ÆT. 18.] IMPRESSIONS IN MULL-CAROLINE. 133 The his retrospective notes, "to meet with an amusing instance of Highland superstition with regard to myself. A mile or two from the house where I lived in Mull, there was a burial-ground, without any church attached to it, on a lonely moor. cemetery was enclosed and guarded by an iron railing, so high that it was thought to be unscaleable. I was then, however, commencing the study of botany-and thinking there might be some nice flowers, and curious epitaphs among the grave-stones, I contrived, by help of my handkerchief, to scale the railing, and was soon scampering over the tombs. Some of the natives chanced to perceive me, not in the act of climbing over the railing, but in that of skipping over the burial-ground. In a day or two after this adventure, I observed the family looking on me with an expression of not angry, but mournful seriousness. It was to me unaccountable; but at last the old grandmother told me, with tears in her eyes, 'that I could not live long, for that my wraith (or apparition) had been seen! And, pray, where?' Õh, leaping over the grave-stones, in the old burial-ground!' The good old lady was much relieved by hearing that it was not my wraith, but myself." I applied last year to the Rev. Dr. McArthur, of Kilninian, in Mull, requesting him to favor me with such traditional particulars regarding the Poet, as might still be current among the old inhabitants; but I regret to say, that nothing of much interest has resulted. "In the course of my inquiries," he says, "I have met with only two individuals who had seen Mr. Campbell while he was in Mull, and the amount of their information is merely that he was a very pretty young man.' Those who must have been personally acquainted with him in this country, have, like himself, descended into the tomb; so that no authentic anecdotes of him can now be procured in this quarter.".. "It is generally believed that Mr. Campbell exercised his poetical talents while in Mull; and that one of his minor poems, entitled 'Caroline,' received its name, at least, from the circumstance of a Miss Caroline daughter of the late Rev. Dr. of Inverary, and a young lady of considerable merit and attractions, having been on a visit at Mrs. Campbell's, of Sunipol, during the Poet's residence in the family." The "Caroline" named in the preceding letter, was a young lady to whom Campbell presented copies of two prize poems in manuscript, including several others never published. The precious autograph is still in the lady's possession, and nearly in the same state it was in when presented to her by the young Poet at Sunipol, where, as above stated, she was on a visit to Mrs. Campbell, the widow of her maternal uncle, Archibald Campbell of Sunipol.* She was then in her seventeenth yearthe Poet in his eighteenth; and both were remarkable for their personal and intellectual accomplishments. "Caroline" was proverbial for her radiant beauty, to which the minstrel, in common with others of his brethren, did faithful homage. But hers was literally "an angel's visit" in Mull; and, after having enjoyed the summer festivities at Sunipol, she returned to her father's house at Inverary, carrying with her, as a parting gift, this poetical souvenir. It is pleasing to add, that notwithstanding her advanced age, many family bereavements, and delicate state of health, this lady retains very distinct traces of that beauty which inspired the young Harper of Mull, and produced the "Caroline" of the West. Their next meeting, as will be seen, was at Inverary; after the Poet had left Mull-had increased his reputation at the University-and become a temporary resident at Downie. The Poem entitled "Caroline," owed its origin to the incidental circumstance above related 66 Caroline," however, had not so entirely engrossed the Poet's admiration, as to render him blind or indifferent to the native beauty that now and then shone forth among the daughters of the "lonely isle." While he justly admired the queenly rose, he was not inattentive to the lowly violet that grew at its feet. Hence the following verses-partly illegible in the manuscript"On a Rural Beauty in Mull:" "The wand'ring swain, with fond delight, On Pambemara's desert height, Mr. Campbell of Sunipol was a younger brother of Donald Campbell of Airds, who, although a Baronet of Nova Scotia, never assumed the title. It was taken up, however, by his son, and lastly by his grandson. + Miss Caroline F- was married on the 29th of January, 1799, to the late Thomas W—, Esq., of Stirling; and has been a widow since the 27th of January, 1815. ÆT. 18.] LINES ON A RURAL BEAUTY. So, fixed in rapture and surprise, I gazed across the plain, Methought, shall beauty such as this, On Thule's shore be doom'd to bless From yon bleak mountain's barren side In studious fashion's proudest cost The pride of art could never boast Yet, simple beauty, never sigh To share a prouder lot; Nor, caught by grandeur, seek to fly The solitary cot!" * • The concluding stanza is illegible in the manuscript. 135 CHAPTER VII. RETURN FROM MULL-FIFTH SESSION. AFTER an absence of five months from his native Clutha, Campbell took a final leave of those shores— "Where the Atlantic wave Pours in among the stormy Hebrides." He returned home-"glad," as he says, "to behold the kirk steeples, and feel his feet, not on the 'bent' of the Mull, but on the whinstone pavement of his native city." His feeling of partiality to Glasgow-naturally strong-had been increased by distance and absence, and was now more warmly cherished than ever. Here was the scene of his earliest trials and distinctions; here were many of his youthful comrades; and here was the mental palæstra, where he aspired to new honors. With his mind refreshed and filled with original ideas, drawn from a region little frequented, he longed to communicate its intellectual treasures to others; and with this feeling, returned to his friends and studies with increased alacrity. The sight of his Alma Mater was like that of some fair and indulgent friend, of whom he had thought often and tenderly during his absence, and who was the first to bid him a cordial welcome. It appeared to him, that, until now, he had never felt in all their force and purity, the united ties of friends, kindred, and home. As the old-cherished landmarks one after another re-appeared, we can easily believe how his feelings melted into poetry : "Then, then every rapture was young and sincere, His journey by land and water occupied four days, and was performed in a season when the mountains are frequently covered with snow. The fact which he relates, of his passing a long, cold night in the open waste, sufficiently proves what he had before stated, that in spirit and health he was as "gay as a lark, ÆT. 18.] LETTER TO MR. THOMSON. 137 and as hardy as the Highland heather." "I came back to Glasgow," he says, "in company with my friend Joseph Finlayson, who, like myself, had been living on an adjoining Highland estate. On our way between Oban and Lochawe-side, we were benighted; and, totally losing our way, were obliged to pass a cold night, in the end of October, on the lee-side of a bare whinstone wall. But, wrapping ourselves in our Highland plaids, we lay quietly down on the ground, and next day found ourselves nothing worse for our exposure." Immediately after his return, Campbell resumed his duties as a College tutor, and appropriated what leisure he could spare to the prosecution of his former studies. He was again enrolled in the Greek-Law-Logic-Moral and Natural Philosophy Classes and devoted a portion of every day to a critical revision of the translations made during the summer. In his correspon dence of this session, the first letter on the list is the following: TO MR. THOMSON. MY DEAR FRIEND, GLASGOW COLLEGE, November 14th, 1795. Whether the hurry of business or some accident has prevented the long-wished-for receipt of my friend's letter, I know not; but, God knows, I have counted many a solitary moment since the time when I expected his answer to my last. Yet I look forward with pleasure to that happiness; and rely upon the constancy of his affection for a long and agreeable series of correspondence. Write me speedily, my friend; tell me if you form a distant idea of Staffa, and whether you could ever be persuaded to visit the scene of such a sublime curiosity. Methinks I see you shake your head as a sign of negation-contemplating at the same time in your imagination, the danger of being trusted to the mercy of wild Highlanders! Don't determine too speedily; you may perhaps find leisure for such a tour; and in that case, by meeting with you at Edinburgh or Glasgow, I should not only have the pleasure of shaking hands with my long-absent Thomson, but perhaps be of some service to you in finding quarters in those places where society is not so far refined as to give encouragement to innkeepers. Nothing worthy of notice has occurred since I left Mull. You inquire very feelingly for poor W W-; and poor he is a living monument that genius and prudence do not always correspond. Yet I felt my heart warm to him when he mentioned your name with respect and affection. Poor man! he has lost |