A Scottish Idvl. 91 



seems to have put himself forward as arbiter elei/antiannn (juite in 

 the style of the dragoon whom Swift has immortalized in connec- 

 tion with " Hamilton's Bawn." That the ladies reciprocated his 

 good opinion of himself as a siiuire of dames is rather amusingly 

 evidenced in the next letter. 



Dr. Johnston. I need hardly give myself the trouble of 

 repeating- what I daresay you are very sensible of by what you 

 feel yourself, 1 mean the pleasure we have in receiving your 

 letters, only I think our pleasure must be so much greater as we 

 hear seldomer from you than you do from us. Why won't you 

 write ofteuer my dr. Alicie, tho' there can't be so much variety in 

 your letters as thei'e is in ours, I assure you they are full as agree- 

 able to us as they would be had they more variety ; to give you 

 an exact Journal of what has pass'd since our last, would take a 

 great deal of time both to write and read but I shall give you 

 some little Sketch of it. (I am sorry however that you have 

 such a melancholy time of it but I hope to hear a more agreeable 

 account of you in your next). We came all here with Lady 

 Erskine the day after your letter was writ and had the pleasure 

 of meeting all our family here, next day we had a ball a pretty 

 good one, there was nothing- remarkable happen'd ; next day which 

 was ^\''ednesday Lady E. and Miss Murray went about eight 

 miles out of town to visit Lady Anandale. and stay'd all 'aight 

 and on Thursday we all met at Tinwald, about one o'clock, and diu'd 

 upon one of the Wrights tables, on a Gold Colation (if you please) 

 which we had brought out of town with us. We were very 

 merry, there was some little Rivalship between Miss Murray and 

 Maguir about the Landlord, he coi^^ueted a little with them both, 

 and then dash'd both ther hopes at once by toasting Miss John- 

 ston and telling some of her pritty little stories so that they both 

 despaired of getting the better of you, at Last good Lady Erskine 

 took her leave but was so good as to promise to write to us, Miss 

 Murray and her went off for Moffat, and we wander'd about for 

 some time, Viewing the beauties of the place (which papi set off 

 with all his eloquence) and then came into the town, on Friday 

 we walk'd thro' the town to let Maguire see it and in the most 

 publick place of the city her ears were most gratefully saluted 

 with the noise of a bourtree gun. She was so transported, she 

 forgot where she was. and ran most precipitantly to the happy 



