Publications of the Scottish History Society, Vol. 36 | Page 7

have myself tried I have been always rather a loser; but still there may
be some, and I am sure the descendant of Lord Fountainhall is best
entitled to such should it arise on his ancestor's work. I think you had
better correspond with Constable, assuring him of my willingness to
help in any thing that can get the book out, and I am sure Mr. Thomson
will feel the same interest I have to leave here to-morrow for four
months, but as I am only at Abbotsford I can do any thing that may be
referred to me.
'As for Milne's notes, there are many of them that I think worth
preservation as describing and identifying the individuals of whom
Fountainhall wrote, although his silly party zeal makes him, like all
such partizans of faction, unjust and scurrilous.
'I have only to add that the Manuscript is with Mr. Thomson for the

purpose of collation, and that I am sure Constable will be glad to treat
with you on the subject of publication, and that I will, as I have always
been, be most ready to give any notes or illustrations in my power, the
only way I suppose in which I can be useful to the publication. The
idea of retrenching the law cases, which originates with Thomson,
promises, if you entertain it, to remove the only possible objection to
the publication, namely the great expense. My address for the next four
months is, Abbotsford, by Melrose, and I am always, dear Sir Thomas,
very much your faithful, humble servant,
WALTER SCOTT.
_'Edin'r, 10 July 1823.'_
Again on 27th November 1823:--
'Dear Sir Thomas,--I have sent the Manuscript to Mr. Macbean,
Charlotte Square, as you desire. It is a very curious one and contains
many strange pictures of the times. Our ancestors were sad dogs, and
we to be worse than them, as Horace tells us the Romans were, have a
great stride to make in the paths of iniquity. Men like your ancestor
were certainly rare amongst them. I had a scrap some where about the
murder of the Lauders at Lauder where Fountainhall's ancestor was
Baillie at the time. After this misfortune they are said to have retired to
Edinburgh. Fountainhall's grandfather lived at the Westport. All this is I
hope familiar to you, I say I hope so, for after a good deal of search I
have abandoned hope of finding my memorandum.
'I have seen Constable who promises to send me the sheets as they are
thrown off, and any consideration that I can bestow on them will be a
pleasure to, dear Sir Thomas, your most obedient servant,
WALTER SCOTT.
_'Edin'r, 2d December.'_
The last letter on the subject, written apparently by Mr. Cadell, is as
follows:--
_'Edinburgh, 28 July 1824._
'Dear Sir,--We duly received your much esteemed letter of 16 instant,
and beg to assure you that we are as willing as ever to do what we
stated last year in bringing out your MS. in a creditable way. The
reason, and the only reason of delay, has been the indisposition of Mr.
Constable, who has from last November till about a month ago been
unable to give his time to business.

'Having communicated your letter to him we beg now to state that we
shall take immediate steps for getting the work expedited. The MS. is
still in Mr. Thomson's hands, but we shall see him on the subject
forthwith. It is proposed to print the work in 2 vols. octavo handsomely,
the number 500 copies.--We remain, sir, with much respect, your most,
ARCH. CONSTABLE & Co.
'Sir Thos. Dick Lauder, Bart.'
'The publication,' as Mr. Laing says in his Preface, 'intended to form
two volumes in octavo, under the title of Historical Notices of Scottish
Affairs, had actually proceeded to press to page 304 in 1825, when the
misfortunes of the publisher put a stop to the enterprise. After an
interval of several years the greater portion of Sir Thomas's transcripts
was placed at the disposal of the Bannatyne Club.' The result was the
publication of the Observes and the Historical Notices. Mr. Laing adds,
'If at any subsequent time some of his missing MSS. should be
discovered, another volume of Selections, to include his early Journal
and extracts from his smaller notebooks, might not be undeserving the
attention of the Bannatyne Club.' The Journal in France, though never
printed, was reviewed by Mr. Cosmo Innes in 1864 in the North British
Review, vol. xli. p. 170.
OUTLINE OF FOUNTAINHALL'S LIFE
A short relation of Lord Fountainhall's life is given in Mr. David
Laing's preface to the Historical Notices. He was born in 1646. His
father was John Lauder, merchant and bailie of Edinburgh, of the
family of Lauder of that Ilk.[17]