2110-5-12-27

Hours. 11 to 1 Telephones: Leeds 24036 and Chapeltown 41170

43, Park Square Leeds.

May 23rd 1932

Dear Colonel Buchan,

I have just finished reading your "Walter Scott" and write to say how greatly I have enjoyed it. I am, and always have been, a great admirer of Scott and rejoiced in a book written by one so competent to undertake the task ^as you. I agree that you were "bound one day or other to write" it, and what date could be more appropriate than 1932?

I hope that you will not think me a bore if I make some comments. After all I am one of your constituents and I had the honour of proposing your health at our Scottish Graduates ' dinner in Leeds some two or three years ago; so here goes!!

My parents were Edinburgh people and my father was born in 1809. I have often heard him tell us lads that he once saw Sir Walter Scott. He was serving his apprenticeship for insurance work and going up a common stair in one of the 'lands ' he stepped aside to let "an old gentleman" pass. That "old gentleman" was Walter Scott as he was told by the man he was going to see. You say (page 180 ) "Now at the age of 48 he was an elderly man" That was in 1819 and the governor would have seen him some 5 or 6 years after that date; hence the description "an old gentleman" Yes, and my father also saw GEORGE IV drive through the streets of Edinburgh IN FULL HIGHLAND COSTUME - a sight for gods and men - in August 1822!

On page 241 you refer to George IV filling "the role of the Prince Charming who three-quarters of a century before had danced in Holyrood house" Now DID Prince Charlie DANCE on the occasion of the ball?

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I cannot give the reference nor can I quote the EXACT words, but a good many years ago Lord Rosebery was performing some ceremony in Edinburgh and was referring to the romance and the glamour with which the writings of Scott had enveloped Scotland and the Highlands in particular and he went on somewhat as follows:

"Now if there be two things that are well established as facts "in connexion with this ball, they are that the Prince did not "wear the kilt and that he did not dance; yet, through the ages, "in consequence of Walter Scott's romance, he will, in full Highland "costume, lead the dance with Flora MacIvor on his arm"

But Rosebery here himself falls into error. Clearly he was of opinion tha Scott had said that the Prince wore the kilt. I remember of course that the dear old Baron Cosmo Comyn Bradwardine regarded the TREWS, "a garment whilk I approve maist of the twa, as mair and seemly ancient" as the true Highland garb , but it is clear that Rosebery had the kilt in mind. Now Scott does say (Chap.XIV Vol II Author's favourite edition) referring to Flora - "With whom he danced" but of KILTS there is no mention. So if through the ages the Prince is to appear in kilts, it must be of Lord Rosebery's doing. He has put kilts onto a Stuart - an easier thing to do that to take the breeks off a hielander!! I read a short time ago a book by Miss Broster "The flight of the heron" and she definitely says "the prince" --- "following his usual custom did not dance" I wrote her somewhat in the terms which I have used above. She replied as follows:

"l am pretty sure that my authority for saying that Prince Charles "did not dance at Holyrood was the late Dr. W. J . Blaikie, until his "recent death, the greatest living Jacobite authority" and from memory she gives the article by him in the book of the Edinburgh Club on "Edinburgh in 1745"

You refer frequently to Scott's wonderful memory and Stephen Gwynn in his delightful life refers I think to the inaccuracies in detail which are bound to occur when a memory even of such a kind as that of Scott is

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used without support. Gwynn unconsciously illustrates this, for on page 45 of his book he quotes from the Ashestiel Memoir as follows:- "as Tony Lumpkin says 'in a concatenation accordingly' " Now Tony does not say this. The man who does say it is referred to as "Fourth Fellow" (Act I) Again on page 171 of his book a remark is credited by Scott to Bob Acres which was made by "David" in conversation with Bob.

Act IV Scene I "Acres. But my honour, David, my honour!! I must be very careful of my honour. "David. Ay, by the mass, and I would be very careful of it! and I think in return my honour could'nt do less than to be very careful of me (Scott uses the word REPUTATION, not HONOUR)

Stephen Gwynn does not notice these two errors apparently as he passes them by!!

Gwynn also stumbles himself; Page 284, quoting from the Bride of Lammermuir, he says :- "the reluctant bride -- - - stabs to death the bridegroom" and later on he credits Caleb with actually having set fire to the old house to conceal the shortcomings of the furniture. Wrong on both counts!! Bucklaw was not killed; he lived to say that he would know how to deal with either a lady or a gentleman who dared to question him on the subject; and Caleb did not set fire to the old house; it was "only a wheen fern and horse litter that I fired"

YOUR BOOK; page 45. The difference between EBRIUS and EBRIOSUS !! The same arguments were used by the Baron after the dinner at Tullyveolan with Waverley, the Laird of Killancureit and Balmawhapple!! And it is sound. "One swallow does not make a summer" nor, may I add, does one act of swallowing make a drunkard!!

Page 73. Can you tell me if the "Peter Hill" you mention was the father of "D.O.Hill." the Artist and the first man to develope [sic] the

legitimate use of photography in portrait painting. A book on "D.O" has appeared in Engish from the German of Dr Schwartz of Vienna. "D.O" married a sister of Noel Paton and he was the brother of Alexander Hill who married my aunt!

Page 233 "the bow of Apollo cannot always be kept at stretch" I am not a classical scholar but in this I recognise - "Neque semper arcum tendid Apollo" I think that "TENDIT" refers to that intermediate condition of a bow which we call "STRUNG" that is ready to be further stretched; half cock as it were and ready for action; not stretched to its full extent for that would be an impossible and intolerable condition for Apollo, and yet ready for action by being STRUNG. Your "kept at stretch" will fit either of the two conditions and I hope you mean the SLIGHTLY TENSE ONE.

Page 252 Laidlaw was wrong - it was Rob and not Helen whose foot was referred to as being on "my native heath" though no doubt Helen's also was!!

296. A lovely "will" instead of a "shall" Last line of the small print.

Page 146 "An Edinburgh Surgeon, Sir Charles Bell" this refers to date 1815. Bell was not knighted till 1929. Is this captious on my part?!!

Let me again say how much I have enjoyed your book and let me assure you that it shall have an honoured place in my small collection.

I read almost the whole of Scott's novels to my two lads when they were young and during the last two years I have read them all again to myself.

Aoplogising for this assault

I am yours very truly

T Wardrop Griffith