were cured. They were placed alongside of a wall; a party of soldiers were ordered out; and there, helpless, scarcely able to support themselves, in cold blood were thus fired upon by a platoon of musketry. One man of the whole party miraculously escaped covered with wounds. Mr. G. who told the story, knew this man. He lived half a year in a cave, while his wounds were healing, and no one knew of his retreat but his wife.

"A wounded highlander escaped from the battle with two guns and a pistol. He ran with these as far as he could: spying an old kiln mouth, he thought to escape the pursuit by hiding himself in the killogy. Four dragoons perceived him, and immediately beset the retreat of the poor highlander. Lying almost flat, with only his head up, he discharged his musket at one of the dragoons and killed him. The second, who imagined himself secure, now that the gun was discharged, the highlandman shot with his other gun; the third received the contents of the pistol; and the fourth turned his bridle and fled. In the meantime the wounded man drew together his limbs, and secretly rejoicing and blessing himself, escaped.

66

Among other idle people who came to wonder at the camp, was the minister's man. While he with an idiot-like curiosity stood gaping and wondering at every thing he saw, something about his appearance attracted the notice of the sentinels. He was immediately seized, and questions asked him. The fool was so frightened, he was unable to

give any account of himself. Without ceremony, away he was ordered to the hangman. The minister hearing of the situation of his servant, flew to the Duke, told him the story; a reprieve was instantly appointed; away next flew the minister to the soldiers; but, alas! the rope had been already put around the neck of Donald, and several minutes elapsed since his heart had ceased to throb. On shewing the reprieve, he was, however, immediately cut down, and backwards and forwards rolled upon the ground. The signs of life at length began to shew themselves. The astonished man opened his half-recovered sight, and beholding nothing but soldiers, and remembering only that he had been hanged; O God, cried he, are there soldiers also here!'

"Marischal college, Aberdeen, is a very mean building. The King's college is a very good old building. We visited the library and great hall of it. The library is a large room, which formerly was part of a chapel where the bishop used to assemble his clergy. Dr. Johnson was very much scandalised at part of this sacred building being put to so profane a use. · And does not Aristophanes,' he indignantly exclaimed, hold a place in these

shelves?'

"At Aberdeen we saw few of the literati. Dr. Campbell was in the country; Dr. Beattie was afflicted with melancholy. He that was once so remarkable for his wit, and whose bon mots I have

The cause
His wife is

heard so often repeated, shuns now society, and indulges in the most gloomy solitude. of it is said to be domestic afflictions. confined in a lunatic asylum; and his only son, whom but a year ago he got appointed one of the Professors of the college, is wasting under consumption.

"Dr. Gerard we saw in church, and had we stayed a little longer, would have been introduced to him. He is a little plump man, with an Aberdeenshire wise smiling face.

"There was no man whose appearance so much pleased me, as that of a worthy old gentleman, the professor of philosophy, Dr. Gordon, an old acquaintance of Dr. Reid. His attention during divine service, and the honest earnestness with which, with his spectacles on his nose, he sung the psalm, particularly delighted me.

"We heard sermon in the new town in the forenoon. Dr. Campbell's assistant preached, on our Saviour's temptation, an excellent discourse. But so delivered! With such indifference and such irreverence! I could not help exclaiming to myself, is it possible that this man can remember that he is addressing his Maker, the great God, or that the subject of his petitions concerns our eternal salvation ?

"In the afternoon we heard a Mr. Henderson, one of the ministers of the college church, in the old town. His manner was somewhat affected, but in general good. The manly air with which he

seemed to wish to come forward before his audience, was that of philosophy, liberality of sentiment, and as quite superior to the opinions of the vulgar. He took his sermon from his pocket with no small degree of ostentation, spread it before him, and when he had finished the discourse, he with a similar air replaced it. Since he was to do an unpleasant thing to the bulk of his audience, he might have done it in a manner more gentle, and with a less display of his contempt for their opinions. The audience was wholly composed of common people, except the college gentlemen and their ladies. His subject was a justification of the ways of God, handled in a manner useless to the three professors, and unintelligible to the bulk of his audience. Preachers, when they wish to recommend religious truth to men of learning, ought to remember that it is not abstract disquisitions or reasonings, which are familiar to them, and with which their minds have been already jaded, that please. They long for, and they need as much as common men, the plain food which alone conveys nourishment and strength. Let me add, too, that discourses of this character, shew more genuine good sense and observation. The former are what a logic class boy can give you; the latter are the result of attention to your own heart, mankind, and the passions and manners of the world. They also are the most useful; they come home; they speak to the heart of every man. They are adapted, too, to every audience; and when properly treated, they may be

comprehended by the most illiterate. The end of preaching is to do good, and to make men wise unto salvation. The excellence of a sermon is to be considered mainly in relation to this end. The sermon which to the bulk of the audience is unintelligible, or however intelligible, which serves only to display the writer's genius, but to do little good, however excellent as a piece of general composition, is a bad sermon. It wants the characteristics of a sermon; and besides, as an object of taste, is defective."

The references to two eminent characters of Aberdeen, in the latter of the above extracts, demand a supplementary remark. It was in 1787 Dr. Beattie made application to the Marischal college to recommend his eldest son James Hay Beattie, then in his twentieth year, to be his assistant and successor in the chair of moral philosophy; a situation which his father had held with distinguished reputation since 1760. The young man possessed very rare endowments of mind, and his attainments in classics and philosophy were scarcely ever equalled at such an early age. The college received the application with affectionate respect, and, after due consideration, complied with the request. James Hay Beattie was inducted into the chair, and the promise he gave of eminent usefulness was very high. His career, however, was short. On the night of November 30th, 1789, he was taken ill, and the symptoms of decline soon appearIt was long considered by the medical men

ed,