The Life and Letters of John Gibson Lockhart
Chapter 12: 1821-25
Sir Walter Scott to the Marchioness of Stafford, 23 June 1825
“Edinburgh, 23rd
June 1825.1
“My dear Lady
Marchioness,—If you give a dog a bone, he will follow you
through half-a-dozen streets; and so it is with obligations bestowed on the
human race, they are no sooner conferred than they are made the pretence of
further teasing. But your ladyship’s great kindness encourages this
species of persecution, and your flattering inquiries about Lockhart’s probable success as to
Sutherland makes it incumbent on me to mention any little progress that has
been made with respect to that Sheriffdom. . . . I own I should be much better
pleased with his having Sutherland rather than Caithness for his own sake, and
being of a good presence, and certainly clever enough, he would become the
halls of Dunrobin better than a thing disagreeable to the eye and very tiresome
to the ear. But the whole arrange-
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| 352 | LIFE OF J. G. LOCKHART. | |
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ment about Sutherland must lie over until James Ferriar retires from the clerk’s
table, to make way for James Fergusson,
who vacates a commissariat to make way for Charles
Ross, who leaves Sutherland to give place, I would fain hope, to
Lockhart—upon the old principle of the cat to
the rat, the rat to the halter, the halter to the butcher, the butcher to the
ox, and so forth. . . . My informer seems to have a superstitious fear of all
this valuable information transpiring, so it is only designed for your
ladyship’s private ear. . . .”
. . . . . .
James Fergusson (1769-1842)
Scottish advocate and acquaintance of Sir Walter Scott; he was judge of the Consistorial
Court (1811) and Principal Clerk of Session (1826).
James Ferrier (1744-1829)
Scottish lawyer, the son of John Ferrier of Kirkland and father of Susan Ferrier, the
novelist; he was Principal Clerk of Session in Edinburgh (1802-26).
Sir William Fraser (1816-1898)
Scottish genealogist educated at Edinburgh University, to which he gave a generous
bequest at his death.
John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854)
Editor of the
Quarterly Review (1825-1853); son-in-law of Walter
Scott and author of the
Life of Scott 5 vols (1838).
Charles Ross (d. 1836)
Scottish advocate; he was Sheriff of Sutherland, 1816-27.
