Notes on Newton Don. By C. B. Balfour. 307 



lottery of hardware ; she, a venerable lady, who always 

 wore a haunch hoop, silk neglige, and triple ruffles at the 

 elbow, having the luck to gain a pair of silver spurs and 

 a whip to correspond."^* 



Sir Alexander Don and his eldest son took a prominent 

 part in originating the Border Society, now represented by 

 the Border Union Agricultural Society.'^ At a meeting at 

 Newton Don, in 1813, attended by himself and his son, Mr 

 Hood of Hardacres, Mr Nisbet of Mersington, Mr Walker 

 of Wooden, Mr John Riddell, Grahamslaw, and Mr Jerden 

 (factor of the Newton estate) it was resolved to call a public 

 meeting in Kelso, on 22nd January 1813, to take into 

 consideration the propriety of forming a new Agricultural 

 Society. The meeting took place, the Border Society was 

 established, and Sir Alexander Don was one of the first 

 Vice-Presidents. 



Of his improvements at Newton Don mention has already 

 been made. 



He had issue 



(i.) Alexander, who succeeded. 



(ii.) Mary. 



(ill.) Elizabeth. 



Both these girls were drowned in the Eden on either the 

 7th or 12th June 1795. The catastrophe is described in the 

 "Border Almanack" quotations from local papers, etc. "Eighty 

 years since," in 1875, and is also alluded to in the letter 

 from Lady Louisa Stuart to Lady Oarlow, from Newton Don 

 27th May 1800, which I have quoted, by permission, 

 before. 



She says, "The pictures" of the two poor girls are in the 

 dining room. I had heard so, and the first day durst not 

 look to the right or left, hardly off my plate, for fear my 

 eye should unluckily catch them and be perceived. I went 

 in to look at them when nobody was in the way, the youngest 

 seems to have been very pretty. The fatal accident did not 

 happen, as I imagined, by their falling over a little bridge, 

 but wading the river in a place where they often had done 



** Query ? Thia may refer to Mary Murray, Lady Don j though 

 written in 1826, it quotes some previous incident. 



** A view of some Transactions of the Border Agricultural and 

 Union Societies, from 1813 to 1840, pp. 6 and 53. 



" Painted by Raeburn, now in possession of Lady Milbank. 



