Transactions. 47 



It is true that Sir Robert left four sons, one of whom bore 

 his Christian name, but it is rather remarkable that a Sir 

 Robert Grierson of Lag should have died in 1723 and a 

 second in 1733. 



The account referred to amounts to £23, 4s. 5d., of which 

 £14, 5s. 5d. was for wine, £6, 10s. for an entertainment, 6s. 

 6d. for bread, 5s. 6d. for iron work on the hearse, indicating 

 that it had been damaged, and the balance for feeding 

 horses, among which are mentioned those of Lord Stormond 

 and Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick. 



The items of the entertainment are given in a separate 

 memorandum, and they show a wonderful resemblance be- 

 twixt the entertainments of the present day and those given 

 135 years ago. They consist of a bacon ham, a piece of 

 roast beef, a roast pig, goose, turkey, a calf's head stewed in 

 wine and oysters, neats' tongues, capons and fowls, a pasty, 

 2 dozen of tarts, 2 dozen of mince pies, roast mutton, roast 

 veal, a barrel of oysters, oil, pepper and mustard, and vine- 

 gar. The account seems to be in English money. The pig 

 cost 2s. 6d. ; the goose, 3s. ; the turkey, 4s. ; the quarter of 

 mutton, 3s. 6d. ; the barrel of oysters, with 6 lemons and 

 other pickles, 4s. The conjunction of lemons with oysters 

 is notable ; here now-a-days when oysters are served, which 

 is rare owing to their scarcity and high price, it is with vine- 

 gar ; in the south of Italy, as in Nithsdale in 1733, lemon or 

 citron takes the place of vinegar with oysters and indeed all 

 other fish. 



The wines supplied consist chiefly of claret, small and 

 strong : the small is charged Is. 6d. per bottle, the strong 2s., 

 and the consumption of the latter was much the greater of 

 the two ; sheiTy also figures in the list, costing rather less 

 than 2s. per bottle, and a wine or liquor called grantmak at 

 that figure. The price of brandy was Is. 6d. per bottle. 

 The supply of wines began on the 29th of Dec, and was 

 continued for upwards of a fortnight, ending on the 14th 

 January. The 8th of January seems to have been the fun- 

 eral day ; four dozen of strong claret were sent to the lodg- 



