London . on, a penny-a-liner, and not only a liar himself, but the cause of lying inothers. There is Dundas, afterwards Lord Melville, for whom a tall showyfigure, invincible good-nature, and a serviceable disposition, did more than geniusor even dexterity in political intrigue could have done. And if we are to add tothe list the mere birds of passage, what crowds rush upon our view, from oldBalmerino stopjiing the coach to buy honey-blobs, as he returned from receiv-ing sentence of death, and Lovat sitting to Hogarth for his portrait, down toJames Hogg, the last genuine Scotch lien sent to Lo
London . on, a penny-a-liner, and not only a liar himself, but the cause of lying inothers. There is Dundas, afterwards Lord Melville, for whom a tall showyfigure, invincible good-nature, and a serviceable disposition, did more than geniusor even dexterity in political intrigue could have done. And if we are to add tothe list the mere birds of passage, what crowds rush upon our view, from oldBalmerino stopjiing the coach to buy honey-blobs, as he returned from receiv-ing sentence of death, and Lovat sitting to Hogarth for his portrait, down toJames Hogg, the last genuine Scotch lien sent to London, and, of all lions uponrecord, the one which played its part most con aritorc, roaring after a fashion un-paralleled since the days of the immortal Bottom. Adam Smith, however,though only a casual visitor, must not be passed over in silence, were it only forthe sake of mentioning how Dundas sent the Wealth of Nations reeling in hissaddle home to his lodgings from the Bacchanalian revels of [.laam Smith.} SCOTSMEN IN LONDON. 335 AVc have touched upon the overflowings of Scottish s))irit in I^ondon—theoccasional flushes and sparkles which show thai there is life and high spirit inthat hidden stream of Scotch domestic life which meanders tiirougli metrojiolitansociety—Hying the light almost as much as the over-arched Kiver of Wellswhich once flashed and sparkled in the sun like other brooks. There is not, afterall, such perfect uniformity in Scotch character as those who formed their notionsof it from the caricatures of ^lacklin and Churchill used to Lclieve. How dif-ferent arc the Scotsmen of Walter Scott from those of Smollett, though withenouirh of g-eneral resemblance to mark their relationship. Smolletts are likehimself, more intent upon fun than gain ; but the fun that can jienetratc theirrhinoceros hides and reach the seat of sense would be harsli and rejiulsive to moresusceptible natures. Their jokes are like the sailors shaving witii tar and arustv ba
Size: 1433px × 1743px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1844
