Memoir of Mr. Alexander Jeffrey, by George Hilson. 477 



subscription list was much reduced by death and removals, and 

 many withdrew, owing to its additional cost by its increased 

 size. The result was, that the author was subjected to much 

 pecuniary loss and annoyance. It is a matter of regret that 

 before going to press, he had not had the work fully written 

 out. By subjecting it to careful abbreviation in the less in- 

 teresting parts, and throwing much of the chronological 

 statements into an appendix, he would have improved the 

 smoothness of the narrative, and been able at once to issue 

 it in a handsome octavo volume, like Dr. William Chambers' 

 History of Peeblesshire. There is little doubt if he had done 

 this, the work would have been in every way, a great success. 

 As it is, the demand for it still continues, and the parties 

 who hold the remainder of the impression, have just now 

 announced that the price of a set has been considerably 

 raised. In many ways it is a wonderful book. That a man 

 engaged in a laborious and exacting profession — as the author 

 was all his life — could spare time, and maintain the zeal to 

 promote so many enquiries over such a wide field — altogether 

 apart from the labour of composition and passing the work 

 through the press — shows he had a thorough love of his 

 subject. Although in many cases his theories are fanciful 

 and obviously erroneous, and several of the deductions he 

 draws from events and circumstances are neither logical nor 

 well stated, and the style often feeble and disfigured by 

 peculiarities of expression, yet take it all in all, there are 

 few books where there are so many interesting subjects so 

 well treated, and generally with great accuracy. It may be 

 thought he is wrong in some of his conclusions, but there 

 is no appearance whatever of his stating the facts to suit a 

 preconceived opinion. Village antiquaries, who, as is well 

 known, are always singularly tenacious of their notions, and 

 are ever on the alert to pounce upon any one who does not 

 minutely describe their own little world, and adopt all the 

 popular ideas existing among them, may complain that the 

 narrative is defective ; but for a history of this kind, all 

 that is required is a general statement of the facts, and this 

 is fairly done in most instances. Mr. Jeffrey had several 

 critics of this kind, and was hardly treated because he had 

 the courage to explode several antiquarian local delusions. 

 We read the volumes as they appeared with care and atten- 

 tion, and since, many times have had occasion to refer to 

 them, and notwithstanding the faults alluded to, we think it 



