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THE WINDING-SHEET.

'The Building of Carthage,' 'That picture shall be my winding-sheet;' but he has, I am told, often made the same remark. He also said at the same time, pointing to the 'Fall of Carthage,' That is the best picture of the two, but they do not understand it.' Shifting to another subject, I rather think he was much smitten by a sister of my mother's. Singularly enough, my father had written two letters of proposal for two rejected suitors, and Turner wrote to my father a mysterious letter when they were on the Eastern coast. It is of about the date 1813. I give it elsewhere."

CHAPTER XI.

TURNER IN SCOTLAND.

TURNER was on the Tweed in 1798, but whether he then went on to Edinburgh I do not know; but in 1801 he exhibited pictures of the "Falls of the Clyde" (afterwards used in the "Liber"), "Kilchern Castle, with the Cruchan-Ben Mountains," Edinburgh from Leith and Ben Lomond.

But his two great visits, both times to illustrate Sir Walter Scott's works, were in 1818 and 1831, the first the year of his Waterloo picture, the second that of the exhibition of his "Caligula's Palace und Bridge:"

Lockhart, in his delightful book, "The Life of Sir Walter Scott," describes his father-in-law in 1818, as busy collecting and revising for publication his "Topographical and Historical Essays," which had originally appeared in the successive numbers of the splendidly illustrated work, entitled "Provincial Antiquities of Scotland." He did this partly to gratify his own love of the subject, and partly because, well or ill, he must be doing something. He even generously declined all pecuniary recompence for his labour of love, but afterwards, when the success of the work

was secure, he accepted from the proprietor some beautiful drawings by Turner, Thomson, and other artists, which had been prepared to accompany the rest. These drawings were hung in the little breakfast-room in Abbotsford, the same which had been constructed for his own den.

In 1818, when Turner first visited Edinburgh, in order to make drawings for the "Provincial Antiquities," for which Scott wrote the letter-press, that emperor of novelists was in his prime. 1818 was the year in which the "Heart of Midlothian" appeared, and that in which he began the "Bride of Lammermoor;" two of his most tender and noble works. The wonderful novels were then bringing in 10,000l. a year. It is this very year that Lockhart describes meeting Home Drummond in Scott's study in Castle-street, a small room behind the dining-parlour.

It was in this house Kirkpatrick Sharpe, the Skenes, Terry, Constable, and the Ballantynes-all Scott's cronies-met to barter wit and anecdotes, over whiskey toddy and good claret.

The one window of this den looked out on a small patch of turf. The ground was strewn with folios and octavos (Comines for "Quentin Durward," Pepys for "Peveril"). Scott sat at a desk with drawers, the top of which was covered with sessions-papers, letters, proofs, red tape, and green tin boxes.

Maida sat watching his master, and on the bookladder perched a large favourite cat. The walls were adorned with Highland targets and dirks that encircled a portrait of Claverhouse.

This was the year that with his sarcastic and

THE DREAM-CASTLE.

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haughty son-in-law, whose sneering pride was humbled and cowered in Scott's presence alone, the Wizard of the North (still hoarding his secret with proud humour) visited, with him, Holyrood, the Grassmarket, the Cowgate, and Canongatescenes that he has invested with a magic light, a light that can never fade, let some critics say what they may.

This was the year that, in Lockhart's company, we see Scott consulting with Tom Purdie about the laying down the bowling-alley at Abbotsford-(then rising fast like a dream castle) or ascending the turrets to muse over the distant Eildons, and to see Melrose gleam like alabaster in the twilight.

Lockhart's shrewd and sarcastic book, entitled "Peter's Letters to his Kinsfolk." published about 1818, contains several eulogies of Turner. He says,* "For the first time is Scotland now possessed of admirable landscape painters, as well as of historical painters. With regard to landscape painting, it is very true that she has not yet equalled the present glories of the sister kingdom,-but then the world has only one TURNER, and Scotland comes far nearer to the country which has had the honour of producing that great genius, than any other country in Europe."

Then follows a long critique on Mr. Williams, and the writer proceeds :

"But there is no want of admirable artists in the same department in this city. . .

There is Mr.

* Vol. iii. p. 280.

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BORTHWICK CASTLE

Thomson, the clergyman of Duddingston, a village in the immediate neighbourhood of Edinburgh, whose works, in masterly ease and breadth of effect, seem to me to approach nearer to the masterpieces of Turner than those of any other artist with whom I am acquainted, and who, you will be happy to observe, is engaged along with that prince of artists in Mr. Scott's great work of the 'Provincial Antiquities of Scotland.'"

This shows in what great estimation the Scotch people held Thomson at that time.

In another place, also, Lockhart mentions Turner with sincere appreciation, and says:

"When I passed by this fine ruin (Borthwick Castle and Keep), the air was calm, the sky was unclouded, and the shadow of the square masonry pile lay in all its clear breadth upon the blue stream below; but Turner has caught or created a perhaps still more poetical accompaniment. You may see it to at least as much advantage as I did in his magnificent delineation."

I do not know whether it is of this, or Turner's second visit, that Scott writes that he should have liked Thomson, but that they had engaged Turner, and as he was all the fashion he supposed he must acquiesce.

In the autumn of 1831 Turner was employed by Mr. Cadell to make a collection of twenty-four sketches for a new edition of Scott's poems, the publisher to retain the drawings. The painter had not seen the Trosachs or Loch Katrine till this year. Turner expressed his increased admiration of Scott