384 THE JOURNEYMAN. 



stractly scientific. He had made some good water- 

 colour sketches, and practised poetry as well as prose. 

 His formal poetry was far behind his poetic prose. He 

 was admired and wondered at by all classes of his 

 townsmen ; and I met him at dinner and at evening 

 parties constantly. The questions daily put to me were, 

 " Isn't Hugh Miller a wonderful man ? " and " Isn't he 

 very humble ? " I always acquiesced in the opinion that 

 he was a wonderful person, and dwelt so much on this, 

 that the inquiry as to his humility was generally for- 

 gotten. Had I been pressed on that point, I should 

 have answered, No. He had great ability, and he 

 knew it, and was determined that the world should one 

 day know and acknowledge it. He was some five or 

 six years older than I was, but in our short acquaintance 

 we became mutually very frank. On one occasion he 

 spoke enthusiastically about a departed literary grandee, 

 and used some expressions which led me to ask him 

 whether he would like to be he. He turned on 

 me a flash of indignant, almost contemptuous sur- 

 prise, as if no living thinking being with a spark of soul 

 or true ambition could do other than desire to be that 

 man. I said, " But remember, Hugh, he is dead, and 

 we have no evidence that he is with the Lord, nor are 

 his writings calculated to save any souls, or to keep any 

 souls in the right way." He strode on doggedly with 

 clenched fist, and then suddenly stopt, and said, " It 

 would be well always to remember that." 



' The Rev. Alexander Stewart was the minister of 

 the parish. His fame as a preacher was high. On my 

 return to Edinburgh, I met Dr Chalmers, and he asked 

 me where I had been spending my summer. I said at 

 Cromarty. " Oh," he exclaimed, " Stewart is the best 

 preacher in the Church of Scotland." I replied, " With 



