Mrs. Calderwood appears to have been an excellent wife and mother--her husband, a weak good-natured man, of some accomplishment, left all his worldly concerns to her management; and though he had been on the Continent before, and she never out of Scotland, she is evidently commander-inchief throughout the progress.

We do not trace the piety and devout temper of the Gospel Coltnesses in any part of her journal; but it will be seen that, although her brother Sir James had early cast aside the hereditary attachment to the Presbyterian discipline, she retained enough of the old leaven to have an almost equal contempt for episcopalianism as for popery. It is evident that she had never till she reached Durham passed the threshold of any place of worship in which Christian people kneel when they pray, and think it more decent to stand than to sit when they sing psalms. The couple travel from Edinburgh to London in their own postchaise, attended by John Rattray, a steady servingman, on horseback, with pistols in his holsters, and a good broadsword at his belt. There was also a case of pistols in the carriage, of which, we fancy, the lady (notwithstanding the mild and elegant physiognomy repre sented in her picture at Poulton) would have been more likely to make fit use, had there been any occasion for it, than the worthy laird with the pocket Horace. The train is not encumbered, apparently, by anything in the nature of an Abigail; at least, none is mentioned, and the lady has more talk with the inn-chambermaids, and so forth, than would probably have occurred if she had had a female follower of her own. They start on the 3d of June, and, travelling each day twelve or fourteen hours, reach town on the evening of the 10th-good speed in 1756.

'June 6th.--We dined at Durhame: and I went to see the Cathedrall: it is a prodigious bulky building. It was on Sunday, betwixt sermons, and in the piazzas [cloisters] there were several boys playing at ball. I asked the girl

I asked the rents of the lands about Durham, and was told by the landlord they were so dear he had no farm, for they let at thirty or forty shillings per aiker near the toun; that a cow was from four to six pounds sterling, and they gave, the best, about eight Scots pints per day. That night we lay at Northallertoun. 'Next day, the 7th, we dined none, but baited at different places; and betwixt Doncaster and Bautry a man rode about in an odd way, whom we suspected for a highwayman. Upon his coming near, John Rattry pretended to make a quarle with the post-boy, and let him know, so loud as to be heard by the other, that he kept good powder and ball to keep such folks as him in order; upon which the fellow scampered off cross the common. Upon our coming to Bautry, we were told that a gentelman was robed there some days before, by a man whose description answered the one we saw. I found in generall, before I came here, that all the grounds lett very low, and that, about all the towns, the aikers were about twenty-five shillings, and the farms not above fifteen. first intelligent person I met with was Rachel, the chambermaid. Rachel could answer almost every question I asked; and I suppose, by that time, I had learned to conform my inqui rys to the knowledge of the people, being, before this, always answered with "I don't know," to the simplest question I could ask; and often stared at, as much as to say, "I wonder how such things come into any body's head:" the post-boys, who drive the same road for years, hardly know a gentleman's house, or the name of any place less than a village. Rachel could tell who lived near her, what farm her master keeps, and what rent he payd, and what it prowhich was, to wash it well from the milk with duced gave me a receipt for salting butter, salt and water, and a little salt, then take it piece by piece, like the bigness of half a pound, and put it in a can, spreading every piece above another with a sprinkling of salt betwixt each.' -pp. 105, 106.

The

June 8th.-From Bautry we went seventyfive miles, and lay at Stilton: there was a fine linen was as perfect rags as I ever saw, plain large inn, and everything in great order, but the linen with fifty holes in each towel. The landlady gave me the receipt for making Stilton cheese (which is famous), as follows,' &c.--p. 107.

June 9th.-From Stilton we dined at Hatfield, where there was a great many coaches in the court-yard with company leaving London,

.....

Before I say anything of the great city, you will ask me what I think of England in generall. In the first place, it is easy to be seen who has long been in peaceable possession, and who not, for till you come to Newark-upon-Trent, the furthest ever the Scots went into England, the improvements are not of old standing, nor the grounds don't seem to be of great value; they use them mostly for breeding of cattell and sheep. . . . . . The villages to the north of Trent are but indifferent, and the churches very thin sown; and, indeed, for a long time, one would think the country no religion at all, being hardly either christian church or heathen temple to be seen. The fields on both hands were mostly grass; and the greatest variety and plenty of fine cattell, all of various colours. I admired the cattell much more than the people, for they seem to have the least of what we call smartness of any folks I ever saw, and totally void of all sort of curiosity, which perhaps some may think a good quality. In our first day's journey in England, I asked the post-boy to whom the lands on each hand belonged? he said, "To Sir Carneby."* I knew who he meant, and, to try him, asked, "What Sir Carneby, or what other name he had?" but he answered, "Just Sir Carneby, who lived yonder;" and that he had never inquired into the sirname of the man in whose ground he was born. As for the inclosing in England, it is of all the different methods, both good and bad, that can be imagined; and that such insufficient inclosures as some are keep in the cattell (which are so hard with us in Scotland) is entirely owing to the levelness of the grounds, so that an English cow does not see another spot than where she feeds, and has as

* Of course, Sir Carnaby Haggerston.

.

little intelligence as the people; whereas with us, there are few places that does not hang on the side of a hill, by which means the cattell sees what is above or below them, and so endeavours to get at it. I was convinced of this by some oxen a butcher was driving to market, very large and fat; they walked along betwixt the hedges very well, but no sooner were they come to a place where there was only an old ditch and no hedge on the one hand, but they scrambled over it very cleverly into a field of rye. . I could have little conversation with the people I saw, for though they could have understood me, I did not them, and never heard a more barbarous language, and unlike English as any other lingo. I suppose it is the custome in a publick house for strangers to roar and bully, for I found when I spoke softly they had all the appearance of being deaf. I think the cathedrall of Durham is the most ridiculous piece of expense I ever saw-to keep up such a pagentry of idle fellows in a country place, where there is nobody to see or join with them, for there was not place for above fifty folks besides the performers!

After we passed Durham the country was more closs and levell. We sometimes had an extensive prospect, but not the least variety, so that one would say there was too much of it; no opening of a scene, no watter, no distinction betwixt a gentleman's seat and his tenant's house, but that he was a little more smothered up with trees, so that I am perswaded, if Scotland was as much inclosed it would be much prettier to look at. I do not think any thing could be more beautifull that the straths of some of our large rivers, inclosed on every side, where the grounds hang so that each inclosure might be seen above another; and, after they had advanced so high and steep, then the green hill appearing above, covered with sheep, and the waterfalls coming doun now and then be twixt the hills. They have nothing of the landscape prospect, but a rich extensive woody prospect, and nothing appearing above another but a Gothic spire in severall touns, and that for many miles from each other. We used to laugh at the folks in the Highlands for counting their neighbours ten and twelve miles off; but in England they think no more of thirty miles than we do of five. Their roads are good indeed, and their horses and machines light; and the miles about London are, I am very sure, not above 1000 yards, whereas they should be 1750: besides, the levelness of the country makes travelling much quicker. They are very carefull in driving their horses, for, on the smallest ashent, they go quite slow, and will tell you they are going up hill. I could not learn what weight their great waggons carried, none of them knowing any thing about it; but, by the number of horses they yoke, it must be a great deal, otherwise they carry at too great an expence; they yoke seven and eight horses. Some have four wheels, and others two; these last must be very exactly ballanced, not to overburthen the horse, who has the weight on his back, and this sort of carriage is only practicable where there is no dounhill road; for, if this carriage was put off its ballance in comeing

they imagine. On the other hand, Scotland must, appear to be more populous for its extent and produce; first, by its bearing as many evacuations in proportion, both to the plantations, to the fleet and army, besides the numbers who go to England; and, indeed, breeding inhabitants to every country under the sun; and if, instead of following the wrong policy of supplying their deficiency of grain by importing it, they would cultivate their waste lands, it would do more than maintain all its inhabitants in plenty.'-p. 113.

I do not think the soil near London is naturaly rich, and neither the corns nor grass are extraordinary. I thought their crops of hay all very light, and but of an indifferent quality; they call it meadow hay, but we would call it tending pretty near to bogg bay. I think the most surprising thing is, how they are supplied with such an immense number of fine horses, and how they are all maintained on hard meat all the year round.

As for London, every body has either heard of or seen it. The first sight of it did not strike me with anything grand or magnificent. It is not situated so as to show to advantage, and, indeed, I think the tile roofs have still a paltry look, and so has the brick houses; for a village it does well enough, as the character of a village is clean and neat; but there is something more substantiall and durable in our ideas of a great city than what brick and tile can answer.

"Many authors and correspondents take up much time and pains to little purpose in descriptions. I never could understand anybody's descriptions, and I suppose nobody will understand mine; neither do I intend to say any things which have ever been thought worthy to be put in print, so will only say London is a very large and extensive city. But I had time to see very little of it; and every street is so like another, that, seeing part, you may easily suppose the whole. There are severall openings and squares which are very pretty; but the noise in most of the houses in the rooms to the street is intolerable. You will think it very odd, that I was a fortnight in London, and saw none of the royall family; but I got no cloaths made till the day before I left it, though I gave them to the making the day after I came. I cannot say my curiosity was great: I found, as I approached the Court and the grandees, they sunk so miserably in my oppinion, and came so far short of the ideas I had conceived, that I was loath to lose the grand ideas I had of kings, princes, ministers of state, senators, &c., which I suppose I had gathered from romance in my youth. We used to laugh at the English for being so soon afraid when there was any danger in state affairs, but now I do excuse them. For we at a distance think the wisdom of our governours will prevent all these things; but those who know and see our ministers every day see there is no wisdom in them, and that they are a parcell of old, ignorant, senseles bodies, who mind nothing but eating and drinking, and rolling about in Hyde Park, and know no more of the country, or the situation of it, nor of the numbers, strength, and circumstances of it, than they never had been in it; or how should they, when London, and twenty miles

round it, is the extent ever they saw of it? Lord Anson, he sailed round the world, therefore he must rule all navall affairs; which is just like a schoolmaster imagining himself qualified for the greatest post in the law, because he understands the language in which the law is wrote. The King, every body says, and I do believe it, knows more of the world, and takes more concern, than any of them.'-pp. 114, 115.

We need scarcely remind the reader that all this was written when the Duke of Newcastle was on his last legs, and the national ferment about Admiral Byng at its height.

There was some family connexion between the Calderwoods and Mr. George Stone Scott, sub-preceptor to the Prince of Wales, afterwards George III..

'I had frequent opportunitys of seeing George Scott, and asked him many questions about the Prince of Wales. He says he is a lad of very good principles, good natured, and extreamly honest, has no heroick strain, but loves peace, and has no turn for extravagance; modest, and has no tendency to vice, and has as yet very virtuous principles; has the greatest temptation to gallant with the ladies, who lay themselves out in the most shamefull manner to draw him in, but to no purpose. He says, if he were not what he is, they would not mind him. Prince Edward is of a more amorous complexion, but no court is payed to him, because he has so little chance to be king.

'Nobody thinks of going farther to air than Hyde Park, which is very pretty. But nothing but the greatest stupidity can suffer the same mile or two of ground every day in their lives, when, at the same time, it is no exercise nor air, for it is a gravel road, quite smothered with trees. The trees indeed are very pretty, being fine timber, and fine carpet-grass, with cows and deer going in it; but it is a small part of the park in which coaches are allowed to go. There are always a great number of coaches, and all other machines, except hacks, some of them very neat and light; but the beauty of them is the horses of all different kinds. The Duke of Marlborough had a sett of peyets, very prettily marked.

'Any of the English folks I got acquainted with I liked very well. They seem to be goodnatured and humane; but still there is a sort of ignorance about them with regard to the rest of the world, and that their conversation runs in a very narrow channel. They speak with a great relish of their publick places, and say, with a sort of flutter, that they shall to Vauxhall and Ranelagh, but do not seem to enjoy it while there." [How true!] As for Vauxhall and Ranelagh I wrote you my oppinion of them before. The first I think but a vulgar sort of entertainment, and could not think myself in genteel company, whiles I heard a man calling. "Take care of your watches and pockets." I saw the Countess of Coventry at Ranelagh. I think she is a pert, stinking-like husy, going about with her face up to the sky, that she might see from under her hat, which she had pulled quite over her nose that nobody might see her face. She was in dishabile and very shabby drest, but was