Records of the clan and name of Fergusson, Ferguson and Fergus

400 CLAN FERGUSSON
eighth day of March last, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, much
regretted by his friends and Country.
Notwithstanding my father's straitned circumstances, he was
particularly careful to give me a liberal education, one of the
chief dutys which parents owe to their children, and which he so
faithfully discharged to me that so far as I did not profit thereby
it was my own fault. I have been thereby, by the blessing of
God, qualified for the business I have had for some time past,
by which, God willing, I propose to maintain my family, and
apply all the excrescent Rents of my Estate (after paying annual
rents and publick burdens) to extinguish the debts thereon, which,
at the same time, as they are very considerable in proportion
to the Estate, cannot probably be greatly lessen'd thereby, during
my life, unless God in His providence shall give me greater
opportunity to extinguish them.
My present situation (with which, I thank God, I am content)
makes industry and frugality indispensably necessar}^. So far as
these will go, I think it my duty and honour to endeavour to
preserve and relieve my Estate and transmit it entire, if God will,
to my posterity. But mean and sordid avarice, and all dishonest
and dishonourable ways to acquire riches I hate from my heart.
I pray God I may ever do so — may continue to be content with
my present condition (which is much better than I deserve) — and
that whatever situation of life He in His providence shall place me
in, I may be enabled to act such a part as my Duty to God and
my Country requires.
* * * * *
I have written and subscribed this and the two preceding pages
at Drumlangrig, where at present I reside, upon the first day of
December One thousand seven hundred and fourty-nine years.
'Ja. Fergusson.'
It is interesting also to find among the Craigdarroch
papers a letter from James Fergusson, afterwards Lord
Kilkerran, dated from Kilkerran on 24th March 1729,
and containing detailed advice as to the purchase of lands,
addressed to Alexander Fergusson of Craigdarroch. He com-
mences : ' Dear Sir, the Bearer has been detained for some
days by my absence, having only returned on Saturday's
night from my Lord Eglinton's burial, q n I found yours q h he
had left for me. I was pleased to find by it y* you are now