Memorials of the lineage, early life, education and development of the genius of James Watt

JAMES WATT. 187
father's gravestone, which I shall he ohliged to you to get neatly
executed in the same form as written. I mentioned having the two
stones ribated upon one another, thus — [giving a diagram] — but, on
consideration, it will be better to make them plain joint, thus —
[diagram.] When the weather becomes milder, I wish also to have
the letters cleaned and repaired upon my grandfather's stone. 1
" I should have sent you this sooner, but was indisposed with one
bad cold after another since I came home ; and also found a good
deal of business behind. I shall thank you to get the workmen to
lose no time in getting it finished, otherwise it is possible a stone may
be laid upon me before I have laid one on my father.
" I shall be glad to hear from you of the receipt of this letter ;
meanwhile, Mrs. Watt joins me in best compliments and good
wishes to you and Miss Walkinshaw, with remembrances to other
friends, — and I remain, clear Sir, your obliged humble servant,
" James Watt.
1 Id regard to the reference here made to the retracing the figures under the authority of the
cleaning and repairing of the letters upon his above letter from Mr. Watt ; for, the death of
grandfather's tombstone : It will be recollected Thomas Watt, and that of Margaret Sherrer, are
that two instances of discrepancy between the separated from each other, in the record, by eleven
dates upon this stone, and those contained in the pages only, showing indubitably that twenty-one
Records of the Kirk-Session, were adverted to in years could not have elapsed between these
our memorials of the grandfather, Thomas Watt events. The date upon the stone, therefore,
— one of these occurring in the year of the which is erroneously 1755, ought clearly to be
death, the other in the age, of his wife, Margaret 1735, the year after her husband, the good mathe-
Sherrer. As there is no reason to doubt the per- matician's death. The birth of their illustrious
feet accuracy of the Session record, and as the grandson in 1736, stands recorded in the same
tombstone, laid down in 1701, would be much volume, at the distance only of eight pages far-
obliterated during the period which intervened ther on. The errors which have been pointed
between that year and 1808, when the letters out show with what care the restoration of in-
were " cleaned and repaired," it is not to be won- scriptions, when defaced, ought to be gone about,
dered at, that, in the hands of a person who as gross blunders may otherwise be committed ;
might not have access to, or have consulted the and it is matter of regret that the inscription just
record, as seems to have been the case in this recited has undergone a very considerable oblite-
instance, but should trust to his reading of the ration since it was copied by me upwards of twenty
stone, mistakes should bo committed. I assume years ago.
confidently, that on error has been committed in