MEMOIR OF BRUCE. 81 



every traveller that has visited those regions which 

 he describes. Some of his hitterest enemies have, 

 even unwittingly, home testimony in his favour; and 

 many of his facts that appeared most incredible have 

 been verified, by comparing them with the state of 

 manners and society that is found to exist among 

 other barbarous nations. Bruce, however, was too 

 honest to sacrifice truth to the love of popularity, 

 and too proud to submit to the insolence of his 

 detractors; accordingly, in sullen indignation he 

 retired to Scotland in the autumn of 1774, and 

 took up his residence on his patrimonial estate of 

 Kinnaird. The rebuilding of the mansion-house, 

 and other arrangements which a long absence had 

 rendered necessary, occupied his attention for more 

 than a year and a half, and in some measure di- 

 verted his mind from the subject which most natu^ 

 rally and severely oppressed it. 



In March, 1776, he married Miss Dundas, daugh- 

 ter of Thomas Dundas, Esq. of Fingask, by his 

 wife, Lady Janet Maitland. This amiable and ac- 

 complished person was much younger than Bruce ; 

 she lived with him nearly twelve years, and died in 

 1785, leaving him two children, a son and a daughter. 

 This event threw him into a state of melancholy, 

 which his friends endeavoured to remove, by advis- 

 ing him to silence for ever the calumnies of his 

 literary defamers, by publishing an account of his 

 travels. To this persuasion he at length yielded; 

 and as soon as he had resolved to undertake the 

 task, he performed it with his usual energy and 



