NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 217 



situated, I was in the act of asking an old woman, when a voice ex- 

 claimed—*' What ! Nimrod is that you ?" Who should it be but a near 

 neighbour of mine in this country, (France,) who was just arrived in 

 Edinburgh to arrange some domestic affairs ; and happening to be dis- 

 engaged, he came and passed the evening with me ! 



Previously to my rising on the following morning, (Sunday, 7th) a note 

 was brought to me from my old acquaintance Captain Dowbiggen, to invite 

 me to breakfast with him at the Royal Hotel, in Princess-street, when I 

 should meet his brother-in-law, the Hon. Fox Maule ; and after church, 

 Captain Dowbiggen and myself went to pay our respects to a very cele- 

 brated character in our line— the Captain Ross of the Red-house, and of 

 Melton Mowbray, but the Mr. Horatio Ross of Scotland, late M. P. for 

 Montrose, and at that time a candidate for Paisley. He was residing in 

 Melville-street, Edinburgh, awaiting the arrival of his son and heir, who 

 made his appearance soon afterwards, but not in time for me to have a 

 view of him. 



If he makes a better man than his father is, no one will complain of 

 him on that score ; and if he makes as good a one, he will do. The 

 result of our visit was an invitation to dinner, and I was delighted at find- 

 ing myself once more under the roof of not only a kind and sincere friend, 

 but of a gentleman who has done so much to uphold the character of a 

 sportsman, and of sporting generally. 



Our next visit was to the stables of Mr. Inglis, the principal Edinburgh 



horse-dealer ; and I found him, what Lord Elcho had represented him 



to be — a person of respectable appearance, and of good address, entirely 



divested of blarney. In other words, he appeared to be a man with 



2 F 



