VISITS TO ABERDEEN FRIENDSHIP AND BOTANY. 379 



became more and more irksome in his later years, he 

 generally came unannounced. His last visit was paid in 

 June, 1877, in his eighty-fourth year. At Aberdeen, he 

 asked the guard to put him out at Portlethen Station, 

 which was kindly done. The station-master directed him 

 to the farm, about two miles distant, near the coast. He 

 walked so far on the way, when, coming to a cottage which 

 resembled the old residence at Allanvale, he entered it and 

 sat down, saying, "Ay, ay, I hae come mair than forty 

 years to this hoose, but I winna come lang noo ! " Poor 

 old body ! he had then become occasionally absent-minded, 

 especially when in any way exhausted. When the woman 

 of the house spoke to him, he recalled himself and rose 

 up, exclaiming, " I doobt I'm wrang." He showed her a 

 letter of Mr. Taylor's, and asked her to point out his farm. 

 She did this very kindly, and the old man went resolutely 

 but feebly on his way. When he came near Clashfarquhar, 

 which it requires some little geography to reach by the 

 by-roads that approach it, he was espied by one of the 

 children, who knew him and ran home to tell her mother. 

 He soon entered the house, holding his hat in one hand, 

 the letter in the other, and some plants under his arm. 

 Seeing the kindly beaming face of his hostess, who went to 

 welcome him, he sat down, completely overpowered ; grate- 

 fully exclaiming, " I'm at hame noo ! " This was in the 

 low-roofed, thatched cottage, now deserted for the finer 

 house since erected. 



After getting some refreshment, Mr. Taylor not being 

 then at home, the keen old man could not rest, but wished 

 to see the new country in which he was. Mrs. Taylor 

 took him round the farm. He was proud to see them 



