SCOTLAND'S SEARCHING TEST. 559 



of the mail coaches of East Scotland, and one 

 of these, notably the famous "Defiance," was 

 one of the noted outfits of its time.* He had a 

 very celebrated breed of game fowls, and was 

 a devoted patron of the cock-pit and the prize- 

 ring. Fond of arranging fistic encounters be- 

 tween the expert boxers of that period he often 

 served in the capacity of "trainer" as well as 

 backer. Good dogs and the " mimic warfare of 

 the chase" also claimed his attention. Indeed 

 for more than a generation the exploits of Bar- 

 clay of Ury, by flood and field, furnished the 

 theme for many a "rattling" story told at 

 officers' "mess" or wayside inn. 



Barclay had inherited from his father the 

 estate of Ury on the banks of the River Cowie, 

 hard by the seaport of Stonehaven. At large 

 expense of time and labor, by the liberal use of 

 lime and by the importation of skilled plow- 

 men and improved implements from Norfolk, 

 the elder Barclay had secured fair grass and had 

 successfully introduced the culture of turnips. 

 The Captain was on terms of intimate friend- 

 ship with Wetherell and had many interesting 



* Barclay once drove the " Defiance " through on a wager of 1,000 from 

 London to Aberdeen without leaving the box. It is said that on this trip 

 the coach was " horsed " at two stages by Thoroughbreds as leaders that 

 had never been in harness before. On arriving at Aberdeen a friend 

 remarked, "Captain, you must be tired." Barclay replied, "I have 1,000 

 that says I can drive back to London again starting in the morn." 



