friends urged him in later life to undertake writing out the reminiscences with which his mind was so plentifully stored. It was not till he had passed fourscore years that at Lady Murray's earnest request he was persuaded to commit to paper a personal narrative. The book is now before me— a promising quarto-alas! all but the first twenty pages remain blank. In the last year of his life, when penmanship had become too great an effort, he was induced to begin afresh, dictating the record to his niece. This also came to no good: it is perhaps the noblest natures which have least taste for autobiography — talking of themselves. Unwilling that the events of such a good and actively useful life should pass utterly into oblivion, Lady Murray has committed to me the task of gathering out of the scattered papers which remain something like a connected narrative. In attempting this I have been confronted with the great disability of not having known personally the subject of the memoir, nor has it been possible to repair this in any appreciable degree by the help of Sir Charles's most intimate friends, nearly all of whom have passed away. To some of those who knew him in his later years-his son, Mr Charles Murray, M.P., Mr Reginald Smith, and Mr Reginald Lucas -I am indebted for much assistance, and offer sincere thanks. But no writer ever felt more keenly than I do that "None can truly write his single day, And none can write it for him upon earth." Such as it is, this sketch of Sir Charles Murray's long life is offered in the hope that it may afford interest, not only from his own character and work, but from his association with leading men and a distant past. HERBERT MAXWELL. MONREITH, 1898. CONTENTS. The House of Moray-Childhood-Samuel Rogers-Letters SCHOOL-TIME AND HOLIDAYS (1815-1822). Eton-Edinburgh society-Lord Eldon-Fonthill-William At a private tutor's-Letter from Fraser Tytler-John Henry 52 A tour in Germany-Visit to Goethe-Correspondence with Carlyle-Unsuccessful contests-A leak !—A disabled ship -Detained in the Azores-Nuga-Washington's tomb- Lexington-The wild West-American hospitality-The Paw- nee village - A quarrel between brothers - Red Indian character-Pawnee dandies-A cruel horse-master-The "medicine-tube"-Alone in the wilderness-Finding their The Irish in America-Cuba in 1835-Lake Otsego-Murray's 'Travels 'The fate of the Red Men-Chateaubriand's opin- Letter from S. Rogers-Murray accused of turning Tory-Elec- Geological news-Delicate negotiations-Successful diplomacy The 'Prairie Bird'-Fraser Tytler's History'-Fraser Tytler's letters-Murray's literary gifts-Enters the diplomatic ser- vice-Death of Lady Dunmore-Mohammed Ali-Massacre of the Memlooks-Mohammed's treachery-Mohammed's Murray's first love - The song of Ah-to-menō - 'Horizons Célestes'-Letter from Fenimore Cooper-Service in Egypt -First hippopotamus in England-Appointed to Persian Mission-Persian affairs-The Shah's letters-The Persian imbroglio - War with Persia - Letters to his brother- Persian treaty of peace-Murray's defenders in Parliament |