COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 25 



he tivigs most wonderfully quick. You must direct 

 to the Poste Rest^, Weimar, Saxe-Weimar. Our 

 landlady's name is V^oight, and she only speaks 

 German, but she has a daughter who interprets, I 

 have filled up my sheet, so I shall stop. 

 " Your affec. 



" J. A. Thomson. 



" Write to me directly and tell me all the news. 

 Tell Nelly that the Captain waltzes so well that the 

 ladies kept him well employed last night in a dance 

 (as they do when they pick up any one for a partner), 

 and he was so tired all the time, for we had not been 

 in bed for two nights, except yesterday morning." 



Sir John Hope of Pinkie had given us letters to 

 General Seebach, the Oberjagermeister. We went 

 to call on him, and found a tall old gentleman with 

 his grey hair cut very close, dressed in a shooting 

 jacket, standing at a desk reading an English slang 

 dictionary. He was a grand old man and very kind 

 to us. Willie Hope (afterwards General command- 

 ing in Edinburgh), Norman M'Leod (tutor to Tom 

 Preston), Rocheid (father of Mrs. Briggs of Strath- 

 airley), Horrocks, etc., were there. 



The Grand Duke was very kind to all the boys. 

 The Grand Duchess was a Russian, and a charming 

 lady. We were all dressed in court dress — black 

 straight-cut coats, cocked hats, knee-breeches and 

 black silk stockings, and we all stood in a row like 

 young rooks. 



The Grand Duke used to walk round and say a 



