Obituary Notices. 
xi 
knowledge of legal principle, and a thorough acquaintance with the 
wants of the rural population. When the Government of Lord 
Palmerston was turned out in 1858, I find a memorandum in his 
diary to the effect that he had been employed to go to London to 
help Charles Baillie in carrying a Reform Bill. Charles Baillie was 
the Lord Advocate under Lord Derby’s Government of that year, 
and Swinton makes a notandum in his diary with the melancholy 
remark that this was rather against his conscience. However, the 
Government were defeated, and Lord Palmerston’s Cabinet of 1860 
lasted for many years. 
Notwithstanding his early inroads into periodical literature, I 
have not been able to trace Mr Swinton’ s pen in later life in the 
current publications of the day, excepting in one instance. By the 
courtesy of Messrs Blackwood I have been furnished with a copy of 
the number of their Magazine in which the only article contributed 
by Swinton appears. It is dated February 1837, and is entitled 
“ A Word in Season to Scottish Conservatives.” It is a good, 
hearty all-round challenge of all Whig doings and of all their ways. 
It is not sparing of large words and strong opinions. It says, “The 
Whigs were not four years in office without affording proof enough 
that if grasping nepotism, open violation of the most solemn pledges, 
and selfish clinging to place at whatever sacrifice, are the character- 
istics of any political party, they are not exclusively at least the 
qualities of the Conservatives.” But the perfervid strain of this 
performance, which is sustained and vigorous throughout, had, like 
most things a possible history. Sir Robert Peel had been elected 
Lord Rector of Glasgow University in January 1837. He was 
entertained to dinner by the citizens of Glasgow, and delivered a 
great oration on the 12th of January. He was the guest of Blyths- 
wood during his stay at Glasgow^, and rumour had it that Swinton 
was during that period at the service of the great statesman as 
temporary private secretary. From his family connection with 
Blythswood I think the legend is probable, and the intense ardour 
of the Blackwood article to a certain extent corroborates this view. 
But certainly I never heard him speak on the subject, although we 
were much together at that time, and probably if the rumour was 
true, the relations which he held to the great statesman were too 
confidential to be made the subject of gossip. 
