Brydone a most
excellent
heart,
kind, joyous, and benevolent; but a good deal of the French
indiscriminate complaisance--from his situation past and present, an
admirer of everything that bears a splendid title, or that possesses a
large estate--Mrs.
kind, joyous, and benevolent; but a good deal of the French
indiscriminate complaisance--from his situation past and present, an
admirer of everything that bears a splendid title, or that possesses a
large estate--Mrs.
Robert Burns
A.
high in the praises of an African, his
house-servant--all his people old in his service--Douglas's old nurse
came to Berrywell yesterday to remind them of its being his birthday.
A Mr. Dudgeon, a poet at times,[294] a worthy remarkable
character--natural penetration, a great deal of information, some
genius, and extreme modesty.
_Sunday. _--Went to church at Dunse[295]--Dr. Howmaker a man of strong
lungs and pretty judicious remark; but ill skilled in propriety, and
altogether unconscious of his want of it.
_Monday. _--Coldstream--went over to England--Cornhill--glorious river
Tweed--clear and majestic--fine bridge. Dine at Coldstream with Mr.
Ainslie and Mr. Foreman--beat Mr. F---- in a dispute about Voltaire. Tea
at Lenel House with Mr. Brydone--Mr.
Brydone a most excellent heart,
kind, joyous, and benevolent; but a good deal of the French
indiscriminate complaisance--from his situation past and present, an
admirer of everything that bears a splendid title, or that possesses a
large estate--Mrs. Brydone a most elegant woman in her person and
manners; the tones of her voice remarkably sweet--my reception extremely
flattering--sleep at Coldstream.
_Tuesday. _--Breakfast at Kelso--charming situation of Kelso--fine
bridge over the Tweed--enchanting views and prospects on both sides of
the river, particularly the Scotch side; introduced to Mr. Scott of
the Royal Bank--an excellent, modest fellow--fine situation of
it--ruins of Roxburgh Castle--a holly-bush, growing where James II. of
Scotland was accidentally killed by the bursting of a cannon. A small
old religious ruin, and a fine old garden planted by the religious,
rooted out and destroyed by an English hottentot, a _maitre d'hotel_
of the duke's, a Mr. Cole--climate and soil of Berwickshire, and even
Roxburghshire, superior to Ayrshire--bad roads. Turnip and sheep
husbandry, their great improvements--Mr. M'Dowal, at Caverton Mill, a
friend of Mr. Ainslie's, with whom I dined to-day, sold his sheep, ewe
and lamb together, at two guineas a piece--wash their sheep before
shearing--seven or eight pounds of washen wool in a fleece--low
markets, consequently low rents--fine lands not above sixteen
shillings a Scotch acre--magnificence of farmers and farm-houses--come
up Teviot and up Jed to Jedburgh to lie, and so wish myself a good
night.
_Wednesday. _--Breakfast with Mr. ---- in Jedburgh--a squabble between
Mrs. ----, a crazed, talkative slattern, and a sister of hers, an old
maid, respecting a relief minister--Miss gives Madam the lie; and
Madam, by way of revenge, upbraids her that she laid snares to
entangle the said minister, then a widower, in the net of
matrimony--go about two miles out of Jedburgh to a roup of parks--meet
a polite, soldier-like gentleman, a Captain Rutherford, who had been
many years through the wilds of America, a prisoner among the
Indians--charming, romantic situation of Jedburgh, with gardens,
orchards, &c. , intermingled among the houses--fine old ruins--a once
magnificent cathedral, and strong castle.
house-servant--all his people old in his service--Douglas's old nurse
came to Berrywell yesterday to remind them of its being his birthday.
A Mr. Dudgeon, a poet at times,[294] a worthy remarkable
character--natural penetration, a great deal of information, some
genius, and extreme modesty.
_Sunday. _--Went to church at Dunse[295]--Dr. Howmaker a man of strong
lungs and pretty judicious remark; but ill skilled in propriety, and
altogether unconscious of his want of it.
_Monday. _--Coldstream--went over to England--Cornhill--glorious river
Tweed--clear and majestic--fine bridge. Dine at Coldstream with Mr.
Ainslie and Mr. Foreman--beat Mr. F---- in a dispute about Voltaire. Tea
at Lenel House with Mr. Brydone--Mr.
Brydone a most excellent heart,
kind, joyous, and benevolent; but a good deal of the French
indiscriminate complaisance--from his situation past and present, an
admirer of everything that bears a splendid title, or that possesses a
large estate--Mrs. Brydone a most elegant woman in her person and
manners; the tones of her voice remarkably sweet--my reception extremely
flattering--sleep at Coldstream.
_Tuesday. _--Breakfast at Kelso--charming situation of Kelso--fine
bridge over the Tweed--enchanting views and prospects on both sides of
the river, particularly the Scotch side; introduced to Mr. Scott of
the Royal Bank--an excellent, modest fellow--fine situation of
it--ruins of Roxburgh Castle--a holly-bush, growing where James II. of
Scotland was accidentally killed by the bursting of a cannon. A small
old religious ruin, and a fine old garden planted by the religious,
rooted out and destroyed by an English hottentot, a _maitre d'hotel_
of the duke's, a Mr. Cole--climate and soil of Berwickshire, and even
Roxburghshire, superior to Ayrshire--bad roads. Turnip and sheep
husbandry, their great improvements--Mr. M'Dowal, at Caverton Mill, a
friend of Mr. Ainslie's, with whom I dined to-day, sold his sheep, ewe
and lamb together, at two guineas a piece--wash their sheep before
shearing--seven or eight pounds of washen wool in a fleece--low
markets, consequently low rents--fine lands not above sixteen
shillings a Scotch acre--magnificence of farmers and farm-houses--come
up Teviot and up Jed to Jedburgh to lie, and so wish myself a good
night.
_Wednesday. _--Breakfast with Mr. ---- in Jedburgh--a squabble between
Mrs. ----, a crazed, talkative slattern, and a sister of hers, an old
maid, respecting a relief minister--Miss gives Madam the lie; and
Madam, by way of revenge, upbraids her that she laid snares to
entangle the said minister, then a widower, in the net of
matrimony--go about two miles out of Jedburgh to a roup of parks--meet
a polite, soldier-like gentleman, a Captain Rutherford, who had been
many years through the wilds of America, a prisoner among the
Indians--charming, romantic situation of Jedburgh, with gardens,
orchards, &c. , intermingled among the houses--fine old ruins--a once
magnificent cathedral, and strong castle.
