THE VALE OF TWEED AND SIR WALTER SCOTT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 87

THE VALE OF TWEED AND SIR WALTER SCOTT.

At the request of several subscribers we give below the text of the interesting addsress on Sii Walter Scott given by Mi Alexander Bathga-te at the monthly meeting of the JDunedir Burns Club : — There is no rivei in tne world whose *ame has beep so often sung as the Silvo^ Tweed, i Its valley has produced probabij more ' singers than any other local it j of similar extent, though but few of them rank among ' the greater poets. EyeD poets who were not natives of the soil have joined the local choir in singing its praises. The reason is not, perhaps, far to seek, for the Scottish borderland through which fche river flows is a region of romance. It glides along gently through green haughs amongst for j the most part gently-rounded hills, and is suggestive of quiet and peace. But it was not ever so, for every hill, every tributary, • burn, and water has a tale .o tell, often of grrm-visaged war, eithei waged with Eng- | land or on a lesser scale, when a border chief harried some neighbouring Jiieftain. Tales of weird mystery axe not wanting, | for did not Michael Scott, the wizard, at whose command the Devil riddled and divided into three- heaps the- Eildon Hills, • have his home in Tweeddale?. Thomas of Ercildoun, better known as Tlhomas the Rhymer, was a prophet, Wiho was believed to have dealings with Jie Queen of Faery, and be takes hi name from the modern Esrlston. Not were stories of .rue lovers and other peacful then&as lacking, whilst there were "waesome" ballads and songs, the best known of which tells how the Flowers o* the Forest were a' wede away. ! . Andrew Lang, who is a oative of Selkirk, well expresses the atmosphere of romantic associations that envelopes the whole district when, in his "Ballades in Bluechina," writing of "Twilight on Tweed," he says: — A waist of xbemtny brood and Boats, , The Border water.- flow; The air is full of baiW notes Borne out of long ago. l He was a Borderer born, but as- showing how even a stranger may oatoh the subtile influences which emanate from" the far-famed river, I may quote a verse from a poem by Alexander Smith, the author of •'Dreambhorp," "A Summer in Skye," and other works He tells how, when on a visit to Tweedside in the early morning, he heard the sound of the river, and he asks : , Was it absolute truth, or a dreaming [ That the wakeful day disowns, That I heard something more in the stream as it ran Than water breaking an. stones? Who knows? But of this I ass certain, 1 That but for the ballads and wails That make passionate dead things, stocks and stones, Make .piteous woods" ane~ dates, The Tweed were as poor as the Amazon-, ! That for all the years it has roll'd I Can tell ''out how fair was the morning red, : How sweet fche evening gold. Whilst the feelings of a few of the inhabitants of and visitors to this o£t-sung riv«r may find a vent in song, those of countless thousands, while quite as deep, fail to find expression through lack of the accomplishment of verse. As an instance of thia I may tell you of an incident thai occurred many years ago when I was" living on the goldfields. I was. sitting one evening in the bar parlour, the only sitting room in the hotel in which I -stayed", where a number of diggers and others were also sitting yarning. The con- i versation turned on scenery, and that ol our lakes was referred to with approbation, w-hen a little old man, w-ho then followed the occupation of telegraph lineman, said: "Aweel, in a- ma travels I haena seen ony place sac bonny as Tweedside." Now, I rejoice in and derive pleasure from the beauty of - fche suroundings of our own fair city, and I am proud of the glorious scenery to be found elsewhere in our land, such as that on the track between Laic Te Anau and Milford Sound, which ' a recent writer in the London Spectator characterised as "the finest walk in the world," yet after ar absence from the scenes of my bo v hod of well nigh half a century I still own the spell of Tweedside to such an extent that not long ago I ?n-' deavoured to pay my modest tribute of verse to the classic river. I wrote, after referring to my boyish knowledge of the scenes — • Yet year» have not dimmed the vision fair That rites still to n»y mental view; ( I've seen streams nobler, but none t< compare With the gleaming river a» boy I knew. • I know that its hills are but tame and small Com pored with the mountains of tbis my home ; ' But, better than graadeni. ove: them a-11 A glamour and charm wilJ ever remain. Glamour of legend of olden days. Charm that arises from story nt eotsig, Combined with the beauty thar' Nature displays. Hakes Tweed iun,rivalled all rivers among. It was in the Vale of Tweed that much of Scott' 6 boyhod and af tor-life \i*re spent, xod he more than anyone absorbed the influences to which I have referred, which undoubtedly larg3l> contributed to make him what he became. Ho was born in Ed'nburg-h on August 15. 1771, but being- somewhat delicate as a child he spent much of his time at hi = arrand father's farm, "San-dvknowe," near Kelso, in close proximity to which fctood the ruined tower of Smailholm, on-e of the old Border castles which steed at intervals along th-s course of the rivpr, on whose lofty tops flared "fche beacon blaze of war " which flashed along the iiver the news of an English, inva-sioo. Here fronr his very infancy he eagerly drank in tales and ballads of the olden time. Here, too, he imbifced his intense love of Nature. 'Twas here where | There was poetic impulse giv^r j By the green hill and cl««^ blue heaven. Even in what to many would bring only terror he found beauty. It is told of him that when quite a child he was found during a thunderstorm lying ov his back on the grass watching every flash o{ lightning, and as it streazned in a zigzag course across the sky he shouted, "Bonny J Bonny '." Pride of family was perhaps Scott" s grealeat weakness, if it be one, and it led him to endeavour to restore what doubtless he

looked upon as the f aßen fortunes of the family, and become a landed proprietor with a magnificent mansion on his estate. Ho himself tells us: "My birth was .neither distinguished nor sordid. According to the prejudices of my country it was esteemed gentle, as I was connected, though remotely, with ancient families both by my father's and mother's side." His father was a writer to the Signet, and his mother, Anne Rutherford, from whom he seems mainly to have inherited his brilliant imagination, was the daughter of a doctor who was professor of medicine in Edinburgh University. Both parents were undoubtedly of Border -blood, though doubts have been cast on Scott's claim to be descended from. Auld Watt, of Harden, a Border freebooter, whom many might think it no honour to own as an ancestor. But, after all, perhaps, men in those days were not much worse than many ir our midst ; Oft rapine rude There was, but it was bold to risk of life; No secret ooward theft, ac ours, by stuff Adulterate, or lyin& bubble schemes, That we may lacquer our life': little day. From his boyhood Scott was a great reader, a taste probably fostered by his lameness, which must have handicapped him in boyish sports. It is recorded that at the age of 13 he read Percy V Relique3, which showed his bent even at that early age. He passed through the Edinburgh High School, and afterwards attended the University, where be attained considerable proficiency in Latin, .moral philosophy, and history Later he studied German, French, Italian, and Spanish, mainly in order that he might read the romantic literarur.- of ihese languages. His industry was unflagging both in the acquisition of knowledge and in making use of it in his writings. One of -his greatest gifts was evidently the 'possession of a wonderful memory. His journal, which was published in 1890; in which he jotted down tin* events of each day froi 1825 till the "beginning of 1832, the year of his death, is "uIJ of quotations, not always quite accurate, showing that -he quoted from memory, amongst which are quotations from Burns. This reinindß me that it was whilst he was & boy attending the High School that his onlymeeting With the ploughman poet occurred. Tfhe scene has been ably depicted, and through the generosity of our felloe-citizen, Mr Watson Shennan, the picture now hangs on the wall of our Art Gallery. In Scott's own account of the incident he says: "As for Burns, I was a lad of 15 when he came to Edinburgh, but had sense- enough to be interested in his poetry, am] would have given the world to know him. I saw him one day with sewral gentlemen of literary reputation, among whom- I remember was the celebrated DugaW Stewart. Of course we youngsters sat sifent, looked, and listened. 7 remember his shedding tears over a print -representing a soldier lying dead in the snow, his dog sitting in misery on one side, on- the other his widow wit£ a child in her arms. • Hk peisoß was robust, his manners rustic, not clownish. His countenance was more massive than it looks in anj of hk portraits. There was a strong expression of shrewdness in his lineaments; the eye -along indicated bhe poetic character and temperament. , It was large and of a dark cast, and literally glowed when he spoke with feeling or interest. I never saw such another eye in a human head. Bis conversation expressed perfeot self-confidence, without the least intrusive forwardness. I thought his acquaintance with English poetry was rather limited, and, having twenty - times- the abilities of Allan Ramsay and of Ferguson, be talked of tliem with too much humility as his models. He was -much caressed in Edinburgh, tout the efforts made for his relief were extremely trifling." Hogg, the Ettriek shepherd, gives an instance of the retentativenees of Scott's memory, of which I have already spoken. He tefit that he had gone out one night with Scott and some others to epear salmon, or leister kippers, as they would nave expressed it, but when they arrived at their fishing ground they found that their light had gone out! Whilst they were waiting or the bank of the Tweed CiD a fresh- fiery peat was brought Scott asked Hogg to sing his ballad of "Gilman's Cleugh, ' which had 88 stanzas. "Now, be it remembered," says Hogg, "that this ballad has never cither been printed -or penned. I had merely composed it by rote, and on finishing rt three years before I .bad sung it once over to Sir Walter. 1 began at his request, but at the eighth or ninth verse I stuck in ! it, and could not get on with another lino, j on which he began it a second time, and* recited it every word from beginning to j end." Certainly a wonderful 'eat of memory. On leaving tho University- Scott was first apprenticed to his father, but later he studied for the bar, and was admitted as an advocate on his twenty-first birthday. His health was now established, and his chief recreation was making excursions info the country — raids he called them — in search of old ballade — an object which later was more systematically carried out, and resulted in the publication in 1802 of the "The Minstrelsy of tho Scottish Border." His lameness remained, but not to 6uch an extent as to interfere with his riding, an exercise of which he was for.*!, and at the time of the threatened French invasion under "Boney" id 1797 he joined aregiment of moun'fced volunteers, the Royal j Edinburgh Light Dragoons, in which he hold the rank of quartermaster. About this time he fell in love with a Perthshire lady, but the course of true love did not run smoothly, and he ultimately married Miss ' Goarlotto Charpentier, daughter of a ] French refugee, who had some little "tocher," ami the young couple sot up hou=e at La&swade. The union, which seam* to have beer a happy on-e, lasted till esvered by the death of 'Lady Scott in 1826. In noting the unfavourable report of Dr Abercrombie, he refers to her as "die faithful and tru« companion of his fortunes, good j and bsd, fcr 30 years," and on her death | a few months la er he writes: — "When j I contrast what this place now is with what, it has bean not long since I think my heart will break. Lonely, aged, deprived of my family— all but poor Annie, an impoverished and embarrassed man, lam deprived of the share- of my thoughts and counsels, who could always talk down mv sense of the calamitous apprehensions which must break the heart that must bear them alone " His first publications were translations from the German. I cannot, however, in the time at my disposal, attempt to even mention all his voluminous writings, a ixl shall enly cursorily refer to some i of them, as I prefer to endeavour to give

you some idea- of the man as revealed' in ] his Journal, as I have already tried to convey some idea of the influence which helped to mould his genius. Scott had obtained the post of sheriff-depute of Selkirkshire in 1799, with a. salary of £300 a year, a post without any arduous duties, and later there was added the appointment of clerk of session, whereby in 1812 the total emoluments of his office, yielded him £1600 per annum. The duties of the latter office were important, and involved a good deal >f responsible and (fatiguing work during about six months of tihe year, when the court was hj session. But the- duties of both his. offices <nust have left him no little leisure in which to prosecute- his literary work, and he' was thus in the happy position indicated by his favourite maxim thai" "literature should be a staff, not a crutch!" His firs* marked success was "The Lay of the Last Minstrel," which, published ir January, 1805, at once caught the publip fancy, and sold more rapidly than any pfoem had ever sold- before. Scott was astonished at his ovro success, although he expected that "the attempt to return to a more simple and natural style of poetry was likely to be welcomed." From this time onwards his literary career was one unbounded- success, which I shall not attempt to follow. , '^W«vertey W vWas begun at this, time, but' owing to the- adverse criticism of a -friend" was kid aside until .1813, wher temporary financial troubles arising in connection with the publishing firm in which he had become interested 1 led him to complete it, 'and it \ras given to the public anonymously in July, 1814. The author of this and of its suocesore was spoken of as the Great Unknown. Success followed on success, and his writings brought his enormous returns, burt very many of them were produced under, most trying conditions. Be had bought a email property, Oartley Hole^ on the banks of the Tweed, and continued to add to his acres as opportunity pffered. He sent large sums in planting and other improvements, and also in rearing that "romance in stone," the -Mansion of Abbotsford. T Es friend, James Ballantyne, applied t< him for financial assistance in carrying on his business of printei and publisher, and in ar evil hour Scott, instead of lending the money, joined the firxn as a sleeping partner. A financial crisis in London brought down firms with which they were connected, and thus brought disaster to James Ballantyne and Go\ Let me give a sentence or two from the Journal of date, December 18, 1825: — "Ballantyne called on me this mocning. My extremits a come. I suppose i will involve. ray all. I have' been rash ii? anticipating funds to buy land, but thei» 1 made from £SGOO '-o £10,000 "a year, and land was my tempfettion. T think nobody will lose ? permy — that it one comfort.- The newa will make 6ad hearts at Darwick and in tlie cottages, of Abbotef ord r which I do not nourish the 'east hope" of preserving. I was to have gone there on Saturday ;n; n joy and prosperity to receive my friends. My dogs will wait for me.in vain. . . I find my dogs' feet op my kne-ss. I hear them whining and seeking me everywhere—this is nonsense,— but it is what they would do could they know how things are. Poor Will Laidlaw ! Poor Tom Purdie! This will be news to wring your i iheart, and many a poor flow's, 'besides, to whom my prosperity was daily brea«- . . For myself the maeic wand of the Unknown is shivered in his grasp- He must henceforth be termed the Too-well-known. The feast of fancy is over w ith the feeling of independenoe." £ . hw J"« .** tress we see that Scott cooW think of others Twoe, even that of his dogs. There a^J^y touching passages ir the Journal, but the detail* of fche business we cannot loUow. Suffice it to sa> that, although, as he eaye,he would have advised a client in his^crrenmstanoes to become a bankrupt, he adds: "But for this I would in a- court of ho noor deserve to lose my epure. No; if they J permit me I will be their vassal for life i £nd dig in the mines- of my imagination to find diamonds (or what ma* sell as such) to make good my engagements not to enrich myself." And this h> what he jh*L Sir Walter was held responsible for about £130,000, and this large sum was paid ra fulL by Scott and his representatives with monef earned by his pen. Through the rest of the Journal there are passages such as "l'have fagged through six pages, and made poor Wurmore. lay down his sword on the glacis of Mantua-and m> -bead aches my eyes ache-my back «*«-* does my breast— and lam sure my^heart aches, and what can duty 'ask more.' There is much in the Journal that is sad, but very much that commands admiration. £ hifcourage, industry, and goodness of Heart, and I had noted Smj pi-sage, for quotation, but time will not permit-just a pass ing reference to h* humour and enjoyment of fun. He wlj» « himself that he enjoy, mot pour me, nnf « there are some evidences of this in the S^OFo^—pK *? note* whilst travelTine in Ireland that in crossing a ferry where the fare was sixpence he »£• the which his daughter had written to him m riving an account of their journey to Lonion. Johnnie was a delicate boy, and the, had taken with them a little bag of oat£!l for the little boy's porridge on the £3, but when Junor prepared it the- whole innyard assembled to see the operation, and •he confided to her mistress the opinion that "England was an awfu' country to mak Pa 6ne° Iwol^ders1 wo l^ders what were the }*&%&.<* the sentimental Mrs HemaM -under *«c following circumstances. Scott wntae: She is » clever person, and has been pretty. I had a Ion? walk with her tete-a-tete. She told me of the peculiar melancholy at tached to the word, "no more- * <*>*** not help telling as a different application of the words how an old dame, nding home along Cockenzie Sands, pnetty bowsy, fell off the pillion, and her husband, being in good order ateo, did not miss her tall lie came to Preston Pans. He instantly returned with, some neighbours, and found the good woman «eated amidst the advanceing tide, which Tiegan to rise, with her Hpe ejaculating to her cummers, who- she supposed were still pressing her to another cop, 'Nae ac drap mair, I thank yon kindly.' " Tf you wish to know what Scott was read, if you <have not done co, his Journal and I am sure no one can read it without loving the noble-hearted, gallant gentleman that he wae. It is needleee for me to

speak of the genius of him whom Wordsworth styled the "Mighty Minstrel," whose name has been so honoured and whose fame hae beep so spread abroad. Nor need I remind yon that he was a leal true Scotsman, for where is the Scot who has not thrilled at hi? noble words?— Breathes there a man with soul so dead Who nevei to himself hath said. This is mj own, my native land! Whose heart hae ne'ei within him burned. As borne hi: footsteps he hath turned Fron? wandering on % foreign str«<nd! If snot here breathes, go, mark him well, For him ,n© minstrel raptures swell,. High though his .title, proud his name, Boundless hif wealth as wish could •Ma*. Despite those titles, power, and pelf, The wiretoh, concentred mil in self, , Laving, shall forfeit fair renown, And doubly dying shall go down To the vile dust from Ashenoe he sprung* Unwept, unhoncuxed and unsung. 0! Caledonia, stern and wild* Meet nurse fox » poetic child, Land of brown heath and ah»ggy wood, Land of the mountain and the flood, L*nd of my sixes, what -mortal hand Can ere untie the filial band Inat knits me to thy rugged strand?