INTRODUCTION 



folk and kindly raillery at the foibles of all classes 

 — as long as the public is not too critical to enjoy 

 pictures of the general prevalence of good over 

 evil in the world as we have it — so long shall 

 Whyte-Melville find high favour with wholesome 

 minds. 



The son of a Scottish laird — Mr. John Whyte- 

 Melville, of Mount Melville in Fife — J. G. 

 Whyte-Melville was born in 182 1, and went, in 

 process of time, to Eton, after the manner of 

 many of his kind. The reputation of Eton for 

 scholarship never, perhaps, exceedingly high, was 

 probably at its lowest in the "thirties"; yet, as 

 has happened to other boys who have passed in 

 and out of her gates without distinction, young 

 George acquired in that school a loving reverence 

 for Latin writers which endured throughout his 

 life and left its stamp on all his writings. 



In 1839 he obtained a commission in the army, 

 and, having exchanged into the Coldstream 

 Guards in 1846, retired in 1849. Five years 

 later, on war being declared with Russia, he 

 volunteered for active service, and was employed 

 throughout the campaign as a major of Turkish 

 Irregular Cavalry. Returning to England after 

 peace was declared, Whyte-Melville indulged 

 his passion for country life, and generally spent 

 the winter in hunting quarters in Leicestershire 

 and Northamptonshire, latterly in Gloucestershire ; 



xiii 



