And it must be owned that he had studied family genealogies so indefatigably, that it was no easy matter to refute him without preparation. If you mentioned Burke, "What," said he, "a descendant of De Bourg? class that high Norman chivalry with the riff-raff of O's and Mac's? Show me a great O, and I am done." He delighted to prove that the Scotch Highlanders had never had but a few great captains - such as Montrose, Dundee, the first Duke of Argyle—and these were all Goths; the two first, Lowlanders; the last a Norman, a de Campo bello! The aversion he had for the Celtic name extended itself to every person and every thing that had any connection with the Celtic

countries *.

In 1789 Mr. Pinkerton published in 8vo, a collection of ancient Latin Lives of Scottish Saints, a work which greatly tended to illustrate the early history of his native country. It is now a scarce volume, no more than one hundred copies of it having been printed. This was soon after followed by a new and greatly enlarged edition of his Essay on Medals, which has become the standard work for information on that interesting and useful subject. In the same fruitful year he published an edition of "The Bruce, or the History of Robert King of Scotland, written in Scottish verse, by John Barbour," 3 vols. 8vo.

In 1790 this prolific writer again put forth some of his numismatic researches, in "The Medallic History of England to the Revolution," 4to, with 40 plates; and also, "An Inquiry into the History of Scotland, preceding the reign of Malcolm III. or

* The opinions advanced in his remarkable "Dissertation," were ably and amply combated, as well elsewhere, as in the Gentleman's Magazine, by a correspondent, in vol. LVII. pp. 203, 305; and again, by Mr. W. Williams, in vol. LX. pp. 601-5. + Reviewed in Gent. Mag. vol. LVI. p. 509; vol. LIX. p. 635. Vide ibid. vol. LIX. P. 837,

1056; including the authentic History of that Period; 2 vols. 8vo, (re-published in 1795,) with some additional observations, containing replies to the reviews, &c. * In 1792 he edited three octavo volumes of "Scottish Poems, re-printed from scarce editions."

In 1798 Mr. Pinkerton married Miss Burgess, of Odiham, Hants, sister to Thomas Lord Bishop of Salisbury; but the union was not happy, and the parties separated. The lady died some years before him.

Our Author's next important literary labours were in biography. He contributed the lives to "Iconographia Scotica, or Portraits of Illustrious Persons of Scotland, with biographical notes," 2 vols. 8vo, 17951797; and to the "Scottish Gallery, or Portraits of Eminent Persons of Scotland, with their Characters," 8vo, 1799.

His talents were then directed to geography, and they produced a standard work in this branch of science. The "Modern Geography, digested on a new plan," appeared first in two quarto volumes, in 1802; a second edition published in 1807, consists of three; and there is an abridgement in a single octavo. In 1806, Mr. Pinkerton having visited the French capital, published his observations, under the title of "Recollections of Paris in the years 1802-3-4 and 5," 2 vols. 8vo. Subsequently he was employed in editing a "General Collection of Voyages and Travels," which was extended to nineteen volumes, quarto; and a "New Modern Atlas," in parts. These works commenced in 1808 and 1809, and occupied him for some years. For a short time the Critical Review, with but little success, was under his superintendance.

Mr. Pinkerton's last original work was "Petra

* See Gent. Mag. vol. LXV. pp 416, 506.

+ Ibid. vol. LXIII. pp. 32, 446.

Ibid. vol. LXV. 1100; LXVI. 858; LXVIII. 302.

logy, or a Treatise on Rocks," 2 vols. 8vo, 1811; but in 1814, still pursuing his attacks on the Celts, he re-published in two octavo volumes, his "Inquiry into the History of Scotland," together with his "Dissertation on the Origin and Progress of the Scythians or Goths."

Mr. Pinkerton in his latter years resided almost entirely in Paris, where he died March 10, 1825, at the age of 67. His appearance was that of "a very little and very thin old man, with a very small, sharp, yellow face, thickly pitted by the small-pox, and decked with a pair of green spectacles." After this very detailed memoir, any lengthened character were needless. It will have been perceived that Mr. Pinkerton was an eccentric, but highly industrious cultivator of the fields of literature; and that his talents, though in some instances ill-directed, were commensurate with undertakings of no ordinary rank in literature.

1. Mr. PINKERTON to Mr. NICHOLS.

Knightsbridge, Nov. 28, 1782. Mr. Pinkerton's compliments wait on Mr. Nichols; he mentioned to Mr. Nichols his intention of giving a second volume of Scottish Ballads, consisting of a selection of those of the Comic kind, to be published along with the second edition of the Tragic Ballads, which will form a complete work in its way. But, upon considering the matter, he perceives it will be attended with very considerable labour and loss of time, which might, perhaps, be employed to much greater advantage, even if he does receive some little pecuniary recompence for his trouble. Without a previous agreement therefore, upon a reasonable value being given for the manuscript, he cannot think of undergoing the fatigue of putting his materials in order, and of carrying on a correspondence in various parts of Scotland, which must be done to procure every necessary assistance.

"To give Mr. Nichols some slight idea of the plan, he will please be informed, that the volume will commence with a dissertation on the Comic Ballads, in which it is hoped some new lights will be thrown on pastoral, amatorial, and humourous Poetry, all which heads fall properly under the general subject. Then will follow a selection of ballads in this style, all which will be given with a correctness not yet known in any collection of the kind, and among them will appear about a dozen never VOL. V. 2 X

published. The work will conclude with notes and a glossary. Such will be the proposed volume, which shall be of the same size with the other; and Mr. Pinkerton imagines, that if a thousand copies are printed, the half of the profits of the last volume will be a fair price. A thousand copies at 2s. 6d. will be .125, of which allow .25 for expence, the half of the residue will be £.50, which Mr. Pinkerton would look upon as at least some little compensation for his trouble *. Mr. Nichols may let him know in answer his own sentiments; but whether this is agreed on or not, Mr. Pinkerton will, with very great pleasure, revise the second edition of the Tragic Ballads, and do every thing else in his power for Mr. Nichols's interest."

2. "MY DEAR SIR,

Knightsbridge, Oct. 3, 1783. “You know well that there was no edition of Cowley for nifty years, till your friend Dr. Hurd published his Select Works, which have passed through four editions already. I hope like success would attend the Select Works of Geoffrey Chaucer ; and submit this to you that you may consider if it is worth your while to try. Lose you cannot in my opinion, for every purchaser of Johnson's Poets would buy the book to complete their sets; and I am much mistaken if the work would not be very popular, and your gain very considerable; but you are the only judge.

My love of Chaucer has induced me to dwell on the subject con amore, and I doubt not but you will ponder well ere you pronounce on a design so important to English literature and antiquity, of which you are no mean proficient.

"I ever am, dear Sir, "Your very humble servant,

JOHN PINKERTON,"

3. "DEAR SIR,

April 2, 1784. "I return this revise, which I hope you will be so kind as see corrected in the few errata, and proceed with such dispatch as your other business of more importance permits.

"As in your proposal to me you mentioned, that but one third of the profits should be allotted to your share, which I confess I thought rather liberal than otherwise, I must insist that your third be paid in the very first instance, and I shall not touch a farthing till that is done; nay, should only as much arise as will clear your third, I shall certainly impute the fault to myself, where alone indeed it can lie, and think the loss of my labour but a proper punishment for the defects of my work.

"I mentioned to you that I looked upon myself as completely Although at this time a very young Author, Mr. Pinkerton was not an unskilful calculator. He received twenty guineas on a thousand being printed.

paid for the Scottish Ballads, that the work was now complete, and that in any future edition my assistance should be much at your service gratis. This I now repeat, as I wish you to be satisfied that I have your interest at heart as much as my own, and would always hope that you should not only be no loser but a gainer (though such gains are nothing to either of us) by any trifles of mine. I am always, dear Sir,

"Yours sincerely,

J. PINKERTON."

4. To Mr. Herbert.

"DEAR SIR, Kentish Town, Feb. 22, 1790. "I have just received, by the favour of your nephew, that part of your third volume which concerns Scottish typography, and which I was very desirous to see. The books from 1509 to 1541 (if you except the Ad Serenissimum,' &c. p. 1472), are perhaps inserted to humour my countrymen, for they belong not to Scottish typography; and perhaps the more apparent the chasm, the more exertions would have been used to discover books to fill it. The History,' 1536, cannot stand upon Mackenzie's authority only, for he is grossly inaccurate, as the next article proves; and it is supposed by some, that there were two editions of that work. I am glad you have the only real edition of it; and, if you lived nearer town, I should have esteemed it a most particular favour if you could have lent it to me for one month, as I am engaged in writing the History of Scotland, and learn that Bellenden is a free translator, and has matters not in his original. There is a copy in the King's Library, Buckingham-house; but there we can only consult with propriety.

"The Complaint of Scotland in Major Pierson's Ballads I am anxious to have a copy of, and should be obliged to you for information in whose hands they now are. I still think of reprinting Weddenburn's Complaint. You will excuse my differing from you as to the Harleian copy having a manuscript title, which in so full and accurate a catalogue would in that case have been mentioned. As to Mackenzie I know no term strong enough for his inaccuracies and bold assertions. It is not unusual, nor has been from the commencement of printing, for a blank to be left at the end of a dedication for the author to write in his name with his own hand in the presentation copy, which was thought more respectful. I suspect, after all, that this book was printed in France, and that the many castrations proceeded from the author's distance from the press, and the printer's total ignorance of the language. Another copy, but very imperfect, is in the possession of Mr. Macgowan, Edinburgh.

"I must retract what I have said in List of Scottish Poets, p. cv, that no Protestant books could be printed in Scotland till