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early days of the Disruption in Hawick. afterwards cast in his lot with the "Morisonians," and sat under the ministry of Rev, Mr. Duff.

He was the principal founder of the Evangelical Union cause on the Border. For some years Langholm congregation worshipped in the "bark hoose," lent to them by Mr. Scott. He was the chief agent in the erection of the present church, and was the first elder ordained, holding the office till his death. For many years he led the psalmody with his fine tenor voice, and in numerous other ways upheld the church. But whilst he was devoted to the E.U. cause he was no sectarian, other religious movements benefited by his co-operation and benevolence.

Holmfoot, which along with the grounds has been willed to the E.U. Church, was for many years the home of ministers and temperance advocates. Here they ever found a welcome, and were hospitably entertained. If it was for nothing else, Mr. and Mrs. Scott will long be remembered for their constant kindness to agents of every good cause.

Mr. Scott was a stalwart in the Temperance Reform, and an abstainer for over sixty years. He was for many years a Commissioner and a member of the School and Parochial Boards. All questions affecting the community had his attention. In politics he was a liberal. He acted as a J.P. for Dumfriesshire. Bowling, angling, and curling found in him a keen follower.

His end, which was not unexpected, was like a shock of corn in its season. A fitting end to such a life. A large part of the community turned out to show their respect to the deceased, who was laid to rest in the picturesque churchyard of Staple Gordon, where his wife had been laid two years before.

Few have served their day and generation better. He was in the best sense a self-made man. His upward climb was no mean feat. He was never ashamed of his start. Affectation was foreign to his nature. His well rounded life, with its integrity, Christian character, and marked success, offers an inspiration to toilers everywhere.

Borderers." One of the most eminent literary men of the Borders, Thomas Carlyle, says, 'Find great men if you can; if you cannot, quit not the search; in defect of great men, let there be noted men, in such number to such a degree of intensity as the public appetite can tolerate.' I have searched in the literary annals of the Borderland, and have found great men in such number that at the short time at my disposal I will be able to do little more than submit their names with a cursory reference to their respective qualities. Before I introduce to you these famous characters, permit me to say that the Borders is a name perhaps not older than the 13th century, and it is of interest to note that from the dawn of British history, our Borderland has exhibited in its annals the characteristics of a frontier, in so far as it has almost constantly formed the boundary between contending races and nations. It is first made known to us by Tacitus as part of the Kingdom of Brigantia, probably a Welsh-speaking race of Celts, or as it is commonly pronounced now adays Kelts, who ruled all the country between the Humber and Mersey, as far north as the Firth of Forth. Borderers, from the geographical position of their land, must necessarily have been a people strong, courageous, and warlike, and right down the centuries our Border history proves it. A strong character has always been the stamp of the hardy Borderer's face, and the strain of romance has had a very prominent share in the making of Border tradition. Dullness has for the most been unknown among them, and while they cannot be described as a frivolous people, a healthy activity can be claimed as a predominant trait in their character. Is it any wonder, then, that the list of famous Borderers is a long one?

The Borderland is the home of several ancient and illustrious families, such as the Douglases, the Scotts, the Kerrs, and the Elliots. They have been very prominent in the making of Border history. The oldest is that of Douglas, and when that noble and warlike family was on the decline, the Scotts of Buccleuch, it might be said, were reared on its ashes. The Minto Elliots form a famous clan; while the Kerrs, which come more immediately in touch with Jedburgh, have risen to great eminence. Had you wanted examples of men who had been famous in the less civilised accomplishments of marauding and reiving, I could have drawn a supply from these families, whose members in the earlier centuries I am sure were not behind in such acquirements. But even three centuries ago, in these rough and ready times, I find in the Kerr family that there have been representatives whose talents in the

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field of literature were of no mean kind. their labours in this field are perhaps not so well-known as the feats of valour performed by their distinguished brethren on the field of battle, I think it is very opportune that I should briefly notice one or two. Sir Robert Kerr, Earl of Ancrum, descended from Sir Andrew Kerr of Fernieherst, was the direct male ancestor of the present noble family of Lothian, and was born about 1578. He was an accomplished poet and courtier, and he succeeded to the family estate in 1590 on the assassination of his father, William Kerr, of Ancrum, by Robert Kerr, younger of Cessford, when the dispute about the seniority of the families of Fernieherst and Cessford ran so high. He was one of the ordinary gentlemen of the bedchamber who attended James Sixth on his accession to the throne of England. In the reign of Charles I. he was raised to the peerage by the titles of Earl of Ancrum and Lord Kerr of Nisbet. He died in Holland in 1654. The only specimen of his poetical powers extant is a beautiful "Sonnet in Praise of a Solitary Life," addressed to Drummond, of Hawthornden, in 1624, which; with a letter accompanying it, is included in Drummond's Works. Another eminent literary man connected with the Lothian family was Robert Kerr, a miscellaneous writer and translater, who was born in Roxburghshire, in 1755. His father was the James Kerr, of Bughtridge, who was a jeweller in Edinburgh, and his mother was the daughter of Lord Charles Kerr, second son of the first Marquis of Lothian. He studied medicine in the University of Edinburgh, and was admitted a member of the College of Surgeons. His works are mainly scientific, but include besides these "A Statistical, Agricultural, and Political Survey of Berwickshire," 1809, "Memoirs of the Life, etc., of William Smellie," 1811; "A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels," 1811; and "History of Scotland during the Reign of Robert Bruce," 1811.

In the sphere of Art I have not been able to find an artist who has risen to be famous, although we are, I am sure, all proud to see Mr. Tom Scott, of Selkirk, coming to the front. From the talents he has already shown, he may be expected to rise still higher.

In the

musical world I don't think there are any who have climbed the ladder of fame, yet the development of music is in no degree neglected on the Borders. But it may be of some interest to know that John Broadwood, the founder of the great piano factory, was a mechanic, and a native of Cockburnspath, Berwickshire. removing to London he acquired the friendship of Tschudi, an instrument maker, and became

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In Science we soon discover great names, and Jedburgh furnishes the most distinguished, that of Sir David Brewster, who was an eminent Scottish natural philosopher. He was born in the Canongate of Jedburgh, on December 11, 1781, and was educated at the Grammar School here, where his father was Rector for many years. As is well-known Sir David entered deeply on the study of optics, with which his name is now enduringly associated. In 1832, he was knighted, and had a pension conferred upon him. was one of the chief originators of the British Association, and in 1859 he was chosen Principal of Edinburgh University. He made important discoveries in every branch of the great subject of polarisation, and in most departments of optics. The most immediate practical result of Brewster's discoveries was the introduction to British lighthouses of the dioptric system, the honour of having elaborated which he shared with Fresnel. I am not able here to go into details with regard to this great scientist, but I would like to mention the name of Mr. James Veitch, of Inchbonny, grandfather of the present Mr. Veitch. This gentleman was abreast of all the physical science of his time, and acquainted with most of the prominent students of his day. Sir David Brewster, when a young man, was very intimate with Mr. Veitch, who, I have not the least doubt, would have a strong influence in determining the future career of Brewster. In passing, it may be mentioned that Mr. Veitch drew up a little work entitled, "Tables for converting the weights and measures hitherto used in Roxburghshire into the Imperial Standards," which was published by authority of the Justices of Peace at Jedburgh, by Walter Easton, in 1826.

The people of Jedburgh will ever cherish the memory of Mary Somerville, a profoundly scientific lady of the present century. She was in a great measure self taught, and was the authoress of the "Mechanism of the Heavens," and other works. Dr. Somerville, to whom I will afterwards refer, a former minister of Jedburgh, was uncle, and father-in-law, to Mary Somerville.

One of the most eminent men of science at

the present time is a Borderer. I speak of Dr. J. A. H. Murray, a native of Denholm, who, as a philologist takes a place in the first rank. He is the president of the Philological Society of England, and is the principal editor of that monumental work, the "New English Dictionary on Historical Principles," at present in process of publication. He published in 1873, a book on the "Dialect of the South of Scotland," which gained for him from the University of Edinburgh the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. The doctor has risen from comparative obscurity, and has shown that in every case a man is not the product of his circumstances, but that sometimes the circumstances are the product of the man. In Classical Literature the Borders are well represented in the person of Dr. William Veitch, who was born in Lanton, and was the author of a well-known and standard work on the Greek verbs. He was well-known as Greek Veitch. His portrait is in Edinburgh Picture Gallery. He was one of the lairds of Lanton, where he used to spend his holidays.

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I shall now introduce to your notice a medical gentleman who belonged to the Borders, and whose reputation was world-wide. Everyone has heard of Dr. Buchan's famous book on "Domestic Medicine," but perhaps everyone does not know that the village of Ancrum is responsible for this popular medical writer of great celebrity. William Buchan, M.D., was born there in 1729. He started his career as a divinity student, but finally he devoted the whole of his time to medicine. In 1769 he published his famous work "Domestic Medicine The Family Physician." This was, perhaps, the most popular book of its kind ever issued. Its success was great, and before the death of its author in 1805, nineteen large editions had been sold, amounting to 80,000 copies. The book became so very popular on the Continent, that in a very short time after its publication, no language in Christendom, not even the Russian, wanted its translation. The Empress Catherine of Russia, sent the author a gold medallion accompanied with a complimentary letter. Dr. Buchan was a man of pleasing exterior, most agreeable manners, and great practical benevolence, and it is said that he cherished no species of antipathy, except one against apothecaries, whom he believed to be a set of rogues, actuated by no principle, except a wish to sell their own drugs, at whatever hazard to their patients. He removed to London in 1778, where he died, and was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey. In his "Death and Dr. Hornbook," Burns refers to Dr. Buchan in the following lines:

In Memoriam.

LORD NAPIER AND ETTRICK.

DIED, DECEMBER 19, 1898.

OUR cheeks are wet, as well they may,
We ne'er shall see his like again.
In ripe old age has passed away
The noble lord of Thirlstane.

But lives like his they never die :

Behind their fragrance doth remain, A kind deed is a thing of joy,

Love blossomed sweet at Thirstane. With true humility confessed,

The cold bleak wind of March did brave: And followed to his silent rest

The nameless pauper to the grave. No titled rank, exalted name,

Did stay his hand in hour of need. The poor man's blessing was his fame,

That fell in showers upon his head.

Ettrick, he loved thee not by stealth,

Neither was his affection vain. Dearer to him than India's wealth

Were the green woods of Thirlstane.
We laid him gently down to sleep,

Our tears they mingled with the rain.
The wintry winds their vigils keep
O'er the good lord of Thirlstane.

THE ETTRICK BARD.