and whose 
 descendants still hold it, and there was Robert Dreghorn 
 of Ruchill, a very different man from his nephew "Bob." 
 There was James Dennistoun, whose family had occupied 
 Colgrain since the days of Bruce and Wallace. In his 
 earlier years he would fain have followed Prince Charlie in 
 1745. He was advised past this, and entering the lists of 
 commerce in Glasgow, he came to the front as one of the 
 great " Virginia dons." He was also one of the most active 
 in building the first Episcopal Church in Greenside Street. 
 This was the outcome of his old Jacobite feeling. These 
 and some others formed " The Great Company," of which 
 M'Ure speaks, " undertaking to the trade to Virginia, 
 Caribbee Islands, Barbadoes, New England, St. Christopher, 
 
 o
 
 202 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Montserrat, and other colonies in America." Their families 
 had all been identified with the city for a long period. 
 They were nearly all connected with each other by 
 marriage, and they formed a circle somewhat exclusive both 
 in their commercial and their social relationships. They 
 formed the first of the "tobacco lords." But they were 
 sorely shaken by the outbreak of the American War in 1775. 
 Some of them among them the Buchanans lost all they 
 had and were obliged to sell their estates. Indeed we can 
 form an idea of the extensive trade of these days by the 
 amounts they owed. The liabilities of the bankrupt firms 
 in Glasgow in those disastrous years amounted to upwards of 
 two millions sterling. They fell, however, only to rise 
 again. The stoppage of trade with America made them 
 push out in other directions and seek other materials of 
 merchandise. Their commerce was extended and placed 
 on better foundation. The Buchanans were able to buy 
 back their estates, and all of them were re-established in all 
 the glory of their former position. Exclusive as they were, 
 they could not prevent young men of energy coming from 
 the country districts, and gaining the prizes of commerce. 
 Among these the following may be specially remembered : 
 
 Alexander Speirs came from Edinburgh, married a 
 daughter of Archibald Buchanan of Auchintorlie, and 
 became associated with the Murdochs, the Buchanans, and 
 the Dunlops, in their varied enterprises. He also purchased 
 the holdings of the " bonnet lairds " of Govan and formed 
 the estate of Elderslie, which his successors were able to 
 extend and hold to this day. 
 
 James Ritchie, who came from Dreghorn and became 
 proprietor of Craigton. His house in Queen Street is now 
 the National Bank. 
 
 William Cunningham, from Stewarton, who acquired the
 
 JAMES OSWALD. 203 
 
 estate of Lainshaw, in his native parish. His house is now 
 the Royal Exchange. 
 
 John Glassford, who came from Paisley. He bought the 
 Shawfield mansion, and was also laird of Dougalston and 
 Whitehill. With him there was associated his son-in-law, 
 James Gordon, also in the Virginia trade, who became laird 
 of Aitkenhead. 
 
 David Dale from Stewarton. He purchased Rosebank, 
 and founded mills at New Lanark, Catrine, and Blantyre. 
 
 George Macintosh, born in Rosskeen, Ross-shire, founded 
 the chemical works at Dunchattan and Campsie. 
 
 Charles Tennant, founder of the St. Rollox works, was 
 born in Ochiltree House. He is spoken of by Burns as 
 
 " Wabster Charlie . . I'm tauld he offers fairlie." 
 
 There was also James Finlay who founded the firm of 
 James Finlay & Co., now in its second century. His son, 
 Kirkman Finlay, opened up the trade to the East Indies 
 and purchased the estate of Toward. All the Finlays 
 have passed out of the firm, the principal partner of which 
 is our present Lord Provost, John Muir of Deanston. With 
 these there also came into prominence John Orr, Henry 
 Monteith,* and others, who figured as "cotton lords." But 
 
 * The Monteiths are a striking illustration of how those who have been 
 most identified with Glasgow for more than :i century had their original 
 holdings at a distance from it. They were landlords around Aberfoyle. 
 They suffered so much from the raids of neighbouring Highlanders that 
 about 1730 or 1740 Henry Monteith came south and became a successful 
 market gardener in Anderston. He was the founder of the family here. 
 His son James, born about the same time, was successively a handloom 
 weaver, a merchant weaver, an importer of fine yarns, a bleacher, and 
 large manufacturer. He is well-remembered as the founder of the Anders- 
 ton Relief kirk, after refusing to take church censure from the Duke 
 Street Anti-Burgher kirk for having ventured on a wet Sunday to go into 
 the Tron. His house was in Bishop Street. He had six sons John, who 
 established the first power-loom factory in Scotland at Pollokshaws;
 
 204 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 neither Orr nor Monteith can be regarded as strangers. 
 The father of the former was town clerk, and the father 
 of Monteith was a gardener in Anderston. 
 
 The Ewings were an old Dumbartonshire family, and 
 came into prominence as Glasgow merchants at a somewhat 
 later date. Walter Ewing did much for the credit of 
 Glasgow during the trying time that followed the revolt of 
 the American colonies, and perhaps there is no man better 
 remembered in the city for the active part he took in its 
 affairs than his son, the late James Ewing of Strathleven. 
 He long resided in Queen Street Park, amid the trees and 
 the noisy crows. He was the first member of Parliament 
 after the passing of the Reform Bill. He has left his mark 
 very distinctly upon the Merchants' House, and on other 
 institutions, and it is a matter of regret to many that his 
 statue is not also in this square, with which he was so 
 closely associated. 
 
 It would have been most unworthy of our city and of the 
 memory of these enterprising men had there been no statue 
 representing commerce along with the others representing 
 war, science, and statesmanship in our central square. 
 Happily there is no such blank. The Oswalds have for 
 
 James, who bought from David Dale the spinning factory at Blantyre ; 
 Henry, who established the works at Barrowfield, and who became the 
 principal partner of Henry Monteith & Co., with the works at Blantyre 
 and other places. The other two sons of James Monteith, Robert and 
 Adam, died in early manhood. Henry became the best known of all the 
 sons. His force was early manifest to his father, who on one occasion was 
 tempted to say, " O ! Harry, Harry, a' things will be set richt when ye're 
 made provost o' Glasgow, and maybe, member o' parliament." The old 
 gentleman's prophecy was realised though he was not spared to see it. 
 He purchased the estate of Carstairs in 1824 now identified with the 
 name. The firm figures by the old name in our directory but the personal? 
 is altogether changed.
 
 JAMES OSWALD. 205 
 
 more than a century and a half had a large and honourable 
 part in Glasgow's greatest interests. Their family history is 
 as interesting as a novel. About the period of the Restoration 
 a James Oswald, from Kirkwall, settled in Wick, and had 
 two sons, James and George. They illustrate in a singular 
 way the changing aspects of the time. The elder, the Rev. 
 James Oswald, became an Episcopalian minister, settled 
 in Watten in 1683. The younger, the Rev. George Oswald, 
 was ordained minister of Dunnet in 1697, and was Presby- 
 terian. Differing as they did in religion and politics, this 
 did not diminish their affectionate intercourse, nor that of 
 their families after them. 
 
 The sons of the Prelatist minister of Watten, Richard and 
 Alexander, came early in the last century to Glasgow, and 
 prospered abundantly. In 1751 they acquired Scotstoun 
 from the old Walkinshaw family. Here as bachelors they 
 lived in hospitable and generous fashion. Alexander died 
 in 1763, and Richard in 1766. 
 
 The Presbyterian minister of Dunnet had also, among 
 other children, two sons James, who succeeded him as 
 minister of that parish in 1726, and Richard, who followed 
 his cousins to Glasgow. From Glasgow he went to London, 
 where he became a prominent merchant. As the sole 
 British Commissioner, he signed at Paris the preliminary 
 articles of agreement between Great Britain and the United 
 States, along with Franklin and Adams. He bought the 
 estate of Auchincruive, in Ayrshire, and died without issue. 
 The three sons of his brother, the Rev. James Oswald 
 of Dunnet George, James, and Alexander next came 
 southward to our city shortly after the Prince Charlie 
 period. Their success was great. James died at the 
 comparatively early age of forty-three. George became 
 the leading partner in the Virginia firm of Oswald,
 
 206 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Dennistoun, & Co., and also in the Ship bank. On the 
 death of his cousin-german he succeeded to Scotstoun, 
 where his father, after being Moderator of the General 
 Assembly, spent with him the evening of life. The 
 other brother,. Alexander, acquired Shieldhall. He was 
 the father of James Oswald, M.P., the subject of our 
 present sketch. Alexander Oswald was a shrewd and 
 enterprising man of business, and of spotless integrity. 
 His word was always as good as his bond. The result 
 was that men of business had the fullest confidence in him, 
 and the various branches of commercial enterprise on which 
 he had entered, increased steadily in value from year to 
 year. One instance of his strict obedience to the dictates 
 of his conscience may be here mentioned, in the fact that 
 he had many most tempting offers for partnerships in West 
 Indian houses, but he firmly set his face against them 
 all, as he had resolved that he would neither amass fortune 
 nor build commercial reputation on the basis of negro 
 slavery. 
 
 Possibly his greatest commercial success was the South 
 Sugar House Company, which he carried on with one 
 Casper Claussen, a Dutchman, as managing partner. He 
 also became sole proprietor of M'Ure's great ropework, the 
 frontage of which, a massive building, stood till within two 
 years ago at the corner of Ropework Lane. Rigid in his 
 own personal expenditure, he was a generous though 
 discriminating giver and lender, and had great contempt 
 for those who openly boasted that they would take care 
 that they should never lose by a friend. Though a grave 
 and silent man, he was brimful of quiet, pawky humour, 
 and was possessed of a great fund of general information. 
 In his political opinions and sympathies he was liberal and 
 courageous.
 
 JAMES OSWALD. 207 
 
 What has been said here concerning Alexander Oswald 
 can as well be said of his son James, both as to political 
 sympathies and public and moral character. Born in 1779, 
 he was already a well-known citizen when called to succeed 
 his father in 1813. Long before this he had adopted the 
 political principles which he steadfastly maintained during 
 the remainder of his life. Like his father, he belonged to 
 the old Whig section of politicians, a class that is now 
 extinct, but one which contained many honest-minded men 
 who did good service in their day. Mr. Oswald was a 
 sturdy, outspoken Liberal, even when Liberalism was 
 apparently on the losing side, and was a most consistent, 
 honest, and disinterested politician during the whole of his 
 parliamentary career. He took a keen and unflagging 
 interest in the social questionings and political problems of 
 the day which had been long simmering before the struggle 
 for the old Reform Bill of 1832 began, and few public 
 meetings of his party were allowed to pass by without 
 having his inspiring presence, either as president of the 
 assembly, or as the most powerful and influential speaker on 
 the occasion. Never was he seen to better purpose than 
 on that political platform which his conscience had led him 
 to adopt, and, knowing the man, and hearing his blunt, 
 straightforward pleading, even his parliamentary foes could 
 not but admit that he was an honest man. 
 
 The old Reform Bill movement reached its climax in 
 1832. In that year, a great and memorable demonstration 
 of the Liberals of Glasgow and the West of Scotland was 
 held in Glasgow Green, at which meeting Mr. Oswald, from 
 his loyalty to the Liberal cause, his disinterested zeal and 
 commanding influence, was called upon to preside. The 
 assembled multitude numbered seventy thousand, and nearly 
 a dozen other leading citizens and country notables spoke,
 
 2o8 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 including Sir John Maxwell of Polloc, James Ewing of 
 Strathleven, who shortly afterwards had, with James Oswald, 
 the distinguished honour of representing Glasgow in the 
 first Reform Parliament, Mr. Robert Dalglish, Mr. Walter 
 Buchanan, and others. Resolutions as to reform were 
 moved and carried by acclamation, and at once transmitted 
 to the House of Commons. It redounds alike to the credit 
 of James Oswald and the other leaders in this popular 
 movement that, during all the feverish excitement of the 
 time, there was never the slightest manifestation either of 
 lawlessness or violence. The people never showed the 
 slightest bitterness of differing amongst themselves as to the 
 merits of the Bill, but uniformly hailed it with the liveliest 
 satisfaction, as sunshine after long storm. James Oswald's 
 great good sense, tact, and moderation brought the local 
 political ship through this hurricane, when in the hands of 
 a reckless pilot it would certainly have foundered. 
 
 On the 1 6th March, the Reform Bill was introduced by 
 Lord John Russell. The debate lasted all night, and the 
 House revealed a scene of excitement which had not been 
 equalled for many years, a scene pervaded by that intense 
 interest which compasses a mortal struggle. Both Tory 
 and Whig fought long and stubbornly to the death, and 
 when, after the division, the result was announced as being 
 a majority of 116 in favour of the bill, the enthusiasm of 
 the Liberals knew no bounds. An idea of the excitement 
 in Glasgow, on the arrival of the news, is given in the 
 Glasgow Chronicle for 3oth March, 1832, which says: "At 
 the hour of the London mail's arrival yesterday afternoon, 
 both the Exchanges the Royal Exchange in Queen Street, 
 and the Tontine at the Cross were thronged with people 
 anxiously waiting for the intelligence. In the Royal 
 Exchange, Mr. David Bell, the secretary, mounted a table
 
 JAMES OSWALD. 209 
 
 specially located for the purpose, and read the principal 
 parts of Lord John Russell's speech from the London Sun, 
 surrounded by a crowd of gentlemen who repeatedly 
 cheered the announcements made in the speech, particularly 
 the parts referring to Scotland, and especially the portion 
 relating to the extension of the representation of Glasgow. 
 Mr. Alison, the keeper of the Exchange, who counted the 
 assembled throng, found that over nine hundred were 
 present. In the Tontine coffee-room the speech was read 
 by Mr. Peter M'Kenzie." An idea of the exciting interest 
 in this great political event may be formed from the fact 
 that, when the news of the battle of Waterloo reached 
 Glasgow, on the 26th June, 1815 eight days after the 
 engagement there were 2,122 copies of the Glasgow 
 Herald sold, but when the intelligence of the passing of the 
 Reform Bill arrived in the city, the sale of the Reformer's 
 Gazette reached the enormous number of 30,000 copies, an 
 astounding issue for Glasgow in those days. 
 
 On receipt of the news of this great Liberal victory, the 
 enthusiasm of all, both leaders and inhabitants, knew no 
 bounds. Meetings of rejoicing were held everywhere 
 throughout the city, addressed by James Oswald, Sir Daniel 
 Sandford, the great and gifted Professor of Greek in 
 Glasgow University, Robert Dalglish, who afterwards was 
 one of the members of Parliament for the city, and other 
 prominent leaders in the movement. Provost Dalglish, the 
 father of the future member, was asked to permit a general 
 illumination. The city bells were rung, flags were flying 
 from every house, and at night candles were as prominent 
 and plentiful in the windows of the houses as they were in 
 London on the acquittal of the seven bishops ! Provost 
 Dalglish's town house in West George Street was lighted 
 with 3,000 jets, the centre piece being "Let Glasgow
 
 2io GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Flourish," surrounded by splendid representations of Trade, 
 Commerce, and Manufactures saluting a figure of Reform. 
 Next in splendour were transparencies at Sir James 
 Lumsden's house in Queen Street, and Mr. (now Sir 
 Charles) Tennant's in West George Street. Argyle Street 
 was all ablaze, and variegated lamps were hung from the 
 masts and yards of the ships in the harbour, the effect as 
 seen from the Broomielaw and Stockwell bridges being such 
 as could not be forgotten. 
 
 To give us of the present day an idea of the importance 
 of this measure it may be here stated that, before the 
 passing of this Reform Bill, the system of parliamentary 
 representation was in a wretched condition all over the 
 country. Before this great concession to the people 
 Glasgow, Rutherglen, Renfrew, and Dumbarton vf ere joined 
 together for the purpose of returning one member to 
 parliament. But this was not all. Instead of having a 
 direct vote in the election of one member, the so-called 
 electors in those days had only the privilege of appointing 
 magistrates and town councillors, and those individuals, to 
 the number of one hundred and twenty in all the burghs 
 assembled, had in turn the important duty intrusted to them 
 of appointing one delegate for each burgh, and these three 
 delegates had finally the honour of appointing the member 
 for parliament. Thus Glasgow, with its population of 
 150,000 at that time, was on a parliamentary level with 
 burghs of only 5,000 inhabitants. There was no equity 
 in this. 
 
 Another great principle in parliamentary usage was at 
 this time adjusted once for all. The House of Lords, 
 in yielding gracefully to the almost unanimous will of 
 the people, settled a principle without which our par- 
 liamentary system could not well work. They settled
 
 JAMES OSWALD. 211 
 
 the principle that the House of Lords were never to 
 carry resistance to any measure coming from the Commons 
 beyond a certain point beyond the time when it became 
 evident that the Commons had a large majority for a measure. 
 Since that memorable day in 1832 no serious attempt has 
 been made by the House of Lords to carry resistance to the 
 popular will any further than to give the House of 
 Commons a reasonable time to reconsider their former 
 decision. 
 
 James Oswald wrought for years patiently and prudently 
 even before he entered parliament for those beneficial 
 changes for his country and for his city. We, at this 
 distance of time, cannot well measure his unflagging zeal, 
 his tact, his courage, and his disinterested labours in the 
 cause of Reform. That his work was highly appreciated 
 is markedly evident from the fact that the citizens of Glasgow 
 paid him the highest honour they could give by electing him 
 as one of their representatives in the first Reform Parlia- 
 ment, along with James Ewing. He represented Glasgow 
 from 1832 till 1837, and again from 1839 till 1847, an d 
 during his tenure of office throughout both of these periods 
 he was ever unwearied in attending to the interest of the 
 city he loved so well, and for which he had done so much. 
 His natural shrewdness and thorough business habits 
 rendered him one of the most influential of Scotch members 
 in the House of Commons. 
 
 In 1841, on the death of his cousin, Richard Alexander 
 Oswald, he succeeded to the estate of Auchincruive. He 
 died in 1853, and this monument was raised to his memory 
 shortly after, and was subscribed for by men of all shades of 
 political opinion. 
 
 There is a most interesting account of the Oswalds, under 
 the articles "Scotstoun" and " Shieldhall," in "The Old
 
 212 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry," by Mr. J. 
 Oswald Mitchell, a descendant also of the minister of 
 Dunnet. Scotstoun and Auchincruive are still held by his 
 descendants, the former being the property of James Gordon 
 Oswald, and the latter of Richard Alexander Oswald. 
 
 The Oswalds have other monuments to their prosperity 
 and public spirit. The name frequently recurs in the roll 
 of benefactors to our varied institutions. Among the 
 founders of our Royal Infirmary was George Oswald of 
 Scotstoun, along with David Dale, George Buchanan, 
 James Coulter, and others. Their names will long live in 
 these. They have given an example that many more might 
 have followed. 
 
 Many more of our citizens might have distinguished 
 themselves in this way. They have not taken their wealth 
 with them, but little of it has been left for the public good. 
 All honour, then, to those whose names are remembered in 
 their good works. Had all acted in like fashion, by leaving 
 something for public objects, our humane enterprises would 
 be strong, our churches would be beautiful, and libraries, 
 art galleries,* and museums would abound in every district. 
 Glasgow would be filled with the monuments of those who 
 have prospered within it. 
 
 * Since the above was written it has been announced that ^90,000 has 
 been secured for an Art Gallery. There was a surplus of ,47,000 from the 
 International Exhibition, and the Lord Provost (John Muir of Deanston) 
 said he would give ,15,000 if an effort were made to make it up to 
 ,100,000. This seems sure now. J. Campbell Whyte, Esq. of Overton, 
 gave ,5,000, and each of the following gave ,1,000, viz. : Sir Charles 
 Tennant, Sir James King, Dr. J. A. Campbell, M.P., J. G. A. Baird, Esq., 
 M.P., J. C. Bontine, Esq., Messrs. J. & W. Whyte, Messrs. Arthur 
 & Co., Messrs. Bell Bros. & M'Lelland, Messrs. James Watson & Co., 
 Messrs. The Summerlee & Mossend Iron Co., Messrs. Mann, Byars & Co., 
 and Messrs. Geo. Smith & Co. Other well-known citizens make up the 
 balance.
 
 ". ::_. 
 
 STATUE BY G. E. EWING. GLASGOW. ERECTED 25 JULY, 1877. 
 
 TRobert Burns. 
 
 What traveller, attracted to Scotland by its matchless 
 scenery or romantic story, has not paid a pilgrimage to the 
 banks and braes of bonnie Boon? Even the careless 
 wayfarer, as indifferent to the beauties of landscape as 
 Wordsworth's " Peter Bell," lingers to admire the noble 
 monument, rising proudly from its paradise of trees and 
 flowers, and to trace the windings of the classic river,
 
 214 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 associated in every mind with the most touching and 
 beautiful of human memories. All around, the land rolls 
 back in green undulations devoid of grandeur : but every 
 woodland dell and daisied field seem to breathe a 
 reminiscence of poetry and love. Climb to the summit of 
 brown Carrick hill, which ascends from the southern bank 
 of the stream, and you will command the whole scenery of 
 Burns's song : from the blue peak of far Ben Lomond to the 
 misty mountains that confine the lovely glens of Carrick ; 
 from Ailsa Craig and Goatfell to the granite hills behind 
 Loch Doon. Beneath your feet, groves and gardens, rich 
 harvests and green meadows, smile in the sun. The scene is 
 fair enough in the light of common day to make the land of 
 Burns as dear to the memory as it was to the imagination. 
 
 It is hard to realize that this abundant beauty which 
 adorns the neighbourhood of the Doon has been mostly 
 called into existence since the poet wandered there. At 
 the middle of the last century this charming spot offered 
 few inducements to turn the traveller from his road. 
 Alloway kirk stood then as now, among the surrounding 
 graves ; but the witches had not yet lighted up the deserted 
 ruin. Down in the hollow, now embowered in umbrageous 
 elms, the fine Roman arch, erected probably by the masons 
 of Agricola, spanned the river ; but Tarn o' Shanter had not 
 yet made it famous by his marvellous midnight ride. The 
 Doon glided peacefully between shaggy banks, green with 
 their natural growth of brambles and thorns, while the land 
 towards the north Coila's woods and plains looked 
 picturesque enough but sterile, bare and badly cultivated. 
 Nature prepared no romantic cradle-ground for the peasant 
 poet, destined to ennoble humble life and homely scenes 
 by the light of his own genius. 
 
 Before Doonside had been celebrated in song or story,
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 215 
 
 William Burns, or Burness, a man of sterling worth and 
 unusual intelligence, came to settle in the vicinity as a 
 gardener, having left his native county of Kincardine in 
 pursuit of a prosperity which for ever eluded his grasp. No 
 man better deserved success. He possessed knowledge, 
 integrity, indomitable perseverance; and the record of his 
 heroic struggles and virtues, brought into notice by the 
 fame of his illustrious son, reflects honour on the Scottish 
 peasantry of the past. Late in life he married Agnes Brown, 
 a woman of warm, emotional character, who lost by degrees 
 her somewhat dim individuality in that of her resolute and 
 sagacious husband. William Burns, resolving to secure a 
 position of independence, proceeded to take a lease of seven 
 acres of land at Alloway for the purpose of a nursery or 
 market garden. There was no house on the small domain, 
 but the tenant was equal to the emergency. With his own 
 hands he built a cottage by the roadside, a little to the north 
 of the kirk. There it still stands, only a little browner with 
 a century's rains, and men travel from every part of the 
 world to look at the old man's humble masonry. It was in 
 this cottage now about as well known as Westminster 
 Abbey on the night of the 25th January, 1759, that Robert 
 Burns, the first-born of this proud peasant, entered on the 
 first stage of his strange existence. Writers of a fanciful turn 
 have read a prophecy of his troubled career in the storm 
 which howled that night round the cottage walls. Ushered 
 into the world by unkindly weather, he found a kindly 
 welcome in his father's heart. Apart from parental guidance 
 and affection, the poet's youth had a share of hardship and 
 privation to which childhood in our days is seldom con- 
 demned. He was only a few years old when the family 
 removed to the farm of Mount Oliphant, near Ayr, and the 
 necessities of labour became multiplied. Arrived at the age
 
 216 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 of seven, the child had to trot to the field in company with 
 his father and perform his allotted task, for in spite of 
 pinching economy it required the united efforts of the little 
 household to make headway against unfavourable seasons 
 and barren soil. Throughout all his youth Robert worked, 
 uncomplaining, with willing hands. We can hardly imagine 
 that he experienced much of the careless freedom and 
 abandon of boyhood 
 
 " The thoughtless day, the easy night, 
 The spirits pure, the slumber light, 
 That fly the approach of morn." 
 
 The few pleasures which he enjoyed sprang mainly from the 
 fields in which he ploughed and reaped ; for rural labour 
 had not, in his time, completely lost the idyllic charms 
 reflected, in ideal forms, in the ancient and modern 
 pastorals. The ploughmen contended on the stubborn 
 glebe as eagerly as ancient knights in the lists ; and Burns 
 has shown that the harvest-field frequently called forth 
 displays of rustic chivalry, which invested the relations of 
 the reapers with Arcadian attractions. Despite the simple 
 joys which a sympathetic nature might gather in this humble 
 lot and Burns could find joy wherever men and women 
 lived and moved the never-ceasing pressure of labour told 
 heavily on his sensitive frame. He became subject to 
 frequent moods of still melancholy, to indulge which he 
 often retired at sundown to the river-side or the neighbour- 
 ing woods. Quick and vehement in emotion even in his 
 boyhood, he surprised the family sometimes by sallies of 
 reckless mirth, and sometimes by unexpected tears. In 
 after years he attributed the fits of depression from which he 
 never escaped to the toils which overtaxed his youth. In 
 this belief he was, no doubt, mistaken. The dark malady 
 has been developed in poets softly cradled and delicately
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 217 
 
 bred, being probably induced by an excess of imagination, 
 which dyes the sunshine of life with celestial hues, but 
 plunges its shadows into deeper gloom. But the opinion 
 which he held indicates that the retrospect of his toilsome 
 boyhood was not accompanied with feelings of pleasure or 
 satisfaction. The poets who have pictured Burns, rejoicing 
 in the independence of his lowly sphere, and radiant with 
 heavenly fancies, 
 
 " Following his plough upon the mountain side," 
 
 have created an ideal Burns whom we look for in vain in the 
 various biographies that have described his career. Sub- 
 mitting manfully to his lot, he never regarded it as especially 
 benignant. In the various labours of the farm, however, the 
 desire to excel, and the love of duty, diligently fostered by 
 his father, enabled him to attain acknowledged proficiency. 
 At the age of fourteen, when the children of this generation 
 are completing their education at excellent public schools, 
 Burns was holding the plough. 
 
 We know that the poet's educational acquirements were 
 sound and good, so far as they extended. Even at the 
 present day, when the means of instruction have been 
 multiplied a thousand-fold, Burns, by virtue of these 
 attainments alone, would take rank with men of superior 
 culture. How then, working during winter and summer 
 beyond his strength, did he learn the rudiments of know- 
 ledge, the correct English which he spoke at will, the fluent 
 style which he wrote with a ready pen ? Had he depended 
 alone on the instruction he received in schools, his splendid 
 genius would have struggled in vain to find expression. 
 For a brief period in his early boyhood, he attended a 
 school at Alloway mill, and at a period much later 
 received lessons for a few weeks in Ayr. For all the 
 rest of his early education he was indebted to his
 
 218 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 father. During the long nights of winter, William Burns 
 assembled his children round the fire and carried on the 
 work of instruction from evening to evening with a regularity, 
 intelligence and skill which were crowned with more success 
 than any labour of his hands. By the time Burns was ten 
 or eleven years of age he was a critic in English grammar. 
 He soon began to study the few books at his command with 
 a devotion which leads us to regret that his intellect had not 
 been fed from richer sources. He tells us of the delight 
 which he experienced in reading Addison's "Vision of Mirza," 
 that wise and eloquent dream which, with Johnson's 
 "Obadiah the Son of Abensina," redeems that age of artificial 
 allegories from utter insignificance. He records the rapture 
 with which he repeated from Addison's beautiful hymn the 
 lines : 
 
 "What tho' on dreadful whirls we hung 
 High on the broken wave. " 
 
 He also read the poetry of Pope, whose works impressed 
 his memory without touching his heart or imagination. 
 Pope, however, seems to have been his classic author, whom 
 he reverently quoted when occasion arose. Two lines from 
 this author may be found in "The Cottar's Saturday Night," 
 like cultured hot-house flowers blooming among the wild 
 violets and wood-anemones. One of these exotics, 
 
 " An honest man's the noblest work of God," 
 
 is believed by thousands to belong to Burns. The line 
 previous to this quotation indicates that the poet had also 
 perused Goldsmith's "Deserted Village," and the "Fragment 
 on C. J. Fox " bears a resemblance, which can scarcely be 
 accidental, to the same author's poem, "Retaliation," 
 published after his death. In his boyhood, however, he knew 
 nothing of the works of this wayward son of the Muses, whom 
 he partially resembled in character and fate. Among the
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 219 
 
 favourites of his youth we find the poet Shenstone, to whom 
 he refers in terms of reverence which now provoke a smile. 
 We have drifted so far from the intellectual position of 
 that era that we can no longer feel the fascination of 
 such tuneful sentimentalists. It was fortunate for the world 
 that Burns was content to pay to them a distant and 
 respectful homage, no trace of Corydon and Phyllis being 
 discoverable among the sturdy swains and blooming lasses 
 who form the subjects of his verse. The poems of Allan 
 Ramsay had a deeper and longer influence in directing the 
 bent of his genius ; but Burns entered into regions of passion 
 and thought beyond the ken of the self-styled vicegerent of 
 Apollo. The exquisite skill with which Ramsay employed 
 the Scottish dialect for the purpose of humorous description, 
 his felicitous character sketches, his attractive pictures of 
 rural manners, pointed out to Burns a new field in which 
 he completely eclipsed his master. A volume of English 
 songs, which the poet pored over with unwearied interest, 
 assisted in forming that lyric faculty by which he achieved 
 his greatest triumphs. This modest list, in which neither 
 Milton nor Shakespeaie nor Spenser is named, comprises all 
 the means of literary culture within the reach of Burns. It 
 was perhaps better, when the voice of nature had been silent 
 so long, that the bard should borrow his music from the 
 brook, his imagery from the fields, and his love and pathos 
 from what he felt and saw. 
 
 The story of the youth of Burns closes with his visit to 
 Kirkoswald in his seventeenth year. Having gone there to 
 acquire a knowledge of land-surveying and mathematics in 
 the village school, he learned to more purpose the rudiments 
 of a science of more fascinating interest the study of 
 mankind. The village is a quiet old hamlet, secluded in a 
 green dell, close to an interesting and beautiful coast. Two
 
 22o GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 miles away, a rocky promontory from which a lighthouse 
 now flashes its welcome warning is crowned with the 
 crumbling remains of Turnberry Castle, the ancestral home, 
 if not the birthplace, of Robert Bruce. In a sandy creek 
 a little to the north, the king made his memorable landing, 
 celebrated by John Barbour in "The Bruce," and by 
 Scott irr " The Lord of the Isles." On the verdant slope 
 above stood the farmhouse of Shanter, the tenant of 
 which Burns sometimes encountered in his wanderings. 
 To this Thomas Graham of Shanter he gave afterwards 
 an immortality in the national memory hardly second to 
 his own. The parish at that time had a peculiar interest 
 both on natural and supernatural grounds. Smugglers 
 of a reckless type frequented the adjacent coast ; while 
 fairies, brownies, and ghosts haunted every inland glen 
 and lonely ruin. According to his letter to Dr. Moore, 
 this was the school in which began his life-long study of 
 mankind and their ways. At the village inn he met 
 farmers of the type of Tarn o' Shanter and seafaring ad- 
 venturers who laughed at law. Despite the questionable 
 character of his surroundings, his powers unfolded apace. 
 Indulging his literary and social instincts, his wit began to 
 flash with something of that brilliancy which was afterwards 
 to tempt delighted listeners to linger too long by their wine. 
 Here also he learned that fairy lore which his genius trans- 
 formed into living magic. This parish was the birthplace 
 of his mother, and the churchyard contained the graves of 
 his maternal ancestors, while living kindred watched him 
 with an affection strangely mingled with alarm. Talents so 
 powerful, united to feelings so ferventj might have excited 
 apprehensions in the minds of shrewder observers. Of 
 his abilities there could be no doubt. He not only made 
 rapid progress in his booklearning, but displayed a perverse
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 221 
 
 ingenuity in discussing the subtle points of Calvinistic 
 belief, which, as preached then, was all too narrow for 
 a poet's creed. Love, however, entered upon the scene 
 and cut short his mathematical studies, merry-makings, 
 and rambles. From this time the amorous passion, 
 represented sometimes by present raptures, sometimes by 
 sad remembrance, and not unfrequently by transient fancies 
 vivid and beautiful, held perpetual sway over his heart. 
 He left Kirkoswald after a sojourn of three summer months, 
 during which his character and genius had received a bias 
 which they retained through every subsequent change. To 
 his residence here at a time so impressionable, as much as 
 to his warm and comprehensive humanity, we may ascribe 
 that overflowing sympathy with the pariahs whom society 
 and church have cast out, which made the rafters of Poosie 
 Nancy's ring with the beggar's jubilee, and carried to Satan 
 himself compassion and a ray of hope. 
 
 The father of Burns had now removed to the farm of 
 Lochlea, to which a new interest has been added by the 
 recent discovery of an ancient crannog buried in the bed of 
 the drained loch. The poet, having now completed his 
 youth and education, took service as ploughman with his 
 father, receiving seven pounds as yearly wages. At Lochlea, 
 if anywhere, Burns resembles the attractive picture, familiar 
 in drawing-rooms, of the inspired peasant musing happily at 
 his plough and making plain living and high thinking 
 poetical and splendid. At this period, in whatever social 
 frolics he shared, he preserved his morals uncorrupted and 
 his name unstained. In every relation of life he bore him- 
 self well, while his bright parts and winning manners seemed 
 fair auguries of worldly success. At the age of twenty- 
 three, before his imagination had ranged far, or his 
 emotional nature been deeply stirred, his energies might
 
 222 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 have been directed to practical objects of ambition. But 
 the incompatibility of poetical genius with wealth and 
 common happiness is proverbial, and Burns was already a 
 poet. 
 
 The early indications of imaginative minds have already 
 been discerned. His love of solitude as much as his delight 
 in company, his melancholy as much as his mirth, his 
 trembling sensibility to external impressions as well as his 
 rich resources of ardent feeling all these pointed out his 
 destined path, and he followed that path, not so much with 
 deliberate purpose as with an irresistible instinct compared 
 with which resolution is a broken reed. As he approached 
 to manhood the necessity for musical utterance awoke when- 
 ever his heart was moved. After the long day's labour, 
 when the others talked idly by the peat-fire, it was noticed 
 that Burns sat pensive and silent apart. These moods of 
 rapt abstraction overcame him at the end of a ploughed 
 furrow, on the harvest field, among scenes of boisterous and 
 thoughtless mirth. The sight of a mountain daisy, a field 
 mouse, and above all a lovely face, could transport his fancy 
 into worlds unrealised. The result of these stolen moments 
 of brooding thought soon became known. Before he was 
 far advanced in his teens, captivated by the charms of a 
 rustic beauty, he had written the song, 
 
 " Oh, once I loved a bonnie lass; 
 Ay, and I love her still," 
 
 which, if it is not suffused with the glow of his later lyrics,, 
 manifests that the youth had the invaluable gift then one 
 of the most uncommon of expressing his feelings in a 
 natural manner. We see that Burns made his first effort in 
 a song. He was, indeed, emphatically a singer, and his 
 poems, splendid productions as they are, stand in secondary 
 relation to his great lyrical masterpieces. In his poems he
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 223 
 
 sported with his powers, shewing, not without conscious 
 ambition, his unrivalled force and skill ; but when love came 
 
 " O'er his heart 
 Like the breath of the sweet south," 
 
 or when sorrow and rage swept it like whirlwind gusts, his 
 emotion found its natural utterance and relief in floods of 
 passionate music. It will be seen, hereafter, that as the 
 shadows deepened around him, his "swallow flights of song" 
 grew more frequent, more fervid. His last effusion, written 
 when his fingers could hardly hold the pen, was like his 
 first, a song. 
 
 Emerson has somewhere described the wonder and 
 delight which thrilled through an American village when 
 the community learned that a genuine poet had arisen in 
 their midst. A similar excitement agitated Kyle and 
 Carrick when "My Nannie's awa" and "Mary Morison" 
 began to be circulated and sung. Unfortunately the 
 admiration which the author attracted among his friends 
 was not sufficiently hedged about with deep respect. Like 
 the shepherds of Admetus they failed to recognise Apollo 
 in his mean disguise. The poet's knack of rhyming, his 
 flow of wit, and, more than all, his abounding sympathy 
 with every human joy and woe, rendered him a desirable 
 friend and a delightful companion in village taverns. It 
 may be questioned if this local and lower fame conduced to 
 strengthen the purpose or elevate the sentiments of Burns. 
 It initiated him, however, in the meantime into a deeper 
 knowledge of human life and character the sphere which 
 he had marked out as his own. At the age of twenty-three, 
 with a view to make a position for himself, he left Lochlea 
 and joined a flax-dresser in Irvine. Everyone knows the 
 pretty burgh, built long ago on the margin of the sand-blown 
 links which sweep round the coast to the Heads of Ayr.
 
 224 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 The town was smaller then than now, but to Burns the 
 change was great from green solitudes, sacred to the sky- 
 lark, to smoke, confinement and the murmur of many 
 tongues. In this town, as in Kirkoswald, the poet mingled 
 freely with men, being as little fastidious as then in his 
 choice of associates. Among other companions less notice- 
 able he contracted a warm friendship with a man whose 
 depraved moral sense obscured the lustre of his nobler 
 qualities. Exerting his influence to loosen the ties which 
 still bound the poet to virtue and religion, he succeeded 
 only too well. The design of this sketch, however, is 
 not to dilate upon the sins and shortcomings of the ill- 
 starred Burns. Human frailty, born in the bowers of 
 Eden, and renewed in a thousand forms in every passing 
 generation, is a stale and unprofitable theme. It is the 
 genius of Burns, and not his defects, that invests his story 
 with immortal interest. In other ways also his residence in 
 Irvine was unhappy. His mill was burned down and his 
 little capital lost. A damsel, to whom he was betrothed, 
 proved false to him, under circumstances which he con- 
 sidered peculiarly painful. To crown his sorrows he learned 
 that his father, who had ruled the little household so wisely 
 and well, was stricken with a mortal ailment. Sick of his 
 experience of Irvine, he returned to the farm and resumed 
 the plough. 
 
 In the spring of 1784, the aged William Burns, broken in 
 constitution by his long life-battle, passed to that land where 
 the weary find rest. We read that he expressed on his 
 death-bed a trembling anxiety for the future of his gifted 
 son, who turned away to hide the gushing tears. Had the 
 veil of the future been lifted for a moment before the final 
 darkness, the grand old Calvinist might still have trembled. 
 The course of Burns's life during the remaining years, so
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 225 
 
 resplendent in results, was not a career on which his father 
 would have smiled. The fate of William Burns himself 
 supplies a valuable illustration of the falsehood of the 
 common estimates of success, as well as of the vanity of 
 human wishes. On every worldly project of his life fate 
 inscribed failure, and we only recognise his triumph in the 
 heroic struggles which invariably ended in defeat. 
 
 After the death of the old man, the family, finding their 
 affairs at Lochlea ruinously involved, saved what was 
 possible from the hands of the lawyers, and removed to the 
 farm of Mossgiel, near Mauchline. Robert Burns and his 
 brother Gilbert became joint tenants, and commenced their 
 lease with sanguine hopes of brighter times. These hopes 
 were destined to be blasted. In vain the poet read books 
 on agriculture, attended markets, made prudent resolutions; 
 his seed refused to grow, and the sun to ripen his harvests, 
 and his virtuous purposes were written in water. The 
 successful cultivation of the soil under such unfortunate 
 circumstances required a single-minded devotion to a 
 disheartening task, and Burns ill brooked the bondage of 
 necessity. In whatever direction he turned the horizon 
 seemed dark. The path to fame was steep and inaccessible, 
 while the road to prosperity lay through tortuous labyrinths 
 in which he was continuually bewildered. Love again came 
 to complicate his troubles. Smitten by the lissome grace of 
 Jean Armour the bonnie Jean of his song whom he first 
 saw on a Mauchline bleaching-green, he wooed her and won 
 her heart. The maiden's father, however, refused to 
 recognise her betrothal to Burns, whom he regarded 
 with suspicion on account of his straitened circumstances 
 and erratic character. The details of the story need 
 not be told here; it is sufficient to say that they do 
 not reflect credit on Burns. At this time he was com-
 
 226 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 pelled to undergo censure in the parish church a 
 humiliation which rankled in the heart of the poet to 
 the last. The troubles which gathered thick round the 
 heart and home of the sensitive Burns developed that 
 gloomy despondency which was the shadow of his genius. 
 Some of his poems written at this period are steeped in 
 the waters of bitterness. Reproach as we may, we cannot 
 marvel that the poet, with his excitable and social nature, 
 sometimes took refuge from public scandal and private 
 perplexity in that tempting resource of the wretched the 
 village tavern. For some time he had been a member of a 
 masonic lodge, the meetings of which partook of a convivial 
 character, and the neighbourhood abounded with congenial 
 spirits, intelligent enough to appreciate his prolific and 
 sparkling talk. But the dissipation in which he occasionally 
 indulged with choice companions was yet remote from the 
 habit of intemperance. He had not yet reached the resist- 
 less current above the cataract. 
 
 Blighted in love and embarrassed in fortune, Burns 
 determined to seek a home beyond the sea. Obtaining 
 a situation as book-keeper on a slave estate in Jamaica, 
 he only waited the arrival of the ship which was to carry 
 him from Scotland for ever. Wayward and impulsive, as 
 he ever was, he courted a Highland girl who consented 
 to accompany him to the distant shore. The courtship was 
 brief, romantic, and tragical. After that last meeting, over 
 which Burns has thrown the tenderest hues of love and 
 sorrow, she went home to make preparations for her marriage 
 and died in Greenock. To her, years after, he dedicated 
 "Thou lingering star, with lessening ray." It was not, 
 however, the death of Mary Campbell, whom he fondly 
 remembered, that detained the poet in the land of his birth. 
 Requiring funds to carry out his purpose, he applied to
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 227 
 
 his landlord, who advised him to publish his poems by 
 subscription. On this hint he immediately acted, and in 
 July, 1786, a volume appeared in Kilmarnock, entitled 
 "Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect, by Robert 
 Burns." 
 
 With the exception of his songs, and the incomparable 
 tale of "Tarn o' Shanter," the first edition, of which a 
 fac-simile was recently published by the late Mr. M'Kie 
 of Kilmarnock, contained all the poems on which his great 
 reputation rests. They were nearly all composed after he 
 became tenant of Mossgiel. In little more than two years, 
 Burns had produced enough to enable him to take rank 
 among the great poets of the world. He had, besides, 
 achieved so much under circumstances unparalleled in the 
 annals of poetry. Poets, it is true, in all times have 
 experienced the extremes of misery. Johnson, Goldsmith, 
 and Otway endured penury and hunger to which Burns 
 was a stranger. But these men were trained to think, and 
 lived by thinking; imagination and memory were the spheres 
 in which they daily moved. The Scottish poet belongs to 
 another world. From childhood, until his poetry shone out 
 suddenly a star of the first magnitude, Burns led a life of 
 incessant toil toil involving so little mental exertion that it 
 is supposed in time to blunt the keenest intelligence. He 
 had thrown off the most brilliant of his poems during three 
 years crowded by cares, indiscretions, and sorrows. No 
 poet ever owed less to his predecessors in the field; for 
 although he borrowed the form of his stanza from Fergusson, 
 he could not possibly have made a more unfortunate choice. 
 Throwing the whole antiquated machinery of fashionable 
 verse far out of his sight, he looked on nature face to face. 
 Admiring Pope, Addison, and Ramsay, he made no effort 
 to seize their artificial graces ; far above them or far below
 
 228 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 them, he followed a path in which the print of no previous 
 footstep marked the ground. 
 
 Towards the end of last century originality in department 
 of thought was unknown. The fact that Burns resembled 
 no writer living or dead was itself a relief; but every cavil 
 was silent before the wonderful humour and pathos of the 
 Ayrshire bard. The severest Calvinist condemn profane 
 poetry as he might grew indulgent to the author of " The 
 Cottar's Saturday Night." Discerning readers observed in 
 the descriptive passages of " The Vision," glowing as they 
 are with poetical light, an imaginative power second to none 
 which had appeared in Britain for a century. The tender- 
 ness and beauty of the addresses to the "Daisy" and "The 
 Mouse " seemed a revelation direct from the heart of nature. 
 
 We can scarcely conceive the impression which they made 
 upon the people. " Old and young," says Heron, " high 
 and low, grave and gay, learned or ignorant, were alike 
 delighted, agitated, transported. I was at the time resident 
 in Galloway, contiguous to Ayrshire, and I well remember 
 how even plough-boys and maid-servants would gladly have 
 bestowed the wages they earned the most hardly, and with 
 which they wanted to purchase necessary clothing if they 
 might procure the works of Burns." 
 
 By his first edition Burns cleared twenty pounds, and with 
 this sum he might at once have proceeded on his voyage to 
 the West Indies. But some volumes of his poetry had 
 fallen into the hands of those who discerned that a great 
 original genius was once more vouchsafed to Scotland, and 
 resolved that more should be made of him in his own land. 
 Among these were Professor Dugald Stewart, who had a 
 summer residence at Catrine, and Mrs. Dunlop of Dunlop, 
 whose friendship he gained for life by the " Cottar's Saturday 
 Night." In this crisis the intelligent clergy were conspicuously
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 229 
 
 his best friends. The Rev. George Lawrie, minister of the 
 parish of Loudoun, a poet and a man of culture, sent a 
 volume of Burns's poems to his friend, the Rev. Dr. 
 Blacklock of Edinburgh, a poet also, and author of many of 
 the Paraphrases. He sent a most enthusiastic reply and an 
 invitation to come to Edinburgh and publish a new edition. 
 This was seconded by similar promises of aid from the Rev. 
 Dr. Hugh Blair, who held a distinguished position in the 
 literary circles of the metropolis. New prospects were thus 
 opened up to him, of which not without some delay he 
 availed himself. In November, 1786, he started from 
 Mossgiel for the metropolis, a journey of about sixty miles. 
 He travelled by the Ayr road. His fame had gone before 
 him. Farmers and cottars came forth to see the new poet 
 of Scotland. He rested over night with Mr. Archibald 
 Prentice, the tenant of Covington Mains, near the foot of 
 Tinto. Mr. Prentice* had discerned the genius of the 
 Ayrshire bard, and sent on to him a pressing invitation, 
 and had also asked the neighbours to meet him. The 
 Mains lies in a hollow which can be seen from all parts of 
 the parish. It was arranged that upon the poet's arrival a 
 white sheet attached to a pitchfork was to be displayed upon 
 the top of a corn stack in the barnyard. Burns arrived 
 about five o'clock, the signal was hoisted, and the farmers 
 came trooping down to the cosy parlour of the Mains, and 
 sat down to a generous feast followed by story, song and 
 recitation. It is stated that on this occasion he made the 
 address to a haggis 
 
 " Great chieftain o" the puddin' race." 
 
 * Mr. Prentice, farmer as he was, subscribed for 20 copies of the second 
 edition of Burns's poems, more than any other individual did among either 
 nobility, clergy, or gentry. The author, with some others, claims him as 
 a great-grandfather, and we are justly proud of him.
 
 230 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 On the following morning he breakfasted with a large party 
 at the next farmhouse, tenanted by James Stodart, brother 
 to the Stodarts, the famous pianoforte makers of London 
 and New York. I have heard his son, a James Stodart also, 
 say, when nearly eighty, that he remembered passing the 
 Mains that morning with other companions on his way to 
 school. The pony was waiting at the door for the owner 
 to start on his journey. The stalwart " Bauldy " came out 
 and ordered him and the other boys to stop and haud the 
 stirrup for the man that was to mount, adding, "You'll 
 boast of it till your dying day." The boys said, " We'll be 
 late, and we're fear'd for the maister." "Stop and haud 
 the stirrup ; I'll settle wi' the maister." They took courage, 
 as well they might, for Prentice was six feet three, and the 
 dominie but an ordinary mortal. That boy Stodart, almost 
 an octogenarian at the time he spoke to me, said, " I 
 think I'm prouder of that forenoon frae the schule than a' 
 the days I was at it." 
 
 Burns started from Covington Mains and reached Edin- 
 burgh in the evening, 28th November. It was a memorable 
 day in another respect. The citizens were greatly excited 
 over the starting of Mr. Palmer's mail carriages, by which 
 letters were to be conveyed between London and Edinburgh 
 in the surprisingly brief space of sixty hours ! 
 
 At that time Edinburgh claimed a monopoly of culture 
 and refinement. The title " Modern Athens " was not 
 inaptly applied to the city enlightened by the philosophy of 
 Stewart and the learning of Robertson. Hume had just 
 disappeared from that proud circle of philosophers and wits 
 who loved him in spite of his Toryism and heresy, but 
 Blair was still seated on the throne of criticism measuring 
 prose and verse by infallible canons, which have long been 
 classed among curious literary antiquities. Into this brilliant
 
 ROKF.RT BURNS. 231 
 
 society, Burns, with his western accent and rustic manners, 
 was suddenly plunged. Received with a welcome unex- 
 pectedly cordial, the poet bore the honours heaped upon 
 him with a dignity which astonished the accomplished men 
 and high-born women whom he met. Dr. Hugh Blair had 
 preserved sufficient natural taste to be able to appreciate the 
 vigorous description and glowing imagery of the untutored 
 bard. It is said that the author of " Douglas " refused to 
 see the merit of Burns's verse ; but the vision of Home was 
 none of the clearest. Dugald Stewart, familiar with every 
 branch of thought, sounded the intellect of Burns in search- 
 ing dialogues, discovering to his surprise that he had 
 formed rational notions for himself on subtle questions of 
 metaphysics. The individuals who praised him, patronised 
 him, or merely scanned him with curious eyes, have mostly 
 become undistinguishable shades. Among the more notice- 
 able figures, whom accident or design threw into momentary 
 relation to the poet, it is pleasing to recognise Walter Scott. 
 The meeting is one of those picturesque incidents on which 
 the imagination delights to dwell. Deeply impressed by 
 an engraving of a woman bending over her dead in the 
 battlefield, Burns desired to learn the name of the author 
 of the lines written beneath 
 
 " Cold on Canadian hills or Minden's plain, 
 Perhaps that mother weeps her soldier slain." 
 
 Scott gratified the poet by quoting the lines from Lang- 
 horne's "The County Justice" a poem which has been 
 read by hundreds on account of its accidental connection 
 with this historic incident. The boy Scott was deeply 
 struck by the singular brilliancy of the poet's eyes, which 
 seemed literally to burn. 
 
 Some affectation may have mingled with the enthusiasm 
 which greeted the presence of Burns in Edinburgh.
 
 232 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Distracted by the multitude of its interests and pursuits, 
 society at the best comprehends few persons of deep feeling 
 and strong conviction. These are generally developed by 
 minds which brood apart, avoiding the varying currents of 
 fashion and opinion, which sweep men far from their moral 
 and intellectual moorings. At the same time it is evident 
 from all we know that the homage paid to the genius of Burns 
 was in the main sincere. Confined by intolerable conven- 
 tionalities in religion, poetry, and life, mind and heart 
 craved for emancipation. Burns responded to the yearning 
 with enchanting pictures of rural homes, the freshness of 
 fields and woods, and the gush of genuine emotion. The 
 spirit of his verses permeated deep and far, producing results 
 in literature and life beyond the poet's most ambitious 
 dreams. From the first, indeed, the literary career of Burns 
 was singularly successful. Never before was a prophet 
 called like Elisha from the plough so honoured in his own 
 country. Before leaving Edinburgh he issued a new edition 
 of his works, for which he obtained two thousand eight 
 hundred subscribers, and cleared four hundred, some say 
 six hundred, pounds. Even in the matter of pecuniary 
 reward he was exceptionally fortunate ; for the golden age of 
 literature only commenced to run from the appearance of 
 " The Lay of the Last Minstrel." 
 
 Burns had now seen enough of the titled and the great to 
 dispel the illusions which distance lends to high places, and 
 to confirm the truth of his own lines 
 
 " It's no in titles nor in rank, 
 It's no in wealth like Lon'on bank, 
 To purchase peace and rest." 
 
 No writer ever expressed loftier notions of the dignity of 
 man. Never poet sang more tenderly of the sweets of home 
 or more wisely of home-bred virtues. If at this time he had
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 233 
 
 contentedly retired from the scene ; returned to Mossgiel 
 with his modest wealth and married Jean Armour, the 
 current of his life might have flowed more smoothly, and his 
 genius, matured and invigorated by widened experience, 
 might have enriched the world with poetry of a higher order 
 than he had yet produced. But, after his first visit to 
 Edinburgh, his mind knew peace no more. From this 
 time his poems are mostly occasional fragments bright 
 impromptus, which, wherever he went, he scattered around 
 his path like star-showers. 
 
 He made excursions from Edinburgh into various parts 
 of Scotland. In subsequent years he made long journeys, 
 always on horseback, into other parts. From first to last 
 he saw a large portion of his native land. What he 
 accomplished in this way surprises us, even in these days of 
 steam. He first visited the East of Scotland, the Tweed, 
 and the Borders, extending his journey to Newcastle. He 
 now returned to Mossgiel, where his brother still struggled 
 bravely with adverse circumstances. The greeting of the 
 widowed mother was, " Oh, Robert ! " How much of 
 meaning there was in that mother's exclamation, after all 
 that she had thought and heard of the swarthy son that 
 now entered the dwelling ! A great change had passed 
 over the poet since he set out on his journey to the metro- 
 polis. Leaving his home with his future doubtful and 
 his fame a dream half realized, he returned comparatively 
 rich and " trailing clouds of glory." In the man himself a 
 change more important had begun to work. In gay 
 assemblies and midnight routs he had caught the fever of 
 the world, which, in spite of nobler aspirations, burned 
 hereafter in his breast like a consuming fire. Rest he 
 could not. Starting from Mauchline, he made a wild 
 excursion into the West Highlands, travelling as far as 
 
 Q
 
 234 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Inveraray. The picture of Burns on these journeys, 
 enlivening the road by rollicking adventure, and wasting his 
 strength by coarse and fruitless excitement, awakens a 
 mingled feeling of surprise and pain. It is difficult to 
 recognise the bard whom Coila crowned with the holly 
 wreath in Robert Burns riding mad races with Highland 
 drovers and setting the table in a roar in smoky inns. 
 Detained for some time on the way by an accident the 
 result of a reckless escapade he arrived at length in 
 Edinburgh on his second visit in August, 1787. The 
 curiosity which he had excited in the capital had now 
 considerably abated, dispelled in a great degree by the 
 disenchanting touch of familiarity. He little understood 
 the art of wrapping his personality in that mystery which 
 stimulates the imagination of the world. The perfect 
 candour and openness of his nature, admirable and lovable 
 qualities in themselves, were calculated to dissipate the 
 romantic halo which gathers round a poet's head. 
 
 Within a few weeks, he started on his great north 
 Highland tour ; being accompanied on this occasion by his 
 friend William Simpson the " Winsome Willie " to whom 
 he has addressed one of the finest of his poetical epistles. 
 Notwithstanding the historic ground over which he trod 
 Bannockburn, Killiecrankie, Culloden we search his poetry 
 in vain to measure the emotion which these memorable 
 scenes evoked. It is mainly by his letters that we can trace 
 the footsteps of the most patriotic of poets. From these we 
 learn the names of many kind hosts, who have no other 
 claim to remembrance, except that they appear for a 
 moment in the luminous orbit of Robert Burns. From 
 this category we should perhaps except the Duke of Athole 
 and the good Duke of Gordon, who successively entertained 
 the poet at their princely abodes. To the former he
 
 ROBERT BURNS, 235 
 
 addressed " The Petition of Bruar Water," an exquisite 
 descriptive piece, the rhythm of which falls on the ear like 
 the murmur of a mountain rill. We shall not follow the 
 wanderings of the poet over the Dee and the Spey to the 
 field where the last hope of the Stuarts found its grave. 
 These scenes are scarcely recalled in his poetry or his 
 future history. He travelled back by Perth and Dun- 
 fermline to Edinburgh, which he reached in October. 
 Here he lingered long before bidding a final adieu to the 
 capital, where he had found a new attraction in Clarinda. 
 It is well known that her name was Mrs. M'Lehose, a 
 lady who carried her Platonic friendships beyond the 
 boundary of prudence. 
 
 The biographers of Burns have probably invested this 
 peculiar association with undue importance. The episode 
 has an air of unreality, unlike the deeds and words of 
 Burns. The relationship of this lady to the peasant 
 bard seems altogether artificial, the two corresponding 
 under the names of Clarinda and Sylvander, exactly as 
 lovers address each other in the sentimental novels of the 
 last century. It cannot be said that Burns shines in the 
 character of Sylvander. The highflown rhetoric of these 
 -erotic epistles is infinitely weak compared with the ardent 
 passion which breathes in a hundred of his songs. The 
 world would have been none the poorer if correspondence 
 and story had found the oblivion which they deserved. 
 
 Burns left Edinburgh in the spring of 1788, never to 
 return. His manly form had become familiar on the streets, 
 and long after death had consecrated his fame the citizens 
 recalled his ploughman's stoop, his pensive brow, and his 
 large dark eyes, bright with inspiration. Had he lived for 
 a few years longer and revisited the capital, he might liave 
 shaken hands with the young author of " The Pleasures of
 
 236 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Hope," discussed poetry with Jeffrey, and chanted ballads 
 to Walter Scott on Salisbury Crags. He departed from 
 Edinburgh just as the dawn of a new day was beginning to 
 redden the poetical horizon. 
 
 The scene now shifts to Ellisland, a farmhouse overlooking 
 the River Nith, and situated a few miles from Dumfries.* 
 In June, 1788, Burns entered on a lease of the farm, and 
 shortly afterwards Bonnie Jean became his wedded wife. 
 After two years of excitement and change he seemed to 
 have found the long desired haven of rest. But content 
 and comfort fled from his approach, as the water baffled 
 the lips of Tantalus. He enjoyed domestic happiness, 
 Jean Armour proving a truly devoted wife ; but the farm, 
 highly rented and indifferently managed, prospered no 
 better than Mossgiel or Lochlea. The capital which he 
 had saved from the sale of his poems began rapidly to 
 disappear, and before a year had elapsed he had reason 
 to entertain the gloomiest forebodings. Through the 
 interest of a friend he was appointed an excise officer 
 with a salary of ^50 a year. Despite his seasons of 
 despondency, which now recurred more frequently than 
 ever, the hopes of Burns revived with every change of view. 
 This addition of income promised to place him beyond an 
 
 * Shortly after his entrance in Ellisland, he was privileged to witness 
 what may be regarded as the first successful experiment in steam naviga- 
 tion. Mr. Miller of Dalswinton, his landlord, Lad engaged Symington, 
 tl'e young engineer, to fit up an engine on his pleasure boat on Dalswinton 
 Loch. It was 24 feet long, and had been prepared with paddles. The 
 experiment was made on the I4th October, 1788 Along with Mr. Miller 
 and Mr. Symington, there were on board Robert Burns and Alexander 
 Naismyth the portrait painter. They were propelled at the rate of five 
 miles an hour. The " Scots Magazine " said, " This will be of the greatest 
 advantage, not only to this island, but to many other nations of the world." 
 And yet it so little impressed Burns that he never refers to it. Miller 
 himself left the matter to be taken up by others.
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 237 
 
 anxious dependence on the uncertain elements which 
 seemed leagued to starve his cattle and blight his crops. 
 The performance of his duties would enable him to gratify 
 the desire for change and motion which the habits of the 
 last two years had created and confirmed. Like every 
 speculation of his life, these pleasing prospects were doomed 
 to dreary disappointment. The office which he had under- 
 taken demanded an amount of exertion sufficient to exhaust 
 his entire energy. He required to ride sometimes two 
 hundred and fifty miles a week in any kind of weather. 
 Engrossed with keeping his excise books and seldom 
 relieved from the saddle, he was compelled to devote 
 every hour of freedom to the direction of agricultural 
 operations from which he had learned to anticipate the 
 most unsatisfactory results. If in his days of strength and 
 untrammelled attention he had laboured in vain to charm 
 prosperity from the soil, the effort was now hopeless. The 
 " crowded hour of glorious life " through which he had 
 passed had left a void in his heart which could not be filled 
 either with the joys of home, the labours of the field, or the 
 rapt enthusiasm of poetical invention. The morbid craving 
 for excitement, for the feeling of a larger existence, and 
 deliverance from the innumerable petty troubles, which 
 abound in every lot, impelled him to excesses which shattered 
 his health and impaired his happiness. At the age of thirty 
 he began to feel the gradual approach of that mysterious 
 malady which follows in the wake of vivid sensations as 
 surely as darkness follows the departing sun. Long periods 
 of profound depression succeeded to the day's exhausting 
 toil and exposure, or to more exhausting nights of transient 
 and unhealthy excitement. His frame became an ^Eolian 
 harp on which the east wind played the most dismal 
 melodies. He already complained of the emptiness of life,
 
 238 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 and filled his letters with curious speculations on the state 
 of departed spirits. 
 
 So far as Burns' poetical genius went, there was no 
 decay. The poetry which he produced at Ellisland induces 
 regret that his troubled and laborious life allowed him so 
 little leisure for composition. The rare effusions which he 
 poured out in happy moments there are marked by a richer 
 colouring and a greater elevation of thought than he 
 displayed in his earlier poems. Language and rhyme had 
 become more plastic in his hands, and he used both with 
 the boldness and freedom of an artist who commands and 
 conceals his art. Three productions of these Ellisland days 
 are perhaps more widely known to the Anglo-Saxon race 
 than any three poems in the language. From the fragments 
 of a forgotten ballad he created the song, " Auld Lang Syne," 
 which vibrates with the pathos of friendship and farewell. The 
 beautiful address to " Mary in Heaven " is no less admired. 
 "Tarn o' Shanter" was also written at Ellisland, and appeared 
 first in Grose's Antiquities. It has generally been considered 
 the loftiest effort of his imagination, although Thomas 
 Carlyle, with a perverse originality which cannot be imitated, 
 gives the palm to " The Jolly Beggars." Composed in three 
 days, the poem has the high temperature and unity of design 
 which mark the conceptions of an intellect excited to 
 vehement and unconscious action. The spell begins to 
 work at the lonely fireside on the Carrick shore ; hangs in 
 trembling suspense over the inn where Tarn and Souter 
 Johnnie sit in prolonged carousal; holds us entranced with 
 Tarn at the witches' dance in Alloway kirk, and only 
 releases the enchanted interest when the hero clears 
 triumphantly the " keystane o' the brig." 
 
 Let us now follow Burns to the last stage of his troubled 
 journey. Having lost his little capital in Ellisland he
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 239 
 
 resolved to abandon farming, which, during all his life, 
 had only led him from disaster to disaster. Appointed 
 exciseman in Dumfries, he went to reside in that town in 
 December, 1791. The change from the peaceful scenes 
 of Ellisland to the bustle and temptations of this busy 
 centre came too soon or too late. Accustomed for some 
 years to convivial society, he soon formed associations in 
 Dumfries which hurried him rapidly along the current of 
 his fate. With the generous impulses of a poet, dreaming 
 of universal freedom and the brotherhood of man, he had, 
 like Wordsworth and Southey, expressed a transient sym- 
 pathy with the French Revolution. In the days of political 
 bondage this was a crime which no public services could 
 condone, and the poet could hope no longer to rise in his 
 humble profession. The influence of blighted ambition 
 combined with social allurements to precipitate his ruin. 
 
 It is strange that the darkest periods of the histoiy of 
 Burns are most splendidly illumined by the display of his 
 genius. Caressed and courted by the wits and beauties of 
 the metropolis, he produced nothing worthy of his fame. 
 It was only in the silence of Ellisland that he heard the still 
 small voice reminding him of his mission. And now at 
 Dumfries, where the clouds of misfortune were closing over 
 his head, the powers of his intellect recovered all their activity 
 and tone, seeming to multiply their resources as the strength 
 of the body declined. His conversation never exhibited 
 greater command of the language of sympathy, scorn, and 
 indignation than during these melancholy days. Titanic 
 forces, which he could no longer control, rebelled against the 
 bonds imposed by inexorable necessity and fatal imprudence. 
 His gift of song, however, remained, and it is impossible to 
 believe that no ray of happiness stole into the heart of the 
 author of those melodious and passionate lyrics which have
 
 240 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 thrilled all who have read them with delight. He began 
 the composition of these pieces in 1792 for Thomson's 
 " Melodies of Scotland," and before death touched the lips 
 of the singer he had completed more than a hundred songs. 
 The work of Thomson in suggesting and securing these 
 should be gratefully appreciated. He had not great ability 
 either literary or musical, but he had industry and he had 
 enthusiasm. His continuous letters on themes congenial 
 called forth constantly the poet's powers. The old tunes 
 he sent were skeletons which incited Burns to clothe them 
 with flesh and blood in noble song. The suggestions had 
 no more proportion to the results than the spark has to the 
 explosion that follows. Yet it is to Thomson we owe the 
 songs. By virtue of these productions Burns is universally 
 acknowledged to be the greatest song-writer in our literature 
 perhaps in the literature of Europe. Like the music of 
 the brook and the warbling of the lark, they transcend the 
 mechanical analysis of criticism. With a few exceptions, 
 one sentiment pervades them all a love that turns the fields 
 of earth into enchanted places and suffuses the summer 
 skies with a tenderer glow. Inspired generally by the 
 recollection of some actual passion, they breathe the 
 language of genuine feeling. They display also a singular 
 completeness and unity of sentiment, as if they had sprung 
 from the imagination in a moment of rapture when every 
 other faculty was in repose. The melody of these fine 
 compositions is unique and beautiful. It has been 
 remarked that many poems may be set to music and sung ; 
 but the songs of Burns sing themselves through the heart 
 of every reader.* 
 
 * In 1793 Burns made a journey to Kirkcudbright along with his friend 
 Mr. Synie, who, among other things, says, " I told you that in the midst 
 of the storm in the wilds of Kenmure, Burns was rapt in meditation.
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 241 
 
 Enough has been said to foreshadow the mournful and 
 premature close of the poet's life. He felt himself that 
 his physical powers were giving way. The sadness of 
 vanished hopes, the uncertain future of his family, and the 
 ceaseless misery of shattered nerves plunged his spirits into 
 perpetual gloom. In April, 1796, he wrote : " I fear it will 
 be some time before I tune my lyre again. By Babel's 
 streams I have sat and wept." His circumstances had long 
 been straitened ; now they became embarrassed. A trades- 
 man threatened him with a prosecution, and his proud spirit, 
 which had ever worshipped independence, chafed bitterly 
 under the menace. His wife, patient and affectionate at all 
 times under wrongs which women find it hard to brook, 
 and now more needful to her husband during these last 
 days, was about to give birth to another child. And still as 
 the summer days went on the poet's malady assumed a more 
 fatal look. The symptoms point to a broken constitution, 
 the result of long rides on the wet moors, of mental anxiety, 
 and of social excess. His digestion was ruined. Rheuma- 
 tism racked his joints. A sojourn by the side of the Solway 
 was recommended ; but the soft sea breezes failed to bring 
 warmth and vigour to his exhausted frame. One evening, 
 following the setting sun with a sad lingering gaze, he 
 murmured in the hearing of a friend, " It will not shine long 
 on me." On bidding adieu to an acquaintance he demanded, 
 with tragical humour, " Have you any commands for the 
 
 What do you think he was about ? He was charging the English army, 
 along with Bruce, at Bannockburn. He was engaged in the same manner 
 on our ride home from St. Mary's Isle, and I did not disturb him. Next 
 day he produced me the following address of Bruce to his troops, and gave 
 me a copy for Dalzell 
 
 ' ' Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled. " 
 
 "This ode," says Professor Wilson, "the grandest out of the Bible, is 
 sublime 1 "
 
 242 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 other world?" He returned to his home in Dumfries, 
 where fever laid him prostrate. The poor wife lay ill in the 
 adjacent chamber, but Jessie Lewars, for whom he had 
 twined many a graceful wreath, ministered to the dying 
 poet with a tenderness that endears her memory to every 
 human heart. On the 2ist July delirium set in, and the 
 wild words of the unconscious Burns have been chronicled 
 and discussed, as if the manifestations of a disordered brain 
 could disclose the secret of his genius or seal his eternal 
 destiny. As the day wore on his mind wandered more and 
 more. The last moment arriving, he started from the bed as 
 if to meet and grapple with the last foe ; then fell heavily 
 back and immediately expired. On the following day the 
 citizens, who had looked coldly enough on the poet's closing 
 days, awoke to the fact that the greatest man in Scotland 
 lay dead in their midst. A public funeral being unanimously 
 decreed, the body was conveyed from the humble dwelling 
 to the Town Hall, where it lay in state. On the 25th he 
 was borne to the grave, followed by the whole community, 
 by the local volunteers, and by a company of cavalry then 
 stationed in the town. The honours then paid to his dust 
 were but the prelude to the grateful tributes which successive 
 generations of his countrymen have rendered to his memory. 
 Men, who are old enough to remember the celebration of 
 his centennial birthday, which arrested the wheels of labour 
 and filled the dim winter day with festivity and song, can 
 estimate how deeply and enduringly the poetry of Burns 
 impressed the heart of Scotland. 
 
 A century has elapsed since these poems appeared, and 
 the world has since fully confirmed the verdict of the 
 peasantry of Kyle. Appealing directly to man, divested of 
 the varying accidents of education and rank, the poet 
 touched the quick instinctive sympathies of mankind, which
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 243 
 
 form the ultimate and infallible tests of poetical excellence. 
 It is impossible to judge his poetry by conventional 
 standards, gradually evolved through successive ages of 
 culture. Burns was as little influenced by traditional system 
 as by serious purpose. The child of impulse and passion, 
 he wrote only from an aching heart or a brain on fire. 
 Flung from a fervid imagination like sparks of flame from 
 the anvil, his poems are for the most part brief inspirations ; 
 sufficiently brilliant, however, to indicate the operation of a 
 rich and powerful intellect. " The Vision " perhaps the 
 most graceful in sentiment and form of all his earlier 
 effusions reflects the rapt enthusiasm of a poet's hope. In 
 " Man was made to Mourn," and other melancholy strains, 
 we hear the moan of manhood in chains, or the sadder 
 wail of sleepless remorse. His tenderness is the natural 
 result of that electric sympathy which made the joys and 
 sorrows of others at once his own. The tears of Burns 
 flow unbidden like the summer rain. His bright and 
 penetrating humour, which frequently shines through tears 
 is among the choicest of his gifts. It is the "silver 
 lining" of every cloud. It surprises us in scenes and 
 circumstances the most joyless and dark, breaking in genial 
 drollery from the couch of pain, lighting up the gaber- 
 lunzie's lodging, and even irradiating the gloom of Satan's 
 " dungeon horrible." The fine epistles, pregnant as they are 
 with wit, wisdom and fancy, suggest deliberate study; but 
 in these compositions also his muse obeys independent 
 impulses and strays into unexpected fields. Two poems 
 "The Cottar's Saturday Night" and "Hallowe'en" stand 
 apart in their appearance of calm concentration and careful 
 design. These serene and beautiful pictures of patriarchal 
 piety and rural mirth enable us to conceive how much Burns 
 might have accomplished in the sphere o f poetical art had
 
 244 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 his genius been led by nobler ideals and guided by a 
 stronger will. As it is, the works which he left behind 
 are only incidental indications of transcendent powers a 
 few golden fruits shaken by a strong wind from the laden 
 boughs. 
 
 The poetry of Burns contributed with that of Cowper to 
 create that passionate love of nature which has passed 
 through all the western world like a new renaissance. Yet 
 he cannot be called a descriptive poet. In the changing 
 phases of human existence he found more congenial themes. 
 The mountain daisy touches his heart by the pathos of its 
 human analogies, and the June rose is beautiful because 
 it bids him remember a beloved face. But even in the 
 graphic delineation of natural scenes Burns has few equals 
 among English poets. His familiarity with a dialect, 
 originating in a picturesque country and used for centuries 
 by a susceptible people living much in the open-air, 
 enabled him to give dawns and sunsets and changing 
 seasons and fields and streams a new and more expressive 
 language. His imagery is impressed with the pictorial 
 vividness of primeval speech. By swift unpremeditated 
 strokes he reveals the wild Scottish landscape white with 
 whirling snow-wreaths, or smiling in its native bloom of 
 heath-flower, harebell, and brier-rose. We feel that the 
 poet has participated in the general mirth of Spring and 
 grown pensive with Autumn's decay; that he has listened 
 to the woodlark's song and mused by the running brooks. 
 Dryden and Pope saw the external world through the eyes 
 of Homer and Virgil, and Wordsworth beheld it through 
 a metaphysical mirror which transfigured and glorified the 
 objects of sense. Burns is one of the few poets whose 
 descriptions of nature bear the stamp of truth, and breathe, 
 at the same time, the freshness of Spring.
 
 ROBERT BURNS. 245 
 
 Strangely enough, Glasgow had no monument of Burns 
 until a century had passed from the date of the first publica- 
 tion of his poems. This statue in George Square was 
 erected on the anniversary of his birth in 1877.* It is 
 under the care of the Dennistoun Burns Club, and is 
 by them lovingly decorated on the anniversaries of the 
 great poet's birth. 
 
 We owe it mainly to the efforts of Mr. John Browne, Dr. 
 Hedderwick and ex-Bailie Wilson. Mr. Browne suggested 
 the shilling subscription, which brought in above ^2,000 
 from 400,000 people. Dr. Hedderwick advertised these daily 
 without charge. Ex-Bailie Wilson was a most active member 
 of the committee. They gave the commission to a towns- 
 man, the late George Edwin Ewing, sculptor. After study of 
 the portraits of the poet by Nasmyth and Skirving and some 
 of the statues previously erected he produced a model for 
 this in 1874. But after it was cast the sculptor was not 
 satisfied, and requested further delay that he might give to 
 it some improving touches. It was not, therefore, till 
 October, 1876, that the statue was finally cast in bronze by 
 Messrs. Cox & Son, of Thames Ditton, London. It was 
 put in position and unveiled on the 25th January. The 
 
 * For some time after the erection of the tombstone over his grave in 
 St. Michael's, Dumfries, and before the present inscription was inserted, 
 " ROBERT BURNS " were the only words upon it. During this period, 
 Dr. Rae of Philadelphia, who had been educated in Dumfries, visited his 
 native town. He states that he was at first disappointed that a suitable 
 inscription had been so long delayed, but afterwards, with better dis- 
 cernment, thought further description useless, and pencilled beneath 
 
 " ' Burns ' is enough, but if you want the rest 
 You'll find it stamped on every Scotchman's breast." 
 
 We are grateful that the inscription on our statue is simply " Robert 
 Burns. "
 
 246 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 occasion was appropriately celebrated. In the forenoon the 
 trades and other societies of the city and district assembled 
 on the Green. They formed into procession, and marched 
 through the principal streets to George Square. Here 
 about 30,000 people had assembled. Lord Houghton, that 
 friend of poets and literary men, above all of our own David 
 Gray, unveiled the statue, and then delivered an oration 
 on the genius of Burns. Bailie Wilson, on behalf of the 
 subscribers, requested Lord Provost Bain to accept of the 
 statue on behalf of the city. To this his lordship acceded, 
 in one of the happiest of his many happy speeches. There 
 was also a banquet in the evening in the Crown Halls, 
 Sauchiehall Street, under the presidency of Lord Houghton.
 
 STATUE BY MOSSMAN. ERECTED 2gTH DECEMBER. 1877. 
 
 Ubomas Campbell, 
 
 In the High Street, at the corner of Nicholas Street, there 
 is still standing, with its gable end to the street, an old two 
 storey tenement, No. 215. It has the look of having seen 
 better days and of having lived beyond its time, the solitary 
 representative of a fashion which has passed away, when the 
 houses of the West India merchants were in the Havannah 
 opposite, and of learned professors in the old college further
 
 248 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 down the street. This is pointed out as the place where 
 Thomas Campbell was born 27th July, 1777, just about the 
 time that Robert Burns, then a lad of eighteen, removed to 
 Lochlea, Tarbolton, after his father's death. One could 
 wish, for the credit of our city, that this tenement of historic 
 interest were not so dilapidated. The Edinburgh people, 
 and all the world with them, regret that they allowed the 
 birthplace of Sir Walter Scott to be rubbed out in street 
 improvements. If it had been preserved and properly cared 
 for, what a glory it would have been ! Could not Campbell's 
 birthplace in Glasgow be defended from a similar fate ? It 
 might be secured by the City Improvement and set to better 
 advantage. 
 
 His paternal ancestors hailed from the parish of 
 Kilmichael-Glassary, between Ardrishaig and Inveraray; 
 but the poet's father, following the current of all social 
 tendencies in the west of Scotland, found his way to Glasgow 
 to seek his fortune. 
 
 It is interesting to remember that he was baptised by the 
 celebrated Dr. Reid, then professor of moral philosophy 
 in the old university, in which he was destined to be a 
 student and three times the lord rector. On attaining 
 his eighth year he was sent to the Grammar School, where 
 he became a proficient in Latin and Greek, in which 
 languages he could declaim with fluency. He was a lively, 
 well-favoured boy, of rather a delicate constitution, with 
 beautiful expressive features, and a precocity of intellect 
 which soon arrested the attention of his parents and filled 
 their hearts with hope. The discovery was followed up by 
 early and assiduous cultivation. As in the case of Sir 
 Walter Scott, the ballad poetry of Scotland was familiar to 
 young Campbell long before he could comprehend its 
 meaning, and when at lenpth it came to be understood.
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 249 
 
 the charm was complete. Thus the love of poetry became 
 a part of his very being. 
 
 The master of the Grammar School, Mr. Allison, a 
 teacher of the Ruddiman stamp, soon discovered in this 
 interesting boy the rich quality of the materials he had to 
 work upon, and employed every means to give them a 
 classical turn and polish. The fruit of this cultivation soon 
 began to shew itself. Young Campbell was ambitious to 
 excel, was soon at the head of his class, and became a 
 general favourite with his schoolfellows. The father, who 
 was 67 at the birth of his son, had long since completed his 
 threescore and ten, and it was his pleasure and pride to 
 assist the young genius in all his tasks. "It must have been 
 a picture in itself, of no little beauty and interest, to see the 
 venerable Nestor stooping over the versions and directing 
 the studies of the future Tyrtaeus." Every distinction at 
 school imparted cheerfulness to the family circle, and the 
 dux returned every morning to his class with renewed 
 ardour for knowledge. But close application told on 
 his delicate frame, and he fell seriously ill. Country air 
 was recommended, and he was removed to a cottage on 
 the banks of the Cart, and confided to the care of an 
 aged webster and his wife. Here he was left to run 
 vv-ild among the fields, chasing butterflies, gathering flowers, 
 and gazing on the blue hills that encircle Glasgow to the 
 south. They are often referred to in the poetry of his 
 later days. 
 
 " Ye field-flowers ! the gardens eclipse you, 'tis true, 
 Yet, wildings of nature, I doat upon you. 
 For ye waft me to summers of old, 
 When the earth teemed around me with faery delight, 
 And when daisies and buttercups gladdened my sight, 
 Like treasures of silver and gold." 
 
 Nor was the youthful poet without his adventures. Stone
 
 250 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 battles were at this time among the rough diversions of 
 Glasgow schoolboys. Campbell was led into taking part in 
 an expedition against the boys of Shettleston in the east. 
 He paid dearly for the frolic. His party was vanquished, 
 and he, the youngest of the company and consequently the 
 last in retreat, got so sorely pelted that he could not walk 
 home, and had to be carried to his father's house, now 
 removed to Charlotte Street, near the Green. In future he 
 confined himself to Homer's descriptions of battles, where 
 there were all the sublimity and fire without such risks as 
 he had run from the Shettleston infantry. 
 
 From the Grammar School Campbell went to the old 
 College in the High Street, now the site of the College 
 Station of the North British Railway. His career was a 
 brilliant one. He excelled in making spirited versions 
 from the Greek and Latin poets, and in place of the 
 usual prose essays prescribed in the logic and philosophy 
 classes, he handed in metrical versions which attracted 
 attention. One of these, entitled "An Essay on the 
 Origin of Evil," was printed, and gave him great local 
 celebrity. It was quoted by the professors and discussed 
 by the students over their oysters at Lucky M' Alpine's 
 in the Trongate. Another poem of his, entitled " A 
 Description of the Distribution of Prizes in the Common 
 Hall of the University on the ist May, 1793," brings to 
 mind faded images of College life, such as it was, 50 
 years ago, in the ancient halls occupied by the University 
 for upwards of 400 years previous to its removal to its 
 present site on Gilmorehill in 1870. 
 
 Campbell's essays at the early age of 14, 15, and 16 were 
 wonderful productions both in prose and poetry. His 
 Greek translations from Euripides, Aristophanes, ^schylus, 
 and others, are said to have contained all the freshness and
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 251 
 
 beauty of the original. His version of the " Clouds " of 
 Aristophanes was declared to be the best that had ever 
 been heard in the University. His hymn 
 
 " When Jordan hushed his waters still 
 And silence slept on Zion hill " 
 
 written at the age of 16, when he was studying Hebrew, is 
 one of the finest in the language. 
 
 At an early period of his career he seems to have 
 thought of entering the church. But domestic circum- 
 stances, " res angusta domi" were against him. His father, 
 who -had been formerly prosperous as a merchant, lost his 
 means after the outbreak of the American War of Indepen- 
 dence. Medicine and law were alternately thought of, 
 but surgical operations proved distasteful, and law was far 
 too dry. 
 
 Diligent as he was, he had a part with his fellow-students 
 in some of their peculiar movements outside. The following 
 occurred during his fourth session at college. The scene 
 was the Trongate, where stood two contiguous shops, one 
 an apothecary's, named fife; the other a spirit-dealer's, 
 named Drum. These two tradesmen had long lived on 
 terms of friendship, but very shortly before jealousy in 
 business had somewhat estranged them. More customers 
 were attracted, perhaps, by liquor than by liquorice. A plan 
 was laid by the students, who knew both worthies well, to 
 get them reconciled. The modus operandi took a form 
 which illustrates the practical joking indulged in by students 
 of the past century. In the apothecary's window was a 
 placard, "Ears pierced by A. fife" referring to the operation 
 submitted to by young ladies preparatory to wearing ear- 
 rings; and one fine morning the early frequenters of the 
 Trongate were thunderstruck by the appearance of a long 
 sign-board, stretching from window to window over the
 
 252 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 contiguous shops, with this inscription from "Othello" in 
 flaming characters 
 
 " The spirit-stirring Drum, the ear-piercing Fife." 
 
 A crowd soon filled the street. Messrs. Fife and Drum 
 themselves appeared upon the scene. The laughter ran 
 like wild-fire, and among the crowd young Campbell and 
 two associates were observed enjoying the fun. The 
 partners in trade were enraged, and resolved to secure 
 punishment upon the perpetrators. A grave charge was 
 sent in to the college authorities, Campbell being accused 
 particularly of the "lettering." He and his confederates 
 were menaced with fine and imprisonment. The matter 
 ended in a reprimand. The Fife and the Drum were 
 united. 
 
 At the close of this session, May, 1795, Campbell 
 accepted a tutorship in Mull, which had an excellent effect 
 upon his after life. He set off in company with Finlayson, 
 who by his great merit, or, as some allege, by favour, 
 attained to the high degree of doctor of divinity in the 
 Scottish kirk. This journey abounds in personal interest. 
 There is a narrative in the poet's own words : "I was fain 
 from my father's reduced circumstances to accept for six 
 months of a tutorship in a Highland family, at the furthest 
 end of the Isle of Mull. In this, it is true, my poverty 
 rather than my will consented. I was so little proud of it 
 that in passing through Greenock I purposely omitted to 
 call on my mother's cousin, Mr. Sinclair, a wealthy mer- 
 chant and provost of the town, with a family of handsome 
 daughters, one of whom I married some nine years afterwards. 
 But although I knew that the Sinclairs would have welcomed 
 me hospitably, I did not like to tell my pretty cousins that I 
 was going in that capacity. I well remember spending a 
 long evening with Finlayson on the Greenock quay, sub
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 253 
 
 Dive, for economy's sake ! When night came on we 
 repaired to the little inn where we had bespoken our beds, 
 and there our famine overcame our frugality. Poor dogs ! 
 we had eaten nothing since noon, and were ravenously 
 sharp set. In the course of the evening we had saved the 
 life of a little boy by plunging after him into the water, 
 and we thought it hard that two such heroes should go 
 supperless to bed. So we ordered a dish of beefsteaks. 
 What the landlady chose to call a pound was brought in, 
 set upon the table, and vanished like smoke. Then came 
 in another then a third, together with a tankard of ale, 
 that set us both singing and reciting poetry. I still retain 
 the opinion that life is pleasanter in the real transition 
 than in the retrospect, but still I am bound to regard this 
 part of my recollections of life as very agreeable. I was 
 very poor, but I was gay as a lark and hardy as the 
 Highland heather." 
 
 Finlayson and he crossed next morning to the Cowal 
 shore, and proceeded, knapsack on back, to Inveraray. 
 The wide world contained not two merrier lads. They 
 sang and recited poetry through the long Highland glens. 
 The Highland inns were then very primitive, the bill of 
 fare announcing only herrings, potatoes, and usquebaugh. 
 But the roaring streams and torrents, with the yellow 
 primroses on their banks, the cuckoos calling, and the 
 heathy mountains, covered with bleating sheep, delighted 
 them beyond measure. These feelings of joyous anticipation 
 were considerably damped by experiences of storm and 
 exposure before he reached the house of Sunipal on the 
 Point of Callioch, in Mull, which was to be the scone of his 
 pedagogic labours. With a poet's vicissitude of feeling 
 he proceeds to write the poem entitled, "An Elegy written 
 in Mull."
 
 254 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 " The tempest blackens on the dusky moor, 
 And billows lash the long-resounding shore : ' 
 In pensive mood, I roam the desert ground, 
 And vainly sigh for scenes no longer found." 
 
 The Point of Callioch commands a magnificent prospect 
 of 13 Hebridean islands, among which are Staffa and lona, 
 which he visited with enthusiasm. The sight of the red 
 deer sweeping over the wild moors, and of eagles perching 
 on the rocks, aroused his fancy; but with the instincts of a 
 Glasgow man he at times longed for the kirk steeples and 
 whinstone causeways of the city, as beyond all the eagles 
 and wild deer of the Highlands. The now world-renowned 
 rocks of Staffa and the ruins of lona are graphically 
 described in his letters. He entered Fingal's cave with a 
 peal of bagpipes which "made a most tremendous echo." 
 Mull was the very school for laying in a stock of poetic 
 imagery. Moor, glen, rock, streams, torrents, sky, and sea 
 were ever before his eye, and the sea that lay wide and 
 boundless before him, studded with islands and fretted 
 with frequent storms, made the deepest impression on 
 his mind. All these were afterwards reproduced in his 
 poems, especially in his last, the "Pilgrim of Glencoe." 
 
 At the close of his fifth session he again accepted a 
 tutorship, this time at Downie, near Lochgilphead. Some 
 of the places around it have also been immortalised by his 
 genius. Mull and Downie were the two schools which 
 furnished him with the materials of many life-like pictures, 
 which he afterwards sent forth to the world. His visits to 
 Inveraray, the sweetly-scented road along the border of the 
 loch, Caroline, the belle of the West, the Inveraray Arms, 
 St. Catherine's, Strachur, the various beauties of the loch, 
 the house he inhabited at Downie, its primitive hospitality, 
 the patriarchal suppers, the domestic circle, are all touched
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 255 
 
 on in his letters and described in his poems. Referring to 
 the house of Downie, he says 
 
 " No common sordid shieling cot, 
 The Jacobite white rose festooned the door, 
 The windows sashed and glazed, the oaken floor, 
 The chimney graced with antlers of the deer, 
 The rafters hung with meat for winter cheer." 
 
 Any one who wishes to revive the local associations 
 connected with Campbell may be interested to know that 
 Downie is on the Sound of Jura, within an hour's walk of 
 Crinan Bay, at the western end of the Crinan Canal. It 
 is the spot on which the Dalriad Scots landed from Ireland 
 in the days of yore, and from which they spread out to 
 Dunstaffnage and other parts until this country was named 
 "Scotland." All the places are associated with them. 
 There is one crag with grassy mound and trees behind 
 which was Campbell's favourite resort. The " Poet's Hill," 
 as it is called, commands all the local scenery depicted in his 
 poems, the "Ships at Anchor," the "Mountain Bay," the 
 "Pellochs" (Anglice, "porpoises"), the "Loud Corbrechtan," 
 the " Boatmen's Carol," and " The Precipice of Foam from 
 Mountains Brown." In this lonely farm-house, in a small 
 room with one window, and a recess of sufficient dimensions 
 to contain a bed, at once the class-room, private study, 
 and dormitory of the poet, some of the brilliant episodes of 
 "The Pleasures of Hope" were first brought into shape. 
 The rapturous excitement in which he was sometimes seen 
 by the natives in his lonely walks made them think, as 
 they expressively said, that "he wasna himsel'." 
 
 After leaving Downie, his efforts to establish himself in a 
 profession gave him intense anxiety. Two courses presented 
 themselves, viz., law and literature, and between these he 
 vacillated for a time, his poverty ever seeming the drawback.
 
 256 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Envious critics did not fail to say that he had tried theology, 
 law, and physic, and failed in all. But this was an unfair 
 calumny on a young man of nineteen who was the martyr of 
 circumstances. Still he regarded poverty as being more 
 formidable than it really was. His poverty sent him to 
 the West Highlands, and that proved a help. Poverty 
 caused him to exercise his natural gifts of song and of 
 literature, and in that it was a blessing. If he had 
 been allowed to move peacefully into the Church, he 
 might have been a doctor of divinity, but never lord 
 rector of his native university. If he had managed to 
 get through the law classes, he might possibly have 
 become a lord of session, but never the poet of universal 
 fame. With his ardent, impulsive temperament he could 
 never have been a good doctor, and it is a mercy to the 
 world that he was saved from this by his poverty. 
 
 After spending some time in private tuition at Inveraray, 
 at Cordale, in the Vale of Leven, where he wrote the 
 " Wounded Hussar," and at Glasgow, he repaired to Edin- 
 burgh, where he found a dusky lodging in Rose Street. 
 Amid some desultory work for the booksellers he was 
 enabled to get his "Pleasures of Hope" ready for the 
 press. The copyright, worth in young Campbell's day- 
 dreams an annuity of ^200 for life, was sold out and 
 out for ^60. To the credit of his publishers, however, 
 it must be added that on its subsequent success they gave 
 him for two or three years a present of ^50 on every new 
 edition. 
 
 It was published on the ayth April, 1799, and the author 
 suddenly emerged, like a star, from his obscurity. " Just as 
 the star of Burns had disappeared from the western horizon, 
 that of Campbell rose with prophetic brilliancy in the east." 
 The most powerful stanzas are political, touching on the
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 257 
 
 reigning topics of the day, the partition of Poland, the 
 capture of Warsaw, and the massacre of Polish patriots. 
 
 " Hope, for a season, bade the world farewell, 
 And Freedom shrieked as Kosciusko fell 1 " 
 
 While the political passages are most powerful, those 
 touching on domestic subjects, on female influence, and 
 on married life are the sweetest. For example 
 
 " Lo ! at the couch where infant Beauty sleeps, 
 Her silent watch the mournful mother keeps ; 
 She, while the lovely babe unconscious lies, 
 Smiles on her slumbering child with pensive eyes, 
 And weaves a song of melancholy joy." 
 
 And the following, implying that the bliss of paradise 
 itself was incomplete till the creation of Eve 
 
 " The world was sad ! the garden was a wild I 
 And man, the hermit, sighed, till woman smiled !" 
 
 And the well-known description of the homeless "Wan- 
 derer " 
 
 " And mark the wretch whose wanderings never knew 
 The world's regard, that soothes, though half untrue, 
 Whose erring heart the lash of sorrow bore, 
 But found not pity when it erred no more. 
 Yon friendless man, at whose dejected eye 
 The unfeeling proud one looks and passes by, 
 Condemned on Penury's barren path to roam, 
 Scorned by the world and left without a home. 
 Even he, at evening, should he chance to stray 
 Down by the hamlet's hawthorn-scented way, 
 Where, round the cot's romantic glade, are seen 
 The blossomed bean field and the sloping green, 
 Leans o'er its humble gate and thinks the while 
 Oh ! that for me some home like this would smile, 
 Some hamlet shade to yield my sickly form 
 Health in the breeze and shelter in the storm ! 
 There should my hand no stinted boon assign 
 To wretched hearts with sorrow such as mine ! 
 That generous wish can soothe unpitied care, 
 And Hope half mingles with the poor man's prayer."
 
 258 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Though the poem contains much that is vague, indefinite, 
 and superficial, as may be expected in the work of a 
 young man of twenty-one, it is a wonderful production. 
 I have sometimes wondered, if I were called upon to 
 produce to an intelligent foreigner a hundred lines as a 
 specimen of our best poetry, combining dignity in the 
 subject and felicity of expression, whether I would select 
 them from "The Pleasures of Hope" or from Words- 
 worth's "Excursion." While Wordsworth soars to higher 
 heights and seizes upon phases of experience more subtle 
 and spiritual, yet there is an equable felicity of conception 
 and diction in Campbell that makes me think the best 
 hundred lines for the understanding and appreciation of a 
 foreigner might be selected from him. 
 
 The book brought troops of friends, among them Sir 
 Walter Scott, Professor Dugald Stewart, Henry Mackenzie, 
 author of " The Man of Feeling," Sydney Smith, Brougham, 
 Jeffrey, and others, who were then "cultivating literature 
 on a little oatmeal" in the grey Metropolis of the North. 
 The volume went through four editions in a year, and the 
 proceeds enabled Campbell to undertake a pilgrimage to 
 Germany, and to realise a youthful dream of seeing Schiller 
 and Goethe, and the banks of the Rhine. His fame had 
 preceded him, and his reception at Hamburg, in the first 
 year of this century, was very gratifying. At the time 
 political excitement was at its height. Bavaria had surren- 
 dered several towns to the French, and the upper valley 
 of the Danube was placed under military government. 
 Campbell thus records his impressions of German scenery : 
 "Its general constituents are corn fields, many leagues in 
 extent, and dark tracts of forest, equally extensive. Of this 
 the eye soon becomes tired; but in a few favoured spots 
 there is such a union of wildness, variety, richness, and
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 259 
 
 beauty as cannot be looked upon without lively emotions of 
 pleasure and surprise." During the period of his sojourn 
 the country was alive with contending troops. To the 
 horrors of war which he witnessed there is due one of his 
 finest war odes, beginning 
 
 " On Linden, when the sun was low, 
 All bloodless lay the untrodden snow," 
 
 and ending with the sad requiem 
 
 " Few, few shall part where many meet, 
 The snow shall be their winding sheet. 
 And every turf beneath their feet 
 Shall be a soldier's sepulchre." 
 
 This formed the most important epoch in his life, in point 
 of impressions, too horrible in many cases to relate. 
 
 Among other poems composed on the Continent were 
 " The Exile of Erin," " Ye Mariners of England," and the 
 beautiful " Soldier's Dream." The scene of the latter was 
 the field between Ratisbon and Ingoldstadt, where he 
 witnessed the conflict between the French and Austrians. 
 The harvest was on the ground, the battle had ceased, 
 
 " And thousands had sunk on the ground overpowered. 
 The weary to sleep and the wounded to die." 
 
 An amusing incident occurred to Campbell on his return 
 to Leith. A warrant of "arrest" awaited him on the 
 information of a Hamburg spy ! A search for papers, which 
 resulted in unearthing " Ye Mariners of England," ended in 
 a friendly symposium with the sheriff. 
 
 In the year after his return he published " Hohenlinden " 
 and " Lochiel's Warning," one of the most spirited of his 
 war-ballads. 
 
 " Lochiel, Lochiel, beware of the day 
 When the Lowlands shall meet thee in battle array, 
 For a field of the dead rushes red on my sight, 
 And the clans of Culloden are scattered in flight."
 
 260 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 In September, 1803, he was married to his early lady-love of 
 Greenock, Miss Matilda Sinclair, a beautiful, lively and 
 charming woman. At this time he had nothing but literature 
 to live on, all hope of a professorship or lectureship (the 
 best position he could have filled) having gone. He retired 
 to realise love in a cottage among the furzes of Sydenham, 
 on the outskirts of London. The idyllic picture in his 
 letters is very pretty, the young wife sitting beside him 
 all day at her sewing, he busy at his literary work and 
 experiencing to the full all the hopes and fears that alternately 
 sway the heart of a literary man. 
 
 He resided 17 years at Sydenham, which, in after life, 
 was the scene of his happiest recollections. In 1805 he was 
 much gratified by receiving a pension of ^200 from the 
 king, a sum he enjoyed for nearly 40 years, and one half of 
 which, greatly to his credit, he devoted to his mother and 
 sister. In 1809 was published "Gertrude of Wyoming," in 
 which, though the narrative is obscure and imperfect, quiet 
 pastoral life in America is well depicted. 
 
 " Delightful Wyoming ! beneath thy skies 
 The happy shepherd swains had nought to do 
 But feed their flocks on green declivities, 
 Or skim perchance thy lake with light canoe." 
 
 In 1820 he accepted an offer from Mr. Colburn to edit 
 the New Monthly Magazine, at a salary of ^500 a year. 
 For the next four or five years he wrought assiduously at this 
 editorship and published several poems. The " Last Man," 
 the " Ritter Bann," " Reullura," and " Theodric," the latter 
 a well-told pathetic story, and, though vague, clearer than 
 " Wyoming." 
 
 It is to Campbell that Britain owes the London 
 University. In the establishment of this he was ably 
 seconded by Lord Brougham.
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 261 
 
 In November, 1826, there came the greatest honour of 
 his life, his election to the Lord Rectorship of Glasgow 
 University, a sunburst of popular favour on the part of 
 the students. In April, 1827, he delivered his inaugural 
 address, which was by some regarded as superior to those 
 of Lord Jeffrey, Sir James Macintosh and Lord Brougham, 
 who had preceded him, and to those of Cockburn, Lord 
 Stanley and Peel, who followed him in the office. We 
 cannot say this, but it must be admitted that, in the 
 "Inaugural Addresses by Lord Rectors" (published by 
 David Robertson), it certainly shows to great advantage : 
 " If but to revisit these courts and to look from the 
 windows of this hall suffice to make the surrounding 
 objects teem, to me, with the recollection of ancient 
 friendships and of early associates, how much more deeply 
 must I be touched to find myself surrounded by the 
 countenances of a young and rising generation, by whose 
 favour I have been invited to the spot of my birth, and 
 to this, our venerated University." Many passages were 
 worthy of remembrance. " Of all the dangers to which the 
 juvenile student is exposed, I hold those of over-confi- 
 dence and temerity to be incomparably smaller than those of 
 doubt and distrust" How true is this! The young never 
 know what is in them and are too readily discouraged. 
 
 This on the study of knowledge and the advantages of 
 varied studies : " I cannot believe that any strong mind 
 weakens its strength in any one branch of learning by 
 diverting into cognate studies. On the contrary, I believe 
 that it will return home to the main object, bringing back 
 illustrative treasures from all its excursions into collateral 
 pursuits. A single study is apt to tinge the spirit with a 
 single colour, whilst expansive knowledge irradiates it from 
 many studies with the many coloured hues of thought, till
 
 ro2 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 they kindle by their assemblage and blend and melt into 
 the white light of inspiration. Newton made history 
 and astronomy illustrate each other, and Richter and 
 Dalton brought mathematics to bear upon chemistry, till 
 science may now be said to weigh at once an atom and 
 a planet." 
 
 Some of his predecessors had spoken of the evils of 
 intolerance to religion, more common in that day than ours. 
 These are his words on the subject : " The first gold medal 
 which I propose is for the best English essay on the evils 
 of intolerance towards those who differ from us in religion. 
 I use this circuitous phrase from disliking to couple the 
 epithet ' religious ' with that spirit of intolerance, which, 
 reversing the sublime aim of all religion, bows down the 
 mind from its celestial aspiration to the anxieties of this 
 world, like the Indian tree, which, after bearing its head 
 loftily in the sky, turns down again its branches from the 
 sunshine of heaven to be blended and buried in the dirt of 
 earth." 
 
 In the November following he was re-elected unanimously, 
 and on the occasion 1,400 students crowded the street 
 where he lodged. It was in Great Clyde Street, facing the 
 river, and Campbell in eloquent rapture was exclaiming, 
 " Sooner will this stream cease to flow into the sea than I 
 will forget the honour you have done me," when a country 
 woman, happening to pass, and thinking he was bereft of his 
 senses, cried out, " Puir man ! can his freends no' tak' 
 better care o' him?" In November, 1828, he was re-elected 
 a third time, an honour of which no instance had occurred 
 for a century. 
 
 In 1830 he resigned the editorship of the New Monthly, 
 and some time after took part in the Metropolitan, which 
 did not succeed. His wife died at this time, after a period
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 263 
 
 of mental derangement ; one of his two sons was for several 
 years in a private asylum, and the other died in early life. 
 Campbell retired for a time to St. Leonards, where he wrote 
 an address to the sea, beginning 
 
 " Hail to thy face and odours, glorious sea," 
 
 a poem which he himself considered his best. Here he 
 interested himself deeply in Polish independence, his 
 devotion to which was one of the great passions of his 
 life. He wrote for it, worked for it, sold his literary labour 
 for it, and threw himself heart and soul into the cause of 
 
 " Poland's name name written on his heart." 
 
 In 1834 he paid a second visit to Paris, and, creature of 
 impulse, set out for the " new empire " of Algiers, then 
 much discussed in Parisian circles. He started with 
 the prospect of seeing Mount Atlas rising up from the 
 sands of the desert with its head in the clouds and the 
 other wonders of a land unexplored. His " Letters from 
 the South" embody the incidents of his voyage, and 
 of his residence and excursions among the Arab tribes. 
 His book on Algiers is perhaps the most eloquent piece of 
 writing he ever did. He visited the whole coast of Algiers 
 from Bona to Oran, and penetrated far into the interior, 
 sleeping in Arab tents, hearing the lion roar in his native 
 wilds. He found himself " quite a lion " when he returned 
 to London. 
 
 In 1836, he paid visits to several scenes of his early life, 
 Glasgow, Greenock, Castle Toward, Rothesay, and the 
 Highlands. His lines on "Revisiting a Scottish River" 
 convey a poet's repugnance to smoke and clanking engines 
 
 " I complain 
 
 That thou no more through pastoral streams should'st glide, 
 My Wallace's own stream, and once romantic Clyde ! "
 
 264 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Of Rutherglen, near which at Blairbeth he stayed, he says : 
 " Rutherglen was a place of commerce and shipping six or 
 seven centuries ago and traded with France, while Glasgow 
 was merely the seat of a few clergymen. When the splendid 
 cathedral of Glasgow was built in the twelfth century, the 
 workmen came and brought all their provisions from 
 Rutherglen." The correctness of this statement may well 
 be questioned, for not very long after that date the 
 university was founded in Glasgow, because, as expressly 
 stated, "it was ane guid place for vittals." While in 
 Glasgow he lectured on Poland in the City Hall. At 
 Edinburgh he received a public dinner from the citizens. 
 
 In 1842 was published his "Pilgrim of Glencoe," and in 
 1843 ne went to reside at Boulogne, with the twofold object 
 of furthering the education of a niece whom he had adopted 
 and of benefiting his own health. This was an unfortunate 
 and fatal step. In a feeble state, Campbell was overtaken 
 by a severe winter. His days were numbered. On his 
 deathbed he was attended and cheered by his friend and 
 biographer, Dr. Beattie. On i5th June, 1844, he expired, 
 in the 6yth year of his age. His remains were conveyed 
 to England, and were buried in the Poet's Corner, West- 
 minster Abbey. Men of all political creeds, in every 
 department of government, in all grades of rank and 
 intellect, cordially united to pay respect to the memory of 
 the great poet, patriot, and philanthropist. Among them 
 were the Duke of Argyll, the Prime Minister, Sir Robert 
 Peel, Lord Aberdeen, Lord Macaulay, Lord Brougham, 
 and a guard of Polish nobles, Colonel Szyrma, one of their 
 number, scattering on the coffin a handful of earth from 
 the grave of Kosciusko. 
 
 In reviewing Campbell's works, one dwells most lovingly 
 on " The Pleasures of Hope " and " Gertrude of Wyoming,"
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 265 
 
 and on the fact that few poets have touched the hearts 
 of so many nationalities. He excelled in ballads national, 
 naval, and war ballads several of which, such as the 
 " Battle of the Baltic " and " Ye Mariners of England," are 
 known to every schoolboy. It has been said, not without 
 justice, that his genius took so lofty a position at the first 
 soar that in every successive flight whatever did not surpass 
 was regarded as inferior to his former efforts. He was his 
 own rival, and they who had admired and wept over "The 
 Pleasures of Hope" and "Wyoming" were unmoved by 
 the simple domestic pathos of "Theodric." 
 
 Strangely enough the statue to Campbell was not erected 
 until 1877. That it now stands in the Square is largely 
 owing to the efforts of the late Sheriff Glassford Bell and 
 Bailie Salmon, who acted as chairman of the subscribers. 
 Most appropriately Mr. James A. Campbell, now Dr. 
 Campbell, M.P., was asked to unveil it. On the occasion 
 he said : " It has long been a matter of regret I may even 
 say of reproach that there was no public monument in his 
 native city to Thomas Campbell, the poet of "The Pleasures 
 of Hope." To-day that want is supplied. If our tribute to 
 the poet's memory comes rather late, it comes at a not 
 unfitting time the centenary of the poet's birth. And the 
 delay is not without some advantage. It shows that he 
 whom we wish to honour had a fame that will endure. 
 The years that have elapsed since his death have only 
 confirmed the words of Washington Irving, that ' Still we 
 find his poems, like the stars, shining on with undiminished 
 lustre.' It seems fitting also that a monument to Campbell 
 should stand in this square, so that, with other memorials 
 of public benefactors, whether princes, statesmen, warriors, 
 
 s
 
 266 GEORGE SQUARE, 
 
 men of science, or authors, it may remind the busy crowds 
 who pass to and fro of the honour accorded to those who 
 in any way contribute to the public good ; and may also 
 remind them that in this world in which God has placed us 
 there is for every man a wider range of things than his own 
 individual work or business, and help to nurture within them 
 more exalted aspirations and purer tastes." 
 
 Professor Nichol was asked to propose the vote of thanks 
 to the sculptor, Mr. Mossman, and said that Campbell had 
 few superiors among the poets of the last century and the 
 beginning of this, and that he was the author of one of the 
 three greatest war songs of the modern world "The 
 Marseillaise," "Scots wha hae," and "Ye Mariners of 
 England," and that Mr. Mossman, who had been privileged 
 before to execute the statues of Peel and Livingstone for 
 this open-air Pantheon of Glasgow, had now most successfully 
 prepared the noble effigy of one whose genius shed lustre 
 on our city and our country. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 In regard to Campbell's birthplace, the following letters appeared in the 
 Glasgow Herald of I7th and i8th July, 1891 : 
 
 BIRTHPLACE OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. 
 
 MOFFAT, ibth July, 1891. 
 
 SIR, My attention has been called to the correspondence in your 
 columns in regard to above. I have taken some interest in such matters, 
 and have no hesitation in saying that the Rev. Dr. Macleod stated it 
 correctly in the MS. quoted by Mr. Morrison. The old mansion at the 
 south-west corner of Nicholas and High Streets was the residence of his 
 father at the time, and the poet was born in the parlour. In our early 
 college days there was a Mr. Burnet, a bookseller, opposite the College, 
 who took much interest in these matters, and knew about all the people
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL. 267 
 
 identified with the district. He pointed out this house to others and myself 
 as the birthplace of Campbell As to the statement quoted by " T. L.," if 
 he knows anything of the locality, or will take the trouble to visit it, he will 
 see that it is without value. Campbell's house could not have been cleared 
 away for the opening up of George Street. George Street was opened up 
 in 1772, five years before his birth. Previous to that there were only cots 
 and cabbage gardens in what was called "The Lang Craft." The first 
 bouse built in it was the town residence of John Bogle. It stood alone in 
 the field for years. 
 
 Even supposing the statement quoted by "T. L." had been made by 
 Campbell, it is to be remembered that he had been in London for many 
 years and was in his old age. His recollection of the streets and names in 
 Glasgow was dim. The statement that he was born in a house above the 
 Havannah, pulled down to make way for the road east of the Gallowgate, 
 shows that he was in confusion about it, or that his niece had not correctly 
 understood him The words, however, show that he, with a dim memory 
 of street names, was trying to describe the tenement at the corner of High 
 Street and Nicholas Street, stated as his birthplace by Dr. Macleod, Mr. 
 Burnet, and others. But it was not pulled down as contemplated when 
 Nicholas Street was opened through to George Street. It was left standing 
 and still stands, with its gable end to High Street, in a very rickety and 
 uncared-for condition. The N. B. Railway passes close to it, and every 
 train shakes it. There is a tobacconist shop in the parlour where the poet 
 was born. All our buildings of any historic interest have been swept away. 
 I have often wondered if this could not be patched up a little and preserved. 
 It is to be regretted that the Corporation did not acquire it when they were 
 securing other properties in the district. If left in its present condition it 
 will soon be out of sight, like Scott's birthplace in Edinburgh, and the 
 Blythswood Mansion, the Sillercraigs Land, Donald's Land (where Moore 
 was born), and other interesting Glasgow houses. I am, etc., 
 
 THOMAS SOMERVJLLE. 
 
 i OAKVALE, HILLHEAD, i-jth July, i8gr. 
 
 SIR, The suggestion made by Mr. Somerville in your issue of date, 
 that the house in which the author of "Pleasures of Hope" and "Ye 
 Mariners of England " first saw the light might be " patched up a little and 
 preserved " is one well worthy of support. We have been hitherto as a 
 community far too neglectful in this matter of preserving places of historic 
 association in our city. The cultivation of this spirit would help greatly 
 to remove the impression made on visitors that we are too exclusively
 
 268 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 absorbed in the pursuit of material gain. We are, I believe, as proud of 
 our city having been the birthplace of men of genius, such as Thomas 
 Campbell, as we are of its trade and manufactures, but somehow we do 
 not make this evident to outsiders. What, again, could be more inspiring 
 to coming generations than to have the places associated with such great 
 names, either through birth or residence, indicated in some way, by pre- 
 serving the building, or, where that is not possible, by the simple yet 
 effective means of a memorial plate ? London and Edinburgh have shown 
 us an example in this matter which we ought to emulate. Could an 
 association, with a committee of representative citizens, not be formed to- 
 take this important work in hand? I am, etc., 
 
 WM. MARTIN.
 
 STATUE BY MOSSMAN. ERECTED 
 
 MARCH, 1879. 
 
 2>av>it> Xivtngstone. 
 
 Away on the western coast, between dark Mull and the 
 white sands of lona, is the small island of Ulva, the "Ulva's 
 isle " of Campbell's ballad, "Lord Ullin's Daughter." Here 
 the ancestors of David Livingstone were known to have 
 been settled for at least two centuries. They were all 
 honest, brave, and loyal men. David's great-grandfather 
 was one of the seven hundred who rallied with their
 
 270 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 claymores around the standard of Cameron of Lochiel, and 
 fell at Culloden " fighting for the old line of kings," as the 
 great African traveller has heroically expressed it. His 
 grandfather could recite the records of the family for six 
 generations, and in all their pedigree there was not to be 
 found a stain on the character of a single member of the 
 stock. The Livingstones had another quality a negative 
 virtue: no man belonging to them had ever been heard of 
 " who was a donkey ! " The hero of this sketch, David 
 himself, with that frank manliness so characteristic of him, 
 says: "The only point of the family tradition I feel proud of 
 is this. One of these poor islanders, when he was on his 
 death-bed, called his children round him, and said, ' I have 
 searched diligently through all the traditions of our family, 
 and I never could find that there was a dishonest man 
 amongst our forefathers. If, therefore, any of you should 
 take to dishonest ways, it will not be because it runs in the 
 blood.' " If ever a man remained faithful to the stainless 
 ensign of a brave family, that man was David Livingstone. 
 A more perfect example of a courageous, honest, noble life, 
 whether in touch with the wise and the great of his country, 
 or in sympathetic relationship with the benighted thousands 
 of Africa, there is not to be found. 
 
 David's grandfather, the son of the soldier who died for a 
 lost cause on Culloden's fateful field, finding the small farm 
 in Ulva insufficient for the support of his large family, came, 
 in 1792, to Blantyre, where he obtained a position in the 
 factory of Henry Monteith & Co. 
 
 The long and stubborn war with Napoleon drew away, 
 either for the army or the navy, all the old man's sons 
 except Neil, who, after having served his apprenticeship to 
 David Hunter, a tailor, married his daughter Agnes in 1810. 
 After having spent several years in Glasgow, he returned to
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 271 
 
 Blantyre, where he settled and made a respectable business 
 for himself. In that picturesque Clydeside village David 
 was born on the igth of March, 1813. He was from his 
 earliest years a precocious child fond of fresh air and sun- 
 shine, equally fond of adventure and discovery, and in 
 touch with Nature at all points. Never, in this respect, 
 was Wordsworth's line 
 
 " The child is father to the man," 
 
 more fully exemplified than in this rugged, thoughtful 
 Blantyre bairn. With the struggling family of which David 
 was a young member it was then, in a serious sense, the day 
 of small things, and he was sent to the factory, as a piecer- 
 boy, at the age of ten. Hard work, however, had no terror 
 for him, and in after years he stated that one of the proudest 
 moments of his life was when he laid his first earned half- 
 crown in his mother's lap. With part of next week's 
 wages he bought a copy of Ruddiman's Latin Rudiments, 
 and, pursuing the study of that language with increasing 
 ardour, he had mastered many of the classic authors, in- 
 cluding Virgil and Horace, before he was sixteen. An 
 estimate of the great disadvantages under which he laboured 
 while achieving all this may be gathered from the fact that 
 his work in the factory began at 6 A.M. and was not over 
 till 8 P.M. As soon as he had taken a hasty meal he went 
 to the evening school till 10 o'clock, when he hurried home, 
 and invariably sat till midnight, and very often to a later 
 hour, till his mother put out the candle in protecting care 
 for Davie's health ! It would be difficult to find a better 
 illustration of pluck and perseverance in the pursuit of 
 knowledge. 
 
 The many-sidedness of the boy's character showed itself 
 strongly at an early period of his eventful life. Not satisfied 
 with book-lore alone, he used to scour the country, accom-
 
 272 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 panied by his brothers, in search of treasures in botany and 
 other sciences. Ferns and wild flowers, old-world fossils 
 and carboniferous shells, beetles and bats, were equally 
 welcome to the budding scientist. Through grim necessity 
 these excursions had to be taken, of course, on the Saturday 
 half-holidays, and, on a rare occasion, when a flood on the 
 Clyde stopped the mills an occurrence which, in spite of 
 his thrift, David could not help rejoicing in. In those 
 delightful rambles he made valuable collections of the wild 
 flowers and rare fauna of Lanarkshire, and the shells of its 
 carboniferous limestone. On one of these exploring journeys 
 he came to a limestone quarry. He relates this experience 
 with great gusto, not unmingled with quiet humour, "It is 
 impossible to describe the wonder with which I began to 
 collect the shells in this carboniferous limestone. A quarry- 
 man watched me with the pitying eye with which the 
 benevolent generally look upon the insane. 'How, on 
 earth,' said I, 'did those shells come into those rocks?' 
 'When God made the rocks He made the shells in them !' 
 was the damping reply." 
 
 His method of study inside the factory showed the spirit 
 which was in him. His words bear with them the 
 courage of a true hero : " My reading was carried on by 
 placing the book on a certain portion of the spinning-jenny, 
 so that I could catch sentence after sentence as I passed 
 at my work. I thus kept up a pretty constant study, 
 undisturbed in any way by the roar of machinery. To this 
 I owe the power of completely abstracting my mind, so as 
 to read and write with perfect comfort amidst the play of 
 children, or the dancing and song of savages." 
 
 There is a kind of sustaining comfort for us, however 
 pathetic the fact may be, that no character is without its 
 weak side, and even David Livingstone had his human
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 273 
 
 frailties. Bookworm as he was, he nevertheless, as a boy, 
 was not averse to the jubilant pranks of healthy boyhood, 
 often ducking his comrades heartily as he swam past them 
 in the Clyde. This superabundance of animal spirits was, 
 after all, not a bad prophecy for the future : Emerson says, 
 with fine penetration, that " the nonchalance of a boy who is 
 sure of his dinner is the healthy attitude of humanity." 
 David's connection with another youthful escapade does not 
 show such a clear bill in his favour. He was a skilful fisher. 
 In those days the trout, and all the other fish but the 
 salmon, were unpreserved. One day he caught a fine 
 salmon, but the getting it safely smuggled home was the 
 difficulty. Luckily his brother Charlie had on a pair of 
 ancestral trousers slightly " made-doun," in a leg of which 
 the toothsome monster was smuggled home. Charlie, to 
 keep up the ruse, limped sorely in his slow and risky 
 journey, and evoked much sympathy from the good dames 
 on his way through the village with his swollen leg ! Their 
 worthy father forgave them after a stern admonition to take 
 no more salmon, and the whole family united in eating the 
 prize for supper ! 
 
 At the age of nineteen he was promoted to be a spinner. 
 The work was very heavy, but so much were his wages 
 advanced by the change that, by unceasing application and 
 thrift, he earned as much during the portion of the year he 
 wrought as enabled him to attend the Medical and Greek 
 classes, in the winter, in Glasgow University. Of this experi- 
 ence he spoke gratefully in after years : " Looking back now 
 at that period of toil, I cannot but feel thankful that it 
 formed such a material part of my early education, and, 
 were I to begin life over again, I should like to pass through 
 the same hardy experience." 
 
 In the summer of 1835 he attended the evening class
 
 274 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 and laboratory of Thomas Graham, for chemistry, in the 
 Andersonian University, near the Square. To do this he 
 had, after toilsome labour in the factory, to walk in from 
 Blantyre, eight miles distant, and return at night. Although 
 the teacher was not older than himself, and cold in his 
 manner, yet the instruction received intensified and gave 
 direction to Livingstone's study of science. He was after- 
 wards able for a short period to give up the spinning, and 
 devote himself exclusively to the work of the class. This 
 was to him a precious time. He not only gained the 
 knowledge that was so useful to him in future exploration, 
 but made friendships that strengthened him in toilsome 
 labours, and endured through life. It was a remarkable 
 class. Most of its members went forth from it to distin- 
 guished positions in science and in commerce. Some of 
 them acquired positions of national, and more than national, 
 distinction, and highest of all, this weaver lad. There was 
 the youthful teacher, Thomas Graham, with his foot already 
 on the threshold of fame; there was James Young, the 
 youth from the Calton, afterwards the head of the great 
 paraffin works and the laird of Kelly; there was Lyon 
 Playfair, the son of a merchant in George Square (now the 
 baronet and member of Parliament), the rival of Graham 
 himself in some departments of science, and widely known 
 for his excellent influence upon social life and legislation 
 for the mercantile, mining, and manufacturing classes ; and 
 there was Livingstone. Young, with a somewhat cool and 
 cynical temperament, formed a strong and almost peculiar 
 attachment to Graham and to Livingstone. He became 
 Graham's assistant in the Andersonian, moved with him to 
 London in the same capacity, and went with him to 
 the mint when Graham was appointed Master of the Mint ; 
 and it was very much by Graham's suggestion and advice
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 275 
 
 that he betook himself to the manufacture of paraffin, 
 by which he shed light into many homes and gained 
 a princely fortune. When Graham died, Young erected 
 in George Square the statue to his memory. With 
 the same tenacity he held to Livingstone. All the world 
 knows how generously he gave to the fund that was raised 
 in public for Livingstone's second and third expeditions, but 
 few know how entirely Young's purse was at the command 
 of Livingstone through all his travels. In fact, but for this 
 they could not have been accomplished. Young gave to 
 Livingstone a free hand in drawing upon him, and any 
 monetary promise of his given to Portuguese trader or Arab 
 slave dealer, written upon an old bit of leather or piece of 
 bark, was duly honoured by Young. He did not join much 
 in the plaudits given by the multitude to his friend, but he 
 aided him in life in the best way he could ; and it is to him 
 we owe this statue of the African traveller in George Square. 
 His own statue should stand alongside of those of Graham 
 and Livingstone. He stood by his friends in life and they 
 should not be divided in death. 
 
 At this period great pains were taken by Livingstone's 
 parents to instil the doctrines of Christianity into his mind. 
 He had for his father a filial regard, and for his mother a 
 passionate love almost amounting to worship. She was 
 a delicate, charming little woman, with a marvellous flow of 
 exhilarating, healthy spirit, and remarkable for the beauty 
 of her eyes, to which those of David himself had a strong 
 resemblance. Her abounding love had never a chill or 
 cloud on it, but poured on its objects freely, like the life- 
 giving light of the sun. David, in many ways, consciously 
 or not, followed this noble little woman ; and it was the 
 genial, gentle influence received by him under her 
 training in the dear old Blantyre home that gave him the
 
 276 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 magic power to move the hearts of the savages in the dark 
 regions of Central Africa. David, as a dutiful son, paid, as 
 a rule, loyal obedience to his parents, but he resolutely 
 preferred, at this period of his life, to read books of travel 
 or science to such as Baxter's " Saint's Rest," or Boston's 
 "Fourfold State" found then in every pious home. He 
 frankly admits, that on this one point, his difference of 
 opinion with his well-meaning but austere father reached 
 open rebellion. This dislike to religious literature continued 
 for some years, but having alighted " God ruled the happy 
 chance" on Dick's "Philosophy of a Future State," his 
 eyes were opened, and he then saw that religion and science 
 were harmonious parts in the great unity of truth. It was 
 at this time that he found God's guerdon-jewel to the 
 seeking soul, the truth that maketh free. His words 
 concerning this change are memorable, and have in them 
 all the loyalty which so well becomes a true soldier of 
 the King : "I saw the duty and inestimable privilege 
 immediately to accept salvation by Christ. Humbly 
 believing that through sovereign mercy and grace I have 
 been enabled so to do, and having felt in some measure its 
 effects on my still depraved and deceitful heart, it is my 
 desire to show my attachment to the cause of Him who died 
 for me, by devoting my life to His service." 
 
 Just at this time a missionary society was established in 
 the village, and David became acquainted with the lives of 
 Henry Martyn and other noble pioneers of Christianity in 
 foreign lands. He had at first resolved to give to foreign 
 missions all his means beyond what was necessary for his 
 sustenance and studies, but the blessed enthusiasm so grew 
 upon him that he ultimately determined to devote all his 
 energies and his life to this noble work. He forwarded 
 his application to the London Missionary Society. In due
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 277 
 
 course it was accepted, and he was summoned to London. 
 Thence, after having successfully passed his prelimi 
 nary examination, he was sent to the vicarage of Ongar, 
 in Essex, where the Rev. Mr. Cecil had other missionary 
 students for theological training. After remaining there for 
 some time he took the usual course in the London 
 hospitals. 
 
 Livingstone had resolved to go to China, and was for this 
 end preparing himself. An event now occurred that changed 
 his destination. One evening, that veteran in the missionary 
 cause, Dr. Moffat, called at Mrs. Sewall's, in Aldersgate 
 Street, where Livingstone and other young missionaries 
 boarded. David, who had heard the great missionary's 
 stirring addresses in Exeter Hall, became fascinated with 
 the man on the occasion of his visit, and ere he had left the 
 house, told him freely of the wishes of his heart. He then 
 asked him whether he thought he might go to Africa. 
 " Yes," was the reply, " if you won't go to an old station, 
 but push on to the vast unoccupied district to the north, 
 where, on a clear morning I have seen the smoke of a 
 thousand villages, and where no missionary has ever been." 
 It was this counsel that fixed the eventful future of David's 
 noble life. He was appointed to South Africa, but before 
 setting out he sat for his medical diploma in Glasgow 
 University in November, 1840. On the evening of the last 
 day of the examination, he walked out to Blantyre. There 
 he proposed to sit up all night, as he had to leave for 
 London early in the morning, but his mother, in her 
 solicitude for his personal comfort, would not hear of this. 
 He and his father and how often in after years must have 
 David remembered that night ! sat together and talked till 
 midnight on the prospects of Christian missions, and of the 
 yet unrevealed future on which the eager youth was about to
 
 278 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 enter. The whole family arose early next morning, and 
 were ready to sit down together to breakfast at five o'clock. 
 " Mother made coffee," his sister wrote in after years, "and 
 David read the i2ist and 13 5th psalms, and prayed." We 
 can imagine the comforting effect on that little company in 
 the humble Blantyre home, as, in that solemn hour of his 
 life David read aloud, with firm faith, if with emotion, that 
 glorious psalm in which the Christian lifts up his soul to 
 that God from Whom cometh his aid, ending with the 
 sustaining promise 
 
 " Henceforth thy going out and in 
 God keep for ever will. " 
 
 After the farewells were over, the two, father and son, walked 
 to Glasgow to get the Liverpool steamer. On the Broomie- 
 law they parted in the dim light of that November day, 
 and never on earth met again. He sailed for Algoa Bay 
 on 8th December, 1840. On his arrival there he started 
 at once, in an ox-waggon, for Dr. Moffat's station at 
 Kuruman, seven hundred miles up the country. When 
 he arrived at Kuruman he found that, as yet, he had no 
 instructions from his directors, and was thus, for the time 
 being, left with a free hand. He began to practise as a 
 doctor, as a means of reaching the hearts of the natives, 
 his other immediate aim being to learn the language in 
 order to communicate the unsearchable riches of Christ. 
 His medical skill was praised far and near, so greatly that 
 he soon got the reputation of being a wizard, and people 
 came in crowds to him, some from a distance of over a 
 hundred miles. Soon he was able, so assiduous was he in 
 his studies, to translate into Sechuana verse half-a-dozen 
 of our finest hymns, including " There is a fountain filled 
 with blood" and "Jesus shall reign where'er the sun." 
 After having practised here and in the surrounding district
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 279 
 
 two years, he started forth with a resolute spirit to found his 
 first station far away in the north, in advance of any point 
 yet visited by a messenger of the Cross. This was in the 
 beautiful valley of Mabosta. Arriving there, he built his 
 house with his own hands, and commenced his mission work 
 amongst the natives. Here he remained three years. It 
 was while in this place that he had his memorable encounter 
 with the lion. Eleven of the animal's teeth penetrated the 
 upper part of the arm, and the bone was crunched into 
 splinters. This wound had a pathetic interest in after 
 days, as it was by the false joint in the crushed arm that 
 his body was identified, when brought by his faithful 
 followers, in 1874, over thousands of miles on land and sea 
 from the dark heart of Africa to England's shores. 
 
 There occurred, in the autumn of 1844, an important 
 event in Livingstone's life, one which he describes in 
 quaint language, not without humour : " After nearly four 
 years of African life as a bachelor, I screwed up courage to 
 put a question beneath one of the fruit trees, the result of 
 which was that I became united in marriage to Dr. Moffat's 
 eldest daughter, Mary. Having been born in the country, 
 and being an expert in household matters, she was always 
 the best spoke in the wheel at home ; and when I took her, 
 on two occasions, to Lake Nyassa, and beyond, she endured 
 more than some who have written large books of travels." 
 In their home the young couple went vigorously to work, 
 Mrs. Livingstone in her infant school, and her husband with 
 all the varied agencies, medical, educational, and pastoral, 
 which his active and enthusiastic spirit could bring to bear 
 upon the people. Unfortunately, their peace of mind was 
 soon to be disturbed by a painful collision between them 
 and the missionary who had taken part in rearing the 
 station. The latter was wholly to be blamed, and he lived
 
 280 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 to see his error. Rather, however, than have the unseemly 
 display of those who professed the gospel of peace in open 
 rupture before the natives, Livingstone resolved to sacrifice 
 home, garden, school, dear associations all, and go forth 
 with his young bride to seek for, and build up, a new station ; 
 and he bravely stuck to his colours. Parting, however, with 
 his trim garden seemed to cost him a pang. " I like my 
 garden," he wrote, "but Paradise will make amends for all 
 our sorrows and privations here." He removed, and settled 
 amongst the Bakwains, forty miles further north. Here he 
 remained two years, and then removed to Kolobeng, the 
 whole of the tribe following their missionary in loyal 
 affection. 
 
 With the help of, and in the company of, two Englishmen 
 of independent means (Mr. Oswell and Mr. Murray), who 
 were in Africa for travel and wild sport, Livingstone now 
 undertook a journey of great importance to Lake Ngami, 
 whose waters had never yet been seen by a white man. 
 
 Kolobeng may be said to have been the only permanent 
 home Dr. Livingstone and his devoted wife ever had. 
 During these years several of their children were born, and 
 it was the only considerable period of their lives when both 
 were together and had their children about them. Looking 
 back long years afterwards on this period, on which his 
 memory and his affection ever lingered, he wrote the 
 suggestive words : " I often ponder over my missionary 
 career among the Bakwains, and, though conscious of many 
 imperfections, not a single pang of regret arises in the view 
 of my conduct, except that I did not feel it my duty, while 
 spending all my energy in teaching the heathen, to devote a 
 special portion of my time to play with and interest my 
 children. Generally I was so much exhausted with the 
 mental and manual labour of the day that in the evening
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 281 
 
 there was no fun left in me. I did not play with my little 
 ones when I had them, and they soon sprang up in my 
 absences and left me with the sad consciousness that I had 
 none to play with." This surely shows, with a touching 
 pathos, the depth of parental affection in Livingstone's 
 self-sacrificing and warm heart. 
 
 In April, 1851, he, accompanied by his family and Mr. 
 Oswell, set out with the intention of sojourning amongst the 
 Makololo for a period. He succeeded, and reached the 
 Chobe, a tributary of the Zambesi, and, in the end of June, 
 discovered the Zambesi itself at the town of Seskeke. 
 Leaving this place on the i3th August, the party reached 
 Capetown in April, 1852, Livingstone having then finished 
 the first period of his career in Africa, the period in which 
 the work of missionary had unquestionably the greatest 
 prominence. Henceforth he was to appear more in the 
 character of an explorer. It must never, however, be 
 forgotten that he through all his life regarded himself as a 
 pioneer missionary, whose work was to open the way for 
 others to follow ; and he never, till the hour of his lonely 
 death, neglected an opportunity of proclaiming the saving 
 power of the sacrifice of Christ for the children of men. 
 
 On the 23rd April, 1852, Mrs. Livingstone and their four 
 children sailed for England in order that, with all available 
 advantages, their education should be carefully proceeded 
 with. It may be assumed that he parted from them with a 
 heavy heart, but, with his usual self-denial, he was willing to 
 subordinate all his personal comfort for the interests of 
 those he loved so well. 
 
 Immediately after he saw his family safely oft", he started 
 again for the country of the Makololo, and on 23rd May he 
 was received in royal style by Sekeletu the chief, and by 
 all the tribes under the tatter's control. Ascending the 
 
 T
 
 282 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Zambesi, he resolved to attempt the discovery of a route to 
 the interior of Africa from either the east or the west coast. 
 To accompany Livingstone on this hazardous expedition 
 twenty-seven men were selected from the various tribes under 
 Sekeletu, partly to open up a trade route between their own 
 country and the coast. The expedition set out on nth 
 November, 1853. On 4th April the Congo was crossed, 
 and on 3ist May the town of Loanda was entered, 
 much to the joy of the expedition Livingstone, however, 
 being nearly dead with fever. From Loanda he sent his 
 astronomical observations to Sir George Maclean, the 
 Astronomer-Royal, then at the Cape. At a meeting subse- 
 quently held at Capetown, the Governor, Sir George 
 Grey, the Colonial Secretary, the Bishop of Capetown, 
 and many others united in extolling the traveller's character 
 and work. The Astronomer-Royal, in bearing testimony 
 to Livingstone's astronomical observations, said he never 
 knew a man who, with scarcely any previous knowledge 
 of the methods of making geographical observations or 
 laying down positions, became so soon an adept in 
 laying down positions with scientific accuracy. He had 
 done work which had completely stamped his impress on 
 South Africa, and which was altogether unprecedented. 
 Livingstone, when he arrived at Loanda, also sent an 
 account of his journey across Africa to the Royal Geo- 
 graphical Society in London. This learned body, in May, 
 1855, awarded him, for his discoveries, its gold medal, the 
 highest honour which was in its power to give. 
 
 At Loanda Livingstone came to the conclusion that the 
 route to the West Coast, through which he and his followers 
 had travelled with so much difficulty, was not suitable for 
 his purpose, namely, the suppression of the vile slave 
 trade and the introduction to Central Africa of Christianity
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 283 
 
 and civilising commerce. In addition to the length and 
 the perils of the route, the opposing Portuguese influence 
 was too strong along its line. He, therefore, bravely decided 
 to turn eastwards, and go right across the continent of 
 Africa to the mouth of the Zambesi on the other side. 
 With quite a little army of carriers and camp-followers he 
 left Linyanti on 8th November, 1855, and a fortnight after- 
 wards he made the great discovery with which his name, in 
 the popular imagination, is more intimately associated than 
 with anything else he did, the famous "Victoria Falls" of 
 the Zambesi. These falls were like another Niagara, but 
 grander and more awe-inspiring in every respect. " Right 
 across the channel of the river was a deep fissure only 
 eighty feet wide, into which the whole volume of water, 
 1800 yards broad, tumbled to a depth of 320 feet, the fissure 
 being continued in zig-zag form for thirty miles, so that the 
 stream had to change its course from right to left, and from 
 left to right, and went through the hills boiling and roaring, 
 sending up columns of steam, formed by the compression of 
 the water falling into its narrow wedge-shaped receptacle." 
 Such was the marvellous scene which suddenly came upon 
 the wonder-stricken traveller as the greatest revelation in 
 the physical world in all his extraordinary experience. 
 Livingstone had already formed a correct idea of Africa as 
 a great hollow or basin-shaped plateau, surrounded by a 
 ring of mountains. As may well be imagined, the results of 
 these wonderful discoveries quite overturned our precon- 
 ceived notions of the geography of Central Africa. The 
 map had henceforth to be reconstructed according to 
 Livingstone's measurements and drawings, and what was 
 formerly represented by blank stretches of sand was now 
 illumined by mountains, forests, rivers, and mighty lakes. 
 After an absence of sixteen years, Livingstone arrived in
 
 284 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 England in December, 1856, and was received with un- 
 bounded enthusiasm. On the i5th of that month a special 
 convocation of the Royal Geographical Society was held in 
 his honour. His life-long friend, the president of that 
 learned body, Sir Roderick Murchison, took the chair on 
 the auspicious occasion, and referred with pride to the 
 achievements of their fellow-countryman in the interests of 
 humanity and science. His winged words were indeed 
 a noble, yet deserved tribute to Livingstone : " He had 
 determined, by astronomical observations, the site of 
 numerous hills, rivers, lakes, and native towns not previously 
 known. He had seized every opportunity of describing the 
 physical structure, geology, and climatology of the countries 
 traversed, and making known their natural products and 
 capabilities. He had ascertained by experience, what had 
 only been conjectured previously, that the interior of Africa 
 was a plateau intersected by various lakes and rivers, the 
 waters of which escaped to the eastern and western oceans 
 by deep rents in the flanking hills. Great though these 
 achievements were, the most honourable of all Livingstone's 
 acts had yet to be mentioned, the fidelity that kept his promise 
 to the natives, who, having accompanied him to St. Paul de 
 Loanda, were safely re-conducted by him from that city to their 
 own homes" 
 
 When Sir Roderick, in the midst of the great enthusiasm 
 of this learned assembly, amongst whom were many of the 
 leading savants of Europe, put the Society's gold medal into 
 the great traveller's hands, Livingstone's reply was character- 
 istic of the man. He modestly said that he had only done 
 his duty as a Christian missionary in opening up a portion of 
 that dark continent, to clear the way for the elevating power 
 of Christianity. With a genuine unconsciousness of his 
 own heroism, he seemed to think that he had as yet done
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 285 
 
 Jiittle. He also expressed his resolution never to cease his 
 labours till he had done all in his power to abolish that 
 most hellish traffic on earth, the slave trade, and to help, 
 as God permitted him, to open up Africa to the civilising 
 influences of Christianity and commerce. 
 
 There is one little picture of this period which had more 
 value to Livingstone than all these congratulatory banquets. 
 As soon as he could free himself from the outstretched 
 arms of his admiring country, he went down with eager 
 heart to the dear old home to see his mother, his 
 children, and other relatives. His father's vacant chair 
 touched him deeply. One of his sisters, with humble yet 
 graphic pen, describes the pathetic and memorable scene. 
 " The first evening he asked all about his illness and death. 
 One of us remarking that after he knew he was dying his 
 spirits seemed to rise, David burst into tears. At family 
 worship that evening he said with deep feeling, ' We bless 
 Thee, O Lord, for our parents. We give Thee thanks for 
 the dead who have died in the Lord. 5 " 
 
 Everywhere over the length and 'breadth of the country 
 scientific societies and cities vied with Royalty itself in doing 
 Livingstone honour. By special command he was honoured 
 with an interview with Prince Consort, and, later on, with 
 the Queen herself. He was not trained to court ways, so 
 the modest hero went to Windsor Castle without ceremony, 
 in his black coat and blue trousers, and his consul's cap, 
 surrounded with a strip of gold lace. He was presented 
 with the freedom of the City of London, and afterwards he 
 was received by the University of Glasgow, the Corporation, 
 the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, and the United 
 Cotton Spinners of Scotland. A testimonial, amounting to 
 ^2,000, was raised by public subscription and presented to 
 him in Glasgow, along with the freedom of the city.
 
 286 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 Livingstone, amidst all these fetes, was anxious to be 
 back again at the work to which he had given himself, 
 and he left England in March, 1858, and entered on an 
 expedition which lasted, without break, for six years. He 
 relates the story of this enterprise in his " Narrative of an 
 Expedition to the Zambesi and its Tributaries." During 
 this adventurous journey Livingstone and his party passed 
 through unparalleled hardships and dangers, but, as a 
 result, the travellers thoroughly explored the Zambesi 
 and its tributary, the Shire", and discovered the two great 
 lakes of Shirwa and Nyassa. Before entering on this 
 expedition he severed his connection with the London 
 Missionary Society, with whom, however, he ever remained 
 on the best of terms. His official appointment on leaving 
 England was, " Her Majesty's Consul at Kilimane for 
 the Eastern Coast and the Independent States of the 
 interior, and Commander of the Expedition for explor- 
 ing Eastern and Central Africa." In connection with this 
 expedition he spent the most of 1859 in the exploration 
 of Lake Nyassa, which he had discovered in September, 
 1858. In January, 1861, Bishop Mackenzie and a party of 
 missionaries arrived from London to establish a station on 
 the Upper Shire. Livingstone received the party with the 
 utmost cordiality and showed them countless kindnesses, 
 reminding one of the generous hospitality of the old patri- 
 archal days. He guided them safely through the country 
 and left them not till he saw them comfortably settled in the 
 Highlands of Magomero. On their way there they met 
 several bands of slaves, whom they set at liberty. While 
 engaged in the exploration of the country around Nyassa it 
 was Livingstone's frequent custom to allow his boat to sail 
 slowly up the lake, while he took observations and made 
 scientific calculations on shore. From what he then saw
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 287 
 
 among the natives of the vilest iniquity and cruelty, he 
 became more than ever resolved to do everything in his 
 power to rouse the civilised world to put down for ever 
 that "blot on God's earth" the slave trade. 
 
 After having finished his exploration of Lake Nyassa, 
 he worked his way eastwards, and on 3oth January, 1862, 
 arrived at the mouth of the Zambesi, where he met his 
 wife and other members of the mission. With these were 
 the loose sections of the steamer "Lady Nyassa," a river 
 boat which Livingstone had ordered to be constructed at 
 his own expense. Here he received the sad tidings of the 
 death of Bishop Mackenzie. He spent the next two years 
 in taking geographical and scientific observations in the 
 large and hitherto unknown region watered by the Zambesi 
 and its tributaries, and returned to England in July, 1864, 
 thus completing, after six years of incessant research and 
 discovery, his second great geographical journey. 
 
 His return to his native land the first time in 1856, 
 after an absence of sixteen years, had been clouded by a 
 great sorrow the death of his father during his absence. 
 His return on this the second occasion, in 1864, was 
 saddened by the loss of his beloved wife, which had 
 taken place at Shupanga two years before. He never got 
 over her loss. How often he reverts to that lone grave 
 on the shores of Lake Bangweolo. On the 25th June, 
 1868, he visited that sacred spot, and pathetically enters 
 this note in his journal : " This is the sort of grave I 
 should prefer; to be in the still, still forest, and no 
 hand ever to disturb my bones; but I have nothing to 
 do but wait till He who is over all decides where I have 
 to lay me down and die. Poor Mary lies on Shupanga 
 brae, ' and beeks foment the sun.' " 
 
 After being in England for about a year Livingstone set
 
 288 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 out on his third, and what proved to be his last, great 
 African journey. The object of this journey can be best 
 stated in his own words, which he prefixes to his book 
 describing the Zambesi expedition: "Our Government have 
 supported the proposal of the Royal Geographical Society 
 made by my friend, Sir Roderick Murchison, and have 
 united with that body to aid me in another attempt to open 
 Africa to civilising influences, and a valued private friend 
 (James Young of Kelly) has given ^1,000 for the same 
 object. I propose to go inland, north of the territory which 
 the Portuguese in Europe claim, and endeavour to commence 
 that system on the east which has been so eminently 
 successful on the west coast, a system combining the 
 repressive efforts of Her Majesty's cruisers with lawful trade 
 and Christian missions, the moral and material results of 
 which have been so gratifying. I hope to ascend the 
 Rovuma, or some other river north of Cape Delgado, and, 
 in addition to my other work, shall strive, by passing along 
 the northern end of Lake Nyassa, and round the southern 
 end of Tanganyika, to ascertain the watershed of that part 
 of Africa." 
 
 It must be confessed that in this expedition Livingstone 
 was not very liberally treated. Although the Government 
 bestowed on him the nominal rank of Consul to Central 
 Africa, they declined to give him a salary or to contribute 
 at the outset more than ^500 to the cost of an expedition 
 which was destined to be a blessing to tens of thousands, 
 and bring honour to the British name. Livingstone, 
 nevertheless, in his heroic and unselfish way, resolved to 
 go on with his task. The Geographical Society contributed 
 another ^500, and the remainder of the necessary funds 
 was subscribed by private friends, Mr. James Young of 
 Kelly giving ^"1,000 as his contribution. At a later period,
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 289 
 
 when public interest in the explorer's fate seemed to warrant 
 the expenditure, the Government added the sum of ^1,000. 
 
 The enterprise which Livingstone had undertaken was 
 great, and few men would have entered upon it without 
 shrinking. Forward, however, he went, with brave heart, 
 and not without strong hope as to the final success of his 
 efforts, though it should be long after he himself had been 
 laid to rest. He had a sincere trust that " the great open 
 sore of the world," as he called slavery, would under God's 
 providence, be greatly healed by his own labour. He had 
 firm hope that others would follow him with Christianising 
 agencies and means of developing commerce on honourable 
 principles after he had effectually opened up the way and 
 laid down practicable routes to the interior of the great dark 
 continent. These were the marching orders which the great 
 Christian missionary had voluntarily imposed upon himself 
 when he left his native land, never, as it turned out, to 
 return till he should be borne back again with triumphal 
 honours, and laid to rest in England's proud Pantheon, 
 amid poets, statesmen, and kings. 
 
 For two long years after Livingstone penetrated again 
 into the darkness there was an unbroken, some thought an 
 ominous, silence. Neither voice nor message came to speak 
 of where he was, or whether he lived. At last tidings came 
 from him giving a specific description of the water system 
 of the Lualaba, in the mountain region of Tanganyika. To 
 ascertain whether this water system flowed to the Congo or 
 the Nile occupied the rest of his life, much of his time 
 being occupied in futile efforts to discover those " foun- 
 tains " of' the Nile of which Herodotus speaks with such 
 picturesque power. During this period the great traveller 
 experienced trials and personal hardships and sufferings, the 
 like of which in all his past struggles, even at their worst, he
 
 290 GEORGE SQUARE, 
 
 had never felt before. He was shamefully abandoned by 
 his men, and thereafter attacked by savages, barely escaping 
 with his life. The entries in his " Last Journals " are at this 
 time full of touching sadness : 
 
 " Jill January ', 1869. Cannot walk ; pneumonia of the 
 right lung; distressing weakness. Ideas flow through the 
 mind with great rapidity and vividness, in groups of 
 twos and threes; if I look at any piece of wood the 
 bark seems covered over with figures and faces of men, 
 and they remain, though I look away and turn to the 
 same spot again. I saw myself lying dead on the way to 
 Ujiji, and all the letters I expected there useless. When I 
 think of my children and friends, the lines ring through my 
 head perpetually : 
 
 " ' I shall look into your faces, 
 
 And listen to what you say, 
 And be often, often with you 
 When you think I'm far away. ' " 
 
 Though frequently so weak that he could neither speak 
 nor walk, having to be carried by his men, still his 
 indomitable will carried him through. On he went bravely 
 with his discoveries, gathering knowledge that would in 
 after days be of priceless value. With characteristic 
 mindfulness he named each new river or lake after some 
 great or good man who had been the slave's friend. An 
 extract from one of his despatches to the Foreign Office 
 finely shows the man : " I have tried to honour the name of 
 the good Lord Palmerston, in fond remembrance of his long 
 and unwearied labours for the abolition of the slave trade, 
 and I have named one of the sources Palmerston Fountain. 
 I also venture to place the name of the good and noble 
 Lincoln on the Lake, in gratitude to him who gave freedom 
 to four million slaves. These two great men are no longer
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 291 
 
 with us ; but it pleases me, here in the wilds, to place, as it 
 were, my poor little garland of love on their tombs." 
 
 Livingstone was now reduced to the direst straits. 
 Through deliberate robbery all his supplies were syste- 
 matically intercepted on their way from Zanzibar, and not 
 one letter of twelve sent ever reached him. His goods 
 were stolen from his camp ; he was robbed of his medicine 
 chest; heavy floods frequently stopped his march and 
 destroyed his stores; and, lastly, to put a grim, crowning 
 disaster to his troubles, most of his followers deserted him, 
 only Chuma and Susi, his two faithful native adherents, 
 remaining loyal to him in the midst of all this distress. 
 Little wonder, with this dark outlook, that the heart of the 
 lonely, forsaken traveller became sad, and hope burned low. 
 But, in the midst of this gloom, Heaven was preparing 
 a dawn for him, though he knew it not. This was in 
 October, 1871, the date at which Stanley reached that 
 spot in Central Africa where Livingstone was sitting almost 
 without food and nearly giving up hope. Everyone knows 
 of the dramatic nature of that meeting, and of Stanley's cool, 
 matter-of-fact greeting " Dr. Livingstone, I presume ? " 
 Livingstone himself says of this meeting : " When my 
 spirits were at their lowest ebb the Good Samaritan was 
 close at hand, for one morning Susi came running at the 
 top of his speed, and gasped out, ' An Englishman ! I see 
 him ! ' and off he darted to meet him. The American flag 
 at the head of a caravan told of the nationality of the 
 stranger. Bales of goods, baths of tin, large kettles, tents, 
 etc., made one think ' This must be some luxurious traveller, 
 and not one at his wits' end like me ! ' It was Henry 
 Moreland Stanley, the travelling correspondent of the New 
 York Herald, sent by James Gordon Bennett, at an expense 
 of more than ^4,000, to obtain accurate information of me,
 
 292 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 if living, and, if dead, to bring home my bones. The news 
 he had to tell me, who had been two full years without any 
 tidings from Europe, made my whole frame thrill. I was 
 much gratified with the proof that Her Majesty's Govern- 
 ment had not forgotten me in voting ^1000 for supplies ; 
 and many other points of interest revived emotions that had 
 long lain dormant. Appetite returned, and instead of a 
 spare, tasteless two meals a day, I ate four times daily, and 
 in a week began to feel strong." 
 
 Stanley would have liked to have seen Livingstone go 
 home to recruit, and then return to Africa to finish his 
 great work ; but the sturdy American's stronger feeling was, 
 that all Livingstone's friends would like him to make a 
 complete work of the exploration of the sources of the Nile 
 before he retired. Even his daughter Agnes wrote, " Much 
 as I wish you to come home, I would rather that you 
 finished your work to your own satisfaction than return 
 merely to gratify me." On reading this Livingstone, with 
 pardonable pride, exclaimed, " Rightly and nobly said, my 
 darling Nannie. Vanity whispers loudly, ' She is a chip of 
 the old block.' My blessing on her and all the rest ! " 
 
 The time at last came round for Stanley to say " Good- 
 bye," after having spent four months with his great and 
 gifted host. Stanley says of that last memorable morning 
 they spent together : " We had a sad breakfast together. 
 I could not eat, my heart was too full; neither did my 
 companion seem to have an appetite. We found some- 
 thing to do to keep us together longer. At 8 A.M. I 
 was not gone, and I had thought to have been off at 5. 
 We walked side by side ; the men lifted up their voices in 
 a song. I took long looks at him, to impress his features 
 on my memory. At last I said, ' Now, my dear Doctor, the 
 best of friends must part. You have come far enough ; let
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 293 
 
 me beg of you to turn back.' 'Well,' said Livingstone, 'I 
 will say this to you ; you have done what few men could do 
 far better than some great travellers I know. And I am 
 grateful to you for what you have done for me. God guide 
 you* safe home, and bless you, my friend!' I answered, 'And 
 may God bring you back safe to us all, my dear friend! 
 Farewell!' He solemnly but heartily answered, 'Farewell!'" 
 
 At last the end came, and the weary traveller, footsore 
 and sick at heart, laid himself down to die. On his last 
 birth-day he had written in his Journal " Thanks to the 
 Almighty Preserver of men for sparing me thus far on the 
 journey of life. Can I hope for ultimate success? So 
 many obstacles have arisen ! Let not Satan prevail over 
 me, oh ! my good Lord Jesus ! " Dysentery, from which 
 he had frequently suffered, attacked him, and on nearing 
 Lake Bangweolo he got so ill that he had to be carried in a 
 litter. The final entry in his Journal was on the zgth 
 April, 1873 " Knocked up quite. We are on the banks 
 of the Mobilomo." 
 
 The closing scene is described with much pathetic force 
 by Mr. Waller, in his supplementary passages to the " Last 
 Journals " : 
 
 " It must have been 4 A.M. when Susi heard Majwara's 
 step once more. 'Come to Buana (the Master); I am 
 afraid ; I don't know if he is alive ! : Passing inside, the 
 men looked towards the bed. Dr. Livingstone was not 
 lying on it, but appeared to be engaged in prayer, and they 
 instinctively drew backwards for the instant. Pointing to 
 him, Majwara said, ' When I lay down he was just as he 
 is now, and it is because I find he does not move that I 
 fear he is dead.' A candle, stuck by its own wax to the 
 top of a box, shed a light sufficient for them to see his 
 form. Dr. Livingstone was kneeling by the side of his
 
 294 GEORGE SQUARE. 
 
 bed, his body stretched forward, his head buried in his 
 hands upon the pillow. For a minute they watched him ; 
 he did not stir there was no sign of breathing. Then one 
 of them, Matthew, advanced softly to him and placed his 
 hands to his cheeks. Livingstone was dead ! " % 
 
 His faithful men buried him for a brief space under a 
 Mvula tree, till such time as they should be able to take 
 his body to Zanzibar, from thence to be taken to England. 
 
 His devoted African "boys," with loving and faithful 
 hearts, brought him over the seas, and rendered his body 
 back into the sacred keeping of his admiring country. He 
 was buried in Westminster Abbey amongst poets, states- 
 men, warriors, and kings, the noblest of our dead. His 
 chaste and truthful epitaph well describes the man, the 
 hero, and the Christian : 
 
 BROUGHT BY FAITHFUL HANDS 
 OVER LAND AND SEA, 
 
 HERE RESTS 
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE, 
 MISSIONARY, TRAVELLER, PHILANTHROPIST. 
 
 BORN MARCH 19, 1813, 
 AT BLANTYRE, LANARKSHIRE. 
 
 DIED MAY 4, 1873, 
 
 AT CHITAMBO'S VILLAGE, ILALA. 
 
 FOR THIRTY YEARS HIS LIFE WAS SPENT IN AN 
 
 UNWEARIED EFFORT TO EVANGELIZE THE NATIV12 RACES, 
 
 TO EXPLORE THE UNDISCOVERED SECRETS, 
 AND ABOLISH THE DESOLATING SLAVE TRADE OF 
 
 CENTRAL AFRICA, 
 
 WHERE, WITH HIS LAST WORDS, HE WROTE: 
 "ALL I CAN SAY IN MY SOLITUDE IS, ' MAY HEAVEN'S 
 BLESSING COME DOWN ON EVERY ONE- 
 AMERICAN, ENGLISH, OR TURK 
 
 .VHO WILL HELP TO HEAL THIS OPEN SORE OF THE WORLD.'"
 
 DAVID LIVINGSTONE. 295 
 
 The feelings of a mourning nation were well expressed at 
 the time of his death by an exquisite poem in Punch. All 
 our schoolboys might with profit commit it to memory, 
 particularly the last two verses: 
 
 " Drop half-mast colours, bow, bareheaded crowds, 
 
 As this plain coffin o'er the ship is slung, 
 To pass by woods of masts and ratlined shrouds, 
 As erst by Afric's trunks, liana-hung. 
 
 " "Pis the last mile of many thousands trod 
 
 With failing strength but never-failing will, 
 By the worn frame, now at its rest with God, 
 That never rested from its fight with ill. 
 
 " He knew not that the trumpet he had blown 
 
 Out of the darkness of that dismal land, 
 Had reached and roused an army of its own, 
 To strike the chains from the slave's fettered hand. 
 
 " Open the Abbey doors and bear him in 
 
 To sleep with kings and statesmen, chief and sage. 
 The missionary come of weaver-kin, 
 
 But great by work that brooks no lower wage. 
 
 " He needs no epitaph to guard a name 
 
 Which men shall prize while worthy work is known 
 He lived and died for good be that his fame : 
 Let marble crumble : this is LIVING STONE."
 
 Architect DAVID V. WYLI.IE, 95 Bath St. Contractor MATTHEW HENDKKSON, 4 Grant St. 
 
 ZLbe Jast*Ent> imbibition. 
 
 For a long time it has been felt by many that there was 
 lacking in the East End some place where the people could 
 meet together inexpensively, and spend their leisure hours 
 in listening to good music, looking at pictures, and 
 examining works of art. The International Exhibition of 
 1888 had left the memory of happy days and bright 
 evenings, so that the want was realised all the more keenly. 
 To Mr. Wm. M'Intosh is due the credit of having made the 
 suggestion and taken the preliminary steps which resulted 
 in the East-End Exhibition. He was successful in gaining 
 ihe ear of Bailie M'Lennan, who most liberally backed the
 
 EAST -END EXHIBITION. 297 
 
 proposal from the very beginning. Mr. David Fortune, 
 who had experience in earlier efforts of this kind in the 
 city, was appealed to, and consented to give his aid. The 
 influence of these was most valuable in securing other 
 allies. Dr. Mather, Dr. Sutherland, Mr. Duncan Stewart, 
 Mr. James Macfarlane, Rev. Mr. Somerville, and others, 
 closely identified with the district, were consulted, and 
 favoured the undertaking. The first meeting was held 
 in the old Reformatory buildings, Duke Street, on 22nd 
 March. Bailie M'Lennan took the chair, and there 
 were present ex-Bailie M'Laren, Councillor Brechin, Dr. 
 Mather, Dr. J. F. Sutherland, Dr. W. L. Muir, Rev. 
 T. Somerville, Messrs. D. Fortune, Alex. A. E. Downie, 
 George A. Laird, Archibald Wilson, P. Gray, J. Kelly, 
 George Robertson, James Gladstone, W. Berry, Robert 
 Campbell, Andrew Little, Wm. J. M'Intosh, Wm. Nicol, 
 J. Willock. This company has frequently been styled 
 "The Old Brigade" of the undertaking. Some of these 
 were unable to continue active service, but many others 
 joined at a later stage who took a large share of the work. 
 A small provisional committee was appointed, and a public 
 meeting held in the Mechanics' Hall, Bridgeton, on the gth 
 May, 1890. Bailie M'Lennan took the chair, and announced 
 that he was prepared to give ^"500 to the guarantee fund. 
 Mr. Duncan Stewart stated his willingness to give ^500, 
 and moved that the recommendations of the Provisional 
 Committee be adopted. This was seconded by Mr. 
 Somerville, and agreed to. Ex-Bailie Macfarlane moved 
 that the Provisional Committee be now the Executive 
 Committee, to add to their number, raise a guarantee fund, 
 and promote the Exhibition scheme. This was seconded 
 by Dr. Nelson, and also agreed to. It was further agreed 
 that the guarantee fund should be ^5,000. In August 
 
 u
 
 298 EAST -END EXHIBITION. 
 
 the Treasurer, Mr. Alexander A. E. Downie, was able to 
 report that this guarantee fund had reached ,5,994, nearly 
 "1,000 over the amount originally aimed at. 
 
 So much encouraged were the committee that it was 
 decided to increase the guarantee fund to 10,000, to give 
 others the opportunity of assisting and to extend the 
 interest in the undertaking, and this ultimately rose to 
 nearly "18,000. 
 
 Several sites for the Exhibition were considered, but 
 finally the old Reformatory buildings, Duke Street, were 
 fixed upon. Messrs. Faill, to whom they belonged, agreed 
 to give their use. The rent paid was 460 ; the taxes, 
 etc., 70. 
 
 On the 1 8th September the guarantors formed themselves 
 into a company, registered by the Board of Trade, to proceed 
 with the work of the Exhibition, " the surplus derived from 
 the same to be devoted to a movement or institution for 
 the recreation and social and intellectual improvement of 
 the inhabitants of the East End of Glasgow." 
 
 Mr. Henry W. Pearson, who had been manager of the 
 Liverpool Exhibition, was appointed manager. His 
 experience and his energy proved to be of the greatest 
 value; his uprightness and his courtesy were marked and 
 appreciated by all with whom he came in contact. The 
 various committees were also appointed at this time. It 
 was decided to cover in the vacant space at the back of the 
 main building, so as to form a grand concert hall and stall 
 avenues. Estimates were received, and the contract of 
 Mr. Matthew Henderson was accepted. The amount paid 
 to him was 5,380, and at the close the erections were 
 taken over by Messrs. Faill for 1,350. So expeditiously 
 was the work proceeded with that it was finished, and its 
 spacious chambers filled, before the 23rd December.
 
 EAST -END EXHIBITION. 299 
 
 On that date it was opened by the Marquis of Lothian, 
 Secretary for Scotland. At noon the Lord Provost Muir 
 and Mrs. Muir, with the magistrates in their robes of 
 office, received the Marquis in the Municipal Buildings. 
 Carriages were in waiting to convey the company to the 
 Exhibition. Arrived at the entrance, Bailie M'Lennan, as 
 President, accompanied by the members of the Executive 
 Committee, received the Marquis, presented him with a 
 silver key, and expressed the hope that he would retain it 
 as a souvenir of the interesting occasion. The procession 
 then advanced to the iron doorway, which the Marquis 
 opened with the key he had received. Reaching the 
 buildings, they entered the Art gallery, where luncheon was 
 partaken of. The chair was occupied by the President, 
 and Messrs. Fortune and Downie acted as croupiers. 
 
 For more than an hour before the time fixed for opening, 
 the large hall, seated for about 3,000, was completely filled. 
 This interval was occupied with an inaugural concert, given 
 by the members of the Bridgeton Choral Union and the 
 London Military Band. The Lord Provost took the chair, 
 supported by the Earl of Home, the Very Rev. Principal 
 Caird, Sir Charles Tennant, Sir James Bain, Sir William 
 Collins, Sir J. N. Cuthbertson, Sir William M'Onie, Sir 
 William Arrol, Sir Michael Connal, Sir Andrew Maclean, 
 Major General Annesley, Colonel Dennistoun, the Members 
 of Parliament for the city, and many of our leading citizens. 
 
 Prayer was offered up by the Rev. Mr. Somerville of 
 Blackfriars. 
 
 After an account of the origin and aims of the Exhibition 
 by Mr. Fortune, Lord Lothian said: "The aim of the 
 promoters, as they had just now heard, had been of a three- 
 fold character. First of all, the desire to give to our skilled 
 artisans a fitting opportunity for the display of those works
 
 300 EAST -END EXHIBITION. 
 
 which had contributed so largely to our industrial and 
 manufacturing supremacy. Their second object was to 
 provide a healthful means of recreation and educational 
 stimulus, which would brighten and better the condition of 
 the people. And their third object was to secure the nucleus 
 of a fund to establish a permanent institute for the moral 
 and social improvement of the classes. He was glad that 
 they had been so successful in securing contributions, from 
 the Queen on the throne to the children of the public 
 schools. He had just come from the Art gallery, which was 
 a credit to the enterprise of the committee, and to the 
 generosity of those who had sent precious works." 
 
 Lord Lothian then gave a short address on the value of 
 these exhibitions, and concluded by expressing the hope 
 that it would prove a pleasure to all engaged in it, and 
 provide something better for the future. 
 
 The opening ceremony was an augury of the prosperity 
 that attended the Exhibition all through. On that day 
 there was an attendance of 5,000, and that was more than 
 sustained during all the four months it was open. 
 
 Before the opening of the Exhibition the whole space 
 available for exhibits had been taken up. Indeed the 
 directors had to increase their charges for commercial 
 exhibits. These were of the most varied and interesting 
 character. There were many from our local engineers and 
 manufacturers, and others from Persia and Syria. They 
 were of all sorts and sizes, from the Woodside electrical 
 apparatus to the shilling microscope and the sixpenny 
 potato scraper. There were specimens of improved kinds 
 of food, clothing, and liquids. The exhibit of the Co- 
 operative Society occupied one side of an avenue. 
 
 Science was represented by a unique collection of precious 
 stones and minerals contributed by D. Corse Glen, Esq.
 
 EAST -END EXHIBITION. 301 
 
 When opened, it was manifest that contributions to the 
 loan sections had come in as freely as the subscriptions to 
 the guarantee fund. On the walls of the Art gallery were 
 treasures from many of the best collectors in the city and 
 district. The Women's Industry department was filled with 
 the finest specimens of the useful and the beautiful, and 
 the Artisan sections had things curious, ingenious and 
 valuable. In one room a mimic fleet displayed on land the 
 varied powers of sail and screw for speed at sea, and in 
 another were the most recent triumphs of the modern 
 press in printing and pictures. 
 
 The largest attendance was on 2nd Jan. (21,608), the 
 first day after the charge was reduced from a shilling to 
 sixpence. 'The total attendance from December 23rd till 
 April 2ist was 747,873, an average per day of 7,260. 
 
 This large attendance was sustained very much by the 
 judicious arrangements of the Musical Committee. From 
 the beginning they acted on the principle that the best and 
 most expensive music would be the most economical, that 
 it would give most pleasure, do the most good, and be the 
 most attractive. The music was a strong feature of the 
 Exhibition. The hall, which was the same size as our City 
 Hall, was well filled every evening, and frequently the 
 numbers were so large that many could not find entrance. 
 
 In the hall there was an excellent organ by Mr. Eustace 
 Ingram of London, on which recitals were given every day 
 by many of our best-known organists. It was delightful in 
 the afternoons to see the large number of people who 
 gathered there in the stillness to listen to the strains of 
 Mozart, Mendelssohn, and the other great composers. 
 There was always some distinguished band in the evening. 
 The performances were occasionally interspersed with 
 interesting solos and pieces by elocutionists. Occasionally
 
 302 EAST- END EXHIBITION. 
 
 there were other attractions as the Masonic evening, when 
 "Rob Roy" was enacted, and the special evenings by 
 various choirs. Not the least attractive and successful were 
 the entertainments by the children of some of our schools. 
 " Kinderspiels," took place on the Saturday afternoons 
 during the last two months; they were of the most varied 
 character, and manifested the wonderful results of careful 
 drill. Music, drama and gymnastic drill were all charmingly 
 combined in the performances of the young people. 
 
 In addition to what was thus provided by the committee, 
 there were in other parts attractions of varied character, 
 from the Edison's Phonograph to Wilmot's Canadian 
 Switchback, which was a source of pleasure to the young 
 and a signal success. 
 
 The receipts amounted to over ^21,000, and the expen- 
 diture to over ;i 8,000: leaving a surplus of ^3,000 or 
 thereby. v 
 
 After a run of above four months' duration, the Exhibition 
 was formally closed on 2ist April, 1891. This duty was 
 most graciously discharged by the Earl of Aberdeen. He 
 arrived at the buildings at one o'clock, accompanied by Sir 
 James Carmichael and Professor Drummond, whose guest 
 he was. They were received by the members of the 
 Executive, and luncheon was served in the Picture Gallery. 
 In the absence of Lord Provost Muir, who was in London, 
 the chair was occupied by Bailie M'Lennan. The croupiers 
 were ex-Bailie Macfarlane and Mr. David Fortune. After 
 luncheon Lord Aberdeen and party were conducted through 
 the Exhibition, and at three o'clock they entered the grand 
 hall, which was crowded by a brilliant audience. His 
 Lordship congratulated those who had been identified with 
 it on the conspicuous success which had attended their 
 efforts, and said the objects of the Exhibition were threefold.
 
 EAST -END EXHIBITION. 303 
 
 They were to exemplify the application of science and art to 
 industry in the fullest sense. In the next place, to provide 
 means of improvement and enjoyment for the people. And 
 lastly, it was hoped that the result of the Exhibition would 
 be to provide the nucleus of a more permanent building, 
 such as a People's Palace. It was gratifying that these 
 objects had been in a great measure fulfilled. The 
 Exhibition in its conception and accomplishments contained 
 a lesson and conveyed a message. The lesson was one of 
 management that the provision of rational opportunities of 
 improvement and instruction for the people were appreciated 
 by them. The message was to the working classes one of 
 respectful goodwill and confidence in all its aims. In 
 closing, he said the word " Good-bye " was not a happy or 
 cheerful word; but, fortunately, in this case it was not 
 " Good-bye," but only " au revoir." It was confidently 
 expected that this was not the end but the beginning of a 
 movement that would result in a People's Palace that would 
 contribute to the welfare and happiness of the people of 
 Glasgow. 
 
 A thanksgiving service was also held in the Grand Hall 
 on the evening of Sunday, i2th April. The musical part 
 was conducted by Mr. George Taggart. The Rev. Thomas 
 Somerville, M.A., minister of Blackfriars, was the preacher. 
 He chose his text from Gen. iv. 9, and at the close said : 
 " The Exhibition, begun in fear and continued in anxiety, 
 was now about to close in prosperity. The whole work had 
 proceeded without hurt or hindrance : neither fire nor storm 
 had seized upon it. There had been no voice of alarm or 
 cry of destruction in their midst. Their labours had been 
 crowned with success, and they were met that evening, in 
 all humility and gladness, to render thanksgiving to 
 Almighty God. They were thankful for what it had been
 
 304 EAST- END EXHIBITION. 
 
 in itself. To many the darkness of a Scottish winter had 
 been brightened by it. Knowledge had been enlarged 
 by the contemplation of much that was beautiful and 
 valuable, and they had all been brought nearer to each 
 other, and made to realise their common brotherhood. 
 They were thankful, too, for the promise of the future. 
 The Exhibition was undertaken with the view of a 
 permanent People's Palace. He knew not what form this 
 palace of the future would assume, nor when it might be 
 realised : but a hope had been implanted which they all 
 cherished. This building might be dismantled, and its 
 collections scattered far and wide, but it had been the 
 prophecy of something better in the future, and to many the 
 symbol of that other beautiful palace, not made with hands, 
 eternal in the heavens, where all was light and life and joy 
 and peace. They would close it with grateful memories of 
 the generosity of many who sent in contributions from their 
 valuable treasures, of the ingenuity and industry of others 
 who brought to it the works of their own hands ; with the 
 memories of merchants and manufacturers at home, and of 
 those strangers from afar who helped to fill its beautiful 
 chambers ; with memories of bright pictures and of rich 
 music, memories of unbroken harmony and prevailing 
 eoodwilL" 
 
 AIRD AND COGH1LL, PRINTERS, GLASGOW.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below 
 
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