The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-07-16


with the enclosed letter on my accompt.-
will settle any accompts that may be due
by you here. After this, l conceive that
80 far as actual expenses "a word is here
scored over, you are now qualified by ed
ucation to support yourself do not ex-
pect that you can make much at first, and
Of course you may have some difficulties
But this must and ought to be the case
with all new beginners. You have in my
hands e100, bequeathed you by my mother
which Fhope you will be able to save till
some favorable opportunity of employing
it to advantage in your business, being all
you have to trust to. But ofcourse l will
be DESTROYS at all times to attend to your
interests while find you are industrious
and well behaved, which 1 sincerely hope
may be the case. On the contrary should
you fall into idle company, to which there
is much temptation, you cannot expect
that l should continue my regard Let
Inc hear from you, when you get to London,
how you are settled. Twill ask Mr.. Lock-
hart when he comes to town to give look
after you.
Remember to employ your evenings we'll.
If they are wasted in idle places of amuse-
ment they will bring you nothing but ex-
pense and sorrow. But ifyou employ them
in reading useful books, they will lead you
gradually to an independent and honora
BILE state of society. l might say much
more; but there is enough for you to read
if you take heed Of it, and too much if you
do not. am and will hope have always
reason to continue to be, your affectionate
uncle,
VS. WALTER SCOTT.
Edinburg, 18th March, 1927.
William Scott died in the st. Andrews
Home on April 9th. His body was kept in
winter vaults till 18th June, Saturday week,
when Mr.. Somerville and three others
buried him in beautiful spot in Mount
Royal Cemetery (St. Andrews grounD on
a prominence in the green bosom of the
mountain.
He was in his earlier years employed in
mercantile life, being apprenticed to (using
Audubon's word, the wonderful David
Bridges of Edinburg." And when he first
came to Canada, he was employed in stores
In the rebellion of 1878 he served as a
volunteer; and when the railroads were
constructed he was employed as a time
keeper and overseer of workmen. Later,
he assisted in the shipping of flour in stores
at the canal, in Montreal. He was in the
Hospital four years ago and operated on
for disease of which he at last died.
cancer in the stomach. After that, being
destitute, he was sent to the Refuge, but
refused to enter, and said he would rather
die than do so. He lay for two nights in
a shed near the Lachine Canal. He was
admitted to the St. Andrews Home in
1867. He split wood there, as Mr.. Somer-
vile states, and did little "chores" outside
as he could obtain them. At one time he
was employed as an assistant at the skat-
ing rink. He was man of naturally proud
temper, and felt that he had claims to some
status, in that he was Scott. But when
he communicated this fact, it was only to
be jeered at, and one gentleman in Mon
treal whom the world had prospered, but
who was himself of very poor origin, pro-
posed to him that he should leave the
Home and.clean his table knives and black
his boots. William would probably have
done so for living had his state ofhealth
permitted. All this wounded him,--in
fact cruelty so. 1t was at this time that
Mr.. Somerville, his fellow boarder, sifted
out and made plain the fact of his relation
ship. He was man of clear mind and
fair education, and could pick out the
contents of a newspaper or magazine
more quickly than most others.
He came to Canada instead of going to
London as advised by his uncles letter,
and went to visit his mother at Selkirk
previously to doing so. There had then as
since arisen some doubt of his legitimacy.
He was assured by her that she was pri-
vately married to his father, Lieut. Daniel
Scott, H. M, 9th Regiment, at Edinburg-
He had, then, in those early days the same
sensitiveness as to the legitimacy of his
relationship to the author of Waverley, as
so plagued from the .eers of those to whom
he communicated that fact in his later
years. But there were some who were to
do generous sevice to him when the rela-
tionship was established. They did not,
however, when it was; and he would at
last have died in the streets or q charity
ward in the Hospital, but for the care of
the st. Andrews Home. The consultations
that soothed his last days were those affor-
ded by the kindly and sensitive and active
sympathy of Somerville and Mrs. Camp
bell, the admirable matron of the Home
we saw admirable for she spares no labour.