\ ^^ Roiert C Bell X'-rATOJi-S.CcS.-y^olA.fiiscr- MEMOIR OF THOMAS THOMSON, ADVOCATK EDINBURGH.—MDCCCLIV. t" ccccet » BDIHBVBaH : T. CORSTA,BLB, PRINTXR TO BBR UkjnTT. PRESEiNTED TO THE BANNATYNE CLUB, JAMES T. GIBSON CRAIG, and C. INNES. ? 28867 THE BANNATYNE CLUB. NOVEMBER M.DCCC.LIV. RIGHT HON. ANDREW RUTHERFURD, LORD RUTHERFURD, {PRESIDENT.) THE EARL OF ABERDEEN. WILLIAM PATRICK ADAM, ESQ. THE EARL OF ASHBURNHAM. LORD BELHAVEN AND HAMILTON. WILLIAM BLAIR, ESQ. BERIAH BOTFIELD, ESQ. THE MARQUESS OF BREADALBANE. SIR THOMAS MAKDOUGALL BRISBANE, BART. 10 GEORGE BRODIE, ESQ. CHARLES DASHWOOD BRUCE, ESQ. O. TYNDALL BRUCE, ESQ. THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH AND QUEENSBERRY. VERT REV. DEAN RICHARD BUTLER. SIR HUGH HUME CAMPBELL, BART. JAMES CAMPBELL, ESQ. THOMAS CARNEGY, ESQ. EARL CAWDOR. PATRICK CHALMERS, ESQ. {DECEASED.) 20 RIGHT. HON. SIR GEORGE CLERK, BART. DAVID CONSTABLE, ESQ. THE BANNATYNE CLUB. THOMAS CONSTABLE, ESQ. ANDREW COVENTRY, ESQ. DAVID COWAN, ESQ. JAMES T. GIBSON CRAIG, ESQ., (TREASURER.) SIR WILLIAM GIBSON CRAIG, BATIT. THE MARQUESS OF DALHOUSIE. GEORGE HOME DRUMMOND, ESQ. HENRY DRUMMOND, ESQ., M.P. 30 RIGHT HON. SIR DAVID DUNDAS. GEORGE DUNDAS, ESQ. WILLIAM PITT DUNDAS, ESQ. THE EARL OF ELLESMERE. JOSEPH WALTER KING EYTON, ESQ. LIEUT.-COL. ROBERT FERGUSON, M.P. COUNT MERCER DE FLAHAULT. THE EARL OF GOSFORD. WILLIAM GOTT, ESQ. ROBERT GRAHAM, ESQ. 40 THE EARL OF HADDINGTON. THE DUKE OF HAMILTON AND BRANDON. SIR THOMAS BUCHAN HEPBURN, BART. JAMES MAITLAND HOG, ESQ. RIGHT HON. JOHN COSMO INNES, ESQ. DAVID LAING, ESQ., {SECRETARY.) JOHN BAILEY LANGHORNE, ESQ. .50 THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE. VERY REV. PRINCIPAL JOHN LEE, D.D. THE BANNATYNE CLUB. LORD LINDSAY. JAMES LOCH, ESQ. THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN. LORD LOVAT. JAMES MACKENZIE, ESQ. JOHN WHITEFOORD MACKENZIE, ESQ. KEITH STEWART MACKENZIE, ESQ. WILLIAM FORBES MACKENZIE, ESQ. 60 JAMES MAIDMENT, ESQ. SIR WILLIAM MAXWELL, BART. THE HON. WILLIAM LESLIE MELVILLE. THE EARL OF MINTO. RIGHT HON. JAMES MONCREIFF, LORD ADVOCATE, M.P. THE EARL OF MORTON. JAMES PATRICK MUIRHEAD, ESQ. HON. SIR JOHN A. MURRAY, LORD MURRAY. WILLIAM MURRAY, ESQ. {DECEASED.) ROBERT NASMYTH, ESQ. HON. CHARLES NEAVES. THE EARL OF NORTHESK. LORD PANMURE. ALEXANDER PRINGLE, ESQ. JOHN RICHARDSON, ESQ. THE DUKE OF ROXBURGHE. THE REV. HEW SCOTT, A.M. JAMES R. HOPE SCOTT, ESQ. THE EARL OF SELKIRK. JAMES YOUNG SIMPSON, M.r ALEXANDER SINCLAIR, ESQ. JAMES SKENE, ESQ. THE BANNATYNE CLUB. WILLIAM SMYTHE, ESQ. JOHN SPOTTISWOODE, ESQ. EDWARD STANLEY, ESQ. THE REV. WILLIAM STEVENSON, D.D. THE HON. CHARLES FRANCIS STUART. THE DUKE OF SUTHERLAND. ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL SWINTON, ESQ. ALEXANDER THOMSON, ESQ. 90 SIR WALTER CALVERLY TREVELYAN, BART. WILLIAM B. D. D. TURNBULL, ESQ. ADAM URQUHART, ESQ. 93 ALEXANDER MACONOCHIE WELWOOD, ESQ. LIBRARIES. THE BRITISH MUSEUM. THE SOCIETY OF LINCOLN'S INN. THE FACULTY OF ADVOCATES. THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND. THE SOCIETY OF WRITERS TO H. M. SIGNET. THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH. THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW. TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN. THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES. Soon after Mr. Thomson's death, now two years ago, several persons who thought that some memorial should be preserved of the life and labours of one who had rendered so great service to historical literature and record learning, requested me to undertake such a work. Friends of Mr. Thomson at the same time offered me the use of of his the kind- portions private correspondence ; and, by ness of the present Deputy-Clerk Register, I had access to some volumes of his official letters, which he had collected and preserved during the first years of his employment on the National Records. With the help of these materials, I have compiled the following Memoii*, and must only regret that accidental circumstances should have delayed it so long as to lose some of the interest derived from the fresh memory of its subject, as well as perhaps to raise expectations of a much more elaborate performance than this slight compilation can satisfy. To the friends of Mr. Thomson who entrusted me with I to his letters, or otherwise aided my undertaking, beg in offer my grateful thanks. Mrs. Thomson placed my hands a large mass of her husband's family papers and the of letters, which afforded nearly whole my information chief resource of his early life, and have been my through- out this Memoir. Mr. Leonard Horner allowed me the use of some early letters of Thomson's, the more valuable as forming the counterparts to those of his brother Francis Horner, which I regard as the most precious of the con- tents of the present volume. The Earl of Minto, to whom I am personally unknown, was liberal enough to give me the use of all the letters he had preserved from his old friend. To my friends Lord Murray and Professor Pil- lans, I am under similar obligations. The Marquis of Lansdowne was obliging enough to permit me to print his letter communicating to Mr. Thomson his appointment as Clerk of Session in 1828. Private friends, to whom I am obliged in many ways, will not doubt my gratitude, though I feel that to enumerate their names would seem to claim for this little work an importance which I am sincerely conscious it does not merit. I cannot, however, omit to mention two, the late lamented Lord Cockburn, who earnestly encouraged me to this undertakinoj, and whose reminiscences of his XI old and loved friend would have been its greatest orna- ment; and Mr. Laing, the Secretary of the Bannatyne Club, the efficient coadjutor of its four successive Presi- dents, who has afforded me zealous assistance in this labour of love. Mr. Gibson Craig, whose friendship for its subject first suggested this Memoir, and without whose active assist- ance it could not have been carried through, has borne the whole expense of printing these sheets. Mrs. Thomson has contributed the engraving of her husband's portrait. C. INNES. EdinbiLrgh, 22d November 1854. 3 - a MEMOIR Thomas Thomson was bom on the lOth of November in the Manse of a on the Water of 1768, Dailly ; parish Girvan, in Carrick, of which his father was minister. The family did not forget that their forefathers had been lairds. They were proprietors of the small estate of Newton of CoUessie in Fife, which they sold in 1760. The father and uncle of the minister of Dailly were both ministei-s of the Established Church of Scotland, the former at Auchtermuchty, the latter at Elgin. Of Thomas Thomson, minister of Dailly, we can now speak only from his letters to his children, and from the impression he made upon some country neighbours. He had been tutor in the family of Kilkerran, and it was through the influence of Sir James Fergusson, better known as Lord Kilkerran, that he obtained the crown living of Dailly, where he was admitted minister on the 3d June A MEMOIR OF " 1756. He was twice married, first to Miss Peggy Hope, daughter lawftil to tht3 Hon. Sir Alexander Hope of Carse," (IMi. JamJaty 1759,) and, secondly, to "Mary Hay, daughter lawful to Francis Hay, in Lochside, in parish of the former had Dundonald," (5tli January 1768.)"^ By he a daughter, Margaret, who became the wife of her cousin, " " James Thomson, minister of Girvan, the Mr. James of the manse correspondence. By the latter, four sons and four daughters. His second wife had been previously mar- ried to Mr. Lockhart, and a daughter of that mamage. Miss Jean Lockhart, kept house for Thomas Thomson, in Edinburgh, after the death of his mother and all his un- married sisters. The value of the living of Dailly, including manse and glebe, amounted at an average to £105 a year. It is not known that the minister or his wife had any private for- tune, yet they lived socially with their neighbours, by the best of were exercised some whom they much respected ; hospitality, and gave their family the best education which the country afforded. The thing is still so common in the manses of Scotland, that it would be impertinent to praise the virtuous economy, the rigid self-denial, that it requires to live like gentle-folks, and educate a family on £105 a year. The boys received their elementary education at the parish-school, at least if we may judge from some kind mes- sages to the schoolmaster, communicating any step or success * Register of the Parish. THOMAS THOMSON. 8 his 6s. in after-life. His name was Welsh ; salary £8, 8d., and his whole emoluments, including his perquisites as did not to £30 a for which he Session-Clerk, amount year ; taught "English, Latin, French, Writing, Arithmetic, and Book-keeping;" and he did one part of his duty so well, " that as the Statistical Keport states, there was scarcely an individual in the parish who had not been taught to read and write English." At fourteen, Thomas, the eldest son, was sent to the University of Glasgow, where he lived with his aunt, Mrs. at Traill, the widow of R. Traill, D.D., Professor of Divinity Glasgow. The first letter that is preserved of his father's, perhaps the first that he had occasion to write to his son, brings us a little acquainted with the character of both. The Minister to his Son. "Daillj/, ntJi November 1782. " I hope, Tammie, you are now heartily engaged, and that you see the necessity and use of diligent application. From the abundance of work you have to do, if you wish to excel, which I believe you do, you will not find much time for amusement. But your studies will soon become your most pleasant entertainment, when your attention is fixed, when exertion is necessary, and when you are conscious of a capacity of overcoming difficulties.