Oor ain folk times

RAW POTATOES 247
intelligent man, and spoke with a slight lisp. He after-
wards went to Bradford, and was for many years
correspondent there to the North British Agriculturist.
Being on a visit to Ireland, and seeing a man digging
potatoes in a field, he hailed him, and in his slow
solemn, Scotch fashion he asked :
' " What kind of potatoes are thae, my man 1 "
' " Raw potatoes, yer honour," answered Pat as quick
as lightning.
' When beginning his sermon in the pulpit he always
pulled his large old watch out of his breeches fob, and
looked at the time ; and between saying " May the Lord
bless the preaching of His Word. Amen ! " and the
beginning of his " prayer after the sermon," he invariably
pulled out the watch again to see how long he had
been in preaching. So far as I can recollect,' says
George with professional complacency, ' this was the
only bad habit he had in the pulpit.
' He was fond of history, and intensely patriotic. He
had unbounded veneration for Knox and Andrew
Melville, for Alexander Henderson, and for all the
goodly roll of " Scots Worthies," both in ecclesiastical
and civil history, who had " nobly contended for the
faith once delivered to the saints," and for liberty ; and
he inspired me at least,' says George, ' with a love for
the same men, and deep admiration for their principles.
He would often speak enthusiastically of Chalmers,
Hugh Miller, Dr. Welsh, and many others who were
the heroes of " The Ten Years' Conflict." He was in-
tensely loyal to his denomination, and a thoroughgoing
Protestant. In a word, he was a man of magnificent
religious principle ; and sometimes in his semi-jocular