DR M' COSH'S RECOLLECTIONS. 451 



lessness nor a prim gentility. It was very much the 

 dress worn on Sundays by the better class of tradesmen 

 and upland farmers. It must be confessed that at first 

 sight he had somewhat of a shaggy appearance, relieved, 

 however, by a look of high independence and an air of 

 indomitable energy and perseverance. He was a man 

 of the highest type throughout ; but if he had a counter- 

 part in any of the lower animals it was in the noblest of 

 the dog tribe, such as Landseer loves to paint, as in his 

 Dignity as contrasted with Impudence. Yet he was 

 withal wonderfully shy, and unwilling to seem to be 

 seeking the favour of any man. A little incident may 

 show what I mean. Dr Guthrie and I had been walking 

 together on the day on which he had asked him to meet 

 me at dinner ; and when we were at some distance we 

 saw him approaching the door. " Let us run," says Dr 

 Guthrie ; " for if he goes to my house and finds me not 

 in he will set off; " and we did run to catch him. I 

 remember another circumstance illustrating the same 

 point. I was talking to him of the litterateurs of Edin- 

 burgh, great and small. He did not seem to have much 

 intimacy with them. We talked of Lord Jeffrey, of 

 whom he spoke kindly and respectfully. " He ex- 

 pressed," he said, " a wish to make my acquaintance 

 when I came to Edinburgh ; but as he did not call on 

 me I did not see my way to call on him, and we have 

 not had much intercourse." I happened to be in his 

 house one forenoon when he was expecting a call from 

 Sir Roderick Murchison in the afternoon. He was too 

 proud a man to make any boastings about it ; but it was 

 evident that he was highly gratified by the proffered 

 visit ; and he had his splendid museum in the highest 

 possible order to show it to the distinguished geologist. 

 He had a heart to cherish a sense of favours when be- 



