My winter complaint seems to have set in early this season; but, by means of one of those notched trees in the wilderness, which I have found of use among my reminiscences, as a kind of indexes, to point out the state of my health at any particular period, I am reminded, that I was in such condition, in that respect, towards the middle of October, (I think it was about the 8th or 9th,) as to be able, one afternoon, to accompany a friend, on a little pedestrian excursion, to the top of Pinkerton hill, and some of the adjoining heights in the neighbourhood; and I must say, that, upon arriving at the ulterior points of our destination, after having called at the little domicile of my old acquaintance, ALEXANDER Doughty, and obtaining his readily granted services, as a guide, in our perambulations among the mountains, we found, that in the richness and variety of natural scenery, which our different views presented, associated as the neighbourhood of these regions must ever be, with traditional and memorable historical recollections,-all our labours and toils, in climbing, were more than compensated for.* By the time our Martinmas fair, which takes place towards the end of November, had, however, come round, I appear bar with the dismal intelligence, for I met him in our entry, as he had just come off the Mail, as I was going to church at the usual hour, 11 o'clock. *My friend who accompanied me, was very much pleased, and agreeably entertained by the delightful prospects, we found in every direction opening upon our vision, and as for myself, who had so seldom of late been gratified by such sights-and whose unremitting attention to the important concerns, in which I had been so long involved, during these harassing and protracted" Latter Struggles," had left me so little leisure, for even an afternoon's retirement from the busy scenes of life, to such "loop holes of retreat" as these sequestered regions, including Old Saunder's lonely hut, afforded,-through which,-as one might have said, in the language of Cowper : "Tis pleasant To peep at such a world; to see the stir To hear the roar she sends through all her gates It may readily be supposed, that I would feel both exhilarated and gratified on the occasion, especially as, in addition to our out of door employment, I had the opportunity in doors, before we left the hill, of overhauling or inspecting some of the books of our attentive and kind host's library, which, although, huddled together in rather a promiscuous manner, and in what I should have considered rather a reeky neuk, or recess, (for such invaluable treasures) near the fire-side, I soon found, comprised authorities, which, as I have since told the proprietor, would not have disgraced the collection of his minister !-and which, together with his strong natural powers, justly accounts for that superior intelligence, (for one in his situation,) which, that humble individual, is so well known to possess. to have had notice of the approach of my late usual winter visitant. But I must have rallied again, or got some respite by the end of the year; for, certain circumstances serve to remind me, that, on the evening of the 31st of December, I was able to resume, and go about, a long established practice may say, indeed, from the time I first commenced business, down to that date; when health and other matters permitted-viz., the settling of current accounts, with my brother merchants, and other traders, at the end of the year; and in which, I had in some instances, to pay out, and in others to get in, balances, but in no case to any very considerable amount. CHAPTER XLII.-1830. One subject of gratulation, on being able to resume my new year's walk, to a limited extent, this year.-Sundry reminiscences connected with, that still well remembered walk-Tribute to a dutiful son in humble life.-May be held out as an example worth imitating. Another reminiscence, attended by certain mournful recollections.-Early employment on the morning of the 2d of January.-Pleasant walk on Old Hansel Monday. Have a crack with an early customer, and very old acquaintance.-A kind friend, has his wish at last. Happy theme of my new Retrospect.-Another bitter sip from my cup.A double flower springs up in my path.-Reported conversation, with the Reverend Dr Chalmers.-The subject my Popular Philosophy.-A friend's remark. Have occasion to be in Edinburgh and Leith upon business-Go forward to see some friends in the west.-A pilgrimage to Inverkeithing.That I had not in my time undertaken another pilgrimage, a matter of regret.Tribute to the memory of Hervey.-Find on my return that during my short ab. sence, I had lost another old and much esteemed friend.-Employed this Summer in certain important researches.-Correspondence with a celebrated literary veteran.-Publish my New General and Comprehensive Shop Bill-One great misfortune of the aged.-Death of a very old friend and customer-Attend his funeral to a country church-yard.-New duties to perform to the living, on my way home. Reminiscence of the breaking up of an old concern formerly alluded to. A pleasant recollection, to be succeeded by another less so. -A stirring time with us.-Make preparations for beginning A NEW SET OF BOOKS. -In the midst of our greatest throng, deprived by indisposition of my best help. THERE was one matter that must have done something to excite my gratulations, or, rather, my gratitude to the bounti ful Giver of all good, during my rather shortened walk, on new-year's day, this year; viz., the comparative peace of mind I now enjoyed, in regard to "the stranger in America” -I mean him of my own household, for whose welfare I had been rather desponding; or, to speak truly, whose death I contemplated as almost certain, at the same time of the year, a twelvemonth ago,-but, of which suspense I had been happily relieved, by having repeatedly heard from him, in course of the year that had now passed. This was a happy consideration, and contributed, among others, to buoy up my spirits, during that pleasant, and still well remembered walk; and as I had been thinking of writing him soon, at any rate, I thought I could not send him a more acceptable new-year's gift, than to let him know, as expeditiously as possible, the share he had in my cogitations, on the first day of the new year, that had just dawned upon us; which I concluded, would go far to comfort and console, this stranger among strangers, in a strange land,-by convincing him that, although absent from us in body, he was still present in spirit,-as these lines must shew him, if ever they reach his eyes, that he STILL lived in our affections, at the time these thoughts were committed to paper. I said, "still well remembered walk;" and it is amazing, and can only be accounted for, from the unfrequency of my indulging in such pleasing excursions, how fresh the incidents, that occurred on that walk, and at its termination, are still in my memory. I recollect calling, as I returned, on the worthy old gardener, (Peter Purves,) then residing in the new-house, and was much gratified to learn, that things were in a train with his landlord, to secure him a habitation and locality, still in our neighbourhood,—and where, there was a probability, at least, of his spending his latter days, in the society, and under the notice, of his dutiful son. * * The conduct of this young man WILLIAM PURVES, may, in this respect, be held out as an example to some of the youths of the present day, who are but too apt to forget or overlook their obligations to the aged authors under Providnce of their being, in the prosecution and indulgence of their own wayward fancies. Not recollecting, or not willing to recollect, that they, who acted the part of their guardians and supporters, during the tender and helpless years of infancy, have some natural claims upon them, for a reciprocal turn of good offices, when Upon my arrival at home from that walk, I have still a pretty distinct recollection of the lady and gentleman, who were in waiting and who, communicated to me, another piece of pleasing intelligence,—although the recollection of that circumstance, at the present moment, is not unattended with a melancholy association. My resolutions are seldom long formed, until they are carried into execution; and as it was, besides necessary, that no time should be lost, in order to catch the packet, and Saturday, particularly at such a season, was likely to be a throng day with us, I find, that I was at work so early, as betwixt the hours of four and five, on the 2d of January,—which happened, at this time, to be on that day of the week,-in committing my thoughts to paper, in order to be in readiness for the first opportunity, of getting them conveyed, across the Atlantic. After this, it would appear, however, that I had had, a relapse of my trouble, although, by the 18th, I had again become so far convalescent, as to be able to take, a pretty considerable round of a walk, for one in my state,-on that pleasant Old Hansel Monday afternoon,―on which, accompanied by the historian of Dunbar, we had an opportunity of enjoying a pretty long crack about auld langsyne, and the days that were past, with an old and very intelligent acquaintance.* Upon the whole, the month of January seems to have glided smoothly and comfortably away; so that a kind friend, who had occasion to write me, towards the end of it, seems to have had his wish at the last, when he says, "I hope this will find you all in your usual way, or rather better than the days of infirmity and decrepitude come, and the heavy hours arrive, when otherwise, it may be said, they have no pleasure. This, in that respect, exemplary, young man, continued at his post of duty to the last, for old Peter died full of days, towards the end of last January; and it is to be hoped, in the kind attentions of that worthy family, in whose service he had spent the greater part of his days, at Spott, and who never forgot him,-and the filial devotion of his son to his comfort, he met with that solace, which is ever welcome, but peculiarly so to the aged, on a death bed. ts Mr THOMAS HUME, farmer at Newtonlees, who had been one of red book customers, from an early period; and, adopting the language of and Agriculturists on the occasion, who had since, given the most indisputards evidence, by the progress of his intellectual culture, that, the good secd, my case, had not been sown on a barren soil. ute to usual, because your usual is, unhappily, too much, perhaps, the wrong way;" and that I really did feel more comfortable at the end of this month, or beginning of the next, than I had, perhaps, at the same time of the year, for many years back, is abundantly evident,-from the wording of my new Retrospect, dated the 2d of February,—in which, pleasing considerations-brightening prospects-and more and more, causes of gratitude and thankfulness,-seem to be the burden of my theme. About the middle of February, I, however see, that I had another bitter sip to taste in my cup;-but, to balance this, in some degree, in this world of ups and downs, and neverceasing changes, I was soon after, or of date the 7th of April, presented with another flower, or, rather a kind of double flower,-in the form, of a sort of round about testimonial, to my Popular Philosophy,-as reported, by a friend, as the purport of a conversation, a friend of his had recently, with the Reverend Dr Chalmers.* Early in July, I had occasion to transact some business in Edinburgh and Leith, when I embraced the opportunity of proceeding a little farther to the westward, to see some friends who resided at no great distance from the North Queensferry, and which little journey, in its turn, gave me an opportunity, which I also embraced, of making, in company with my friend, a pilgrimage, not to the tomb of Robert the Bruce-not to the spot pointed out as the burial-place of the kings, in *The Reverend Dr C. is reported to me in my friend's letter, to have expressed himself to one of his pupils, a student of Divinity, to the following effect,-which I give, from my friend's letter, in the exact words of the young gentleman himself. Referring to a conversation that took place, at a breakfast given by the learned professor to a number of his pupils, he says, "Knowing that I came from Dunbar, he asked me if I knew, Mr 6 ? I answer ed in the affirmative. You know," rejoined he, "That he is the author of a work, entitled, The Book of Nature Laid Open,' I consider that work, so far as I have had time to look into its pages, to possess very considerable merit." To which my friend, who should now by his experience, be himself a judge, of such matters, is pleased to add, "Now, such an opinion given by so distinguished character as Dr Chalmers, in the way of an unreserved, TWA HANDED CRACK, b take to be, (to use his own phraseology) of very considerable value. I am buself proud of it, in as much as it verifies the opinion, which I ventured PUB. dneLY to express of your work, long before it had received the approbation of fan man of eminence, or name of weight."-This, joined to the other, may be of the a little nosegay,or, at least, two flowers in one, for which I am the have grateful. |