The Henson Journals

[250]

19th Sunday after Trinity, October 6th, 1907.

We breakfasted comfortably at the Hotel, and afterwards attended service & received the Holy Communion at S. James's Church. The building was rather above the average of Scottish churches: the congregation was meagre, and mainly in petticoats. The service was audibly & reverently read: and the singing, led by a poor organ & a small choir, not worse than might have been expected. The minister, whose name seems to be Farquhar, had a depressed & resentful aspect, as of one whose fortune appeared to himself worse than his merits. The sermon was read from a MS., but gained nothing from the fact save that relative coherence which always sets prepared above extemporaneous discourses. After lunch we wrote letters, & then went to the old University, & called on Principal and Mrs Marshall Lang, who gave us tea very hospitably. The Principal also showed us the medieval cathedral, dedicated to S. Machar. We walked back through falling rain to the Hotel, & re–packed our luggage with a view to sending off the dispensable portion thereof by luggage train, & so facilitating motoring if the weather permits, next week.

[251] [symbol]

On Monday, the 7th Oct, we travelled to Dinnet, and there hired a carriage for the drive to Tillypronie, a house situated 1120 feet above the sea–level &, indeed, one of the highest, if not actually the highest, gentlemen's residence in Scotland. We arrived at our journey's end in good time, & were hospitably welcomed by Sir John Clark. Our host is a remarkable old man, born as long ago as 1821. He was present at the Coronation of Q. Victoria, and as a member of the British Embassy at Paris in 1847–9, he was eye–witness of the Revolution which upset the throne of Louis Philippe. In the evening he read to us a written statement of his reminiscences of that time, prepared originally as a lecture to the local Institute. It was extraordinarily interesting. On Tuesday, I walked with Coltman; we put up two capercailzie [sic] on the road. In the afternoon we went for a carriage drive to a ruined house, built (as an inscription still records) by John Gordon & Isabel Carnegie in 1590. The local minister dined in the evening. He seemed rather a good specimen of Presbyterian Parish priest. The following morning (Wednesday, Oct 9th) we drove to Ballater, about 12 miles distant, and there joined Mr Dennistoun & Dennis Webster, who had arrived by motor overnight. We motored as far as Perth, being somewhat incommoded by rain, and at Blangowrie delayed by some mishap to the internal economy of the motor. The scenery was wild & romantic, & had the weather been more kindly, we could not have avoided a rare enjoyment.

[252]

On Thursday, the 10th of October, we motored from Perth to Row, stopping to lunch at Killearn (?) [sic] a hostel of the cousinhood.

On Friday, the 11th Oct:, I returned to Westminster. My train ran into Euston at 11.30 p.m. just 3/4 hour after time.

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