486 Report of Meetings for 1881. By Jas. Hardy. 



neighbourhood, had no tendency to go back to the past ; the only case in 

 which any one can remember her mentioning anything connected with her 

 earlier life, was when she reminded a neighbour who had just been in Spain, 

 of the name of a particular street in Madrid, where the Traquair family had 

 been before the Peninsular War, when France was closed by the Eevolution. 

 This showed there was no failing of memory. [Lady Louisa died 6th Dec, 

 1875, in her hundreth year]. Family traditions were probably rather sup- 

 pressed. The Lord Traquair of the day was in prison as a Jacobite all through 

 the Balmerino and Kilmarnock trials, but nothing could be proved against 

 him. 



It is strange Sir Walter Scott has not mentioned Traquair with its armorial 

 bears among his originals of TuUy-Veolan." 



Dr. Alexander Geddes, a native of Banffshire, was chaplain in 

 the family of the 6th Earl here, a man of remarkable scholarly 

 accomplishments. He published two vols, of a translation of the 

 Bible in 1792 and 1797. In 1781 he paid a visit to Charles, the 

 7th Earl, at Traquair house, and there wrote a poem entitled 

 " Linton : a Tweeddale Pastoral." Dr. Greddes is the author of the 

 popular song, " The Wee Wifikie," and the fine Jacobite lyric 

 " Lewie Gordon."* 



After leaving, the principal gateway to Traquair house was 

 first passed. The coat of arms with the bear supporters, is very 

 conspicuous. The avenue from the gate to the front of the house 

 is lined with tall trees. The story is that it has . not been used 

 since 1796, on account of the funeral cortege of the Countess of 

 Charles the seventh Earl having passed through it, he having 

 signified a wish that it should not be used again. This earl died 

 14th Oct., 1827. 



Eesuming the journey, the hamlet of Traquair was soon reached. 

 When the kings of Scotland, with their numerous retinue, so- 

 journed for deer-hunting in its vicinity, it must have been a con- 

 siderable village. At one period Traquair was a sheriffdom. 

 One of the ministers of the parish, the Eev. James Nicol, born 

 at Innerleithen, has some fame as a poet. He was ordained 4th 

 Nov., 1802, and died 5th Nov., 1819. He published ''Poems, 

 chiefly in the Scottish Dialect," 2 vols. Edinburgh, 1805, 12mo ; 

 contributed a number of articles to the '' Edinburgh Encyclo- 

 paedia," and wrote " An Essay on the Nature and Design of 

 Scripture Sacrifices," published posthumously in 1823. His 

 eldest son, who died recently, was the well-known geologist, 

 Professor James Nicol, Professor of Natural History in the Uni- 

 versity of Aberdeen. 



* Professor Veitch's Hist, and Poetry of the Scottish Border, pp. 

 475-6. 



