Additional Notes
round his leg & on going up to him and asking if he Sidrving was the author
of the song Sidrving replied - 'Yes my name is Adam Sidrving and if what
I said was na true you wad na care sae muckel about it'. Ballantyne was
very obtuse in understanding the locale of the ground where the battle was
fought, it was some time before he could be made to understand it. Francis
tried it, I tried it, and then Sir Walter - we journeyed cracking and talking
to the east end of the Meadow Mill, Sir Walter repealing with great glee
another humerous ballad about Sir John Hope at the concluding stanza of
which we all bad a hearty laugh. Sir Walter told the story of Dr Carlisle
and his friends joining the Kings Army before the battle, on this we turned
down the coal road & had a crack about the Seton family and their large
possessions where we were walking on my mentioning their extensive coal
operations, Francis took out of his pocket and read an extract from one
of the Bannatyne club books about the coal. on which Sir Walter said that
he had a duplicate of the Volume and as he (Francis) liked such matters,
he would have much pleasure in sending it to him, on which I added that
the addition of inscribing the Volume would enhance the gift, which he promised
to do most willingly, we journeyed on towards Cockenzie till we were made
up to by a Mr Steele, the resident constable in Tranent, who seeing us walking
near the Thorn tree came to Francis and offered to bring two swords which
he knew were at Preston, and which were found on the field of battle - when
Francis said they could be procured I said "that I trapped one of them for
the Armoury at Abbotsford, that all such relics were better in a great collection
than single.' Sir Walter replied "I do most cordially accede to that doctrine'
after this we moved on to Cockenzie, which we reached a little after 4 -
my Mother, Janet, Georgina Cathcart & Mr Wood were in the Drawing-room (we
passed Mr Wood at Raven- shaugh on our way out) Sir Walter was uncommonly
pleasing in his address to my mother, he acknowledged her as the 'fifty
years acquaintance of a lame boy who had been made very happy with her attentions
long ago' I was particularly struck at the ease and urbanity of his manner
- he shook hands cordially with Mr Wood as another old friend. Sir Walter
had told us that he recollected his visit to P. Pans for the benefit of
bathing was after Burgognes surrender in the American war. he well remembered
Mr George Constable (the Monkbams of the Antiquary) and Lieutenant Dalgetty
discussing the military movement and tracing them on a map. the boy then
remarked his fears 'that they would lose themselves among the lakes' - which
Dalgetty dispelled by saying 'they would take care of that' - We all retired
to puriiy for dinner Sir Walter to the yellow (now Blue room) - we had just
returned when the repast was announced. Sir Walter took Janet, Mr Wood my
Mother, the dinner was excellent- the |
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