A POET, PROFESSOR AND PUGILIST.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 201, 29 August 1887, Page 8

A POET, PROFESSOR AND PUGILIST.

Most people have heard of John Wilson, 1 poet, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the Edinburgh University, a boxer whose fists were dfeaded even by the Phonal hunting-man, and anglerv-about the strangest mix up of character t-fcat ever existed in one piece of humanity, f ben he yaaaJ Oxford there was a noted pugilist m the classic town, named Jack Svands, dreaded by everyone, and who was very fondl of playing tho bully in wnseomence. One day he met Wilson while out W_kva% and according to his wont, tried So- pick a quarrel with him. The young B*jent at once offered to fight. "Fight rfJ cued the fellow. " Don't you know who .1- am . "Oh, yes; I know who yon are, -and l mean to let you feel who I am," w«w the cool rejoinder; and in five minutes\ Mr Jacks Soands had got his belly-full. £on must be either Jack Wilson or the di-wii, for I was never licked in Oxford befoi-e, he said, as he tried to staunch the flown*-. stream from his nasal organ. Bat, abo\-V^ all, Wilson was an enthusiastic angler, anc* was so lucky with his rod that it seemed as* if there was a competition among the trout as to which should first have the honour of swallowing his bait, for they came to him not in single files, but in battalions. Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, used to tell a story how Wilson once came into a Scotch country inn, where a famished party h«d eaten up all in the house, and were still hungry. "Do you like trout?" inquired the professor. Of course they did. Upon which he proceeded to produce the resullt of his day's sport. " His creel was fu'." jsays the shepherd, "his shooting-bap: eras* in, his jacket pouches were fu', the pouches fii his very breeks were fu', half a cfizen wee anes in his waistcoat, no' to forget them in itfio croon of his hat, and last ot a', there beuig no place to stow away ony mair, a willow wand drawn through the gills of soi_3 dizzen great big anes." To repea< a few of his angling feats-in one place be* took, sir, at another 10, at another 18 -rfozen. One day, whilo limping about, -"..ving wounded bis heel leaping with a band of tinkers, the professor hegan to fish in Loch Awe. He hooked ono of the large trout for which the lake is famous. His line was weak, and, afraid to lose the fish, he cast himself into the loch, yielding to the motions of the strong creature until it became fatigued and manageable. Then be swam ashore with his victim, and carried it home; the injured heel, for which he had no bandage, bleeding all the way.