Sir W. Elliot on Denholm and its Vicinity. 315 



meeting on an unexpected emergency, when he acquitted 

 himself with such fervour and success that he was invited to 

 enter the ministry. He joined the Independents and for 

 some years itinerated as a missionary. Invited to Denholm 

 by the late Mr. Douglas, he laboured there for several years, 

 residing in the Dean cottage, and preaching in the Camer- 

 onian chapel, and occasionally also in Hawick and the neigh- 

 bourhood. From these small beginnings a respectable con- 

 gregation was gradually collected, with a stated minister and 

 place of worship. 



Mr. James Douglas, the late proprietor of Cavers, was him- 

 self a remarkable man — an acute thinker, a profound scholar, 

 and deeply read in every branch of literature. He is the 

 author of several religious and critical works, written in a 

 catholic spirit, and abounding in logical argument and accur- 

 ate research. He was also distinguished for his unostentatious 

 liberality and extensive benevolence, — qualities inherited by 

 the present laird, his only surviving son. 



The Elliots of Minto have for the last five generations 

 occupied a conspicuous place in public life, on the liberal 

 side of politics. Gilbert, the first of the family, born in 1651, 

 was a younger son of Robert Elliot of Midlem miln, a cadet 

 of Stobbs. Educated as a writer in Edinburgh, he early 

 joined the Hanoverian i)arty, and distinguished himself by 

 his defence of his friend, the Rev. William Veitch, in 1679, 

 and by his exertions in favour of the earl of Argyle in 1681, 

 both of whom had been condemned by the Scottish Justiciary 

 Court. On the first occasion he procured an arrest of all 

 further proceedings against Veitch through the interest of 

 Shaftesbury; on the second, though his journey to London 

 proved unsuccessful, he by hard riding, outstripped the king's 

 messenger carrying down the confirmation of the capital sen- 

 tence, and by giving timely warning enabled Argyle to efiect 

 his escape from Edinburgh Castle. After this he engaged 

 actively in the schemes of that unfortunate nobleman against 

 the government, and took part in the expedition from Hol- 

 land to the west of Scotland in 1685, which ended so disas- 

 trously for Argyle. On the dispersion of their little force 

 Elliot escaped to the continent. For this he was, in his 

 absence, found guilty of treason, and sentence of death and 

 forfeiture was pronouced against him and other leaders. 

 Two years later. King James desiring to conciliate the Pres- 

 byterian party, caused this award to be reversed, and thus 

 Elliot was enabled to return to Scotland in 1687 and resume 



