A Scorrisu Ipyt. 91 
seems to have put himself forward as arbiter eleyantiarum quite in 
the style of the dragoon whom Swift has immortalized in connec- 
tion with “ Hamilton’s Bawn.” That the ladies reciprocated his 
good opinion of himself as a squire of dames is rather amusingly 
evidenced in the next letter. 
Dr. JOHNSTON. I need hardly give myself the trouble of 
repeating what I daresay you are very sensible of by what you 
feel yourself, 1 mean the pleasure we have in receiving your 
letters, only I think our pleasure must be so much greater as we 
hear seldomer from you than you do from us. Why won’t you 
write oftener my dr. Alicie, tho’ there can’t be so much variety in 
your letters as there is in ours, I assure you they are full as agree- 
able to us as they would be had they more variety ; to give you 
an exact Journal of what has pass’d since our last, would take a 
great deal of time both to write and read but I shall give you 
some little Sketch of it. (I am sorry however that you have 
such a melancholy time of it but I hope to hear a more agreeable 
account of you in your next). We came all here with Lady 
Erskine the day after your letter was writ and had the pleasure 
of meeting all our family here, next day we had a ball a pretty 
good one, there was nothing remarkable happen’d ; next day which 
was Wednesday Lady E. and Miss Murray went about eight 
miles out of town to visit Lady Anandale, and stay’d all night 
and on Thursday we all met at Tinwald, about one o’clock, and din’d 
upon one of the Wrights tables, on a Cold Colation (if you please) 
which we had brought out of town with us. We were very 
merry, there was some little Rivalship between Miss Murray and 
Maguir about the Landlord, he coqueted a little with them both, 
and then dash’d both ther hopes at once by toasting Miss John- 
ston and telling some of her pritty little stories so that they both 
despaired of getting the better of you, at Last good Lady Erskine 
took her leave but was so good as to promise to write to us, Miss 
Murray and ber went off for Moffat, and we wander’d about for 
some time, Viewing the beauties of the place (which papa set off 
with all his eloquence) and then came into the town, on Friday 
we walk’d thro’ the town to let Maguire see it and in the most 
publick place of the city her ears were most gratefully saluted 
with the noise of a bourtree gun. She was so transported, she 
forgot where she was, and ran most precipitantly to the happy 
