t the gentlemen of the county with an address against the Reform
Bill, which menaces them with being blended with Peeblesshire, and
losing of consequence one half of their franchise. Mr. Pringle conjures
me not to be very nice in choosing my epithets. Mr. Pringle, Torwoodlee,
comes over and speaks to the same purpose, adding, it will be the
greatest service I can do the county, etc. This, in a manner, drives me
out of a resolution to keep myself clear of politics, and "let them
fight dog, fight bear." But I am too easy to be persuaded to bear a
hand. The young Duke of Buccleuch comes to visit me also; so I promised
to shake my duds and give them a cast of my calling, fall back, fall
edge.

_March_ 7-10.--In these four days I drew up, with much anxiety, an
address reprobatory of the Bill, both with respect to Selkirkshire, and
in its general purport. I was not mealy-mouthed, and those who heard the
beginning could hardly avoid listening to the end. It was certainly in
my best style, and would have made a deal of noise. From the
uncompromising style it would have attracted attention. Mr. Laidlaw,
though he is on t'other side on the subject, thinks it the best thing I
ever wrote; and I myself am happy to find that it cannot be said to
smell of the apoplexy. The pointed passages were, on the contrary,
clever and well put. But it was too declamatory, too much like a
pamphlet, and went far too generally into opposition to please the
country gentlemen, who are timidly inclined to dwell on their own
grievances rather than the public wrongs.

_March_ 11.--This day we had our meeting at Selkirk. I found
Borthwickbrae (late member) had sent the form of an address, which was
finished by Mr. Andrew Lang.[432] It was the reverse of mine in every
respect. It was short, and to the point. It only contained a
remonstrance against the incorporation with [Peebles]shire, and left it
to be inferred that they approved the Bill in other respects.[433] As I
saw that it met the ideas of the meeting (six in number) better by far
than such an address as mine, I instantly put it in my pocket. But I
endeavoured to add to their complaint of a private wrong a general
clause, stating their sense of the hazard of passing a Bill full of such
violent innovations at once on the public. But though Harden, Alva, and
Torwoodlee voted for this measure, it was refused by the rest of the
meeting, to my disappointment; since in its present state it will not be