Series 1 > Miscellany of the Scottish History Society (Second volume)

11
an absorbing interest and pleasure, and its success has been more
than enough reward. And when I read the words of your circular,
expressed with such delicacy, tact, and kindness, over the honoured
names of Lord Rosebery and Professor Masson, I could only say to
myself, This is a day worth living for. If you, ladies and gentle¬
men, wished to give me, at the close of my career, a supreme
gratification and pleasure by thus assuring me, in this generous
manner, that my work among you has been appreciated, you have
indeed succeeded. It was also a kind and considerate thought
to present this welcome gift in so handsome a vessel. The bowl
is something tangible to remain behind me, and to be treasured,
as it will be, by my wife and family, and by my young son, who
even now insists on having his finger in the pie of our Miscellany
volume.
An occasion of this kind tempts one to a certain amount of
egotistical reflection, and if for a moment I refer to personal
reminiscences, I trust I shall not be indiscreet. I was in fact
thinking to myself, Is there anything in my work for the Society
upon which I can plume myself? Is there any good stroke of
business for which I can take credit to myself? And my mind
reverted to the first council meetings of the Society, in one of
which I found myself in a minority of one. I was instructed to
prepare a draft of the constitution. We came to the question
who was to be President. Well, there could be no hesitation
here—obviously Lord Rosebery.
I must remind you, parenthetically, that the Society originated
in a letter from Lord Rosebery to the Scotsman, February 1886,
pointing out that while many societies were busy in bringing out
new editions of old works, there was room for another which
should deal more exclusively with the publication of unedited
scraps of historic interest. The suggestion was taken up by
Bishop Dowden, who said that he and some friends had in con¬
templation the formation of some such historic society on perhaps
a more limited basis; and he generously offered to merge his own
scheme in that of the broader one outlined by Lord Rosebery.
A General Committee to carry out the project was then formed,
under the convenership of the Bishop. It is on this account
(I may mention) that by an unwritten law of the Society Bishop
Dowden is retained as a permanent member of our Council.
Well, the presidentship being settled, I was about to proceed
to the next item on the Agenda, when a chorus of voices arose—