JET. 23.] HARRY ERSKINE. 229 



cussions at the Speculative Society, where I was a 

 pretty constant attender and debater ; and during a 

 portion of the time by arranging with Smith, Jeffrey, 

 and others the establishment of the ' Edinburgh 

 Review.' 



The Scotch bar afforded the amplest occasion at 

 that time for profiting by the example of great talent 

 and professional learning. The violence of party 

 and exclusive spirit had considerably abated; and 

 although there was both in society and on the bench 

 still a tendency to discountenance those who were on 

 the wrong side of the question, there manifestly was 

 felt a great improvement upon those times. Harry 

 Erskine had been removed from his place at the 

 head of the profession (Dean of Faculty) for merely 

 attending a public meeting to petition against the 

 Sedition Bills (called the Pitt and Grenville Bills). I 

 attended that meeting, and can answer for it that he 

 strongly urged them to disperse quietly; and there was 

 nothing like violence of any kind in the proceedings. 



Of professional business there was now pretty 

 nearly an equal distribution ; officially, all was of 

 course in the hands of the Tory or Dundas party. 

 The learning and talent were almost equal in both 

 parties. 



Harry Erskine, both in society and in public, was 

 the most popular advocate indeed the most popular 

 man. His education was entirely confined to Edin- 

 burgh, but he had none of the accent or other provin- 

 cialisms of the place. His taste was well cultivated, 



