"These envious neighbours had often attempted to steal away the image, but without success, till about a year ago I they hired two ruffians, who were little known in that part of the country, to take it out of the house of an old woman who had it carefully wrapt up in her intended winding-sheet; after which they spread a rumour that these fellows, being smugglers, had burnt the Saint under a whisky still in Fannyside Moor, but the people of Saint Flanning firmly believe that the image is still in the neighbourhood, and are strengthened in their opinion, as they say, by the thriving appearance of the supposed possessors of the venerable relic."-See Waverley Novels, vol xliv, p. 371. NOTE IV.-Page 22. SKETCH OF ANDREW GEMMELL. One of the most intimate friends of my early days was Andrew Gemmell, a grandson of Andrew the soldier. The grandson, my friend, was a farm-servant till the year 1799, when he was ballotted to serve in the Ayrshire Militia, in which corps he acted as servant to Dr. Colquhoun till 1802, when the regiment was disembodied. The doctor then took him to pound drugs in his father's shop in Greenock, where, having to examine the sailors enlisted into the navy, he became acquainted with Captain Tattam, who then commanded the press ship stationed in the Clyde. The Swinger gun-brig being ordered to the West India station, and not having a surgeon's mate, Captain Tattam got Gemmell appointed to that situation. On the death of the surgeon, which happened a few weeks after sailing, his mate succeeded him.2 In this situation he became such a favourite with Sir Edward Pellew, afterwards Lord Exmouth, who then commanded the fleet on that station, that when Sir Edward received the command of the Texel Fleet, he took Gemmell with him to the Mediterranean as chief surgeon of the fleet. I have a letter before me, dated on board his majesty's ship Caledonia, off Minorca, 18th December, 1812, in which he says, "upwards of twenty noblemen, or noblemen's sons, sit at the admiral's table, whenever the weather will permit them to come from the various ships of the flect. In almost every dispute that arises amongst them, I am referred to, and my decision generally gives satisfaction." Thus, without any regular education, rose the grandson of Andrew Gemmell to the head of the medical department, and to be the intimate friend of Lord Exmouth for nearly fifteen years. I kept up a regular correspondence with him till he went to the coast of America in 1825. He died in London in 1829. NOTE V.-PAGE 23. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BY SIR WALTER SCOTT. CHRONICLES OF THE CANONGATE. "I am bound, in particular, to acknowledge the kindness of Mr. Josepb Train, supervisor of excise at Dumfries, to whose unwearied industry I have been indebted for many curious traditions and points of antiquarian interest. It was Mr. Train who brought to my recollection Old Mortality."-Waverley Novels, vol. xli. pp. 13, 14. OLD MORTALITY. "The remarkable figure and occupation of this ancient pilgrim was recalled to my memory by an account transmitted by my friend Mr. Joseph Train, supervisor of excise at Dumfries, to whom I owe many obligations of a similar nature... While these sheets were passing through the press, I received the following communication from Mr. Train."-Waverley Novels, vol. ix. p. 227. 1 Written in 1822. 2 When only a short time there he got leave to return to Britain, being in bad health; but he attended the College in London, received his degree as M.D., and returned to his station. GUY MANNERING. "A person well known by the name of Buckhartea, from having been a noted smuggler of that article, and also by that of Bogle-Bush, the place of his residence, assured my kind informant, Mr. Train, that he had frequently seen upwards of two hundred Lingtow-men assem ble at one time, and go off into the interior of the country, fully laden with contraband goods." [Then follow the stories communicated by Mr. Train relative to Hawkins the Dutch skipper, who was the prototype of Dirk Haiterick, and of Willie Marshal, the Gallovidian tinker.]— Waverley Novels, vol. iv. pp. 374, 375, 376, 377. HEART OF MID-LOTHIAN. "The following account, furnished by the persevering kindness of Mr. Train, contains all that can probably now be known of her history, though many, among whom is the author, may remember having heard of Feckless Fannie in the days of their youth."-Waverley Novels, vol. xiii. p. 36. PEVERIL OF THE PEAK. "About the commencement of the sixteenth century, the Earl of Derby, being a fiery young chief, fond of war and honour, made a furious inroad with all his forces into the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and committed great ravages, still remembered in Manks song. Mr. Train, with his usual kindness, sent me the following literal translation of the verses."-Waverley Novels, vol. xxix, pp. 174, 175. SURGEON'S Daughter. The following paragraph was written immediately before Sir Walter's last departure for the continent. "The author has nothing to say now in reference to this novel, but that the principal incident on which it turns, was narrated to him one morning at breakfast by his worthy friend Mr. Train, of Castle-Douglas, in Galloway, whose kind assistance he has so often had occasion to acknowledge in the course of these prefaces."-Waverley Novels, vol. xlviii. p. 150. THE LORD OF THE ISLES. "The following are the words of an ingenious correspondent, to whom I am obliged for much information"-[communication here inserted at length]-"Letter from Mr. Joseph Train, of Newton Stewart, author of an ingenious collection of poems, illustrative of many ancient traditions in Galloway and Ayrshire. Edinburgh, 1814." ["Mr. Train made a journey into Ayrshire at Sir Walter Scott's request, on purpose to collect accurate information for the notes to this poem; and the reader will find more of the fruits of his labours in the appendix, note K. This is the same gentleman whose friendly assistance is so often acknowledged in the notes and introductions of the Waverley Novels."]—Note by the Editor, pp. 196, 197. "The same obliging correspondent, whom I have quoted in the preceding note, gives me the following account of the present state of the ruins of Turnberry.”—p. 199. "It is generally known that Bruce, in consequence of his distresses after the battle of Methven, was affected by a scorbutic disorder, which was called a leprosy. It is said he experienced benefit from the use of a medicinal spring, about a mile north of the town of Ayr, called from that circumstance King's Ease. The following is the tradition of the country, collected by Mr. Train." LOCKHART'S LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. Pp. 306, 307,-Mr. Lockhart describes the circumstance of Mr. Train's becoming acquainted with Sir Walter. P. 308,-Refers to Mr. Train's contributions to the museum at Abbotsford. P. 309,-Mr. Train's anecdotes concerning the Galloway Gipsies, and the local story of the Astrologer, on which Sir Walter founded the novel of Guy Mannering. P. 310,-Describes the information with which Mr. Train furnished Sir Walter when he was about to compose the Lord of the Isles. Pp. 315, 316,-Farther information respecting the Lord of the Isles and the Galloway Astrologer. P. 405,-Ballad of the Astrologer on which Guy Mannering is founded. 1 Sir Walter Scott had mis-read Mr. Train's MS., which gave not King's Ease, but King's Case, i.e. Casa Regis, the name of the royal foundation described below. Mr. Train's kindness enables the editor to make this correction, 1833.-Note by the Editor.-Sir Walter Scott's Poetical Works, vol. x, p. 329. VOL. IV. P. 37,-Mr. Train's communications made use of in the Tales of my Landlord. P. 38,-Describes Mr. Train's first interview with Sir Walter, after which Mr. Lockhart says—“ To this intercourse with Mr. Train we owe the whole machinery of the Tales of my Landlord, as well as the adoption of Claverhouse's period for the scene of some of its first fictions. I think it highly probable that we owe a farther obligation to the worthy supervisor's presentation of Rob Roy's spleuchan." P. 52,-Refers to the story of the Baron of Plunton, on which the melodrama of the Doom of Devorgoil is founded. An outline of this story is given in a letter addressed to Daniel Terry, commencing p. 53. VOL. V. Pp. 526, 527,—Description of the chair which Mr. Train presented to Sir Walter Scott. VOL. VII. P. 21,-Referring to the twenty persons who were in the secret of the Waverley Novels, previous to the catastrophe of 1826, Mr. Lockhart says-"I am by no means sure that I can give a correct list, but, in addition to the members of Sir Walter's own family, there were Constable, Cadell, the two Ballantynes, Terry, Laidlaw, Mr. Train, Charles Duke of Buccleuch," &c. ADDITIONAL NOTE BY MR. LOCKHART. "Since the death of Sir Walter Scott, the public have received many additional details concerning the communications that passed, while the Waverley Novels were in progress, between their author and his devoted friend Mr. Joseph Train, supervisor of excise at Castle Douglas, in Galloway. Not the least curious of these particulars connects itself with the origin of Guy Mannering. Shortly after the publication of Waverley, as stated in the Life of Scott, Mr. Train forwarded to Abbotsford a MS. collection of anecdotes relating to the Galloway gipsies, together with (in Mr. Train's own words), a local story of an astrologer, who, calling at a farm house at the minute when the good wife was in travail, had, it is said, predicted the future fortunes of the child, almost in the words placed in the mouth of John Mac Kinley, in the introduction to Guy Mannering.'"-Abbotsford Edition of the Waverley Novels, vol. i, p, 377. INTRODUCTION. A DISTINCT historical relation of the many revolutions of which the Isle of Man has been the theatre, and of its civil and ecclesiastical establishments in olden times, would, in the opinion of an eminent writer of the last century, be "a curious, entertaining, and instructive work;" but its early history is involved in darkness,2 "and to illustrate it would require much time and trouble."3 In a pursuit so publicly abandoned by the indefatigable Lord Hails and by Toland, the learned antiquary, Macculloch and other eminent writers deemed further inquiry hopeless. But Sir Walter Scott entertained a different opinion. In 1810, he called the attention of his brother Thomas, receiver-general of the insular customs, towards writing a history of the Isle of Man; but fortuitous circumstances occurred which prevented the execution of that design. At a subsequent period, Sir Walter strongly directed my views to the same subject, with the 3 5 Campbell's Political Survey of Great Britain, Dublin edition, 1775, vol. ii, p. 530. Toland's History of the Druids, London, 1726, p. 64. Lord Hails' Annals of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1772. vol. i, p. 48. 4 Description of Western Isles of Scotland, London, 1824, vol. iii, p. 29. Quayle's General View of Agriculture in the Isle of Man, London edition, p. 146. * Lockhart's Memoir of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, edition 1837, 1838, vol. ii, chap. ix. Thomas Scott, was "now engaged in the peaceful occupation of collecting materials for a history of the Isle of Man, to which his brother had strongly directed his views." |