THE

CALCUTTA REVIEW.

ART. I. Lives of the Lindsays; or, A Memoir of the House of Crawford and Balcarres, by Lord Lindsay; to which are

ERRATA.

Calcutta Review, No. XXVI.

At page 243, line 20, (Article "Lindsays in India") for "served under Lord Lindsay in the war" &c. read "served, says Lord Lindsay, in the war" &c.

At page 248, 8 lines from the bottom, for "unprovided_army" read " improvised army."

At page 252, immediately after Lord Wellesley's letter, for "We can not say much for the ingeniousness" read "We can not say much for the ingenuousness.” At page 408, line 6 from the bottom, (Article "Civis on Indian Affairs") for "discussed at Pilsit" read "discussed at Tilsit."

At page 413, line 12, for "Surwandurrah” read "Purwandurrah."

line 24, for "insolent and definite" read "insolent and defiant." At page 418, lines 10 and 11, for "Government Settlement" read "Permanent Settlement."

Page 427, first line after the quotation, "For studying the history" &c. dele "for."

against Tippu. Their own narratives are contained in the third volume of the Lives of the Lindsays, and some incidental notices of them may be collected from the preceding volume. We are not quite sure that, in every instance, these different narratives completely harmonize; but we must not expect too

F F

indeed, that the names of those who are in Government or any kind of recognised employment at home would not occupy more than a line or two of this journal. But hundreds retire to England with a quarter of a century or more of good work in them. They are not "used up." Many, indeed, are full of intellectual energy, and, revived by residence in the bracing climate of the West, are in better working condition than ever. It is lamentable to think of the waste of administrative talent 4+ པས ལྟ ལྟར ཀ1ཀཅཨ

two countries from the establishment of steam-communication between India and Australia. It would be difficult, we believe, to exaggerate them.

THE

CALCUTTA REVIEW.

ART. I.- Lives of the Lindsays; or, A Memoir of the House of Crawford and Balcarres, by Lord Lindsay; to which are added Extracts from the Official Correspondence of Alexander, Sixth Earl of Balcarres, during the Maroon War; together with personal narratives by his brothers, the Hon. Robert, Colin, James, John and Hugh Lindsay, and by his sister, Lady Anne Barnard. 3 vols. London. Murray. 1849.

THESE Volumes were written, printed, and reviewed by one. influential periodical, so long ago, that, although they were only published last year, they have already a flavour of antiquity about them. We do not address ourselves to their consideration with less relish for that. It may be doubted whether the work, being bulky and costly, has found its way into extensive circulation in this part of the world. A large proportion of our readers are probably unacquainted with its contents. And it is just one of those lively, gossiping, anecdotical books, which the Indian reviewer, who is compelled (for the most part) to base his articles on somewhat weighty reports and solid parliamentary papers, seizes with avidity in the expectation of discovering, in its contents, some lighter matter, wherewith to enliven the learned dulness of his pages.

The Lives of the Lindsays is a book abounding in incident, and overflowing with personal anecdote. The greater part of the work lies far away beyond our reach. We have nothing to do with the home-staying Lindsays. It is permitted to us only to gossip with those who have qualified for the Oriental. We have fortunately, in the first line, a civilian and two soldiers on our list to say nothing of a ship-captain, who, in due time, became a member of the Court of Directors; and some distant cousins whom, perhaps, we may leave to themselves. Robert Lindsay went out to India as a writer; James and John fought against Tippú. Their own narratives are contained in the third volume of the Lives of the Lindsays, and some incidental notices of them may be collected from the preceding volume. We are not quite sure that, in every instance, these different narratives completely harmonize; but we must not expect too

F F

much from senile garrulity. It is something, when the talk of old people about themselves and their families is never by any means dull.

The family of the Lindsays, with which we have to do, is that of James, Earl of Balcarres, who commenced the family memoirs. Eleven children were born to the Earl. Of these, Lady Anne Lindsay, afterwards Lady Anne Barnard, the authoress of the touching ballad of "Auld Robin Gray," was the eldest, the ablest, and the most interesting. For the liveliest portion of these volumes, we are indebted to her never-failing animal spirits, her pleasant humour, and her graphic style. After recording the event of her own birth, she says:" My 'father's patience was happily rewarded next year by the birth of a son and heir, my dear Cummerland; a twelve-month ' after came my beloved Margaret; Robert and Colin followed them as soon as possible; James, William, Charles, and John did not lag long behind; my dear little sister Elizabeth ' almost closed the procession, though not entirely; Hugh, though last, not least beloved, finishes my list." Here was a family of eight sons and three daughters; a wild and rebellious party, whom Lady Balcarres was obliged to keep under controul with a strong hand. Perhaps, there was a little too much of the "iron rule." "Odsfish, madam," cried the Earl sometimes, when he found little misdemeanours punished as great crimes, you will break the spirits of my young troops. I will not have it so." No fear of that. The young troops grew up with spirit enough for all purposes; Lady Anne never lost hers to the latest day of her life. The house was turned into a sort of Bastille; and there was a culprit sobbing in every closet. "O my Lady, my Lady," cried little Robert from his dark prison," whip me and let me go, if you please." "Excellent Robert!" exclaims Lady Anne-it is a touching apostrophelet me be pardoned for a digression quite out of date; but can a better time ever arrive to prove how thoroughly good minds pardon severity arising from right meanings, when I mention that it is now, at the chateau of Balcarres, inhabited by Robert, who well remembers the closet of his imprisonment, that our dear old mother, encompassed by her grand-children, ⚫ derives from him and his excellent wife all the solaces of her extreme old age-eighty-five? It is wrong to tell this so soon; but I may die;-so it shall be told now."

We are now fairly introduced to Robert. We see him crying, as a baby, in the closet, and solacing his old mother, almost an old man himself. We must do something to fill up this interval of more than half-a-century. Robert and Colin," writes Lady

6

Anne Barnard, were light and shade to each other. Though we talk of them as children, their characters will do for life. Robert was less handsome than his younger brother, but his countenance had much of the bon ami in it. He possessed 'sound sense without quick abilities, kind attachments and bene' volence without parade, bluntness and sweetness, with a natural mercantile genius for improving the two-pence per week, which was allowed him for his menus plaisirs; but, when improved, it was at any body's service, who needed it more than himself. Colin, on the other hand, had an elegant person and accomplished mind; he had oratory, dignity, and prodigality. Robert bought a knife for six-pence, used it for three months, and sold it to Colin for a shilling:-Colin discovered this, and complained of his brother in terms so judicious and pathetic, that the whole family pronounced that Robert must be a merchant, and Colin my Lord Chancellor. Robert was forthwith destined to go to India, as a writer to the Company, and Colin was bred to the Bar. 'Tis by trifles such as this, that the destinies of mankind are generally decided."

6

Colin, however, entered the army, became a soldier, and a good one too; and died a general officer. As for Robert, it does not appear, from his own account of the matter, that he was forthwith destined for India on the strength of the mercantile transaction above recorded, and the premature development of commercial cleverness that it indicated. He seems rather to have been designed for an European mercantile career. At least, at the age of fourteen, he was carried off to Cadiz by a maternal uncle, and there settled for a time in a mercantile house-from which he was removed to another commercial establishment at Xeres, under the superintendence of Mr. (afterwards Sir James) Duff, a cousin of the Lindsays, "with directions to have him improved in the Spanish language without delay." To accomplish this, he was entrusted to the tutorship of some Franciscan monks, who treated him very kindly, and tried hard to convert him to Papacy. "Had I remained much 'longer there," says Robert Lindsay, "they might have succeeded. Fortunately, in four months, I was recalled to Cadiz, where the gaieties of the town soon made me forget the mys. 6 teries of the convent."

Some months had passed away, and young Robert had" nearly made up his mind to continue in the house, when a circumstance occurred to change his destination to a distant part of 'the globe." What this circumstance was, we are not informed. The distant part of the globe, however, was Bengal. In the spring of the year 1772, Robert Lindsay embarked for