Kings & rulers > More leaves from the journal of a life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882

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dined with us, and after dinner'we watched the illu¬
minations and many bonfires from the library, and
afterwards went for a moment into the drawing-room
to see the ladies and gentlemen, after which I went
up to my room, where I sat and rested, feeling tired
and only able to read the newspapers.
Thursday, August 22.
A fine morning, though rather hazy. The night
and moonlight had been beautiful. Breakfasted with
our family in the breakfast-room. At twenty minutes
to eleven went and sat out under some trees on the
lawn near the house writing, where I was quite quiet
and undisturbed, and remained till half-past twelve,
resting, reading, etc. Immediately after luncheon
started in two carriages, the Duchess and our two
daughters with me; Christian, the Duke, Lady Char¬
lotte Russell, and Lord Charles Fitz-Roy in the second
carriage (with post-horses). We had the Duke’s horses
as far as Ravenswood. We drove through Kelso, which
was full of people, crossed the Tweed and Teviot
(where the waters join), and passed below the old
Castle of Roxburgh. The country is very pretty, hilly,
wooded, and cultivated. Not long after we started,,
the second carriage disappeared, and we waited for it.
It seems that, at the first hill they came to, the wheelers
would not hold up. So we stopped (and this delayed
us some time), the leaders replaced the wheelers, and
they came on with a pair. Then we drove up to St.
Boswell’s Green, with the three fine Eildon hills be¬
fore us—which are said to have been divided by
Michael Scott, the wizard—seeing Mertoun, my ex-