MARK TWAIN ON SCOTLAND.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1164, 3 April 1874, Page 4

MARK TWAIN ON SCOTLAND.

On Saturday night the St. Andrews Society of London held a festival at the Salutation Tavern, Newgate street when upwards of 100 gentlemen sat down to dinner under the presidency of Mr Tom Hood, Ouo of the guests of the evening was Mr Clemens, better known under the nom de plume of Mark Twain, The Chairman gave the toast of the evening in appropriate terms, and Mark Twain, in the course of his reply to the toast of " The Guests," said: I feel singularly at homo in this Scottish society. I have spent so inueh time in Scotland that everything connected with Scotland is familiar to mo. Last summer I passed five weeks in that magnificent city of Edinburgh, resting. 1 needed

rest, and I did rest, I did not know anybody. • I did not take any letters of introduction at all. I simply rested and enjoyed myself. From my experience of tho Scotch, everything belonging to them is familiar, . the language, the- peculiarities of oxpression, even the technical things that arc national are simple household words Avith mo. I remember when in Edinburgh I was nearly alw.ijs taken for a Scotchman. Oli, yes! (Laughter.) I had my clothes some part colored tartau, and I rather enjoyed being taken for a Scotchman. I stuck a big feather in my cap, too, and the people would follow me for miles. They thought I was a Highlander, and some of tho best judges in Scotland said they had never seen a Highland costume like mine. What's more, one of those judges lined me for wearing it—cut of mere envy, I suppose. (Laughter.) But any man may have a noble good time iu Scotland if they only think he's a native. (Laughter.) For breakfast you may have oatmeal poultice—l beg pardon, I mean porridge. (Laughter ) Then for dinner you may have hue Scotch Same —the blackcock, tho spatchcock, the woodcock, the moorcock. I have to return you my acknowledgements and to apologise for not being able to make a speech, but give me fair play and certainly I can make a speech, that will astonish anybody, and nobody more than myself. (Laughter-) My present position is a national one, if I may be regarded as representing the United States of America. On that side of the Atlantic there are 40 millions of people. They may be respectable, and I will say iu conclusion, that I do hope " a brother American" will soon cease to be simply a phrase meaning, nothing, but will by and bye become a reality when Great Britain and the citizen of American will be brethren indeed (Cheers.)