72 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. CHAP. II. 



acts, he promises, from his powerful, energetic conduct, his well- 

 disciplined armies, and his just views of civilisation, to raise the 

 abject inhabitants of the Fair Valley of the Nile to some consi- 

 derable eminence even among civilized nations. And though the 

 last three weeks have been less profitably employed than they 

 would have been if I had been staying at home, yet I have not 

 been altogether idle, and I think I shall be able to enliven your 

 walks a little, and add some more pleasure to your sojourn in 

 Dunoon, by some of the many subjects, grave or gay (which of 

 the g's will you have), which afforded us food and merriment in 

 this our native city ; and I shall be sure to hasten down the 

 Clyde as fast as I can to see again my two dear sisters. Mean- 

 while, I have ceased to count the period of my stay in the hospi- 

 tal by years, or months, or weeks. Every morning of the last 

 week, in arising from bed, I have said, ' Here beginneth the 

 tenth day/ and so on. Now it is the eighth day, and one week 

 sets me free, and I shall study no more till I return from the 

 west. What with packing and scraping things together, and 

 seeing grandmother and aunt, and every other friend, and gather- 

 ing letters, I shall feel very little inclination to sit down to pon- 

 der over any grave abstract, or wear out brains and eyes in 

 endeavouring to master the mystery of the Atomic Theory. All 

 these wise doctrines will have to lie by on the shelf, like many 

 better things, till I have snuffed the air of the west, and floated 

 down the Clyde ; and then, refreshed and recruited, I shall re- 

 turn, I trust, to laugh at every difficulty, and distance every op- 

 posing restraint. Hem ! the less said of that matter the better ; 

 however, the week that remains I shall dedicate to ' Egypt and 

 its Gods,' the ' Life of Baron Cuvier/ and some light works, that 

 there may be no dull days to embarrass my mind in my wander- 

 ings, or any stiff restraints to damp my energies.. All the little 

 pieces of news shall be carefully hoarded up for a personal in- 

 terview." 



The two following letters were written during this holiday 

 time. His host in Rothesay, arid companion to Arran, Mr. 

 Campbell, had been a fellow-student, whose acquaintance had 

 been made at the defunct Zetalethic Society. 



