774 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



pccted to furnish much in the nar- 

 rative. 



In the year 176G, he married 

 Miss Mary Dun, daughter of ])r. 

 James Dun^wlio, for nearly 70 years 

 was a teacher in the grammar school 

 at Aberdeen. This lady still sur- 

 vives him. Her brother succeeded 

 Mr. Beattie in the grammar school. 



We are infoirnied by Dr. Beattie 

 himself, that the greater part of the 

 Minstrel was composed iu the year 

 1768. It is probable that his great 

 anxiety to qualify himself for the 

 discharge of his professional du<y, 

 had interrupted the strong bent of 

 his genius to cultivate the Muses. 

 However, he r( turned wiiii new vi- 

 gour to his favourite amusement ; 

 and the Minstrel, or the Progress of 

 Genius, has enrolled his name in the 

 list of the mostdisiinguished poets. 



On the 12th of .December, 1770, 

 he received the degree of doctor of 

 laws from king's college, Aber- 

 deen. 



In the year 1771, at the end of 

 the session of the college, he pro- 

 posed to visit London. His fame, 

 as a man of genius, easily procured 

 him letters of introduction to the 

 most celebrated literary characters 

 in the metropolis. Mr. Boswell had 

 the honour of introducing him to 

 Dr. Johnson ; and his other friends 

 exerted themselves to procure for 

 him as favourable a reception as his 

 great merit deserved. After remain- 

 ing a short time in London, he re- 

 turned to Aberdeen, ,aud felt those 

 agreeable sensations which those 

 only who have experienced unex- 

 pected success can estimate. 



In 1 773 he again went to London, 

 and on the 30th of June was pro 

 seated to the 1<ing, at the levee, by 

 lord Dartmouth. The levee was on 

 that day exceedingly crowded. Dr. 



Beattie had, however, the distin- 

 guished honour of conversing with 

 the king for 6ve minutes, a mark of 

 attention not conferred upon ordi- 

 nary men, and which those who are 

 in the greatest favour do not always 

 presume to expect. 



In the year 1790, Dr. Beattie 

 edited, at Edinburgh, Addison's 

 papers, in 4 vols, and wrofe th* 

 preface. 



About this time he sustained a 

 great loss by the death ot" his eldest 

 son James Hay Beattie. The doctor 

 wrote a very interesting account of 

 this excellent young man. No one 

 who has any taste for good writing, 

 for simplicity of language, and nar- 

 rative composed of a selection of the 

 most interesting incidents, will, I 

 am persuaded, be satisfied with 

 perusing it only once. Dr. Beattie 

 never completely recovered the shock 

 he received by his son's death, who, 

 though young, had given the most 

 undeniable proofs of great abilities, 

 and promised to be an ornament to 

 that university whereof he was a 

 member, and to be a source of com- 

 fort to his parent in his declining 

 years. 



In the year 1791, Dr. Beattia 

 went to London, accompanied by hi« 

 son, Montague Befattie. This young 

 man, who was about ten years 

 younger than his brother, died in 

 March, 1796, of a disease similar 

 to that which cut oft' his brother. 



These, and other misfortunes, to 

 use the words of the poet, " har- 

 " rowed up the soul" of Dr. Beat- 

 tie, and his health, never at any time 

 good, was thereby very considerably 

 impaired. 



Of late years he entirely seques- 

 tered himself from society, and evca 

 the kind attentions and civilities of 

 his friends auij admlrcrSj were not 



relislied 



