192 TTie Church and Churchyard of Chirnside. 



by a set of houses belonging to himself in Dume*, (too appro- 

 priate locality !) one of which was sold for every successive 

 quarto; till at last something like a street of good habitable 

 tenements in that thriving town was converted into a row of 

 unreadable volumes in his library/^ — Chambers. 



5. "The Philosophy of Ancient Greece Investigated in its 

 Origin and Progress, &c/' — This work is worthy of some praise, 

 but it is entirely unknown to fame. 



6. " A Commentary on the Psalms of David." — A large 4to 

 volume. 



7. He also wrote " The Old Statistical Account of Chirnside," 

 about 1794 or 1795. It is one of the best of the whole series. 



One of the last attempts of Dr. Anderson was a pamphlet 

 "Against the Principles of the French Revolution." "This 

 being not only written," says Chambers," in his usual heavy style, 

 but adverse to the popular sentiments, met with so little sale, 

 that it could scarcely be said to have been ever published -, how- 

 ever, the Doctor was not discouraged : adopting rather the maxim 

 ' contra audentior ita/ he wrote a ponderous addition, or appen- 

 dix, to the work, which he brought with him to Edinburgh, in 

 order to put it to the press. Calling upon his friend. Principal 

 Robertson, he related the whole design, which, as might be 

 expected, elicited the mirthful surprise of the venerable historian. 

 * Really,' said Dr. Robertson, ' this is the maddest of all your 

 schemes. What ! a small pamphlet is found heavy, and you 

 propose to lighten it by making it ten times heavier ! Never 

 was such madness heard of!' 'Why, why,' answered Dr. 

 Anderson, ' did you never see a kite raised by boys?' *I 

 have,' answered the Principal. ' Then you must have remarked 

 that, when you try to raise the kite by itself there is no getting 

 it up ; but, only add a long string of papers to its tail, and up 

 it goes like a laverock ! ' The Reverend Principal was com- 

 pletely overcome by this argument, which scarcely left him 

 breath to reply, so heartily did he laugh at the ingenuity of the 

 resolute author. However, we believe he eventually dissuaded 

 Dr. Anderson from his design." — Chambers's Lives of Eminent 

 Scotsmen. 



Dr. Walter Anderson died 2nd June, 1800, after having 

 been forty-four years minister of Chirnside. He appears to 

 have lived and died a confirmed bachelor. He displayed little 

 power as a pulpit orator, and was popularly reckoned a poor 

 preacher. He appears to have borne through life an unble- 

 mished moral character, was a simple man as to worldly matters, 

 and descended to the grave with the regrets of his parishioners. 



* It is Hkely that Dr. Anderson was a native of Dunse. 



