- Declining Health of Charles, Duke of Buccleuch. — Letter on the Death of Queen Charlotte. — Provincial Antiquities, etc. — Extensive Sale of Copyrights to Constable & Co. — Death of Mr. Charles Carpenter. — Scott accepts the Offer of a Baronetcy. — He declines to renew his Application for a Seat on the Exchequer Bench. — Letters to Morritt, Richardson, Miss Baillie, the Duke of Buccleuch, Lord Montagu, and Captain Ferguson. — Rob Roy played at Edinburgh. — Letter from Jedediah Cleishbotham to Mr. Charles Mackay. 1818-1819[1]
- Recurrence of Scott's Illness. — Death of the Duke of Buccleuch. — Letters to Captain Ferguson, Lord Montagu, Mr. Southey, and Mr. Shortreed. — Scott's Sufferings while dictating The Bride of Lammermoor. — Anecdotes by James Ballantyne, etc. — Appearance of the Third Series of Tales of my Landlord. — Anecdote of the Earl of Buchan. 1819[24]
- Gradual Reëstablishment of Scott's Health. — Ivanhoe in Progress. — His Son Walter joins the Eighteenth Regiment of Hussars. — Scott's Correspondence with his Son. — Miscellaneous Letters to Mrs. Maclean Clephane, M. W. Hartstonge, J. G. Lockhart, John Ballantyne, John Richardson, Miss Edgeworth, Lord Montagu, etc. — Abbotsford visited by Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. — Death of Mrs. William Erskine. 1819[69]
- Political Alarms. — The Radicals. — Levies of Volunteers. — Project of the Buccleuch Legion. — Death of Scott's Mother, her Brother Dr. Rutherford, and her Sister Christian. — Letters to Lord Montagu, Mr. Thomas Scott, Cornet Scott, Mr. Laidlaw, and Lady Louisa Stuart. — Publication of Ivanhoe. 1819[106]
- The Visionary. — The Peel of Darnick. — Scott's Saturday Excursions to Abbotsford. — A Sunday there in February. — Constable. — John Ballantyne. — Thomas Purdie, etc. — Prince Gustavus Vasa. — Proclamation of King George IV. — Publication of The Monastery. 1820[132]
- Scott revisits London. — His Portrait by Lawrence, and Bust by Chantrey. — Anecdotes by Allan Cunningham. — Letters to Mrs. Scott, Laidlaw, etc. — His Baronetcy gazetted. — Marriage of his Daughter Sophia. — Letter to "the Baron of Galashiels." — Visit of Prince Gustavus Vasa at Abbotsford. — Tenders of Honorary Degrees from Oxford and Cambridge. — Letter to Mr. Thomas Scott. 1820[147]
- Autumn at Abbotsford. — Scott's Hospitality. — Visit of Sir Humphry Davy, Henry Mackenzie, Dr. Wollaston, and William Stewart Rose. — Coursing on Newark Hill. — Salmon-fishing. — The Festival at Boldside. — The Abbotsford Hunt. — The Kirn, etc. 1820[172]
- Publication of The Abbot. — The Blair-Adam Club. — Kelso, Walton Hall, etc. — Ballantyne's Novelists' Library. — Acquittal of Queen Caroline. — Service of the Duke of Buccleuch. — Scott elected President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. — The Celtic Society. — Letters to Lord Montagu, Cornet Scott, Charles Scott, Allan Cunningham, etc. — Kenilworth published. 1820-1821[189]
- Visit to London. — Project of the Royal Society of Literature. — Affairs of the 18th Hussars. — Marriage of Captain Adam Ferguson. — Letters to Lord Sidmouth, Lord Montagu, Allan Cunningham, Mrs. Lockhart, and Cornet Scott. 1821[219]
- Illness and Death of John Ballantyne. — Extract from his Pocketbook. — Letters from Blair-Adam. — Castle-Campbell. — Sir Samuel Shepherd. — "Bailie Mackay," etc. — Coronation of George IV. — Correspondence with James Hogg and Lord Sidmouth. — Letter on the Coronation. — Anecdotes. — Allan Cunningham's Memoranda. — Completion of Chantrey's Bust. 1821[241]
- Publication of Mr. Adolphus's Letters on the Authorship of Waverley. 1821[267]
- New Buildings at Abbotsford. — Chiefswood. — William Erskine. — Letter to Countess Purgstall. — Progress of The Pirate. — Franck's Northern Memoir, and Notes of Lord Fountainhall, published. — Private Letters in the Reign of James I. — Commencement of The Fortunes of Nigel. — Second Sale of Copyrights. — Contract for "Four Works of Fiction." — Enormous Profits of the Novelist, and Extravagant Projects of Constable. — The Pirate published. — Lord Byron's Cain, dedicated to Scott. — Affair of the Beacon Newspaper. 1821[288]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- Page
- Walter Scott in 1820
[Frontispiece] From the painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence, P. R. A., in the Royal Gallery, Windsor Castle. - Charles Mackay as Bailie Nicol Jarvie
[22] From the painting by Sir D. Macnee, P. R. S. A., in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. - Anne Rutherford, Mother of Sir Walter Scott
[106] After the painting at Abbotsford. - Sophia Scott (Mrs. J. G. Lockhart)
[136] After the painting at Abbotsford by William Nicholson, R. S. A. - Walter Scott in 1820
[150] From the pencil sketch by Sir Francis Chantrey, R. A. - Chiefswood
[288] After the drawing by J. M. W. Turner, R. A.
SIR WALTER SCOTT
CHAPTER XLIII
DECLINING HEALTH OF CHARLES, DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH. — LETTER ON THE DEATH OF QUEEN CHARLOTTE. — PROVINCIAL ANTIQUITIES, ETC. — EXTENSIVE SALE OF COPYRIGHTS TO CONSTABLE AND CO. — DEATH OF MR. CHARLES CARPENTER. — SCOTT ACCEPTS THE OFFER OF A BARONETCY. — HE DECLINES TO RENEW HIS APPLICATION FOR A SEAT ON THE EXCHEQUER BENCH. — LETTERS TO MORRITT, RICHARDSON, MISS BAILLIE, THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH, LORD MONTAGU, AND CAPTAIN FERGUSON. — ROB ROY PLAYED AT EDINBURGH. — LETTER FROM JEDEDIAH CLEISHBOTHAM TO MR. CHARLES MACKAY.
1818-1819
I have now to introduce a melancholy subject—one of the greatest afflictions that ever Scott encountered. The health of Charles, Duke of Buccleuch was by this time beginning to give way, and Scott thought it his duty to intimate his very serious apprehensions to his noble friend's brother.
TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD MONTAGU, DITTON PARK, WINDSOR.
Edinburgh, 12th November, 1818.