ART. VIII.-Recollections of the Life of the Rev. A. J. Scott, D.D., Lord Nelson's Chaplain. Saunders and Otley.

THESE Recollections have been compiled by the daughter and sonin-law of the late rev. doctor; forming a fitting tribute to his memory, the memory of an amiable, and, in some respects, a remarkable person. Still, the life of the chaplain could not in itself have been the theme of a volume of considerable size, possessing throughout very deep interest. And yet the memoir has its curious as well as attractive points, which are with becoming filial love brought out, and also with a discriminating taste and due regard to truth. We must first of all notice the more prominent features in his character, and the principal passages in his personal career; and then proceed to the subject of the greatest attraction in the Recollections.

A. J. Scott, although born upon the banks of the Thames, seems to have claimed the ancestry to which his name immediately points; for he "inherited an antique silver seal, engraved with the Border arms of the Scott clan, which, it is said, had been taken from the pocket of one of his ancestors, who was found hanged in a tree after the battle of Culloden. This seal he once exhibited to Sir Walter Scott's eldest daughter, whom he met at an evening party of Miss Joanna Baillie's, and playfully claimed kindred with her family. She was very anxious that her father should see this relic, but he was not present that evening, and the opportunity never occurred."

Dr. Scott was left fatherless at an early age, his parent having died in circumstances which were by no means affluent; bequeathing a widow and several children to the care of his brother, Captain Scott. But the future chaplain was frequently in luck's way, his good fortune also setting in when he was but a child; for in 1772, when only

four years old, his uncle took him to the West Indies. Here the little boy lived in the house of Sir R. Payne, the governor of the Leeward Islands; his first lessons in reading being taught him by Lady Payne, while the uncle was employed in active service. The captain returned to England in 1777. The boy was sent to school and subsequently to the Charterhouse; but still spending his vacations chiefly at Lady Payne's, and where he had an opportunity of seeing people of the first rank and the highest polish. The gentlemanly manners for which he was in after life remarkable, as well as his turn for learning languages, were no doubt in a great measure acquired at the same period of his history. In fact, his conduct and cleverness had so distinguished him at the Charterhouse, that an exhibition of about forty pounds a-year was granted him; so that, although the uncle, who was a commander of the old school, had intended that the lad should go to sea, was induced to let him be sent to college, where he seems to have carried himself with a gay and free spirit, not more natural to him, than popular with his fellow-students. And yet luck's child had not his lot at Cambridge cast altogether among thornless roses. We thus read regarding the resolution that he should go to college:

Unfortunately for young Scott, the next necessary consideration was, how this could be done in the least expensive manner; and his uncle having made inquiries, the answer of course was, that the cheapest way of sending him to the university would be as a sizar. He was consequently entered as a sizar at St. John's College, Cambridge. On his arrival there, his feelings were deeply wounded by finding himself placed in a position so much beneath that to which all his former schoolfellows were admitted at St. John's and other colleges in the university. He remonstrated with his uncle, as naturally ignorant of usages and opinions in our universities; but in vain. Acting, as Captain Scott believed he had done, on the very best information and advice, and being indisposed from professional habits of naval command to listen to what he deemed the idle complaints of an insubordinate youngster, he turned a deaf ear to all his nephew's representations. He reminded him how he had roughed it in his own career on a more boisterous element than the featherbeds of college, and ordered him to "get rid of pride and do his duty cheerly." It was more easy, however, for the uncle to give such advice, than for the nephew to follow it. No one but an university-man can appreciate the distressing position of young Scott, and enter fully into his feelings. Prudence, no doubt, dictated that with his scanty allowance, suited to the situation of a sizar, he should decline associating with his former schoolfellows, who could afford expenses that must infallibly run him into debt. But, popular as he was with them, from his lively disposition, talents, and gentlemanlike manners-accustomed always to the best society, and naturally thoughtless about expense-it is no wonder that he should readily meet their advances, and, heedless of consequences, continue in their set.

Scott took orders, and without much loss of time went to sea as

chaplain with Sir John Collins in the Berwick. And from this time forward, during his naval career, he not only possessed the marked friendship of men celebrated in the service, but was frequently engaged diplomatically; his particular acquirements, manners, and character fitting him to a singular degree, for such delicate and important offices. Sir Hyde Parker and Lord Nelson were of the number of distinguished persons with whom he formed an early acquaintance after his going to sea.

We have pointedly alluded to the high-bred manners of the chaplain and to his attractive character; notice having also been taken of his extraordinary aptitude for acquiring languages. This last mentioned feature, together with other noticeable points, will appear in the following passage:

Mr. Scott's great facility in acquiring languages was constantly shown. Although he had never seriously studied Italian until he set his foot on board, yet, by the time they arrived off the coast of Italy, he was sufficiently master of it to be able, on going ashore, to converse with the natives, to interpret for the officers of the ship, and to conduct any negotiations betwixt the commanding admiral and the Italian maritime states. He also very soon acquired Spanish. The way in which he set to work when learning new languages (for he did not confine himself to learning one at a time) was such as could only be pursued by a person having a peculiar aptitude and real love for the study. He entirely gave up his mind to them, he kept his journals in them, conversed at every opportunity with foreigners, got pupils out of the ship's company for practice-sake, and read night and day whenever he could lay his hand on a foreign book. This extraordinary diligence, and an uncommon talent for diplomacy, soon made him a known man in the fleet; and, among other distinguished persons to whom Sir John Collins introduced him, was Captain Horatio Nelson of the Agamemnon. So much struck, even then, was this most illustrious man by Scott's address and abilities, that he conceived at once a strong liking for him, and proposed to him some time afterwards, on the occasion of Sir John Collins' death, that he should accept the chaplaincy of the Agamemnon. This kind offer Mr. Scott respectfully declined, frankly explaining that, after his services in the Berwick, where he had acted as secretary to Sir John Collins, as well as chaplain to the ship, and had been employed diplomatically, he should not be doing justice to himself in accepting merely the chaplaincy of a smaller ship. Captain Nelson quite appreciated this excuse, but expressed his regret, and added the flattering wish, "that some day, if he should live to be an admiral, it might be in his power to make him an offer more worthy of his acceptance." It is interesting to record this commencement of the acquaintance between Dr. Scott and our great naval hero,-an acquaintance interrupted for a few years, but destined to be renewed on a theatre of glory, and to last in warm and unabated friendship till Nelson expired in his arms triumphant at Trafalgar.

But it was not a mere greediness and capacity with regard to the acquisition of languages that distinguished Dr. Scott. He was a man ardently devoted to study, and this too of curious books and

uncommon themes; the more remarkable when one considers his position and circumstances. He cherished a bibliomania, and was fond of old nic-nacs. But this is not all the curiosity; for the chaplain studied and keenly relished music and other pursuits most in vogue with refined society. Even these various points did not complete the indexes of his character. With a remarkable simplicity of manner and singleness of purpose, which, joined to his extensive knowledge and elegance of deportment, made him a favourite at home and abroad,-he united the genius and talents for diplomacy, which took him often beyond the sphere of his professional duties. He who was blind or inattentive to his own immediate interests, was sharp-eyed and an adept in regard to public men and international affairs. In fact, his unobtrusive and gentle bearing,his studious habits when on a foreign shore, or his apparently trifling occupations in the walks of elegance, must have taken people off their guard, and enabled him to make discoveries, which might have been beyond the reach of an ostensible agent. His diplomatic skill was particularly proved at Copenhagen, where, after the battle, he not only drew up the terms of the convention, but contrived and couched it in the most dexterous and advantageous manner. Having alluded to a particular battle, in the current histories of which there is always something supposed to be characteristic to report with regard to Nelson's disregarding his superior's signal of recall, we shall copy certain notices from the chaplain's account sent to his uncle, Rear-Admiral Scott, together with the observations of the biographers.

March 22nd, in the evening.-The frigate is returned, and from appearances we shall fight. I have just seen the captain, who confirms this idea.March 23rd, in the morning. The wind will not permit us to pass. We are at anchor off the Sound. Mr. Drummond is on board the frigate with all his family. He was charge d'affaires at Copenhagen. The Kite brig goes to England with him immediately. I fear there is a great deal of Quixotism in this business; there is no getting any positive information of their strength." The concluding observation in this letter may serve to show the apprehensions excited by Nelson's bold plan of immediate attack, until his opinion prevailed, and the whole conduct of the expedition devolved on him. It should be borne in mind, in reading Mr. Scott's journal, that the London was not engaged in the action; for it had been agreed that Lord Nelson should lead the attack, while Sir Hyde, with a small division of the fleet, remained to cover the retreat of the disabled ships; and when the latter would have advanced to assist Nelson's squadron, which had got entangled on the shoals, he was altogether prevented doing so by contrary winds and currents. It is commonly stated, that during the course of the battle, Sir Hyde Parker hoisted the signal of recall, and that Nelson, putting his glass to his blind eye, declared he could not see it, and therefore virtually disobeyed orders. Mr. Scott's simple version of the circumstance is, that it had been arranged between the admirals, that should it appear that the ships which were engaged were suffering too severely,

the signal for retreat should be made, to give Lord Nelson the option of retiring if he thought fit.

Having had England's naval hero thus pointedly introduced, we must not longer detain our readers with minor notices and personages. What we go forward to quote has not much that is new in it; but still it is given with such a truth-like particularity and honest plainness, as will be perused by all with eagerness and increasing satisfaction. The hero's habits and attractive traits will be to some extent seen in the following passages. He was particularly loveable. Happily for Dr. Scott, all his services were, in the truest sense, labours of love. No man ever possessed in a more remarkable degree than Lord Nelson the power of exciting simultaneously affection for his person and admiration of his genius. Sir Pulteney Malcolm, whose extraordinary fate it had been to be intimately acquainted with Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, and our great naval hero, used to say (but perhaps with the partiality of a sailor) that "Nelson was the man to love."

It has been said that nothing is too small or too great for the attention and grasp of Wellington. Nelson's industry, regard to trifles, and acuteness, were not less remarkable, and yet characteristic of a different sort of mind. What we now quote presents him in a more particular light than we have before had an opportunity to view him.

Besides the graver employments above spoken of, Dr. Scott was in the habit of reading to his chief all the French, Italian, Spanish, and other foreign newspapers, which were sent regularly to the fleet; and these were ransacked as well for the amusement as the information they contained. Dr. Scott had also to wade through numberless ephemeral foreign pamphlets, which a mind less investigating than Lord Nelson's would have discarded as totally unworthy of notice; but he entertained a persuasion that no man ever put his hand to paper without having some information or theory to deliver, which he fancied was not generally known, and that this was worth looking after through all the encumbering rubbish. His own quickness in detecting the drift of an author was perfectly marvellous. Two or three pages of a pamphlet were generally sufficient to put him in complete possession of the writer's object; and nothing was too trivial for the attention of this great man's mind, when there existed a possibility of its being the means of obtaining information.

Day after day might be seen the admiral in his cabin closely employed with his secretary over their interminable papers. They occupied two black leathern arm-chairs; into the roomy pockets of which, Scott, weary of translating, would occasionally stuff away a score or two of unopened private letters found in prize-ships, although the untiring activity of Nelson grudged leaving one such document unexamined. These chairs, with an ottoman that belongs to them, (now treasured heir-looms in Dr. Scott's family,) formed, when lashed together, a couch, on which the hero often slept those brief slumbers for which he was remarkable.

Again,

Lord Nelson was constantly studying the characters of those whom he had