28o NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 



nine miles and a half per hour, throughout the whole route, drawn* 

 by five horses, which now and then were absolutely " sprung" 

 into a gallop. The increased speed of this conveyance brought 

 me to Glasgow just at five o'clock, and getting into a post-chaise, 

 I reached Hawkhead, the seat of Lord Kelburne, eight miles 

 distant, at the ringing of the first dinner-bell. 



Hawkhead, the residence of Viscount Kelburne, is a large 

 mansion, the property of the Earl of Glasgow father to the 

 noble viscount, situated seven miles from the city of Glasgow,, 

 and two from Paisley, about a mile distant from the high road 

 leading from one town to the other. The domain is extremely 

 well wooded ; the approach to the house runs parallel with a 

 deep river called the Cart, which, from its slow and silent course,, 

 reminded me of " gentle Severn's sedgy banks ;" the land is? 

 good, and the stables and kennels are at a convenient and suit- 

 able distance. 



It is at all times, and under all circumstances, no slight trial 

 of nerve to find oneself and luggage at the door of a person whom 

 one has never set eyes on before ; but, from the character given, 

 me of Lord Kelburne by several of my Scotch friends, and par- 

 ticularly by two of his noble brethren of the craft brother hunts- 

 men namely, Lords Kintore and Elcho, I was pretty well at my 

 ease, when his servants ushered me into his presence. A hearty 

 shake of the hand and a welcome that could not be mistaken, 

 operated as balm poured into my soul, and by the time the first 

 bottle of 1815 claret was finished after dinner his lordship and 

 myself being tete-a-tete I felt myself quite at home. But it is 

 the characteristic of persons of high blood, and accompanying 

 good feelings, to place their guests at their ease. 



Lord Kelburne has two countries the one, the home country 

 in Renfrewshire ; the other in Ayrshire, which is, I believe, by 

 far the best of the two. Of the latter, however, I only speak 

 from what I heard, not having had an opportunity of seeing it ; 

 but in a letter I received from a friend the following season-, 

 describing a run he saw over it, he spoke of it as being nearly 

 as good as any he ever rode over in his life, and he has seen 

 many good ones. That it abounds in pasture, I learn from what 

 I read of it, and few persons have not heard of Barbara Gilmour 

 and her cheese ;* by the production of which, in the first 

 instance, one of the Scottish historians says, " she performed a? 

 more valuable service to the world than Alexander the Great or 

 Julius Caesar accomplished by all their sanguinary labours." 



Lord Kelburne's two countries united make only what would 



* Called the " Dunlop Cheese." 



