378 Memoir of Archibald Campbell Swinton. 



"He doffs the gown, he quits the town, 

 His ancient haunts he leaves ; 

 Henceforth his sphere will be to rear 

 Good mutton and fat beeves, 

 To sow and reap, to sell or keep 

 His wheat or barley sheaves. 

 While, sad and slow, his comrades go 

 Lamenting, with Lord Neaves, 



That he's a country gentleman 



All of the present time." 



And so from 1862 to 1890 he remained, in great reputation 

 and honour, a country gentleman, living on his own property 

 and among his own people, consulted by all and sundry, gentle 

 and simple, whom his versatility and kindliness attracted, and 

 seldom or never in vain. His father died in the year 1867, but, 

 of course, the great proportion of the labour, which the estate 

 implied, had before fallen upon the shoulders of Swinton. In 

 his capacity of a country squire he filled almost every position, 

 in local management, which was open to him. His knowledge, 

 quickness of apprehension, and urbanity of manner caused him 

 to be consulted, from all quarters, upon all manner of subjects. 

 As I have already said, he combined knowledge of country 

 affairs with an amount of legal lore, very seldom combined with 

 rustic pursuits. It would be impossible for me to enumerate, in 

 detail, the amount of willing work which he performed in that 

 capacity. He continued to be a member of the General 

 Assembly, was much in the confidence of the clergy, and devoted 

 a considerable portion of his time to the discharge of these 

 duties. He was a member of the School Boards when they 

 were first introduced, and, indeed, few of the parochial or 

 county institutions were without his assistance. He continued, 

 as he had done during the greater part of his life, to act 

 as a Director of the Edinburgh Academy ; his zeal for, and 

 devotion to which had suffered no diminution. 



I have been furnished with memoranda from his diaries, 

 which he kept with considerable regularity down to the last 

 years of his life, but there are no salient features of which I 

 could take advantage in such a notice as this. One only I 

 would mention, and that is the marvellous sweetness, kindliness, 

 and generosity of the whole of these private notanda, as well as 

 the reverential tone of his thoughts. Keen as he could be, and 

 ardent in the pursuit of any principle to which he was attached 



