170 Autobiographical Notes. 



and drank my milk before I had travelled half-a-mile, hiding the 

 tin flask till my return, and this amount of food sufnced me till 

 my arrival home at about 10 o'clock in the evening. No bad 

 consequences, even no inconvenience, followed from this thought- 

 less boyish practice, for I have up to this moment been about the 

 healthiest person I have ever known. Nor were my father and 

 stepmother aware, so far as I now remember, of this voluntary 

 exposure to hunger on my part. 



On the 7th of July, 1807, I was invited to open a small school 

 in a private house near Cally. I got some scholars. I after- 

 wards transferred my little seminary to a room in my father's 

 domicile, teaching there in winter, and getting the privilege of 

 the parish church in summer. This latter plan is now unknown 

 so far as I am aware ; it was not uncommon in my early days and 

 previously. 



A small subscription school was set on foot at the village of 

 Tongland, eight miles from Girthon, in the spring of 1809. I 

 was elected to be the teacher, and I entered on my charge, then 

 most important in my eyes, at Whitsunday of that year. I was 

 guaranteed £20 with a free room for my classes. I made £23, 

 and was very happy, and was regarded as successful. My lodg- 

 ings cost me Is 3d per week, and I saved some money at the end 

 of the year At Whitsunday, 1810', I removed to the parish of 

 Buittle, four farmers having combined to hire a teacher among 

 them : a small room was rented nearly equi-distant from their 

 respective houses, and I lived for four weeks at a time in each of 

 their houses successively. A condition of my accepting this joint 

 engagement was that, if I could procure means, I should be 

 allowed to go to College, and on my return from Edinburgh in 

 spring to resume my engagement. I accordingly went to College 

 in 1810, arriving in Edinburgh on the 3rd of November in com- 

 pany with a schoolfellow from my native parish. This individual 

 did not do well, therefore I shall not give his name. 



I was at this time an orphan, my father having died in the 

 previous month of September. Though Mr Murray knew that I 

 was about to start for College he shewed me no kindness, either 

 by word or deed. One thing is certain, I made no application, 

 neither did any of my family. And so much the better. Let 

 every man depend on himself. Self-reliance, combined with 



