Stephenson: The Ettrick Shepherd 



107 



"Though he knew he was in imminent danger, he was averse to giving 

 information to his friends. On the 12th I wrote a short note for the 

 Glasgow Courier, which was copied into several other newspapers. At 

 this time his ideas were correct, but a lengthened detail seemed too 

 fatiguing for his mind. He spoke none after the morning of the 17th, 

 and at 12 noon on the 21st he ceased to breathe." 



The following letter is from P. Boyd of Innerleithen : 



Mr. Hogg, although apparently in good health, had been ailing for 

 some years previous to his death, with water in the chest. When this 

 was announced to him by his friend. Dr. W. Gray from India, a nephew 

 of Mr. Hogg's, he seemed to laugh at the idea, and pronounced it im- 

 possible as one drop of water he never drank. Notwithstanding, he 

 very shortly after had a consultation with some of the Edinburgh medi- 

 cal folks, who corroborated Dr. Gray's opinion. Mr. Hogg, on his return 

 from town, called upon me in passing, and seemed somewhat depressed 

 in spirits about his health. The Shepherd died of what the country 

 folks call black jaundice, on the 21st of November, 1835, and was 

 buried on the 27th in the church-yard of Ettrick, within a few hundred 

 yards of Ettrick House, the place where he was born. It was a very 

 imposing scene to see Professor Wilson standing at the grave of the 

 Shepherd, after everyone else had left it, with his head uncovered, and 

 his long hair waving in the wind, and the tears literally running in 

 streams down his cheeks. A monument has been erected to the memory 

 of Hogg by his poor wife. At this the good people of the Forest should 

 feel ashamed. Mr. Hogg was confined to the house for some weeks and, 

 if I recollect aright, was insensible some days previous to his death. He 

 has left one son and four daughters; the son, as is more than probable 

 you are aware, went out to a banking establishment in Bombay some 

 two years ago. Mr. Hogg left a considerable library, which is still in 

 the possession of Mrs. Hogg and family. With regard to the state of 

 his mind at the time of his death I am unable to speak. I may men- 

 tion, a week or two previous to his last illness, he spent a few days with 

 me in angling in the Tweed; the last day he dined with me, the moment 

 the tumblers were produced, he begged that I would not insist upon his 

 taking more than one tumbler, as he felt much inclined to have a tum- 

 bler or two with his friend Cameron, of the inn, who had always been 

 so kind to him, not infrequently having sent him home in a chaise, free 

 of any charge whatever. The moment the tumbler was discussed we 

 moved off to Cameron's; and, by way of putting off the time till the 

 innkeeper returned from Peebles, where he had gone to settle some little 

 business matter, we had a game at bagatelle; but no sooner had we 

 commenced the game, than poor Hogg was seized with a most violent 

 trembling. A glass of brandy was instantly got, and swallowed; still 

 the trembling continued, until a second was got which produced the 

 desired effect. At this moment the Yarrow carrier was passing the inn, 

 on his way to Edinburgh, when Mr. Hogg called him in, and desired 

 him to sit down till he would draw an order on the Commercial Bank 

 for twenty pounds, as there was not a single penny in the house at 



