Perthshire in bygone days

GENEBAL KEID. 467
CHAPTEE II.
GENEEAL KEID.
" The Garb of Old Gaul."
Belike 'tis but a tumour, come on,
There's a sixpence for you, let us have a song."
Shakespeare.
General Reld was the last of the Barons Rua, or Red,
and with his generation died out the illustrious prefix. In
former times it seems to have been tacitly accorded to the
holder of territorial jurisdiction, however limited that juris-
diction might be ; the solitary official in a Burgh of Barony
was called the Baron Bailie, but there were barons pure
and simple, who had as little connection with any known
barony as they had with the Peerage. I apprehend that
the baron of the last century is in our day represented by
" the lord of the manor," but he has no bailie under him as
of old. The Baron of Bradwardine did not condescend to
the lower office, but kept a bailie in the person of Duncan
Macwheeble. The imperious Baron of Bucklyvie must also
have kept bailies under him, otherwise how could he fore-
stall Forbes M'Kenzie by refusing strangers refreshment or
lodging " after the sun gaed doun." A very small property
in the neighbourhood of Glasgow furnished George Walkin-
shaw with a patent to appear before Prince Charles at
Auchenbowie, with his charming daughter Clementina
(afterwards Duchess of Albany) leaning on his arm. He
was presented as the Baron of Baronsfield. Sir John
Sinclair tells a romantic and very interesting story of the
Honourable William Wyndham and Edmund Burke. The
two gentlemen were on a pedestrian tour through the
Highlands of Perthshire, and on the stone fence of a wood
at the back of Dunkeld they found a young lady perched,
reading a novel. They asked her many questions, and
received smart and lady-like answers, "Wyndham was
fascinated with this wood-nymph, but went doggedly on
his journey. A week or two passed, and Sir John, then
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