Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

THE FRASEES OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUN. 227
She preserved her health, her intellect, and her capacity for the business
or enjoyment of life unimpaired, except some failure in memory during
the last three years, until her death at the great age of ninety-seven. She
had been out in the carriage the day before her decease, and had passed the
evening as usual ; next morning, feeling rather weak, she did not rise for
breakfast according to her custom, and about one o'clock she ate a cup of
arrowroot, and handing the cup back, said, " Thank you, that is very nice,"
sank back on the pdlow, and died in less than a minute, without a struggle
or a groan. 1
Such a mother would not only take care that her son received an educa-
tion fitting him for the position he was destined to occupy, but would, in his
infancy, inculcate those sentiments of honour and feelings of duty that
distinguished his after career.
At the proper age he was sent to Eton, where, being endowed with great
strength and activity, he became noted among his schoolfellows for deeds of
daring.
The late Sir Eichard Simeon, Bart., told the writer of these pages that
Lord Saltoun was the first Etonian that jumped into the Thames from the
parapet of the centre arch of Windsor Bridge, Sir Eichard himself imme-
diately following him on that occasion ; and the late Colonel Challoner, who
was also his contemporary, though two or three years junior, said that he
remembered, upon first going to Eton, that the whole school was ringing with
a fight that had just taken place between Lord Saltoun and a champion of
the bargemen, or bargees as they were termed, in which the former was
victorious.
In another encounter with the bargees he had a very narrow escape, for,
tripped up by the prostrate body of a schoolfellow, whom a stone had brought
to the ground, he fell on his back, while fighting in retreat, when one of the
1 The evening before the funeral of Mar- I have seen since her death, that my mother
gery, Lady Saltoun, the writer of this memoir was at least five years older than that." To
accompanied Lord Saltoun to look at the the suggestion that the inserii/tiou might be
coffin containing her remains. "Upon the altered, as there was time for that to be
plate the age of the deceased was inscribed as done, he replied, " No ! it does not matter,
ninety -two. Lord Saltoun said, "Ninety-two! ninety-two is old enough ! "
but I have reason to know, from some papers