Anecdotes of Sir Walter Scott.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 46, 27 May 1875, Page 6

Anecdotes of Sir Walter Scott .

. ' " Some Old Letters," in '. Scribner * for March, are accompanied by a hitherto unpublished life sketch of Sir Walter Sbott, by the celebrated . artist ..Gilbert. Stuart Newton. ' In this instalment of "Old Letters " we. find the following anecdotes of the author of" Waverley." "■At half-past six we went to dine with the Fergussons. The Doctor was quite ill with a cold. Sir Adam Fergusson, Sir Walter Scott's intimate apd confidential friend, dined there ; ourselves, Mrs L., and one of- her daughters. "We had a very charming dinner, for Sir Adam has the most marvellous powers of description :" : He •made us laugh heartily, and. told us, too, a great many interesting anecdotes . about Sir Walter Scott. He is >a. very remarkable person himself. , He is the original of Dugald Dalgetty." "This 'is -all I finddn:the old .letters ; about, the dinner, but I must tell what I can recollect of the account Mrs X.gave me of it in, later years. Sir. Adam, ..she said, was a tall, grey-haired man, with a broad Scotch accent. He described how one early morning, in Sir Walter Scott's library, when he and Sir Walter tried to make the fire of peat burn, and, after many efforts, succeeded in some degree, at this moment onb of the . dogs, dripping from a plunge in the lake, scratched and whined, at the window. At last Sir Walter let the " puir creature " in, who, coming up before the little fire, shook: hia .shaggy?, hide, sending a perfect shower-bath over the fire and over a great table of loose manuscripts. Sir Walter, eyeing, the. scene- .with his usual serenity,- /said slowly: — "Oh! dear, ye've done a great deal of mischief." It reminds us of the tale related of Newton., „Onjhis same occasion of the, dinner, Sir Adam Fergusson told of . travelling with Sir Walter on the Continent and going to see the troops ori donkeys/ and he; performed both donkeys and riders with his fingers on the fable," until his audience was in ah agony of laughter, /Fergusson passed the evening with us, and we had some music. I asked him, as he was so fond of listening-, if he. didn't sing a little himself, . " I'll tell you. an anecdote of Sir Walter Scott," said he, " that will answer your question. One night, when I was staying at ford, Aiine Scott had been: singing to 'the accompaniment of her harp a Scotch 'ballad with a wail of her, chorus. Sir Walter; turned to me, saying in his : strong Scotch accent : NpQ Jr Fergusson, gie, us~a.Jio.wl VX. . ".D&TffI&QQSL o.f my visits there," continued Dv, Fergusson, •" among other guests - was Hogg, the Ettr'ick Shepherd. I heard .a horrible noise in an adjoining room,, and* after, .listening some moments to it, became alarmed, and said to my host : What is. that noise '?" " " Oh !" said he,' " it's ; Hogg —just Hogg composing his verses. ! He always^ sings r them : as' hewrites them." ;,. Though he: liked some rude strains, Scott could well attune his ear to softer music, and was very fond of the Moore song K. sing 3, that ends : " Short as the Persian's prayer, his prayer at close of day, Should be each yow .of love's repeatjtig. ■: Quick let him worship beauty's precious ray, E'en while he kneels that ray is nepting," He used to say," Come X., let me have that Persian's prayer," and he would listen with great delight to the singing of it. .They recalled an amusing story of an?.,old servant who. had lived with' Scott for nearly a' lifetime, and became very much "spoiled.' 7 Sir Walter at last ;; put jof} patience with his sins of omission and commission, said : — " Donald, I think we must part." " Part ! why ? Where's your honor going"?"- - Of course peace was'-made, and Donald remained. They told sadly of the; dear old" man returning, from Italy (where he -went for hisl health), with his memory impaired. Mrs Arkwright,-. -who had set^.his ..^.Pirate's Farewell to t Minna " ?tq musip, .sang it to him. et Those ara very pretty verses," said Sir Walter. .'/ Who., wrote them;?" Charles Scott, Sir Walter's second.soiv is a very cleveiy agreeable,' manl '? i£ see a good, deal of him . in the { Lqckharts'', here; and elsevyhere.: ,^r -Walter- r was most proud of : his eldest J.'sorT -Walter, who is rather a dull fellow,; 'but large and fine looking, : His' father 'used to say that it was enough if a boy- knewhow to ride and speak, the- truth?;, those were the most- -important ; things. Charles Scott. made> ; me; [laugh about visitors at Sir Walter's house and.Melrose Abbey. .See the. A-bbe^by^moon-light they must, because of the KneS-s- --" If thou woold'st view fair Melrose aright - - Go .visit It by the pale : iaoonUghL'?. {' ) ,y " And many a time," said Charles Scott,'." when, the ;moon; was JnotrTCpflvenient,l took a lantern to product theeffect;?? — -yyA- yr^^Y t:o y 7 : :i y :