I am "Beattie is so caressed, and invited, and treated, and liked, and flattered by the great, that I can see nothing of him. in great hope that he will be well provided for, and then we will live upon him at the Marischal College, without pity or modesty. "1 left the town without taking leave of me, and is gone in deep dudgeon to Is not this very childish? Where is now my legacy? 2 "I hope your dear lady and her dear baby are both well. I shall see them too when I come; and I have that opinion of your choice, as to suspect that when I have seen Mrs. Boswell, I shall be less willing to go away. I am, dear Sir, your affectionate humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." "Write to me as soon as you can. Oxford." Chambers is now at I again wrote to him, informing him that the court of session rose on the 12th of August, hoping to see him before that time, and expressing, perhaps in too extravagant terms, my admiration of him, and my expectation of pleasure from our intended tour. "I shall set out from London on Friday the 6th of this month, and purpose not to loiter much by the way. Which day I shall be at Edinburgh, I cannot exactly tell. I suppose I must drive to an inn, and send a porter to find you. “I am afraid Beattie will not be at his college soon enough for us, and I shall be sorry to miss him; but there is no staying for the concurrence of all conveniences. We will do as well as we can. I am, Sir, your most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." 1 2 Both these blanks must be filled with Langton.-Croker. "DEAR SIR, "Not being at Mr. Thrale's when your letter came, I had written the enclosed paper and sealed it; bringing it hither for a frank, I found yours. If any thing could repress my ardour, it would be such a letter as yours. To disappoint a friend is unpleasing; and he that forms expectations like yours, must be disappointed. Think only, when you see me, that you see a man who loves you, and is proud and glad that you love him. I am, Sir, your most affectionate, "SAM. JOHNSON." "DEAR SIR, TO THE SAME. 66 'Newcastle, Aug. 11, 1773. "I came hither last night, and hope, but do not absolutely promise to be in Edinburgh on Saturday. Beattie will not come so soon. I am, Sir, your most humble servant, "My compliments to your lady." "SAM. JOHNSON. TO THE SAME. "Mr. Johnson sends his compliments to Mr. Boswell, being just arrived at Boyd's. 'Saturday night." His stay in Scotland was from the 18th of August, on which day he arrived, till the 22nd of November, when he set out on his return to London; and I believe ninety-four days were never passed by any man in a more vigorous exertion. He came by the way of Berwick-upon-Tweed to Edinburgh, where he remained a few days, and then went by St. Andrew's, Aberdeen, Inverness, and Fort Augustus, to the Hebrides, to visit which was the principal object he had in view. He visited the isles of Sky, Rasay, Coll, Mull, Inchkenneth, and Icolmkill. He travelled through Argyleshire by Inverary, and from thence by Lochlomond and Dumbarton to Glasgow, then by Loudon to Auchinleck in Ayrshire, the seat of my family, and then by Hamilton, back to Edinburgh, where he again spent some time. He thus saw the four universities of Scotland, its three principal cities, and as much of the Highland and insular life as was sufficient for his philosophical contemplation. I had the pleasure of accompanying him during the whole of his journey. He was respectfully entertained by the great, the learned, and the elegant, wherever he went; nor was he less delighted with the hospitality which he experienced in humbler life.' His various adventures, and the force and vivacity of his mind, as exercised during this peregrination, upon innumerable topics, have been faithfully, and to the best of my abilities, displayed in my "Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides," to which, as the public has been pleased to honour it by a very extensive circulation, I beg leave to refer, as to a separate and remarkable portion of his life," which may be there seen in detail, and which exhibits as striking a view of his powers in conversation, as his works do of his excellence in writing. Nor can I deny to myself the very flattering gratification of inserting here the character which my friend Mr. Courtenay has been pleased to give of that work: "With Reynolds' pencil, vivid, bold, and true, 1 He was long remembered amongst the lower orders of Hebrideans by the title of the Sassenach More, the big Englishman.-Walter Scott. 2 The author was not a small gainer by this extraordinary journey, for Dr. Johnson thus writes to Mrs. Thrale, Nov. 3, 1773:-"Boswell will praise my resolution and perseverance, and I shall in return celebrate his good-humour and perpetual cheerfulness. He has better faculties than I had imagined: more justness of discernment, and more fecundity of images. It is very convenient to travel with him, for there is no house where he is not received with kindness and respect." Thrale Correspondence, vol. i., p. 198.-Malone. The master rises by the pupil's hand : And Samuel sings, 'The king shall have his ain' During his stay at Edinburgh, after his return from the Hebrides, he was at great pains to obtain information concerning Scotland; and it will appear from his subsequent letters, that he was not less solicitous for intelligence on this subject after his return to London. "DEAR SIR, TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ. "Nov. 27, 1773. "I came home last night, without any incommodity, danger, or weariness, and am ready to begin a new journey. I shall go to Oxford on Monday. I know Mrs. Boswell wished me well to go; her wishes have not been disappointed. Mrs. Williams has received Sir A.'s3 letter. The celebrated Flora Macdonald. See Boswell's Tour.-Courtenay. 2 In this he showed a very acute penetration. My wife paid him the most assiduous and respectful attention while he was our guest; so that I wonder how he discovered her wishing for his departure. The truth is, that his irregular hours and uncouth habits, such as turning the candles with their heads downwards, when they did not burn bright enough, and letting the wax drop upon the carpet, could not but be disagreeable to a lady. Besides, she had not that high admiration of him which was felt by most of those who knew him; and, what was very natural to a female mind, she thought he had too much influence over her husband. She once, in a little warmth, made, with more point than justice, this remark upon that subject:-"I have seen many a bear led by a man; but I never before saw a man led by a bear." Sir Alexander Gordon, one of the professors at Aberdeen. “Make my compliments to all those to whom my compliments may be welcome. 66 Let the box' be sent as soon as it can, and let me know when to expect it. 66 2 'Enquire, if you can, the order of the Clans: first; Maclean second; further I cannot go. Webster. I am, Sir, yours affectionately, Macdonald is Quicken Dr. "SAM. JOHNSON." MR. BOSWELL TO DR. JOHNSON. 'Edinburgh, Dec. 2, 1773. "You shall have what information I can procure as to the order of the clans. A gentleman of the name of Grant tells me that there is no settled order among them; and he says that the Macdonalds were not placed upon the right of the army at Culloden; the Stuarts were. I shall, however, examine witnesses of every name that I can find here. Dr. Webster shall be quickened too. I like your little memorandums; they are symptoms of your being in earnest with your book of northern travels. "Your box shall be sent next week by sea. You will find in it some pieces of the broom-bush which you saw growing on the old castle of Auchinleck. The wood has a curious appearance 1 This was a box containing a number of curious things which he had picked up in Scotland, particularly some horn-spoons. The Macdonalds always laid claim to be placed on the right of the whole clans, and those of that tribe assign the breach of this order at Culloden as one cause of the loss of the day. The Macdonalds, placed on the left wing, refused to charge, and positively left the field unassailed and unbroken. Lord George Murray in vain endeavoured to urge them on by saying, that their behaviour would make the left the right, and that he himself would take the name of Macdonald. On this subject there are some curious notices, in a very interesting journal written by one of the seven men of Moidart, as they were called-Macdonalds of the Clanronald sept, who were the first who declared for the prince at his landing in their chief's country. It is in the Lockhart papers, vol. ii., p. 510.-Walter Scott. The Rev. Dr. Alexander Webster, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, a man of distinguished abilities, who had promised him information concerning the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. |