4.98 



GRANT. 



between the tropics of either hemisphere. It may 

 be considered to be one of the native fruits of 

 this island, and it is known to have been an ob- 

 ject of cultivation so far back as the reign of 

 Henry VIII. Only about a dozen varieties were 

 thi-n known; now several hundreds can be enume- 

 rated. 



The gooseberry in the southern parts of England 

 is not comparable to that of the north; and the 

 flavour of the Scotch berry is much superior to 

 that of those produced in any part of England ; 

 while, in Scotland itself, the gooseberries of Dun- 

 dee, Aberdeen, and Inverness, much exceed in 

 flavour any which the Edinburgh market-gardeners 

 can raise. In size and appearance, however, the 

 gooseberries of Lancashire are, perhaps, unequalled 

 by any in the world ; and there, and in the coun- 

 ties of Cheshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire, 

 the striking improvement which has taken place in 

 the cultivation of this cheap and agreeable fruit is 

 to be attributed less to the market-gardeners, or 

 even to the scientific horticulturists, than to the 

 mechanics, who very generally spend much of their 

 leisure time in the pleasing occupation of garden, 

 ing, particularly in the cultivation of the goose- 

 berry, and have their ambition very much turned 

 towards the production of large specimens of that 

 fruit. Some idea of the attention which has been 

 paid to this object may be formed from the fact, 

 that of the two hundred kinds of gooseberries 

 which are enumerated in the fruit catalogue of the 

 horticultural society, not fewer than a hundred 

 and fifty are the large Lancashire gooseberries. 

 " Gooseberry shows," as they are called, are peri- 

 odically held in different parts of Yorkshire, Lan- 

 cashire, and Cheshire, at which berries are exhibited 

 in competition for prizes. This operates as a stimu- 

 lus to the cultivation of the fruit. 



About forty years since it was thought a great 

 thing when an amateur grower pulled a gooseberry 

 that was heavier than a " spade-ace guinea," 

 or, in the parlance of the workshop, " weighed 

 more than a pound." Berries were, however, soon 

 after produced that weighed twice as much ; and 

 little would now be thought of a show fruit that 

 should not weigh five "pounds," or sovereigns. The 

 largest gooseberry ever grown was a handsome 

 yellow fruit called " Teazer," which was shown at 

 Stockport in July, 1830, and weighed 32 dwts. 13 

 grs. The heaviest red berry on record was the 

 " Roaring Lion," exhibited at Nantwich in 1825, 

 and weighing 31 dwts. 16 grs. The heaviest white 

 was the " Ostrich," 24 dwts. 20 grs. shown at 

 Ormskirk in 1832, in which year the maximum of 

 reds was only 27 dwts. 13 grs. In the same sea- 

 son, a seedling green was exhibited at Nantwich of 

 the uncommon weight of 30 dwts. 18 grs. To 

 this statement of the weight to which the fruit 

 has sometimes been brought, it may be interesting 

 to add that a seedling plant of reputation has beeti 

 known to produce, when sold in lots, upwards of 

 32. This was a rare case, indeed ; but it is said 

 to be not at all unusual for twenty guineas to be 

 brought in by the distribution of a single bush in 

 rooted parcels. 



GRANT, SIR WILLIAM, The Right Hon., for- 

 merly master of the rolls, was descended from the 

 Grants of Beldornie, one of the branches of that 

 great and ancient clan of Grants which has been 

 so 'long distinguished in the history of Scotland. 

 His father, who was originally bred to agricultural 

 pursuits, died collector of customs in the isle of 



Man. He was himself born in the year 1754, at 

 Elchies, on the banks of the Spey, in the county 

 of Moray ; and was placed with his younger 

 brother (who became collector at Martinico)at the 

 grammar school of Elgin. He completed his edu- 

 cation at the old college of Aberdeen ; and then 

 repaired to London, to pursue the study of the 

 law. He was entered at Lincoln's inn ; and at the 

 age of twenty-five, he was considered competent 

 to fill the situation of attorney-general of Canada, 

 to which he was accordingly appointed. He im- 

 mediately left this country for that colony, not 

 having been then called to the bar. He soon ob- 

 tained undisputed pre-eminence at the Canadian 

 bar ; all his talents were called into active service ; 

 and he showed that, if occasion wanted, he could 

 engage in other duties than those of his profession. 

 Canada was at that time traversed in every direc- 

 tion by the rebellious armies of America, and Mr 

 Grant was present at the memorable conclusion of 

 their attempt the siege of Quebec, and the death 

 of Montgomery. Mr Grant himself engaged in 

 active military duty, and commanded a body ot 

 volunteers. He remained in Canada for a consi- 

 derable period, enjoying all the success which could 

 there be obtained ; but the state of the colony 

 could not have been very inviting. Probably the 

 disturbance which his favourite pursuits met, and 

 the opinion that he had abilities greater than were 

 necessary for pre-eminence at a colonial bar, in- 

 duced him to resign his office of attorney-general, 

 and to try his fortune in England. Certain it is, 

 that he returned to this country, and was called to 

 the bar by the society of Lincoln s inn, in the year 

 1787. Mr Grant took his stand in the common 

 law courts, and joined the home circuit. The 

 usual fate, however, here awaited him. Nearly 

 unknown in this country, entirely without the 

 necessary connection to insure an early introduc- 

 tion to business, and being naturally of rather a 

 shy and retired turn, he went the circuit for seve- 

 ral years without obtaining a single brief. How 

 long he might have remained thus unemployed it 

 is in vain to conjecture. But, happening to be re- 

 tained in some appeals from the court of session in 

 Scotland to the House of Lords lord chancellor 

 Thurlow was much struck with his powers of argu- 

 ment, and having learned his name, observed to a 

 friend, " Be not surprised if that young man should 

 one day occupy this seat." That this prophetic 

 opinion was not fulfilled to the letter, has been 

 generally attributed to Sir William Grant's refusal 

 to undertake the duties attached to that high office. 

 In consequence, however, of an invitation from 

 lord Thurlow, he subsequently left the common 

 law bar, and thenceforward practised solely in 

 equity. At the general election in 1790, Mr Grant 

 was returned for Shaftesbury, and soon distinguish- 

 ed himself as a powerful coadjutor of Mr Pitt. 

 He spoke seldom, and never but on questions with 

 which he was fully acquainted ; but his talents and 

 information were soon so generally recognised, as to 

 render his assistance essentially valuable. He was 

 called within the bar, with a patent of precedence, 

 in 1793; and in the same year was appointed a 

 Welsh Judge, when a new writ was ordered for 

 Shaftesbury on the 20th of June, and he was not 

 re-chosen. However, on a vacancy for Windsor, 

 which occurred in the following January, he was 

 elected for that borough : he was at that time 

 solicitor-general to the Queen. In 1796, he was 

 chosen knight in parliament for the county of BanF 



