LITERAKY AND DOME'S 110 LIFE. 381 



he had that ruorninsr walked along the front of his father's house — 

 itself no insignificant mansion — a town of the very best size — not 

 like the great unwieldy Glasgow, or Edinburgh, where (while fears 

 were entertained of the failure of the crops in the country) a crop 

 was going on in the streets of the city (cheers and laughter), but 

 turned he to his native town, "Ah, seest'u! seest'u!"* (tremendous 

 cheering and laughter). Politics were very properly excluded from 

 that meeting, etc., etc. 



After the festivities at Paisley were over, they took a short excur- 

 sion to Loch Lomond, Glen Falloch, Killin, Loch Earn, Crieff, Com- 

 rie, Perth, and homewards ; nor was it then imagined that one of 

 that happy party was so soon to be removed from the honored and 

 loved place she held in her family. 



On New Year's day, 1837, my mother wrote her last letter to her 

 dearly loved sister ; and the correspondence, which had continued 

 without interruption for twenty-five years, was now to cease : — 



" My dear Mary : — "With the exception of Mr. Wilson, we are 

 nearly as well as usual. I cannot get Mr. W. to take proper care 

 of himself; he would put you out of all patience, as he really does 

 me, and neither scolding nor persuasion avail, and I am obliged to 

 submit, and so must he ; he consents to stay in the house, which is 

 one comfort, and therefore I trust his cough will soon disappear. 



" Frank says the preparations in Glasgow for the reception of Sir 

 R. Peel will be splendid. Mr. Wilson and John will be both there. 

 I believe there will be at least 2,000 at the dinner, and the demand 

 for tickets is unprecedented. I will take care to send you a news- 

 paper, with the best account of the meeting that can be had. There 

 is some anticipation, I hear, that the Radicals will try to make some 

 disturbance, but there is no fear but their attempts will be soon put 

 a stop to. 



" I am just now reading a delightful book ; if you have not already 

 seen it, pray try and get it ; it is Prior's ' Life of Goldsmith." Do 

 you remember how you used to like Goldsmith ? and I never read 

 a line of this book without thinking of you, and wishing we Avere 

 reading it together. You will love him better than ever after read- 

 ing these Memoirs. 



1 A thousand thanks for your welcome letter, and for all the good 



This is a Paisley expression peculiar to the people, and means " Seest thou, seest thou V 





