Autobiographical Notes. 177 



were two that cannot be omitted — namely, Stewart Lewis* and 

 William Scott Irving.^ Lewis's father was a Jacobite, and he 

 called a boy born to him some time after the Rebellion of 1745 

 Stewart, in honour of the Pretender. Stewart was a wayward 

 son of genius. He had been brought up to the humble trade of 

 a tailor, became a soldier, and after the peace he resumed at 

 irregular intervals his original occupation; dissipation, however, 

 ruined him and kept him in the lowest state of misery and 

 destitution. But he had no mean genius ; his " Fair Helen of 

 Kirkconnell Lee," "Annan's Winding Stream," " Elegaic 

 Verses on the Death of an Only Son," and other productions, 

 would do honour to a versifier of far greater pretensions, and 

 will not allow the name of Stewart Lewis to die. 



Part II. 



According to a writer in the Dumfries and Galloway 

 Courier of May 7th, 1872, Mr Murray towards the close of his 

 college curriculum returned to Galloway and acted for some time 

 as tutor to the family of Mr Davidson, minister of Sorbie, and 

 subsequently to the family of Mr James Tweddale of Caldons, 

 collector of customs at Wigtown. As he qualified for the mini- 

 stry, which required an eight years' course, it is probable that he 

 finally left the university in 1817. While resident in the south he 

 made application to the Presbytery of Wigtown for permission to 

 preach the Gospel, and was duly licensed after complying with the 

 usual formalities. The following particulars have been obtained 

 from the Presbytery records : — 



"Wigtown, Feby. 24th, 1818. — The Presbytery being met 

 and constituted : Inter alia, Mr Thomas Murray having been pro- 

 posed for Trials altho' he has not this day produced a certificate 

 from the Professor of Divinity of his regular attendance at the 

 Hall during this session, yet, are satisfied that he has done so. A 



4. Stuart Lewis (1756 ?- 1818), born .it Ecclefechan. See Diet. Nat. 



Biog., also Bards of Bon-Accord, Aberdeen, 1887, p. 648, 

 where it is stated he was " a man of considerable ability. His 

 intemperate habits completely wrecked him, and for many 

 years he travelled the north as beggar, ballad vendor, and 

 tinker." 



5. For an Account of Irving se-; Miller's Poets of Dumfriesshire. 



Glasgow, 1910. 



