of a border chief, whether upon his own neighbour or the southern foe, for it commands a ready passage into Ettrick and Eskdale, Ewesdale and Teviotdale, and all the districts connected therewith. I got a hearty welcome from the shepherd and his wife, and an excellent repast of sweet-milk, and bread and cheese; but not the least pleasing part of the picture was an artless browned-eyed lassie with the old man's cart driving in the winter's hay. In the corners and windows of the cottages I remarked several blocks of freestone, evidently the remains of the tower, and the gude-wife informed me that, within the last thirty years, many cart loads had been taken down the country for other buildings, and that she had broken up a great deal for scattering upon her floor. So much for departed strength. The situation of Howpaslot had escaped even the observation of the great border magician himself. And he, too, now sleeps with his ancestors! I attended his funeral, and perhaps my own name will thereby be handed down to latest posterity."*

It is a singular circumstance, that while the foregoing pages were in the progress of printing, an old soldier, who had not the slightest idea that any notice of the family of Scott was about to be published, addressed a letter to me, requesting professional advice relative to a legal claim upon the property of Davington, which he hoped to recover. This correspondent, who signs himself William Scott, turns out to be the lineal heir-male of the eldest branch of Howpaslot and Thirlestane. His letter, which he permits me to add to these anecdotes of his family, speaks for itself, and so much shall be extracted as, by an extraordinary coincidence, happens to

* Letter to the author, dated Thirlestane, 15th October 1832.

bear, though unconsciously to the writer of it, directly upon the subject in hand. It is dated, "Lennoxtown near Longtown, Cumberland, 19th May 1835," and informs me as follows:

In

"I served in the 90th Regiment from 11th May 1794 to 10th December 1817, a period of twenty-three years and nine months, the whole time with Major-General Mark Napier, who, I presume, is your relation.* the year 1833, the late and much to be lamented the Right Honourable William John Lord Napier of Merchiston, Thirlestane, &c. took much pains and trouble to find out if there was in existence any of the lineal descendants of the original Scotts of Thirlestane, Howpaisley, &c. and where to be found. Upon this rumour in the country I wrote to his Lordship, who was then in London, sending him my genealogy up to Robert Scott of Davington, my great-grandfather. His Lordship immediately acknowledged my letter in a manly and disinterested manner, subscribing himself a 'faithful kinsman,' and requesting to continue the correspondence, and to give him all the information in my power of the family of Davington, as the representative of the original Scotts of Thirlestane was to be found in that family. He frankly said he was well aware he belonged to the younger branch, as Patrick of Tanlawhill and Sir Robert were cousins-german. I am lineally descended from Sir Robert Scott and Catherine Jardine of Jardine Hall, from father to son. It is Sir Robert's second marriage I mean. Scott of Harden's daughter was Sir Robert's first wife, and their son, the heir of Thirlestane, was murdered, for which my progenitor

*The author's paternal uncle; a Scott of Thirlestane, who had thus unconsciously commanded his chief for so long a period.

was sorely blamed (I mean Catherine Jardine) for being concerned in that crime; that was the beginning of all the misery and poverty that has since befallen her unfortunate but innocent offspring, and the long lawsuit between my great-grandfather Robert Scott of Davington and Sir Francis Scott of Thirlestane gave the finishing stroke. Sir Francis was Patrick's son, and grandfather to the first Lord Napier, Sir William's son.*.... You will see by this time I am not a grammar scholar, and have not the art of putting much into small compass.† .... I have also to inform you there is only myself and my younger brother's son to be found of the lineal line of the Scotts of Davington. I have no lawful son; my nephew has been married ten years, and has no children, nor likely to have, so our lineal line in him will be most likely extinct. I informed his Lordship of these particulars, finding his Lordship's family next in succession. His Lordship not being aware he should be hurried off to India so suddenly, desired me to meet him at Thirlestane, where he expected to return in a month. I shall quote his own words: He says, ' You are an old soldier and I am an old sailor, and we will talk things over very well.' Agreeable to his Lordship's instructions, I went to Thirlestane; he only remained one night; I missed him. His successor pointed you out for me to apply to. I delayed, thinking his Lordship would either return or renew the correspondence,—that hope is for ever destroyed, and I believe I am now deprived of my best earthly friend. So, Sir, I have to request you will be so

* i. e. First Lord Napier of the family of Scott.

+ I have taken no further liberty with the letter than to leave out some details, not applicable to the present subject, and to make some trifling alterations in the orthography.

kind as take every thing into your consideration, and, like your noble kinsman, acknowledge my letter, with your opinion on the business. During a long and ac

tive service in the four different quarters of the globe, I never yet disgraced the name of Scott. I hope my poverty will not prevent your causing this letter to be answered."

At the time of the China, I received a

This interesting letter, which also contains a schedule of the writer's genealogy, with the marriages, and dates of births and deaths, recalled to my recollection a circumstance not adverted to in the notice of the Scotts previously prepared for the press. late Lord Napier's departure for letter from his young son, the present Lord, dated, Thirlestane, 9th January 1834, in which he says, "Immediately on our arrival here my father sent for all the tenants, and people round about, who bade him goodbye; many were greatly grieved, even to the shedding of tears. He started the very next morning at six o'clock. Not long after there came a man here who said his name was Scott, and that he was chief of the name, which sounded preposterous enough at first, but he showed letters from my father inviting him to come here; the poor man was sorely disappointed at his having gone. In truth, this is a worthy representative of the family of Scott, being a tall, stout, brawny, bony fellow."

I have no doubt, from the information his letter affords, that William Scott's genealogy can be distinctly proved, and that in this old soldier, this second Satchells, we have the heir-male of Buccleuch. In another letter from him dated 28th May 1835, being his reply to my answer to his first, he gives the details of an anecdote, new to me, and which, as it is now beyond the cognizance of the High Court of Justiciary, and fairly be

longs to the romantic records of the name of Scott, I shall give here precisely as communicated to me.

"Before I speak of the affair of Davington, I will explain to you the affair of the murder of the heir of Thirlestane, who was Sir Robert Scott's son by his first wife. She was Sir William Scott of Harden's daughter. After her death he grew up, and had every appearance of a promising young man, and as soon as he became of age he was to be married to a lady of a very noble and ancient family. A house was built at Gamescleuch ; it lies on the south side of the Ettrick, opposite Thirlestane; I have seen the ruins. He was in the habit of going there in company with a man of the name of Lawley, who was a piper to Sir Robert's family, and carried refreshment to the workmen who were employed to finish the building for the reception of the heir and the lady as soon as they were married. Be so kind as remark here, Sir Robert Scott was married again to his second wife, and had a family by her, coming up; her name was Catherine Jardine of Jardine Hall in Applegarth parish; she is my progenitor, and mother to the Scotts of Davington. But, one day he was going over and ordered Lawley to provide two bottles of wine he was going to give the workmen. That base menial took two bottles, one mixed with strong poison, and when he ordered a glass to be filled for him, that William Lawley filled it out of the poisoned bottle. He drank to the workmen ; the poison is recorded to be so strong that he expired instantly, and I am creditably informed the body burst in an hour. At the same time the Scotts of both families were beginning to assemble to hold his birthday, which was at hand. His sudden death caused so much confusion that the murderer got away, and is sup