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 •-''e and songs; with a memoir and poems o 
 
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LIFE AND SONGS 
 
 BARONESS NAIRNE. 
 
L\ V^i./^\ ,x\ 
 
 
 THE BARONESS NAIRNE. 
 
LIFE AND SONGS 
 
 BARONESS NAIRNE 
 
 A - 
 
 WITH A 
 
 MEMOIR AND POEMS 
 
 OF 
 
 CAROLINE OLIPHANT THE YOUNGER 
 
 EDITED BY THE 
 
 REV. CHARLES ROGERS, LL.D., F.S.A. Scot. 
 
 HISTORIOGRAPHER TO THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
 
 WITH A PORTRAIT AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 JOHN GRANT 
 
 31 GEORGE IV. BRIDGE 
 
 I 896 
 
 % 
 
EDINBURGH 
 
 PRINTED BY LORIMER AND GILLIES, 
 
 3X ST. ANDREW SQUARE. 
 
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 The rapid sale of the First Edition of this 
 Work has entirely justified the publication of 
 Lady Nairne's Songs in connection with a 
 Memoir of her life. In preparing the 
 present Edition, the Editor has bestowed 
 additional care on every department of the 
 volume. Several songs included in the First 
 Edition have been omitted, on evidence which 
 seemed to be conclusive that they were not 
 composed by the Baroness, though published in 
 the posthumous collection of her songs, with 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 music, entitled " Lays from Strathearn." Few 
 of the excluded compositions bear those touches 
 of genius which attach to the genuine produc- 
 tions of the Strathearn Poetess. The Editor 
 believes that the public may confidently accept 
 all the songs contained in the present volume 
 as being certainly composed by the gifted 
 Baroness. 
 
 The Memoir has been thoroughly revised 
 and materially extended. The narrative of a 
 two years' residence on the Continent with 
 Lady Nairne, at the most eventful period 
 of her history, from the pen of her 
 grandniece, Mrs. G. F. Barbour, of Bonskeid, 
 casts much additional light on her ladyship's 
 quahties, both of mind and heart. In Mrs. 
 Barbour's " Recollections " the reader will re- 
 cognize better, than in any other portion of the 
 Memoir, the Christian fortitude and deep sub- 
 
Preface. vii 
 
 missiveness of one, who had long walked with 
 her Saviour, and had found repose of spirit by the 
 hallowed contemplation of the " Land o' the 
 Leal." 
 
 From LadyNairne's niece, Mrs. Stewart Sande- 
 man, the Editor has received many particulars 
 which have tended to the general completeness 
 of the Memoir. The history of her ladyship's 
 residence in Ireland has been chiefly founded on 
 the valuable communications of Miss Alicia 
 Mason, of Dublin. To the Baroness's grand- 
 nephew, Mr. Kington Oliphant of Gask, the 
 Editor owes his special acknowledgments. From 
 this gentleman he has procured many original 
 letters and family papers, and the greater part of 
 the information which has been embodied in the 
 early portion of the Memoir. To Mr Oliphant he 
 has also been indebted for the MSB. of Caro- 
 line Oliphant the younger, and the particulars 
 
viii Preface. 
 
 of her personal history. Other friends of the 
 Baroness, to whom he is not privileged to refer 
 more particularly, have assisted in the prepara- 
 tion of the present and former edition. 
 
 Snowdoun Villa, 
 Lewisham, Kent. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Memoir of Baroness Nairne 
 
 Memoir of Caroline Oliphant the Younger 
 
 The Land o' the Leal 
 
 Caller Herrin' . 
 
 The Lass o' Cowrie 
 
 The County Meeting . 
 
 The Laird o' Cockpen . 
 
 The Fife Laird . 
 
 Jamie the Laird . 
 
 Archie's an Archer 
 
 huntingtower . 
 
 The Pleughman . 
 
 O, wha is this comin'? . 
 
 The Auld House 
 
 The Banks of the Earn 
 
 Cairney Burn 
 
 Bonny Gascon Ha' 
 
 Hey the Rantin' Murray's Ha' 
 
 Kitty Reid's House 
 
 Castell Gloom . 
 
 O Stately stood the Baron's Ha' 
 
 Saw ye nae my Peggy? 
 
 Bonnie ran the Burnie doon 
 
 PAGH 
 
 13 
 
 157 
 103 
 164 
 166 
 167 
 170 
 171 
 
 174 
 176 
 
 177 
 179 
 180 
 182 
 184 
 18s 
 186 
 188 
 189 
 190 
 192 
 193 
 195 
 
Contents. 
 
 Joy of my Earliest Days 
 
 Adieu to Strathearn . 
 
 Charlie's Landing 
 
 Wha'll be King but Charlie? 
 
 My Bonnie Hieland Laddie 
 
 Gathering Song . 
 
 Charlie is my Darling 
 
 The Hundred Pipers 
 
 He's owre the Hills that I Lo'e Weel 
 
 Ye'll mount, Gudeman 
 
 Will ye no Come back again? 
 
 The Lass of Livingstane 
 
 The White Rose o' June 
 
 The Attainted Scottish Nobles 
 
 The Women are a' gane Wud 
 
 What do ye think o' Geordie noo? 
 
 The Heiress 
 
 The Mitherless Lammie 
 
 Songs of my Native Land 
 
 The Bonniest Lass in a' the Warld 
 
 Kind Robin Lo'es me 
 
 My ain Kind Dearie, O 
 
 O, weel's me on my ain Man 
 
 Cauld Kail in Aberdeen 
 
 Cradle Song 
 
 The Robins' Nest 
 
 Tammy 
 
 Lay bye yere Bawbee 
 
 The Twa Doos . 
 
 rAGE 
 
 . 196 
 
 • 197 
 . 198 
 
 • 199 
 
 . 201 
 
 . loa 
 
 . 203 
 
 . 204 
 
 . ao6 
 
 . 207 
 
 . 209 
 
 . 211 
 
 . 211 
 
 . 213 
 
 . ^214 
 
 . 215 
 
 . 218 
 
 . 219 
 
 . 220 
 
 , 221 
 
 . 222 
 
 . 223 
 
 . 224 
 
 . 225 
 
 . 226 
 
 . 227 
 
 . 229 
 
 . 230 
 
 . 231 
 
Contents. 
 
 XI 
 
 Saw ye ne'er a Lanely Lassie? 
 
 The Maiden's Vow 
 
 Down the Burn, Davie 
 
 Bess is Young, and Bess is Fair 
 
 John Tod .... 
 
 JEANIE Deans 
 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh . 
 
 There grows a Bonnie Brier Bush 
 
 Wake, Irishmen, Wake, 
 
 A Heavenly Muse 
 
 Dunnottar Castle 
 
 The Pentland Hills 
 
 Lament of the Covenanter's Widow 
 
 The Regalia 
 
 The Lady Grange 
 
 Fell he on the Field of Fame 
 
 The Convict's Farewell 
 
 Ah, Little did my Mother think 
 
 He's Lifeless amang the Rude Billows 
 
 True Love is watered aye wi' Tears 
 
 The Rowan Tree 
 
 The Voice of Spring . 
 
 Her Home she is leaving 
 
 O Mountain Wild 
 
 Fareweel, O Fareweel 
 
 Gude Nicht, and Joy be wi' ye a' 
 
 Rest is not here 
 
 Would you be Young again ? 
 
 Here's to them that are gane 
 
 PAGE 
 
 . 232 
 
 . 232 
 
 • 233 
 
 • 234 
 
 • 234 
 . 236 
 . 238 
 . 240 
 . 241 
 
 • 243 
 
 • 243 
 
 • 245 
 
 • 247 
 . 248 
 . 250 
 
 • 251 
 
 • 253 
 ■ 254 
 
 • 255 
 . 256 
 . 258 
 
 • 259 
 . 260 
 . 261 
 . 262 
 . 263 
 . 264 
 . 265 
 . 266 
 
Xll 
 
 Contents. 
 
 POEMS AND SONGS OF CAROLINE 
 OLIPHANT THE YOUNGER. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Lines on Dreams ..... 268 
 
 On Reading Lord Byron's Childe Harold. . 271 
 
 The Nightingale . . . . .273 
 
 The Garden at Gask ..... 274 
 
 Home in Heaven ..... 275 
 
 On Recovering from Sickness . . . 276 
 
 Oh, Never ! no, Never ! ... 277 
 
 Notes .... . . 279 
 
 Glossary . . .... 301 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Frontispiece^The Baroness Nairne . 
 The Mansion of Nairne 
 The Auld House o' Gask 
 Ruin of Gascon Hall . 
 
 152 
 182 
 186 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 BARONESS NAIRNE. 
 
 About the same period that Robert Bums was born 
 in a peasant's cottage on the banks of the Doon 
 were ushered into existence, on Scottish soil, three 
 other persons, destined to impress their names on the 
 minstrelsy of their country. These three were women, 
 each sprung of gentle blood, and reared amidst scenes 
 conducive to poetic inspiration. Lady Anne Lindsay, 
 eldest child of James, Earl of Ealcarres, was bom in 
 1750; she was descended from a distinguished an- 
 cestry, and, amidst the sylvan recesses of her paternal 
 domains, cherished the pastoral Muse. In 1762, 
 Joanna Baillie was given to her parents on the or- 
 chard-clad banks of the Clyde ; she was the scion of 
 a house remarkable for their patriotic virtues. She 
 celebrated, in glowing verse, the passions which, 
 under every variety of condition, have govemed the 
 human heart. The last of our group, Carolina Oli- 
 phant, forms the subject of the present memoir. 
 
 B 
 
14 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 She was born in " the auld house " of Gask, Perth- 
 shire, on the r6th of August, 1766. Her father, 
 Laurence Oliphant, the laird of Gask, was head ot 
 a family which had long made its mark in Scottish 
 annals. The first Olifard (so the name was formerly 
 written) recorded in history was David, who saved his 
 namesake the King of Scotland at the siege of Win- 
 chester in 1 142. The grants of the Olifards to the 
 monasteries near the Tweed are set forth by George 
 Chalmers in the Caledonia; * and Rymer, in his col- 
 lection, has recorded their exploits. Walter OHfard, 
 the Justiciary of Lothian, married a daughter of the 
 Earl of Strathearn about 1200, and settled his de- 
 scendants in Perthshire. Wilham OHfard, the greatest 
 man who ever bore the name, held out the Castle of 
 Stirling against Edward L in 1304, at a time when 
 most other Scots were despairing of their country. 
 His son Walter married a daughter of King Robert 
 Bruce, as appears by a royal charter of 1364, whereby 
 the lands of Gask were erected into a barony. The 
 Oliphants dwelt at Aberdalgie until the middle of the 
 fifteenth century, when they built the Castle of Dup- 
 plin, and received a Peerage from James II. in 1458. 
 Fifteen of the neighbouring gentlemen served the first 
 Lord Oliphant in manrent. At Flodden Field died 
 Colin, the Master of OUphant, and his brother Lau- 
 rence, the Abbot of Inchaffray. Colin left two sons ; 
 from the eldest sprang the Lords Oliphant, who 
 * Chalmers' Caledonia, Vol. I., p. 515. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 5 
 
 figured at the Rout of Solway and the Raid of Ruth- 
 ven. The fifth Lord OHphant, called in the Gask 
 papers " ane base and unworthy man,'' succeeded in 
 1593 ; he squandered the greater part of the family 
 inheritance in Perthshire, Caithness, Fife, Forfar, Had- 
 dington, and Kincardine. His descendants lingered 
 on in the sad plight of landless lords ; the last of 
 them died in 1751, acknowledging his kinsman OH- 
 phant of Gask as rightful heir to the Peerage. 
 
 We turn to this younger branch of the Oliphants, 
 who spring from the second son of Colin, slain at 
 Flodden. The third of this line bought from his 
 spendthrift cousin many of the Perthshire acres, and 
 got a charter under the Great Seal of the lands and 
 barony of Gask in 1625. Next came Sir Laurence 
 Oliphant, who was knighted by Charles II. at Perth ; 
 he disinherited his firstborn, Patrick; but Patrick's 
 son James got possession of Gask in 1705. This 
 Laird had the wisdom to remain at home in 17 15, 
 while his son Laurence bore arms under Lord Mar. 
 A series of most interesting family papers, beginning 
 from this date, are preserved at Gask. They com- 
 prise letters from the Jacobite leaders ; an account of 
 the rising in 17 19 in Mar's own handwriting; narra- 
 tives of battles and escapes ; poems, satirical and 
 pathetic ; and the dying speeches of the chiefs who 
 suffered death.* Laurence Oliphant lived to bear 
 arms once more in 1745; he acted as Governor of 
 
 * These papers will shortly be published in a separate work. 
 
1 6 Memoir of Baroness Nairne . 
 
 Perth, the base of the Jacobite operations ; while his 
 son Laurence was one of the aide-de-camps of Charles 
 Edward on the march to Derby. The money accounts 
 of the father are brought down to the day before 
 Culloden. The pair lurked in Buchan for six months, 
 and then landed in Sweden, whence they made their 
 way to France. They were both attainted, and they 
 lived in exile for seventeen years, keeping journals of 
 their travels. They were joined by Oliphant's wife, a 
 daughter of Lord Nairne ; she was known in Perth- 
 shire by the title of Lady Gask. Their estate, sadly 
 shorn of its proportions, was bought back from Govern- 
 ment in 1753 by their kinsmen at home for ;^i 6,000. 
 In 1763 the Oliphants were allowed to return to 
 Gask ; and four years later the father died, leaving 
 a mass of interesting papers behind him. " Good 
 worthy Gask," as the neighbours called him, is thus 
 referred to by his gifted granddaughter : — 
 
 " The auld laird, the auld laird, 
 Sae canty, kind and crouse, 
 How mony did he welcome to 
 His ain wee dear auld house ! " 
 
 Laurence Oliphant the younger succeeded his father. 
 He had been married at Versailles in 1755 to his 
 first cousin, the beautiful Margaret, the eldest daughter 
 of Duncan Robertson of Strowan, chief of the Clan 
 Donnochy. The Robertsons had undergone much in 
 1746 ; and Mrs. Oliphant, with her mother and little 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 7 
 
 brothers, had been driven from a hut in Athole by the 
 threat of military execution. Her mother, known as 
 Lady Strowan, was sister of Lady Gask ; both being 
 daughters of that Lord Nairne who so narrowly 
 escaped the block, for his achievements in 1715. 
 
 Carolina Oliphant, the subject of this memoir, was 
 christened after the King over the water. A brother 
 who died when a year old, and two sisters, had preceded 
 her; and she used to say that her parents never forgave 
 her for being a girl. But they had to wait two years 
 longer for the future Laird of Gask. Her grand- 
 father, the old hero of 1715, died a few months 
 after her birth. Her father suffered grievously from 
 asthma, the result of the hardships he had undergone 
 while lurking in Buchan in 1746, the year of venge- 
 ance. In vain did he try to alleviate his complaint 
 by the mineral waters of Pitcaithly, and goat's whey 
 in the Highlands. He had returned from France to 
 comparative poverty ; the family plate was all gone, 
 and nothing but pewter was used in the house. He 
 brought up his children well, correcting the little girls 
 with his own hand. Full accounts of them were sent 
 to their grandmother Robertson, then in exile at Givet. 
 "Car" is described as having become fat, and "a sturdy 
 tod."* Her mother thus writes of her when two 
 years old : — " You would have been pleased had 
 you seen my little woman sitting on a chair, as 
 prim as any there, at the reading this evening, being 
 * The diminutive of toddler, a child. 
 
1 8 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 Sunday. Understand she cannot, but keeps hei 
 eye generally fixed on her papa, whom they are 
 all very fond of, as they get sense." In the copies 
 of the English Prayer-book which Mr. Oliphant 
 placed in the hands of his children, the names of 
 the exiled family were pasted over those of the 
 reigning one. 
 
 In 1769, Mr. and Mrs. Oliphant were at Naples 
 for health. The Laird writes to his mother. Lady 
 Gask : " I hope you keep the bairnies in mind of 
 their little song after dinner when they get their 
 glass. Few here know anything about Scotch reels.'' 
 In 1770, another daughter, Margaret Charlotte, was 
 born to him ; and two years later, another son, named 
 Charles, after the King. The " dear tods," as their 
 grandmother calls them, survived her physicking, and 
 are thus described in 1773 : — " The three girls come 
 on bravely. I saw them perform at their dancing 
 yesterday really very well, — Carolina like a fine lady 
 in miniature ; Laurence only one reel with his sister." 
 In this year Mr. and Mrs. Oliphant with httle Marjory 
 sailed to Lisbon, and proceeded from thence overland 
 to Seville. The mother sends home eighty lines of 
 poetry on the discomforts of the journey ; her verses 
 are scarcely worthy of a near kinswoman of the old 
 poet laird of Strowan. 
 
 She returned with her husband to " the bonny 
 bairns," but died in 1774. The widower writes: — 
 " She talked to me of death and our future meeting 
 
Memoir of Baroness Naime. 19 
 
 as if only going a journey. She called for all the 
 children, took leave of them without the least' 
 emotion, and said, as they were going away, ' See 
 which will be the best bairn, and stay longest with 
 papa ! ' She said, ' You see how easily I can part 
 with the bairns, for I know they are in good hands,' 
 meaning their Maker." In the next year, the young 
 Oliphants lost their grandmother, Lady Gask : her 
 place was supplied by her sister, Henrietta Naime. 
 The old lady soon had to look out for a governess, 
 and wrote thus : — 
 
 "April 13, 1778. 
 
 " Mr. O. joyns me in thinking there is no better signe than 
 diffidence in what one knows nothing about, therlbr has no 
 doubt Mrs. Cramond (for you know I cannot call her Miss 
 when a governess) will make herself usefuU to y° childem 
 with a Kttle practice in many things besides y* needle, par- 
 ticularly as to behaviour, principals of religion, and loyalty, a. 
 good carriage, and talking tolerable good English, which last 
 you say Mrs. Cramcnd does properly enough, and which in y" 
 country is necessari, that young folks may not appear clownish 
 ■when presented to company. Mr. O. approves of all you have 
 done, and has had his ebs of fortune too ; but since Mrs. Cra- 
 mond would fain have the pounds turned into guineas, he 
 agrees, and makes her present twelve guineas the first year and 
 ten guineas ever after, so sends six guineas by y" bearer, for 
 which you will take her receipt. He will send horses to Perth, 
 if Mrs. Cramond can ride ; if not, allows her to have a chaise 
 out here, which he will not grudge to pay. WUl you get Mr. 
 Marconchi to come out, that the little ones may not forget all 
 their dancing ? " 
 
20 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 In 1779, Uncle Robertson writes to Mrs. Cra- 
 mond's pupils from Givet, strongly recommending 
 the harpsichord or the guitar, "as a very pretty 
 accomplishment for young ladies, and a better amuse- 
 ment than conversation on the modes of caps ! " To 
 Marjory, his eldest niece, he writes a long letter, 
 describing, with well-executed diagrams, a drawing- 
 room loom of her grandmother's invention. The 
 description is so minute, that any ordinary artisan 
 might readily prepare an instrument by its guidance. 
 Two years later, Mr. Oliphant thus writes to his aunt, 
 " Lady Lude," addressing her as " Dear loyal lady : " 
 — " I shall be left alone with my six young ones, a 
 poor valetudinary person. Will my dear aunt come 
 and be a companion to me and a guardian to them, 
 and keep them loyal \ in which I shall assist you, and 
 we shall drink to the King and his happy Restoration 
 every day till it be over. I only want you to guard 
 your nephews and nieces from the wicked world." 
 
 For the religious instruction of the young folks, 
 Mr. Oliphant afterwards retained the services of Mr. 
 Maitland, a Nonjuring clergyman, who was most 
 assiduous in his duties. He remarked that his pupil 
 Carolina acquired her lessons easily, and became 
 an adept in all she tried. 
 
 Mrs. Cramond seems to have excelled as a writing 
 mistress; for young Carolina writes a beautiful 
 copperplate hand, which, however, changed for the 
 worse as she grew up. In 1782 she joins her 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 2 1 
 
 father and sisters in sending 'a letter to Givet, and 
 writes thus : — 
 
 " My dear Uncle, 
 
 ' ' As May is at present very busy playing some 
 favourite tunes of mine, I hope you won't expect a very correct 
 epistle ; for to hear agreeable music, and at the same time em- 
 ploy my mind about anything else, is what I can hardly do, 
 
 for— 
 
 ' Music has charms to soothe a savage breast. 
 To soften rocks, and bend the knotted oak. ' 
 
 I do think fine music engrosses all the senses, and leaves not 
 one faculty of the mind unemployed ; so says, with all her heart, 
 
 " Carolina Oliphant." 
 
 One of her sisters writes about this time : " There 
 generally comes a fiddler once a week to keep us in 
 mind of our dancing." In 1781, little Charles 
 writes : — " Carolina is just now playing — 
 
 ' My wife is lying sick, 
 
 I wish she ne'er may rise again ; 
 I will put on my tartan dress. 
 And court another wife again. ' 
 
 It is a very good tune." 
 
 One of his sprightly young sisters writes in the 
 same year : — " Niel Gow, a famous Highland fiddler, 
 having been appointed to be at Orchill last month, 
 I was asked there in hopes of having a fine dance, 
 and Niel ran in my head for several days. Well, 
 away I went, but no Niel that day ; well, to-morrow 
 
2 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 will bring him; but to-morrow came and went in 
 the same manner; at last comes music at supper the 
 second day ; but, alas ! it was a scraper, the only one 
 of three or four that were sent for that were not 
 engaged ; but, however, the spirit moved us, and 
 away with tables, chairs, and carpets in a moment ; 
 we had but three beaus ; one of them, not liking the 
 music, took a sprained ankle ; the other bassed to 
 the fiddler in hopes of improving him; Meggy 
 Grahame could not dance, so that our ball was prin- 
 cipally carried on by three, for the storm froze up 
 the company as well as Niel Gow. I can dwell 
 no longer on the subject, though it produced great 
 mirth." 
 
 Great was the joy at Gask, in August, 1784, when 
 it became known that the Robertsons had regained 
 their inheritance, and were coming home from Givet. 
 Gask himself writes to old Lady Strowan : — " I hope 
 that your son's restoration will be the forerunner of 
 another, the man getting his mear again, and make 
 young and auld dance on the green." Carolina, 
 whose penmanship is far better than that of her 
 sisters, winds up : "I wish this may be the last 
 time that I assure my dear grandmother at Givet 
 how much I am her dutiful granddaughter." Her 
 brother Laurence writes : — " Were I a poet, I should 
 present you with a most magnificent poem on the 
 subject." Lady Strowan soon arrived at Gask ; and 
 in 1787 we find her, her sister Harriet Nairne, and 
 
Memoir of Bar 07iess Nairne. 23 
 
 the four Misses Oliphant, signing a petition to the 
 Laird in behalf of a tenant who was in arrears with 
 his rent. 
 
 Such was the upbringing of CaroUna Oliphant, 
 now a graceful maiden of one-and-twenty. From 
 her earliest childhood she was fed with the "auld 
 warld tales " of her Jacobite kinsfolk — Robertsons, 
 Murrays, Drummonds, and Graemes. Often must 
 she have heard her father tell how he, a strip- 
 ling of nineteen, supped with Prince Charlie at 
 Blair in the very outset of the Forty-Five ; how he 
 galloped to Edinburgh with the news of Prestonpans, 
 and fought single-handed with Cope's runaway 
 dragoons ; how he and the Master of Strathallan 
 discovered the enem/s movements after the battle 
 of Falkirk ; how the Prince exchanged a few words 
 with him at Culloden after all was lost ; how he and 
 his father escaped from Scotland in the same ship 
 with their kinsman Lord Nairne, and landed in 
 Sweden, beggars in all but honour ; how he suffered 
 from asthma during his seventeen years of banish- 
 ment ; how kind messages used to come from the 
 Royal family at Rome ; how he was picked up by 
 King Louis after a fall out hunting.* The Laird 
 was now a feeble old man, dealing in old proverbs ; 
 
 * All this appears from papers in the Gask charter chest. In 
 1762 he wrote a remarkable letter to Rome with the sorrowful 
 intimation of the Prince's drunken habits. In return he re- 
 ceived a severe snubbing. 
 
24 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 prone to researches as to the OHphant pedigree, 
 wherein he showed more zeal than knowledge. His 
 only warfare was a dispute with Haldane of Glen- 
 eagles as to fishing in the Earn, carried on with stately 
 courtesy on both sides. His great delight was to 
 accumulate relics of his beloved King, a number 
 of which are still preserved at Gask : such as Prince 
 Charlie's bonnet, spurs, cockade, crucifix, and a 
 lock of his hair. There must have been hearty 
 rejoicings at Gask when such a letter as the following 
 was received : — 
 
 "Jtme 6, 1787. 
 "Sir, 
 
 "No length of time can make me forget Mr. 
 Oliphant. I understand you have collected several memo- 
 randums of our master, and have the pleasure to send you a 
 child's head drawn by him when a boy, and a shot bag which 
 he used before he left Rome. I got them from my uncle when 
 I was in Italy twenty-one years ago, and think they can be 
 nowhere so well bestowed as in your collection. 
 "Your most humble servant, 
 
 "John Edgar. 
 "Keithock, near 'Brechin."* 
 
 Right proud must Carolina and her sisters have 
 been when the following letter reached "the auld 
 house : " — 
 
 * The head is remarkably well done. James Edgar, the 
 uncle referred to in the letter, was private secretary to the exiled 
 King in 1743; he was a warm friend to Lord George Murray. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 25 
 
 " Florence, y' 21 Feby., 1783. 
 "Mr. Cowley, 
 
 " It gives me a sensible pleasure, y" remem- 
 brance of Oliphant of Gask. He is as worthy a subject as I 
 have, and his family never deroged from their principals. Not 
 douting in y° leaste of y" son being y" same, make them both 
 know these my sentiments, v?ith y° particular esteem that follows 
 a rediness to prove it, iif occasion offered. 
 
 " Yr. sincere friend, 
 
 " Charles R. 
 " For Mr. Cowley, Prior of y" English 
 Benedictines at Paris." 
 
 When King Charles died, and was succeeded by 
 the Cardinal of York, most of the Scottish Jacobites 
 transferred their allegiance to King George. Not so 
 the Laird of Gask. Mr. Cruikshank, who used to 
 perform the Episcopal service at the houses of the 
 Jacobite gentry in turn, wrote to Mr. Oliphant to 
 say that he had conformed to the new system. An 
 answer was speedily despatched in these words : — 
 
 "Julys, 1788. 
 " Mr. Oliphant presents his compliments to Mr. Cruikshank, 
 and as he has incapacitated himself from ofiiciating at Gask, his 
 gown is sent by the carrier, and the books he gave the reading 
 of. As Mr Cruikshank has received his stipend to this Whit- 
 suntide, there is no money transactions to settle between him 
 and Mr. Oliphant."* 
 
 When failing eyesight compelled him to seek the 
 assistance of his family in reading the newspapers, 
 
 * This letter is quoted, because the circumstances are erro- 
 neously related in Perthshire tradition. 
 
26 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 Mr. Oliphant would reprove the reader, if the " Ger- 
 man lairdie and his leddy '' were designated otherwise 
 than by the initial letters K and Q. His unswerving 
 Jacobitism having been reported to George III., the 
 member for Perthshire received this message from 
 the Monarch to the sturdy upholder of the dethroned 
 House : — " Give my compliments — not the compli- 
 ments of the King of England, but those of the 
 Elector of Hanover — to Mr. Oliphant, and tell him 
 how much I respect him for the steadiness of his 
 principles." 
 
 The Misses Oliphant seem to have in turn visited 
 their grandmother. Lady Strowan. In 1790 a great 
 event in the family took place : their brother " Laurie " 
 went to London. He received much excellent advice 
 from his father ; an earnest reminder of all the good 
 offices that the Oliphant family owed to the Drum- 
 monds, bankers in London ; and a rebuke for an in- 
 decent desire on the youth's part to be presented to 
 the Elector of Hanover. Gask still hopes that Henry 
 IX. may take a wife. He bids his son call on Miss 
 Cramond, and beware of wine and lawyers. He 
 wishes for a copy of Fenelon on piety, a good book 
 for evening reading. Carolina writes to her brother 
 in a more cheerful strain: — "I drank tea at X. ; it 
 would make you too vain to tell you how obligingly 
 Miss Z. asked after you. She says she is to be here 
 soon ; I hope not till you return. Three ol us danced 
 while the heiress played, and we were very merry. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 2 7 
 
 A friend was going to see Jane Shore acted by puppets 
 at CriefF. We had tickets but no chaperone, so were 
 obliged to go home without a laugh at the tragedy. 
 I galloped Hercules, and like him better than Glen ; 
 but you will call me quite vulgar for bringing Crieff 
 and its environs into your mind whilst you are 
 showing away in St. James' Square, London.'' A 
 cousin, who visited Gask not long afterwards, writes 
 to the Laird : — " Assure Miss Amelia and Miss 
 Carolina that I never can forget the exquisite plea- 
 sure their musical powers excited in organs so fitted 
 for that delicate enjoyment as mine are." The young 
 ladies sometimes entertained their aged grandmother 
 with a concert in her bedroom. 
 
 At this period, as may be gathered from her 
 letters, CaroKna Oliphant was extremely gay. Of 
 dancing she was passionately fond. " Finding, at a 
 ball at a watering-place," wrote one of her friends, 
 "that the ladies were too few for the dance, she 
 drove home, awoke me at midnight, and stood in 
 waiting till I was equipped to follow her to the 
 ball-room." 
 
 Towards the end of 1791 the Laird of Gask was 
 failing rapidly ; he had a total want of appetite, and 
 experienced a perpetual chill. At length, on New 
 Year's day, 1792, the stanchest Jacobite in Scotland 
 exchanged this world for that other, which his daughter 
 describes as " The Land o' the Leal." He was a 
 choice model of the old Scottish Cavalier, true alike 
 
28 Memoir of Baroness Natrne, 
 
 to his brethren in arms,* to his King, and to his God. 
 Two portraits of him are kept at Gask ; one represents 
 him in his cuirass, as he must have looked when 
 setting out for his ride to Derby ; the other shows 
 him worn with asthma, with age, and with hope de- 
 ferred. But he has painted his own Ukeness in the 
 scores of letters he has left behind him, a rich heir- 
 loom for the many descendants that have sprung from 
 his loins. 
 
 Carolina Oliphant was a native of Stratheam, 
 " meet nurse for a poetic child." It was long held 
 by the Celts, as shown by the names Clathy More 
 and Clathy Beg, close to Gask, and by the bridge of 
 Dalreoch, where the high road between Perth and 
 Stirling crosses the Earn. Within half a mile of Gask 
 stands the Bore Stone, an old sculptured Celtic cross ; 
 the neighbouring wives put their arms into its holes 
 to obtain children. A Roman road runs past the 
 lodge of Gask, the highway which united the camp 
 of Ardoch to the military station on the Tay. Traces 
 of the Norman are found in the noble tower of the 
 Kirk at Dunning, three miles off, built a few years 
 before the Olifards came from Lothian into Stratheam. 
 Many historic battle-fields are near, such as Methven, 
 
 * In a letter of 1 787, Gask forbids his sons ever to claim the 
 Strowan inheritance, their uncles, the Robertsons, having no 
 children. He thought that Strowan ought to remain in the 
 hands of the Robertson clan, his old comrades of 1745. Few 
 fathers are so averse to worldly pelf and family aggrandizement. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 29 
 
 Dupplin, and Tippermuir. Four miles off is the 
 Abbey of Inchaffray ; of this foundation the Lords 
 Oliphant were hereditary Bailies. On the Earn 
 stands Gascon Hall, where Wallace sought shelter. 
 In the churchyard of Aberdalgie is an incised slab 
 representing William Olifard, who defended Stirling 
 Castle in 1304; a stone canopy was placed over it by 
 Carolina's father in 1780, to protect the monument 
 from the rain. Nearer stood the old Castle of 
 Dupplin, which figures in the Raid of Ruthven, and 
 whence her forefathers were wont to sway far and wide 
 to the south and west of Perth.* In full view of 
 Gask lies Aberuthven, where the Grahames bury their 
 dead ; further still is Kincardine Castle, the strong- 
 hold of their great chief, Montrose. More to the 
 west is TuUibardine, the cradle of the Murrays ; and 
 beyond is Drummond Castle, the abode of a family 
 in close alliance with the Oliphants for five hundred 
 years. To the north is Balgowan, the property of 
 the late hero of Barossa, a warm friend to Carolina's 
 family. To the south is Duncrub, the residence of 
 Lord RoUo, in whose regiment Oliphant served in 
 17 15. Dunning and Auchterarder are in full view, 
 both of which were burnt by the Jacobites on their 
 retreat after that baleful year. Behind rise the Ochil 
 hUls, with the towering summit of Craig Rossie. 
 Further to the east grow the Birks of Invermay, re- 
 
 * It was burnt down in 1827, after the Earls of Kinnoull had 
 held it for two hundred years. 
 
 C 
 
30 Memoir of Baroness Natrne. 
 
 nowned in song. Not far distant is Condie, where 
 Oliphants have been settled for nearly three hundred 
 years.* The view to the north of Gask includes the 
 grand range of the Grampians ; to the west rises Ben 
 VoirUch, whence comes the river Earn, which gives 
 name to the district. 
 
 The " auld house of Gask," perched high above the 
 Earn, commanded much of the fair scenery of the 
 Strath, renowned in song and patriotic story. The 
 pleasure-grounds around the mansion resemble a 
 grove more than a garden ; many of the fine old trees 
 were planted by Carolina's father, who used to name 
 his new plantations after his daughters. A small 
 stream flows down the hill, close by the house; a 
 little lower stood the old parish church, now re- 
 moved; and the burial-ground where many of the 
 Oliphants repose. To the north is Clathy village, 
 where dwelt a peasantry devoted to the Gask family. 
 Their dialect lives in Carolina's songs. Their faith- 
 
 ' The Laird of Condie was of great service to the Laird of 
 Gask in 1753, when the latter's estate was bought back from 
 government. After 1847, when the last heir male of the Gask 
 branch died, a lawsuit was carried on for twenty years between 
 the Oliphants of Condie, claiming to be the next heirs male, 
 and Mr. Kington Oliphant, son of the last Laird's sister, and 
 great-grandson of the old Jacobite hero. Li the course of this 
 Suit the Oliphants of Condie were traced up to Alexander Oli- 
 phant, who was Albany Herald in 1565 ; but nothing could be 
 ascertained as to his birth or parentage. The other claimant was 
 therefore served heir to Gask. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 3 1 
 
 fulness was proved in 1745. Old cottagers may be 
 found there still, who boast how their forefathers, at 
 the risk of the halter, carried letters concealed in their 
 shoes, between Lady Gask and her husband. 
 
 The Oliphants of Gask were noted for their bene- 
 volence. The exiled grandfather of CaroUna, though 
 himself a pensioner on the bounty of the French king, 
 notes in his memorandum-book that the first thing to 
 be done, on reaching home, is to bestow ;^So on the 
 poor of his estate. It was while speaking words of 
 kindness to the cottagers at Gask that Carolina was 
 enabled to cultivate that familiar acquaintance with 
 the manners and customs of rural life, which she has 
 exhibited in her songs. She gathered snatches of 
 minstrelsy in the peasant's hut, while in the patrician 
 society of the manor-house she listened to the stirring 
 tales of loyalty and heroism. Surrounding scenes 
 awoke elevating sentiments, and excited to poetical 
 inspiration. 
 
 Carolina was a delicate child — " a paper Miss," 
 she was termed by her nurse. Afterwards she became 
 strong, but her delicate sensibility never forsook her ; 
 it enabled her to gather in and utiUze stores of know- 
 ledge, while, on the other hand, it produced that 
 excessive diffidence which, but for the care of others, 
 had bereft her of posthumous fame. As she grew up, 
 the " pretty Miss Car " of the schoolroom became in 
 the drawing-room " the Flower of Stratheam." Her 
 striking beauty and pleasing manners rendered her a 
 
32 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 reigning belle among the county families and fashion- 
 able assemblages of Perthshire. Her musical accom- 
 plishments were not beneath the notice of Neil 
 Gow. 
 
 Robert Burns had just appeared above the horizon. 
 Carolina Oliphant was charmed with his verses ; she 
 was among the first to recognise his genius. When 
 the poet proceeded to Edinburgh in 1786, and an- 
 nounced a subscription edition of his poems, she 
 induced her brother Laurence to enter his name on 
 the list of subscribers. During the following year 
 Burns became a contributor to The Scots Musical 
 Museum, a work designed by James Johnson, en- 
 graver in Edinburgh. In the pages of this publication 
 Carolina remarked the successful efforts of the A)t:- 
 shire poet in adapting new .words to tunes which had 
 heretofore been linked to verses degrading and impure. 
 With renewed interest she watched his labours, when, 
 in 1792, he appeared more systematically engaged as 
 a purifier of the elder minstrelsy, in the elegant collec- 
 tion of Mr. George Thomson. 
 
 Driving, during the annual fair, through a small 
 hamlet in the neighbourhood, she remarked many 
 persons holding in their hands a small book, with a 
 yellow cover. Desirous of ascertaining what a pub- 
 lication so popular might contain, she despatched her 
 footman to purchase a copy. It proved to be a col- 
 lection of songs and ballads, many of which were ill- 
 suited for the hands of youth. "The Flower o£ 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 33 
 
 Stratheam " began to consider whether she could aid 
 in purifying the national songs. She resolved to make 
 the attempt. An occasion offered. Her brother 
 Laurence entertained the Gask tenantry at dinner, as 
 was the custom, about a year after he had succeeded 
 to his inheritance. When he was called on for a song 
 he gave with much spirit a new version of " The 
 Ploughman,"* which he said he had received from 
 the author. Who the author was, was to be revealed 
 only after the lapse of half a century. Meanwhile the 
 young Laird of Gask presented copies, which were 
 multiplied and sung everywhere throughout Central 
 Scotland. Carolina had made a decided hit; she 
 resolved, but with strictest secresy, to persevere. 
 
 Miss Nancy Steuart, a niece of Mr. Steuart of 
 Dalguise, the husband of Carolina's elder sister, 
 Amelia, was on a visit to Gask. She was consider- 
 ably younger than Carolina, but possessed, as she was 
 fully satisfied, her entire confidence. Carolina be- 
 came uncommonly studious ; she was very frequently 
 at her desk, and was silent respecting what she was 
 writing. Miss Steuart concluded — as she informed 
 the writer of this memoir — that her friend was com- 
 posing long letters to her cousin, Captain Naime, to 
 whom, it was understood, she was engaged in marriage. 
 On a subject so sacred her companion did not ven- 
 ture to question her. " I lived to discover," said our 
 informant, "that Carolina was not letter-writing, but 
 * See Note to this Song. 
 
34 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 was engaged in composing those beautiful songs which 
 were to delight the world." 
 
 The earlier effusions of Carolina's Muse described 
 scenes in that gay world which she was soon to leave 
 far behind her. To this early period belong "The 
 County Meeting," " John Tod," " Jamie the Laird," 
 " The Laird o' Cockpen," and most of her Jacobite lays. 
 
 A new order of things was about to extinguish those 
 sentiments of Jacobitism which lingered in certain 
 families. Portentous national perils were looming 
 on every side. The frantic reformers of France, 
 flushed with success in overturning a throne and 
 uprooting a d5masty, had invited the people of Great 
 Britain to revolt and to destroy. Among the artisans 
 of Scotland the toast in many taverns was, " Damna- 
 tion to the King, and success to the friends of the 
 People ! " Demagogues everywhere sought to inflame 
 the minds of the peasantry. The upholders of Govern- 
 ment were called on to unite in the preservation of 
 order. The militia was embodied. The young Laird 
 of Gask joined the Perthshire Light Dragoons, and 
 served for three years, much to the detriment of his 
 estate. He married, in, 1795, Christian Robertson, 
 the heiress of Ardblair, respecting whose supposed 
 attachment to him he had long been rallied by his 
 sister Carolina. AVhen the Perthshire Dragoons were 
 ordered to quarters in the north of England in 1797, 
 Carolina accompanied her brother's family to Durham, 
 where a wide circle of friends rapidly sprang up. At 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 3 5 
 
 an assembly held at Sunderland on the occasion of 
 the opening of a bridge across the Weare, Carolina 
 danced with a Royal Duke, who sought afterwards 
 to elevate his fair partner to his own high rank. The 
 restrictions of the Royal Marriage Act were not the 
 only barrier to his intentions, for " the Flower of 
 Stratheam " had bestowed her affections on another, 
 and determined to dwell among her own people. 
 
 Several events occurred to bring the eternal future 
 before the mind of our poetess. Charles, her younger 
 brother, died on the 27th of July, 1797.* About 
 a year after this sad event, Mrs. Campbell Col- 
 quhoun, of Killermont, the early and dear friend 
 of Carolina, had to mourn the death of her first-born 
 child, which died when scarcely a year old. When 
 tidings of her friend's bereavement reached her, 
 Carolina despatched to her a letter of condolence, 
 accompanied by the verses of " The Land o' the 
 Leal." Mrs. Colquhoun would readily recognise the 
 touching allusion in the following stanza : — 
 
 " Our bonnie bairn's there, John ; 
 She was baith gude and fair, John ; 
 And oh ! we grudged her sair 
 To the Land o' the LeaL"t 
 
 Carolina returned to Scotland. She was on a visit to 
 
 * Charles Oliphant proved a steadfast adherent to the exiled 
 Koyal House. In 1796 he felt scruples about taking the Abju- 
 ration oath, and thereby lost a lucrative appointment. 
 
 t For a particular accoimt of the circumstances connected 
 
36 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 the old castle of Murthly, the seat of Sir John Stewart, 
 Bart., near Dunkeld. Mr. Buckle, an English clergy- 
 man, the husband of Sir John's eldest daughter, was 
 also a visitor there. In conducting worship with the 
 household one morning he spoke emphatically of the 
 blessedness of the promise, " Him that cometh to Me 
 I will in no wise cast out." The words were a 
 message to one who joined in that morning's service. 
 Carolina had been prayerfully seeking the way towards 
 the better land. During the day she could not, be 
 found. When she appeared in the evening her face 
 bore marks of weeping, but her eye was lit with holy 
 joy. She had closed with the Saviour's offer. From 
 that hour she never had one doubt of God's love to 
 her in Christ. 
 
 She returned to Gask. There an important change 
 had been effected. The old family mansion which had 
 accommodated successive generations of the Oliphants 
 was now a ruin, a new spacious dwelling having been 
 erected in its place. The venerated chief of Strowan, 
 Duncan Robertson, had insisted on the family Bible 
 being left in " the auld house " to the last, that he 
 might have the privilege of bearing it to the new 
 structure. Just as he had passed the threshold 
 with his precious burden, the house door burst its 
 hinges and fell heavily. The chief had a narrow 
 
 with the origin of " The Land o' the Leal," see Note at the end 
 of the volume. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 37 
 
 escape.* Writing to a friend from Gask House, Mrs. 
 Oliphant, Carolina's sister-in-law, remarks, "I need 
 not tell you what an acquisition Carolina is to our 
 society here ; you know her well." 
 
 In 1802, Carolina lost her great-aunt, Henrietta 
 Nairne, aged eighty-nine; to the last she liked her 
 nieces to read to her. Bom in the reign of Queen 
 Anne, she survived to see at her knees children of 
 the Gask family who lived to take an interest in the 
 politics of Count Bismarck and the victories of General 
 Lee. The old lady had one remaining kinsman of 
 her own name — the grandson of that brother of hers 
 who bore arms both in 17 15 and 1745. Captain 
 Nairne had been a frequent visitor at Gask ; he was 
 nine years older than Carolina Oliphant, his second 
 cousin, who had early consented to become his wife. 
 
 WiUiam Murray Nairne was bom in 1757, at 
 Drogheda, in Ireland, where his father, Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Nairne, was stationed with his regiment. On 
 the death of John, his elder brother, he became heir 
 to the Nairne peerage, and, but for the attainder, 
 would at the period we have introduced him to the 
 reader have been fifth Lord Nairne. But the whole 
 of the family estates had long Deen alienated, and 
 Captain Naime's entire fortune consisted in his pay. 
 
 Both Captain Naime and bis Jiancee had long waited 
 for his promotion, with a view to the completion of 
 
 * See Lady Nairne's song of " The Auld House," and Note 
 connected with it at the end of the volume. 
 
o 
 
 8 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 their engagement. At length he secured the appoint- 
 ment of Assistant Inspector-General of Barracks in 
 Scotland, with the brevet rank of major. His pro- 
 motion took place in the spring of 1806. On the 
 2nd of June in the same year, Major Nairne and 
 Carolina Oliphant were united in marriage in an 
 upper room of the new Gask house — still shown to 
 visitors as the scene of the event. The Episcopal clergy- 
 man of the Gask family officiated on the occasion. 
 
 After the nuptial ceremony the newly married pair 
 set out for Stirling. There, among the ruined palaces 
 of the House of Stuart, and amidst scenes con- 
 secrated to the patriotic virtues. Major and Mrs. 
 Nairne commenced their honeymoon. The duties 
 of Major Nairne implied a residence at Edin- 
 burgh. A house was rented at the marine suburb 
 of Portobello, but the aged chief of Strowan soon 
 after purchased for his relatives a handsome villa at 
 Wester Duddingston, under the shadow of Arthur's 
 Seat. It was named Caroline Cottage. There in 1808 
 Mrs. Nairne gave birth to her only child, a son, 
 who received his father's Christian names of William 
 Murray. 
 
 In the lettered society of the capital, the authoress 
 of " The Land o' the Leal " might have attained an 
 acme of enjoyment. She had the best opportunities 
 of entering society, and her graceful manners and 
 elegant accomplishments well fitted her to adorn it. 
 It is remarkable that she succeeded in maintaining her 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 39 
 
 retirement. Her early friend, Mrs. Campbell Col- 
 quhoun, was lady of the Lord Advocate, and like 
 her brother, William Erskine, was an attached friend 
 of Sir Walter Scott. Mrs. Nairne was personally 
 intimate at Ravelstone, the seat of Mr. Alexander 
 Keith, Sir Walter's kinsman ; her younger sister sub- 
 sequently became lady of the manor. Scott delighted 
 to celebrate the Jacobite heroes, and knew well about 
 the Oliphants and the Robertsons and the House of 
 Nairne. Some of these have furnished anecdotes in 
 illustration of his writings ; the Poet chief of Strowan 
 was the prototype of the Baron of Bradwardine. Yet 
 the author of Waverley and the authoress of " The 
 Land o' the Leal " seldom met, and were not on any 
 terms of intimacy. In Mrs. Barbour's " Recollec- 
 tions " of her grand-aunt, included in a subsequent 
 part of this memoir, the subject is referred to. 
 
 Ravelstone House rested amidst its fine sloping 
 park on the north side of Corstorphine Hill. The 
 occupants of the mansion, when Major and Mrs. Nairne 
 came to reside in Edinburgh, were the Laird, already 
 named, then about seventy, and his spinster sister, 
 who, being several years his senior, persisted in calling 
 him in all companies "the laddie Sandy." They 
 were both busied in exercising a style of hospitality 
 after the model of persons of their rank in less formal 
 times. Guests were received every Saturday. They 
 were expected to arrive early, to amuse themselves at 
 games on the lawn till two o'clock, when the tower 
 
40 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 bell summoned the party to assemble and prepare for 
 a repast. Ladies were always present, for the pro- 
 ceedings were expected on every occasion to terminate 
 with a vocal concert, in which the fair sex were to be 
 the principal performers. 
 
 Luncheon, or dinner, was served at half-past two. 
 There were the usual Scottish dishes — ^hotch-potch, 
 cocky-leeky, and the unfailing haggis. In favourable 
 weather dessert was provided out of doors, under the 
 canopy of " old forest trees.'' The members of the 
 party now rose to a conversazione in the garden — a 
 quaint scene, the prototype of the garden of Tully- 
 veolan in Waverley. At the sound of the gong, the 
 visitors reassembled to partake of tea or coffee. Then 
 followed the most recherche part of the entertainment 
 Every visitor who knew music was expected to exercise 
 his powers. The use of instruments was not per- 
 mitted; Mr. Keith and his sister both held that 
 artificial music was intolerable. 
 
 Major and Mrs. Nairne greatly enjoyed the un- 
 ceremonious character of the receptions at Ravelstone. 
 They were often present at the weekly assemblages. 
 A young lady, daughter of a neighbouring proprietor, 
 was one evening asked to sing in turn. She did so, 
 and hit off one of the popular ballads to great ad- 
 miration. When she stopped, some one exclaimed 
 that there were more verses. The singer protested 
 she had sung all she knew. " Then," said the speaker, 
 " do you see that fair lady seated at the end of the 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 41 
 
 room ? Go up to her, and she will give you the verses 
 you want ; for never, I believe, was anything in poetry 
 or song said or sung she does not know." We shall 
 allow the gentlewoman addressed to relate the re- 
 mainder of the narrative in her own words : — " I acted 
 on the counsel given. I approached the stranger, and 
 preferred my request. She took me kindly by the 
 hand, and requested me to be seated on a chair near 
 her. We had some conversation about song and 
 ballad, and before the evening closed she gave me 
 her card, and cordially invited me to visit her. This 
 lady was Mrs. Carolina Nairne." 
 
 Our correspondent proceeds : — " I embraced Mrs. 
 Naime's courteous invitation, and my visits were, at 
 her particular request, renewed frequently. We became 
 intimate, and as she perceived my tastes were similar 
 to her own, she often introduced the subject of 
 Scottish music and song. Some years after, she 
 informed me, as a great secret, that she had written 
 ' The Land o' the Leal.' She exhorted me not to 
 divulge it, adding with a smile, ' I have not even told 
 Nairne, lest he blab.'" 
 
 "The Laddie Sandy" of Ravelstone became 
 charmed with Miss Margaret Oliphant, Mrs. Naime's 
 younger sister, and was not an unsuccessful wooer. 
 In April, 181 1, the public prints chronicled a matri- 
 monial alhance between the laird of Ravelstone and 
 Dunnottar and a daughter of the House of Oliphant. 
 The ancient Miss Keith was elated by her brother's 
 
42 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 choice, but did not hesitate to claim the administra- 
 tion of proper counsel in the affair. That his wife 
 might still enjoy the frequent society of her sister, Mr. 
 Keith allowed Major and Mrs. Nairne the free use 
 of his city residence. No. 43, Queen Street, which was 
 much nearer Ravelstone than was the cottage at Dud- 
 dingston.* At Queen Street or at Ravelstone the two 
 families met almost daily, till the death of Mr. Keith, 
 which took place seven years after his marriage. On 
 his death Mrs. Keith obtained the Queen Street man- 
 sion as her jointure-house, and Major and Mrs. Nairne 
 about the same time received a grant from the Crown 
 of the Royal apartments in the Palace of Holyrood. 
 After the discovery of the Scottish regalia in the 
 Castle of Edinburgh in 1818, Mr. Keith was offered 
 the office of keeper of those ancient insignia, with the 
 honour of knighthood. On the ground of age and 
 faiUng health, he declined both honours. His nephew, 
 who succeeded him in his estates, claimed the office 
 of Knight Marischal, and was knighted by George IV. 
 
 With another family in the capital the inmates 
 of Caroline Cottage enjoyed a congenial intimacy. 
 The Misses Elizabeth and Agnes Hume, daughters 
 of the Honourable David Hume, Baron of Ex- 
 chequer, were remarkable for their musical tastes 
 and accomplishments. They were frequent visitors 
 
 * The site of the house, 43, Queen Street, is now occupied by 
 the church and manse of Free St Luke's, built for the Rev. 
 Alexander Moody-Stuart. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 43 
 
 at the Cottage, and in return were not seldom privi- 
 leged to enjoy the society of Major and Mrs. Naime at 
 their father's residence in the city. The Baron often 
 expressed his admiration of the intelligence of the 
 Major's lady, and wondered at her knowledge of 
 Scottish song. He survived till 1838; but, it is , 
 believed, was never informed that the gentlewoman 
 whose talents he had so long respected possessed 
 personal claims as a poetess. 
 
 The Misses Hume regulated the musical fashions 
 at Edinburgh. In 182 1, Mr. Robert Purdie, music 
 publisher in the city, resolved to form a collection of 
 the national airs, with words suited for refined 
 circles. He consulted the Misses Hume, who sub- 
 mitted his proposals to Mrs. Nairne. The latter 
 cordially approved of the undertaking : she had long 
 waited for such an opportunity of purifying the 
 national minstrelsy. A committee of ladies was 
 formed ; it included the gentlewoman who had sung 
 e£fectivelyatRavelstone,andwon the affection and con- 
 fidence of the authoress of" The Land o' the Leal." 
 
 The committee-room was a place of inviolable 
 secresy. The ruling spirit of the group concealed 
 her personality with more than Oriental scrupulosity. 
 Her name was never to be divulged. She assumed 
 another, to be found in no Directory, that she might 
 render her concealment more certain. Even the as- 
 sumed designation of " Mrs. Bogan, of Bogan," was to 
 be revealed only to a few. The committee spoke of 
 
44 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 Mrs. Bogan to Mr. Purdie most secretively ; and in 
 engaging Mr. Robert Archibald Smith, the celebrated 
 composer, as his editor, Mr. Purdie, in his turn, 
 begged his friend not to mention to any one that 
 they enjoyed the assistance of so accomplished a lady. 
 
 As the parts of the Scottish Minstrel began to 
 appear, Mrs. Nairne became alarmed, lest, in spite of 
 existing precautions, her secret should be unveiled. 
 She had subscribed her contributions " B. B.," and 
 these initials had been attached to them in the printed 
 pages of the Minstrel. She felt anxious lest the pub- 
 lisher should stumble into some statement which 
 might embarrass her position. " If, by any chance," 
 she wrote to her Ravelstone acquaintance, " Purdie 
 were to be asked, ' Who is B. B. ? ' I think he would 
 do well for himself, as well as others, to make no 
 mention of a lady. As you observed, the more 
 mystery the better : and still the balance is in favour 
 of the ' Lords of the Creation.' I cannot help, in 
 some degree, undervaluing beforehand what is said 
 to be a feminine production." 
 
 It was determined not to trust matters entirely to 
 the discretion of the publisher. One of the ladies 
 waited on him to express Mrs. Bogan's " motive for 
 this queer trade of song-writing." She ceased to 
 claim the authorship of all the compositions which 
 she communicated to the publishing office. Some 
 were inscribed, " Sent by B. B. ; " others were de- 
 spatched anonymously. These latter appear in the 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 45 
 
 Minstrel as of " unknown " authorship. The commit- 
 tee of ladies received and despatched others, which 
 were simply inscribed " S. M.," the initial letters of 
 Scottish Minstrel. A variety of handwriting was em- 
 ployed ; but the assurtied Mrs. Bogan could most 
 effectively disguise her own. In a note, now in the 
 editor's possession, Mrs. Nairne, writing to her Ra- 
 velstone friend respecting some matter about which 
 information was wanted, says, " If you were to write 
 a line to Purdie, in rriy name, asking the question, it 
 would save time. Any queer, backward hand does ! " 
 
 Mrs. Bogan ventured occasionally to hold personal 
 interviews with the publisher of the Minstrel. She 
 was apparelled as a gentlewoman of the olden time. 
 To the unsuspecting music-dealer it never occurred 
 that his ingenious contributor was resident in a 
 suburb of the city : and, certainly, he still less ima- 
 gined that her husband held office in connection with 
 Edinburgh Castle, not many hundred yards from his 
 shop. 
 
 The Scottish Minstrel was completed in 1824, in 
 six octavo volumes. In the preface to the sixth 
 volume Messrs. Purdie and Smith thus express them- 
 selves : — " The editors would have felt happy in 
 being permitted to enumerate the many original and 
 beautiful verses that adorn their pages, for which 
 they are indebted to the author of the much-admired 
 song, ' The Land o' the Leal,' but they fear to wound 
 a delicacy which shrinks from all observation." 
 
 D 
 
46 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 Twenty years after this period our authoress was 
 known to Mr. Purdie only by her nom de plume. 
 Certain rivals in trade had reproduced some of 
 " B. B.'s " contributions to the Minstrel, and the 
 publisher was led on two occasions to apply to Mrs. 
 Bogan (through one of the committee) for her per- 
 mission to vindicate his rights. In reply to the first 
 of these applications, the assumed Mrs, Bogan wrote 
 as follows : — 
 
 " loth November, 1840. 
 
 ' ' Mrs. Bogan is sorry to find it is necessary for her to repeat 
 what she stated when the Scottish Minstrel was first published, 
 viz., that the songs marked " B. B. " iu that work are her pro- 
 perty, and were given by her to Mr. Purdie, expressly for the 
 benefit of the Minstrel, and that no one else has, at present, a 
 right to publish them, excepting Mr. Purdie. 
 
 "B. B. " 
 
 A reply to another letter of Mr. Purdie, on the 
 same subject, is in these terms : — 
 
 "February 6th, 1844. 
 "Mrs. Bogan, of Bogan, understands Mr. Purdie wishes to 
 have a line from her, with regard to the property of the songs 
 written by her for the Scottish Minstrel, viz., 'Jeanie Deans,' 
 'The Lammie,' and 'The Robin Redbreast,' which she de- 
 clares to belong to Mr. Purdie." 
 
 These were odd times at Edinburgh. The spirit 
 of the Gudeman 0' Ballingeich * seemed to have 
 
 * The nom de guerre of James V., during his frequent wan- 
 derings in disguise, in different parts of the country. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. i^l 
 
 stalked forth to influence, as by a spell, the votaries 
 of Caledonian genius. The Waverky novels were 
 issuing from the press with a rapidity which caused 
 surprise, only exceeded by their own marvellous 
 creations, while the author sat behind a curtain, re- 
 fusing to reveal himself. " The Chaldee MS. " had 
 set the literary world on edge, while its source was 
 known only to Ebony* ajid a select coterie. The 
 associates of Christopher North, in his inimitable 
 " Nights at Ambrose's," were unknown, with the 
 single exception of the Shepherd. Miss Stirling 
 Graham was practising her wonderful mystifications, 
 " taking in " all she met, including the acute 
 Jeffrey, who had persisted that he was proof against 
 her arts. Lady Anne Barnard was still cherishing 
 her secret as to the authorship of "Auld Robin 
 Gray," which the Society of Antiquaries had failed 
 to discover from herself or others. The best songs 
 written since the era of Burns had appeared anony- 
 mously, and the announcement that some of them 
 were composed by " B. B. " did not convey any 
 insight as to their source. That these were written 
 by the wife of a staff-officer at Edinburgh was the 
 latest of those literary mysteries which was to be laid 
 open to the world. 
 
 The Scottish Minstrel ohtdned universal acceptance. 
 Who is B. B. ? was an inquiry which passed from 
 
 The designation of Mr. William Blackwood, the great 
 Edinburgh publisher, in the Nodes Ambrosiaiue. 
 
48 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 mouth to mouth, and from one musical circle to 
 another. Some persons claimed to have penetrated 
 the disguise, and those who knew least were loudest 
 in their protestations of an accurate knowledge. 
 There were some newspaper controversies respecting 
 the authorship, in which hard words were used on 
 each side. The authoress was pained by these 
 pitiable occurrences, but dared not reveal herself. She 
 had been accustomed to such discussions, even in her 
 own presence. "I was present," she writes to a 
 friend, " when it was asserted that Burns composed 
 the 'Land o' the Leal' on his death-bed, and that 
 he had it Jean instead of ' John ; ' but the parties 
 could not decide why it never appeared in his works, 
 as his last lay should have done. I never answered." 
 
 We have referred to the admiration entertained by 
 Carolina Oliphant for the Ayrshire bard on his first 
 appearance as an author. She afterwards deeply 
 lamented that one endowed with so much genius 
 should have composed verses which tended to inflame 
 the passions. Burns' well-known song, " Willie 
 brew'd a peck o' maut," had been inserted by Mr. R. 
 A. Smith in the Minstrel on his own responsibility. 
 Mrs. Bogan afterwards remonstrated. In a note 
 which she addressed to the publisher, acknowledging 
 the receipt of a copy of the work, she writes, " If Mr. 
 Purdie will in some way obliterate that drinking song 
 of Burns', the work will do credit to all parties." 
 
 Several years after the appearance of the Scottish 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 49 
 
 Minstrel, a proposal was entertained by some of the 
 ladies who had assisted in its preparation, to publish 
 a purified edition of Burns' songs. The proposal 
 met with favour at Caroline Cottage, when first 
 broached. Our authoress subsequently wrote to her 
 Ravelstone friend, " You can try what is to be made 
 of Burns. Some of his greatest efforts of genius won't 
 do. Yet there is enough passable for a considerable 
 volume." After an interval she wrote to the same 
 correspondent, " Burns comes on at a snail's pace. 
 What a mixty-maxty it is ! and sometimes very 
 puzzling. A whole poem would pass but for one or 
 two sheer abominations, yet such as may not be 
 omitted. I have found three volumes of Currie's 
 Life of him in a corner where condemned criminals 
 were imprisoned." The proposal was ultimately 
 abandoned. 
 
 Mrs. Nairne composed Jacobite songs to amuse 
 and gratify her venerated and loving kinsman, the 
 aged Chief of Strowan. She likewise copied for him 
 old Jacobite tunes, which were acknowledged with 
 expressions of affection. The Chief bestowed on his 
 niece many benefactions. Caroline Cottage was pro- 
 vided by his funds, and the comforts of the inmates 
 had been increased by his bounty. The good old 
 man died in 1822 ; he was probably one of the last 
 of the sufferers of 1746. 
 
 The year of his death was otherwise memorable in 
 the history of the family fortunes. George IV. resolved 
 
50 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 to pay a state visit to his northern capital, and to 
 hold a court at the Palace of Holyrood. As it was 
 essential that his Majesty should have the use of 
 those apartments in the Palace which had been 
 bestowed on Major Nairne, the authorities agreed to 
 grant him, on his making a surrender of his claim, an 
 annuity of ;^3oo, which should likewise extend to the 
 life of Mrs. Nairne. 
 
 At his Majesty's first levee the Major was pre- 
 sented to the King by his relative, the Duke of Athole. 
 Other representatives of attainted Scottish peers 
 waited upon the monarch. The occasion of the 
 royal visit was deemed suitable to plead for a res- 
 toration of the honours forfeited in the cause of 
 earnest though mistaken loyalty. Sir Walter Scott 
 prepared the substance of a memorial,* which, on 
 due extension, was subscribed by the claimants of 
 the long-lost honours, and was humbly submitted to 
 the King on his return to England. His Majesty 
 graciously acceded to the prayer, giving his royal 
 permission for the introduction of a parliamentary 
 measure to reverse the attainders. The bill, having 
 passed both Houses of the Legislature, finally re- 
 ceived the royal sanction on the 17th June, 1824. 
 One of the memorialists was Major Nairne ; he was 
 restored to his rank in the peerage. Our authoress 
 now became the Baroness Nairne. 
 
 * Lockhart's Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Edin- 
 burgh, 1S50, 8vo., pp. 489-90. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 5 1 
 
 Like her progenitors, Lady Nairne was attached to 
 the forms of the Church of England. But she loved 
 earnest and impressive preaching irrespective of sect. 
 During her Continental tour, we shall find her selecting 
 as winter quarters those places where she under- 
 stood she might enjoy the ministrations of a pious 
 pastorate. When she resided in Holyrood Palace 
 she attended the parish church of the Canongate, 
 where for some time she enjoyed the edifying pulpit 
 services of the Rev. Alexander Stewart, one of the 
 ministers of that parish. She likewise attended Mr. 
 Stewart's week-day services. A chair in which she was 
 carried to Canongate church was long exhibited at 
 Holyrood as " Lady Nairne's Chair." Mr. Stewart 
 was formerly minister of Dingwall; he was admitted to 
 the first charge of the Canongate in July, 1820, and 
 died in the following May. To his impressive teaching 
 of divine truth Lady Nairne often referred with ex- 
 pressions of strong appreciation and gratitude. 
 
 To the proper upbringing of her son, the Master of 
 Nairne, the subject of this memoir sedulously de- 
 voted herself. He had never been at a public school, 
 and his education had, until his fifteenth year, chiefly 
 devolved upon his mother. She now sought to pro- 
 cure for him a tutor or companion, whose example 
 not less than his teaching might prove serviceable. 
 She communicated on the subject with a gentlewoman, 
 who has forwarded the letter, to be used in these 
 
52 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 "After much cogitation," proceeds the writer, "as to who 
 was most likely, of all my friends, to make inquiiy about an 
 assistant for my boy in his studies, I have finally resolved to 
 offer the task to you. The first step, if you are kind enough 
 to undertake it, will be easy, as I have heard of a young man 
 of whom I wish to hear more before any other is thought of, 
 and I think you may be able to get at the necessary informa- 
 tion. The lad is called Patterson ; he has distinguished himself 
 as a scholar, having been at one time Dux of the High School. 
 His mother, a widow, who lives at 15, Buccleuch Place, is 
 daughter to Mr. Brown, who published the Family Bible. She 
 is so decided an enemy to Episcopacy, that she has refused an 
 exhibition for her son at Oxford, of large annual value, because 
 of certain articles necessary to be signed regarding Church 
 government, which did not accord with her views. This shows 
 steady principle, however applied. Her son inherits several 
 hundreds a year from his father, who was engaged in mercantile 
 business, so that I was told salary would not be a first considera- 
 tion. I have heard so good an account of the lad that we would 
 take him whether as tutor or companion, and give him whatever 
 he thought reasonable. William is fifteen, and Patterson is about 
 nineteen, but is said to be very steady, well principled, and 
 amiable, besides his talents, which are known to the public." 
 
 The young gentleman referred to in this letter was 
 John Brown Patterson, author of a University Prize 
 Essay on the " National Character of the Athenians," 
 and afterwards minister of Falkirk. He had just 
 accepted an appointment offered him by the Comte 
 de Flahault, formerly aide-de-camp to the Emperor 
 Napoleon, and who, having married the Baroness 
 Keith, and established a home in Britain, desired to 
 become familiar with the EngHsh tongue. The 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 53 
 
 duties of tutor to the Master of Nairne were entrusted 
 to his younger brother, Alexander Simpson Patterson, 
 now D.D., minister of Hutchesontown Free Church, 
 Glasgow, and author of several esteemed theological 
 publications. 
 
 Mr. Patterson, having instructed his charge in the 
 classics, was succeeded in the post of tutor by Mr. 
 Fraser, a young gentleman who had returned from 
 the West Indies. At the request of her ladyship, 
 Mr. Fraser sought to familiarize his young friend 
 with a love of theological learning ; but, as his mother 
 laments in a letter to a relative, the Master of Nairne 
 was more addicted to the study of history. He re- 
 ceived lessons in mathematics every morning at 
 eight from a university student, recommended by 
 Dr. Chalmers. 
 
 For many years our authoress had found occupation 
 in the use of her needle, pencil, and brush. The 
 drawing-room furniture at Caroline Cottage was 
 adorned with her embroidery. She was an accom- 
 plished painter. A series of fruit-trees, represented at 
 various stages of their growth, and as they appeared 
 at different seasons, which she painted in her youth, 
 are preserved at Cask. When her nephews and nieces 
 visited her in 1822 at Caroline Cottage, to which she 
 had returned from Holyrood, they were amazed to 
 find their aunt so industrious an artist, and proposed 
 that the little parlour where she worked should be 
 called her studio delle belle arti. In reference to her 
 
54 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 artistic tastes, and another important subject, she thus 
 writes to her brother's eldest daughter, in August, 
 1829 : — 
 
 " Apropos as to views, if I sliould ever attempt one for you, 
 is it that from Gask, of the country opposite, you Vfould like ? 
 and what size ? . . . The season is getting past for that 
 work now, as cold short days do not suit well. What I have 
 been doing for three frames I happened to have, are nearly 
 finished ; that means done with, for finished they are not. One 
 is Drogheda, Lord Nairne's birthplace, the next my dear ditto, 
 and the other the view from what was called the Middleton, 
 including the bridge of Invermay. I fay myself for my work, 
 which fills my purse best, when I consider the time occupied 
 rather than the merit of the perfonnances. This reminds me 
 of your query as to the best mode of appropriating charity cash ; 
 my own opinion has always been that devoting a proportion is 
 the best way. This, in case of anything urgent, may be enlarged; 
 in the other way, the power may be wanting in the time of need. 
 . . . We cannot expect to do all that could be wished for 
 the good of others. ' She hath done what she could,' was 
 accepted ; but few, I fear, do this without the sad alloy of 
 latent vanity. " 
 
 In the autumn of 1828 Lady Nairne received 
 intelligence of the death of her nephew, Charles 
 Steuart of Dalguise. In reference to this sad event 
 she wrote to her niece, Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, in 
 these terms : — 
 
 "Caroline Cottage, 3rd Januarj', 1829. 
 " Few events have been so much felt by every one of this 
 little circle as our late loss. How greatly beloved darling 
 Charles was we hardly knew. His kind, sweet, lively temper, 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 55 
 
 added to a fine mind and excellent talents, furnished incessant 
 recollections — I dare not add regrets, but nature will in some 
 degree prevaiL . . . All is lave, if we do but take events 
 as from a Father's hand, and the blessing is sure. The firm trust 
 that, amidst many temptations, our beloved Charles held by his 
 Christian principles, and was enabled by divine grace to commit 
 his soul to his Saviour, not only in words, but in deed and in 
 truth, this is heartfelt consolation to all who loved him, and 
 they were not few." 
 
 Our authoress w^as about to descend more deeply 
 into the valley of affliction. During the autumn of 
 1829 Lord Nairne experienced a severe attack of 
 jaundice. He recovered, but remained emaciated 
 and feeble. He became a victim to biliary derange- 
 ment ; and though he occasionally seemed to rally, 
 his state of health was a source of anxiety to his 
 attached wife. Respecting his Lordship's condition 
 Lady Nairne thus communicates with Christian 
 Oliphant, one of her nieces : — 
 
 "June I2th, 1830. 
 
 " I know it would make your kind heart feel to see Lord N. 
 as he is now, feeble and emaciated beyond what you can well 
 imagine ; yet we are thankful there is no alarming symptom in 
 the disease itself ; and if it should be permitted to give way, he 
 might in some degree pick up again, though he himself does not 
 expect it. * * * 
 
 ' ' I often think of somebody's observation, that it is difficult 
 to say whether we should call this state of existence a dying life 
 or a living death. Dearest Christian, what a blessed privilege 
 to have such hope set before us as is freely given to the humble 
 and contrite follower of the all-powerful Redeemer!" 
 
56 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 The hopes of a devoted wife were not to be realized. 
 Lord Nairne passed away peacefully on the pth July. 
 The widow contemplated her deep loss with Christian 
 composure. 
 
 In May of the same year her niece Margaret Oliphant, 
 second daughter of Laurence Oliphant, of Gask, was 
 married to Mr. Thomas Kington, of Charlton House, 
 Wraxall, Somersetshire. Mr. and Mrs. Kington resided 
 after their marriage at Clifton, near Bristol, where the 
 sisters of the latter then lived, on account of the 
 climate being suited to their health. Towards the 
 close of the year the Clifton party was increased by 
 the presence of Lady Nairne, who now finally relin- 
 quished Caroline Cottage, being resolved to seek a 
 less severe climate for her son, whose health had 
 lately awakened her anxiety. 
 
 At Clifton Lady Nairne seemed likely to experience 
 such a degree of comfort as was needful in her new- 
 made widowhood. She was surrounded by many 
 dear relatives, who regarded her with an affection 
 not unmixed with veneration. But she was yet to 
 tread in the vale of sorrow. Her beloved niece, 
 Caroline Oliphant, who bore her name and was en- 
 dowed with a genius akin to her own, was seized with 
 a mortal ailment, and on the 9th of February, 1831, 
 sank into her rest. 
 
 Lady Nairne remained at Clifton about six months. 
 She resolved to carry out her long-cherished intention 
 of visiting Ireland, where her husband was born, and 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 5 7 
 
 the mild climate of which, she hoped, might prove 
 suitable to the health of her son. In July, 1831, she 
 had established her household at Kingstown, neai 
 Dublin. From this place she wrote to her Ravelstone 
 friend, whom henceforth we shall designate her Edin- 
 burgh correspondent : — 
 
 " William, like all boys, is fond of riding, so I got a pony for 
 him, and he often went to the post, and came back with letters, 
 all safe and sound. When he could not go we sent our footman, 
 but the pony's knees were broken, and letters were lost, with 
 other mishaps. At this time poieen was sold at every toU-bar ; 
 but when Father Matthew, with much eloquence and zeal, gave 
 the pledge, a wonderful change took place. He told the kneel- 
 ing crowd that he could work no miracle, and that they must 
 pray to God to enable them to keep the pledge. These senti- 
 ments gave great offence to the bigoted priests, who said he was 
 •no true son of the Church.'" 
 
 After a short period Lady Naime left Kingstown 
 and established her residence at Enniskeriy, county 
 Wicklow, a locality not only well adapted for Lord 
 Nairne's health, but calculated to evoke her own 
 poetical inspiration. 
 
 Lady Naime was favourably impressed with the 
 warm-hearted character of the Irish peasantry; but 
 she deeply lamented to find a generous people 
 crushed under the iron heel of a selfish priesthood. 
 The song, " Wake, Irishmen, wake," composed at this 
 period, is sufficiently expressive of these sentiments, 
 and of her earnest wishes ior the dawn of spiritual 
 life among the sons of Erin. She admired the songs 
 
58 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 and music of Ireland. She read the poetry of 
 Moore, but lamented that he, like Burns, had not 
 always been careful to consecrate his verse to the 
 cause of virtue. In one of her sweetest compositions 
 ^he has thus apostrophized the Irish bard : — 
 
 " Sweet poet ! be true to thy lofty inspiring; 
 
 While, bound by thy magic, the skies half unfurled, 
 Youth, beauty, and taste are with rapture admiring, 
 Oh, spread not around them the fumes of this world ! " 
 
 Among others of the upper rank with whom she 
 associated during her residence in Ireland, were the 
 Earl and Countess of Rathdowne, and their eldest 
 daughter, the Honourable Lady Anne Monck. She 
 was much attached to the Viscountess Powerscourt, 
 whose " Letters," since published, have proved a 
 precious boon to the Christian world. She met at 
 Powerscourt House many gifted clergymen from 
 England, Scotland, and the Continent, who rejoiced 
 to assemble there for friendly discussion and soc^' 
 fellowship. From the pastoral gatherings at Powers- 
 court one was seldom absent whose deep spirituality 
 and simple earnestness attracted and charmed even 
 those who most deplored his errors ; this was Edward 
 Irving, then on the verge of the great future. " He 
 was," writes one who often met him at Powerscourt, 
 " always putting forward his peculiar opinions, which 
 were combated by the great majority, and believed in 
 by few." How the authoress of the "Land o' the 
 
Memoir of Baroness N air ne. 59 
 
 Leal" relished the society of her largely -gifted but 
 erring countryman does not appear; she doubtless 
 lamented his painful delusions. 
 
 The Rev. Robert Daly, now Bishop of Cashel, 
 was rector of Powerscourt. His ministerial visits 
 were deeply prized by Lady Nairne ; she often 
 referred to the power of his pastoral services. The 
 parochial curate, the Rev. Thomas Mackee, now 
 incumbent of Brampton, Huntingdonshire, has not 
 forgotten, after nearly forty years, the excellent 
 qualities of the Scottish gentlewoman who sojourned in 
 Enniskerry. " He remembers the delight he always 
 experienced when he was in her company ; her lively 
 mind, her sweet amiability, and her unaffected piety." 
 At Enniskerry, Lady Nairne received a visit from her 
 early friend, Mrs. Campbell Colquhoun, of KiUermont, 
 now a widow, and who, chastened by successive 
 bereavements, was, like her comforter of former days, 
 being made ripe for the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 One friendship formed in Ireland was permanently 
 cherished by correspondence. Miss Alicia Mason, of 
 Dublin, had long been actively engaged in works of 
 beneficence. She became a frequent visitor at Ennis- 
 kerry, and not seldom accompanied the Baroness 
 in her pony carriage when she visited the dwellings 
 of the poor. Her ladyship had not yet abandoned 
 the use of the pencil. "The room in which Lady 
 Nairne sat," writes Miss Mason, " was damp, and the 
 whole of the back wall, about eighteen feel in breadth, 
 
6o Memoir of Baroness Naime. 
 
 had become stained. With common black lead, 
 or such like material, she drew on this wall one of 
 the most beautiful pictures I ever saw ; it represented 
 a landscape in the neighbourhood, including the 
 Sugar-loaf Mountain." 
 
 In the spring of 1834, young Lord Nairne began 
 to experience "a want of occupation and of the 
 means of improvement." He proposed to leave 
 Ireland. On the 7th of April our authoress inti- 
 mated her proposed departure to Miss Mason. Having 
 expressed her regret and pain in the prospect of parting 
 with congenial and attached friends, she proceeds : — 
 
 "Naime and I have been amusing ourselves revising geo- 
 graphy and astronomy, and I really find that has a good effect 
 in such a case as this. , Yet, philosophize as I may, I must think 
 of your frequent kind visits with regret, and, I will add, with 
 gratitude. . . . The best way for me is to go by water as 
 much as may be, yet I am sorry to malce Naime suffer as he 
 does at sea. I do humbly but confidently trust we are led by 
 unerring wisdom in our little plans. I do not think I shall ever 
 regret having made so long a visit to Wicklow. " 
 
 A long letter, addressed to the same correspondent 
 a few weeks later, contains these words : — 
 
 ' ' Perhaps few sons would have sacrificed to an old mother as 
 Nairne has done, and I trust he has himself, in many respects, 
 benefited. Besides even better things, the domestic life he has 
 led is good, and I think now he will prefer that still to much 
 excitement. Should he marry, which would be a happy event 
 fo me, and that I thought it eligible to leave him, who knows 
 but that I might come to end my days here ? These dreams are 
 
Memoir of Barofiess Nairne. 6 1 
 
 all for yourself, remember ! It is not of yesterday that Ireland 
 has had hold of my heart. Nairne's dear papa was born in it, 
 and though only three years old when his parents returned to 
 England, yet here he drew his first breath on the banks of the 
 Boyne, and while breath remains with me, his native countiy 
 must be beloved. 
 
 " Time makes no difference with regard to some feelings. I 
 once imagined a change of place and other circumstances might, 
 but it is not so with me. I am never left alone without realizing 
 Moore's beautiful lines, ' Fond memory brings the light of other 
 days around me ;' yet it is in peace, hope, unspeakable gra- 
 titude, and joyful anticipation. I feel as if I ought to be contin- 
 ually employed in thanksgivings. What you say of being led 
 by privations from the streams to the fountain is most salutary. 
 This is a blessed result, whatever means are employed to pro- 
 duce it. ... I feel sure you will do the best thing for us 
 that any mortal can do in commending us to our gracious Lord's 
 protecting care and guiding. I wish time and place to be 
 nothing to me but as He leads the way and appoints the time 
 for every circumstance. If we do but belong to His family, all 
 is weU." 
 
 The summer of [834 was spent in Scotland. Lord 
 Nairne visited his relations in Perthshire ; he inspected 
 sorrowfully the ruins of his ancestral seat. Our 
 authoress resided chiefly at Edinburgh. There she 
 visited those friends with whom she had enjoyed 
 a pleasant intercourse during the publication of the 
 " Minstrel." A lady had remarked that she found in 
 the "Minstrel" lines which surprised her, from the 
 professed propriety of the work. The speaker was 
 ignorant of our authoress's share in the production, 
 and the remark caused a deep wound. Respecting 
 
62 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 the passages objected to, she wrote to her Edinburgh 
 correspondent : — 
 
 " I never was for concessions of the kind, nor indeed for 
 retaining silly nonsense, though ever so old." 
 
 A correspondent had invited her attention to " The 
 Sabbath," a poem, by the Rev. James Grahame. She 
 replied as follows : — 
 
 " It is long since I read Grahame on the Sabbath. When I 
 did, I delighted in his sentiments, and as cordially disliked his 
 politics. * Since then I have become indifferent about politics, 
 further than as I consider them to accord with or differ from the 
 spirit of the Holy Scriptures ; some slight allowance being made 
 for early impressions, which ai'e very powerful in some minds, 
 but have in my own been so greatly modified, that I trust they 
 do not mislead me. The satsible change gives a good hope of 
 this." 
 
 In another letter to the same correspondent she 
 writes : — 
 
 " How sorry I am for this illness of your relative, as he seeins 
 to suffer under it ! Do point out to him explicitly the only hope. 
 I hardly now meet with a pedlar's tract that does not plainly 
 point to the Saviour, Mr. D. seems to feel himself as he ought 
 — a sinner ; and how often has a word in season been allowed 
 to bring present peace and hope for the future by showing the 
 all-sufficiency of the ransom that has been paid ! This, you 
 
 * The amiable author of "The Sabbath" cherished ultra- 
 liberal political opinions ; he had approved of the French 
 Revolution of 1789, and was generally in favour of democratical 
 institutions. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairfie. 63 
 
 may have observed, often comes home to the mind as a new and 
 powerful truth, though read and heard of from youth with a 
 bare assent by those who ignorantly lea.n to something in them- 
 selves. He appears to be in the veiy case that gives hope. 
 You have obtained an influence over his mind that may be 
 blessed to him. He should read that chapter in the ' Pilgi'im's 
 Progress ' where the burden falls from the shoulders at sight of 
 the cross. That struck me greatly --many is the day since, — 
 and though I had before read it with little application on various 
 occasions.'' 
 
 Young Lord Naime had long been delicate, and it 
 became evident to his anxious mother that the climate 
 of Scotland was unfavourable to his complaint. In 
 the hope of his deriving benefit from the change, she 
 proposed to accompany him to the Continent. This 
 was in the autumn of 1834. Not long before her 
 departure she wrote to her Dublin correspondent in 
 these words : — 
 
 "I delight in seeing all merely human anticipations contra- 
 dicted by the high and gracious power that overrules all. What 
 is to come we know not, but surely much praise is due for the 
 present. " 
 
 The writer was to have her faith severely tested ; 
 she was to pass through " the valley of Baca." 
 
 The Continental party included Mrs. Keith, and 
 her attached niece, Miss Margaret Harriet Steuart, of 
 Dalguise. They visited in succession Paris, Florence, 
 Rome, Naples, Geneva, Interlachen, and Baden. 
 During the winter of 1835-6 the party established 
 
64 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 their quarters at Mannheim. From that place Lady 
 Nairne writes to one of her nieces : — 
 
 " 27th February, 1836. 
 
 " Our winter's residence here has not been altogether as satis- 
 factory as I had hoped. My great attraction centred in an 
 excellent clergyman, who was able to officiate only twice after 
 we came. The sermons were so satisfactory, that it was im- 
 possible not to lament the dearth that ensued. 
 
 " . . . Here there are many English families, and what is 
 called very genteel society. There is also the court of tire 
 Grand Duchess Dowager of Baden, a niece -in-law of poor 
 Josephine, and adopted daughter of Napoleon. You will 
 Scarcely believe what a fuss the English make about this French 
 lady ; she goes to their balls and musical parties, and being now 
 a Royal Highness is treated something like a queen by them. 
 She was very handsome, and is said to be very talented and 
 accomplished. Her only unmarried daughter is, I beheve, really 
 a fine girl of nineteen. * I have not seen either, as I do nothing, 
 as usual, beyond morning calls on a few acquaintances. Had I, 
 like the rest, gone through the trouble of being presented at 
 court, there would have been no plea for enjoying this i"etire- 
 
 ment that I love and require I say with thankfulness 
 
 that I have been better on the Continent than for u long time 
 in our humid islands ; yet age must tell, however gently." 
 
 Early in spring Lady Nairne removed her house- 
 hold to Baden-Baden. From this place she writes to 
 a relative on the 6th June : — 
 
 "I have been much interested with Mrs. Hannah More's 
 Life, which was lent me at Mannheim. It far surpassed my 
 expectation, and her real character was all that I had imagined. 
 
 Now Duchess of Hamilton. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 65 
 
 There is so much high talent, truth, and simplicity, that when 
 I put it all together, it left the impression of sublimity on my 
 mind. I had fancied the faults in her style were the effects of 
 effort ; not, as I found, of the overflowing richness of her mental 
 qualities. This is a delightful spot ; Nairne's taste for wild 
 nature at least equals mine." 
 
 The hand of death was approaching. During the 
 spring of 1837 Lord Nairne was seized with influenza, 
 then epidemic. He did not regain strength. Symp- 
 toms of a pulmonary ailment supervened. His 
 mother sought the best medical help ; she thought of 
 returning to Britain, or proceeding to a warmer 
 climate. The following letter to a relative in England 
 supplies information concerning this anxious period : — 
 
 "Brussels, Oct. ii. 
 " We could not safely get any further than this place. Hu- 
 manly speaking, this of Nairne's has been a cruel case, as he 
 has suffered more injury from improper treatment than I 
 could be able to contemplate without distraction, did I not 
 feel that in imploring direction with, I hope, a sincere desire to 
 act with submission to the holy will of Him who is our All, we 
 have in reality been led, and that the present dispensation, 
 dark and trying as it now seems, will even to ourselves soon 
 appear to be a proof of love. Will you kindly do as you 
 suggest about public prayers, of course, without naming any one, 
 as I would not feel justified in doing that. I hear of a very 
 good clergyman vfith whom I hope to get acquainted soon, and 
 we have the benefit of a most satisfactory medical gentleman, 
 one of the professors here, who was long in England, and 
 knows all the modes of treatment. He is, I think, without 
 doubt, a pious man, as he always speaks of his prescriptions as 
 
66 Memoir of Baroness Nairtie. 
 
 being under the direction of One who alone can give efficacy to 
 
 the means We have also the blessing of attached 
 
 and very efficient servants, accustomed to nurse invalids, so that 
 in these respects vi'e have reason to be thankful. And that I 
 should now, when I expected to be about departing this life, have 
 bodily strength enough to give my attendance, is really wonder- 
 ful. As for the rest, not to suffer is iinpossihle, but it is not in 
 wrath, but in mercy, that all our trials are sent. The Dr. 
 says it would be wrong to despair, as cures in Naime's case have 
 been effected, but no man can answer for the result.'' 
 
 The life of an only child — a dearly beloved son — 
 was trembling in the balance, but the widowed mother 
 was entirely resigned to the divine will. Her faith 
 was needed. 
 
 The case exceeded human skill. Mrs. Keith, and 
 her niece, Miss Margaret Harriet Steuart, now become 
 the correspondents, who are to inform relatives and 
 friends in Britain of this last sad bereavement. In a 
 letter commenced by Mrs. Keith, in the form of a 
 journal, we have the following: — 
 
 "November nth. 
 
 " A change to the worse, and I feel now as if there were no 
 hope almost His mother is a pattern of composure and perfect 
 resignation. 
 
 " l8th. ^To-day he is called much better. 
 
 " igtli. — A most anxious day on Nairne's account . . . 
 The delightful certainty of a gracious change having been wrought 
 in his mind ought to fill our hearts with praise, and to quell all 
 murmurs. " 
 
 " The change " referred to in Mrs. Keith's journal 
 had proved to the watchful mother a source of the 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 67 
 
 deepest consolation about eighteen months previous. 
 Young Lord Nairne, amiable, affectionate, and prudent 
 as he was, had long been a stranger to the truth as it 
 is in Jesus. " During the first portion of his residence 
 in Ireland," writes one who knew him well, "he 
 seemed inclined to be a scoffer." " He experienced 
 some benefit," writes the same correspondent, " in the 
 society of certain clergymen at Wicklow, whom he 
 at first chiefly appreciated from their gentlemanly 
 bearing." But the prayers of a devoted parent were 
 afterwards to be fully answered, and all reserve dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 The diary is continued, but simply contains the 
 record of constant changes, for the better or for the 
 worse. The niece sums up : — 
 
 "nth December. 
 "All our hopes and fears, my dear cousin, are now at an 
 end. On the 7th it pleased God to remove our beloved invalid 
 from this scene of suflTering. However much this event may 
 have been dreaded by us, the blow has not been the less heavy 
 now it has fallen, and it is one from which, humanly speaking, 
 his mother can never recover. Her fortitude and resignation 
 have been very gi"eat, but that does not render her suffering less 
 acute now. For some weeks he had given us the extreme satis- 
 faction of knowing from his own lips his utter renunciation of 
 self, and his trust in our blessed Redeemer. This he most 
 humbly, sweetly, expressed ; and both before and after gave 
 manifold proofs of a renewed mind. . . . He received the 
 sacrament, at his own request, the day before he died. . . 
 He was perfectly sensible to the last. He literally fell asleep 
 
68 Memoir of Baroness JSfairne. 
 
 when dear aunt Naime had just repeated in the words of 
 Stephen, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' which he applied to 
 himself." 
 
 William, sixth Lord Naime, was interred at Brussels 
 on the 1 2th December. His remains were accompa- 
 nied to the grave by many respectable inhabitants of 
 the city, who sympathized with an aged gentlewoman, 
 bereft of her husband, and now childless. In reply 
 to a letter of condolence, addressed to her by her 
 Edinburgh correspondent, Miss Harriet Steuart wrote 
 as follows : — 
 
 ' ' My dear aunt has indeed suffered much, yet she has seen 
 mercy in every step, softening the anguish of this heavy trial." 
 
 Some weeks after her sad bereavement Lady Nairne 
 communicated with her niece, Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, 
 in these terms : — 
 
 " Though writing, even to friends, is no longer, as for- 
 merly, one of my occupations, I cannot resist the temptation 
 now offered of thanking you for your kind letter, and sympathy 
 with me under the heavy affliction which it pleased our heavenly 
 Father to send me . No one but myself can know what I have 
 lost in my darling companion of almost thirty years, as none 
 besides could witness his never-ceasing tenderness and confidence. 
 Whilst I had him, the thought that it was a thing possible that 
 I might lose him, though high in health and spirits, — the very 
 thought would at times embitter to me our delightful intercourse. 
 This, I know now, arose from excess of attachment, and surely 
 I have much — ^much reason to give thanks for the grace that 
 enabled me to resign him at last with the full conviction that all 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 69 
 
 was well for him and for me. You are the fii"st to whom I have 
 written of my inmost feelings, as I really have not strength of 
 mind or body for much." 
 
 Henriette Vouaillat, Lady Nairne's faithful maid, 
 ■\vho attended her during these eventful years, lately 
 remarked to one who saw her at Geneva, that after a 
 burst of grief at the first, her mistress bore her heavy 
 loss with perfect re.signation. No murmur escaped 
 her lips. 
 
 A narrative of the leading events in the life of our 
 authoress, subsequent to her son's death, has been 
 supplied by her grand-niece, Mrs. G. F. Barbour, of 
 Bonskeid, authoress of "The Way Home," "The 
 Child of the Kingdom," and other works. Mr. 
 Sandeman, husband of Lady Nairne's niece, accom- 
 panied by his daughter, the writer of the following 
 "Recollections," left Springland, near Perth, and 
 hastened their intended journey to Brussels. 
 
 The reader is now placed under the guidance of 
 the younger traveller : — 
 
 " Having received no letter from Brussels since 
 leaving Scotland, we reached the door of Mrs. Keith's 
 residence in the Rue Ducale, with the hope of hearing 
 that Lord Naime had rallied from the last attack of 
 serious illness. The servant in mourning silenced 
 inquiry. The funeral carriages had just left the court- 
 yard of Lady Nairne's house in the Rue de Lou vain, 
 a few doors off. Mrs. Keith had gone to spend the 
 afternoon with her sister, accompanied by Miss Mar- 
 
JO Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 garet Harriet Steuart, of Dalguise, their niece and the 
 mainstay of both for years after. ' The funeral was 
 delayed for your arrival,' said the servant to Mr. 
 Sandeman, 'until the last hour permitted by the 
 authorities ; but you come too late ! ' 
 
 " It was not for some days that the writer, then in 
 her fifteenth year, went to spend the evening with the 
 bereaved Lady Nairne. Two and thirty years have 
 elapsed, but that first interview remains fresh and 
 vivid in memory. The last caution received on 
 leaving home was, to be careful that in no unguarded 
 moment I should allude to the authorship of the ' Land 
 o' the Leal.' ' I never mentioned it but once,' said 
 my mother, ' and it caused both distress and dis- 
 pleasure : ' That was treachery^ was the only answer 
 I received.' And now the beloved authoress was per- 
 sonifying her own song. Her only child, who had 
 combined a daughter's tenderness with his manly care 
 of her, had gone to that dwelling, the gates of which 
 his mother's sweet song had made clear to the eyes 
 of so many. 
 
 " The first hours spent at her side, to be constantly 
 renewed during two happy years, proved that the 
 comfort wherewith she had comforted others bore, 
 as to its reality, the severest test. It was a cold 
 December night. The north wind, more dry and 
 sifting than in Britain, was felt in the large apartment 
 in spite of the open stove and the screen that surrounded 
 her sofa. She sat at a writing table. The green shade 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne, 7 1 
 
 of the lamp concealed in a great measure the wrhikled 
 brow and bloodshot eyes, and she looked still lovely, 
 and much younger in her 72nd year than one would 
 have expected. Her cap, of the Queen Mary shape, 
 had a large white crape handkerchief thrown over it. 
 She made the kindest and most minute inquiries 
 about everything at home, and when the effort became 
 too great she gave me a book to read. 
 
 " Not long after, the Belgian physician who had 
 attended her son called to inquire for her. In answer 
 to a remark of his about the welfare of the good and 
 amiable in a future state, her eye kindled, and she 
 spoke with deep solemnity of what is taught in God's 
 word of the utterly fallen state of the purest of man- 
 kind, and of the ransom and redemption through Christ 
 Jesus, beguiling the listener on to put his lips almost 
 down to the water of life to drink. Before I left she 
 asked if I liked poetry, and bade me bring a blank 
 book the next evening I came, that she might dictate 
 lines from different authors. All the evenings that 
 winter were spent much in the same way. Her 
 interest in the welfare of the souls of others was 
 unwearied. It was a great lesson to see that one 
 who had been bereft of all had yet the great life-work 
 remaining to her. 
 
 " She listened with interest to Lockhart's Life of 
 Sir Walter Scott, which recalled to her the scenes and 
 many of the personages with whom, during her resi- 
 dence in Edinburgh, she had been familiar. One 
 
7 2 Memoir of Bxroness Nairne. 
 
 evening, while reading aloud to her, we came upon 
 a note discussing the authorship of the ' Land o' the 
 Leal.' To the young reader it was somewhat like going 
 to the cannon's mouth to read it to her, and if blushes 
 could betray the knowledge of a secret. Lady Nairne's 
 observant eye must have seen them. ' Poor Sir Walter ! ' 
 she said more than once ; ' we did not put ourselves in 
 his way, or we might have seen much of him. One 
 so attractive as he was, and who had yet been bold 
 enough to single out God's servants for derision, as he 
 did the Covenanters, placing them in a light so false, 
 would have been a dangerous friend.' She searched 
 the catalogue of the English library for books bearing 
 on the last days of Byron, Napoleon, and others, in 
 whose great minds her own had been specially in- 
 terested. She used to send us for the books, and 
 would say with sadness, ' I cannot endure the thought 
 of men with such capacities for suffering and enjoy- 
 ment having taken their places, for the immeasurable 
 eternity, among the lost. I always search hoping to 
 come on some trace, in the records of their last days, 
 of their having apprehended our Saviour's work and 
 touched the hem of His garment.' 
 
 " How often, after speaking of individuals, — to inter- 
 course with whom the path had lain open, but whose 
 society she had relinquished to protect her only child 
 from everything which she had deemed of questionable 
 tendency, — she ended with one or other of the verses 
 of a favourite hymn — 
 
Memoir of Bajvness Nairne. 73 
 
 ' Poor and afflicted, Lord, are Thine, 
 Among the great unfit to shine ; 
 Yet, though the world may think it strange. 
 They would not with the world exchange. ' 
 
 I have not a single regret about William's upbringing. 
 He was trained for the kingdom whither he has gone. 
 I was laughed at for not having him taught dancing; but 
 I knew its snares too well. What else does the Bible 
 lead us to expect when it says — Therefore the world 
 knoweth us not, because it kneiv Him not ? Yet there 
 never was a merrier home than ours. Your uncle was 
 full of fun, and kept his best spirits for his own home. 
 I remember one day he came in saying a number of 
 new knights had been gazetted, adding, ' In fact, we 
 are going to be be-nighted, and the only light we shall 
 have will be star-X\^\ ! '" * 
 
 "Winter was gone, and bright days returned. The 
 bust of her son, which had occasioned so many visits 
 to the studio of a sculptor on the Boulevard, was 
 finished. She had been several times to church, 
 had received a few visitors, and taken some drives ; all 
 being planned for her by the watchful and affectionate 
 solicitude of Mrs. Keith and Miss Steuart, without 
 whose sheltering forethought a return to life would 
 scarcely have seemed possible for her. 
 
 " A change of air was needed. On Tuesday, the 
 
 * Lady Naime's husband was a man of fascinating manners 
 and sparkling wit ; he was quite unable to resist the tendency to 
 play upon words, which he did in the most brilliant way. 
 
74 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 fifth of June, 1838, at 8 a.m., Lady Nairne took 
 her place in the travelling carriage. Mrs. Keith's 
 did not start till some hours later, that we might 
 get over the douane work before they overtook 
 us. As we passed alone together through the Porte 
 d'Anderlecht, from Brussels, all bright in the sunshine 
 of a summer morning, she lay back, with her eyes 
 shut, and her desolation seemed complete. She could 
 not have remained in that climate ; yet she had to 
 leave precious dust behind her, under the stone which 
 we had seen lettered, — 
 
 ' WILLIAM, LORD NAIRNE, Aged 29. 
 Blessed are the dead whicli die in the Lord. ' 
 
 " Sunshine had always been the most trying thing 
 for her in her grief; but now she would have all the 
 blinds up that I might not lose the views. 
 
 " Journeys were slow in those days ; the heavy-laden 
 carriage, the horse's bells, mingled with the cracking 
 whips and cries of the postillions, are now but little 
 known. We stopped at Valenciennes for the night, 
 in an hotel which had been a convent, as we dis- 
 covered, when trying to find the kitchen to hasten a 
 cup of coffee for Aunt N., we had to pass through 
 great unfurnished halls with stone floors. 
 
 " Next forenoon we spent afCambrai. She listened 
 with interest to all we could find out there about 
 Fdnelon, at the cathedral, and other spots sacred to 
 his memory. She knew his words as, broken-hearted, 
 
Memotr of Baroness Nairne. 75 
 
 he stood by the bier of his royal pupil, the Dauphin 
 of France : — ' If the turning of a straw could now put 
 me again in possession of what I loved, I would not be 
 the turner of that straw, unless God bade me.' 
 
 "Another afternoon's journey, commenced at the 
 close of a thunderstorm, brought us to rest the second 
 night at Peronne, previously to reaching which she 
 made me read to her the description of it by Sir 
 Walter Scott. 
 
 " We stopped a night at Senlis, and reached Paris 
 the following day. The preaching and society of 
 Zvlr. Lovett, then officiating in Lady Olivia Sparrow's 
 Chapelle Marboeuf, were most soothing, and six 
 weeks were spent happily there ere the party again 
 set out." 
 
 From a letter written at Paris we print an 
 extract : — 
 
 "Paris, Avenue de Neuilly, 
 
 "June zSth, 1838. 
 
 "Aunt jST. has found herself sadly at home hi the duty of 
 comforting her bereaved friends, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, with 
 whom she is now sitting. Five of their children died in con- 
 sumption. We found them in this house when we came. Their 
 dear Fanny is now added to the company gathered on high. 
 Every one who saw her said she seemed already in heaven, but 
 her parents and sisters feel all the blank now. She suifered 
 much. 
 
 "The heat is intense : we had to dine in the outer lobby; 
 everything comes from a restaurant. Kfenime de peine, with the 
 two maids and the two men of my aunt's, does everything. 
 
 " A somnambula is attracting crowds, who consult her as to 
 
76 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 their health, and on other subjects, and she must be making a 
 fortune. We only know it all by hearsay, and have to sit silent 
 when some valued friends come and relate the wonderful stories 
 of cures effected by her. It is Aunt N.'s way to listen to, and 
 try to sift, such things : it amuses her unawares, so we tell her 
 everything we hear. 
 
 "They have all been grieved by a case of imposition. We were 
 asked to visit a young Englishwoman in poverty, about to 
 have an operation for a tumour, expected to be fatal, by a noted 
 French surgeon. She was an object to look at, but a model of 
 patience and resignation. One day a friend took in an English 
 doctor to see her. Under his hands, for he insisted on using 
 them, she soon became thin enough without an operation ! He 
 took out a soft little pillow, and other deceitful wrappings. Of 
 course the visits of the French surgeon were all of her own in- 
 venting. It made one's heart sick, so many had been deceived 
 by her. She made her escape at once with her earnings. 
 
 "Aunt N. listens with delight to notes we took of two 
 sermons of her favourite among Scotchmen, Dr. Chalmers. He 
 is now the lion here among English and French, though I doubt 
 if the latter understand him. I never saw him before. ' God is 
 love,' was his text ; a gi-and peroration. ' Death will come, the 
 coffin will come,' &c. One feels proud of him as the French 
 gaze in wonder at him. His wee notes fly in succession from his 
 Bible to the pulpit floor, as each is done with. At the end he 
 picks them all up again. It is doubly good to hear him in this 
 bewitching place. If one had not a soul, and were not to live 
 for ever, one would never wish to leave it. 
 
 "A poor Spaniard was recommended to Aunt N., so we 
 begged hard for leave to learn 'Spanish in a fortnight,' and 
 obtained it. Cousin makes all kinds of study delightful ; we have 
 been learning lessons under the trees of the Tuilleries, and 
 driving in the Bois de Boulogne. Aunt N. has made room on 
 the carriage for a guitar-case." 
 
Memoi}' of Baroness Nairnc. 7 7 
 
 " The journey from Paris to Wildbad, in the Black 
 Forest, occupied from Monday morning till Saturday 
 night. At starting she playfully said, ' As we are to 
 have a whole week of it, we must try to spend the 
 days to some purpose. I shall repeat Bishop Ken's 
 morning hymn as soon as we get beyond the rattle of 
 the streets, and you must repeat it to me to-morrow ; 
 you may read aloud at the hills and as often as they 
 stop to change horses.' 
 
 " There were two volumes which, during the years we 
 spent together, were never missing from her writing- 
 table, and they were always to be found in what her 
 servant Dominique called a banc a volonte ; he had 
 got it made with great pains, to fill up the front part 
 of the carriage, to contain her books, work, and slight 
 provision for the way, and also to serve as a foot-rest. 
 We read a letter of Lady Powerscourt's* daily, and 
 generally a hymn of Miss Fry's. She liked these 
 books because of the full expression they contain of 
 God's boundless love to His people. His choice of 
 them from all eternity, and the certainty of forgiveness 
 of sin, which any sinner may obtain at any instant, by 
 receiving Jesus as God's free gift. She liked them 
 because they insisted on the pilgrim character of the 
 forgiven, and the joyful surrender of everything to the 
 Master's use. 
 
 * Letters and Papers by the late Theodosia, Viscountess 
 Powerscourt, edited by the Rev. Robert Daly. Dublin, 1838. 
 i2mo. 
 
 F 
 
78 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 " The following lines of Miss Fry were the first she 
 dictated to me ; they were indeed touchingly descrip- 
 tive of herself: — 
 
 THE BARREN ROCK, 
 
 A LONELY rock on the sea-shore stood, 
 Its head to heaven, its base in the flood ; 
 The dews of morning bathed its brow, 
 And the moonbeam played on its breast of snow, 
 The summer breezes kissed it lightly, 
 And the sun shined on it brightly, brightly, 
 But there came not forth of its cold, cold breast 
 So much as to shelter the sea-mew's nest. 
 
 There came not a leaf, there came not a spray, 
 Nor the heather brown, nor the besom gay ; 
 The simpler came not to pick with care 
 The healing buds of the balsam tliere. 
 What ails thee, thou Rock, that still in vain 
 The spring returns with his jocund train, 
 So richly decked, so gaily sped. 
 And finds no wreath on thy sullen head ? 
 
 I looked again, — and the waters grew, 
 They reached its base, they reached its brovr, 
 Again and again, with fearful shock. 
 The billows broke o'er the lonely rock ; 
 But it trembled not as it passed them through, 
 And it rose in smiles as the waves withdrew, 
 And its brow was decked with gems so bright, 
 They seemed like drops of the rainbow's light. 
 
 'Tis well ; and so o'er some beside 
 Adversity flows with as rough a tide ; 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairiie. 79 
 
 It rifles the heart of the joys it bore, 
 
 And it comes so oft they will grow no more ; 
 
 But it leaves it firm, it leaves it bright. 
 
 It leaves it decked with unearthly light ; 
 
 In hallowed tears serene to stand 
 
 As the lonely rock on the cold sea strand. 
 
 " We say nothing of the external part of the journey 
 to Wildbad. We ahvays started early and travelled 
 late, so that Mrs. Keith, as well as her sister, might 
 rest during the heat of the day, and allow the others 
 to explore and take sketches of the places where they 
 stopped. It was not till after the second move that 
 the dear subject of this memoir could trust herself to 
 look around. All the nearer to her heart was the 
 celestial scenery which imagination strives, after each 
 bereavement, to outline anew. Lady Nairne did not 
 speak of her sorrow, nor do we recollect ever seeing 
 tears. Sometimes when she thought she was un- 
 observed she would raise her hand deprecatingly, as 
 if the strokes of sorrow were falling too heavy and 
 thick for human endurance, and her eye was turned 
 upward to the Man of sorrows on the throne who was 
 overruling all. She seemed like one in severe bodily 
 pain, and often whispered the words, ' He spared not 
 His Son.' At first the servants would come with 
 anxious look when the carriage stopped, to ask if 
 anything was required, as if in doubt whether the 
 thread of life could bear the forces which assailed it ; 
 but before we set out on our third journey all was 
 
8o Memoir of Baroness Nairtie. 
 
 more hopeful. I never saw her allow herself to laugh 
 heartily but once, and it was not long after our first 
 meeting. She had been repeating some lines of which 
 she said she had often tried to discover the author. 
 On my insisting that his name was in a collection of 
 poetry, she said, ' You must bring it me next night' 
 She did not forget, and I told her the name of the 
 author was ' Anonymous.' When a very little child 
 I had got it into my mind that this was a clever man 
 who wrote most of the pretty things we learned : not 
 pronouncing the word properly to myself, the error had 
 not been discovered, and the existence of "Anon " was 
 as firmly believed in. To have made such a blunder 
 before most people would have been a lasting humilia- 
 tion, but not with her. How true it is that one feels 
 most at ease in the presence of a great mind, and 
 never hurt or awkward ! he who has most mastered 
 his subject will often most patiently explain its rudi- 
 ments to the ignorant. 
 
 " She was kinder than ever, and said, ' Now tell me, 
 dear Maggy, whose collection of hymns do you 
 use?' 
 
 " ' Sacred Poetry,' and Montgomery's ' Christian 
 Psalmist.' 
 
 " ' And where do you learn your hymns when at 
 Springland?' 
 
 " ' In a crooked little beech tree, just like an arm- 
 chair after breakfast till church-time on Sundays ; and 
 other days, when there is time to go further, up at the 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 8 1 
 
 long stone seat on the bank of Annaty Bum, where 
 it runs into the current of the Tay, between us and 
 the Scone grounds.' 
 
 " ' The view is very fine there, is it not ? ' 
 " ' We never miss going on the fine sunset evenings 
 to see it over the Grampians; with the clouds and the 
 broad river, and just in front a long little island ; the 
 sky looks like a way up to heaven.' 
 
 " ' What hymn did you last learn there ?' she asked. 
 
 ' " A cloud lay cradled near the setting sun, 
 
 A gleam of crimson tinged its braided snow : 
 Long had I watched the glory moving on, 
 
 O'er the still radiance of the lake below ; 
 Tranquil its spirit seemed, and floated slow, 
 
 Even in its very motion there was rest, 
 While every breath of eve that chanced to blow, 
 
 Wafted the traveller to the beauteous west ; 
 Emblem, methought, of the departed soul, 
 
 To whose white robe the gleam of bliss is given. 
 And by the breath of mercy made to roll 
 
 Right onward to the golden gates of heaven ; 
 Where, to the eye of faith, it peaceful lies. 
 
 And tells to man his glorious destinies." ' 
 
 " ' Just a place to learn hymns about heaven at; they 
 should never be learned as a task. And at Bonskeid, 
 which is the favourite seat?' 
 
 " ' Up in the west wood where you painted the house 
 from. But last summer our governess found it dull, 
 and we sat often on a little hill where she could see 
 the post-runner pass, and the tourists' carriages, and the 
 
82 Memoir of Baroness Naime. 
 
 carriers' carts. She got a fright with a roe-deer and an 
 adder, and did not like the wood after.' 
 
 " ' I hope they do not oblige you to write verses of 
 your own, as some are made to do.' 
 
 " ' No.' 
 
 " ' And you never tried ?' 
 
 " ' Never.' 
 
 "'True poetry is involuntary; it will force its 
 own way. You and I must have many talks about 
 these wonderful men, "Anonymous'' and "Anon,'' who 
 have between them caused me more delight than any 
 authors. I must tell you a story of our youth at 
 Gask, where the mistake of a word not only caused 
 merriment for us at the time, but ever since. 
 
 " 'Aunt Harriet had got a special summons by a 
 messenger on horseback to Athole, to go to see 
 " Lady" Lude, who was said to be so ill that if shewished 
 to see her in life she must come instantly. Aunt 
 Harriet gave a letter, ordering a large chaise, to the 
 horseman to deliver in Perth on his arrival there, nine 
 miles distant, as you know. We all set to making pre- 
 parations for her journey. May (your grandmother) 
 was the director, as in everything else, and we were 
 all seated round aunt Harriet in her grief, won- 
 dering how the chaise she had ordered (she had 
 written to Perth that the biggest to be had should be 
 sent immediately) was so long in coming, as the 
 journey to Blair-Athole was tedious, and it was get- 
 ting late. Suddenly the door of the room opened, 
 
Memoir of Bm-oness Nairne. 83 
 
 and two men entered carrying an enormous cluese. 
 Aunt Harriet was always a great laugher, but this 
 time (owing to the tension on the nerves caused by 
 sorrowful preparations, parting with us, and the illness 
 of her sister) she was seized with an immoderate 
 fit. Tears even ran down, the more her ludicrous 
 mistake in spelling became plain to her. She, without 
 power to explain, the two men with the cheese on the 
 floor between them, we gazing in utter wonder, formed 
 a scene we could never forget. The journey was 
 given up till next morning.' 
 
 " Lady Nairne's young listener would not have 
 grudged to make as great a mistake again, to be so 
 amended; the sorrows of 'Anonymous' were all for- 
 gotten. The beloved speaker, who had dwelt since 
 her youth in a hiding-place draped by that word 
 Anonymous, perhaps enjoyed it all herself. 
 
 " On leaving Brussels, Lady Nairne had resolved 
 not to keep house any longer ; but to have rooms in 
 Mrs. Keith's house wherever she might settle. But, 
 on reaching Wildbad, we found it unexpectedly so 
 crowded that we had to seek rooms in three 
 different houses, not far apart. The Black Forest 
 affords drives and walks in every direction.* 
 
 " We were awoke by the band of music. The dewy 
 
 * Wildbad lies in a deep valley, with the river baths and hot 
 springs at the bottom. The hills are well wooded, and the 
 tracts of heather and bleaberries reminded us of Bonskeid and 
 Steuartfield. 
 
84 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 morning walk from six to eiglit; breakfast — of which 
 wild strawberries always formed part; — study carried on 
 in the heat of the day (after the table d''hote at 
 12), either indoors or in one of the arbours, which 
 then were numerous on the steep wooded banks; 
 and the drives in the evening, amid the aroma of 
 the scented fir, made our sojourn here delightful. 
 Evening worship, at the side of those aged friends 
 who put all these enjoyments within our reach, closed 
 the happiness of these days. Family worship was 
 never omitted even on the most fatiguing journeys : 
 when there was no time to read, the servants came 
 in, and a brief prayer was offered. 
 
 " After spending six weeks at Wildbad, and stopping 
 at Stuttgart, Ulm, and Augsburg, where we saw a 
 review of 50,000 Bavarian troops, we reached Munich, 
 and were soon comfortably settled in the large 
 Maison Rechberg, of which the Count and Countess 
 Rechberg let one flat, built round a large court, 
 and opening on a garden bounded on one side by 
 the dwellings of the poor. From one of their open 
 windows the sound of singing in parts, and of a musical 
 instrument, would come in the evenings and on holidays. 
 We were much amused by a musical baker who had 
 a piano in his back shop, with a bell over it which 
 rang as soon as any one entered ; after answering 
 the demands of his shop, he went back to his piano. 
 
 " The following notes are from letters sent home at 
 that time : — 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairnc. 85 
 
 "Munich, October 17th, 1838. 
 " Spent last night alone with Aunt N. Her conversation 
 is more and more unrestrained and delightful. There is some- 
 thing elevating in being with one who has no longer any tie to 
 earth, but that affectionate interest in the eternal prospects of 
 every perishing fellow-sinner which love to her Saviour inspires. 
 They all take so much interest about Alexander's having gone 
 to school. Aunt Naime said, ' Well, Maggy, I believe many, 
 many a prayer has been offered up for him before he was 
 launched out into the world.' On Thursday evening we are to 
 work for the poor. The Friday forenoons are to be spent in the 
 galleries of sculpture ; another day, when we can, in the gallery 
 of painting, where the works of each master are arranged sepa- 
 rately, and dated, which is so useful for a beginner.'' 
 
 "At Munich Lady Naime did not refuse to see 
 visitors, whose custom it was to call in the evening in 
 dress, uninvited — the most easy and agreeable way of 
 visiting. Lord and Lady Erskine were then at the 
 EngUsh Embassy. The Rev. Charles de Coetlogon 
 was the English chaplain of Madame de Montgelas, 
 and had public service on Sabbath. Many other 
 English and German friendships were formed there. 
 
 "Munich, December 31st, 1838. 
 " It is a delight to be with aunt N. in her illness. She is 
 better, though still very weak ; however, she can now take some 
 turns in her room, with either cousin or me, and we trust she is 
 likely entirely to regain her strength. She is now indeed, 
 as she says, detached from the world. She said the other day 
 that she never saw the concerns and pleasures of time in so un- 
 important a light as now, except in so far as they have regard to 
 eternity. 
 
86 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 "The English here are gay, and all go to court, except my 
 cousin, whose steadiness and consistency are never shaken in 
 what she sees right. One cannot be presented without going to the 
 whole of the balls given by any of the Royal Family, so she has not 
 been presented. This implies much self-denial as to other things 
 which she would really have enjoyed, and we have had indirect 
 notice from the Palace, through ladies-in-waiting with whom we 
 are intimate, that it is regretted that not one of the party was 
 presented. There are some nice parties, to which she goes. 
 She met the Duke and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, with the 
 Prince Royal of Bavaria, at Lord Erskine's, lately. In the papers 
 it is said that the young Prince Albert's marriage to our Queen 
 is still talked of. He is handsome, but reserved, being very 
 young, about his cousin's age. More than once aunt N. has 
 taken out of the drawer of her writing-table the invitation to the 
 coronation with the Queen's signature, as a model of clear and 
 bold handwriting. We are interested in Wilberforce's life, it is 
 our book for reading aloud since we came. " 
 
 " The piano was not kept in the salon, vsrhere 
 Lady Nairne sat at Mrs. Keith's side on a sofa in the 
 evenings, not far from a large marble stove heated 
 from the lobby. Yet we played every evening in the 
 adjoining room, leaving the doors open, and she did 
 not forbid it. She often asked for ' Lo, He comes 
 with clouds descending,' to a fine Spanish air, Duran- 
 darte, to which she had set it, and bade us sing 
 Campbell's 'Triumphal arch that fill'st the sky,' to 
 the air of ' Jock o' Hazeldean.' She liked, to the 
 tune of ' Drink to me only,' the hymn of which this 
 is part, — 
 
 ' The oak strikes deeper as its boughs 
 By furious blasts are riven ; 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 87 
 
 So life's vicissitudes tlie more 
 
 Have fixed my heart in heaven. 
 O Lord my God, whate'er my lot 
 
 In other times may be, 
 I'll welcome still the heaviest stroke 
 
 That brings me near to Thee ! ' 
 
 " Mrs. Keith's eyes had for some time been affected 
 by cataract, without the prospect of much reUef 
 from an operation. As she could still see very large 
 characters, she had copied out and been assisted by 
 others in filling books with her favourite hymns, 
 collects, and passages of Scripture, gathering out 
 from the Old Testament those verses immediately 
 spoken by God himself. She committed all to 
 memory as far as possible, to repeat in the night 
 when she had little sleep, and during the day, should 
 blindness overtake her. Her stock of hymns was 
 great, and she had a book in which the first word of 
 every line she knew was written, to refer to when 
 memory failed. At times her sister was led on by 
 her to go into old stories of the past, even to sor- 
 rowful confessions of the trouble they had given 
 to Mrs. Cramond in the Gask schoolroom. The 
 flitting from the old house to the new was well re- 
 membered. The telling of the wrong version of a 
 story by any one was the sure way to get a true and 
 animated account from Lady Nairne. 
 
 " The following is an instance of how the youthful 
 chivalrous attachment of her father to the outlawed 
 
88 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 Prince found its counterpart in that of the young 
 men at Gask towards himself One of them, named 
 David Buchan, devoted himself entirely to young 
 Oliphant, following him in his wanderings, and pro- 
 tecting him in danger. He was withal an earnest 
 Christian, and a staunch Presbyterian, though his bro- 
 ther* Robert was taking orders in the Episcopal Church. 
 " Once when they were hiding in Buchan, he heard 
 the voice of a marksman in ambush say, 'There's 
 Oliphant!' Another answered, 'Which?' But before 
 aim was taken, young Buchan had slipped a gold piece 
 into the hand of the informer, and the musket was 
 lowered. The Oliphants could not have afforded to 
 keep a servant in their travels. Buchan watched them 
 night and day. On their journeys young Oliphant 
 took the name of 'Dr. Brown^ for illness had made 
 him sallow. His father, old Gask, bore the name of 
 'Mr. White;'' he was of fair complexion. ' We came,' 
 said Buchan, ' late one night to an inn. Young Mr. 
 Oliphant always ordered a bottle of wine for the good 
 of the house, but never had more than two glasses of 
 it, and I took none. I left table to see if his bed was 
 free of damp, as he was ill. Our landlord was crusty, 
 and said they had no warming-pan. I found another 
 inn, and took our landlord's compliments to the hotel- 
 keeper to ask the loan of a warming-pan. One was 
 
 * Some of Buchan's descendants, to several generations, par- 
 taking of his devotion to the family, used to say, "Oliphant is 
 kinjr to us." 
 
Alenioir of Baroness Nairne. 89 
 
 obtained by him at the Manse, and I filled it with 
 cinders; and if ever my invalid had a comfortable bed, 
 it was that night.' 
 
 "The change from ice-bound winter to summer could 
 not be more sudden than at Munich. Sledges were 
 laid aside, winter clothing put away, the inner as well as 
 the outer sashes of the windows were thrown open, 
 song-birds were building nests again, from the win- 
 dow of the poor man the sound of music began once 
 more to float, the dark waters of the rapid Iser leaped 
 along its narrow channel between the wooded banks 
 of the English gardens during these brief transition 
 days of spring. With spring came thoughts of 
 further journeying, and of a winter resting-place, as the 
 heavy luggage was despatched by the slow roulage 
 to a new destination. Nice was decided on. ' You 
 get very honest at packing-time,' the old ladies 
 would say, as the limited accommodation for the use 
 of each of us made it always more difficult to stow 
 away new purchases. A number of cushions, which 
 were carried about to make hard sofas and chairs 
 easy, were emptied of the hay or wool which had filled 
 them. The sisters did not know what idleness meant. 
 Mrs. Keith had always some large knitting work on 
 hand ; and when residing at Steuartfield, on the hill 
 above Dalguise, where she and her beloved niece, 
 Margaret Harriet, had added to a cottage and formed a 
 garden and grounds, she knitted a soft pile hearth- 
 rug entirely in those minutes which elapsed between 
 
go Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 the time she had finished dressing for dinner, and the 
 sounding of the gong. For this rug all the waste 
 ends of wool from every one's work were put into a 
 beautiful bag of silk patchwork, which she called her 
 balloon, and this lay in a chiffonier at the end of the 
 drawing-room ; the border of the rug had a pattern, 
 but the centre had none, so that every shade of wool 
 came in. 
 
 " Lady Nairne's work was generally light. She 
 sent us to the fair at Augsburg after the grand review, 
 to buy a quantity of gay-coloured balls and reels of 
 sewing cotton, costing almost nothing, for her winter's 
 work. She wished to aid some bazaars, or still 
 better, sell her work herself for Christian missions, if 
 a friend fancied it. By tatting and knitting well- 
 assorted colours, such as a pale blue and pink reel used 
 at once, and others combined variously, the vulgar- 
 looking mass from the Augsburg stall stood on her table 
 in gracefully formed bags and mats of many dyes. 
 She said it was best to use our labour on things which 
 cost little, as it would then be all profit. ' Uncle 
 Colyear used to tell us,' she would say, ' that at the 
 French court the ladies thought it graceful to be 
 always at work, and that conversation flagged without 
 it ; but, that none might suppose that they wished to 
 be of any use in the world, he had seen some of them, 
 as soon as a lovely little leaf was produced by the 
 tatting-shuttle, throw it into the fire.' She took the 
 utmost pains with these little pieces of work, some 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 9 r 
 
 of which were done in floss silk, and was quite pleased 
 when her nieces returned from a bazaar for the poor, 
 bringing back among the purchases all the articles she 
 had contributed. ' It reminds me,' she said to me, ' of 
 the time when your dear grandmother sent her garnets 
 from Perth to Ravelstone, that aunt Keith might 
 dispose of them, and purchase a handsome foho edition 
 of Scott's Commentary for her to present to your grand- 
 papa. Mr. Keith noted the jeweller's name, recovered 
 the garnets, and kept them for your mamma.' The 
 bazaars to which Lady Nairne contributed were quietly 
 conducted. She liked to see the wild flowers as we dried 
 them, and formed the names of favourite places in 
 fancy letters with flowers from their own soil. 
 
 "She never read a book without taking extracts, 
 longer or shorter, of striking passages. She seemed 
 to have intended them for her son's use, but it had 
 become a habit, and she still went on, interspersing 
 poetry with prose. The albums made at Munich 
 were veiy tasteful, opening like a flat box, which 
 was filled with loose gilt sheets, and being rapidly 
 filled with the handwriting of friends from whom we 
 v.'ere parting, she promised to fill a leaf. We fondly 
 hoped that as some others were contributing original 
 lines, she who had given so many free tokens of 
 affection would have added one more, in writing some- 
 thing of her own ; but the stern law of secrecy still 
 lield sway, and she copied from Montgomery, — 
 
92 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 ' Knowing as I am known ! 
 How shall I love that word, 
 And oft repeat before the throne, 
 For ever with the Lord 1 ' 
 
 " Mrs. Keith's generosity was never long of being 
 tracked out by the poor, in whatever place she made a 
 winter sojourn, and many a queer little note in cramped 
 German characters found its way to the table of the 
 Maison Rechberg. Each of these led to a brisk walk 
 along the sledge roads of street or suburb, and we 
 used to watch Miss Steuart's wise and wary way of 
 examining the case, before either florins or thalers 
 were awarded. Once an impostor was almost too 
 clever for her. Having promised a visit to a house 
 one afternoon, we found it rather destitute of furniture, 
 and a sad tale of misery was told. When a door in 
 the room was opened, a roll of butter and a good cut 
 of cheese were visible in the adjoining room, through 
 the space between the hinges of the door. To the 
 dismay of the story-tellers Miss S. walked into the 
 other room before they could stop her, and the sight 
 of the articles, which had been carried in there from 
 the destitute-looking apartment, made our stay very 
 short. The ladies never rested till a copy of the 
 Scriptures had been placed in the hands of each 
 person with whom they had any transaction. The 
 common people believed it to be a book of good 
 advice by Martin Luther, but were generally glad to 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 93 
 
 receive it, and willing to be told who was its author, 
 its object, and its end. 
 
 " A few days before the party left Munich, an article 
 appeared in the principal newspaper, expressing grati- 
 tude for the attempts at work among the sick, poor, 
 and ignorant, which the foreign inmates of the Maison 
 Rechberg had been allowed to make during a stay of 
 more than eight months. Whatever it may be now, 
 Munich in those days was a most attractive residence. 
 The kindness of the king and queen to strangers, the 
 respectful gratitude of the poor, chiefly Roman 
 Catholics, the plain-spoken warm-heartedness of 
 the Bavarian noblesse, among whom Lord and Lady 
 Erskine made the English feel at home, laid un- 
 usual advantages open to them. 
 
 " Old King Louis was rapidly rebuilding, facing, and 
 decorating portions of streets and pubUc buildings in a 
 brilliant style. The frescoed Colonnade afforded 
 shelter for walking exercise in all weathers. Bands 
 of music played in the open air to the enjoyment 
 of all. The Pinacothek and Glyptothek, with 
 their treasuries of painting and sculpture, were 
 always open to the student and visitor. Yet all these 
 were out of the reach of her of whom we write, and we 
 do not linger on them : those whose hearts are smitten 
 by one great sorrow, pass gently through the little ills, 
 the slighter changes and partings of life. 
 
 " Lady Nairne was the most cheerful of us all, the 
 day we left Munich and turned our faces towards the 
 
 G 
 
94 Memoir of Baroness Nairnc. 
 
 mountain range which had been before our eyes all 
 the winter, at the distance of sixty miles. 
 
 " Rosenheim was the first resting-place, and as we 
 reached it late, the fire-flies had been visible for 
 several hours, brightening the woods on either side. 
 Many of the cottages had one or two wooden galleries 
 outside, with projecting roof, pendants from which 
 showed texts of Scripture engraved, one word on 
 each pendant. 
 
 " The morning sun disclosed the beauty around 
 Rosenheim, and before we halted again for the night 
 at Traunstein, we had beheld and listened to a 
 thunderstorm among the grand mountains. Several 
 days were spent at Salzburg. The town and fortress 
 equalled the description we had read ; huge masses 
 of rock rise all around, and we took several sketches. 
 On Sabbath there was thtfete of John the Baptist : we 
 read together in the hotel, notes we had brought 
 from Munich of a sermon of Mr. de Coetlogon, on 
 ' Why seek ye the living among the dead 1 He is not 
 here, but is risen.' He described the verse as 
 being also true of Christians. When the world comes 
 to seek for them in those scenes which they used to 
 frequent, the answer may be given, ' Why seek ye 
 the living among the dead? They are not here, but are 
 risen.' 
 
 " Leaving Salzburg for Ischl,the ascent was long and 
 steep, but the summit commanded a most beautiful 
 view of Salzburg. After passing through wild moun- 
 
Ulcmoir of Baroness Nairne. 95 
 
 tain scenery, the blue lake suddenly opened upon us. 
 The rocks seemed to rise perpendicularly from it on 
 all sides ; nor was this the only lake. Further on we 
 saw others, the most beautiful of which was the 
 Wolfgangersee. Images and roadside oratories 
 abounded. After a drive of eight hours, through the 
 most romantic scenery on which the eye could rest, 
 and after dear aunt Nairne had been thoroughly fa- 
 tigued by the many ups and downs, we arrived at 
 Ischl." 
 
 " Ischl, June 25, 1839. 
 "The environs are truly magnificent, the town neat and clean, 
 with some handsome private houses round it. After dinner at 
 7, we went out, and were charmed at the prospect of the walks, 
 rides, and points of view for sketching, which must abound in 
 such a country. During the night a terrific thunderstorm lasted 
 for hours. We had been sitting late in the evening with the 
 windows open, when suddenly a gust ol wind blew all the light 
 things from the table to the floor. Most of the night we sat ex- 
 pecting the windows to be blown in, and the rain fell in torrents, 
 We are settled in a commodious cottage at some distance from 
 the town, near the road to Salzburg." 
 
 " Many hours were spent at Ischl in copying The 
 Tracts for the Times as they reached us from England ; 
 these caused dismay to Mrs. Keith and Lady Nairne, 
 who were attached members of the Church of England, 
 and who heard, with almost incredulous ear, that the 
 virus of Popery was now to spread through the 
 Church from its heart at Oxford. ' Much of it is what 
 we were too well used to in our youth in the Scottish 
 
96 Memoir of Baroness Nairne, 
 
 Episcopal Church,' Lady Nairne would say ; ' but 
 how different was our position, as it were halfway 
 bad? from Rome, from theirs who are at the same 
 spot, but leaving the light behind them, and going 
 blindfold into the snare ! When I told dear Fanny 
 
 D of the enjoyment and blessing experienced as 
 
 I went and returned in my chair through the Canon- 
 gate to Holyrood, from the services of Dr. Alexander 
 Stewart, she rephed, " For my share I'd rather be a 
 Roman Catholic than a Fresbyteriaii ■" but I do not 
 think she would say so now. It seems to me that 
 the obscuring of Christ's finished work by penance, 
 fasts, and ceremonies, is like lighting a smoky rush- 
 light at noon to insult the meridian sun.' Little did 
 she and Mrs. Keith think that an earnest young 
 Enghsli lady who then sat at the table, and who with 
 her sisters had, during the winter, been our chief 
 companions, would in five or six years, with all those 
 sisters, join the Church of Rome." 
 
 "IsCHL, July ^i/i. — After having at 6 a.m. milk and brown 
 bread, we set out to see the HoUenzoIl waterfall, guided by a 
 little boy. After a beautiful walk over a mountain, we descended 
 into the valley beyond, having crossed which, and being de- 
 lighted vfith the scenery all around us, we came to the fall. It 
 IS very high and fine from thence, but we were disappointed that 
 after such rain there was not more water. The water fell with 
 a slight interruption in a body to the bottom. The wood round 
 it was very pretty. We next went to have a view of the Dach- 
 stein, the King of the Northern Alps, as he is called. There 
 were so many clouds that we could not see it well, though we 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne, 97 
 
 discerned the form perfectly. It is very distant, but the snowy 
 peaks nearer were sparkling in the rays of the morning sun. Last 
 night one snowy mountain looked like a fire as the last rays of 
 the evening sun fell on it. Our little guide led us to several 
 views on the hills at the Dachstein seat. We sung the morning 
 hymn. We saw the Wilhelmina, the Caroline Amelia, the Him- 
 mel, and several other mountains. 
 
 ' ' Yesterday we saw the Schwarzen See. The heat was intense 
 and the flies troublesome, but the road as usual quite beautiful ; 
 the almost perpendicular rocks, under which the road wound, 
 were very fine. We found on arriving at a small village that 
 there was a great deal oi walking. We set off, accompanied by 
 a portly dame with a bunch of huge keys in her hand, for the 
 use of which I was at a loss to account. On arriving at the 
 Wirer's waterfall, she told us we must make a sign to her when 
 we wished to see it ; by which we found out the use of the keys. 
 We had to wait till another party came, the large fall of water 
 not lasting long enough to be begun till then. At length the 
 woman unlocked it, and down it rushed, splashing, dashing, and 
 foaming, and would have been everything that is grand to 
 any one whose mind was not haunted with the idea of the 
 unlocking, and the very temporary beauty it could boast. 
 After a delightful walk we came to the edge of the Schwarzen 
 See. 
 
 " The water of the Schwarzen See is black like inlc, the echo 
 surprising, and the yells of the peasants which called forth its 
 different voices were rather in harmony with the wildness of the 
 scene. The walk back was much like the Pass of Killiecrankie, 
 but afterwards it changed, and with all that lovely scenery in 
 front, some veiy high rocks at the further end, to some of which 
 the evening sun gave shining whiteness, and to others a rosy hue, 
 opened on the view and greatly increased its beauty. One dis- 
 tant hill here is a mass of solid rock generally of a whitish 
 colour, but in the evening sun becomes a deep red, and forms a 
 
q8 Memoir of Baroness Nairiie. 
 
 beautiful contrast to the others. We have read aloud here all 
 Sir Walter Scott's larger poems. 
 
 "I read at night, sitting between the dear aunts, Mr. Daly's 
 (now Bishop of Cashel) Sermon on the Sacrament, and 
 Horsley's 'Remarks on the Watchers and the Holy Ones,' 
 which he makes to be the Trinity, and Michael the archangel 
 to be the Son of God. 
 
 " August yh. — Miss Steuart travelled a long distance with 
 Augusta to visit a Protestant valley, and to encourage the pastor 
 by presents for the poor, &c. For the first time dear amit Nairne 
 asked me to play over my pieces to her while aunt Keith rested. 
 She liked most of the music, but the very sound of the oratorio 
 pieces seems to distress her, reminding her of the struggle it was 
 to regard oratorios as things which believers should not counte- 
 nance. She read to me from John Newton's sermons on them. 
 ' Let the world,' she said, ' play and sing its own music ; but for 
 Christians to go and hear the work of their redemption and the 
 utterances of their Judge from the lips of the profane and the 
 immoral, is to give a helping hand to these poor creatures who 
 are murdering tlieir own souls. ' Mrs. Keith was surprised to find 
 the Lutheran Bibles and Testaments for sale here. All were 
 willing to take them, and sometimes they ask for them. 
 
 " Sahburg, August <jth. — Returned here yesterday. The castle 
 is really a noble object ; the rock from which it raises its proud- 
 looking turrets is grand and almost perpendicular. Henriette, 
 aunt Naime's maid, mentioned to-day a Swiss Pastor, a 
 M. C^l^rier, originally a herdboy, who was educated by a gentle- 
 man for the Church of which it had been his highest ambition 
 to become a minister. He had during a long life written and 
 preached a great deal in a very moral and good, though not an 
 entirely evangelical style. His son is now one of the first 
 evangelical pastors of Geneva. Having now discovered that his 
 knowledge of the doctrines of Christianity had not been real, he 
 has entered a school for little children, where accompanied by 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 99 
 
 his son (he is so old he cannot walk alone) he receives instruction 
 from one of the really good ministers there. He says, ' II laut 
 que jeredevienne enfant pour rappreudre de nouveau, dans toute 
 leur simplicite, les doctrines vraiment evangfeliques de la religion de 
 J&us Christ.' 
 
 "August loth. — Berchtesgaden is surpassingly beautiful. On 
 arriving near it the country opens, and while there still are high 
 hills, on each side beyond the village it is open. The town, if it can 
 be called a town, consists of the Palace of the King of Bavaria, 
 two neat churches, one of which is the Franciscan Chapel. 
 The village besides these buildings is very small, and old for the 
 most part. It lies on a declivity, on the bosom of a very fine 
 hill, while beyond, the mountain rises covered with eternal glaciers 
 and snows, in the greatest glory. It is almost vain to try to de- 
 scribe the view of Berchtesgaden. I must attempt it after seeing it 
 again, which I hope we shall do. The conduit of salt water 
 begins there, and after going along thirty-eight leagues reaches 
 Rosenheim. It is suspended in some parts from a perpendicular 
 rock, and the walk upon it is altogether extremely beautiful; but 
 more of Berchtesgaden when we go there. The Custom House 
 Officers rushed out upon us, as Cousin said, like a set of furies, 
 and seized three pincushions, on the top of which were some 
 small pieces of pink velvet, saying it was quite impossible they 
 should pass. The evening was lovely ; some of the hills and 
 rocks of a purple hue. 
 
 '■'■Salzburg, llth. — This morning Augusta and I went to the 
 Cathedral to see the Archbishop. Mass was being performed at 
 the high altar and also at a side one, at a little distance from 
 which latter the Archbishop of Salzburg, Frederick, Prince of 
 Schwarzenberg, knelt on a. crimson velvet prie-dieu, arrayed 
 in scarlet cloth and very fine lace. A priest held a book before 
 him, at which, however, he did not look, his eyes were fixed 
 on the ground. His appearance is more prepossessing than 
 that of any other of his order I have yet seen. He is tall, dark, 
 
lOO Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 and rather pale ; his whole deportment was reverent, and he 
 seemed indififerent to the multitude around him, all endeavouring 
 to catch a glimpse of him. 
 
 " Sahburg, August 12th. — Spent the day in examining the 
 fortress and chapel. The statues, crimson velvet coverings, oak 
 carvings, and pictures did not much differ from those in other 
 places. At last we came to a small tower where the secret 
 council was formerly held by the Archbishops. The implements of 
 torture remain there. On an accused person's refusing to confess 
 any crime laid to his charge, his feet were tied down to a great 
 stone with a ring in the middle, and the arms by chains to two 
 great poles of black wood, on which were screws which raised 
 them upwards : the confessor stood near one of these with a 
 stopper in his hand, which, as soon as the prisoner began to con- 
 fess, he put into a little hole in the screw, which stopped the 
 machinery. The reward offered to those who did confess was, 
 immediately after their performance of that duty to be thrown 
 down into a dungeon at the bottom of which stood a machine 
 full of spikes, which, witli the assistance of men who stood with 
 knives ready to cut him to pieces, soon made an end of the 
 miserable culprit. In the cases of those who refused to confess 
 the punishment was to have all the members of their bodies 
 torn from each other. This we heard and understood in Ger- 
 man. But it was immediately mistranslated thus : — ' You see, 
 ma'am, it appears when a man has made something and does not 
 confess he has made it, he is immediately killed, but if this man 
 allows he has made it he is put in this great liole, where a 
 machine full of knives cuts him into cutlets.' We next saw the 
 organ, which contains 200 pipes, and plays of itself. The guide 
 played two airs to us. After this we saw the machine for assisting 
 them to discover where a fire is in the night. It is a small thing 
 like a telescope ; it is first directed to the spot where the Ught is 
 seen, and moving on a large brass plate where a great many 
 degrees are marked, it indicates exactly on a great card the house 
 to which the engines should be directed. The trumpeter then 
 
jMcinoir of Baroness 'Nairne. loi 
 
 declares this to the town from a trumpet about ten feet long, a 
 messenger is despatched to the artillery officer, who, with a 
 troop, goes directly to the spot to direct the engines, &c. The 
 castle cannons are fired, and six red flags hoisted. This was all 
 explained to us. We had not left the fortress gate five minutes 
 when a cannon fired. Looking up, the flags appeared, the 
 trumpeter roared, a messenger was despatched, and on arriving 
 at the bottom of the hill we met the soldiers going out. A fire 
 had broken out while we were there. When we came home 
 Cousin and I set out for the castle, the top of which we reached; 
 the flames of the said fire were soon extinguished, but we did 
 not come home till we had seen the little fire machine. " 
 
 " The arrival of the Royal Family of Bavaria at 
 Berchtesgaden was the signal for ringing of bells, 
 salutes, and bonfires. By ten next morning some of 
 our dear friends among the suite were round at the 
 hotel, making the rest of our stay more varied for our 
 dear aunts than it had been before the arrival of the 
 royal party. Some interesting sights had been kept 
 back. One of these was the descent into a lake of 
 all the wood cut within the year from the high forest. 
 In boats we reached the spot, when, at a signal from 
 the king, a mountain stream, which had been dammed 
 up at a great altitude, passed through the floodgates, 
 carrying with it all the trees, which fell down the per- 
 pendicular face of rock into the water with great noise. 
 A band was playing, strangers from all parts were 
 present in boats, and it was quite a gala day. This 
 was called a Wasser-stolz. A Trocken-stolz on 
 another day only differed from it by the want of water. 
 The trees were piled up against a barrier overhanging 
 
f02 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 a precipice. At a signal the 'Stakes were cut through, 
 and it might have been a whole forest that we saw, 
 partly falling direct into a lake below, and much of it 
 striking the precipice and starting from rock to rock 
 with violence and noise. Another day we visited the 
 salt mines, from which some of the shops at Berchtes- 
 gaden were filled with articles cut out in salt. Canova's 
 doves looked much like alabaster, nor were they too 
 brittle to carry. Before entering the mines all were 
 attired in black velvet caps and white tunics, having 
 laid aside superfluous clothing. On low benches run- 
 ning on wheels, and containing six apiece, each 
 visitor lamp in hand, each bench dragged by one man 
 and pushed on by another, we ran a long way into the 
 heart of the mountain. The lamplight made the salt 
 upon the rocks to sparkle. At length we reached an 
 immense cavern, in a manner regularly cut out from 
 the rocks. The cavern was circular, but being illumi- 
 nated, the salt shone everywhere on the rough rocks. 
 
 " Looking over the parapet we saw another cavern of 
 the same shape in the depths. Into this we descended, 
 on the shoulders of bearers, and were allowed time to 
 examine the place. Some of the mines are worked 
 by letting water into a channel of salt; it becomes 
 impregnated, and carries the salt into the works out- 
 side. 
 
 "As there were no Protestants at Berchtesgaden, and 
 we had heard a most faithful address irom a friar, on 
 the text, ' The Son of man is come to seek and to 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 03 
 
 save that which was lost,' we asked him to come to the 
 hotel for some money which the ladies were to leave 
 for the poor. He seemed in earnest about the souls 
 of the people, and glad to be a good distance from 
 Rome's interference; he would not lift the money, 
 but said a lay brother must be sent for it. 
 
 " One day, before we left, the king accosted me very 
 kindly, and asked to see my portfolio of sketches 
 which I was carrying up the hill, saying he hoped we 
 had enjoyed Berchtesgaden." 
 
 " Bonnio, Foot of the Stelvio, 
 
 " September, 1839. 
 
 "After revisiting Salzburg and stopping at Unken, St. Jo- 
 hann, Rattenburg, Innspriiclc, Nazareth, Imst, Pfunds, and 
 Mais, we were ready to cross the Stelvio. 
 
 ' ' The pass of the Finstermunz was grand beyond expression. 
 The tremendous precipices in many places perpendicularly rise 
 from the road ; in some places they overhang it. Teii thousand 
 Bavarian and French troops were almost all destroyed there by 
 the Tyrolese in 1809, the latter having thrown stones and trees 
 down upon the invaders. We have crossed the Stelvio to-day, 
 and seem quite in a hollow, although the groimd is more than 
 three thousand feet high. Aunt Nairne admits that such a journey 
 is exhilarating. We dined near a hut which is the highest habi- 
 tation in Europe ; the summits rising from it in their eternal 
 white were very fine. We were then eight hundred feet above the 
 line where snow does not melt. The snow has begun to fall for 
 the season, which made it the grander and purer. The height 
 of the Stelvio is nine thousand two hundred and seventy-two feet. 
 There are fifty zigzags in the road ; at the top they are covered 
 with wooden arches, sloped downwards, to guard from the 
 avalanches." 
 
I04 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 "Nice, November loth, 1839. 
 "Preparing to leave our beloved friends, and to return home 
 after a tour in Italy with papa. The sorrow of parting over- 
 casts the bright recollections of Como and its lake, Milan and 
 its cathedral, the palaces of Genoa, and the journey over the 
 wonderful Corniche road which brought us here. " 
 
 Such are Mrs. Barbour's recollections of two years 
 spent in the society of our authoress, during the greater 
 part of a Continental tour. Our information con- 
 cerning Lady Nairne's future progress on the Conti- 
 nent is chiefly derived from her letters addressed to 
 different relatives in Britain : she had written from 
 Munich, — 
 
 30th April, 1839. 
 
 "I have not now the smallest pleasure in scenery, or anything 
 external, but I know that all things are working together for 
 good. I have been enabled to receive the cup as from the hand 
 of love. What to me is heart-rending loss, is to my darling 
 unspeakable gain. I am in the midst of kind friends. " 
 
 She wrote from Salzburg, in August, expressing her 
 intention to spend the winter at Nice, adding, " There 
 we know of a good clergyman." Having referred to 
 the beauty of the environs of Salzburg, she adds, — 
 
 "What I have seen I could once have enjoyed thoroughly; 
 but once is enough for this world, and it is time that enthusiasm 
 about its enjoyments should be over. To me they exist no 
 longer, and I can give thanks that so it is. '' 
 
 From Nice, Lady Nairne communicated with her 
 niece, Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, in these words : — 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 05 
 
 "Nice, 9th November, 1839. 
 "I, do indeed now very rarely vi'rite to any one ; but I must, 
 with my own hand and heart, thank you, my long-loved 
 Margaret, for your kind and satisfactory letter. . . . I am 
 much weakened in mind and body since I saw you last, and how 
 can it be otherwise ? Age and sorrow will tell, yet I am here a 
 monument of mercy and tender dealing. Surely lovingkindness 
 and mercy have followed me all the days of my life, and I know 
 will follow me to the end. Though I am sensible that both the 
 outward frame and faculties are subject to decay, I humbly trust 
 that through grace the inward man is renewed day by day. . . . 
 The Holy Spirit is promised to all who believe our Lord's pro- 
 mises, and believingly pray for their fulfilment. ... I 
 have often in other days felt a chill of apprehension when I read 
 the words, ' He that loveth son or daughter more than Me is 
 not worthy of Me.' You are aware of the danger. May you be 
 kept from idolizing any created good ! My mother, when she 
 had six thriving infants, resigned them every night into our 
 Saviour's hands ; she learned much by the death of her first 
 lovely boy at a year old, and was six years without a child. 
 Then your mother came to be her comfort . . . Do you 
 know a small pamphlet, ' The Sinner's Friend ' ? When people 
 are convinced of sin, it is quite a cordial. To the unawakened, 
 nothing is good. Praying for them is the only hope— though 
 appropriate tracts have been blessed, perhaps in answer to 
 prayer. Adieu, dearest M. May you and I, with all we love, 
 meet in due time to part no more, and in the meantime may you 
 be enabled to fulfil your mission. " 
 
 Early in 1840, our authoress addressed a long 
 aifectionate letter to that grand-niece, now returned to 
 Scotland, who had, for two years, accompanied her in 
 her travels. We make a few extracts : — 
 
io6 Memoir of Baroness Nainie. 
 
 "Our aflfection and sincere desires for your well-being must 
 now turn in great degree to prayer. We are all very ^pt to 
 forget, whether young or old, that we are soldiers canying on, 
 inch by inch, a real fight with the three great enemies of sculs. 
 Satan's policy is to elude our detection of his presence. But we 
 know that our Captain fights for us, or, alas ! we should make a 
 poor resistance. I believe they told you of my short but serious 
 illness here. I hoped that the hour of my departure was at last 
 come. When it really does, I trust I may meet it with as great 
 peace and hope as was allowed me then. It would seem to me 
 that a deep conviction ol sin, of which you write, does not always 
 precede assurance of salvation through Christ ; but that the soul 
 is often won (rom its rebellion at once by discovering the glory 
 of THE Substitute for the guilty ; the merit and work of the 
 Son himself appears in a new and strong light. 
 
 ' ' I hope that the Rev. W. C. Burns** has really been of use in 
 awakening many careless souls, and bringing life to a number 
 of professors of religion. We may expect s.ime to fall away, 
 while we trust that many have been converted, and they will be 
 known by their fruits. I have been able to do very little since 
 my late illness, not even to continue my book of extracts, for I 
 scarcely ever write. . . . The rumours of war begin to 
 subside, so that if still pilgrims, we mean to go lorward to Pau 
 for the winter, where we shall have Mr. Ridgeway, a good 
 English clergj'man." 
 
 * The Rev. William C. Burns was at this time officiating in 
 St. Peter's Church, Dundee, as assistant to the Rev. Robert M. 
 M'Cheyne, who was then on his mission from the Church of 
 Scotland to Palestine. Mr. Burns subsequently proceeded as a 
 missionaiy to China, where he died in iS68. He was a 
 zealous preacher, and his early labours in Scotland were much 
 blessed. 
 
H I cmoir of Baroness Nairnc. 107 
 
 In the autumn of 1840 the Continental party estab- 
 lished their head-quarters at Pau. On New Year's 
 day, 1841, Lady Nairne thus communicates with her 
 brother's eldest daughter: — 
 
 "Pau, 1st January, 1841. 
 
 " I have all but given up letter-writing, as I tliink you know, 
 my dear Rachel ; but I cannot let the first day of this new year 
 pass away without conveying to you the earnest good wishes of 
 our little party for every blessing to attend you— temporal and 
 spiritual, — and may a double portion of the last be granted. 
 ****** 
 
 "I had a very satisfactory letter from James since his mar- 
 riage. His having a companion so much to his taste is a great 
 relief to my mind. He kindly invited me to reside with him, 
 but I think I proved to him that, had I been equal to the jour- 
 ney, I should have been found a load instead of an acquisition. 
 However, the affectionate manner in which he made the pro- 
 posal was not lost on me." 
 
 In this letter Lady Nairne alludes to the marriage 
 of her correspondent's only surviving brother, James 
 Blair Oliphant, of Gask and Ardblair, to Henrietta 
 Graham, the heiress of James Gillespie Graham, of 
 Orchill. At the time of Lord Nairne's death, and 
 subsequently, the Laird of Gask had invited his aunt 
 Carolina to return to her early home. But, appre- 
 hending that her presence might interfere with his 
 forming a matrimonial connection — a step which she 
 had strongly urged upon him, — she had declined to 
 accede to his kind offer ; holding out hopes, howe\'er 
 — ^partly in jest, — that she might think of his proposal 
 
io8 Memoir of Bai^oness Nairne. 
 
 after he had got a wife. Mr. Oliphant, who was 
 thoroughly in earnest in desiring the society of a rela- 
 tive whom he deeply venerated, had no sooner become 
 a married man, than he renewed his proposals that 
 his beloved kinswoman should cease her Continental 
 wanderings, and take shelter in her advanced years 
 under his roof. This offer, we find, was not accepted 
 at first. The authoress of the " Land o' the Leal," 
 laden with many sorrows, shrank from making herself 
 a burden to a newly married pair in their heyday of 
 youth and hope. When her nephew's wife joined the 
 entreaties of her husband, and gave her assurance that 
 the presence at Gask of one so revered would be no 
 burden, but rather a blessing. Lady Nairne yielded 
 at length, and prepared to return home. 
 
 Meanwhile we return to her Continental progresses. 
 From Pau she writes to one of her nieces on the ist 
 November, 1841 : — 
 
 " I am thankful that I often get to church — indeed, generally 
 once at least on Sundays ; and though fatigue, and sometimes a 
 little increase of rheumatism be the result, they go off again by 
 degrees, and the comfort, and I hope edification, remain. We 
 have a Mr. Hodges for pastor : he is a sound, good preacher, 
 and in reading the prayers and Scriptures makes one feel that he 
 himself really feels what he is saying. This I think a great 
 excellence.'' 
 
 After expressing her earnest hopes concerning the 
 spiritual condition of some members of the Gask 
 family, she proceeds, — 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 109 
 
 " For my own part, my weaning has been such that I rejoice 
 in the rapid lapse of days, months, and years, even more than 
 when, a too happy wife and mother, I eagerly wished the con- 
 tinuance of domestic happiness — a plain proof of the necessity 
 of heavenly discipline, which has not been withheld. " 
 
 The party reached Paris in the spring of 1842. 
 There our authoress was still employed in those good 
 works which, as incidental allusions in her letters 
 testify, found her occupation at Nice,* Salzburg, Pau, 
 and other places. For bazaars in support of charitable 
 purposes, her needle remained no lawful day unem- 
 ployed, unless when she was incapacitated by illness. 
 On Sundays she read or listened to the reading of her 
 favourite portions of Scripture, or of passages from the 
 evangelical divines. To her Edinburgh correspondent 
 she writes from Pau in the summer of 1842 : — 
 
 ' ' I was glad to see your handwriting again ; my dislike to 
 the sight of my own has, I fear, made me longer of answering 
 than I ought ; but having nothing material to communicate, I 
 shall be the more easily forgiven. 
 
 " We have been much occupied about afflicted Spain and its 
 refiagees. We worked hard to have a bazaar for them, which 
 was done the other day — but not on Sunday, as the Paris papers 
 were pleased to announce. Many of the French, and some few 
 Spaniards, listen to the gospel here. We have the Duchess 
 of Gordon, who is very zealous, and helps many needy persons 
 — which it is difficult to do with good effect. I fear the lines 
 
 * The morning on which the party left Nice, an edict of the 
 bishop was sent to their residence, by which Lady Nairne, Mrs. 
 Keith, and Miss Steuart, were severally banished for life from 
 the city, for the offence of having circulated copies of even an 
 authorized version of the Italian Bible. 
 H 
 
no Memoir of Baroness Naii'ne. 
 
 you ask for will not do unless for private use. A Scotch lady 
 here, whom I never met, is so good as, among perfect strangers, 
 to denounce me as the origin of the ' Land o' the Leal. ' I can- 
 not trace it, but very much dislike — as ever — any kind of pub- 
 licity. I wish much success to the Rechabite Society, and 
 speedy growth to the trees on Whisky's tomb. 
 
 ' ' My sister and niece join me in kindest remembrances. I trust 
 they have at present no thoughts of going north. What it would 
 be for me to return to Scotland no one can conjecture. I am 
 thankful every day that it is not my duty to do so, and they 
 kindly spare my feelings. 
 
 " I would be uneasy about the Kirk, if I did not know who 
 rules and overrules all for good. Even the purifying process 
 would be desired, instead of deprecated, if all things in all their 
 bearings were plain to us as they are to our great Head." 
 
 In a quarter of a century after these words were 
 written, a royal Spanish refugee sought a home at 
 Paris; and on her happy absence from her own 
 country and its throne, the other refugees of Spain 
 proceeded to return home. The Hfe of the Duchess 
 of Gordon has been published ; a model of Christian 
 biography. Our authoress is again to enter on the 
 subject of the Scottish Kirk, and on that controversy 
 which culminated in the Disruption, and the formation 
 of the Free Church. 
 
 A few verses had been solicited from Lady Nairne 
 by her Edinburgh correspondent, and this request 
 was comphed with. The letter just quoted contained 
 the enclosure of those verses, commencing "Would 
 you be young again ?" The writer was in her seventy- 
 sixth year. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 1 1 
 
 From Paris, Mrs. Keith writes to one of her nieces 
 in the following terms : — 
 
 " Paris, January loth, 1843. 
 " Your aunt Nairne and I are reminded of our antiquity by a 
 few ailments. Could you let us know whereabouts in P4re la 
 Chaise my dear brother lies, and in what street he died S I was 
 told lately that you resembled Lady Nairne. In days of yore it 
 would have been thought no loss to be called like "Miss Car, 
 the pretty ;" and even now her features are veiy distingui, 
 especially the nose and forehead." 
 
 Mrs. Keith refers to her brother Laurence, who died 
 at Paris in 18 19. He it was who pulled down the 
 " Auld House '' of Gask, and built the new mansion. 
 His picture proves him to have been the handsomest 
 of all the Lairds of Gask. 
 
 In April, James Blair Oliphant and his amiable 
 wife arrived in Paris to conduct Lady Nairne to that 
 home at Gask which she had at length consented to 
 accept. The journey homeward was made by slow 
 stages, but with abundant safety. From Gask, Lady 
 Nairne thus writes to her Edinburgh correspondent : — 
 
 "Gask, 17th August, 1843. 
 " Resolved as I was but lately never again to visit Scotland, 
 here I am, by the kind persuasion of my nephew Oliphant and 
 his amiable Lady. We arrived the 7th of last month, after a 
 prosperous journey and voyage, for which I fancied myself quite 
 unfit in my feeble state. But strength was given when needed. 
 We left Mrs. Keith and M. H. in Paris. They were to stay a 
 little time in London, and were to sail to Dundee. I hope you 
 
112 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 do not know the kind of feeling that I have in my head. It is 
 as if all the bees in the country had assembled in my ears. I 
 cannot blame the climate, as I felt it first in Italy, though it is 
 now more overcoming. Of course I hear ill, but time may have 
 a hand in that as well as the bees. Do you still collect for the 
 Jews ? What do you think of the state of the Church here and 
 in England?" 
 
 So the humour of the authoress of " John Tod " 
 and "The Hundred Pipers," which remained latent 
 as she contemplated the afHictions of others, found a 
 valve of escape in describing her own. She felt " as 
 if all the bees in the country had assembled in her 
 ears," and was satisfied that time had its share in pro- 
 ducing her deafness, "as well as the bees." But her 
 humour is the flash of a moment. In the next breath 
 she expresses an interest in the conversion of the 
 ancient people, and her concern in the welfare of the 
 Churches. The following letter of Lady Nairne is 
 addressed to a niece in England. She reports as tn 
 the state of her health, and refers to the proposed 
 erection of a chapel at Gask, for the services of the 
 Church of England : — 
 
 "Gask, 2ist September, 1843. 
 "You must have sympathized with me on my return to this 
 sweet place, after so long an interval. My own wish, I confess, 
 was never to see Scotland again ; but dear James's kind persua- 
 sion turned the balance, and I hope I am in the path of duty. I 
 do not see what use I am of in this world. There is not a little 
 discipline in the endless recollections and associations that crowd 
 upon me at every step ; and various articles have arrived from- 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 1 3 
 
 my once too beloved home in Edinburgh. For some weeks after 
 my arrival I limped up-stairs, now I can walk a little, and have 
 had an airing in the pony carriage. I have been once to church 
 in the afternoon. James sometimes tantalizes me by speaking 
 of a chapel where the old kirk was ; how I should enjoy using 
 the nice Prayer Book you gave me ! I have read much on both 
 sides of the evils threatening the Scottish Church." 
 
 The excellent gentlewoman at Edinburgh, who was 
 in possession of all her literary secrets, who had been 
 one of her associates on the committee of the Scottish 
 Minstrel, and with whom she had maintained a 
 friendly correspondence for many years, expressed a 
 desire that her venerable friend would send her a few 
 more lays similar in strain to that which had been 
 received from Paris, to be used in a new edition of 
 the Minstrel, or in some other work. The following 
 is her ladyship's answer : — 
 
 "Gask, 24th October, 184J. 
 ' ' I have been too long of thanking you for your very accept- 
 able packet, which I now cordially do, and especially for 'Death' 
 and 'All for the Best,' but I have been painfully occupied of 
 late. I had to arrange a multitude of papers and letters that now 
 tear a poor frail heart to pieces — once received and read with 
 delight. The warning is wholesome, though severe, and the 
 cords that bound too firmly to earth being cut, the tendency is 
 heavenwards. I own my great pleasure is in the rapid flight of 
 time, if it could but be spent to some good purpose in honour of 
 the great cause. I do hope and trust v/ith you that the commo- 
 tions in the Church of Scotland may tend to the advancement of 
 the gospel in its purity. I am anxious for the prosperity of the 
 Free Church, a\id amongst their number pity only those who 
 
1 1 4 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 may have joined from halfway motives. The true disciples will 
 be kept in peace and safety, I have no doubt. 
 
 ' ' I have not had leisure to examine the Minstrel, but I re- 
 member you and I agreed that Scottish ought to have a double 
 / ; this reads Sco-tish* I despair of doing anything now to help 
 your plans ; if I did, the ideas must come from you." 
 
 Miss Rachel Oliphant, at Weston, received the 
 following letter from her aunt Nairne, dated 2Sth 
 November. It is much to be feared that the writer 
 rarried out her intention of destroying her corre- 
 spondence, since no letters addressed to her during 
 the entire period of her married life have been found 
 among the Gask papers : — 
 
 "Gask, 25th November, 1843. 
 "I profess to have given up letter- writing, yet I receive a 
 good many letters from friends, old and young. It is very cold, 
 and I almost live in my rooms, and only go down to the drawing- 
 room about eight in the evening, when James reads aloud. I 
 sometimes see the clergyman of this parish. Say something 
 kind from me to the dear A's. ... I loved their mother 
 very much, when quite a girl, and she used to make quite a 
 companion of me. I have lately been fully employed in arranging 
 old papers sent me from our dear cottage, where the letters of 
 grandfather and great-grandfather had been deposited. There 
 are letters more than a hundred years old, which express hopes 
 and anxieties like our own. This makes life indeed a dream. I 
 
 * The title of the Minstrel is indicated thus, "The Scotish 
 Minstrel." This mode of dispensing with the two t's, was, we 
 remember, stoutly upheld by our late venerated friend, Dr. 
 David Irving, author of the "Lives of the Scotish Poets." 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne, 115 
 
 have more modem letters, which once brought gladness, now 
 heaviness of heart ; they must be destroyed, there being no one 
 after me to whom they can have the same interest. My great 
 comfort is, that — 
 
 ' Unseat by Him no good can come ; 
 No evil can befall.' 
 I find few of the poor people here who remember me except 
 by name ; but I like to hear of them, as I remember many of 
 their grandfathers. Everything leads me back to early youth, 
 and what has passed between my first and last abode at Gask 
 seems as a mixed and wonderful dream. Yet mercy and truth 
 have followed me all the days of my life." 
 
 In the following letter, addressed to Miss Alicia 
 Mason, she refers to the death of the Countess of 
 Rathdowne, with whom and her ladyship's daughter, 
 Lady Anne Monck, she had enjoyed much congenial 
 intercourse during her residence at Enniskerry. She 
 repeats her intention of destroying her family corre- 
 spondence. Lady Keith's claim to the barony of 
 Nairne was successful. 
 
 "Gask House, Dunning, 
 
 " 1st December, 1843. 
 
 " I have long been very desirous of knowing how you were, 
 my dear Miss Alicia, but am now roused by a sad intimation in 
 the newspaper, and shall be very impatient till I know how 
 deai'est Lady Anne and the other afllicted members of the be- 
 reaved family are. Surely you are still with them. I wish 
 greatly for particulars. 
 
 "What ii blessed change for the tried, suffering mother of 
 such a family ! May the Lord be with every one of them to give 
 blessing and consolation ! He only can, effectually, and I feel 
 
1 1 6 Memoir of Baroness IVairne. 
 
 sure He will. Do tell me if the event was long expected. What 
 a dream is this world and all its concerns ! Well for those who 
 have fought the good fight of faith, and are at rest in the 
 Saviour's bosom. I often think if we truly loved our friends 
 who die in the Lord, we could not but rejoice in their happiness. 
 O Lord, pity and support the survivors ! How thankful I shall 
 be if you tell me that dear Lady Anne feels like a real Christian, 
 and sees her blessed Saviour's hand immediately overruling 
 
 every circumstance I have been greatly occupied 
 
 in selecting and arranging papers which were sent for my inspec- 
 tion from my too happy home — letters more than a hundred 
 years old, full of hopes, fears, and anxieties of other times. 
 There are many dear memorials of those I myself have loved 
 and lost, and 1 wish to destroy them, precious as they are, that 
 no one after me may read them with indifference. 
 
 " The correspondence of many generations being thus in my 
 hands, I have been fully occupied, as it was necessary to search 
 for papers important to Madame Flahault, who wishes to claim 
 the title of Naime, as hers of Keith is modem and dies vrith her. 
 This painful task, which I have not yet finished, has interfered 
 with the attention I owe to my friends, and made me only think 
 of writing, when otherwise I should have done it 
 
 " This dream oi a dream, and shadow of a shadow, must be 
 soon over with me. May I be enabled to do and get good 
 whilst the pilgrimage continues ! I mourn the little fruit that 
 ray old age produces, but must be contented to be an insig- 
 nificant labourer in the vineyard, yet one who rejoices in the 
 exertions and success of others. " 
 
 The severity of a Scottish vi^inter threatened seri- 
 ously to impair the health of the aged invalid. During 
 the month of December, Lady Nairne experienced a 
 severe shock of paralysis. We shall describe the at- 
 tack in her own words. Seldom has the biographer 
 
Memoir of Baroness Mairne. 117 
 
 to present evidence of greater calmness in the prospect 
 of death. The letter is addressed to her Edinburgh 
 correspondent : — 
 
 "This is now December 23rd. On the 7th I was suddenly 
 struck with palsy on the left side, and quite lost the use of my 
 leg and arm, with little power to support my head. I am more 
 thankful for the right hand now than when I had the free use of 
 both. The limb gets slowly better, but the arm is useless, though 
 also better. I thought myself, when first seized, delightfully 
 near the unseen world, but am now told I may still lingei 
 here, nobody knows how long ; but that is known to One who 
 does all things well, and on this with full confidence I rely, 
 praying to know no will but His 
 
 "I can read a little — that means I can read your writing. 
 Sunday. — My peace and joy in the prospect of death, which were 
 great, all arose from a clear view of being utterly lost in myself, 
 but pardoned and accepted through the blood which cleanseth 
 from all sin. ' Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast 
 out. ' O that all would come ! " 
 
 During a subsequent attack of illness the aged 
 invalid fell into a faint. Miss Rachel Oliphant, 
 who sat by her, and did not feel sure whether she 
 might rally from it, said, " Is it peace, dear aunt?" 
 Lady Nalme took no notice, but some time after she 
 said to her maid, " Do you recollect the day when I 
 was in a faint, and did not reply to Miss Oliphant's 
 question? My experience at that time may be ex- 
 pressed in these lines : — 
 
 " Burdened and groaning, then, no more. 
 My rescued soul shall sing. 
 
1 18 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 As up the shining path I soar, — 
 Death ! thou hast lost thy sting.'' 
 
 After New Year, her ladyship's health considerably 
 rallied, and she proceeded to renew her aid to good 
 works. She had been informed of a movement in 
 the Scottish capital to support the claims of Mr. 
 Joseph Mainzer, as an instructor in sacred music, and 
 she cordially joined in awarding countenance to this 
 deserving person. To her Edinburgh correspondent 
 she communicated as follows : — 
 
 "Gask, 26th January, 1844. 
 
 " I wonder if another attack is likely ? How blessed not to 
 fear it ! Sweet to lie passive in His hands, and know no will 
 but His. * * * * 
 
 " It is not at all probable that I shall be in Edinburgh, or 
 e'en though there, that in my state of health I should be able to 
 attend any meetings ; but I have always felt a deep interest in 
 music, as a divine art, too often made a vehicle of evil, but 
 which, when properly learned, might produce most important 
 results, both in a religious and moral point of view. Therefore 
 subscribe for me, and give those who are able to avail themselves 
 of this mighty boon the power to do so. I have never seen 
 Mainzer, but from what I hear and read of his works, notwith- 
 standing my national predilections, I am convinced that he 
 would, though a foreigner, have been a most efficient professor. 
 If, unfortunately, this should not be, let us do what we can to 
 promote his views through the medium of schools. I also much 
 approve of the coffee-houses ; make me a subscriber to these also. 
 We have long punished crime ; let us now act on wise principles, 
 and try prevention." 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 1 9 
 
 On the 26th March, Mr. Oliphant, of Gask, com- 
 municates to his relatives at Weston : — 
 
 "Aunt Nairne has recommenced her visits to the drawing- 
 room, which her attack of paralysis suspended for tliree months. 
 She seems more drowsy, but is wonderfully cheerful, and is all 
 alive to the events of the day. It is quite the ' Palace of Truth' 
 system that we go upon here, and I have seen the justice of much 
 that her great experience and penetration have suggested in our 
 interesting confabs. She has the peculiar faculty of eliciting the 
 faculties of others." 
 
 In May, Lady Nairne writes to her correspondent 
 at Dublin in these words : — • 
 
 "Gask, 1st May, 1844. 
 "I continue very weak, and if I might choose, would regret 
 that nothing fatigues me so much as writing, for which I cannot 
 
 account, as I do it with little effort There is a 
 
 pleasure in being convinced that this is not the place of my rest. 
 I have been carefully weaned from this world, and do delight to 
 think of the happy land that cannot be far off now ; but I wish 
 to wait with patient submission and full confidence in our only 
 Hope. ... I trust your exertions are prospering among 
 the poor Irish. There seems to be a great stir at home and 
 abroad for the conversion of souls. O that the kingdom were 
 come ! that will be at the right time." 
 
 Many of Lady Nairne's subsequent letters relate to 
 benefactions to the public charities. Her gifts were 
 coupled with one condition ; that the donor's name 
 should be undivulged. In remitting forty pounds to 
 a niece at Weston in February, 1844, of which a moiety 
 was to be devoted to the Bristol Channel Society, and 
 
I20 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 the other to the benefit of a needy Christian house- 
 hold, she writes : — " The ;^4o will be in your name 
 at your bankers in London." In May of the same 
 year she remitted to her Edinburgh correspondent the 
 sum of ;^So, to be handed to Dr. Chalmers for the 
 support of Gaelic schools in the Highlands. " Only 
 say," she writes, " that a friend begged of you to 
 apply it for the schools." A few months afterwards 
 she addressed to the same correspondent these 
 words : — 
 
 " I wish to know if you have any object in view that is con- 
 nected with the advancement of religion, and that a few spare 
 pounds would assist. I often think of the Jews, and would not 
 lose sight of them. I will desire Mr. Lindsay to give yoU;£'25, 
 and I am sure it will be judiciously employed in the great cause. 
 I will not make apologies for giving you this trouble." 
 
 "N.B. — The above is one of our secrets." 
 
 Some time after this, a daughter of her old friend 
 Mrs. Colquhoun, who had married and settled in 
 London, presented to Lady Nairne a statement con- 
 cerning the erection of schools in the district of Trinity, 
 Mile End, Stepney. That letter received the following 
 reply : — 
 
 "You know, my dear, that I am not acquainted with Mr. B., 
 and therefore am ignorant of his sentiments as to Church matters. 
 You mention intending to build a school. Tell me if it is to be 
 thoroughly Protestant, in other words, free of Puseyism. My 
 conscience is concerned in this question, and therefore I ask you 
 freely, knowing you will be open with me. I have at present 
 the disposing of a little money, which, by an arrangement of my 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 2 1 
 
 darling Nairne's, is in my hands. And though this is no great 
 sum, I could gladly give ^40 or ;^5o towards promoting the 
 trath. From what I have always heard of you I should think 
 you likely to see the sin and vanity of teaching for doctrines the 
 commandments of men. " 
 
 Her ladyship, having become satisfied that the 
 schools were to be estabUshed in the interest of a 
 sound Christianity, sent a benefaction of forty pounds. 
 
 When remote from the scene of debate, Lady 
 Nairne had been concerned respecting the controversy 
 which agitated the Scottish Church. On her return 
 to Scotland that interest increased, and though she 
 did not ally herself with either party, she extended her 
 sympathy to the Free Church. She regarded with 
 especial honour those of its ministers who, in the 
 maintenance of principles they deemed vital, had 
 surrendered their Uvings, and cast themselves upon the 
 world. To her Edinburgh correspondent she related, 
 with sentiments of commendation, some particulars of 
 self-denial which had been exercised by certain of her 
 relations, that they might be enabled, with greater 
 UberaUty, to contribute to the fund for supporting the 
 clergy of the new communion. In that self-denial she 
 personally shared. She converted into money her 
 family plate, and, in her usual unobtrusive manner, 
 conveyed the amount to Dr. Chalmers in behoof of 
 the " Sustentation Fund." On this subject she com- 
 municated with her grand-niece, Mrs. Barbour, in the 
 following terms : — 
 
1 2 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 "Gask, Tuesday. 
 " Dearest Maggy, — I expect Henrietta will be the bearer 
 of the plate, but in any case you will receive with this the old 
 forks, spoons, &c. , which I shall now no more require. Take 
 them to any silversmith who will give the value for old silver. 
 It will be just as well if they are melted, as they have the crest. 
 Of course you will not say where they come from, nor should I 
 wish any one but Dr. Chalmers himself to know they came from 
 me. He need not write, except to yourself, to acknowledge the 
 amount. Ask him to add it, as from ' A Friend,' to the Susten- 
 tation Fund of the Free Church. Say that my sympathy is 
 deeply with these devoted, noble men ; I wish I had more in my 
 power. " 
 
 While she much sympathized with the Free Church, 
 Lady Nairne read the leading publications on both 
 sides of the controversy. In the beginning of 1845 
 she writes to her correspondent at Edinburgh : — 
 
 ' ' Have you seen a pamphlet by a Mr. Miles, signed ' X. Y. Z. ? ' 
 It is the strongest thing I have seen for the Established Church, 
 and tries to prove the Free Church scheme founded in error. I 
 have always hoped they were right ; such sacrifices made to error 
 would be sad ; but I would like to see this paper well answered, 
 and to feel that the many good men, who have left all for con- 
 science' sake, really have their consciences well informed, and 
 are acting from deep religious feeling, and not a plausible theory. '' 
 
 The reader may not be unwilling to learn some- 
 what concerning a publication which, though the 
 circumstances which gave rise to it have passed into 
 history, excited an uncommon interest at the time of 
 its appearance, and attracted the attention of the 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 23 
 
 authoress of the "Land o' the Leal." The Rev. 
 Thomas Myles, author of " The Kernel of the Con- 
 troversy," is minister at Aberlemno, Forfarshire, and 
 is favourably known as the author of several brochures 
 on ecclesiastical subjects. The argument insisted on 
 in " The Kernel " will be better understood by re- 
 ferring to the circumstances which gave rise to the 
 conflict in the Scottish Church. 
 
 The controversy originated in a desire to provide 
 a remedy for the evils of unrestricted patronage. By 
 the Act of the British Parliament, 1712, c. 12, 
 " Presbyteries are bound and astricted to receive and 
 admit whatsomever qualified minister presented by 
 her majesty, or laick patrons." In carrying out this 
 law, it occasionally happened that a minister was 
 settled over a people who had a strong aversion to 
 him. With a view of remedying this evil; the 
 Church, in 1834, passed the Veto Act, by which it was 
 enacted that no presentee should be settled in a 
 parish, if the majority of the male heads of families, 
 members of the Church, objected to him. 
 
 A case soon arose which put this new Act to the 
 proof. A probationer was presented to a parish, and 
 was objected to ; he was in consequence rejected by 
 the Presbytery, and the rejection was confirmed by 
 the General Assembly. The patron and presentee 
 proceeded to the Civil Courts. The Supreme Civil 
 Court decided that the Assembly, in passing the Veto 
 Act, had acted ultra vires, and that the Presbytery 
 
124 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 was bound to take the presentee on trial, and to 
 admit him to the vacant charge if they should find 
 him qualified. 
 
 The principle was finally established by the de- 
 cisions of the Civil Courts, that in reference to the 
 appointment of ministers to vacant parishes, there is a 
 certain specified course laid down by Parliament for 
 the guidance of the Church, and that she is under a 
 civil obligation, which can be enforced by the ordi- 
 nary compulsitors of law, to follow out that course. 
 The Churchmen of those days met this principle by 
 laying down another : that it is unlawful for a 
 Church to come under a civil obligation to follow 
 out a specified course laid down for her guidance by 
 the State, either in regard to the appointment of 
 ministers, or other spiritual concerns. This principle 
 formed the kernel, or central point of the famous 
 Convocation resolutions, on the ground of which the 
 secession of 1843 took place. 
 
 It was to meet this view that " The Kernel of the 
 Controversy " was written. In this publication it is 
 maintained that it is not wrong to come under a civil 
 obligation as to a spiritual matter, provided the thing 
 which the Church comes under an obligation to do, 
 is in itself right. And the upholders of the Free 
 Church were challenged to make out a contrary pro- 
 position from scriptural statement, or by logical 
 deduction from scriptural principles. 
 
 In her letters to her Edinburgh correspondent 
 
Memoir of Baro7tess Nairnc. 125 
 
 Lady Nairne mentions other works, which had 
 afibrded pleasure to herself and the Gask family 
 circle. Of these the most valued was D'Aubigne's 
 " History of the Reformation." She writes : — 
 
 "We are busy every evening with I-uther, and find it very 
 interesting, especially since his almost inspired character has 
 been developed. If vfe had him now, our Church would not 
 wear the aspect that it does." 
 
 The " Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert 
 Murray M'Cheyne,'' edited by the Rev. Andrew 
 Bonar, was a work deeply prized by the aged dis- 
 ciple at Gask. Passages of this most edifying 
 volume were frequently read to her, and always to 
 her comfort. It found a permanent place in her 
 boudoir. She " much liked " the writings of the Rev. 
 Samuel Gilfillan.* His " Short Discourses " and 
 works on the "Holy Spirit" and "The Sabbath" 
 were placed in her hands by Peter M'Laren, the gar- 
 dener at Gask, formerly an elder of Mr. Gilfillan's 
 church, who still lives, rejoicing in the testimony 
 borne to the scriptural teaching of his early pastor by 
 the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal." 
 
 From rapidly increasing weakness, and repeated 
 attacks of acute illness, Lady Nairne felt that her life 
 
 * This excellent man, who was pastor of the United Secession 
 Church, Comrie, has been celebrated by his son, the Rev. George 
 Gilfillan, in his "Second Gallery of Literary Portraits." His 
 writings are approvingly noticed by Hugh Miller, in his " Schools 
 and Schoolmasters.'' 
 
126 Meinoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 could not be prolonged : she bestowed on her Edin- 
 burgh correspondent a little keepsake. The greatest 
 treasure in the Gask repositories was a lock of Prince 
 Charles Edward's hair, which had been the property 
 of Lady Strowan. It is thus referred to in the song 
 of " The Auld House : "— 
 
 " The leddy, too, sae genty, 
 
 There shelter'd Scotland's heir ; 
 And dipt a lock wi' her ain hand, 
 Frae his lang yellow hair." 
 
 In this description the Poetess afterwards acknow- 
 ledged she had indulged a poetic licence. The lock 
 was acquired under circumstances less romantic. The 
 writer of the verses shall relate the story herself : — " I 
 enclose," she writes to her Edinburgh friend, " a few 
 of Charlies hairs, which were given to my grand- 
 mother, Strowan, the day they were cut, by the man 
 who cut them, one John Stewart,* an attendant of 
 the Prince. This is marked on the paper in her 
 own handwriting. I have often heard her mention 
 this John Stewart, who dressed the Prince's hair. 
 The writing had been done in James's lifetime, for an 
 outer paper is marked, ' The King's hair,' to correct 
 the inner, which is inscribed, ' The Prince's hair.' " 
 
 Every letter of our authoress now bears some refer- 
 ence to the spiritual life — the better land. On the 
 
 * Stewart is thus referred to in 1762 by Lady Naime's father, 
 then in exile : —"Very lucky it is that the P. has so worthy a 
 lad about him. " 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 127 
 
 1 2th of May, 1844, she thus wrote to her Edinburgh 
 correspondent : — 
 
 "Life is a perpetual repetition of resignation and submission. 
 I hope it will soon be over. It is a mercy to be spared great 
 bodily pain, which many suffer. We should try to count our 
 mercies. I have a Swiss maid, who feels for me, and watches 
 like a near relation. ... I hardly write to anybody now ; 
 you see why ? few could read. I hope, however, you will not 
 give up vmting, since one of my few pleasures is to hear any 
 good account of the great work going on in the world, especially 
 among the Jews. " 
 
 On the last day of 1844, she communicated with 
 Miss Mason in these words : — 
 
 "Gask, December 31, 1844. 
 
 "I enclose ;^5, in the hope of its being useful to those very 
 interesting young converts. Do tell me how they get on, and if 
 the poor mother is at all comforted. I hope she may be con- 
 verted one day. Do you make Bishop Daly acquainted with the 
 case of those young men ? How fit he is to assist both the out- 
 ward and inner man ! 
 
 " I vnsh Miss C more joy and peace in believing ; but 
 
 the inward struggle against sin must continue to the last How 
 strongly is this exempUfied in St. Paul ! and where there is a 
 wholesome sense of sin, and a real war against it, there will be a 
 struggle, but vidthout despondency ; at least, in my experience 
 the Grand Atonement keeps the conscience peaceful, though never 
 indifferent to sin in the heart and life. There is a kind of fruit 
 that seems to arise" from an Antinomian root, which I dread. I 
 know some persons infected vrith it, and yet they seem pious, 
 but rest indolently on our beloved Saviour and all He has done, 
 without much exertion for advancement in holiness : — 
 
128 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 ' Help, O God of love and truth, 
 
 My real state to know ; 
 If I am wrong, oh, set nae right ; 
 If right, preserve me so. ' 
 
 "Fearful got safely into the Celestial City; but he had a 
 weary pilgrimage. I would rather go with Faithful. 
 
 " I have just heard about the Orphanage, and add a one pound 
 note for it. I am as weak as a babe almost, but I do not suffer 
 pain. I pity you for having to read this proof of my weakness. 
 . . . God bless and lead you. ... In any little thing 
 that I subscribe for the sake of the Gospel I would avoid names, 
 only 'A Friend,' or 'A Lady.' " 
 
 The following letter, bearing date the 2nd of Jan- 
 uary, 1845, was addressed to her friend at Edin- 
 burgh : — 
 
 " I am uneasy at my own long silence to you, and now being, 
 contrary to my own expectation, spared to see the beginning of 
 one year more, my first letter of 1845 is addressed to you. May 
 it bring you and yours all that is truly good for you in soul and 
 body ; and, your strength being equal to your day, may you be 
 long spared to give an active, helping hand to the interests of the 
 Redeemer's kingdom. I am weak as a. child, and can do 
 nothing, but I rejoice in whatever is done, whoever may be 
 appointed to the work." 
 
 Having received tidings of the approaching mar- 
 riage of Mr. Barbour to Miss Margaret Sandeman, her 
 much-loved grand-niece, our authoress hastened to 
 convey her fervent benediction :- — 
 
 " Gask, 27th FebiTiary. 
 "How blessings brighten as they take their flight! Your 
 mamma knows where to go for comfort, and I have no doubt 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 129 
 
 will be comforted. . . . God bless your going out and 
 coining in, now and for ever. I am, Your most affectionate, 
 feeble C. N." 
 
 To the daughter of her early friend, Mrs. Colqu- 
 houn, she wrote a kind letter, which commenced with 
 these words : — 
 
 " Gaslc, 4tli March, 1845. 
 "I am truly thankful, and often wonder at the tenderness 
 with which I am gi-adually brought low. . . . How wise it 
 is to give ourselves up to the Lord at once, and in so doing, to 
 possess every blessing for time and eternity, for ourselves and 
 every member of our family ! " 
 
 To Miss Alicia Mason she wrote on the 22nd of 
 April : — ■ 
 
 "My money is not yet exhausted, and I want you to tell me if 
 you have any object to promote before it is all gone. I write 
 with great difficulty, and feel as if life were giving way, but they 
 say I am better. God has been very good to me, and I know 
 will be to the last May He bless you and your cause in Ire- 
 land." 
 
 In a letter to the same correspondent, dated 25th 
 June, Lady Nairne renews the offer of a benefac- 
 tion : — 
 
 "Being weaker than I can express, I don't know when this 
 will be finished. . . . My appropriated money is getting 
 low, and I would wish to spend the remainder to the best advan 
 tage, and to bestow on dear Ireland ^50 more. I must trust to 
 you for advice. As I said, I am low in funds, but stiU wish to 
 do good to Ireland with what I have left. Tell me what will be 
 of most use." 
 
 In reply to this communication, Miss Mason repre- 
 
1 3 o Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 sented the claims of the Mission to the Roman 
 Catholics at Ventry. "She sent me," writes Miss 
 Mason, "a contribution of ^loo for the Mission, 
 which was about to be stopped, owing to the priests 
 not allowing anything to be sold or given to the con- 
 verts. Lady Nairne's grant enabled us to have a 
 shop opened, which, by God's blessing, saved the work 
 from destruction.'' 
 
 Towards the close of the summer, our authoress 
 learned from her Edinburgh correspondent that she 
 had a brother, who was a great invalid, and was not 
 expected to recover. She replied immediately, in 
 words of tender sympathy. Her letter closed with 
 these words : — " I pray we may all meet where hope 
 is changed to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer 
 to praise ! " When the shadow of death had passed, 
 the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal " hastened to 
 despatch words of condolence. She wrote : — 
 
 "I rejoice in your comfortable assurance of your friend's 
 safety. With tliat conviction, I do not pity survivors. I have 
 learned to exchange the bitter sense of privation, which was but 
 selfish, for grateful praises on account of their present happiness, 
 which is dearer to me than my own. . . . This life is indeed 
 a dream. It will be over soon. I don't know who says, but I 
 often repeat, — 
 
 ' Soon shall close my earthly mission, 
 Soon shall pass my pilgrim days ; 
 Hope shall change to glad fruition, 
 Faith to sight, and prayer to praise. ' " 
 
 In the beginning of September, our authoress re- 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 131 
 
 ceived a visit from her Edinburgh correspondent. It 
 was not prolonged, lest the aged invalid might suffer 
 from the excitement of conversation. The visitor 
 returned to Edinburgh, and, to her delighted surprise, 
 received a few weeks after the following letter from 
 her aged friend. It is beheved to have been the last 
 she wrote. We present it entire : — 
 
 " My dear friend, — It was quite refreshing to have had a peep 
 of you. Would you send me a copy of the ' Infants' Music 
 Book,' and tell me the price ? It seems well adapted for the 
 purpose. I have had my maid more than ten years. She is 
 quite a jewel to me, and a true Christian. It begins to be too 
 cold for my airings. I am still weaker than when yo=i were 
 here ; but all is well. I believe it is the 25th September." 
 
 During her latter years Lady Nairne was much 
 interested in the religious training of the young. She 
 was concerned about infant and Sunday schools. Her 
 grand-niece, who spent much of her time in teaching 
 the children of the poor, had spoken to her of " The 
 Happy Land," as a hymn which the children delighted 
 to sing. " Repeat it," said her ladyship. She listened 
 attentively to the close, and then said : — " It is pretty, 
 very sweet, but might be clearer. Remember, unless 
 the work of Christ for them as sinners comes in — the 
 ransom — the substitution — what you teach is worthless 
 for their souls." * 
 
 * ' ' The Happy Land " was composed by Mr. Andrew Young, 
 of Elm Row, Edinburgh, formerly English Master in Madras 
 College, St. Andrews. 
 
1 3 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 The curtain closes. On Saturday, the 25 th October, 
 the Baroness took exercise in her garden chair. " She 
 was wheeled," writes Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, " to the 
 door of the little chapel, which, on the site of the old 
 parish church, had lately been founded by her nephew, 
 aided by a handsome contribution of her own, as a 
 place of worship in connection with the English Epis- 
 copal Church. The building was nearly completed. 
 My aunt asked Mr. Oliphant whether he had written 
 to the Bishop of Cashel respecting the consecration. 
 Mr. Oliphant replied that he had not; he was disposed, 
 he said, to have no opening ceremony on account of 
 so much superstitious nonsense being of late attached 
 to outward forms. He quoted the lines, — 
 
 'Jesus, where'er Thy people meet, 
 There they behold Thy mercy-seat ; 
 Where'er they seek Thee Thou art found, 
 And every place is hallowed ground. ' 
 
 " My aunt heartily said ' Amen,' and we were all 
 deeply solemnized. As we proceeded to leave. Lady 
 Nairne said, in an earnest tone, ' The place will soor 
 be ready for me.' We returned to the house." 
 
 Death was near. After her little drive. Lady 
 Nairne complained of breathlessness. The family 
 physician reported that her condition justified serious 
 apprehensions. All remedies were without efficacy; 
 the malady could not be arrested. On the following 
 morning a distressing cough subsided, but was followed 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 133 
 
 by a greater difficulty of breathing. The patient lost 
 the power of utterance, but remained conscious. Mrs. 
 Oliphant read to her portions of Scripture, and verses 
 from her favourite hymns; she extended her hand in 
 token of appreciation and gratitude. She gradually 
 became weaker; in the morning her spirit passed 
 peacefully away. 
 
 Lady Nairne died on Sunday, the 26th October, 
 1845, aged seventy-nine. " I had, as a child," writes 
 Mrs. Sandeman, " expressed to my dear aunt a strong 
 desire that her title might be restored. She said 
 sweetly, ' Ah, Maggy, we should have no keen wishes 
 concerning earthly things.' What she had then said 
 deeply impressed me as I looked upon her after the 
 spirit had fled. What true dignity was imprinted in 
 that lovely countenance, which still bore a decided 
 intellectual impress ! I felt that the departed belonged 
 to the aristocracy of heaven." 
 
 At the close of the week her mortal remains were 
 consigned to the dust. Her coffin was borne by the 
 four sons of James Stevenson, a faithful retainer of 
 the family. Among the company were her contem- 
 poraries Lords Strathallan and Rollo, attached friends 
 of the House of Oliphant. She was buried within the 
 hallowed enclosure of that chapel which a week before 
 she had said would " soon be ready for her." The 
 place was consecrated by the burial service, which, 
 by the Rev. Sir William Dunbar, Bart., was read at 
 her grave. There, too, the founder was soon to rest 
 
134 ]\Iemoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 from his labours : James Blair Oliphant, of Gask, was 
 interred within the little chapel in 1847. 
 
 No more appropriate tomb could have been con- 
 structed for the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal." 
 At that spot her ancestors and their dependants had 
 worshipped together for generations. Many of her 
 forefathers are interred in the surrounding church- 
 yard. The policies of Gask House environ the place 
 of sepulture. The Earn flows near. The chapel is a 
 small, but elegant structure, of Norman architecture, 
 designed by Gillespie Graham. A simple plate, in- 
 scribed with her name, denotes the grave of the 
 Strathearn Poetess. 
 
 Lady Nairn e lived to do good, avoided publicity, 
 and sought the shade. From the scene of life she 
 desired to pass away silently, there to be remembered 
 only by her friends and relatives. When she died, 
 her powers as an authoress were known only to a few : 
 her works of beneficence to a very few. 
 
 Dr. Chalmers was the first to proclaim her Christian 
 liberality. At a meeting held at Edinburgh, on the 
 29th December, 1845, on behalf of the West Port 
 Mission, that eloquent divine spoke as follows: — 
 
 "Let me speak now as to the countenance we have received. 
 I am now at liberty to mention a very noble benefaction, which 
 I received about a year ago. Inquiry was made of me by a lady, 
 mentioning that she had a sum at her disposal, and that she 
 wished to apply it to charitable purposes ; and she wanted me 
 to enumerate a list of charitable objects, in proportion to the 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 135 
 
 estimate I had of their value. Accordingly, I furnished her with 
 a scale of about five or six charitable objects. The highest in 
 the scale were those institutions which had for their design the 
 Christianizing of the people at home ; and I also mentioned to 
 her, in connection with the Christianizing of the people at home, 
 what we were doing at the West Port, and there came to me 
 from her, in the course of a day or two, no less a sum than ;^300. 
 She is now dead ; she is now in her grave, and her works do 
 follow her. When she gave me this noble benefaction, she laid 
 me under strict injunctions of secrecy, and, accordingly, I did 
 not mention her name to any person ; but after she was dead, 
 I begged of her nearest heir that I might be allowed to proclaim 
 it, because I thought that her example, so worthy to be followed, 
 might influence others in imitating her ; and I am happy to say 
 that I am now at liberty to state that it was Lady Nairne, of 
 Perthshire. It enables us, at the expense of ;£'330, to purchase 
 sites for schools and a church ; and we have got a site in the very 
 heart of the locality, with a very considerable extent of ground 
 for a washing-green, a washing-house, and a play-ground for the 
 children, so that we are a good step in advance towards the 
 completion of our parochial economy." 
 
 On her final establishment at Gask, Lady Nairne 
 was solicited to allow her songs to be published in a 
 separate form. On the condition that her name 
 should not be mentioned, she consented, and trans- 
 mitted to her Edinburgh correspondent some of her 
 unpublished compositions to be included in the 
 volume. She died while the work was preparing. A 
 few months after her departure, application was made 
 to Mrs. Keith, her surviving sister and nearest repre- 
 sentative, for permission to publish the songs, with 
 
136 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 the name of the writer. To that application Mrs, 
 Keith returned the following answer: — 
 
 "January 16, 1846. 
 " My niece and I are both of opinion tliat my beloved sister 
 Naime had not the least thought or wish to have her name ever 
 pubHshed as authoress of those beautiful words to different tunes ; 
 yet we think there can be nothing wrong in letting it be known 
 that she wrote them. " 
 
 Consequent on this permission, appeared an elegant 
 folio with the following title : " Lays from Strathearn, 
 by Carolina, Baroness Nairne. Arranged with sym- 
 phonies and accompaniments for the pianoforte, by 
 Finlay Dun.'' This publication contained seventy of 
 Lady Nairne's songs. In a subsequent edition other 
 lays were added. The present work contains several 
 more, and a proportion of the whole have been com- 
 pared vcith the originals. 
 
 The merits of Lady Nairne as a song-writer have 
 been universally acknowledged. " Who," writes Sarah 
 Tytler, " that has heard 'The Land o' the Leal' sung in 
 a Scotch gloaming to a hushed group of listeners, will 
 not confirm my words, that there is no song, not even 
 of Burns, nor of Moore, nor of the French Beranger, 
 nor the German Heine, which approaches it on its own 
 ground." The tenderness of the composition is ex- 
 quisite. The "bonnie bairn" has departed, and the aged 
 parents are mourners. The mother first surmounts the 
 bereaving stroke; but it is because she expects soon 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 3 7 
 
 to foUow her darling to the better land. She is moved 
 by the energy of a strong faith; she sees the angels 
 beckoning her to the home of rest. Exhorting her 
 husband to be loyal to his God, she bids him farewell, 
 and speaks of a speedy and deathless re-union. They 
 are to meet in a purchased inheritance — in a land 
 where care, and privation, and sorrow are unknown; 
 where bereavements are unfelt; where the lost shall 
 be restored, and where joys shall be perpetual. The 
 future abode of the blessed was never depicted under 
 a figure more striking than that of " The Land o' the 
 Leal." The Scottish word requires no translation. 
 Even the child grasps its meaning. 
 
 "Gude nicht, an' Joy" is, though in a different 
 measure, conceived in the same strain of simple 
 pathos. In this respect it ranks with Laidlaw's 
 " Lucy's Flittin'," and Burns' " Lament for Highland 
 Mary;" but while these poets leave their heroines in 
 the dust, the author of " Gude nicht an' Joy " antici- 
 pates new joys beyond the tomb. 
 
 " But oh ! whare sorrow canna win, 
 Nor parting tears are shed ava, 
 May we meet neighbours, kith and kin, 
 And joy for aye be wi' us a' ! " 
 
 To the song-writer of Strathearn hope was a bright 
 meteor-star; it pervaded her inner being, and has 
 imparted a decided character to her minstrelsy. When 
 feeble and aged, her delight was in listening to such 
 
138 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 compositions as Thomas Campbell's "Lines to the 
 Rainbow," and those lays which pointed to the realms 
 of the immortal. How replete with the best aspira- 
 tions of the earnest heart are such compositions as 
 " Fareweel, O Fareweel !" "Songs of my Native Land," 
 " What's this Vain World to Me," " Would you be 
 Young Again," and " Here's to Them that are 
 Gane ! " How gently does our authoress deal with 
 the erring ! Who, but a stranger to the power of 
 sympathy, could read, " The Mitherless Lammie " 
 without emotion ? 
 
 In celebrating scenes consecrated by the virtues of 
 the patriot. Lady Nairne puts forth her whole strength. 
 " Bonny Gascon Ha' " has the ring of the older bal- 
 lads, combined with a charm of earnestness peculiar to 
 the writer. 
 
 " Castell Gloom " is a descriptive history, touchingly 
 told. " The Auld House " is a picture of the ways of 
 the old Scottish manor, with its hospitable lord and 
 lady. It combines the graphic touches of Bums' 
 " Auld Lang Syne '' with the plaintiveness of Mother- 
 well, in " Jeanie Morrison." 
 
 Though descended from a family which had never 
 conformed to Presbyterianism, Lady Nairne entirely 
 appreciated the devotion and self-sacrifice of the 
 adherents of the Covenant. Her " Pentland Hills " 
 is not inferior to Hislop's " Cameronian's Dream." 
 Hogg, in his Covenanting lays, has produced none 
 more impressive ; Mrs. Stuart Menteith has not reached 
 
Alemoir of Baroness Nairne. 139 
 
 it in power of language ; and sweetly and forcibly as 
 they have sung of the strong faith of the persecuted, 
 neither Henry Inglis, nor James Dodds, nor James 
 Murray have presented illustrations of Covenanting 
 heroism more true to nature. " The Widow's La- 
 ment," of Lady Nairne, reminds us of the plaintive 
 ballads of " Gil Morice," and " Helen of Kirkconnell," 
 whUe the Stratheam Poetess holds up, amidst the 
 gloom of death, the torch of hope. 
 
 As a Jacobite song-writer, Lady Nairne is unsur- 
 passed. The anonymous minstrel literature of the two 
 last Scottish rebellions is not lacking in melodramatic 
 force. Yet numerous phrases in these compositions 
 testify that the bards were vindictive and coarse. 
 Some modem poets have produced effective Jacobite 
 songs. Glen's song commencing " A wee bird cam 
 to our ha' door," is exquisitely touching ; " Flora 
 Macdonald's Lament," by Hogg, is a masterpiece of 
 pathos ; and the Shepherd's " Cam' ye by Athole," is 
 a noble gathering song, well written in every line. 
 The Jacobite songs of Lady Nairne breathe the loyal 
 fervour of a warm-hearted people, awake a compassion- 
 ate sympathy for the ill-starred adventurer, and excite 
 to valour and patriotism. 
 
 Her humorous songs are eminently mirthful. As a 
 picture of old Scottish wooing, what can equal " The 
 Laird o' Cockpen"? The Laird's look of wonder 
 when the lady gave her refusal, so decided, so unex- 
 pected, might form a study for the pencil of Cruik- 
 
140 Ulemoir of Baroness Nai7mc. 
 
 shank. " Jamie the Laird " represents another aspect 
 of rejected addresses, in which the suitor meets with 
 intense ridicule and hatred from her whom he conde- 
 scends to love. His defects might have been less 
 apparent, but that his conceit was intolerable. " John 
 Tod" we laugh at for his odd, rough ways ; but he 
 remains ;-., favourite for his virtues. 
 
 " The Lass o' Gowrie " wins all hearts. So does 
 Jeanie in " Huntingtower." In the song "Caller 
 Herrin'," the screech of the Newhaven fishwoman is 
 mellowed into the softest music. These lays are sung 
 by Scotsmen of all ranks and conditions. " Balloo 
 loo Lammy " lulls the infant to rest. The hind capti- 
 vates his fair one by the "Lea- Rig" and "Saw ye 
 nae my Peggy;" and as the milkmaid sings "The 
 Lanely Lassie " the heart of the passing swain is sub- 
 dued and lost. Matrimonial joys are enhanced as 
 " the gudewife " sings " Kind Robin lo'es me." The 
 songs of the Strathearn Poetess cheer the boatman at 
 the oar, animate the soldier on the field of battle, 
 enliven the chamber of the sick, revive old age, and 
 pointing to the " Land o' the I^eal," comfort and 
 sustain the dying. Her strains are sung on the hill- 
 side, at the plough, and on the harvest field ; they are 
 popular in the concert room, and are favourites in 
 every musical assembly. By the sons of Caledonia 
 these lays have been sung on the plains of India, in 
 the deserts of Africa, on the heights of Labrador, and 
 amidst the pampas of South America. In Canada 
 
Memoir of Baroness Naiyne. 141 
 
 and throughout the United States they are as famiHar 
 as in the land of their birth. 
 
 Seldom has any minstrelsy less redounded to a per- 
 sonal celebrity, yet been more efficient in amending 
 the manners of a people. Lady Nairne might have 
 been a hymn-writer. To the harp she preferred the 
 lyre, having correctly estimated its power. She has 
 bequeathed to her country a legacy, which succeeding 
 generations will acknowledge and enjoy. Already 
 the coarse ribaldry of the chapman's ballads has de- 
 parted. The peasantry retain their favourite tunes, 
 with new and unoffending words. 
 
 The personal aspects of our Poetess are represented 
 in the portrait with which this volume is adorned. 
 The original was painted by the late Sir John Watson 
 Gordon, in 181 6, and is preserved at Gask. In her 
 fiftieth year the " Flower of Strathearn " retains her 
 charms. The countenance is of the aristocratic type ; 
 the nose aquiline, a small mouth, dark expressive 
 eyes, and a high and gracefully rounded forehead. 
 She was of middle size; her hands and arms were 
 elegantly shaped ; and her every movement betokened 
 the polished gentlewoman. Her manners were such 
 as to evoke respect and reverence. She possessed 
 an abundant vivacity, and much enjoyed the tale of 
 humour. By her kindly ways she attracted the 
 young. 
 
 After her great sorrow, Lady Nairne became some- 
 what pensive, but she was ever ready to administer 
 
 K 
 
142 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 words of comfort to others. She sought to help for- 
 ward every good cause which might be proceeding in 
 her neighbourhood. She was a diligent reader — had 
 studied theological literature, and was conversant with 
 the history of nations. She was acquainted with the 
 best Continental writers. With the song and ballad 
 literature of Scotland she was familiar from her child- 
 hood. She played on several instruments so effec- 
 tively, that she charmed every assembly. 
 
 In her advanced years she was deeply interested in 
 the news of the Churches. She made notes on the 
 books she read, so long as she was able. When failing 
 eyesight compelled her to renounce reading, Henri- 
 ette, her maid, read to her from her favourite authors. 
 These readings were often protracted till after mid- 
 night. 
 
 As a Christian gentlewoman, Lady Nairne was an 
 honour to her country and age. No dispenser of 
 charity ever fulfilled the injunction more literally as to 
 the bestowal of alms in secret. When any of her 
 good deeds became known, she was sensibly pained. 
 " Religion is a walking and not a talking concern '' 
 was her favourite maxim : she acted upon it. She 
 was faithful in reproof. When her nieces were at 
 school she wrote them long letters, pointing out the 
 faults of their characters, and exhorting them to piety. 
 She abhorred deception, but even when deceived she 
 was ready to forgive. A courier robbed her and she 
 discharged him, but hearing that he was in circum- 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 43 
 
 stances of indigence, she transmitted a donation of 
 twenty pounds to the relief of his family. She lived 
 frugally, and bestowed no inconsiderable portion of 
 her income for the benefit of others. Till her strength 
 failed, she daily occupied herself in preparing articles 
 of ladies' work for the bazaars. 
 
 Of a generous and loving nature, Lady Nairne was 
 ■deeply attached to her husband and son. She was 
 ■conscious of the warmth of her affection, and said 
 sometimes that she feared she had set up idols and 
 had suffered accordingly. To enable her to present 
 abook, when the perusal was likely to do good, she 
 would not hesitate to remove a leaf hallowed by the 
 name of the departed. Henriette Vouaillat, her 
 attendant for the eleven years preceding her death, 
 may be allowed to give testimony. To a member of 
 the family who lately saw her at Geneva, she concluded 
 a strain of eulogy on her mistress in these words, " My 
 Lady Nairne approached as near to an angel as human 
 weakness might permit." The pardonable hyperbole 
 ■of a reverent affection is not needed to sum up the 
 character of our accomplished authoress. In the 
 happy combination of genius with the moral virtues, 
 and in the entire abnegation of self, she presents a 
 character rarely exhibited in literary biography. 
 
 Some particulars respecting the modem history of 
 the Oliphants of Gask, and of the noble House of 
 Nairne, may not be unacceptable. 
 
144 Memoir of Baroness N air 7te. 
 
 Lady Nairne's father, Laurence Oliphant, of Gask, 
 married Margaret Robertson his first cousin. The 
 lady's father was Duncan Robertson, of Strowan, 
 second cousin of Alexander Robertson, of Strowan, 
 the Jacobite chief and poet, and supposed prototype 
 of the Baron of Bradwardine in Waverky. From this 
 family descended the rarely gifted Rev. Frederick 
 Robertson, of Brighton. 
 
 " It has been handed down,'' communicates Captain 
 Robertson, father of the deceased clergyman, " that 
 a cadet of the family of Strowan, about two hundred 
 years ago, came to Glasgow from Perthshire, there to 
 seek his fortune. A small portion of land at Glasgow, 
 in the possession of a Scotch cousin, has been inherited 
 from the cadet in question. My father,'' adds Captain 
 Robertson, " was a Lieutenant in the Grenadiers of 
 the 8 1 St or Glasgow Regiment, when the French 
 landed in Jersey in 1781. He there distinguished 
 himself so as to obtain promotion. Out of forty 
 Grenadiers, fourteen were killed or wounded in the 
 engagement, and in Grenville churchyard a tablet 
 commemorates those who fell under Lieutenant 
 Robertson.'' 
 
 From the marriage of Laurence Oliphant and 
 Margaret Robertson sprang two sons and four 
 daughters. Charles, the second son, died unmarried 
 in 1797; Marjory Anne Mary, the eldest daughter, 
 became the second wife of Dr. Alexander Stewart of 
 Bonskeid, Perthshire, in 1799. Though not possess- 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 145 
 
 ing the personal attractions of her sisters, she early 
 evinced uncommon sagacity and prudence. Her de- 
 votion to her father during his increasing infirmities, 
 and the care she took of her younger sisters, rendered 
 her parental home a place of great comfort. After her 
 marriage she resided in Perth, where her husband 
 practised as a physician. Her home in the Water- 
 gate was an open house of welcome to the many 
 friends and patients who resorted thither for her 
 husband's medical counsel. To the best interests 
 of Margaret, her only child, her time was chiefly 
 devoted. " Never have I seen," relates the governess, 
 " such an example of faith and prayer. During months 
 or even years when Mrs. Stewart was only able to 
 move from one room to another, she spent hours 
 daily in asking blessings for that child and others. 
 It was a large petition she asked, that not only 
 should her child be brought to know the Lord, but 
 that each descendant she might ever have, and each 
 individual for whose salvation she should interest 
 herself, might be blessed with the knowledge of 
 Christ." 
 
 Mrs. Stewart was latterly in feeble health : she died 
 at Perth on the 19th June, 181 9. Her death-bed 
 was, like her mother's, calm and bright. She had 
 always insisted that death to the believer was only 
 the shadow of a conquered enemy. On the morning 
 of her death an oil painting of Bonskeid was sent from 
 the painter ; she had it placed opposite her bed and 
 
146 Memoir of Baroneis Nairne. 
 
 kept there. Her child, summoned from school in 
 England, was about to arrive. " Take the store- 
 room key and have it brightened," she said to her 
 maid ; " Miss Stewart must find it in good order." 
 Lady Nairne was alone watching by the bed ; she said 
 afterwards, " Ask me no questions about the visible 
 glory that seemed to encircle my beloved sister in 
 that solemn hour." The presence of Jesus sensibly 
 filled the room. 
 
 The early misfortunes of Dr. Stewart were not less 
 striking than those of the family with whom he had 
 connected himself by his second marriage. These 
 misfortunes did not proceed from an adherence to 
 the cause of the exiled House. His father, John 
 Stewart, of Bonskeid, was a youth of fifteen during 
 the outbreak of the insurrection of 17 15; but true to 
 the traditions of his family, he was proceeding, along 
 with his cousin Stewart of Fincastle, also aged fifteen, 
 to join the Jacobite forces at Perth, when both were 
 intercepted by their tenantry, and by them persuaded 
 to return home. Later in life he resided in his old 
 family mansion of Bonskeid, beautifully situated on 
 the brow of a hill near the Pass of Killiecrankie. 
 One morning he left his motherless son and daughter 
 for the market in Pitlochry, where high words arising 
 between him and his kinsman, Stewart of Shierglass, 
 the latter stabbed him to the heart. 
 
 According to a Highland superstition, the murderer 
 who could contrive to see daylight under the body of 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 147 
 
 his victim, was sure of escape. Before the retainers of 
 the murdered man could convey his body four miles, 
 and bear it slowly up the hill, the adversary was 
 hidden securely among the copse by the way-side. 
 With his ear to the ground, his eye caught daylight 
 under the plaid that enfolded the body of his victim. 
 The murderer now betook himself to flight ; he re- 
 sided some time abroad, but ultimately returned home, 
 and was permitted unmolested to settle on his estate. 
 Soon after their father's death, the two young orphans 
 of Bonskeid were accompanied one Sunday morning 
 to Blair-Athole parish church. " I was one of those 
 who went with them," said the dairymaid to a relative 
 of our informant. " Fifteen bonny kebbucks * I left 
 in the dairy. When on our return home we got to 
 the hill-top, the house was in flames, and all my 
 kebbucks were black as coal." The circumstances 
 of the family were not such as to warrant the rebuild- 
 ing of the mansion. The children were received into 
 the house of their relatives at Fincastle. The boy, 
 Alexander Stewart, was educated for the medical 
 profession, studied at Edinburgh University under 
 CuUen and Munro, and finally joined the Scottish 
 Brigade in Holland. He returned to Scotland, took 
 the degree of M.D., and practised in Dunkeld. By 
 his first marriage with Miss Bisset he was father of 
 three children. Ardently devoted to his professional 
 duties he took an active part in the effort to assi"!! small- 
 
 * Cheeses. 
 
148 Memoir 0/ Baroness Nairne. 
 
 pox by inoculation. Out of two hundred children 
 brought to him for inoculation all prospered save 
 his own son, who caught a fever and died. His wife 
 did not long survive the deaths of her other children. 
 Dr. Stewart left the scene of his bereavements, and 
 settled at Perth, where he commanded an extensive 
 practice for thirty years. 
 
 The house of Bonskeid was replaced, about ten 
 years after his marriage to Miss Oliphant, in a re- 
 markable way. A carriage with English strangers 
 from Blair Castle drove up the lovely glen and stopped 
 in the birchwood. It was that of the Countess 
 of Bath, who was travelling in Scotland for health. 
 She remarked to her husband, Sir James Pulteney, 
 that she had never seen any place so beautiful. Sir 
 James and she met Dr. Stewart at Blair Castle, ob- 
 tained a lease, and began to construct a residence 
 at Bonskeid. The Countess had a tent erected, 
 that she might superintend the building operations, 
 and enjoy the beauty of the prospect. She died 
 just after the building had been begun. Sir James 
 abandoned the idea of a large mansion, but caused 
 a shooting lodge to be reared in the birchwood at the 
 spot where the Countess had originally stopped her 
 carriage to admire the prospect. On the completion 
 of the house he sent furniture from London specially 
 adapted for each apartment, with a request that it 
 should not be unpacked till he came in person. His 
 last purchase was a new description of firelock ; in 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 149 
 
 tr)nng it he injured himself fatally. Thus a mansion, 
 ready furnished, was found by Dr. Stewart in the birch- 
 wood of Bonskeid in place of that which, thirty years 
 before, had perished in the flames. The heiress of 
 Bonskeid, Margaret Stewart, married Glas Sandeman, 
 Esq., of Springland, near Perth, and became the 
 mother of Mrs. Barbour, now of Bonskeid, who has 
 furnished the recollections of Lady Nairne's travels. 
 
 Amelia Anne Sophia, second sister of Lady Nairne, 
 was married to Charles Steuart, Esq., of Dalguise. 
 She was a lady of agreeable presence and elegant 
 manners, and was an earnest Christian. She resided 
 at her husband's beautiful residence a few miles north 
 of Dunkeld, which enabled her to hold frequent in- 
 tercourse with all the members of her own family, by 
 whom she was deeply cherished. She died on the 
 9th of April, 1808. Her husband long survived her. 
 Of their three children, John, the eldest son, and 
 present proprietor of Dalguise, is Master of the 
 Supreme Court at the Cape. He married, on the 
 6th April, 1829, Janet Murray, eldest daughter of 
 the eighth Lord Elibank, and has issue. Charles, 
 the younger son, died at Gibraltar while stationed 
 there with his regiment, the 42nd Royal Highlanders. 
 The daughter, Margaret Harriet Maria, was for 
 many years the travelling companion and beloved 
 associate of her aunt. Lady Nairne. She is now re- 
 sident at the Cape. 
 
 Carolina, the third daughter of the laird of Gask, 
 
150 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 forms the subject of the preceding memoir. Margaret, 
 the fourth daughter, married in April 18 11, Alexander 
 Keith of Ravelstone and Dunnottar. She died without 
 issue on the loth September, 1847. 
 
 Laurence Oliphant, the eldest son, succeeded to 
 Gask on the death of his father on the ist January, 
 1792. He married, on the i6th November, 1795, 
 Christian, only child of Dr. Joseph Robertson, by 
 his wife, Rachel Blair, the heiress of Ardblair, Perth- 
 shire. Of the former marriage were bom two sons 
 and six daughters. Laurence, the eldest son, born 
 5th May, 1798, succeeded to Gask on the death of his 
 father, which took place on the Sth May, 1819 ; young 
 Laurence died unmarried on the 31st December, 1824. 
 He was succeeded by his only brother, James, who 
 was born on the 3rd March, 1804. This gentleman 
 also succeeded to the estate of Ardblair on the death 
 of his mother, in 1827, when he assumed the name of 
 Blair Oliphant. In 1839, he served himself heir-male 
 of Francis, tenth Lord Oliphant, and of William 
 Oliphant of Newton, the younger brother of Laurence, 
 third Lord Oliphant. He married, in 1840, Henrietta, 
 only child and heiress of James Gillespie Graham, 
 Esq., of Orchill : he died without issue on the 9th 
 December, 1847. 
 
 The family of the Oliphants of Gask were intimately 
 associated with the noble House of Nairne. Both 
 families suffered in the Jacobite cause — the latter 
 more severely. They were closely connected as kins- 
 
Memoir of Ba^'oness Nairne. \ 5 1 
 
 folk. Laurence Oliphant, of Gask, married Amelia, 
 second daughter of the second Lord Nairne, in 1720, 
 and their son Laurence espoused a daughter of his 
 mother's younger sister, Marjory, wife of Duncan 
 Robertson of Strowan. A further union between the 
 Houses took place in the marriage of Carolina 
 Oliphant to her cousin, afterwards fifth Lord Nairne, 
 in 1806. 
 
 The founder of the House of Nairne was Robert 
 Nairne, representative of an old landed family in 
 Perthshire. This gentleman took up . arms in the 
 cause of Charles I., and was on this account ten 
 years imprisoned in the Tower. On the Restoration 
 he was knighted, appointed a Lord of Session, and, in 
 1681, raised to the peerage as Lord Nairne. By his 
 patent his honours were reserved for his only child 
 Margaret, conjointly with her husband Lord William 
 Murray, fourth son of John, Marquis of Athole, and 
 brother of the first Duke. This peer took part in the 
 insurrection of 1715, and was captured at Preston — 
 tried and condemned. 
 
 Lord Nairne escaped decapitation by the timely 
 passing of the Act of Indemnity. As the Perth- 
 shire estates were vested in his wife, they were not 
 forfeited. His son John, third Lord Nairne, brother 
 to Lady Gask and Lady Strowan, engaged in the 
 Rebellion of 1745. Six months after the battle of 
 CuUoden he escaped to Sweden, in the same ship 
 with the Oliphants; he died in France in 1770. 
 
1 5 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairiie. 
 
 Having been included in the Act of Attainder, his 
 estates were confiscated. When the lands were ex- 
 posed for sale, his first cousin, the Duke of Athole, 
 appeared in the auction room, and, having made an 
 offer, none bid against him, beheving that he was 
 negotiating on behalf of his exiled relative. It proved 
 otherwise. The Duke added the estates of Nairne 
 to his own, and caused the mansion of Nairne to be 
 thrown down. 
 
 The Nairne estates were extensive and valuable. 
 The family mansion was designed by Sir William 
 Bruce, the celebrated architect. It stood at Leak in 
 Strathord, Perthshire, and was styled "the glory of 
 the Strath.'' The drawing from which our artist has 
 prepared his sketch was executed by James Nairne, 
 eldest son of the attainted Baron ; it is now in the 
 possession of the Rev. David Foggo, minister at St. 
 Monance, Fifeshire, great-grandson of that chamber- 
 lain of the estates who shared the family misfortunes. 
 To the drawing of his ancestral seat, James Nairne 
 has appended the following note : — 
 
 " The south-east prospect of Nairne, built of cut stone, in the 
 year of God 1709, and destroyed by James, Duke of Athol, the 
 nearest relation and pretended friend of the family, which proves 
 the following scripter— that a man's foes shall be those of his 
 own household, Matt. x. and 36. The house was designed from 
 a plan of Sir William Bruce, architect, who built the Palace of 
 Holy Rood Abby, Edinburgh, and the house of Kinross. This 
 elevation is drawn from my memory, the ornaments, entable- 
 tires, archetrives, friezes, and cornice, and other members being 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. .153 
 
 omitted. There were thirteen large rooms on a floor, besides 
 closets with vents ; it stood in the middle of a very improvable 
 estate, six miles in extent, larger than the Island of Guernsey. 
 The plantation of trees, natural wood, &c., sold at a moderate 
 price, would have been double the purchase money. The 
 largest stream of fresh water in Great Britain is within two 
 miles of it, called the Tague or Tay. St. Johnstown or Perth 
 is the port for shipping within six miles of the same, where 
 there are coals of every kind brought. N. B. The ground floor 
 of the house was all vaulted, where were the cellars, kitchens, 
 pantreys, bakehouse, brewhouse, dairy, and other conveniences, 
 with a large brook or stream of water near it sufficient to turn a 
 miU, which was conveyed to the house in many shapes. " 
 
 " The only relic," writes Mr. Foggo, " known to 
 exist of Nairne House is the belfry, which was given 
 at the demolition of the mansion to the town of 
 Perth, and may be yet seen there as the crowning 
 ornament of King James VI. 's hospital ; but the bell- 
 tree remains near the site of the house, marking the 
 spot near which the followers of Lord Nairne were 
 marshalled on the morning when they set out to join 
 the Prince's army. The Prince dined and passed a 
 night in the house on his way from Blair-Athole to 
 the South. The locality is thus connected with the 
 romantic expedition of 1745, and the writer has a 
 lively recollection of some aged men whom he met 
 there in his youth, who spoke of these times with much 
 emotion, while describing the oppression of the domi- 
 nant party, and the transfer of the estate for a moiety 
 of its value to a neighbouring family. It was the re- 
 
154 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 mark of one of these old men, ' We were a' rebels 
 here about ; ' * of another, ' Nairne house was abonnie 
 house, it had 365 windows, ane for ilka day 0' the 
 year ; ' of a third, ' that his grandfather had from his 
 boyhood served as page to Lord Nairne, and had 
 followed him throughout all his wanderings.' The 
 love of my informant himself for the locality had fixed 
 him there for life, though his early companions had 
 left for other scenes." 
 
 " Nairne House," proceeds Mr. Foggo, " was de- 
 stroyed in 1764. The district was, for some time 
 after the battle of Culloden, placed under the surveil- 
 lance of the Hessian troops, who arrived in Scotland 
 too late for the campaign, and were billeted in Perth 
 and in the adjacent country. The farmhouse of Bal- 
 macollie, near the old burying-ground of Logiebride, 
 was a station occupied by these soldiers. My ances- 
 
 * Though no portion of the Queen's subjects are more loyal to 
 the throne, or more attached to Her Majesty's person, than the 
 inhabitants of the Highlands of Perthshire, the memory of 
 "Prince Charlie" is still cherished with patriotic ardour. 
 During the recent contest for the Parliamentary representation 
 of the county, one of the candidates, being an Englishman, was 
 objected to as having no personal claims on the constituency. 
 This might have proved a powerful argument against him, but 
 for the timely discovery by his supporters that his Christian 
 names were Charles Stuart. The due proclamation of this dis- 
 covery is said to have largely contributed to place the stranger 
 at the top of the poll. Many of his adherents, in tendering 
 their votes, were clad in the Stuart tartan. 
 
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 155 
 
 tor was occupant of the farm ; he held in wadset 
 other two farms as security for money advanced for 
 the Jacobite enterprises ; when the estates were 
 to be exposed for sale at Edinburgh, after the 
 attainder, he repaired to that city, and protested. 
 The proceedings were then stopped, but a party 
 of soldiers were forthwith despatched to Balma- 
 collie to search the premises for documents which 
 might involve its occupant in the consequences of 
 the Rebellion. No papers were found, but the 
 family were ejected and ruined. In 1834, WiUiam, 
 sixth Lord Nairne, visited the ruins of the old family 
 mansion. He spoke mournfully of the reverses of 
 his House." 
 
 To these particulars it may be added that many of 
 the old trees which environed the mansion still 
 remain. Part of the orchard also continues. Refer- 
 ring to the death of the sixth Lord Nairne, the editor 
 of a Perthshire journal thus wrote in 1838 : — " There 
 are those still alive who, amidst the levelHngs of the 
 plough and harrow, can point out the various locali- 
 ties; — the favourite walk of the 'last Lady Mary;' 
 her sylvan bower ; the clear pebble well, of which the 
 brook still flows ; the old thorn tree ; and the bowling- 
 green, in which Lord Nairne marshalled his clan the 
 morning before they marched to join the Prince in 
 Perth." 
 
 On the death of the sixth peer, his title devolved 
 on Margaret, Baroness Keith, as the lineal descendant 
 
156 Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 
 
 of Robert, second son of the second baron. By 
 the death of this lady without male issue, the peer- 
 age of Nairne has, through the marriage of her 
 eldest daughter, merged in the Marquisate of Lans- 
 downe. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OP 
 
 CAROLINE OLIPHANT 
 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 Caroline Oliphant, bom at Gask, on the i6tb 
 January, 1807, was youngest of the eight children 
 of Laurence Oliphant, brother of Lady Naime. 
 When not a year old she was removed with the rest 
 of the family to Durham, in which neighbourhood 
 they remained upwards of eight years. At Dur- 
 ham a frequent visitor was Dr. Robertson, her 
 mother's father, who had been in the Dutch ser\'ice, 
 and who could well remember welcoming to Holland 
 his kinsmen the fugitives of Culloden; he lived to 
 hear of Waterloo. In 1816, Caroline, with the rest 
 of the family, went to Marseilles, and afterwards to 
 Hyeres. At the latter place she made acquaintance 
 with Lord St. Vincent, then nearly ninety, who gave 
 her his autograph. In 18 19 the family went to 
 Italy, and spent a gay winter at Florence and Rome. 
 Next year they sailed to London in a yacht, under 
 
 L 
 
158 Memoir of Caroline Oliphant. 
 
 the care of Sir James Clark, one of her sisters being 
 in very feeble health. Indeed, within eleven years from 
 1 81 9 Caroline lost her father, mother, eldest brother, 
 and three of her sisters. In 182 1 the family returned 
 to Gask, after an ivtsence of fourteen years. This, 
 like- Dr. Johnson's College, seems to have been a nest 
 of singing birds. Caroline began a poem at the age 
 of thirteen ; her education is described as having been 
 desultory. Prayers, according to the Episcopal rite, 
 used to be read on Sunday by that Mr. Cruikshank 
 who had incurred the wrath of her grandfather for his 
 acknowledgment of the House of Hanover. In 1822 
 the family once more set out for Hybres, taking so 
 far on his way to Rome Mr. Laurence Macdonald, 
 the well-known sculptor, who was born on the Gask 
 estate, and whose rising talents had not escaped the 
 eye of Caroline's mother. Long afterwards he sent 
 one of his best works as a present to the Laird of 
 Gask. 
 
 This winter was spent by the family at Carquer- 
 anne, near Hyeres ; they took the keenest interest in 
 the works of Byron and Scott, which were rapidly 
 pouring from the press. An inmate of the house at 
 this time gave his opinion of Caroline's character : — 
 " It will be hard for her to make a friend ; she would 
 be loved if she were well known ; but she will repel 
 affection before she can secure it." In 1823 the 
 family returned to Gask, and Caroline began to study 
 Greek. In 1824 Dr. Chalmers was their guest; on 
 
Aleinoir of Caroline Oliphant. 1 59 
 
 being asked what proportion of income should be 
 given in chanty, he said, " As to this point of casuistry, 
 the best way to solve it is to have a glow of love for 
 God, which will make us cheerful givers. We must 
 not give to God as it were with a measure. If we set 
 apart one portion for Him, we are very apt to surround 
 the remainder with a mound of selfishness." 
 
 In 1826 the Oliphants proceeded to Chfton, Glou- 
 cestershire. Caroline's friends about this time pro- 
 nounce her only faults to be a love of novels and a 
 want of perseverance. One of them writes to her : — 
 " Visit the poor, and you will come to realities instead 
 of revelling in imagination ; you must chain this pas- 
 sion if you cannot kill it." She accordingly studied 
 Dugald Stewart. 
 
 In 1827 she composed her verses on "Reco- 
 vering from Sickness," having been very ill throughout 
 the winter. In 1828 the family kindly quitted their 
 residence at Clifton to make way for Mrs. Hannah 
 More, who had been "driven from her own para- 
 dise, but not by angels." Caroline, who at this time 
 was in Ireland, writes of the probable swarm of pil- 
 grims making their way to the literary shrine now set 
 up in the old house. She thus describes a meeting 
 
 at Gorey : — " It was whispered that X was to 
 
 speak. What possessed any one so cruelly to delude 
 the public I know not. I could descry nobody but 
 the rector in the chair, and the curate supporting the 
 rector. I was seized with a fit of laughter at a meet- 
 
1 60 Memoir of Caroline Oliphant. 
 
 ing composed of such slender materials ; it brought to 
 my mind the rather inelegant comparison of Falstaff 
 to his page, ' I seem to myself like a sow that hath 
 overwhelmed all her litter save one.' But unluckily 
 the litter was increased by the production of a Dr. 
 
 Z ; every sentence in his oration was delivered 
 
 three times over for the sake of perspicuity and clear- 
 ness. Of one gentleman he said, ' He was a talented 
 man, a man of parts ; I might almost be justified in 
 saying he was a clever man ' ! Ainsi de suite. Two 
 hours of precious time were wasted in hearing this 
 man's discourse ; and at the end every one was 
 more in the dark than when he began ; though some 
 one had the assurance to mention it as a luminous 
 statement ; the principal characteristic syllable was 
 omitted." The ladies are not such unreasoning 
 admirers of the clergy as is believed. 
 
 In 1828, Caroline paid her last visit to Gask, and 
 thence returned to Chfton. She was a great admirer 
 of Robert Hall, and it was proposed to pubUsh some 
 of his sermons from her shorthand notes. One of her 
 most favourite books was Keble's " Christian Year." 
 Her miniature was painted about this time by Chalon,, 
 disclosing a face beaming with mirth and intellect. 
 In 1830 she betook herself to the study of Hebrew, 
 and wrote many verses. A friend remarks, " I envy 
 Caroline her talent, which shines in all she says or 
 does ; and still more the heavenly direction given to. 
 it. Never was the character of hohness and purity 
 
Memoir of Caroline Oliphant. i6i 
 
 more legibly inscribed on any mortal." On the 26th 
 of May, 1830, she witnessed the marriage of her sister 
 Margaret to Mr. Kington. A month later she had to 
 mourn the death of her sister Christian. Caroline 
 was taken to Leamington for the advice of Dr. Jeph- 
 son. She returned in September to Clifton, where 
 she was visited by Lady Naime, who had just lost her 
 husband. Caroline's weakness continued. She suf- 
 fered from feverishness and restless nights, but bore 
 all with patience. Her eldest sister, aided by a 
 friend whose sorrows had been soothed by her verses, 
 and a faithful maid from Cask, ministered to her 
 comforts. " It was," writes the last, " my happy 
 privilege to nurse this precious one for nine months ; 
 and though myself a giddy girl of seventeen, I de- 
 lighted to be a comfort to her in her days of weak- 
 ness. I generally entered her apartment at six, to 
 inquire how she had slept. Often her answer was, 
 ' Oh, Peggy, I have not been to sleep yet ; ' the words 
 were always spoken with a smile. She never com- 
 plained. As she took very little nourishment, Miss 
 Ohphant expressed a hope that she might be able to 
 eat less sparingly. She sweetly answered, 'Dear 
 sister, the Lamb in the midst of the throne feeds me.' 
 She said on one occasion, ' My mind is so wandering, 
 that I cannot put two ideas together ; but I can look 
 up to God as a reconciled Father.' ' You seem 
 better,' said an attendant to her one morning. ' Oh, 
 Jenny,' was the reply, ' I never wish to get better ; to 
 
1 62 Memoir of Caroline Oliphant. 
 
 depart and be with Christ is far better, and there are 
 many gone before.' She referred to the members of 
 the family who had been called to an early rest. The 
 day before her death I was supporting her while her 
 bed was being smoothed ; she said, ' This night of 
 affliction is but for a moment' She was always ready 
 with a leaf from the Tree of Life. Often have I gone 
 into her room and found her so deep in meditation, 
 leaning on the open Bible, that she was unconscious 
 of my presence. Miss Caroline was one of the ex- 
 cellent of the earth. With her, religion was no 
 gloomy uncertainty ; her life was a living epistle." 
 
 Caroline Oliphant died on the 9th of February, 
 1 83 1, at the age of twenty-four. She was buried 
 beside her mother in Clifton churchyard. Eleven 
 years after her death, a friend who knew her intimately 
 wrote concerning her in these tenns : — 
 
 " Some characters never can have any real likenesses. Nature 
 sometimes breaks her cast, that the model may never be repeated. 
 It was Caroline's character that was such a singular combination, 
 so many contradictory qualities all so beautifully balanced, and 
 under the guidance of such highly wrought principles and tastes. 
 Even the desultory education, that we might have thought a dis- 
 advantage, helped to make her the charming friend and com- 
 panion that she was. There was 1 proud independence in her, 
 counteracted by religion. " 
 
 A carefully written MS. volume contains the poetry 
 of Caroline Oliphant. The Editor has selected from 
 it those compositions which best illustrate the peculiar 
 genius and amiable qualities of the writer. 
 
SONGS OF LADY NAIRNE. 
 
 THE LAND O' THE LEAL.i 
 
 Air-"Heytuttitaiti." 
 
 I'm wearin' awa', John, 
 
 Like snaw-wreaths in thaw, John, 
 
 I'm wearin' awa' 
 
 To the land o' the leal. 
 There's nae sorrow there, John, 
 There's neither c^ld nor care, John, 
 The day is aye fair 
 
 In the land o' the leal. 
 
 Our bonnie bairn's there, John, 
 She was baith gude and fair, John, 
 And oh ! we grudged her sair 
 
 To the land o' the leal. 
 But sorrow's sel' wears past, John, 
 And joy's a-comin' fast, John, 
 The joy that's aye to last 
 
 In the land o' the leal. 
 
164 Lady Nairne's Songs. 
 
 Sae dear's that joy was bought, John, 
 Sae free the battle fought, John, 
 That sinfu' man e'er brought . 
 
 To the land o' the leal. 
 ■0^ ! dry your glist'ning e'e, John, 
 Ai.y saul langs to be free, John, 
 And angels beckon me 
 
 To the land o' the leal. 
 
 Oh ! baud ye leal and true, John, 
 Your day it's wearin' through, John, 
 And I'll welcome you 
 
 To the land o' the leal. 
 Now fare-ye-weel, my ain John, 
 This warld's cares are vain, John, 
 We'll meet, and we'll be fain, 
 
 In the land o' the leal. 
 
 CALLER HERRIN'.^ 
 
 Air by Neil Gow. 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? 
 They're bonnie fish and halesome farin' j 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin'. 
 New drawn frae the Forth? 
 
 When ye were sleepin' on your pillows, 
 Dream'd ye aught o' our puir fellows, 
 
Caller Herriri . 165 
 
 Darkling as they faced the billows, 
 A' to fill the woven willows ? 
 
 Buy my caller herrin', 
 New drawn frae the Forth. 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? 
 
 They're no brought here without brave daring ; 
 
 Buy my caller herrin', 
 
 Haul'd through wind and rain. 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? &c. 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? 
 Oh, ye may ca' them vulgar farin', 
 Wives and mithers maist despairing, 
 Ca' them lives o' men. 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? &c. 
 
 When the creel o' herrin' passes, 
 Ladies, clad in silks and laces. 
 Gather in their braw pelisses, 
 Cast their heads and screw their faces. 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? &c. 
 
 Caller herrin's no got lightlie. 
 Ye can trip the spring fu' tightlie, 
 Spite o' tauntin', flauntin,' flingin', 
 Gow has set you a' a-singing.' 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? &a 
 
r66 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Neebour wives, now tent my tellin' ; 
 When the bonny fish ye're sellin', 
 At ae word be in yere dealin' — 
 Truth will stand when a' thing's failin'. 
 
 Wha'll buy my caller herri> i' ? 
 They're bonnie fish and halesome farirf r 
 Wha'll buy my caller herrin', 
 New drawn frae the Forth ? 
 
 THE LASS O' GOWRIE.' 
 
 Air — " Loch Erroch Side." 
 
 'TwAS on a simmer's afternoon, 
 A wee afore the sun gaed doun, 
 A lassie wi' a braw new goun 
 
 Cam' owre the hills to Gowrie. 
 The rose-bud wash'd in simmer's shower, 
 Bloom'd fresh within the sunny bower j 
 But Kitty was the fairest flower 
 
 That e'er was seen in Gowrie. 
 
 To see her cousin she cam' there, 
 An' oh ! the scene was passing fair ; 
 For what in Scotland can compare 
 
 Wi' the Carse o' Gowrie ? 
 The sun was setting on the Tay, 
 The blue hills melting into grey, 
 
The County Meeting. 167 
 
 The mavis and the blackbird's lay 
 Were sweetly heard in Gowrie. 
 
 lang the lassie I had woo'd, 
 
 An' truth and constancy had vow'd, 
 But could na speed wi' her I lo'ed, 
 Until she saw fair Gowrie. 
 
 1 pointed to my faither's ha', 
 Yon bonnie bield ayont the shaw, 
 
 Sae loun' that there nae blast could blaw, 
 Wad she no bide in Gowrie ? 
 
 Her faither was baith glad and wae ; 
 Her mither she wad naething say ; 
 The bairnies thocht they wad get play, 
 
 If Kitty gaed to Gowrie. 
 She whiles did smile, she whiles did greet, 
 The blush and tear were on her cheek — 
 She naething said, an' hung her head ; 
 
 But now she's Leddy Gowrie. 
 
 THE COUNTY MEETING. 
 
 Air—" The County Meeting." 
 
 Ye're welcome, leddies, ana and a', 
 
 Ye're welcome to our County Ha' ; 
 
 Sae weel ye look when buskit braw, 
 
 To grace our County Meeting ! 
 
t68 Lady Nairne's Songs. 
 
 An', gentlemen, ye're welcome, too, 
 
 In waistcoats white and tartan too, 
 
 Gae seek a partner, mak' yere bow, 
 
 Syne dance our County Meeting. 
 
 Ah, weel dune now, there's auld Sir John, 
 Wha aye maun lead the dancin' on. 
 An' Leddy Bet, wi' her turban prim, 
 An' wee bit velvet 'neath her chin. 
 See how they nimbly, nimbly go ! 
 While youngsters follow in a row, 
 Wi' mony a Belle, an' mony a Beau, 
 To dance our County Meeting. 
 
 There's the Major, and his sister too. 
 He in the bottle-green, she in the blue ; 
 (Some years sin' syne that gown was new, 
 
 At our County Meeting). 
 They are a worthy, canty pair, 
 An' unco proud o' their nephew Blair ; 
 O' sense, or siller, he's nae great share, 
 Though he's the King o' the Meeting. 
 
 An' there's our Member, and Provost Whig, 
 Our Doctor in his yellow wig, 
 Wi' his fat wife, wha takes a jig 
 Aye at our County Meeting. 
 Miss Betty, too, I see her there, 
 Wi' her sonsy face, and bricht red hair. 
 
The County Meeting. 169 
 
 Dancin' till she can dance nae mair 
 At our County Meeting. 
 
 There's beauty Bell, wha a' surpasses, 
 An' heaps o' bonnie country lasses j 
 Wi' the heiress o' the Gowden Lee, 
 
 Fo'k say she's unco dorty — 
 Lord Bawbee, aye, he's lookin' there. 
 An' sae is the Major, and Major's heir. 
 Wi' the Laird, the Shirra, and mony mair, 
 
 I could reckon them to forty. 
 
 See Major O'Neill has got her hand, 
 
 An' in the dance they've ta'en their stand ; 
 
 (Impudence comes frae Paddy's land. 
 
 Say the lads o' our County Meeting). 
 But ne'er ye fash ! gang through the reel, — 
 The Country dance, ye dance sae weel, — 
 An' ne'er let Waltz or dull Quadrille 
 
 Spoil our County Meeting. 
 
 Afore we end, strike up the spring 
 O' Thulichan and Hieland-fling, 
 The Haymakers, and Bumpkin fine ! 
 
 At our County Meeting. 
 Gow draws his bow, folk haste away. 
 While some are glad and some are wae, 
 A' blithe to meet some ither day, 
 
 At our Co'mty Meeting. 
 
1 70 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 THE LAIRD O' COCKPEN.* 
 
 Air — "When she cam' ben, she bobbit." 
 
 The laird o' Cockpen, he's proud an' he's great, 
 His mind is ta'en up wi' things o' the State ; 
 He wanted a wife, his braw house to keep, 
 But favour wi' wooin' was fashious to seek. 
 
 Down by the dyke-side a lady did dwell, 
 At his table head he thought she'd look well, 
 McClish's ae daughter o' Clavers-ha' Lee, 
 A penniless lass wi' a lang pedigree. 
 
 His wig was weel pouther'd and as gude as new, 
 His waistcoat was white, his coat it was blue ; 
 He put on a ring, a sword, and cock'd hat, 
 And wha could refuse the laird wi' a' that ? 
 
 He took the grey mare, and rade cannily, 
 An' rapp'd at the yett o' Clavers-ha' Lee ; 
 " Gae tell Mistress Jean to come speedily ben, — 
 She's wanted to speak to the Laird o' Cockpen." 
 
 Mistress Jean was makin' the elder-flower wine ; 
 " An' what brings the laird at sic a like time ? " 
 She put aff her apron, and on her silk gown, 
 Her mutch wi' red ribbons, and gaed awa' down. 
 
The Fife Laird. \']\ 
 
 An' when she cam' ben he bowed fu' low, 
 An' what was his errand he soon let her know ; 
 Amazed was the laird when the lady said " Na," 
 And wi' a laigh curtsie she turned awa'. 
 
 Dumfounder'd was he, nae sigh did he gie, 
 
 He mounted his mare — he rade cannily ; 
 
 An' aften he thought, as he gaed through the glen, 
 
 She's daft to refuse the laird o' Cockpen. 
 
 And now that the laird his exit had made. 
 Mistress Jean she reflected on what she had said ; 
 " Oh, for ane I'll get better, its waur I'll get ten, 
 I was daft to refuse the Laird o' Cockpen." 
 
 Next time that the laird and the lady were seen, 
 They were gaun arm-in-arm to the kirk on the greenj 
 Now she sits in the ha' like a weel-tappit hen, 
 But as yet there's nae chickens appear'd at Cockpen. 
 
 THE FIFE LAIRD. 
 
 Air^"The Fife Hunt." 
 
 Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, though daft like he 
 
 may be ; 
 Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, he's just as wise as 
 
 me : 
 
172 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, his bannet has a bee, — 
 He's just a wee bit Fifish, like some Fife Lairds 
 
 that be. 
 Last Lammas when the Laird set out, to see Auld 
 
 Reekie's toun, 
 The Firth it had nae waves at a', the waves were 
 
 sleepin' soun; 
 But wicked witches bide about gude auld St. Andrews 
 
 toun, 
 And they steered up an unco' blast, our ain dear 
 
 Laird to droun. 
 
 Afore he got to Inchkeith Isle, the waves were white 
 
 an' hie — 
 " O weel I ken thae witches wud hae aye a spite at 
 
 me!" 
 They drove him up, they drove him doon, — the Fife 
 
 touns a' they pass. 
 And up and round Queensferry toun, then doun 
 
 unto the Bass. 
 The sailors row, but row in vain, Leith port they 
 
 canna gain — 
 Nae meat or beds they hae on board, but there they 
 
 maun remain ; 
 O mirk and cauld the midnight hour, how thankfu' 
 
 did they see 
 The first blush 0' the dawnin' day, far spreadin' 
 
 owre the sea. 
 
 Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, &c. 
 
The Fife Laird. 173 
 
 " Gae hame, gae hame," the Laird cried out, " as fast 
 
 as ye can gang, 
 Oh ! rather than wi' witches meet, I'd meet an 
 
 ournatang; — 
 A' nicht and day I've been away, an' naething could 
 
 I see 
 But auld wives' cantrips on broomsticks, wild cap'ring 
 
 owre the sea. 
 I hae na' had a mouth o' meat, nor yet had aff my 
 
 claes — 
 Afore I gang to sea again, somey&//5 maun mend 
 
 their ways ; " 
 The Laird is hame wi' a' his ain, below the Lomond 
 
 hill, 
 Richt glad to see his sheep again, his dookit, and 
 
 his mill ! 
 
 Ye shouldna' ca' the Laird daft, tho' daft like he 
 
 may be ; 
 Ye shouldna' ca' the Laird daft, he's just as wise 
 
 as me; 
 Ye shouldna' ca' the Laird daft, his bannet has a 
 
 6ee, — f- 
 
 He's just a wee bit Fifish, like some Fife Lairds 
 
 that be. 
 
174 Lady Nairnds Songs. 
 
 JAMIE THE LAIRD. 
 Air,—" The Rock and the wee pickle Tow." 
 
 Send a horse to the water, ye'll no mak' him drink ; 
 
 Send a fiile to the College, ye'll no mak' him think ; 
 
 Send a craw to the singin', an' still he will craw ; 
 
 An' the wee laird had nae rummelgumpshion ava. 
 
 Yet he is the pride o' his fond mother's e'e, 
 
 In body or mind nae faut can she see ; 
 
 " He's a fell clever lad, an' a bonnie wee man," 
 
 Is aye the beginnin' an' end o' her sang. 
 An' oh ! she's a haverin' Lucky, I trow, 
 An' oh ! she's a haverin' Lucky, I trow ; 
 " He's a fell clever lad, an' a bonnie wee man," 
 Is aye the beginnin' an' end o' her sang. 
 
 His legs they are bow'd, his e'en they do glee, 
 His wig, whiles it's aff, an' when on, it's ajee ; 
 He's braid as he's lang, — an' ill-faur'd is he, 
 A dafter like body I never did see. 
 An' yet for this cratur, she says I am deein', 
 When that I deny, she's fear'd at my leein' ; — ■ 
 Obliged to pit up wi' this sair defamation, 
 I'm liken to dee wi' grief and vexation. 
 An' oh ! she's a haverin' Lucky, &c. 
 
yamie the Laird. 175 
 
 An' her clish-ma-clavers gang a' thro' the toun, 
 An' the wee lairdie trows I'll hang or I'll droun ; 
 Wi' his gawkie-like face, yestreen he did say, 
 " I'll maybe tak' you, for Bess I'll no hae, 
 Nor Mattie, nor Effie, nor lang-legged Jeanie, 
 Nor Nelly, nor Katie, nor skirlin' wee Beenie." 
 I stappit my ears, ran aff in a fury — 
 I'm thinkin' to bring them afore Judge an' Jury. 
 For oh ! what a randy auld Lucky is she, &c. 
 
 Frien's ! gie yere advice ! — I'll follow yere counsel — 
 Maun I speak to the Provost, or honest Toun 
 
 Council ? 
 Or the writers, or lawyers, or doctors ? now say ; 
 For the law o' the Lucky I shall an' will hae. 
 The hale toun at me are jibin' an' jeerin' ; 
 For a leddy like me, it's really past bearin' ; 
 The Lucky maun now hae done wi' her claverin', 
 For I'U no pit up.wi' her, nor her haverin' ! 
 
 For oh ! she's a randy, I trow, I trow ; 
 
 For oh ! she's a randy, I trow, I trow ; 
 
 " He's a fell clever lad, an' a bonnie wee man," 
 
 Is aye the beginnin' an' end o' her sang. 
 
176 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 ARCHIE'S AN ARCHER. 
 
 Air — " Airchie M'Vie." 
 
 Archie's an archer, and a gude shot is he, 
 But tho' he's hit mony, he never hit me ; 
 How handsome he looks, how stately his mien, 
 Wi' his bannet, and feather, and braw coat o' green ! 
 Wi' his white gauntlet glove, an' his stiff stannin' ruff, 
 His clear shining buckles, his neat turned cuff; 
 Wi' his bow, and his quiver, a' filled wi' his darts, — 
 O ! laddies, beware, beware o' your hearts ! 
 
 Beware, beware o' Sir Archie M'Vie. 
 
 Oh high is his head, as that you may see, 
 But short is the purse o' Sir Archie M'Vie ; 
 But though he has neither braw houses nor land, 
 YiSs, prospects he offers alang wi' his hand ; — 
 An uncle o' eighty, wi' plenty to gi'e, 
 And an auntie wha doats on Sir Archie M'Vie ; 
 For an heiress he's busy preparing his darts, 
 O ! leddies, beware, beware o' your hearts ! 
 
 Beware, beware o' Sir Archie M'Vie. 
 
 He's weel descended and unco genteel. 
 That he's seekin' an heiress he does nae conceal j 
 He's a baronet now, and a lordlin' he'll be. 
 An' a trustworthy knicht is Sir Archie M'Vie. 
 
Huntingtower. 177 
 
 He's lang had a sheep's-eye at mither an' me, 
 For something I hae, and mair she can gi'e ; 
 He's offered his hand and \as, prospects to me, 
 But wi' a' his darts he never hit me ! 
 
 Beware, beware o' Sir Archie M'Vie. 
 
 HUNTINGTOWER." 
 
 When ye gang awa', Jamie, 
 When ye gang awa', laddie. 
 What will ye gi'e my heart to cheer, 
 When ye are far awa', Jamie ? 
 
 I'll gi'e ye a braw new goun, Jeanie, 
 I'll gi'e ye a braw new goun, lassie, 
 An' it will be a silken ane, 
 
 Wi' Valenciennes trimm'd round, Jeanie. 
 
 O that's nae luve at a', laddie, 
 That's nae luve at a', Jamie ; 
 How could I bear braw gouns to wear, 
 When ye are far awa', laddie ! 
 
 But mind me when awa', Jamie, 
 Mind me when awa', laddie, 
 For out o' sicht is out o' mind 
 
 Wi' mony folk, we ken, Jamie 
 
178 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Oh ! that can never be, Jeanie, 
 
 Forgot ye ne'er can be, lassie ; 
 
 Oh gang wi' me to the north countrie, 
 
 My bonny bride to be, Jeanie. 
 
 The hills are grand and hie, Jeanie, 
 The bumies rinnin' clear, lassie, 
 'Mang birks and braes, where the wild deer strays, 
 Oh cura wi' me and see, lassie. 
 
 I winna gang wi' thee, laddie, 
 I tell't ye sae afore, Jamie ; 
 Till free consent my parents gi'e, 
 
 I canna gang wi' thee, Jamie. 
 
 But when ye're wed to me, Jeanie, 
 Then they will forgi'e, lassie ; 
 How can ye be sae cauld to me, 
 
 AVha's lo'ed ye weel and lang, lassie ? 
 
 No sae lang as them, laddie. 
 No sae lang as them, Jamie ; 
 A grief to them I wadna be. 
 
 No for the Duke himsel', Jamie. 
 
 We'll save our penny fee, laddie, 
 To keep frae poortith free, Jamie ; 
 An' then their blessing they will gi'e, 
 Baith to you an' me, Jamie. 
 
The Pleughman. 1 79 
 
 Huntingtower is mine, lassie, 
 Huntingtower is mine, Jeanie ; 
 Huntingtower, an' Blaimagower, 
 
 An' a' that's mine is thine, Jeanie ! 
 
 THE PLEUGHMAN.« 
 
 There's high and low, there's rich and poor, 
 There's trades and crafts eneuch, man ; 
 
 But east and west his trade's the best, 
 That kens to guide the pleugh, man. 
 
 Then come, weel speed my pleughman lad, 
 And hey my merry pleughman ; 
 
 Of a' the trades that I do ken, 
 Commend me to the pleughman. 
 
 His dreams are sweet upon his bed, 
 His cares are light and few, man ; 
 
 His mother's blessin's on his head. 
 That tents her weel, the pleughman. 
 Then come, weel speed, &c. 
 
 The lark sae sweet, that starts to meet 
 The morning fresh and new, man ; 
 
 Blithe tho' she be, as blithe is he 
 That sings as sweet, the pleughman. 
 Then come, weel speed, &c. 
 
i8o Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 All fresh and gay, at dawn of day, 
 Their labours they renew, man ; 
 
 Heaven bless the seed and bless the soil, 
 And Heaven bless the pleughman. 
 Then come, weel speed, &c. 
 
 0, WHA IS THIS COMIN'?' 
 
 O WHA is this comin', the folk are a' rinnin', 
 
 I wonder wha it can be? 
 Rin, Jeanie, rin fast, or the show will he past, 
 Rin, rin, an' bring word to me. 
 For there's somebody comin', 
 There's fifin' and drummin'. 
 
 The folk are a' rinnin' to see; 
 If ye dinna rin fast, the show will be past, 
 Oh ! I wonder wha it can be ? 
 Sandy. 
 Oh ! is it the Provost, and Toun Council a'. 
 Or is it the Shirra', wi' hmbs o' the law; 
 Or the braw paper Lords, in their wigs and their robes, 
 
 An' trumpets that loudly do blaw? 
 The bells are a' ringin', the folk are a' singin', 
 Sic a steer the toun never saw; 
 A' guess you will see 'tis our ain M.P. 
 That's chair'd in spite o' them a'. 
 For there's somebody comin', 
 There's fifin' and drummin', 
 
O, wha is this comin ? i8i 
 
 The folk are a' rinnin' to see; 
 If ye dinna rin fast, the show will be past, 
 Oh! I wonder wha it can be ? 
 
 Jeanie. 
 
 It's nane o' them a', but it's better than a', 
 
 'Tis our ain dear Laird, that's come hame; 
 Wi' a heart that is to Scotland true blue, 
 
 We'll welcome him back to his ain. 
 Oh ! the banner o' blue, the banner o' blue, 
 
 Aye he held by the banner o' blue; 
 A' Scotland's strife and perils he shared, 
 An' Heaven be praised his life has been spared. 
 An' that's wha is comin', 
 Nae wonder we're rinnin', 
 
 Baith laddies and lassies an' a', 
 Wi' fifin' an' drummin', the folk are a' comin' 
 To welcome the Laird to his ha'. 
 
 Sandy. 
 
 The Laird! oh, it's owre gude news to be true; 
 Oh, Jeanie, I'll now rin faster than you, 
 Wi' our band, and our flags, and banner o' blue, 
 We'll bring back the Laird to his ha'. 
 Sae loudly we'll cheer, — 
 The hills far and near 
 
 Will echo our hearty hurra; 
 He's been lang awa', but he's back 'mang us a', 
 Wave your bannets, and join our hurra! 
 
1 82 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 THE AULD HOUSE.s 
 
 Oh, the auld house, the auld house, 
 
 What tho' the rooms were wee ! 
 Oh ! kind hearts were dwelling there, 
 
 And bairnies fu' o' glee; 
 The wild rose and the jessamine 
 
 Still hang upon the wa', 
 How mony cherish'd memories 
 
 Do they, sweet flowers, reca' ! 
 
 Oh, the auld laird, the auld laird, 
 
 Sae canty, kind, and crouse. 
 How mony did he welcome to 
 
 His ain wee dear auld house ! 
 And the leddy too, sae genty, 
 
 There shelter'd Scotland's heir. 
 And dipt a lock wi' her ain hand 
 
 Frae his lang yellow hair. 
 
 The mavis still doth sweetly sing. 
 
 The bluebells sweetly blaw, 
 The bonny Earn's clear winding still. 
 
 But the auld house is awa'. 
 The auld house, the auld house, 
 
 Deserted tho' ye be, 
 There ne'er can be a new house 
 
 Will seem sae fair to me. 
 
The Auld House. 183 
 
 Still flourishing the auld pear tree 
 
 The bairnies liked to see, 
 And oh, how often did they speir 
 
 When ripe they a' wad be ! 
 The voices sweet, the wee bit feet 
 
 Aye rinnin' here and there, 
 The merry shout — oh ! whiles we greet 
 
 To think we'll hear nae mair ! 
 
 For they are a' wide scatter'd now, 
 
 Some to the Indies gane. 
 And ane, alas! to her lang hamej 
 
 Not here we'U meet again. 
 The kirkyaird, the kirkyaird ! 
 
 Wi' flowers o' every hue, 
 Shelter'd by the holly's shade 
 
 An' the dark sombre yew. 
 
 The setting sun, the setting sun, 
 
 How glorious it gaed doon ! 
 The cloudy splendour raised our hearts 
 
 To cloudless skies aboon ! 
 The auld dial, the auld dial, 
 
 It tauld how time did pass ; 
 The wintry winds hae dung it doon, 
 
 Now hid 'mang weeds and grass. 
 
184 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 THE BANKS OF THE EARN." 
 
 Fair shone the rising sky, 
 
 The dewdrops clad wi' mony a dye, 
 
 Larks lilting pibrochs high. 
 
 To welcome day's returning. 
 The spreading hills, the shading trees, 
 High waving in the morning breeze; 
 The wee Scots rose that softly blows. 
 
 Sweet Eam's vale adorning. 
 
 Flow on, sweet Earn, row on, sweet Earn, 
 
 Joy to a' thy bonny braes ! 
 
 Spring's sweet buds aye first do blow 
 
 Where thy winding waters flow. 
 
 Thro' thy banks which wild flowers border, 
 
 Freely wind, and proudly flow. 
 Where Wallace wight fought for the right, 
 
 And gallant Grahams are lying low. 
 
 O Scotland! nurse o' mony a name 
 
 Revered for worth, renown'd in fame; 
 Let never foes tell to thy shame, 
 Gane is thine ancient loyalty. 
 But still the true-born warlike band 
 That guards thy high unconquer'd land, 
 As did their sires, join hand in hand. 
 To fight for law and royalty. 
 
Cairney Burn. 185 
 
 Oh, ne'er for greed o' warldly gear, 
 
 Let thy brave sons, like fugies, hide 
 Where lawless stills pollute the rills 
 
 That o'er thy hills and valleys glide. 
 While in the field they scorn to yield, 
 
 And while their native soil is dear, 
 Oh, may their truth be as its rocks. 
 
 And conscience as its waters clear! 
 
 CAIRNEY BURN. 
 
 Air— " The Bog o' Gight." 
 Oh, Caimey bum, sweet Cairney bum, 
 Thou makest many a winding turn ; 
 How sweet thy murmurings to hear, 
 Like plaintive music to mine ear! 
 Tho' things sair changed we moum to see, 
 Yet, bumie, there's nae change in thee. 
 Still, still thy waters clear rin on, 
 'Mang woody braes and mossy stone. 
 
 Oh, Caimey burn, sweet Cairney bum, 
 Half blithe, half wae, to thee I turn; 
 But where are they wha sat wi' me, 
 Sae pleased aneath thy shady tree? 
 Oh ! where are tney wnase wee bit feet 
 Wad wade delighted thro' the weet? 
 Scrambling up 'mang thorns and beech, 
 The nits and brambles a' to reach. 
 
1 86 Lady Natrne's Songs. 
 
 Oh, Cairney bum, sweet Cairney burn, 
 May Mammon's hand ne'er come to turn 
 Thy waters clear to dingy dye, 
 Nor smoky clouds obscure thy sky ! 
 lyet no rude revelling intrude 
 To break this holy solitude; 
 Here may no still — no barley-bree — 
 Augment poor Scotia's misery. 
 
 Oh, Cairney burn, sweet Cairney bum, 
 Still, still to thee my heart doth tumj 
 Wider, deeper streams I see. 
 But nane sae sweet, sae dear to me.. 
 Here first we heard the cuckoo sing, 
 With all the melody of spring; 
 Hei:e her footsteps first were seen, 
 Strewing flowers upon the green. 
 
 BONNY GASCON HA'." 
 
 Gaelic Air. 
 
 Lane, on the winding Earn, there stands 
 An unco tow'r, sae stem an' auld, 
 
 Biggit by lang forgotten hands, — 
 Ance refuge o' the Wallace bauld. 
 
 Time's restless finger sair hath waur'd, 
 And rived thy grey disjaskit wa' ; 
 
 But rougher hands than Time's ha'e daur'd 
 To wrang thee, bonny Gascon Ha'. 
 
Bonny Gascon Ha. 187 
 
 O! may a muse imkent to fame 
 
 For tliis dim gruesome relic sue: 
 'Tis linkit wi' a patriot's name, 
 
 The truest Scotland ever knew. 
 
 Just leave in peace ilk mossy stane, 
 
 Tellin' o' nations' rivalry; 
 And for succeeding ages hain 
 
 Remains o' Scottish chivalry. 
 
 What tho' no monument to thee 
 Is biggit by thy country's hand, — 
 
 Engraved are thine immortal deeds 
 On ev'ry heart in this braid land. 
 
 Rude Time may monuments ding doun, 
 An' tow'rs an' wa's maun a' decay; 
 
 Enduring — deathless — noble Chief, 
 Thy name can never pass away ! 
 
 Gi'e pillar'd fame to common men, — 
 Nae need o' cairns lor ane like thee; 
 
 In ev'ry cave, wood, hill, and glen, 
 Wallace remembered aye shall be. 
 
1 88 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 HEY THE RANTIN' MURRAY'S HA'.« 
 
 Air — "Hey the Rantin' Murray's Ha'." 
 
 Hey the rantin' Murray's ha' ! 
 
 Mirth and glee amang them a' ! 
 The courtly laird, the leddy braw, 
 
 They'll welcome ye to Murray's ha'. 
 Come ye hungry, come ye dry, 
 
 Nane had ever need to wait ; 
 Come ye brisk, or come ye shy, 
 
 They'll meet ye or ye're at the yett 
 
 Some were feasting in the ha'. 
 
 Some at sports upon the green; 
 Peggy, flower amang them a', 
 
 Dancin' like a Fairy Queen. 
 Blithest o' my blithesome days 
 
 I ha'e spent at Murray's ha', 
 But oh, my heart was like to break 
 
 When I saw Peggy gang awa. 
 
 Whaur she gaed or why gaed she. 
 
 Few were there that weel could tell; 
 I thought it was to lightlie me — 
 
 She maybe scarcely kenn'd hersel'. 
 They said a ghaist was in the wa'. 
 
 Sometimes aneath, sometimes aboon; 
 A' body heard — nae body saw. 
 
 But a' were sure they'd see it soon. 
 
Kitty Raid's House. 189 
 
 Some say the General, honest man, 
 
 That fear'd na bullets, great or sma', 
 Wad rather face the Mons Meg gun 
 
 Than meet the ghaist o' Murray's ha'. 
 'Tis no the gate I think ava, 
 
 To lay a ghaist wi' mirth and glee ; 
 Scholar'd lads and lasses braw 
 
 Need nae ghaist nor goblin dree. 
 
 KITTY REID'S HOUSE." 
 
 Air—" Country Bumpkin." 
 
 Hech ! hey ! the mirth that was there, 
 The mirth that was there, 
 The mirth that was there; 
 Hech ! how ! the mirth that was there, 
 
 In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo. 
 There was laughin' and singin', and dancin' and glee 
 In Kitty Reid's house, in Kitty Reid's house, 
 There was laughin' and singin', an' dancin' and glee. 
 In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo. 
 
 Hech! hey! the fright that was there. 
 
 The fright that was there, 
 
 The fright that was there, 
 Hech! how! the fright that was there. 
 In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo. 
 
 N 
 
igo Lady Nairncs Songs. 
 
 The light glimmer'd in thro' a crack i' the wa', 
 An' a' body thocht the lift it would fa', 
 An' lads and lasses they soon ran awa' 
 Frae Kitty Raid's house on the green, Jo. 
 
 Hech! hey! the dule that was there, 
 The dule that was there, 
 The dule that was there. 
 The birds an' beasts it wauken'd them a', 
 In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo. 
 The wa' gaed a hurly and scatter'd them a', 
 The piper, the fiddler, auld Kitty, an' a', 
 The kye fell a routin', the cocks they did craw, 
 In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo. 
 
 CASTELL GLOOM." 
 Air— "Castell Gloom." 
 
 Oh, Castell Gloom ! thy strength is gone, 
 
 The green grass o'er thee growin', 
 On hill of Care thou art alone, 
 
 The Sorrow round thee flowin'. 
 Oh ! Castell Gloom ! on thy fair wa's 
 
 Nae banners now are streamin'; 
 The houlit flits amang thy ha's, 
 
 And wild birds there are screamin'. 
 
Castell Gloom. 191 
 
 Oh ! mourn the woe, oh mourn the crime, 
 
 Frae civil war that flows; 
 Oh! mourn, Argyle, thy fallen line, 
 
 And mourn the great Montrose. 
 
 Here ladies bright were aften seen, 
 
 Here valiant warriors trod; 
 And here great Knox has aften been, 
 
 Wha feared nought but his God. 
 But a' are gane ! the gude, the great, 
 
 And naething now remains, 
 But ruin sitting on thy wa's. 
 
 And crumblin' down the stanes 1 
 
 Oh ! mourn the woe, &c. 
 
 The lofty Ochils bright did glow, 
 
 Tho' sleepin' was the sun: 
 But momin's light did sadly show 
 
 What ragin' flames had done ! 
 Oh ! mirk, mirk was the misty cloud, 
 
 That hung o'er thy wild wood ! 
 Thou wert like beauty in a shroud. 
 
 And all was solitude. 
 
 Oh ! mourn the woe, oh mourn the crime 
 
 Frae civil war that flows; 
 Oh ! mourn, Argyle, thy fallen line. 
 
 And mourn the great Montrose. 
 
I92 Lady N amies Songs. 
 
 O STATELY STOOD THE BARON'S HA'." 
 
 Air — "Widow, are ye waukin'." 
 
 O STATELY Stood the Baron's ha', 
 
 His lady fair as ony; 
 Her gracefu' mien was like a queen, 
 
 Her smile it dimpled bonnie. 
 The heir of a' the Baron's wealth, 
 
 A manly bairn was he, 
 O, and aye he'd rin, and play his lane, 
 
 Aneath the greenwood tree, O. 
 
 But wae, wae was that heavy maen, 
 
 Gaed thro' that castle ha', O, 
 When gloamin' cam', ae simmer's e'en, 
 
 Young Ronald was awa', O, 
 They sought him east, they sought him west, 
 
 Baith north and south they sought him, — 
 And noble was the offered boon 
 
 To them that wad ha'e brought him. 
 
 The lady pined, her cheek grew wan. 
 
 The wound was past a' curin', 
 The bowers whaur first she fostered him 
 
 Were past her heart's endurin'. 
 Her lovin' lord, wi' tender care, 
 
 Took her to wander far, O, 
 And the only thought e'er dried her e'e,. 
 
 Flew aboon the mornin' star, O. 
 
Sazo ye nae my Peggy ? 193 
 
 Her feckless frame could little bide, 
 
 Slow turned the tardy wheels, O,— 
 They saw a nut-brown bonny boy, 
 
 Fast rinnin' at their heels, O. 
 " Stay, faither, mither, stay for me ! 
 
 I'll never, never leave ye! 
 It wasna me that gaed awa, — 
 
 'Twas the gipsies took me frae ye.'' 
 
 Now, tell wha may, their joy that day, 
 
 Wha ne'er thought joy to meet, O, 
 Fresh roses budded on her cheek. 
 
 And her smile it dimpled sweet, O. 
 Frae greenwood bowers and stately towers, 
 
 Nae mair they wandered far, O, 
 And their gratefu' lays, o' love and praise, 
 
 Flew aboon the momin'-star, O! 
 
 SAW YE NAE MY PEGGY ? "■ 
 
 Air^ " Saw ye nae my Pegry 1 " 
 
 Saw ye nae my Peggy ? 
 
 Saw ye nae my Peggy ? 
 
 Saw ye Peggy comin' 
 
 Thro' Tillibelton's broom ? 
 I'm frae Aberdagie, 
 Owre the crafts o' Craigie, 
 For aught I ken o' Peggy, 
 
 She's ayont the moon. 
 
194 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 'Twas but at the dawin', 
 Clear the cock was crawin', 
 I saw Peggy ca' hi 
 
 Hawky by the brier. 
 Early bells were ringing, 
 Blythest birds were singing, 
 Sweetest flowers were springing, 
 
 A' her heart to cheer. 
 
 Now the tempest's blowin', 
 Almond water's flowin', 
 Deep and ford unknowin', 
 
 She maun cross the day. 
 Almond water spare her, 
 Safe to Lynedoch bear her ; 
 Its braes ne'er saw a fairer, 
 
 Bess Bell nor Mary Gray. 
 
 Oh, now to be wi' her ! 
 Or but ance to see her 
 Skaithless, far or near, 
 
 I'd gie Scotland's croim. 
 Byeword blind's a lover — 
 Wha's yon I discover? 
 Just yere ain fair rover 
 
 Stately stappin' doun. 
 
Bonnie Ran the Btirnie Doon. 195 
 BONNIE RAN THE BURNIE DOON. 
 
 Air— "Cawdor Fair." 
 
 Bonnie ran the bumie doon, 
 Wand'rin' and windin' ; 
 Sweetly sang the birds aboon, 
 Care never mindin'. 
 
 The gentle simmer wind 
 Was their nursie saft and kind, 
 And it rockit them, and rockit them, 
 All in their bowers sae hie. 
 
 Bonnie ran, &c. 
 
 The mossy rock was there, 
 And the water-lily fair, 
 And the little trout would sport aboot 
 All in the sunny beam. 
 
 Bonnie ran, &c. 
 
 Tho' simmer days be lang. 
 And sweet the birdies' sang. 
 The wintry night and chiUing blight 
 Keep aye their eerie roun'. 
 
 Bonnie ran, &c. 
 
196 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 And then the burnie's like a sea, 
 Roarin' and reamin" ; 
 Nae wee bit sangster's on the tree, 
 But wild birdies screamin'. 
 
 Oh that the past I might forget 
 Wand'rin' and weepin', 
 Oh that aneath the hillock green 
 Sound I were sleepin'. 
 
 Bonnie ran the burnie doon, 
 Wand'rin' and windin' ; 
 Sweetly sang the birds aboon. 
 Care never mindin'. 
 
 JOY OF MY EARLIEST DAYS. 
 
 Air — " One day I heard Mary sing.'' 
 
 Joy of my earliest days, 
 
 AVhy must I grieve thee ? 
 Theme of my fondest lays, 
 
 Mary, I maun leave thee ! 
 Leave thee, love, leave thee, love. 
 
 How shall I leave thee ? 
 Now absence thy truth will prove. 
 
 For oh ! [ maun leave thee ! 
 
Adieu to Strathearn. 197 
 
 Think aft on the time that's gane, 
 
 When twa happy bairnies, 
 AVe played at penny stane 
 
 Amang the green faimies. 
 Cauld an' hot, ear' an' late, 
 
 There we forgather' d ; 
 Where yows wander'd on the knowes. 
 
 And Hawkie was tether'd. 
 
 When on yon mossy stane, 
 
 Wild weeds o'er growin', 
 Ye sit at e'en your waefu' lane, 
 
 And hear the bumie rowin' ; 
 Oh ! think on this partin' hour, 
 
 Down by the Garry, 
 And to Him that has the pow'r 
 
 Commend me, my Mary 1 
 
 ADIEU TO STRATHEARN. 
 Air — " Miss Carmichael. " 
 
 Strathearn, oh ! how shall I quit thy sweet groves ? 
 
 How bid thee a long, oh ! an endless adieu ? 
 Sad memory over such happiness roves, 
 
 As not hope's own magic can ever renew. 
 
198 Lady Nairne s Songs. 
 
 Sweet scene of my childhood, delight of my youth ! 
 
 Thy far-winding waters no more I must see ; 
 Thy high-waving bowers, thy gay woodland flowers. 
 
 They wave now, they bloom now, no longer for me. 
 
 CHARLIES LANDING.'" 
 
 Ail—" When Wild Wars." 
 
 There cam' a wee boatie owre the sea, 
 
 Wi' the winds an' waves it strove sairlie ; 
 But oh! it brought great joy to me, 
 
 For wha was there but Prince Charlie. 
 The wind was hie, and unco chill. 
 
 An' a' things luiket barely ; 
 But oh ! we cam' with right good-will, 
 
 To welcome bonnie Charlie. 
 
 Wae's me, puir lad, yere thinly clad, 
 
 The waves yere fair hair weeting ; 
 We'll row ye in a tartan plaid, 
 
 An' gie ye Scotland's greeting. 
 Tho' wild an' bleak the prospect round, 
 
 We'll cheer yere heart, dear Charlie ; 
 Ye're landed now on Scottish grund, 
 
 Wi' them wha lo'e ye dearly. 
 
 O lang we've prayed to see this day ; 
 
 True hearts they maist were breaking ; 
 Now clouds an' storms will flee away, 
 
 Young hope again is waking. 
 
Whdll be King but Charlie f 199 
 
 We'll sound the Gathering, lang an' loud, 
 
 Yere friends will greet ye fairlie ; 
 Tho' now they're few, their hearts are true ; 
 
 They'll live or die for Charlie. 
 
 WHA'LL BE KING BUT CHARLIE?" 
 
 Thk news frae Moidart cam' yestreen, 
 
 Will soon gar mony ferlie ; 
 For ships o' war hae just come in, 
 
 And landit Royal Charlie. 
 
 Come thro' the heather, around him gather, 
 
 Ye're a' the welcomer early ; 
 Around him cling wi' a' your kin ; 
 
 For wha'U be king but Charlie ? 
 Come thro' the heather, around him gather, 
 Come Ronald, come Donald, come a' thegither, 
 And crown your rightfu', lawfu' king ! 
 
 For wha'll be king but Charlie ? 
 
 The Hieland clans, wi' sword in hand, 
 
 Frae John o' Groat's to Airlie, 
 Hae to a man declared to stand 
 
 Or fa' wi' Royal Charlie. 
 
 Come thro' the heather, &c. 
 
200 Lady IVairne's Songs. 
 
 The Lowlands a', baith great an' sma', 
 
 Wi' mony a lord and laird, hae 
 Declar'd for Scotia's king an' law. 
 
 An' speir ye wha but Charlie. 
 
 Come thro' the heather, &c. 
 
 There's ne'er a lass in a' the Ian', 
 
 But vows baith late an' early, 
 She'll ne'er to man gie heart nor han', 
 
 Wha wadna fecht for Charlie. 
 
 Come thro' the heather, &a 
 
 t 
 
 Then here's a health to Charlie's cause. 
 
 And be't complete an' early ; 
 His very name our heart's blood warms ; 
 
 To arms for Royal Charlie ! 
 
 Come thro' the heather, around him gather, 
 
 Ye're a' the welcomer early ; 
 Around him cling wi' a' your kin ; 
 
 For wha'll be king but Charlie ? 
 Come thro' the heather, around him gather. 
 Come Ronald, come Donald, come a' thegither, 
 And crown your rightfu', lawfu' king ! 
 
 For wha'll be king but Charlie ? 
 
My Bonnie Hieland Laddie. 201 
 
 MY BONNIE HIELAND LADDIE." 
 
 Prince Charlie he's cum owre frae France, 
 In Scotland to proclaim his daddie ; • 
 
 May Heaven still his cause advance, 
 And shield him in his Hieland plaidie ! 
 
 O my bonnie Hieland laddie, 
 My handsome, charming Hieland laddie 1 
 May Heaven still his cause advance, 
 And shield him in his Hieland plaidie ! 
 
 First when he cam' to view our land. 
 The gracefu' looks o' the princely laddie 
 
 Made a' our true Scots hearts to warm, 
 And blythe to wear the tartan plaidie. 
 
 O my bonnie, &c. 
 
 But when Geordie heard the news, 
 How he was cum afore his daddie. 
 
 He thirty thousand pounds wad gi'e. 
 To catch him in his Hieland plaidie. 
 
 O my bonnie, &c. 
 
 But tho' the Hieland folks are puir, 
 Yet their hearts are leal and steady ; 
 
202 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 And there's no ana amang them a', 
 That wad betray their Hieland laddie 
 
 O my bonnie Hieland laddie ! 
 My handsome, charming Hieland laddie ; 
 May Heaven still his cause advance, 
 And shield him in his Hieland plaidie ! 
 
 GA.THERTNG SONG." 
 
 Oh come, come along, and join in our song, 
 And march wi' our lads, along an' along ; 
 He's waiting us there where heather grows fair. 
 And the clans they are gath'ring strong and strong. 
 
 He should be king, ye ken wha I mean, 
 Tho' Whigs that winna allow, allow ; 
 We dauma speak out, but ye needna doubt, 
 That a' that we tell is true is true. 
 
 On the steep mountains' breast, where shadows oft 
 
 rest, 
 An' bumies are tumblin' down, and down ; 
 In that deep recess, there's ane we can guess, 
 That is heir to our ain Scottish crown. 
 
Charlie is my Darling. 203 
 
 Ijike a sunbeam to cheer, he soon will appear; 
 Gracefu' and fleet, like a mountain deer : 
 Come gather, a' gather, along and along, 
 The clans and the echoes will join in our song. 
 
 Oh come, come along, and join in our song. 
 And march wi' our lads, along an' along ; 
 He's waiting us there where heather grows fair, 
 And the clans they are gath'ring strong and strong. 
 
 CHARLIE IS MY DARLING."' 
 
 'TwAS on a Monday morning, 
 
 Right early in the year. 
 When Charlie came to our toun, 
 The young Chevalier. 
 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling, 
 My darling, my darling ; 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling, 
 The young Chevalier. 
 
 As he came marching up the street. 
 The pipes play'd loud and clear. 
 
 And a' the folk came running out 
 To meet the Chevalier. 
 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling, &C; 
 
2C4 Lady Nairiic's So7igs. 
 
 Wi' Hieland bonnets on their heads, 
 And claymores bright and clear, 
 
 They came to fight for Scotland's right, 
 And the young Chevalier. 
 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling, &c. 
 
 They've left their bonnie Hieland hills. 
 Their wives and bairnies dear. 
 
 To draw the sword for Scotland's lord, 
 The young Chevalier. 
 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling, &c. 
 
 Oh, there were mony beating hearts, 
 
 And mony a hope and fear, 
 And mony were the prayers put up 
 
 For the young Chevalier. 
 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling, 
 My darling, my darling, 
 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling. 
 The young Chevalier. 
 
 THE HUNDRED PIPERS.^' 
 
 Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a', 
 Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a' ; 
 We'll up an' gie them a blaw, a blaw, 
 AVi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a'. 
 
The Himdred Pipers. 205 
 
 Oh ! it's owre the Border awa', awa', 
 It's owre the Border awa', awa', 
 We'll on and we'll march to Carlisle ha', 
 Wi' its yetts, its castell, an' a", an' a'. 
 
 Oh ! our sodger lads looked braw, looked braw, 
 Wi' their tartans, kilts, an' a', an' a', 
 Wi' their bonnets, an' feathers, an' glittering gear. 
 An' pibrochs sounding sweet and clear. 
 Will they a' return to their ain dear glen ? 
 Will they a' return, our Hieland men ? 
 Second-sighted Sandy looked fu' wae, 
 And mothers grat when they marched away. 
 
 Wi' a hundred pipers, &c. 
 
 Oh wha is foremost o' a', o' a' ? 
 Oh wha does follow the blaw, the blaw ? 
 Bonnie Charlie, the king o' us a', hurra ! 
 Wi' his hundred pipers an' a', an' a'. 
 His bonnet an' feather, he's wavin' high. 
 His prancin' steed maist seems to fly. 
 The nor' wind plays wi' his curly hair. 
 While the pipers blaw in an unco flare. 
 
 Wi' a hundred pipers, &c. 
 
 The Esk was swollen, sae red and sae deep, 
 But shouther to shouther the brave lads keep ; 
 Twa thousand swam owre to fell English ground, 
 An' danced themselves dry to the pibroch's sound, 
 o 
 
2o6 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Dumfounder'd, the English saw — they saw — 
 Dumfounder'd, they heard the blaw, the blaw; 
 Dumfounder'd, they a' ran awa', awa', 
 From the hundred pipers an' a', an' a'. 
 
 Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a', 
 Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a', 
 We'll up and gie them a blaw, a blaw, 
 Wi' a hundired pipers an' a', an' a'. 
 
 HE'S OWRE THE HILLS THAT I LO'E 
 
 WEEL." 
 
 He's owre the hills that I lo'e weel, 
 He's owre the hills we daurna name ; 
 He's owre the hills ayont Dunblane, 
 Wha soon will get his welcome hame. 
 
 My faither's gane to fecht for him, 
 My brithers winna bide at hame ; 
 My mither greets and prays for them, 
 And deed she thinks they're no to blame. 
 He's owre the hills, &c. 
 
 The Whigs may scoff, the Whigs may jeer, 
 But ah ! that love maun be sincere, 
 'Which still keeps true whate'er betide. 
 An' for his sake leaves a' beside. 
 
 He's owre the hills, &c. 
 
Yc II IMoHut, Gudeman. 207 
 
 His right these hills, his right these plains ; 
 O'er Hieland hearts secure he reigns j 
 What lads e'er did our lads will do ; 
 Were I a laddie, I'd follow him too. 
 
 He's owre the hills, &c. 
 
 Sae noble a look, sac princely an air, 
 Sae gallant and bold, sae young and sae fair : 
 Oh ! did ye but see him, ye'd do as we've done ; 
 Hear him but ance, to his standard you'll run. 
 
 He's owre the hills that I lo'e weel. 
 He's owre the hills we dauma name ; 
 He's owre the hills ayont Dunblane, 
 Wha soon will get his welcome hame. 
 
 YE'LL MOUNT, GUDEMAN.=^ 
 Leddy. 
 
 " Ye'll mount, gudeman ; ye'll mount and ride ; 
 
 Ye'll cross the burn syne doun the loch side, 
 
 Then up 'mang the hills, thro' the muir an' the 
 
 heather. 
 An' join great Argyle where loyal men gather." 
 
 Laird. 
 
 ■" Indeed, honest luckie, I think ye're no blate, 
 To bid loyal men gang ony sic gate ; 
 
2o8 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 For I'm gaun to fecht for true loyaltie. 
 
 Had the Prince ne'er anither, he still will hae me." 
 
 I.EDDY. 
 
 " About CharUe Stuart we ne'er could agree ; 
 
 But dearie, for ance, be counselled by me ; 
 
 Tak' nae pairt at a' ; bide quietly at hame, 
 
 An' ne'er heed a Campbell, McDonal', or Graham." 
 
 Laird. 
 
 " Na, na, gudewife, for that winna do, 
 My Prince is in need, his friends they are few : 
 I aye lo'ed the Stuarts ; I'll join them the day ; 
 Sae gi'e me my boots, for my boots I will ha'e.'' 
 
 Leddy. 
 
 " Oh ! saftly, gudeman, I think ye're gane mad ; 
 I ha'e na the heart to preen on your cockaud ; 
 The Prince, as ye ca' him, will never succeed ; 
 Ye'll lose your estate, and may be your head ! " 
 
 Laird. 
 
 " Come, cheer ye, my dear, an' dry up your tears ! 
 
 I ha'e my hopes, an' I ha'e my fears ; 
 
 But I'll raise my men, an' a' that is given. 
 
 To aid the gude cause — then leave it to Heaven ! " 
 
Will ye no Come Back Again ? 209 
 
 " But, haste ye now, haste ye, for I maun be gaun, 
 The mare's at the yett, the bugle is blawn ; 
 Gi'e me my bannet, it's far in the day, 
 I'm no for a dish, there's nae time to stay." 
 
 Leddy. 
 
 " Oh dear ! tak' but ane, it may do ye gude ! " 
 But what ails the woman ? she surely is wud ! 
 She's hfted the kettle, but somehow it coup'd 
 On Ijie legs o' the laird, wha roar'd and wha loup'd. 
 
 Laird." -- _ 
 
 " I'm brint, I'm brint, how 6a.m!!'it this way? 
 I fear I'll no ride for mony a day^^ — 
 Send aff the men, and to Prince Charlie say. 
 My heart is wi' him, but I'm tied by the tae." 
 
 The wily wife fleech'd, and the laird didna see 
 The smile on her cheek thro' the tear in her e'e — 
 " Had I kent the gudeman wa4 ha'e had siccan 
 
 pain, 
 The kettle, for me, sud hae couped its lane ! " 
 
 WILL YE NO COME BACK AGAIN? 
 
 , Bonnie CharUe's now awa', 
 
 Safely owre the friendly main; 
 Mony a heart will break in twa, 
 Should he ne'er come back again. 
 
2IO Lady Nairne's Songs. 
 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 Better lo'ed ye canna' be, 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 
 Ye trusted in your Hieland men, 
 They trusted you, dear Charlie ; 
 
 They kent you hiding in the glen. 
 Your dead in' was but barely. 
 
 Will ye no, &c. 
 
 English bribes were a' in vain. 
 An' fi'cn tho' puirer we may be ; 
 
 Siller canna buy the heart 
 
 That beats aye for thine and thee. 
 
 Will ye no, &c. 
 
 We watched thee in the gloamin' hour, 
 We watched thee in the mornin' grey ; 
 
 Tho' thirty thousand pounds they'd gi'e, 
 Oh ther&was nane that wad betray. 
 Will ye no, &c. 
 
 Sweet's the laverock's note and lang, 
 
 Lilting wildly up the glen ; 
 But aye to me he sings ae sang, — 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 Better lo'ed ye canna be, 
 Will ye no come back again ? 
 
The White Rose d J tine. 2 1 1 
 
 THE LASS OF LIVINGSTANE. 
 
 Oh ! wha will dry the dreeping tear, 
 
 She sheds her lane, she sheds her lane? 
 Or wha the bonnie lass will cheer, 
 
 Of Livingstane, of Livingstane ? 
 The crown was half on Charlie's head, 
 
 Ae gladsome day, ae gladsome day ; 
 The lads that shouted joy to him 
 
 Are in the clay, are in the clay. 
 
 Her waddin' goun was wyl'd and won, 
 
 rt ne'er was on, it ne'er was on , 
 CuUoden field, his lowly bed, 
 
 She thought upon, she thought upon. 
 The bloom has faded firae her cheek 
 
 In youthfu' prime, in youthfu' prime ; 
 And sorrow's with'ring hand has done 
 
 The deed o' time, the deed o' time. 
 
 THE WHITE ROSE O' JUNE." 
 Air- — " Voice of Spring." 
 
 Now the bricht sun, and the soft simmer showers, 
 Deck a' the woods and the gardens wi' flowers ; 
 But bonny and sweet though the hale o' them be. 
 
2 1 2 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 There's ane aboon a' that is dearest to me ; 
 An' oh, that's the white rose, the white rose o' June, 
 An' may he that should wear it come back again 
 sune ! 
 
 It's no on my breast, nor yet in my hair, 
 
 That the emblem dear I venture to wear ; 
 
 But it blooms in my heart, and its white leaves I 
 
 weet. 
 When alane in the gloamin' I wander to greet. 
 O'er the white rose, the white rose, the white rose 
 
 o' June, 
 An' may he that should wear it come back again 
 
 sune ! 
 
 Mair fragrant and rich the red rose may be, 
 
 But there is nae spell to bind it to me : 
 
 But dear to my heart and to fond memorie, 
 
 Tho' scathed and tho' blighted the white rose may be. 
 
 O the white rose, the white rose, the white rose o' 
 
 June, 
 O may ht that should wear it come back again 
 
 sune ! 
 
 An' oh ! may the true hearts thy perils who share, 
 Remember'd wi' tears, and remember'd in prayer, 
 Whom misfortune's rude blast has sent far awa', 
 Fair breezes bring back sune to cottage and ha' ;- — 
 Then; O sing the white rose, the white rose o' June, 
 An' may he that should wear it wear Scotland's auld 
 croun ! 
 
The A ttainted Scottish Nobles. 213 
 
 THE ATTAINTED SCOTTISH NOBl-ES. 
 Air— "The Attainted Scottish Nobles." 
 
 Oh, some will tune their moumfu' strains, 
 
 To tell of hame-made sorrow, 
 And if they cheat you o' your tears, 
 
 They'll dry afore the morrow. 
 Oh, some will sing their airy dreams, 
 
 In verity they're sportin', 
 My sang's o' nae sic thewless themes, 
 
 But wakin', true misfortune. 
 
 Ye Scottish nobles, ane and a', 
 
 For loyalty attainted, 
 A nameless bardie's wae to see 
 
 Your sorrows unlamented ; 
 For if your fathers ne'er had fought 
 
 For heirs of ancient royalty, — 
 Ye're down the day that might hae been 
 
 At the top o' honour's tree a'. 
 
 For old hereditary right, 
 
 For conscience's sake they stoutly stood ; 
 And for the crown their valiant sons 
 
 Themselves have shed their injured blood ; 
 And if their fathers ne'er had fought 
 
 For heirs of ancient royalty, 
 They're down the day that might ha' been 
 
 At the top o' honour's tree a'. 
 
214 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 THE WOMEN ARE A' GANE WUD.«' 
 
 Air — ' ' The Women are a' gaue wud." 
 
 The women are a' gane wud ! 
 
 Oh, that he had bidden awa' ! 
 lie's turn'd their heads, the lad ; 
 
 And ruin will bring on us a'. 
 I aye was a peaceable man, 
 
 My wife she did doucely behave ; 
 But noo, do a' that I can. 
 
 She's just as wild as the lave. 
 
 My wife noo wears the cockade. 
 
 The' she kens 'tis the thing that I hate ; 
 
 There's ana, too, freetid on her maid, 
 An' baith will tak' their ain gate. 
 
 The wild Hieland lads as they pass, 
 The yetts wide open do flee ; 
 
 They eat the very house bare, 
 And nae leave's speer'd o' me. 
 
 I've lived a' my days in the Strath, 
 
 Now Tories infest me at hame, 
 And though I take nae side at a', 
 
 Baith sides will gi'e me the blame. 
 The senseless creatures ne'er think 
 
 What ill the lad wad bring back ; 
 The Pope we'll hae, and his hounds, 
 
 And a' the rest o' his pack. 
 
What do ye think d Geordie Noo f 215 
 
 WHAT DC YE THINK O' GEORDIE NOO?' 
 
 DUET SUNG BY THE LAIRD AND HIS 
 
 DAUGHTER MYSIE. 
 
 Laird. 
 
 " O WHAT do you think o' Geordie noo ? 
 O what do you think o' Geordie noo ? 
 Come daughter mine, come tell me true, 
 O what do you think o' Geordie noo ? " 
 
 Mysie. 
 
 " Geordie we think nought ava, 
 O what has brought him here at a' ? 
 We hae ae king, nae need o' twa, 
 Sae Geordie ye maun march awa'." 
 
 Laird. 
 
 " Oh daughter mine, I'm wae to see, 
 Ye speak sae light o' majestie ; 
 Now Geordie's king o' kingdoms three. 
 Ye maun obey baith him and me." 
 
 Mysie. 
 
 " O faither dear, I need na say, 
 Your will's a law I'll aye obey. 
 But sure they're wud that can compare 
 King Geordie wi' auld Scotland's heir 1 " 
 
2i6 Lady Nair tie's Songs. 
 
 Laird. 
 
 " Fair faced, I grant, the Stuarts a' be, 
 But, oh, they're fu' o' treacherie ; 
 O, Mysie, lass, ye little ken 
 The drift o' Cavaliering men ! '' 
 
 Mysie. 
 
 " We're wae to see a foreign loon, 
 Come over here to tak' our croun ■ 
 Outlandish gibberish on his tongue 
 No understood by auld or young." 
 
 " O Geordie's stout, and unco braid ; 
 He's no like Charlie in his plaid ; 
 To see him dance, to hear him sinj- 
 O sure he is our rightfu' king ! " 
 
 Laird. 
 
 " It's no to sing, nor yet to dance. 
 That we will tak' a king frae France ; 
 A bird that's ta'en frae an ill nest 
 It aye will do hke a' the rest." 
 
 Mysie. 
 
 " For nae offence that we can see, 
 Up in a rage will Geordie flee ; 
 The flames get then his periwig, 
 That's no denied by ony Whig." 
 
What do you think d Geordie Noo f 2 1 7 
 
 Laird. 
 
 " Aweel, aweel, and what's a' that, 
 To them wha promise and draw back ? 
 Nae wiser by adversitie, 
 O ! tyrants a' the Stuarts wad be." 
 
 Mysie. 
 " O, adverse winds round them did blaw, 
 And he has seen and felt it a' ; 
 O, dinna believe ill tales are true, 
 For that we all are apt to do." 
 
 Laird. 
 " It\s true the sun will melt the snaw. 
 It's true that time will wear awa', 
 It's true that nicht will follow day, 
 O, Mysie, there's truth in a' I say. 
 
 " O, Mysie, lass, dry up thy tears, 
 And think nae mair o' cavaliers : 
 To fecht 'gainst heaven is a' in vain. 
 The Stuarts will never reign again." 
 
 Together. 
 
 " Auld Scotland is unconquered land, 
 And aye for freedom made a stand ; 
 So let us a' in that agree. 
 Hurra, hurra, for liberty ! 
 
2 18 Lady Nairn&s Songs, 
 
 THE HEIRESS. 
 
 Gaelic Air — "Mo Leannan Faluich." 
 
 I'll no be had for naething, 
 I'll no be had for naething, 
 
 I tell ye, lads, that's ae thing. 
 So ye needna follow me. 
 
 Oh ! the change is most surprising ; 
 
 Last year I was plain Betty Brown ; 
 Now to my hand they're a' aspiring, 
 
 The fair Eliza I am grown ! 
 
 But I'll no, &c. 
 
 Oh ! the change is most surprising, — 
 Nane o' them e'er look'd at me ; 
 
 Now my charms they're a' admiring, 
 For my sake they're like to dee ! 
 
 But 111 no, &c. 
 
 The laird, the shirra, and the doctor. 
 And twa-three lords o' high degree ; 
 
 VVi' heaps o' writers I could mention. 
 Surely, sirs, it is no me ! 
 
 But I'll no, &c. 
 
The Mithcrkss Lammie. 2 1 9 
 
 But there is ane, when I had naething, 
 
 A" his heart he gied to me ; 
 And sair he toiled, to male' a wee thing, 
 
 To gi'e me when he cam frae sea. 
 
 Sae I'll no, &c. 
 
 And if e'er I marry ony, 
 
 He will be the lad for me ; 
 For, oh, he was baith gude and bonny, 
 
 And he thocht the same o' me. 
 
 Sae I'll no be had for naething, 
 
 I'll no be had for naething, 
 I tell ye, lads, that's ae thing, 
 
 So ye needna follow me. 
 
 THE MITHERLESS LAMMIE. 
 
 The mitherless lammie ne'er miss'd its ain mammie, — 
 
 We tentit it kindly by nicht and by day ; 
 The baimies made game o't, it had a blythe hame o't, 
 
 Its food was the gowan, wi' dew drops o' May. 
 Without tie or fetter, it cou'dna been better, 
 
 But it wad gae witless the warld to see, 
 The foe that it fear'd not, it saw not, it heard not, 
 
 Was watching its wand'ring frae Bonnington Lea. 
 
2 20 Lady Nairnes Songs, 
 
 Oh what then befell it, 'twere waefu' to tell it, 
 
 Tod Lowrie kens best, wi' his lang head sae sly; 
 He met the pet lammie, that wanted its mammie. 
 
 And left its kind hame, the wide warld to try. 
 We miss'd at day dawin', we miss'd at night fa'in' ; 
 
 Its wee shed is tenantless under the tree ; 
 Ae nicht i' the gloamin', it wad gae a roamin' ; 
 
 'Twill frolic nae mair upon Bonnington Lea. 
 
 SONGS OF MY NATIVE LAND. 
 
 Air — ' ' Happy Land. " 
 
 Songs of my native land, 
 
 To me how dear ! 
 Songs of my infancy 
 
 Sweet to mine ear ! 
 Entwined with my youthful days, 
 Wi' the bonny banks and braes, 
 Where the winding burnie strays 
 
 Murmuring near. 
 
 Strains of my native land 
 
 That thrill the soul. 
 Pouring the magic of 
 
 Your soft control ! 
 Often has your minstrelsy 
 Soothed the pang of misery, 
 Winging rapid thought away 
 
 To realms on high. 
 
The Bonniest Lass in a the Warld. 221 
 
 Weary pilgrims there have rest, 
 
 Their wand'rings o'er ; 
 There the slave, no more oppressed, 
 
 Hails Freedom's shore. 
 Sin shall there no more deface, 
 Sickness, pain, and sorrow cease, 
 Ending in eternal peace. 
 
 And songs of joy ! 
 
 There, where the seraphs sing 
 
 In cloudless day, — 
 There, where the higher praise 
 
 The ransom'd pay. 
 Soft strains of the happy land. 
 Chanted by the heavenly band. 
 Who can fully understand 
 
 How sweet ye be ! 
 
 THE BONNIEST LASS IN A' THE WARLD. 
 
 The bonniest lass in a' the warld, 
 
 I've often heard them telling, 
 She's up the hill, she's down the glen, 
 
 She's in yon lonely dwelling. 
 But nane could bring her to my mind, 
 
 Wha liifes but in the fancy 
 Is't Kate or Shusie, Jean or May ? 
 
 Is't Effie, Bess, or Nancy ? 
 p 
 
222 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Now, lasses a', keep a gude heart, 
 
 Nor envy e'er a comrade, 
 For be yere een black, blue, or grey, 
 
 Ye're bonniest aye to some lad. 
 The tender heart, the cheering smile. 
 
 The truth that ne'er will falter, 
 Are charms that never can beguile. 
 
 And time can never alter. 
 
 KIND ROBIN LO'ES ME." 
 
 Air — "Kind Robin lo'es me." 
 
 Robin is my ain gudeman. 
 
 Now match him, carlins, gin ye can, 
 
 For ilk ane whitest thinks her swan, 
 
 But kind Robin lo'es me. 
 To mak' my boast I'll e'en be bauld. 
 For Robin lo'ed me young and auld, 
 In simmer's heat, and winter's cauld. 
 
 My kind Robin lo'es me. 
 
 Robin he comes hame at e'en, 
 Wi' pleasure glancin' in his een ; 
 He tells me a' he's heard and seen. 
 And syne how he lo'es me. 
 
My ain Kind Dearie, O. 223 
 
 There's some ha'e land, and some ha'e gowd, 
 Mair wad ha'e them gin they cou'd, 
 But a' I wish o' warld's gude 
 Is Robin aye to lo'e me. 
 
 MY AIN KIND DEARIE, 0."» 
 
 Air— "The lea rig." 
 
 Will ye gang owre the lea-rig, 
 
 My ain kind dearie, O ? 
 Will ye gang owre the lea-rig, 
 
 My ain kind dearie, O ? 
 Gin ye'U tak' heart, and gang wi' me, 
 
 Mishap will never steer ye, O ; 
 Gude luck lies owre the lea rig. 
 
 My ain kind dearie, O. 
 
 There's walth owre yon green lea-rig, 
 
 My ain kind dearie, O ; 
 There's walth owre yon green lea-rig, 
 
 My ain kind dearie, O ; 
 It's neither land, nor gowd, nor braws, 
 
 Let them gang tapsie teerie, O ; 
 It's walth o' peace, o' love, and truth. 
 
 My ain kind dearie, O. 
 
224 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 O, WEEL'S ME ON MY AIN MAN. 
 
 Air — " Landlady, count the lawin.'' 
 
 weel's me on my ain man ! 
 My ain man, my ain man ; 
 
 O, weel's me on my ain gudeman ! 
 He'll aye be welcome hame. 
 
 I'm wae I blamed him yesternight, 
 For now my heart is feather light ; 
 For gowd I wadna gi'e the sight, 
 I see him linkin' owre the height. 
 
 O, weel's me on my ain man ! 
 My ain man, my ain man ; 
 O, weel's me on my ain gudeman ! 
 He'll aye be welcome hame. 
 
 Rin, Jeanie, bring the kebbuck ben. 
 An' fin' aneath the speckl'd hen ; 
 Meg, rise and sweep aboot the fire. 
 Syne cry on Johnnie frae the byre. 
 
 For weel's me on my ain man 1 
 
 My ain man, my ain man ; 
 
 For weel's me on my ain gudeman,? 
 
 1 see him linkin' hame. 
 
Ca u Id Kail in A berdeen 225 
 
 CAULD KAIL IN ABERDEEN." 
 
 Air — " Cauld Kail in Aberdeen." 
 
 There's cauld kail in Aberdeen, 
 
 There's castocks in Stra'bogie, 
 And, morn and e'en, they're blythe and bein, 
 
 That haud them frae the cogie. 
 Now haud ye frae the cogie, lads, 
 
 O bide ye frae the cogie, 
 I'll tell ye true, ye'll never rue 
 
 O passin' by the cogie. 
 
 Young Will was braw and weel put on, 
 
 Sac blythe was he and vogie, 
 And he got bonnie Mary Don, 
 
 The flower o' a' Stra'bogie. 
 Wha wad hae thought, at wooin' time, 
 
 He'd e'er forsaken Mary ! 
 And ta'en him to the tipplin' trade, 
 
 Wi' boozin' Rob and Harry. 
 
 Sair Mary wrought, sair Mary grat, 
 
 She scarce could lift the ladle, 
 Wi' pithless feet, 'tween ilka greet, 
 
 She'd rock the borrow'd cradle. 
 Her weddin' plenishin' was gane, 
 
 She never thought to borrow ; 
 
226 Lady Nairne's Songs. 
 
 Her bonnie face was waxin' wan, 
 And Will wrought a' the sorrow. 
 
 He's reelin' hame ae winter's night, 
 
 Some later than the gloamin' ; 
 He's ta'en the rig, he's miss'd the brig, 
 
 And Bogie's owre him foamin'. 
 Wi' broken banes, out owre the stanes 
 
 He creepit up Stra'bogie, 
 And a' the nicht he prayed wi' micht, 
 
 To keep him frae the cogie. 
 
 Now Mary's heart is light again. 
 
 She's neither sick nor silly ; 
 For, auld or young, nae sinfu' tongue 
 
 Could e'er entice her Willie. 
 And aye the sang thro' Bogie rang, 
 
 O haud ye frae the cogie ; 
 The weary gill's the sairest ill 
 
 On braes o' fair Stra'bogie. 
 
 CRADLE SONG. 
 
 Baloo loo, lammie, now baloo my dear ; 
 
 Now, baloo loo, lammy, ain minnie is here : 
 
 What ails my sweet bairnie ? What ails it this nicht ? 
 
 What ails my wee lammie ? is bairnie no richt ? 
 
The Robins' Nest. 227 
 
 Baloo loo, lammie, now baloo, my dear, 
 Does wee lammie ken that its daddie's no here ? 
 Ye're rockin' fu' sweetly on maramie's warm knee, 
 But daddie's a-rockin' upon the saut sea. 
 
 Now hush-a-ba, lammie, now hush-a my dear ; 
 Now hush-a-ba, lammie ; ain minnie is here : 
 The wild wind is ravin', and mammie's heart's sair, 
 The wild wind is ravin', and ye dinna care. 
 
 Sing, baloo loo, lammie, sing baloo, my dear ; 
 Sing, baloo loo, lammie, ain minnie is here : 
 My wee bairnie's dozin', it's dozin' now fine. 
 And oh ! may it's wauk'nin' be blyther than mine. 
 
 THE ROBINS' NEST. 
 Air— " Lochiel's awa' to France.'' 
 
 Their nest was in the leafy bush, 
 
 Sae soft and warm, sae soft and warm. 
 And Robins thought their little brood 
 
 All safe from harm, all safe from harm. 
 The morning's feast wi' joy they brought. 
 
 To feed their young with tender care ; 
 The plunder'd leafy bush they found — 
 
 But nest and nestHngs saw nae mair ! 
 
2 28 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 The mother cou'dna leave the spot, 
 
 But wheeling round, and wheeling round. 
 The cruel spoiler aim'd a shot, 
 
 Cur'd her heart's wound, cur'd her heart's wound. 
 She will not hear their helpless cry, 
 
 Nor see them pine in slavery ! 
 The burning breast she will not bide, 
 
 For wrongs of wanton knavery — 
 
 O ! bonny Robin Redbreast, 
 
 Ye trust in men, ye trust in men. 
 But what their hearts are made o', 
 
 Ye little ken, ye little ken ! 
 They'll ne'er wi' your wee skin be warmed, 
 
 Nor wi' your tiny flesh be fed, 
 But just 'cause you're a living thing. 
 
 It's sport wi' them to lay you dead ! 
 
 Ye Hieland and ye Lowland lads, 
 
 As birdies gay, as birdies gay, 
 O spare them whistling like yoursel's. 
 
 And hopping blythe from spray to spray — 
 Their wings were made to soar aloft. 
 
 And skim the air at liberty ; 
 And as you freedom gi'e to them, 
 
 May you and yours be ever free I 
 
Tammy. 229 
 
 TAMMY. 
 
 I WISH 1 ken'd my Maggie's mind, 
 
 If she's for me or Tammy ; 
 To me she is but passing kind, 
 
 She's caulder still to Tammy. 
 And yet she lo'es me no that ill, 
 
 If I believe her granny ; 
 O sure she must be wond'rous nice, 
 
 If she'll no hae me or Tammy. 
 
 I've spier'd her ance, I've spier'd her twice, 
 
 And still she says she canna ; 
 I'll try her again, and that maks thrice, 
 
 And thrice, they say, is canny. 
 Wi' him she'll hae a chaise and pair, 
 
 Wi' me she'll hae shanks-naggie ; 
 He's auld and black, I'm young and fair. 
 
 She'll surely ne'er tak Tammy. 
 
 But if she's a fule, and slightlies me, 
 
 I'se e'en draw up wi' Nancy ; 
 There's as gude fish into the sea 
 
 As e'er cam' out, I fancy. 
 And though I say't that shou'dna say't, 
 
 I'm owre gude a match for Maggie ; 
 Sae mak' up your mind without delay, 
 
 Are ye for me, or Tammy ? 
 
230 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 LAY BYE YERE BAWBEE." 
 
 Lay bye yere bawbee, my Jenny, 
 Lay bye yere bawbee, my dear. 
 
 Do as your mither aye did. 
 She tuik gude care o' her gear. 
 
 The way young kimmers are drest, 
 Wise folk are sorry to see ; 
 
 Their winnin's are a' on their back, 
 And that's no the thing that sud be. 
 
 Work when ye're weel and ye're able, 
 Be honest and savin' ye're tauld ; 
 
 'Twill help when trouble comes on, 
 And mak' ye respectit when auld. 
 
 Lasses and lads, tak' advice, 
 An' dinna ye gang for to woo. 
 
 Until ye hae gather'd the siller. 
 An' the weel plenish'd kist it is fu*. 
 
 Luik to Archie and Peggy, 
 
 They married on naething ava ; 
 
 And noo she's beggin' and greetin'; 
 An' Archie, he's listed awa'. 
 
The Twa Doos. 23 1 
 
 THE TWA DOOS. 
 
 There were twa doos sat in a dookit ; 
 Twa wise-like birds, and round they luiket ; 
 An' says the ane unto the ither, 
 What do ye see, my good brither ? 
 
 I see some pickles o' gude strae, 
 An' wheat, some fule has thrown away ; 
 For a rainy day they should be boukit. 
 Sae down they flew frae aff their dookit. 
 
 The snaw will come an' cour the grund, 
 Nae grains o' wheat will then be fund ; 
 They pickt a' up, an' a' were boukit. 
 Then round an' round, again they luiket. 
 
 lang he thocht, and lang he luiket, 
 An' aye his wise-like head, he shook it ; 
 
 1 see, I see, what ne'er should be, 
 I see what's seen by mair than me. 
 
 Wae's me, there's thochtless, lang Tam Grey, 
 Aye spending what he's no to pay ; 
 In wedlock, to a taupie hookit. 
 He's taen a doo, but has nae dookit. 
 
 When we were young it was na sae ; 
 Nae rummelgumshion folk now hae ; 
 What gude for them can e'er be luiket. 
 When folk tak' doos that hae nae dookit ? 
 
232 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 SAW YE NE'ER A LANELY LASSIE? 
 
 Air — "Will ye go and marry Katie ? " 
 Saw ye ne'er a lanely lassie, 
 
 Thinkin' gin she were a wife, 
 The sun o' joy wad ne'er gae down. 
 
 But warm and cheer her a' her life ? 
 Saw ye ne'er a wearie wifie, 
 
 Thinkin' gin she were a lass. 
 She wad aye be blythe and cheerie, 
 
 Lightly as the day wad pass ? 
 
 Wives and lasses, young and aged, 
 
 Think na on each ither's state ; 
 Ilka ane it has its crosses. 
 
 Mortal joy was ne'er complete. 
 Ilka ane has its blessings. 
 
 Peevish dinna pass them bye, 
 But lilfe choicest berries seek them, 
 
 Tho' amang the thorns they lie. 
 
 THE MAIDEN'S VOW.'' 
 
 Air — "Comin' thro' the Rye.'' 
 
 I've made a vow, I'll keep it true, 
 
 I'll never married be ; 
 For the only ane that I think on 
 
 Will never think o' me. 
 
Down the Burn, Davie. 233 
 
 Now gane to a far distant shore, 
 
 Their face nae mair I'll see ; 
 But often will I think o' them, 
 
 That winna think o' me. 
 
 Gae owre, gae owre noo, gude Sir John, 
 
 Oh, dinna follow me ; 
 For the only ana I ere thocht on. 
 
 Lies buried in the sea. 
 
 DOWN THE BURN, DAVIE.'' 
 
 A Fragment. 
 
 When bonny daisies spread the sward, 
 An' broom bloom'd fair to see ; 
 
 Blythe Davie, wi' a heart sae light, 
 An' she, a maiden free, 
 
 Cries, " Down the bonny burn side. 
 And I will follow thee." 
 
 Where gracefu' birks hang drooping o'er 
 The deep pool's waveless side; 
 
 And shaded frae the simmer sun. 
 The wand'rin' salmon hide. 
 
 An' where the little trouties play. 
 
 An' shine sae bonnilie, 
 " Gang down the burn," cries Davie, blythe, 
 
 "And I will follow thee." 
 
234 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 BESS IS YOUNG, AND BESS IS FAIR. 
 
 Air — "Bess the Gawkie." 
 
 Bess is young, and Bess is fair, 
 Wi' light blue e'en, and. yellow hair; 
 And few there be that can compare 
 
 Wi' Bess, tho' she's a Gawkie. 
 When first o' Bess I got a keek, 
 Wi' smiles and dimples on her cheek, 
 I lang'd to hear the lassie speak, 
 
 But, wae's me ! what a Gawkie ! 
 
 Bess should like a picture be. 
 Nailed to a wa' whar a' might see, 
 And mickle thought o' she wad be, 
 
 And no kent for a Gawkie. 
 Oh, steek your mouth, then, cousin dear, 
 And nae mair havers let us hear ; 
 Oh, steek your mouth, and never fear, 
 
 Ye'se no be ca'd a Gawkie. 
 
 JOHN T O D.^ 
 
 Air— "John Tod.'' 
 
 He's a terrible man, John Tod, John Tod, 
 He's a terrible man, John Tod. 
 
 He scolds in the house. 
 
 He scolds at the door. 
 
John Tod. 235 
 
 He scolds on the vera hie road, John Tod, 
 He scolds on the vera hie road. 
 
 The weans a' fear John Tod, John Tod, 
 The weans a' fear John Tod ; 
 
 When he's passing by, 
 
 The mithers will cry, 
 ' He's an ill wean,' John Tod, John Tod, 
 ' He's an ill wean,' John Tod. 
 
 The callants a' fear John Tod, John Tod, 
 The callants a' fear John Tod, 
 
 If they steal but a neep. 
 
 The laddie he'll whip, 
 And its unco weel done o' John Tod, John Tod, 
 Its unco weel done o' John Tod. 
 
 An' saw ye nae wee John Tod, John Tod, 
 O saw ye nae wee John Tod; 
 
 His bannet was blue, 
 
 His shoon maistly new, 
 A.nd weel does he keep the kirk road, John Tod, 
 O weel does he keep the kirk road. 
 
 How is he lendin', John Tod, John Tod? 
 How is he wendin', John Tod? 
 
 He's scourin' the land, 
 
 Wi' his rung in his hand. 
 An' the French wadna frighten John Tod, John Tod, 
 An' the French wadna frighten John Tod. 
 
236 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Ye're sun-brint and batter'd, John Tod, John Tod, 
 Ye're tautit and tatter'd John Tod, 
 
 Wi' your auld strippit coul. 
 
 Ye luik maist like a fule. 
 But there's nouse i' the lining, John Tod, John Tod, 
 But there's nouse i' the lining, John Tod. 
 
 He's weel respeckit, John Tod, John Tod, 
 He's weel respeckit, John Tod; 
 
 He's a terrible man. 
 
 But we'd a' gae wrang. 
 If e'er he sud leave us, John Tod, John Tod, 
 If e'er he sud leave us, John Tod. 
 
 JEANIE DEANS.'* 
 
 St. Leonards' hill was lightsome land, 
 Where gowan'd grass was growin', 
 
 For man and beast were food and rest, 
 And milk and honey flowin'. 
 
 A father's blessing followed close. 
 Where'er her foot was treading. 
 
 And Jeanie's humble, harmless joys. 
 On every side were spreading wide. 
 On every side were spreading. 
 
 The mossy turf on Arthur Seat, 
 St. Anthon's well aye springing, 
 
 The lammies playing at her feet. 
 The birdies round her singing. 
 
Jeanie Deans. 237 
 
 The solemn haunts o' Holyrood, 
 
 Wi' bats and houlits eerie, 
 The tow'ring craigs o' Salisburj', 
 
 The lowly wells o' Weary, 
 
 O, the lowly wells o' Weary. 
 
 But evil days and evil men 
 
 Came owre their sunny dwelling, 
 Like thunder storms on sunny skies, 
 
 Or wastefu' waters swelling. 
 What ance was sweet is bitter now; 
 
 The sun of joy is setting; 
 In eyes that wont to glance wi' glee, — 
 
 The briny tear is wetting fast, 
 
 The briny tear is wetting. 
 
 Her inmost thought to heaven is sent. 
 
 In faithful supplication ; 
 Her earthly stay's Macallummore, 
 
 The guardian o' the nation. 
 A hero's heart — a sister's love — 
 
 A martyr's truth unbending; 
 They're a' in Jeanie's tartan plaid,— 
 
 And she is gane, her liefu' lane. 
 
 To Lunnon toun she's wending. 
 
238 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 FAREWEEL, EDINBURGH.^ 
 
 Air — " Fareweel, Edinburgh." 
 
 Farf.weel, Edinburgh, where happy we hae been, 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, Caledonia's Queen! 
 Auld Reekie, fare-ye-weel, and Reekie New beside, 
 Ye're like a chieftain grim and gray, wi' a young 
 
 bonny bride. 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, and your trusty Volunteers, 
 Your Council a' sae circumspect, your Provost with- 
 out peers, 
 Your stately College stufFd wi' lear, your rantin' High- 
 
 Schule yard; 
 The jib, the lick, the roguish trick, the ghaists o' th' 
 auld toun-guard. 
 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, your philosophic men ; 
 
 Your scribes that set you a' to richts, and wield the 
 
 golden pen ; 
 The Session-court, your thrang resort, bigwigs and lang 
 
 gowns a' ; 
 And if ye dinna keep the peace, it's no for want o' 
 
 law. 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, and a' your glittering wealthy 
 Your Bernard's Well, your Calton Hill, where every 
 
 breeze is health ; 
 An' spite o' a' your fresh sea-gales, should ony chance 
 
 to dee, 
 It's no for want o' recipe, the doctor, or the fee. 
 
Fareweel, Edinburgh. 239 
 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, your hospitals and ha's, 
 
 The ricli man's friend, the Cross lang ken'd, auld 
 Ports, and city wa's ; 
 
 The Kirks that grace their honoured place, now 
 peacefu' as they stand. 
 
 Where'er they're found, on Scottish ground, the bul- 
 warks of the land. 
 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, your sons o' genius fine, 
 
 That send your name on wings o' fame beyond the 
 bumin' line; 
 
 A name that's stood maist since the flood, and just 
 when it's torgot. 
 
 Your bard will be forgotten too, your ain Sir Walter 
 Scott. 
 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, and a' your daughters fair ; 
 Your Palace in the sheltered glen, your Castle in the 
 
 air; 
 Your rocky brows, your grassy knowes, and eke your 
 
 mountain bauld ; 
 Were I to tell your beauties a', my tale would ne'er 
 
 be tauld ; 
 Now, fareweel, Edinburgh, where happy we hae been ; 
 Fareweel, Edinburgh, Caledonia's Queen ! 
 Prosperity to Edinburgh wi' every risin' sun. 
 And blessin's be on Edinburgh till time his race has 
 
 run! 
 
240 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 THERE GROWS A BONNIE BRIER BUSH/' 
 
 Air— "The Brier Bush." 
 
 There grows a bonnie brier bush in our kail-yard, 
 And white are the blossoms o't in our kail-yard, 
 Like wee bit cockauds to deck our Hieland lads, 
 And the lasses lo'e the bonnie bush in our kail-yard. 
 
 An it's hame, an' it's hame to the north countrie, 
 An' it's hame, an' it's hame to the north countrie, 
 Where my bonnie Jean is waiting for me, 
 Wi' a heart kind and true, in my ain countrie. 
 
 But were they a' true that were far awa' ? 
 Oh ! were they a' true that were far awa' ? 
 They drew up wi' glaikit Englishers at Carlisle ha'. 
 And forgot auld frien's that were far awa'. 
 
 " Ye'U come nae mair, Jamie, where aft ye have been, 
 Ye'll come nae mair, Jamie, to AthoU's green ; 
 Owre weel ye lo'ed the dancin' at Carlisle ha'. 
 And forgot the Hieland hills that were far awa'." 
 
 " I ne'er lo'ed a dance but on AthoU's green, 
 I ne'er lo'ed a lassie but my dorty Jean, 
 Sair, sair against my will did I bide sae lang awa'. 
 And my heart was aye in AthoU's green at Carlisle 
 ha'." 
 
Wake, Irishmen, Wake. 241 
 
 The brier bush was bonny ance in our kail-yard ; 
 The brier bush was bonny ance in our kail-yard ; 
 A blast blew owre the hill, that ga'e Atholl's flowers a 
 
 chill, 
 And the bloom's blawn aff the bonnie bush in our 
 
 kail-yard. 
 
 WAKE, IRISHMEN, WAKE. 
 Air — " St. Patrick's Day in the Morning." 
 
 Wake, Irishmen, wake, let your slumbers be over, 
 Our children will look to our day when we're gone, 
 
 The clouds and thick darkness now o'er us may 
 hover, 
 The sun will yet shine on fair Erin ! 
 
 Strong is the arm that is stretched out to save us, 
 High is the rock where our confidence rests, 
 
 It is not in man, with his worst threats, to brave us, 
 
 Then Irishmen, wake 1 let your slumbers be over. 
 Our children will look to our day when we're gone, 
 
 Tho' clouds and thick darkness now o'er us may 
 hover, 
 The sun will yet shine on fair Erin ! 
 
242 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 What will numbers avail, when their strength is de- 
 parted ? 
 The bread sent from Heaven, they trample it down ; 
 Our birthright — our portion — yet dark and cold- 
 hearted 
 They starve the poor sons of fair Erin. 
 
 Shall Irishmen, bold as the king of the forest, 
 
 And free as the eagle that soars in the sky, — 
 Black slavery abhorring, — bow down to the sorest t 
 No — sons of old Ireland, too long kept in blindness. 
 High Heaven itself sends glad tidings to you ; 
 Claim your Bibles, you'll find them all love and all 
 kindness. 
 The joy and the peace of fair Erin ! 
 
 We love you as men, — and as brothers we love you, 
 Our hearts long to free you from Popery's hard 
 chain ; 
 For the sake of your undying souls, we would move 
 you. 
 To know the true friends of fair Erin. 
 
 Come better, come worse, we will never surrender. 
 For the cause that our forefathers stood we will 
 
 stand ; 
 To the last drop of blood our own Isle we'll defend 
 
 her. 
 Then Irishmen, rise ! let your slumbers be over ; 
 
Dunottar Castle. 243 
 
 Our children will look to our day when we're gone ; 
 Tho' clouds and thick darkness now o'er us may 
 hover, 
 The sun will yet shine on fair Erin ! 
 
 A HEAVENLY MUSE." 
 
 Air — " Miss Carmichael." 
 
 A HKAVENLY muse in green Erin is singing, 
 
 His strains, all seraphic, ascend to the skies ; 
 Fair blossoms of Eden, around him all springing, 
 
 The soft balmy ether perfume as they rise. 
 Sweet poet ! be true to thy lofty aspiring, 
 
 While, bound by thy magic, the sky's half unfurl'd ; 
 Youth, beauty, and taste are with rapture admiring ; 
 
 O ! spread not around them the fumes of this 
 world ! 
 
 DUNOTTAR CASTLE.'' 
 Air — Earl Marischal." 
 
 When Royal pow'r was hunted down. 
 And Cromwell bore the bell, sir, 
 
 How safe and sound lay Scotland's crown, 
 Behad, I'm gaun to tell, sir. 
 
244 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 On fair Kincardine's rocky coast. 
 There's few that dinna ken yet, 
 
 Dunottar's Castle, bauld and strong. 
 Stands tow'ring o'er the main, yet. 
 
 There Keith, Earl Marischal, warlike wight, 
 
 Sae noble and sae loyal, 
 He gat the guardin' o' them a', 
 
 Auld Scotia's ensigns royal. 
 
 When arms like his could ill be spared, 
 And he fought for the Stewart, 
 
 He gave them owre to Ogilvie, 
 A trusty and a true heart. 
 
 Strong to the stronger aye maun yield, 
 
 The rebels ruled the nation. 
 Brave Ogilvie and a' his men, 
 
 They could na keep their station. 
 
 His Leddy wi' a manly heart, 
 
 She tuik it a' upon her. 
 To save from skaith her captain dear, 
 
 And eke her country's honour. 
 
 The crown, the sceptre, sword an' a', 
 The lint she happit round them. 
 
 And a' unkend to Ogilvie, 
 
 Safe in the sack she bound them. 
 
The Pent land Hills. 245 
 
 A simple lass upon her back, 
 
 Withouten fear or danger, 
 Soon brought them to the minister 
 
 Of Kinneff, gude James Grainger. 
 
 Aneath the pulpit's sel they're laid, 
 
 To mak' the secret faster, 
 As low as lay the royal head. 
 
 Short syne their rightfu' maister. 
 
 The darkest night will wear awa'. 
 Monk ga'e the bowls a row, man. 
 
 And Monarchy was up again, 
 
 And Roundheads down, I trow, man. 
 
 The Marischal he cam frae the wars, 
 
 Sae blythe was he that day, sir, 
 When Ogilvie gave back his trust. 
 
 In spite o' a' the fray, sir. 
 
 THE PENTLAND HILLS.'* 
 
 Airs— " Martyrdom " — " Dundee. " 
 
 The pilgrim's feet here oft will tread 
 O'er this sequestered scene. 
 
 To mark whare Scotland's Martyrs lie 
 In lonely Rullion Green, — 
 
246 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 To muse o'er those who fought and fell — 
 
 All Presbyterians true — 
 Who held the League and Covenant — 
 
 Who waved the banner blue ! 
 
 Like partridge to the mountain driven — - 
 
 Oh ! lang and sairly tried ! 
 Their cause they deemed the cause o' Heaven- 
 
 For that they liv'd and died ! 
 Together here they met and prayed — 
 
 Ah ! ne'er to meet again ! 
 Their windin' sheet the bluidy plaid — ■ 
 
 Their grave lone Rullion Green. 
 
 Ah ! here they sang the holy strain- 
 Sweet Martyrs' melodie ; 
 
 When every heart and every voice 
 Arose in harmonic. 
 
 The list'ning echoes all around 
 Gave back their soft reply, 
 
 While angels heard the hallow'd sound, 
 And bore it to the sky. 
 
 Oh ! faithless King ! hast thou forgot 
 
 Who gave to thee thy croun ? 
 Hast thou forgot thy solemn oath, 
 
 At Holyrood and Scone ? 
 Oh ! fierce Dalziel ! thy ruthless rage 
 
 Wrought langsome misery ; 
 What Scottish heart could ever gi'e 
 
 A benison to thee ! 
 
Lament of the Covenanter s Widoiv. 247 
 
 Claverhouse ! fell Claverhouse ! 
 Thou brave, but cruel Graham ! 
 
 Dark deeds like thine will last for aye, 
 
 Linked wi' thy blighted name. 
 Oh, Pentland hills, sae fair and green, 
 
 When in the sunrise gleaming — 
 Or in the pensive gloamin' hour, 
 
 Aneath the moonbeams streaming ! 
 
 1 love to wander there my lane, 
 
 Wi' sad and sacred feeling ; 
 While hallowed mem'ries wake the tear. 
 
 In waefu' eye soft stealing. 
 I love thy wild sequester'd glen, 
 
 Thy bonny wimplin' burn ; 
 For Scotland's brave and martyr'd men, 
 
 Still does it seem to mourn. 
 
 LAMENT OF THE COVENANTER'S WIDOW. 
 
 O WEET and weary is the night, 
 Wi' soughing wind and rain, O ; 
 
 And he that was sae true to me. 
 Is on the hill-side slain, O ! 
 
 O that the hand that did the deed. 
 
 Had lain me where he's lying. 
 The green turf o'er my peacefu' head, 
 
 The night winds round me sighing ! 
 
248 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 But I maun hear and I maun grieve, 
 And I maun thole the morrow ; 
 
 This heart's no made o' flesh and blood, 
 It winna break wi' sorrow. 
 
 What's a' this gaudy warld to me ? 
 
 I canna bide the glare o't ; 
 O gin it were the High Decree, 
 
 That I micht see nae mair o't ! 
 
 For he had ta'en the Covenant 
 For Scotland's sake to dee, O, 
 
 Death to him was gain we ken. 
 But oh ! the loss to me, O ! 
 
 THE REGALIA." 
 
 We hae the crown without a head. 
 
 The sceptre's but a hand, O ; 
 The ancient warlike royal blade, 
 
 Might be a willow wand, O ! 
 Gin they had tongues to tell the wrangs 
 
 That laid them useless by, a', 
 Fu' weel I wot, there's ne'er a Scot 
 
 Could boast his cheek was dry, a'. 
 
 Then flourish, thistle, flourish fair, 
 Tho' ye've the crown na langer. 
 
 They'll hae the skaith that cross ye yet, 
 Your jags grow aye the stranger. 
 
The Regalia. 249 
 
 O for a touch o' warlock's wand, 
 
 The byegane back to bring a', 
 And gi'e us ae lang simmer's day 
 
 O' a true-born Scottish king a' ! 
 We'd put the crown upon his head, 
 
 The sceptre in his hand a', 
 We'd rend the welkin wi' the shout, 
 
 Bruce and his native land, a'. 
 
 Then flourish, thistle, &c. 
 
 The thistle ance it flourish'd fair. 
 
 An' grew maist like a tree a'. 
 They've stunted down its stately tap, 
 
 That roses might luik hie a'. 
 But though its head lies in the dust. 
 
 The root is stout and steady ; 
 The thistle is the warrior yet. 
 
 The rose its tocher'd leddy. 
 
 Then flourish, thistle, &c. 
 
 The rose it blooms in safter soil. 
 
 And strangers up could root' it ; 
 Aboon the grund he ne'er was fand 
 
 That pu'd the thistle oot yet. 
 
 Then flourish, thistle, flourish fair, 
 Tho' ye've the crown nae langer. 
 
 They'll hae the skaith that cross ye yel 
 Your jags grow aye the stranger. 
 
250 Lady Nairne^s Songs 
 
 THE LADY GRANGE." 
 
 Air— "In Lonely Wilds." 
 
 Oh ! lang the Ladye Grange did live 
 
 Upon St. Kilda's rock ; 
 But surely sorrow winna kill, 
 
 Or else her heart had broke. 
 Far, far removed from kith and kin, 
 
 And a' that life endears, 
 She aft looked o'er the wat'iy waste 
 
 Whare ne'er a ship appears. 
 
 O ! is it for my faither's crime 
 
 That I'm thus banish't far ? 
 Or was it ony faut o' mine 
 
 That kindled civil war? 
 M'Leod and Lovat, weel I trow, 
 
 Hae wrought this treacherie ; 
 But wherefore has their cruel spite 
 
 Fa'en a' on helpless me. 
 
 And thus she mourn'd, fair Ladye Grange, 
 
 Thus sped her life away ; 
 The morning sun it brought nae joy, 
 
 And night did close the day ; 
 And nought was heard but sea-bird's cry, 
 
 To cheer her solitude. 
 Or the wild raging billow's roar 
 
 That broke o'er rocks sae rude. 
 
Fell He on the Field of Fame. 251 
 
 At length a fav'ring wind did bring 
 
 An auld and worthy pair, . 
 Wha wi' the kindest charitie, 
 
 Her sorrows a' did share. 
 They taught her pridefu' heart to bend 
 
 Aneath the chastening rod ; 
 And then she ken'd her prison walls 
 
 Had been a blest abode. 
 
 FELL HE ON THE FIELD OF FAME." 
 
 Air — Mcintosh's Lament." 
 
 Fell he on the field of fame, 
 Glory resting on his name ? 
 O'er his young and dauntless breast 
 Does the sculptur'd marble rest ? 
 Sad and silent passing by, 
 Ask not where his ashes lie ; 
 Blooming gay, in manly prime. 
 Lowly laid before his time. 
 
 Smiling on the parent knee, 
 Beaming hope was Hnked with thee ; 
 Grown at last her pride and boast, 
 Hope itseh in joy was lost. 
 
252 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Where his youthful footsteps roved, 
 Thro' the woodland bowers he loved ; 
 Once her dear delight and care — 
 Mother, say what now they are. 
 
 Honour's laws have dealt the blow ; 
 Fear of man has laid him low ; 
 Bound by human maxims vile, 
 Braving highest Heaven the while. 
 Fear of man has brought the snare ; 
 Deathless souls entangled there, 
 Scorning mandates from on high, 
 Rush into eternity 
 
 Christian hope, tho' high she spring. 
 Here must stoop the soaring wing ■ 
 Murderous laws, which men approve. 
 Pass not Heaven's courts of love ! 
 O ! might dark oblivion's power, 
 Shadow o'er this anguished hour. 
 And aid the wretched hope forlorn, 
 To forget he e'er was born ! 
 
The Convicts Farewell. 253 
 
 THE CONVICTS FAREWELL. 
 Air—" The Convict's Farewell." 
 
 Oh, this is my departing night, 
 
 Fareweel, fareweel, to ane an' a' , 
 Alas ! before the momin's light, 
 
 Far maun I be frae ye a'. 
 Far frae hame a banish'd man, 
 
 To lands my kindred never saw ; 
 My fireside dear, may peace be here, 
 
 When I am gane and far awa' ! 
 
 The nights and days that come to me, 
 
 O wae they'll be and heartless a' ; 
 I've seen what I nae mair maun see, 
 
 O' peace and joy amang ye a'. 
 But I ken weel, had I been leal. 
 
 An' held my country's honour'd law, 
 I need nae now been leaving you. 
 
 For foreign lands and far awa'. 
 
 The weary tipplin' trade, I trow, 
 
 Has brought me to this lost estate ; 
 What in the mom wad been my scorn, 
 
 Wi' the bree o'ercome, I did at late. 
 Now gudewife true, fareweel to you. 
 
 An' fareweel, bonnie baimies a' ; 
 My broken heart frae ye maun part. 
 
 For lonely lands and far awa". 
 
254 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 It's a delusion, night and day. 
 
 That tempts us to transgress the law ; 
 And own we must the sentence just, 
 
 That sends the offender far awa'. 
 But oh ! the heavy hour is come ; 
 
 My last look I ha'e o' ye ta'en ; 
 When I'm away, oh for me pray. 
 
 An' mind this nicht, when I am gane. 
 
 AH, LITTLE DID MY MOTHER THINK. 
 
 Ah, little did my mother think. 
 
 When to me she sung, 
 What a heartbreak I would be. 
 
 Her young and dautit son. 
 
 And oh ! how proud she was o' me 
 
 In plaid and bonnet braw, 
 When I bade farewell to the north countrie, 
 
 And marching gaed awa' ! 
 
 Ah ! little did my mother think, 
 
 A banished man I'd be, 
 Sent frae a' my kith and kin, 
 
 Them never mair to see. 
 
 Oh ! father, 'twas the sugar'd drap 
 
 Aft ye did gi'e to me. 
 That has brought a' this misery 
 
 Baitli to you and me. 
 
He's L if e less A mang the Rude Billows. 255 
 
 HE'S LIFELESS AMANG THE RUDE 
 BILLOWS. 
 
 Air — "The Muckin' o' Geordie's Byre." 
 
 He's lifeless amang the rude billows, 
 
 My tears and my sighs are in vain ; 
 The heart that beat warm for his Jeanie, 
 
 Will ne'er beat for mortal again ! 
 My lane now I am i' the warld, 
 
 And the daylight is grievous to me ; 
 The laddie that lo'ed me sae dearly, 
 
 Lies cauld in the deeps o' the sea ! 
 
 Ye tempests sae boist'rously raging. 
 
 Rage on as ye list — or be still — 
 This heart ye sae aften hae sicken'd, 
 
 Is nae mair the sport o' yere will. 
 Now heartless, I hope not— I fear not — • 
 
 High Heaven, hae pity on me ! 
 My soul, tho' dismay'd and distracted, 
 
 Yet bends to thy awful decree ! 
 
256 Lady Nairne's Songs. 
 
 TRUE LOVE IS WATERED AYE WI' TEARS. 
 
 "Air — True Love is Watered aye wi' Tears." 
 
 True love is water'd aye wi' tears, 
 
 It grows 'neatli stormy skies, 
 It's fenced around wi' hopes and fears. 
 
 An' fann'd wi' heartfelt sighs. 
 Wi' chains o' gowd 'twill no be bound, 
 
 Oh ! wha the heart can buy ? 
 The titled glare, the warldling's care- — 
 
 Even absence 'twill defy. 
 
 Even absence 'twill defy. 
 
 And time, that kills a' ither things. 
 
 His withering touch 'twill brave, 
 'Twill live in joy, 'twill live in grief, 
 
 'Twill live beyond the grave ! 
 'Twill live, 'twill live though buried deep, 
 
 In true hearts' memorie — 
 Oh ! we forgot that ane sae fair, 
 
 Sae bricht, sae young, could dee, 
 
 Sae young could dee. 
 
 Unfeeling hands may touch the chord 
 
 Where buried griefs do lie — 
 How many silent agonies 
 
 May that rude touch untie ! 
 
True Love is Watered Aye wi' Tears. 257 
 
 But oh ! I love that plaintive lay - 
 
 The dear auld melodie ! 
 For, oh, 'tis sweet ! — yet I maun greet, 
 
 For it was sung by thee, 
 
 Sung by thee ! 
 
 They may forget wha lichtly love, 
 
 Or feel but beauty's chain ; 
 But they wha loved a heavenly mind 
 
 Can never love again ! 
 Oh ! a' my dreams o' warld's gude 
 
 Aye were intwined wi' thee, 
 But I leant on a broken reed 
 
 Which soon was ta'en frae me, 
 
 Ta'en frae me. 
 
 'Tis weel, 'tis weel, we dinna ken 
 
 What we may live to see, 
 'Twas Mercy's hand that hung the veil 
 
 O'er dark futurity ! 
 Oh ! ye whase hearts are scathed and riven, 
 
 Wha feel the warld is vain. 
 Oh, fix your broken earthly ties 
 
 Where they ne'er will break again. 
 Break again ! 
 
258 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 THE ROWAN TREE. 
 
 Oh ! Rowan Tree, Oh ! Rowan Tree, thou'lt aye be 
 
 dear to me, 
 Intvvin'd thou art wi' mony ties o' hame and infancy. 
 Thy leaves were aye the first o' spring, thy flow'rs the 
 
 simmer's pride ; 
 There was nae sic a bonny tree, in a' the countrie 
 
 side. 
 
 Oh ! Rowan Tree. 
 
 How fair wert thou in simmer time, wi' a' thy clusters 
 
 white. 
 How rich and gay thy autumn dress, wi' berries red 
 
 and bright ! 
 On thy fair stem were mony names, which now nae 
 
 mair I see. 
 Bat they're engraven on my heart — forgot they ne'er 
 
 can be ! 
 
 Oh ! Rowan Tree. 
 
 We sat aneath thy spreading shade, the bairnies round 
 
 thee ran. 
 They pu'd thy bonny berries red, and necklaces they 
 
 Strang ; 
 My mother ! oh ! I see her still, she smiled our sports 
 
 to see, 
 Wi' little Jeanie on her lap, an' Jamie at her knee ! 
 
 Oh ! Rowan Tree. 
 
The Voice of Spring. 259 
 
 Oh ! there arose my father's prayer, in holy evening's 
 
 calm, 
 How sweet was then my mother's voice, in the Martyr's 
 
 psalm ! 
 Now a' are gane ! we meet nae mair aneath the 
 
 Rowan Tree ; 
 But hallowed thoughts around thee twine o' hame and 
 
 infancy. 
 
 Oh ! Rowan Tree. 
 
 THE VOICE OF SPRING. 
 
 O SAY, is there ane wha does nae rejoice, 
 To hear the first note o' the wee birdie's voice ; 
 When in the grey momin' o' cauld early spring, 
 The snaw-draps appear, an' the wee birdies sing ; 
 The voice o' the spring, O how does it cheer ! 
 The winter's awa', the simmer is near. 
 
 In your mantle o' green, we see thee, fair spring. 
 O'er our banks an' our braes, the wild flowers ye 
 
 fling; 
 The crocus sae gay, in her rich gowden hue ; 
 The sweet violets hid 'mang the moss an' the dew ; 
 The bonnie white gowan, an' oh ! the sweet brier 
 A' tell it is spring, an' simmer is near. 
 
26o Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 An' they, wha in sorrow or sickness do pine, 
 Feel blythe wi' the flowers an' sunshine o' spring ; 
 Tho' aft, in dear Scotia, the cauld wind will blaw. 
 An' cow'r a' the blossoms wi' frost and wi' snaw. 
 Yet the cloud it will pass, the sky it will clear, 
 And the birdies will sing — the simmer is near. 
 
 HER HOME SHE IS LEAVING." 
 
 Air — "Mordelia." 
 
 To the hills of her youth, cloth'd in all their rich 
 
 wildness, 
 Farewell she is bidding, in all her sweet mildness, 
 And still, as the moment of parting is nearer. 
 Each long-cherish'd object is fairer and dearer. 
 Not a grove or fresh streamlet but wakens reflection 
 Of hearts still and cold, that glow'd with affection ; 
 Not a breeze that blows over the flow'rs of the wild- 
 wood. 
 But tells, as it passes, how blest was her childhood. 
 
 And how long must I leave thee, each fond look 
 
 expresses. 
 Ye high rocky summits, ye ivy'd recesses ! 
 How long must I leave thee, thou wood-shaded river ! 
 The echoes all sigh — as they whisper — for ever ! 
 
O Mountain Wild. 261 
 
 Tho' the autumn winds rave, and the seared leaves 
 
 fall, 
 And winter hangs out her cold icy pall, — 
 Yet the footsteps of spring again ye will see, 
 And the singing of birds, — but they sing not for me. 
 
 The joys of the past, more faintly recalling, 
 
 Sweet visions of peace on her spirit are falling. 
 
 And the soft wing of time, as it speeds for the 
 
 morrow. 
 Wafts a gale, that is drying the dew drops of sorrow. 
 Hope dawns — and the toils of life's journey beguiling, 
 The path of the mourner is cheered with its smiling. 
 And there her heart rests, and her wishes all centre, 
 Where parting is never — nor sorrow can enter ! 
 
 O MOUNTAIN WILD." 
 
 O MOUNTAIN wild, on thee I gaze, 
 
 Tho' clouds and storms upon thee lie ; 
 For gleams o' sunshine break on thee. 
 
 Like the smile and tear in beauty's eye 
 O mountain wild, when setting beams 
 
 Shoot frae yonder canopy. 
 How glowing is thy lofty brow. 
 
 Clad in the evening's golden sky. 
 
262 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 Thro' heath'ry braes thy shepherds stra)', 
 
 And tales, of love and sorrow tell, 
 Of lady's bower and baron's ha', 
 
 The grey stane where the martyr fell. 
 Who has not felt this witching charm, 
 
 Entwin'd around each Scottish scene, 
 When wand'ring thro' her bonnie braes, 
 
 Or musing by her past'ral stream ? 
 
 O land of song and minstrel lay, 
 
 Cauld and dead the heart maun be, 
 That leaves thy wild, romantic shore. 
 
 And ne'er a tear-drap in his e'e. 
 O land beloved, yon whitening sail 
 
 Owre soon will shroud me from thy view ; 
 My sighs will mingle wi' the gale 
 
 That wafts me frae thy mountains blue. 
 
 FAREWEEL, O FAREWEEL. 
 
 Gaelic Air. 
 
 Fareweel, O fareweel ! 
 
 My heart it is sair ; 
 Fareweel, O fareweel ! 
 
 ] '11 meet him nae mair. 
 
Gude Nicht, and Joy be wi' ye A'. 26; 
 
 Lang, lang was he mine, 
 Lang, lang, but nae mair ; 
 
 I maunna repine, 
 
 But my heart it is sair. 
 
 His staff's at the wa', 
 Toom, toom is his chair ! 
 
 His bannet an' a' ! 
 An' I maun be here ! 
 
 But O ! he's at rest. 
 
 Why sud I complain ? 
 Gin my saul be blest, 
 
 I'll meet him again. 
 
 O ! to meet him again 
 
 Whare hearts ne'er are sair ; 
 
 O ! to meet him again 
 To part never mair ! 
 
 GUDE NICHT, AND JOY BE WF YE A'> 
 
 The best o' joys maun hae an end, 
 
 The best o' friends maun part, I trow ; 
 The langest day wiU wear away. 
 
 And I maun bid fareweel to you. 
 The tear will tell when hearts are fu' ; 
 
 For words, gin they hae sense ava. 
 They're broken, faltering, and few ; 
 
 Gude nicht, and joy be wi' you a*. 
 
264 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 O we hae wandered far and wide, 
 
 O'er Scotia's lands o' firth and fell, 
 And mony a simple flower we've pu'd, 
 
 And twined it wi' the heather bell. 
 We've ranged the dingle and the dell, 
 
 The cot-house and the baron's ha' ; 
 Now we maun tak' a last farewell, 
 
 Gude nicht, and joy be wi' you a'. 
 
 My harp, fareweel, thy strains are past, 
 
 Of gleefu' mirth, and heartfelt wae ; 
 The voice of song maun cease at last, 
 
 And minstrelsy itsel' decay. 
 But, oh ! whare sorrow canna win, 
 
 Nor parting tears are shed ava, 
 May we meet neighbour, kith and kin, 
 
 And joy for aye be wi' us a' ! 
 
 REST IS NOT HERE. 
 
 What's this vain world to me 1 — 
 
 Rest is not here ; 
 False are the smiles I see. 
 
 The mirth I hear. 
 Where is youth's joyful glee ? 
 Where all once dear to me ? 
 Gone as the shadows flee — 
 
 Rest is not here. 
 
Would you be Young Again? 265 
 
 Why did the morning shine 
 
 Blythely and fair ? 
 Wliy did those tints so fine 
 
 Vanish in air ? 
 Does not the vision say, 
 Faint lingering heart, away. 
 Why in this desert stay? 
 
 Dark land of care ! 
 
 Where souls angelic soar, 
 
 Thither repair ; 
 Let this vain world no more 
 
 Lull and ensnare. 
 That Heaven I love so well 
 Still in my heart shall dwell ; 
 All things around me tell, 
 
 Rest is found there. 
 
 WOULD YOU BE YOUNG AGAIN?" 
 Air — "Aileen Aroon." 
 
 Would you be young again ? 
 
 So would not I — 
 One tear to memory giv'n, 
 
 Onward I'd hie. 
 Life's dark flood forded o'er, 
 All but at rest on shore, 
 Say, would you plunge once more. 
 
 With home so nigh? 
 
266 Lady Nairnes Songs. 
 
 If you might, would you now 
 
 Retrace your way ? 
 Wander through thorny wilds, 
 
 Faint and astray ? 
 Night's gloomy watches fled, 
 Morning all beaming red, 
 Hope's smiles around us shed, 
 Heavenward — away. 
 
 Where are they gone, of yore 
 
 My best delight ? 
 Dear and more dear, tho' now 
 
 Hidden from sight. 
 Where they rejoice to be. 
 There is the land for me ; 
 Fly time, fly speedily ; 
 
 Come life and light. 
 
 HERE'S TO THEM THAT ARE GAME." 
 
 Air — "Here's a Health to Ane I Lo'e Dear.'' 
 
 Here's to them, to them that are gane ; 
 Here's to them, to them that are gane ; 
 Here's to them that were here, the faithful and dear. 
 That will never be here again— r-no, never. 
 But where are they now, that are gane ? 
 Oh ! where are the faithful and true ? 
 They're gone to the light that fears not the night, 
 And their day o'' rejoicing shall end — no, never. 
 
Heres to Them that are Gane. 267 
 
 Here's to them, to them that were here, 
 Here's to them, to them that were here ; 
 Here's a tear and a sigh, to the bliss that's gone by. 
 But 'twas ne'er like what's coming, to last — for 
 ever. 
 Oh ! bright was their morning sun ; 
 Oh ! bright was their morning sun ; 
 Yet, lang ere the gloaming, in clouds it gaed down, 
 But the storm, and the cloud, are now past — for 
 ever. 
 
 Fareweel, fareweel ! parting silence is sad ; 
 Oh ! how sad the last parting tear ! 
 But that silence shall break, where no tear on the 
 cheek 
 Can bedim the bright vision again — no, never. 
 Then speed to the wings of old Time, 
 That waft us, where pilgrims would be. 
 To the regions of rest, to the shores of the blest, 
 Where the full tide of gloiy shall flow — lor ever ! 
 
POEMS AND SONGS 
 
 OF 
 
 CAROLINE OLIPHANT, 
 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 LINES ON DREAMS. 
 
 Oh! Dreams are mysteries ! The free-born mind 
 
 Owns not the fetters which the body wears, 
 
 By sleep imposed. But starting from the haunts 
 
 Of men, revels in scenes no foot hath trod, 
 
 Or visits those the foot may tread no more : 
 
 Dreams bring the shadow back on Time's hard dial : 
 
 Shake the full hour-glass, and the golden sands 
 
 Run once again their sparkling course. It seems 
 
 As Reason's handmaids — while their mistress slept— 
 
 Had each assumed a character, and dressed 
 
 In masquer's habit — by the flickering glare 
 
 Of midnight torches held strange revelry. 
 
 Fancy, attir'd in Memory's weeds, laments 
 
 And hangs in sorrow o'er the funeral urn 
 
Lines on Dreams. 269 
 
 Of one who ne'er deceased ; or, with a word, 
 Enchantress-like, calls from the lonely grave 
 Some that in silence long have dwelt ; takes off 
 The vestments of the tomb, and gives them back 
 Their mortal garb, so dear to those who mourn ! 
 Around them throws, the very spell that once 
 Had power to fix and captivate ! Then fades 
 This bright illusion of the mind — a flash 
 Of lightning, fleet as vivid ! — leaving us 
 Scathed with the brightness that around us played. 
 Hope, by the glare of glimmering torches roused. 
 Starts from her airy couch to join the dance 
 Of festive nymphs — a mazy 'wildering dance — 
 Her steps still fleetest, still her voice most dear. 
 Then bounding o'er the turf, she hastens down 
 To were her skiff lies moor'd within the bay. 
 Loosens the anchor, spreads before the wind 
 The fluttering sail, and o'er a moonlight sea 
 Steers her light bark, where, on the boundary line, 
 The girdle of the ocean, vapours sleep. 
 Outstretched like harbours, luring her to rest. 
 Fear, too, steals forth, like one to trial led 
 Of fiery ordeal, shunning burning shores, — 
 Now by her shadow frightened, or the roar 
 Of distant bull, that near and nearer comes. 
 With flaming eye, and horns that pointed seem 
 To lift the victim high in air ; and then — 
 At once the vision changes, like the skies 
 Seen in far Northern climes ; while the fix'd eye 
 s 
 
) Poems and Songs. 
 
 Gazes on rolling waves of light ; in vain 
 It strives to give stability ! Away 
 The mefeor darts ; its spiral columns shift, 
 And on the far horizon bear aloft 
 A momentary canopy of flame. 
 Now Pleasure's bird, on wings of varied hue, 
 Catches the sun's last rays, and radiant glows, 
 With liquid amethyst and molten gold ! 
 Sudden, the sun has set, the pall is thrown 
 O'er his departed lustre, and the owl, 
 Of mournful presage, chants his requiem. 
 Coherence incoherent ! — Arabesque 
 Of mental imagery, the serpent's folds 
 To human body joining on fantastic. 
 Here swift Apollo follows in the chase. 
 And grasps a laurel branch, his only meed ; 
 Or from a grove of shady myrtles, peeps 
 A dancing satyr, spreading terror round ; 
 Yet would our sleeping hours alone receive 
 Monstrous impossibilities ! 
 If from their slumbers waken'd, none pursued 
 Dreams more absurd and fatal to the soul. 
 Shall Reason then encourage, by her voice, 
 The follies of her vassals ? lay aside 
 Her sceptre on a mole-hill, sit enthroned 
 And wear the garlands of a Queen of May ? 
 Oh ! there are projects of the waking mind — 
 Fears and anticipations — that would shame 
 The visions of the night, so wild, so vain ! 
 
On reading Childe Harold. 2 7 1 
 
 Who shall awake these sleepers? When the surge 
 
 Beats on the tossing vessel, and the winds 
 
 Make it their sport, say, Will there then be time 
 
 To rise and call upon their God ? Or, luU'd 
 
 By Mercy's soft entreaty, must they sleep 
 
 And take their rest, till the last earthquake's shock. 
 
 And rolling thunder echoing round, announce 
 
 The door of hope for ever closed ? 
 
 Without, remain in darkness and despair, 
 
 The dreamer, waken'd from his trance, convinced 
 
 The Atheist ; but too late ! — the last long blast 
 
 His unannihilated soul demands ; 
 
 And, as its mighty voice still louder grows. 
 
 Hurls into fragments a dismember'd world. 
 
 ON READING LORD BYRON'S CHILDE 
 HAROLD. 
 
 Naturalist of mind ! thy bark sailed far 
 
 A voyage of discovery o'er the waste 
 
 Of Life's wide sea ; and not to be deceived 
 
 By its bright surface and its dancing waves 
 
 Smiling in sunshine, thou didst dive beneath 
 
 Searching its hidden caves, and see 
 
 Innumerable creeping things, that dwelt 
 
 From others' sight concealed, and, with the line 
 
 Which Reason gave thee, didst attempt to sound 
 
 Immeasurable depths, examine all 
 
272 Poems and Songs. 
 
 The rocky grottoes where the Genii sleep, 
 
 And gathering thence a tuneful shell, didst pour 
 
 A melancholy blast, that strangely jarr'd 
 
 With the light music of the GondoHer. 
 
 In fancied safety, sailing o'er the flood. 
 
 Many have chanted ocean's loveliness. 
 
 Drawn fairy castles on her waves, whose swell 
 
 Prolonged the colonnade of wreathed shafts, 
 
 And tinged them with a deeper hue. Fair spell t 
 
 How many a wand'rer hath been lured by it. 
 
 Watching the changes wrought, and hath forgot 
 
 Morgana's sumptuous hall was not his home. 
 
 Not such thy flatt'ring picture ; — thou didst fling 
 
 The slime upon the surface, troubling all 
 
 The sea-nymph's palace ; but thou didst not show 
 
 Where the lone voyager might rest in peace 
 
 The stormy hours of night. Thou brought'st some 
 
 spoils 
 From ocean's tesselated pavement — wrecks 
 Of human happiness. Affection's freight, 
 Her gold and ivory from the barren rocks. 
 With spicy treasures which no price could pay ; 
 And with them specimens of coral broke 
 From the hard reefs, on which thy bark had struck. 
 Some child of waters, some fair lotus-wreath 
 Thy hand hath gather'd as it floated by ; 
 And passing melody of mermaid's song 
 Thine ear hath caught ; but from the foam arising 
 Thy tale was of the whirlpool and the brine, 
 
The Nightingale. 273 
 
 The bitterness of waters that had whelrn'd thy soul. 
 
 Poor mariner; thou didst o'erlook the chief 
 
 Of all the wonders of the deep. Hadst thou, 
 
 In that vast search, ransacking all her caverns, — 
 
 Hadst thou but seen the Pearl of price that shone 
 
 Pure, midst those turbid waters, thou hadst sung 
 
 A joyous strain, and with a worthier freight 
 
 Than seaweed torn from sunken rocks, hadst steer'd 
 
 In safety for " The Islands of the Blest." 
 
 Not as thy records tell : they only prove 
 
 Ocean for thee had gulfs, but held no Gem. 
 
 THE NIGHTINGALE. 
 
 No ! it is not when day is flinging 
 Brightness o'er the radiant plain, 
 
 'Tis not when Nature's choir is singing, 
 The night-bird pours her sweetest strain. 
 
 It is when shades of eve are spreading 
 A slumbering mist upon the ground : 
 
 'Tis when the moon is softly shedding 
 Light, and a breathing stillness round. 
 
 Then o'er the hush'd air gently stealing. 
 Its sweetest cadence floats along, 
 
 Oh ! who has heard those strains of feeling, 
 And wish'd for gayer warbler's song ? 
 
2 74 Poems and Songs. 
 
 Thus, it is not when Fortune smiling, 
 Casts her beaming glances round, 
 
 'Tis not 'mid Pleasure's strains beguiling, 
 The Spirit's holy notes are found. 
 
 But when Prosperity's gay splendour 
 Has faded into Sorrow's night. 
 
 And pure Religion's beam, more tender, 
 Round us sheds her silvery light. 
 
 Oh ! then the Spirit's voice from heaven. 
 Swells on the bosom calm and lone ; 
 
 Who that has heard those songs of even, 
 Would ask the day-bird's livelier tone ? 
 
 THE GARDEN AT GASK. 
 
 Fain would I linger here, as I have seen 
 
 The sun reposing on this mossy green, 
 
 That well might tempt his chariot-wheels to stay, 
 
 And check his coursers in their fiery way. 
 
 Speed on, thou Sun, thy home is in the west ; 
 
 1 too must speed, for this is not my rest. 
 
 Like thee, bright orb ! my further path is traced, 
 
 And to my going down I too must haste; 
 
 For on my pilgrim path no Gibeon's hill 
 
 Invites my weary spirit to stand still. 
 
 Thou hast returned and brought the shadow back ; 
 
 I may not, would not, turn me from my track. 
 
Home in Heaven. 275 
 
 Still o'er these mossy walks thy circuit make, 
 Still in these bowers thy bright siesta take ; 
 On me the gate hath closed, and I must go 
 Forth from this Eden thro' a vale of woe ; 
 Diverse our path, yet both our God hath blest ; 
 Heav'n spreads a couch for each — a glorious golden 
 rest. 
 
 HOME IN HEAVEN. 
 
 Air— ' ' Vicar of Bray. " 
 
 A WIND-BOUND exile far from home, 
 While standing near th' unfathomed main, 
 My eyes the far horizon roam, 
 To see the land I long to gain. 
 Though dim with mists and faintly blue, 
 The hills of bliss e'en now I view ; 
 Oh ! when will Heaven's soft breezes come 
 And waft the weary exile home ? 
 
 Let those who know no lovelier shore 
 Their shells and sea-weed idly heap, 
 Then mourn to see their paltry store 
 Dispersed and sinking in the deep. 
 My storehouse lies beyond the wave. 
 My treasure fears no wat'ry grave. 
 And oh ! I wish fair winds would come 
 And waft me o'er to that blest home. 
 
2 76 Poems and Songs. 
 
 Already some I held most dear, 
 
 Have safe arrived on yonder strand ; 
 
 Their backs afar like specks appear, 
 
 The exiles now have gained the land. 
 
 Their parting signals wave no more, 
 
 No signs of woe float from that shore ' 
 
 And soon the skiff for me will come. 
 
 And Heaven's own breath will waft me home. 
 
 ON RECOVERING FROM SICKNESS. 
 
 I THOUGHT to join the heavenly choir. 
 
 To strike a harp of light; 
 While this forgotten, tuneless lyre 
 
 Rested 'mid shades of night. 
 
 I thought to dwell in heav'nly bowers, 
 Where angels have their seat. 
 
 And wreathe immortal amaranth flowers, 
 To cast at Jesus' feet. 
 
 Alas ! this jarring, broken lute 
 
 Alone remains to me ! 
 In vain I sweep its chords so mute ; 
 
 They wake no melody. 
 
 No fragrant crown from Eden's bow'rs 
 
 Is giv'n into my hand ; 
 Only a wreath of with'ring flowers, 
 
 CuU'd in this desert land. 
 
Oh, Never! No, Never ! 277 
 
 With pity, Lord, my off'ring view, 
 
 Although for thee unmeet ; 
 'Tis all enthroned saints can do. 
 
 To lay it at Thy feet. 
 
 From silence my mute lyre release. 
 
 And tune its chords to love ; 
 Breathe o'er its numbers, breathe Thy peace, — 
 
 Echo oijoy above. 
 
 OH, NEVER! NO, NEVER!" 
 
 Oh, never ! no, never ! 
 
 Thou'lt meet me again! 
 Thy spirit for ever 
 
 Has burst from its chain ; 
 The links thou hast broken 
 
 Are all that remain, 
 For never, oh ! never, 
 
 Thou'lt meet me again. 
 
 Like the sound of the viol. 
 
 That dies on the blast ; 
 Like the shade on the dial, 
 
 Thy spirit has pass'd. 
 The breezes blow round me. 
 
 But give back no strain ; 
 The shade on the dial 
 
 Returns not again. 
 
278 Poems and Songs. 
 
 Where roses enshrined thee, 
 
 In light trellis'd shade, 
 Still hoping to find thee. 
 
 How oft have I strayed ! 
 Thy desolate dwelling 
 
 I traverse in vain ; — 
 The stillness has whisper'd, 
 
 Thou'lt ne'er come again. 
 
 I still haste to meet thee, 
 
 When footsteps I hear; 
 And start, when to greet me 
 
 Thou dost not appear ; 
 Then afresh o'er my spirit 
 
 Steals mem'ry of pain, — 
 For never, oh! never, 
 
 Thou'lt meet me asain. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 Note i, Page j6;. 
 
 The Land o' the Leal. Through an extensive correspondence 
 we have ascertained the period vifhen this exquisite lay was 
 written, and the circumstances under which it was produced. 
 The subject has been briefly referred to in Lady Nairne's 
 Memoir. We now propose to relate the circumstances fully. 
 The Rev. William Erskine, minister of the Episcopal congi-ega- 
 tion at Muthill, Perthshire, was, through his wife, a daughter of 
 the House of Drummond, related to the family of the Oliphants. 
 He held a social position superior to his lowly fortunes, for his 
 ecclesiastical revenues only amounted to fifty pounds a year. 
 His family consisted of a son and diughter, both of whom suc- 
 ceeded in life, so as to reflect credit on the parental upbrinj;ing. 
 The son, William Erskine, latterly a Senator of the College of 
 Justice, under the title of Lord Kinnedder, was the early and 
 attached friend of Sir Walter Scott, who dedicated to him the 
 third Canto of Marmion, and familiarly termed him his " coun- 
 sellor." 
 
 When he had passed advocate, Erskine set up house in 
 Edinburgh along with his sister, Mary Anne, whose lively and 
 intelligent society proved to him a source of comfort during his 
 early professional struggles. By his friend, young Walter Scott, 
 Mary Anne was regarded with tender interest. He saw her 
 often, and indicated a special desire to share in her regard. But 
 Miss Erskine had already bestowed her affections on another 
 whom she had in early life met in Perthshire society. The 
 successful wooer was Archibald Campbell Colquhoun, of Killer- 
 mont, advocate and sheriff' of Perthshire. To this gentleman 
 Mary Anne Erskine was married in 1796. The day after the 
 event, her brother handed to his friend, Walter Scott, a letter, in 
 which Mrs. Colquhoun communicated as follows : — 
 
28o Notes. 
 
 " If it were not that etiquette and I were constantly at war, 1 
 should think myself very blameable in thus trespassing against one 
 of its laws ; but as it is long since I forswore its dominion, I have 
 acquired a prescripfive right to act as I will, and I shall accord- 
 ingly anticipate the station of a matron, in addressing z. young 
 man. 
 
 " I can express but a very, very little of what I feel, and shall 
 ever feel, for your unremitting friendship and attention. I have 
 ever considered you as a brother, and shall now think myself 
 entitled to make even larger claims on your confidence. Well 
 do I remember the dark conference we lately held together ! 
 The intention of unfolding my own future fate was often at my 
 lips. 
 
 " I cannot tell you my distress at leaving this house, wherein 
 I have enjoyed so much real happiness, and giving up the service 
 of so gentle a master, whose yoke was indeed easy. I will, 
 however, only commend him to your care as the last bequest of 
 Mary Anne Erskine, and conjure you to continue to each 
 other through all your pilgrimage as you have commenced it. 
 May every happiness attend you. Adieu. — Your most sincere 
 friend and sister, M. A. E." 
 
 About a year after their marriage the connubial happiness of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Colquhoun was crowned by the birth of^ a daugh-, 
 ter. The child was very beautiful, and was regarded with that 
 deep affection which parents entertain for their first-born. But 
 this object of parental solicitude became sickly, and, in less than 
 a year from her birth, passed away. Mrs. Colquhoun was 
 inconsolable. She caused a wax cast of the child to be prepared. 
 "This," writes Mr. J. C. Colquhoun, "remains at Killermont, 
 to attest the depth of that first sorrow on a most tender and 
 sanguine heart." 
 
 Among those who sought to administer consolation to the 
 sorroAving mother was her early friend, Carolina Oliphaiit. From 
 the feelings drawn forth on the occasion she was led to compose 
 the " Land o' the Leal. " In its original form it consisted of 
 seven verses. At a subsequent period, when the writer became 
 more enlightened respecting the Gospel scheme, she incorporated 
 these lines — 
 
 " Sae dear's that joy was bought, John, 
 Sae free the battle fought, John, 
 That sinfu' man e'er brought 
 To the land o' the leal." 
 
Notes. 281 
 
 Mrs. Colquhoun was entreated not to divulge the authorship, 
 and she strictly fulfilled her friend's request, for she did not in- 
 trust any one with the secret. Many years after, when Lady 
 Nairne was verging on old age, she wrote concerning the origin 
 of " The Land 0' the Leal" in these words — 
 
 ' ' ' The Land of the Leal ' is a happy rest for the mind in this 
 
 dark pilgrimage O yes ! I was young then. I 
 
 wrote it merely because I liked the air so much, and I put these 
 words to it, never fearing questions as to the authorship. How- 
 ever, a lady would know and took it down, and I had not Sir 
 Walter's art of denying. I was present when it was asserted 
 that Burns composed it on his death-bed, and that he had it 
 Jean instead of ' John ; ' but the parties could not decide why it 
 never appeared in his works, as his last song should have done. 
 I never answered. " 
 
 These words are quoted from a letter addressed to a corres- 
 pondent who had urged our authoress to relate some particulars 
 respectmg the history of her most celebrated composition. In a 
 subsequent part of the letter, the writer adds, " I have only ac- 
 knowledged the authorship to a single other person, except at 
 your bidding." That "other person" was Mrs. Colquhoun. 
 
 Though she had made no absolute acknowledgment, it was 
 known to several members of Lady Naime's family that she had 
 composed this exquisite lay. One of her Ladyship's nieces,, 
 writing to a friend in 1862, proceeds, " I have known that my 
 dear aunt was author of ' The Land o' the Leal ' ever since I can 
 remember. So, I believe, have Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, Miss 
 Rachel Oliphant, and Miss A. D. Steuart, though of the last I 
 am not certain. There were a few others who were in the 
 secret, but they were of a former generation, and have passed 
 away. " From the outer world the authorship was perfectly con- 
 cealed. Several of the most ingenious and indefatigable editors 
 of Scottish songs had for nearly forty years endeavoured to 
 penetrate the secret without success. In his ' ' Select Collection 
 of Scottish Airs" (Edinb. 1804, vol. iii., p. 133), Mr. George 
 Thomson inserts "The Land o'the Leal"with these remarks, — 
 "These simple and affecting verses came under the editor's 
 notice but very lately ; he wished to give the name of the inge- 
 nious author, but his endeavours to find it out have not been 
 successful." In his "Songs of Scotland" (Edinb. 1848, vol. i. 
 p. 78), Mr. G. F. Graham publishes "The Land o' the Leal ;" 
 with the opening line, " I'm wearin' awa', Jean;" he appends 
 
282 Notes. 
 
 the following note — "The excellent verses here given were 
 published about the year 1800 ; the author is still unknovifn. 
 The words were originally 'I'm wearin' awa', John ;' they seem 
 to have been altered with the intention of making the song 
 appear to be the parting address of Burns. . . . The fifth 
 and seventh stanzas have generally been omitted, and it is 
 doubtful whether the latter be not an interpolation by a different 
 hand." In Mr. Graham's version the following stanzas have 
 been interpolated: — 
 
 " Ye've been leal and true, Jean, 
 Your task is ended now, Jean, 
 And I'll welcome you 
 To the land o' the leal. 
 
 A' our friends are gane, Jean, 
 We've long been left alane, Jean, 
 Vi'e'U a' meet again 
 In the land o' the leal." 
 
 During Lady Naime's visit to Edinburgh in 1 834, when she 
 was in the house of a friend, resting on a sofa, one of the young 
 ladies of the family, knowing her love of music, began to play 
 and sing " The Land o' the Leal," remarking, " I am very fond 
 of this air, and I am sure you will like it." Our authoress was 
 silent. 
 
 Mrs. Campbell Colquhoun, on account of whose bereavement 
 in the death of her first- bom "The Land o' theXeal" was 
 written, was originally of a fanciful and romantic turn of mmd ; 
 she was latterly chastened into the deepest piety. Her husband, 
 Mr. Campbell Colquhoun, was in 1807 appointed Lord Advocate 
 of Scotland, and in 1816 Lord Clerk Register. He died on the 
 8th September, 1820. He was many years survived by his 
 widow ; she died on the isth May, 1833. 
 
 It remains to be added that "' The Land 0' the Leal " was 
 translated into Greek verse by the Rev. J. Riddell, Fellow of 
 Balliol College, Oxford, the most accomplished Greek verse- 
 raaker of recent times. 
 
 Note 2. Page 164. 
 
 Caller HerrirC. — This song was written for the benefit of 
 ^Nathaniel Gow, musical composer, son of the more celebrated 
 "Neil Gow. The MS., written in a borrowed hand, was con- 
 
Notes. 283 
 
 veyed to Gow by the gentlewoman to whom Lady Nairne con- 
 fided her "great secret," and who is commonly designated in 
 this work as her Edinburgh correspondent. In the letter, 
 which enclosed the song to that friend, the authoress writes; — 
 " If it is to be of any use to Nathaniel, perhaps it should be 
 dedicated to the Duchess of Athole. " The advice was followed. 
 The words and music have been often reprinted. We present 
 the titles of two of the publications: — "Caller Herrin'. Ar- 
 ranged with variations for the pianoforte by Philip Knapton. 
 London : Leoni Levi & Coxhead." — " Caller Herrin', a favourite 
 Scotch air, with an introduction and brilhant variations for the 
 pianoforte. Composed and dedicated to Mrs. Henry Slielton, 
 by Charles Czerny. D'Almaine & Co." 
 
 Note 3. Page 166. 
 
 The Lass o' Cowrie. — There are three other versions of this 
 song. The first was composed by William Reid, of Glasgow, 
 about the end of the last centuiy; it is entitled "Kate o' 
 Gowrie," and commences, "When Katie was scarce out nine- 
 teen." The second, by an unknown author, is, in the first two 
 verses, nearly the same with the opening stanzas of Lady Nairne's 
 version. 
 
 In his "Ancient Ballads and Songs" (Lond. 1827, i2mo. 
 p. 138), Dr. Thomas Lyle presents a third version, which he 
 states had been revised by him from an old stall copy, ascribed 
 to Colonel James Ramsay, of Stirling Castle. It begins : — 
 
 " A wee bit north firae yon green wood, 
 Whare draps the sunny showerie. 
 The lofty elm-trees spread their boughs 
 To shade the braes o' Gowrie." 
 
 Note 4. Page 170. 
 
 The Laird o' Cockpen. —This song was written with a view to 
 supersede the older words which were connected with the air, 
 '• When she cam' ben, she bobbit." The older version, entitled 
 "Cockpen," is exceptional on the score of refinement, but was 
 much sung on account of the excellence of the air. It is believed 
 to belong to the reign of Charles II. , and the hero of the song, 
 '• The Laird of Cockpen," is said to have been the attached 
 friend of his Sovereign. An anecdote respecting him has been 
 preserved. Having been engaged with his countrymen at the 
 ''oattle of Worcester in the cause of Charles, he accompanied the 
 
284 
 
 Notes. 
 
 Monarch to Holland, and, forming one of the little Court at the 
 Hague, amused his Royal Master by his humour, and especially 
 by his skill in Scottish music. In playing the tune, "Brose and 
 Butter," he particularly excelled. He became a favourite of the 
 King, and Cockpen had pleasure in gratifying his wish that he 
 might be lulled to sleep at night and awakened in the morning 
 by this enchanting air. At the Restoration, Cockpen found that 
 his estate had been confiscated for his attachment to the royal 
 cause, and had the deep mortification to discover that he had 
 suffered on behalf of an ungrateful prince, who gave no response 
 to his many petitions for the restoration of his inheritance. 
 Visiting London, he was denied an audience ; but he still enter- 
 tained a hope that, by securing a personal conference with the 
 King, he might attain his object. To accomplish this design, 
 he had recourse to the following artifice : — He formed an intimacy 
 with the organist of the Chapel Royal, and obtained permission 
 to officiate as his substitute when the King came to service. He 
 did so, and played the usual tunes, till, at the dismissal, he struck 
 up the King's old favourite, "Brose and Butter." His artifice 
 succeeded. The King proceeded to the organ-gallery, where he 
 found Cockpen, whom he saluted familiarly, declaring that he 
 had "almost made him dance." "I could dance too," said 
 Cockpen, "if I had my lands again." The request, to which 
 every entreaty could not gain a response, was yielded to the 
 power of music. Cockpen was restored to his possessions. 
 
 "The Laird 0' Cockpen" is inserted in the sixth volume of 
 Mr. George Thomson's "Select Melodies," with the preface, 
 "From a manuscript communicated to the Editor by Sir Adam 
 Ferguson." 
 
 The verses composed by Lady Naime terminate with the 
 seventh stanza ; the two additional verses were composed by 
 Miss Ferrier. In the "Book of Scottish Song" {Glasgow, 1844), 
 the Editor, Mr. Alexander Whitelaw, ascribes the original song 
 to Miss Ferrier adding, "The two concluding verses are by 
 another hand." Other writers on Scottish Song have, with simi- 
 lar confidence, assigned the composition to Sir Alexander 
 Boswell. Lady Nairne composed "The Laird o' Cockpen " in 
 the auld house of Gask, while she was still young. The name 
 M'Clish, contained in the song, may have been suggested to her by 
 that of the parish minister at Gask, who, in 1746, refused to pray 
 for the family, and rode to Perth to bring on them the vengeance 
 of the Duke of Cumberland. Old Mr. Oliphant of Gask writes, 
 ' ' May God forgive the minister as I do. " She must often have- 
 heard her father deprecate the conduct of the heartless ecclesiastic. 
 
Notes. 285 
 
 Note 5, Page 177. 
 
 Huniin^ower. — The original set o( " Huntingtower," com- 
 mencing — 
 
 ' ' When ye gang awa', Jamie, 
 Far across the sea, laddie ; 
 When ye gang to Germanie, 
 
 What will ye send to me, laddie ? " 
 
 has long been a favourite. With no sacrifice of the original 
 simplicity, Lady Nairne has improved the morale ai the compo- 
 sition. In her version, Jeanie is less demonstrative in affection. 
 Instead of pleading with her lover for his hand, she resolves to 
 consult her parents before accepting his proposals. Jamie too 
 avoids practising that deception, which, though short-lived, is a 
 prominent defect in the elder ballad. 
 
 Note 6, Page 179. 
 
 The Pleughman. — A song entitled " The Pleughman " appears 
 in Herd's Collection, Edinb. 1776, vol. ii., p. 144. It was thrown 
 into a new form by Bums, whose version appears in fohnsoris 
 Museum, vol. i., p. 173. A third version is inserted in Cun- 
 ningham's Songs of Scotland. The origin of Lady Nairne's ver- 
 sion has been stated in the Memoir. 
 
 Note 7, Page i8o. 
 
 O, tuha is this comin' ? — We may hazard the conjecture that 
 this song was written to celebrate the restoration to his inherit- 
 ance of the Laird of Strowan, in 1784. See the Memoir. 
 
 Note 8. Page 182. 
 
 The Auld House.-^Oi this quaint-looking structure we have 
 presented an engraving. It stood on a hill, overlooking the 
 Earn, about fifty yards below the present mansion, which was 
 commenced in 1801. The Auld House, being much infested 
 by rats, which, on one occasion, assailed the baby heir of the es- 
 tate in his cradle, was pulled down, with the exception of a small 
 portion left to mark the site. "The laiid and the leddy"of 
 the song, and the clipping of Prince Charles Edward's hair, have 
 
 T 
 
286 Notes. 
 
 been referred to in the Memoir. From a reference in the fifth 
 verse, it would appear that the song was written subse- 
 quent to the year 1820, when the first deatli took place among 
 Lady Nairne's nieces. "Theauld pear tree "in the garden of 
 the auld house was a great favourite with the young folks, its 
 produce being often tasted surreptitiously. "I have heard," 
 writes Mr. Kington Oliphant, "one of the bairnies of the song, 
 then an old woman, reproach herself for having cribbed pears 
 ■ from the auld pear-tree. " 
 
 Note 9, Page 184. 
 
 The Banks of the Earn. — Stratheam, as our writer repre- 
 sents, was the scene of some considerable operations on the part 
 of the great Scottish Chief. According to Henry the Minstrel, 
 Wallace, in November, 1296, eluded the pursuit of the EngUsli 
 at St. Johnston — the modern Perth — and made his escape into 
 the country. A party of soldiers were charged with the manage- 
 ment of a sleuth-hound, to discover his place of concealment. 
 There was an engagement in the vicinity of Elcho Park, when 
 Wallace, with great odds against him, achieved a victory and 
 continued his retreat. The sleuth-hound tracked him to Gask 
 Wood. As he was hastening his flight, one of his followers, the 
 Irish Fawdown, professed himself so exhausted as to be unable 
 to proceed, on which Wallace, fearing treachery, strack off his 
 head. The sleuth-hound stopped on reaching Fawdown's body, 
 and would not proceed further. Wallace found shelter at Gask 
 Castle, or Gascon Ha'. (See Note 10.) He had not rested 
 long when Sir John Butler, the English commander, came upon 
 his retreat. Wallace, with a stroke of his sword, unhorsed his 
 pursuer and slew him. Another mounted antagonist also fell 
 before his ponderous weapon. Mounting Butler's horse, he rode 
 through a body of his armed adversaries, twenty of whom were 
 slain in attempting to grapple with him. With much difficiUty 
 he contrived to effect a temporary concealment among the heath, 
 and to make his escape to the Tonvood. 
 
 "And gallant Grahams are lying low." 
 
 The ancient parish church of Aberuthven, near Auchterarder, 
 has long been used as the family burial-place of the Grahams of 
 the Ducal House of Montrose. James, second Marquis of Mon- 
 trose, son of the Great Marquis, and styled " the Good," was 
 interred here on the 23rd April, 1669. A handsome modern 
 
Notes. 287 
 
 Mausoleum contains, on a platfonn, supported by pedestals, five 
 oak coffins belonging to deceased members of the Ducal House. 
 One of these contains the remains of James, third Duke of Mon- 
 trose, who died in 1836. 
 
 Note 10, Page 186. 
 
 Botmy Gascon Ha'. — Gascon was the original form of Gask, 
 the word signifying a swift running stream. Gascon ffa' of the 
 song is the ruin of an old castle, situated in the parish of Trinity- 
 Cask, on the north side of the Earn. An older erection, pro- 
 bably of the period to which the song refers, is believed to have 
 stood about one and a-half miles to the north-east, in the present 
 plantation of Gask. Henry the Minstrel (Book v. ) represents 
 Sir William Wallace and his comrades to have taken refuge in 
 Gask Hall, after the assassination of Fawdown. 
 
 ' ' In the Gask Hall thair lugyng half thai tayne ; 
 Fyre gat thai sone, bot meyt than had thai nane." 
 
 Wallace encountered in the hall an unwelcome visit from 
 Fawdown's ghost. 
 
 " His awne hed in his hand ; 
 A croyss he maid, quhen he saw him so stand. " 
 
 It may not be irrelevant to add, that the remark of the Poetess, 
 as to no monument having been erected to the memory of the 
 Scottish Chief, no longer applies, since the late Mr. William 
 Patrick of Roughwood, reared some years ago on Earnweill-hill, 
 Ayrshire, an elegant Memorial Tower in honour of the patriot ; 
 and, through the efforts of the Editor of this work, an elegant 
 National Monument to Wallace on the Abbey Craig, near Stir- 
 ling, is now in the course of construction. The mischievous and 
 persistent attempt of one capricious individual, to associate the 
 latter with certain alleged national grievances, has been happily 
 defeated. Every true-hearted Englishman heartily joins the 
 Scottish people in respecting the memory of Wallace, in like 
 manner as every right-minded Briton reveres the memoiy of 
 George Washington. 
 
 Note ii. Page 188. 
 
 Hey theJianiin' Murray's Ha'. — Mr. John Graeme Murray, of 
 Murray's Hall, Perthshire, was an intimate friend and neighbour 
 
288 Notes. 
 
 of the Gask family. At his hospitable residence our authoress 
 and her sisters spent many happy days during the period of 
 youth. *'The General," whose valour is commended in the 
 song, is the celebrated Thomas Graham of Balgowan, the hero 
 of Barossa, afterwards Lord Lynedoch. He was a near relation 
 of the Laird of Murray's Hall. The present proprietor, Mr: 
 John Murray Graham, succeeded to his lordship's estate of 
 Balgowan, which has since been sold to Mr. Thompson. Lord 
 Lynedoch has been celebrated in verse by Sir Walter Scott ; 
 also in a stirring song by William Glen, the author of " Wae's 
 me for Prince Charlie." — (Modern Scottish Minstrel, vol. iii., 
 P- 131) 
 
 Note 12, Page 189. 
 
 Kitty Reid's House. — Near the foot of High Street, Perth, 
 stood a large and imposing edifice, styled " The House on the 
 Green." This structure belonged to the Mercers of Aldie and 
 Meikleour, and it is believed to have been the town residence of 
 Sir Michael Mercer, early in the fifteenth century. On its 
 demolition, in the seventeenth century, an hostelry was erected 
 on the spot, which became a celebrated place of rendezvous. 
 Country lairds were wont to assemble at "The House on the 
 Green ;" or, as it was latterly called, from the name of the 
 hostess, " Kitty Reid's House." In the districts ol Perth, Crieff, 
 and Stirling, rhymes to the air of the " Country Bumpkin " have 
 been preserved, celebrating the more noted landowners who fre- 
 quented "The House on the Green." Some of these, being 
 familiar to Lady Nairne, led to the composition of her own ver- 
 sion of the song. A few of the older verses may serve to indicate 
 the character of the rest: — 
 
 Kirkpottie, Kintullo, Pitcur, an' Laird RoUo, 
 Cam' a' to this house, to Kitty Reid's house ; 
 Invermay, Monivaird, Balbeggie, Kinnaird, 
 Cam a' to the house on the green, Jo. 
 
 Hech, hey, the mirth, &c. 
 
 Gan' tell TuUylumb, that he's wanted to come 
 To Kitty Reid's house, to Kitty Reid's house j 
 Tell Bousie, an' Kerr, an' Ruthven the peer. 
 To come to the house on the green, Jo. 
 
 Hech, hey, the mirth, &c. 
 
Notes. 289 
 
 Note 13, Page igo. 
 
 Casidl Gloom.^Ca.s'H.e. Gloom, better known as Castle Camp- 
 bell, was a residence of the noble family of Argyle, from the 
 middle of the fifteenth to the middle of the seventeenth century, 
 when it was burned by the Marquis of Montrose. The castle is 
 situated on the southern slope of the Ochil hills, near the village 
 of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, and has long been in the ruinous 
 condition described in the song. Two hill rivulets, designated 
 Sorrow and Care, flow dovm on each side of the castle promon- 
 tory. John Knox, the Reformer, resided for a period at Castle 
 Campbell, with Archibald, fourth Earl of Argyle, and here 
 preached the Reformed doctrines. 
 
 Note 14, Page 192. 
 
 O Stately stood the Baroiis Ha'. — We do not remember any 
 incident to which this song may have an especial reference. The 
 celebrated philosopher, Adam Smith, was, when a child of three 
 years, carried off by a party of gipsies from the policies of his 
 uncle's house at Strathendry, Fifeshire, but was speedily re- 
 covered. It is possible that the Poetess had this incident in 
 
 Note 15, Page 193. 
 
 Saw ye nae my Peggy. — This song was written with the view 
 of superseding several sets of words which had been linked to 
 the tune, all of which, either on the score of decency or rhythm, 
 were unworthy of it. The oldest version commences, " Saw ye 
 my Maggie." Allan Ramsay has, in his Tea-table Miscellany, 
 inserted two other versions, one of which is his own. The 
 melody appears in the first edition of the Orpheus Caledonius, 
 1725. (See Johnson's Museum, vol. i., page 12, and vol. iv., 
 page 8.) The allusion in the third stanza to " Bessie Bell " and 
 ' ' Mary Gray, " is familiar to all lovers ot the older ballad. Two 
 ladies in Perthshire were attached friends. One of them, Miss 
 Elizabeth Bell, was daughter of Mr. Bell, of Kinnaird ; the 
 other. Miss Mary Gray, was the daughter of Mr. Gray, pro- 
 prietor of Lynedoch. They were both very beautiful and ot 
 engaging manners, and had each attracted the attention of a 
 young gentleman in the neighbourhood. The plague of 1645 
 was raging with terrible severity, and the maidens left their pa- 
 ternal homes, and took shelter in a bower at the Burn Braes, on 
 
290 Notes. 
 
 the banks of the Lednoch, or Lynedoch. They determined to 
 receive no visitors, save the youth whom they held in mutual 
 esteem. He paid daily visits to the bower ; and, having caught 
 the infection, unconsciously carried it to the Burn Braes. The 
 maidens died, and were interred at a spot which is denoted by 
 an enclosure. Their sad fate is celebrated in ballad. The late 
 Lord Lynedoch owned the estate, which included the Burn 
 Braes, and derived his title from it. 
 
 Note 16, Page 19S. 
 
 Charlies Landing. — The circumstances of the landing of 
 Prince Charles Edward, in 1745, are detailed in the next note. 
 
 Note 17, Page 199. 
 
 WhaHl be King hut Charlie? — This popular Jacobite song, 
 hitherto published anonymously, is now claimed as the compo- 
 sition of Lady Nairne. It was published by Neil Gow, who 
 composed to it a stirring and appropriate air. Nathaniel, son 
 of Neil Gow, played the tune at the Caledonian Hunt Ball, 
 which, in honour of George IV., was held at Edinburgh on the 
 26th August, 1822. The King, who was present, asked the 
 musician to name the tune, when Nathaniel replied, " Wha'll be 
 King but Charlie?" Some of the courtiers were embarrassed, 
 but his Majesty, with a smile, requested that the tune might be 
 repeated, and often asked for it afterwards. The air forms No . 
 136 of Captain Simon Eraser's " Airs and Melodies peculiar to 
 the Highlands," Edinb. 1816. The song appears in the Scottish 
 Minstrel (vol. vi., pp. 85, 7). In the index the authorship is 
 marked "unknown," a circumstance which does not in any 
 degree invalidate the probability that Lady Naime was the 
 writer. 
 
 With reference to the allusion in the first line of the song, it 
 may be stated that Prince Charles Edward landed on the 25th 
 July, 1745, at Lochnanuagh, an arm of the sea, dividing the 
 districts of Moidart and Arisaig. He was accompanied by the 
 Marquis of TuUibardine, Sir Thomas Sheridan, Sir John Mac- 
 donald, Francis Strickland, Kelly, a clergyman, Eneas Mac- 
 donald, banker at Paris, and Buchanan, a messenger — a retinue 
 of seven persons. Adherents soon assembled, and the Prince 
 unfurled his standard at Glenfinnan, on the 19th of August. 
 
Notes. 291 
 
 Note iS, Page 201. 
 
 My Bonnie Hieland Laddie. — In the Scottish Minstrel this 
 song is marked "unknown" (vol. i. , p. 17). It is here assigned 
 to Lady Nairne, on the ground of internal evidence alone. 
 
 Note 19, Page 202. 
 
 Gathering Song. — This composition has been printed from 
 Lady Naime's MS. It is one of the least known of her Jacobite 
 compositions . 
 
 Note 20, Page 203. 
 
 Charlie is my Darling. — A version of this song, written to an 
 older air, was communicated by Bums to Johnson's Museum 
 (vol. iii., p. 440). The words partake of the levity of the older 
 ballads. The Ettrick Shepherd composed another set of verses, 
 which is included in his Jacobite Relics (Edinb. 1821, vol. ii., 
 p. 92). His song closes vrith the following stanza : — 
 
 " Our Highland hearts are true and leal. 
 And glow without a stain ; 
 Our Highland swords are metal keen. 
 And Charlie he's our ain." 
 
 A third version was composed by Captain Charles Gray, R. M. 
 (Lays and Lyrics, Edin. 1841, l2mo., p. 42). This is quoted 
 with commendation in G. F. Graham's Songs of Scotland {\o\. i., 
 p. 91). Lady Naime's version was communicated anonymously 
 to the Scottish Minstrel ; it appears in vol. i., pp. 86, 7 of that 
 work. 
 
 Note 21, Page 204. 
 
 The Hundred Pipers.—Oa receiving the submission of the 
 civic authorities and the surrender of the castle. Prince Charles 
 Edward entered Carlisle, on Monday, the 1 8th November, 174S, 
 preceded by one hundred pipers. So far our Poetess has sung 
 truly. But she is historically at fault with reference to the "two 
 thousand." So many Highlanders of the Chevalier's army did 
 indeed wade across the Esk ; but it was in flight, not in triumph. 
 They waded the Esk on their return to Scotland from an expe- 
 dition which boded disaster. That they "danced themselves 
 dry to the pibroch's sound " is literally correct. Mr. George 
 
292 Notes. 
 
 G. Mounsey, author of "Authentic Account of the Occupation 
 of Carlisle," remarks, of the Highlanders, that "the moment 
 they reached the opposite side, the pipers struck up, and they 
 danced reels until they were dry again." Probably Lady 
 Nairne's father witnessed the scene. 
 
 Note 22, Page 206. 
 
 His ffwreihe Hills. — This composition appeared in the Scottish 
 Minstrel (vol. iii., p. 94) with the signature " S. M.," intimating 
 that it had reached the editor through the Ladies' Committee. 
 The original has been found in Lady Nairne's handwriting. 
 
 The furthest of the Ochils, that rise above Dunblane, are just 
 visible from Gask, nearly twenty miles off; hence the allusion in 
 the third line of the song. 
 
 Note 23, Page 207. 
 
 Yill Mount, Gudeman. — This humorous Jacobite song is 
 written in Lady Nairne's best style. In a note appended to the 
 song in " Lays from Stratheam," the heroine is described as 
 one of the Homes of Wedderbum. This seems to be an error. 
 The anecdote of the kettle is related by Mr. Philip Ainslie in 
 his "Reminiscences." During the last rebellion, John, twelfth 
 Lord Gray, had, as Lord-Lieutenant of Perthshire, waited on 
 the Duke of Cumberland at Dundee, when on his march to the 
 north, for the suppression of the insurrection. He was coldly 
 received by the haughty Hanoverian, and his lordship felt so 
 insulted that he rode home hastily to Kinfauns Castle, resolved 
 on immediately joining the standard of the Prince. His wife, 
 knowing his obstinate adherence to any purpose he had formed, 
 did not venture to oppose his resolution, but, as he complained 
 of fatigue, she recommended him to have his feet bathed before 
 he retired to rest. The lady undertook to perform the ablution 
 with her own hands, and when his lordship's unclothed limbs 
 were placed in the bath, she proceeded to pour upon them a 
 kettle of hot water. The Baron was so scalded that he was 
 unable to leave his apartment for several weeks. During the 
 interval the public career of the Prince had closed at CuUoden. 
 
 Note 24, Page 211. 
 
 The White Rose 0' June. — The White Rose was the Jacobite 
 emblem. Many white roses grew in the garden at Gask. With 
 
Notes. 293 
 
 all Jacobite gardeners it was a point of honour to provide white 
 roses to be used in celebrating the Royal birth-days. 
 
 Note 25, Page 214. 
 
 The Women are a^ gane wud. — The enthusiasm of Scottish 
 females, both old and young, on behalf of Prince Charles 
 Edward, was a prominent feature in the rising of 1 745. ' ' They 
 will not listen to reason, " wrote Lord President Forbes. AVhen 
 the Prince rode through Perth, women of all ranks congregated 
 around him to kiss his hand. His knowledge of Gaelic was 
 confined to a few words complimentary of female charms. 
 
 Note 26, Page 215. 
 IV/iat do ye think 0' Geordie noo ? 
 
 ' ' For nae offence that we can see. 
 Up in a rage will Geordie flee ; 
 The flames get then his periwig ; 
 That's no denied by ony Whig. " 
 
 George the Second was prone to ebullitions of temper, and on 
 these occasions would tear off' his wig and cast it into the fire. 
 The absurd habit of the Hanoverian monarch is thus alluded to 
 in an anonymous Jacobite song : — 
 
 "The fire shall get both hat and wig. 
 As oftimes they've got a' that." 
 
 Note 27, Page 222. 
 
 J^ind Robin Ldes Me. — These stanzas were composed by 
 Lady Nairne in commendation of her husband, to whom she 
 was devotedly attached. They form a continuation to the woo- 
 ing song of the same name, beginning " Robin is my only Jo," 
 which first appeared in Herd's Collection, 1776, The tune is 
 ancient. 
 
 Note 28, Page 223. 
 
 My Ain Kind Dearie, 0, — The two opening Hnes of this song 
 are borrowed from "The Lea-Kig," a lively and popular lyric, 
 of which the two first verses were composed by Robert Fer- 
 
294 Notes. 
 
 gusson, three others being added by William Reid of Glasgow. 
 The original of "The Lea-Rig" is an old ditty, beginning "I'll 
 rowe thee o'er the lea-rig." — See yohnson's Musical Museum, 
 vol. iv., p. 53. 
 
 Note 29, Page 225. 
 
 Cauld Kailin Aberdeen. — This is the latest, and, we may add, 
 the most unexceptionable version of a celebrated drinking song, 
 which has often been parodied. The original set of words is 
 contained in a MS., bearing date 1728, which belonged to James 
 Anderson, editor of Diflomata Scotia, and is now deposited in 
 the Advocates' Library. The song has reference to George 
 Gordon, first Earl of Aberdeen, who died in 1 720, at the age of 
 eighty-three. It is printed, as originally written, in Scottish 
 Ballads and Songs, Edinb. 1859. T. G. Stevenson. A second 
 version of the song was composed by Alexander, fourth Duke of 
 Gordon. This was first published in the second volume of 
 yo/mson's Miiseum, and was much commended by Burns. 
 William Reid, of Glasgow, composed a third version, which is 
 little known; a fourth appears anonymously in Dale's " Scottish 
 Songs." 
 
 Note 30, Page 23a 
 
 Lay byeyere Bawhee. — This song is published for the first time. 
 It is printed from the original MS. 
 
 Note 31, Page 231. 
 The Maiden's Vow. — Now for the first time prhited. 
 
 Note 32, Page 233. 
 
 Daim the Burn, Davie. — The original version of this song, 
 composed by Robert Crawford, appears in the Oi-pheus Cale- 
 donius. Several of the verses are of a licentious character. 
 These were expunged by Burns, who, by substituting two verses 
 of his own, has adapted the song to modern use. By altering 
 the chorus, Lady Nairne has caused the swain to invite the 
 maiden to a walk by the bnrn-side, instead of allowing the 
 invitation to proceed from the maiden to her lover. 
 
Notes. 295 
 
 Note 33, Page 234. 
 
 John Tod. — So far as we can discover, the hero of this song 
 was the Rev. John Tod, minister of Ladykirk, Berwickshire, 
 who married a daughter of Sir Patrick Home, Bart., whose 
 grandson succeeded to the estate of Wedderhurn. There was 
 an intimacy subsisting between our authoress and the family of 
 Wedderhurn, and some tradition respecting the uncouth manners 
 but substantial worth of the pastor of Ladykirk may have been 
 preserved. 
 
 Note 34, Page 236. 
 
 Jeanie Deans. — This song must have been composed subse- 
 quent to 1818, when The Heart of Mid-Lothian — in which the 
 character of Jeanie Deans is introduced — was published. The 
 narrative on ^vllich the novel is founded, and which is referred 
 to by our Poetess, is so abundantly familiar, that it seems un- 
 necessary to allude to it. The scenery depicted in the song is in 
 the vicinity of the Queen's Drive, Edinburgh. "The Wells o' 
 Weary" are situated near the Windyknowe, beneath Arthur's 
 Seat. 
 
 Note 35, Page 238. 
 
 Fareweel, Edinbtirgh . — This songwas probably written in 1830, 
 when Lady Naime abandoned Caroline Cottaga, and proceeded 
 to join her relatives at Clifton. The city, old and new, with its 
 "stately college," elegant churches, "palace in the sheltered 
 glen," elevated castle, and environing mountains and " rocky 
 brows," is admirably depicted. So are the professions of the 
 citizens — "scribes," "big-wigs," " doctors," and men of "lear." 
 A special compliment is reserved for the author of Waverley, 
 which implies the writer's high admiration of that illustrious 
 person. 
 
 In the last couplet of the first stanza, the original MS. presents 
 the following alternative reading : — 
 
 " The auld tovm-guard, sae neat and trim, sae honest and sae 
 sour. 
 Aye stannin' near the auld St. Giles, that plays and tells the 
 hour." 
 
296 Notes. 
 
 The " Auld Town-guard " of Edinburgh, which existed before 
 the Police Acts came into operation, was composed of High- 
 landers, some of them being old pensioners. Their rendezvous 
 was St. Giles's church, where some of them were always to be 
 found smoking, snuffing, and speaking together in the Highland 
 vernacular. 
 
 Note 36, Page 240. 
 
 Then grows a bonnie Brier Bush. — Founding on a few lines of 
 an old ballad. Bums composed a song with this title for Johnson! s 
 Museum (vol. iii. p. 508). Lady Naime has in her version 
 adhered to the structure of Burns' song, but has eliminated from 
 the composition some doubtful sentiments. 
 
 Note 37, Page 243. 
 
 A Heavenly Muse. — In this short lyric. Lady Naime cele- 
 brates the poet Moore. — See Memoir. 
 
 Note 38, Page 243. 
 
 Dunnottar Castle. — The history of the preservation of the 
 .Scottish Regalia, during the period of Cromwell's invasion, is 
 familiar to every reader of Scottish history. The circumstances 
 are correctly related by Lady Naime in the song. Anticipating 
 that the insignia of the Scottish monarchy would be seized by 
 Cromwell's victorious troops, the Estates of Parliament entrusted 
 them, after the battle of Dunbar, to the Earl Marischal, who 
 deposited them in his ancient seat, the castle of Dunnottar, on 
 the east coast, near Stonehaven. The fortress was provided 
 with a considerable garrison, under the command of George 
 Ogilvy of Barras. It was closely besieged by the English troops, 
 and the governor, unable much longer to endure the blockade, 
 was about to surrender. At this critical period his wife received 
 a visit from their clergyman's vrife, Mrs. Grainger of Kinneff, 
 who was attended by her maid. Permission to enter the castle 
 was readily granted them by the courtesy of the commander of 
 the besieging army, who, when they returned, gallantly helped 
 Mrs. Grainger to mount her horse. She and her attendant were 
 both laden, but the true nature of their burdens was unsuspected. 
 Mrs. Grainger had on her arm a bundle, while her maid carried 
 in a bag some hards of lint, which she represented to be a present 
 from the govemor's wife. The bundles actually contained the 
 
Notes. 297 
 
 crown, sceptre, and sword of state ! Mrs. Grainger reached in 
 perfect safety the Manse of Kinneff, a few miles distant. That 
 night, the precious insignia were deposited in a hole under the 
 pulpit of the parish church. There they lay till after the Resto- 
 ration, when they were presented to Chai-les II. To Mrs. 
 Grainger 2,000 marks were voted by Parliament ; George Ogilvy 
 was created a baronet ; and the third son of the Earl Marischal 
 was appointed Knight Marischal of Scotland, and was afterwards 
 created Earl of Kintore. 
 
 George Keith, tenth Earl Marischal, took part in the rebellion 
 of 17151 and joined the Spanish troops in 1719, during the 
 abortive attempt of that year on behalf of the exiled House. 
 Having gone to Prussia, he became the chosen friend of Frederick 
 the Great. He was Frederick's ambassador extraoidinary at 
 the Court of France, and when resident in Paris had frequent 
 interviews with the grandfather of our Poetess. The earl's title 
 and estates were restored by George II. 
 
 Mr. Alexander Keith of Ravelstone, brother-in-law of Lady 
 Naime, pos.sessed the cushion on which the regalia rested in 
 Kinneff Church, an heirloom inherited by his nephew, who 
 received the honour of knighthood from George IV. , on asserting 
 his claim as Knight Marischal of Scotland. 
 
 Note 39, Page 245. 
 
 The Peniland ^/'//j.^Rullion Green is a lonely and beautiful 
 valley skirting the base of the Pentlands. Here the Covenanters 
 were, on the 28th November, 1666, defeated by the King's 
 troops under General Dalziel. About fifty of the Covenanters 
 were slain. The Jacobite upbringing of Lady Naime did not 
 prevent her con-ect discernment of the faithless character of a 
 crowned member of the house of Stuart. She refers to the 
 perjury of Charles II. , who had, when courting the favour of 
 the Scottish people in the days of his adversity, solemnly sworn 
 to uphold the Covenant. Her portraiture of Dalziel, and of 
 John Graham of Claverhouse, is discriminating and correct. 
 Dalziel was a ferocious desperado ; Graham possessed true 
 soldierly qualities, but he lacked the best— mercy. 
 
 Note 40, Page 248. 
 
 The Regalia. — This song represents the wounded feelings of 
 many Scotsmen at the period of the Union of the Crowns. 
 
298 
 
 Notes. 
 
 Before the adoption of the articles of Union by the Estates, it 
 was provided that the Scottish Regalia should be for ever kept 
 in Scotland. They were deposited in a strong chest, secured by 
 several locks; and this was placed in a strong room of Edin- 
 burgh Castle, which was carefully bolted. After remaining so 
 locked up for upwards of a century, they were discovered on the 
 4lh February, 1818, by certain commissioners appointed under 
 a royal warrant. (See Lockhart's Life of Scott, 8vo. edit., 
 1S50, pp. 359-61.) 
 
 Note 41, Page 250. 
 
 The Lady Grange. — The unwarrantable detention of Mrs. 
 Erskine of Grange, in the western isles, forms one of "the most 
 remarkable episodes in Scottish history. Mrs. Erskine was 
 daughter of Chiesly of Dairy, who mortally wounded Sir George 
 Lockhart, Lord President of the Court of Session, on returning 
 from his place of worship. The disposition of Mrs. Erskine 
 was too similar to that of her sire — she was a woman of un- 
 governable temper, and was revengeful and unscrupulous in the 
 accomplishment of her ends. Her husband, James Erskine, 
 brother of the Ear! of Mar, was a Lord of Session, by the title 
 of Lord Grange. During the rebellion of 171 5, he professed 
 loyalty to the reigning House, in order to retain his office, but 
 secretly abetted the efforts of his brother in supplanting the 
 Hanoverian dynasty. By concealing herself under a sofa in his 
 business room, his wife heard his conversations with the ad- 
 herents of the exiled House. During her ebullitions of temper, 
 which were frequent and terrible, she threatened to expose him 
 to Government, and he began to fear she might actually effect 
 her menace. After consulting with his children, who were 
 grown up, and obtaining their approval, Lord Grange had his 
 wife seized on the 22nd April, 1732, and conducted from place 
 to place by night journeys till she reached the Hebrides. She 
 was detained in the Isle of Hisker two years ; at St. Kilda, 
 seven ; and in the Isle of Skye four, till her death in 1745. The 
 narrative of our Poetess as to the temper of the exiled gentle- 
 woman being subdued after her afflictions, we trust, is well- 
 founded. 
 
 Note 42, Page 251. 
 
 Fell He on the Field of Fame. — These verses were composed 
 on a young officer, quartered at Piershill barracks, near Edin- 
 
Notes. 299 
 
 burgh, who fell in a duel, occasioned by a quarrel at mess. 
 Piershill being situated in the immediate vicinity of our authoress's 
 residence, Carolina Cottage, her attention was particularly ar- 
 rested by this event. 
 
 Note 43. Page 260. 
 
 Her Home She is Leaving. — When the Scottish Minstrel was in 
 the course of publication, l,ady Naime, under her nom de plume 
 of Mrs. iJogan, wrote to the editor, Mr. R. A. Smith, in these 
 terms : — 
 
 "If Mr. Smith wishes to have the very sweet air Mordelia, 
 and has not got words, perhaps the few lines enclosed may do. 
 They were thought of long ago, when I hoped that air was con- 
 sidered Scottish. I have struck off what I am sure would be 
 objected to as not songish enough for the taste of the day. The 
 air will now require to be sung each four lines, which I think 
 answers as well as repeating each part. If not wanted, please 
 send me them again, as possibly they may do for some other 
 purpose, being a bit of graphickism that I would not like quite 
 to lose." 
 
 In a subsequent letter the assumed Mrs. Bogan reverts to the 
 subject. ' ' The air of Mordelia is surely old. The second part 
 especially seems to me to have the genuine pathos of the 
 ancients." The writer proceeds to express disapproval of an 
 alteration which had been made on the two opening lines of her 
 version. They had been replaced by the two following : — 
 
 " In all its rich wildness her home she is leaving, 
 With sad and tearful silent grieving." 
 
 We have restored the correct reading from the original MS. 
 There are other instances in which Lady Nairne's words have 
 been displaced, and where unfortunately they cannot be 
 restored. 
 
 Note 44, Page 261. 
 
 Mountains Wild. — This composition appears in the 5ru^/W;4 
 Minstrel, vol. iii., page loi. The authorship is in the index 
 marked "unknown." From internal evidence, we have nc 
 hesitation in assigning it to Lady Naime. 
 
300 ATotes. 
 
 , Note 45, Page 263. 
 
 Gude Nicht, an' Joy be wV yea. — Sir Alexander Boswell com- 
 posed a version of this song (Modem Scottish Minstrel, vol. ii., 
 page 214). There are other sets, all being founded on an old 
 fragment, called ''Armstrong's Goodnight," supposed to have 
 ovred its origin to one of the Border Armstrongs, who was exe- 
 cuted for assassinating Sir John Carmichael, Warden of the 
 Middle Marches, in June, 1600. — See Scott's Minstrelsy of the 
 Scottish Border. 
 
 Note 46, Page 265. 
 
 Would you be Young again ? — This beautiful lay is printed 
 from the original MS. It was composed in 1842, when the 
 Baroness had reached her seventy-sixth year. 
 
 Note 47, Page 266. 
 
 Here's to them that are Gane. — In communicating this com- 
 position to her Edinburgh correspondent, Lady Naime writes : — 
 
 ' ' Here's a Health to ane I lo'e Dear. — If you think the enclosed 
 will do for that beautifal air, better than anything you have got, 
 I will attend to any hints in the way of alteration. It seemed a 
 more hopeful concern than ' One day I heard Mary say,' which, 
 if I had never heard words for, I think might have been sup- 
 plied. This has superseded her in the meantime, unless you 
 have found better words. If you have, do tell me." 
 
301 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Auld Reekie, Edinburgh 
 Ava', at all 
 Ayont, beyond 
 
 Bairn, child 
 
 Baith, both 
 
 Battered, bent, overcome 
 
 Bawbee, money, earnings 
 
 Bear, barley 
 
 Bein, comfortable 
 
 Belyve, immediately 
 
 Ben, inner apartment 
 
 Bield, shelter 
 
 Biggit, built 
 
 Birks, birch trees 
 
 Blate, modest, bashful 
 
 Bleeze, blaze, make a show 
 
 Boukit, collected 
 
 Bree, eyebrow 
 
 Barley bree, ale or beer 
 
 Bnnt, burned 
 
 Bum, stream 
 
 Buskit, attired 
 
 Byre, cowhouse 
 
 Callant, a stripling 
 Caller, fresh 
 Cannily, cautiously 
 Cantrip, a spell, or charm 
 Canty, cheerful 
 Carline, old woman 
 Castocks, the core or pith 
 
 of cabbage 
 Claes, clothes 
 Clavers, frivolous talk 
 Cleadin', clothing 
 Clish-ma-clavers, absurd talk 
 
 Cogie, a timber vessel 
 Collie, a shepherd's dog 
 Corbie, a raven 
 Coul, cap, hood 
 Couped, overturned 
 Cour, cover 
 Crouse, brisk 
 
 Daft, deranged 
 Dauma, dare not 
 Dautit, fondled 
 Ding, overcome 
 Disjaskit, decayed 
 Dookit, dove-cot 
 Dorty, pettish 
 Doos, pigeons 
 Dree, endure 
 Dule, sorrow 
 
 Eerie, dreary, afraid 
 Eident, diligent 
 Eldrich, haunted 
 
 Fain, joyful 
 
 Faimies, ferns 
 
 Farin', food, entertainme/it 
 
 Fashous, troublesome 
 
 Fause, false 
 
 Fecht, fight 
 
 Feckless, feeble 
 
 Fend, fare, shift 
 
 Fell, acute, mettlesome 
 
 Ferlie, wonder 
 
 Fifish, somewhat deranged 
 
 Fleeched, soothed 
 
 Fugy, a coward 
 
302 
 
 Glossary. 
 
 Gate, road 
 
 Gaun, going 
 
 Gawkie, a foolish person 
 
 Genty, elegantly formed 
 
 Gim, weep 
 
 Glaikit, giddy 
 
 Gloamin', twilight 
 
 Gowd, gold 
 
 Greet, weep 
 
 Gruesome, unsightly 
 
 Gude, good 
 
 Hale, whole 
 Halesome, wholesome 
 Hantle, a considerable 
 
 number 
 Happit, wrapped 
 Haud, hold 
 Havers, foolish talk 
 Hawkie, a cow 
 Hirdin', herding 
 Houlit, an owl 
 Hurley, a wheelbarrow 
 
 Ilka, each 
 
 Kail, broth 
 
 Kebbuck, a cheese 
 
 Keek, look 
 
 Kimmer, crony, gossip 
 
 Kist, chest 
 
 Kith, acquaintance 
 
 Knowes, hillocks 
 
 Lane, alone, solitary 
 
 Lave, remainder 
 
 Leal, loyal, true 
 
 Lea-rig, ridge of unploughed 
 
 land 
 Liefu', lonely 
 Lightlie, to depreciate 
 Liltin', singing cheerfully 
 Linkin', walking smartly 
 
 Loun, warm 
 
 Lucky, an elderly woman 
 
 Maen, moan 
 
 Mavis, a thrush 
 
 Mickle, much 
 
 Minnie, mother 
 
 Mirk, dark 
 
 Mutch, a female head-dress 
 
 Neep, turnip 
 
 Oumatang, an orang-outang 
 Owre, over 
 
 Pickle, a small quantity 
 Plenishing, farm stocking, 
 
 or house furniture 
 Poortith, poverty 
 Prin, pin 
 
 Randy, a scold 
 Reamin', skimming 
 Rig, a field or division of it 
 Roiith, plenty 
 Routing, bellowing 
 Rummulgumshion, common 
 sense 
 
 Sair, sore 
 Saul, soul 
 Shanks-neggie, to travel on 
 
 foot 
 Shaw, plantation 
 Skaith, hurt 
 Skirlin', crying shrilly 
 Spae, foretell 
 Speir, enquire 
 Steek, shut 
 'Steer, stir, excite 
 Sough, a rushing sound 
 Sonsie, plump 
 Sud, should 
 Swither, hesitate 
 
Glossary. 
 
 303 
 
 Tapsie-teerie, topsy-turvy 
 Taupie, a slovenly woman 
 Tautit, shaggy, rough 
 Tent, take heed 
 Thewless, unprofitable 
 Thole, endure 
 Tocher, dowry 
 Toom, empty 
 
 Unco, very 
 
 Vogie, cheerful 
 
 Wae, woeful 
 Wean, child 
 Wee, small 
 
 Weei's me, happy am I 
 Weel-tappit, well-topped 
 Wendin', waning 
 Wud, wild, mad 
 Wyled, selected 
 
 Yett, gate 
 Yont, beyond 
 Yows, ewes