History of the Fife Pitcairns

DR WILLIAM ROBERTSON. 479
them a cart of coals in the week, as he took charge of Pinkie coal,
which his brother-in-law, William Adam, and he, had a lease of. 1
Home and I happening to dine with Dr Robertson at his
uncle's, who lived in Pinkie House, a week before the General
Assembly, we proposed to . . . make our Assembly Parties at the
Carriers' Inn. This was accordingly executed, but we could not
be concealed ; for, as it happens in such cases, the out-of-the-way
place and mean house, and the attempt to be private, made it the
more frequented — and no wonder, when the company consisted of
Robertson, Home, Ferguson, Jardine, and Wilkie, with the addi-
tion of David Hume and Lord Elibank, the Master of Ross, and
Sir Gilbert Elliot." 2
In 1758, as already related (see ante p. 429), Dr Robertson
and Dr Carlyle went for a jaunt to London together, the
former to arrange about the publication of his ' History of
Scotland,' and the latter to see " the lions." 3
Dr Carlyle states that they stayed with Dr William Pit-
cairn, " a great friend of Dr Dickson's " (Dr Carlyle's
brother-in-law), and also "a cousin of Dr Robertson's."
This is indirect valuable evidence that Dr William Pitcairn
and Dr William Robertson (through his mother, Eleanor
Pitcairn) were both cadets of the Pitcairns of Forthar.
There is proof positive of the descent of Dr Pitcairn, and
strong presumptive evidence in Dr Robertson's case.
Every time they went to London, they stayed at Dr
Pitcairn's for weeks at a time, and were always cordially
welcomed. (See Dr W. Pitcairn's Life.)
Dr Carlyle describes their visit to London most
graphically : —
We were engaged with a party of friends to dine at Billings-
gate on fish of the season, so took leave of Mr Jackson, and
left him to come at his leisure, while we made the best of our
way down the Thames, and halted only at Richmond, where
Robertson had never been. . . . We were a company of fifteen or
sixteen, whose names I can't exactly remember ; but when I say
that there were Sir David Kinloch, James Veitch (Elliock), Sir
Robert Keith, then only a captain in the Scotch Dutch, Robertson,
1 Autobiography of Dr Carlyle, p. 214. 2 Ibid., p. 309.
3 See Dr William Pitcairn's Life in the Dysart Branch.