Transcription

We soon reached the farm of one Hugh Cannon, an old man from Stirlingshire, whom I had assisted in the selection of his land some years ago -: he was busy with his harvest but left his wheat stack on seeing me, and came running to us cordially welcoming me to his dwelling. A truer picture of a Scottish farmer could not be. A real Scotch bonnet covered the brow of a face which I should have known to  be Scotch in my part of the world. He immediately produced new milk & water from the running [burnie?] close by, grain for our horses, and bottled the mountain dew from the still which he said was not far off. This old man was very deaf and the hearty squeeze and silent look & shake of the head amply rewarded me for securing to him from among several other more cunning applicants, a really good piece of land. This vigorous old man, having buried his wife in Scotland & left a numerous [?] up family behind him, there was now  with one man beginning to reap the fruits of his perservering industry, by a well filled stockyard, and fields [?] yellow with grains - and I had the satisfaction to learn from him that is famiy woud soon join him in the country. Before parting he asked me if I had five minute to spare when he put into my hands the copy of a long mem.l. to the Governor which he took from among the leaves of a very old John's volume of Pitscottie's History of Scotland. This memorial prayed that whereas Scone was [in] the Valley of Strathearn, and that the pillar of Jacob which had been there as the coronation stone of the Kings of Scotland, was fated still to be where their dominion extended and that this valley of the Kingdom had yet no general names, that it might be named Strathearn more especially as the late Rt. Hon.ble. Secretary of State Sir George Murray was a native of Strathearn. Mr Cameron also informed me of [?] [?] to name his own place Grendurn. Finaly we were [?] although it was only 10 AM, to drink a stirrup up at the [?], when he most heartily drank success to my expedition with true highland hospitality & sincerity - and I went on my way rejoicing that the last hand I was likely to shake for some time was that of a warm hearted honest companion of my own. At 3 oclock we reached a favorable place for encamping, about  3 miles beyond a sheep station of Mr [Dougan?]. The Kingdom [?] forming a beautiful transparent pool deep enough for bathing - burning hill of [Wingen?] was still distant about 4 miles -On the way I was overtaken by a soldier of the mounted Police who brought me a letter from Capt. Forbes dated 27th [?] 10 PM informing me that  Col. Lindesay had thought it of such importance

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