82 MEMOIR OF BRUCE. 



success. In 1790, seventeen years after his return 

 to Europe, his journals were printed and laid before 

 the public in five large quarto volumes, dedicated 

 to the king. In his preface, he frankly explained 

 the reason which had delayed the publication so 

 long ; and he admits, that " an undeserved and un- 

 expected neglect, and want of patronage, had been 

 at least part of the cause." The work, on its ap- 

 pearance, was attacked by the same violent spirit of 

 contradiction that had incessantly persecuted the 

 author; and it is stated, that in consequence of 

 these calumnies, several copies of it were sold in 

 Dublin as waste paper. The fame and honour of 

 Bruce have long ago emerged from the cloud of 

 misrepresentation which ignorance and prejudice 

 had gendered ; and his name will go down to pos- 

 terity as one of the most brave, honourable, intelli- 

 gent, and enterprising travellers that Great Britain 

 ever produced. 



The remainder of his history is short. His do- 

 mestic occupations were divided between the care 

 of his estate and his literary pursuits. His fondness 

 for astronomy induced him to erect a temporary 

 observatory on the top of Kinnaird House, where he 

 made his observations, dressed in the Abyssinian 

 costume; a circumstance which made the good 

 people in the neighbourhood believe that " the 

 laird was gaen daft" He was often dressed in a 

 turban, and used almost every morning, in company 

 with his young and amiable daughter, to ride slowly 

 over his grounds to his coaleries, mounted on a 



