The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-12-22
Foa rur CEsrAAL PzEssyrERIAS.
LETTERS Or DAVIg CALDER TO AN
ELGIN GENTLEMAN.
No 2.

Dear L At Klnross my memory was
alive to the sorrow of Queen Mary, about
whom no less man than Schiller wrote a
tragedy. The Dramstist vas not destitute OF
a SIC for the gorios of nature, but we are
not able to say whether it extended to the
aesthetic, of morals The two qualities
which ought always to be coupled together,
have often been separated even 10 poets.-
They we're so in Burns, and it is morally
wrong to gloss over his infrmiies. lie
might have spent his il 'e in a garden, but
much of is was passed in district wild and
dresry as the L1ehaber of Inverness. 1t
bsrds and other men Of letters will not seek
the blessings of piety, they ought at least to
be exempt from all odious vices. They can
study Moral Science, bat do they reduce to
practice the virtues which the science re-
cOmmenda Judging from his cOrrespon-
dence, Schiller was a scap ic, and from Bal
wers memoir not always virtuous. He
became so in after life.
Il was at Kinross that the young Queen
landed, after her escape from the castle on
an island of the Loeb, which was once a
royal residence. There sdherents awaited
her arrival, and supplied a pony, probably
equal to the one which has borne me so often
on excursions from E gin. Take care of
that dappled 0,kney during my absence.-
Its name is Marnig bui often contracted to
Mar. This was given by the man from whom
it was bought. Bat we must not forget the
Queen, who pranced on to Langside, where
the battle was fought which decided her fate.
The Earl cf Murray, sssssinsted in 1870,
was arrayed against the Qleep, so lovely in
face and form; but no doubt his motives
were patriotic All Scotland was cOnvulsed
Revolutions move forward, and God was
redeeming our country from that nondescript
religion called Papistry. Poor Mary Stuart !
She reached England, but imprisonment
awaited her. and removals from castle to cas-
tie until &C FotheriOg gay, in 1851, she laid
down her life. No doubt she was weary of
the world. TIE Kings Of Lombardy wore a
crown Of gold, but it was iimmed with iron,
aud she found hers to be heavy, though &C.
cordiDg to the EsGick Shepherd all the
bards of Scotland convened TO bid her vel,
eome upon her arrival from France. Wick
ed deeds bave besu charged to her account,
but historians differ in their opinions. 1t
pa,tlcePs erimiAis Ia tn taking of OF her
husband, that tact alone would have created
dark cloud which to her vision st least
could never have worn silver lining But
speculation is useless in the midst of impen-
etrsble mystery At all events her execu.
ton was a murder. Let us call things by
their right names. We believe with SiI
James Mcintosh that right over her per-
son did not belong to Elizabeth. France
and not Eggland should have sent Napoleon
to ST. Helena, for he was deservedly Ouilawed
As Liverpool. We shall say nothing
about It's commerce and manufactures
though my friend Charles Green has pOsteC
me up on all such things. My aim is to b
short. We went to look at that part Of tht
Mersey in which Spenser was drowned
Not the author of Fairy Queen, but yOunl
minister about twenty years of age who haC
preached over England with great effect
We felt something like Milton when h
mouIned over his friend lost on the lrlsl
Sea. He was on the eve Of being married
and is not marriage sacred Institution Z f,
her unto the man. What must have bee
the admiration of the chief Of our race a
the lovely creature approached his presenc
to utter her nuptial vows, and perform tn
rites of homage 10 her Lord ? The marrisg
ring Of Jeremy Taylor is poem rather tha
q sermon. We dlnt like him, fJr be was
bitter prosecutor of the Scotch Irish, and
is my purpose to look on their descendant
in the Valley of Virginia. Perhaps We ma
travel its whole distance from the marvels {
Harper's Ferry to the Cave of Abingdor
through which rivulet meanders. 1t woul
remind US of Rob Roy's retreat. HO
could he have been so lawless where Loc
Lomond smiled in proximity, and Ben Let
flowed at no great distance? Being d
scended not from him, bat some of his clal
we are disposed to soften some of his delil
quencies as far as possible. He was cheatt
out of his property. But he ought to ha'
remembered that God is rich who owns &
the minerals of the Universe. He VI
ayenge our wrongs and give US if He plea
sll the rock crystals in the Cairngor
mountain between Banf and Inverness. '