Additional Notes
first course was almost all fish - tiled whitings being at the foot - they were excellent fresh out of the sea that morning & had a most delicious taste of salt - the conversation during dinner was very amusing & pleasing in every way. Sir Walter did say one or two good things during dinner but I forget them. one in particular which I regret much. Mr Wood alluded again and again to his acquaintance with Sir Walters old friends particularly old Mr Keith ofRavelston and a Mr Wm Keith, to Sir Walters father living in Carrubers Close then at the head of the Horse Wynd, when Sir Walter was born, but the house is now pulled down. the whole time during dinner and after dinner was one stream of amusing and pleasing conversation. Sir Walter was very attentive to the children - and discussed Franks accident on his nose. Whiskey was introduced after the ladies retired, there was a good deal of talk of the Yeomanry and their doings at Musselburgh when in quarters. About i p 7 there was a sign of movement - we reached the drawing room a short time after this on our way up I asked a seat for Mr Wood to town, and in the drawing room I asked leave for Francis & Janet to see Abbotsford on their way to Crailing to Mary Patons marriage - Sir Walter asked how long they intended to stay, for he would soon be there in person. Martha was handing tea when he said to her 'Martha you are like Martha of old troubled with many things' - at 8 the horses were ordered, when Sir Walter took leave he was particularly polite to my mother & Janet - to Janet he said at parting 'Your father was a very old friend of mine. dear me how often I have to talk of other peoples fathers now' we all left about 8 - seated as before, the evening was very fine. (Cadell's Diary.)ii. The prisoner's escape, p. 694. Scott's part, as described by Peter Rodger, the Procurator Fiscal of Selkirkshire, was as follows. "The prisoner, thinking it a good chance to escape, made a movement in the direction of the door. This Sir Walter detected in time to descend from the bench and place himself in the desperate man's path. "Never," said he, "if you do, it will be over the body of an old man".' (Craig-Brown's Selkirkshire, ii. 140.) The prisoner was 'a strong savage fellow very much incenced and disposed to be violent', Scott tells Charles. 'He broke from the poor old miserable officers sprang over the benc{h]es and would have got away altogether if I had not stopd him. I sent for irons but the officers put them on so ill that though he left the court quietly enough he got free from them in the middle of the street where I left them making no very [heroic] figure.' (Letters, xi. 444.)
Nor was this all. 'Not ten minutes after you left this on Wednesday', writes Maxpoffle, 'we had precious riots in which Mr. Thomson & the Water Bailiff Graham were obliged to run for their lives amongst volleys of Stones, one of which struck Mr. T. a most violent blow on
the back near the Tail.' (W. Scott, 25 December 1830, Walpole.)
The officers were too old, as Andrew Lang the Sheriff Clerk testifies: 'Ingles and Tail are the only ones who have even the semblance of efficiency, and Ingles who has been a very active man is now too old to be what he has been, while Tait wants size and strength.' (Nat. Lib. Scot., MS. 869, f. 141.) He suggested appointing three or four active young Constables and swearing in a hundred Special Constables for service in emergencies. The idea was put into effect at once. (See the Entry for 6 January 1831.)
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