124 ALEXANDER GOKDON", THE ANTUQUAEY. 



Barons of the Scottish Exchequer. He foiTaed a large and valnaMe' 

 collection of antiquities, chiefly of the Roman period, and devotee! 

 himself with great zeal to their elucidation ; but the only other pro-- 

 duction of his pen, besides his letters communicated to the Society 

 of Antiquaries of London, and his correspondence with Mr. Roger 

 Gale, is his tract, entitled, " Dissertatio de Monumentis quibustem,'' 

 &c., printed at Edinburgh in 1750, when Alexander Gordon had 

 been settled for years in His Majesty's plantations beyond the 

 Atlantic. 



One of Gordon's letters, i-ecovered by Dr. Laing from the Ander- 

 son papers in the Advocates' Library, is addressed to the author 

 of " Selectus Diplomatum et ISTumismatum Scotise Thesaurus," and 

 other well-known works. From this letter we learn that he had bor- 

 rowed Anderson's copy of Sir Robert Sibbald's "Historical Inquiries 

 concerning the Roman Monuments and Antiquities in the north part 

 of Britain called Scotland." Though at that date only published six- 

 teen years before, the elder folio of Roman Antiquities had already 

 become scarce. Gordon had ranged over all the book-stalls in vain 

 search for it, though he now had a promise from "Baton" to pro- 

 cure him a copy. This is, no doubt, Mr. John Baton, a well-known, 

 bibliopole of the time, whose tastes were reflected in his son, George 

 Baton, the correspondent of Tennent, Gough, Stukeley, and othei 

 antiquaries of his day; and famous a.mong the same elder generation 

 for his collection of choice and rare books. Writing to Mr. 

 Anderson on the 19th of August, 1723 — ^that is about three years 

 before the publication of his own " Itinerarium Septentrionale ; or, 

 a Joiirney thro' most of the Counties of Scotland, and those in the 

 North of England "—Gordon says : 



" Since you did me the favour of lending me Mr. Sibald's book, I 

 have been very much instructed and informed by it, have therefore 

 ranged over all the booksellers shoaps in town in search of purchas- 

 ino' it, but' to no purpose, save that Baton has promis'd to procure me 

 it this week. However, seeing the Baron and I probably go ou.t of 

 town to-morrow, I have in a manner an indispensable necessity of 

 having that book of Sibald's along with me in my antiquary pere- 

 orination, so if I could so far prevail on your goodness to lend me it 

 till T come back from the virtuoso Tuer, which can be no farther 

 than Glasgow, Sterling, and Berth this Summer, I should take it as 

 a demonstration of very condescending goodness in you, seeing I can. 



