The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-16 00:00:00

DESCRIPTIVE OF A PICTURE PAINTED AT ♦LBUTSFORD

By DAVID WILKIE, ESQ., R.A. AND EXHIBITED AT THE
ROYAL ACADEMY IN 1818.

" My Dear Adam—The picture you mention
has something in it of rather a domestic charac-
ter, as the personages are represented in a sort of
masquerade, such being the pleasure of the ac-
complished painter. Nevertheless, if you, the
proprietor, incline to have it engraved, I do not
see that I am entitled to make any objection.
But Mr. *** mentions besides, a desire to
have anecdotes of my private and domestic life,
or, as he expresses himself, a portrait of the author
in his night-gown and slippers ;—and this from
you, who, I dare say could furnish some anec-
dotes of our younger days which might now seem
ludicrous enough. Even as to my night-gown
and slippers I believe the time has been when the
articles of my wardrobe were as familiar to your
memory as Poins's to Prince Henry, but that
period has been for some years past; and I cannot
think it would be interesting to the public to learn
that I had changed my old robe-de-chambre for
a handsome douillette, when I was last at Paris.

The truth is, that a man of Ordinary sense
cannot be supposed delighted with the species of
gossip which, in the dearth of other news, recurs
to such a quiet individual as myself; and though
like a well-behaved lion of twenty years stand-
ing, I am not inclined to vex myself about what
I cannot help, I will not, in any case in which
I can prevent it, be accessary to these follies.
There is no man known at all in literature who
may not have more to tell of his private life than
I have : I have surmounted no difficulties either
of birth or education, nor have I been favoured
by any particular advantages, and my life has
been as void of incidents of importance, as that
of the weary knife-grinder.'
_ _ _ . _

Story ! God bless you! I have none to tell, Sir.'

" The follies of youth ought long since to
have passed sway ; and if the prejudices and ab-
surdities of age have come in their place, I will
keep them, as Beau Tibbs did his prospect, for
the amusement of my domestic friends. A mere
enumeration of the persons in the sketch is all
which I can possibly permit to be published re-
specting myself and my family ; and, as must
be the lot of humanity when we look back
seven or eight years, even what follows cannot
be drawn up without some very painful recol-
lections.

" The idea which our inimitable Wilkie
adopted was, to represent our family group in
the garb of south-country peasants, supposed to
be concerting a merry-making, for which some of
the preparations are seen. The place is the ter-
race near Kayside, commanding an extensive
view towards the Eildon-hills. 1. The sitting
figure, in the dress of a miller, I believe, repre-
sents Sir Walter Sott, author of a few scores of
volumes, and proprietor of Abbotsford, in the
county of Roxburgh. 2. In front, and present-
ing, we may suppose, a country. wag somewhat
addicted to poaching, 'stands Sir Adam Fergu-
son, Knight, Keeper of the Regalia of Scotland.
3. In the background is a very handsome old
man, upwards of eighty-four years old at the
time, painted in his own character of a shepherd.
He also belonged to the numerous clan of Scott.
He used to claim credit for three things unusual
among the southland shepherds : first, that he
had never been fore in the course of his life ;
secondly; that he never had struck a man in
anger; thirdly,. that though entrusted with
the management of large sales of stock, he
had never lost a penny for his master by a
bad debt. He died soon afterwards at Ab-
botsford. 4,5, 6. Of the three female
figures the- elder is the late regretted mother
of the family represented. 5. The young person
most forward in the groupe is Miss Sophia Char-
lotte Scott, now Mrs. John Gibson Lockhart ;
and 6, her younger sister, Miss Ann Scott.
Both are represented as ewe-milkers, with their
Hussars.l
s°n of S
n g7;naOnnhotildleingl e fat:fhoawnldi n go-f
lndge,sst
the
/ shepherd,in s, or rni
thek - p ayi los
u.
B.ir W aril;eire,
bnooyw
isCathpe-
youngest of the family, Charles Scott, now of
tpai ienc st
hteheKei
Brazennose College, OxfOrd. The two dogs
were distinguished favorites of the family ; the
large one was a stag-hound of the old Highland
breed, called IVlaida, and one of the handsomest
dogs that could be found : it was a present to me
from , the chief of Glengary, and was highly
valued, both on account of his beauty, his fidelity,
and the great rarity of the breed. The other is
a little Highland terrier, called Ourisk (goblin),
of a particular kind, bred in Kintail. It was a
present from the Honorable Miss Stuart Mac-

kenzie, and is a valuable specimen of a race which
is now also scarce. Maida, like Bran, Lerath,
and other dogs of distinction, slumbers beneath

•
.Jl7, '',T,i,;••)
44", AfilW,-;
hig Stone,' distinguished by an epitapli,lYl4‘
to the houour of Scottish scholarship 'be it
spoken, has only one false quantity in two lines.
Maid& marmarea dorthis sub imagine Maids
Ad janustn domini sit tibi terra ievi,
Ourisk still survives, but like soine other per-
sonages in the picture, with talents
avandteecnice-
tD rather ther: n
~ ttworsey , t
the
eo vr'ear. She hbo
,
records himself in
his journal as having sometimes been—sinfully
dogged and snappish.
"If it should suit Mr. * *'s purpose to
adopt the above illustrations, he is heartily wel-
come to them, but I make it my especial bargain
that nothing more is said upon such a meagre
subject.
" It strikes me, however, that there is a story
about old Thomas Scott, the ~lieplierd, which
is characteristic, and which I will make your
friend welcome to :—Tom was, both as a trusted
servant, and as a rich fellow' in-his line, a person
of considerable irupprtancoamong his class in the
neighbourhood, • aii‘tt.used to stickle a good deal
to keep his place ifipublic opinion. Now, he
sUffered, in his own idea at least, from the con-
sequence assumed by a country neighbour, who,
though neither so well-reputed for wealth or
sagacity as Thomas Scott, had yet an advan-
tage over him, from having seen the late King,
and used to take precedence upon all occasions
when they chanced to meet. Thomas suffered
under this superiority. But after this *etch
was finished, and exhibited in London, the
newspapers made it known that his present Ma-
-1 s
jesty had condescended to take some notice of
iSt.c-ott4eii oat hted with Ow circumstance, Thomas
on a most oppressively hot day, to
walk five miles to Bowden, where his rival re-
sided. He had no sooner entered the cottage
than he called out, in his broad forest dialect—
' Andro', man, did ye aces sey (see) the King?'
In troth did I, Tam,' answered Andro' ; sit
&own, and I'll tell ye 'a' about : Ye sey, I was
at London, in a place they ea' the Park, that
is, no like a hained hog-fence, or like the four-
nooked parks in this country—" Hout awa,' said
Thomas, I have heard a' that before : I only
came over the Know now to tell you, that, if
you have seen the King, the King has seen rney'
(me). And so he returned with a jocund heart,
assuring his friends it had done him muckle
gude to settle accounts with Andro".
"Jocose heec--as the old Laird of Restalrig
Writes to the Earl of Gowrie—farewell, my old,
tried, and dear friend of forty long years. Our
enjoyments must now be of a character less vivid
than those we have shared together.
" But still at our lot it were vain to repine,
Youth cannot return, or the days.of,Lang syne.'
" Yours affectionately,
" Abbotsford, Aug. 2, 1827. WALTER SCOTT."