THE HIGHLANDS. 129 



Mure of Caldwell, exclaimed, "Weel, I declare, she's come back 

 bonnier than ever !" 



My father's own account of their adventures is contained in the 

 following letter to the Ettrick Shepherd, soon after his return, writ- 

 ten evidently in the full enjoyment of the highest health and spirits, 

 — to use his own jjhrase, " strong as an eagle :" — 



"Edinburgh, September. 



" My dear Hogg : — I am in Edinburgh, and wish to be out of it. 

 Mrs. Wilson and I walked 350 miles in the Highlands, between the 

 5th of July and the 26th of August, sojourning in divers glens from 

 Sabbath unto Sabbath, fishing, eating, and staring. I purpose ap- 

 pearing in Glasgow on Thursday, where I shall stay till the circuit 

 is over. I then go to Elleray, in the character of a Benedictine 

 monk, till the beginning of November. Now pause and attend. If 

 you will meet me at Moffat, on October 6th, I will walk or mail it 

 with you to Elleray, and treat you there with fowls and Irish 

 whiskey. Immediately on the receipt of this, write a letter to me, 

 at Mr. Smith's bookshop, Hutcheson street, Glasgow, saying pos- 

 itively if you will, or will not do so. If you don't, I will lick you, 

 and fish up Douglas Burn before you, next time I come to Ettrick. 



I saw a letter from you to M the other day, by which you seem 



to be alive and well. You are right in not making verses when 

 you can catch trout. Francis Jeffrey leaves Edinburgh this day for 

 Holland and France. I presume, after destroying the king of the 

 Netherlands, he intends to annex that kingdom to France, and 

 assume the supreme power of the United Countries, under the title 

 of Geoffrey the First. You, he will make Poet Laureate and Fish- 

 mongei*, and me admiral of the Mosquito Fleet. 



" If you have occasion soon to write to Murray, pray introduce 

 something about ' The City of the Plague,' as I shall probably offer 

 him that poem in about a fortnight or sooner. Of course I do not 

 wish you to say that the poem is utterly worthless. I think that a 

 bold eulogy from you (if administered immediately) would be of 

 service to me ; but if you do write about it, do not tell him that I 

 have any intention of offering it to him, but you may say, you hear 

 I am going to offer it to a London bookseller. 



" We stayed seven days at Mrs. Izett's, at Kinnaird, and were 

 most kindly received. Mrs. Izett is a great ally of yours, and is a 



