The record-union., 1892-05-28
SIR WALTER SCOTT.
Memories of the Great Author and the
EttricH Shepherd.


George Croall of Edinburgh has been
relating to a Scottish Leader represent
ative some interesting "reminiscences of
Scott and the Ettrick Shepherd. One of
Mr.. Croall's earliest recollections is
seeing the Forty-second Highlanders
march up the Canongate of Edinburgh,
with flags flying and pipes skirling, on
the return from Waterloo. He was asked
what he remembered about Scott.
"Oh, ay! Sir Walter,' he replied.
"Well do mind him. Why, remember
when a youngster, all the excitement
created by the Scotch Novels and can
recall Fastening to Constable's to buy a
copy of Quentin Durward' on the morn
ing of it's publication"
''That was in 1923 - nearly seventy
years ago."
"True enough; it's long time to look
back on now. But few years later l
came Unto closer touch with Sir Walter.
l had the good luck, you know, to be
present-as one connected with the
musical arrangements of the evening-at
the theatrical fund dinner, when Scott
first revealed himself as The Great I'm
known"
Then you heard the famous confess
sion?"
"Yes; 1 was standing not far from the
great novelist when he made it. l re-
member the speeches well-they were re-
ported, by the way. by my father, who
was for forty years sub-editor of the Gale
DOMAIN Mercury, and became the doyen
of the Scottish dress"
81 suppose the declaration caused great
eXcitement?"
s'It did that. The impression had got
about somehow that Sir Walter was 90
ing to make an important statement, and
all the guests of the evening-there were
about 300-were in state of intense, but
suppressed, curiosity"
'It was Lord Meadowbank, l think,
who first gave the hint of what was COM
ing"
"It was-Lord Meadowbank, the Judge.
/ remember when he dramatically re-
ferred to the mighty magician who had
rolled back the curtain of tine, as stand
ing revealed, the enthusiasm was some
thing extraordinary. | can picture it all
before my eyes now as clear. as if it had
taken place yesterday-people jumping
on chairs and tables, waving glasses and
handkerchiefs, and all joining in wild
and deafening burst of cheering at the
announcement. And then | can see Sir
Walter, in his dress suit, aud leaning on
his stick, rising at the head of the table
he was Chairman that evening-to re-
spond to the ovation, his playful speech
coufessing the total and undivided author
ship of the Waverly novels, his toasts to
Mr.. Mackey, the first actor of Bailie Nicol
Jarvie, and his little joke about the
small known now, Mr.. Bailie.'n
but you saw more Of Scott afterward,
did you not ?''
"Oh, yes. / was at Abbotsford sew
eral times in professional capacity, as
have mentioned in my musical 'Centen-
ary Souvenir published twenty years
ago, and once Sir Walter asked me to
play him some Scotch music. the last
time l saw him was after his return from
the continent, when he was close to his
end"
And then the veteran discloses how
once, somewhere in the thirties, he drank
tea with Hogg, ''the Ettrick Shepherd -
at his farmhouse, Mount Benger, and
afterward rode thirty miles of unbroken
solitude to Galashiels by moonlight,
! fording the Ettrick aud Yarrow by the
way, and doing it all in three hours.
"a plain, genial man was James Hogg
at his own table. He spoke broad Scotch
and told lively story about a fox hunt
afterward in BtacktU00d'S Magazine. A
third famous Scottish poet / can recall
was Thomas Campbell, whom ] saw at
the great banquet in the Edinburgh The
ater Royal on the occasion of the fourth
| centenary OF the art Of printing"