38 Mary Somerville. 



scientific societies at home and abroad, and at last 

 President of the University of Edinburgh. He was 

 studying in Edinburgh when I was at Jedburgh ; 

 so I did not make his acquaintance then ; but later 

 in life he became my valued friend. I did not 

 know till after his death, that, while teaching rny 

 cousins, he fell in love with my cousin Margaret. 

 I do not believe she was aware of it. She was 

 afterwards attached to an officer in the army ; but 

 my aunt would not allow her to go to that out- 

 landish, place, Malta, where he was quartered ; so 

 she lived and died unmarried. Steam has changed 

 our ideas of distance since that time. 



My uncle's house the manse in which I was 

 born, stands in a pretty garden, bounded by the 

 fine ancient abbey, which, though partially ruined, 

 still serves as the parish kirk The garden produced 

 abundance of common flowers, vegetables, and fruit. 

 Some of the plum and pear trees were very old, and 

 were said to have been planted by the monks. 

 Both were excellent in quality, and very productive. 

 The view from both garden and manse was over the 

 beautiful narrow valley through which the Jed 

 flows. The precipitous banks of red sandstone 

 are richly clothed with vegetation, some of the trees 

 ancient and very fine, especially the magnificent one 

 called the capon tree, and the lofty king of the 



