any idea of altering this Version; and read the following letter from Sir Walter Scott, which is here printed in full, as it will be read with special interest, at least by Scottish Presbyterians.

Dr. Chalmers, in seconding the approval of the Report, pointed out the great difficulty there was in writing poetry for such a purpose, and thought the Committee should cull from unbidden effusions, instead of calling on poets to write. He entirely coincided in the opinion so well expressed in the letter of SIR WALTER SCOTT, which at once combined high poetical feeling with humble piety. He considered our Metrical version to have a charm peculiar to itself; besides, these Psalms were deeply identified and incorporated with the feelings of the people, who, to use the strong expression of Dr. Baird, though not too strong for the subject, would "consider it sacrilege to make any alteration on them." "DEAR SIR,-I am honoured with your letter, and I assure you I should feel happy if it were in my power to be of service to the undertaking which you recommend with so much propriety. Not to mention other requisites in which I feel my deficiency, I think my total unacquaintance with the original language of the Scriptures is of itself a complete incapacity. As I derive my acquaintance with the inspired writings solely from the prose translation, I must inevitably be liable to transfer into any poetical version of the Psalms every imperfection and amplification which may exist, and the translation into the poetical version which would thus be the shadow of a shade. Besides, after all, I am not sure whether the old-fashioned version of the Psalms does not suit the purposes of public worship better than smoother versification and greater terseness of expression. The ornaments of poetry are not perhaps required in devotional exercises, nay, I do not know whether, unless used very sparingly and with great taste, they are altogether consistent with them. The expression of the old metrical translation, though homely, is plain, forcible, and intelligible, and very often possesses a rude sort of majesty, which perhaps would be ill exchanged for mere elegance. Their antiquity is also a circumstance striking to the imagination, and possessing a corresponding influence upon the feelings. They are the very words and accents of our early Reformers-sung by them in woe and gratitude, in the fields, in the churches, and on the scaffold. The parting with this very association of ideas is a serious loss to the cause of devotion, and scarce to be incurred without the certainty of corresponding advantages. But if these recollections are valuable to persons of education, they are almost indispensable to the edification of the lower ranks, whose prejudices do not permit them to consider, as the words of the inspired poetry, the versions of living or modern poets, but persist, however absurdly, in identifying the original with the ancient translation.

"I would not have you suppose, my dear Sir, that I by any means disapprove of the late very well chosen Paraphrases. But I have an old-fashioned taste in sacred as well as prophane poetry: I cannot help preferring even Sternhold and Hopkins to Tate and Brady, and our own Metrical version of the Psalms to both. I hope, therefore, they will be touched with a lenient hand; and I have written a long letter that I might satisfy you in what a serious point of view I regard anything connected with our National Worship, as well as of the consideration due to any request of yours. -I am, my dear Sir, your most faithful servant,

"The Rev. PRINCIPAL BAIRD, etc."

WALTER SCOTT.

416. THE ORIGINAL SCROLL, containing Instructions, wholly in the hand of SIR WALTER SCOTT, for executing his Trust-Disposition and Settlement, dated Abbotsford, 7th January 1831.

This scroll was found, after Sir Walter Scott's decease, in his writing-desk, in the Study at Abbotsford. Six pages entirely holograph with this title :-"INSTRUCTIONS for Mr. Wood to draw Sir Walter Scott's Disposition of his worldly goods and effects." Walter Scott of Lochore, in the county of Fife, Major of the 15th Regiment of the King's Hussars, John Gibson Lockhart, Esq., of Sussex, etc., to be Executors.

On the first page, in Sir Walter's Instructions concerning his funeral, the following words printed in italics are deleted:-"The present assignation, having for object-1. The payment of my debts and funeral expenses, commending my body to be laid in my Aisle before the high altar of Dryburgh Abbey. The funeral to be conducted in the plainest, without consistent with"

Mr. Bayley says, "Before finishing the sentence, Sir Walter may have recollected that in Scotland Testamentary deeds are never opened until after the funerals."

On the sixth page, signed in reference to his children, he adds, "which have gone so far to make me a happy father, W. S.

"ABBOTSFORD, 7th January 1831."

Inside of the envelope, dated Abbotsford, 12th Feb. 1831, explanatory of these Notes, and on the outside, "To my Children-Rough Notes of Testamentary Dispositions."-"The formal testament, extended and executed, is deposited in the iron chest of Robert Cadell, Esq., Bookseller, in January 1831."-Mr. John G. Wood, Writer to the Signet, above mentioned, who executed the deed, was related to Mr. Cadell.

417. A FUNERAL LETTER, signed by Major Sir Walter Scott, to attend the Funeral of Sir Walter Scott, his father, from Abbotsford to Dryburgh Abbey, on September 26, 1832, as follows:

SIR, The Honor of your Company on Wednesday, the 26 Inst., at One o'clock afternoon, to attend the funeral of Sir Walter Scott my father, from this house to the Burial Ground in Dryburgh Abbey, will oblige,

Your mo. ob. Servt.,

ABBOTSFORD, 22 Sept. 1832.

Lent by

WALTER SCOTT.

MISS DUNLOP.-The Letter Exhibited addressed to Mr. Mercer of Coatgreen.

418. SIR J. E. ALEXANDER'S SKETCH OF THE FUNERAL PROCESSION AT DRYBURGH, September 26, 1832.

Lent by

COL. SIR JAMES E. ALEXANDER.

In Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, November 1832, p. 196, there is an article, "FUNERAL OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. By an Eye-witness." It is anonymous, but the writer was SIR THOMAS DICK LAUDER, Bart., as appears from a letter addressed by him to Abraham Cooper, Esq., R.A., dated Nov. 30, 1835, in a volume of letters and engravings, chiefly in reference to Illustrations from Sir Walter Scott's Works, among the Egerton MSS. in the British Museum. The internal evidence fully confirms this. As the account is very minute and picturesque, some passages may be extracted as a suitable illustration of Sir James E. Alexander's interesting sketch of the Procession, of which a reduced facsimile is given on the opposite page.

The writer, after describing his journey from Edinburgh and his meditations. suggested by the sad occasion, says :—

"But our dreams were at length abruptly broken, by the appearance of some of our acquaintances who issued from the house; and the sight of their weeds of woe immediately recalled our thoughts to the garb of grief which we also wore, and to the sad object of our present visit.

66

Passing through the Gothic hall, we met with no one till we entered the library, where we found a considerable circle of gentlemen already assembled. These were chiefly from the neighbouring districts; but there were a few whom we recognised as having come from Edinburgh and other places equally distant. But footsteps came slowly and heavily treading through the small armoury. They were those of the servants of the deceased, who, with full eyes, and yet fuller hearts, came reverently bearing the body of him whose courteous welcome had made that very porch so cheerful to us. We were the only witnesses of this usually unheeded part of the funeral duties. Accident had given to us a privilege which was lost to the crowd within. We instinctively uncovered our heads, and stood subdued by an indescribable feeling of awe as the corpse was carried outwards; and we felt grateful, that it had thus fallen to our lot to behold the departure of these the honoured and precious remains of Sir Walter Scott, from the house of Abbotsford, where all