“Distress has been very busy with me since I wrote to you. I have lost, in the course of one week, my valued relations, Dr and Miss Rutherford—happy in this, that neither knew of the other’s dissolution. My dear mother has offered me deeper subject of affliction, having been struck with the palsy, and being now in such a state that I scarce hope to see her again.
“But the strange times compel me, under this
pressure of domestic distress, to attend to public business. I find Mr Scott of Gala agrees with me in thinking we
should appeal at this crisis to the good sense and loyalty of the lower orders,
and we have resolved to break the ice, and be the first in the Lowlands, so far
as I have yet heard of, to invite our labourers and those over whom
circumstances and fortune give us influence, to rise with us in arms, and share
our fate. You know, as well as any one, that I have always spent twice the
income of my property in giving work to my neighbours, and I hope they will not
be behind the Galashiels people, who are very zealous.
Gala and I go hand in
| 330 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“John Usher.* He should be lieutenant, or his son ensign.
“Sam Somerville.† I will speak to him—he may be lieutenant, if Usher declines; but I think in that case Usher should give us his son.
|
* Mr Usher has already been mentioned as Scott’s predecessor in the property of Toftfield. He now resided near those lands, and was Scott’s fenant on the greater part of them. † Samuel Somerville, W. S. (a son of the historian of Queen Anne) had a pretty villa at Lowood, on the Tweed, immediately opposite the seat of his relation, Lord Somerville, of whose estate he had the management. |
| “THE LOYAL FORESTERS.” | 331 |
“Young Nicol Milne* is rather young, but I will offer to his father to take him in.
“Harper† is a sine quo non. Tell him I depend on him for the honour of Darnick. I should propose to him to take a gallant halbert.
“Adam Ferguson thinks you should be our adjutant. John Ferguson I propose for captain. He is steady, right bold, and has seen much fire. The auld captain will help us in one shape or other. For myself, I know not what they propose to make of me, but it cannot be any thing very active. However, I should like to have a steady quiet horse, drilled to stand fire well, and if he has these properties, no matter how stupid, so he does not stumble. In this case the price of such a horse will be no object.
“These, my dear friend, are your beating orders. I would propose to raise about sixty men, and not to take old men. John the Turk‡ will be a capital corporal; and I hope in general that all my young fellows will go with me, leaving the older men to go through necessary labour. Sound Tom what he would like. I think, perhaps, he would prefer managing matters at home in your absence and mine at drill.
“John of Skye is cock-a-hoop upon the occasion, and I suppose has made fifty blunders about it by this time. You must warn Tom Jamieson, Gordon Winness, John Swanston (who will carry off all the prizes at shooting), Davidson, and so forth.
“If you think it necessary, a little handbill might be
* Nicol Milne, Esq. (now advocate), eldest son of the Laird of Faldonside. † Harper, keeper of a little inn at Darnick, was a gallant and spirited yeoman—uniformly the gainer of the prizes at every contest of strength and agility in that district. ‡ One of Scott’s foresters—thus designated as being, in all senses of the word, a gallant fellow. |
| 332 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“The very precarious state of my poor mother detains me here, and makes me devolve this troublesome duty upon you. All you have to do, however, is to sound the men, and mark down those who seem zealous. They will perhaps have to fight with the pitmen and colliers of Northumberland, for defence of their firesides, for these literal blackguards are got beyond the management of their own people. And if such is the case, better keep them from coming into Scotland, than encounter the mischief they might do there. Yours always most truly,
