THE SCOT ABROAD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1182, 26 November 1880, Page 2

THE SCOT ABROAD.

It is a Scotch proverb that," A Scotsman, a crow, and a Newcastle grindstone travel a' the world over." The Scotch, very singularly, are far less insular than the English ; it is said they differ less from the general type of Europeans ; they adapt themselves more to the habits and modes of thought of other nations ; it is said, and that on the Continent, they mark themselves far less strongly, and conform to foreign ways more easily and naturally than the English. It is far more usual to meet with a continentalized Englishman. A story was told during the Crimean war of the disappointment of an Englishman who went out to the East as an interpreter, and whose ruling passion was a hatred of everything Scotch ; but strolling through the camp with a Turkish officer, and abusing the Scotch to his heart's content, to his astonishment Hassan Bey, the Turk, broke out, " I'll tell ye what ma mon, gin ye daur lowse yere tongue upon my country like that, I'll eie ye a cloot on the lug. that'll make' it tingle fra this fill Hollowe'en .'" The thunderstruck Englishman stammered out, " Why, my good man, I thought you were a Turk !" - "And sac ! lam a Turk he noo, ma braw chiel," said the angry Glasgow Mussulman, " but my faith er's auld leather breeks ne'er travelled farther than just fra j Glasgow to Greenock and back again ; but when IJgang hame — as I'll do or it's lansr — I'll just be Wnlly Forbes' son o' auld Daddy Forbes o' the Gorbals' ; for a' that's come and gane !" Presently. a splendidly-dressed Hungarian came up and said to the Turk, " Wully, mon, there's a truce the noo for two hours ; just come wi' me and we'll hae a glass o' whusky thegither." It was the same with a Russian Officer, until the Englishman exclaimed, "Bles3 my heart ! is everybody on earth a, Scotchman? Perhaps I am one myself "without knowing it !" But when the Russian General Tarassoff exclaimed, " Eh, Donald Cawnell ! are ye here ?" and Ibrahim Haaha burst forth, simultaneously, "What Sandy Robertson ! can this be you?" the Englishmen burst forth, "It's all over ! Turks, Russians, Hungarians, English — all Scotchmen ! Its more than I can bear ! I shall go home ; there's nothing left for me to do here. I came out as an interpreter, but if all the nations of Europe talk nothing, but Scotch, what use can Ibe 1" This seems very droll, but it is not more droll than real. .