416 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



Mr. Jerram justly says the common voice of mankind 

 protests against the logic of the n*etaphysicians/ 



To DR. SYMONDS. 



' ST. ANDREWS, October 12th, 1862. 



* ... We reached our St. Andrews home yesterday 

 afternoon, and I am most thankful to say that we 

 are all quite well, and have been so for the greater 

 part of the summer. We had, as everywhere else, 

 rainy months of June and July and a good part of 

 August ; but since that time, and especially latterly, 

 we have had as fine an autumn as Scotland ever pro- 

 duces some truly delightful days, in which the 

 country looked far more beautiful than in the height of 

 summer, not merely from the tints of the foliage, but 

 from the slanting lights which contribute so much to 

 the effect of country in high relief. The last day the 

 boys were w T ith us before returning to school the 

 8th September we had a very charming excursion to 

 Tummel Bridge, between Loch Tummel and Kannoch. 

 One day we went a large party with Mr. and Mrs. 

 Airy and their two sons to Glen Telt, and lunched 

 almost on the spot where we did a like act six years 

 yes, it is six years ! before. The day was not so 

 positively hot as that day there has been no such hot 

 day in Perthshire since but it was equally pleasant 

 We had not visited the place in the interval. Alicia has 

 told you, I believe, that we took a good deal of interest 

 in the navvies, whom we found an interesting and grateful 

 set of people. Though they quarrel occasionally among 

 themselves, no instance of dishonesty or rudeness has 

 occurred at Pitlochiie, which is saying a great deal ! A 

 temporary hospital was erected just above the Pass, 

 which I visited regularly ; but the cases were not nu- 

 merous, and when I left there was not a single patient. 

 You will be amused, I think, to hear that only three or 

 four days ago a delicate clergyman from the south of 

 England came with his wife to look for winter quarters 

 at Pitlochrie, as a sanitary measure. The gentleman has 



