VIII 

 Hugh Miller : His Work and Influence 1 



AMONG the picturesque figures that walked the streets 

 of Edinburgh in the middle of last century, one that 

 often caught the notice of the passer-by was that of 

 a man of good height and broad shoulders, clad in 

 a suit of rough tweed, with a shepherd's plaid across 

 his chest and a stout stick in his hand. His shock 

 of sandy-coloured hair escaped from under a soft felt- 

 hat ; his blue eyes, either fixed on the ground or 

 gazing dreamily ahead, seemed to take no heed of 

 their surroundings. His rugged features wore an ex- 

 pression of earnest gravity, softening sometimes into 

 a smile and often suffused with a look of wistful 

 sadness, while the firmly compressed lips betokened 

 strength and determination of character. The springy 

 elastic step with which he moved swiftly along the 

 crowded pavement was that of the mountaineer rather 

 than of the native of a populous city. A stranger 

 would pause to look after him and to wonder what 

 manner of man this could be. If such a visitor ven- 



1 An Address given at the Centenary Celebration of his Birth 

 held in Cromarty on 2 2nd August, 1902. 



