found myself with a most humane good family. Mr. Cantley, the butler, soon became my friend, and continued so till his death. He was the most extraordinary man that I ever was acquainted

House of Achwynannie, from the South, 1861.

with, or perhaps ever shall see, for he was a complete master of arithmetic, a good mathematician, a master of music on every known instrument except the harp, understood Latin, French, and Greek, let blood extremely well, and could even prescribe as a physician upon any urgent occasion. He was what is generally called "self-taught," but I think he might with much greater propriety have been termed GOD ALMIGHTY'S scholar. 23

building. The oldest date I have found and attempted to decipher is on a stone originally in the building, but now seen in the wall of the square of offices. It bears two shields; on the dexter one, three lions', or boars' heads, with the letters I. G. (I. Gordon). I was aware from local tradition that about 1667 it was in the possession of one of that name. On the sinister one, three holly-leaves in chief, and a hunting horn in base, with the letters E. B. (E. Burnett), these being the armorial bearings of Burnett of Leys (Aberdeenshire), date, 1690. The property now belongs to the Earl of Seafield.'

23 Mr. Alexander Cantley.-Regarding this remarkable man we have made a great many inquiries, but with no success. William Cantlie, Esq. of Keithmore (Achendown), a descendant of the illustrious Cantley, writes us, that he has no memoranda of him; that he had seen several parties, and written to others inquiring for information for us, but without any result. We greatly regret this. Ferguson in his Memoir brings in Mr. Cantley as a star of the first magnitude," but makes him "set too soon. "We would have wished to have known something more about a man so remarkable. Singular it is, that there does not now exist the slightest incident on record, or by tradition, regarding his after life. Had Ferguson written no Memoir of himself, the accomplished Cantley would perhaps

1730. He immediately began to teach me decimal arithmetic and algebra, for I had already learnt vulgar arithmetic at my leisure hours, from books. He then proceeded to teach me the elements of geometry; but to my inexpressible grief, just as I was beginning that branch of science, he left Mr. Grant, and went to the late Earl of Fife's, at several miles' distance.24 The good family I was then with could not prevail with me to stay after he was gone, so I left them and went to my father's.

He had made me a present of Gordon's Geographical Grammar, which at that time was to me a great treasure.25 There never have been heard of:-excepting to a very few, he would have "flourished unknown to fame."

"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,

And waste its sweetness on the desert air."

The Rev. Mr. Merson, Elgin, writes to us, noting that he has in his possession a book which belonged to Mr. Cantley, viz. "Moxox'S TUTOR TO ASTRONOMIE and GeographiE," on some of the leaves of which are his name, beautifully printed with the pen. Mr. Merson has cut one of the names out of his book and kindly sent it to us,-of which the annexed woodcut is an exact fac-simile.

AL.CANTLY

Fac-simile of Alexander Cantley's printed Signature.

From the above cut it will be seen that "CANTLY" is the spelling of the name, and not "Cantley," as Ferguson has it.

One of our notes mentions that there can be no doubt that Mr. Alexander Cantley would be buried in the churchyard of Old Keith, as there was a burialground there during the last century which belonged to the Cantlies."

Of course it cannot now be ascertained when Mr. Cantley died, but it is evident that he was long dead previous to 1773, when Ferguson wrote his Memoir, as he mentions in it that Mr. Cantley continued his friend " till his death."

Moxon's "Tutor to Astronomie and Geographie" was a very popular work in its day; our copy is the second edition. "LONDON: Printed by Joseph Moxon, and sold at his shop in Russel Street, at the sign of the Atlas, 1670."

24 This is an anachronism; there was no Earl of Fife at the period here referred to, nor for nearly 30 years after it. Mr. Cantley, in 1730 31, went to William Duff, Esq. of Braco, who became LORD BRACO in 1735, and EARL OF FIFE in 1759. He died 30th Sept. 1763; and as a matter of course, he was the late Earl of Fife" when Ferguson, in 1773, wrote his Memoir. This Earl of Fife was the son of William Duff, Esq. of Dipple, near Fochabers. In 1730-1, William Duff, of Braco, afterwards Earl of Fife, had seats at DIPPLE, BRACO, DELGETTY, ROTHIEMAY, and BALVENY CASTLE.

25 This appears to have been a very popular and successful work —“ Geography Anatomiz'd; or, the GEOGRAPHICAL GRAMMAR," by Patrick Gordon, M. A., F.R.S.: octavo. Our copy of it is the twentieth edition, published in London in 1754. In some old catalogues of books in our possession, we observe that editions of it were issued in 1693 and in 1722. It is dedicated to "THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, THOMAS, LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY." The book consists of "Two Parts; "-Part 1st gives a general view of the globe," illustrated by definition, description, and derivation —“ pleasant problems performable by the

is no figure of a globe in it, although it contains a tolerable description of the globes, and their use. From this description, I made a globe in three weeks at my father's, having turned the ball thereof out of a piece of wood, which ball I covered with paper, and delineated a map of the world upon it-made the meridian ring and horizon of wood-covered them with paper, and graduated them; and was happy to find that, by my globe (which was the first I ever saw), I could solve the problems.

1731.-But as this was not likely to afford me bread, and I could not think of staying with my father, who I knew full well could not maintain me in that way, as it would be of no service to him; and he had, without my assistance, hands sufficient for all his work. 26

I then went to a miller, thinking it would be a very easy business to attend the mill, and that I should have a great deal of leisure time to study decimal arithmetic and geometry. But my master, being too fond of tippling at an ale-house, left the whole care of the mill to me, and almost starved me for want of victuals, so that I was glad when I could have a little oat

66

terrestrial globe—some paradoxical positions in matters of Geography, which mainly depend on a thorough knowledge of the globe and lastly, a transient survey of the whole surface of the terraqueous globe." Part 2d gives a particular view of the terraqueous globe, in extent, situation, division, sub-division, chief towns, name, air, soil, commodities, rarities, archbishops, bishops, universities, manners, language, government, arms, religion, &c. Such is an outline of the contents of Cantley's parting-gift to Ferguson. Our copy is embellished with a great many maps, pages 416: oct.; it is now a very scarce book, having been about 100 years out of print. Section 4th of part 1st contains the “Strange Geographical Paradoxes," pp. 35 to 40 inclusive. They are very curious, and most excellent for exciting the mind on matters Geographical; and no doubt they would prove both interesting and amusing to Ferguson at this period of his life (1731, age 21 years). 26 As a matter of course, this has reference to "the hands of the family." Near the beginning of his Memoir Ferguson mentions that his father had "a large family." Wishing to ascertain how many of a family Ferguson's parents had, and also their names, we wrote to several friends in the counties of Elgin, Banff, and Aberdeen, but without receiving any reliable notes. One of our correspondents mentions a Margaret Ferguson, eldest sister of the astronomer, who died before 1770. In our copy of Ferguson's will, dated 15th August 1776 (see Appendix), we find the names of three sisters, and probably in the order of their ages, viz. Elspeth, Elizabeth, and Janet; Margaret being dead before the will was made, is of course not named; but it is singular that his "elder brother" John, who was then alive, is not mentioned in it; therefore, the parents of Ferguson had at least two sons and four daughters,-viz.

meal, mixed with cold water, to eat. I was engaged for a year in this man's service, at the end of which I left him, and returned in a very weak state to my father's. 27

1732-Soon after I had recovered my former strength, a neighbouring farmer, who practised as a physician in that part of the country, came to my father's, wanting to have me as a labouring servant. My father advised me to go to Doctor Young, telling me that the doctor would instruct me in that part of his business. This he promised to do, which was a temptation to me. But instead of performing his promise, he kept me constantly to very hard labour, and never once showed me one of his books. All his servants complained that he was the hardest master they had ever lived with; and it was my misfortune to be engaged with him for half a year. But at the end of three months I was so much over-wrought, that I was almost disabled, which obliged me to leave him; and he was so unjust as to give me nothing at all for the time I had been with him, because I did not complete my half-year's service, though he knew that I was not able, and had seen me working for the last fortnight, as much as possible, with one hand and arm, when I could not lift the other from my side. And what I thought was particularly hard, he never once tried to give me the least relief, further than once bleeding me, which rather did me hurt than good, as I was very weak and much emaciated. I then went to my father's, where I was confined for two months on account of my hurt, and despaired of ever recovering the use of my left arm; and during all that time, the doctor never once came to see me, although the distance was not quite two

27 As Ferguson does not give the name of his "tippling miller," nor that of the mill, we cannot fill up the blank, although to have done so would have been interesting items at this distant period. Mr. Robert Sim, of Keith, in a letter to us, mentions the sites of several old mills, and mills still in operation in and around Keith, viz. 1st, The Mill-o-wood, 1 mile NE of Achoynaney; the present mill is modern. "The old mill," says Mr. Sim, "yet well remembered, stood some distance below the present one, and was an old and romantic-looking thing, from its situation below an immense rock, over and through a crevice of which the water fell on the wheel. (We find that about the beginning of the present century this mill was the one generally understood as that in which Ferguson "served and starved.”) 2d, Tarnach mill, above 1 mile SW of Achoynaney; 3d, The Earl's mill, on the Isla, a little to the east of Old Keith; 4th, At old Newmills, about 1 mile NE of Keith, close to which there was a blacksmith who kept an ale-house (many in consequence of this link incline to think that it was here where Ferguson starved and the tippling miller enjoyed himself); 5th, Nether mills, about 3 miles down the Isla from Keith, and about 1 mile to the south of Braco house, Grange; 6th, Crook's mill, about 2 miles NW of Keith, &c.

miles. 28 But my friend, Mr. Cantley, hearing of my misfortune, at twelve miles' distance, sent me proper medicines and ap

plications, by means of which I recovered the use of my arm; 29 but found myself too weak to think of going into ser

28 It is evident that Ferguson had not been long in Dr. Young's service when he found out that "his lines" had not "fallen in pleasant places." A writer says, "for the sake of humanity, it is to be hoped that very few Dr. Youngs have had a resting-place on this nether sphere. It is scarcely possible to conceive of any one so utterly devoid of all the finer feelings of our nature as this Surgeon-farmer." The bad treatment Ferguson here experienced appears never to have been forgotten by him. In 1773, when he wrote his Memoir, a date 42 years after he had left this service, the rememberance of his treatment came up in strong relief, and thus made him throw the picture into the story of his life. We leave him in Ferguson's hands; what he says of him is to the point, and "will always show the doctor up as a very unpleasant specimen of the human species.' We have made a great many inquiries touching the name of the farm occupied by Dr. Young, in order to ascertain the whereabouts of the residence of Ferguson's parents, (Dr. Y. lived within 2 miles of his father's cot), but we have met with no success in this matter-even the time of his death and where buried are unknown. It would have been interesting to have known if he lived long enough to hear of Ferguson's world-wide fame. We hope he did, and regretted his treatment of the embryo astronomer. One of our correspondents says that "his father, who died in the beginning of the present century, understood that Dr. Young was a queer doctor. He was also a bit of a farmer; but, a so-and-so sort of one." He adds, 66 it is likely that this worthy was interred in Old Keith kirkyard.' Dr. Young's farm was within 2 miles of the now unknown residence of Ferguson's parents. It is supposed by some that his farm was at Pitlurg, a few miles to the SSE of Keith.

29 Ferguson here gives us one of the few distances mentioned in his Memoir. He speaks of his friend Mr. Cantley as being at the Earl of Fife's, 12 mlies distant from his father's cot; probably these 12 miles are old miles, if so,